Evening Star Newspaper, January 15, 1929, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR i mmmm_ WASHINGTON, D. C TUESDAY......January 15, 1929 THEODORZ W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business 3 St and Pennsyivania Ave ‘ork 1 it Y nd_ 1. ine Rate by Carrier Within the City. e Evenine Star 43¢ per month e Evening and Sunday Star o ooth (when 4 Sundass) unday Star The Evening and 8u o y 8t G r T oiieriion mace at'{he'shd f cach montn Orders may be sent in by mail or telephone ain 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. vr., $1000; 1 mo., 85¢ | Bally anf, Sundar:--1 75 *1800! 1 mox foe | Sunday onl: 1 yr. $400: 1 mo., i All Other States and Canada. i .1 yr..$1200: 1 mo., $1.00 | Bally anfy Sumea”:d 3 Hao: 1 mos Vade | Sinday only 21 yr $5.00: 1 mo. 30c | Member of the Associated Press. Assoclated Press is exclusively (ntitled f.afthh'- \iss for republication of all rews dis- atches credited to it or not oth»rwise créd- fed in this paper and wiso the local rews published herein. All rights of publication of special dispatcnes herein are also reserved. —_— The Municipal Center. The Budget Bureau's approval of the | Commissioners’ bill to begin acquisition | of land needed for the future municipal | center, by appropriating funds for the | purchase of two squares, is the neces- | sary first step toward the completion of the greatest building program ever un- dertaken for the District government. ‘While several years will elapse before the Municipal Building must be va- cated, the need for housing other Dis- trict institutions is already pressing. A new Police Court building, for instance, to replace the structure which continues ®s a disgrace to the Capital by reason of its inadequate equipment, though au- thorized, s being held up indef- initely until the plan for the munici- pal group is approved by Congress. The bill which the Budget Bureau has agreed to should lead to this authoriza- tion and enable the Commissioners to make, as well, & real start. on the proj- ect. While the Commissioners originally planned to seek from Congress an au- thorization for purchase of the whole plot north of Pennsylvania avenue, south of Judiciary Square and between Third and Sixth streets northwest, the present bill contemplates the purchase of only two sections of the necessary land. The thought is, evidently, that the whole project can be developed later from the nucleus thus provided. It is understood that while the Com- by Democratic speakers. They were broadcast repeatedly. Yet twenty-one million American men and women voted for the Republican candidate. If Gov. Roosevelt is assuming the leadership of his party he is taking a course in this most recent statement of his that is not calculated to impress thousands of Democrats who failed to support the Democratic national ticket last Novergber. Nor is it calculated to bring a favorable reaction upon the Re- publicans and independent voters who cast their votes for Herbert Hoover. Rather it is calculated to stir anew the fires which for the last four years have caused dissension among the Democrats themselves. e The Special Session. The speclal session of the new Con- gress, which it now appears is to be called early this Spring, will confine its attention, if the plans of the leaders | and Mr. Hoover are carried out, to only two subjects, farm relief and tarif revision. This is the part of wisdom. First, because the farm problem and tariff revision are the major issues which are pressing for attention, and second, because to throw the whole machinery of legislation into high gear might result in preventing prompt action on the very measures for which Congress is to be called. Speaker Longworth, in conference with the President-elect, has determined on the appointment of only four of the standing committees of the House. They are the ways and means committee, which deals with tariff legislation; the committee on agriculture, which will consider the farm bill, and the com- mittees on rules and accounts, which are necessary for the proper functioning of the House. It is a simple but effec- tive msthod of checking the legislative proclivities of the House. Without com- mittees first to consider and report on bills and resolutions that may be intro- duced, under the rules and practice of the House, none can be taken up for action. The situation in the Senate is vastly different. The Senate is a con- tinuing body. Its committees hold over in large part from one Congress to an- other, and it would be impossible to put such a check on the upper house. ‘The decision to hold an early special session of the new Congress is a wise one. The promises made in the recent campaign called for a real effort to put through a comprehensive farm program and for revision of the tariff. One of the criticisms frequently directed at the governmental system of the United States is that it is not sufficiently responsive to the will of the people as indicated at the polls. A Congress is elected in November and does not come into regular session until thirteen months later. That is more than one- fourth of the four-year period which missioners sought the land and build- ings on a basis which would share the expenses equally between the District and Federal Governments, the Budget Bureau has only approved a bill which would draw the needed funds from the general revenues of the District. This, of course, is a matter which the Capi- tal community leaves to Congress to correct. It is not only grossly unfair, but ridiculous as well, to think of the District embarking upon a program of such magnitude unaided by the Federal Government, or assisted only to the ex- tent provided under the arbitrary lump- sum arrangement. ‘The District’s present home was built under the fair and equitable fifty-fifty principle. The District’s home must be vacated because of the Federal build. ing program. The District cannot af- ford, and should never entertain the thought of, financing the new munici- pal center without the agreement of the Federal Government to bear a fair and proportionate share, i —y In addition to their regular duties in ‘preserving order, the police are now ex- pected to contribute material for sensa- tional mysteries {0 entertain the reading public. As has been hitherto remarked, “a policeman’s lot is not a happy one.” Gov. Roosevelt Speaks. Gov. Roosevelt of New York has been hailed in some Democratic quarters as the ieader of the party in national af- fairs for the future. His victory in the Empire State in the recent election made him an outstanding figure. Al- ready the forecast has been made that he may be presidential timber for 1932. As a member of the executive commit- { tee