Evening Star Newspaper, October 11, 1929, Page 8

{dTHE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. .October 11, 1”9' ‘Washington's heavy volume of travel in & quite satisfactory manner. It is true, of course, that the rotary left-hand turn, in use here, which is frowned upon by practically every other city in the country, causes dangerous THE EVENING power became the factors of chief m- portance. It is commonly believed that the next war, if another one should be fought, will be mainly in the alr. Alrplanes and dirigibles, many hold, are to be THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor | congestion of traffic. But, taken as a |the primary factors of offense, accord- The Evening Star Newspaper Company usinges Oce: @ Ave. n Building. 8t., London, the City. g::f’!r w“”“.‘k’v!r Il{fll&h 5 sc & cursory study of the situation. Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republicetion of all news dis- | atches credited to it or not otherwise cred- | ReaIor (nis paper and aiso the local news published herein. All rights of publicatio speciai d hetel als i of | 1so reserved. | ein. tehi i The Anglo-American Naval Accord. | One type of mentality holds that it is | possible to bring nations to agreement, | even in the matter of peace, only| through force. If, for example, there is to be real and effective operation of | the Kellogg multilateral treaty renounc- | ing war as & means of settling interna- tional disputes, there must be force back of it, “teeth” in it. It is the same | kind of mentality that believes in a | political League of Nations and an in- ternational police for Nothing was further from the thought of the United | States when it undertook to bring about the negotiation of the Kellogg treaty. It has been stated repeatedly that the treaty was to be entered into with the full understanding that each nation stood on its own bottom, and that there was to be no coercion, and that the pact would be observed because the in- dividual natiors had pledged themselves to observe it. Under any other circum- stances the United States Senate would never have ratified the treaty The American and British govern- ments, through their executive heads, | have reached an understanding on naval strength. That understanding has been made possible largely because | of the new situation created by the adherence, not only of these two na- tions, but of all the other powers, to the Kellogg treaty renouncing war. In some quarters there is a disposition now to say that Great Britain and the United States in their naval agreement pro- pose to force the world to international peace. Probably nothing could be more inimical to a final naval limita- tion and reduction agreement with the other powers. France, Italy and Japan, regarded as great naval powers along with the United States and Great Brit- ain, do not relish the thought that the English-speaking countries shall com- bine to force upon the rest of the world peace, or anything else, particularly if the peace is the special brand of Amer- ica and Britain, whatever that may be. President Hoover and Prime Minister Macdonald have done all in their power during their conversations over naval limitation to make it clear that there 1s no question of an alliance, substantial or implied, between the two countries. Both have understood that the great- est danger to the success of the pro- posed five-power naval conference, to be held next January in London, lies in suspicions of the other powers that any form of alliance or special under- | standing exists between Britain and America, exclusive of all other nations. | The Anglo-American naval accord, they have insisted, is but a prelude to an accord which will take in all the other nations. The purpose of the two governments will be to work for world peace and to help maintain it, but nothing could be more clear than the statement that the parts played by the British and Amer- ican governments “will be different”; that the British will co-opsrate closely with their neighbors on the Continent, ‘while America will continue to adhere to its traditional policy of not becom- ing entangled in European diplomacy. ‘This does not smack of Anglo-American alliances, or implied alliances. An Anglo-American alliance, if it had the effect of aligning all continental Eurcpe against Pritain and this coun- try, might prove a very uncomfortable thing for Britain, and would surcelyl have an appeal for the people of the | United States. i The British government, through its| prime minister, has definitely pledged | itself to peace with the United States, to naval parity and thereby to a re- linquishment of the old claim of Brit- ish supremacy of the seas. But peace between Britain and America is a very | different thing from an agreement of any kind between the two countries to force peace on the rest of the world. —_— et —————— A great benefit was conferred by Ramsay Macdonald in making the dis- cussion of world policies more interest- ing to the general public than the police | news. r———— The Traffic Hearings. With today's testimony another “in- wvestigation” of traffic conditions in the National Capital is expected to end. For more than a month “experts” and oth- ers have appeared before the special | subcommittee of the Senate Di&tncli committee in a steady procession to give their views on Washington's trafic problem and all its ramifications. The hearings were originally planned to deal entirely with parking, both in the day- time and the nighttime, but all angles of the traffic situation have been delved into by the witnesses and the members | of the committee. Much of the testimony has been con- flicting and at times criticism has been directed at the traffic department. One witness, for instance, would do away with automatic lights altogether and another would do this, that or the other thing in an endeavor to reach the traf- fic Utopia. Other witnesses simply com- {ing in the business section. ithat “dead” vehicles obstruct moving | |traffic, the solution is that the parked | whole, the work of the department takes & high rank with others of its kind. As a matter of fact, some of the innova- tions adopted first for Washington have been utilized in other communities. ‘The parking problem alone, not only in Washington, but in any other city, is enough to occupy any body of menl for as much time as can be given to! it. The National Capital is one of the | few cities still permitting regular park- That this condition cannot continue indefinitely is conceded