Evening Star Newspaper, August 1, 1929, Page 8

3 THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 1929. —— e THE EVENING STAR|n Nortn With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C THURSDAY......August 1, 1820 THEODORE W. NOYES. ...Editor The Evening Star Ne jper Company 11t 8. 24 Fenmvivants Ave . an S New York Office: 11 nd e Chicago Office: Lake Michigan Buildins. European Office; 14 Regent St.. London. ‘Englan Rate by Carrier Within the City. Eve Bta 45¢ per month 60c per month 65¢ per month _Bc per copy each month. or telephone Collection mas Orders may be NAtional 5000. Rate by Mall—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Dally and Sunda: aily only .. unday only e at’ihe end of nt in by mall Member of the Associated Press. ‘The Associated Press fs exclusively ertitled to the use for republication of all news dis. patches credited to it or not otherwise cred ited in this paper and also the iocal news published herein. “All rights of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. Baring Tariff Duties. Becrecy in the conduct of public busi- mess has received another jolt. Sena- tor Couzens of Michigan, Republican member of the Senate finance commit- tee, has let it be known that he does not intend to observe the rule of secrecy which the Republican members of the committee have adopted with rg- gard to changes made in the tariff in “executive session.” ' “Executive", merely another way of saying behilid €losed doors. ‘The Michigan Senator, it is reported, intends to do openly what he suspects is being done privately by other per- sons. He has become convinced that constituents of other members of the committee are receiving privately infor- mation as to what transpires behind the closed doors of the committee room. ‘This does not strike the Michigan Sen- ator either as fair to the public gener- ally or to the committee. If the Mich- igan Senator had his way there prob- ably would be public announcement each day of the decisions of the com- mittee in regard to the tariff sched- nles. While this method of dealing with a tariff bill not only would be novel, but also might be a handicap to the com- mittee in an effort at an early com- pletion of the bill, it would have the virtue of being absolutely fair to all parties. Announcements of decisions by the majority members of the finance com- mittee on tariff duties as they are made doubtless would lead to appeals from interested parties for further hearings. Indeed, it is such requests as the com- mittee proceeds with the consideration of the bill today that led Senator Cou- zens to the belief that many of the in- terested parties are kept informed, one way or another, of what transpires in the secret sessions of the committee. Decisions by the committee, after the conclusion of the hearings on particu- lar schedules, however, might well be final so far as the revamping of the bill in committee is concerned. It is per- fectly obvious that if there is to be a rehearing of schedules as soon as the committee has reached a decision re- garding rates the consideration of the bill must run on ad infinitum, Senator Couzens has let it be known, after his decision no longer to be bound by the secrecy rule, that the Repub- lican members of the committee have, in effect, reduced the duties on automo- biles from about 32 per cent to 25 per cent ad valorem by the expedient of striking out the countervailing pro- vision in the House bill. This leaves the 25 per cent ad valorem duty. He has further revealed the fact that shingles and lumber, except hardwood flooring, have gone back to the free list. It has been generally understood that the Senate finance committee would cut down some of the dutles imposed in the House bill. The infor- mation now obtained through the Michigan Senator is a clear indication that such is the case. The duties car- ried in the House bill on a number of building materials have been the cause of wide criticism. These criticisms seem- ingly have had their effect on members of the Senate committee. Except for the mechanics of the tariff-bill drafting there seems little difference in the public announcement of decisions of the committee from day to day and one announcement after the committee has completed its con- sideration of the entire bill. Daily an- nouncement of committee decisions, however, would give the public earlier knowledge of what to expect when the bill was reported to the Senate and, in- cidentally, might form public opinion in such a way as to have a distinct effect on the legislation in the end. ‘The possibility of evil growing out of withholding from the public the de- cisions of the committee in regard to the tariff duties lies in the danger that there may be leaks and that those to whom the information comes secretly may take advantage of the knowledge so0 gained. The value of full publicity with regard to public business is be- coming more and more apparent. Se- crecy is the handmaiden of special fa- vors. —— Edison questionnaires may not de- velop any geniuses to rank as worthy successors of their author. At any rate, they are likely to prove of more advan- tage to the world than beauty contests. o “The Heathen Chinee.” No single bit of information that has come out of the new China during the past year exceeds in significance the announcement that the Chinese Chris- tians of North China have bee:’ ';1:;\; on of all the activities :u‘:r:revdmm by the American Board of Forelgn Missions. The board is the for- elgn mission agency of the Congrega- tional churches in the United States. The transfer, which includes church property, gives full recognition to the nationalistic aspirations of convert Chinese of the North China Mission, who, earlier this year, drafted a consti- tution for an indigenous or purely Chinese church organization. ‘The new arrangement, whcreby these Chinese now come into control of all mission functions in their country, is in accordance with the declared policy of the American Board for all its missions. ' 3t has been & goal for the board’s ‘work China since the inception of activities in 1860. Herbert D. Rugg, writing in the New York Herald Tribune on this epochal religious development in the Far East, points out that “the replacement of missionary supervision by an autono- mous arganization of the mission churches is termed ‘devolution.’” Mr. Rugg then quotes the findings of the International Missionary Council at its meeting in Jerusalem, as follows: “Present conditions within