Evening Star Newspaper, August 18, 1929, Page 26

THE EVENING STAR| With Sunday Marning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. BUNDAY....... ‘Auflgt 18, 1929 | THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor The !‘v:nl::-shr New;p-pe‘ }:o-nny Ty X l‘.' ‘ork &u: IIO’ s icago O ake Michissn Buiiaf r copy | ch menth. | telepheus | All Other States a Dally and Bunda P AU ATRN Member of the Associated Press. ociated Press 13 exclusively entitled for republication o dis- nd Canada. y..1 yr., $12.00: 3.8 f 2L news r All rights of p) herein are also reserved. Great Falls and Power. The majority report of the National Capital Park and Planning Commission on the preservation of Great Falls, » detailed statement of which appears else- where in today's Star, recommends a eourse that is reasonable and sound. It asks for the acquisition and development for park purposes of the river gorge from Chain Bridge to Great Falls. It | emphasizes the desirability of conserv- | ing this territory in its natural state, | pointing to the unique scenic and recre- ational value of the land involved. But the report would leave “it open for Congress at any future time to author- ize the development of the navigation, flood eontrol and power potentialities of this area should such development be- eome. of greater importance and be Justified in the public interest.” In ether words, there is enough doubt, evén among the experts, on the existing and present demand for or the practicabllity of power development at Great Falls to make that project a de- batable issue. In the meantime the loss for park purposes of the Potomac gorge is threatened. Would it not be more reasonable first to guarantee against this loss by purchasing the land and proceeding with park development, ailowing the questions of treatment for navigation, flood control and power to be settied when those issues become acute? It is easy to believe that some time in the future the commercial de- velopment of the Potomac's resources in water power and navigation will be of more importance to the public than its esthetic development now. But that time has not arrived. It may never arrive, and the desirable step is to guard against the irreparable loss of Great Falls as a great scenic and recreational ares, preserving it as s national asset against the time when new conditions may develop new necessities. ‘That part of Gen. Jadwin's minority ( report, made public with the majority views, which deals with the savings to be effected by power development at | Grest Palls is interesting and presents prospects that are undoubtedly entranc- ing. A saving of $43,000000 to the people of Washington and the Nation ts worth while. The possibility thus presented is not to be idly dismissed. But examination of Gen. Jadwin's items of savings, and the fact that other en- gineers and experts do not take his view of the matter, put the picture in & different Jight. Some of the savings would be effected | as follows: The savings on production of hydro power, instead of steam power, $15,000,000; elimination of two toll bridges, not yet constricted, by util- ising for bridge purposés the tops of the dams, $3,000,000; savings in the form of income from taxes, at the rate of 2 per cent, $14,000,000; savings that the power structures would produce if navigation should be extended up the Potomac, $14,000,000; savings on the pre- liminary tfeatment of the Washington water supply and the estimated value of | flood protection, $2,000,000. Taken to- gether, these items make up a total of $48,000,000. The first item of $15,000,000 is com- puted on the assumption that electric péwer could be produced by a hydro plant at Great Falls at a million dollars & year less cost than it would take to produce that power by coal, and that this million dollars a year, capitalized at 6 per. cent, actually Tepresents a capital value of $15,000,000.- But no power company has ever guaranteed | definitely to save the people of the Dis- triet.a million dollars a year in electric bills by. hydro development at Great Falis. If such a guarantee were offered it would be worth looking into. Another item is for the elimination of two projected toll bridges. By driv- ing across ‘the dams, instead of the bridges, the cost of the bridges—3$3,000,- 000—would be saved. ! It navigation 'is extended up the Potomae, making an inland waterway from .the Atlantic to the Ohio by way of the Potomac and the Monongahela Rivers, the dams, etc., incidental to power development would be useful to fhis navigation and save some $14,000,- 000 that otherwise would have to be spent on, construction of the waterways. But is there any traffic now demanding this waterway? The item of $2,000000 to be saved on preliminary treatment of the Wash- Ington water supply and rfepresenting the value of flood protection. is. figured | on the basis of decreasing. by 75 per cent’ the$70,000 a yesar now spent on ehemieals for purifying the water. and by estimating the annual flood damage below: Great Falls at $60,000. : Capital- ising the amount of thix damage at 6 per cent, the Bavings by flood contral at Great Palls would be “at leas These estimates may be accurate. They are interesting. But they are not con- vineing. . The Great Falls. area should be purchased now aad held in“trust by the ‘Governiment for future generations of Americans. They may not be able to afford it as & park. But the present generation ean, and should. ————— A Treaty Test. “The Kellogg ‘multilateral treaty re- nouneing war is faeing its° first test. Both the Chinese and the Russian gov- ernments ‘have adhered to the. treaty. aceording i | !acted on the defensive. { war in the Far East. | white-robed queen of the’ springtime ”. o dox notify the other ‘signatories of the Kellogg treaty that Russia has invaded Chinese territory in Manchuria. There is nothing in the treaty binding its signatories to take action against any nation that may violate the terms of the treaty. - Moral suasion and the force of world opinion alone may be invoked against a mnation or ndtions who violate the terms of the treaty. Should war come between Russia and China, claims doubtless will be made not alone by the Chinese, but by the Russians, that their adversaries under- took aggressive warfare. Both, doubt- less, will also maintain that they have It will remain | for the other nations of the world and | for public opinion generally to place the | burden on one or the other. 