Evening Star Newspaper, March 14, 1929, Page 8

! g % THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY ..March 14, 1829 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company usiness Office: 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. New York Office: 110 L 421 Chicago Ofice: Lake Michigan Bullding. European Office. 14 Rtxenl §t.. Londen, Englan he City. 5¢ per month 60c per month r Rate by Carrler Within : (when 4 Bune Th 1 Sun e Evenine a (when 5 Sundays). -85¢ per month ‘The Sunday Star ... ""...0.:0...Sc per copy Collection made at the end of each menth Orders may be sent In by mall or teleph Maia 5000, day Stas one | Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. o .\Isnr,v;nnd and \g{flnla‘. s iy and 11, ;1 mo., Daily oy roer o1 v '36.00: 1 mo.. see Bunday only 1 yr, $4.00: 1 mo. All Other States and Canada. Dailv ernd Sunday..l yr., $12.00: 1 mo., § yr., $8.00; 1 mo., $5.00: 1 mo., 40c 100 8¢ S0c 1ated Press is exclusively entitled for republication of all rews afs- edited o 1t or not otherwise cred- paper and also the local news ein. All rights of publication of hes herein are also reserved. ted in_this Bubliched hen The Police Superintendency. With the approval of the application of Maj. Hesse, superintendent of po- lice, for retirement, to take effect March 31, the District Commissioners are faced with the necessity of select- ing his successor in that office. They are now being tendered numerous sug- | gestions. The friends of possible ap-| pointees are presenting names and | evidence of capabilities for this respon- sibility. Some of the nominees are members of the Police Department, others are not. The Commissioners will not lack for suggestions. The Star urges that the vacancy be filled by advancement from within the police force. This principle should al- ‘ways be followed in administrative se- lections in all branches of the munici- pal organizations. It is particularly im- portant that it be followed in the case of the Police Department, which is an organism animated by a corps spirit. The Police Department should be headed by one who has had experience in the service over which he presides, who is thoroughly acquainted with the personnel of the force and knows the local situation intimately. If the de- partment does not develop men com- petent thus to take charge whenever occasion arises, it is lacking in an es- sential quality. It is believed that the Disirict police force is not so lacking, that it does develop men who are ca- pable, when need arises, of commanding and directing and leading. Despite criticisms that have been brought against the Washington police force recently, without evidence whereon to base justification, this community has confidence in the integrity and the capacity of the organization, as & ‘whole and individually. There are occasional i 'GmAbnvuwmu'amm&lw torical opportunities of our London em- bassy. That he would seize them with credit to himself, honor to his country and benefit to Anglo-American com- radeship cannot be doubted. Dawes would at least be an outspoken American spokesman in London. Pussy- footing is not in his lexicon. Brass tacks are his favorite raw material. As all the world knows, current relations between the two great English-speaking peoples are capable of improvement. It is more than possible that the spirit of vigorous, courageous initiative of which Charles Gates Dawes is an exponent is just the thing required to lift the Anglo-American situation out of its present unsatisfactory and even men- acing condition to the level of a sane and safe understanding. If it should be vouchsafed to Gen. peace, he would make doubly and trebly sure the already substantial place he has made for himself in the history of both hemispheres. B The Income Tax. On this day the American citizen digs deep into his pocket and renders unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, such things taking the tangi- Dble form of dollars and cents which go into the payment of his income tax. With an outward show of much dis- tress and some grumbling, but with a deal of inward satisfaction over his good fortune at being able to pay an inceme tax. those citizens who have put off until today and tomorrow what <hould have been done at least a month ago are busy sealing their en- velopes and putting them in the mails to receive the magic post mark proving that they were mailed before tomorrow midnight. After that time Uncle Sam becomes disagreeable over the delay and begins to take added tribute, The citizens and corporations filing their income taxes and profits taxes for this year are furnishing a little more than half the revenue that is re- quired to maintain their Government. In every community, except one, the citizens paying these taxes receive from the Government, in return, a voice in the making of the laws which govern them and a guarantee that they will enjoy all of the rights and privileges of a citizen, ‘The one excepted community is the District of Columbia, whose citizens are turning into the Federal Treasury in the form of income taxes and profits taxes more than the citizens of any one of nineteen sovereign States; more than several combinations of six and more States, but whose rights as citi- zens are less than those enjoyed by their brown brothers, the Filipinos. ‘Washington's income and profits taxes this year will be something more than seventeen million dollars. If the Fed- eral Government’s lump-sum con- tribution of nine million dollars to- ward maintaining the Federal Capi- lapses of conduct, which when detected and proved are punished. There are oc- casional failures of action in the fight against lawlessness, which, when due to actual incompetence on the part of patricular members of the force, are punished by proper measures. The dis- ciplinary methods in vogue are perhaps still in need of remedy and reforme- tion, in addition to steps recently taken to insure speedier and surer corrective enforcements of the regulations. But on the whole, with ‘regard to the pe- culiar character of the charge that rests upon the police of the District, the or- ganization will bear . comparison with any other in the country, has indeed an exceptionally high ‘standing for in- telligence, character and efficiency. Such & force should be commanded and directed by one who has recelved his training for police superintendence in the ranks of the organization. In this emergency, caused by the retire- ment of & faithful officer, who has been ‘worn out by his duties and the unjustly imposed burdens incident to & campaign of criticism and opposition, the