Evening Star Newspaper, January 12, 1929, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. " WASHINGTON, D. C. "SATURDAY....January 12, 1920 THEODORZ W. NOYES....Editor Star N ‘Business and ’.T_M Evening 13th St New York 1cago. A Europeas ‘Ofice:. 14 Eng! T —— To! Bullding. Regén 8. ‘London. 1and. Rate by Carrier Within the City. .45¢ per month v -60c per month r .68¢ per month _B¢_per ccpy esch mont 1) cr telephone | Collection made Orders may be sent {n by ms! Main 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. q .. $1000; } mo., 85¢ Bally Shfy Sundeorri ra 800 4 mo! fog Sunday ol yr.. $4°00: 1 mo.. 40¢ All Other States and Canada. Dafly and Sunday..} yr. $12.00: 1 mo. $1.00 1yr., $800; 1 Duily only . mo., iS¢ junday only 1 yr. $5.00: 1 mo. Soc | Member of the Associated Press. e Assoclatsd Press is exciusively (ntitled | toTthe o or repusiication of all niwe diae tckes credited to ‘t or not othurwise cred- Red™in (his paper and aiso the local rews published herein. All rights of publication of epecial dispatcoes herein are also reserved = Financial Equity for the District. The campaign for financial equity | for the District suffers apparently no | setback from the fact-findings of the Bureau of Efficiency. So far as the national contribution is concerned the bureau finds that merely as an ordinary property-owning mus-y| nicipal taxpayer the Naticn should con- tribute for purely municipal purposes $7.440.939 annually. To this should be added, the burcau says, 2 sum representing the Nation’s limbility on account of loss of tax reve- nue due to great excess of real property exemptions, and there should be added also, the bureau says, another sum on account of extraordinary expenditures " occasioned by the fact that Washington is the National Capital, including the sgost of excess park acquisition and maintenance. > If the Government's contribution is " %o be a lump sum there is still another eduitable addition to be made, based upon the fact that the Nation, thouga only a fractional municipal taxpayer, controls absolutely and exclusively the raising and spending of all municipal faxes. Financial obligation follows po- litical or legislative power. ... The national partner in the Capital- i making partnership should not permit “fself or be permitted so to exercise its exclusive taxing power as to make the B taxpayers' contribution more and Fmore and its own con'ribution less and ss, suggesting an ultimate resulting “condition in which the national mi- jority partner shall do all of the decid- ¥iig and controlling and none of the 8. ‘s 'The natural method of preventing flagrantly unjust result is to cause § minerity but controlling partner to i$ay a fixed percentage of the total cap- ly notable results. The mild form of influenza now sweeping the country is chiefly dangerous for its after-cffects, and if proper precautions are taken against these after-effects ravages of the disease will be materially lessened. ‘The conference did take steps, how- ever, which will be valuable in the long fight against influenza epidemics of the future. The delegates exchanged opin- jons which resulted in what might be called standardized instructions to in- dividuals and communities on precau- tions against contracting influenza and how to prevent secondary infection. A program was adopted on epidemiologi- cal investigation with facilities now available, and those attending the con- ference were impressed with the need for more liberal Federal aid to general health work. One of the main topics of discussion at the conference related to the in- adequacy of reports on influenza, a condition that has always served to baffle pubiic health experts. Without such reports ccmmunities are often stricken unawares, and when the dis- ease has run its course those who at- tempt to study its peculierities and ef- fects are deprived of the groundwork for their investigation. The danger of this discase should make influenza re- portable in all States, and complete and current reports of its daily soread | would probably do much good. Where reporting influenza is left to the dis-| cretion of the physician, the reports | received are inadequate and lead to; conjecture that is just as apt to over- | emphasize as to underrate the spread | of the discase. One of the phenomena | of the present epidemic is the fact that | any one with a severe cold is tempted to diagnose his own case as influenza, and, according to the opinion expressed | by some of the delegates at the confer- ence just closed, too many physicians are doing the same thing. A generally accepted list of symptoms | of influenza and laws making their re- | port mandatory would at least enable the extent of epidemics, such as the | present one, to be accurately gauged and proper safeguards established. e House Reapportionment. The Fenn bill reapportioning the rep- resentatives of the States in the House of Representatives in accordance with the decennial census of 1920 passed the House yesterday. It now becomes the duty of the Senate to put the bill through and send it to the President prior to March 4, unless the measure is to die. The passage of a reapportionment bill is long overdue. Certain States have been wrongfully deprived of increased representation under the terms of the Constitution for eight or nine years be- cause of the failure of Congress to put through this or a similar bill. The membership of the House, and, ineci- dentally, the number of votes allotted to each Siate in the electoral college, are both based on the enumeration of the people, directed to be taken every ten years by the Constitution. Eight years ago the House put through a reapportionment bill, but it ital expenditure, so that for every tax sdollar exacted from the local taxpayer some payment will be made by the na- “tional partner. Under the lump-sum “system on the contrary every additional “dollar wrung from the impotent tax- payers decreases the sum which must be paid by the national contributor. {But if Congress is not yet ready to yeturn to obedience to substantive law and to reinstate the wise and fair sys- tem of definite proportionate contribu- tipn, then the lump sum should be sub- stantially increased in accordance with Bese facts and this reasoning, and as ‘@finite 2 limitation should be placed npon the amount of the local taxpayers' contribution as that upon the Nation's contribution. The local taxpayer nzeds .this limitation for his protection; the national contributor with unlimited power of control in his hands needs no self-imposed limitation upon the amount “of his payment. To put the bureau's figures of com- Pparison