8o far the Kellogg treaty, it is felt here in high official circles, has played iis part in preventing an outbreak of ‘There 18 a strong feeling that had it not been for the treaty renouncing war China and Rus- sia would already be at grips. ‘The Kellogg treaty makes no denial of the right of defensive warfare. After China shall ‘have called attention to the fact that her territory has been invaded by Russia—provided her terri- tory is invaded—she would be at liberty, under the terms of the treaty, to de- clare a state of war with Russia. p A feeling of optimism in regard to the Russia-China situation eontinues to exist here and in other capitals, not- withstanding recent reports indicating warlike moves on the part of both nations, Even though there may be border clashes between the troops of the two nations, the feeling exists that the subject of controversy betyeen the two may be adjusted without actual re- course to war. A war between Russia and Chima migbt be localized, or it might have far-reaching eonsequences involving other nations. The interests of Japan, it has been suggested, might quickly in- volve that country. Both Russia and China in recent years have been dis- turbed by internal strife. A war with another nation might well serve to unify the people of China or the people of Russia. It was the international wars involving France immediately after the French Revolution, at the close of the eighteenth century, that eventually brought about the formation of a strong centralized government of the French. ‘What course the signatories to the Kellogg treaty renouncirig war may feel called upon to pursue in the event that they are notified by China that Russia has invaded Chinese soll, or vice versa, is a mere matter of speculation. It may be expected, however, that the world powers will not look upon such a con- flict lightly, and that steps may be taken by some of them to end the con- fiict, and that offers may be made by | the powers to use their good offices to adjust the Russo-Chinese differences. —————————— The Nature of Government. Is government by laws enacted by the volce of popular majorities antiquated, based on an outworn conception of hu- man relations, and in need of funda- mental alterations in the light of real- istic political philosophy? ‘This is & strange question to come from the University of Virginia, steeped in the traditions of Thomas Jefferson. | Yet it is not due to an emotion-charged | outpouring of shallow-thinking radicals | with bags full of patent nostrums. Quite the contrary, it comes from the lips of members of the council of the American Political Science Association, and is the result of cold-blooded analy- | sis of present-day problems and dis- | gust with popular catchwords. It involves the fundamental nature | of law and the fundamental nature of | authority. From the discussions arose » doctrine characterized by Dr. Thomas H. Reed of the University of Michigan a3 “the most revolutionary heard here since the time of Jefferson.” Dr. Reed did not agree with the more far-reach- ing of the conclusions of such men as Dr. Walter J. Shepard, professor of po- litical science at Ohio State University, and Prof. Robert K. Gooch of the Uni- versity of Virginia. ‘The political scientists would have & government “of the people, by the peo- ple, and for the people.” They would not have s government | “of the voters, by the vote the voters.” If one can catch the distinction be- tween these two phrases, the contention of the realistic thinkers becomes clear. The delicate point involved, with all its far-reaching implieations, was brought out in an incident that comes close to home by Dr. Shepard. Some years ago, Dr. Shepard said, the practice of plucking dogwood in the nearby countryside was very common | among the people of the District of | Columbia. It was -exterminating this i | roadsides. ‘This newspaper undertook a cam- paign against the practice. A highly effective public sentiment was created. ‘The result—dogwood is protected. - There is no written law against the practice. Yet the shrub is protected. It | is safeguarded as adequately as if there | were & whole bookful of statutes about . it. In fact, Dr. Shepard thinks, thex protection is far more adequate. 1 Under one system the dogwood is protected. Under another system it/ would not have been protected, for a | law against plucking dogwood could not be enforced. The first system is that of integra- tion of idess. nommnmnam-l tlement of problems by enjoining. The political scientists would have government by integration of ideas, with law as an ‘expression of the in- | e ———— As mergers go on, scientific inquisi- tiveness ‘may assert itself in connection ‘with the question of what will happen when there are only two or three gi- gantic organisations left to' debate the | question of which shall be mérged. Pagan Countryside. country and degenerates that the woods generalizations which the populsr mind: has converted into dogma critieal examination of the Henry W. MeLaughlin, h rural ehurch werk of the ead of l | proceedings. !an unfavorable reputation, which may ! And just when all seems thought M“'E THE SUNDAY crime problem is through eountry |- churches and country schools. An examination of homicide statisties, Dr. McLaughlin says, will show: that the citles with the highest rates are centers of great agricultural areas into which the under-priviledged country people. continuously are drifting and where they find increasing difficulty in adjusting themselves to the more com- plex life. ‘The condition of the country church, as printed by speakers st one of the! round tables of the University. of Vir-! ginla’s Institute of Public Affajrs, is| pitiable. The , congregations cannot support the churches. As a result, they get the poorest sort of ministrs— if they get any at all. Moral educa- tion falls to & low level and the result- ing character is inadequate to make adjustments to a changed environment. One still hears the generalisation that “the country is the best place to bring up children.” But what city folks