Evening Star Newspaper, December 28, 1928, Page 8

8 THE EVENING STAR + §9ith Sunday Morning Edition. THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1928." e e o i s i W e THIS AND THAT g5 s ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS pers, the late president of the American | the census bill, which has passed the Federation of Labor, will be erected by [ House, as & Senate amendment. This Seen as Temphflon ‘To the Editor of The Star: WASHINGTON, D. C the membership of that organization,|is one way out of the situation which RIDAY......December 28, 1028 {0 stand on a site yet to be selected. THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Bustagss Ofce: LY A Y icago Office: Tower Bullding. Chicago £ 214 8t.. London. Oftce, 14 Regent 0 Buropean Rate by Carrier Within the City. RS Frenine star,. . 45¢ per month e Evening and Sun Rate by Mafl—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Bl sap o4 7 e 4 Binday only yri $400: 1 mo.. 88¢ mo.. 50c mo.. 40¢ All Other States and Canada. Member of the Associated Press. ‘The Associated Press is exclusively (ntitled the use for republication of all nows dis- tehes credited to it or not otharwise cred- ted {n this paper and also the local rew: publtsned herein. All rignts of publication o apecial dispatches herein are also reserved. China’s Falling Shackles. The shackles are falling from China. froday’s official confirmation from Lon- don of news foreshadowed earlier this week in The Star—that Great Britain Das signed a tariff treaty with the Nan- king government—is an event of transcendent import. John Bull now follows the lead which Wnele 8am gave the nations, in recog- nizing Nationalist China’s full tariff sutonomy. Germany, France and one or two smaller countries had already one so. But until Britain acted, there swas a vitally missing link in the chain ©f treaties necessary to China's fiscal 4ndependence. Japan has not yet consented to re- frise her tariff relations with her great Asiatic neighbor, but with a united Oc- cident assenting to it, China’s liberty ©of action in respect to her customs sys- tem may be said to be substantially yestored. ‘To withhold her own recog- mitlon of it would subject Japan to something like hostility not only to China, but to the rest of the world. Enlightened statesmanship at Tokio is not likely to fall into so perflous an error. Recovery of tariff freedom represents bne of the ideals Republican China has cherished since the hour it set itself the cardinal task of abrogating the so- called “unequal treaties” extorted in the decadent days of the defunct em- pire. On her own part China agrees, in return for non-foreign intervention in her tariff system, to abolish that most ancient of the world's “graft” gchemes—the notorioup “likin"—on which Chinese officialdom 80 long waxed fat"at the expense of. foreigners and’ Chinese alike, “Likin” was & legalized method of imposing internal taxes on goods which had already been subjectéd to import duties. It was pried out of its helpless victims in the guise of local ‘transport taxes. Ohina’s right to be master in her own bustoms house was one of the primary bbjectives of the Washington confer- ence of 1931-22. Provision was made for commissions which actually essayed in China itself to arrive at some new and universally acceptable basis of tariff reform. Little real progress was made, due to the civil war. But since then Nationalism has established its supremacy in the country and, throw- ing overboard the status quo ante, has proceeded to negotiate a brand-new darift deal with the powers, which so long assumed & self-granted hegemony over China. Where hegemony once prevailed, autonomy now has stepped in. The tariff shackles have dropped from her nascent body politic, but new China has still another objective on the road to complete sovereignty—the bolition of extraterritoriality. That, t00, was contemplated by the Washing- ton conference, Undoubtedly the out- wide world is as ready to acknowledge China’s right to order her own juridical destinies as it is to concede tariff in- dependence. But in that domain the Chinese themselves must move first. Yhey must demonstrate that they pos- sess not only the will, but the power, to administer and enforce justice before the nations will willingly relinquish the safeguards they have so long main- tained for their own legal protection in ©hins. / Extraterritoriality will vanish the moment China convinces the world that its alternative—a secure and re- ligble Chinese system of Justice—is peady to take its place. ——er— . Farm rellef has made conspicuous in political affairs. It is now mm talked about than the tariff. o The Memorial City. V/Each year witnesses the addition, to ghe long list which now stands, of wiemorials to great men and great osuses in Washington. The Hall of Pame which lies beneath the dome of the Capitol is small indeed compared to that greater hall of fame whose fig- ‘ures stand in Washington's parks or Avhose names are borne by beautiful The form of the memorial is to be approved by the joint committee on the Library, with the advice of the Fine Arts Commission. A statue of Cardinal Gibbons, to be erected by the Knights of Columbus, will stand at the inter- section of Park road and Sixteenth street, in front of the beautiful Church of the Sacred Heart. A memorial to Peter Muhlenberg, to be erected by the Peter Muhlenberg Memorial Association, is to be erected without expense to the United States, under supervision of the Diréctor of Public Buildings and Public Parks. A memorial to Gen Artemus ‘Ward is to be erected by the president and fellows of Harvard College on a site yet to be selected. So the list grows. Washington, the Memorial city, hands down to posterity and keeps fresh the memories of great men and great deeds that have played a part in the building of a Nation. —— The “Self-Service” System. The Star today publishes upon this page a letter from Mr. W. G. Kent upon the subject of the distribution of news- papers through the medium of street boxes, or the so-called ‘self-segvice” basis. Mr. Kent attacks the system upon three fundamental bases. He questions its fairness to merchants at street intersections, in whose establish- ments, were it not for