Evening Star Newspaper, July 31, 1929, Page 8

3 THE EVENING STAR —_With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. ‘WEDNESDAY......July 31, 1920 THEODORE W. NOYEE. .. .Editor o 14 Regent. 8%, London: . ent- Bt Lon England. - Rate by Carrier Within the City. The Evening Star. .45¢ per month The Evening and Bun T (when ¢ Sundays) ‘The Evening and Sun +8¢ per month o each month, ders may be sent in by m: or telephone or NAtional 5000. Rate by Mail—Pa; Maryland and Virginia. Batly and sunday Dail; Sunday oaly All Other States and Canada. Dally and Sunday..1 yr., $12.00: 1 mo., $1.00 Daily only .. 135, 88.00; 1 mo., T8¢ Sunday only 1yr. 35.00; 1 mo., 80c Member of the Associated Press. ‘The Assoclated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dis- patches credited to it or not otherwise cred- ted in this paper and also the iocal news published herein. All rights of publication of s dispatches herein are also reserve pec: ed. The President and Parity. President Hoover has written a letter to Paul V. McNutt, national com- mander of the American Legion, which is designed to relieve the anxieties of those who fear that American naval preparedness is endangered by pending negotiations with Gredt Britain, In bringing Premier MacDonald to ac- knowledge the United States’ interpre- tation of parity at sea, the President contends that “a forward step of the first importance” has been accomplished. Our naval authorities, Mr. Hoover de- clares, hold that the principle of parity “means a complete defense of the United States in any contingency,” and defense, the President's stirring re- Joinder to the Legion commander points out, “is all that we seek.” The incident which called forth the Legion-White House correspondence was provoked by the now celebrated an- nouncement of President Hoover on July 24 that work on three American cruisers of the 1929-1930 program would be suspended pending current limita- tion negotiations with Great Britain. Comdr. McNutt challenged the wisdom of this “gesture” in Premier MacDon- ald’s direction. It was also implied in the Legion's manifesto that the White House action was unauthorized under the law. The President does not enter into any argument as to the legality of his procedure, but he thrusts unmis- takably at the Leglon leader's protest by asserting that “every person of com- mon sense will agree” that it is prefer- able to negotiate for parity than to try to “establish it by rival constructions on both sides of the Atlantic.” Not even the most zealous advocate of naval preparedness can reasonably object *o the policy of seeking equality with Britain through the processes of friendly parley. In the present case, the desired end cannot be attained over night or by any outright assertion of rights. President Hoover reminds Comdr. McNutt that “the actual prob- lems that lie before us are intricate and far more difficult than can be solved by the simple formula” of building enough American cruisers to match British eruiser strength, existent or projected. Between the lines of the President's statement are plainly to be read the lines of policy which he has laid down—(1) a determination to ex- haust every possibility to establish naval parity with Great Britain through friendly negotiation, and (2) if the “complete defense of the United States™ cannot thus be achieved there is always in abeyance the cruiser program which Congress has enacted, and, obviously, such additions to it as subsequent con- ditions may require. Reduced to its plain essentials, President Hoover seems to say to the country, through his letter to the Legion—in the language of the ancient story—"Don’t throw any- thing at the piano player; he's doing the best he can.” Under the present critical circumstances, in other words, Mr. Hoover asks the American people to rest assured that the administra- tion, being of fixed purpose to main- tain what its responsible naval ad- visers consider “complete defense,” will not sacrifice any vital American in- terest in the British negotiations. ‘The President is evidently not pre- pared at the moment to take the coun- try into his confidence as to how parity is to be evolved. But he has now put himself definitely on record that no matter what yardsticks are finally utilized, none will be invoked that threatens the basic security of the United States at sea. After all, that is what matters. How it is brought about matters little, ¥ any- thing. The irrevocable principle of equality and safety is now pledged to the country, and President Hoover is entitled to a chance to work it out in his own way. —_— et As a true friend of the workingman, Ambassador Dawes, however exalted his position, insists on wearing the kind of trousers that requires the tailor to crease them every once in a while. —————————— Bome records are “smashed”; others, like that for altitude endurance, simply fade away. Picking & Genius, Thomas A. Edison tomorrow will at- tempt to select from & group of super- brilllant American schoolboys one to be trained as his successor. ‘What method Mr. Edison will follow 48 not known. Doubtless he has in mind some ingenious tests, but the validity of any measure he may have devised is open to serlous question. Mr. Edison has added a great deal to the wealth and happiness of the world. But the greatest of his inventive con- the first place nobody has & clear what constitutes genius. Ideas ¢ genius is the result of supernatural fnterference in human affairs ghviously Gy sttempt 10 localize the point that interference in advance will be mere guesswork. If it is the result of combinations of brain cells and circumstances predic- tions are almost equally futile—frst because the number of such possible combinations would be infinite, and secondly because the element of cir- cumstance entering into them is un- predictable. Mr. Edison has available plenty of standardized tests which will enable him to select & boy of more than ordinary intelligence. If he is not satisfled with them, as probably he is not, he can de- vise tests of his own. But when such tests are applied he will have only half the equation he has set out to solve. The adjustment between intellect and circumstance is either teleological or