Evening Star Newspaper, June 11, 1929, Page 8

'THE EVENING STAR Y Eaition. .. WASHINGTON, D. C. WUBSDAY.. June 11, 1929 'THEODORE W. NOYES. ., .Bditor ence was made whatever to the wet and dry cause last night. The first great hurdle which the Democrats face in their effort to come back to national power and control of Government will be the congressional elections next year. The Democratic national organization is pledged to give its best efforts to the State and con- gressional district organizations to telephone | bring victory. Rate bv Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and a Eéld'-f"e‘rzli o 330 1 men &% All Other States and Canada. Tt {me onge e 8808 1 mer dae Member of the Associated 'fl—il P ey fted in this paper and also the local news alefed AT iR Sticking to the Principle. Instead of attempting to rewrite the 1931 estimates and to modify or change the items submitted by the departmen- tal heads of the District government, the Board of Trade will again center at- tention upon the principle underlying the annual compilation of the budget. Instead of merely forwarding to the | Commissioners a critical analysis of figures, the Board of Trade again em- phasizes the necessity for studying the method by which these figures are ar- rived at. At last night's meeting of the board of directors, a resolution was adopted to petition Congress to au- thorize President Hoover to appoint & commission of nationally known ex- perts to study and to report upon the fiscal question that makes of District appropriations a never-ending subject for acrimonlous controversy. While the analyses of the estimates perpared by the Chamber of Commerce and the Citizens’ Advisory Council will no doubt prove of value to the Com- missioners in obtaining the point of view of interested taxpayers, too much stress cannot be laid upon the Board of Trade's contention that the princi- ple followed in District appropriations is more important than the amount or The plan outlined s an ambitious one. It has been evolved, however, at an op- portune time. The party was over- whelmingly defeated at the polls six months ago. The signs of virility and Iife which have been evinced in recent months and which were demonstrated at the gathering here last night are good evidence that the party is by no, means dead. Time alone will tell accurately the results of the campaign which is now being launched by the Democratic na- tional organization. Not a little will depend upon what the Republican op- position may do. The G. O. P. is fa- mous for its organization work, and, indeed, the Democrats are stealing a leaf from the Republican book in their present undertaking. But, seemingly, the Democrats are on the right track. If they can forget their differences in work and leave personal ambition out of the equation for the next three years they may prove effective in the cam- paign of 1932, ————————— The Meaning of Commerce. President Hoover seldom speaks with- out saying something. Yesterday, when laying the corner stone of the colossal new Department of Commerce, he called attention to the true meaning of to those inured to the woods. Out in Wisconsin is a vast baronial estate owned by some rich amateur roughneck. Before his annual Spring appearance a faithful guide traverses every foot of every trall, holding over his head an opened umbrella. Behind him marches another trusty woodsman, armed with a long and powerful pair of tree shears. Every branch that so much as brushes the umbrella is promptly snipped off, even though it may bear fragrant and beauteous blossoms. The owner's devoted head and hat are saved from danger and annoyance for that season. Along stream-sides in England may be found trees which are completely denuded of their lower limbs so that anglers fast to lusty trout headed downstream may run along the bank and may pass their rods from left hand to right around the tree-bole. But then, on this part of these particular preserves the fatigued fisherman, wherever he may be, is met at precisely four-thirty o'clock by a servant in suitable livery who hands him a tea-tray. Does he sit on the ground to partake of these refresh- ments? Of course not. There is always a nice bench nearby. We have had several angling Presidents and probably will have more, but probably never one who wishes his fishing thus adorned and refined. —_— Pacifists are accused of trying to in- fluence the film industry by depicting the horrors of war. Something may have to be done toward pacifying the films. ) ‘When he was a boy, Coolidge used to | sell things in a small way. That was long before he had learned the re- business. “A nation’s economic life,” the President said, “underlies advance- ment in every other fleld.” Mr. Hoover has given axiomatic form to a bare truth, too little realized in our own country and particularly not appre- ciated by an outside world prone to scoft wt Americans as mere dollar chasers. The President was defining the “ideals” of the Department of Com- merce, which under his seven years of secretaryship achieved its first genuine importance and fabulous growth. Mr. the purpose of the appropriations them- selves. Spokesmen may talk themselves hoarse over the advisability of large appropriations for the schools, of the necessity for an airport, of the desir- ability of & beautiful municipal center, of the need for more sewers and of the correct policy in street paving. But such hoarseness is acquired in vain un- less these subjects are discussed with & view to obtaining and distributing reve- nue with the twofold purpose of gov- erning an average American municipali- ty, with limited means, and of develop- ing the Capital of the United States in accordance with its conception as the “symbol of America.” The Board of Trade has Hoover defined those