Evening Star Newspaper, May 10, 1929, Page 8

8 THE EVENING STAR! With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. FRIDAY. THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor and Pennsylvania Ave. Office: 110 East 42nd St. : Lake Michigan Building. ovean Office: 14 Regent St.. London. England. Rate by Carrier Within the City. m S 45c per month 4 Sundass) ... 60c per month The Evening and Sunday Star ays). ...65¢ per month Jear o 0T s e pevio liection made at the end of each montn. Orders may be sent in by mail or telephone Main 5000. 53 Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Marviand and Vh:lnll‘. - fly ard Sunday... .1 ¥r. $1000; | mo. 8¢ ily o .00: day onty 3400; 1 mo.. e0c ily only Sunday "only Member of the Associated Press. ed Press is exclusively entitled r republication of all news di paper and also the local a1 o Duliched he Al riehts of publication %{ publiched hersin Special dispatches herein are also reserved. | = When Republicans Fall Out. Senator Simeon D. Fess of Ohio and Senator William E. Borah of Idaho, both stalwart supporters of President Hoover in the campaign, are at each others’ political throats. Senator PFess has made public a letter bitterly assail- ing the Idaho Senator for his failure to support Mr. Hoover's farm program. Senator Borah, with much heat, has replied that he wears no man’s collar, and that he did not abdicate his right to vote as his conscience dictates on legislation when he gave his support to Mr. Hoover. Mr. Borah's right to vote as he sees fit and as his conscience dictates is Justifiable. The legislative branch of the Government under the Constitu- tion is charged with the duty of enact- ipg laws. The individual legislator, theoretically at least, must use his own best judgment when he votes. There has grown up, however, a system of party government in the United States which demands a measure of party al- legiance even from legislators. There must be cohesion or chaos. ‘When the special session of Congress ‘was -determined upon it was expected that the so-called Hoover plan of farm Telief would be written into law. There was & demand that Mr. Hoover state specifically such a plan so that it might be followed. The most specific pro- nouncement by the President, however, was his denunciation of the so-called debenture plan. For that plan Senator Borah and twelve other Republicans voted, joining with all but four of the Democrats. These Republicans disre- garded any suggestion that farm rellef #should be a party measure. Some of them wear the party label lightly. But while the party system of Government obtains, Republicans or Democrats who desert when party measures are up for consideration will continue to be subject to criticism. ‘The wisdom of Senator Fess’ attack .on Senator Borah and the other Re- publicans who voted for debenture may be questionable. It can scarcely fail to increase a feeling of bitterness already too manifest in the upper house. It may aid in forcing a permanent coali- tion between these so-called insurgent Republicans—Mr, Fess has dubbed them pseudo Republicans—and the Demo- crats which will hamstring the admin- Adstration from its very beginning. ‘The Democrats hailed the idea of a special session of the new Congress. It was their hope that “something would turn up” to blast Republican success. ‘They are chuckling now over the divi- slon which has arisen in the ranks of the Senate Republicans. Nothing could be more opportune for them. Last No- vember, following the national election, Democratic hopes were at a low ebb. The Republicans not only elected a President by & tremendous vote, but also increased their lead in the Senate and the House. The Democrats were left divided and without an issue. ‘Whether they will be able to make a party issue of the debenture fight, or ‘whether such an issue will aid them, re- mains to be seen. But, largely under the leadership of Senator Norris of Nebraska, who calls himself a Repub- lcan although he supported Al Smith for President, the Republicans of the Senate have been divided on one of the most important pieces of legislation that will come before this Congress. Surely the Democrats are to be con- gratulated. —————————— Dollar bills will soon be smaller. But the metal required for a street car ride will weigh just as much as usual. — ra—————— Uncle Sam is now expected to interest himself in the question of who is going to take hold and run the World Court. ———r———————— Reapportionment Wrangling. ‘Reapportionment of seats in the House among the several States to give equal representation to all the people, which has been delayed nine years in violation of the Constitution, still faces disagreement between the House and Senate. Chairman Fenn of the House census committee, who, after years of effort, finally steered a reapportionment bill through the troubled waves of selfish State interests in the House, now finds | serious opposition to -two particular changes made by the Senate. One of these joins the reapportionment and | census legislation into a single measure, | and the other is that the Senate has changed the date for taking the 1930 census from May 1, 1930, as passed by | the House, to November 1, 1929. The | Senate also recommends a census of | unemployment, which the House chair- man feels will be expensive, adding materially to the cost of the census which is now -eckoned at something ‘under $40,000,000. The House members felt strongly that reapportionment and census legislation should be considered separately because different considerations are involved. They considered carefully the differ- ences in a Spring and Fall enumeration and decided to follow precedent and the common interests of the largest number in ordering that the enumera- tion be made in the Spring. The Senate committee favors the Fall enumeration as @ concession to the farmers. 