a matter of luck, and in any event is extremely delicate. There is every rea- son to suppose that, granted ordinary good fortune, the youth selected by Mr. Edison will become an able and success- ful man. There seems no reason what- soever to suppose that he will be more than that. Many an able and successful man might turn out to be a genius if he had the good fortune to inherit a mil- lion dollars, or lose a million dollars, or be run over by an automobile, or marry an extravagant woman, or come in con- tact with an inspiring leader—or an infinite number of other things any one of which might happen to fit into the equation at the right time. The Endurance Record. ‘While there probably will be many persons who will say “What of it?” in regard to the feat of Dale Jackson and Forest O'Brine in breaking the world's endurance record for refueled airplanes, the great majority will undoubtedly realize that safe, sane and practical flights of this nature increase public confidence in aviation & hundred-fold. It may well be that no plane will ever be required to stay constantly in the alr for seventeen and a half days or THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C.,: WEDNESDAY, JULY 3 THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL, ‘Washington as a Representative of the sovereign State of Georgia, his coming will mark the first time that a man has attained the stature of a national legislator because of his pro- ficlency with golf clubs. For even while Bobby Jones doubtless is a good lawyer, he is known first to the country at large as a golfer. That he is a good lawyer is attested by his present po- sition as chief counsel for one of the important Southern railroads. But that he is truly the Emperor of thé Links will be attested by the millions who have seen his graceful swing with the driver. Bobby Jones would be a distinct ad- dition'to the golfing colony of the Cap- ital, but in all probability, if Jones comes here as a member of the Nation- al Legislature, he will come as a mem- her of Congress and not .as a golfer. Even in Atlanta, where he has more leisure than he would have here, he plays little golf between the big cham- plonships. It would, howover, be a unique situation for a member of Con- greSs to be playing in exhibitfon matches, and there would then be no doubt as to who is the best golfer in the national law-making body. The pudgy figure of Bobby Jones trudging over the courses about Washington at- tempting to lose the weight he will have gained in his irksome labors on Capitol Hill would be an inviting one to watch. It is not often that a member of Con- gress combines in one person that of an internationally known sporting figure and a member of the National Legisla- ture. Probably Bobby would need many sessions on the links about Washing- ton—no matipr how super-heated the atmosphere—to relieve his mind of the debates on Capitol Hill and the end- less committee work he would be ex- pected to do. It is a graceful gesture for Jones’ friends to suggest him for membership in Congress, and should he accept and win he is assured of a hearty welcome in the National Capital. o ’ In one respect China is at & disad- to fly the twenty-five thousand miles aredited to the holder of the record; but the mere fact that the motor of the St. Louis Robin ran for that period of time without stopping and the ship held together in spite of the enormous vibration certainly causes the average man to sit up and take notice and scan the possibilities of air travel be- coming useful to him in his business. Unquestionably, this country is repidly becoming “air-minded.” At- tempted long-distance flights over water in land planes do not bring about confidence in the public mind. They prove, whether successful or not, that the fiyers who essay them have more valor than discretion. Coast-to-coast dashes, altitude flights and endurance refueling tests not only develop scientific facts for the use of the plane and motor manufacturer, but present avi- ation in a favorable light to the public. ‘Who can doubt, for instance, that the “lumbering” flight of MacReady and Kelly across the continent in twenty- six hours several years ago pointed the way to increased air mail service and later to the passenger services that are now being run in co-operation with the railroads? What person is there who did not get a thrill when Capt. Frank Hawks zoomed into New York some seventeen hours after leaving San Francisco? And who does not feel more confidence in aviation knowing that a present-day motor will run without faltering for two and a half weeks? Endurance records have been broken so frequently of late that it would be idle to predict how long this one will stand, although Jackson and O’'Brine have set it so high that it will take a bit of determination for challengers even to begin a flight to break it. The prospect of spending nearly three weeks in the air before a record is achieved is not particularly alluring. Whether it 1s broken or not the new endurance record is a splendid achievement and the two pllots are now receiving the ac- claim they so richly deserve. rT R e Connecticut Laws. ‘There is much criticism of the multi- plicity of statutes, especially of the avalanches of legislation which descend upon States from the deliberations of their law-making bodies. Frequently the view is expressed that the commonwealths would be better off if nine-tenths of their laws were re- scinded and some elbow room left for the common sense and good will of the individual citizen. Doubtless there is much to be said in justification of this view. But the issue is not entirely one-sided—as wit- ness the present plight of good, old Connecticut. Through a technicality the State finds ftself with 1,493 of its laws wiped off the books. It is as if they had never existed. As a result the State finds its affairs in & mess. In fact, it will be almost impossible for the machinery of govern- ment to function until something is done about it. Connecticut has plenty of laws left. Her Legislatures have been pouring them forth since she was admitted to the Union. Yet she is seri- ously embarrassed, and probably Gov. Trumbull will be forced to call & special session