Evening Star Newspaper, January 5, 1929, Page 6

! 1 r THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. P el s e o s % WASHINGTON, D, C. 'SATURDAY.....January 5, 1920 " THEODORZ W. NOYES The Evening Star Newspaper Company ness Offic 1:th St. S Chickso European Office. Enslan nns: ) Rate by Carrier Within the City. Star... . 43¢ per month ening and Sunday Star (when 4 Sundass ‘The Evening lr&d St g unday Star 838) 65c per, month c pir ccpy ach moutn. Orders may be sent (n by wall cr teleshone Bain 5000. Rate by Mafl—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia, Dally and Sunday Daily onty - Sunday only All Other States and Canada. tly end Sunday..l yr.$12.00: 1 mo. $1.00 g;ui et | $3.00 . 98¢ Sundav only £5.00: Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press i3 exclysicaly (ntitied 10 the uss for republication of all r=w# cis- patcres cradited to 't or not oth rwise cred- per and also the local rews All Tights of publication of n exrrved fied in this Dpa published herel special dispat An Epic Flight. History is being written in the skies| over California. The big Army tri-; motored Fokker plane is still aloft, i's eng droning steadily on, to bring new glory to American aviition. Early in the morning on New Year day the crew of five took the Army transport plane off the ground. Its wheels have not touched terra firma since. At reg- ular intervals a “nurse” ship eappears zlongside to transfer fucl and supplies to the brave crew whose names will be indelibly engraved in the ledger of fly- ing accomplishment. Mcre than s:ven tons of gasoline, oil and food have bzen transferred in midair, both night and day, from smaller planes to the big Fokker, which, appropriately, has been named the “Question Mark.” Last night the Question Mark broke ell cxisting records for sustained flight in a heavier-than-air machiné. At noen today, Washingion time, ap- proaching the one-hundred-hour mark, it was well on its way to accomplish what has heretofore been econsidered impossible—the feat of staying aloft longer than a lighter-than-air ship, 60c per month | mittee, unless there is a change in the sentiment of the committee, before con- clusion of the session of Congress. ‘There is another side to the Vare case and the situation which a report of that case by the Reed committes may cause in the Senate. Suppose that the com- mittee reports that Mr. Vare finally should be denied his seat in the Senate beeaute of gross expenditures in the primary campaign and alleged corrup- tion. The repert will be fought viger- ously in the Senate by supporters of Mr. Vare. The case is a matier of the highest privilege in the Senate. It is conceivable that the submission of the report with an insistence that it be taken up may tle up legislation in the Scnate tighter than a drum. If the raport is made prior to final vole on the Kellogg treaty renouncing war, it is not difficult to sce that Senator Reed of Missouri, who is a critic of the treaty, and other opponents of that pact may find themselves in a strategic position. The cruiser bill will be threatened and farm legislation will b2 in & worse posi- tion at this session of Congress than even today. A filibuster against a reso- lution extending the life of the Reed slush fund committee has tied up the Genate before this. -t Raussia's Rapid-Fire Diplomacy. While the ifrons of Senate oratory are still hot, Soviet Russia dramatically proposes to convert the Kellogg war-re- nunciation treaty from a debating theme inte an actuality. The Moscow government, first to ratify its adherence to the pact last Summer, essays to be the first to put it into practice. In an identic note to other signatory powers, Russia invites her immediate neighbors, Poland and Lithuania, to make the treaty operative as among the threc of them, witheut further delay. Poland is asked to enter into a special agreement to thet end. ‘This is rapid-fire diplomacy. It leaps with seven-league boots over the en- forcement clauss of the multilateral pact, which provides that it shall not becomne effective until fodrteen specified signatories have depcsited “documents of ratification” at Washington. As yet pone has done so. NG STAR. W/ to the city the latter's council will deal i with the perplexing problem. “Imperi- ous OCaesar, dead and turned to clay, might stop a hole to keep the wind and little could this ancient ani- mal imagine that by expiring on that particular spot it would plunge Proph- etstown Into such a civic crisls. —— e “Hitching” a Ride. ‘Boys of yesterday who still remember the thrill that came from “hitching” 4 ride on the grocery wagon, drawn by an amiable and plodding horse, or who sought adventure of a tail step of a lumbering ce wagon, have little boys of their own now. But the old grocery wagon, lazily pausing at every door, has become a snorting motor truck that stops with a chrick of brakes and starts with a grind of elashing gears. The old fce wagen of yesterday is a Gargantuen monstar today. The quiet streets of yesterday are filled today with countless vehicles, all of them in | a great hurry. Many things have changed, but the little boys of today are just like the little boys their fathors used to be. They love to “hook” a ride. | An eight-year-old boy in Cherrydale the other day manfully grasped the side of a big truck. The truck, its driver unaware of his passenger, started away and gathered spezed. The boy felt his grip slipping. The grip of an eight-year- old was never so strong. He let go. There were screams and cries from other children, the boy fell under the wheels of the truck and another of the countless tragedies that result from “hooking” a ride ended in the cemetery. A parent who fails to tell his chfldl of the dangers of the strect, and who does not paint these -dangers in startling colors that will never fade, is guilty of a neglect too apt to be disastrous. Whenever a child meets sudden death in the street beneath the wheels of a truck or automobile, the motorist is heaped with blame. | Sometimes it is deserved. More often it is not. The child has not anticipated the danger, for children seldom do. But the parent should have anticipated the danger from the beginning, never pass- ing any opportunity to reiterate a warning that will stick in the child's As a purely practical proposition, there is nothing reprehensible in Rus- sia’s scheme. It is as if three young- sters, who promise to be good, say, & month hence, should decide as an after- thought to mend théir ways a fortnight earlier. The dearly loved intricacies ©One hundred and eightesn hours the French Dixmude soared above the earth, while the Graf Zeppelin took