and without the Christian movement in China demand a more rapid devolu- tion in order that the goal of com- plete autonomy of the Chinese churches and of direct communica- tion between them and the churches of Western countries may be reached as soon as possible. “The church-centric conception of forelgn missions makes it necessary to revise the function of the mis- slon where it is an administrative agency, so that the indigenous church will become the center from which the whole missionary enterprise of the area will be directed.” Henceforward American missionaries who are within the scope of the re- adjusted scheme will serve on a basis of equality with their Chinese associates. They are expected to become members of a Chinese Christian church and will receive their assignments from the Chinese Board, instead of, as through the long past, from the American Board's headquarters in Boston. The work of the new and autonomous Chi- nese Board extends throughout the three immense provinces of Chihli, Shantung and Shansi, whose total population is 76,000,000 By interdenominational agreement, the Congregational churches have exclusive responsibility for Chris- tian work in areas whose population amounts to 11,500,000. ‘The work of Christianization in Far Cathay has indeed marched a long way since the world was wont to speak of “the heathen Chinee.” ‘e Apartment House Garages. For the second time the Zoning Commission has been asked to grant a public hearing on an amendment to the zoning regulations proposed by the Operative Builders’ Association of the District which would permit the con- struction of apartment house storage garages, without the consent, now re- quired, of 75 per cent of the owners of property within 200 feet of the apartment. Modern conditions have made the issue an important one. A public hearing, which does not imply consent or agreement on the part of the Zoning Commission, should be granted. The builders have a selfish interest in the amendment which is perfeetly obvious and does not detract from its importance as a community problem. ‘They want to build apartment houses and utilize the space underground for garages that make the apartments more attractive to tenants. Private property owners may now prevent them. ‘Two or three of them, owning property within 200 feet of the building, may refuse to give their consent. But a rival builder, fortunately able to obtain such consent, may construct a garage and comply with the zoning regula- tlons. The present wegulation, there- fore, does not set up a blanket prohibi- tion against apartment house garages, but makes their construction dependent upon the consent, and perhaps the whims, of surrounding property owners. As property owners differ in their opinions, the result is a regulation that in some instances may become dis- criminatory. The builders have suggested an amendment which would permit the construction of a basement garage in an apartment house large enough to accommodate one automobile for each individual apartment in the building; prohibiting the washing, repair or sale of any article on the premises and pro- hibiting the leasing of the garage to a third party. The garage would merely serve the purpose of providing park- ing space for apartment house tenants. No gasoline or oil could be sold and the arguments of the bullders set forth the fact that such garages may be constructed so as not to be noticeable from the street and not considered as detrimental to the appearance of the neighborhood. A survey of conditions in other cities indicates that specific permission is often given in zoning reg- ulations to place storage garages in apartment houses, or else the permis- sion is obtained from a zoning board of appeals. Public interest in the matter arises from the crowded condition of the streets now, with all-night parking in some sections which probably could be eliminated by apartment garages. If the matter is not of pressing impor- tance now, it will be in a few years. Instead of preventing apartment house garages, the regulations should require them. Every effort should be made to eliminate the all-night parkers by pro- viding them with garage space. But the Zoning Commission should retain supervision over the types of apartment house garages. There should be written into the proposed amend- might result in an American peasantry instead of the present valuable element of independent freeholders. But if the small farm will not support the small farmer there seems little alternative. But there has been no certainty that the small farm actually was less effi- cient than the big farm. The United States Chamber of Commerce has just concluded an exhaustive study of this question and finds that when all factors are considered, there apparently is no difference. Elements were found which offset the obvious advantages of large- scale production. The little farmer makes as much money, acre for acre, as the big farmer—and neither of them makes enough to boast about. The chief advantage of the small farm appears to be in the application of labor. A man working for himself works longer and harder than one work- ing for somebody else. Independence has an economic value. The small farm is an easier unit to handle, due to the constantly varying nature of ag- ricultural occupations. It is not like the manufacture of automobiles, where & workman spends all his time making one part and has skill in no other job. The farmer must turn to several types of skilled labor in a single day. Actually the large farm probably will gain slowly on the small farm. But wholesale production will not have so easy a victory as has been the case in industry. = Honor the Penny. “This car paid for with 63,500 pennies” is a sign adorning a motor car in which the owner and his wife are { now luxuriating along the New Jersey seacoast. % The despised penny has again proved its value as coin of the realm. This man, proprietor of a service station, saved pennies for four years. He accu- mulated nine sugar bags full, which he hauled to an automobile sales agency in a truck. Four years of saving pennies certainly is better than buying the “filvver” on time payments with accumulating costs. ‘There are many who drive these “fiiv- vers” and even higher-priced cars who are never out of debt. ‘These 63,500 pennies might well be distributed for advertising purposes, to every “flivver” station as far as they will go, and be exhibited with the sign— “I am one of the pennies that bought an