Com- missioners can surely find a worthy Jeader within the force itself and will not be compelled to make the selection from another source. —t————— Mexico has had many revolutions. The novelty wore off long since and a permanent governmental organization is now desired. —— vt Ambassador Dawes? Circumstantial reports are current that Gen. Charles G. Dawes is to be- come President Hoover's Ambassador to Great Britain. There could hardly be 2 happler choice. In some respects there could not be a timelier or more important one. European politics is about to be re- modeled on the basis of a revised Dawes plan. Reparations will continue for years to come—certainly in the im- mediate future—to be a paramount in- ternational issue and one in which the United States, as Europe's creditor, has a tremendous stake. The chief author of the Dawes plan enjoys great pres- tige in every Old World capital. As the American envoy to the Court of St. James, he would command instant and uninterrupted respect and be a tower of strength in times of stress or con- troversy growing out of reparations. The form~r Vice President has a rep- utation for explosive eloquence. The Senate had another and farewell taste of it when Gen. Dawes delivered his brief valedictory on March 4. “I take back nothing!” he declared at the end of a parting thrust at the unlimited debate traditions of the assembly, whiché he began by scolding, and remained to tolerate. Our British cousins expect’and like speech-making American Ambassadors. They especially like them when they are plain-speaking men. Since Anglo- American relations have long been re- tal were deducted from this amount there would still be eight million dollars left for distribution among the States in the form of Federal aid to road bullding, care of babies, stock improve- ment and flood control and the recla- mation of waste land for farmers. — et e Kissing Machinery. Now that blushes of young women have been measured by machinery and the results given triumphantly to a gaping world, the promoters of such ballyhoo have gone a step further and claim to have discovered by a “highly sensitive” apparatus whether a blonde or a brunette reacts more quickly to the kiss of a male. According to press re- ports the test was held recently in New York with two blondes and two brunettes competing. After the ridiculous experi- ment was over, it was announced that a brunette’s heart fluttered during the osculation to a greater degree than that of her blonde colleagues. Such affairs are an insult to the world of science. They prove nothing and are valueless, besides being rather disgust- ing. It is a sad commentary on Ameri- can civilization when people will lend | themselves to exploitations of this na- ture. The use of this apparatus on the head might, however, well be encour- aged. It might really prove something there. ————te g Vice President Curtis, having been a Senator himself, will not undertake to introduce new ideas, which might seem to imply that he has changed his mind about the proprieties of procedure in which he was accustomed to engage. oo Death and Speed. Death, a grim spectator for the past week at the world speed trials on Day- tona Beach, Fla., came into its own yes- terday. Lee Bible, an obscure and in- experienced racing driver, took J. M. White's monster car to the beach in an attempt to break the record of 231 miles an hour set & few days ago by Maj. H. O. D. Segrave of England. But death rode in the cockpit with him, and as the 36-cylindered 1,500-horsepower machine shot down the hard packed sands at better than 200 miles an hour it was ready to take advantage of his slightest slip. And, at the end of the measured mile, when the swerve toward the ocean came, it chortled in glee and started the crazily careening machine toward the sands where Charles Traub, a newsreel cameraman, was busy re- cording the tragedy. So yesterday at Daytona Beach death claimed the lives have pictured the scene. Last year, when Ray Keech in the same car that carried Bible into eter- nity yesterday, created the speed record of 207 miles an hour, Prank Lockhart, as daring and skillful a man as ever sat behind the tiny windshleld of a racer, was killed on the beach attempt- ing to match it in his special Stutz. garded at London as unbreakable, though now and then they seem brittle, John Bull looks upon Uncle Sam’s rep- resentative on the Thames literally as a spokesman. Lowell, Bayard, Hay, Choate, Page and Davis are remembered in Britain less for their purely diplo- matic achievements, eminent as these often were, than for their cultured con- tributions to public discussion. If the Britons could have their way, the Amer- jcan Ambassador would employ most of his time laying British corner stones, unveiling monuments, addressing uni- versity commencements and making after-dinner speeches. Perhaps after four years of shackled Jgpeech on the rostrum of the Senate, = It was different, however, in yesterday’s { accident. The seven-ton Triplex was at best an unwieldy machine to handle. Its three motors gave it brute power to attain high speeds, but its design did not conform to accepted racing stand- ards and its steering arrangement was such that the wheels could not be turned more than three or four inches out of the straight line. Lee Bible, with comparatively no ex- perience, was put, and the combination of lack of skill in driving and awk- wardness of operation was fatal, Lockhart was killed just as any other expert might be killed at even lesser specds. A front tire blew out, which spelled death to the driver. Bible's Dawes to strike such a blow for world | of Lee Bible and the man who would |’ Into this monster! T THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. ©. THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 1929. tires, Lowever, were intact even after the tearing somersault which threw him from the side of the ocean into the deep sands. The American Automobile Association, under whose sanction the speed trials were held, was reluctant to grant permission for the inexperienced driver to take charge of the most power- ful car ever constructed, but yielded after Bible had demonstrated ability up to 180 miles an hour. When he crashed he had reached his topmost speed, and it was this that proved his undoing. Probably the most tragic figure in yes- terday's accident was the newsreel cam- eraman who died in line of duty. When | the careening car started its dash to- i ward him after discarding its pilot Traub tried to jump clear, but the heavy sand retarded his progress and he was struck down. The speed