ideals as “efforts to assist, by co-operation and not by compulsion, in maintaining and giving the impulse of progress to commerce and industry.” Given such progress, the President explained, a people’s ma- terial well-being would be such that it could contribute to and take part in sustaining those finer activities which lead to the intellectual, ethical and moral improvement of mankind. In |other words, the more prosperous busi- | ness is, the more that can be done to make earth a better planet to inhabit. Run down the list of America’s Brob- dingnagian benefactions. Contemplate munerative possibilities of current litera- ture. —_—————— A remark has been attributed to Sen- ator Borah that he is a politiclan every four years. The next few years give promise of being a fervid rehearsal for a hard act. e ———— As a preliminary to an eventual mounting of the throne the Prince of Wales will be expected to register a dignified promise never to fall off an- other horse. —————— e England has & “new government,” but there are no fears that it may not con- tinue to represent in responsible faith the same old England. [ ——— “Wizards of Wall Street” have a hard trick to perform when they seek to man- age interest rates so as to exorcise the demon of stock gambling. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Business Doc. A Business Doctor came around. asked for |the tens of millions of dollars repre- | We viewed him with respect profound. this new investigation bearing in mind sented by the Carnegle, Rockefeller, | And told him every little thing the fact that others have preceded it; Sage, Harkness and Milbank founda- | Hard-won Experience could bring. that while other inquiries in each in- tions, to name only those with which ‘With faithful labor, in a day, have served to confirm the Dis- | the public is most familiar. Ponder the | He learned it, and went on his way. trict of Columbia’s contentions, the |endless philanthropies of Jullus Rosen- He figured out some process fair wald. Consider the recent munificence findings have been thrown overboard To save a nickel, here and there; in favor of unfounded theories and con- tinued unsatisfactory practices on the of James Couzens in the domain of child welfare. Recall the countless be- Then vanished, with much knowledge fraught. part of Congress. In asking Congress quests and endowments made, and being | ;7o joarned much more than he had to suthorize the President to create & made almost every day, by men and taught. commission of his own choosing and to | Women of wealth in all parts of the |y oueen o car and watch the Clock, empower it to investigate conditions | United States, aggregating kings' ran- | mpanis to the busy business doc. with a view to suggesting scientific remedies, the board evidently gcts on the belief that the findings of Wuch an impartial body would carry weight and command respect. It would be a body uninfluenced either by opinion in the District or in Congress. Its findings and clear-cut recommendations would be open to no conflicting interpretations or juggling of words. Such a commission is needed. If its creation cannot be viewed as desirable from the point of view of ending need- less controversy between the unrepre- sented citizens of the District and their omnipotent legislators, it should be viewed as one of the necessary steps 1in an enlightened era of enthusiasm for building the American Capital. Air accidents may inspire a new song with the refrain, “I did not raise my boy to be a habitual hop-off.” Work and Organization. ‘The Democrats are adopting & new watchword—“Work and Organization.” Under the direction of Jouett Shouse, newly appointed chairman of the ex- ecutive committee of the Democratic pational committee, the party is to concentrate on national organization, reaching even to the voting precincts. 1If the program is followed out, it should bear results. ‘This program was outlined by Mr, Shouse, by Chairman John J. Raskob of the Democratic national committee and other speakers at a dinner given here last night by the Jefferson Demo- cratic Association of the District of Columbia in honor of the new chair- man of the executive committee. Lack of permanent organization, with the need of creating anew in campaign years an organization to meet the Re- publican opposition, has been a handi- cap, and a cestly handicap, in the past. This is the day of organization. Chair- man Raskob in his address last night expressed his view of the situation when he said, “To & man trained in business the Democratic party’s lack of organization for conducting & na- tional campaign is appalling.” ‘The Democratic dinner proved an barmonious affairs, despite rumors of discord which preceded it. Great em- phasis was laid on the fact that the national organization which is to be perfected is not being set up in the interest of any particular candidate #r the presidential nomination in 1932. sssurance was given that Chairman Raskob has no ulterior motive in build- ing such an organization. For the first at & gathering of Democrats from all sections of the country. Nor was ‘the soms, for schools, hospitals, colleges and libraries, Do not forget the for- tunes distributed by the American Red Cross from emergency to emergency. Whence sprang the wherewithal .for all this mighty munificence? It sprang —and springs—from the pockets filled by the profits of business. Now and then “big business” is decried. It was decried at a political dinner in Wash- ington last night, when a speaker sug- gested that only “big business” had prof- ited from the five and a half years of the Coolidge administration. Yes, “big business” does prosper in America, but what a boon and & bless- ing it is for the rest of the human race that this is so! Historlans are extreme- ly likely to record that