automobile.” It might be a worth- while object lesson that would make some people start saving—if only a penny. The old observation af that great philosopher, “Give me a fulcrum and a lever long enough and I'll move the world,” might be modernized, “If I save enough pennies I can see the world in my own motor car.” ————— Benefits are to be arranged for musi- cians who have been left out of work (it would be a cruel gibe to say “left out of play”) by the sound synchroniz- ing pictures. One of the most delight- ful of accomplishments is regarded as a trade, and the performer who gives new beauty to the tone of strings or horn cannot, like the mechanical inven- tor, appeal to the Patent Office to pro- tect his talent. Fox hunters in Montgomery County recently tc-': to horse and irritated a number of foxes who had hitherto been dormant. The result has been & series of raids by foxes on chicken farms. The incident may serve as a fable moral: What you call pleasure may be only stirring up trouble for others. —————————— Americans know but little of what Chinese are doing in this country and still less about the motives that ani- mate them in their own. Russia has been alwa—- secretive. The threatened controversy is & clash between two world mysteries. ———————— New York’s night clubs are dangerous and the theaters are dull. In order to entertain buyers from out of town, the New York salesman may have to learn to play pinochle. Kansas demands equal rights for women and allows them to take chances on bootlegging the same as the men. oot SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Lazy August. Lazy August drifts along "Most too lazy for a song. Flowers wilt and bend so low, "Most too lazy for to grow. No more holidays to cheer Footsteps of the passin’ year, Breezes loiter in the sky 'Most too lazy for to sigh. Even bees among the flowers Grumble through the lazy hours, Lazy August seems to smile, Sayin’, “Guess we'll dream awhile,” ‘The: Thirst of the People. Now let the revenues relax ment a stipulation that the storage places must be disguised and out of sight. If they are, it is difficult to find reasonable grounds for opposing them. — . Alexandria, Va., recalls the time when it was rated as a metropolis, and, step- ping into the modern pace, now pro- ceeds to arrange for & “Greater Alex- andria.” Big and Little Farms. There is a constantly recurring sug- gestion that the basic trouble with agriculture lles in the great number of independent operators with small holdings. ‘This prevents the application of effi- clency systems associated w:h whole- some production in industry, necessi- tates ‘an enormous unnecessary over- head and an economical concentration of labor. What would be the condition of the steel industry, one might ask, if it were scattered over a hundred thousand village foundries rather than concentrated in a few great establish- ments? Certainly the cost of steel production would be so great that the widespread use of the metal would be impossible. How does agriculture differ essential- ly from any other industry? It is en- To soothe our Summer troubles. Cut down the ice cream soda tax— And then reduce the bubbles. A Conservatism. Everything keeps goin’ Yonder in the sky, ‘Though there isn’t any knowin® All the wherefore and the why, Stars come out a-gle: ' ‘Then slip out o’ sight. Sunshine comes a-streamin® An’ the moon shows up at night. Comet comes a-whizzin'— We view it with dismay; Distant suns are sizzin’ In the Milky Way. Fiery vapors flowin’ Threaten deadly shock— But somehow things keep goin’ Reg'lar as a clock. Unenforcements. A law appeared. Men paused to look With satisfaction deep. It crept into a statute book And there it went to sleep. Three Votes—Day’s Pay.- From the San Antonio Evening News. A Texas election official seeks 24 hours’ pay for counting three ballots. Perhaps he deserves the remuneration— but the vote slackers should pay it. Although the owner of a small gar- den often casts envious eyes upon the great estate of a neighbor, in one respect he is much the better off of the two. He can put enough water upon his yard in really hot weather to keep it looking fine, whereas the owner of the big place must let Nature take her course, ‘The power to wield the hose is some- thing. The magic of water is not to be disputed. Even the gardener who recognizes the dangers of half-way wa- tering must admit that the hose has its place. ere is little question that an aver- age lawn gets along better, year in and year out, with as little use of the hose as_possible, e less water that the home owner puts upon his grass artificially, the better his lawn will be—except in hot weather. In times of drought, when the sun remains bright and hot, and breezes fail to blow, and the thermometer in the shade registers between 90 and 100 degrees, not even indifference will take the place of artificial watering. * ok ok ok ‘This season there seems to have been a generous spleen against the garden hose throughout the city, except such water as may be put on when giving the children an imitation seashore in the front or back yard. Right here let us digress for a little: ‘Who remembers the time when the children would not have been permit- ted to appear in bathing suits in the average front yard? There was a time, and not so many years ago, when the average mother did not think it the right thing to permit the little ones to sport with the garden hose on the front lawn. “Go around to the back, if you want to play,” she would say. The mother of today rather prefers the front lawn, where she can “keep an eye on them,” as she says, although she is probably mn\:uxy playing bridge to think about As for the kids themselves, they ha% a high old time in their bathing suits and sun suits, and he would be an old grouch, indeed, who would order them to the back yard. * ok k% Back or front yard, the water which is put on the lawn during such a pop- ular playtime is just what the thirsty grass nee ‘There are few reactions in gar- dening so instant as this—few that may be seen so easily with the naked eye. See those brown spots which have begun to appear here and there throughout the yard? Let no one tell you that they are the result of a strange parasitic disease, which must be treated with certain chemicals. The chances are 100 to 1 that they are nothing more than a lack of water, and that within half an hour after you begin sprinkling they will begin to disappear. Tomorrow morning they will have vanished completely, if your