Evening Star Newspaper, April 23, 1929, Page 8

'{THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. TUESDAY........April 23, 1929 THEODORF W. NOYES....Editor ‘The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11th St. and Pennslvania Ave. New York Office: 110 East 42nd Bt. Chicago Office: Lake Michigan Bullding. European Ofiice; 14 Regent St.. London, i N et B SO s e g Etang dnd Bunidy it (0 0 The Sunday B!ll’y % .chbrf:‘nggly ‘Collection made at the end of each month. Orders may be sent in by mall or telephone Main 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Virgl Maryland E.n ung All Other States and Canada. Dally and Sunday..l yr., $12.00; 1 mo., $1.00 Puily only - 1y, $8.00; 1 mo. unday only 1 yr, $5.00; 1 mo. Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled "z";f use for republication of il news dis- atcl Fedis (his paper and aiso the putlished herein. All rights of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. — == Lawless America. President Hoover’s address to the As- soclated Press in New York should be rcad by every American. Laws, as the -Chief Executive pointed out, are made for all the people and must be respected by each and every one. They are not made merely for those who chance to desire to observe them. The last is a mistake into which, unfortunately, too many Americans have fallen, even citi- zens who regard themselves as law- abiding. It was to this group particu- larly that President Hoover addressed himself. Lawlessness and freedom have become sadly confused in this “Land of the Free.” ' Law is the foundation of this civili- zation. The Government of the United States and of the (individual States is a government of law. Take away that sound foundation and the government and our civilization vanishes. It was to this point that President Hoover de- voted himself. He spoke not in the’ in- terest of any particular law—the pro- hibition law or any other. It was in the interest of the observance of all law that the Chief Executive made the most terrible arraignment of conditions ex- isting in this country that has been made in many years by the executive head of the Nation. Long before prohibition gained ground in this country or threatened to become Nation-wide there had arisen a disre- gard for law in the United States. More murders and homicides were committed in America, for example, by many times than in the British Jles, in comparison to the size of the population. It was even in those days a fact that a very small percentage of these murderers were punished for their crimes. There was growing up a feeling among the people that it was impossible to convict a mil- lionaire, no matter what he did. Attor- neys appealed to the sentimentality of the people, a sickly sentimentality, to prevent their clients from paying the final penalties. Conditions with respect to law en- forcement, or rather law observance, in- stead of bettering, have admittedly be- come worse, as the President pointed out in his address to the Associated Press. *I am wondering,” said the President, “whether the time has not come to real- ize that we are confronted with a na- tional necessity of the first degree, that we are not suffering from an ephemeral crime wave but from a subsidence of our foundations.” Mr. Hoover called attention to a fact which the anti-prohibitionists some- times ignore—that violations of the dry Jaws are, after all, a small percentage of the law violations in this country, and that the violations of all laws, from murder to forgery, are alarmingly on the increase, and have been before the prohibition laws were enacted. It has become trite to say that disregard of the prohibition laws leads to a disregard of all laws. It is quite as true to say that a disregard of all the other laws enhances disregard of the prohibition laws. The bootlegger and speakeasy proprietor have had, in very many cases, criminal records before prohibition was written into the law of the land. The appeal of the President was to every citizen” to give serious attention to the situation which was developing in his country. Lawlessness is but a form of tyranny, which presages the breaking down of free government. The President of the United States has solemnly declared that “life and property are relatively more unsafe (in the United States) than in any other civilized nation of the world.” ‘This is no criticism from outside. It is the criticism of the Chief Executive of the Nation, who has been intrusted with the enforcement of all the laws and ‘who knows whereof he speaks. It is time that the people of America realized the seriousness of condmgans that exist. Mr. Hoover has performed & great service in calling them to public attention so ‘vigorously. At first regarded as relating to agri- culture, “farm relief,” on further con- sideration, lays aside the plow and har- row of the farmer and turns to the complicated equipment of the economist and the financier. ——————— A Real Disarmament Move. Through Ambassador Gibson, at Geneva yesterday, the Hoover adminis- tration put forth a project for cutting down naval strength more sweeping in purpose than anything brought for- . ward since the Washington conference of 1921-1922. The United States now proposes not only limitation of future armament. It suggests reduction of existing armament. In both directions, Ambassador Gibson was authorized to declare, the HooVer|as the Children's Fund of Michigan, | His work is never through. administration is “willing to agree to any reduction, however drastic, of naval tonnage, which leaves no type of war vessel unrestricted.’ The statement made on behalf of the American Government bristles with fig- ures and thesis of relatively little in- terest to the average man and woman. Such phrases as “equivalent values” and “tonnage ~ categories” which recur throughout Mr. Gibson's momentous ut- .terarice are for the statesmen admirals to conjure with. What the g e of sllel from BV burdensome taxation required by swol- len armaments, will read into the Am- bassador’s message is the determination of the Hoover administration to bring about another naval disarmament agree- ment as soon as possible. Manifest throughout the American statement is the United States’ desire ! for action, instead of the chronic delay and procrastination which have para- Iyzed ‘all limitation and reduction ef- forts for seven years. Uncle Sam now says, in effect, that where there is a will there is a Wi He submits'a practical way in a va- riety of categorical terms. He invites the other naval powers to join him in the will to give them bone and sinew. The Hoover program for a new naval understanding strikes