mean by the country is not more than ten miles out of town. There may have been some truth in the statement be- fare the city was transformed by mod- ern civilization into a place of sanitary living, good schools and good churches. But what of the inspiration of nature in character bullding? The fact is, of course, that not many country children are philosophers—nor their fathers and mothers either, for that matter. ‘There 18 some evidence—very prob- ably exaggerated—which points to & progressive paganization of the great rural areas. Orthodox, conservative churches with sane programs of char- acter education give way to highly emo- tional cults. Schools fall to keep pace with the growing needs. The people grow poorer and poorer schools and churches result. But there are powerful forces work- ing in the opposite direction, such as | the consolidation of rural schools and | increased attention to the plight of the country by the city churches, which promise to conquer in the end. ———— Visitors st Northampton, Mass., eall | at the Coolidge home in hope that the former ident can find time for shaking Nnds without interrupting public business. Coolidge personal popu- larity was not rapid in materializing, but it stands the test of time remark- ably well. . —_— ratee———— Discussion of reparations terms at The Hague is prolonged. A different city may be selected in the undefined hope that geographical location and sur- rounding architecture may make a little difference in the temperament of the — ———— Many inhabitants of Siberia are said to observe the Graf Zeppelin with ter- | ror. The “Zep" started its career with still linger in the minds of people with limited facilities for newspaper reading. et Every now and then a “vamp” finds | & multimillionaire who is 30 easily re- lieved of money that the wonder is that he should have held on to enough to be rated as rich in the first place. oo So many nations have engaged in hostilities that China may be inclined | to regard war as ome’of the reeognized customs of new civilization as' it has been of the old. A PP R, A glance at the motor tags from all | parts of the world permits o lingering | doubt as to the arrival of Washington, D. C.. at the status of a great cosmo- | politan city. g ‘The former Russian plan was to con- | vert China to communism. The mis- | sionaries turned out to be rough per- forme -t SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Sabeenscious Desire. We aing of Peace, in gentle phrase, And all admire the kindlier ways By which mankind should find a life Free from all bitterness and strife. right, Somebody wants to start a fight! We sing of Peace, and always vow That we desire it Here and Now! And yet men quibble and discuss Until somebody starts & fuss. I fear—the thought seems impolite— That Human Nature likes to fight! Office Seeking. “Why do you advise me to keep out of politics?” inquired the young pan. “Because,” answered Senator Sor- ghum, “if you've got brains enough. to get a government job, you ought to| have enough to secure employment thal will pay you a real income.” Jud Timkins says he wears suspenders right out before folks to show that he has no personal inclination to get mixed up in any beauty contest. Rapid Pace. ‘The rapid pace we've struck appally, Our patience and endurance And every nmew invention calls For further life insurance. As Civilisation Goes Om. “Crimson Gulch used to see some | thrilling stage coach hold-ups.” “We still have our hold-ups,” sighed Cactus Joe, “but what we're bothered about now is a lttle thing like a lift in street car fares.” “If_you would spesk only the truth,” sald Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “you must be-content to pass many of your days in studious silence.” - Smaller and Less. A little dollar bill draws near And still its worth I prize, Although my purchases appear Proportioned to its size. e by ! national committee there is a l most popular ¢ S BY THE RIGHT REV. JAMES D. C, AUGUST 18 “A Prescription for Living” E. FREEMAN, D. D, LL. D, Bishop of Washington Text: “He that will love life and see good days, let him rejrain his tongue from evil and his lips that they speak mo guile.”—I Peter, iii.10. To love life and to see good days is the common quest of all men the world over.. No matter what other passions aay rule the hearts of men, the pas- alon for life is unquestionably the most dominant. Even those who are invalid- ed and afMieted with grave maladies ery out clamorously for life. The poet is ‘right when he says, “*Tis life whereof our nerves are v scant, More life and fuller that we want;” but life without good days becomes a burden. All our effort and labor is the search for some form of satisfaction. ‘The acquisition of money itself is but the endeavor to secure to ourselves the ‘we most covet. One does not have to search widely, however, to dis- eover that all too frequently the ac- tion of things and the satisfaction of desire give no guarantee to happiness, do they insure to us good days. On he other hand, a superficial study of life discloses the fact that there is abundant evidence on every hand that there are men and women, whom we dally, 1o whom are denied the 80~ gifts of life and yet who have within themselves such peace and con- tentment that they experience satis- faction, ease and quiet of mind. No one undervalues all that the com- f-rts and luxuries of life afford. On the other hand, it is unquestionably true that we largely determine for ourselves by our philosophy of life, our conduct, our religious habits, our happiness and our contentment. A friend of mine wrote me some years ago a sentence that confirms this. He sald, “Some day I will drift back and together we will talk out our philosophies, for, after all, one's life is one's philosophy.” It hardly seems reasonable that one can | really love life and see good days with- out having some fundamental concep- tion as to the real meaning of life and what constitutes good days. The Mas- ter of Men repeatedly speaks of life and its ideals. His was not the ascetic point of view. Hi concerning His disciples, “Not thou take them out of the world, but shouldst | pa thou shouldst keep them from the evil.” He would have them love life and see good days, but these alone were guar- anteed