by even those who make only It is & well defined and accepted traffic theory that when the point is reached vehicles must be swept off the streets. No investigation is needed to deter- mine that on certain highways this point has been reached and the Traffic Bureau, with commendable promptness, | has already cleared one side of a high- way that was marked by dangerous congestion. Under this conservative policy recommendation will probably soon be made to ban parking on various other streets where the movement of trafic must be expedited in order that the business of the community may be conducted. There should be no quarrel with this policy of gradually clearing up badly congested spots on the city's traffic map. The committee will have done a good job with its hearings if it will | simply lend its support to the trumc‘ office in a program already well under way. —ore. No American Labor Party. Not for the first time the American | Federation of Labor yesterday, in an- nual convention at Toronto, affirmed its opposition to the formation of a Labor party in the United States. The president of the federation, William Green, taking vigorous issue with Eng- lish trades union delegates who stressed the accomplishment of British workers in building an independent Labor party, defended the non-partisanship of or- ganized labor in this country. He ably argued that while conditions in the British Isles might justify the move- ment which has swept Mr. Ramsay Macdonald into office for the second time, the situation in the United States is entirely different. It is one, Pres- ident Green pointed out, which neither enables nor justifies the political co- hesion to which British labor has resorted. It was a spokesman of the English machinists who brought the American Federation chieftain into the debate at Toronto on Thursday. The Eng- lishman had belabored “predatory wealth,” foreshadowed “the economic and industrial revolution” which the British Labor party will “yet” bring about, and urged capital “to forego its rights” or court their abolition. President Green lost no time in mak- ing his fervid British colleague under- stand that such tenets are not in or- ganized American labor's code. “We are advancing our interests in the United States by pursuing a differ- ent policy from British labor,” .Mr. Green declared. “We know we are on the right track in abstaining from political party organization. If the time ever comes when the best interests of organized labor can be served by a Labor party, we'll face the issue in this Congress of Labor.” President Green emphasizeéd the vast territorial expanse of the United States | as compared to the tiny area of the United Kingdom—"“We have forty-eight States, half of which are each larger than Great Britain.” He drew atten- tion to our cosmopolitan population, with its widely diversified languages and interests. From every angle, he asserted, “a single party organization” on British lines is wholly impracticable, if not practically impossible. Mr. Green might have gone further. He might have told of the one signal and ill-starred effort of a large Ameri- can labor group to enact a political party role. In 1924 the powerful rail- road brotherhoods of the United States, and many other organized labor ele- ments, officially supported Robert M. La Follette's third-party presidential candidacy. The result was an immense popular vote for “Fighting Bob,” but the capture of only his own State's electoral vote, a purely personal tribute. American labor in the Coolidge-Davis- La Follette campaign voted, as it habit- ually votes, either Republican or Demo- cratic. It chooses its man from among the so-called great party candidates. It sees its salvation within the existing political system. 1Its prosperity and well-being evidently have convinced American labor that experiment in the purely political realm is not yet an ad- venture upon which it can advanta- geously embark. e Intense interest in base ball affords a reminder that while there are many serious questions to be considered, the public remains calm, and displays nor- mal interest in time-honored relaxa- tions. N Aircraft and War. The conversations just had in this country between President Hoover and Prime Minister Macdonald have doubt- less advanced the cause of peace in the world through lessening the likeli- hood of internatiomal conflict. But meanwhile the work of devising weapons for military use proceeds. There has just been held at Aberdeen, Md., a demonstration of Army ordnance witnessed by a large number of ob- servers, probably including representa- tives of other governments. Preliminary announcements of the show indicated that some remarkable improvements in ! anti-aircraft weapons would feature the exhibition. Thirty or forty years ago a race be- tween heavy guns and heavy armor was in progress in naval designing. As plain about specific instances of what s alleged to be traffic mismanagement and criticize the traffic office in general terms. When it comes to prepare its report the committee is quite likely to find that nothing in particular has been gained by permitting its investigations to go s0 far afield and that both Traffic Director Harland and Assistant Director Eldridge are doing the difficult job of ting ing to technical judgment. Conse- quently a race is on now in the design- ing of aircraft and anti-aircraft weapons. At the Aberdeen show one of the latest developments demonstrated will be a gun capable of sending shells 40,000 feet into the air with extraor- dinary accuracy and of firing no les¢ than twenty-five shots a minute, each shell capable of bursting at any predeter- mined altitude. This gun, according to descriptive reports, has a “brain.” l’t' is a veritable “robot” gun. It is self- sighted, self-controlled and, after the first sighting of an enemy plane, can follow its course with precision and plant its shells in its path with deadly effect with no further human super- | vision. 