Evening Star Newspaper, January 10, 1929, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR |let Counctl, to give them their formal |under his belt. Other drugs are even ‘With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY....January 10, 1920 THEODORZ W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 1ith St. Ivania Ave. New York O ;‘?’:'m nd st Chicago Office: Tower Bulldins. European Office; 14 rnt 8t Lm“n. Englan Rate by Carrler Within the City. ening Star... .45¢ per month mmg T ;900 per month 8¢ per month .. c per ecpy e end of ¢sch month, Orders may be in by mall cr telephone Main 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Datly and Sunday 000: 1 mo. g5 Siaday onty 752 3600: 1 mo. 406 All Other States and Canada. Dnily and Sunday..1 yr., $12.00: 1 mo., $1.00 Daily only “1yr, $800: 1 mo, 75c Sunday only 1yr. $5.00; 1 mo; 50c Member of the Assoclated Press. The Associated Press s exclusively ntitled to the use for republication of all nsws dis- atches credited to 't or not othorwise cred- ted in this paper, and also the lockl rew hed herein. All rights of publication o 1 dispatches herein are also reserved. Now for a Merger. ‘The formula for compromise on the merger question suggested by the Senate subcommittee holds bright promise for ratification of a merger agreement at this session of Congress. The traction lines must yet take formal action to ap- prove or disapprove the Senate com- mittee's suggestions. But as disapproval would, in effect, mean no merger, and as the companies even more than the public will benefit from merger opera- tion, there seems little likelihood of further complications. The way for a merger has been made clear. ‘The Senate subcommittee's suggestion Is that the companies go into the merger without any agreed valuation, that free) transfers take effect at once, but that present fares remain undisturbed for a period of two years. At the end of the two-year period a new valuation must be completed. Both the public ana the street car companies surrender certain points should this form of agreement be rati- fied. The public surrencers the chance, as slim though it may nave been, that one year of merged operatton would re- sult in economies making possible a re- duction of fare, based on a rate-valua- tion of fifty million dollars. The com- panies, at the same time, lose the opportunity of petitioning for an in- crease of fare at the end of one year's merged operation, basing such & request on failure, under merged operation, to receive legal returns upon an agreed tytles. At the end of war-time and after- war-time humanitarian occupations, Herbert Hoover became & member of the Harding administration. In the Department of Commerce opportunity awaited him for unfolding his execu- tive and organizing talents on the broadest scale. An unerring chooser of the right men and women for key jobs, Mr. Hoover during his seven and a half years at the head of the Govern- ment's great business branch surround- ed himself with still another group of enthusiastic helpmates. No division of the grand army of Hooverians exceeds in loyalty to “the Chief” the “Com- merce crowd.” It is understood that the President- elect frowns upon the idea of an in- augural ball. Anybody who knows him understands how immensely more to his liking will be the family dinner parly which the Hooverians are now more potent. Cutter rats sniff heroin and become for a few hours the bold gunmen who terrorize Chicago. But all these drugs have other effects and they leave the taker in a more pitiable, contemptible condition than ever once the effect is gone. Their operation is too complicated to deter- mine exactly the nature of the physical changes which bring about surcease of fear. Now, it long has been reported by travelers that certain South American Indians have a drug whose primary effect 18 to eliminate fear and which does not produce other notable emo- tlonal changes. Dr. H. H. Rusby, dean of the College of Pharmacy, Columbia University, believes he has found the plant from which this drug, caapi, is obtained. This and several other im- portant South American drugs may come from Dr. Rusby's monumental work, in which more than eighteen arranging. st The South and the Cabinet. ‘The South is knocking at the cabi- net door. Already several prominent Republicans from the Southern States have been suggested to President-elect Herbert Hoover for appointment as members of his official family. Among them are C. Bascom Slemp of Virginia, Mrs. Alvin T. Hert of Kentucky and Stuart W. Cramer of North Carolina. All of their States went Republican in the presidential election. So did Texas and Florida and Tennessee, and it may be expected that they, too, will have favorite sons and daughters to put for- thousand plants were classified. If the reports of travelers on caapi even approached the truth, the drug should prove invaluable for a study of the physical basis of fear. It may be possible to determine experimentally just what conditions obtain in the brain and the blood stream during states of cowardice and courage. Of course, no drug can be considered as a probable cure of fear. But if it can uncover the sources of fear, it may be possible to eliminate these in some other way—to such an extent as the interests of the human race require that they be eliminated. e ward for recognition in the Hoover ad- ministration. Mr. Slemp is the Republican national committeeman from Virginia. He has represented his State in part in Con- gress and later was secretary to Presi- dent Coolidge. His name has been men- tioned'in other administrations for cabi- net posts. Furthermore, Mr. Slemp has been a recognized leader among South- ern Republicans for many years. It has been suggested by Representative-elect Schafer from the ninth Virginia district that he be appointed Secretary of the Interior. But the likelihood is that Mr. Hoover will look to the West for his Secretary of the Interior, to a man who is familiar with the problems par- The Greatest Flight. One of the most interesting develop- ments of the one-hundred-and-fifty- hour sustained flight of the Army piane Question Mark is the impetus given to the project for a non-stop air trip round the world. Bafage the Question Mark knocked all resords galley-west with its more than six-day voyage over California & flight around the world in an airplane without descend- ing to the ground was just an idea of superoptimists who believed that some time in the distant future a lighter ‘motor or lighter fuel would be invented which