sprinkling ‘was complete enough, thorough enough. That word “sprinkling” is perhaps responsible for the short time spent by many persons on the job of water- ing the grass. A “sprinkle” means just a little rain, the first small rain be- fore the real rain. If the evening sprinkling is done in that fashion, first until one is rather | Of all the after-war disclosures, there has never been any that, for naivete, plus knavery, could be com- pared with the news from Berlin, yes- terday, reporting the conviction and sentence of Albert Brehahn, the in- ventor of the alleged “‘death ray” con- trivance which, as it transpires, was a fraud pure and simple. There never was such a contrivance nor any embryo of such a nature, whereby, as represented by Brehahn, it was possible to kill masses of men, even at a distance of 17 miles, and melt the enemy’'s cannons, as if they were butter. That Brehahn was a swindler ap- pears indisputable, but that his vic- tims and fellow conspirators—men of most eminent degree—were permitted to come into court with unclean hands and convict him of his swindle with no reproach upon their own honor through a more atrocious plotted crime and con- spiracy, is the amazing part of the story. It almost incites the risibles to note the air of innocence of the Prince von Bismarck and the counts and baron, as they—fellow conspirators— plotting with Brehahn's “death ray” to “kill all the Jews in Berlin in three minutes,” mnow point the accusing finger at the swindler whom they had been supporting for a decade in the faith that he would do just that dastardly act of wholesale massacre. The dupes seem chagrined that he falls to commit the massacre—not that they repent of their own complicity in the supposed murderous plot. So they form a new conspiracy to make Bre- hahn the ziegenbok—in plain United States language, “the goat.” * ok % Here is the story in brief: In 1917, Brehahn told of his alleged invention to the German press, and the German military authorities were so impressed by its possibilities of wip- ing out whole armies in the twinkling of an eye that they gave the ihventor a monthly allowance of 26,000 marks to perfect his contrivance. Something always delayed his demonstrations, and the armistice came before he had killed anybody with it. It would beat poison d eve terrible, but it wasn't ready. But “peace hath her victories no less renowned than war”; and next we learn that the ultra-monarchists had taken Brehahn seriously, and, through a re- tired general, he was introduced to Prince von Bismarck, Count Bueckler, Count Maltzan and Baron von Dirkson and these raised a fund of 60,000 marks a month, for him to continue his work, upon his promise that he would dem- onstrate its usefulness by killing Jews in Berlin in three minutes, and then killing all Republicans. ‘The first 60,000 marks a month was supplemented later by other monarchist supporters, who raised a fund of 600,000 marks, Wasn't it well worth a million marks to get rid of the “undesirable citizens"—Jews and Republicans—and reinstate the Kaiser on the throne, armed with the monopoly of a weapon that would give him not merely “a place in the sun,” but a power sur- passing that of the hottest sun that ever shone? The world would soon be compelled to bow to “Deutschland ueber alles,” or be roasted to death and the ashes mtured’m‘ n;e '![our winds. . Now verdamnt! The death ray isn't worth a tallow candle and Jews and Republicans still live, and the Kaiser THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. over , th - f:vll‘ed. again, e term may be al * Kk ok K ‘The rapid response of a thirsty lawn to a real a})rlnklinl is one of tht: most pleasing of garden phenomena. Here one has to take nothing on faith. With fertilizers, it is different. The gardener puts in a handful of patent fertilizer with a prayer, hoping that one or the other may do some good. Too often he has to believe, rather than know, that his work has been to Some purpose. His plants look no par- ticularly better than they would have appeared without his efforts. Sometimes he is hard-put to it to {:a!:ltylhm rmmmri b;l!mh: b-:m never loss for proof of nefl his watering. ¥ i This is why there is no garden oper- ation more enjoyable than sprinkling. Even the children like to “sprinkle,” and their ministrations will do as well as any, if they can be prevailed on to keep at it long enough. ‘There is another way in which chil- dren are poor sprinklers. They seem to get the most “kick” out of playing the stream of water upon a concrete walk, where it does little good, or upon :t glfixl-ne roof, where it does no good The splash of the water evidently is what pleases the juvenile mind. But :lo#nd :}?u“ ‘wul not water a lawn; ere the water must is down the roots of the grass. ” m * Kk %k ‘The necessity for actually reachin; the roots is what I‘nlkl‘sy thorougl"l watering necessary. Just a light surface sprinkling will not do at all, Perhaps some refreshment of foliage is secured by a few minutes’ watering, especially if done after the sun has gone down, but for real effect several hours must be spent at the job. It is better to water three hours every third day than an hour for three evenings. This is the way Nature plays her rains upon the earth beneath. She seldom brings a rain every evening at exactly the same time, but contents herself with pouring on water, then giving herself a rest for several days, oernybe weeks. low mere man cannot hope to imi- tate Nature in this matter, but at least he can take a tip from her inexhausti- ble resources. She waters the earth in the afternoon, usually, and when she does it, in most cases she does it thoroughly. The home gardener, then, must water with a will when he does get out the old hose. He is lucky if it does not leak. There is nothing more disheartening to both garden and gardener than a leaky hose. The leaks take all the fun out of watering. * ok ok X ‘The ideal lawn would be one wi suth thick turf, so well rooted, lh:}: it could stand any amount of drought. Far-spreading meadows answer to this description. Often they are in low- lands, which collect water from miles around. It is asking too much of the aver- age city lawn to expect it to get along all Summer without recourse to arti- ficial watering. When the home grounds really need water, therefore, there is but one thing for the home owner to do who likes to keep the ap- Ppearance of his place up to its best. He must get out the hose in the evening, and water the lawn until