Evening Star Newspaper, November 17, 1929, Page 46

THE EVENING STAR|ss an expression o the history and | halls of justice that the advent of the With Sunday Morning Editien. WASHINGTON, D. C. SUNDAY.....November 17, 1920 THEODOR® W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11th St and Penpsylvania Ave. JYork Omce: 110 East 4ind 8t ce: Lake Michigan Bulldirie. nt St.. London. City. ‘per month "" 0c per month when 5 Sundays) The Sunday Siar .. ‘Collection mad oOrders may be Nation 3 Rate by Mail—Payuble in Advance. Mary! #nd Virginia. Dally and Sune Daily only . Sunday only All Other States and Canada. 0. only . Sunday only Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all rews dls- patches credited to it or not otherwise cred- ited in this paper and aiso the local 1ew: n. All rights of publication of special tehes herein are also reserved. — e The Alley Problem. The National Capital, Park and Planning Commission proposes to re- new a campaign that is almost as old as the problem itself—elimination of Washington’s “alley population.” It has received and approved a report by John Ihlder, suggesting that legislation | similar to the bill passed in 1914 be adopted and that a legal pressure be brought to bear that gradually will clean up the alleys and transferyto other and more suitable quarters an alley population of from nine to twelve thousand persons. ‘There are few campaigns that will enlist greater public support and sym- pathy, The menace to health and morals that exists in the alleys has been emphasized time and again and need not be repeated. The sole difficulty ap- parently lies in how to go about moving from nine to twelve thousand persons out of their homes without taking positive steps to provide them with a new refuge. That difficulty frustrated and made a farce of the last legislative attempt to clean up the alleys. The day upon which the law became effective, after years of postponing the day, found the Commissioners helpless. Unless some defect could be found in the law, their only alternative was to turn fam- ilies out on the street and let them root for themselves. Fortunately, from the viewpoint of the Commissioners, a flaw _was found in the law and the Commis- sioners were relieved of their problem. But as the war had made the housing situation acute, the 1914 law never had @ really fair test. Since that time natural circumstance has acted to relieve the alley problem to a small degree. William Henry Jones, formerly professor and head of the department of sociology in Howard University, has just written & book in which he discusses the alley problem along with other subjects in “The Housing of Negroes- in Washington, D. C.” 'The author recalls that while there has been some gradual demolition of the houses and destruction of the alleys, the alleys remain in almost the same’ condition which characterized them in 1914, But, he adds, “the status of the inhabited alleys is at the present time the most crucial of their entire history, because, having reached a point of diminution, they are in danger of dropping out of public consciousness.” The truth in that statement is borne out by the developments, or absence of developments, since the final fallure of the 1914 legislation, The alleys have been left to take care of themselves. A few of them have changed from “resi- dential” to commercial territory, because of the use of alley structures for garages and repair shops. S8ome of the old dwel- lings have been condemned and torn down. The health officer has done good work in enforcing what regulations may exist to remedy conditions, But the problem is fundamentally as serious today as it ever was. Mr. Jones believes, as Mr, Ihlder and the Park and Planning Commis- sion believe, that legislation is the most effective instrument for cleaning up the alleys, Mr. Jones maintains that there is no ground for the sentimental plea that moving the alley dwellers out of their -homes will work unnecessary hardship, provided it is done gradually and with due warning. Other housing exists, he declares, and while “it is true that poor people must live some- where * * * they should not be allowed to live in the interior courts of the geographical blocks of the city.” Washington welcomes the interest of the National Capital Park and Plan- ning Commission in this revival of an old campaign. N New York was left without a mayor while “Jimmy” Walker went to Chicago to attend a foot ball game. One of the greatest elements of Walkerian charm, apparently, is his absolute refusal to | take himself or his title too seriously. ———r————————— A Spiritual Epic. New England has witnessed during | the past few days a strange and pic- turesque spectacle. Nearly a half mil- lion people have descended upon the obscure grave of a young priest who died sixty years ago, in the belief that it possesses some miracle-working po- tencey. The actual facts in the case may be- | come the subject of ecclesiastical in- { vestigation, if this curious phenomenon continues. But the demonstration it- £elf appears to have come ebout en-| tirely spontaneously. Seldsm before has a spectacular social phenomenon arisen from such obscure causes and continued with less apparent reason. For the man himself, it appears, was one whose name was writ In water. Practically all memory of his life and personality had been lost. Old folks may have been able vaguely to recall him. He was merely one of the mil- fions who have lived and died, appar- ently without leaving any impress on the world. But such curious events never are en- tirely detached—never without cause. ‘What are the underlying reasons why all New England—for apparently the throngs at the grave by no means were ideals of Irish-Catholic New England. We know nothing of the man himself, but only of the type which he may have been chosen to represent. ‘That little is known concerning the actual life of the man may be an ad- vantage. If all the intimate detalls of his career were recorded we would have the individual personality with its in- evitable variations from the perfect symbol, with its human weakn?sses and temptations to interfere with the per- fection of the ideal. It would be dif- ficult to find any individual incarnating flawlessly that strange, radiant Puri- tanism which resulted from the contact of an ancient church with the New England tradition. ‘This is one ‘of the deep currents in American history which have been lit- tle understcod. The great wave of im- migration struck New England when the old Puritanism was beginning to break up. But the newcomers caught up the discarded tradition and arraved it in richer and more colorful gar- ments. The dead priest may well have becn resurrected from his untimely grave, divested of his possible human flaws, as the symbol in history of the