the boxes, papers would be distributed, thus attracting potential customers within-doors, He questions the authority for devoting public sidewalk space to the box method of mnewspaper distribution. And he has arisen. The House is properly more interested in a reapportionment bill than the Senate, since it has to do with the membership of the House itself, and does not affect the upper house of Con- gress. It would be the more orderly procedure if the House would promptly pass a reapportionment bill and send it to the Senate for its approval. But the duty of maintaining the provisions of the Constitution is not alone upon the House. unable to take action on a reapportion- ment bill, then it seems clearly the duty of the Senate to act in the matter, espécially, as Senator Vandenberg has pointed out, since the Senate was responsible in 1921 for the failure of the reapportionment bill which the House then passed. Some More About the Weather. One of the bright, optimistic little sayings heard at this season of the year is that “A green Christmas means a fat graveyard.” There is as much foundation for this cheerful adage as for most of the proverbs concerning the weather. In other words, there s no foundation. For the implication is that a “green Christmas” hereabouts is unseasonal weather, while a ‘“white Christmas” is according to Hoyle, and snow on the ground at Christmas will tend to keep the Capital healthy, wealthy and wise. As a matter of fact, a “green Christ~ mas” is the expected thing in Wash- ington, while a “white Christmas” is unusual. The Weather Bureau is able to furnish facts that cannot be dis- puted. Your average thirty-six-year-old questions the ethics of the newspapers of Washington in continuing, in the! face of established results, a system which tempts the public to petty lar- ceny. The Star finds itself in accord with the writer of this communication. The box system does operate to the disad- vantage of the corner merchant. The basis for authorizing the use of side- walk space for the “self-service” boxes, while probably legal, on the theory of public convenience, could, were that principle to be broadly applied, be car- ried to the point of absurdity by per- mitting the installation next to the newspaper boxes of machines for the distribution of gum, shoe shines, postage stamps, street car and bus tokens and cigarettes to the passerby, all of which would be to his undoubted convenience. As to the extent that the boxes prove an incentive to petty thieving, The Star, while unable to give exact figures, can no doubt startle even Mr. Kent by in- forming him that certainly upward of 10,000 papers are daily stolen from the self-service boxes installed in the Na- tional Capital. From the outset The Star has op- posed the street-box system of distri- bution for Washington, believing that it was fundamentally undesirable. Over its opposition the system was installed. Faced with the results of the operation of the boxes in the interest of the other Washington papers—results which in- volved the driving of newsboys from many districts of the city where they had previously been able to operate successfully, and the incidental inability of Star readers to obtain this pa- per on the streets—The Star was con- strained to offer its late edition to the public at the boxes in competition with the other local evening papers. It has and will continue to do so, so long as the box system is permitted to exist in Washington, on the theory that its withdrawal from the field would in no wise correct the evils which it recognizes and would only result in the inability of several thousand Star read- ers to obtain the paper of their cholce at those points where other papers would still be available. But it would welcome & general abandonment of the entire system and a reversion to those orthodox methods of newspaper distri- bution which were in practice prior to the ruling at the District Building which authorized the boxes. Journalism receives new stimulation through the demand for an extra session. A call for extra editions may yet put the Congressional Record on the newsstand. A Constitutional Duty. Congress is about to pass and send to the President the bill providing for the fifteenth decennial census. The purpose of the enumeration of the population of the United States every ten years is not for the glorification of the individual States and municipalities which may be proud of their growth, or even of the whole country. The purpose of the decennial census is to make possible a fair apportionment of representation in the House. And this purpose is de- clared in the Constitution itself and in the debates 1n the Constitutional Con- vention which preceded the adoption of the fundamental law of the land. No reapportionmént of the Hotise bas been made since 1911, following the thirteenth census. The fourteenth census that in his youth it always snowed on Christmas day. But if this Washing- tonian consults the records at the Weather Bureau he will find that in the thirty-six years of his life in Wash- ington there have been only five Christ- mas days when there was an appreci- able amount of snow on the ground at 8 o'clock in the evening. In the last thirty-six years there was snow on the ground at 8 o'clock Christ- mas night in 1902, 1908, 1909, 1912 and 1914. In two cases, 1002 and 1909, snow fell on Christmas day. In three cases, 1908, 1912 and 1914, snow fell before Christmas. In 1907 and 1923 a trace of snow feil on Christmas day, but in amount it was too small to measure. If all of the bright little proverbs about the weather were subjected to comparison with Weather Bureau rec- ords few could stand the test. But none would suffer great damage, for those who believe in weather proverbs do not believe the Weather Bureau. ———oe—s Tt might be desirable .to send Mr. Dawes over to show how the reparations plan works. A man closely concerned in the invention of & machine should be helpful in showing others how to Tun it. It is confidently expected that some of Senator Borah's proposals will be more successful than his idea of taking up & collection to avold suggestion of obligation to Harry Sinclair. ————— Santa Claus disappears from the scene. He is a generous myth and avoids being held in any way responsible for raising restaurant prices on New Year eve, All the insuguration workers can ask is that the weather predictions will be as generous toward the Fourth of March 8s they were toward Christmas day. ‘The United States Government makes demands on all connected with it. Even the position of President-elect is no loafing job. After Mr. Hoover's return there will undoubtedly be some interesting confer- ences in which the microphone will not participate. Certain South American countries are inclined. to admit that what they need is & mediator and not a referee, Some plays are so long that auditors take luncheon to the theater. Folding beds may next be introduced. ————— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Unchanging. It's a New Year greeting, With a song of cheer. It will seem, on meeting, Like the same old year! 