the commerce and industry of the United States, which will find so splendid a symbol in the magnificent new Department of | Commerce Building at Washington, had | one deep, underlying purpose. That purpose, as President Hoover yesterday epitomized it, is to accumulate dol- lars in order that eventually they may be set rolling to the universal better- ment of God’s children here and every- where. That is the business of business, —_——— — A place of refuge might be easier for ‘Trotsky to find if he would consent to take a real rest and quit writing edi- torials, ———ee ‘The Dawes plan is still influential in 50 far as it relates to the idea, “Get to- gether and get somewhere.” Baleful Branches. It appears that before President Hoo- ver made his latest appearance at his fishing preserve on the upper Rapidan River caretakers there had made cer- tain that the Chief Executive would not again receive a black eye from swinging underbrush, as he did some weeks ago. They had made a painstaking survey branches and had cleared ct the un- derbrush. ‘The dyed-in-the-wool fisherman and outdoorsman may have been, at first, inclined to smile at these precautions. But it is no laughing matter. An in- jured presidential optic, or even a dis- figured one, .. a serious affair to many more than a hundred million people. It is probably true that Herbert Hoover, point, but which can with neatness and dispatch. fof the trees standing near the stream; | had lopped off all suspiclous-looking | Seetions on yoh chickens?” For him I might be rather strong If He had brought a Nurse along ‘With gentle eyes of liquid gray ‘To hypnotize our cares away. He leaves us, when his visit's through, 'To plod, just as we used to do. Objection. “What is your objection to this farm relief suggestion?” “I consider it unfair to the farmer,” answered Senator Sorghum. “It takes his mind off his natural experience and compels him to try to be a smart finan- cler.” Jud Tunkins says ambition makes mistakes, His cat thought she was go- ing fine when she succeeded in catching a bumblebee and tried to bite it. Hasty Work. Aleohol will kill & man, Regretfully we think it. ‘The Shooting Sheriff scorns a plan ‘That gives him time to drink it. Running the Flivver. “A woman now refuses to take a back seat.” “My wife doesn't do s0,” said Mr. Chuggins. “She takes a back seat with extreme equanimity and proceeds to drive from it.” “To the mercenary selfishness,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “con- siderations of right and wrong represent only considerations of profit and loss.” Back to Earth. ‘We know he will not shirk, ‘With an Official Hunch. ‘When Lindbergh goes to work, ‘The time clock he will punch; And, in an office chair, Be faithful, day by day. ‘This Earth is now his care He throws the Skies away. “You ought to love yoh neighbor,” said Uncle Eben; “but what is you gineter do wif & neighbor dat slights yoh friendliness an concentrates his Or Hairpin Salesman. From the Buffalo Evening News. “Must have imagination,” says a help- wanted ad. Probably & job of writing resort literature. We Wanna Be an Eagle. From the Loulsville Times. It it is really true that our souls bodies of animals merm:e THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL, ‘The books one intends to read but never does are among the most inter- esting of all. Every ver knows them. He has checked them off time and time again, a biography here, a work of fiction there, now some spe- clalized book, then a work of sociology. Each time he has done so he made & firm resolve to get the book. He finds them listed in advertisements of all sorts. He runs onto reviews of them, and sees them in bookshop win- dows. Each time that a title or an author's name appeals to him he says to_himself, “I must get that.” He has a childish faith that he wil. Despite the fact that he has been drawing’ circles around the names of such books for many years, he has never given up the idea that he means business when he does it. ‘The roaring presses, however, keep so far ahead of his purse that he never buys one-tenth, or one-twentieth, of the books he checks. For this no one is to blame, least of all himself. Every booklover is a type of the true enthusiast. An enthusiast is what the name implies, enthusiastic, but a true enthusiast is fanatical. The former may be stimulated by a desire to “keep up with the new books,” or to keep up with Jones, who “read all the new Such book enthusiasts are necessary, and no one would sneer at them. They make the publishing business what it is, because there are so many of them. The true enthusiest, however, is a man or woman who would read whether any one else read or not. He would read books if no one knew he mead them. He is, in books, what ‘the true moral- ist is in the fleld of ethics. The truly ethical person does a thing because it is right, not because it may be ad- vantageous to him. He will not do something, not because it may rebound against him, but because he knows it to be wrong, according to such stand- ards of right and wrong as he possesses. * K K K The book enthusiast is a secretive individual, in so far as his hobby is concerned, except with the right people. Put him in the company of another real booklover, and he will open up his heart and mind, but with the generality of men he is a clam. e does not talk books much, you might think he never read at all. He long ago got beyond the point where he thought it incumbent upon him to pre- tend to know and to have read every old and new book upon the market. If any one asks his opinion as to “the best short history of America,” he is as apt as not to say that he does not know. If pressed, he may offer a few names, Beard, Morrison, Schiesinger, Hart, Schouler, Elson. Then, again, he may not. He knows better than most that