herole, tireless, inspired herolsm and the great faith of the immigrant mothers; of the inextinguishable thirst for learning and the inferiority-driven aspirations of the tenement families; of the struggles, the culture and the visions of the succeed- ing generation; and of that early death which fell so often acoss the paths of the most promising and the hollest. ‘This is the figure which Irish-Cath- olic New England is placing before the world as the incarnation of its soul, as its ideal and its interpretation. A strange path it has been for the obscure young priest from the tenement through the sheltered aisles of learning, over the vast, indescribable silences of religlous experience, through the waters of death and the barrenness of oblivion, to this radiant place in the hearts of men, Here we may have in the making the central figure of a great spiritual epic | arising spontaneously from the inmost thoughts of a vast multitude. Yet we cannot ignore the possibility that further investigation will place the whole phenomenon in a different light—for there are more ‘hings in heaven and garth than are dreamed of in our philofophies. v A “Career Man" for China. ‘Ten days ago, when the resignation of John V. A, MacMurray as Minister to China was announced, regret was expressed in this place that the services of so eminent a Far_Eastern authority could not be perpetuated in the service he has so long adorned. It is & peculiar satisfaction to observe that President Hoover and Secretary Stimson have de- cided upon & successor to Mr. MacMur- ray, who qualifies in every way to carry on the latter's work on the other side of the globe. Nelson T. Johnson, who is promoted from an assistant secretaryship of State to be chief of our diplomatic mission in China, possesses truly ‘unique qual- ities for that post. He has literally been in training for it the better part of & quarter of a century. Since Mr. Johnson took his examinations for the foreign service twenty-two years ago he has. concentrated on China, He has mastered its language, or at Jeast what passes most commonly for that tangled tongue of a hundred dialects. He has been stationed at half & dozen key posts in China as consul or consul general, He knew both Imperial China and Re- publican China on the spot. For the past few ye: Mr. Johnson has been in the State Department. Three secre- taries of State, Hughes, Kellogg and Stimson, learned to rely upon his au- thoritative acquaintance with the ins and outs of Chinese affairs, including the men successively in and out of office at Peiping and Nanking. ‘There is one especially admirable aspect of the Johnson appointment to China. It is a striking reward for merit, hard work and unflagging am- bition to achleve in a highly difficult and special field of international service. It is easy to imagine the personal and Justifiable pride which Nelson Johnson, student interpreter in China in 1907, will feel when he presents his cre- dentials as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of the United States to China in 1930. The honor now come to him is an inspiration to young Americans to aspire to serve their country in the works of peace abroad. Incidentally Mr. Johnson's designation as Minister to China explodes the theory that in this era of business go- | getting overseas only the captain of industry is fitted to wear Uncle Sam's diplomatic livery. Nelson Johnson has known no other business in his whole Iife except the business of perfecting himself in the science of dealing with the Orient and with Orientals. —————— It is to be regretted that any local business concern .should so complicate its affairs as to add to the already superabundant material avallable for investigation. S — ‘Three persons were killed in a col- lision by a street car and an automo- | bile, thereby demonstrating that it is | not necessary to use an airplane in order to get into a crash. e ‘Women on Juries. A jury of twelve good women and true lost no time the other day in quickly reaching a verdict and con- victing the defendant in a criminal case in this city. Considerable Interest attached to this case because it was the first “all-woman” jury in the history of the local courts, There was possibly some sreoking hope, in the minds of the jealous male, that the women would find themeselves unable to agree without the all-wise guidance of the so-called superior man and that the first “all- woman” jury would tie the threads of evidence in a knot and block the course of justice. . The interesting point about the con- duct of the ladies of the jury in this case is that there was no particular significance in their ability to act as Juries ally act. Women long since have demonstrated the fact that the THE SUXDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. €, NOVEMBER 17, 1929—PART TWO. Capital Sidelights. | [BETTER TIMES FOR RAILROADS woman juror has served mot only to raise the intelligence quotient of juries as & whole but has added steadying influence to juries that marks a dis- tinct gain. Juries containing women are reported to be less likely to reach scatter-brained verdicts than jurles without {l:em. Jury service by womer. has served to, increase the number of eligible jurors, for the retio of ineligible jurors is higher in Washington than in any other city. Government employes and those having contracts with the Government are deburred, and in’ Washington that serves to eliminate a considerable pro- portion of the population. Instead of seeking to evade jury service, a natural if not a laudable desire on the part of bread-winning men, women have grasped the new opportunity quickly. They come forward voluntarily and ask to be allowed to serve on juries and apparently enjoy the experience. Their participation in this important phase of citizenship has been a distinct ad- vantage 10 the community. L g Alibi Artists. At last it has happened; one of those ultra-modernistic paintings has been in that position, has received a sub- stantial prize. It all occurred in the Dig Burg, too, at the Winter exhibition of the National Academy of Design. ‘The hanging committee which failed to note the error was composed of twen- ty members and associate members of that distinguished institution, while the jury of award consisted of five full- fledged members. A photographer dis- | covered the error, and with the result that the mistake was rightcd, but, as far as can be learned, the award of second | prize still stands. It has also been brought out that the same picture was exhibited in the same position out in Pittsburgh in the Carnegle Interna- tional Exhibition of 1928, ‘Those who have seen the painting, however, stand ready completely $o ex- onerate all and sundry concerned—even the artist himself, should he have for- gotten which way the thing was in- tended