more than one hundred and eleven hours to reach the United States from Germany on its recent trip. The Ques- tion Mark has flown farther than either of these two dirigibles, with an estimated mileage ef mors than seven thousand. It will not be until tomor- row morning, however, granting that and formalities of the diplomatic craft are bound to suggest insuperable bar- riers, but otherwise, unless there are invigible “catches” in it, Moscow’s plan to take war-renunciation time by the forelock is at least a refreshing ex- emplification of the theory: “If eventu- ally, why not now?” The Soviet government points out that Russia continues to consider the Kellogg treaty deficient in that it con- they are still in the air, that the crew of the Army plane will have the dis- tinction of covering not enly the great- cst distance, but of remaining aloft Jonger than any othér Humans in the history of the infant art of flying. ‘There was a time, not s0 long past, “when railroad engines must stop to take on water. Today, at sixiy miles an hour or better, the thirsty engines scoop up water ‘from troughs between the tracks. Only & short time ago a fiying machine could stay aloft as long tains no proviso for disarmament, “the most essential element for guaranteeing peace.” Inasmuch as the anti-war pact mind and become a part of his second naturé. The parent who suffers his child to dart down the street on his beautiful new “scooter,” who watches him try his new roller-bearing skates on the highway and who laughs at the | skill demonstrated by his ability to steal a ride on an automobile bumper or the | tailboard of a truck is only welcoming death and tragady. New conditions have brought new responsibilities to every parent. They may be too heavy, but they cannot be escaped. = oo ‘While a police commissioner does not rank 2s high as a governor, Grover Whalen may eventually find himself in line for greater public advancement than Alfred Smith himself. ——————— An automobile tag is essentially a creation of utility. Efforts of several does “impose upon its participants cer- tain obligations of a peaceful char- acter,” Russia seeks to make it forth- with incumbent not only upon itself but “its neéarest neighboring states.” It remains to be seén whather Poland and Lithuania, which are living &t armed peace with Russia, and have various grudges aghinst her to avenge, will jointly swallow the bait so seduc- as the gasoline which it was able to lift off the ground held out, provided, of course, that no motor breakage devel- oped. In the future, however, due to the successful- expériment now being carried on by the.Army, it is well within the realm of possibility that refueling of long-distance ships of the air will be carried on in the sky, while the plane Toars toward its destination at ninety miles an hour. It is an intriguing thought. A non- stop flight from San Francisco to New York in twenty hours, with the plane carrying twenty passengers or mare, never at any time burdened with a great amount of gasoline, due to the fact that at regular int@vals, night or day, it will be refueled by ships which 1le in wait for its appearance. At one step this Army experiment has opened up unlimited potentialities for flying and solved what was once considered an almost insurmountable problem of howto feed continuously & gas-consum- ing motor with the limited facilities available in present-day planes for car- rying the necessary fuel. History is truly being written in the skies above California. Aviation is valuable in transmitting ‘medicines in an emergeney of sickness. ‘The airplane has powerful war posésibil- ities; yet it is most to be admired for services in time of peace. Closing the Vare Case. ‘The Reed slush fund committee is intent upon making its final report in the case of Senator-elect William 8. Vare of Pennsyivania before the close of the present Congress. The commit- iee apparently has turned a deaf ear to the plea of Mr. Vare's physician that given six months Mr. Vare may have =0 far recovered his health as to be able to appear in person before the committee. The attitude of the com- mittee is that everything pertinent to the case has been presented, that Mr. Vare's attorneys are at liberty to have full access to all the records, and that the time has come for a conclusion of the case, which began almost two years ago. Mr. Vare's illness has placed the com- mittee in an embarrassing position. It s difficult to press s case against an ill man. The sympathies of the people generally are with the patient in the eick room. Already friends of Mr. Vare are shouting “Persscution!” and charg- ing that the committee is endangering the life of the Senator-elect from Penn- eylvenia. Chairman Reed of the com- mittee insists that such is not the case: that the committee has given and is giving every consideration to Mr. Vare; that it has delayed hearings and action again and again at the request of Mr. Vare, and that it has no intention of demanding the appearance of Mr. Vare before the committee again. The committee takes the view that Mr. Vare has presented his case; that if he has anything additional to offer it can be submitted as an afdavit or through argument by Mr. Vare’s coun- sel. The committee, according to Sen- ator Reed of Missouri—not of Pennsyl- vania—will give Mr. Vare and his at- . torney what they wish to do. ¥t “Sinal Tepost § to be made by the com~ tively dangled from the Soviet hook. ‘The czars now enthroned in the Krem- lin undoubtedly are playing for bigger stakes than a stabilization of relations with their Polish and Lithuanian “friends.” They are making a palpable bid for recognition by the numerous important governments, including that of the United States, which resolutely abstain from official relations with the Communist government. Perhaps M. Litvinoff, the Russian foreign minister, timed his communique for the psychological moment of Sen- ator Borah's splendid fight for ratifica- tion cf the Kellogg pact in the Senate. Moscow has not forgotten that the for- eign relations chairman favors Ameri- can recognition of the Soviet, or his suggestion that when the United States accepted Russian agherence to the pact, we automatically acknowledged her diplomatic equality. Universal solieitude concerning the slow recovery of the King is proof that England has succeeded in establishing & royal government holding a relation- ship to the people different from that of any other monarchy in the world. e Fascinating Fossils. ‘This Nation is becoming “dinosaur- minded.” Where decades ago the pro- portion of persons who could define “dinosaur” might have been as low as one-half of