countless vital notes. None is more significant than the assertion that “any approach to the disarmament problem on purely technical grounds is bound to be in- conclusive.” That means that statesmanship, as opposed to seamanship, must be the controlling factor, Hardly less signifi- cant is the emphasis which cur Gov- ernment lays on the Kellogg pact. Pres- ‘dent Hoover feels, Ambassador Gibson declared, “that the pact for the re- ! nunciation of war opens to us an un- precedented opportunity for advancing the cause of disarmament, an oppor- tunity which admits of no postpone- ment.” It is easy to believe the news from Geneva that this clarion blast from the western world has blown invigorating fresh air into the preparatory disarma- ment commission and inspired the hope that at last results seem to be in sight. No American wants this country to be | bereft of power at sea to & point which would imperil national security. But if the world can come to an agreement —based on the undarlying Hoover the- ory that it is not going to make war— then the United States and other coun- | tries can conscientiously curtail navies | without jeopardizing national safety. | e e Sl The Architects and Washington. No professional group in this country | has a greater or more personal interest | in the Government's building program for the National Capital than the Amer- ican Institute of Architects. which | assembled here today for its sixty-sec- ond convention. As the vast expendi- ture by the Government on the Avenue triangle symbolizes the material wealth and progress of the Nation, so should the architectural appearance of this group represent the triumph of esthet- ics in this democracy. Responsibility | for the latter rests largely with the! architects. The profession is building its monument here in Washington and | future generations will form their esti- mate of American architecture in the! twentieth century by gauging the di- mensions of the structure. It is, therefore, fitting that the chief | theme of discussion before the archi- i tects concerns Washington and the Federal Government's future plans for Washington. Through the creation of the Treasury Board of Architectural Consultants, whose membership has been selected from outstanding archi- tects of the country, the profession’s, advice and guidance have been sought from the start in the conception and | the development of the Avenue triangle. The architects are to hear of the va- rious phases of this development, and on Thursday night, when President | Hoover, Secretary Mellon, Senator Smoot and others tell them, and, over the radio, the country, of these plans and exhibit the first complete model in miniature of the future triangle group, | they will have received first-hand | knowledge of what the Government is | doing for its Capital. Washington has suffered in the past, and continues to suffer today,-from some hideous mistakes perpetrated in the name of architecture. For these mistakes the profession, as a whole, would quickly deny responsibility. They represent some of the traditional strug- gles of art in a democracy. They survive as excellent illustrations of what should be avoided, not as regards wholly the school of architecture, but the sys- tem by which freaks and fancies are sometimes allowed to triumph over good taste and sound sense in a Government such as ours. The Nation wants no more such mistakes. From the layman’s point of view, the Government has taken adequate safeguards against them. There can be no criticism for failure to seek advice and guidance in the building of the triangle group. One sometimes wonders how the plans have 50 quickly reached their present ma- turity with so many anxious fingers in the pie. . But if, from the professional view- point, the Government's architectural plans show any dangerous tendencies of going off on the wrong tangent; if there are grounds for criticism of the system or technique in the formulation of these plans, now is the time for the American Institute of Architects to speak its mind and give to the Nation its point of view. Professional ethics should demand, and not debar, the erit- ical and open discussion by these ex- perts of Uncle Sam's housing scheme. Uncle Sam’'s plans are their plans. Uncle Sam’s Capital is their Capital. — e ‘When a stunt fiyer meets with disas- ter that involves others in death it is hard not to extend to him a certain degree of human sympathy; but no sympathy as great as he would need if he had survived to be made aware of the carnage he had caused among in- nocent victims. ————————— Senator Couzens’ Great Gift. The long roll of honor in which are incorporated the names and deeds of American philanthropists has not in years received so handsome an addition as that to which the name of James Couzens is now attached. In creating & trust fund of $10,000,000, to be known the senior Senator from the Wolverine State assures himself of fame as a pub- lic benefactor and of the thanks of the whole Nation. Not! only the youth of his own Com- monwealth is to share in his beneficence, for the trust is founded “to promote the health, wealth, welfare, happiness and development of the children of the State of Michigan and elsewhere throughout the world” In other words, the nor national boundaries. Its field is the globe, 5 dames Courens 1s oge of the richest i places to go for a vacation; the only | courage legislative relief by persuading men in Congress—some say the richest. He came to this country a poor, ambi- tious lad from Canada. He began life in humble employment. He knew personal experience the hardships of children deprived of the opportunities for “health, wealth and happiness” by the handicap of poverty,. With the dawn of the automobile era, at the be- ginning of the present century, James Couzens found himself a skilled me- chanic at Detroit. He became one of the ploneers of the motor industry with Henry Ford. Together they amassed fortunes. 