of the Democratic naticnal commit- tee the governor has undertaken to as- certain the views of three thousand county and State leaders outside of his own State on the future of his party. This has been interpreted as an indica- tion he is aiready assuming leadership. ‘The governor the other day issued a statement, based in part on the replies he received from his questionnaire. In this statement he wisely urged the Democratic party to organize and keep organized for the campaigns of 1930 and 1932. He referred to the folly of laying aside the national ization “in cotton wool” after each national election and attempting to resurrect it when election time rolls round every four years. In this demand for more activity the governor shows common sense. But he did not stop there. After declaring that the replies he had received from the county leaders indicated a “will to win” in the future, Gov. Roosevelt said: “This clearly expressed feeling can only be compared to that which fol- lowed the theft of the presidency in the | case of Mr. Tilden.” Inferentially Gov. Roosevelt has charged that the presidency was stolen in the last clection; that the victory of Mr. Hoover over former Gov. Alfred E. | Smith was the result of a theft. It 1s doubtful that the American people, nri even a majority of the Democrats, will | agree with this suggestion of the Gov- ernor of New York. Figured in terms of the popular vote or the vote as it will be cast in the electoral college, Mr. Hoover’s victory was complete. Furthermore Gov. Roosevelt insists that “bigotry, ignorance of Democratic principles, the spread by unspeakable and un-American methods of the most atrocious falsehocds, unfair and im- proper pressure brought to bear upon workers in specially favored industries, false claims for the prosperity of the country and kindred propaganda, cheated, so my correspondents feel, our party out of the presidency.” ‘This sounds very much like the cam- intervenes between national elections. By calling a special session soon after March 4, the country is enabled to have far more prompt action on the measures in which it is especially interested. It has been obvious for some time that a comprehensive farm program could not be undertaken and put through in the present short session of Congress. No one has even considered the suggestion that a tariff bill be put through before March 4. To delay these measures until next December, or even to September, as suggested in some quarters, would be an injustice to the; farmers and to the manufacturers. A special session of Congress soon after the inauguration of a new Presi-; dent has become the usual thing—not | " | the extraordinary. Cleveland called such | a session in 1893. McKinley, Taft, Wilson and Harding all called special sessions of Congress soon after they were inaugurated to tackle important problems that had been threshed out in the campaigns leading to their elec- tions to the White House. President Coolidge’s election in 1924 was but a continuance of administration and a special session was deemed unnecessary. ‘The same thing was true in the case of Theodore Roosevelt, after his election in 1904. With Mr. Hoover, the situation | of a change in administration again arises, with problems of great interest pressing for early consideration. ——————— ‘That popular pastime known as the guessing contest is assuming heroic pro- portions. Everybody is figuring on the personnel of the Hoover cabinet. o A Laudatory Exchange. ‘Washingtonians were doubtless grati- fled at the praise of traffic control in the District so generously handed out by E. P. Goodrich of New York City, & member of the American Engineer- ing Council's Committee on street signs, signals and markings, and probably felt a distinct sense of elation at learning that a New Yorker considered some aspects of the situation here to be bet- ter than those of his home city. For instance, Mr. Goodrich is emphatically in favor of the outside left turn and in commenting enthusiastically upon it he says, “Few New York drivers realize that the rule in force in Washington is used in far more citles throughout the country than is the New York sys- tem.” Mr. Goodrich, likewise, likes the Washington system of - controlling pedestrians and in respect to the walk- ers says, “Residents of the District of Columbia, in common with those in most of the large cities of the United States, always excepting the speed- mad New Yorkers, have the patience to wait until they are signaled before crossing the streets.” Mr. Goodrich, who is attending a meeting of the council here, is an ex- ceedingly courteous guest as the ful- some praise heaped on the District will bear witness. But appreciative as Washingtonians are of a New Yorker's laudatory comments on Washington they would be lacking in a sense of the fitness of things if they as hosts did not felicitate their guest in like manner and point out to him that-the { New York traffic control system, in most respects, is considered the model | for the world. And now having answered Mr. Good- rich's guest speech with a host speech of similar nature it would sgem proper | to assuege the feelings of New Yorkers who were, perhaps, astonished at some of the things Mr. Goodrich said about tem of left-hand turns is used prac- tically universally throughout the coun- try and that the Washington turn is practiced only in certain sections of paign of 1928 all over again. These were ehiarges made constantly for weeks and “months against the Republican party one or two other citles. The New ‘York turn is recommended by the Hoo- ver Conference on Street and Highway them by assuring them that their sys-| Safety and conforms with the funda- mental rule of the road. The Wash- ington turn does neither and is a breeder of congestion and an invitation to accident when practiced, as it is here, at other than regulated inter- sections. In reference to the “speed-mad” New York pedestrians and the “patience- loving” Washington walkers, it may as well be admitted here and now that the alleged “pedestrian control” of the District is nothing but a myth. Wash- ington has no pedestrian control save an inconspicuous and innocuous clause in the traffic regulations to which no one pays any attention. Washington has made valiant efforts to have in- cluded in the regulations a reasonable and enforceable pedestrian regulation because it is firmly of the opinion that in these days of teeming traffic all street users should be subject to con- trol, but Washington's “patience-lov- ing” pedestrians have succeeded each time in blocking it. In conclusion, there would seem to be no real reason for New Yorkers to feel that in his desire to be a courteous guest Mr. Goodrich