one per cent, today these extinct forms of giant reptilian life form a common topic of conversation among brakemen, aviators, mewsboys and members of ladies’ bridge clubs. ‘The latest find of dinosaur eggs is discussed with avidity, while the roto- gravure representations of the giant crateful deposited eons ago by Mrs. Dinosaur are eagerly scanned. From Berlin comes thrilling news of a find in Mongolia by a learned Chinese col- league of the noted Swedish explorer, Sven Hedin, which acts bearishly on the egg market, for his expedition not only reperts more eges, but also a flock of thirty fossilized full-grown dinosaurs —think how these would look in a ecir- cus parade, each grasping the tip of his predecessor's tall—and, to cap the climax, & family group composed of a mother with three babies nestled close to her, all overcome by the same catas- trophe. This touching alleged evidence of mother love does not quite fit in with what we observe today of parental reptilian affection, but let it pass— possibly those of the Jurassic period were not only bigger but better dino- saurs, Perhaps the most bizarre hook-up of the antediluvian and modern times has been brought to the world's attention out in Prophetstown, near Moline, Ill, where & new sewer pipe has been lal directly through the eye-socket of the remains of & monster, which, in this case, happens to be of the mammalian rather than the reptilian order. The fossil hunters who got on its track are covetous of the object. The mayor of the town has given permission for the removal of the skeleton, but declines to assume any liability for damage to the drain. The builders refuse to coun- still several days in which to |tenance any such proceeding lest their | gald Uncle Eben. | contract thereby be nullified. Onoe the | plunk de strings gits & job.in & jazz :m’mmm is turned over States whose cars honor Washington, D. C,, to attain modernistic color effects result only in eccentricity. ———————— Many men think they could name an ideal cabinet offhand. Nevertheless, Président-elect Hoover finds the matter one for cautious consideration, e New York Stock Market experts share the belief of aviators that the great alti- tude record is something still to be established. ) Many office seekers are suspected of trying to substitute the Fourth of March for Christmas and Mr. Hoover for Santa Cilaus. — et ‘When a nation declares it cannot pay debts, the time seems ripe for some kind of an international credit men'’s associa- tion. —————— Bolivia and Paraguay are now given 2 splendid opportunity to set an example of peaceful understanding to the world, SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Calendar. Took my brand-new calendar and hung it on the wall, Days are standing all in line to heed the annual call, Days of confidence secure and days of wistfulness, Days of lights and laughter—and a few of loneliness. It will show anew some hero of adven- ture great, Who may fade from view, as other heroes bravely wait. As upon the calendar for something strange I call, 1t only tells an old, familiar story, after all. Gratitudes. “Do you believe ‘republics are un- grateful'?” “Some republics,” answered Senator Sorghum, “have been overgenerous. It was the politicians who proved ungrate~ ful.” Jud Tunkins says he thinks a man who buys bootleg licker ought to be ar- rested—as he is pretty sure to be if he tries vo drive a car. Mixture. ‘The oratory folks let slip Is filled with verbal tricks. You scarce know which is statesman- ship And which is politics. Ruthless Feminine. “Why don’t you go into politics?” “I am in politics,” answered Miss Cayenne. “I vote, though I don't think of running for office.” +it has all the merit of every-day com- | consideration of a simple experiment. “Are you afraid to appear as a rival of the men?” I'm afraid of the hard game “To' think always of yourself,” said HI Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “usually means the application of great intel- lectual effort with small prospect of beneficial results.” After the Holidays. The wintry term Produced a joy sublime. Even the germ Has had a lovely time. “Nobody is a banjo player any mo “Anybody dat can - orchestss, an’ Works,” . HINGTON THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. The cat has one accomplishment which may well be admired by most human beings. Its. ability to walk along high places in an unconcerned manner is nothing less than uncanny. Credit must be given, not so much to its quickness and sure-footedness, secured through = capable claws, but rather to its utter lack of fear. It simply does not realize that there is any danger, and, therefore, it is un- afraid. “Fear of heights” is the customary phrase used in relation to human be- ings, and, like many such combinations, mon sense. Those who are afraid of high places —in the literal sense—know that the fear itself i3 what makes the fear. Per- haps 99 out of 100 porsons shrink from the cdge of a cliff, or even from an open window at the height of sev- eral stories. The fact that it is ths fear, rather than the disiance from the ground, seems proved to most pcople through a simple experiment, or, rather, the It is not even necessary to make the experiment to convince. Picture to yourself a plank 6 inches in width, placed on the floor. Could you walk across it, say for a distance of 20 feet. and not fall off? Why, of course! The smallest child could do it. Imagine the plank raised a foot from the floor. You still think you could negotiate the distance. Raise it to 3 feet. Now can you walk across it? Why, er, of course. Raise it 20 stories above the ground, bridging one of those narrow chasms found in city building construction. Now could you walk across it? No! ‘The answer is unanimous. One look down, and you would fall off. because you are afraid. It is the same old plank, but the height has made you afraid. * ok % K We waive discussion of the sense of an tubes of the cars play in it. question of great heights and the average person's reaction to them boils }lwll down to a simple discussion of car. It has been said that this elemental Jear arose in humanity as the result of our primal ancestry. When our for- bears were monkeys, it is said, the great :rngedy was to drop a child out of a ree, Thus, we are told, the unconscious fear of heights was bred into human- ity, so that today, no matter how civ- ilized one may think he is, or how much immune to ordinary dreads, he finds himself harboring a severe apprehension when facing the urusual in the sense of mere height than he is accustomed to. " he life of the average human being is lived surprisingly close to the