would make possible & sustained flight for more than twenty thousand miles. With the landing of the Ques- ticularly of the great public land States, and perhaps to & man who has knowl- edge of engineering. It would seem that if Mr. Slemp were to be pickd for a cabe inet post it would be some other than Interior. ‘The persistent assertion that women won the election for Mr. Hoover has led more particularly to the suggestion that Mr. Hoover should recognize the services of the women by placing one of them in his cabinet. Mrs. Hert, na- tional committeewoman and vice chair- valuation of fifty million dollars. The public is gambling on the possibility that the new valuation, at the end of two years, will be lower than the fifty- million-dollar valuation which the com- panies wished to be recognized for ten years. The companies, on the other hand, are gambling on the ibility that at the end of two years their merged properties will receive & higher valuation than they themselves had been willing to set as & standard for the next decade. “But the Senate subcommittee’s sug- gestion is reasonable and fair. First, it sllows for merged operation and free transfers, with all the resulting con- wvenience and saving to the public ex- pected to result therefrom. Secondly, it guarantees existing fares until a new valuation is made, And, finally, it makes mandatory the adoption of & new val- uation, based upon actual findings un- der modern conditions instead of upon controversial theories and interpreta- tions. —t While seroplanes are traversing the skies as evidences of scientific achieve- ment, it is found necessary to place in formal legal discussion whether witches still ride across the moon on broom- sticks, ————————————— It is often surprising to note the enormous money outlay for costumes and scenery required to plant in popular memory two or three rather questionable topical songs. —r——————— A crime wave is an incidental mani- festation that can be taken care of. A crime deluge is something that requires mccurate sclentific control. The Hooverians. It is announced that President-elect Hoover will be tendered a testimonial banquet in Washington the night before his inauguration by co-workers who ‘have been identified with him through- out his dramatic career at home and abroad. They form a remarkable com- pany. In point of diversified interests, personal loyalties and international companionships, no occupant of the ‘White House before him ever marshaled #0 unique a group of comrades and colleagues. ~‘The Hooverians have to their credit many years of service with and under “the Chief.” They have had abiding confidence in his future. They have never lost faith that some day he would arrive in the seat of the American mighty. They have proved themselves vallant crusaders in his cause. They will appropriately come together on the threshold of his most exalted honor to pay him homage of their own and rejoice in the potent part they played in mak- ing Herbert Hoover chief engineer of the United States. The President-elect’s “cycles” of friendships—to use an idiom of which he himself is fond—can be casily identified. They have been built up chronologically from his college days. Their inception was on the Stanford campus, hallowed perhaps with mem- ories dearer to Mr. Hoover than any others acquired by him in later life. After university came his variegated carcer as & mining engineer in many 1ands on both sides of the globe. Then came the World War with the manifold activities Herbert Hoover was destined te carry on between 1914 and 1921. Belgian relief surrounded him with 2 host of aides who were to develop on his behalf a species of personal de- yotion like Napoleon's fleld marshals observed toward “The Little Corsican.” After Belgium came the United States Food Administration, with still another battalion of Hooverians. Then post- man of the Republican national com- mittee, has been recommended to Mr. Hoover by members of the Kentucky delegation in Congress. She has had a wide experience in the great game of politics, both in the recent campaign and in that of 1924. Mrs. Hert is the widow of “Tobe” Hert, as he was affectionately called by his colleagues in the Republican national com- mittee, long & power among Democrats of the border States and the South. Strangely enough, Mrs. Hert has been mentioned for the same position in the cabinet as Mr. Slemp—that of Secretary of the Interior. Mr. Cramer of North Carolina, grad- uate of the Naval Academy in the same class as Secretary Wilbur, and at pres- ent a cotton manufacturer, is believed to have an excellent chance for ap- pointment as Secretary of the Navy, provided, of course, Mr. Hoover does not continue Mr. Wilbur in that office. North Carolina has & way of producing Secretaries of the Navy. Josephus Daniels of Raleigh held the office for eight years during the Wilson adminis- tration and accomplished many real benefits for the Navy. North Carolina has a large Republican vote in normal times. It is one of the Southern States which the Republicans believe they may have & chance to “hang on to,” now that it has once crossed the barrier and given its electoral vote to & Republican candidate for President. ———————— A long residence in Washington, D. C, makes this, in a sense, Mr. Hoover's own town. It would be im- possible to restrain some kind of a “favorite son” demonstration. —_——————— There is no present prospect of per- suading Senator Borah and Senator Reed to join in an oratorical peace pact. —_————— Caapi. Out of the oldest traditions of man- kind emerge the hero and the craven. ‘The first ever has been honored above all his fellows. This has been true even when, as was 50 often the case, bravery was his only commendable attribute. Men have invested with halos the heads not only of those who unfalteringly risked their own lives in battle or in service to humanity, but of the booted highwayman and the wretched mur- derer going to the gallows with a pic- turesque bravado. The latter throughout history has been one of the most despised of living creatures. No other virtues have been sufficient to offset his one fatal short- coming. The man who has run from the enemy or cringed at the feet of the hangman passes from the earth amid hisses and cat calls. Now, what is the nature of this qual- ity of courage? What makes one man fight and another man run? Is the human being born brave or fearful, bringing these attributes out of some tion Mark, however, after nearly seven days and seven nights in the air and an estimated