1 May 10, 1920 THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, FRIDAY, MAY 10, 1929. sideration is this: While the House census committee is not organized in this extra session, Chairman Fenn has the promise of the House leaders that | he will be granted a special rule to bring up both the reapportionment and census measures if and when they are passed by the Senate. If the Senate passes these measures as they passed the House they can be enacted into law at this extra sesslon—otherwise, they will have to start their legislative course i all over again, introduced as new busi- | ness In the regular session which meets in December, and the Senate would have failed to get through its proposal for a November enumeration. This is one of those times when in | the public interest the Senate and | House leaders should patch up differ- ences in a friendly conference. TS | The Parents and Teachers. When the annual conventions of the antlunsl Congress of Parents and ‘Teachers come to Washington they | come back home. It was here in Wash- ington, back in 1897, that the first con- | vention was held and in the thirty-two | years since, while they have toured the | country from Atlantic City to Los An- | geles and from Chicazo to Austin, they havé chosen Weshington eleven times ! for their moetings. This is their birth- !place, and it is to be hoped that they ‘\l\‘ll] continue to come back, from year | to year, and that their growth in num- bers, power and prestige during the next three decades will equal their astonishing growth of the last three. ‘The Parents and Teachers’ Congress | was born as an idea. But it has deval- oped as an important factor in the edu- cational life of the Nation. It has come to be the tie that binds the school and the home, the two institutions that count most in the moiding of young | liver for future usefulness. During this | thirty-third annual convention, now about to come to a close in Washington, the delegates and guests have given a great part of their time to the dis- cussion of theories and the exchange of ideas. Going back home the visitors will give to organizations in every State and in nearly every city, town and vil- lage in the country these pointers along the road that lies ahead. Here in Washington the parent- | teacher organization is extraordinarily {important. The relationship between it and the community is unique. It is un- duplicated in any other city. The par- ents in Washington have no direct voice in the schools. They take, for their children, what a body of legislators representing every community iu ths Nation except this one chooses to give them, That most potent of corrective instruments, the ballot, is denied them. { All that is left for them are the rights of petition and argument, and the par- ent-teacher bodies in Washingten have supplied to & major extent the organi- zation for the exercise of those limited rights. They have, in addition, suc- ceeded in developing and maintaining the interest of unorganized parents in |the separate schools which serve indi- vidual communities. They have brougint the parents into contact with the teach- ers, and they have enabled the parents to supply for the schools many of the necessary supplementary items which school appropriations have denied them. ‘Washington, therefore, has more than passing interest in the success and the prosperity of the National Congress of Parents and Teachers. It has felt the benefits from the existence of such an being named for each chub and listed in order according to their adjudged value, with the first choices counting eight points, the second seven and so on down to one point for the last man in the ranking. A tabulation of the total points re- vealed the consensus as to the most val- uable player and an embossed me- mento and one thousand dollars were presented to the honored individual, who, in addition, naturally received much attention in the sports columns of the newspapers. Considerable contention between player and club was attendant upon this publicity. It manifested itself prin- cipally in higher salary demands, as in the case of Mickey Cochrane, last year's winner, who was a “holdout” for many | weeks. Unquestionably this was the chief influencing factor in the action of the club owners. Despite criticism on this and other points, however, the general feeling among base ball men is that the draw- backs of the plan are outweighed by its advantages. These include incentive to harder work by the players themseives, |in addition to the interest aroused } among followers of the pastime in what | has come to represent a “hall of fame” ! for the major league stars, and it is believed the National League owners | have chosen wisely in deciding to retain the award for their circuit instead of [ following the action of the younger | 1oop, which instituted it in 1922. Incidentally, the decision of the ! American League magnates to discard the award sounds the death knell for the “monument to base ball” which it | was planned to erect in this city. Byron Bancroft Johnson, president of the circuit since its inception until near the close of the 1927 season, when he resigned, was the originator of this pian, which called for the presentation to the National Capital of a shaft on which would be carved the name of the out- standing player of each succeeding sea- son. To defray the cost an appropri- ation of $100,000 was made by the league. Inability to have a site desig- nated delayed the fruition of this scheme, and now that the “most valu- able player” contest has been scrapped the monument idea undoubtedly will be abandoned. —ee— A desire on the part of John J. Raskob to teach everybody to save money may result in some wise restraint in study- ing the racing program and the crap game, not to mention the stock market ticker. —————— Social precedence has become a ques- tion of far greater import than it was when it related only to the ill-favored boarder who always got the plece of smoked fish with the eye in it. e It may be that Calvin Coolidge, when he passed along presidential privileges, regarded the veto power as no especial prerogative. —— e Experts are walting to see whether debentures will serve to relieve the farmer or only involve him in new problems relating to negotiable paper. —————— A square mile is estimated as neces- sary for an air fleld. Earth and sky unite in questions to be considered by realtor and aviator. ———————— As a statesman and a philosopher, Senator Borah does not insist on being perfectly satisfled with everything that goes on in public affairs. ————————— organization and it wishes them every- where extended. ——————— Religious Peace in Mexico. ‘There seems no longer any reason to doubt that religious peace in Mexico is in sight. President Portes Gil's state- ment, made early this week, affirming the government’s willingness to enter into negotiations with Archbishop Leo- poldo Rulz, the nominal head of the Roman Catholic hierarchy, is held in Mexico City to be the definite precursor of a settlement of difficulties which have been smoldering for nearly three years. Here in the United States, where we are not vexed by any questions involv- ing church and state, we may not fully realize the import of such problems in Mexico. Whatever the rights or wrongs of them may be, they have kept the political waters surging south of the Rio Grande