1If this weapon is capable of doing the things that have been claimed for it the aircraft offensive weapon is as- suredly lessened in effectiveness. A plane must fly at more than 40,000 feet, and it is belleved that at a greater alti- tude than that airplane bombing is uncertain and ineffective. But it does not assuredly follow that the new gun puts the plane out of business as an | attacking weapon. For other develop- ments in planes, in bombs and in con- trol are likely to follow just as heavy armor and then heavier guns marked the old naval duel of design. It is by no means to be suggested that these sclentific improvements in ordnance make for war between nations. Rather do they make for peace. If the next war, it one should come, is to be fought from the air, its destruction of life and property will be more frightful than ever. The more tercible the pos- sible event, the more earnestly and sincerely will efforts be made to pre- vent it. — et Manufacturing combines have in- creased the price of cigarettes, but not enough to inspire hope in the minds of anti-tobacco agitators that the price will become prohibitive. ———— Questions of social precedence become confusing. Wise statesmanship man- ages to arrange its gatherings in a manner that will, in large measure, evade them. e Stock market prices vary, but not in precise accordance with the true value of securities. Popular imagination as to what the future may bring forth is a large factor in market transactions. st The time is expected when privately owned airplanes will be as numerous as automobiles, The prospect implies a need of a new and greater traffic police service, L It is asserted that the man who buys bootleg is as wicked as the one who selis it. After drinking some of it, he is likely to become even wickeder, o g Good-will visits are now easily and quickly exchanged. War is made pos- sible only by misunderstandings which frank cohferences should easily avoid. ————at—————— Much of the tragedy with which the news reports have to deal is about the same old story of youth pathos, utilizing different names. The Russian Communist retains a status as a literary influence, but he cannot be regarded as a commercial asset. — e Under certain current conditions, oll has no effect whatever in calming trou- bled waters, —on s SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Fishermen AlL Sometimes two men will sit and thinl Out there upon the river's brink Where waves are swishin’. The thinkin® often does ‘em good— The way to be best understood Is goin’ fishin’. And after they have fished awhile Each frown dissolves into a smile; And life’s condition Would be improved, if now and then Each man could meet his fellow men While goin’ fishin’. Measuring His Public. “What do you intend to tell us in your next speech?” “I propose to be popular rather than instructive,” answered Senator Sor- ghum. “I intend to tell you nothing except funny stories.” Jud Tunkins says his idea of propa- ganda is getting to be any line of argu- ment that contradicts his own opinion. No Comeback. My radio! At me you fling A voice, with homage heard. ‘Whatever you may say or sing, You have the final word! Impetuous Donations. “How have you managed to take so much money from the ‘lambs’ in Wall Street?” “I don't take it from them,” answered | Mr. Dustin Stax., “They stand in line walting for a chance to give it to me.” “He who possesses wisdom,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “shows it by never revealing his knowledge reck- lessly.” Autumn Sadness. - The melancholy days draw nigh And to sad thoughts return us. ‘To shovel snow again we'll try; Likewise to tend the furnace. “Family quarrels,” said Uncle Even, “is dangerous, Cain and Abel was de original bad example for de entire hu- man race.” ——— No Squandering. Prom the Bioux City Journal. If Mr. Coolidge does any extensive whittling in his retirement, it won't be on his bank account. fast as a gun was developed capable of plercing the protective shields of warships, thicker and stouter plates were devised. Then came heavier guns, followed soon by even heavier armor. After a time this competition ceased to concern the naval architects and design- ers, for other types of craft than the heavyweights of the front line of battle came into vogue. Speed and range of guns rather than weight and penetrative 5 WASHINGTO THIS STAR, D. C, AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL, Every book to be kept as a treasure must have some point of interest. It may be cost, or age, or rarity, or beauty of expression, but it must be | something. ‘The personality of the collector, per- haps, has the most to do with it. - ~His preferences may count in the scale as a supreme point of interest. It follows that there are many angles from which the home collection may be approached, but that to be a true li- brary it must have one or more of them and not just be a haphazard group of unrelated volumes. ‘Where a home library falls down the hardest is in being a mere unrelated aggregation of individual “stars” of bookdom, without the group shining through one or more of the reasons for being given above. ‘The home collection not built on de- cided likes and dislikes, and the one as much as the other, resembles the aver- age drug store circulating library, in- teresting enough in its way, but so un- related to the needs of any one person that it partakes of a mere herding to- gether of the products of minds. Products of intelligence in the mass produce an uncomfortable feeling in the mind of the beholder. Who that has viewed the huge stacks of some great library but has been confused by the scene? So many books, so many subjects, so many words, so many au- thors and titles, that the brain stag- gers before the literary “mob scene” presented. * ok ok % Merely to buy bocks as one finds them, or as they come reeling from the publishers’ presses, is to lose most uof the pleasure and profit which book col- lecting has for a human being of aver- age intelligence. He who so purchases, without thought, should try revamping his program in order that the home li- brary may mean something to him, as a human being distinguished from | other members of the race. When he achieves this altered view- point he will realize that his friend who paid a fancy price for Rockwell Kent’s small work on bookplates knew what he was doing. He will understand something of the pleasure gained by the collector of odd items, the diligent gatherer of books upon a single theme, or the enthusiastic one who herds to- gwether the novels of the French mas- T8, The necessity for gaining this view- point may be stressed particularly for those busy persons who somehow or other have got the queer idea that util- ity is the one point of judgment of a book for admission into a home library. Such honest persons willingly buy works of reference, either for their own use or that of their children, but feel An their heart of hearts that the pur- chase of works of other types is some- thing of an extravagance. The money consideration looms large i their minds. ‘They