to them by safeguarding them from evil influences and practices. No greater injustice can be done to the teaching of Christ than to think that He gave no consideration to that which constitutes the joy and satisfaction of living. “I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.” This was His af- firmation, but the “abundant life,” the life of satisfaction, in His conception of it, was vitally related to wholesome habits and ways of living. The condi- tion precedent to such satisfaction and happiness is a l]flflla«mhy that recog- nizes our unfailing obligation to the high precepts and principles of life He enunciated. Our so-called faith or bellef is not something that is solely designed to give us assurance of an unending existence when once this earthly life of ours is over. The proof of its value, as well as its virtue, re- sides in the satisfaction and it affords us in our pllgrimage here. The above quoted text is literally a prescription for wholesome, satisfying, Joyous living. Literally millions of men and women have demonstrated the value of it. Even those who have gone to martyrdom for their faith have been characterised by a serenity and peace of mind that were alf in- comparable. That which stood Edith Cavell in stead on that tragic morning when she faced a squad was something that the d- could not give nor take away. She could lterally say with another, “I know whom I have belleved and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I ;ommlued to him against that great ay.” There are some things that money cannot buy and that neither science nor human ‘)hiluophy afford. There is a tranquillity, a deep-seated love of life that guarantees to us good days and that comes to us alone from the consciousness of adjusting our lives by, the teachings of Him whose whole min- istry was designed to enrich and en- noble life here and now and to dissi- the shadows that obscure and te darken the life that is to be. Mr. Rawleigh, Private Citizen, Pictured as BY WILLIAM HARD. ] Whether Herbert Hoover is working | for the Democratic national commitlee or the Democratic national committee | is working for Herbert Hoover is & colossal problem which Washington to- | day cannot solve as the Republican members of the Senate finance com- | mittee are preparing to transmit to their Democratic colleagues their final decisions on the dutisb's items in the Hawley-Smoot. tarif * Jl. “Charlie” M-~ -on, learned public- | ity direct~" . snappy press agent of | the [ -.cratic national committee, | keeps issuing statements almost daily | from the inspired pens of Democratic | Senators assailing all Republican nrur! rates, actual or possible. Meanwhile within the recesses of the Republica n d- | headed” epitome of pugnacity of the| name of Bennett Gordon who could | exchange statement for statement with | “Charlie” Michelson to the end of time | with no trouble. Yet Mr. Gordon is imperturbably silent while Mr. Michel- son 1s uninterruptedly loquacious. Why is this? | The answer is manifest to everybody in Washington except perhaps Senator | Hairison. of. Mississippi and Senator | Caraway of Arkansas. They do not| know where Herbert Hoover is in this | tariff fight. Everybody else knows and the Republican ~national committee most especially knows. The Republican national committee does not propose to answer Mr. Michel- son and to impede him in his general and generous desire to bring the tariff goose down from the rafters when it is well known that the Republican | President entertains the view that per- | haps some parts of the tariff goose is still hanging too high. In fact the Republican national committee calculates that Mr. Michel- son's efforts, while ‘extremely likely to bring the goose down to the Democratic | Cordell Hull level, which is fairly near | the floor, may bring it down at least| to a sort of mid-air level, where it| will be grasped by the White House and a large part of the whole Repub- lican party. Thep.tmth is that the Republican party is besieged by-a vast multitude of tarifl duty seekers, whom it cannot on its own principles refuse to accommodate, but whom it would be delighted to see swept off its afflicted body by the prin- ciples of the Democrats and by the force of uneot;:ro‘g:blo cim:’x‘nullmlme. Mr. Michelson y accordingly The Democrats watc! wi pride and & lot of the Republicans watch him with hope. Mr. Michelson seems to calculate, on the other hand, that nothing—not even | he, himsell—can reform the Republi- cans and deliver them from the inhabi- tants of their hides and that they will g0 right ahead and produce an inex- mr“l sky-high tariff law, which, he will be able to denounce to stern by merely reprint- Kemeirat i Tach ihat the to the penetrating fa i ‘D’::::uu lonp:lv it all and denounced it all at the very moment of the crime. At this point in the drama, however, with Mr. Micheison doing all the talk- ing and Mr. Hoover and the Re- publm. national con:mittee doini the silent parts in the same piot, there enters upon the scene a certain private cltizen from Illinois, one W. T. Raw- Jeigh of the City of Freeport. A man- ufacturer of soaps, lihes, dlllnl.::‘-l secticides, cts, flavors o that are made in numerous i d sold in all Stal othe: thereupon, from stem ing his presen! tes of this rwise discontented farmers. vl‘x?l‘:ull described— t there is no other one ;‘l:l:n'.ry who is m“n ‘l: ch influence on Ty mum_‘ W. T. Rawleigh. ad & wonderful world- ‘This ldudwu‘ui h:ollef! ists ane m to T fl‘ol.!'le the chaff ‘statistical controversies re- ' tant de- h and every impor ot here and now man in this Dl in mlll the eac gul‘:‘h‘ agricultural item in the tarift ‘1‘"2::\'3?