to go. The picture, entitled “The Fossil Hunters,” is by Edwin W. Dickinson of Provinggtown, an artist not heretofore considered ultra-mod- ernistic. However, in this case he seems to have gone the limit. The painting includes several figures, a death mask of Besthoven, some oysters and other items, although no fossils are readily discernible. This ridiculous occurrence would seem to. carry a severe and genuine criticism of the extreme modernistic | trend in art which, frankly, causes an intelligent public to be undecided whether to laugh or to cry. Adherents of this school have consistently claimed that it possesses a “something,” a hide den meaning, which is far above the heads of the art-loving public, but is perfectly apparent to those of the sa- cred inner circle—painters and painter- jurymen, 8o seriously do these take themselves and their products that doubtless the claim will be made that this ability to “get across” a message to the heart and the mind in tune is entirely independent of whether the picture be hung straight, sideways or upside-down. The public will keep its tongue in its cheek. Let no city and no art gallery or art museum lsugh toe heartily, however. It may, if things go in the same predicament. Possibly cir- cular pictures, like platters, that can be spun to any position, may be the, ultimate outcome. — o ‘The former Kaiser of Germany still holds regard as & man of wisdom by never allowing his ample funds to get caught on the wrong side of the stock market. A ———————— . Tn stabilizing the Nation's business, President Hoover is looked to for one of his best jobs of constructive engi- neering. — SHOOTING STARS, BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Deterforation in Crime. ‘There was not quite such frequent crime ‘To terrify the earth, The public seemed to have more time For simple, honest mirth, Until some mystery would amasze, And loosen every tongue— Al that, my boy, was in the days When Sherlock Holmes was young! The ordinary desperate man ‘Was crude and rather dense. Some writer would invent a plan Of wickedness intense, And then expose with clever phrase Just how our hearts were wrung. But that, my boy, was in the days ‘When Sherlock Holmes was young! How often would some homicide Bring mighty thrills anew, And leave us next in peaceful pride! ‘We knew it wasn't true! As we pursue veracious ways ‘Where cruel songs are sung, I long, my boy, for those old days When Sherlock Holmes was young! Rough on the Nerves. “It is well agreed that liquor will ruin & man’s nerves.” ! hung wrong and, inspected and judged | 1, on as they have been going, find itself | “I know it,” answered Senator Sor- ghum. “It ruins my nerves even to get into a political debate about it.” Jud Tunkins says he plays the fiddle for fun, only his family and neighbors can’t see the joke. Tarift Calculation. ‘The tariff plays a puszling trick And leaves us in a sorry plight. For hours we do arithmetic And never get the answer right. No Quarrel. “Do you ever quarrel with your wife?” “Never,” answered Mr. Meekton. “My parents thoroughly impressed me with the impropriety of interrupting a lady when she is talking.” “He who knows much,” sald Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “may be showing his greatest wisdom when he talks but little.” law Is as safe in their hands as in the hands of mere men, if not safer. Law- yers who doubted the success of the innovation and were inclined to rebel composed entirely of Catholics—should trample so sensationally into the ob. livion of this obscure young clergyman' when they found themselves first look- ing into the faces of the ladies of the Consolation. ‘This much forever has been so, To keep our spirits gay— The market cannot always go O.ne steadfast way. “A man who gives you a tip,” sald A possible interpretation is that he | jury have long ago cast their doubts to | Uncle Eben, “seems like a friend; but de has been reéurrected by the group mind ' the winds. ~There is universal agree- friendship is liable not to last after de .am,rylnwumwa.wpu— ment smong{the gocaiping groups in the Tece is run.” 9 “A JOINT RESPONSIBILITY” BY THE RIGHT REV. JAMES E. FREEMAN, D. D, LL. D., Bishop of Washington. Texrt: “In the defense and con- firmation of the Gospel, ye all are partakers.”—Philippians, i.7. There recently came to me a layman, whose profession is medicine, who had abandoned his calling in response to an appeal of his church to become a lay evangelist. Strange as the transition seems, he had felt a call to assume an obligation quite foreign to his old profession. To the mind of the average person, such & transition seems strange, but is it? Is it reasonable to conceive of the Christian religion as something that belongs solely for its propagation and advancement to an ordained min- istry? Some years ago & questionnaire was submitted to England that evoked widespread interest. The leading ques- tion was “What do we believe?” Among other questions propounded was the startling one, “Will the eternal religion be the religion of a layman or the re- liglon of a priest?” "Answers to the questionnaire were received from men and women representing every occupa- tion and profession. Scientists, such as Lord Kelvin and Sir Oliver Lodge, Jjoined with professors, teachers, a tisans and laborers in attempting answer the several queries submitted. t was generally recognized that the ministry as a profession had a primary l“ml:llbmt_v in_maintaining the high cl of the Christian faith. They e set apart and ordained for this specific purpose. On the other hand it was conceded that, if Christlanit was to present its appeal with fres! vigor and power to men and women of all types and classes, there was an obligation upon the layman to assume joint responsibilty with the clergy in making it effective, In the main the average Christian man or woman is voluble about every- thing save only their Christian con- victions. They assume that it is not necessary to make their faith articu- late. In all other matters that per- tain to their social, commercial and po- litical life they freely discuss their con- vicl and at times with marked vehemence. Donald Hankey, in his “Student in Arm: declared that the faith of the average British Tommie was definite but inarticulate. We be- lieve that this is widely true of the average Christian believer. It has been affirmed of late years that our age is, in a peculiar sense, “the age of the lay- man.” More and more he is taking his place in the administration of the church’s affairs, but mere participation in administrative concerns does not necessarily imply a strong and out- spoken religious conviction. I doubt not there are many men who hold high places in religious institutions who are singularly silent upon matters that concern their deep and treasured