want to see the possibilities of $5 received for every $5 spent. They would think nothing at all of spending several times that sum for an evening at the theater, with dinner following, but if it is suggested to them that a good work of biography may be secured for half the sum, they declare the amount to be excessive. This viewpoint can be corrected by no outside interference. Its cure, for such we may call it, can come only from the individual himself. In this matter every man must be his own doc- tor. Here we have self-healing with a vengeance. The utilitarian outlook on books must give way to the larger view- point, which regards books as some- thing more than so much paper re- ceived in exchange for a certain num- ber of dollars. Unless one honestly can secure this outlook without too much weariness of spirit, we would advise him to rest content as he is. Books, after all, are only a part of life, and not the whole of it, as some of us who love them are tempted to think .upon occasion. To be supremely de- voted to books is not given to all of us, perhaps ot to very many of us. There are booklovers in all degrees, just as there are sportsmen of varying degrees of ability. One should take books seri- ously, but not too seriously. * koK X Age, rarity, cost, personality, even use, figure as reasons for being in _the home book collection. Individual preferencc, above all, rules. It sets a standard higher than any of the others, since it may include them all. Hobbles may play a big part in col- lecting books, both in regard to the per- sonal idiosyncrasies of the collector and the appearance of books. If a man is interested in any game, he may want to gather together a section of home books devoted to it. If he breeds bulldogs, he gathers books upon his favorites. The satisfaction of being an authority on something or other is gained in no way easier than by this simple method. It doesn't take much “learning” in this world to give one a reputation as an “expert.” If you know just a little bit more about a subject than your neigh- bor, he will come to you with his prob- lems, if he is called upon to enter that field. An ordinary ability to look wise, at such times, enables one to come into a reputation as a wise man. The sooth- ing influence of a big book upon a seeker efter wisdom is only equaled by i‘a persuasive powers upon one who is not acquainted with it. i} Like, dislike—these are the two main | planks of the home library platform. In 50 plain a matter it might seem that every Tom, Dick and Harry might be a specialist, but it is astonishing how few people, after all, know what they like or dislike. Often they are blown about by the winds of opinion, first one way and then another, until at last they give the whole thing up in despair, Only he who cultivates genuine opin- ‘ion can be sure of what he likes and what he does not like in the world of books. Often enough he is called stub- born, hailed as a “know-it-all,” but if he sticks to his beliefs he will be able to triumph, because he will then build his home book shelves on the solid founda- tion of personal preference, * ok ok % ‘The age, rarity, cost, personality of the book itself becomes only an attri- bute of the library builder. He is not forced to consult, as public librarians’ Must, the likes and dislikes of thou- sands of people, or their needs, real and imagined, but may go ahead selecting his books solely on the basis of himself, When one stops to think how really few opportunities there are in the mod- ern world for a man to be himself, he must think all the better of the oppor- tunity given him in the buudininur 2 home library. We must dress mainly as our friends do, and if we go out to din- ner ‘with them we must eat as they do. If we do not buy an automobile we are regarded as mildly eccentric. Even our thinking, if publicly expressed, must | trickle along with the general trend of everybody else’s thoughts. When it comes to selecting books, however, few are interested in what one buys. A booklover may purchase what he wants, without being called upon by his friends to justify his expenditure of money. If he buys a brick house, his friends are likely to ask him why he didn’t buy a frame house—“they are so much more artistic!”—but if he treats himself to “I Think of Daisy,” or “Ultima Thule,” no one gives a whoop. If he puts Williamson's “The Pathway" or “The Beautiful Years” upon his shelves, not even his most critical friend will demand an explanation. One should be a book collector, not' in the ordinary sense, which involves rarity, age, and so on, but in the best personal sense, which demands knowledge of one’s self and the courage of one's con- i victions. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Prime Minister Macdonald left Wash- ington pretty well frazzled after his strenuous six days on the Potomac and points South. He is wholly umccun-‘i tomed to the social pace he had to keep | in the most social Capital on earth.| President Hoover shares the British statesman’s aversion to the fuss and functions which go with their relpec-! tive jobs. It would be hard to imagine, | for instance, anything more natively | distasteful to the chief engineer than a dinner for 90, such as he gave the prime minister at the White House. Crow: either at table or elsewhere, are, far as possible, on Hoover's prohibited list. The labor premier has certain inescapable social obligations in Lon- don, but to no occupant of No. 10 Downing street were they ever so bore- some as to Ramsay Macdonald. His busy life has not lain along 5-o'clock- | tea lines. Daughter Ishbel bore up more | or less bravely under the fire of Wash- | ington's social requirements, but nearly everywhere that homespun, ruddy- cheeked young Scotswoman looked as if | she wished she could dodge it all. The Macdonalds feared the social worst when they headed this way, and fits| exactions came fully up to their ex- pectations. 