the “best books” are not to be lumped off 8o easily. Best for what? Best for whom? Best under what conditions, and for which readers? He has looked over the gigantic catalogues in the book stores, has conned the pages of Miss Graham’s “The Booklover's Manual,” and realizes how few of the essential boodks he or any other one person has read. The modesty of the true booklover is often mistaken for ignorance, but he has got nd that fear, too. He knows that it makes no difference whether he impresses any one with his knowledge. A book, with him, is the essential thing, not his opinion as to the book, nor some one else’s opinion of his opinion of the book. * ok ok % He goes along gayly through the years, making his check lists of books, fully intending to purchase them all, and ending up by buying perhaps one has | sought by collectors. mber checking off Thorn- ton Wilder’s “Bridge of San Luis Rey.” His favorite clerk at his favorite book store recommended it highly. The first edition, she had told him, would be And she was right. The first edition of Wilder’s curious masterpiece is today hnn‘ln{ fancy prices. At the time of publication he had looked it over, turn- ing the pages with some curlosity. He did not buy, however. Experien told him that if it were genuinely it would still be in print at any X and that he would get it whenever the mood moved him. Although given to self-analysis, he could not fathom why he did not buy it. Two years later, when “The Bridge” had been on the best-seller list for months, he got & copy of an edition in paper backs, which he read standing up in the garden. It was a genuine pleasure to him to uphold, in his own mind, the collective Jjudgments of thousands of fellow Amer- icans who had called the book fine. It is. He found genuine “style” there, as well as an unusual collection of stiff cardboard figures in the semblance of men and women, so compounded of reality and art that no reader might: wholly separate the elements. When he had first seen the name ‘Will Durant, and had noted the publi- cation of his “Story of Philosophy,” which has since practically superseded all other such works for the general reader, he had checked it immediately. "I must get that.” So he had said, and it would have seemed that he must and should have purchased it, for he knew almost as much about philosophy as Durant himself, having read in the great philosophers since childhood. The book became a “best seller,” but he never bought it for his own. He Wwas too busy following his own devices in the world of books. He had several ;’:};{::{l& :xr:,{:h inle}:esud him, and two ors who claimg th;ltr own at the time. g e was reading Dumas and Zola, as far apart as sun and moon, and yet both imbued with the spirit of France, which, in literature, means concise bril- liance, a quality of reality scarcely to be found in the novels of any other race. L] We said at first that the books which one intends to read but which perhaps one never gets around to are among the most interesting of all. This is true, in the main, because they hold, as in a beautiful vase, or clear goblet of crystal, all the lure of the unknown. A book read is a book run_through the sleve of a human mind, which re- tains something or all of it, depending upon the contact which the reader mllk" v{,l‘th the writer. n going through this process a book receives that slight contamination which all things do which are strained through human brains, in the double process known as writing and reading. With a book which is never read, however, such is not the case. It re- mains forever in its virgin purity, with only its name and its author's name aisplayed to the admiring world. Every one can think of some such book, which, for reasons which he may not have been able to understand, he has put off reading all his life. It may have been Emerson’s “The Conduct of The very title had stimulated for years. " Once he took it out ofm case, determined to read it at last, but &n inner spirit warned him against it, The spirit sald of this, as it would say of all such books: “Let it alone., It is not meant for to read—now. Take it with you, wi ), in Paradise™ you go, and read it British Labor Held Un]ikely To Support Radical Policies American interest in the British elec- tions centers largely around the pros- pect of greater co-opergtion in effarts toward arms reduction and the tendency toward the establishment of the two- party system which is the traditional method of the Unitea States, with the possibility of a restrained Labor party inheriting the place heretof by_the leeml}l,. sy Ramsay MacDonald is not a radical in the common meaning of the term,” says the Providence Journal, “and if, perchance, he were inclined to intro- duce radical schemes, the huge bloc of Conservatives and a large percentage of The Des Moines Register explains as to the use of the term “Socialist” in the British Labor movement that “what is meant is that England is putting social welfare first,” and that “social welfare means taking the people as a whole and not doing everything for an aristocracy.” It is assumed by the Louisville Cou- rier-Journal that “there is little reason to expect radical changes.” The New grlenna Times-Picayune believes that ‘Mr. MacDonald is in for a troubled time of it—and the brilliant Lloyd George may prove not the least of his troubles.” The Charleston Evening Post also points out that, under these cir- cut , Labor “will not have a full opportunity to try out its program * ok ok % “The Liberals are not expected,” as viewed by the New York Sun, “to play the role of dog in the manger. Un- doubtedly they will suppost all meas- ures for the good of the country, but they will stop short of indorsing the entire Labor prTm. If compromise pleases nobody, the Labor government Lsmumy to