beliefs. To the mind of the great Apostle his young converts were joint partakers with him in the defense and confirma- tion of the gospel. This implied & militant and articulate expression of conviction. In this connection it is in- teresting to note that many of the great refor fons and' religious movements that have swept over states and conti- nents have been Aed by Christian lay- men. The record of their fine achieve- ments in the past has given them place among the church’s outstanding ex- ponents. They were men who dared to openly defend and affirm the faith they held. If ever there were need for defense and confirmation of the high things of our Christian bellef, it is t| present hour. A passive belief, how- ever dignified and respectable its ex- pression may be in acts of corporate worship, is wholly inadequate to meet the pressing demands of this new age. Our youth in particular are more im- pressed by the consistent habit and out- spoken avowal of Christian belief on the gln of strong laymen than they are by the utterance of one who b profession is an exponent of the faith. A great lay evangelist like Moody provokes an awakening of new interest in and a fresh avowal of allegiance to the Christian religion and effects a revival of religious interest that gi: him high place among the world's greatest preachers. It took a World ‘War to evoke a fresh demonstration of patriotism throughout our country. Our loyalty to flag and Nation was passive and indifferent. What we held of faith in the Republic and its ideals was soms- thing that only on rare occasions found expression, A “call to arms” aroused the Nation and brought a ready response from millions of her chosen sons. There is a call to Christian stan s and ideals today that we dare not neglect. The defense and confirmation of the gospel is a responsibility that falls upon clergy and laity alike. " We need to be stirred from our ineness and smug self-righteousness, ‘e need to be re- minded that sacrifice is one of the essen- tial elements of our professed faith. It the uplifted Savior of mankind is to be made regnant in the hearts of men, we must stand with firmness of conviction for those eternal principles which He enunciated and which in our more re- flective hours we deem to be indis- nsable to the things that are nearest and dearest to us in life. Administration Seeks Promotion of Industrial Prosperity, Not Stock Prices BY WILLIAM HARD. ‘The interest of the administration in the effect of what h~: oeen happening in the stock m- is now centered in the efforte way be put forth by our leac unerican industrialists to give a bold example to the cpuntry of a strenuous resumption of the ordinary business of the production and distribu- tion of commodities. It is to the making | and selling and consuming of commodi- tles, rather than to the pricing of se- ities, that the administration feels ertain general national responsibiiity. The President has been put under great pressure to take a hand in the immediate stock market situation. Vo- luminously he has been urged by fright- ened speculative Interests to “do some- thing” or ‘say something” which would have a “steadying” effect upon security quotations. Usually the sug- gestions made to him have been alto- gether vague. Sometimes they have been entirely specific. In all cases, however, they came to this: That the President, somehow or other, was to intervene in the prices of stocks. * ok ok K ‘The President has resolutely refused to undertake any such interventions. ' Prige fixing, whether of securities or of commodities, is not among the Presi- | +| dent’s favorite policies. a policy from which he, as much as pos sible, recoils. It is wholly alien to hl!li political philosophy that the Govern- ment should tell the country at what levels of prices it should make its pur- chases either of steel and brick and glass or of stocks and bonds. It is the view of the administration that in such matters the composite judgmient of the connlrz is much better and much safer than the judgment of any governmental individual or vi any governmental board. The Presicient has, therefore, refrain- ed absolutely from affecting to know the point at which the present “liquida- tion” in the stock market should cease. He has refrained from affecting to know the true and proper “values” of the se- curities in which the buyers and sellers in the stock market are trading. Any | word from him would have been taken #s a sort of guaranteed “tip” in either a “bullish” or “bearish” direction. It would have given the market a certain turn. Traders who lost money on that turn would thereupon have blamed their losses on the President. It has not seem- ed to the administration to be either ap- propriate or judicious for, the White House to confer winnings or to inflict losings upon any stock market faction. * xox X The White House nevertheless and also the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve Board have watched developments in the stock market with the greatest vigilance and with the greatest closeness. The ultimate aim of this watching has been to preserve intact, so far &s ‘might be possible, the ordinary business energy and the ordi- nary business confiden~e of the coun- try’s business community. It cannot be stated too strongly that the President’s faith in the immediate as well as in the ultimate industrial and commercial future of the country is every whit as strong inwardly as it outwardly seems to be in his state. ments to the press. The President co; siders that in suggesting and accept- ing the prospect of a reduction in the income tax rates at this time he has abundantly proved the existence of that within him. Of all things dreaded by any President, the greatest and worst is Treasury deficit. If ordinary business is now to lag and falter the proposed tax reduction wil produce a deficit. The President 1s betting, as it were, that there will not be a deficit. He is betting, in other words, that business will not lag and falter, but will actively go forward. Upon that bellef he is wagering the reputation of his administration and its fiscal success. He feels that he could give no evidence more complete of his willingness to do his fair share in the work of seeing to it that the business g;:u immediately ahead of us shall good. He and his business advisers thor- oughly realize, just the same, that the task of making those years good is a positive one, requiring not only happy piophecies hut earnest deeds. They do not_all entertain, it is beileved, tne shallow view thai the abrupt decline in stock quotations will be wholly with- out any effect upon industry and commerce. * ok ¥ X A certain considerable, though not critical or crucial, effect upon them is already discerned here and is known to have been painstakingly de- bated among