immediately. The whole situation illustrates the extreme complexity of human relations which must be regulated by statute. It shows that even the absolute minimum of law required to regulate the affairs of the present-day commonwealth is quite bulky. True, there is a constant stream of laws pouring upon the heads of the|w people—and many of them are unneces- say and nonsensical laws. On the other hand, conditions of modern life are changing so rapidly and so radically that a great many new statutes are required. Connecticut can no more proceed under the statutes of 1920 than under the statutes of 1790. o The singing of the katydid is reported. “Six weeks till frost” is & long time to wait. Golfer, Lawyer, Representative? links champion, holder of the open and amateur golf titles of the United States, | writer. has been asked by a delegation of citizens of his home State to become a candidate for a seat in the House of vantage. It has never developed a bal- let expression calculated to exert art influence comparable to that of the Russian theater. o An endurance fiyer, having found a cool place, naturally hesitates about coming to earth on reading the tem- perature in a “kiosk” on a superheated thoroughfare. ———t—— ‘The Prince of Wales has quit horse racing. This does not imply that he will not be found from time to time in the grandstand, with a field glass. —— ‘There is hardly any place Pope Pius can go that will not cause him to recall Vatican splendor with the present re- flection, “This is nothing like home.” — e eaee Steamship pilots speak of speed in terms of a few hundred miles. And aviators smile superciliously. [re—— An endurance flight becomes a con- test between a gas tank and a pocket- ‘The portion of the Mall between the National Museum and the Smithsonian Institution presents much the appear- ance of a tourist camp, hundreds of cars v;:‘l’:)‘ the States bei'r;l parked there as rs go througl buildings. Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis is the mecca of most of the tourists. It is interesting to watch the sightseers stand beneath the plane, suspended some 12 or 15 feet above their heads. “Why do they hang it 'way up there?” complains one young miss. Another sightseer, who does not be- long to her party, answers her, but not quite loud enough for her to hear. “To guard it from people just like you,” he says. No doubt there are thousands of Washingtonians who have never visited Lindy's plane in the Arts and Indus- tries Building. They should do so, not particularly in a spirit of hero wor- ship, but simply to see a celebrated craft, and to realize how frail a thing an airplane is, after all. In contrast with the floor, the ceil- ing and the walls of the building, the Spirit of St. Louis seems small, in- deed. To trust one’s self to the mercies of the Atlantic in such a “boat” is more than most of us would want to do. As one looks up at the silvery ship one recalls that only one person ever did it by himself. It took nerve, and plenty of it. As long as mankind ap- plauds pluck Lindy’'s plane will hang there as the reminder of a heroic deed. The tendency on the part of some today to feel that the hero of the first transatlantic airplane passage has been overworshiped would be nipped in the bud in each instance if the holder thereof would come and stand beneath the Spirit of B:. X.:ul.s for a while, * % ‘The tourists are running all over the lot these hot days trying to see everything, and they are making & pret- ty good job of it. The majority of them are women and girls, as seems to be the case with all touring parties. All of them have sleeveless dresses ms sport fi.]!nty of “suntan.” Their cars are parked along the drives. Here is one from North Caro- lina, one from Georgia, one from In- diana, one from Illinois. No doubt the complete roster of the States could be found there, as the dusty cars wheel into such parking space as is available. ‘The Washingtonian who happens to be visiting the Mall cannot help con- trasting the scene there now with what was presented only a few years ago. In the old days there might have been seen a car or two, and maybe a carriage, but today there are scores and hundreds of cars lining the drives, with entrances left only at walks and crossroads. The American people are coming to see their National Capital, not only in the pleasant days of Spring, when the railroads bring tens of thousands of high school boys and girls to Washing- ton, but also during the Summer, when sightseeing conditions are not ideal. Heat seems to make little, if any, difference to the modern family which takes to its car for a tour of these States. They ride triumphant above the weather, determined to have a good time, to enjoy themselves, and to see everything. 1t is in this spirit that they flock to the Mall. They want to see every- thing—to understand it, if possible, but simply to see it, if they cannot. * ok ok ok The Freer Gallery is a classic example book. ———e—s. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Problems. There are problems in the morning ‘With the rising of the sun. The cook has given warning, And the egg is underdone. The car has left me waiting, ‘Though I ran with all my might. There are problems unabating From the morning until night, There are problems with the grocer, ‘There are problems with the rent, And they keep on drawing closer As each busy day is spent, And when I read the paper I discover, even there, It's the customary caper. There are problems everywhere, I feel duly sentimental As I try to understand ‘The problems Oriental And a few more near at hand. But betimes I have protested, Wishing to be left alone, And to.figure unmolested I have problems of my own. Questions. . The world to questions now doth run, And makes the people fret, For every time you answer one You start another set. The Rose Garden. "Mongst the roses gently smiling I went forth one Summer day, Where the sunbeams were beguiling Butterflies to idle play. ‘There were buds for each tomorrow. ‘There were many thorns beneath, Father Time to hide each sorrow Had put on a blossom wreath. Now the roses have departed, And no perfume haunts the morn. Many & blundering hand has smarted As it rudely clutched a