have a short tenure of office.” ‘The Asheville Times concludes that while “another election may be required for a really liberal policy in Great Britain, this is, among other things, & victory for the cause of in- ternational disarmament.” The Duluth Herald avers that the Labor party “is more sincerely concerned in peace than any of the other parties” and says that there are “real statesmen” in the win- nlrg party, “In this campaign,” states the Santa Barbara Daily News, “many representa- tives of old British families have been ardent workers in the ranks of the Labor party, and among the candi- dates on that ticket are men of wealth | {p and education.” The Oklahoma City sees in the result evidence that “a majority of the people of the United m are ready for a change.” “The Baldwin has made ve mistakes,” in the judgment of he Chicago Daily News, “ connection with armament reduction, the question of the freedom of the seas and the attempted military-naval accord with France. It has béen re- spectable, honest and consclentious, but unimaginative and un ressive, It has not kept abreast of the spirit of the time. It has permitted routine- ridden, permanent officials to override the judgment of of vision and initiative.” “Many who voted for Labor,” accord- posed to d se with the Liberal or- oy P ipal in the new ernment, the Detroit News says: question again arises, as it did in 1924, &t:mrel;lm Liberal ailure to an imj it share of the electorate.” Thewlrltt‘lzl Observer-Dispatch, however, points to one deceptive factor: “The vote itself was not as decisive as the number of seats taken by each party., In the ular vote the Conservatives had actually more votes than Labor, the number stand; 8,500,000 to 8,292,000. Although the Liberals get one-fifth as many seats as the Conservatives, they cast a vote that was five-eighths as large. The voting, of course, was by districts.” “There is an instability about the Labor constituency,” declares the Kansas City Journal-Post, “which will require attention. There are some members who are as mad as March hares and they will often get beyond control. Ramsay MacDonald realizes this and the neces- sity it brings for his co-operation with enough Conservatives or Liberals to in- sure a constant working majority. With- out such arrangement, government will fall, with a new parliamentary election necessary within a year.” e American Muskrats Harry Central Europe |}y BY E. E. FREE, Ph. D. American muskrats are overrunning Bohemia. Twenty years ago a few families of these animals were taken to that country and established on a farm near the city of le, where it was hoped that they mighf breed in cap- tivity and provide m: t skins, then in fashionable demand for furs. The experiment succeeded all too well, for some of the muskrats escaped and pro- ceeded to make excellent livings for themselves and their families up and down the rivers of Central Europe. It is now calculated by Dr. Hjalmer Broch, a Norwegian naturalist, that millions of muskrats are living in Bohemia and adjacent countries. Great damage has been done to vegetable gardens; native frogs and fish are being exterminated; even roads, dykes and railway embank- ments are suffering froth the muskra burrows. In portions of Bavaria close to the Bohemian border special musk- rat catchers have been hired to try to stop the advance of the animal hordes. - Naturalists believe it not improbable that all Europe will be overrun with ese costly muskrat armies, just as the whole world has been overrun in the past four centuries by Asiatic rats, which do damages estimated at more than a billion dollars a year. o~ min’s experience with the muskrats is another example, naturalists point out, in | of the danger of introducing any plant or animal into a new country where its natural enemies may be lacking and where it may become a serious pest, as has happened with the English spar- row in America and with the cactus in Australia, ———— Is the Sound Improved? Prom the Detroit News. A man in Atchison, Kans., can pla; NEW BOOKS AT RANDOM LG M 8 FRONTIERS OF TRADE. Julius Klein, , UL and Domestic tury Co. A drab word, “trade.” Nowhere about it any play of color or song or laughter. A dour figure ever hurrying AWAY upon some and tre- mendous busy-ness. Yet, within this cllnfed 5-letter noun is crowded the world’s geography, much of its adven- ture, much also of its history. Indeed, urge of civilization 8. Bureau of Foreign Commerce. The Cen- here lies the itself. Mother-naked, the word “trade” H evokes two primitive groups—maybe but two individuals of that far time—each possessed of something that the other needs bl‘.“ hb-;nnm ‘}!era barter is born. Trade is setting out upon its long way to become, finally, one of the supreme potencies of modern life. It may be safely asserted that before those early excl me fact there were many approaches and recessions, many offers and refusals, each side juggling for ad- vantage to itself. So, bargaining began. At that very time the modern negotiator became nascent, as in an extnaed field the diplomat also came into being. * ok ok ok A far call from then to now. A long uphill road between there and here. But, here we are, standing at a high and sightly point on the laborious trade trail. This immediate foothold covers the “incredible decade” of commercial exchange that has followed the close of the great war. Standing alongside is Julius Klein, director of the U, 8. Bu- reau of Foreljgn and Domestic Com- merce. Now the professional engross- ment of Mr. Klein is to know trade— home and foreign—in its origin and rpose, in the sum of its contributory influences either harmful or helpful, in its results both immediate and more re- mote, and, above all, in its effects upon the common life of the people of this country. At this juncture