trials are ended for the year, but a lesson has been learned from ihem which will never be forgot- ten. Inexperience, questionable design and high speed can never be partners, and not only should drivers be carefully examined as to their capability before, they are allowed to undertake this most hazardous test, but cars should be mast carefully checked so that a “piece of junk,” as White's car has been char- acterized, would not be allowed to com- pete. There are enough perils in the are totally unnecessary. N Many valuabie discoveries are report- ed by explorers of polar regions, north cnd south. No hopes, however, are of- fered to realtors who seek to subdivide new areas, with climate as a comforta- ble inducement. | pooms Any charming fortune teller who at- tempts to hold a police officer’s hand in order to read his palm hereafter need not be surprised if he immediately pro- duces handcuffs. ———— It is evidently the intention to man- 2ge oil in a manner which will be more economical and less likely to lead vari- ous citizens into temptation. —————— ‘Trotsky says that anybody who wants him knows where to find him. The only difficulty about the proposition is that nobody appears to want him. ——————————— There are days of fasting and so- lemnity not mentioned in religious cal- endars. One of them is the day of; last call for the income tax return. ———ra————— ‘There is oil territory the world over awaiting exploitation. To save Ameri- can oil and utilize the foreign looks like very good domestic economy. e ‘The Prince of Wales was detained for an hour or two by an clevator accident —annoying, but better than being thrown from a horse. et Motion picture stars are so well paid that they can easily afford their fre- quent and expensive divorces. R SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Meadow Cabaret. ‘There is music bright and cheery As the bullfrog sounds his bass, And the world, of Winter weary, Finds of April hope a trace. ‘They are tuning up so lightly For the time not far away, ‘When the music will sound brightly In the Meadow Cabaret. There are tenors sympathetic. ‘There are baritones intense. There are drummers $o0 athletic ‘That' the din becomes immense. ‘Gorgeous butterfiies will gather In the sunshine’s golden ray, And life will be gorgeous—rather— In the Meadow Cabaret! Tarift Polish. “What are you going to talk about in your next speech?” “The tariff,” answered Senator Sor- ghum. “Have you any recent ideas?"” “No. That's the beauty about the tariff. A little literary polish will make old ideas seem as bright as new.” Jud Tunkins says a game of solitaire is a little like the state of mind which compels so many of us to imagine ene- mies in order to make life seem inter- esting. “Few persons are entirely happy,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown. “8o we join in merry masquerades each in the hope of momentarily assuring himself that he is somebody else.” More Holiday. With shorter hours that claim our praise, ‘To higher hopes we move. ‘With such a lot of holidays, Our golf may yet improve. “Makin’ a noise ’bout yohse'f,” said Uncle Eben, “ain’ always so safe. It's de early crowin’ rooster dat attracts de attention of somebody prowlin’ around in hopes of a chicken dinner.” MICROTORIAL The Burlingame Ovation, It needs great courage, men report, ‘To face love letters read in court. ‘When Capt. Burlingame drew near His comrades raised a rousing cheer. They knew that he was not afraid Of guns by desperate men displayed. But he who calls a woman’s bluff Surely is made of hero stuff. The New Chinese Minister. Welcome to Wu, politely sent, A nation great to represent. This city smiles on such a plan, For it has known him, boy and man. A hand of greeting all extend Unto the statesman and the friend. Fame keeps his lustrous name in view; ‘We have no need to say, “Who's Wu?” e No Poetry in Them, Though. From the Nashville Banner. ‘The village smith still stands under the spreading chestnut tree, but now he invites tourists to stop and buy his gasoline, oil, sandwiches, curios and postcards. How Did He Find Out? From the Detroit News. A golf champion wants a divorce on the ground that his wife has deserted him. Will the courts allow mere hear- say that the petitioner has picked up somewhere? racing game without adding more that | Disuse of the brain might well be advocated upon such days. Who would care to think when the | first robin sings, and the day is warm 1and the first crocus blooms in the front | yard? ; Then. if ever, come inclinations to join those perfect philosophers who gave up everything o go fishing. The mind becomes, for the time be- {ing, a meremirror in which is reflected {what one sees and hears and feels. something which functions merely be- cause the skin is impressed with a cer- tain sweetness, because the eyes take in blue and yellow and green, because the heart swells to a mystery yet un- solved. . Who gives a whoop for his brain to- | day? Let no bright, uncouth person face- tiously inquire who has a brain or how can one give up thinking who never had a thought, or how many persons would be affected. ‘These sncery remarks bound off our tough, roughneck hide as if we had been a species of rhinosceri. Today, as the first real Spring envelops the District of Columbia, we i freely admit that we never think and hope we shall never have to think again. * % % ‘Thinking is a nuisance, a bother, an action which might 11 bs left to of- fice boys and such others as sit im- pressively 1n outer offices. Their task in life evidently is callers cool their heels or to make them feel as ble. Let their gigantic brains cleave clos to their heroic endeavors, Many a t: and oft have we suffered, as no doubt the reader has, at the hands of such intellectual specimens. We particularly recall | (on such a thinking) one large gentleman with a dark complexion, who locked for all the world like Napoleon. Him we could never get past. and we have heard others insinuate that they loved him equally well. Time took him away from Washingfon; we where he is now. he is, he is holding the gate against all comers. One can be sure of so much. * % Kk Recall the great philosophers who have, in no uncertain terms, intimated that thinking was a task in which the human race incautiously got fitself inmeshed in the beginning, since when there has been little possibility of es- cape, except upon certain rare occasions, {and upon certain days—such as this one, for instance. will admit that there are certain times when no one thinks and no one wants to think; such mental ebullitions as take place are crass action