“' Tmm t“:flfl on such and such & com- modity is at such and such a height. dollars of benefit does it give oY e broducers of that. commodity? | y does it im- How many dollars of cost '.hel pose the consumer? What is. net n!:u %r loss to h:rre(:\lmmntry* popula- to the whole e es in any thorough manner had ever be- y “Bverybody,” said Uncle Eben, “likes | the to bait & hook an' hang it in de water. De 8. P. C. A ain' got no mercy foh fish.” e May Have Different Name. Fiom.the @pringfield. Ohie, Daily News. | roof-tree ‘:r“u in Washington by Charles M. Kelley, who as a writer of statements | g is the fearless peer of for statesmen v it or the temporarily Sucitirn Mr. Bennett Gordon. T, L . Mr, Kelley conduets his educationial in Washington under Wi Le Follette of Wisconsin sad of |t Tariff Fight Hero, which is now headed by the present Senator La Follette of Wisconsin and honorary chairmaned by Senator Nor- ris of Nebraska and executively ad- vised by Senator Howell of Nebraska and Senator Wheeler of Montana. Then there comes the really surpris- ing line in the play. Mr. Rawleigh's voluminous and un- nswerable statistics, which will be bundantly used by “progressive” Sen- ators on the Senate floor, do not go toward striving to get for the farmers a mathematical “equity” with the manufacturers in highness of tariff ates. That is the goal of virtually all the agricultural lobbyists in Washing- ton. That is not the goal of the econ- omists whose labors and expenses Mr. Rawleigh is sustaining. What their re- | searches and publishings tend to prove is that the proposed increases on most of the really important farm products will do the mass of our agriculture population not the lli’huit bit of good. In other words, while Mr. Michelson is telling the world that the high in- dustrial tariff duties are largely what | ing. amounts to “graft.” Mr. Kelley, on be- half of Mr. Rawleigh and his assem- bled scholars, is statistically demon- | strating to the world that the high ag- riculture duties are in numerous in- stances what not merely amaqunts to, but, is, bunk. Mr. Rawleigh. therefore. is under- mining and utterly destroying the whole idea that an excessive tariff can be made right by merely granting ex- cesses to farmers. This is a devastat- ing contribution to the problem;: and when Mr. Michelson has got through trying to flatten the tariff and Mr. Hoover has got Lhruush trying to mod- erate it to reasonableness, formance by Mr. Rawleigh may turn out to be the greatest of the three. (Copyright. 1920.) U. S. Urged to 'l;;:jl;art In Reforming Calendar BY HARDEN COLFAX. ‘Those who seek comfort against ad- vancing age by conveniently overlook- ing their birthdays will find added solace in the report submitted the Sec- reur{ of State last week by the na- tional committee on calendar simplifi- cation, especially if they were born at the end of the month. In recommending after a rather full | investigation of subject that the United States Government indicate its willingness to participate in an inter- national conference for calendar re: | form, this committee, com) of business and professional men and sev- eral Government departments lending assistance in its work, has given impetus to a resolution pending before the House of Representatives authorizing the President to propose such a con- ference or to accept an invitation for this country to participate in one. Ex- tended hearings were conducted last Winter by the foreign affairs commit- tee, without action being taken, but renewal of the effort next Winter ap- pears assured. L In the 13-month calendar as outlined by its author, each month would have four weeks; a new month with the sug- ested name of Sol would be inserted tween June and -July, the annual extra day would be the last day of the year suggested to as an extra holl day each leap year would at the end of June and also be observed as a holi- day; extra days to have special names and to be the eighth days of the weeks in which they fall; would be observed Monday—a plan which would mean two consecutive days of rest in weeks hav- ln"hhonun. ©While defects in the present calendar used throughout Europe and the Amer- icas and in other parts of the world are nwm the principal objection to radical change has been aon religious grounds, although sentimental objec: tions are advanced in individual cases. At the House committee hearings last Winter Jewish rabbis and representa- tives of Christian denominations which observe the seventh day as the Sabbath were the chief opponents of calendar change to the 13-month plan. Advocates of calendar reform admit readily that there would be difficulties or readjustments to any ehm in the present system, but emph their view that the benefits would speedily discount the inconveniences. As a mat- ter -of fact, it is less than 300 years since Great Britain, including the then American Colonies, adopted the Gre- i S S B cep! n in 1582, The Bflfinc’dunutdunhl:: ol ; the extra inserted report. Definitely, and certainly in the United tates, among the hundreds of firms and organizations to which the com- mittee submitted a ' questionnaire, the trend favers the 13-month ecalendar, despite the fact that the superstitious may observe that under the suggested plan, Friday -the 13th weuld occur 13 h s 3 'mes & year. the per- | 1929 PART 2 Capital Sidelights BY % P. KENNEDY. Many m@l holding important positions in various branches of the Government service, and professors in scientific schools and colleges all over the country, as well as the everyday variety of tourists, are steering their automobiles through New England this Summer to visit several biological lab- oratories and museums in the vicinity of the new Acadis National Park, on Mount Desert. Island, Me., some o mrunt sections of which were con- buted by Summer colonists from the National Capital. While none of the laboratories and | useums are & direct adjunct to the | | mi park, Secretary Ray Lyman Wilbur ex- plains, yet they s result of the establishment of the park, which af- fords an excellent field for the conduct of their studies. The first of these to be established tory, L has been in operation nearly 10 years and many important discoveries along lines of marine biological research have }'l:.h:d made and reports thereon pub- ‘The forest service of the State of | Maine has during the present year es- | tablished a fleld laboratory at Bar Har- bor, which is of particular interest to Federal lists. The study of forest insects, their causes and control is the special concern of this institution. This labora is making its studies of park land and the experiments being made are expected to lead to worth-while re- sults from a national park Mfimt. ‘The Museum of Stone Age Antiquities, which was opened about six weeks ago, comprises an excellent exhibit of Indian relics obtained in the nearby regions, and has been