Mr. Klein slips “Frontiers of Trade” across to us while he hurries away to the day's work. * ok ok k. “Frontiers of Trade” stands as a blend of evidence, story, picture. In the first capacity it is fortified with facts, figures, balances, futu: ince the history of trade expansion in the United States is the e purpose of this study, the evidential content of the book outweighs, greatly, the story and the picture which appear here, partly as inherencies of the subject that refuse suppression, and partly as the author’s imaginative seizure of the drama that actually embodies and projects world trade. * x k% ‘Trained to orderliness of thought, to prnfi:: sequences of progress, Mr. Klein begins his study with a survey of the past of commerce, with its gradual growth in this country, with its vicissi- tous advance. However, a reader has more latitude than an author. So, with the book in hand, you and I are likely to begin the story on our own standing ground—right in the middle of this “in- credible decade” that so excites us to wonder, possibly to a little shiver of fear. “C’est la guerre,” it turns out that worked the miracle. The war and science. Destruction on the one hand, the imperative to carry on in all speed on the other. Science opened the earth, the air, even the heavens, to the im- pending crisis. Makeghifts and devices turned into discoveries and inventions innumerable, for the mind of man al opened wide for ways to meet, and bar; the hideous holocaust. Then, after the war—fear, exhaustion, tired business muscles, money squeezed of its content, enterprise flagging, unemployment grow=- ing. Then—up and at it again! To turn all the enginery of war into industry became the u brought about this the airplane, the radio, automotive elec~ tricity, synthetic chemistry—each and all working for the industrialist, for the constructive uses of man. And, wnder the guidance of this trade student, Ju- lius Klein, we come to realize as a ivotal point in history that such has 15Q| rank—not in ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. use- | gotiated between ums, to the numerous a maintain headquarters in the Nation's Capital. If they can be of assistance to you, write your question plainly, and send with 2 cents in coin or stamps to The Evening Star Information Bu- reau, Frederic J. Haskin, direcior, ‘Washington, D. C. Q. Is Lon Chaney American-born?— 'A. 'He is. He was born at Colorado Springs, Colo. Q. What was comment on living House?—G. 8. A. H. L. Stoddard quotes Theodore Roosevelt as saying: “You don't live there. You're only Exhibit A to the country.” ident Roosevelt's in the White Q. How much are people paid for gvmgn.c birds for the Government?— tors who band birds for ical Survey receive no pay, eau has no ent of Agriculture says: A. Co-f the Biol since the The “This project the activities of volunteer co-operators in the United States and Canada, who are systematically trapping and band- ing birds. The promiscuous banding of fledgling birds is not approved by in enlisting new co- desired to this office, and obtain the operators 1t is services only of those who will estab- lish and maintain tngpl.nx stations. This is, however, one of the most at- tractive methods of studying birds, and each station has the opportunity to carry on work that in itself may be an important contribution to our knowledge of the different species. It | is, of course, necessary that prospective co-operators have sufficient knowledge of birds to make accurate identifica- tions, and they must hold the special F‘ede"rlnl b\rd-lbtndl':% l;ermlt,a':alch is usually supplement a per- mit, m«r by the local game officials when notified that the Federal permit has been granted Q. Why is it said that the World War was not ended for us until July, 1921?—G. E. R. A. At the conclusion of s war be- funds for this. 1s being developed through | tween the United States and any foreign country it is that a peace treaty shall be negotiated by the American Co: In the case of the World War a was ne- the States and the central powers, Germany and Austria-Hungary, for the passage of a resolution ‘that a state of war was ended, known as the Knox-Porter resolution, proposed in the Senate by Senator Knox and in the House of Representatives by Representative Por- ter. The resolution was passed in the House June 13, 1921; in the Senate, May 1, 1921, after which conferences were held between the two todies sad a_joint_resolution agree uly 1, S0 e a slg.r‘\:d by President Harding July 2, 1921. Q. Why is hur’se"b_-;cx riding consid- | ered beneficial?—C. A. Riding on horseback is & good form of exercise and its especially bene- | ficial in stimulating the function of the gastro-intestinal tract. The rhythmic vibration which the gait of the horse imparts to the rider’s body seems to be of benefit to the muscles and to the internal organs. Q. How is paint removed from metal and wood surfaces>—K. T. A. The Bureau of Standards says that there are in general two types of material for removing paint from both metal and wood surfaces. The cheapest is & uogum of caustic soda and water, generally used hot. However, care must be taken to remove all of the caustic soda from the underlying surface after using this remover. Caustic soda solu- tion can be kept in wooden or iron ves- sels. It will strip the coating from galvanized metal. The other type of remover is composed of mixtures of al- cohol, acetone, benzol and generally some wax. This type can be kept in ordinary metal or glass containers. Another method of removing paint is by use of a painter’s torch. Q. What kind of & climate has Hol- land?