ever since August, 1926, when the priests were recalled from the tem- ples, services were suspended and what churchmen called “the Calles law” be- came effective. Attempts to bring about a reapproche- | ment between the Mexican government and the Roman Catholic Church have meantime been incessant and as con- | inuously futile. Now, thanks to Presi- dent Portes Gil's Initiative, opinion seems unanimous that the prospect of a solution is at last real and promising. Senor Calles’ successor has made no secret, from the date of his accession to the presidency at the end of 1928, of his desire to arrive at an agreement with the church. As an enlightened states- man, Senor Portes Gil appreciates the profound importance of religious tran- quillity in Mexico. Mexico City dis- patches record the significant fact that in moving toward peace with the church he has Senor Calles’ unqualified sup- port. America’s interest in an entente cor- 1 diale between church and state in Mex- | ico is confined to the belief that it will | work for stability there in all directions. A Mexico no longer in ferment over re- ligious strife is a Mexico with which in- ternational relations can only rest on a sounder basis. If it be true that Am- bassador Morrow’s good offices have been exerted toward a church-state un- derstanding across our southern border, | the energetic envoy of the United States has striven for the good not only of the country to which he is accredited, but for the benefit of Mexican-American | relations in general. e r——— Very few persons take good photo- graphs. There is more excuse than | may be popularly understood for those who become camera shy. ——————— The Base Ball Award. Followers of base ball in general prob- ably will disapprove the action of the American League in discarding the an- nual “most valuable player” contest. For several years it has been the cus- tom to have a committee composed of a 't | poem on his first ocean voyage. Crime waves cause the innocent by- stander to wonder why he should be compelled to figure in glorious but un- deserved martyrdom. THIS AND THAT There are so many “enemies” and “villains” spoken of in childhood's stories that one sometimes wonders what becomes of them when a reader Brows up. The old narrational necessity, the ob- stacle, was exemplified in many a char- acter whose one sole duty, as we re- member it, was to harass, hamper and in other ways work against the hero. This sort of thing was exceptionally well done in some of the old “nickel novels,” sometimes called dime novels, although they only cost 5 cents. The hero always had an enemy. and this fellow was traditional. No matter what the hero did, from winning the hand of a beautiful maiden to knock- ing a home run in the ninth inning. his faithful enemy was right there to butt The story always worked up to a point where this enemy fellow seemed about to triumph. Mary, Frank’s sweetheart, felt her sentiments chang- ing; she believed she had liked Fred, the enemy, all the time but had not known it. When a_game of base ball was in progress, Frank was about ready to slam out a triple, which®would have swept the bases, tying the score, but Fred managed to slyly throw a bit of dust in his eyes at the crucial moment, making him miss the ball by a mile. In the last chapter, however (which | also was the last inning, of course), | Frank won the beautiful Mary for his own, and also knocked a home run— maybe it was the four-bagger which | caused Mary to change back again. * % It seemed in those days that no boy could possibly succeed in life without some sort of villain pursuing him. Out of this situation came the famous phrase, “And the villain still pursued her.” The raw stuff of the melodramas was transferred with a little more ar- tistry to the pages of books. Even the Henty books, beloved of their generation, were sprinkled with many obstacles in the way of enemies ana villains, not only national enemies and villains, but also personal ones who were every whit as interesting to the readers. Small boys got into the habit of thinking that life was necessarily like that, so many of them were rather mildly surprised, on growing to man’s estate, to discover that life did not necessarily mean enemies in the meanly vindictive sense. There will always be obstacles, of course, but there is no dire necessity for enemies in the worst sense of the word. One discovers in adult life that the worst his average garden variely of “enemy” does is to indulge in petty mischief. The “villains” the average man runs into are sorry sort of villains, after all. Not a one of them would cut a pretty figure on a stage. Scarcely a one would do to figure in the pages of romance. Can yonder surly office mate, who makes a business of being offended over nothing. can he be dignified by being called an “enemy"? It is to laugh. Where are the “villains” of yester- year? Surely that ugly fellow with the perpetual sneer is not entitled to be labeled “villain.” No, the label would be much too good for him. He has no large curling mustache, he does not smoke big cigars cocked at an angle, and he has no cold and glittering eye. Such mean- ness as he possesses is of a petty va- riety, not in the grand manner. He simply needs to reform his diet to be a pretty decent fellow. Although the acknowledged and amusing facts in the Curtis-Gann tragi- comedy are enough to keep the Capi- tal's gossip-mongers busy, Mrs. Grundy and her sisters (to say nothing of her brothers) have not shrunk from am- plifying the incident with fictitious trimmings. this observer, for ex- ample, there came the other day a cir- cumstantial account of how the Vice President insists that even his closest comrades should quit calling him “Charley.” Now comes the authorita- ———s SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Precedence. ‘What do I care for cake or ple Served neatly from the shelf? First in the Dairy Lunch am I, And there I serve myself. ‘Those who come later on may grieve To view my pride so great, As I my hungerings relieve, ‘While others have to wait. Here the first comer smiles and feels Elation so intense— Even my Dairy Lunch reveals A Social Precedence. Midnight Reminder. “Your speech reminded me of mid- night toil.” “Was it so profound?” inquired Sen- ator Sorghum. “Partly that. But what I had in mind was that it seemed to make every- body kind o’ sleepy.” Jud Tunkins says he likes his old friends, but none of them is as good company for the time being as a high- power salesman. Getting Along. ‘The Farmer sighed, “Perhaps I may Some means at last diskivver, By which to swap a little hay For gas to