worked out to show con- | vincingly something of the Indian oc- cupation of early days. This museum and eTnpment. together with a sub- stantial maintenance endowment, were provided through the generosity of the | ate Dr. Robert Abbe, who is well re- | membered in the Capital, and a few friends inspired by his interest and rare enthusiasm. It is located on land ad- joining the Sieur de Monts Spring en- trance to the park, and is dedicated to public use, Another interesting museum at Isles- ford, on little Cranberry Island, reached by & short boat ride from either North- east or Southwest Harbor, on Mount Desert Island, has also been thrown open to the park visitors. It contains a unique collection of prints and docu- ments relating to the settlement and early history of the region, made by Prof. Willlam Otis Sawtell. *x o x Recently papers throughout the United States carried pictures of the | | nifty erew of the good ship Alyon, the | ifirst women's training ship in the i world, at Deauville, France, manned by | girls prominent in society, the purposs | of the ship being to provide a new form | of physical training for them. Now it |80 happens that Assistant United States Attorney General George R. Farnum and Mrs. Farnum, who have just returned from France, had an amusing visit to this ship. It was an- chored at the quay and one evening | Mr. and Mrs. Farnum wandered down to visit it, being intrigued by the enter- prise, and got into conversation with one of the French navigators. Mrs. Farnum spent her youth in Indian Orchard, Mass., which town is popu- | sh lated principally by’ French-speaking people, and she is a fluent conversa- tionist in Prench. Although she has crossed ocean & good many times and is married to an admiraity lawyer, whose former practice in Boston con- sisted principally of marine cases, Mrs. Farnum is no nautical expert. How- ever, she noticed that the flag was fly- , although it was well after sunset. and she called this to the attention of the navigator, whereupon to his great discomfiture he ran on board and yelled down the hatchway. One of the pretty Erench girls .in. & _khaki uniform rushed shamefacedly up and promptly tugged the flag down. * % % Assistant Attorney General and Mrs. Farnum immediately after their return to Washington had the pleasure of in- troducing to Capital soclety Willlam W. and Arthur H. Henderson, jr., sons of the British secretary of foreign affairs. steamship President Roosevelt. Both of these young men are bachelors, and re- side with their father, so that theirs is the only home in England in which siding. Arthur Henderson is 35 years of age, a barrister and member of Parliament from Wales and parliamentary secretary to the attorney general of England. Willlam W. Henderson is 38, a journal- ist and head of publicity for the Labor party in England, representing the Lon- don distriet in Parliament. * ok x ‘The recent finding of the lost sword of Benjamin Pranklin, which he wore at the courts of England and France prior to the War of Independence, arouses interest in the fact that in the state library on the third floor of the old granite State. War and Navy Building, west of the White House, which is one of the most interesting rooms in this historic structure and which formerly contained the original Declaration of Independence, now safe- ly enshrined in the Lib: of Cangress, among the most interesting relics are the sword of Washington and the staff of Franklin. This sword was one of four bequeathed by Washington to his four nephews and was in turn willed by Samuel Wi to his son, by r.h.(;m it was presented to Congress in ‘The staff of Franklin was bequeathed who had crossed with them on the! three members of Parliament are re- | | utes and 10 seconds—an effort made to | sure, the champlons have found some | 1 by Franklin to Washin “my friend and the friend of mankind." The will describes it as “my fine crabtree walk- ing stick with a gold head. curiously wrought in the form of- a cap of lib- erty. It was presented to me by that excellent woman, Madame de Forbach, the dowager duehul‘ of Deux-Ponts.” * ok k * Unecle Sam is an interest even in the little picturesque adorn- ments of daily life, as is evident by the fact that he recently pert, Thomas Quast, to make a special survey of the goldfish industry, and has published a book on the subject, so that every housewife who has & bowl of dfish in her home can now have itative information regard- ing the fancy varieties mLhd with a history of the United Stai interest in_the little goldfish. ‘The gold! industry had its incep- tion in 1878, when Rear Admiral Daniel Amen, United States Navy, nted to the United States Fish mission, now the Bureau of Fisheries, some gold- fish that had been ht from Japan. From this humble start the propagation of goldfish in the United States has developed into one of our foremost fish-farming inéustries, Goldfish as we know them today have been developed from two rootstocks, both members of the carp family. common goldfish closely resembles the original wildfish. Red is the predomi- nant coior in the cultivated specimens. Among the other more fancy varieties cultivated in this country are the Jap- ese author- | tning ite in Japan having a wholesale mately $31,900, all of the im) com- ing from Japan. It has been estimated mnumumolmu:amdmn strange The Pole-Sitting. Phenomenon BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. ual supremacy usual exploit that the phenom- holouists, o say ROthINg of philas psyc! ists, to say of - ophers. The latest outbreak Z, ate tract and exasperate attention is the carnival of juvenile flag-pole sitting at Baltimo: he itly, 18 boys and 3 girls, ranging in age from 9 to 16 years, simultaneously sat upon flag- poles in sn effort to break a record.. ‘The record was hung up on July 30 by | tion. Avon Foreman, who perched on a 20- foot pole for 10 days, 10 hours, 10 min- break the record of Shipwreck Kelly, who had sat on a pole for 10 days. ‘The best opinion ex atory of the non the existence ‘of the machine age. For quit~ some years now there has been a steady trend toward standardizat of all manner of human activity. The in- troduction of mass production into the American factory system was the genesis. Mass production