'Mongst the changes fleeting And the speech unfurled, It's a New Year greeting— 'To the same old world! Pointing a Distinction. “Are you a politiclan or a states- man?” “I'm a statesman,” answered Sena- tor Sorghum, “but I have hopes, In my opinion Just now, & politician is a statesman with financial backing.” ‘ was made as of 1920. In the eight years that have intervened nothing has been done to bring about the proper reappor- tionment of the House. It is true that the House passed a reapportionment bill in January, 1921, during a short session butldings. A, session of Congress rarely | o¢ congregs, But the bill was allowed to ipssses without * authorization of NeW |4 in the Senate committee. Opposi- jnemorial projects. The annual report of the Director of ‘Public Bulldings and Public Parks cites ® list of projected memorials yet to be wompleted. It is an interesting list, headed by the Memorial Building to the Women of the World War, which will ptand in the rear of the American Red {Cross Bullding, at Seventeenth and E treets northwest. In 1924 Congress au- tion to the measure developed on the part of some of the States which would lose representation under the new census. Since then several Congresses have been elected. Twice a President of the United States has been elected. The basis of the vote in the electoral college is the representation of the States in Congress. Yet Congress has deliberately allowed this important duty thorized one hundred and fifty thou- |of reapportioning the representation of sand dollars toward the erection of this | the States to slide by until now it is building, and in the last session an |glmost time for another enumeration of additional fifty thousand dollars was |the people of the United States. It is suthorized. The building is about one- [ manifestly: unfair to those parts of the third completed and will cost six hun- | country which have grown by leaps and dred thousand dollars. It will take its | bounds in population. place in that notable group of build- ‘The Fenn bill for the reapportionment ings which includes the Memorial Con- | of the House is now pending before that tinental Hall and annex, the Pan-|body. The leaders of the House gen- Jud Tunkins says the mere fact that a man wants the earth is no sign he could manage it if he had it. If that body is unwilling or gw ‘Washingtonian will probably tell you Bos! BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. ‘Thirteen being our lucky number, we ‘were Pl on Christmas mornirlg to discover that thro chance alone we had received exn:t'b 13 books. No matter what else the Christmas tree shows, books always assume major importance in the eyes of one who loves them. What holds many & person off from Ing books to a booky person for ‘hristmas is the fact that such per- sons are known to be particular (some say cranky), and, therefore, the would- be_donor does not know what to get. While it is always best to find out, if possible, what a particular person wants, there are ml:! times when this cannot be ascertained, for a variety of reasons, ‘The book stores are so full of books, however, that no one should have any difficulty in selecting a gift. This was unusually true this year, what with new biographies, etc. Last year our friends thought we wanted h-brow philosophy, but this Christmas they were in a forgiving mood and deluged us with narratives of speed and sparkle. * ok Kk ‘The 13 volumes are: “Murder Island,” by Wyndham Mar- tyn (Robert McBride & Co., N. Y.). “Murder Mansion,” by Herman Lan- don (Horace Liveright, N. Y.). “Voltaire, Genius of Mockery,” by Victor Thaddeus (Brentano's, N. ¥.). “The American Orchestra and Theo- dore Thomas,” by Charles Edward Rus- sell (Doubleday, Page & Co., N. Y.). “The Years Between,” by Paul Feval and M. Lassez (in two volumes, “The Mysterious Cavalier” and “Martyr to the Queen.” Longmans, Green & Co., N, Y). ‘And the following volumes by the master, Alexandre Dumas, as published in the edition of Little, Brown & Co., ton : “Chauvelin’'s Will” (also containing “The Velvet Nacklace” and “Blanche de Beaulieu”). “Agenor de Mauleon” (two volumes). *“‘Ascanio.” “Sylvandire.” “Black, the Story of a Dog.” “The Black Tulip” (also containing “The Ball of Snow” and “Sultanetta”). * ok ok ok What more could a friend of the great Dumas ask than to have unread 50 many of his translated stories? ‘There are, of course, literally hun- dreds of his novels as yet untranslated. Some publisher, in the course of time, is going to make a “hit” with them, we are convinced. In the meantime it is interesting to realize that two Frenchmen have at- tempted to fill in the gap of 20 years which Dumas left between his marvel- out “Three Musketeers” and the next volume in the D'Artagnan series. “The Years Between” offers an ex- planation of why Dumas left such a space in the life story of his chief character, but the reader will be in- clined to take it as gentle persifiage. ‘The publishers have promised two more volumes in the new series, “The Becret of the Bastile” and “The Heir of Buckingham,” to be issued January 23 next. It is to be hoped that they will be put out in the same binding mented with the golden fleur-de-lys. It would appear to be a stroke of h | genius to make D'Artagnan meet Cyra= no de Bergerac, hero of Edmund Ros- tand's great play. Either by himself is enough for one story, but both to- gether ought to be almost too much! ‘We will forever recall our first read- of 0 de Bergerac.” At the time we thought it a better play than any Shakespeare ever wrote, and we are not sure even today that we were not right. He who ,has not read Rostand’s masterplece ought to look it up. The character of the big-nosed Gascon is one of the great ones of literature. The atmosphere of the play, half romantic, half matter-of-fact, is such as to appeal to the lovers of both romance and re- ality. ERE The feast of Dumas is the last of that writer's works which we have managed to find in transiation. “Age- nor de Mauleon” looks to be one of the best of the great writer's novels, rank- ing with “Olympe de Cleves” and “The She-Wolves of Machacoul,” two other little known masterpleces. “The Black Tulip,” of course, is one of the most widely read, being required reading in most high schools and cul.