mileage covered of eleven thousand five hundred, the project of a non-stop globe-circling flight auto- matically became a possibility and de- veloped into a scheme on which plans and preparations could be begun at onee. The Question Mark came back to Mother Earth on Monday afternoon. On Wednesday two important an- nouncements were made almost simul- taneously. One was from Col. Arthur Goebel, holder of the West-to-East transcontinental non-stop record and winner of the Dole race from San Francisco to Hawall, who from his home in Kansas said, “Around the world without a stop is possible, and I am going to be the first to make it,” Of all the literary forms, the letter remains the most liked by those who like ‘em, and the most disliked by those who do not like ‘em. There is no half way about a col- lection of letters, even if it be those left behind by an eminent man. A reader either likes the form. or he does not. In this respect the letter is like the cat, for and against which mankind is split. Your honest dog gets at least the lip service of every one, whereas the even more honest cat divides humanity into two groups. ‘The dog is like the novel—almost every one professes to love it. Few are willing to say that they despise the form, just as the number is growing more limited who will sneer at bi- ography. ‘The letter, however, still has its ardent devotees and its none the less hardy haters, the one class being as loud in its praise as the other is silent in its condemnation. e ‘Those who do mnot like the letter form simply do not read such collec- tions, no matter how eminent the writer was, or how well advertised the volume or volumes may be. For the benefit of those who do not understand how any one could dis- like what to them is so enthralling, we will set down here a few of the reasons, so that there may be no mis- understanding about the matter. Let it be admitted, first of all, that a reader has a perfect right to his likes and dislikes, just so long as they be honest and without malice or jealousy. This we find necessary to state, be- cause of the existence of a class of persons who insist on pretending to belleve—surely it can be nothing less —that the canons of literary art ure fixed for all time. These great natural divisions, brand- ed fn the burning since the beginning, being essentfal, it follows as the night the day that every one who professes to love literature must love them all. Surely this is nothing but pretense. for all the forms of literature than it is for the np}msmnn to equally favor every form of sport. Sl:)yme like base ball, others foot ball, others ice hockey, others polo, others while the other came from the Fokker aviation firm, manufacturers of the Question Mark, that a Paris-to-Paris flight without a stop would be under- taken during the coming Summer. It is an ambitious undertaking, there 18 no doubt of that. Elaborate prepara- tions as to equipment will have to be made and the flyers and ships will have to be selected with the greatest care. And after all human and mechanical components are gathered together to accomplish a feat which stirs the imagination Nature must smile its pret- tiest while the round-the-world plane is in the air. But as Col. Goebel says, “It can be done,” and it will be done, and it is well within the realm of pos- sibilities that during the coming Sum- mer the greatest of all flights will be credited to an American machine and an American aviator. o A gang man gets a magnificent funeral. In the nature of things, he cannot live to enjoy it. A warm Winter too often proves as comforting to germs as it is to humanity. PO — SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. The Mask and the Play. In by-gone days a gentle dame ‘When to the theater she came, Her blushes to- conceal, would ask Protection from a dainty mask. A lady now sits in the throng And hears a rather shocking song, Whose phrases she must not repeat; ‘Yet her composure is complete. Her lipstick, rouge and powder puff She wields; not much, but just enough. No doubt her blushes often glow. 1t matters not. They do not show, Sabotage. “Are you in control of the political machine?” “For the present,” answered Senator Sorghum. “But the difficulty about a political machine is that you never know when somebody is going to throw & monkeywrench.” Jud Tunkins says he hopes some means will be found of guaranteeing peace in & small way by starting a league of neighbors. Simple Tradition. Upon inauguration day The men will march; the bands will play, And we shall see in all its prime A simple patriotic time. mystical infinite? Are fear and brav- ery purely the end products of ex- perience? Or are they purely material results of material things, such as glandular secretions? Various schools of psychology have attempted to answer these questions. No attempt has been entirely successful. Perhaps_the most _widely accepted an- swer at present is that of the behavior- ist school, which maintains that the child comes into the world afraid of two things—loud noises and falling— and that every other fear is brought about by conditioning—that is, by asso- ciating with these two other objects and situations. But it is well known that certain drugs have the effect of reducing fear, especially in certain individuals. Al- cohol is a notable example. The meek, trembling little fellow often war missions in Europe—the Americain Relief Administration, the Children’s shows the disposition to “fight a ton of Merry Laughter. “Don’t you love the merry laughter of children?"” “Not always,” answered Miss Cayenne. “Sometimes when their older com- panions try to suggest restraints the merry laughter sounds a little sarcas- tic” * “An honorable gambler,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “may lose for- tune. A dishonorable one loses even self-respect.” ‘The Icy Highway. Often there comes a bitter freeze Beyond the snowstorm and the thaw. Till now we have had none of these— And that is why we say “Hurrah!” “How often you has read de Bible,” said Uncle Eben, “ain’ as important as how much of it you tries to pay 'ten- ~Relief In Pwrape and the European Re- wildeats” when he has a few drinks tiont.” horse racing, or motor boating, or what- not. While one may have a respect for another man’s sport, he need not really care for it himself. Thus chess, an essentially mental recreation, gains admittance to the sporting pages of the newspapers, although perhaps not one in ten of the base ball “fans” knows what it is all about. * ok ok K Letters fall to attract some