and reaction, emanating from other centers, and hav- ing little to do with cerebration. ‘When the band comes down the street and everybody yells “Hurrah!" there is very little thinking to it all, but every one enjoys it just the same. So through- out life there are any number of occa- sions when so-called gray matter is not What's the good of the Kellogg-Briand treaty binding all nations to eschew war as a national policy of aggression and aggrandizement? No sooner do the messages come that the Mexican war is pacified than the uneasy news trickles through diplomatic. circles that a new war in Europe is about to break, with all its horrors end cruelties. The mighty Republic of Andorra threatens reprisals upon Spain and France. Re- fused the right to lick her own postage stamps, she turns in fury to lick some- thing, whether that something be the nation of Napoleons or the one of Sun- day bullfights. Andorra, begorra, re- fuses to be imposed upon, and from her lofty mountains and sheltered vales she calls forth her Willlam Tells and Patrick Henrys, breathing defiance and the spirit of liberty. She will mobilize her army of 500 men, besides officers and camp followers. Aviators cannot fly over her tall peaks, ships of war cannot ascend her streams, and she is sheltered by benign nature, and in her general illiteracy she has hardly real- ized the end of feudalism, but behold Andorra, splendid in her isolation, pic- turesque in her grand scenery and in- nocent of a single automobile, hence rich in parking places beyond the dreams of chauffeurs and of a plente- ousness such as all the wealth of Amer- ica cannot equal! She will fight! Strength to her arms! * ok % ok Uncensored news leaks out by way of Perpignan, France, that Spain has de- termined to establish a post office in the foreign territory of Andorra, and re- quire Andorrans to use Spanish stamps upon all mail entering Spain. ‘Was it not the Stamp Act which brought rebellion among the thirteen colonies of America, resulting in the American Revolution? England had her George Three Eyes, and Spain may profit by his example. There may not be an Andorran Tea Party, owing to a lack of harbor equal to that of Boston, but trifie not, O France and Spain, because the tempest in a teapot has not yet begun to brew! The enemy once counted prematurely upon surrender by John Paul Jones when he had not yet begun to fight. Shall not history teach a lesson to Europe? Behold what a fire a little spark kindleth! * ok ok k Rome sat upon her seven hills—al- though when the writer, a few months ago, visited Rome, he could not find a hill equal in altitude to Mount Pleasant, Washington, D. C. But Rome clucked about her sitting abilities covering seven hills, without counting her unhatched eggs. If Rome had her Caesar and France her Napoleon, and Switzerland her William Tell, what world defiers should the Valees d’Andorre produce, in this day of stress and postage stamps! Let us pause for answer! * ok ok ok ‘The Republic of Andorra covers 190 square miles—more than double the area of the District of Columbia. Her population is nearly 6,000. She enjoys universal franchise in the election of the 24 members of her local govern- ment, which is so far ahead of the District of Columbia that we residents of the latter cannot overcome our in- ferfority complex in the presence of the humblest Andorran. As for her antiquity, it dates back more than a millennium—aye, even beyond the day of Charlemagne—back beyond the invasion of Europe by the Moors, who drove the bullfighters of Iberia to take refuge in the hidden val- ley and then turned the key on the pass into its mountain-rimmed close. So the refugees are there yet, for they can't make any getaway. There are no roads in all the country, except a new branch road leading into Spain. Who wants to go to Spain? No rail- roads—not even a_ blueprint. The bridle paths are rough and steep, wind- ing over the mountains, fit only for Andorran mules or Angora goats. Na- poleon is alleged to have marched his army over the Alps, but he never dared march it over the Andorran Pyrenees. He sidestepped the Andorran forces, for Napoleon Bonaparte was a wise general, avoiding disastrous routes like that of Moscow and a probable Andorra; wiser than a Wilhelm on the Marne., * ok kK In 218 B.C, the inhabitants of what is now known as Andorra, but then called the Illergetes, were conquered by Hannibal. Later, the Romans took charge of them, even at a time when “every road led to Rome” and Andorra never had any road leading anywhere, The brain is no longer an entity, but | pleasant day when we have given over | wonder | But, no matter where | Even the most prideful intellectual | BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLINS. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL, at a premium. Then one stretches and enjoys life as the puppics do playing upon the hearth rug. o The Roman saturnalia was the far-| thest reach of unthinking, as it might ! be called; it was the perfect picture of the disu of the brain allowed to run riot over physical matters. Its prime purpose today is to serve as an awful warning of what did hap- pen once, and of what might happen again if the disuse of the brain is car- ried too far. Between such carnivals of unreason and such mild insanity as touches a modern clvilized being on a real Spring day in mid-March there is very little in common. Our intellectual non-thinking is rath- er a protest, for a brief period, against the “abundance of schools, reading, th‘mkmg which goes on every day every- where. pride of our day and generation, | , yes! But, just between us, doesn't | it sometimes become a bit boresome? % * * Especially when sunshine grows warm and bright Spring flowers crop up, hold- | | ing their little faces just a few inches | from the soil, and the old office seems hot and stuffy, and outdoor sounds take on their annual new meaning as they come drifting in at the broad window. Today one is inclined to be of tI party of Lucretius and Schopenhaue ‘The former sang in long Latin ves the glory of Springiime, when the gras becomes “enamelled,” as he put it, with | colorful flowers, ome 1,800 arose, who declared flaily that pain w the only reality, that mankind grasps happiness on the run, out of the gen- | eral atmosphere of pain, and that be- tween pain and boredom man makes | pretty much of a mess of it here below, | which, after all, was near to the teach- | ing of the Old Testament. | * % kK Thsse philosophers need not detain us long today: they may be for us but flashing signs along the way, which | point out certain paths