1 Then ensued for Couzens a distin- guished public career in the city of Detroit, amid which he systematically and consistently enacted the role of the friend of the less fortunate. He had a particularly tender spot for children. During the past ten years most of Sen- ator Couzens’ charitable contributions have been in their interest. Approxi- mately $2,000,000 has been given to the Children’s Hospital of Michigan. The Children's Hospital of Washington, now the Senator’s political home, has also been the reciplent of his bounty on a liberal scale, Senator Couzens recognizes the truth of the axiom that on the laps of the children of the United States rests the future of America. He would have them healthy children. He would have them happy children. He would have them even wealthy children. Out of their subsequent “welfare and development,” to use the language of the trust agree- ment providing $700,000 annually for administering the Children's Fund of Michigan, Senator Couzens is convinced that good for America and for the world at large is bound to come. ‘The magnificent munificence of the Couzens fund is exceeded only by the splendid vision from which it springs. ‘The senior Senator from Michigan de- serves the country’s congratulations and gratitude, To President Hoover in no small meas- use is due the credit for this superb boom to child welfare, for Senator Ccu- zens was directly inspired to bestow it by the President’s recent proclamation designating May 1 as Child Health day. r——— Dr. Schacht is entitled to his turn and should be allowed opportunity to study out some practical and concilia- tory suggestions. This Nation has de- voted some of its best brains to the matter in hand, and Germany should | endeavor to reciprocate. ———— ‘Talk of, Summer plans for the Presi- dent are already interesting. There are no doubts that he will have plenty of difficulty will be for so busy a man to find the vacation. —_— e There is plainly a movement to en- those who favor various ideas to come to an understanding and speak up plainly and distinctly as to what they want. —— e Although secure in his official pros- pects, the Prince of Wales likes to go about and shake hands just as much as | if he were appealing to the public for votes. —— e ‘The newspaper interests of this coun- try have found occasion to report that a President may convey important in- formation at a Waldorf luncheon as well as at & White House breakfast. r————— Tex Guinan has had a new song ridiculing prohibition and lauding the “hostess.” As has been remarked in old literature, anybody able to pay can always find a poet to praise him. ——o— To hint at profiteering and tax rise is a sure way to make the farmer pause | and consider when farm debenture is mentioned. _ THIS AND THAT * BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL, ; ‘The road between office and home is not always the same, although those officially interested in it might be will- ing to swear that there had been no ch;lg’e. thoroughfare, wherever it may be or however long, varies from hour to hour and from day to day, according to the mood of the traveler. Not a street lamp along the way is any different in itself, but the man or woman who pursues it faithfully knows that it is never precisely the same. In the map of Washington which every one makes for himself, this is the most important road of all, and if it were actually put on paper it would be outlined in red, or maybe gold. Some men’s lives would show a series of such roads, perhaps crossing each other, as they had changed from job to job, or from habitation to habitation. Other maps would show one well worn route, year after year growing deeper— a street of hopes and dreams, of solid satisfactions and disappointments. The satisfactions might stand out like shining lamps, the disappointments like so many ugly features which exist along most lines of travel, but which become tolerated through constant inspection. * ok ok K Thus the road between home and office is at once seen to have two as- ects, the physical and the mental, in- terlocking to such a degree that no one, especially the traveler, cam tell them apart. Every one has noticed how this street has a surprising elasticity. On: some mornings the journey downtown seems endless, whereas on others it is all too short. On both trips it is exactly the same, in the mere matter of miles, but what a difference otherwise! Then, of course, sometimes more physical min- utes are consumed; traffic goes awry, gets tied up, honks horns, shouts, even curses. All these matters reflect upon the spirit of the traveler along this most important road. He may be feeling “poorly” that mormn- ing, or get up with a grouch, or in some incomprehensible way be in the exact mood to find travel irksome. Some journeyers know from experience when they are going to be ill by the way the | down trip impresses them. If the ride seems short and carefree, if the sights -long the way prove inter- esting, if the people they meet are pleasant, they realize that their physical being is at its best. On the other hand, if the way seems long and dreary, and the people crowd them, and the ride proves tiresome and draggy, they know for a certainty that they are coming down with some illness. * Kk kX No road anywhere shows the inter- action of physical and mental states better thah this one. So close is mind to matter, and vice versa, that the very result of our lives| depends upon the co-operation of the two; and if we are willing to speculate upon a third factor, spirit, which is a convenient word to place phenomena unexplainable any other way, we have| the third side of the triangle. ‘When a worker is at his best, the road from home to work is too short. He wants to get there. Success calls! The desire to get ahead urges him on. ‘When he finds greed and indifference and a few other inimical qualities ob- truding upon the horizon, where the teachers of youth declared only glory awaited, he may find the road from home to work not exactly a shining boulevard. Oftentimes the way seems dingy, even on the brightest mornings. motor car owners, and you will too often | SUSAN B. ANTHONY. Rheta Childe Stokes Co. see faces shadowed with doubt. It's a long, long road to these people and often enough ther have justice on thelr side. Oh, if "they might only double up their fists, when they get there, and sock somebody in the jaw! But the law interferes, common sense calls a halt, hope whispers, “Not yet, not yet.” * ok kK The next morning our traveler finds the road beautiful. He never knew it was 5o fine, so magnificent, so replete with interesting sights. This morning he sees what he never saw before—a small garden hidden by the side of a house. He had passed that way for days, but never before had he seen it. He cranes his neck, he looks back, he does not want to miss an iota of beauty. He looks with vast approval at the beautiful ladies to be seen gayly trip- ping along. “This is a well fed gen- eration,” he says to himself. The old wheeze of Browning about God being in His heaven and the world O. K. strikes him today as eminently sober. He is amused at the offer of a pub- lisher to sell him “two pounds” of the works of Clarence Darrow. So they are selling speeches by the pound now. Well, well, well! He grects the elevator man with a smile, appreciates the salutation of the office boy and