because they feel that this form of writing is essentially private in nature, and ought to_remain so. Here again mankind splits readily, one group believing that nothing is pri- vate that they can find out about, and another feeling that no matter if they can find out about it they really have no business doing so. One would not go so far as to say that the second group comprise the only gentlemen. Undoubtedly it is true that when personal, private letters become printed in a book they instantly cease to be either personal or private. Yet the fact remains Welcome Echo From Europe to New Year Prosperity Anthem that certain Notwithstanding strenuous dissent from Berlin spokesmen to some of its statements about Germany's abllity to meet her financial obligations, the optimistic report of S. Parker Gilbert, agent general of reparations, has been received with expressions of satisfac- tion by the American press. Referring to the visit of Mr. Gilbert to this country as significant, the Springfeld Republican expresses the view that “he has been using his great personal influence, due to his special knowledge and to the successful opera- tion of the Dawes plan, to convince the statesmen of Europe and the financiers of two continents that the time was ripe for a final settlement.” The Re- publican su&nsu as to the future: “While Mr, Gilbert's report will be read with all the more interest because of his advocacy of winding up the’Dawes plan, it, of course, cannot be read in quite the same way as his earlier reports, made before he had a thesis to support. * * * On its face the report seems fair enough, and he certainly makes a good showing for the prompt and busi- nesslike way in which Germany has met its obligations to date.” “He acclaims Germany’s economic soundness and pays tribute to the fine spirit in which that country has laid the products of her science, skill and labor at the disposal of the creditor nations in an effort to pay for the war,” says the Spokane Spokesman- Review, with the further comment: “Germany dropped monarchical insti- tutions with the ending of the war and has flourished as a republic—further proof of the soundness and superiority of democratic government. * * * A demonstration of good faith from one nation to other nations, and that nation defeated in war, is the world's best hope of enduring peace.” * ok k¥ ‘The thought that “it is promising to note that the New Year anthem of prosperity is not to be exclusively an American composition” comes to th Philadelphia Record, which observes that “into its tuneful strains now creeps an agreeable echo from the European section of the world choir,” and that “the melodies which blend so har- moniously with the chorus on this side of the water are pleasing variations upon the theme of the financial liquidation of the Great War.” Referring to the economic and financial state of Ger- many, the Record calls it “surprisingly promising, as revealed by the annual report of Mr. Gilbert.” That paper belleves that “with a national debt of less than $2,000,000,000 the German people themselves could subscribe to & large part of the proposed loan.” “Germany,” the Brooklyn Eagle notes, “js desirous of prompt relief from the economic and moral burden imposed by armies of occupation maintained on German soil 10 years after the conclu- sion of the war. The $10,000,000 which Germans were obliged to pay last year to feed, clothe and house a forei soldiery thrust in the midst of the peaceful Rhineland truly represents what President Hindenburg yesterday called a ‘bitter’ burden.” “The interrelation of war reparations and war debts,” argues the Chicago Daily Tribune, in view of German re- sentment against the statement on that country’s resources, “seemed to give an assured place to American participation in this complicated and aggravated in- ternational affair, but this recent inci- dent proves with what jeopardy the United States interposes in the relations of one European nation to another. ‘The incident probably will lose its severity. But there has been a flare-uj of hostile opinion in Germany whlcg cannot single out one American citizen for its object, but which attaches to American policy and purposes as a whole.” * ok ok ok The cbjections to the armies of occu- pation are discussed also by the Louls- villd Courler-Journal, with the state- ment: “The nation has fulfilled its treaty Ylednu. but every effort looking to the liberation of the Rhine and the Saar valleys has failed. This was the subject of the recent conference at Lugano, but nothing of a definite nature was .decided; .at -least, the reports of It is not more possible to really care | 4 ., THURSDAY, THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. readers will continue to feel that a let- ter, even if plainly has been written with a keen eye to ultimate publication, is essentially a matter for two alone. A letter, to such persons, will always be a sacred thing. The sacredness of a letter has been sanctioned by the postal laws of all countries. ‘This has been done because the gen- erality of mankind feel, and we believe correctly, that a letter is too intimate a thing to be handed around from person to person. It contains, in almost all cases, small and petty details of life and living which belong only to those to whom they do belong. What s to become of humanity's sense of personality if a monstrous pub- licity is to lay bare the sacred things of hearth and home, and make even one’s letters run the risk of seeing the light of day (at $10 per volume) if one chance to have written better than he knew? * kK X ‘The other chief reason why many dislike collections of letters is that so many ef them savor too much of in- sincerity. Here are the letters of one who wrote personal missives to friends, ostenta- tiously with no thought of their future publication, yet who somehow managed to neatly dovetail them all into one well documented whole, How does it happen that this sym- metry came about, unless the writer had an eye out for the main chance? Every one who writes letters—and who does. not?