ground. Tt is not for nothing that the earth has been called the great mother. Al- though we speculate upon heaven, and hope for higher things, there is a sense of comfort in our attachment to mother esrth. Hence mankind has kept him- self as close to her as possible, Yet even from the beginning there was a tempta- tion to get away from her. Recall the tover of Babel. Think of the early lake dwellers of Switzerland, who built their homes out—and up—over the wa- ter. Even th: apes, whether they were our true ancestors or not, sought the trees. The Egyptians built their pyra- mids, and their strange, almost mythi- cal cousins of Central America reared curious temples seeking skyward. D. C, SATURDAY, Today mankind has conquered to a greater extent than ever in his history the height phobia. Not only has he rect~4 towering buildings which pierce the skylines of great cities, but he has e considerably better than that, and in iis airplanes has soared into the very domz of the heavens of breathable air. Thas while clihging close to earth, in the main, he has gone farther and far- ther away from it, mainly through the | rHorts of individuals who do not have a | fear of heights. * ok ok ok Aviators and steel construction work- | ers may be instanced as striking ex-, amples. While the activities of the for- mer are vastly more picturesque, and have won the attention of the world, ince their abilities function in war as well as in peace, the steady-nerved man in overalls calmly riveting great girders 56 stories in the air deserves all praise. We do not include so-called “human flles” and steeple jacks, al- though perhaps their work is compara- ble, in a sense, at least, in so far as the lack of fear is concerned. 1t is said that structural steel workers lose their ability once they get a bad fall. Fear enters into their lives. Hither- to, one may suppose, they thought no more of tiptoeing along hundreds of feet above the street than the average man does of walking along the sidewalk. The latter has no fear of falling—nor does the former. Neither has any mis- giving upon that score. Hence the riv- eter is as sure-footed as the pedestrian. He probably feels his situation is safer —at least, he is not worried about any automobile striking him. It is customary to speak of such a man as “nervy.” His state of mind is simply lack of “nerves,” in the ordinary sense. Just as one must think that the bravest man on a battlefleld is he who, although horribly afraid, nevertheless goes ahcad and does his duty, so one may legitimately feel that the bravest aviator in the world would be the man who was naturally afraid of heights, just as the bravest steelworker would be he who was afraid to, look out.of a window seven stories from the ground. * ok koK Perhaps it is not so much a matter of bravery as of getting the work done. It takes all sorts of men to make a world. Most human beings will continue to let the men unafraid of heights continue to reap the rowards of fiying and high walking and working, and rest content with crawling upon the earth. Along with the actual fear of heights is another one, a fearful temptation felt | by many to throw themselves from such places. There can be little questioning that this dread pull is felt by many. ‘Who is there who has not speculated, at some time or other as he stood by a high window, how it would feel to fall out? Some grow dizzy, as they say, and have to leave the window. Those who suffer from this feeling by all means ought to resist it, not only at the helghts, but by staying away from them as much as possible. One is not only atempting to fight here against the ahcestry of the race, but also against the mighty law of gravity, and the sense of equilibrium, which is faulty in many persoLs. Those who have a legitimate awe of high places by 21l means should take pains to protect themselves from them, and this means mostly to carefully re- frain from placing themselves in such situations. This is the higher wisdom in the matter. Reparations Problem Viewed "As Vital to American opinion assumes that the United States will take a leading part in the forthcoming reparations confer- ence, notwithstanding the unofficial character of its participation. As the Detroit News explains, “because Wash- ington has the whip hand on American private loans, which are the controlling factor in the reparations problem, our Government can approve or disapprove any scheme proposed in the conference.” Recalling that “American representa- tion on the expert commission of 1924 was of the highest grade,” the Rochester Times-Union feels that “there can be no obstacle to following the precedent of 1924 and permitting the Reparations Commission itself to invite American citizens to serve on its committee of experts.” That paper expresses the hope that “the high standard then set will be maintained in appointments to the new body,” as “America has to take part in a big job.” . A tribute to Owen D. Young, who served on the former commission, is paid by the Philadelphia Evening Bul- letin, with the statement that “his im- portant special contributions to the drafting of the Dawes plan makes him a logical choice.” The Bulletin adds: “Mr. Young is one of that increasing number of Americans successful in busi- ness and professional life who have heeded the call to give public causes the benefit of a large portion of their time and efforts.” * ok K K “Statesmen who really desire a sound, permanent settlement of the reparations problem should be most anxious to place before their respective countries a plan devised by independent economists and financiers,” says the Chicago Daily News. Also, the Daily News believes that “If the United States can aid the European experts and generally con- tribute to intellectual and moral dis- armament, to a lasting peace, it is both this Nation’s duty and high privilege to extend such aid in generous meas- ure.” “American interest in a recasting of the Dawes plan, and in an ultimate clearing up of the financial debris left by the war,” according to the New York Times, “is manifest and vital. If we were not willing to do our part in tackling the job out of consideration for Europe’s need, we ought to be glad to do it in order to get ourselves out of a scrape.” The Times holds that “the task in which American experts are to join is one directly concerning this country, both now and in the future.” “Our Government has properly maintained the position,” observes the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, “that the settlement of reparations was a matter of purely European concern, and that the debts to the United States were questions