darkness comes on. He need not do this except when the grass really needs it, but when it does he should do it tired, and then the whole thing be-! with a will. BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLINS. Bismarck and the counts and the baron and all the other contributors, who knew the promises and the plot to wholesale massacre, were far gultier of the murderous conspiracy than was the swindler, Brehahn, for Brehahn, know- ing that he was lying merely to get the thousands of marks, had never any in- | tent to murder, while his dupes were counting on the murder (if the news story is reliable) and were giving their support based upon the plot to mas- sacre. The mere quibble that the alleged crime was committed in Germany, and the lJaws we quote are of American d cision, is immaterial, since the essen- tial point is the standard of civilization and social morality involved, and not the technical statutory law or court construction. The public is not inter- ested in the punishment of individuals in far-off Germany, but is concerned as to the standards of people with whom other peoples have to deal. LI What would come of an indictment along the following lines? World Civilization' et al. v. Prince von Bismarck, Count Bueckler, Count Maltzan and Baron von Dirkson: Court of Public Morality, District of Civilization, Western Division of Humanity, ss. The grand jurors of the world, duly selected, impaneled, sworn and charged to inquire with and for the Western Division of Humanity of the District of Civilization, upon their oaths present: Count 1. ‘That Albert Brehahn, Prince von Bis- marck, Count Bueckler, Count Maltzan and Baron von Dirkson (together with others whose identity is unknown to the grand jury), on the eleventh day of November, AD. one thousand nine hundred and eighteen, or on or about said date, at Berlin, Germany, in the Western Division of Humanity of the District of Civilization and within the Jurisdiction of this court, did willfully, knowingly, unlawfully, feloniously, wick- edly and maliciously conspire, combine and confederate and agree together, and with divers other persons, to these grand jurors unknown, to commit cer- tain offenses against World Civilization, contrary to provisions of the common law, all as a part of said conspiracy mentioned, to wit, to_yiolate the com- mon law in this: Th#¥ it was the pur- pose and object of the said conspir- ators, and each of them, to willfully, knowingly, unlawfully, feloniously and ‘maliciously assassinate, murder, kill and destroy within three minutes, more or all |less, by means of a certain diabolical invention and contrivance called and known as a ‘“death ray machine” in- vented and claimed by said Brehahn to Easier Voting Seen Spur to Citizens ‘To the Editor of The Star: During and since the last presidential campaign, & number of organizations and prominent individuals have em- phasized the necessity of getting people out to vote. One of the best ways to secure this result would be to remove some of the annoying restrictions, which undoubtedly v voting. If voting is made very easy, un- doubtedly many citizens will go to the ballot boxes. In this connection, an order issued by the Governor of the State of Queens- land, Australia, in the recent election for the Queensland Parliament is in- teresting. Recognizing the fact that many citizens are traveling on election day, the governor, acting on the advice of the executive council, determined to facilitate voting for citizens who are traveling by rail on election day. A regulation was issued containing the following provisions, amending the elec- tons acts: Voters travelling on certain rallway trains on polling day. 50. For the purpose of enabling any elector, who, on polling day, will be traveling on the railways of the state on a ralway train, and who shall com- mence his journey either before the hour fixed for the opening of the poll or after such hour, but at a time with- in which it is reasonably impracticable for any such elector to record his vote at a polling place, and shall arrive at his destination after the hour fixed for the closing of the poll or before such hour, but at a time within which it is reasonably impracticable for any such elector to record his vote at a polling place, whereby any such elec- tor will be ordinarily precluded from voting at such election, it is hereby de- clared that for the purposes of the said acts the railway train on which any such elector shall be traveling may be declared to be a polling place at which such elector may vote as an absent voter at the election concerned. For the purpose of this regulation the powers of the governor in council under and pursuant to the provisions of section 8 of the said acts, shall also apply and extend, so that the governor in council may appoint as a polling place any rallway train (specifying in the notification in the Gazette of such appointment, the name of the place from which such railway train shall commence its journey and the time of commencement thereof). The presiding officer or officers in respect of any polling place constituted as aforesaid, shall be appointed by the governor in council: Provided that nothing in this regula- tion shall permit of any elector record- ing his vote prior to the hour of the commencement of the poll or subse- quent to the hour of the closing of the poll as fixed pursuant to the said acts. A similar regulation adopted by the legislatures of our States might result in the polling of a larger vote here. JULIAN PIERCE. e Protection at Corners For Pedestrians Asked To the Editor of The Star: In your crusade against the rotary left turn, the safest and best mode of making a left turn for all concerned, you print in The Evening Star inter- views with a number of merchants favoring what is called the “Hoover plan.” In spite of the fact, that plan ignores the rights of pedestrians, not one word is there in any of the com- ments of those interviewed of the in- creased danger to the pedestrian. Evidently he is not to be considered— few motorists do. It is bad enough to have motors turning right through a pedestrian right-of-way, but if we have to look out for left-turners too when the green light is supposed to give right- of-way, we might as well go back to the middle of the block to cross where we have to watch two directions only instead of four. It has come to a pretty pass when a green light, which is supposed to give pedestrians and motorists right-of-way, has come to mean only “Go if you dare,” and a red light, which means stop and danger, means to a left-turner, “Go, and step on n..l'; let the pedestrian look out for him- self. I can see no inconsistency in havin different systems of turning at light- protected crossings and those without lights. At the former a green light “Go” signal is used and it is supposed to mean what it says, and traffic and pedestrians should have the right to advance on it with minimum risk, and a system of making left turns, like the present rotary one, so that the green light means what it says, should be used. At corners where there is no directing signal, drivers and pedestrians have to use their own judgment, there being no safe periods for them to make the crossing indicated by signal lights. A. M. LEWE] Blindness From Moon Proved by Experiments BY E. E. FREE, PH. D. The ancient folk tale of persons struck suddenly blind by moon rays may hold, after all, a grain of truth. No less an authority than Prof. Bohu- slav Brauner, unquestioned leader of science in Czechoslovakia, has reported to the Academy of Sciences in Prague experiments which he carried out many years ago on some phenomena of sight and which he has never previously de- scribed publicly. One of them was tempo- rarily to strike blind one of his eyes by gazing at the moon in a certain way. Every human eye has what is called its “blind spot,” & small spot on the inside of the eyeball where the fibers of the optic nerve pass through the sensitive retina. Any one can recognize this blind spot by closing one eye, holding the other in a fixed direction and no- ticing that objects within a small area at one side of the eye's direction be- come invisible, People are not ordi- narily consclous of these “holes” in their vision because the blind spots of the two eyes never cover the same spot in the fleld of view. What one eye misses the other eye sees. Prof. Brau- ner’s experiment was to hold his one unclosed eye in such a direction that the image of the full moon fell directly on its blind spot. After a few seconds, he reports, the eye becomes entirely blind, not merely blind in that spot, some- thing which might happen accidentally to a one-eyed man looking to one side of the moon or even to & two-eyed man with & cast in one of them. be capable of killing, assassinating, the aforesaid Albert Brehahn—thereby murdering and annihilating all Jews the said conspiracy became criminally and all Republicans in Berlin. in effect, including all of the murders That it was the purpose and object of the said alleged conspirators, {nd each of them, knowingly, unlawfully, and assassinations—to wit, as intended or represented in the original plot and under which said conspirators have paid feloniously and malicio to murder, assassinate, destroy and annihilate all Jews and Republicans there and then located and found residing or sojourn- ing within the corporation limits of the many marks to support and carry out against the peace and safety of democ- racy, contrary to the form of the stat- utes' in such case made and provided and against the common law. The said city of Berlin, Germany, by and grand jurors therefore recommend that stays in Dutch. with the said death ray machine. if and ‘when the crimes as alleged are And the grand jurors aforesaid, uj f.heér oaths aforesaid, do further p;'lf:n- sent: ‘That after the formation and agree- ment of said unlawful conspiracy, and 1% ice of and to effect the ol proved in due process of law the con- irators be hanged as high as Haman, igglr original example of a conspirator against the Jews, and that such as are convicted of attacking Republicans be also quartered. without there being firsf act” of one of the conspirators, but that rul is not without exceptions under common law. of said unlawful within the jurisdiction of this court, on the first day of April, AD. one thou- sand nine hundred and twenty-nine, did knowingly, unlawfully and fel UNCLE SAMUEL, ‘World Civilization Attorney. AUNTY GULLIBILITY, Assistant World Civilization Attorney. Indorsed: The World Civilization vg Al- bert Brehahn Zi ibok al. In- dictment for violat Penal Code et of section 13 of gaged in production and marketing. Its success depends on the efficiency with which it accomplishes these two things. It might be expected, therefore, to follow the course of other in- dustries into consolidations permitting the best application of business prin- ciples. True, such a process would involve far-reaching sociological changes. It For Use Where? From the Indianapolis News. ‘When beaten up, those cruisers ought to make a lot of plowshares. Elusive Town of Detour. “By the common law & conspiracy to commit a crime is of itself a criminal offense, although no overt act be donc in of it; such acts, however important as evidence or as Va- tion, not being of the off since there is no statute mak- vs. O'Neill, 255 U. 8, 52; 41 Sup. Ct. 222, 65:497. i wX 3 i essence of the | a) direct the deadly rays of said ray machine—to wit, the all tion on which the dnp:l’ mlfien Te- as an instrument for - the uls inven- And of Common Law @and ‘Common Sense. A true bill: BONUS PUBLICO, Grand Jury. ‘Foreman o Presented to the court by the foreman Premoncs of the grand Dy andfled ce of Public Mo 1, UN POILU, A. DOUGHBOY, Deputy. | (Gepyrisht; 1929, by Paul V. Gollins) s " revent many people from ! Stop & minute and thin about this fact. You can ask our Information Bureau any question of fact and get the answer back in a personal letter. It is a great educational idea intr duced into the lives of the most in- telligent people in 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. Get the habit of asking questions. Address your letter to The Evening Star Infor- mation Bureau, Prederic J. Haskin, director, Washington, D, C. Q. How many coples of the song “Sonny Boy” have been sold?>—C. B. Y. fi. About 1,250,000 copies have been sold, Q. Who was the first winner of the Wright Brothers' Medal?—A. S. A. Lieut. Comdr. Clinton H. Havill, chief of the propeller section of the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics, is the first winner of the Wright Brothers’ Medal. He was given the award for the best paper of the year 1928 on aerodynamics. Q. What is the meaning of wove, laid, granite, quadrille and pelure as applied to paper>—M. N. A’ Philatelic nomenclature includes these adjectives as applied to postal paper. In a general way the distinc- tions are these: Wove paper is of the plain, even texture used for books and newspapers; laid paper is watermarked with parallel lihes close together; the lines may be either vertical or hori- zontal; quadrille paper is watermarked with both vertical and horizontal lines, which thus form squares or oblongs: granite paper shows colored fibers in its texture; the fibers are tiny pieces of | silk thread, and the reverse of the paper is thin like tissue paper, semi- transparent, but tougher and harder than the tissue texture and usually grayish in color. Q. What is the longest train that a locomotive has pulled?