>—knows perfectly well that a real letter is likely to be filled with utter triviality, or the small things of personalities and homes which un- der no circumstances would be valid material. Yet our letter-author carefully sup- pressed all such human failings over a long period of years, conscious that his time would come, that these letters should be penned carefully and thoughtfully, in order that their be- lated appearance might not shame him even in the next world. ® k¥ At the other extreme is the letter collection which is heralded as show- ing the great humanity of the man. the little tender things which his heart and soul lavished upon his fam- ily and nearest friends are now lav- ished upon us, every Tom, Dick and Harry who happens to have the price of admission. As we read, a blush of shame mantles our cheeks. We feel like & geeplng ‘Tom. What right have we ere, squarely in the center of this domestic scene? Suppcse all have passed away—does that change the sacred intimacy of a vanished house- hold? Gossips are not very well thought of, and one may question whether the avid reader of letter collections is not some- thing of a gossip, after all. We sin- cerely hope no admirer of this literary form will feel offended. Some of the best people we have ever known have had gossipy tendencies; it shows a keen interest in life, and especially in what Alexander Pope called the proper study of mankind—man. A much better case may be bullt up for letter collections. Our remarks here are not so much argument as a plain stating of honest feelings of those who do not happen to care for the letter form in books. Such will alvays feel that the proper place for a letter is in an envelope, or, better, in the fire. that gathering have been in the vaguest and most indefinite phrases. * * * 1l recovery of Germany is of benefit to the allied nations. The argument of Germany is not merely sentimental; it also has a solid material foundation.” More promising conditions are seen by the Nashville Banner, which com- ments on the existing situation: “The political complications surrounding the reparations question when under con- sideration five years ago, due to the still acute friction and distrust between Prance and Germany, have largely dis- appeared. The establishment of inti- mate and highly important business re- lationships between French and Ger- man capital and industry has had an immediate and happy effect upon the political attitudes of the two countries. Their currency systems, too, have been stabilized. France, indeed, has become & creditor nation and Germany has demonstrated an _enormous power of recuperation.” The Banner concludes that “the rehabilitation of the natlons across the seas and their advance in the high adventures of peace must be a matter of continuous and deep concern.” Attack on Spiritualism Is Resented by Writer To the Editor of The Star: In your issue of January 7 you published a letter by M. E. Sloan in which he declares “Christianity to be against Spiritualism.” As a probable summary of his letter, he says: “The cult of Spiritism (Spiritualism) claims to use the spirits of departed people as mediators between this and the unseen world. This is nothing but ancient necromancy under a different name. It is everywhere repudiated and denounced in the Bible. To say that it has hrouihb benefit to humanity through Christianity is to utter non- I would like to call attention to the fact that the Bible is capable of more €| than one interpretation, and also that there are a lot of sincere truth-seekers who have not individually accepted the entire Bible as being divinely authorized. But people do accept the findings of sclence in the more direct applica- tion of the term, namely, that which can be weighed, measured and tested with instruments—that which we can somehow bring within the range of our senses. Beyond this we speculate. We lay down hypotheses. We deduce by logic and accept as it pleases us. And each must judge of his own convictions. May not our senses be the functioning of consciousness within certain pre- scribed areas of the life scale—areas which are already extended by such instruments as the microphone, the mi- croscope, the telescope, etc., and which science promises to extend much further in_the near future? In the realm of the abstract, there are arguments both for and against al- most every variety of religion, politics, therapeutics and other persuasions known to present-day teachings. The Erlmnry motive of all these persuasions the finding of happiness. The test for the infallibility of all these systems and teachings is demonstration. But how many of these theories are demon- strable every time and in every way? After thousands of years, only one of them has stood the test! That is the theory of love. This theory was pre- sented in concrete form by a certain Man who practiced his theory and it revolutionized the world. The greater part of the world today is known after this Man’s name. Ae regards creeds love is all we really know. After all, it is about all we really need to kno The Founder of Christianity said. “‘Greater things than I do shall ye do.” The phenomena of Spiritualism or the clamations of its followers are not in this day the greatest argument in its favor, but rather the accelerating march of progress, which has driven us almost to the limits of achlevement in the present or materialistic world, and which, by the logic of things, must soon find new flelds to conquer. And nerhaps love, the spiritual “gravity” of the universe, even now links the two worlds in communication—with those who come sufficiently within its orbit. CLARA LOUISE LESLIE, ) JANUARY 10, 1929.° Pastor Declares Jesus Greatest Spiritualist To the Editor of The Ster: In a letter to The Star published January 7 under the heading, “Chris- Kl-llnlty Declared Against Spiritualism,” | the writer, M. E. Sloan, declares: “The cult of Spiritism (Spiritualism) claims to use the spirits of departed people as mediators between this and the unseen world. This is nothing but ancient necromancy under a different name. It is everywhere repudiated and denounced in the Bible. To say that it has brought benefits to humanity is to utter non- sense.” No true Christian can believe the | Bible and denounce spirit communion, {as it has always been the connecting link between man ang God. The Bible clearly reveals that it is God's plan to i send his administering spirits to guide, inspire and help mankind. Spiritualism and the Bible are in | complete harmony; one vouches for the truth of the other. Spiritualism demon- strates the truth of the Bible in these modern days, as the Bible records the revelations of Spirituallsm in the anclent times. Jesus stands forth as the greatest exponent of Spiritualism in the Bible, closely followed by the Apostle Paul. No doubt the greatest Spiritualistic seance ever held was the one set forth in three books of the gospels according to Mark, chapter ix; Luke, chapter ix; Matthew, chapter xvil. The