members of the Federal Reserve Board. Numerous business men of secondary but substantial busi- ness rank have been so seriously in- juredin their personal fortunes that sometimes the fortunes of their indus- trial or commercial businesses have been involved. Many of them, further, though not at all really ruined mn estate, have been shaken in morale. Purchases thereupon of certain com- modities have been imperiled. A tremor has been set up, in some quar- ters, of distress and doubt, and the one true instant danger, in the midsw of an unabated general business souna- ness, Is that tremor might spreaa here and there into a palsy which would stop initiative and deve’l’opmem. It is at this point that the re- sponsibility of many of our greatest corporations is thought to emerge. In the early part of this year, in spite or the danger signals set flying by the Federal Reserve Board in the matter of the use of PFederal Reserve credit for the inflation of “brokers' loans” for stock market speculative purposes, these | corporations continued, nevertheless, o | use large amounts of ‘their money for the promotion of those purposes and for the driving of stock market quo- tations farther and farther upwara. ‘They helped to lead the country to the top story of the speculative pinnacle, from which a few weeks ago it start- ed to jump off to the realistic ground. It is thought here *in official circles that it would not be unwarranted to expect from these corporations some leadership now in showing to the peo- ple who have fallen a confidence in good times on the ground—instead of in the air—and A determination to go ahead now into new big labors of pro- ductive and constructive, instead of speculative achievement. * kX ‘The administration feels that, through the prospective reduction of the in- come tax rate and through the actual reductions in New York City of the Federal Reserve rediscount and ac- ceptance rates, it will have helped tu bring it about that money shall be readily available for such achievement on a vast scale. To it the adminis- tration is prepared to lend all propr moral support, The administration’s licies in this emergency can be puu nto two succinct forms of statemenw. ‘There has been, is and will be no rovernmenhl intervention in the pric- ing of securities in the stock market for the benefit either of “bears” or of “bulls.” There has been, is and will be all feasible governmental co-opera- tion in the stimulating of genuine in- dustrial activities and in the expand- | ing_of genuine industrial values auu | in the enlarging of the genuine pro- duction and consumption of for the benefit of the whole population, (Copyrisht, 1939.) e [Foreign Trade Reports Reflect Good Times BY HARDEN COLFAX. ‘What has happened in the stock mar- ket and the recession of security prices cannot be attributed to a slackening of industry and commerce, as reflected by | figures of foreign trade, statistics which always have been considered a good | barometer of the weather conditions surrounding the fundamentals of busi- ness. High interest rates have reversed the flow of gold, it is true, but the situa- tion thus created has failed to affect commodity prices, thus demonstrating that the demand was for stock market financing in the main, if not entirely. Exports of gold slackened in July, 1928, and the situation November 1 was that whereas in the 10 months to that date last year exports of gold exceeded im- ports by $421,000,000, in the cor~ responding period of this year imj of gold exceeded exports by $262,000,000. Merchandise exports in the 10 months ended October 31, as revealed by De- partment of Commerce statistics an- nounced Friday, have aggregated $4,- 274,000,000 this year, the highest total for' that period since post-war defla- tion, while merchandise imports totaled $3,752,000,000, which also sets a record. In quantities, even better figures would be shown, for prices this year have not been high in any commodity of major importance in international trade ex- cept_copper. October exports totaled $530,000,000 in value, the highest of any mu of 1929. This figure is $20,000,000 below that of October, 1928, but is the largest of that month for any other year since 1920. Imports last month were valued 2t $392,000,000, the highest figure for October since 1919. * ok ok x The commodity lysis for the first nine months of 1929, the latest period for which such statistics are available, shows, on the export side, that finished manufactures supplied 52 per cent of the total, measured by velue, as con- trasted with 47.9 per cent of the total for the first three quarters of 1928. These percentages bear testimony to the industrial activity of the United States this year and to the demand abroad for American ‘The third quarter this year did not keep the pace set in the first two quarters, but still gave more than half ‘gf the merchandise exports to the finished manufactures group. # On the import ‘side of the picture fin- ished manufactures ltkewise showed a percentage gain in the total for the first nine months of this year con- trasted to the corresponding period of Iast year—22.1 per cent, compared to 21.5 per cent—some part of which prob- ably may be ch to heavy importa- tion for stock in anticipation of tariff ral 5. ical analysis of Taking the foreign trade for first nine months, BY WILL P. KENNEDY. The Federal ‘Government has just pald a most fitting uribute to one of the outstanding scientists who during his lifetime contributed generously to improving the condition of his fellow man. Just the sort of a memorial he would best appreciate has been set up in the posthumous publication of “A History ~ of Agricultural Extension Work,” covering the development of popular education for farming people. y Alfred C. True, a noted educator and editor, who for nearly 40 years was a specialist and director of States relations work for the Federal Depart- ment of Agriculture. ‘This book, which will continue the work to which . True devoted his entire life, is a record of nearly a cen- tury and a half of agricultural exten- sion work. Starting with the organiza- tion of the Philadelphia Society in 1785, Dr. True traces the development from those early agricultural societies and State board of agriculture on through the rise, rapid development, and decline of farmers' institutes to the efficlent. Nation-wide, co-operative educational system which came into existence under t o 't d which was |S e a4 lishing State regulatory bodies. The re- | record the culmination of almost a century and a half of experimentation in meth- ods of popularizing and making effec- tive agricultural education among farm- ing people. It is a scholarly and com- prehensive work with wide scope of interest for every State in the Union. ‘There is no other book lke it, and it