between Washington and other .cities in tax rate and per capita tax Jevy on a fairer basis, there should be subtracted that fraction of the total which represents State taxes, and that ifraction which represents interest and - sinking fund payments on funded in- debtedness. Th: State tax means vot- representation in the national and State government, which right and "power are of incalculable value; and it sheans also the enjoyment by the State taxpayers of millions of national grants, ‘ounties and subventions. The Dis- ‘trict has no voting representation in pny government and does not partici- pate in any of the national subventions to the States. Since the District en- ‘joys no State benefits its municipal _taxpayers should not be compelled to _mateh State taxation. s The States and cities have large funded indebtedness, which represents I part permanent public improvements £Wisich have been enjoyed, and in part extravagance and in some cases graft. The District has not been permitted to pentract this kind of indebtedness, and 1t has not enjoyed the permanent public tmprovements which this indebtedness tepresents. ‘This item of expenditure * ghould be eliminated in a comparison of current municipal expenditures by Washington and other American cities. The figures submitted by the bureau ,.fust be carefully, thoughtfully and ex- baustively studied before their full bearing upon the fiscal relations of Na- | tion and District can be understood. But a first reading of the report dis-| loses no facts and no reasoning which, | when supplemented by the equitable considerations that have been sug- gested, militate against the contentions of the District in its plea for fair play In its fiscal affairs. —_— wt———— When the “fiu” germ is abroad, an honest lover of his fellow man does not meeze in public. P The Influenza Conference. While the influenza epidemic 1s reaching its crest the conference on in- fluenza called by the United States Pub- fic Health Service has met and ad- journed. It did nothing designed to . bring any assistance in the present emergency, except to advise Dr. Hugh Cumming, now ill from influenza, to “remain in bed three days after the . qever leaves.” If the publicity attending " tbat wise advice has the effect of per- was allowed to die in the Senate com- mittee. For some of the States under the reapportionment plan are slated to lose seals, and their representatives were loath to give up these seats in the House. There is the same chance this year for filibustering tactics to defeat the Fenn bill in the present short ses- sion of Congress. However, there is & determined spirit among some of the Senators to put the bill through, and if the reapportionment bill is delayed too long before being brought to the | Senate floor for consideration, an effort will be made to attach the bill as an amendment to some other bill which must go through the Senate. ‘Wisely the House has decided in the passage of the Fenn bill not to increase the membership of the House, but to make the unit of representation larger. The House at present has 435 members. While it is not as large in membership as some of the parliamentary bodies in Europe, it still is large enough; too large, it is held in some quarters. The membership of the House has been in- creased from time to time until its present figure. The last change prac- tically forced the abandonment of the individual desks for each member on the floor of the House, such as the Sen- ators have today. It became necessary to enlarge the House chamber or to re- place the old desks with benches. . Under the reapportionment act, eleven States will gain in their repre- sentation in the House and seventeen will lose. Those States which gain in- clude California, with 6 additional seats, Michigan with 4 and New Jersey and Texas with 2 each. North Caro- lina and Florida each gain one addi- tional seat. The greatest loss is that of Missouri, which loses 3 seats. In- diana, Iowa, Kentucky and Mississippi each lose 2 seats. Even New York and Pennsylvania, populous as they are, lose one seat each in the readjustment to meet the growth in other parts of the country. ——— Witcheraft exists only in imagination. Imagination however, has been an im- portant factor dn social economies. One who believes in witches displays pride of authorship and respects them the more because they are creatures of his own invention. e A Fatal Crash. Another fatal airplane crash has added a toll of eight lives to the ad- vance of man’s mastery of the air. A sister ship of the Army airplane Ques- tion Mark fell yesterday at Royalton, Pa., while on a short test flight from Bolling Field. Seven men were killed in the crash or died within a short time, and the eighth man in the air vessel died early today, wiping out the entire personnel of the three-engined ship. Apparently one or more of the three air-cooled motors with which the Fok- ker was equipped failed in the critical lose altitude and flying speed, and forc- ing an emergency landing in a spot where there was no adequate landing field. News dispatches state that in its landward drop the great air vessel struck a tree and spun nose first into the ground. Two inquiries were launched at once, cne by the War Department and an- other by Bolling Field authorities, but it is doubtful if the cause of the crash will ever be known, because all the men | is some political concern as to what he | claiming any great erudition was a pro- take-off period, causing the plane to | From the Charleston (W. Va.) Daily Mail. THE EVENING may be prevented in the future, and that the relatives of the men in the plane may be satisfied that no safety factors were overlooked when the plane took off. The great air vessel was too low when it started downward for the men crowd- ed in the cabin to jump with para- chutes, and the ship itself had not enough altitude to prevent the crash. While the Army has experimented with the Handley-Page wing slot, which “is designed to prevent the fatal “stall” in the air on the take-off, the transport plane which crashed yesterday was not so equipped, it is understood. It is ironical that a plane constructed on exactly the same lines as the Question Mark, which was able to remain aloft for 150 hours, fell with fatal results on such a short flight as that of yesterday. The C-2 transport planes, because of their three-engine power plant, have been looked upon as among the safest types of air vehicles. The relatives of the men in the ship find small conso- lation that they died in line of duty, but their death will undoubtedly lead to conclusions which will make aircraft