of the stenographer, sits down to work with inward satisfaction. During the day something goes wrong. Maybe it was a line of petly haras: ments, or small trials and tribulations. Perhaps it was a mistake, * k ko Then the road from office to home is not the same as it was in the reverse direction. An old fat woman steps on his toes and then expects him to apologize for getting stepped on. He is ashamed of himself for noting that she is old and fat. Folks, unfortunately, get that way. Every one cannot be slim, beautiful, just right, despite the efforts of some to, make over the world after that sophisticated image. Buildings along the way strike him now as ugly. Is this the beautiful city? Is this the grand metropolis they come to see? Why are they always tearing up the streets? What, another traffic jam? Will these nuisances never end? The trees are not' leafing out very well, after all; the early Spring has developed into a flivver; lawns look threadbare and ugly. ‘There is a constant surge of people. ‘Why do not some of them stay at home once in a while and let the others have a little space and comfort? One seri- ously considers if such mobs of people had any place in the divine plan. Per- | haps humanity merely took advantage of Nature. One longs for the great open spaces of song and.story, where one’s closest neighbor is a thousand miles away—safely, sanely away. Yet there are a few gleaming lamps along the road tonight. There is the memory of that incident in which a shining sense of humor played an im- portant part. There was the friend who grinned, too. And there was that solemn fool, who was the funniest of all. Yes, as long as the lamp of humor fil”kms the world will never be entirely ark. And the beautiful lamps of home! One may feel genuinely sorry for those whose home lamps are soiled or for any reason whatsoever do not gleam brightly. Bright gleaming lamps of home make the way short if long, bright if short. They outline the road Look around in the street cars, and in | from home to office with a radiance the busses, and even at the faces of ' shining always along your private road. Subway Fare Decision Pleases Champions of States’ Rights Champions of States' rights are par- ticularly pleased by the decision of the Supreme Court refusing Federal inter- vention in the New York City 5-cent fare controversy. The issue was taken to the United States courts by the In- terborough Transit Co. on the ground that restrictions against a 7-cent sub- way fare are confiscatory in violation of the Federal Constitution. »“Many of the more important public service cases have been taken direct to the Federal courts by the companies,” says the Rochester Times-Union, “prin- cipally on the ground that the valua- tions assigned to their property have been such as to make rates based on them confiscatory. While the United States Supremie Court has never ruled that ‘replacement’ cost is the sole con- r—oe— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Annual Ordeal. When sunshine gets the better of the days so chill and raw, Dear father gets a hammer and a chisel and a saw. He says, in thoughtful tones that match his stern superior frown, “A lot o’ things about this shack are getting all run down. ‘The bells and lights need fixing and the doors are out of plumb. There’s not a lock or hinge that doesn’t call for oiling some!” It's then we see a very anxious look on mother’s face, As she remarks, “He's starting in to fool around the place!” ‘There are grease spots on the carpet; there are scratches on the door. There are holes and splintered sections in the polished hardwood floor. It you pause to press a button it will -shock you without fail; The plaster drops in bunches where he tried to drive a nail. But no one dares to criticize the work that he has done; So long as father pays the bills, he ought to have his fun. But there is a sense of nervousness that nothing can efface When Spring arrives and father starts to fool around the place. Obscure Luminosity. The constellations hang on high, Like mighty poems in the sky. ‘Their meaning none of us can trace. ‘They're just put in to fill up space. The Eight-Hour Man. The man who works eight hours a day Goes home with joyous mind, Prepared to take his share of play And leave his cares behind. The statesman burns midnight ofl, And starts his task anew; A day makes fruitless all his tofl— sideration in valuation, the tendency of Federal decisions, especially in the lower courts, has been to make this a prodominant factor. State court de- cisions are likely to be in closer touch with the policies of State regulatory commissions, and to that extent make the work of the commissions more ef- fective. It is true that recourse may still be had to the Federal courts, but the State court findings are likely to carry weight, even when such an appeal is taken.” The Cleveland Plain Dealer holds that “the decision of the Supreme Court does not turn on the question of con- fiscation, as was expected, but is made on the, ground that the court has no jurisdiction. It accordingly leaves the fare issue where it was when first the attempt was made to break the exist- ing contract. In due time it will prob- ably be taken back to the State courts and threshed out again.” Satirical ref- erence to the fare is made by the Chat- tanooga News, with the statement that “the traction system continues to run at a profit, because the millions con- tinue to be contented with the wholly inadequate accommodations given them on the subways”; that “they are packed like sardines.” “The decision, while probably a mere postponement of New York’s vexing transportation problem,” in the opinion of the Baltimore Sun, “should be an effective rebuke for interests which rush into the Federal courts on specious grounds when dubious of their prob- able success in the State tribunals.” That paper also remarks as to the issue presented that “the court rebuked the companies’ claim that the 5-cent rate was_confiscatory and their claim for an 8 per cent Teturn upon the value of the subways, which are the property of the city.” “Somewhat of a victory for States’ rights” is seen by the Buffalo Evening News, which comments further: “There has been a proposal in Congress for legislation to prevent interference by the Federal courts in litigation affecting the relations between communities and public utilities until after the State courts have acted. Perhaps the de- cision of the Supreme Court makes such legislation unnecessary.” An interpretation of the decision is given by the Newark Evening News in the statement: “The contest over the fare rate will now return to the State courts, where