between the individual states owing them and the American Govern- ment. But if these states find it pos- sible, by means of the reparations set- tlement now contemplated, to discount their debts to this country, it is hardly concejvable that the American Govern- zmt would refuse to consider the mat- * Kok K The situation as summarized by the Flint Daily Journal is as follows: “We are co-operating with Europe in the ratification of treaties to outlaw war. ‘There is reason why we co-operate in removing the causes which might lead to war. The unsettled reparations problem constitutes a potential cause for war. It is as essential to remove this cause as to agree not to fight.” “Whatever the decislons, the sub- stantial qualities of American business genius will have a helpful effect on the decisions of the new commission,” avers the Loulsville Courier-Journal, and the Detroit News emphasizes the situation arising through the fact that, “because Washington has the whip hand on private American loans, which are the controlling factor in the reparations { problem, our Government can approve i or disapprove any scheme proposed in the conference.” To the Manchester Union it appears that: “It is true that the full amount bub pf the reparations annujty quots does ot Tabure Sati mest yeas, Dub tha’ ture *until World Progress ease with which Germany has adjusted herself to the increasing demands of the past four years leaves little doubt regarding her ability to meet the max- imum payment’ when it comes.” The Hamilton, Ontario, Spectator finds it significant that “the huge sums spoken of in former years have gone the way of many other rash statements and have been conveniently forgotten, but the amount fixed as reparations will be heavy enough.” * ok X X “The settlement of, reparations has been the paramount problem that has thwarted Europe's economic recovery from the World War since the Versailles treaty was signed,” in the opinion of the Fargo Forum, while the Hartford Times declares: “It is sufficiently ap- parent both that the total amount must be fixed, instead of remaining an open question as at present, and that there must be a better financial basis for the annual payments, so that the credit represented by princival and interest of the obligation may be liquified. It is now in financial metaphor a vast, vague, frozen lump.” Referring to President Coolidge’s opinion that the conference delegates should not be hampered by instructions from home governments, the New Orleans Morning Tribune says: “The wisdom of this suggestion goes without saying, so far as the logic of the case is concerned. It may be hard to estab- lish this obvious principle in practice, however, because of the nationalistic feeling that the subject matter arouses.” The Reno Gazette thinks that ‘“the prospect will be more assuring if the nations participating follow the advice of the President.” A successful outcome of the confer- ence, concludes the Davenport Demo- crat, would “set the world on the road to better times.” tons Reapportionment Snarl Held Serious Matter From the Cincinnat! Times-Star. ‘The question of reapportionment in Congress will not down. The very real misrepresentation that at present exists in the House, which is based on the 1910 census, has become a serious matter aside from the defiance of the manda- tory section of the Constitution which provides for a reapportionment every 10 years. Of course, representation in’ the House affects a State’s representation in the electoral college. It would have been quite possible, in the event of a close election, for the President-clect in 1928 not to have represented the choice of the American people. ‘The House of Representatives is now of an unwieldy size, so there is no agitation to increase the number of Representatives. A reapportionment with the present number of Congress- men would mean a gain of four mem- bers for Michigan, three for Ohio, two each for New Jersey and Texas, and one each for Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, North Carolina, Washington and Okla- homa. Missouri would lose three, and Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky and Mississippi two each. Several States would lose one each, notably New York, where the great incrcase in the population of New York City and other cities in the State has been more than offset by the decrease of population in the rural districts. ‘The changes that would oceur in the representation of the several States is an argument for reapportionment. It was the vision of just such a change in |4 the distribution of population that caused the fathers to incorporate a mandatory provision in the Consgitution. So far as possible a House of Repre- sentatives and an electoral college should represent. Today they are far out of line. There’s Room for It. 5, NUARY 192 THE LIBRARY TABL! By the Booklover “We are admittedly the richest, most powerful Nation in the world. and we took this power of wealth out of the ground. Now, we must invoice our re- sources and determine how we should proceed from here. For a nation be- gins but once.” This sentence, by ! Hubert Work, former Secretary of the Interior, closes the foreword to “Our Federal Lands: a Romance of American Development,” by Robert Sterling Yard, executive secretary of the National Parks Association. This is not Mr. Yard's first book. He has already writ- | ten “The Book of the National Parks “The National Parks Portfolio” d “The Top of the Continent,” but this latest book is more comprehensive than the others, and reveals what few per- | great extent of the lands owned by the | United States. “Considered as a whole, | it is_impossible accurately to measure our Federal lands today; the National | Government itself does not know the | total. Some of the administrative bu- reaus have not had occasion to total their own posscssions, and the public domain is never exactly the same size for two consecutive weeks. From the information we can gather from the | several administrative agencies in the National Government it is safe to say that Federal lands of all kinds, public domain, natfonal forests. national parks, wild-life sanctuaries, reservations of | every kind, exceed 700,000 square miles | in area, not including the vast wilde: ness of Alaska and island possessions.” | The public domain is the basgis of all Federal lands, that territor: largely owned by the Government but now much depleted, from which “the Nation was built and shaped.” Mr. Yard makes us visualize the public domain as a fallen giant. “Today, its lands shrunken to culls, its greater work of the future carried forward by vounger specialist land