thorn, Since we hope again for roses We must keep the briar, too, Till another year discloses Beauty blossoming anew, Topsy-Turvy. As T observe the prices that A pair of shoes commands, Td like to be an acrobat And walk upon my hands. Males Survive Somehow. From the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel. Sun-back bathing suits are advocated as good health costumes, but to date wve not observed any dispropor- tionate mortality among the male mem- bers of the population. o Life Flees, Soul Is Left! Prom the Florence (Ala.) Herald. Brevity is sald to be the soul of wit. But a fellow doesn't exactly laugh him- self to death when he finds his bank balance is short. ———t Too True! From the Akron Beacon Journal. Self-pity is that awful feeling & man has when he comes home an hour late and finds his wife hasn't come yet. Counts. Daily News. ags o possesses woald possesses described by an ad Trainin, Prom the Santa Ba: A philosopher the ordinary seem wonderful And Elastic Salaries for Bills. From the Memphis Commercial Appeal. ‘There ought to be elastic currency to cover the needs of the flexible tariff. —eeors This Social Thing Again. ‘Tribune. Tivalry for of this spirit. Perhaps there are not the various | the ten persons out of ten thousand who are able to appreciate the Whistleriana which forms so large a part of the ex- ‘hibitions. One must have made a lgechl study of Oriental art, too, to be able to enjoy pottery, screens and cther Far East- ern art objects which fill parts of the galleries, It must be admitted that the halls are not nearly so crowded as those which house more popular exhibits. Per- haps the most popular portion of the gallery is not in the bullding at all, but outside of it in the central inci garden known as the patio. Here masses of petunias form a ple- ture which one with a limited education in art may easily und d and, en- foy. ‘While walking through the gal- lerles we were interested in listening to the conversation of two visil “No doubt this is a wonderful col- lection,” one of them declared, “but it is over the heads of almost every one who visits it. It is something like Ein- stein’s theory, which only & dozen men in the world are supposed to under- stand. “Perhaps I am a low-brow, but I question the advisability of so much space given to such a beautiful butld- ing in order to house a comparatively few works of art for the pleasure of the very limited few.” ‘The other gentleman suggested that a few pictures of bathing beauties might not tome in amiss. ‘The first speaker smiled. ‘“No, I don't want bathing beauties, of course, al- though Whistler has something of an approach to them over there” (he waved toward the wall), “but I do think that there might be some happy medium be- tween what may be termed the high- brow in art and the low-brow in art. “What this gallery needs is a modern Eublicfl)’ agent, who could pep it up a it for the average tourist. At the same time he need not do anything which would make it repulsive to the genuine connoisseur and student of true art.” ‘The speaker looked at one of Whis- tler’d. ladles, confessed audibly to his companion that he “could see nothing in it” and went on: “Yes, sir; what this gallery needs is a good press agent. He could get its name on the front m’ of every newspaper in the United P “How?"” asked the other. “Easy enough! All that would be necessary would be to take one of these tiny etchings down from the wall, store it in & safe and call in the newspaper boys and show them the empty space on the wall. “‘It disappeared overnight,’ he would tell them. Reporters and photographers would do the rest, and the first thing {ou know everybody in America would now about the Freer Gallery and would visit it when they came through Wacshington on their way to Illinois, and Indiana, and Wisconsin, and Kan- sas, and Oklahoma, and all the other States.” We left our imaginative gentleman, convinced that he had spoken several grains of truth at least, and went out into the sunshine. Over on the steps of the old red building—we have for- gotten what it is called, although we have lived here almost all our life—a fine specimen of vouthful America was turning handsprings along the walk. Her vellow bobbed head gleamed in the sunshine, which bathed her tanned arms and legs. One more turn brought her to the family car, which was old and worn, but had come aasthousand miles to Washington. We wondered if that family had visited the Freer Gallery. You never can tell about people. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS Senator Borah and President Hoover appear to have reached the parting of the ways. Increasing coolness between the President and the independent Idahoan has been manifest on many recent occasions. Now on the Hoover cruiser suspension program and the disarmament parleys there is a clear break, as yet under cover, but certain to come into the open when Congress reconvenes. Borah is a leading advocate of world peace. He favors disarmament, but he is exceedingly critical of the President’s latest moves along those lines. He was not consulted nor ad- vised. The freedom-of-the-seas issue must be settled before there can be any actual naval disarmament as dis- tinguished from “political disarma- ment,” in Borah's view. Though the naval cruiser bill passed by Congress last Winter carried a Borah amend- ment dealing with this issue, it is be- ing ignored in the present interchanges between Washington and Downing Street. Borah is in disagreement with the administration on tariff revision. He supported the farm debentures which the President castigated. He is cold to the administration’s_prohibition moves, or lack of moves. It now ap- pears that Mr. Hoover's most zealous campaign protagonist is to become his severest critic. * kK & ‘The first result of the probe of post office operating expenses ordered by President Hoover will be to explode the popular fallacy that postal deficits are principally due to the free mail han- dled for Congress and for Government bureaus. “Abuses of the franking priv- flege!” has been a familiar cry every time postal deficits are talked about. The fact is that all of the mail car- ried free last year actually cost the Post Office