--J. M. A. The climate of the Netherlands, often called “Holland,” is moist and with small range in temperature. The Summers are not Very warm, nor are the Winters often very cold. With an average annual temperature at the mean of 50 degrees it, h:‘\“n degrees Fahrenheit in January. BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLINS. China wants to “save her face.” China sees that we send ambassadors to Bel- gium, Japan, Cuba, Great Britain, France, Germany, most South and Cen- tral American countries and other “great powers,” but have been sending to her—a country whose population equals that of all of our ambassadorial nations combined—merely a minister plenipotentiary. She feels slighted, and when an Oriental feels so humiliated, kari-kari or an ambassador is the only recourse. ‘What is an ambassador? How does he differ from a minister plenipoten- tiary or an envoy extradordinary? * ok k% ‘The practical difference is only in power nor responsibility. To make it plain and simple, an am- bassador, theoretically, is the personi- fication of the sovereign who sends him, and so is of equal rank with the sovereign who receives him. He deals, theoretically, directly with the king of the country to which he is sent— not through the foreign minister of that country. He and his majesty sometimes make agreements which, even to foreign minister, are not “open openly arrived at’"—“ungentlemanly agreements,” as it were, actually setting aside the fore minister’s statesman- the effect of war generally. It was | day, but such after our own wars—Spanish American, the Civil and Mexican Wars, the War of the Revolution. Each took its turn in spurring civil Ictl‘:iflfl, in promoting trade, in changing its tiers, in enlarging its borders and its influence on the common life of the people of this country. * ok ok ok ce is based upon financial activ- the subject of money bulks here in jon of the accommodative practical usages of credits and exchange and balances of trade, through a finan- cial accoun of and imports, reflections of national growth and in- ternational influence. This considera- tion is of clear and definite value, not only to the astutely money-minded citizen as the man of trade must be, but to the average man as well to whom a fair understanding of this subject is of immediate importance in a country constituted as this one is. L . ‘Who said that “trade” is a dull and stodgy figure, threading the intricate undergrowths of bewildering and un- insp! money accounts? Who said that? Well, it is not true. Here is open and full evidence that it is not true. * ok ok ok “Frontiess of Trade” is a demonstra- tion of deep significance. It is, un- designedly, an object lesson in the vital- important truth that, taken together, the Government bureaus of Washing- ton constitute a great university, prob- ably the gu'uc and most generally accessible in the world. Each of these bureaus stands for one of the basic in- terests of the country as a whole. At the head of each is a carefully chosen administrator. = Under these as & whole is an army of workers, captained by experts in the various lines of govern- mental activity. Each bureau is bent to the examination of its own field, testing its measures for their direct usefulness to the people as a whole, studying it for its logical expansions and applications, reporting upon it. These reports are, in the main, at the disposal of any student of special as- pects of the national life. Indeed these are made of daily use in enor- mous numbers by the outlying citizenry of the United States in support of the special needs of any or of these. In no other country can such free use of Government material be found. This reedom goes back in a sense to the Constitution of the Government itself. Some day the people, in hosts, are go- ing to wake up to the rare opportuni- ties opened to them by this great in- stitution of learning. Books of Commer: ities. So 2 offer to students and men and women the country over. * Kok ok Yesterday, Monday, June 10, was lald the corner stone of the new Chamber f erce Buil E 8 ukulele with his toes. This is an ad- | Capi! vantage, leaving the hands free for self- defense. Don’t Bet on Horseflies. Why is it that the fruit fly the fruit growers, while the never troul the ? Why Not Read It All? bothers butterfly . | clety column. and strut right into Windsor Castle, hang his hat on the chandelier and greet the King with utmost dignity and sang-frold (French for cold-blooded- ness). the King takes off his hat, bassador uncovers, too; if his majesty feels the draft too severe on his bald head and puts on his hat, the Aml] or does, too. Not so a minis- ter plenipotentiary; he musi remain un- covered in the presence of royalty, cold or not. * Xk * % According to international law and practice, only an Ambassador “rates a carriage with six horses” in the capital to which he is sent. Within the last decade a certain American Ambassador to Great Britain was reported to be driving his Ford flivver about London, his own chauffeur; but it is hard to ex- pect international law to keep pace with modern improvements, even as to am- bassadorial equipages. The law is even older than any model T. * ok ok X ‘The whole status of ambassadors becomes confused since the World War, especially as to chapeaux and chevaux. During the war it was found that it took 40 men to equal eight horses. Box cars were 5o labeled: “Quarante hommes ou huit chevaux” (“40 men or 38 horses”). So_ one doughboy equaled one-fifth of a horse. Now international law _makes out that one aml lor shall rate six horses. So one ambassa- dor is equal to 30 doughboys, yet a doughboy does not remove his hat when on duty in the presence of either royalty or an lmb-.uu! . ‘That is what makes diplomacy so complicated and difficult to comprehend, parce que la guerre, c'est fini! College undergraduates go hatless, but not doughboys or ambassa~ dors. Perhaps that is what has China and made her cry out for an American Ambassador