the city’s transit commis- slon is seeking a determination of the question whether, under State law and city transit contracts, it has jurisdic- tion to revise contractual rates of fare. The Supreme Court, however, has dis- d of the question whether subway guea are adequate, showing them to be The lawyer lives in fierce suspense, rest is rare. ' The financier finds wealth immense A weight of serious care. Laughter. Here's to the laugh that seems to tell increasingly and enormously so when separately considered and laying down the dictum that they must be so con- sidered.” “An_important decision,” says the -Telegram, serve as a cities and final analysis,” continues that paj ‘should concentrate on Of a state of mind where all is well; The laugh that ripples with humor gay Like & flash of sun on a gloomy day! and the | Couzens fund is to know neither State | But who shall echo the Jaugh that shows A friend’s mistake or a foeman's woes, The laugh that,is empty and insincere, The Iaugh that ogly cougtals & EReer2 per, the rights of cities to make and main- tain their own contracts, and States should take regulatory powers over them only to the city limits. The State Supreme Court be the possible appeal.” “To the la; the United States decl tha ‘which | rado, highest | into contracts with public utilities, and that when a utility comes into court claiming ‘confiscation,’ it must present indisputable facts,” states the Little Rock Arkansas Democrat. The Boston Transcript takes the position that “this decision in no sense ‘upholds’ the 5- cent fare as being safe and sound on economic grounds;” that “it has not been proved so low that it is confisca- tory; but this is by no means to say that it has been shown fair, just and reasonable.” “The Interborough is left with the problem of operating a losing system along with a paying one,” says the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, “and the city is left with the burden of taking the an- nual charges of its subway investments out of the fmkeu of the taxpayers. The merits, if any, of the confiscation issue which the Interborough raised are left undetermined, and litigation based on that issue may at some future time appear before the Supreme Court, but not until State courts have first had their say in respect of contract provi- The only citizens who do not re- joice,” remarks the New York Sun, “are the millions who pay the taxes. ‘They know that they will be compelled to pay millions, perhaps a hundred millions, every year to let the city give an 8 or 10 cent ride for 5 cents, and they give that ride not only to the resi- dents of New York, but to visitors from out of town who pay no taxes here.” “The immediate question involved, namely, whether the Interborough should be permitted to advance its pas- senger tariff by 2 cents on the face of a long-existing contract specifying a max- imum rate of 5 cents, is a matter of ex- clusive concern to the metropolis,” re- marks the Syracuse Herald, “but in its broader implications the decision is of vital interest to every city and State in the country.” The Jersey City Journal emphasizes this point with the sug- gestion that “there have been many efforts to prevent the utilities from turning the Federal courts into rate- making bodies when the utility com- missions and State courts ruled against rate increases.” Pony Express Pitted " Against Speed Cars From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. ‘When Nebraska celebrates the seven- ty-fifth anniversary of its founding as a Territory next Fall, one of the most interesting studies in transportation of recent years will be presented. All the current mechanical modes of locomo- tion will be pitted against the pony ex- press in a handicap of 400 miles, Air- planes, automobiles and raflroad trains will be tested 'in competition with the sturdy little mustangs that in a former era kept the old frontier in touch with civilization. The sons and daughters of Aksarben, as they love to reverse the State name, will be inclined to back the ponies against the machines. More than mere sentiment is behind the respect which the 'geo le of the present West have for the four-footed express in such a sace. The handi- capping, naturally, will not favor the machines, but that does not cover the reason for the preference. Each pony will run only 10 miles. The relay changes will be made in an eye-wink. ‘The riders will be keyed and trained. ‘The country is comparatively level; the course follows the Platte river, from Julesburg, just over the line in Colo- Omaha. The ) to 3 po! an a of 30 miles per hour. The -utom that makes the trip with total time averaging 40 miles is rare. The regular railroad schedule is around 35 miles per hour, Special handicaps will have to be made for the airplanes. This will be a transportation review worth while. It is long since the pony express race. If bration are devised Wayne Wheeler in his t fight NEW BOOKS AT RANDOM LG M. Dorr. Frederick A. Seventeen hundred and seventy-six is an epic date with us. . Then this country not only declared its inde- pendence, but, besides, it fought a long war to secure and establish such na- tional sovereignty. It was 72 years later than this that another declara- tion of independence was made in the United States. Now in 1029, after the passage of more than fourscore years since that event, the war to which it gave rise is not yet entirely ended. A thousand victories have: been won. Still there are outposts of resistance to be vanquished. Back there in 1848, at the village of Seneca Falls in New York State, a little group of women had the nerve to stand up and to declare their revolt against the age-old overlordship of the male in certain matters that concerned, exclusively, the welfare of women the world around. They formally stated the case and solemnly ushered in a rebellion, Like the heroes of 1776, they prepared to fight for their rights—for the rights of woman. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Susan B. Anthony were the prime crusaders in a movement whose object was to win—well, pretty much all that you and I can, today, really call our own. And what are these rights that we nowadays - so blithely set out to demonstrate as our very own, sewed up in our own coat pockets, so to speak? Oh, there are many of them, but, broadly speaking, they come together under the idea of free opportunity to do and to be the thing we want to do and to be. Doctor, lawyer, merchant, priest—anything at all, even the wife and housewife and mother if we choose, and not simply because there is noth- ing else that we are permitted to be. Every sort of school is open to the girl to enter as she thankfully goes out to meet this magic opportunity. Now we earn our money, or ought to, if we have any. We use and control it as never was done before. We go to the polls to help name the ones who make the laws that we must obey. In a_ word, thanks to those women up in Seneca Falls on that day in 1848, we do what our gifts and our desires invite us to do. And here is the story of one of those heroic pioneers, Susan B. Anthony. It is the story of a dauntless woman, of & doughty fighter in a momentous mat- ter. 1t is a record of hardships and a grim endurance, of small triumphs and many defeats. Yet, standing where we do now, it is plain to us—probably plainer than it was then to Susan in the thick of the fight—that she and her forces were all the time on the up- grade, That even at their darkest hour they were, in reality, facing the supreme height of their endeavors, votes for women. An achievement which by only a few scant years suc- ceeded to the final outfaring of Susan B. Anthony. Mrs. Dorr knows this field, has a per- sonal interest in its meanings and im- plications. Therefore this is a sympa- thetic study as well as one of highly intelligent projection. All of the facts are here, They are here, moreover, in {their rightful places, contributing to 2 coherent and comprehensive view of woman'’s advance and of the service of Anthony. She is the center of thi: progression. Around her are other ca. pable workers, brilliant women giving aid and comfort to the great question. but through thick and thin here is Susan B. Anthony, given over heart and soul to this single cause. Mrs. Dorr is, again, practiced in the art of telling her story, whatever this story may be. This is, therefore, in its way with words, an inviting narrative, a thing that one likes to read from start to finish. To- | ward the end there is a little incident ‘that serves to clear up a case here in Washington. You recall that in the ‘Wilson administration there was around the White House a demonstration of women that was censured as a mere bit of sensationalism. It is worth one’ while to read this, since it shows how easy it is to hand in judgment when but a few of the facts are known. To read the whole of this incident is to see that this spectacular action was merely a part of very astute political procedure, a bit of political technic that had proved most efficacious for the woman move- ment in England. It proved to be just that here, too. Read this for your own understanding. Read the whole book, you woman girl, for by way of the effort that it depicts, by way of the tri- umphs that it records, by way of the character of this woman or that one who fought our battles, by way of the inspiration of Susan B. Anthony her- self, you will come to know more of your history as a real being than you now know. Read the book. Substantial and admirable throughout. * K Kk X WAYNE WHEELER: Dry Boss. By Justin Steuart. New York: Fleming H. Revell Co. The substance of this book reads much like a record of current events, as indeed it is, as indeed it has been for many years. In effect, the biography of Wayne Wheeler must of necessity be but a chapter, a single movement, in the long story of prohibition. And this particular chapter came to an end but yesterday, or so it seems. In a short opening sketch Justin Steuart presents the child and the youth, set in the circumstances of birth, surroundings and upbringings—these offered for what they are worth in the life of any man as direction and force for subsequent years. The body of the study is, however, a summary of the activities that distinguished Wayne ‘Wheeler as a fighter in the cause of his single-hearted espousal. We recall the rugged stories as they came out day by day in the press. Here, however, these tales of high-handed procedure against the mightiness of Legislatures and other obstructive powers are brought into or- der and sequential point to give a bet- ter understanding of both general pur- pose and special movement on the part of this indomitable crusader. Through this assemblage of properly co-ordinated facts the reader secures a view of the whole Wheeler movement, where hith- erto this came to him in relatively un- revealing fragments. So a clearer in- sight is gained, not only of the service of this one man but of the question of prohibition as a whole. The study sets out a definite period in the long history of a matter that since the founding of the Nation has proved to be a fighting cause. Out of our recent Press readings we know the activities of Wayne Wheeler. Never before, however, has the man in his work been presented so starkly as in this book. Right, always right? Oh, no; often wroni lways wise in his warfare? Often clearly unwise. Fear- less, outrageously fearless at times. An honest man, though, in both intent and conduct. The best service of this book 15, I take, the opportunity which it so freely offers for the study of a human being —God’s most puzzling handiwork. This Wayne Wheeler was a certal kind of man—a type, we call it some- times. A man of power, a domineering, masterful man. He loved the feel of having things go his way. Luckily it was a good way that he chose. Oper- ating so ruthlessly within this comrse, he came to be called a “boss”—modern name for the famous old tyrants of history, for the Bismarcks and Napo- leons and such. And Wheeler was a “boss,’ gloried in the title. | Under its aegis he played many parts— olitical technician of expert power. l:cl- nies will make | viser {such progress as was rendered by Susan | ! 1 | | | i e i s THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. . TUESDAY. APRIL 23, 1929. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. ‘Take advantage of this free service. If you are one of the thousands who have patronized the bureau, write us again. If you have never used the service, begin now. It is maintained for your benefit. Be sure to send your name and address with your question, and inclose 2 cents in coin or stamps for return_postage. Address The Eve- ning Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. Q. Can any one learn to fly an air- plane?—J. E. P. A. It is not every one who can learn to fly an airplane. One has to have a sense of balance, perception of depth and accurate judgment of distance. Also one has to have the mental capacity as well. as the physical capacity for flying. In the Govern- ment flying school one is not allowed to enter without two years of college work to his credit. Q. How many telegrams were sent as Mother’s day messages last year?