organizations carved out of its vitals, its national im- portance departed like the glorv of a day at dusk. nevertheless, it remains the largest of the subdivisions of our Fed- eral lands. and busier in many direc- tions in its impoverished decline than ever it was in its years of swollen wealth.” An interesting distinction is pointed out between national parks and national monuments. “National parks are areas of original unmodified natu- ral conditions, each the finest possible example of its kind in the country, pre- served as a system from all industrial use.” National monuments are “his- | toric landmarks, historic and prehistori structures. and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated upon the lands owned or controlled bv the Government of the United States.” and Congress has authorized the res- ervation of 1ands around these monu- ments. “the limit of which in all cases shall be confined to the smallest area compatible with the proner carve and management, of the objects to be pro- tected.” e 3 “Our Federal Lands” is by no means merely a book of information. to be shelved for reference. It is, as its sub- title indicates, a real American ro- mance. Even the chapter headings carry out the idea of romance, as “Na- tional Parks System a University of Nature,” “National Monuments System a Scientific Museum” and “Depletion and Rescue of Our Amazing Heritage of Wild Life.” The many illustrations also embody romance, suggested by their titles: “Of Such Stuff Was Made America,” ‘“Adirondack W Seeding Neighboring Meado ing Sheep Entering National Fores “Profitable OrcharcfgaWhere Once Was Desert,” “Blackfoot iceservation Women Are Up-to-Date,” “The End of a Wil- derness Elk,” “Mountain-Goat in Full Winter Coat, Montane,” “Huggins Hell, | Great Smoky National Park.” Mr. Yard | knows of what he speaks, whether it be fact or impression, in connection with Federal lands, for in addition to much research in Government administrative offices in the preparation of his hook, he has visited most of the nattonal parks. This first-hand knowledge shows throughout the book. For example, he says: “In 1915 Director Stephen T.| Mather and I found Dr. Lenertz, then of the University of Minnesota, piloting a class in geology on a study tramp through Glacler National Park, t) third or fourth of an annual series,” and “To several of us in Yosemite Na- tional Park 12 Summers ago, wondering at the slender patronage of a spot so marvelously beautiful in a land so great and rich, the presence of adventurers by automobile from distant States stir- red no apprehension within us of the deluge of travel to come.” Mr. Yard closes his book with a speculation: “I wonder what, 12 years from now, the airplane will have done to the lands I have here described!” * ok ok K ‘World-wide Americanization, ~with culture crucified by mass production, and, finally, all nations, including America, arriving at a state of psycho- logical and social collapse, will be the changes which the age of machinery will bring to civilization, according to Aldous Huxley, English novelist and grandson of Thomas Huxtey, who fought the first battles for Darwinism in Eng- land two generations ago. In his latest novel, “Point Counter Point,” Mr. Hux- ley predicts the complete standardiza- tion of mankind and ultimate social revolution. “Bolsheviks, Fascists, radi- cals and conservatives—what are they all fighting for”? Mr. Huxley asks through the most significant character in his novel, Mark Rampion, who has been identified as the writer himself. “They are all them headed for the same psychological impasse and the social collapse that results from psychological collapse. The only point of difference between them is this: How shall we get there? They all believe in industrialism in one form or another; they all be- lieve in Americanization. Think of the bolshevist ideal. America, but much more so. America with government de- partments taking the place of trusts and State officials instead of rich men, and then the ideal of the rest of Europe. The same thing only with the rich men preserved. Machinery and govern- ment officials there. Machinery and Al- fred Mond or Henry Ford here. The machinery to take us to hell; the rich or the officials to drive it. They are all equally in a hurry. In the name of sci- ence, progress and human happiness! Amen. And step on the gas.” A solu- tion to the problem would be to make people live dualistically, in two com- partments, Mr. Huxley suggests; in the one as individualized workers, in the other as human beings; 8 hours out of every 24 at work and the remaining hours at leisure as a complete man or woman. * ok ok ok Few knew that Mrs. H. G. Wells had a literary gift until after her recent death, but “The Book of Catherine Wells,” published with an introduction by H. G. Wells, reveals her as a writer of original fancy and taste independent of modern trends. This volume of tales, poems and fragments ranges in subject matter from medieval Italy to modern London, from profound tragedy to hu- morous fantasy. “The Draught of Ob- livion” is a tragic romance of medieval Italy and “Robe de Boudoir” is a real- istic petty tragedy of a present-day woman shopping in London. For deli- cate fancy and beautiful phrasing per- haps the best stories are ‘he Dragon Fly,” “The Emerald” and “In a Walled Garden.” In his introduction Mr. Wells tells much of the life of his wife, from the time of their meeting, when she was a student and he a tutor, until her leath. it “He smoked incessantly,” says Cathe- rine Mackenzie of Alexander Grahsm Bell in her biography of the inventor, Just issued. “Two pipes were kept filled, one to smoke and a cool one to alter- nate. His ash tray was an old tin to- bacco box, Atted "crossways with two metal bars, on which he rapped out his pipe. When it was suggested to him From the Nashville Banner. Look on the bright side and think that the increasing rest in sauer- kraut is umlynm 'fl an _inevitable that he smoked too much he replied that he had an excellent example in his own father, who had smoked cven more than he, and had been cut off at the untimely age of §&" sons are thoroughly cognizant of—ihe | .. | clusive of the leader of the Croat Peas- tant party, Stefan Raditch, who died peasants, wit it even modern agricul- tural mnlm&. but dependent, ‘What do you need to know? Is there some point about your business or per- sonal life that puzzles you? Is there something you want to know without delay? Submit your question to Fred- eric J. Haskin, director of our Wash- ington Information Bureau. He is em- ployed to help you. Address your in- quiry to The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. and inclose two cents in coin or stamps for return postage. Q. What were some of Theodore Roberts’ best pictures?