is a real contribution of permanent value to farm literature and the history of education. Dr. True was one of the greatest sclentists in his line in the world. He vas & native of Middletown, Mass,, and was educated at Wesleyan and Harvard Universities. He was an instructor in the State Normal School, Westfield, Mass., and in Wesleyan University and at one time was dean of the Massachu- setts Agricultural College and other agricultuzal institutions. He was agri- cultural editor of the New International Encyclopedia and Year Book and other important publications. At the time of his death he was a trustee of American University, Washington. *x x % Answering a controversy as to “the most, rtant commission for a single plece of statuary to_any American sculptor?” Charles E. Fairman, curator of art works in the Capitol, says that it resulted from an act of Coi 'S8, July 14, 1832, enabling the President to contract for a “pedestrian statue of George Washington, to be placed in the center of the rotunda of the Capitol.” The contract was given to Horatlo Greenough, then but 27 years of age, son of a well-to-do Boston merchant and educated at Harvard Universfy. Solomon Willard of Boston gave him some instruction in modeling in clay. Alpheus Cary, a stonecutter, interested him in carving marble. A sculptor, Binon, then residing in Boston, gave him daily instruction in modeling. He later studied a short time under Thorwaldsen. Among his earlier works are busts of President Adams and Chief Justice Marshall. This statue was 10 feet 6 inches in length, the same in height and 6 feet in width. It weighed nearly 20 tons. It cost $7,700 to have it transported from Leghorn, Italy, to Washington. Exclusive of the contract price of $5,000 to the artist this statue cost $21,000 before it was set up in the rotunda in August, 1841. ‘Then its position in the Capitol was not satisfactory to the artist, and, in January, 1843, he presented a memorial to Congress asking that it be removed to the Capitol grounds. Another $5,000 was appropriated for the costs of re- moval, and for many years the statue was located in the grounds east of the main entrance. In earlier years there was a temporary structure to preserve the statue from the weather, but in 1847 another $1,000 was apj to re- move this shelter and put an iron fence around the statue. Winter housing of the statue was continued for somé years. Finally, in 1908, when it had become badly damaged by the weather, another appropriation of $5,000 was made under which it was removed to the Smith- sonian Institution. “It is probable that but few statues have ever received as much adverse criticism as this one of Washington by Greenough,” says Curator Fairman. Charles Bulfinch, writing from Boston, when the statue was first set up, com- pared it as an “Instance of unsuccess- ful modern statuary” with that of the Duke of Wellington near Hyde Park, London. : * xR There is another side to Senator J. Thomas Héflin of Alabama that show he has a sense of humor. He is one of the best story tellers in “public life. During debate the other day he told this one: “I am reminded of a sermon preached by & colored bishop down in Danville, Va, just before Christmas. He told the colored people that Christmas was coming. He said: ‘Many of you will pass out with fermented millet juice, crap shootin’ games and the like. I wish there wasn't no liquor in the world. I have wrote a letter to the President to give me the key to the whisky warehouses and all the drug stores and to turn over all the liquor to me. I am going to knock those kegs and jugs and barrels in the head and pour that liquor all in the river, and on Christmas morning you will se¢ that river flowin’ red with liquor. That Let the choir sing! er said: ‘Let us sing , Shall We Gather at the both exports and imports show in value to and from each of the six grand divisions of the world. By major countries, exports in the first three quarters of 1929, compared to the corresponding period of 1928, re- corded increases in value to all except Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Rus- sia, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Japan and the port of Hongkong, with Sweden and Ecuador about éven in the two years. The res of purchases fail to disclose reprisals for a domestic or foreign rollcy of the United States. Prance, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Canada and other British domin- ts | lons have recorded noteworthy increases from this country, while in impo! as a whole shows a sim- Latin Ame; ilar tendency. Imports, by value, were larger in the first three quarters of the present year than in the same period of 1928 from all major countries, with the exception of Norway, the United Kingdom, Mex- jco and Bragil, with approximately the same figures in regard to purchases from the Dominican Republic and from Ecuado®. * ok k% With commodity prices as to exports practically unchanged from & year :g: on the average, the increase in value of exports means a corresponding increase in quantity, but the gain in value of imports points to an even greater percentage gain in quantity of purchases from abroad because of lower average prices than a year ago as to }Tl)or commodities which are shipped ere. Raw cotton shipments are off this year, which makes a considerable hole in the export side of the story, for this usually is the largest export com- modity of the country. By the same token, gains total exports mean FPrench | Th BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. American railroads are in the best shape physically and financially that they have been for more than 20 years. ‘They are being operated at & higher level of efficiency and are carrying more freight than ever before. Rallroad pres- idents and stockholders now are fer- vently hoping that Congress and the State Legislatures will refrain for & while from passing any more drastic regulatory statutes to interfere with a final rounding out of the properties on & sound is. Regulation has been visited upon American carriers to an unusual extent. There was good reason in the begin- ning. Rebating, rate-cutting, the grant- ing of passes, not only for passengers, but for freight, and many other abuses grew up in the late nineteenth century when flerce competition prevailed among the various lines and when cor- ruption crept in. The Interstate Com- merce Commission then was set up, and since that time Congress has scercely left the railroads alone for a moment. tate Legislatures followed suit, estab- sult was a cross-fire of regulation which left the carriers practically no freedom, no initiative. Then came the war, and they were taken over by the Govern- ment bodily. Since then the transpor- tation act has put all of their finances under strict Government regulation. Much