run the flivver.” Real Consideration. “Why do you refuse to dance with me?” “Because I rather like you,” replied Miss Cayenne. “I may even learn to cherish some romantic regard, if I can keep you from siepping on my toes.” “Our ancestors have handed down to us much good advice,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “most of which they | themselves did not take.” Crashing In. And when his toil is done, Some caterpillar comes along And has the real fun, “You never really loses a friend,” sald Uncle Eben. “A man who goes back on you wasn't & friend in de fust place.” . Nor That He Spreads Cheer. From the Detroit Free Press. The fact that he whistles at his work is no sign the traffic cop is happy. Ugh! But It’s Pretty Good! From the Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch. Correspondent desires @ title for a How would “Sick Transit” do? — Correctly Labeled. From the Saginaw Daily News. Speaking of optimists there is an IIli- writer from each of the eight cities in s the circuit select the performer of | nols State Senator who has seriously 1 ‘The Gardener's faithful work is strong; tive assurance that Mr. Curtis has never done anything of the sort, or thought of doing so. The Kansan's friends, whose name is Sflllnlvi‘gl::n, are apparently at liberty to cal any- tg&g they please, and he remains “Charley” to most of them, especially his cronies in the Senate. Washington would not be Washington without its tea table tittle-tattle. As the prece- dence mess is the richest morsel that's rolled over the Capital's tongue in moons, it was inevitable that the longer it lasted the more exaggerated forms it would assume. The town's favorite in- door sport nowadays is giving the Cur- tis-Gann muddle new twists — mostly inary. e * k k * Now that “Princess Alice” Longworth has waded into the precedence fray, it's interesting to recall that it was her own father, President Theodore Roose- velt, who had to deal with an almost identical episode. “T. R.” had given a White House dinner to visiting gover- nors. Speaker “Joe” Cannon, who was present, thought he should have ranked the Chief Justice of the United States, and registered unmistakable displeasure when Justice Fuller was placed at the President’s right. “Teddy” stood his ground, asserting that the seating ar- ragement was not decided upon until after Elthu Root, Secretary of State, had pronounced it o. k. Later on, to placate “Uncle Joe,” of whom Roose- velt was fond, the list of official White House dinners was extended to include a special dinner in honor of the Speak- er of the House. The custom persists to this day. * oK K K President Hoover's “honeymoon” is over, beyond & doubt. The farm relief and tariff imbroglios on Capitol Hill jointly signalize its end. History re- peats itself. Sooner or later our Presi- dents always clash with Congress. In Hoover's case the ruction has come earlier than usual, because he sum- moned Congress in special session with- in a few weeks of entering the White House. The Californian now has his chance to reveal the political finesse with which his admirers credit him and which his detractors as vehemently claim he does not possess. Time will tell. Both controversial issues are loaded with political dynamite to the | brim—the tariff, in particular. In the | past it has spiit parties, changed the | complexion of Congress and spelled the doom of administrations. The Presi- dent is not blind to the perils of the crisis that confronts him. A new chap- ter of the Hooverlan era will be written as he fights his way out of it. * % K K Representative A. Piatt Andrew, Re- publican, of Massachusetts s not so downcast_over the Hawley bill's failure to make boots and shoes dutiable as to lose interest in another project dear to his heart. It concerns publication of the World War military records. Soon after the special session was convened, Col. Andrew introduced a resolution in the House providing that all official records and maps relating to the activ- forces should be “assembled, inventoried, classified, prepared for publication and published.” The Massachusetts Con- gressman asks: “How is it possible to Write a trustworthy history of the World War when the records are only in part available? They ought to be avail- able in every library everywhere.” * kK * Now that the gladsome annual com- mencement time approaches, more than ordinary interest attaches to the nove! project recently initiated by Dr. Wil- iiem Mather Lewis, president of Lafay- ette College, at Easton, Pa. Lafayette taken on the job of driving smoke out Another and very important con- greatest worth to his team, one man of Chicago. $ plans a significant educational enter- prise to be called the Alumni College. BY FREDERIC ities of American military and naval | BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. And yonder lovely lady villainess— what are her machinations except the overrunning of a disgruntled spirit, dis- satisfied with life? s ‘With the great majority, urban living is mostly a matter of give and take. Mostly city people attend to their own business and expect others to do the same. Life for each one is made up of home and office and maybe a few clubs and personal friends. The chart of his goings and comings to and fro in the city might be easily made, since most of his travels are in the same old paths. He may go back and forth over them year after vear, this average city man of whom we speak. To begin with, he may be rich or only moderately well off, ex- tremely moderately, if you will. X He may travel these self-made routes for years, wa say, and never once run egainst a man who actually deserves to be termed his “enemy.” Opposition, civilization is coming to see, does not necessarily mean opposi- tion with meanness in it, counter- action fringed with nastiness or cruelty. Honest dislike, based upon certain antipathies, may be met and accepted for what it is, without any one finding it necessary to call the holder of it a “villain.” Disagreement may be made without demanding a surly temper or a creased bro In the face of these facts, the old-time story book “enemies” and “villains” mostly disappear. * ok ok K Today men meet opposition, dislike and disagreement without getting into a stew. The universal tendency is to “laugh it off.” Suppressions of one kind or another are getting in their work. There are some who tell us that to suppress a child in any form, shape or manner. is bad for it, but since the adult will have to practice suppressions of many sorts, why may not the child be trained in a few of them? Thus the grown man or woman finds it expedient, not