-l leges. The two “Tales of the Caucasus,’ included in the volume, are interesting as showing what Dumas could do in the shorter form. “The Ball of Snow” tells the legend of inducing rain by reason of a pure young man going to the top of a great mountain and bringing down snow to ur into the Caspian. It is written g? a playful style, almost burlesque, very wzll done in the Oriental manner. “Sultanetta,” a tale of treachery, would be horrible if not rescued by the mas- terly handling of the writer. If you want to know Dumas in an unusual mood, read these two short shockers. * K kX The samples of the modern bio- graphical manner look interesting. “Voltaire” was issued a few months ago, and “The American Orchestra” last year. It will be noted with ap- preciation that neither descends to the use of a flippant titie such as mars some of the other biographies now on the market. We regret (before read- ing) that Mr. Thaddeus saw fit to use the present tense. Such a verb form gives merely a fictitious sense of reality and is disquieting to many. Mr. Russell's book on Theodore Thomas appears to be somewhat less “modernistic” in tone and treat- ment. It would seem to bring out to the full the tremendous growth of the symphony orchestra in the United States. ‘The two “murder” books are typical examples of the present-day “detective story,” which branch of the narrative art has received impetus through the avid demands of readers of all lines of literary endeavor. The detective story fills a genuine need in the reading habits of thou- sands. It gives a vicarious participa- tion in deeds of action, and thus helps to compensate for the sedentary lives lived by many. The mystery story, in addition to keen narrative, offers the reader the pleasure of participating to an unusual degree in the solution of a story plot. Every such story is solldly based on that distinguishes “The Years Between,” black with simulated label in red, orna- WASHINGTON this fact, one of the main reasons for their perennial popularity. OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. To Washington and to the ears of this observer has just been brought the tale of a presidential election bet, de- cl by its narrators to be authentic in every detail. Its hero is the New Yorker now in the prohibition news limelight, W. C. Durant, the automo- bile finance magnate. Not long before November 6 Durant—so the story goes —found himself at luncheon in a down- town New York club with a group which included John J. Raskob, the Demo- cratic national chairman. Raskob was discoursing confidently upon Gov. Smith’s l'::;endin: prospects. They were pain! in colors of undiluted op- timism. Thereupon Durant spoke ug. ohnny,” he said, addressing Raskob, “I'll bet you $1,000,000 to $200,000 that Smith won't be elected.” The late chairman of General Motors’ finance committee is not a_speculative person, as a rule. But, having burned his bridges behind him, he had no line of retreat. Thetcht;lunu wal ufilpt:dfi, and, according to the narrative, Durant duly got his $200,000. If he did, the $30,000 in prohibition prizes he's just awarded was small change contributed by his Democratic friend Raskob nearly seven times over. PR District of Columbia judge, was the first president of the National Associ- ation of Colored Women and the first woman of her race ever to serve on an American board of education. She functioned in that capacity in Wash- ington a few years ago. At the great Quinquennial International Congress of Women in Berlin in 1904 Mrs. Terrell achieved the distinction of being the only delegate to deliver her address in three languages—English, French and German. In 1919 she was at Zurich as a delegate and speaker at the. Inter- national League for Peace. * Kk X ‘The forthcoming pacifist demonstra- tlon against the cruiser bill in Wash- ington is being engineered by a con- cern called “Washington Council on In- ternational Relations.” This organiza- tion is not to be confused with two well known and highly-esteemed instie tutions with somewhat similar names— the Council on Foreign Relations, at New York, which publishes the influ- ential quarterly, Foreign Affairs, and the Foreign Policy Association, head- quartered at New York and with rapid- ly increasing branches all over the country. Just who the “Washington Dr. Richard Schuler of Vienna, known as the hereditary undersecretary of Austrian foreign affairs, is in Wash- ington at the outset of a trip of in- vestigation through the land of Amer- ican industry. He is a famous character in European post-war history, having been the first representative of the central powers to turn up at Paris after the armistice to initiate the peace era. Dr. Schuler's main object in the early ‘Winter of 1918 was to confer with Her- bert Hoover. Austria was starving. Her intelligentsia in particular was im- poverished and in misery. Schuler had 15 minutes with Hoover at Paris, fol- lowing the American food adminis- trator's arrival with President Wilson, and within 24 hours food trains were rolling into Vienna. Austrians pave en- shrined the President-elect among their immortals ever since. In 1821 they paid him the unique honor of naming an asteroid, newly discovered by Austrian astronomers, “Hooveria.” * % kX% American womankind’s most invet- erate globe-trotter is the wife of a United States