Department approximately $7,500,000. Yet the operating deficit for the year was upward of $100,000,- 000. Members of Congress point out, also, that of the $7,500,000 figure only $500,000 was actually chargeable to congressional mail. A mere drop in the proverbial bucket. Last year profit on first-class mail—the 2-cent letters—of about $87,000,000 virtually balanced with a loss of $85,000,000 on second- class mail, newspapers and magazines, Mounting losses in the air mail service, in ship mail subsidies and in “adjusted compensation” to the railroads were the main factors in the postal deficit. * ok ok X Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Lowman continues to be deluf:d with samples of galvanized wire, plain and barbed, and samples of wire mesh fence, plain and fancy, from manufac- turers all over the country. The denials that the Prohibition Bureau ever con- templated erecting an 8-foot fence the length of the Canadian border to keep out the rum runners has not yet caught up with the original story. * kR K Oscar De Priest, the colored member of Congress from Chicago, is stealing some of the thunder of Representative George Holden m of Massachu- setts. De Priest announced in Chicago recently that at the next session of ing to introduce a “that will create .” He sald that with a Federal election law and an enforcement of the Constitution “we will make the South- ern States give the Negro his vote or we will redlice the States’ representa- in Con . This is the descended upon Wash- ington last week to whisper their tariff Smoot ’:‘?fln “my 't an . ask higher rates, but for clarification of "dlulmu:; 2% g i ] 8, 28g8EE 3 the Navy Department. They refer to him jocularly as “Poker Face Charlie.” They find him most affable, but ex- ceedingly uncommunicative and non- committal in their daily interviews in quest of news. * % k% Prohibition Commissioner Doran re- ports that the number of physicians holding Federal permits to prescribe whisky totaled 69,645 on June 30. Such permits authorize 100 liquor prescrip- tions every three months, 400 per year per physician. One pint of whisky per prescription is the authorized limit. It follows that if each medical permittee issued his full quota of prescriptions for the full maximum each medico could prescribe a total of 50 gallons of whisky per year—a grand total of 50 times 69,645, or 3,482,250 gallons. Commis- sioner Doran likewise reports that “the withdrawal and consumption of whisky for medicinal purposes from Govern- ment warehouses under Federal permit for the fiscal year ending June 30 was 1,616,924 gallons.” These figures ap- pear conclusively to demonstrate that the doetors holding Federal permits to prescribe whisky as medicine, on the average, utilize a little less than one- half thelr full “quota.” (Copyright, 1929.) Large Desert Tracts Still Are Unconquered From the New York Sun. ‘That ancient refuge of the uninformed cartographer, the Great American Des- ert, is no more. The blanching bones of oxen, horses, men, women and chil- dren do not now define the trails that led toward wealth beyond the stockaded Army post. The steam engine and the gasoline engine carry the travelers of today. The airplane photographs the land for map makers. - Man surmounts without fatigue the barriers reared by Nature to keep the secret of some of her store of treasures. Yet in Imperial County, Calif., 30 miles south of Blythe, a man, his wife and five children perished together from the heat near the Seldom Heed Desert road. ‘Their car broke down, They drained the radiator of water to quench their thirst. They died and their bodies were found by boys. The waste from which the road near the scene of this tragedy is named is not_dignified by recognition in the atlas. The gazetteer ignores it; Rider’s “California” does not give it place. But it has impressed it- self on the popular mind, else no high- way, road or trail would bear its name. 1t is a reminder that less than a gen- eration ago the Imperial Valley was “‘utterly uninhabitable.” Its natural re- sources were locked from human ex- muuon. the lush growth in the bot- lands hinting at their presence, waiting the key of irrigation. For all its amazing growth, Imperial County has great tracts that have not nded to man's needs or been subjugated to his ambition. has been rapid, but it has not conquered all. Up-and-Down Window Hailed As Triumph From the Des Moines Tribune-Capital. will go up readily when you want it up, :cng go down as readily when you want lown. ‘The window és v?n adaptation u;t ths handy ratchet device so —an successfully—used in luwmn‘m‘;.flu. ‘There is a real benefactor of the human race, and a pity it is he didn’ started g § . § £x Lt £ works, and after zEE ésg 2 § g 14 £ ] E i y § es is concerned, t equip with these i one of handy I:R; -down windows, and advertise fulsomely, and the rest of the lin¢ £ be put clear out of the picture. Politics at Large By G. Gould Lincoln. ‘The Republicans and independents in New York City are engaging in a quad- rennial pastime. They are seeking a candidate for mayor of the Greater City with whom they can defeat Tammany. And this year they are having their troubles as they have had them in the past. Defeating Tammany is no easy Jjob. Mayor “Jimmy” Walker apparently is to be the selection of Tammany and the Democratic organizations in the counties which go to make up the big city outside of New York County, where Tammany is supreme. Walker was elected four years ago over John F. losed | Hylan, another Democrat and former ma} yor, and the Republican nominee, Waterman. Hylan was backed by Wil- ANSWERS, TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Did you ever write a letter to Fred- eric J. Haskin? You can ask him any question of fact and get the answcr in a personal letter. Hore is a great educational idea introduced into the lives of the most intelligent people m the 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 return postage. Ad- dress Prederic J. Haskin, director, The Evening Star Infornfation Bureau, Washington, D. C. Q. How much land is cultivated by Jewish farmers in the United States?