medium was no less a person than Jesus Christ, Himself. The witnesses were His three confidential disciples—Peter, James and John—the materialized spirits were Moses and Elias, and the fecord goes on to say that Almighty God spoke from Heaven, saying, “This is My be- loved Son; hear Him.” Surely there was no diabolical agency there. Revealed as Medium. Jesus again revealed the fact that He was a medium when He said, “I speak not of Myself; but the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works™— John, xiv.10. More than this He says that all that believe in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do"—dJohn, xiv.12, True mediumship is the fulfill- ment of the words of Jesus, “If ye ablde in Me, and My works abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you"—John, xv.7. The life and works of the Apostle Paul are a monument to the truth of Spiritualism. He enjoined upon all Christians of his time to “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good"— I Thessalonians, v.2. This great apostle was a devoted Spiritualist. He was caught up to the third Heaven, where “he heard unspeakable words"—II Co- rinthians, xii.2. He also had the gift of healing, and he heard clairaudiently the spirit_voice saying, “Why persecutest thou Me?"—Acts, ix.4. He was a spiritual medium; in the temple he said, “Even while I prayed I was in a trance”—Acts, xxil.17. He advocated the development and expression of spiritual gifts, and em- phasized the gift of prophecy, of heal- ing, and that of the discerning of spirits. ‘The development and exores- sion of mediumship today is but the realization of these spiritual gifts, and the fulfillment of the prophecy of the Bible where it says, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men see vi- sions, and your old men shall dream dreams”—Acts, 1i.17. Nothing Against Spiritualism. ‘There is nothing in the Bible against true Spiritualism. There is much against necromancy and witchcraft; but these matters have no connection with mod- ern Spiritualism. Those who declare that Spiritualism is the work of the devil are like many of the Jews who, in speaking of Jesus, sald, “He hath a (devil, and is mad, why hear ye Him?” Others said, “These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil un;:flthe eyes of the blind?"—John, - So Spiritualism, by its works, by its fruits, can be judged, and the judgment will be a glorious one. Jesus said, “Wherefor by their fruits ye shall know: them"—Matthew, vil.20. And Spiritual- ists are happy in the fruits of Spirit- ualism, because they heal, comfort, en- lighten and uplift all who receive them. One has but to experience the fruiis of Spiritualism to know their value. Life assumes a new and radiant aspect. Uncertainty concerning the future life gives way to certainty; knowledge takes the place of faith. Unfolded before one are all the possibilities of the spirit that dwells within, with its manifold powers and gifts; the expression of which parts the vell, thaf hangs be- tween this world and the next, bringing about life’'s sweetest experience com- munion with the so-called dead. Life becomes radiant, full of joy, peace dwells within, and one can say, as those ?l'{:l-dr ‘:le:. ;v‘hn sh)oddule 31; presence of 0ses an A { good for us to be here.” o ALFRED H. TERRY, Pastor of the First Spiritualist Church. “Gun-Toting” ]):c}sion In District Ridiculed To the Editor of The Star: ‘The extent to which crime has in- creased in this country in the past quarter of a century has been largely due to our absurd laws respecting the carrying of concealed weapons. The man who intends to commit a burglary or to stage a hold-up is not deterred from carrying the necessary weapons because the law prohibits it. The net result of our laws has been to arm the criminal and disarm the citizen. This has been pointed out time and again in the public press by hundreds of independent thinkers. Now the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia comes along and caps the climax by holding that a man who carries a revolver in his automobile is also guilty of carrying a concealed ‘weapon “about” the person. No more perfect scheme could have been devised for the encouragement and protection of the road agent who begs a ride and then slugs his benefactor with a blackjack, frequently dumping him out | n the road and making off with his automobile. The present system is wholly wrong. | The law should be revised to impose exceedingly severe penalties for the carrying of dangerous weapons without & permit, but permits to carry weapons | should be granted as a matter of | course to any reputable and responsi- ble citizen, upon request. Bond could be required in such amount as to pre- | vent irresponsible persons from secur- ing permits; an age limit could be set which would prevent very youthful persons from securing permlts; char- acter qualifications could be set which would prevent those having police or criminal records from securing permits. The average business man would be in no way inclined to “tote” a gun, as a regular practice, but if called upon to take a long automobile trip, or to be in out-of-the-way places, late at night, or to convey large sums of money | through lonely sections, he should be permitted to reasonably protect his fam- | ily, his life. and his property. G. CAMPBELL. ————————— And We Consider That Aged., From the Nashville Banner. Liquor a thousand years old has been found in-Rome, which makes it just exactly 999 years and 364'; days more elderly than any that is on tap in this vicinity. R ) Sort of “Drive” It Home? From the San Antonia Evening News. One traffic grublem is to teach the roadhog the tein theory of limited space. BRI i Expense Doesn’t Count. From the Hel Mont.. Record-Herald. Going without stockings isn't expen: alve enough to become & fad. . them all before the Quaker administra- Have we had the pleasure of serving you through our Washington Informa- tion Bureau? Can't we be of some help to vou in your problems? Our business is to furnish you with authori- tative information, and we invite you to ask us any question of fact in which you are Interested. Send your inguiry to The Evening Star Information Bu- reau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Wash- ington, D. C. Inclose 2 cents in coin or stamps for return postage. Q. How many theaters are there left that offer only stage plays?—K. W. A. Today there are not more than 500 playhouses devoted to the legitimate drama. About a third of these are located in five cities—New York, Boston, Chicago, Philadelpl and Los Angeles. Q. Of what is rayon made?