Senator—Mrs. Henry W. Keyes of New Hampshire. A year or two ago Mrs. Keyes—better known in the literary world as Frances Parkin- son Keyes—went around the world to write of China, Japan and India. Now she is about to embark upon a tour of Central and South America. Amply to supply herself with Latin color, Mrs. Keyes will start for the Southern Hem- isphere by way of Spain and a visit to the Spanish-American exposition at Reverberation, There is a strange and sudden sound As difference in cost is found. A loud noise agitates the air, With price-tags dropping everywhere. A Hero Wanted. “Why did you never marry?” “I could not love a man who was not brave,” sald Miss Cayenne, “and nobody has had the courage to propose to me.” “Our ancestors were placid in Chinatown. “But they traveled in jin- rickshas, free from present fears of motor collisions,” Aggravated Offense. ‘We know that betting is & Sin, ‘Whose ways we should refuse. It's wrong to gamble, if you win, And much worse if you lose. “A man dat's always thinkin’ 'bout American Bulilding and the Corcoran |erally are in favor of putting the bill|Mmoney,” said Uncle Eben, “is liable to Gallery of Art. through. There is the danger that it find he has turned his entire life into A statue of Albert Gallatin, second | might again be blocked in the Senate, | RUfn’ but a penny ante poker game.” Becretary of the Treasury, is to stand | in this present short session, with a full near the present Treasury Building, on | program of legislation demanding ac- ® site to be selected by the Fine Arts|tion before March 4. Senator Vanden- Commission. An appropriation of ten|berg of Michigan very properly has thousand dollars for preparation of the | called attention to the dereliction of | Bis sffort to. put toetn fi’fi“‘*&fi e and the pedestal has been made Congress in thismatter. He is proposing misdirected, § It’s Quite Likely. From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. A Georgetown, Pa., man who bit a thought,” said Hi Ho, the sage of |kn Seville. series of “Alfl-Amerlnan “The Senatcl;: Wife"—Mrs. Keyes' magazine nom plume—will go to Ottawa for the forth- coming opening of the Canadian Par- liament, always a gala event. As on the occasion of her voyage to the Ori- ent, Mrs. Keyes will be accompanied to South America by one of her college- boy sons. * ok k k Missouri is to the fore with a candi- date for Hoover's secretary. of agri- culture. He is F. B. Mumford, dean of the College of Agriculture at the Uni- versity of Misso Mumford is well own as an agricultural expert throughout the corn belt. He halls from Michigan, but has been at the University of Missouri's farm college since 1895. Mumford came under the President-elect's eye di the World War while serving as State food ad- ministrator in Missouri. He is a spe- clalist in live stock. Once he wrote a book called “Animal Breeding.” Candi- dates for the agricultural portfolio after March 4, 1929, have seriously to reckon with the present incumbent. Few men in public life are closer to Herbert Hoover thap “Bill” Jardine. They have marched shoulder to shoulder against the army of McNary-Haugen- ites for, lo, these many years. * Kk ok “The Book of Achievement” just is- sued by Oberlin University in honor of 100 famous alumni and alumrae” in- cludes one of Washington's well known colored women, Mary Church Terrell, AB, Oberlin, 1884, and A.M, 1888. Mrs, Terrell, the widow of & former Council of International Relations” is, and what it is, will probably be de- termined at the impending anti-pre- paredness orgy in the Capitol. * ok ok K ‘Washingtonians in charge of Hoover inaugural ceremonies are hopeful the President-elect will “loosen up” in favor of a truly joyous affair gs the result of his recent experiences among the tem- peramental Latins. Hoover survived, in both Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro, celebrations far beyond anything his fellow countrymen on the Potomac and elsewhere are planning for March 4. Persuasive pressure is to be applied to the shy and self-effacing Californian when he reaches Washington in Jan- uary. Perhaps the argument may ap- peal to him that what he “stood for” in South America ought to be no less ac- ceptable to him here. (Copyright. 1928.) eom Effect of Talking Films Is Debatable From the New Orleans Tribune. Callfornia enthusiasts think ‘the talk- ing pictures will make English the world language. “While English may be a hard language to learn,” they say, “it must be understood that foreign people are to understand our talking pictures. 1 For a long time pictures synchronized with the English tongue will rule the world, and the world will simply have to learn English in order to enjoy the pictures.” We are skeptical. This claim holds more egotism than reason. Foreigners may not care enough about American “talkies” to learn English to appreciate them. It wouldn't be easy if they want- ed to. It would be almost impossible, in fact, for the average citizen of for- eign countries to learn English through this medium. The talkies would, of course, help students of English. But not the masses. We understand, also, that many of our film stars themselves are having trouble learning enough English to make the “talkies.” It seems to us more likely that Amer- ican producers will provide foreign dia- logue for “talkies” marketed abroad. At the same time, we realize this would involve great difficulties and costs. —_— It's a Good Idea. From the Savannah Morning News. ‘They are now talking of “humanizing ichthyology,” and the first step, to a raw outsider’s view, is to change the spelling of it. Or, That You Don’t. Prom the New Castle News. The only relief from the weather is pretending you like it. Modern Education. From the Springfleld, Ohlo, Sun. Many students come to college just Lo, Maype thats Why se many oot 3 ;8 why s0 ge! Almost daily I read in The Star of one or more individuals fined $10 for newspaper thefts. While no one has *| an; g but contempt for such petty thievery, the question does arise, Should unnecessary temptation be lowed to exist? I refer to the un- attended little stands on the sidewalks containing newspapers, inviting self- service. First, does a real necessity exist for these temptations to