safer. ——t—————— The statement—probably not authen- tic—is attributed to Henry Ford that no successful small boy saved up his money. The small boy, as soon as he gets a few dollars togcther, is likely to make a first payment on a flivver. e~ Threats of a senatorial peace pact| filibuster arise early, when time is valu- | able. However, while a filibuster is on | hand there is little likelihood of actual ! being precipitated. | - e warfare After a few ancient tombs, all very much alike, have been opened it ap- pears that “efficlency” was an early dis- ! covery, and that even regal magnifi- | cences were standardized. B Little apprehension 1s feit as to what | Gov. Al Smith will do just now. There may do about three and a half years from now. —_— et A merger reduces expense of opera- tion. The expense of effecting the merger is liable to cause some delay in| delivering the benefit to the ultimate | consumer. v, The late Tex Rickard, though never found student of human nature, never nesitating to back his theories with his fortune. vt — Eventually, as mortal affairs go, Mussolini must have a sucessor. Perhaps it would be a suitable thing for the Duce to coach the King as an under- study. 3 e Senatorial fortune tellers agree that the letters “F. R.” have mystic signifi- cance for the year, whether they stand for “Farm Relief” or “Forelgn Rela-| tions."” ——————.——— An inaugural parade is likely to be more acceptable whep it does not con- sume an unlimited number of hours In passing a given point. AR o e It is admitted that prohibition is; expensive. It is also regarded as well worth the money if it can be practically | enforced. e = SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Merry March Four. All in the joyous time of Spring, Again we will prepare to sing, As sunshine gilds the Heavenly arch Above the Merry Fourth of March. ‘We shall not wish for smiling May, ‘With blossoming in bright array. ‘We'll hail the year with wakening cheer, When Merry Fourth of March draws near. Bright skies will bring new hopes at last As shadows sink into the past; And we shall hail, in true content, March Four, the Day of Merriment. New and Old. “Have you any new ideas for speeches?” “No,” answered Senator Sorghum. “But I have some first-rate new speeches for the same old ideas.” Jud Tunkins says if all the New Year resolutions were kept there would be no need of so many prohibition offi- cials. Lawbreaker. The citizen may do his best And strive for frecedom from arrest. Yet, he will be accused of crime. Some day he will park overtime. Studying the Chances. “Would you marry for money?” “No,” answered Miss Cayenne. “The | risk 1s too great. If I feel irresistibly inclined to wild speculation I'll save up my money and go into the stock | market.” “Only one who has had scant ex- perience with life,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown,” is ready to offer advice on every subject.” Obliging Friend. My Radio! My Radio! At you I never scoff. When dull you grow, I always know ‘That I can turn you off. Julepless Mint. “Circumstantial evidence may be mis- leading.” “Of course,” answered Uncle Bill Bottletop. “The more you let a mint patch alone the bigger it grows.” “If you takes yohself too serious,” said Uncle Eben, “you is g'ineter be as lonesome as de man dat turned his back on de percession an’ marched de other way.” —— e No Milky Way Recount. Science has counted 10,000,000,000 stars in the milky way. So far we have not heard any one clamoring for a recount. e Why Women Go to Church. From the Fort Worth Record-Telegram. One reason more women than men g0 to church is, maybe, becausz dressed- up women can uncomfortably sit still longer than similarly arrayed men. s S Invitation to Trouble. From the Cinginnati Times-Star. in the ship were killed, and the air suading other victims to “remain in bed three days after the fever leaves” the - gonference will have accomplished real- vessel itself is a total wreck. The in- vestigations should be pushed with all vigor in order that similar accidents An apple a day keeps the doctor away, STAR, WASHINGTON, | ton Jones, esq. Jones was at once con- | given by the Roanoke World-News (in- | offers the comment: but Adam and Eve found that an apple was just an invitation to Old Man ‘Trouble. [a} . SATURDAY. THIS AN BY CHARLES E. Templeton Jones had about decided to close his convenient free circulating library. He maintained it for the benefit of his triends, various individuals of both sexes who profited from the generosity of their bookloving acquaintance. Jones had a diversified library. Its foundation had been handed down to | him by his father, and on its broad base of the classic authors he had build- ed fairly well. The result was that he had a better than average home collection. In- stead of the ordinary line of fiction, ranging from the cheap through the mediocre, with a sprinkling of the great. Templeton Jones' collections comprised mostly the great books, around which | he had grouped some not so great but quite as diverting. * ok %k He had a section devoted to books which he had not read. He bought them for a rainy day, when he might be looking around for something and could not find it. He made sure he would find it. If ore happened to want something to read, on the spur of the moment, and there was nothing at hand, what good did it do that the stores were over- flowing with books? A book on the home shelf is worth 10 in the book store, Jones told him- clf. A ton of coal in the basement s worth 2 in the alley. A loaf of bread in the breadbox at 7 am. is better than a dozen loaves at the corner gro- cery. * & 2% In his old age Jones had developed a decided liking for the works of the great French masters of ~narration. So his shelves contained a better than ordinary collection of them. He had the works of Balzac, Maupassant, Hugo, Zola, Dumas and others. The romances of the elder Dumas made an espeoial appeal to the curious contradiction of character who assailed the world under the name of Temple- servative and radical. He rejoiced with Napoleon over the march on Moscow, vet realized it was a foolish bit ot bravado, after all. His radicalism was | tempered with prudence, his prudence by a desire to “cut loose,” as the ver-| nacular has it. It was only in books that he could reconcile these two trends in his char- acter and only in the works of Alex- andre Dumes that he could do it best even there. Dumas was not so much a writer as a natural force. He possessed the vitality of the North wind, the rush of the mountain torrent, inexhaustible fecundity of Nature herself. In the swiftly moving pages of Dumas, Jones