had been even re- motely disparaging of his own city's traffic control. New York, after all, does use the Hoover turn and will doubtless continue to use it if the views of the President-elect and the great body of experts from all parts of the United States continue to be respected. And New York, while not having pe- destrian control, need not feel ashamed. Few other cities have it and while its desirability is probably admitted even by New York it will be some years be- fore the public will universally come around to it. As a matter of fact, New York, it would seem, has all the best of Washington in its progressive han- dling of a great volume of traffic, so there need be no bleeding hearts up Manhattan way over the guest remarks of the member of the American En- gineering Council. ———— e Closing of many New York theaters makes it clear that affronts to polite standards are not always commercially reliable. The “shock” troops of the drama have not always been managed with reliable strategic skill. ——— e ‘The polite self-effacement of Charles Curtis indicates a willingness to defer to traditions which have prevented Vice Presidents from appearing as active contenders for the political spotlight. e Recognition of J. Plerpont Morgan as an unofficial observer makes no great difference in affairs. Each man of the name has exercised the function in a manner that commanded respect. ——e———— Excavations of ancient tombs reveal & magnificence which indicates uncom- promising deference to the gold stand- ard for household furniture, ——.—— The courts are agreed that incom- patibility, while ground for divorce, is no excuse for a family murder. —————— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Art Progress. We've got ourselves an orchester at Jimtown on the Crick. We've wanted one for many years, and now we’ve turned the trick. We used to think musicians had to rise at early morn . To start the daily practice on the violin or horn. Each scorning other pleasures, as he turned with all his heart, In patience to pursue the cultivation of his art. But lately we've discovered, and we're listening with glee, An orchester s not as hard as what it used to be. We've rounded up some jew's-harps, with harmonicas and such. A paper and a comb will give an extra- added touch. A whistle will bring contrast when the banjos lightly strum. The one -old-fashioned instrument we cling to is the drum. We never mind the classics, which in former days we'd prize. Ours is futuristic music, every day more modernized. ‘We're feelin® most progressive, movin’ on the double-quick, Since gettin’ up our orchester, at Jim- town on the Crick. Making Life Easier. “Has Congress really done anything to make life easier?” “No doubt about it,” answered Sen- ator Sorghum. “The privilege of put- ting the label “congressional” on my motor car has saved me a world of trouble with the police Jud Tunkins says when the chairman asked, “Are we all here?” he felt obliged, as & truthful man, to announce that his tonsils had been removed and that he was shy an appendix. Difficult Choice. ‘Two orators set words in flight, And both were going strong. I sighed, “If one of you is right The other must be wrong.” Unemployment Apprehensions. “You regard unemployment as seri- ous?” “Very,” answered Uncle Bill Bottle- top. “It's liable to cause a great in- crease in applicants for jobs as prohibi- tion agents.” No Escape. He would not ride. He would not fly. All safe in bed he sought to le. He found he could not beat the game. An earthquake got him, just the same. Thirst for Fame, “If you decide to marry, your pic- tures will be in all the papers.” “That's why I hesitate,” said Miss Cayenne. “Appetite for publicity is hard to satisfy. I might not be able to break into the illustrations again without getting a divorce.” “Indolence,” said Hi Ho, the, sage of Chinatown, “frequently mistakes itself for patient and superior philosophy.” Test of the Occult. A witch unto the jail was sent. We said, “This ends the argument. If you're & witch, release you'll win. If you're plain human, youll stay in.” “A good straight-out sermon ‘'bout honesty,” saild Uncle Eben, “is liable to spoil many a Sunday chicken din- nes” THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL, If any one thinks for an instant that modern living is not far superior to living in the “good old days,” as a general proposition, he would do well to read the elder authors. Books of Alexandre Dumas, for in- stance, written many years ago and dealing mainly with people, scenes and times anterior to himself, give striking evidence of the progress of humanity. Especially is it true that the state of the average city dweller is vastly improved, compared with the status of his brother of 100 to 150 years ago. Even so little as that, for a century is not very much, after all, compared with the total of known history. If one may believe Dumas—and one may, in the main—the last Kings of France, just before the Revolution, for all their splendor and for all their ab- solute power in many ways lived far worse than the poorest people of today. Take the case of Louls XV. He was a “brilllant” monarch, so history tells us. He did just about what he pleased, which is still some people’s idea of complete Heaven, but his last days were worse than terrible—they were horrible. He got the smallpox at the palace at Versailles, and as the disease grew worse courtiers and retainers fled. The great King, the very sun of France, did not recefve one one-hundredth of the attention and care which the poor- est persons would get today. The dis- ease was a mystery. Nobody knew anything about sanitation except in the most rudimentary form. Before the disease reached that stage, however, when most left, he was harassed by efforts of contending par- ties at his bedside, some aiming to get him to publicly denounce Mme. Du Barry, the favorite. It is said that when he died there was a complete exodus from the palace, and only scavengers from Paris could be induced to place his body in the lead casket. *x k& ‘The Paris of those days and earlier— and still it was not so very long ag>. at that—seemed to have been a place where anything was allowed, just so long as one could “get away with it.” Dumas, in his various romances placed in many _reigns, makes this unmis- takable. In a very interesting volume, “Ascanio,” based on the life of Ben- venuto Cellini, an interesting picture is given of city life as it used to be. While one must admit that Dumas liked his stories rich and colorful, and was not above embroidering the truth for the sake of effect, it is also true that his facts check, in the main, with au- thentic history. ‘When he ~ details, therefore, how