— D. A H. A. The telegraph and cable com- panies were unable to give us the num- ber of Mother's day messages, since their daily reports are made up to show the monetary value of business instead of quantity. However, the Mother's day telegrams for 1928 were 39 per cent higher than for 1927. over 1927. Q. Where was the first Juvenile | in the United States estab-| Court lished?—R. T. G. » A, The first Juvenile Court in the world was , established on April 21, 1899, in C()O& 1llinois Legislature. The bill was drafted at the request of the members of the Chicago Woman's Club and was spon- sored by the Chicago Bar Association. Q. Can air mail stamps or special delivery stamps be used as regular stamps up to their face value?—A. G. S. A. They cannot be used for any thing except the purpose for which they are made. On the other hand. ordinary postage stamps may be used for air mail or special delivery, by using adequate postage and stating on the en- velope what is intended. Q What became of chains?—P. A. L. A. Columbus was carried back to Spain after his third voyage and dur- Columbus’ Foreign | cables ncreased 29 per cent in 1923 | County, 1il., by act of the | ing the trip he was such a sorrowful figure and the captain of the ‘vessel bhad so much respect for him that he wanted to remove the chains. but Co- lumbus refused, saying that they were put on by orders of their majesties and they must be removed the same way. Of course, when he reached Spain and was ordered freed, his request that they be given him was granted and his grandson writes that they never left him. It was his dying request that they e buried with him and this was done Q. What is the earliest age that a person may be immunized against ty- phoid fever>—A. R. E. A. Medical authorities say that the time to immunize against typhoid fever ;.’I any time after the third month of ife. Q. Is George Drew Mendum, in the cast of “The Kingdom of God,” related | to Ethel Barrymore?—F, 8. A. Georgie Drew Mendum is Ethel's cousin. Sne is the daughter of Louisa Drew Mendum and granddaughter_of the famous Mrs. John Drew. Her mother and Georgle Drew Barrymore, mother of Ethel, were sisters. Q. Why is the war in which Jeanne d’Arc fought called a “war of yout B. 8. A. At the time of the siege of Orleans, Charles VII was only 25: Jeanne, 18; the Duc d'Alencon, 19: Dunois, 25; the Sire de Rais, 24, and Xaintrailles, 23. The eldest was L» Hire, who was 38. Q. Please give me the addresses of some of the Indians who are now chicf of tribes—W. C. A. The Indian tribes no longer have chiefs. Q. Do articles made of rubber have | longer lives now than they did a few | years ago?—M. L. | " A. In the past five years strides have been made in preventing the deterio- ration of rubber. This loss of strength s probably due to a slow process of | oxidation. _Anti-oxidants have been found which now prolong the Iife of | rubber material | Q. When did we acquire American | Samoa?—M. D. | TA. It became a possession of the United States by virtue of the tri- | partite treaty with Great Britain and | Germany in November, 1899, accep'rd | by the United States, February 13, 1900 BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLL e By proclamation of President ‘Hoover ‘Wednesday, May 1, is set aside as Child Health day, and on that date the public is invited to give thought to all the problems of childhood. The fashion of marking special days for worthy causes | is not new. It was a proverb long be fore Shakespeare’s time. “Every dog has his day,” but it is of modern in- troduction that even babies and older children should have equal attention. Some most recent discoveries in science, such as the recognition of the importance of vitamins in dlets, whether for children or grown-ups, have seemed to give a newness to the idea of develop- ing children through proper feeding. but vitamins have existed since eternity began, and it is now declared that the absence of certain vitamins in the food eaten by clams and other forms of lower life, millennia ago. produced rick- ets in the clams, etc. even before “clams” became humanized. Let parents take warning and save their babies from clam-rickets. It is for some such pur- pose that President Hoover, who for years has been president of the Child Health Society, has now renewed offi- cial Government sanction to the para- | mount importance of taking thought | of the sacred obligation upon the cur- rent generation to safeguard and de- velop the helpless onwrfining race. * x Almost simultaneous with the Presi- dent’s proclamation of Child Health day comes the amazing news that Sen- ator James Couzens of Michigan has taken the matter so seriously and so nobly that he has given ten millions of dollars to a commission in Detroit to be devoted to scientific research and hospital service and other benefactions for the upbuilding of child life. And the entire sum, principal as well as in- terest, must be used within 25 years. For many years Senator Couzens has been closely identified with child wel- | fare—child hospitals, too—and this is not his first million that he has de- voted to the cause. Upon highest au- thority, it is stated that he had alread: given some $5,000,000 for the same purpose Tt is not within the power of many to give $15,000,000 to childhood, but somehow this act reminds one of Tur- ner's famous retort to the lady who pro- tested at the brilliancy of his glorious painted sunsets, declaring that she could not see such colors in nature: “But don't you wish you could, madame? * ok kX Senator Couzens protests that he is not actuated by mere sentimentality toward babies. Unlike the statement of old, he has no urge to kiss every baby he meets, whether at election time or any other, but he recognizes the vast importance of protecting childhood, which is so helpless and so potent in its effect upon the world of tomorrow. So he makes it possible to enable scien- | tists to research and to establish hos- pitals and laboratories, to the end that our children may be healthier, have their general welfare and happiness protected and their dietetics, personal ity and behavior better understood. He lays special stress upon personality and behavior, as mysteries requiring re- search, and he believes that that is fundamental, as evidenced by the fact that, in the present enormous increase of crime, the offenders are so largely aged between 16 and 21 years, whereas, during the six years that he was mayor of Detroit, the criminals were over 30 years of age. ‘When asked to what influence he at- tributed the tendency of youth to crime, he replied promptly: “It is largely due to motor cars.” Yet it is well known that Senator Couzens' many millions originated from his former partnership with Henry Ford. Motor cars? Then why not