—S. S. A. Rayon is a lustrous, continuous thread, formed by dissolving cellulose, either as cotton linters or wood pulp. in a suitable solvent, passing this fluid through a spinning machine, solidifying the product in a fixing bath, combining and twisting the resulting filaments into a thread, purifying and bleaching this thread, and finally transferring it into the type of package in which it is to be sold or used. Q. What kind of an establishment is a hacienda?—S. V. A. In Southwestern United States this Spanish term is used for & produc- tive establishment in the country for farming or stock raising. It is a landed estate, one especially on which the owner resides. Q. Why isn't “Sonny Boy" sung over the radio?—L. H. K. A. The copyright holders do mnot permit it to be broadcast at present. Q. When did the tricolor become the flag of France?—T. L. A. Marquis de Lafayette brought n?:;u the adoption of the tricolor in Q. Why is horse racing called the “sport of kings"?—K. N. A. Horse racing has been called the “sport of kings” because it has been one of their amusements since the earliest dawn of civilization. Thothmes I of the eighteenth Egyptian dynasty left a papyrus letter telling of his conquest of Mesopotamia and priding himself upon the acquisition of the racing horse (the Arab) and being the first to intro- duce him in Africa. Somewhat later the records tell of King Solomon buy- ing horses from Egypt and paying as much as $3,000 for some of them. Among the Greeks horse racing was introduced into the Olympic jes in the thirty-third Olympiad (648 B.C.). Q. In what way is Miss Helen Keiler connected with the Robert E. Lee fam- ily?>—A. S. A. Miss Keller'’s grandmother on her father's side was a second cousin of Robert E. Lee. She was a granddaugh- mifht as well confess that he is out of style. Such an immune antique is not in touch with the majority of folks, ac- cording to the authority of a college ex- pert—a professor who concedes, like the Widow Bedott, that “we’re all poor critters.” This professorial conclusion does not date back to the seventeenth century, when Salem was hanging witches. Nor is it s0 recent that it may be a reflec- ton of the trial for witch-directed mur- der now occupying the public mind in York, Pa. There, is nothing sudden about this i) conclusion _of Prof. cnoge Lincoln Burr or his antagonist, Dr. Buckley; it transpired in the rse of a debate in 1911 in Worcester, Mass., between Prof. Burr and Prof. Buckley before the American Antiquarian So- clety. In a paper by Prof. Burr, pub- lished by the society, appears this state- ment concerning that seat of New Eng- land learning, Harvard University (Burr 1s speaking) : “Dr. Buckley says—and he has given the matter study—that witcheraft is still believed by a majority of the citi- zens of the United States. A month or two ago (1911) Mr. Addington Bruce, in the Outlook, illustrated the per- sistence of superstition by sludyinx its survival in the professors of Harvard.” Now just what form Harvard witches take is not clearly set forth, but that may make little difference. Perhaps they ride broomsticks; perhaps they dance around caldrons of boiling hu- man bones. No matter; Harvard University be- lieves in witches, so who_shall deny their existence? Ask Dr. Burr or Dr. Buckley, or consult the whole Anti- quarian Society. * ok k% Like a typical quibbling professor, however, or technical lawyer, Dr. Burr tries to hedge by qualifying his defini- tion of witches. He adds, in order to confuse Dr. Buckley: “Yet I doubt if Mr. Bruce or Dr. Buckley would count the professors of Harvard, or even the majority of the citizens of the United States, on the same side of the question as those who, in the seventeenth century, put women &o ‘?um for their league with the levil.” Certainly not! Conditions have changed in three centuries. The Devil may or not be more influential in Amer- ican society, but it is certain that wom- en with all their witchery are more to be feared. We have women's rights to- day, which the Salem women lacked. And women smoke—which in itself sug- gests hell fire. One of the great tests of a witch in those pioneer days was made by duck- ing her in deep water; if she sank, she was no witch, but if she floated, the devil take her, for she could hex the bravest man around town, make his cattle die, his children or even himself have fits, and move his growing crops from one fleld to another overnight. a duck—she’s a self-convicted witch, as many a judge at an Atlantic City beauty show has testified. “Sink or swim, live or dfe, survive or perish"—ay, there's the rub! If one sinks, she dies; if one floats, she convicts herself and dies. So let us eat, drink and be merry, having a Devil of & time, for the Devil is sure of the witches who have made a league with him. And he is in a hurry to get tion begins, when the Calvinistic orgy will end, and Quaker dominion will the ghosts and restrict all such Sa- tanic wickedness. ain't so!) Let’s all knock on wood! * Kk K If there be mystery as to who was the witch who hexed one's cattle, here is the secret of finding out: “Put a pair of breeches upon the cow’s head that is bewitched, and beat her cut of the pasture upon a Friday, and she will run right to the witch's door and strike thereat with her horns.” ‘That is easy, but here is a recipe far more potent and important: “How to make & man or woman love you: Take the heart of a young dove, espe~ clally that of a turtle dove, and steep it in blood six hours; have it curjously baked and dried, and as often as you have opportunity, mix it in his or her drink, till he or she has taken the whole, by which time the partaker will feel the god of love very busy in his or her breast, and will take all occa- sions to shew you kindness.” If there be any trouble about catch- ing a turtle dove, here is a substitute: “Get a hollow ring and goat's hair Today many a damsel can swim like.| (I'll be hexed if it SWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASK. ter of Alexander Spottiswood, an early colonial governor of Virginia. Q. What is the Grand Bank?—T. N. A. This is a submarine plateau in the North Atlantic Ocean, extending east- ward from Newfoundland. It is noted for its fishing grounds. Its depth is from 30 to 60 fathoms. Q. Who settles the changes in the boundary line between Mexico and the United States?