Cellini, having requested King Francois to grant him a certain chateau then occupled, proceeded to take it by force when the noble occupant would not give it up, we are not so much con- cerned with the fact that this assauit is fictlon as we are with the fact that undoubtedly such goings-on were toler- ated in the Paris of that day and age. Cellini assaulted the place with 10 of his apprentices and finally took it after one of the besieged was killed and three of them wounded. Just as the hostili- ties had commenced some spectators had called the watch, and six police of- ficers had responded, but they had con- tented themselves with merely reproving Cellini, after which they had left to permit the sport to go on uninter- rupted. There were few, if any, street lights, and impromptu fencing bouts were nightly occurrences. Swords were worn not only as ornaments, but more for solid protection. Any night one went a-visiting he was as likely as not to be met by an enemy with a few hired bravos anxious to run him through. Men of noble blood could do the most outrageous things with scarcely a reprimand from the feeble police force or “watch,” as it was called. It seemed simply a matter of might. It is interesting to note that two modern Frenchmen, Paul Favel and M. | Lassez, in writing last year their vol- | umes, “The Mysterious Cavaller” and ing to fill in what Dumas left out be- | tween his “The Three Musketeers” and | “Twenty Years After,” give a picture of | Paris exactly on a par with the many given by their model. Some of the most astounding occur- rences are narrated by them. Cyrano de Bergerac, famous for his big nose. is shown being baited by a trio of clowns who are performing on a plat- form in the street. Cyrano breaks up the meeting by throwing the trio off the platform, upon which he is as- saulted by the spectators. Cyrano is joined by a young man, the “Mysteri- ous Cavaller” himself, and the two de- fend themselves successfully with their swords until forced to flee by the su- perior force of numbers. At this point the watch comes along and joins in the pursuit. The fighters are finally cor- nered against a wall, but just as they are about to give up, a door opens and the two are taken in. A garden party is in progress inside—a party of one of the conspiracies so prevalent. Now does any one think the watch demand- ed thne disturbers of the peace? No, they just went away. It was impossible to_contend with the nobles. Imagine the following incident, given by these two modern followers of Du- mas, happening in a modern city! It occurred on one of the main bridges of the city just at dusk. A brother of the King—we forget which King this was—happened to take a fancy to a young lady, and as she was crossing the bridge in her carriage, accom- panied by her retinue, he made an at- tack on the carriage with his body of hirelings. When the lady's servants saw who the august person was with whom they had to contend, they threw down their weapons and made off as fast as they could go. Just imagine something like that taking place on the Calvert strest bridge! The poor young lady would have been abducted, if the aforemen- tioned “Mysterious Cavalier,” who seemed to have a positive genius for gettin into trouble, had not happened along just in time to repel them all with his trusty sword. The Cavalier happened to make what today wonld oe called a “wise crack,” which so tickled the fancy of the King’s brother that he magnanimously withdrew, whereupon the Cavalier and the lady got up on the coach seat and drove off to the Louvre. Impossible, vou say? Just fiction? Admitted, but the point is that caremml writers base such fiction on well au- thenticated facts, and do not make their characters do what coul not have been done. It was simply the spirit of the times. We of America are so used to our street railroads, and our well paved and lighted streets, and our telephones, and our telegraphs, and our automobiles, and our police force—we are so the children of an inventive and scientific age—that we forget that all these things are chiefly the result of the past century or two, and were scarcely even dreamed of before in all that long stretch of time which ran from several thousands of years before Christ to 1700 years after Him. They treated diseases in those days by “blood letting,” and the new: discovery, tobacco, was praised as a sovereign remedy in many complaints. ~ Whatever may be the faults of modern city life and civiliza- tion, one may safely feel that living today is far better than it was even so little as 100 to 200 years ago. The evils o(flmday are chiefly the remains of old evils. Question Mark’s \Foreshadows Girdling of Globe Success of the .\rmy plane, Question Mark, in its record endurance flight on the Pacific Coast gives rise to many new prophecies of rapid air develop- ment in the near future. It is believed not only that the globe soon will be| circled, but that there will be a wide resultant extension of the scope of air transportation. As a climax of recent achievements the feat suggests to the Oakland Trib- une the fact that “the same year that saw the twenty-fifth anniversary of aviation was one of outstanding prog- ress in aeronautics,” and that, follow- ing the “ten great fights of 1928,” there comes in the new year the development that “all endurance records have been broken in a flight which also demon- strated the possibility of refueling air- planes while in the air.” “What this epoch-making test seems to demonstrate,” according to the Cin- cinnatli Times-Star, “is the possibility of sustaipned non-stop flights clear about the earth, provided subsidiary, gasoline-freighted machines are in readiness at proper intervals. It would take long planning and elaborate equip- ment to assure such a venture, Yet it may be attempted.” The Trenton Eve- ning Times holds that “these American pilots and American motors have achieved results which redound to the advantage of aeronautics in an inspira- tional way.” The Albany Evening News sees value in the flight, remarking that “it may have no marked immediate benefit, but it does show the further possibilities of aviation and it gives more and more confidence in flying.” * ok ok ok “If there were fuel ships scattered through the Atlantic and Pacific carry- ing tons of gas to supply planes, these convenient deep-sea filling stations would cause transoceanic air touring to increase by leaps and bounds,” in the opinion of the Birmingham News, and the Flint Daily Journal suggests several future possibilities: “In military use planes can go aloft with large cargoes of bombs and small gasoline supply, the pilots depending on refueling in the air. In commercial flying greater