robbery? Sec- ond, is it fair to merchants in stores or at street intersections? Third, by whose authority is the use of the side- walks given to this method of selling newspapers? Surely The Star, with its 100,000 and more circulation, can afford to do without such doubtful means. Anyway, such human nature is as it is, and fines don't seem to be effective in changing human nature, why not bow to the inevitable and stop this temptation that is apparently proving irresistible to so many? Radio Used to Measure Impulse Over Nerves BY E. E. FREE, PHD. New facts about how nerves carry messages from eyes, ears or other or- gans to the brain or take orders from the brain to the muscles, were de~ scribed by Dr. E. D. Andrian, physiolo- gist of the University of Cnmbrldfi England, in two recent lectures at t| Royal Institution, London. Recent developments of vacuum= tube amplifiers, like those used in ra=- dio, have made it possible, Dr. Adrian reported, to detect the tiny electric im- pulses that run along nerves and to magnify them so that their nature can be studied. These impulses turn out to be not unlike the electric currents that carry speech over a telephone wire. Such telephone currents are pulsating ones, the number of pulses in each sec- ond corresponding to the pitch of the tone that is being sung or spoken over the wire. Nerve currents are similar, but slower, ranging from 5 pulses a second up to about 150 pulses a second. Brain cells at the receiving ends of the nerves evidently perceive the number of these pulses and translate that into a judg- ment of intensity. %ht light, for example, makes more pulses per second over the optic nerve than does a dim light. Not the amount of electricity flowing through a nerve, but the number of pulses that traverse it each second, is what deter- mines, Dr. Adrian believes, the strength or weakness of & sensation. et Exposition in Spain To Recall 5 Centuries From the Schenectady Gazette. The pendulum will apparently swing backward almost helf a millennium, if the plans now in Ppreparation are car- ried out as contemplated for March 15, 1929. The occasion will be the opening of the Ibero-American Exposition at Seville, Spain. Prominent among the exhibits will be a true copy of the Santa Maria, the flagship of the fleet, with which the great Genoese navigator made his west- ward trek, which resulted in the dis- covery of a new continent. The fac- simile of this famous little vessel is already completed, and will soon be placed at anchor in the Guadalquiver River. There, also, will be found the ex- hibit from United States Navy De- partment which will have some unusual and unique features. These include a large ituminated map, illustrating the activities of the United States Shp&lng lines, sea Board in passenger and freight and showing the progress on the since the days of the galleon of the Spanish armada. This duplicate of the historic and history-mdking little vessel will be christened by a_special papal repre- sentative from Rome. The Spanish KLng wearing period costume, will dine on d and eat from dishes similar to those used in the time of Columbus. The exhibition buildings which are 'to house the exhibits from the United States are nearing completion. They are to remain as permanent reminders of the bond between old Spain and young America, As is natural, electrical and mechani- cal devices will have prominent place in America’s contribution. Among these will be a machine, installed by the United States Department of Com- merce, which will count all visitors as they enter, making possible an accurate record of the total attendance. Some of our most eminent historians contend that the birth of our country should not be dated from the discovery of the land, but rather from the culmi- nation in revolt of the English colonies. Yet in the minds of most of us, the vision of the stalwart Columbus spring- ing to its shores and planting thereon the flag of his patron, Isabella of Spain, begins our country’s story. ‘What happened before that time, the ventures of former explorers, we see but as a mirage. Christopher Colum- bus, on the other hand, is as real to us as George Washington. The fact that England soon wrung thé supremacy from Spain, and that the present-day descendants of Great Britain far outnumber those of Span- ish blood in the United States, does not detract from the glamour and romance of Spain's part in the discovery and settlement of our country. Even the fact that it bears another name than that of its most popular discoverer makes not one whit of difference in this A e o e name of Americus Vespucius ma; be immortalized in that of the zren{ double continent occupying the whole of the Western Hemisphere, but it is of w(;ol;x&n:fln, i?}:e Gem oél the Ocean,” that Wi an enthusi; thing short of patriotic. = So to us, as to the land in which it occurs, this Ibero-American Exposition clm:g: fail to be of special interest and ance. Tail Light Ruling . . Applies to, Animals From the New York Times. That Morris, Miller, & Conneeticut farmer, faces a $2,500 damage suit be- cause he failed to put a tail light on his cow after dusk, as the law prévides, brings strongly to mind thoughts of how complex our ci tion has e. Mr. Miller was leading his darkened cow along a road; an automobile turned 8 corner; because the animal was un- lighted the machine ran into the cow and an occupant was injured. The law is plain. Mr. Miller ‘Violated it. The Legislature of Connecticut was not humorous when it provided for such contingencies. Headlights may pick out cows and other beasts on a straight- away, but where roads turn-danger lies. In some countries such legalisms would start arian revolts, and we should have di mmnu‘remmg how, arméd with pitchforks and riding work horses, embattled farmers charged a motor corps of city folk bearing walking sticks and wearing silk hats. But the Con- necticut farmer, like the dwellers in the citles, is a motorist, too, and the law is as much for his protection as for theirs. Even if a farmer ran into his own cow, the fact would not compensate him for injuries received. ‘The matter must be left to the courts. But what will these tribunals do about collisions with unlighted animals which do not belong to one? It is not easy to think of aj tail lights to the wildcats which roam Connecticut; and as for the polecats, is there an offi- al in the Commonwealth who would BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN. Many readers send in _questions signed only with initials, asking that the answers a) in the newspaper. The space is ited and would not te & fraction of such re- quests. The answers published are ones that may interest many readers, rather than the one who asks the ques- tion only. All questions should be ac- companied with the writer'’s name and address and 2 cents in coin or stamps for reply. Send your question to The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederlcc.v. Haskin, director, Washing- ton, D. C. Q. How much money was saved in Christmas clubs this year?