amid the wind- | Ing roads of life. To stray along those | paths is the work of rainy afternoons, when, with such a guide as Will Durant, for instance, a man who is more in- | terested in automobiles than in philos- |np}t\r\" may go a-journeying in strange paths, Would it be lese majeste to whisper that automobiles and radio are two of | the greatest inventions in the world to keep men from thinking? Ostensibly made to give mileage, one on the | ground and the other through the air, both absorb the undivided attention, together with certain of the senses and thus give the thinking machine, into which mankind is developing, a much needed rest. The popularity of these two mascu- line toys thus accounted for; driving {a car is like camping, and listening | to radio, and especially tuning in out- of-town, almost equivalent to a weck ‘at the seashore, One is reminded of the ultra-serious young high school cadet eaptains, who | bellow upon the slightest mistake, “You | are not thinking, men!” Heavens, no, captain! Who would }u:-n,t to think on a bright Springlike dGay? A few centuries later, though the feudal ages, the region became a de- pendency of the Bishopric of Urgel, Spain. Tt never has belonged to the Kingdom of Spain, but only to the Bishop of Urgel, under Rome and Charlemagne, ' Because when Charle- magne drove out the Saracens from the P.minsula, the people of the Valees d’Andorre were loyal to him in guiding him through the passes, and he decreed that thereafter they should be inde- pendent and be free from taxes, except that they should show their recognition of his sovereignty by annually sending him two fresh trouts from their streams. Ever since then the fish have bit loyally and the people have been ::td::fnqant—exctm as hereafter re- The independence is the French government of Urgel—not at all by the government of Spain, which kingdom has no authority in the matter, Away back in 1040 AD.- Roger I, Count de Carcassonne of feudal Franca died, leaving to his son, Roger-Bernard, the district of Foix, so Roger-Bernard became Count de Foix. His son, Roger- Bernard II, married Ermengarde de Castelbo, who had inherited an interest in the Valley of Andorra, so that mar- riage brought Andorra partly into pos- session of the French Count de Foix, and his heirs were, for centuries, in dispute with the Bishops of Urgel as to their respective interests and authority, until lZf’B the dispute was settled “out of court” by agreement of mutual un- divided authority. When feudalism was abolished by the sovereign of France, the interest of the heirs of Roger- Bernard passed to the crown of France, * ok ok % The actual administration is 3 hands of two “viguiers,” one nppigm‘t}e‘d by France for life, the other by the Bishop of Urgel for three years at a term, but eligible to reappointment by the bishop. These “viguiers” appoint some of the minor officials, except the General Council of 24 members elected 2\{1 trh.e' heads of h«;:]seholds. The “vi- lers” are responsible to the Bishop of Urgel. e The General Council appoints all offi- clals except the two “vigulers,” and has charge of police, fishing, hunting, pub- lic works, etc. While the country is independent, in theory, it has no diplo- matic foreign relations, and its army of 500 or 600 is virtually a police force, but its entire citizen-body, from 16 to 59 years of age, is llable for military defense. The safety of Andorra from schem- ers, is due only to the control of the government of France and the Bishop of Urgel, for otherwise great gambling promoters, pointing to the profits of the little kingdom of Monaco, would long since have gotten concessions to make Andorra a gambling center. Neither France nor the bishop will tolerate such a capture of the little country for such evil influences. * ok ok w The news as to the encroachment of the Spanish government into An- dorra’s postal affairs is denied by the embassies of both Spain and France. Andorra has no postal union with other nations, issues no postage stamps, and always has pald French postage on letters going to or through France and on letters going to Spain has paid Spanish postage. The Perpignan sensa- tional news about Spain's encroachment is nonsense; it would be promptly for- bidden by France if it were attempted by Spain and by the Bishop of Urgel if it were attempted by France. An- dorra is and forever must be free! Of course, it might be easy for either coun- try holding control to pick a quarrel, g0 _to war and annex the ‘“conquered” nation, except for the mutual jealousy of France and Spain, the guardian power of the League of Nations and the multilateral treaty of Mr. Kellogg and M. Briand, forever outlawing wars of aggression, and giving the same pro- tection to small nations as to the larg- est and most powerful. Somchow, the story reminds one of the thrilling romance about Marjorie Daw, with its climax, “There is no Mar- Jorie Daw.” (Copyright, 1929, by Paul V. Collins.) —— et | safeguarded by and the Bishop It’s a Terrible Handicap! Ficm the Altoona Mirror. A Kansas boy won a gold medal in | an oboe-playing contest. But he may grow up to be a useful citizen in spite of thaty I started from. i traffic officer decided to favor it and I | was caught about 3 feet from the safety | faith is in—their brakes, More Signal Lights At Crossings Urged To_the Editor of The Star: Speaking of accidents, doesn't it seem as though there might be a few less if the city provided signal lights at more of the crowded crossings? Wouldn't 1t help some if there was a | law prohibiting taxioab drivers from | scurrying around corners, swooping ! around a car that completely blocks their view of traffic and taking short cuts through safety zones? Why are | they, the taxicab drivers especially, al- | lowed the special privilege of trying to rush the signal lights, or traffic cop, | coming pell-mell to the very edge of the white line, or an imaginary one, then jamming on their brakes? And should you be a pedestrian crossing the street and seeing those Leaping Lenas | coming, at the same time trying to keep | an eagle eye on the signal to find out whether you still have the right of way or whether they are going to bowl you over—isn’t it a gr-r-and and glorious feeling! And like a tiger ready to spring on its prey the taxi stands purring, the driver all ten: waiting for the signal, and with a —it's off. We cross by faith as well as by signal where there is one, and with an extra prayer for protection where there isn't. Take Twelfth and the Avenue, for instance. ‘There is a traffic cop there during rush | hours, but even a cop is apt