—T. S. S. A. This famous character actor, who recently died, is especially remembered for his work in the following pictures: 1d Wives for New,” “Don’t Chan: ur Husband,” “Ten Commandments, “Male and Female” and “Everywoman.’ Q When was the United States Steel Corporation organized?—E. B. B. mating ten companies with an aggre- gate capital of $867,550,394. Q. Did China have legislation in re- gard to liquor in her ancient civiliza- tion?—M. B. A. Liquor legislation has existed in China for thousands of years, one ancient ordinance forbidding more than three persons drinking together without special cause and license. Q. How much is a milliard?—J. S. A. It is a thousand millions, in America known as a billion. Q. When the pilot goes out to meet an ocean liner does he board the liner or stay on his own boat?>—R. H. A. The pilot is brought out on a smaller boat to the ocean liner, which he boards and pilots the steamer into the dock. . In the Virginia Cons! Co?\\'r‘mmn by how wide a margin did the Constitutionalists win?—H. J. F. A. After the greatest debate ever held over the Contitution, its supporters won by a majority of only ten. The confidence of Virginians in George Washington probably won trhe_bl(!l(’. for many of those voting for it were swayed by their trust in the wisdom of George Washington rather than their belief in the Constitution as offered for ratification. Q. To what country does the Isle of Pines belong?>—J. D. M. A. The Isle of Pines is an jsland be- longing o Cuba situated 40 miles south- east of the south coast of the province of Pinar del Rio. Its area is 940 square miles. Q. Does the Federal Reserve pay in- terest to its member banks on stock they subscribe for?—E. E. W. A. The Federal Reserve pays 6 per cent intereset on paid-in stock. Q. Please explain why, at the time of year when the days are lengthening, they take on more of their length in the afternoon than in the morning?— 8. J. A. Forenoon and afternoon are al- ways equal, or very nearly so by the sun; they are at times far from being so by the clock. The reason for this is that clocks give, not the actual solar time, but the mean or average solar time. Noon by the sun is when the sun is due South; that is to say, noon by the sun is midway or very nearly midway between sunrise and sunset. Noon by the clock may occur as much as one-quarter hour carlier or later than noon by the sun. the difference being known as the equation of time. It so happens that when the days begin to lengthen in December noon by the clock is growing relatively earlier at a rapid rate; in other words, is mov- ing toward the time of sunrise and away from the time of sunset; the tendency A. It was organized in 1901, amalga- | titutional | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. being to shorten the forenoon and to lengthen the afternoon. Q. How much does a really popular song earn for the composer?—H. T. A. The composer and lyric writer may get from $20,000 to $40,000 evenly divided between them. This includes the royalties on sheet music, player- piano rolls, phonograph records and so forth. Q. What are the constellations of the Zodlac?—J. S. A. They are: Aries, the ram; Taurus, the bull; Gemini, the twins, Cancer, the crab; Leo, the lion; Virgo, the virgin: Libra, the Balance; Scorpio, the scor- plon; Sagittarius, the archer; Capri- corn, the goat: Aquarius, the water bearer; Pisces the fishes. Q. Why was the Maine taken out to sea and sunk?>—W. L. W. A. The battleship Maine was raised. towed out to sea, and sunk in 600 fathoms of water, because the wreck . was regarded as a menace to naviga- tion, Q. What name was first given to Helena, Mont>—H. R. A. In 1864 Helena, Mont., was found- ed by a band of prospectors headed by | John Cowan. At first it was called | Last Chance Gulch, as they had been looking for gold all through the Spring | without success and considered this | their last chance for that season. On | June 15. 1864, an abundance of gold was located. Q. What is the basket clause in the tariff law?—E. L. M. A. This is a collection of items which ‘;ia not have special paragraphs in the aw. Q. Where is the new Symphony Hall to be located in Cleveland?—T. A. A. 1t is to be built on land given for | that purpose by Western Reserve Uni- versity, at Euclid avenue and East Boulevard. The sum of $1,000.000 given by Mr. and Mrs. John L. Severance made it possible to build this perma- nent hall for the Cleveland Orchestra. Q. About what is the ratio between shrimp when first taken and the dry product?—V. L. C. A. It takes about 210 pounds of shrimp to yleld from 24 to 28 pounds of dry product. Q. How did the harpsicord differ from a piano?>—F. N. D. A. The strings were not struck by hammers, but were plucked by the points of quills moved by finger-keys. Q. What crimes were punishable by capital punishment in the Massachu- setts Colony at the time of the Pil- grims?—H. C. A. Historical State reports show that in the Massachusetts Colony. about 1650, there were 17 crimes, at least, punished capitally, to wit: idolatry, witcheraft, blasphemy, murder, man- slaughter, poisoning, bestiality, sodomy, adultery, man-stealing, false witness, treason, cursing and smiting parents, rebellious and stubborn sons, rape, Quakers returning and Jesuits return- ing; and the same in Connecticut and New Plymouth. In Massachusetts, in the year 1700, there were but seven crimes that were capitally punished. They were treason, murder, rape, sod- omy, robbey, burglary and arson. Q. Where is the hoop snake found?— J. H. R. A. The hoop snake is a small snake found in the South Atlantic States. It is foolishly feared by some people who believe it will put its tail in its mouth, stiffen its body and roll like a hoop. ‘There is no foundation in fact for this belief. The coloring of this snake is blue-black, above, marked with three red lines, and flesh colored, below, with black spots. BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLINS. ‘There \is a crisis which threatens se- rious unrest in the triple nation of Yugoslavia, yet it would be premature to assume that King Alexander will not be able to find a solution, avoiding re- bellion and actually strengthening na- tional ties, tending to reunite the three races of Croats, Slovenes and Serbs. ‘The three peoples are one in blood, but for centuries had been separated by political restrictions, only to reunite in independence during the World War. Theirs is a tragic story: part of the peoples _are still living in the Middle Ages of peasantry and almost feudal conditions—or were before the revolt which came as fruit of the helplessness of their oppressors, the Austrians and Hungarians, torn by the World War in 1918. Since then the decade of inde- pendence has been filled with the strug- gles of undeveloped peoples toward find- ing themselves. 