found everything to ap- peal to his bilateral temperament. Hence he made it his innocent business to collect all the tales of the master which he could find in English transla- tion. ek Jones' Dumasiana, or whatever you would call it, always attracted the at- tention of his friends. They might find a copy of “The Three Musketeers” in almost any home, but where else except at,_Templeton Jones' would they dis- | cover “The She-Wolves of Machacoul”? | You might run onto “The Queen's| Necklace” at Smith's house, but where | D THAT . TRACEWELL. other than at Jones' could you hope to find “Agenor de Mauleon”? The upshot of this specialization was that Jones shortly’ found himself dis- pensing Dumas to an cver-increasing clientele. It is needless to say that the im- promptu librarian thoroughly enjoyed his role. There is nothing a booklover loves more than to share his books with the discriminating. | A Dumas “fan” asks nothing better | than to be permitted to introduce his | pet volumes into as many homes as| possible. He desires nothing more than a chance to make converts to one whos2 tales delight him so wholcheartedly. He | knows that in some quarters Dumas is regarded at less than his true worth. | He would right this situation, if pos- sible. e Jones began with a high heart and a generous hand. At first his friends brought his books back with some attempt at regularity, especially his prized Dumas, for they realized that he was particular. As soon, however, as they discovered that he was truly generous in his loan- ing they began to abuse the privilege. It was just another case of easy | come, easy go: the trouble was that the | books went but never came! *ok Ak ‘This. alas, is the sad fate of all such | free circulating libraries as Templeton | Jones conducted! | Every one means to return borrowed | books, but they never do. They intend to “take them back.” but months go by and volumes are forgotten. Or. if remembered. so much time has | elapsed that the borrower is ashamed to wag them home. 1 Maybe Junior has crumpled the pages | beyond repair, or scrawled nice black marks over all the margins. Maybe the book is lost—and whoever heard of a book borrower who would loosen up for a new volume and say nothing about it? e Templeton Jones finally came to the conclusion that a free circulating li- brary such as he was conducting didn't | pay from any standpoint. He had more than 50 volumes, cost- ing almost $200, kicking around in | other homes. He had given that many books away, and that many dollars, without get- ting so much as a thank-you for his generosity. He got no_thanks or credit for his donations. Instead his friends took out on him their own indifference—that is, they felt that they had done wrong; and therefore, with the facility of h man beings, had transferred to him faults which were solely their own. Jones solved his problem before he lost all his friends, and he did it by means of a very simple expedient. He closed his library, as a general thing, but still permitted friends to borrow. Only this time he wrote down in a little book—and they could see him do it—the names of the volume, the au- thor, the date, and the name of the borrower. Since that time Jones has | got his books back with surprising regularity. right the | ‘Roosevelt Inaug Challenge to Good Citizenship A view of Franklin D. Roosevelt as a national character, following in the footsteps of his famous Republican kinsman, is revealed in the comments of the country on his inauguration as Democratic Governor of New York. Outstanding is the emphasis that is put upon his plea for non-partisanship in the efforts of his administration to serve the public welfare. “His inaugural address is an appeal and a pledge,” declares the Albany Eve- ning News (independent Republican). “It i the address of a sincere man who will do his best as chief executive of the State. He appeals to citizens gen- erally to take a deeper interest in their Government. He pledges that the ‘business of the State will not be allowed to become involved in partisan politics, and that I will not attempt to claim unfair advantage for my party or for myself for the accomplishing of those things on which we are all agreed. Therein he has expressed the feeling that every citizen has. The welfare of the State is not a political matter. The State’s business is not something to be conducted on the basis of political ex- pediency.” : Recognition of the fact that “the word has gone out that there is to be no hazing of the new Governor” is dependent Democratic), with the fur- ther comment: “The Republican bosses of New York seem to have had enough of their policy of making a national hero by opposition. They recognize the force and power of Franklin Roosevelt, and do not propose to give him the ap- peal to the country of single-handed achievement such as they gave Gov. Smith.” The World-News concludes with the sttaement that “the new gov- ernor offers to Democracy the best promise of leadership that has as yet appeared on the horizon.” * oK oK K ‘The Buffalo Evening News (Republi- can) quotes Mr. Roosevelt’s promise that “the business of the State shall not become involved in party politics through his fault,” and that “he will alm to serve the State rather than to gain advantages for his party,” and “Let him hold to this rule and he will write his name in the history of the State as one of its great governors.” “Political diffcrences, of course, will continue to exist in a democracy,” says Columbia Record (Democratic), “but all the people are equally interested in welfare movements, and the world will slide backward where bickering is above civic responsibility, * ¢ Generally speaking, there are no Re- publicans or Democrats when war or other emergencies arise. Then all the people are interested in the country and they work for the common good. Such is the obvious trend of Gov. Roosevelt's thought, and not only the people of New York but of all the States may do ;vell by practicing that sort of patriot- sm.” Speaking of Republican leaders of the Legislature who “have already made fair proffers,” the New York Times (in- dependent) observes: “The very fact that they now feel it wise to hold out their hands to a Democratic governor indicates the beginning of better times at Albany. No one need doubt that Gov. Roosevelt will be firm in what he believes to be right. But he will be frank and conciliatory, not unnecessa- rily belligerent. He will welcome assist- ance from the Legislature. If its Re- publican leaders really desire to estab- lish working agreements with the new Democratic governor, they should, if they are