cargoes can-be carried and stops can be elimi- nated.” “What seems to interest aeronautical men g¢specially,” says the Kalamazoo Gazette, “is the fact that the Question Mark was refueled 37 times during the long grind. Not only gasoline but oll, food and all manner of supplies were carried up to the roaring monoplane and transferred without the slightest mishap.” The Montgomery Advertiser believes that “in time it is not unlikely that it will be a common practice to refuel planes in flight on commercial lines.” The San Antonio Express sug- gests that “the aerial tanker soon may become a familiar sight and other de- vices also may be employed to supply planes with fuel while in flight.” * koK K “The readiness with which the hu- man mechanism adapts itself to condi- tions has been demonstrated by the crew of the Question Mark,” states the In- dianapolis Star, observing that “the motors had roared steadily more than six days and the flyers had taken their rest to the accompaniment of that ter- rific din.” The Richmond News-Leader agrees that “a man who has to listen for days to the unbroken roar of air- plane motors is entitled to all the dis- tinction he gets by breaking a record.” The Lexington Leader points to “one of the spectacular features of the flight,” which, aside from the refueling, “has been the work of the mechanics who have made all repairs in flight, who have changed spark plugs, stopped the propeller of one of the motors and re- ired it, and have gone about their ks in & routine manner and with as much indifference as though under the roof of a . “The achievement of the Question Mark,” says the Charlotte Observer, “was a distinct and valuable contribu- tion to the cause of aviation and not in the same class with some suicidal attempts that have been made in the Record Flight last year to db impossible stunts that would have been of little or no value to mankind even if they had been success- ful.” The Youngstown Vindicator de- clares: “It was a flight every American can be proud of. Several days ago the Germans, whose record Maj. Spatz and his men set out to beat, spoke of the achievement as ‘stupendous,’ and there s no question that the courage and endurance required for such a feat sets 8 new standard for all the flyers’ coun- trymen. “It was not so much that a plane, the work of man, stayed in the air more than seven days without ever touching wheels to earth or even approaching the ground,” remarks the Harrisburg Tele- graph, “but that human skill and in- genuity could so contrive and operate a machine that would perform with the perfection of the Question Mark.” * ok ok k “The brilllant exploit,” predicts the Syracuse Herald, “will have the sure effect of deepening popular confidence in the element of safety in air travel, and particularly in the constantly in- creasing efficiency and reliability of air- plane mechanism. In other words, this record-breaking trial of the Army air- plane must be viewed as a tremendous advertisement of the utility of air trans- portation, not alone for the service of passengers who are ready to take the risk, but in a much larger measure for the rapid carriage of light and valu- able merchandise.” The superiority of the human element is recognized by the Chattanooga Times with the statement: “Machinery had been- driven to its limits. Friction, strain, vibration and the heat of ex- ploding gas had done their work. The flight was over, with man still the mas- ter of the thing he had created. But what a record had been achieved! And what vistas of imaginative speculaticn the achievement opens up!” re Issue of Newspaper Makes 307-Page Book From the Roancke World-News. As an fllustration of the amount of material that goes into the making of a daily newspaper the Philadelphia Bul- letin has taken a single issue of its paper—that for June 4, 1928—and re- published it in book form. After elimi- nating all advertising and all large headlines, it makes a bound volume of 307 pages—the size of the average novel. Probably a single day's issue of such papers as the New York Times, if printed in book form, would make a much larger volume. ‘The book issued by the Bulletin is entitled “One Day.” It is designed to show how a single copy of the Evening Bulletin looks when published as a book. With the exception of a brief introduction and an occasional foot- note, the volume is strictly limited to the contents of one edition. * * * ‘The issue selected for this undertak- ing was slightly below normal in size. It contained 102.48 columns of news, editorials, ‘pictures and reading matter of all kinds, while the average for June was 112.89 columns. . The demonstration that a modern afternoon newspaper assembles, sets up end prints the equivalent of a book a day will no doubt startle those who have assumed from the price at which a newspaper is sold that the cost of its preparation is small. A great newspa- per now prints, exclusive of advertis- ing, as much as 100,000 words a day— the size of the modern novel. It has taken the Bulletin since last June to prepare and issue this mate- rial in book form. It took less than 24 hours to prepare and issue it in news- paper form. Smart Speeder Takes His Time. From the Detroit Free Press. A smart motorist is one who, even though in a hurry, takes his time on slippevy pavements, | “The Martyr to the Queen,” purport- | - NEW BOOKS AT RANDOM LG M. DESERT DRUMS: The Pueblo Indians of New Mexico; 1840-1923. Leo Crane. Little, Brown & Co. Again, meet Leo Crane—one minute Gu.crnment official and the next pure aq.cnturer. Here, Indian agent to des- «1v urives, and there, play boy of the viusy, gathering up the handfuls of ro- that history planted in New xico and Arizona—romance that cur- events are serving to sustain and en. “wesert Drums” is in both faet and effect a by-product of Mr. Crane’s otfi- cial life in the Far West. And, by the way, what a luminous streak of interest and information would be projected by a somewhat general outlook upon the subject of “by-prod- ucts”"—this and that by-product of in- dustry, politics, religion, the social con- tent, all of them sev out in this time of daliy change and wonder, However, tha is for another iime. Enough that here in hand is a fine example of the very thing, a by-product ot one man’s professional career. That carcer, simply set our, involved repre- senting the Government of the United States in its ministrations to the In-| dians of a certain part of its domain. A multifarious role, that of the indian agent—rrovidence, the Great White Father, Santa Claus, whatnot—all in- cluded and covered by this versatile power. Food and arink, medicine, schools, trade, land holdings, general protection—these the everyuay