cowardly, to ignore as many small unpleasantnesses in life as possible. From some standpoints this would seem to be the happy me- dium, the golden mean, between the two opposing principles, 1. e.. to “fy off the handle” at the slightest upset, and to turn the other cheek. The first is foolish and the second notoriously difficult to achieve. By ignoring what it is possible to ignore without loss of honor, one may | get along with a minimum of enemies, grand, major or minor varieties. And sometimes, too, honor makes no such demands as a more romantic age thought necessary. Not 0o many decades ago in the United States men found it necessary to go to a dueling field if one of them called the other a liar. Today this is still a fighting term, but quite often the man who is given the lie will realize that he is a liar and in a spirit of humane fellowship admit it. This, it would seem, is a real ad- vance, not only in citizenship but in common sense as well. This sensible | attitude, diffused over all the walks of life. has lessened the number of ene- mies and villains and transformed the latter into up-and-doing citizens. The loss of villains and enemies out of the average life is no loss at all Even in the dueling days nobody really wanted them. but they were a part of tradition. Now that the world is get- ting rid of them, men are satisfled to allow them to remain between the covers of books for the edification of the young. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS WILLIAM WILE [t is being organized in order that alum- ni may keep in touch with the general intellectual progress of the day and se- cure direction from their alma mater in their special fields of interest. It is proposed to have the college in ses- sion throughout the week following alumni day—in other words to send “old boys" back to school for six or seven days, instead of assembling them merely for reminiscent reveries—and so forth. Dr. Lewis' scheme has ahieady attracted attention overseas. The Lon- don Times printed the details of the scheme and English educators are look- ing into it. * ok R K There was a luncheon party in Wash- ington yesterday at which the identity of the next governor general of the Philippines must have been the theme of lively discussion. The hosts were Senors Roxas and Osmena of the spe- clal Philippine mission, now in country, and the guest of honor was James W, Good, Secretary of War. It is expected that President Hoover will name the new American viceroy at Manila some time next month. Current report has it that he is to be a civilian, like Henry L. Stimson, rather than a professional soldier, like the late Gen. Leonard Woed. Former United States Senator James W. Wadsworth, jr., of New York, is persistently mentioned for the post. ** *x To this writer comes a quotation from a recent speech by Premier Baldwin of Great Britain, emblematic of the role he assigns to radio as a factor for world peace. Here it is: “One Sunday morning at Chequers (official week end residence of the Brit- ish prime minister near London) I came down a few minutes before my break- fast was ready, went to the radio re- ceiving set and tried all round Eu- rope, to see if anything was coming through at 9 o'clock am. By chance I struck some exquisite music in Berlin and heard shortly the singing of a hymn. I thought immediately that when the day comes when nearly every cottage in Great Britain can switch on to any station in Europe and hear the | peoples of Europe at their music, their | dancing, hymn-singing and prayers, what a bond that will be throughout the world! War, under such circumstances, will present a very different aspect.” A If anybody wants to know what the proposed new sugar tariff means, here's a bit of terse congressional English, of which Representative James A. Frear, Republican, of Wisconsin is the author: "A 60 per cent sugar duty is a useless sop to a few sugar companies that will lay a last straw on the back of 30,000,- 000 farm sugar consumers, give futile protection to an army of beet field Mexican and child labor, fatten the enormous profits of a handful of wealthy companies in the islands, in Colorado and Utah, and bring eventual but speedy disaster to the domestic sugar business.” (Copyright, 1929.) o Yes? No? From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Bolivia and Paraguay apparently gave up their war because they couldn't get anybody to attend the performance. v LA Why Bring This Up? From the Munice Morning Star. Formerly the people used to pledge | themselves to support the Government, but now they want the Government to support them. T And They Sprout Wings! From the Colorado Springs Gazette and Some people persist in buying wildcat gu;ck as if their bank rolls had nine ves. ] Is It Walkin From the Hamilton Spectator. One of man'’s little idiosyncrasles is to wait 10 minutes for a street car to take him to the golf course where he will thrill to the joys of walking in the great outdoors, Chinese New Year Rites Recounted by Minister To the Editor of The Star: We, in Shanghai, recently passed through the big feast—Chinese New Year. Every one's birthday comes on this day. Should a child be born in even the last hour of the last day of the old year it would be 2 years old on New Year's. New Year came on Sunday, February 10. Every store was closed. All work stopped. But it was not quiet! It was like many Fourth of Julys in one. At midnight 1 was wakened by a vast broadside of large and small fire- crackers, and they kept it up for days. In the morning the ground was covered as by red snow—the “confetti” of ex- ploding fireworks. Firecrackers are but a part of the feast—the noisy part. The last day of the year everybody is busy—the men at closing up their accounts. All bills must be collected and all debts paid. Woe to the man who does not pay up his debts! The women are very busy. The house must be made as clean as a pin and deco- rated, and the brooms hidden—bad luck if they appear on New Year. Be- fore the New Year sun rises all kinds of food must be gotten ready! Guests— many—will come during those days and they must be feastsd. Few people see slumber the last night of the old year. But when the sun rises, calm reigns over the household. As one walks out between 6 and' 9 a.m. the whole town is asleep. Sunday, indeed! But excite- ment arouses them and about 10 o'clock you'll find the streets alive with people dressed in their best “bib and tucker” and your hear “Kong Hyi Fah-dzai!"