—W. H. A. The longest train of which we have a record and which is thought to be the longest train ever pulled by one locomotive was on the Virginia Rail- road. This train had in it 201 cars. It was 8,482 feet long, or over 1)z miles. Q. Are people affected with giantism normal mentally?—E. McC. A. Persons affected with glantism | may or may not be of normal mentality. Q. What is the current equivalent in United States money of the British In- dian rupee and of the anna?—J. D. M. A. Riggs National Bank says that | the value of the rupee is 36 cents. | There are 16 annas to a rupee. Conse- quently the value of the anna is 2i; cents. Q. Is there any country in which there is a penalty incurred for failing to vote at an election?—J. T. 8. A. In Belgium and Switzerland and some other European countries punish- ments are inflicted on non-voters. In Belgium for the first offense the cul- prit is at once called before a justice, who reprimands or fines him. The second offense is more severely pun- ished and the name of the refractory citizen is published by the magistrate and posted on the gates of the town hall. The man who. without excuse has absented himself from voting four times in 10 years is considered un- worthy of citizenship and his name is stricken from the poll list. For 10 years he is debarred from holding any public office. Q. Where is the Piedmont Plain?— - s A. Piedmont Plain is a name used in the physiography of the United States to designate that part of the Atlantic Coast Plain which lies between the Appalachian highland and the low coastal plain proper. It is distinguished | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONJ BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. | stamp has a mottled appearance; pelure | from the latter topographically by ::an%r mr(;;:r mzfied mdd zrod?d “‘lum valleys and geologic: by consisting of much older and hlrde¥ rock strata. The change from the hard to the soft and recent formation is marked by efinite line of escarp- merts over which nearly all the Atlantic rivers fall in rapids or cat- aracts, and the line is known as the ‘Fall Line.” The Pledmont Plain is less defined in New England than in the Southern States. It is narrowest and also_approaches closest to the sea in New York and broadens southward, being about 300 miles wide in North Carolina, Q. Upon the ruins of what city was Phoenix, Ariz, built that it should have been given this name?—M. V., A. Jack Swilling, with an outfit of about two dozen men and an eight- mule team and a wagon loaded with Pprovisions and tools, in 1867 started to construct a ditch from the river about opposite a point - where Tempe now stands. This work failed because of the rocky formation and the outfit moved down the river to a point one mile below where Joint Head is now situated, and close by were the well defined ruins of an ancient pueblo. Darrell Duppa, a scholar who was with the Swilling outfit, said, “Let us call it Phoenix, for here upon the old a new city will rise,” and he told of the bird | which rose from its ashes, as set down in mythology. Q. What are the habits and appear- ance of jackals?—D. D. A. Jackals are any of several wild dogs in the Old World, especially Canis Aureus of Southeastern Europe, South- ern Asia and Northern Africa. They are smaller, usually more yellowish and much more cowardly than wolves, and hunt in packs at night. Jackals feed on carrion and small animals including poultry. They can be tamed and by some are believed to be the progenitors of domestic dogs. Q. In what month do the Ac) trees bloom in Georgia?—R. 8. poachy . A. Peach trees bloom in Georgia any time from the latter part of February | to the latter part of March, depending | upon the season. Q. Should & room be darkened for child’s nap in the daytime?—C. M. 5. A. It is not necessary. The windows {should be opened, and a child can eastly | become accustomed to a light room. | Q. Can lightning ever étrike upward? —G. McC. A. The Weather Bureau says that when lightning is about to occur be- tween a cloud and the earth (it usually occurs between different parts of the same cloud) there is a great accumu- lation of electricity of one kind, usually |the negative, at the surface of the | earth and of the opposite kind in the | lower portion of the cloud. This im- | poses an electric strain on the medium |between the two. The break, or dis- | charge, consisting essentially of a flow | of negative electricity, or electrons, to- ward the positive charge, may begin at | any point in midair along the path and progress (this break progress) in both directions at the same time, or it may | begin at either end and from there progress toward the other. | Q. When did Diamond Jim Brady | live?>—W. J. M. | _A. The real name of Diamond Jim | Brady was James Buchanan Brady. He was born in 1855 and died in 1817. Q —A. A. | A. The Island of Sicily was first col- onized by the Greeks during the eighth century B.C. In the fourth century | Syracuse was the leading Greek power. In 535 AD. the island was conquered | by Belisarius and annexed to the By- | zantine empire. . Did Sicily ever belong to Greece? A. Move to Halt N Arouses New Assistance in banishing rivalry among the nations in maintenance of costly armaments is hailed with approval by the greater portion of the American press as curtailment or delay is ordered by President Hoover and Premier Mac- Donald in their respective navy-building programs. “Mr. Hoover has a magnificent op- portunity to write history in the field of international relations as they bear on the problem of stabilizing peace and there is every indication that he intends to make the most of it,” declares the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, which admits that ‘he may encounter difficulties,” but “his record proves that he is not the man whom difficulties daunt. They simply serve to spur him to greater ef- fort.” “With President and premier taking the leadership for armament