in place of a doughboy, or even & minister pleni- potentiary. * ok ok % ‘What difference does it really make? None, except rank at dinner tables, which, perhaps, is what has been mag- nified in the minds of the “heathen Chinee” after hearing garbled news from the American Capital’s official so- China feels that, being a democracy, too, like the United States, where all pigtails are of equal length, if not equal curl or permanent wave, since the ovel w of the Manchus, she should emulate Amq and be- come a stickler for rank. So she in- sists on an American Ambassador. * ok ok ¥ Now the first Ambassador that China ever had was an American, Hon. Anson Burlingame, who was sent her by Presi- dent Lincoln as a mere minister pleni- potentiary. Seven years later, viz, in 1868, China ignored his Yankee accent in speaking Chinese and she made him her own Ambassado: r to America and the rest of the warld, He proved s Aml dors. That incident of taking raw material furnished America, in the form of & minister plenipotentiary, and completing the manufacture of & finished product in the form of an Am- bassador, was the most graceful com- pliment that the Orient uvg paid to the Occident. So, flattered by it, we have continued her for at last protesting against over« work? The United States once protested most emphatically when Turkey Te- fused to accept an American Ambassa- dor. Says Right Rev. Sir Ernest Satow, G.C. M. G, LL. D, D. C. L., ., in his standard book, “A Guide to Diplo- matic Practice™: “The Ottoman Porte for a long time declined to exchange Ambassadors with the United States, until the latter finally dispatched a squadron of ships of war to Constantinople, and at the cannon’s mouth, as it were, extracted a promise to fall in with the proposed arrangement.” In the language made classic by Punch when he hit Judy over the head with his baton: “That's the way to do it!” So China, without waiting® for the American method of courtesy, antici- pates our Navy and actually seeks the punishment. “The heathen Chinee is peculiar,” since he wants a full-fledged Ambassador, without even waiting until our Navy threatens bombardment in case of refusal. Didn’t Japan open her doors diplomatically when our Navy told her to do so? Occidential civilization! Diplomacy is carried on by certain classifications of diplomats. Thy highest is the Ambassador, as settled in international practice by & congre: held at Vienna in 1815, modified b; another at Aix-la-Chapelle in 1818 Ranking with an ambassador is thd papal nuncio. Now that Italy has con- ceded a free state again to the Pope, there will be papal nuncios sent abroad. Let the Alabama statesman take note and orate accordingly, for when this Government gives recognition to the Papal State, as some governments have already done, the nuncio will be here to take rank with Sir Esme How- ard and other ambassadors, above all mere ministers plenipotentiary and en- voys ext: ary and so far above charge d’affaires that such will not sit at the same dinner table. In olden times, when an ambassador of a European monarchy traveled he Wwas as great as a sovereign or as a Col. Lindbergh, for he must go forth in a warship, as the sole passenger, aside from his own ceremonial retinue. He was the sovereign pro tem. All the honors that could be shown royalty must be given an ambassador, according to the former customs, and the dean of the ambassadors was, as it were, king of kings and lord of lords. Naval and fort boomed for an aml or the royal salute. So high and mighty was the rank of Ambassador that the United States never used it at all until 1898, when, direction of Congress, the President was authorized to give that rank to representatives to any country which sent an ambassador to our country. So now our representatives to Mexico, Brazil, the Argentine Republic, Cuba, Peru and Chile, in this hemisphere, are ambassadors and also those to Great Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Japan. Russia would rate an am- bassador if we held diplomatic rela- tions with the Soviet government at all. An ambassador receives a salary of. $17,500 and is obliged to entertain and bear other expenses requ an_in- come two or three times that salary. A minister receives from $5,000 to $12,- 000 and is not required to be quite so lavish, but neither usually maintains a savings bank account. *x kX ‘There has been much discussion lately over the question of diplomatic immunity from the operations of our liquor laws. It is assumed, generally, that the British Ambassador had set a radical example in deciding not to continue to claim such extraterritorial immunity for importing intoxicants for embassy use, without even a request to that effect from our State Department. In Calvo’s “Dictionaire du_Droit In- ternationale,” published in French, is the following paragraph (Vol. 1, page 27): P “In accord with police: What we are now going to say to do with the exemption of the jurisdiction, eivil and criminal. *.* * “It is not permissible for the people (of embassies or legations) to follow the commerce of prohibited merchan- dise, nor to engage in any business that could carry prejudice with the inhabitants of country. They should, in a word, conform with all laws and ordinances of the police which are not incompatible with their dignity and character. Solely In case the con- travention interferes with him by way of his pursuit and in constraint, should one claim the princinle of extraterritori- ality, end claim relief the action, either eivil or criminal Sir ®sme Howard declares that he is not acting as dean of the diplo- matic corps in deciding for the British embassy that no more o of intoxicants will be in violation of the spirit of United States law for Americans. Perhaps he has for aml (Copyright, 1929, by Paul V. Gollins)