to make | mistakes—my pet kick against them is their timing of traffic. For instance: The Avenue traffic was heavy between | 5:30 and 6 p.m., therefore he gave them his_chief attention, but there was some traffic the opposite direction. When I reached the corner, the trafic was go- ing on Twelfth street. I started along with it. A motorist got through both white lines—that is, his front wheels were well over the second—When the vhistle hlew. He very emphatically ssed. We both backed to where we After waiting some time the whistle blew again. L went across— s0 far as I know, the only pedestrian, I got a few paces beyond the second safety zone (and I can sprint some) when the whistle blew again. In the meantime the oncoming traffic kept coming on, and for some reason the zone, the traffic not slowing up the least. I saw I could not make the curb, but a motorist, evidently thinking I would be fool enough to try in spite of vehicles three and four abreast, managed to swerve his car just enough to escape hitting me when I stepped back to the safety zone. Had there been a signal light and “Caution” been flashed, I would never have left the safety zone. But how was I to know that the officer was going to blow his whistle? Another day at the same crossing, this time in the morning when there was no one di- recting traffic, and the coast seemingly clear in all directions, I got to the first safety zone, when suddenly from out of | seemingly nowhere a taxicab dashed | through the zone where I stood, on through the second safety zone toward Fourteenth street. He looked back to where I still stood rooted for a spell to | see_how I liked it. I shook my finger at him and he laughingly went on his way rejoicing. No doubt he thought: “Gee, didn't I do that slick! I'm some expert taxi driver!” On the principle that necessity is the mother of invention, we can expsct a future race with revolving eyes in order to see a car that might swoop around a corner, take a turn from one side of the street to the other, as well as the regular procession, with an added eye in the top of the head to enable them to dodge future Graf Zeppelins. Since we've discarded tails end other ap- pendages, why not? Another place where there is need of a signal light, if anything more than at Twelfth and the Avenue, is at Ninth and F, because should there be a car coming down Ninth street and you are going up, when the car gets abont two- thirds across it completely hides the traffic sign from view. and should the traffic officer change the signal at this point, and I've known when he has— well, a taxicab will get you if you don't watch out. If any one doubts that you cannot see the signal just stand on the lower right corner of Ninth and F| at rush hour, or any hour when the cars | are going toward the Avenue, and,, should you cross, remember that a Leaping Lena may swoop around the rear of the car as soon as there is barely enough space to escape the car—but how about you? Verily the taxi driver's Caution be ELIZABETH WATERS. o English Labor Parly’s Arms Policy Defended To the Editor of The Star: I should like to make some remarks, about a recent article which I saw in your paper on the attitude of Ramsay MacDonald and of the English Labor party as a whole during their period of office toward pacifism and disarma- ment. The writer of the article accuses Mr. MacDonald of hypocrisy in criticizing the American naval program since he was responstble for the introduction into the English Parllament of a bill pro- viding for increased naval armaments in 1924. It is difficult to believe that the writer, though obviously acquainted with the circumstances in which the Labor party came into power and of its legislation with regard to arma- ments, should be apparently ignorant, if not intentionally oblivious, of the fact that this legislation constituted an enormous curtailment of the armaments proposal which had been put before the House by the Conservatives at the end of the previous session. ‘These proposals were principally the building of 20 new cruisers and the construction of the Singapore naval base atan estimated cost of $53,000,000. The Labor party on taking office threw out the Singapore project un- conditionally, and reduced the number of the cruisers from 20 to 7. It Is mere casuistry to pretend that the cruisers scheme thus reduced was an act of militarism on the part of its sponsors. Had the Labor party at- tempted any greater reduction, it would not have remained in power five minutes, and would not have been in a position to exercise the very beneficial influence which it did on the European situation during the early part of 1924, particularly in the matter of the oc- cupied Rhineland territories. It is, to say the least, ungracious to misrep- resent and then cavil in this way at a policy which was dictated y considera- tlons of obvious expediency. J. H. HALLORAN., ————— Attention Is Called To Newark’s Airport To_the Editor of The Star: Familiar as I am with the desire of The Evening Star that all stetements appearing in its columns shall be cor- rect, I am sure you will be glad to have me call attention to a slight inaccuracy which crept into your editorial, “The Boom in Aviation,” in Friday's issue. “Today,” the editorial states, “one must land remote from the big city (New York) either on Long Island or as far afield as some spot in New Jersey, an hour’s railway journey from the Great White Way.” The situation is not actually as bad as that. Within the last month the municipality of Newark formally opened its great modern airport on the Newark meadows and today air travelers land- ing there may reach the heart of Man- hattan Island by tube or automobile in less than 30 minutes. The Newark airport has already become the metro- politan terminus of several air lines, in- cluding that maintained between Wash- ington and New York by the United States Air Transport, Inc. ROBERT E. FUNKHOUSER, President, United States Air Transport, Inc. This Is a Little Mixed. From the New York Sun. | | hanged! 11842 ‘This is a speclal 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, vour name and your address clearly and inclose 2 cents in coin or stamps for reply. ‘The Star Information Bureau, Frederi J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. Q. To what age does the Suhauro— the giant cactus of the Arizona desert— live?—C. M. H. A. It lives to an Indefinite age like trecs in general. Some of these cacti are certainly more than 100 years old. Q. When was the Illustrated London News first published?