reduc- tion,” according to the Pittsburgh Post- Gazette, “and with other nations vying with one another in promising support, it would appear that the near future should see a striking advance in the outlawing of war.” The Santa Barbara Daily News predicts “a far-reaching i fluence on other nations of the world, to the extent that “it is reasonably cer- tain that a general agreement for the reduction of naval armament will fol- low.” i “If these two nations reach a work- able understanding, it means that a real world limitation of armaments is in sight, with its resultant savings of millions to the people of all the world powers,” asserts the Kansas City Jour- nal-Post, while the Houston Chronicle offers the judgment that ‘“we can now see our way clear to action, and the people as a whole are going to hall it as a boon to humanity.” The Spokane Spokesman-Review credits Hoover, Mac- Donald and Dawes with “magnificent service, not only to their own countries, but to the world,” and refers to their courses of action as “noble negotiations, with their accompanying vouchers of national good faith.” “By putting technicalities aside and going to the issue as an issue they can solve this problem to the satisfaction of both peoples,” says the Albany Evening News, with the belief that “the issue of naval reduction is greater than all the technicalities in the world.” The De- troit News holds that “a foundation is being laid for the next Naval Limitation Conference—laid so long in advance and so carefully that world opinion is sure to demand that the negotiations succeed.” A warning comes from the Cleveland News that “it cannot be overlooked that Premier MacDonald is representative of a minority power;” that “neutral ob- servers believe he will be permitted a comparatively free hand only for a year or two at the most,” and that the present developments are “steps in the direction of world peace, yet only the beginnings of anything like an effica- cious policy capable of withstanding the vieissitudes of governmental changes.” The Kansas City Star maintains that “parity with Great Britain, not inferi- ority, must continue to be America’s policy.” “Mr. Hoover's determination to go more than half way, to leave nothing undone, to conciliate the quite natural sensitiveness of British pol ing the vital concern of imperial fense will have the approval of Ameri- can opinion in the main,” concedes the Cl Dally Tribune, “provided it is not a prelude to inordinal sacrifices in the coming negotiations, and provided it does not encourage on the part of the British government the expectation of such sacrifices.” The Tribune concluded: “America is self- confident, optimistic and generous in its purposes, and it has given the most substantial proof of its earnest disposi- tion to peace. But it is the chief of the duties of its Government to prevent the exploitation of the Nation's good will vy Building Hopes of Peace Times in this situation “not as_an yidealist, but as one who has a firm | grasp on stern realities. If he presses forward in this direct and practical manner, accepting one instrument and guarantee of peace after another, he vet may be known as the chief author of an enduring ‘Pax Americana.’'" The | Rothester Times-Union declares, “With | administrations on both sides of the | seas not merely giving lip service to the {idea of naval arms reduction, but reso- lutely seeking a way to make it ef- | fective, the hope that expenditures for fleets will decrease instead of increasing seems bright.” “There can be little doubt” con- | cludes the Charleston Evening Post. “that public opinion in both countries is fixed in a desire to find some formula | by which the naval policies of the two | countries can be ruled in such a way |as to preclude, as far as possible, the idea of competition between them for domination of the seas by force. The strength of this idea is probably un- derestimated by professional military men, but it is significant that the active propaganda for expansion of the navies which was so general 15 years ago is nowhere in evidence nowadays, nor is it likely that any movement of that sort would get very far.” “’I‘heg ‘people will sensibly say that the present” understanding, signed or mot signed, is sufficient agreement to War- rant suspension of work on the cruisers,” avers the Baltimore Sun. The Raleigh News and Observer suggests that “the extension of time for laving the keels of new vessels is justifiable as | a gesture of good faith to match that |of Ramsay MacDonald” The Flint | Datly Journal welcomes “direct action’ between the nations, and the Hartford Times argues: “The program is a pre- liminary that points to & geperal policy the world should find most accept- able, * * * The world can have dis- armament without losing either sta- | bility or safety if it really wants it. The extent to which it wants it will be de- termined within the next few months. Saving of Single Life Refutes Charge From the Hartford Daily Times. A scene in a New York hospital pre- sents a striking contrast to the impres- sion that this materialistic, machine age holds human life cheap. An Itallan workman had inhaled gas in attempting suicide and was at the point of deth. The police hurried his inert form to the hospital and then joined staff members in striving to prevent the spark of life from escaping. Oxygen tanks, electric pumps and eight men were pressed into the service of life saving. They worked in relays for 38 hours, employing the service of 24 men and the contents of 152 tanks of oxygen. They saved the life of & man who did not wish to live any longer. In such incidents man's humanity to man is pointedly illustrated. There still beats tic heart, contrary to the apparent ruthlessness of the jug- gernaut behavior of our civilization, in the bosom of modern man. In express- ing it he is aided by the marvelous de- vices of present-day therapeutics. - though the cost of special me service may normally be high, the latter is not withheld, in emergencies, from the penniless. m?w_’ as this incident also illus- trates, life’s so-called heartlessness is more evident in what a person may do to himself than in what others may do to him. ing on the part of others the desire to save rather than destroy, none should become his own worst foe. Friendship is close to the 13na to protect at all times its safety | heart of the universe. Man has not ::311.- just concerns.” wholly obscured by building big . Hoovels appears to the New York ! cities, Z 5