routine of the Indian agent, who was required to be in several places at one and the Same time, attending in all of them to the general well-being of the noble Red Man. A fair part of this official program comes out in “Desert Drums.” Lhe larger part of the book is, however, given over to the play boy ot this part- nership. Yet when Leo Crane does take up some part of the business, the real business, of being a representative of Uncle Sam in the capacity of bene- factor and guardian, he turns upon himself, so to speak—upon the great Government at Washington—with com- ment quite to the peing, with criticism on the leisurly business method of this great cemtral power, with constructive wuggestions that, quite likely, he does no. _expect to have break out of the confines of a strictly official report. Iherefore, he puts a few of them into this wholly' unofficial by-product of Government service., The first chapter of this captivating and energetic story is devoted to the memory and man-size service of the first of the Indian agents—James S. Calhoun, the pioneer of the order, serv- ing away back at the time when the goid rusn to California was ready to Jump off. The chapier sums to a tinely stirring picture of American history, to @ robust accounting of the hardships and difficulties and disappointments ageruing to any man who, certainly at that period, stood in the stead of the United States before the Indians of the great West. A fine tribute to James S, Calhoun is the leading story of “Desert Drums.” Beyond this point of almost pure record the book takes a course to suit the author, and us, rather better than any mere report, no matter how im- portant, could possibly do. More than 20 years of intimacy with the desert included by Arizona, New Mexico and the Colorado frontiers, and a deep knowledge of Hopi and Puebio and Navajo as well, go into this panoramic view. It is, to be sure, with the Pueblos of New Mexico that the book has to do in its definite dealings with special tralt and characteristic, with particular custom and ceremonial. Yet, the full Indian lore of this man, gathered through many years of interesied pur- suit, serves as matter of course to en- rich and illuminate the study of any part of tribal life, serves to explain the tribe at hand by those already known and understood. Known and under- stood through high service of great value to the Indian as outside report of Leo Crane makes clear. And this story is not all of tribal custom. and tribal ritual. Behind these picturesque ex- ternals Leo Crane makes it plain that ‘human beings are before us, beset by problems, conscious of a certain degree £ helplessness in the face of the migaty present, hoping for a fair chance from the great world. This fact stands clear even in the midst of the glamour of the book itself in its picturesque approach upon the facts of human life that the Indians of New Mexico and its neigh- boring States project for the consider- ation of all of us.” A beautiful and use- ful and most stirring book. * K Kk THE CHILDREN SING IN THE FAR WEST. Mary Austin. Houghton Mifflin Co. Beautiful title—don't you think? True, too, according to Mary Austin, who tells us that, in part, children made these songs, helped to make them. “Preity small part!” sniffs some tired teacher, disillusioned by the drab and grinding years as to any true creative gift in children—any power to make drama, to act its parts, to invent verse and set it to tune. Yet these, the world over, can do all of this, provided, chiefly, that they are clear of the perpetual pestering of parent and teacher to conform them to 4 single pattern. With the young ones in mind, let’s look at this little book. Nothing here that they could not do, if left free. These are songs, certainly. Beat them out in proof if you are a stickler for foot and measure. Not a halting step, nor a stumble, nor a limp. Croon them if, maybe, ycu have a tune left in you. Music, to be sure. And the themes— look at them. Just the ones that chil- dren would pick up from roundabout— animals coming and going, snow falling, pictures painted on the canvas of the desert by the wizardry of the sun, old Indian customs slipping into words and drum beat. In an easy moment I listed the anima's taking part here. All on hand, or so it seems. Bird and beast— from grizzly to fleld mouse, from meadowlark to the petered-out line of the northern auk—all here. “Whenever the days are cold and clear, The sandbill crane goes walking Across the fled by the flashing weir, Slowly, solemnly, staking.” And there he is right upon the page, caught in the very act by the good hand of Gerald Cassidy, who has captured many another of the characters of this book at its highest instant of action or suspense. ‘Turning from these singing children, you ask, “Who is Mary Austin?” A gifted and - distinguished woman, ac- cording to H. G. Wells and Carl Van Doren and Grant Overton and other competent judges of excellence in art. A woman who, as girl, went from the Midwest into the real West itself. There she fell in love with the coast of the Pacific and then with the desert over the mountain ranges. She became ab- sorbed in the primitive life of the In- dian—Hopi, Navajo, Pueblo—with the vast solitude and the amazing pano- rama of the Painted Desert. And this life brought out the artist and the genius in poems, plays, novels, essays. You remember “The Arrow Maker,” and “A Woman of Genius” and “The Land of Little Rain.” I myself came upon Mary Austin by way of “Love and the Soul Maker”—an adventure for me in listening in upon thinking so clear and straight, in knowledge so broad, in courage so high, in a power of expres- slon 5o complete and beautiful as to Place that particular book in the com- pany of not more than three others that belong to my best moods of care- ful exclusion. To be sure, everybody knows Mary Austin, yet this is not a|93% popular writer, not really, nor will she be, nor does she wish fo be, I think. Very little concern can Mary Austin have over the goings and doings of pub- licity hunters. Absorbed in her life and her work, it is the pursuit that claims this woman rather than the fanfare of the issue. At least, so it looks from here. And out of such fine purpose readers are able to gather the genius of Mary tard Taft hold after he was President | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN. ‘This is a special department devoted to the handling of inquiries. You have at your disposal an extensive organiza- tion in Washington to serve you in any capacity that relates to information. Write your question, your name and your address clearly and inclose 2 cents in coin or stamps for reply. Send to ‘The Evening Star Information Bureau, ton, D. C. Q. What position did Willlam How- | and before he became Chief Justice of | the Supreme Court?