—- liam Randolph Hearst and Walker by|M. L. Al Bmith, then governor. Hylan is seek- mhw stage a comeback this year. presentative La Guardis, who has been elected in the past to the House as a Socialist, but who is now listed as & Republican, is an active candidate for the Republican nomination for mayor. Mrs. Ruth Pratt, elected to the House on the Republican ticket last Fall for the first time, is said to be a receptive candidate. Supreme Court Justice Lewis of Brooklyn is a possible nominee, provided he can be prevailed upon to make the race, it is now re- ported from New York. * k k% In some Republican quarters the sug- gestion has been made that it would be advisable to back a Democrat—a Demo- crat who does not wear the Tammany collar, be it well understood—for the mayoralty in the hope of uniting Re- publicans and anti-Tammany Demo- crats and independents. In several of the large cities of the country partisan politics are laid aside when it comes to municipal elections and candidates are put forward on their merits rather than because they belong to this or that National or State political party. But that day has not yet been reached in New York, nor-does it appear likely to be réached as long as Tammany re- mains the controlling factor in the Democratic party of the State and a controlling factor in the Greater City. There i3 one man in New York so well qualified for the office of mayor of the Greater City that his selection would seem obvious. Possibly he would de- cline—or has already "declined—to be considered for the office. That man is Alfred E. Smith. He is a Democrat, but it does appear that, in the interests of good city government, New Yorkers might insist upon his taking the job irrespective of party. The former gov- ernor has been recognized as one of the most capable executive officers ever developed in the State. And New York City needs an_executive. He was the candidate of the Democratic party for President a year ago and for that rea- son it might be said that for him to aspire to become mayor now would be in a sense a step down the political ladder. But New York City is the greatest city in the world today and it requires a man of the greatest ability to carry on its government and to meet the problems which constantly confront the munici- pality. Incidentally it might be pointed out that the Lord Mayor of London is a personage of very great prestige, and there is no reason to believe that the office of mayor of New York is not of first importance in this country. A boom for the nomination of Gov. Smith :or mayor was launched by one of the New York newspapers months ago, but it did not receive encouragement from Mr. Smith. There has been a new deal in Tammany and it is possible that the Democratic organization would look askance at having Smith in the City Hall. But however that may be, it seems a misfortune that New York City should not have the advantage of his leadership for the next four years. * ok x = It has been suggested that perhaps Gov. Smith and his friends have othgr fish to fry—that they consider his campaign for the presidency a year ago merely a warming-up gallop and that he will be a presidential candidate in 1932, Several publications have taken this view of the matter and Gov. Smith's autobiography, now starting in the Saturday Evening Post, is pointed to here and there as an evidence of a readiness to get into the political arena again. However, there is apother distinguished American citizen now re- tired to private life who is writing his life history in the magazines—Calvin Coolidge. Possibly the same inference might be drawn with regard to the latter. Indeed, not a few Republicans are convinced that Mr. Coolidge will occupy a position of watchful waiting uring the next three years and, i events should so shape themselves, be ready to w his hat, or permit some one else to throw it, into the pres- idential ring of 1932. . * x % Up in Boston there is to be an elec- tion of a mayor this Fall, too. Mayor Malcolm E. Nichols is a Republican. He was elected largely because the Democrats of Boston fell out. Former Mayor James E. Curley, Democrat, who aspired to be governor, but failed, is reported to be out for the job of mayor again, and the Good Government As- soclation is looking around to see whom they can find to beat him. This asso- clation, it is reported, has sought to have former Mayor Andrew J. Peters, a Democrat, run_against Curle; But the rumor runs that Mr. Peters at one th not long ago entered into a kind of agreement with Mr. Curley and with former Mayor John F. Fil ald to pool the Democratic strength of Boston and the State to win for each of them an important office. Curley, the story had it, was to become mayor of Bos- ton, Peters governor of the State and Fitzgerald was to be sent to the Senate in place of Senator Gillett. This seems an ambitious program. But,the Bay State Democrats have been greatly en- couraged by the success of Senator David I. Walsh last year and the vic- tory of Al Smith, the Democratic nomi- nee for President a year ago, in the S ‘The plan_to put the three for- mer mayors of Boston into these im- portant offices, however, has not been entirely satisfactory to the Democrats of the western part of the State, it is sald. They would like to have one of these offices if it is possible. ‘Although Senator Gillett has made no public announcement of his plans re- grdml the Senate race next year, there a growing impression in Massach: setts that t}}‘: ‘vjrul not seek }‘a c:uccted himself in the Upper House of ngress. It has been suggested that he may be given a diplomatic appointment of im- portance to round out his public career. Many of the Republicans of the State would like very much to know if former Gov. Alvan T. Fuller is to make a bid for the senatorial nomination. If he does, it is believed he will win the Re- publlc;ln ;ml'n:nnlml:l.m gl:.!:‘would lx;‘ob particularly please organiza- tion, to say &e least. Mr. Fuller, how- ever, was an ardent supporter of Pres- ident Hoover long before Mr. Hoover received the nomination in Kansas City last year. ‘The Repul in the Bay State have their troubles over-the prohibition question. The Democrats of the State are probably 90 per cent wet. But the followers of the G. O. P. approxi- mately only 65 r cent dry. Their forces are welP divided, therefore, over this question on which the Democrats Ambassador to Mexico, may be blic office by that y the time the sen- been a Morrow, rue;dy for another e, or certainl: atorial election L f | Though most xt year, and ! atm el et yoat e & A. Jewish farmers in the United States cultivate a million acres. Their real and personal property is worth $175,000,000, according to the twenty- ninth annual report of the Jewish Agricultural Soclety. Q. in New York?