abolish motor cars? Are not children more than motor cars? That is an imprac- ticable suggestion; we must adapt our- se:ves to present conditions—not the- ories. . He explanied that motor cars have completely changed family lifs. In for- mer years the family stayed at home: there was nowhere else to go. Now it is easy for the children, as well as par- ents, to drive many miles away from on Sundays or any day. X rotten parent,” asserts the Senator, “who declares the child shall not do such running about, but then we must study the effect of the new conditions and adapt our measures and our thought to the present influences. ‘We must study recreation and play. We must recogn! learn what makés him shun his asso- ciates in'play or work, for the unsocial child may develop most readily into the skill of its author, we are permitted to come upon a man while the wheels of his epormous_activity are whirling under our eyes. We can see the motive power, the direction, the force and the splendor of this human dynamo in th very act of striving and achieving. Wt are reminded here that too often one his | man writes about another from one of own . These other roles were assumed by who counted everything worthy, save insincerity and dishonesty, in this cru- sade agal 8 wet subme! world. Others will take the place ,: r ir | the ters of the day two extreme standpoints—undue ad- miration or undue condemration. Here neither of these sentimerts is allowed to have even a single day, or hour, in court. The result is that here Wayne Wheeler is delivered over to the read- er, bodily and spiritually, as one of in a cause that ht on to its ize the unsocial child and | a4 e | 1847 T criminal adult, with his mind set | against society. It may be that his home | environment makes him resentful: fir | out and try to remedy that condition.” ‘ * % ¥ X | It 1s with some such ideal that the ! Children's Bureau of the Department of | Labor has been operating since 1912 | but with more particular attention paic | to the health of child and mother. Th~ | movement for such a bureau originated in President Roosevelt's administration | and was urged by him and his suc- | cessor, President Taft. The bureau. es- | tablished then, was the first of its kir |in the world. but soon its usefulne: | was recognized everywhere; it was b along truly scientific research and edu cational lines by its first chief, Miss Julia C. Lathrop, with an appropriati of $25000 a vear and has been co ducted by its present head, Miss Abbo! | Soon similar_bureaus were founded in | Belgium, _ Czechoslovakia, Germany, Russia, Poland and Jugoslavia. Yet not until the draft of soldiers for the World War was it realized how great a percentage of American youths were, like Richard III, “rudely stamped, sent before their time into this world, scarce half made up and that so lamely and unfashionable that dogs barked at them.” The Governor of Kentucky was shocked to find that a guarter of the young men of that salubrious State, { with its mountains and valleys and sun- | shine, were deformed or defective in | some physical way. So was the entire | Nation. Now nearly all States have | commissions codifying their laws and studying their labor and other condi- | tions affecting childhood. * k Xk % An official report of the Children’s | Bureau shows that in 1927—the latest | year whose statistics are available— there were fewer deaths of children than in 1 so that 24,500 more chil- dren survived their first year of exis ence. Wonderful salvage by awakened science! Only 65 babies out of each 1,000 born | alive~died that year. Prior to the pas- |sage of the Sheppard-Towner law, | whereby the Federal Government went | into partnership with the several States for the protection of babies, the rate of deaths had been 76 instead of 65 per | 1,000 live births. That is the record of | child salvage of only seven years from the beginning. Yet, the United States cannot boast of its progress in obstetr Even todav the medical standards permit a new doctor to take full charge of childbirtih after he has sisted in, only six such cases. parts of the country, more children arc brought into the world by midw more or less ignorant and insanita than by trained physician: There are 45,000 practicing midwives in the United States. The United States has not kept pace with Europe in saving maternity cases, whether from maternal deaths or | from deaths of the babies at birth, or soon thereafter. Comparatively few | midwives have had scientific training. * % % There has been encouraged improve- ment in the District of Columbia, but not so great as in some States. For example, in 1916, the number of deaths here of babies per 1,000 births was 106 in 1927, it was 68. In New Hampshire, the rate in 1916 was 115 and in 1927, 69. States showing a rate of deaths of chil- dren under one y lower than 60 per thousand births, were Connecticut (59), Indiana (59), Iowa (55), Kansas (55), Minnesota (52), Missouri (60), Nebraska (51), Washington State (50), Wisconsin (39). The National Capital is not up to the average. Is there any reason why it should not lead? * k kX _Not only have the District of Colum- | bia conditions some progress yet to make to catch up with other States, | but all the United States may well ta note of the superiority of the maternity and ¢hild records of certain European countries. The Sheppard-Towner law will ex- pire by limitation this Summer, but a bill is now pending in both branches of Congress to extend its provisions, on the ground that it has demonstrated its uscfuiness. A | Advocates of the measure have quoted Dr. William Travis Howard, jr., of Joh: Hopkins University. Dr. Howard said “The death rates (for the U, 8. birth- registration area for 1918), whether viewed in comparison with the rates for England and Wales, or considered alone, are appallingly high for total | deaths and for deaths under each im- | portant category. These rates are prob- ably unparalleled in modern times in & civilized country. To match our rate for the whole puerperal State (88.48 per 10,000 births) it is necessary to revert to the Swedish rate for 1806- 1810 (89 per 10,000 births). It is more than double the Swedish rate for 1851- 1855, 75 per cent greater than the aver- e rate for England and K Wales for to 1876 (50 per 10,000 living births) and 120 per cent greater than the average rate for the latter area for 1911-1915 (4031 pcr 10,000 living Biyth). o @9 Studies of the U. S. Children’s Bureau show not only that maternal mortality in the United States is higher than that among most nations of the civi- lized world. but that it has remained practically stationary during 3 the present