—H. McW. A. He was a professor in Yale Uni- versity. Q. How is salt water made fresh on | shipboard with an evaporator?—D. J. A. In a ship salt water is boiled in evaporators. The steam rises through pipe to distiller, which consists of coils with cold water running over them. This condenses the steam, forming fresh water. Q. Please advise what makes my young goldfish so dark—L. A. R. A. All young goldfish are dark in color at first and change to bright colors as they grow older. Some never change, some change very early and others change very late, Q. Did George Washington take part in the debate during the convention which framed the Constitution?— T k€. A. C. H. Poore writes: “Washington, the most influential and one of the wealthiest men in the country, was unanimously elected the officer. * * * Throughout the con- vention Washington presided with extreme dignity. * * * Occasionally ‘Washington yielded the chair and took the floor himself when a principle upon which he had views to express was be- fore the house and at such times he voted with the Virginia delegation.” . Do monkeys and other animals use their right limbs more than their left, as humans do?>—A. L. R. A. Monkeys and other animals in general do not use their right limbs any more than their left. In some species one limb is used more con- stantly than the other. Q. When was the first organ buflt in this country?—D. H. P. A. The first organ built in this coun- try was constructed by John Clemm of New York, for Trinity Church of that city, in 1737. Q. What is the difference in lifting power between helium and hydrogen gas?—W. L. D. A. The Bureau of Standards says helium will 1ift 0.066 pounds per cubic foot under ordinary conditions. Hydro- gcnt will lift 0.071 pounds per cubic oot. If earthworms are not rained howndo “;hey get into rain bar- A. While tornadoes might occasional- ly account for earthworms and other creatures coming down with rain, it is more logical to reach a different gon- clusion. Any of the 40 to 50 kinds of birds which feed on earthworms might carry them to the "roofs ‘or eaves of buildings, where they are washed or fall into the gutiers and then find their Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washing- | presiding | Q. How much goods is bought on the installment plan?—P. R. S. A. It is estimated that installment sales reach a total of five billion dol- lars annually. The United States Chamber of Commerce has estimated that 17 per cent of the entire amount of consumer goods sold at retail is disposed of in this manner. . How many stars can & person with average eyesight see?—L. K. A. The number of stars that can be seen by a person of average eye- sight is only about 7,000. The number visible through the telescope has been estimated by J. E. Gore at 70.000,000 and by Profs. Newcomb and Young at { 100,000,000. Q. Why were altars to an Unknown God built in Athens?>—H. A. D. A. Several were built with this in- scription. They were erected during a plague, since the Athenians did not know what god was offended and need- ed propitiation. Q. When was Westminster Abbey butit?—L. A. A. Westminster Abbey is a famous | church in Westminster, London, built on the site of an earlier church by Edward the Confessor and rebuilt in the thirtcenth century by Henry IIL and Edward I. The chapel of Henry VII was added by that King in the | early sixteenth century. The dimen- sions, including the chapel, are 513 by 75 feet; length of transepts, 200 feet; height of vaulting, 102 feet. The square west towers were designed by Sir Chris- topher Wren. The interior is extremely impressive. The Abbey is world famous as the chief burial place of Great Britain's distinguished men, Q. Has there ever been a cannon that could shoot 80 miles?>—W. M. L. A. The longest rangs on record was made by the Big Bertha which was used to bombard Paris during the World War. The distance was 55 miles. Q. When was the germ of tuberculosis discovered?—L. B. A. It was discovered in 1882 by Robert Koch, a German physician and bacteriologist. Q. When were wild flowers domesti- cated?—P. G. A. It is not possible to answer defl- nitely. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Assyrians, Romans and Chinese culti- vated flowers for use and pleasure and propagated many plants. One of the most ancient examples of cultivated plants is a drawing representing figs found in the Pyramid of Gizh in Egypt. Authors have assigned a date varying between 1,500 and 4,200 years before the Christian era. The first notions con- cerning gardening were introduced into Japan by the Koreans in 604 AD. In China, 2,700 years B.C, the Emperor Chennung instituted a ceremony in which every year five species of useful plants were sown. Q. Is the University of Southern California a part of the University of California?—A. C. A. The University of Southern Cali- fornia is a privately controlled univer- sity relateéd to the Methodist Episcopal Church. A group of men elected by the Southert California Annual Conference {of the Methodist Episcopal Church formed the organization for the Univer- way into the rain barrels. The not unexpected news comes from Afghanistan (by way of India) that King Amznullah has abdicated in favor of his brother, Prince Inayatullah. For three months, Amanullah had been un- dertaking to modernize his kingdom, after thc manner of President Kemal in Turkey, but his reforms have led to revolt by the barbarous mountain tribes. Last week, the King revoked all of his modernistic ‘decrees, at the dictation of the Mohamnedan priest- , but the retreat came too late. An “absolute monarch”—their clan is rare now in the world—has confessed defeat in his determination to modern- ize an Oriental nation. The women of Afghanistan were ordered to abandon their veils in pub- lic; they are now authorized to continue to hide their faces, as did their an- cestors. The men were commanded to substitute European clothes and to learn the Latin alphabet, even as do the Turks under orders from President Kemal, but they rebelled against their King, Amanullah, and the order is rescinded. Even the Afghan girls who had hean sent into Turkey to attend modernizing schools have been ordered to return home. The King is defled and defeated, after his capital had been bombarded by tribal rebels. His Queen, the leading influence in the attempted reforms, is chagrined at the failure. King and Queen had spent months traveling through Europe, last year, where they saw the customs of the Occident, and were impressed by Europe’s superior civilization, as com- pared with the barbarous condition of the Afghan