—T. A. V. A. Grover Whalen. Manhattan’s police commissioner, asserted in a re- cent speech that there are 32,000 speakeasies in Greater New York. Q. Is it true that Paderewski gives largely to charity?—S. A. P. A. Ignace Jan Paderewski, philan- thropist as well as piano virtuoso and Polish statesman, has donated the en- tire proceeds of his latest concert tour in Prance ($75000) to French war charities. Q. What dispute between the United States and Great Britain was decided by the Emperor of Germany?—E. D. A. The dispute between the United States and Great Britain that was arbitrated by a German Emperor was in relation to the San Juan water boundary. In 1871 the German Em- peror rendered a decision sustaining | the American claim. Q. What is the history of Dry Tortugas?>—R. G. A. Dry Tortugas was noted for the establishment of Fort Jefferson on one of the islands as a penal station during the Civil War. In 1904 the Carnegie Institution of Washington established on Loggerhead Key a marine biological laboratory, and in 1908 the Govern- ment set aside the entire group as a Federal bird reservation. Q. What is the legend connected with the adoption of the Danish flag?— K. O. A. ‘A. The Danish Minister says_ that “on June 15, 1219, the Danish King, Valdemar II, defeated the Esthonians in the battle of Reval, when what be- came our national flag, the Dannebrog, descended from Heaven to the hard- pressed Danes and gave them victory.” Q. If a man committed a crime in New Jersey for which the penalty was banging, if the State changed iis method to electrocution before sentence was imposed, would the man be hanged or electrocuted?—M. McM. A. The New Jersey State Prison says that “this story no doubt is a flickering of a certain murder and hanging case occurring during the time of the intro- duction and passing of our electrocu- tion law in 1906. This particular mur- der case occurred in Middlesex County, this State, and upon conviction the murderer was sentenced to be hanged. This occurred after the electrocution law had gone into effect. The sentence of hanging was due to the fact that the crime was committed before the act providing for electrocution became a law. This man was hanged according to the sentence, and was the last hang- ing in New Jersey. This occurred some time in 1907.” Q. At what time of day are most of the sales made In retail stores?— W. A. L. A. The Nation's Business says that it How many speakeasies are there H depends to a great extent upon the size of the city. In cities of ZM%O popul: tion and over, 71 per cent of the sales are made between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m 25 per cent after 3 o'clock and 4 pei cent before 11. In cities of 50,000 to 200,000, 51 per cent of the sales are be- tween 11 and 3, 47 per cent after 3 and 2 per cent before 11. In towns of 10,- 000 to 50,000, 72 per cent of sales oc~ cur after 3 o'clock, 13 per cent between 11)and 3 and 15 per cent befors 11. In towns of 2,500 to 10,000, after 3 o'clock the sales amount to 60 per cent, be- fore 11 to 32 per cent and from 11 to 3 only 8 per cent. Q. Please give the names of members ‘1’: “l,he’r new Farm Rellef Board.— A. The names of the members of the Farm Relief Board recently ap- pointed by President Hoover are Alex- ander Legge, chairman; James C. vice chairman; son. ‘The headquarters is at the May- Hower Hote " i Q. How did Indians catch fish before the white man came?—E. V. A. The methods used by the Indians in fishing were quite modern. Starting from the simple device of attaching the bait to the end of a line, the progressive order of fishhooks used by the Indians seems to be as follows: (a) The gorge hook, a spike of bone or wood, sharp- ened at both ends and fastened at its middle to a line, a device used also tor catching birds; (b) a spike set oblique- ly in the end of a pliant shaft; (c) the plain hook; (d) the barbed hook; (e) the barbed hook combined with sinker and lure. This series does not exactly represent stages in invention; the evo- lution may have been eflected by the habits of the different species of fish | and their increasing wariness. The ma- terials used for hooks by the Indians were wood, bone, shell, stone and cop- per. The Mohave employed the re- curved spines of certain species of cac- tus which are natural hooks. Q. Did the anclent Israelites have poultry for food such as is common to- 1!!! apart from pigeons and quails?— A. Partridges are noted in the Old ‘Testament. The fatted fowl (I Kings, iv.23) is interpreted as either goose or duck. Cocks and hens were brought from Persia two or three centuries be- fore Christ. A tomb at Marissa, of about 200 B.C., has & good representa- tion of & crowing cock. Sparrows and other “twittering birds” were also used for food. Q. Who created the well known Buster Brown of the comic strips?— R. S. J. A. Buster Brown was created in 1902 by Richard Felton Outcault for the | New York Herald. Outcault died Sep- tember 25, 1928. Q. Has it been determined how much water sinks a ship?—G. N. D. A. At the Brooklyn Navy Yard tests are being made with the Shipping Board vessel Ellersley to determine hov long it takes a ship to go down with a specific amount of water aboard. The results of these tests are expected to be of the greatest value to naval archi- tects and shipyards, for they will make it possible to design compartmenting and bulkheading of known utility. Q. Is there a fishing school in Brazil>—N. B. A. Such a school has been established by the government of Brazil. It is called the State Fishing School and helped to run up the nation’s coastwise catch to 7,500,000 pounds in the first year. Q. When did grapefruit become of commercial importance?