resulted, nec- essarily, in the turning out i -in- numerable identical products. Stock articles became the rule. Every one, al- most, was dressed alil Every one drove an automobile Ul which there were thousands of duplicates. Chain stores all carried the same names and hte same goods. The same movies were displayed all over the country. The 's _work became mechanical, utterly routine. In a factory job or even in an office job, the worker would rzr& the same monotonous oper lop over and over again all day long. Atter work, he found the same monot- ony in the diversions offered. ‘The psychologic—or, perhaps, psycho- pathic—explanation of endurance flights, marathon dancing and flag-pole sitting seems to be an urge on the part of cer- tain individuals to break the standard- | {zed monotor> of existence at any cost. i1g away in an aircraft is but another expression of the urge. To be | profit in their exploits, but the real reason for undergoing hardships which add nothing to human knowledge or happiness, yet still attract popular at- tention for the passing moment, seems to be the frantic desire for individual expression. Crave Relief from Monotony. ‘This explanation is especially forti- fied by the outbreak of flag-pole sitting by the youth of Baltimore. Baltimore, like all modern American cities, has its full share of standardized factories, shops and offices. But it has one added touch, one additional feature, ever p ent to the gaze and peculiar in itself— its white doorsteps. No other city in the world can show a like phenomenon. For some reason. apparently forgotten, if, indeed, an actual reason ever existed, the houses of Baltimore are usually bullt with a flight of white steps run- ning up to the front door. If there are no steps, if the house door be on a level with the street, then the threshold is white. Nearly all houses have white marble steps; the poorer sort have only wooden steps, but they are painted white and scrupulously scrubbed. There are a few exceptions. Here and there will b: found some heretic house with a doorstep which does not gleam in the | sun. But it is » freak, a sport of com- munity architeciure; worse than a black eep. OP course no flag-pole sitter now liv- ing will ever break the record which has stood for 1478 years—the record of Simeon Stylites. Although his rec- ord was established in the name of re- ligious faith, there is every reason to believe that he, like the moderns, was actuated by a desire to outdo his neighbors. It was in the ear: days of in | fact, had many contemporary imitators — in at one time there was a whole colony of aerial sitters near him. But none achieved his record of 30 econsecu- tive years! At the of 13, Simeon, & Syrian, tired of heing & shepherd boy, became & monk. He endured a martyrlike novitiate and then occurred to him the idea of sitting on top of & column as & means of proving h's exceediug faith and of outdoing his fellows in devo- A Record Which Standg. At the age of 26 he mounte~ to the top of a column 9 feet hign. He chained himself to it. Then he pro- ceeded to sit. It was not long before he attracted attention even in that mountain, some 40 miles from.Antioch, which he had selected for the site of his vigil. At his instigation, his dis- ciples gradually raised his.column until it was 60 feet high. Its top was no larger than the top of the ordinary architectural column one sees on public buildings. Occasionally a little food was drawn up by him in a basket, but starvation, in addition to exposure 1o the elements—especially the blistering sun of Syria—was & part of the stunt, 50 he ate only what would barely keep him alive, He occupied his time by prayer. He would stand for hours with his arms ex- tended, his fgure, at a short distance, resembling the Figure of the Cross. At other times Simeon prayed by bending over .and tou his feet with his fingertips. He did this interminably, each bow signifying a prayer. The only record which has been kept of the number of successive times he bent over gives 1244—considerably more than any daily dozen. At that point the recorder tired of counting. How many more times he bowed, what was his real record, is a lost and unimpor- tant fact. The Devil's Revenge. For 30 years he remained there, and at length died there, aged 56. He died of an ulcer on his thigh; probably & cancer of some sort. Cotemporary be- lief was that the devil, thinking, after & number of years, that he could tempt Simeon from so uncomfortable a post, drove up to his perch in a flery chariot, disguised as an angel come to take him to Heaven. Simeon was about to get into the car, brushed the side with his thigh and received the burn which de- veloped into the ulcer, bringing death, not, however, before he had endured years of suffering. During the latter part of his 30-year vigil he received the homage of crowds of pilgrims. He was consulted by high officials on matters of church and state, and his utterances, floating thinly down from above, were regarded as oracular. The Emperor Theodosius the Younger, himself, consulted him. When his remains were finally brought down he was given an impressive funeral. The patriarch and six bishops led the procession, in which there were 21 counts and 6,000 soldiers. with in- numerable people in the train. For that matter when young Fore- man was sitting on his Baltimore pole Mayor Broening of the city came to his back yard and addressed him there. After his descent he gave the youngster a silver buckle and a letter commend- ing his stamina. The pastor of the church whose Sunday school is at- tended py one of the other perchinj boys held services in the back yard, neath his pole. That boy whiles away the time by reading the Bible. An- other plays his violin. One of the girls is surréunded by boxes of cosmetics and practices making up. The pole on which one boy was sitting snapped and | the lad broke a leg. Building inspectors Christianity when martyrdom was pop- ular. Religious fanatics tried every way they could to Individualize their . Some wore no clothes, some girdled themselv with snllu turned inward. some lved on nothing but grass. Simeon was the genjus to whom the early counterpart of fag-pole sitting first oceurred. He Fifty Years Ago In The Star Pifty vears ago there was evident among