tribes. Her Majesty no longer hides behind a veil; His Majesty has appeared in public dressed like a European gentleman. They were con- vinced that if Afghanistan is to keep pace with the modern world, the people must dress the part. That the King has changed his own opinion is not even sugg:sted, but he has learned wisdom by the tottering of his throne in the last two months, and he decided to approach his desired reforms more discreetly. It is not pub- lic sentiment that brings his defeat, but the combined resistance of the tribal chiefs, who fear the loss of their own rank and power if the feudal re- lations are further modified. * ok k¥ Afghanistan is the most powerful na- ton in Asia, except China and possibly Turkey. It has the area of Texas and about the same population, or perhaps greater. There has never been a cen- sus, but the population is estimated variously as ranging between 5,000,000 and 12.000,000. The people are divided into tribes, ruled locally by chieftains. The entire tax income of the nation is only about $5,000,000—about $1 aplece on the basis of the lowest esti- mate of population. An important pro- vision of the new royal concession is that the soldiers have permission now to become followers of the Pirs, or “holy men,” and the pledge has n given by the King that there will bs no | more conscription for military duty. One of the complaints in the recent rebellion has been thet the soldiers were not being paid. With that dis-! satisfaction within the army and with | the forfeiting of the right to draft more ! soldiers, it appears evident that the power of the “absolute monarch” was | so weakened that it would snap-at any | time. A council of 50 men has been created to change the laws to suit the ! victorious rebels. It will take a mighty | Mussolini to remake Afghanistan. H Now that the fundamentalists of that backward and unruly nation have gained the upper hand, it is of interest to note what are the outstanding char- acteristics of the people, and what is their history, for their direction is en- tirely reactionary and their situation is that of the key of Asia, in the gateway | between rival Russia and Great Britain! —between Siberia and India, between | Turkey ani China—between Mohamme- | ism, Hinduism and Christianity. | * ok x % Afghanistan has always been a coun= try of savage customs, including fam- ily and tribal feuds, calling for assas- sinations. The father of Am- anullah was King before ths present | monarch and was assassinated in 1919. | Thereupon, Amanullah’s uncle assumed the crown, until he saw the necessity to write to his nephew that it was Austin in novel and essay and song for Ll;e\r best hour of the day, the reading ur, . BACKGROUND O BY PAUL V. COLLINS. sity of Southern California in 1879. | F EVENTS kiss his hand. He never came, and has never been heard from'since. It was a mysterious disappearance. Like- wise, two brothers, both oider than Amanullah, were very earnest in pro- claiming allegiance to this young “Joseph,” and so Amanullah put the crown on his own head, in 1019, and nobody has asked any questions about the assassination of his father or the disappearante of his uncle. * ok ok % In an official letter fi the new King, in 1919, to the Brif Viceroy of India, the opening paragraph shows how he mourned: “I am desirous of informing my friend, his excellency the Viceroy of the great and mighty British Empire in the Indian Empire, with much despair and regret, of the particulars of a crime full of poignant grief, namely, the crime of the unjust and unlawful assassination of my late father, his majesty Siraj-ul-Millat-war-din Habibulla, King of the Government of Afghanistan, who was killed by a pistol shot at 3 am. in his royal bed on Thursday, the 18th of Jamadi-ul-Awal, 1337 Hijra, corresponding to the 20th of February, 1919, during his stay at a place called Kalla Gosh, in his royal dominions, by the hand of a treacher- ous, perfidious traitor.” The communication announced his own accession to the throne, but made mention of the rivalry of his juncle, whom he characterized as a uSurper. * % K K Under the former King, Great Britain had had a treaty concerning the boundary between Afghanistan and India, but in spite of Amanullah’s assurance of utmost friendship and good faith toward Great Britain, there was war between the countries within a few months, over the boundary dis- pute. The war ended in British vic- tory, and, as a punishment for the disturbance, part of the terms of peace was the cancellation of the right of Afghanistan to import arms and am- munition, thereafter, through India. Complete independence was assured Afghanistan, however, in relation to her sovereignty at home and her foreign relations, although for years the Czar of Russia subsidized the keeper of that gate to India. Last year, when King Amanullah visited England, he was re- ceived with royal honors. 9 R ‘The established religion of the nation is Sunni Mohammedan, and its priest- hood possesses power beyond the con- ception of outsiders. In a book by Sir- dar Ikbal Ali Shah, a native Afghan, entitled “Afghanistan and the Afghars,” the writer says: “The frowns of the clergy of Afghan- istan can imperil the safety of the Afghan King or threaten his throne, as their blessing can consolidate his strength. * * * A stronghold of religion upon the imagination of the Afghans is distinctly indicated. * * * On the other hand, there is no denying the fact that the fanatical teaching of the Mullas (priests) has harmed the prog- ress of the country. The outlook of the people is circumscribed and a state of self-sufficiency is instilled as the best of viriues. Slightest disgression from priest-made dogmas is frowned down upon and the ideas of an advancing age are taken into no cognizance. The lack of education, of course, adds to the attachment of the people to the { word of the clergy, for what they have not read, or are incapable of reading, must be true, they think, because the Mulla sald so. The clergy would not conceive of any modernization; as the laws of Allah are unalterable, so also is the life of man. What was good enough during the reign of Ahmed Shah Abdali is good enough for King Amanullah, and consequently no new laws are required; indeed, laws are good for nobody; the aeroplane was an afrit; the wireless the voice of the Devil; the railway, an unclean, dangerous contrap- o y ‘The wonder Is that King Amanullah who must have known this spirit of his subjects from his youth up, 3 the temerity to seek to override it with sudden introduction of radical reforms, mostly suggested to himself and his ° farthest from his intent to do any- thing displeasing to his dear nephew, and begged permission to come and