tern measures of regulation were nee a quarter of a century and more ago, there has been in more recent years a growing opinion that the mat- ter was carried a bit too far and the roads were being regulated out of busi- ness. So there has been a let-up for the past few sittings of Congress, with the result that the roads have thrived. ‘They have by no means shared in the great prosperity which in the last decade has been the lot of the great industrial corporations, but the; improved their properties and, for the most part, esca bankruptcy. Now, 1f left alone for a little longer. railroad owners and managers feel that they may have a chance to share in the prosperity which others have enjoyed. Freight Movement Speeded Up. Pigures are available for the first eight months of 1920 and show that anu earnings have amounted to ,208,000,000, which u}mflenu s gain of 6.6 per cent over a similar of 1928. However, net earnings increased 20.6 per cent for the eight-month pe- riod over last year. This greater in- crease in the net than in the is a reflection of the increased efficiency with which the roads have been oper- ated. Beginning a few years ago, the railroad managers started a series of committee meetings, at which plans were worked out for the better, and es- pecially more rapid. handling of freight. e speed of freight movement was greatly increased. This permitted of the loading, the movement and the un- loading of cars in shorter times, thus making it possible to get more use out of the same vehicles. ‘The public is not prone to notice improvements in service of this char- acter—that is, none save those in im- mediate contact with the job. However, the public does notice .fallures of serv- ice. "It notices, for example, when acute car sl oceur, and also when cars become congested in termi- nals, because these circumstances are Iikely to affect deliveries and retail prices. No such emergencies have arisen on a serious scale for some time now, due to the better co-ordinated opera- tion of the several lines. Then, too, the Government assisted the rallroads & good deal after return- ing them to private ownership by mak- ing loans which enabled them to buy new equipment — locomotives, I“eight and passenger cars—and to improve their tracks, terminals and handling facilities. All this was very fortunate, for had not the railroads been enabled to get in better condition the great industrial expansion which has taken place M recen! could scarcely have been possible, for no matter how much goods ‘may be produced it is of little avail if it cannot be delivered. Thus far this year the rallroads have handled the test volume of freight in their en- re history. For this first eight months of 1929 freight traffic on American rail- roads amounted to 325,288,114,000 ton miles, which was an increase of 11,030,- 634,000 ton miles, or 3.5 per cent, over any previous like period the history of American railroading. The last high was hung up in 1927. The year 1928 showed a falling off and this ye: first eight months w & gain of 19.- 821,320,000 ton miles, or 6.5 per cent, over such a period last year. Own Supplemental Lines. During the period since the war the ratiroads have endured the keenest sort of competitfon from bus lines and trucks and the amount of traffic diverted through use of automobiles is almost incalculable. order to meet this competition many railroads have established their own supplemental lines of busses and they now have, in addition to their rails, some 263,000 miles of motor-operated lines. These are extensions and side lines used as feeders for the most part. Meantime taxes have climbed inexo- rably. In nearly every State in the Union the railroads are the largest single taxpayers. Class I rallroads in 1928 paid no less than $389,000,000 in taxes. This took 6 per cent of their operating revenues. Taxes this year are higher than last, the first eight months of 1929 showing payments of $370,- 124,000, compared with $250,908,000 for a similar period in 1928. During the last seven years the sums paid by the railroads to_the various governments, State and Federal, have exceeded by $14,000,000 the sums paid in dividends to_stockholders. The Interstate Commerce Commis- sion and the State commissions have been reducing rallroad rates since the war, while it has been necessary to raise wages in many cases. Rates were at a high level in 1921, but there have been successive reductions. Had rates remained at the 1921 level the Amer- fcan public would by now have paid in freight rates $4,880,000,000 more than actually has been d under the re- duced rates which have prevailed. The earnings of the various roads vary in accordance with the wisdom of their management, the type of country through which they operate and their facilities for making money, but, taken as & whole, the aggregate railroad system never has paid as much as 5% rr cent, the fair return allowed by the nterstate Commerce Commission. Now, however, th: railroad mana better times ahead and feel tha inge mitted to opercte without new I tive interference, they can begin to make up for past losses. see f per- Fifty Years' Ago In The Star Fifty agog over the prospect of A rowin Hanlan and Courtney. day, Edward Hanlan of Toronto, Canada, and Charles Court- ney of ithacs, N. Y. Negot{ations had been in progress for some 8 to get ‘these two, together in a mat-h, but it proved be as difficult as later the arrangement of pugilistic encounters became. The Star of November 14, 1879, thus prints the story of the final signing at Rochester, N. Y. of “arti- cles” which, ‘however, were later found to be ineffective: “After upward of nine hours of hard labor, almost every point in each article being objected to over and over again, one man or the other having refused to go one inch further, articles of agree- ment were s at 12:10 o'clock this morning, Judge Wheeler, the city at- torney of Rochester, being the sub- soribing witness. Courtney arrived at 2 o'dlock and left at 8:30 to meet an engngement at Ithaca. Capt. P. H. Sul- livan of the Rochester police, his new right-hand man in place of Brister, signed the articles in Courtney's stead. Courtney and Hanlan agreed to row & five-mile race, two and a half miles out and return, in best and best boats, in accordance with the following con- ditions: “The race shall be for the sum of $6,000, as previously offered. The race is to be rowed on & course on the Po~ tomac River near Washi D. on Tuesday, December 9, between hours of 2 and 5 o'clock in the after- noon. Smooth water required, subject to the decision of the referee, who is empowered to postpone t}n race until the foremost condition for the race to come off, but in case of such postponement, it shall be optional with the referee to fix the hours of the race between 10 and 11:30 