the pzople of Washington a de- a2 1ded spirit of revolt Asphalt Boiling B vavione’) s Pots. wholesome and ob- noxious conditions which made life miserable. but which seemed to be regarded by those in au- thority as necessary nuisances. One of these relate to the evil-smelling fumes which accompanied the paving of the streets and in its issue of August 14, 1879, The Star makes the following edi- torial comment on the subject: “There can be no doubt that either the District Commissioners or the health | officer, or both, have the power to sup- press the asphalt, coal tar boiling and all other disease‘producing nuisances located in the city of Washington. We understand that the Commissioners ex- plain their failure to deal with these as- ph;lt-bom.rguconcerm on the ground that while smell of melting the coal tar and asphalt together is unpleasant to most people, and very offensive to many, yet sanitary men have decided that it s not injurious to health, and that it is actually necessary that these melting establishments should be lo- cated fn the vicinity of the streets to be improved, as the material has to be laid hot. ““As regards the first of these propo- sitions, we do not know who the sanitary authorities may be who declare these concerns not unhealthful, but we do know that ‘medical men of first-class standing here take the position that anything is injurious to health that creates nausea. unsettles the stomach, affects the nervous system unfavorably, destroys rest, etc.- The claim made next that this inferno of smoke and stink must be tolerated in the central portions of the city for the convenience of the contractors is yet more , especially to those who have seen how these are in other places, where citizens have some rights. In Paris, for in- stance, the home of asphalt pavement, what would be thought of the proposi- tion to set up an asphalt-boiling con- cern in the central part of the city to beich out dense black. smoke and poi- sonous fumes like the nuisance estab- lished on north B street,.opposite the Smithsonian Institution, and within a stone’s throw of Pennsylvania avenue? Again, it is said that the District au- thorities have no power to _control the paving contractors in this matter. If 50, the fault is with the authorities. “This nuisance on B street is an old subject of complaint, and energuc pro- tests were made last year to its eontin- uance, It was promised that the con- | cern should be removed as soon as the contracts of last year were completed, but the promise was broken; the same contractors get yet larger contracts this year and instead of removing their works are absolutely enlarging them as if meaning to make a permanent. stand there, It would have been the easiest in the world for the Commis- sjoners to have secured control contractors and ‘the power to abate il i gi g8 it i H with iron belts | 1 | | then proceeded to visit and inspect the various poles, making those atop un- | stable ones descend. 1lis honor the | mayor darts from pole to pole. making speeches of encouragement. The pole | sitters have platforms rigged on their | poles. One of the girls has a divan {on hers. Another milestone on the | pathway to civilization! This and That By Charles E. Tracewell. The dispositions of cats vary no less than the characters of their human friends. | Some cats are surly, others kindly, others indifferent. One cat will toler- | ate_petting, another will seek it. | One of the most affectionate eats in the world is Capt. Boggs. Surely no | other furred creature can equal his demonstrations. It was not until his mother, brothers and sisters were taken away that he began to show his real disposition. He can said to be nothing more nor less than ardent in his affection for his human friends, and this so persistently that he cannot be accused of having any ulterior motives. With Jack Spratt it is different. ‘That large striped fellow is affectionate for a purpose. Usually he wants some- thing to eat, but at other times he seeks warmth. When Jack leaps into your lap, you may be quite sure that Jack is coid. & BF & Capt. Boggs has no other purpose in life than to demonstrate to you his love and affection. Just where, in the long line of de- scent from pyramid ancestors, he picked up such a love for mankind, it is diffi- cult, impessible, to say. His mother, old Blackie, is an in- different sort of cat, who never bites or seratches, but at the same time never willingly tolerates a pat on the head. As: for sitting on a lap, Blackie never does it. Capt. ' father is a wild, un- tamed cat of-the purest alley breed: We see him often roaming in the alley; but the slightest call of “Kitty, kitty, kitty!” senas him scampering away. Yet his son not only loves to be near human beings, but he wants them to understant t he likes them. He ins when he is let out of the basement in the morning. With a rush he scampers up the steps, uttering lhlrz-meo'l which almost resemble the barking of a dog. Since Boggs is an impetuous creature, his windings around one's feet are of umf:nllc vnhrle'iyo.o n}m llm;l:.:g".u glr;z glisten, as he up, ' raised aloft. Sty |, He is so doglike that he has come {to be known as “Little dog Boggs” |umn. his friends. He likes nothing better than to sit in the laps of his human companions. ‘There he will twist and turn, rubbing his head upon the hand, and in other ways trying to convey his real affec- n. Boggs is not at. all “touchy.” In this rsrsnt, as in_many others, he is utterly unlike Jack Spratt. Jack will' not tolerate even a finger placed on his hind legs, but Capt. Boggs is indifferent to it. He has never been known. to bite or seratch. He s as yet afraid of strangers, or ('):d sound of -uwmo\’:ues. The _unexpec appearance of & stranger will send hplm scurrying _for cover, and in this he resembles his {a- ther, whose paw is raised against every man, t m: Never once during the night does he utter a meow. It is only in the morning, when he hears people around, that he comes up to the door and cries. : Even then his meows are gentleman- ly. As far as his friends can determine, there never was a cat of better or more gentle disposition. His appetite has icked uj nanen!ly,h?'nd he ufi‘mr‘w as a e as ‘name, chest becoming - deeper every ~ and fanks remaining 4 o