—H. G. W. A. It was first published on May 14, It is still in existence. . Did George Washington know Martha Custis before her husband died? W. L. G. A. He did not meet his future wife until she was the widow of Mr. Cusiis. Q. Isn't the sun really the distance that.it travels in the time it takes its light to reach us, ahcad of where we see it?—J. K. » A. The Naval Observatory says that it is true that any heavenly body ap- pears to be in the place it occupied when the light by which it is seen left when this light reaches the earth: but the difference in direction between its apparent place and its true place is so small as to be imperceptible to the naked eye. How large a space does the base of the Great Pyramid cover?—C. A. A. It covers an area of more than 12 acres. Q. What kind of lumber is imported from South America?—R. A. S. A. The principal woods imported from South America are mahogany and ebony, which are used for making fur- niture; Spanish cedar, which is used for cigar boxes, and greenHeart, which is used for special dock construction. These come from the northern and eastern coasts of South America. Q. Why are some Federal prisoners sent to State penitentiaries?>—-R. A. A They are sometimes sent to State penitentiaries due to the fact that Fed- eral prisons are overcrowded. Q. Are there many opportunities for white Americans at Cape Colony, South Africa?—J. L. D. A. There are practically no oppor- tunities of employment at Cape Town for Americans on account of competi- tion with the British. There is already 2 surplus of white labor and there is a restriction on the labor which can be performed by white people on ac- count of the large number of Negroes. There is a restriction on the immigra- tion of white persons who desire work. It is limited by the Union government to persons who have at least $10,000. The epplications of agricultural work- ex;i are more likely to be approved than others. Q. Where may one see examples of ancient Greek paintings?—T. G. A. Ruth de Rochemont in “Evolution of Art” says, “Not so much as a frag- ment remains of any Greek painting and there are only faded touches to be seen on sculpture.” Q. When is contact called, before the propeller of an airplane is started or afterward?—J. W. ¢ A. Contact means “close switch.” ‘The propeller has been started by hand and after contact the engine turns it. Every pilot hopes that the engine will caich at once. Q. Who said, “Nothing is certain but death and texes”?—W. E. D. A. This is attributed to Benjamin Franklin. Q. What countries of South America have no seaperts?—D. W. A. Neither Bolivia nor a seaport. Q. What is hodden-gray?—H. D. A. A coarse cloth of the natural color of the wool, formerly worn by peacants. Q. What are the great national sport- ing events-of Japan?—J. R. A. The wrestling matches at Tokio in January and May are the sporting events of great national interest. At these matches the champions meet in & sand arena. If a single part of the body except the soles of the feet touch the 'Faraguay has Appreciations of the carecr of Haley Tiske, the late head of the Life Exten- sion Institute, give the public revealing | pictures of the successful big business man whose great contribution to the race was his leadership in the move- ment for better health and longer lives. “He found satisfaction in adding to the average span of life. He prided himself on his own health and youthful- ness after 70 years,” says the Albany Evening News. “He was a business man who saw beyond the usual limits of busi- ness. He accomplished a great work in the name of good business. America is better for his having lived.” The Boston Chronicle points out that “the dissemination of health literature, the activity of nurses in industrial sections where his policyholders lived. were only minor phases in his plan for the material advancement of the people. He foresaw the time,” continues the Chron- icle, “when insurance companies would carry insurance for all the people, car- ing for them in sickness, indemnifying their dependents in event of death; in- surance which covered the financing of homes, of public utilities, of all con= veniences for the masses.” “Mr. Fiske had a rare_combination of gifts” declares the Kansas City Journal-Post. “He not only had vision, tenacity, great executive skill and rest- less energy, but he was one of the country's greatest orators and his early experience as a counselor for his com- pany was responsible for his being put in active charge of its business.” The Scranton Times calls him “a new type of executive in insurance, who believed that it was not only the duty of insur- ‘ance companies to provide in case of death, but also to be instrumental and watchful of the health of policyholders.” * K Kk “He was a fine example,” according to the New York Evening World, “of the big business man, who is just emerg- ing and who must become more and that he recognized that such great organizations as he led exist not only to make dividends, but to serve the pub- lic. His interest in city housing experi- ments made him a pioneer in a great work., * * * There was more than a teuch of the statesman in his plans and hopes. Intensively engaged, he always found time for public service, and thus in every way he measured up to the highest requirements of a citi- zen.” “He conducted an unremitting and highly intelligent campaign against dis- ease and death,” states the Columbus Evening Dispatch. “So vast was the scope of his campaign that it will stand for many years as the foremost example of crystallized effort to prolong human life. He built the greatest finan- cial institution in the world, rendered a magnificent service to his fellow- men and died at a ripe age, beloved by all who knew him. This, we be- lieve, is the acme of achievement.” ‘The scope of his visiting nurse sys- tem is em| by the Kansas City Times, while the Roanoke World-News, commenting on his “experiment in pro- viding dwellings at reasonable rentals for families of moderate means,” con- ‘The schooner Early Bird went ashore on the Virginia coast. Evidently the worm turned too sharply. :w “Mr. Fiske succeeded in proving where wise architectural advice was secured, both in construction and Send to | M. the body, not in the place it oecuples‘ more commonplace in the future, in| ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. |ground the wrestler loses. If he is forced out of the little circle he loses. | The wrestling matehes continue for nine | days. Q. What per cent of the telephones of the world are in the' United States?