honest in their professions, find it ]:nsy to do so with Franklin Roose- velt.” “He is distinctively an up-State man, associated by tradition with the party of that section,” records the New York Evening World (independent), “and with his ooportunity comes a duty which he will undertake to meet. His success or fallure will depend upon the response.” The Schenectady Ga- zette (independent Democratic) declares: “Possibly it is merely a superficial ap- pearance, but we hope it is something deeper, that makes us believe this may be the beginning of what may be termed an ‘era of good feeling’ Political pas- sions may be aroused, and, again, they may be submerged in an honest effort on all sides to work for the people's welfare.” * ok k& The governor’s stand on. water power ural Address is seen by the Topeka Daily Capital (Republican) to be related to the New York effort toward co-operation, and that paper suggests that “it is more nearly an immediate issue in New York than in the Federal Government, and in any case New York’s history in the ensuing four years on this subject will be of great national interest.” As to the prospects, the Capital comments: “New York possesses the largest natural power in its water courses in the United States, and how it disposes of it may In the next four years prove to be a real issue between the two great politi- cal parties, or, on the other hand, may set the rule by which both parties work out the power problem so far as it is political.” Roosevelt as a national harmonizer is discussed by the Chicago Tribune (Re- publican). = “With an attractive and forceful personality and with a conjur- ing name,” according to that paper, “he is now trying to bring Democratic sec- tions, factions, fractions and fragments back into agreement and understand- ing. It is not easy to see how he or any one else can do it, highly desirable as it is that the thing should be done. Democrats in various sections of the country may remain Democratic be- cause of tradition, inertia or dislike of the other party, or bacause they do not know where else to go, but that does | not bring them together in common thinking " “It is not New York only that wishes Gov. Roosevelt well,” asserts the Bir- mingham News (Democratic). “The whole country is likely to keep its eye on him. Suspicion lurks that the gov- ernorship of New York State is not per- haps the highest position that Gov. Roosevelt may be called to fill in the country’s service.” Linking him with Gov. Smith, the Worcester Gazette (in- dependent) avers: “How impressively these two men in their relationship epitomize the spirit of America, sum in one tableau the ideal of this land of opportunity—Alfred Smith, the com- moner, become great; Franklin Roose- velt, the aristocrat, on the way to greatness!” The Duluth Herald (ndependent Re- publican) commends Gov. Roosevelt's tribute to his predecessor: “Millions all | over this country, including many who did not vote for Gov. Smith because they were not of his political faith, will rejoice that the fine, upstanding gentle- man who succeeds him as Governor of New York took this occasion to say to him what was in his heart and what was in the hearts of those who cherish Al Smith's character and record as beautiful examples of American man- hood, American oppdrtunity and Ameri- can achievement.” »—oes. Air Mail Pessimism Of Glover Aqswere(l' From the Birmingham News. Disturbed over the reduction of air mail revenue by reason of the lowered rates, Mr. W. Irving Glover, second as- sistant postmaster general, expresses a frank doubt that the wings of the Postal Department will ever pay their way. Mr. Glover reasons that since lowered rates have not been followed by any appreciable gain in patronage by the American people during a brief period of experiment, a deficiency ap- propriation of some $5,000,000 to take care of air mail transportation through this fiscal year would be in order. Mr. Glover seems to understand his busi- ness. The Congress should make the appropriation, based on his forecast. But the good man should not be per- mitted to stay in a blue funk over the outlook for air mail. * * * As a matter of fact, it was only day before yesterday—relatively speaking— that man began to fly. It was only recently thet the Government be- { gan toting letters through the heavens. In a definite sense, Mr. Glover is re- sponsible for the present organization. This being so, it seems rather the attitude of pessimism than of sound reason to suppose that a temporary defi- ANUARY 12, 1929. THE LIBRARY TABLE By the Bodklover To have created two such older men as Sorrell and Old Pybus and two such young men as Christopher Sorrell and Lance Pybus ought to serve to place Warwick Deeping among the makers of real literature as distinguished from the members of the younger generation who are merely determin>d to express themselves. '“Sorrell and Son” was such a fine piece of fiction that we hardly dared expect another so good from the author, and “Doomsday” did fall short, but in' “Old Pybus” the high level is ¢ -in reached. The ardor of Lance for his craft of writing and his determiration to interpret life mysti- cally and to avoid cheap cleverness muct surely be the experience of Wa wick Deeping himself. The smali- statured, white-haired grandfather, Old Pybus, or “the Venerable,” as Lance calls him, is the mentor who keeps the boy ! from that “tendency to write for glit- ter” which is the temptation of the younger writer. It costs the Venerable acute suffering to tell Lance that the five chapters of his novel, “Rust,” which have been written during the entirely physical adventure with Olive Gadsden, have “a smell of cheap scent,” but he tells him, even though he knows he risks losing the affection which has given joy and tranquillity to his old age. And iance is hurt, and, just as Old Pybus eared, thinks his grandfather cannot understand his generation and the Lon- don of 1927. OId Pybus goes on ruth- lessly, for he feels that his grandson nust be brought back to the insight of earler work: “The work's damned clever—too damned clever. —Supposing | T say that you had set out to paint an impression of Piccadilly and that what you produced turned out to be the Marylebone road?” It is acrid medicine at the time, but later, when the clarity of vision which is his normal endow- ment has returned, Lance comes back humbly to the little sne and brick Inn, and asks for help in his time of great need from the old man who has him. bt The personality of Old Pybus, eccen- tric, philosophical, proud, entirely lov- able, is like no other in fiction, though it has kinship with