4 * ok koK Our exalted British visitor spent part of his last afternoon in these parts by paying a call of homage at Mount Ver- non. Mr. Macdonald visited the George Washington shrine on a previous occa- slon, when in this country as a private citizen, but yesterday the patriotic ladies who own and administer the founding father's glorious Potomac-side estate in- sisted on giving the prime minister the careful chaperonage they felt his rank demanded. There were frequent con- sultations of watches by various mem- bers of the British party, and other in- dications that time was flying. But Mr. Macdonald's cicerones seemed determined he should overlook no solitary speck of interest in the whole establishment. At one juncture of the personally conduct- ed tour the premier took occasion to smile that he'd “seen all this before,” and his polite, but meaningful, remark caused a welcome acceleration of pro- ceedings. e e “Young T. Rs” inaugural address as Governor of Porto Rico last Monday rather got lost in the shuffie of more transcendent events in Washington. It led off with some interesting references to the governor's father. “I do not know whether you realize it,” he said, “but my father was the only American President who ever visited this island. He was particularly impressed by the genuine hospitality he met with. It was he who described Porto Rico as ‘the Switzerland of America.’” Gov. Roose- velt spoke eloquently of the 23,000 Porto Ricans who served in the United States Army during the World War, and ac- claimed Rafael A. Segarra, who entes as a private and came out a lieutenant colonel. He was mentioned in ofcial dispatches for “extraordinary heroism and utter dmez-rg o,tk persona) danger.” * * Irwin Boyle Laughlin of Pennsylvania, who has been appointed Ambassador 10 Spain, is a diplomatic “career man,” but has not been on active service for three yvears. His last post was Athens. Laughlin’s selection for Madrid carries out the Hoover-Stimson pojicy of send- ing business men to key ts abroad. He is a heavy stockholder in the Jones & Taughlin Steel Co. of Pittsburgh, which is one of the few big factors in | ————————— True Bl From the Buffalo Evening News. secret of happiness? Never read any automobile ads except the ones that describe the superior car you have, —_———— Or How It Dies. From the Des Moines 'rm:.';fcnm.w Half the world seems est 3 in the wicked way the half lives. the industry that have remained inde- | ndent. While in Greece as Minister, | ughlin rendered yeoman service to | American business,” It was malnly | through his efforts that Yankee engi- neers and contractors scored ' d¥er Brit- ish rivals and secured the immense job of building dror dl;‘me‘mm a modern water supply an: ge system—work which is still in ess_of construc tion.” Uncle Sam and King Alfonso diplomacy* have considerable business snd Leughlin should be to ‘esmduct, equipped to handle it. Perhaps his fellow Pittsburgher, “Alec” Moore, one- time Ambassador to Spain, will give Laughlin some valuable tips on his royal buddy, “Alf,” and how to deal with him., ook ‘This observer of things Washing- tonian makes his professional salaam to Willlam F. Schilling of Minnesota, dairy-industry representative on the Federal Farm Board. These are “Bill's” emotions anent recent events in the Capital: The Macdonalds from England have been visiting the Hoovers and the folks are all upset. It's a thing to have company once a while. It makes us spruce up a bit, Last week the stone in the monu- ments in front of the White House was scrubbed. Gen. von Steuben’s boots were polished, the sparrows’ nests were all dug out of Andy Jackson's horse’s nostrils, and Gen. Lafayette received a facial massage. * * * I'm having a hellova time trying to sleep down here. Folks don’t let me go to sleep nights, and mornings one of the milk driver's horses, that delivers milk in our neighborhood, has a loose shoe and goes clickety-clacking down K street. It annoys me a lot. Aside from this and ambulances, patrol wagons, fire companies, riveting machines and the Senate's agricultural committee I guess I'll survive, * ok k% ‘The United States Navy Band this month is delighting one-night-stand audiences throughout New England, having just entertained the natives at a number of points in New Jersey and New York. Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire will be visited by Lieut. Charles Benter and his fellow artists in navy blue between now and No- vember 10. Radio has made all of our three great service bands—the Arm;, Navy and Marine—familiar and wel- come visitors to every living room in the country. They “take the air” with- out remuneration of any sort on the theory that in contributing to the joy and artistic uplift of the people they are more than earning their service pay and allowances. Capt. Stannard’s Army Band, recently home from the Seville ition, won distinguished laurels “over there.” * koK ok Mrs. Walter E. Edge, wife of the senfor Senator from New Jersey and future American Ambassador to France, is organising a remarkable farewell to her woman friends in Jersey. On the eve of her departure for Paris next month Mrs. Edge will entertain 1,000 guests at a monster bfldf party in an Atlantic City Boardwalk hotel. Most of them will be neighbors, for the Edges' home, when they're not in Washington, is at Ventnor, a suburb of the big sea- side metropolis. * ok kK Naval limitation has reached the foot- lights. A British naval play which has just had its American %remure in ‘Washington contains lines by a battle- ship captain, who laments the prospect of early consignment “to the beach,” on account of the British fleet’s impending reduction. (Copyright, 1920.) ———s Golf Morality. From the Cleveland Plain Dealer. John D. Rockefeller insists he never met a golfer who had a bad character. Evidently John's playmates have never dared to monkey with the score card ] Let the City Share It. From the Sioux City Tribune. It 'ments could be made to have W cent of the ‘protection™ paid into the city 8 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1929. Sixteenth Street Ruling Declared Injustice To the Editor of The Star: As a property owner in the District under discussion, T wish to thank The Star for the publicity given the subject of the zoning of lower Sixteenth street. My house and studio with a frontage of over 40 feet on Sixteenth street just south of Scott Circle is a substantial dwelling of 15 rooms and 4 baths, built 50 years ago by my husband. The natural evolution of the city has | changed this section from residential to non-residential property; the street is now one of the most crowded, busiest, noisiest, dustiest streets in Washington; it is as impossible to live in the house in comfort as it is to rent it profitably; the type of house has gone out of fashion. Thus it is a liability of a rather serious nature, representing valuable capital tied up by an arbitrary ruling, and made a drain under exist- ing conditions upon the owner's other resources, to which injustice he should not be subjected. This case is repre- sentative of many, as a situation which can work direct