— . H. A. The United States has 59 per cent of the telephones of the world. The i world total 1s 32,800,000, | Q How did Fahrenheit fix upon 32 | degrees as the freezing point?2—W. C. J. A. Fahrenheit worked with Newton's thermometer which had been described in 1701. Newton's instrument was & ]tube flll:‘ed :g? l!nsll'cd oil.‘h‘l‘he start- ng t of his scale was the temmpera- (urep& the body, which was called “12.” Newton divided the space between his datum and the freezing point of water into 12 parts. Fahrenheit did not find {the scale minute enough. and therefore first doubled the number of degrees, making them 24. Finding that he could by mixing ice and salt obtain a tem- | perature below freezing, he next adopt- | ed this for the starting point and count- ted 24 up to the body heat, making the | freezing point 8 and the bolling point of water 53. Later he again divided the degrees into 4. which made 32 the freezing point and 212 the boiling point. from America at its nearest point? . A. The narrowest part of Bering Strait is between Cape Prince of Wales {on the American coast and East Cape in | Asla. This is 36 miles across. | Q. How far is Asia 0 Q. What countries did not use cone scription during the World War?— C.R. G. A. During the war all the nations in- volved employed conscription. Such countries as Great Britain and the United States, which formerly had vol- untary military service, adopted con- scription as a war measure for the dura- | tlon of the war period. Q. Why are men who take charge of funerals called “undertakers’?—L. J. P. A. Undertakers were formerly known as “funeral undertakers.” The present term is merely a contraction of this ex- pression. Q. Why is Watts’ “Hope"” called by that name?—M. D. A. The theme is symbolized by the figure of a woman seated with bowed head. She still clings to her lyre, all the strings of which with the exception of one are broken. This is to suggest the dominant quality of hope, which prevails in even the most adverse cir- cumstances. Q. How can bar soap be cut into cakes?’—H. H. J. A. It can be cut with a fine wire, Sometimes passing a stout cord about the bar and drawing the ends past each other will do the trick. Soap is cut in a factory by wires fixed in a frame. Q. What is cerealine?—M. H. A. It is an enzyme found in the germ of wheat and is the name given to it Prench investigators who found that its presence in appreciable qum{.fiy in flour affected the baking quality. Q. How {s the temperature on the moon determined?—J. T. B. A. Modern observatories are equipped with instruments whereby the temper- ature of the moon can be measured. The temperature of the moon depends upon the amount of heat it receives, the amount it reflects, and its rate of radiation. It is easy to measure with some approximation the amount of heat the earth reecives from the moon, but it is not easy to determine what part is reflected and what part radiated. When the moon passes into the earth's shadow so that the direct rays of the sun are cut off, then all the heat re- ceived from the moon is that radlated and this can be measured, and from the amount received and the rate at which it decreases as the eclipse continues, it is possible to determine approximate- ly tie rate at which the moon loses heat by radiation, and from this the tcmperature to which it has been raised. Observations show that the amount of Tiies very.Tapid aier it passen. into shes very rapidly a passes the earth’s shadow. This indicates that its radiation is very rapid. Q. How many motor busses are there in the United States-—G. B. A. On January 1, 1928, there were ai,:ae busses registered in the United States. Haley Fiske, Healih Apostle, Lauded as Public Benefactor floor planning, moderate rental apart- ments could be made to pay a fair return on the investment.” * k k% Linking him with Walter Camp, who also preached improvement of public | health, the Cleveland Plain Dealer re- | marks: “The death of Camp at 66 and that of Piske at 77 do not affect the soundness of the doctrine which they | taught. Their services in calling to at- | tention the importance of proper care of the body and of conserving human resources were substantial.” The Sche- nectady Gazette says: “Few there are | who will not envy Mr. Fiske's manner of passing. It was not preceded by the long, lingering illness and months of suffering some unfortunates are obliged t6 undergo before the end comes, * s+ * It may be said that he dled “im the harness,” which is the ambition of the majority of active business and professional men.” “He had no premonition of death, no cause for worry,” observes the Balti- more Evening Sun. “It is possible to assume that on his last ride he knew nothing but the joy of living that is re- awakened in the consciousness of man with the first balmy days of the year when the grass takes on a new sheen and the buds are swelling on the trees and birds sing in the heavens. A suc- cessful man, he might look back upqn a distinguished and useful career and rejoice that at the advanced age of 77 he was still active and hearty. Thus death took him, swiftly and painlessly. What better fate could any man de- sire?” * ok kK “The Life Extension Institute, of which he was president,* states the Nashville Banner, “has done immeasur- ably great things in letting millions of people know what sclentists had learned about prolonging and bettering the span lof life. It was Mr. Fiske's belief that the time will come when man may live to be a hundred years old and remain active and useful to the end of his days. He himself died at the age of 77, but enjoyed health and vigor until a very few moments before his death. Outside his business he was both interested and energetic in carrying on the functions of citizenship, and leaves behind him his mark for good on many phases of con- temporary life.” Explaining his success in a chosen field, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ex- resses the opinion: “Not only did Mr, g:skr possess good health, but he proved it could be attained and held without onerous methods. He ate what pleased him and indulged sane habits other- wise, He was moderate. His ablility to serve his organization and direct the thought and living of large numbers of persons may be explained best, perhaps, on that score.” “Millions have been led into better habits of living,” avers the Asheville Times, with the further statement for the future: “What has been so well done by the Life Extension Institute could bedmde um‘ (oundautz:n of a broader and more far-reaching program of national health education in the Na- tional Health Institute. The resuits would mean not only longer life, but :glnxls“mote efficient in all its manifesta-