the elder Sorrell. Like Sorrell, Old Pybus is a hotel boots. not ashamed of his honorable work nor of taking tips, which he adds to his slowly increasing bank account. Books are his best friends, for he has found them more reliable and satisfying than human beings—books and his pigeons. and the view from his cottage window over his patch of garden “and beyond it to the green slopes of the castle field and to the castle itself, with its walls tufted with wallfiower and snapdragon Some ver— old ash trees grew among the ruins. The Hart Royal tower still showed its crenellations black against the sunset. Beyond it the ground fell steeply to the river, the banks deep with the shade of beeches, and always there was a murmuring of water and the play of the wind in the trees.” After he had discovered that his wife was a weak and sentimental but woman and that his two sons, Conrad and Probyn, were aliens to him, John Pybus had withdrawn more and more into himself and into companionship with his books. In his old age, a wid- ower and entirely estranged from his sons, he expects nothing more from life. ‘Then suddenly and as if acci- dentally Lance finds him and gradu- ally values change for the old man. His hermit philosophy is no longer enough. Youth calls him from his in- tellectual retreat because youth needs him. Lance is what he wished his own sons to be. Into his last years Lance brings a joy he has never known before, not even in his own youth. and on his birthday “he was in great spirits. for here were these two young things (Lance and Mary Morris) sitting down with an old fellow on his seventy- somethingth birthday and looking at him lovingly. They were gentle to him, not with the patronage of youth, but with a fine and delicate courtesy, be- cause that old body of his was growing frail. And he had nothing but a few hundreds to leave to either of them. His amber had no such fly in it. He was the Venerable, the head of the house, their ancient of days.” * kK As the old romantic Paris is passing away through the tearing down of his- toric buildings and the building of more or less ugly new ones, through the kill- ing of the trees by gasoline fumes, through the shrouding of the city in a pall of smoke, through the vanishing of the distinctive old cafes and “bals” and “moulins,” perhape a lover of Paris appreciates all’ the more the books which tell of the old Paris and attempt to preserve its charm. Such a book is “A Book About Paris,” by George and Pearl Adam. Admitting that much of the magic of Paris has disappeared, the authors believe that something still re- mains. There are the book and picture stalls along the Seine, there are the flower markets and carts, and it is still possible to find beautiful medieval gates, courtyards, fountains. bridges and houses about which clings the atmos- phere of their history. R Prof. Horace A. Eaton of the Emglish department of Syracuse University in his De Quincey researches has come across an early diary of Thomas De Quincey in the collection of Rev. C. H. Steel. The diarv. which has never be- fore been published, was kept by De Quincey in April, May and June of 1803, when he was only 17 years old. Dr. Eaton has published it, “A Diary of Thomas De Quincey, 1803, in both facsimile and modern type, with many pages of notes. There is no plan in the diary; it is only a rather chaotic mass of notes on events, strolls about Liver- pool, thoughts on what his future life ould be, reading lists, and even ex- pense accounts. Opium had not yet become a factor in his life. A “Whither, Mankind? A Panorama of Modern Civilizaiion,” is Charles A. Beard, who so recent!ly wrote trand Russell, Emil Ludwig, George A. Dorsey, John Dewey, Carl Van Doren, Everett Dcan Martin, James Harvey Robinson, Beatrice and Sidney Webb, Havelock Ellis, Hu Shih, Hendrik Wil- ! lem Van Loon, Julius Klein, Howard Lee MacBain, Edward Amory Wilson, Lewis Mumford and Stuart Chase. Each writes upon some phase and tendency in modern life. b Glenway Wescott, who won the Har- per Prize with his novel, “The Grand- mothers,” a species of prose “Spoon River Anthology,” has written a second book, a collection of tales, “Good-bye ‘Wisconsin.” Most of the stories might | be located in any rural community, as well as the author’s native State. The came restlessness of youth, the same boredom over the monotony of things. the same wondering what it's all about anyway, are to be found everywhere, even in cities. Of Wisconsin Mr. Wes- cott says, “How much sweeter to come and go than to stay!” * K kK It may surprise many people to know that there are probably a larger num- ber of hand looms in operation in the United States in 1928 than there were in 1828, when all textiles were still made by hand. For the hand-loom weavers of today Mrs. Mary M. At- water of Boston has written “The Shuttle-Craft Book of American Hand- Weaving,” which gives the history of this national popular art, descriptions and photographs of many weaves, sug- gestions for collectors of old pieces and practical instructions for beginners in| weaving. - | * W A boock club devoted entirely to de- tective stories furnishes to its clients orfe thriller a month, supposedly the| best new one on the market. It is called the Detective Story Club, and the com- mittee of selection is composed of Caro- lyn Wells, William J. Flynn, former cit in the air department, before ever the American people form the habit of wanting their letters borne swiftly, is going to mean a nerpemn fritters ing away of. the people's money.. Davis, chief of the United States Secret Serv- ice; Edmund L. Pearson, Francis Lewis Wellman, former assistant district at- torney of New York City. and Robert H. cottage, just outside the Saracen’s Head | been honest with him because he loves | * argumentative | edited by | “The Rise of American Civilization.” | Contributors to the volume are Ber-| the Christ failed to This is a special department devoted solely to the handling of queries. This paper puts at your disposal the services of an extensive organization in Wash- ington to serve you in any capacity that | relates to information. This service is free. Failure to make use of it deprives you of benets to which you are entitled. | Your obligation is only 2 cents in coin or stamps inclosed with your inquiry for direct reply. Address The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. Q. Did Davey Lee, the child that played with Al Jolson in “The Singing Fool,” die soon after the picture was completed?—F. B. A. Warner Brothers inform us that Davey Lee is very much alive and will soon appear upon the screen again. Q. What is the total revenue of Gov- ernment, Federal, State and local?