3 Violence has been the'rule rather than the exception in all their political efforts, and it culminated last June 20 when a Montenegran deputy in the Chamber of Deputies assassinated two members and wounded four others, in- from his wounds some weeks later. Since then the Croat members have absented themselves from the capital, Belgrade, and refused to recognize the government in any way, refusing all ef- forts to negotiate a compromise of dif- ferences, unless the King himself would make the overtures, with assurance that the cabinet and its premier would be ousted from office. At last King Alex- ander has received Premier Koroshetz in conference and informed him that his resignation, offered last Sunday, was accepted. * ok ok ok ‘The King has requested Dr. Matchek, leader of the Croats since the murder of Stefan Raditch, to form a govern- ment, but Dr. Matchek has spread con- sternation among the Serbs and Slo- venes by announcing that the Croats must not be considered merely a po- litical party but a nation. The signifi- cance of this can be comprehended only in the light of history. The history of the Jugoslavs in Europe begins with their migration as one people out of Transcarpathia in 'the sixth century, when they settled in the western provinces of the Balkan Peninsula. Eventually they were broken into three groups: The Slovenes became part of the old German Empire; the Croats, in 1309, elected the King of Hungary to be their King, and so became part of Hungary: the Serbs were inde- pendent 80 years longer, but in 1389 they were defeated in battle by the Turks and absorbed into Turkey-in- Europe. * ok ok K So the three parts of the one race be- came three peoples, owing three differ- ent allegiances, for many centuries. Then, in 1833, Serbia rebelled against ‘Turkish tyranny and gained autonomy, under the suzerainty of the Turkish Sultan, and in 1878 complete independ- ence. Bosnia and Herzegovina, with large populations of Serbs, were still under Austria-Hungary, to which they were annexed in 1908, Early in the World War a group of Jugoslavs from Aus- tria met in London and declared inde- pendence for all of Yugoslavia, and out of that developed the final union of all the Croats, Serbs and Siovenes as rec- ognized at the close of the World War. King Alexander, a veteran general of the World War, fighting on the side of the allies, is a Serb. He celebrated his fortieth birthday last week, * ok kK In the centuries of different political unities the three branches of the one race developed quite differently. The Serbs have been independent of Turkey since 1878, after 500 years of Turkish oppression. They remain ignorant wooden plows. Their religion—what there is of it—is “Orthodox Greek.” The Croats have been under the in- fluence of Hungarian civilization and are farther developed in literacy and industrial pi rity. While the Croats {;ue as the - 'y, they nclude many wealthy aristocratic families. The Slovenes, too, have been under modern Euro) influences, through their connection with Austria. Both Croats and Slovenes are Catho- lics. Clvilization in Yugoslavia is highest in_the northern parts where live the 1,200,000 Slovenes and 3,000, 000 Croats, rather than among the 5,000,000 Serbs of the south. Thus there are 9,200,000 Slavs and some 4,000,000 mixed races, making a total population of 13,000,000, in an area of about 96.000 square miles—about the size of Minnesota, with a distribution about equal to that of Pennsylvania— 150 per square mile. R ‘Yugoslavia borders along the east coast of the Adriatic Sea, opposite Italy. Much of the unrest has occa- sioned by the opposition of the Croats to a certain treaty with Italy which the Croats look upon as humiliating, in that it gives Italians the right to ac- quire land along the Dalmatian coast of the Adriatic Sea and 30 miles inland. This invasion of their sovereign terri~ tory, by treaty with Mussolini, is fear- ed as a “poking of the head of the camel into the tent,” to be followed by the animals getting in with all fours. It was the debate on ratification of that treaty which led to the tragedy and triple murder in the Chamber of Deputies, last June 20. The trea ratification has been forced Ihmu('g the Chamber recently, because the op- position has persistently absented all members from participation in govern- ment so long as the present govern- ment retains power. * d ok ok Dr. Matchek, the present leader of the Croat Peasant party, since the death of the murdered Raditch, has consented to undertake to form a new cabinet, but he presents to King Alex- ander his choice of three plans of reform. The first plan is to create a federated ktrlngdom with the provinces given home rule. ‘The second would divide the kingdom, with Belgrade the capital of one di- vision and Zagreb of another. Alexan- der would remain King of the entire country, but each division would be autonomous in its local affairs, The third plan would be a three- part kingdom: Serbia, South Serbia and Montenegro forming one part, Croatia, Slovenia and Dalmatia a second part, and Bosnia, Volvodinia and Herze- govlnl the third. Each division would ave autonomy and all would recog- nize King Alexander as sovereign, with a ministry controlling foreign affalrs. The ferocity of the Croats in their determination to maintain their plans is demonstrated by the choice of Vladimir Matchek as “substitute Presi- dent.” while declaring that their actual President remains Stefan Raditch, the dead leader of the Croat-Democrats. That means that the Croats, who followed Raditch’s funeral to the num- ber of 300,000, and compelled all Croats to wear mourning for him six weeks thereafter, are going to keep alive his principles as their inspiration. But his doctrine was based upon peace, not reve olution. He always opposed violence. For years preceding the World War Austrian policies were based upon fo- menting quarrels between the Serbs and Croats, 50 as to weaken both tribes. What their years of traini in that direc- tion will now influence in prejudices be= tween the blood-relatives will depend largely upon the tact and wisdom of King Alexander and the level-headed patriotism of the leaders, but the in- stincts of the centuries are hard to combat in the crisis now confronting the three-part nation. (Coprrights 1929, by Paul V, Coliins)