—B. C. A. A. There is a permanent organiza- tion, called the United States and Mex- ico International Boundary Commis< sion, at El Paso, Tex., whose duty it is to attend to the occasional changes in the boundary line due to the change® in the course of the Rio Grande. Q. -What is the purpose of the Col- lege Entrance Examination Boa. M. V. N. ‘A. ‘The College Entrance Examinae tion Board is a soclety of colleges and preparatory schools for the purpose of establishing. first, a fair degree of flexie bility in high school and college curric= ula and entrance requirements; sec- ond, uniformity in standards of high schools and colleges: third, adequate and uniform administration of policies. Students passing such examinations are entitled to enter a college which ac= cepts the standards of the College En= trance Examination Board. Q. When was the air forest patrol ;‘stabllshcd in the United States?— . B. O. A. It was established in 1920. Q. Where is the largest book?—B. B. A. What is said to be the largest is in the British Museum in London. It is a gigantic atlas, and was presented to King Charles II. ruler of England in 1660, by the merchants of Amsterdam. It was a memento of Charles’ visit to the Netherlands after the fall of British monarchy. Q. What State was the first to set aside water territory for the propaga- tion of oysters?>—N. L. A. Rhode Island was first. As early as June, 1799, this State set aside a small tract for the cultivation and prop- agation of oysters by private parties. Q. Are the words “typewriting” and “typing” interchangeable?>—C. F. D. A. They are now used interchange- ably by people who wish to abbreviate. Q. What kind of waterfowls are ;?und in Oregon ‘and Washington?— . 8. A. “Waterfow]l” is a broad term. It includes ducks, geese, swans, gulls, peli- ans, etc. There are 350 different kinds of birds found in Oregon and Wash- ington, about half of which would be water birds. They are found along the Icokuu and in the marshes of rivers and akes. BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLIN. Anybody who is not “hexed” today wear beards, and therefore it does not refer to baldfaced human masculinity at all. * kX K Maybe the secret of how to cure the bewitched has been lost; here it is: “Take the smoke of the tooth of a dead man. Anoint the bewitcheds’ body over with the gall of a crow. Fill a quill or nutshell with quicksilver, and close it up with wax, and lay the same under the pillow you sleep on, or the cushion where one sitteth, or else put it under the threshold of the house door where he dwelleth.” That sounds like a maiden putting wedding cake under her pillow: This should be valuable evidence in the York trial, provided the judge is not too prejudiced against witcheraft. According to the authorities above quoted, the professors who still believe in witchcraft might qualify as expert witnesses, and even as healing doctors. * K ok ok Every modern improvement is making ‘witchcraft more and more difficult. Ac- cording to Tacitus, the old witches of an exceedingly early period ased to foretell events by listening to the whin- nying or neighing of horses, the forecast being suggested by the kind of sound audible. There was that talkative song- ster, Balaam'’s ass, an eloquent weather bureau. But how will witches foretell events, now that the flivver-honk has displaced the horses’ whinnying? Let Mr. Ford answer that, or remake his flivvers, to differentiate between the quick and the dead pedestrian. The ressarch experts of Harvard may help solve that problem. * & kX Once a tortured witch of England confessed that she, "with 200 other witches, went to sea in a sieve, and ul returning to land at North Ber- wick they all went to church there, tal ing hand and dancing round the pulpi that they were then met by the Devil, who gave them all his mark, as she could prove by showing the mark on her knee.” Even today dancing American girls show their knees—proving deviltry. ‘This English witch so excited King James I that he asked to be permitied to see that dance rehearsed—‘even as you and I"—and after he had witnessed it he issued 2 decree denouncing witch- es, and fixing heavy penalties for show-, ing devil-marks on knees. But that was before the American Revolution, so what do American girls care for old King James' version? * ok ok K ‘There is one difference between the damyankee of Puritan days and the Virginia cavalier of cotemporaneous life. The cavalier was not much trou- bled by witches. In fact, if any one accused a Virginian with witchcraft, he became liable to a slander suit. So there were no witches south of the Mason and Dixon Line—but just straight (or crooked) “hoodoos hantin’ the houses.” Any colored person today will verify that statement. Hants are not witches—they're plain “hants.” The same professor quoted above, George Lincoln Burr, LL. D, Litt. D. of Cornell University. has published a great tome entitled “Narrative of the Witcheraft Cases, 1648-1706." He says: “To fhose who know what elements made up the earliest population of Vir- ginia it is needless to point out why there we find no such abiding fear of the Devil and his minions as amongst the religious exiles of New England. i There, no Mosaic law was enacted into statute: and the well known cavalier sympathies of the colony suggest why the mid-century witch panic of Eng- land’s Presbyterian counties found there no_echo.” Kipling says something like that about India, where “there ain't no Ten andments and the sun comes up like_thunder ’cross the bay." “Fear of witches,” continues Prof. Burr, “indeed Virginia did not wholly escape, but her witch terrors found their source in folk lore, and, although her courts could not keep altogether clear of the matter, their influence seems to have been almost wholly a re- straining one.” * * ok x This whole subject is a ticklish one, while York, Pa., is trying & murder case involving witches, and so there might be imminent danger of contempt of court, if this column undertook to preju- dice the jury in a pending case. But- keeping out of Pennsylvania, in 1608, one Ann Byrd appealed in vain taken from the beard, steep it in the juice of nightshade, or wake robin (an herb so called), and put it through the ring, end whoever wears it will fall in love with you.” That is easter, for there is plenty of “goats”—and that is not a personal re- flection, for few men, however goatish, 1 e to a Virginia court against wild charges of “riding” her peighbors as a wltf'h. And the Byrds are still quite influential in Virginia and “little America of the antarctic.” So we deny that the ac- cusation of 1608 was well founded. Vive la Virginia! Abas les witches| »>