— H.D. N. A. Nation’s Business says that the total revenue is now nearly $10.800,- 000,000 revenue is from the income tax: States get their largest returns from taxes on general property and business; the greatest local returns are from taxes on general property. Q. For whom was Thomas A. Edison nemed Alva?—M. H. A. His middle name, Alva, was given him' in honor of an_old friend of his father's, Capt. Alva Bradley. Q. In taking a month's cruise, when does one tip—at the end of the vovage. or as one does in a hotel?>—-M. E. B. A. Fecs on shipboard on a cruise or extended trips should be given at inter- vals of, say, lwo weeks instead of waiting till the end, as is customary on a trans- atlantic voyage. The amount will vary accerding to the location of the state- room. A reasonable standard for such fortnightly tips would be the amount which would normally be given for the same service on a transatlantic voyage. Q. One of the King's physicians is Lord Dawson of Penn. What does “Penn” mean?—J. C. B. A. “Penn” is a part of the title of Lord Dawson of Penn. It is the name of his seat in the County of Bucking- hamshire, England. ‘There is nothing unusual in the addition of the name of the seat to the title. It is often used to distinguish it from another family of the same name. Q. How do birds help to propagate mistletoe?—B. W. A. The life history of the mistletoe is just like that of any flowering woody plant. It bears flowers; in due time the berries follow, each with its inclosed seed: the berries are deposited by birds or beaten down by rains upon the branches, where the seeds germinate, and if the seedling becomes established Can any one imagine what would be the effect in the United States if Con- gress and the President were to adopt |a law (assuming approval by the Su- preme Court) requiring everybody to {learn the Chinese method of writing, and declaring that after a fixed date, |say a year ahead, only Chinese char- acters should be used in courts of law, !in churches and in newspapers, period- [icals and books of whatsoever nature? ‘We Americans boast of our progres- siveness and alertness and quickminded- ness. We are proud (?) of the fact that three out of four of us can write our own names and even read a para- graph in a newspaper. Some have even accepted the Census Bureau's sta- tistics, which indicate that only about seven cut of every hundred confess illit- eracy, although after recovering from the shock of the war-draft examination, which proved that 25 per cent cannot read or write and that from some sec- tions as high as 61 per cent were densely illiterate, national boasting of developed mentality has been curbed. But if, with all of our alleged openness and discipline of mind, the law should decree that we—adults and children— must learn a new alphabet and never use the old one again, it would bring some confusion and dismay. A That is exactly what has happened in Turkey—the “unchanging East"— and upon streets, in places of amuse- ment—aye, in government offices and everywhere today—are groups of men, women and children studying their A B C's. Advertisers in the papers are making use of the novelty and set- ting their business announcements in the new alphabet, coupled with pictures of the articles so advertised. Pictures! Unorthodox pictures! It may be that there is a sandal pic- | tured with S. That shows that S-a-n- | +d-a-1 means—well, whatever was the Turkish word for footwear. There is came taboo leng ago, but there is “h-a-t,"” beside a monstrosity of an old hat from Europe. There is no picture of a veiled woman, for veils are out of order, too. The bashful women were shocked at the effrontery of appearing so deshabille in public, but “turkey in the straw” never scratched so furiously as has Turkey in the throes of becom- ing Europeanized since the revolution of five years ago. (Anyhow, they don't unveil their knees in Turkey.) After a certain date, just a few weeks ahead, no governmeni employe will retain his job if he fails to prove that he knows the Latin letters, and his general efficiency will be rated by his progress in ‘'some European language. In all history of civilization, there has never been a greater upheaval of a pecple’s customs than has come to Turkey under the dictatorshin cf Mustafa Kemal Pasha and the Ghazi's chief collaborators in the republic. * ok kK ever commits a crime suddenly: the act follows long-continued breaking down of resistance. Even Turkey is “not guilty,” therefore, of suddenly committing herself to civilization. The turning point was more than a century ago, when, in 1826, the Janissaries, who had had supreme power over the police, and the Bektashi Dervishes, who were closely allied with the Janissaries and who controlled the schools, mutinied against the government of Sultan Mahmoud. The result was that the mahkoud suppressed the Order of th= Befltashi Dervishes and abolished all monasticism in Turkey. This radical act caused far less dis- satisfaction than did the closing of re- iiglous institutions in France at_th time of the Revolution, for the Der- vishes had always been considered un- orthodox by the true Moslems and useless wastrels in their monasteries. Public opinion approved setting them to useful employment. * Kok K Throughout the centuries, education had been neglected more by the Mos- lems than by the minorities—the Greeks, Armenians, Jews and the few Christians. More than 80 per cent of the Turkish Moslems are utterly illit- erate, but this is the more excusable by reason not only of the policy of the Sultans and Caliphs who desired to kecp the masses in ignorant sub- jection to their power, but also because the Arabic alphabet was so complicated that it required the memorizing of nearly 500 letters, in place of our Roman alphabet of 26 letters. The old Arabic letters, as well as the Caliph, constituted a connecting link between all Moslem races—Turkey, Persia, Arabia, India and Central Asia. ‘When the World War began taking shape, the Germans were elated with the adherencé of Turkey to their cause, for it was expected that all Islam would ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN. The heaviest item in Federal | no “F-e-z" depicted, for that article be- | It has been well said that no man | upon the branch it grows again to the age of producing flowers and seeds. and so on from generation to generation. Q. Why are a few herd of sheep?