hardship where a bene- fit is in all reason to be expected. | Much property between Scott Circle and | H street is in this class, wherefore I call attention to my own case. No one in Washington values the beauty of the city more than I do; no one would have been more glad to have preserved the dignity and exclusiveness of the beautiful boulevard in question; the change has come as the greatest good to the greatest number, and to hold out for a thing already past and gone, at the expense of the present status already here, and the future which is clamoring for room for ex- pansion, is an error in judgment and an_injustice. - MARIETTA MINNIGERODE ANDREWS. ] | Less Than Unanimous Verdicts Commended From the Columbus Ohio Dispatch. No harm has come from the opera- tion of the new Ohlo law which per- mits & jury to return a verdict by the vote of 9 of the 12 members, and it is pleasing to note that other States are making like provision. Our less-than- | unanimity provision applies only to civil cases; but the New York Crime Com- the fight against lawlessness in that State, is now considering a proposition o depart from the usual custom of | unanimous jury verdicts in criminal trials as well, excepting only those | crimes which involve capital punish- ment. No decision ‘has yet been made, but such is the esteem in which the crime commission is held that a rec- ommendation to this effect from it would go far toward writing it into the statute books at Albany. No attempt is made to conceal the fact that this is a movement aimed at the jury fixer. When by provision of law one member of the jury can at least prevent con- viction, it constitutes a very great in- ducement to unscmruloua persons to |get a juror who will tie up a guilty verdict. It would also render less effective the stubborn juror who is unwilling to con- cede anything to the judgment of his associates in the jury. This is not to | say that the stubborn juror is always wrong, but that it is ‘more probable | that the 11 are right than the one who differs with them is. There is a growing feeling that the whole jury system is wrong, but it is too deeply rooted in our English law system to be easily torn out, and the worst of it is that those who would do 50 offer nothing better to take its place, {This is not to say, however, that the {system might not be amended here and cur experience with it in our day, | ———— | Whitney Warren’s i . or! v i Opportunity | | From the New York World, Mr. Whitney Warren, architect of the memorial library of the University of Louvain, has won his court fight over the inscription on its balustrade. insisted on his right to place there a Latin declaration that the library was “destroyed by German fury; rebuilt by American generosity.” Basing his de- cision on legal points, a_judge has up- held this contention. Mr. Warren is cntitled to his expressed gratification that he has vindicated the right of an architect in protecting his work against | changes by clients. But having vindi- cated this principle, he now has an op- portunity t6 indulge in a magnanimous | gesture. By announcing that he would | not after all overrule the wishes of Louvain University he could gratify the United States, Belgium and Germany. The United States relishes neither the vindictiveness of the first clause of the inscription nor the boastfulness of the second; Mr, Hoover and the authorities of the Carnegle Foundation, the chief | dony ave made that clear. The best | Belgian opinion is against any such perpetuation of war-time rancors. Ger- many, which refilled the library's shelves, would appreciate the dropping | of the angry phrase. After all, though | Mr. Warren is the architect, it is not | his_library—it is Louvain's. o o | The Future of Fall Fashions From the New York Times. Not for many an Autumn have the new styles created such a flurry of ex- citement as this season's astonishing crop. The long skirts, the princess line, the fluttering draperies, are in violent contrast with last Summer's simple fashions. Women generally are asking each other, “Are we really going to wear these amazing things that they're showing in the shops?” In the last few years there have been | only minor changes in feminine style. The stage scemed set for something entirely new and different, a tempting invitation to the extravagance of scrap- ping old wardrobes. Women accustomed to short skirts get a masquerade-party thrill from donning trailing gowns, and for flappers of 19 and 20 their first really long frock is a sensational event. Fannie Hurst steps forward to warn women that they should organize against such allurement. If they yield without a struggle they are lost, least set back some seven years, If a modern women consents to wear the costume of the 90s she will find that in spite of herself her mental attitude and her economic situation will retrograde into that era. No compromise is Miss Hurst's advice. Snap your fingers at the dressmakers and walk out on them Echoes of similar revolt against en- slaving fashion come from all quarters. German women are protesting against the servitude of long skirts and a “flam- ing article” in the Berlin Vossische pledges the writer never to wear them while breath lasts—at least, not in the daytime. ) The Antiquated Aeronaut. From the Hartford Daily Times. Van Orman scems to have won the international balloon race without breaking any records. Public interest in these annual contests is not now keen. They have little value otherwise than as the drift of the gas bags may throw some light on the movement of atmos- pheric currents for the benefit of the meteorologists. The plane and the dirigible have taken serious attention away from the helpless balloon. has never helped the world much of itself that a non-motored air craft | might float in the sky for 1 hour or for 48, excePc as we ascribe merit to the work of balloons for military observance purposes during the Civil War afterward. The parachute literally came from the balloon. The monoplane, the biplane, the “blimp” and the beautiful Angeles have supe: it ot White there with good effect as the result of | i to ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS What do you need to know? Is there some point about your business or per- sonal Iife that puzzles you? Is there something you want to know without delay? Submit your question to Fred- eric J. Haskin, director of our Wash- ington Information Bureau. He is em- ployed to help you. Address your in- uiry to The Evening Star Information %urelu, Frederic J. Haskin, director, ‘Washington, D. C., and inclose 2 conts in coin or stamps for return postage. . Of all the theaters in the world whqat percentage 1is located in the United States?