—H. T. 8. A. Over $550,000,000 was put into Christmas savings in 1928 by some 8,000,000 people. Of this amount it is estimated that $165,000,000 will be put into permanent savings accounts or in- vestments. Less than half of the total will actually be spent for Christmas gifts. Q. What letter in our alphabet is the first letter in the most words?>—J. D. A. The letter with which the most words begin is “s” In a new diction- ary they number 57,428. Q. How long has grapefruit been grown in Florida?—M. G. A. Grapefruit appears to have been brought to Florida by the Spaniards in the sixteenth century, and many de- sirable varieties have been originated there. Q. Who is the chief descendant or representative of Sir Walter Scott at the present time?—F. T. J. A. The British Library of Informa- tion says: “Sir Walter Scott is now lineally represented by the family of his great-granddaughter, the Hon. Mrs. Mary Monica Maxwell Scott, whose eldest son is Col. Walter Joseph Max- well Scott of Abbotsford, C. B, D. 8. O., Kara Georg with Swords (Serbian), Legion d'Honneur (Croix d'Officier), Croix de Guerre.” Q. In a game of five hundred, at no trump, the nine of diamonds is led, the ace of diamonds follows. I have the joker, but also a small diamond. May I play the joker on the trick? —H. H. A. The holder of the joker at no|in trump, not having the lead, is not al- lowed to play the joker if he can fol- low suit. When the holder of the joker has the lead, he may lead the joker and call for any suit he chooses, even ;lv.l':g holding cards of the suit in his Q. What is meant by the law of lvenq;;?—o, E. L. A. e law of averages aims to dem- onstrate that while the trend of human affairs cannot be forecast with cer- tainty, it can be worked out to a con- siderable extent arithmetically by ar- riving at averages based on statistics relating to the event. Q. How many colored insurance companies are there in the United States?—R. E. W. A. There are 14 legal reserve colored insurance companies in the United States and 15 assessment co: Pqi‘ How long do marmosets live?— A. Marmosets live about 2 or 3 years in captivity, though in a wild state their span of life is about. 10 years. They mature at approximately 2 years, soon after which they may mate and produce young. Q. Why is the word “mate” used in :?flfilnu the end of a game of chess?— A. The game was played in Persia at an exceedingly remote period and the words “check-mate” are from the Perslan words “shah mat,” meaning “the King is dead.” Q. Was the great French essayist, Mon! , 8 skeptic?—G. S. A. his active literary life Montaigne frequently made use of the E]l_l\nses “Que sais-je?” (“What do I ow?”) and “Qu importe?” (“What matters it?”) when referring to re- ligious questions. During his last ill- ness he received devoutly the rites and last offices of the church. Q. What la; did Jesus Christ speak?—K. N,mm A. It is probable that the native w of Jesus was the Gslflean of the Aramalc tongue. Aramaic was often popularly confused with Hebrew, but its actual relation to Hebrew was_somewhat similar .to the relation of Yiddish to Hebrew at the present time, Q. How many Kiwanis Olubg re there?—F. P. A. There are about 1,700 Kiwanis Clubs. The membership is over 100,000, Q. What are the colors of r- row, Oxford and Caml A. Eton—Eton blue, and white, Oxford—dark blue, - bridge—light blue. Q. How many bad Mew York City?—H. F. A. : A. ‘There are 3,580 letter carriers tn New York Oity. . What is the present value of the Louisiana Territory which was pur- chased for $15,000,0002—J. M. A. Tt is not possible to speak defl- nitely in regard to the intrinsic value of the land included in the Louisiana Purchase. This territory now repre- sents an aggregate value of many bil- lions of dollars. Q. Does the President of the United s_tém p‘é an income tax on his salary? A. He does pay income tax on his salary. Q. Are black or white camels often seen?—S. L. D. A. Camels seem to be singularly free from the color variations that affect so many domesticated animals—melanism and albinism. Black camels, presum- ably melantics, are rare. A breed called “Nublan camel” is of a very light shade. This seems to be a regular color strain, however, and not a case of albinism, Q. Can an artificial ice be made for skating which eliminates the cold ele- ment?—D. C. A. Hypo can be used. It is a com- gound of sodium thiosulfate and water. igns of wear can be eliminated from it with a hot iron. Q. Of the people who enter New York City each day, how many come by railroad?—T. C. A. On a typical business day, it was observed that 6.1 per cent of the total was carried direct to Manhattan by rallroad; about two-thirds came in on the rapid transit lines. Q. When were the present buildings used by the immigration officials put uj at Ellis Island?—E. M. s % A. They were erected in 1897, when the original structures were burned. Q. When and where was the G. A. R. organized?—D. E. C. A. The Grand Army of the Republic was organized in Decatur, Ill, April 6, 1866. Its existence is primarily due to Dr. B. F. S?hnnwn and cm&m W. J. Rutledge of the 14th Illinois Infantry, who concelved the idea of its formation in 1864. The first national encampment was inaugurated on the 20th of Novem- ber, 1866. The Grand Army has been into departments, represent- ing the States and Territories. The es- tablishment of Memorial day is due to the efforts of the G. A. R. Where was the first telephone line put in the District of Columbia?