—H. F. A. It has been a common practice among sheep men in parts of the West to keep goats among the sheep on the assumption that they would be more | aggressive in driving off dogs or preda- | tory animals. They are also useful leaders of the sheep. Just how succes: ful this practice is, is not known for as the goat's ability to drive dogs or predatory animals is concerned. It is known that losses from this source occur in herds where these animals are kept with the flock goats kept with a Q. What is done with the money paid into the Library of Congress for copy= rights?—C. G. A. The fees from copyrights are cov= ered into the Treasury and are not ap- plicd directly to the expenses of the copyright office. | | | Q. What country grows the most | oranges?—S. M A. The United States is th orange-producing country in The output averages more than 34,00 {000 boxes annually. California duces 67 per cent of the total, Flor 32 per cent, and Alabama, Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas to= | gether account for the remaining 1 per cent. | Q. What is the capital of Norway?— 10. G. | A. The capital of Norway is Oslo. | Christiana was the capital until Janu- ary 1, 1925, when the name of that city was changed to Oslo. Q. How old is heraldry?—E. A. D. A. The science of heraldry is of an- cient origin. Some trace the antiquity of the use of crests to heathen divini- ties. Herodotus attributes it to the Carians. At first heraldry was designed from personal characteristics of the bearer. At length it became a science perfected by the crusades and tourna- ments. In the Middle Ages it formed the pomp and splendor of glorious chivalry. Q. How much did the Republican and Democratic national committees spend?—C. E. B. A. The expenses of the Democratic national committee are estimated 2t $5,300,000. The Republican expenses have not been compiled officially, out are estimated at $5,136,000. Q. How many eclipses of the sun were there last year?—C. F. W. A. During the year 1928 there oc- curred three eclipses of the sun—total eclipse of the sun, May 19; vartial eclipse, June 17, and partial eclip: November 12. BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLINS. the World War, a great light came to Enver Pasha, the Turkish minister of war, who discovered that the allies were able to make better use of their simpler written language than were the Moslems with their complications and intricacies. He was then the origina- tor of the idea of Turkey's adopting the Latin alphabet, and applying it pho- netically to the Turkish language. He became later a leader of the Young Turks., the opponents of the sultanic dynasty and system of government, but his ideas were too advanced for the Sultan. and nothing was accomplished so long as the Sultan remained in power. * ok ko Under the new republic, controlled by the Young Turks, manv of the old conservative Moslem institutions and customs have been completely over- turned. Mustafa Kemal Pasha. the President and dictator, is a leading Young Turk, and he has been in power five years. The act of deposing the Sultan and the Caliph—the latter the “Pope” of all Islam—cut the republic loose from ancient ties, and so it was not a long step for Kemal Pasha to accept the views of his fellow Young Turk. Enver Pasha, that what Turkey needed was to get into line with the Occident, whose nations had proved their superiority in so many ways. Hence, the decree abolishing the bagzy trousers and the fez of the men, and making veils for women optional These reforms led to armed revolts in some of the most backward provinces, but order was quickly restored by mili- tary force, and the spirit of occiden- talizing the Orient has spread to Persia and Afghanistan * R One phase of the reform should not | be overlooked; it is that while Kemal proposes the adoption of the European alphabet and dress, he does not wel- come Europeans, nor other foreigners, into the industrial life of his country. On the contrary, the movement is one of jealousy against all foreigners, and of “the ascendancy of the spirit of “Turkey for the Turks.” He declares forfeited all extraterritoriality courts for foreigners, and none bui native ‘Turks are given official position in the government. ‘The watch-cry is “Efficient Turks for Turkey!"—unveiled women; unfezzed men, art uniforms for the army: road development tlL.roughout the country and modern waterworks and sanitation for | the new capital, Angora; complete ‘dlsestnbhshm»m (recently) of Islam as | the official religion of Turkey. placing |it on the same level as other “creeds.” No longer must the devout Moslem ra- move his shoes into a mosque to pray. 3 | Christian missionaries teach r | their mission schoo's. | In commerce the middleman has been |a Greek, Armenian or Jew. All such middlemen are now wiped out, and closer relations are to be maintained be- tween the producers and consumers, at least by decree, although the Turk has | no instincts nor training for commerce. % 8% The status of women advanced more rapidly than that of men during the World War. The men were gone to war, so the work in offices, as well as in the fields, had to be taken up by the women. The result is that the women have not only demonstrated their capacity to the men, but have | proved it to themselves. with a conse- | quent rise in -respect. In nothing is this feminine independ- ence more strongly shown than in the | general deflance of edicts regarding the | abandonment of their headg: Wh-n !it was ordered that no woman should wear the old “charshaf” headgear upon | the public streets, hundreds were ar- | rested for violation of the edict. But the women then devised a new “bon- net,” which was a novel combination made of dark silk to swathe their heads like & “toque.” The coquettish ones had no compunctions about discarding the veil. Also, the women have gained the right, under Mustafa Kemal's adminis- tration, to bind their future husbands, before théy marry them, by contract stipulating anything the women want as a condition precedent to marriage, even’ including the right of divorce in case the man takes on a second wife, and forbidding the man to abandon the wife without a divorce and financial settle- ment. In order to encourage more social mixing of the sexes, as in the Oc: Kemal has ordered his chief offici: organize dances. Subordinate offi were obliged to attend the dances of f their superiors, taking their ladies. and when a lady was asked by a superior official to dance she could not refuse, Thus the mothers were forced to dance, setting a contaglous example to their daughters, who, however reluctant to become “wild,” were obligated to go as stand together in tian allies. come, . - midst of - A, far as their mothers. Turkey is progresse ! ing indeed. g (Copyright, 1929, by Paul V. Collins.) -