—E. D. A. In “The Story of the Films,” by P. J. Kennedy and published in 1927, the following statement is given: “There are fewer than 40,000 theaters in the world, and probably 20,000 of these are in the United States and Canada.” Q. How long have Brussels sprouts been on the market?—F. I. A. Booth claims that Brussels sprouts have besn grown from time immemorial around Bryssels ig Belgium, but the: were nmw by botanists until 1623, wher in names them and tells how some plants had as many as 50 heads. They were first mentioned in America in 1806 by McMahon. Q. Who has been made president of Leland Stanford, since Ray Lyman Wilbur entered President Hoover's cab- inet?—M. L. M. yet. As soon as the school term is well under way, the board of directors will meet to consider the matter. Q. What is the meaning of line breeding?—H. E. A. Line breeding consists in breeding within & few closely related stocks or families, no animals being interbred which are not closely connected in the general line of their blood. Q. How many people were present i when the tomb of Tut-ankh-Amen was opened?—B. L. A. Howard Carter says that on the day the tomb was opened there wers 20 persons present. Q. Where was the first soldiers’ home | established for disabled soldiers?— | mission, which has done good work in|C. W. H A, is the old 3, 1851 @ What is ‘“reciprocal tariff by treaty"?—P. M. K. A. It is a lowered tariff between two countries established by treaty. Q. How many: Masons are there in the world>—C. A. J. A. The total number of Masons in the world is about 4,400,000. The num- ber lnfl;:,ll United States is estimated at 3,134,500, Q. Describe the composition of chest- nuts.—E. 8. A. They contain protein, fat and sugar to supplement the starch which is their chief component. Q. When did the Y. M. C. As in Canada and the United States become affiliated?—E. S. A. Y. M. C. As in the United States and Canada have always beeh affiliated. In 1902 a promising organization was added in Mexico. The first associations lest. It was authorized March A. The position has not been filled as | home in Washington, D. C., ! BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN. on the continent were organized in De- cember, 1851, in Montreal and Boston, both as a result of information received regarding the society organized seven years earlier in London, England. Forty more associations were added ~within three years, and the first intérnational convention was held at Buffalo, N, Y. June 7, 1854, i Q. Did a man wi £ in the Mississipp! River from St. Louls to New Orleans? —N. H. A. It is a fact that a man did “walk” from St. Louis to New Orleans on the Mississippi River. This fact is attested by old residents of New Orleans and of several of the smaller cities between New Orleans and Vicksburg, Miss. The time of his arrival at New Orleans is approximately fixed as being in the month of May, in the year 1917 or 1918. No record of the man’s name or pre- vious history is available. His “walking" was accomplished by means of small pontoons or boats, probably 3 or 4 feet long and 1 foot wide, strapped to his feet in much the same manner . as would be snowshoes, and he shuffled along the surface of the water as one would on snowshoes. His wife followed him closely in a skiff, and, wherever pos- sible, they stopped at night at the most convenient town or settlement en route. Q. How was fire discovered?—A. M. A. This cannot be known definitely. The most probable theory is that it was discovered in the process of making stone implements, when sparks were | struck off. Fire caused by lightning may have been utilized by primitive man. Q. Of what does the Cathedral of | Beauvais consist>—E. L. 9 A. Only of the famous choir (built between, 1227 and 1272) and a transept. Q. Who is the author of the quota- tion on the New York City post office, which begins, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat"?——J. F. H. A, It is taken from paragraph 98, Book VIII, of the work of the Greek historian, Herodotus, who wrote in the fifth century B.C. It reads, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor night stays these couriers from the swift comple- tion of their appointed rounds " Q. What people fjrst became civi®- ed?—W. M. A, It is not possible to say definitely which is the oldest civilization on earth. The Chinese claim this distinction. As the eu:ly hl?'l‘;y fllf ml:“y (a!lgla ’l'nmnt countries rgely en o y be that there are other clvfllslt'lnosa which antedate that of China, such as, for instance, that of Assyria or that of the Aztecs in Mexico. Q. What are the seven follies of | science?—M. T. | A, The so-called seven fojlies of science are the quadrature of the circle; | the duplication of the cube; trisection of the angle; perpetual motion; trans. mutation of metals; fixation of mer- | cury; the elixir of life. | @ Why is a certain style of under- garment for women called & teddy- | bear?—s. N. O. A. Several explanations are offered. The most credible is that a manufac- turer of ladies’ underthings in x':ov York, by the name of Theodore 3 invented this style of lingsrie: | | ‘While there is still some argument as to whether the world is growing bet- ter or not, there is apparently no doubt that America is growing noisier. The action of New York’s civic organizations in trying to make the populace “pipe down"” awakes sympat! ic comment from the rest of the country. Hope for weary ears lies, most people seem to feel, in moral suasion, scientific study and invention, though some feel the law must take a hand. Studying the developments, the New York Evening World states: “Health Commissioner Wynne has taken notice af the imperative necessity for some regulatory action for the abatement of unnecessary noises that ening to make the people of New York a race of neurotics within a generation. He has hired a board of 11 men who are experts in neurology, otology and engineering to study the immediate needs of the city ‘and to recommend such legislative action as may be neces- sary. There is no’ question about the necessity. The health of no community is properly safeguarded by authority where sleep until the early hours of the morning becomes almost impos- sible, or in which any one is at liberty make unnecessary, nerve-racking noises in the streets” * * * The court has decided that under existing