—L. E. M. | "A. Its commercial importance dates from about 1890. Experiments With Rocket : Open Field for Although Prof. Clark's giant rocket traveled smfly “several” of the 239,000 miles between the earth and the moon, the flights of imagination which it started reached far greater altitudes. commentators are content to make practical ohservations based on the Smithsonian Institution’s assurance that the rocket was a scientific instru- ment planned to explore the neighbor- ing atmosphere, some prefer to speculate upon it as an interplanetary missile. “Dr. Goddard is not trying to make the populace gape, ner is he seeking to beguile it with heroic pyrotechnical dis- play,” contends the ‘Worcester Evening Gazette, as it describes the scientist as being “engaged in that centuries-old activity of sclence, the pursuit of the elusive fact. He wants the facts about the upper air—the empyrean, as it u;l.ed to be called,” explains the Gazette, “so he hopes to devise a rocket ‘which '"]é penetrate the upper regions—a rocke! which can carry recording instruments which are to be released and dropped, possibly with parachutes, at prgdeter- mined distances from the earth’s sur- face. The knowledge sought is impor- tant knowledge—knowledge vlhlsh the scientific world eagerly awaits,” con- this paper. cll'xlfi’:: Spflnpgf?eld Tinols State Register notes that “similar expcriments are be- ing pushed in Germany, but Dr. God- dard is said to have the advantage to date. If his idea proves out—and it is claimed that, success is just around the corner—this Nation will be credited with a scientific achievement of vast impor- tance,” says_the ister, since “the world knows little about the atmosphere in the higher altitudes, and if definite information can be secured through such experiments, it might revolution- ize our theories of the mighty structural problem of the universe.” * ok kX Since Dr. Goddard “enjoys the back- ing of the Smithsonian Institution,” the Trenton Evening Times considers this a “fact which seems to take the projec.t, out of the realm of the fantastic, though this paper acknowledges that “Prof. Goddard, much as he may resent it, will probably be regarded by the public as a man who is attempting to shoot fireworks to the moon.” This in spite of the fact that the secretary of | to e Smithsonian, Dr. Abbot, specifically denies he is “backing any attempt to shoot & rocket to the moon” as the Columbus Dispatch points out, quoting Dr. Abbot as saying, “No such wild project as going to the moon is con- templated.” “If a rocket can be devised that will reach & point farther from the earth than is possible with present devices,” advises the Miami Herald, “it is likely that much valuable information will be gained. Samples of the rarefied at- mosphere can be obtained for analysis, the temperature can be measured, air pressure can be determined and camera spectographs of the sun can be made that will not be affected by the ozone layer mear the earth's surface.” The Herald concludes: “Scientists are in- terested in the experiments and more rockets will be fired into space until results are obtained. One failure does not_discourage the true investigator.” Spéculation is known as a_man who, once he has tackled a problem, never lets go until he has solved it.” * ok * % Describing the rocket that was sent up, the San Antonio Express says: 'his missile—9 feet long and 20 inches in diameter—went several miles into the air; but it will take a ‘much larger rocket to bridge the 229,000 miles to the moon.” “Mere newspaper readers are wonder- ing how the modern Jules Verne is going to know what becomes of his rocket,” says the Fort Worth Record-Telegram, as it comments on the popular theory of the experiments. “If the cartridge were loaded with a sizable quantity of TNT. it might be possible for the earth’s residents to see & change in the physiognomies of the woman and the man in the moon. We hope the explosion takes place in the realm of the latter. We would hate to see a scar on the profile of the woman.” Noting that “Jules Verne, 1. G. Wells and many lesser persons have built imaginary vehicles which v the moon,” the Seattle Daily marks, “It will be & great day whe the professor drops his business card plumb into the middle of Tycho's crater.” ite P Number of Brothers Determines Progress BY E. E. FREE, PH. D. To have three or four ‘brothers an: sisters helps the German school chi to get promoted to the next grade. Lcss or more than this optimum number iit the family tends to hold the school child back. Such is the apparent meaning of statistics collected by Prof. A. Busemann, whose records show every boy or girl who failed to be promoted in’each of six German schools, as well as the family circumstances of these individuals. Families having four or five children, preferably close together in age, present the best condition, the statistics show, for school success. Smaller families or larger ones show smaller averages of children promoted. Other children of the same sex seem be more potent, either for good school work or bad, than those of the opposite sex. ‘Three brothers, for ex- ample, are of more use than three sis- ters in helping the average boy to get promoted. Boys with nine brothers, on the other hand, are held back more than boys with nine sisters. The same rules apply to girl pupils; sisters having more potent effects on a schoolgirl's progress than have brothers. One thing that helps to explain these curi- ous statistical relations is, Prof. Buse- mann believes, the amount of parental attention that children receive. A single child receives too much; a child in a very large family may receive too little. Another factor, he images, is mutual rivalry for good marks. Four boys of about the same ages will stimu- late each other to do well in school. Three sisters or too many brothers will create less competition and have less effect. e Really—Now! From the Detroit Pree Press. ) protests against the tariff on cork. Good heavens, what does she. think Americans could do with corks? Unless Trouble Counts. From the Asheville Times. Joint government ownership of rail- Manchuria seems to be & failure. Shake Down Whom? Prom Lg THNWH“A‘I!M l!.:’n ta up that tariff prescription houid i waming dova A 4 A Lo shake -