— “Congratulations and abounding wealth to you"—shouted from one to another. The closed doors are plastered with ap- propriate sayings written on blood-red strips of paper. Go to open spaces of the city and see crowds encircling pup- pet shows, acrobats, monkey perform- ers, squirming dragons, entertainers of all kinds and peddlers of sweets and children’s toys—Vanity Fair! Go to the temples and you find thousands burn- ing incense and candles before all the idols, praying for wealth, old age and bliss. One interesting god connected with the New Year is the god of wealth, which is worshiped especially on the 5th—his birthday. The money spent on firecrackers in his honor would pay China’s national debt. Few begin work again until he is properly worshiped. Another is the kitchen god. He is a paper god and sits over the stove in the kitchen, where he spies on the do- ings of the family for a year. On the 23d of the twelfth month he is given a big feast. Sweet sirup is put on his mouth and he is put in a beautiful pa- per sedan chair and burned in glorious style, accompanied by fireworks—which is sending him to the upper god to re- port on their year's doings; all this fuss and sweetness is to bribe him to speak well of their family to his mejesty. When he returns on the last night of the old year a new idol is bought and placed with little ceremony—in the old niche. It will be a year before he re- ports again—why “taffy” him now? Next to idol worship, gambling takes a big place in New Year celebration— gambling everywhere! What they eat and drink, and the firecrackers, and gambling, all, in some way or other, symbolize or point to the sound “Kao- sen!"—Excelsior! in the sense of rising high in wealth and statfon—especially in wealth. It's, indeed, a wonderfully interesting time, and is indulged in even by beggars—for they receive a harvest of alms. ‘The Nationalist government ordered that Chinese New Year should not be observed this year. It might as well have tried to turn back the great tidal wave of history! REV. H. G. C. HALLOCK. Fiery Cross Explained As Natural Happening BY E. E. FREE, PH. D. What people of earlier centuries un- doubtedly would have considered a supernatural portent of the utmost im- portance happened in England on Good Friday. A fiery, blood-red cross was seen against the sunset sky. So many people observed the phenomencn that there is no doubt of its reality. A cor- respondent of the London Times makes the interesting suggestion that a simi- lar “sign” in the heavens was probably what the Emperor Constantine saw and which led him to devise the motto which later became that of Christen- dom, “In hoc signo vinces” (By this sign’ shalt thou conquer). Weather science is now able, however, to provide a natural instead of a super- natural explanation of the Good Fri- day spectacle. The shining cross con- sisted, professional observers agree, of a vertical “sun pillar” crossed by part of an incomplete solar halo, forming the horizontal bar of the cross. The upright, brilliant shafts of sun pillars and the almost equally brilliant, al- though frequently incomplete, circles of solar halos both are due to reflection of the sun's rays from tiny particles of ice or tiny water droplets floating in the air. In some instances a number of such plllars, bars, circles and other figures are seen at the same time. Archeolo- gists report that the symbol of the cross is worldwide and far older than Chris- tianity, which religion merely gave it a peculiar historical significance. It is not impossible, some English observers of the Good Friday incident suggest, that natural appearances of this kind may have impressed primitive men everywhere and may originally have suggested the idea of some mystic sig- nificance in the symbol of the cross. —— e Japan and Nationalist Understanding Hailed From the Los Angeles Evening Express China’s civil wars likely will recur indefinitely. Until there has arisen a leader of national vision with person- ality of that magnetic power that at- tracts to him other strong men as it does the multitude, one whose unselfish devotion to the cause of a united China under a rule of law inspires confidence in himself and kindles in the hearts of the millions of Chinese the spark of faith and patriotic devotion to the in- stitutions of their country—until then such leaders as Chang Tsung-chang, whose Attila-like raid through Shan- tung left the province bled white, will be able to raise armies by holding out to the poverty-distressed the promise of loot. Of such brigandage are the civil wars about which we read. Until the great leader arises, there likely will be civil wars, so called, in China. That is the affair of the Nanking government. The outside world can do nothing about it, so need not be unduly concerned. But other things besides civil war are happening in China, and in which, whether or not we are aware, we have an _interest. One such event is the recent under- standing reached between Japan and the Nationalist government of China in the Tsinanfu affair, resulting in the agreement of Japan to withdraw her troops from Shantung, and of the Chiaese to bring to an end the boycott throughout China of Japanese mer- chants and goods. The boycott has cost Japan hundreds of millions of yen. Before this ban was put on Japanese- made goods, in retaliation for the Tsinanfu massacre last Spring and the military occupation of Shantung, more than 60 per cent of Japan's expcrts were to China. The merits of the Tsinanfu affair, whether a Chinese or a Japanese fired the shot that began the eight-day massacre, is controversial. Its impor- tance disappears with the declaration of both governments that they “de- plore extremely” the occurrence. But the fact that China and Japan official- ly are friends again is important, to them and to all of us. It may with- out exaggeration be regarded a:c a long su! toward restoration of pclitical order throughout the Orlent, that interests all states of the Pacific a To the business men of America and Europe it means the return of a strong competitor for the rich Chinese market. Japanese manufacturers, with compara- tively cheap labor and the advantage in ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS Did you ever write u letter to Fred- eric J. Haskin? You can ask him any question of fact and get the answer in a personal letter. Here is a great edu- cational idea, Introduced into the lives world—American newspaper readers. It is a part of that best purpose of a newspaper—service. There is no charge except 2 cents in coin or stamps for re- turn postage. Address Frederic J. Has- kin, director, The Evening Star Infor- mation Bureau, Washington, D. C. Q. How can mail be sent to the Byrd expedition?