a.m. or 2 and 5 p.m. “It is mutually agreed that each con- testant shall deposit with the referee $500 within five days from this date, with written inetructions to y the $1,000 over to the oarsman who .d¢ start in the race at the word ‘Go!’ if the other oarsman does not start. But in case both start or both fail to start the $500 is to be returned to each of the depositors. ~Willilam Blaikie of New York is to be the referee; the decision of the referee shall be final, the ref- eree to accompany the men over the course, if possible. “Each oarsman has the right to select judge to look after his interests, who shall allowed to accompany the ref- eree over the course. A judge for each man shall be chosen by mutual consent to see that the turning buoys are not molested or changed; also a judge at the finish, with a referee to_decide which crossed the winning line first. “Hanlan agrees that from the mo- ment the word ‘Go!’ is given he will waive all rights which he has or shall then have to the $6,000, provided both he and Courtney start in the race at the word ‘Go!’ and the $6,000 shall.go to whomsoever the referee decides to be the winner of the contest. But in case either he or Courtney fail to start at the word ‘Go!’ then it is agreed that Hanlan does not waive such rights un- der his claim for the $6,000. “A central line of flags an eighth of a mile apart shall extend throughout the center of the course, the expense of surveying and flagging the course and the referee's expenses to be borne by Hanlan and Courtney, share and share alike. Any commissions, percent- , donations or income of any sort heavy increases in foreign purchases of other kinds, of which machinery is an outstanding example. Wheat, including flour, and packing house products are up, thus balancing to some di the agricultural situation as erwise sagged by cotton. Turning to imports, raw silk has taken a heavy upward tendency in re- cent months and again probably will be the largest item, In point of value, brought into the country for the full year. Crude materials and semi-manu- iactured products imported for use in manufacturing in the United States show heavy increases this year and to- gether constitute more than 55 per cent | of all imports, in value, as contrasted with 54 per cent last year, which n emphasizes the industrial activity which has marked the year in the United Btates. (Copyright, 1929.) whatever from any railroads, hotels or ide source whatever shall go to the winner of the race. “The race was fixed for December 9 to give the men three weeks of training. Hanlan, Wal nd las start today for Toronto; both Han- lan and Courtney expect to start for Washington early next week. Han- lan will be the guest of the Analostan :lub and Courtney of the Potomac club.” ‘The race did not take place on the 9th of December nor for some time thereafter owing to trouble over tech- nicalitles in the articles of agreement. The two oarsmen were keen rivals and each had his devoted adnfirers. 1an’s partisans were loud in their charge that Courtney feared to meet his Canadian opponent, while Courtney's friends av 1 that Hanlan did with th equa dare to “cross oars” coach of Cornell. At e years ago Washingtonians were match between two of | profes- | sional oarsmen of the | proposal loe8 | It is this threa Han- | ly Europe May Oppose Focd Ship Immunity BY DREW PEARSON. When an international conference is President Hoover's | countries favo: | nations of Europe favoring & blockade against all shipping. This is the deduction drawn from expressions by members of the. diplo- matic corps, who have probably been more .interested in President Hoover’s proposal, made last week, than any other recent White House pronounce- ment. The reason for this split in the atti- tude of the Western and Eastern Hemi- :yheru is easy to understand. The nited States, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and practically all the other countries of Latin America are great exporters of food, From Argentina comes most of the meat for the populous centers of ‘Western Europe, as well as & large part of their wheat supply. Brazil could not live without exporting coffee, while it also ulla"l&rge quantities of meat and fle has developed a fruit tfde which now rivals North American fruits in the markets of Europe, while Cen- tral America's chief income is from its sales of trapical foods. L ] During the World War all of these countries were lined up with the United States in opposing the British blockade against neutral merchant shipping. Even the Pan-American Union, whicl h‘l‘lltl 1 .'Olln the ical problems e pas fim thopuuclon of freedom of the seas, and the envoys of Latin American countries held almost daily conferences AY | with the State Department. There has been nothing in recent years which so welded the usually noné too congenial poles of pan-Americanism. ‘The nations of Europe, on the other hand, count upon the economic boy- cott as the chief weapon of the League of Nations and, according to diplomatic reaction here, Europe would be unal- terably opposed to President Hoover's ling food ships. of an economic boy- cott held over the heads of the smaller nations of Europe by Great Britain and France that has been materially re- ible for keeping the peace of the ntinent. i President Hoover, it is now known, talked over his plan of food ship im- munity with Ramsay Macdonald when the latter was visiting him at his Rapi- dan camp. A summary of their con- versations was cabled to the Labor cabinet in London, and as a result it is reliably reported that Philip Snowden, chancellor of the exchequer, called the prime minister over the transatlantic telephone and threatened to resign should he agree with President Hoover on any such proposal. ‘The reaction of European diplomats here has been somewhat similar to that of the British Labor cabinet. A majority of the Latin American nat on the other hand, are not members of the League of Nations, and those that are do not evince a great amount of interest in its activities, espscl;gr those having to do with Euro- pean politics. * ok ok In other words, one of the reactions from President Hoover's speech is the fact that the American continent is be- coming much more of a co-operative entity, and, while not wholly averse to sanctions within its own geographic o LIS a e ropean poll as is ¥ Accoraing to present ofcial plana, present of . conference will be called some time after sider the entire problem of the of the seas, including, of course, the Hoover food-ship proposal. con- ference probably will not be held, ho eyer, within the coming year, and prob- bly not until after the question of land armaments is again discussed. (Copyri last the Washington match was definite- arranged, but it proved to be a flasco, the shell of one of the rowers being