—S. P. A. It connected the office of the chief signal officer (;:o tihe Army and Fort Whipple, now Fort Myer, Va. It was installed in October,” 1877. Shortly afterward telephones were established at the Capitol and in the office of The ning Star. Q. What is used to stamp the pur- ple trade mark on meat? It is harm- e Th J'géwmn . e it _of Agriculture says that the colors used in the stamp- ing of -meat are absolutely harmless end are as wholesome and edible as any food. Meat printing ink may be made 3’%‘:‘!&«, alcohol, sugar and methyl stand when “Amer- mary for people to rise at the tune of “America.” “The Star Spangled Banner,” while not a na- tional song by law, is recognized by the Army, Navy and Marine Corps, and is therefore accorded deference by civilians, Boulder Canyon Dam Project Still Subject of Uncertainty While the Boulder Canyon project, after a long-drawn-out struggle, has successfully navigated its way through Congress, it still is a subject of uncer- tainty and debate. In addition to the problem of harmonizing the conflicting interests of seven States, there remains the most controversial phase of the whole undertaking, namely, determina- tion of the question of handling the power to be developed by the great dam. This vital point was left by Coi to the White House for decision and it ;},flo be inmerited by President-elect ver. “That the power companies, which have fought the bill, will begin at once a campaign to convert the dam into & part of their buiness enterprises,” according to the Santa Barbara Daily News, “is made quite plain by the state- ment issued by the Southern California Edison Co. It is quite possible that some such adjustment will be in the interest of the people. But the im- portant thing is that the question is left open by this bill.” The New York Sun takes a more positive stand when it says: “Suppose, as seems highly likely, that private cap- ital should find the handicaps at Boul- der Dam so great as to preclude safe investment in the construction of a {:o'er plant. Would this not mean hat the Government would then be obliged, by the terms of the bill as amended, to step in and do the work? In such a contingency the supposed ‘op- tion’ would be no option whatever. The Government would simply have to construct and operate a power plant and Uncle Sam would be compelled to en?n in a business which, from its nature, would not be profitable and which nobody would take over at any price.” * ok ok x “Apparently the bill is so drawn,” states the Birmingham News, “as leave to Mr. Hoover the solution of this problem. It is only fair to President Coolidge that this problem’s solution tho‘mm_i _l[a_eh passed w;nm hl.lswsuc:ceemn‘:i e country may expecte to wait and see what Mr. Hoover ac- tually is to do on the subject of con- trolling and operating Boulder Dam.” The Boston Transcript feels that “the working out of its details may prove epoch making, in its influence upon the :g}urf prospects of Government owner= “The Government can best get its value to help pay for building the dam by selling the water power at the crest of the dam to private industry,” advises the San Prancisco Chronicle. “A strong Secretary will resist thg pressure sure to be put on when time comes, by enthusiasts who put the power issue above that of flood control.” The Providence Bulletin observes that pped the greeing that the power plant would be constructed either by the Government or private capital—an elgtp."m. Secretary of the Interior to de- * ¥k k ¥ ‘The Philadel in | for many years. Hoover a general criticism of the situation with the statement: “Should the policy to Wwhich this measure, whatever its other merits, would commit the Government be permitted to apply to the vast power developments attending flood control along the Mississippi and its tributaries, which lie just ahead, the resuits would lrx‘::ziht‘lnhly %ondlumh the most far- g and dangerous overshadowing of State authority by Federal Govern- ngress | ment that Ni - B the Nation has ever wit The Oakland Tribune sees much work ahead, and emphasizes the point that “the seven States must ratify the compact as to water allocation and failing in this within six months, six States must ratify before there may be & Boulder Dam.” . * ok ok X Interest in the method by which the legislation was achieved is expressed by the Chicago Daily Tribune, which Ppresents as its own version of the cir- cumstances: “The full mischief which Boulder Dam has done in Congress will ::: be known }or Tml‘.‘m ‘What has n swap or it robably only half reve: d."'ltphubyeenl very bad piece of log-rolling and the consequences all around seem about to be very sad, a costly bill for the United States in many particulars. The new United States Senator from Illinois, mflhm&d ; t::‘ctl it, w‘hlch gives a 8 lar on for sanit; i, L T , “The contemplates the largest single appropriation Congress has ever made for internal improvements, except the Mississippi flood control bill, which was passed last Spring,” says the Rich- mond News Leader. “At least $165,- 000,000, and perhaps much more, wiil be spent before the dam, the power plant, the distribution system and the to| projected canal are completed.” The News Leader emphasizes the “contro- versles among the States as to their respective rights to the water.” Of the mammoth character of the project, the Newark News observes: “If given effect by ratification of the inter- state compact, the results of the measure will be watched with both awe and curiosity. A dam about as high as the Washington Monument in Wash~ ington, impounding the waters of one of the most turbulent of rivers for the benefit of seven States, is in many re- spects an unprecedented project. But so was the Panama Canal at its in- ception. The electric power conflict introduces some features which have made Muscle Shoals & white elephant on the Government’s hands. Success- ful navigation of these and related problems, because of the benefits pre- dicted from the und , WIIl be an achievement worthy of praise for those responsible for it.” —————— It’s Not Customary To. From the Evening World-Herald. ‘White House in better condition the will not hesitate to move in. —— e Even on Installments. Sount the “Vost,