—A. H. S. A. There is no direct mail service now to the Bryd expedition. Business mail may be sent to_the American rep- resentative of the Bryd expedition, 2 West Forty-fifth street, New York City, and messages may be sent by radio. Personal mail should be sent in care of Topley, Dunedin, New Zealand. It Iwfll take a long time for mail to reach the Byrd party, since it will be for- warded only when opportunity affords. Q. What _is the monetary unit of Belgium? Is gold or silver the legal standard?—D. N. A. The franc is the monetary unit of Belgium. Both gold and silver are legal standards. Q. Why aren't_electric lights used in the Louvre?—E. C. A. An electric lighting system has been installed in the Louvre in Paris. It was placed in operation October 29, 1928. The proposal to install electric lights had been opposed for years be- cause of the fire risk which wiring in- stallation would bring about. Q. Was there once a floating church tor sailors in the river at New York | city>—L. T. A. The first building of the Scamen's Church Institute of New York was a floating church, buflt in 1843, moored on the East River at the foot of Pike street. Q. Is gum arabic still used to manu- | facture marshmallows?>—N. R. A. Gum arabic was formerly used, but now_ gelatin is generally subst: tuted, as being much less expensive and much easier to work with. Q. Was there ever a_real person called “Calamity Jane”?—F. G. ‘A. Jane Burke, better known as “Ca- lamity Jane,” American Army scout and mail carrier, was born in Princeton, Mo., 1852, and died in Deadwood, S. Dak., August 1, 1903. She was an Indian scout and was an aide to Gen Custer and Gen. Miles. For several years she was the Government mail carrier be- tween Deadwood, S. Dak., and Custer, Mont. Q. Does the Leviathan burn oil or | coal>—V. D. B. A. It is an oil burner. Q. How long has Arbor day becn observed?—T. R. A. It was first suggested in 1865, but first observed in 1872. the first State to make it an annual event. i Q. Does Indian pottery bear a mark to guarantee that it is genuine?—H. S. A. There is some talk about the adoption of a trade mark by the De- partment of the Interior to guarantee the genuineness of Indian products. However, nothing has been done about it as yet. Q. Were Goths and Visigoths the same?—C. S. A. The Goths divided themselves into two great groups—the Visigoths (Eastern Goths) and the Ostrogoths (Western Goths). The former lived on the slopes of the Carpathians, in Dacia, and the latter dwelt on the shores of the Black Sea. “Their separation be- came complete when, after conflicts with Constantine (1321), who imposed peace upon them, and with Valens, whom they subdued, the terrible Huns made a successful irruption among them and completely crushed their em- pire.” The Goths were a powerful Teu- tonic people, They were totally unlike the Romans in many respects. The Visigoths gradually became absorbed in the Latin peoples of Spain and Lan- guedoc. The Ostrogoths finally became absorbed in the Tartar race. Q. From what part of the sheep does the best wool come?—H. T. B. A. The shoulders and sides provide the best grade of wool. Q. Who appointed the present Gov- ernor of Alaska, and when doss his term expire?>—E. E. C. A. The present governor, George Alexander Parkes, was appointed for four years by President Coolidge. His term expires June, 1929. Q. Which States have the greatest number of Indians?—C. I. M. A. The following States, in the order of the most intelligent people in the| Nebraska was | BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. |listed, have the largest Indian popula- tions: _ Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mex- ico, California, South Dakota, North Carolina, Montana, Wisconsin, Wash- ington, Minnesota, North Dakota, Mich= |igan and New York. | | Q. Where does the wood come from in this country which is used for lead pencil manufacture?—D. C. A. The Forest Service says that the red cedar from which lead pencils are made grows all through the East. The lead pencils are made from the heart wood, and probably the trees suitable ¢ for this purpose are about 50 years old. Q. How long can divers stay under ' | water without diving apparatus?—R. I1B. J. A.” Without employing a diving suit, |a diver may remain under water about | {11-3 minutes. Some pearl fishers of | the East have stayed under water as | long as 2 or even 3 minutes. Q. Have there been John Paul Jones postage stamps?—W. E. G. A. The Post Office Department says that there have been no John Paul | Jones postage stamps. Q. Are the natives of Mexico white or are they mostly Indians?—I. G. A. About 19 per cent of the popula- |tion of Mexico are pure white, 43 per cent are of mixed bloods, and 38 per cent are Indians. . T read the following in an article | about Ellen Glasgow: *“I like to recall her there, as I last saw her, in the glowing dusk of her library, amid the old books, the steel engraving of the ‘Burial of Latave’ and the dim fra- \grance of roses.” Who was Latave? 5 3 A Miss Glasgow says: “Capt. Wil- |liam Latave, a_young Virginian, was the only man lost by Gen. J. S. B. Stuart in his passage around McClel- lan's army, and his burial was under singularly touching circumstances.” Q. Are the civel cat and skunk the | same?—B. W. A. A civet cat is more correctly called the little striped skunk. It is smaller than the genuine skunk. The end hair is short, thick and dark. The top hair is silky and black with white stripes or patches. There is also a Chinese civet, belonging to the civet fomily. TIts fur is heavy and quite silky, but the color varies and is spotted. Q. Where is Sable Island?—F. W. A. Sable Island is a low-lying island in the Atlantic, in latitude 44 degrees N. and longitude 60 degrees W. 85 miles east of Nova Scotia. It is a chain of sand dunes inclosing a lagoon, and is such a menace to navigation that the government of Canada main- tains two lighthouses there. It was for- merly 40 miles in length, but is now only 20. It is gradually sinking. Upon its sandy ridges grow cranberries and wild grass. Attempts are being made to raise pines and other evergreens. | ‘The only inhabitants are the lighthouse and lifeboat men. The island is known for its breed of hardy wild ponies. Q. Does the Department of State em. ploy international couriers?—J. B. G. A. It employs two international cou- riers who carry diplomatic mail be- tween our embassies and legations in various parts of the world. Q. Why are women not allowed in Khyber Pass at certain hours of the day?