law, while the beating of a tin can outside one's sleeping room is a nuisance, a neighbor’s loud speaker may be turned into the room at 2 a. with _perfect legal propriety. This can be chan; without difficulty, and no reasonable citizen with any regard for the rights of his neighbors will object.” “It bef to look as though noise were really in for a showdown,” con- cludes the Dayton Daily News. * York has been especially harassed be- cause of the construction, requiring both day and night shifts, which per- petrates the din at all hours. The drive will concern itself first with night noises; when relief has been won there the more difficult daylight racket will be tackled. The possibility of electric welding to supplant riveting in scraper construction is one hope. The same problems face all cities to a greater or less extent, and the countr; will watch the campaign with interest. Reports from New York, which are quoted by the New Orleans Times- Plcayune, include the statement that “associations representing seven bil- lions of property interests in New York have joined to form a permanent com-' mittee to fight the noise ev: and that paper adds: “Suppression of un- necessary noises is by way of becoming an international business, and those ploneers who, in years agone, contrib- uted to the gayety of their neighbors by demanding protection against the dins that murdered sleep at night and shattered nerves by day no longer are without honor in theit own countries. * * * The campaign against un- necessary noises will be a long one, for it must be in considerable part edu- cational. But some of the worst of whenever and wherever the are willing to attack them.” “The movement will arouse interest in most citles in the land,” Youngstown Vindicator. “Over in Eng- land they have what are known as the motor cars regulations, which aim at excessive noises. The regulations went into force recently and the first two causes of violation brought fines.” The “refreshing directness” of the action in England, where “personal rights are protected at least as jealously as they are in any other country,” is commend= ed by the New York Sun. The Sun feels sure that these reports will be by New Yorkers “with something approaching envy.” “Americans maintain the quaint idea that nowse is a_sign of progress,” ac- cording to the Rochester which mf; of the need of reform: “The city dweller’s supposed immunity to the racket around him must be credited to his mental control. The harassing ef- fect does not change” The Star Lake Deseret, News comments: “Speaking for | the Nation, it is quite safe to say that our locomotives have the loudest whis- | tles, our autos the most shrieking horns and brakes, our street cars the most | ear-splitting rattle to be found in any | country on earth. Our well known me- chanical ingenuity and efficiency seem to have devoted themselves to the task of m: ule Puzzle. From the Tulss ally World. ‘The burni question in some is not what 3‘4., with a white el nan: but where to find & litts Take salm, i gEEE G aking noise in superlative degree. * * Some day there v}fil‘ be ordinances restrict t " New York Anti-Noise Fight Echoes Throughout Nation t are threat- | . | Daily Times admits that “it's a thing the noise abuses can be dealt with in the movement to foster such g Buthorities | 8¢ that a large amount of nolse can be eliminated by moral persuasion and that legal means can be adopted to do away with much of that which is cre- because nobody cares,” advises the Baltimore Sun, offering an .example from New York experience: -“As an indication of the importance of getting rid of unnecessary racket it is stated that elimination of elevated. way tracks on part of Sixth aven the effect of sending up property values 300 per cent.” < “Due regard for the rights of others and care in/construction and at (:: the judgment of the Harrisburg Tele- graph, “will do more to stop needless noises than all the ordinances that may be passed — although there are times 'hmbemi nrug:d hx;: olmt.he';;v alone can epended upon to sf borhood nuisances. In thal police should understand that they have public sentiment fully behind them in taking whatever steps a preserve peace and quiet.” The Dallas Journal offers “something better than laws” in the suggestion that “inventive genius can do much to reduce to a minimum the noise of car P‘n:‘:l;ll; Hvecetr&;;d llkeh o i = Somet can to make New York a trifie quieter,” re- marks the Danbury Evening News, “but as for us we confess we're ‘much from Missouri,” while the outh at des to live in a city,” and that “nobody is going to because of any of the noises. | e |Tribme Is Paid To Thomas E. Mitten From the Flint Daily Journal. Thomas E. Mitten was a man of pe- culiar genius whose distinction brought him more than national fame; conse- quently his sudden death from drown- ing on his Pocono estate is a shock to the world. It is said of this traction expert that if a college or university were prepared to confer such a degres as dsctor of transportation science, Thomas E. Mit- ten would have been entitled to that honor. His unusual ability iay in rkill at taking hold of troubled street rail- way systems and turning them into efficient and profitable organizations. The man whose death robs America of an energetic and usefui citizen | more than a mere “doctor of raflways. |He was & genius in - traction matters, and his rebuilding of run-down systems has been the basis of much study on the part of others who.had -imilar problems to meet. His contributions to the cities where he worked have meant much to the prosperity and happiness of those communities. * * * His sudden death means that America hfs lost one of the militant pioneers t- ay accepted methods as old-age pen- funds, sick hace plans for cor- poration employes rud arbitration in labor ~disputes. His contribution to Ab!?!flcln industrial life is immeasur- able. away ons_for employes, saving benefits, stock pt “Holding the South” Classed as Good Joke Prom the Charleston (S. C.) Evening Post. President Hoover's anxious efforts to “hold the four Southern States that gave their electoral votes for him” sup- Ply & welcome bit of divertisement from an administration that is long on so- briety and short on merriment. It has as many amusing aspects as that has happened in ties in a long time, not the least of which {s the announcement that the President is more proud of his Seuth- ern victories than of any other political conquest. “Recent developments,” how- ever, are sald to be showing that the