—E. H. A. The restrictions on the Khybsr Pass apply both to men and women. The pass is open only on certain days of the week and at certain designated hours. It is the main strategical point of entry into India from Afghanistan and is, therefore, carefully guarded. Q. How many Negroes are there in England?—G. J. E. A. There are some Negroes in Eng- land, but the number there is extreme- 1y small. The British Empire has with- in its boundaries lands whose popula- tions consist largely of Negroes, as, for instance, Jamaica and Central and South Africa. The natives of such countries are British. Q. How is the great size of the Ama- zon River accounted for?—N. L. A. The great size of the Amazon River is due to some extent to the con- figuration of the land. The Amazon Valley lies between two parallel ranges of mountains upon whose sides a large number of streams of considerable size flow. These streams have generally a southeastern course and it is probably the eastward flow of the waters which tends to increase the size of the Ama- zon River. There is no dividing ridge of mountains to divert part of the flow to other directions. The Amazon at least 200 large tributaries, 17 of which are from 1,000 to 2,300 miles long. There are innumerable others of smaller size. mite. The appointment of Robert Hutchins, with a brilliant academic and preceptorial record, with but only three | decades behind him, as president of the great institution on the Midway meets with the approval of the press. Perhaps it was the memory of Wil- liam Rainey Harper, Chicago's first president, who, as the Richmond Times- Dispatch points out, “was just 3¢ when he assumed office and soon became one of America’s greatest executives,” which prompted the selection of the “boy dean” of Yale, or the splendid record of Glenn Frank in Wisconsin, who left journalism for the presidency of the State University at 35. It is “no rash or radical adventure,” in the opinion of the Roanoke Times, since it is “leadership” which Chicago is seeking, a quality which Dean Hutch- ins “has already amply demonstrated he is able to supply.” ., “Young as he is, Robert Hutchins' work has attracted attention among educators and those in high places,” says the Schenectady Gazette, which prophesies that “the career of this youngest president will be worth watch- Gazette, which states: “The young man must be possessed of super-ability. His work at Chicago will be given wide- spread attention.” Indeed, it is hinted, attention probably so strongly focused may be hard te bear, for the Hartford Daily Times points out that “a flerce light will beat upon Dr. Hutchins as president, merely because of the fact of his youth. Yet his whole experience, the manner in which he has borne re- sponsibility and justified confidence re- posed indicates that the Chicago trus- tees have chosen with perspicacity.” “Upon Mr. Hutchins' youthful shoul- ders will rest a responsibility which few men of his age are called upon to bear,” remarks the New York Evening Post, with the compensation, it adds, that “so much the greater will be the reward of ?,"'3 success which we hope will be Does not “youth lean to youth?” is a question mooted by some. e Mil- waukee Journal believes that “a young man at the head of a university will not necessarily appeal more to youth, as experience shows. Maturity tends to be broader in its sympathies, and if not less sure of itself and the verities of life, at least less sure of its omaiscence in directing other lives.” k% On the other hand, the Nashville Banner is inclined to believe “that it is well enough to put youth into positions that require constant contact with distance, saving frelght charges, caniyouth,” since, it explains, “during the and do undersell others in Cl last 10 or 15 years there has been in So also the Worcester Evening| Praise for Chicago’s Choice As University Picks Hutchins While a little learning may still be looked upon as a dangerous commodity, the country seems to agree with the University of Chicago that lack of years in college presidents contains no dyna- progress a transformation of American youth, and it is not possible for any but the most extracrdinary older men, by the most extraordinary effort, to have kept pace with what has been and is going on, and to understand adequately the motives, ideals anc ambitions that :l;g\'fl boys and girls of college age The personal equation must be taken into account in this as in many other instances, the Boston Transcript de- clares, saying: “It all depends upon Robert M. Hutchins and upon the issue whether it be true that his capacities are really so exceptional that they en- title him to be judged, not by the funded standards of history, but in the light of history’s exceptions. If he prove indeed another Charles W. Eliot, Boston will be the first to accord him grateful acclaim.” The Columbus Ohio State Journal calls to mind the fact “his classmates lat Yale voted him the most likely man |in the class” to succeed. “The pre- |diction was pretty well justified,” con- cludes this paper. Looking at his col- lege record at Yale for an insight into his capacities, the Springfield Republi- can recalls that “in spite of the fact |that he was entirely self-supporting, for a time working eight hours a day in {a factory, he not only quickly estab- |lished himself as a brilliant student but, what is much more unusual for a ‘transfer’ (from Oberlin), entering mid- way in the course, he also established himself in a few months as a popular and conspicuous figure in the student body, winning coveted honors in the | senior society elections.” * k ok X Commenting on this struggle for an | education, the Kansas City Journal-Post |says: “There was nothing of the hot- | house methods in the education of Mr, | Hutchins, although he comes from & college family. His father, who is only 58, is president of Berea College, in | Kentucky. His mother is a college |graduate. Two brothers are in college | work and another heads an academy.” Paying tribute to the father of this family, Dr. William James Hutchins, the Louisville Courier-Journal says: “Modesty may shun notoriety, but it cannot confine the radiant energy of personality and character,” which has “reached out through another genera- tion to impress itself upon great seats of learning in this country The Detroit News feels that “a man like Dean Hutchins has not lived long enoum to forget the vivid impressions of own student days, while at the same time he has won his place as a scholar and an administra- tor.” The New Orleans Times-Pica- une recognizes that “the university’s tasory is that most may be accom- vlished by continuity of purpose, and hope is entertained for a long incum- beney of office by the now youthful executive.”