Evening Star Newspaper, December 24, 1929, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR. WASHINGTON, D., C flicted upon those nearby, perhaps fatal I'rHE EVENING STAR |pretation on what the figures prove. With Sunday Morning Edition. _ WASHINGTON, D. C. TUESDAY.... December 24, 1029 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Ne per Company st "and Pennsivanta Ave. Office; 110 East ¢and &1, Lake Michigan Buildine. 14 Regent 8t.. London. Rate by Carrier Within the City. Evenine Star. .. .45¢ Ler month 60c per month n 65¢ per month e Sunday o ¢ per copy Collection made at the end of cach montn. Ordars may be sent in by mail or telephone NAtional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Adrance. Maryland and Virginia. §:ny and Sunday 85¢c dly only .. 50¢ unday only All Other States and Canada. Iy and Sunday. $12.00; 1 nio.. $1.00 dly only . 1yr. 3800° 1mo. 3¢ day only soc Member of the Associated Press. ‘The Associated Press is exclusively entitled the use for republication of all news cis- atches credited to it or not otherwise cre in this paper and also he local Le! published herein. All rights of pubucation special dispatches nerein are also reserved. No Tariff in Santa’s Sock. Christmas, 1929, will come and go ‘without a new tariff law in the in- terests of the American farmers and those industries which have been hard hit by foreign competition. But the cheering word is now passed around that the bill will be “out of thes Sen- ate” by February 15. It is almost a year now since consideration of the tariff revision was begun by the House committee on ways and means, a re. vision which President Hoover hoped would be “limited” Who can tell what the situation today would be if the President and the Congress had really undertaken a “general” re- vision of the tariff? Selfish interests and politics—the latter is merely an- other way of saying the first—have been responsible for the long delay in framing the new tariff law. No one group in the Senate or the House is without blame. In the meantime American agriculture and American business have been compelled to wait. ‘The tariff bill is to be taken up when the Senate returns January 6 and kept before the Senate until it is passed to the exclusion of all other business— unless the Senate decides otherwise. But whether the tariff bill is before the Senate or not will probably make little difference in the deluge of words that will be poured forth in that body on every conceivable subject. The con- gressional campaign is in the making. Reports from the Senate lobby investi- gating committee, attacks upon the ad- ministration by Demoerats, near Demo- crats and insurgent Republicans, are likely to be the order of the day. All of which adds to the deliberation of the “greatest deliberative body in the ‘world.” ‘The Senate looks with distaste on the suggestion that its rules be changed so that unlimited debate is not permitted. Such a change, Senators say, would ‘break down the greatest legislative body and make it a mere rubber stamp, “like | corresponding month last year has been | two days earlier this year than last and They show, for instance, that the num- ber of cancellations on letters and cards has increased four per cent over last year. The increase during the last week over a normal week has been more than one hundred per cent. There has been a three per cent increase in the volume of outgoing mail and a two per cent in- crease over last year in the number of sacks of incoming mail. The increase {in the number of sacks collected in the city has bzen seven per cent, and the Increase in the number of parcels de- livered has been twenty per cent. The post office for the last month over the five per cent. One interesting factor ncted by the mail handlers has been that the number of parcels has grown, although the parcels themselves may be smaller than last year. Washingtonians have done their Christmas malling, as a whole, about according to the postal authotities they have been more careful with their wrapping of packages than ever bafore. The benefits of steady and unceasing propaganda are beginning to show themselves. While they will not be able to enjoy the day in leisure tomorrow—for “the mails must move"—Washington wishes Mr. Mooney and his mailmen a happy Christmas and the satisfaction that comes in having done a geod piece of work. ——o— The Gifts of Then and Now. Happy are those who were forehand- ed during the Christmas period. They arranged their lists of gifts-to-be-made early in the season. They shopped far then at leisure. They had the “pick” of the stocks in the shops, made their purchases deliberately and with good Jjudgment, readjusted their schedules, when necessary, without flustering | haste, and reached the point of mail- ing with everything in order. They mailed, too, early enough to insure de- liveries before Christmas, thus avoiding not only the rush and possible delay of last-minute posting, but the crush in the mails that sometimes brings disaster to frailer packages. Today these wise ones are contem- plating the Situation serenely, com- placently, rather proudly, in fact. They have achieved a victory over :assitude and procrastination. They have the supreme satisfaction of knowing that they have done their best by their relatives and friends, have given them the choicest gifts, the most maturely considered and carefully selected souve. nirs of their affection. They are like the folks of olden time who made their own Christmas gifts with needle and knife and brush. The present” generation of middle- aged and younger people know little or nothing of those “good old times” when Christmas shopping was unknown, when practically all “presents” were made at home, when crewel work, and fret-saw work, and embroidery and knitting and painting and carpentry prevailed for ! weeks, indeed for months, before Christ- mas. Those who do recall those times will perhaps regret their pass- ing. ‘There was something rather precious about the industry necessary the House.” But it does seem as though the Senate might well amend its rules so as to provide for relevancy of the debate to the subject actually before the Senate for consideration. Such a change would be in the interest of the orderly handling of business. It would not deny to any Senator the right to talk as long as he wished on the bill or resolution or nomination that might happen to be under con- sideration. It would merely prevent the Senate's debate from going off at a tangent, with hours wasted in the dis- cussion of matters not before the Sen- ate at all. ‘The tariff bill not only has to pass the Senate; it must run the gantlet of the conference between representatives of the two houses of Congress and, after that eommittee has reported, the Senate and House must agree to the conference Teport before the bill can be sent to the President for his approval. It is well understood that a long battle will be waged when the bill is in the confer- ence stage. The democrats have had their wish. The tariff bill will be in the making when the congressional primary campaigns are on, as some of them are already, and will not become & law—if at all—until just before the campaign for the general election is beginning. Whether the country will approve of the tactics adopted by the wvarious groups in the Senate remains to be seen. The so-called “old guard,” howevér, cannot with justice shake a finger of disapproval at the other groups. It erred in the first place’ in the manner in which it raised rates all along the line. S ‘The Weather Bureau, once the sub- fect of much satire, has become a highly responsible feature of Government serv- ice. Thcse who walk or ride on the earth’s surface can make the best Of| weather conditions, but the art of fying | demands the most accurate information possible. Another Record Mail. If the average citizen has a soft spot in his heart for his fellow man he will have experienced a rather guilty twinge during the last two days at the sight of the faithful mail carriers, struggling along slippery streets under mountains of letters and packages and sorting "them out with blue and be- numbed fingers. For the average citi- zen, every time he dropped a card in the box, helped to increase that load. And, judging from' the amount of mail this Christmas,. no average citizen was delinquent in his duty when it came to mailing a Christmas card. Anothrer * record-breaking: Cimistmas mail has.b2en handled, and whben the clock struck noon today the city post office was current with ifs work. ' While storms inthe' West ‘have delayed some of the mails frerg.that section, the en- larged force of clerks and carriers at the post office has come through the | holiday grind with flying colors. An unprecedented volume of Christmas mail has been handled—and on time. ‘Washington owes a vote of thanks to Postmaster Mooney and his army of efficint workers. Despite the heavy mail and the slippery streets they have dene a big 4ob and done it well. Statistics on the amount cf Christmas mail are interesting. Whether or not to make up the required array of gifts, Of course there was secrecy about the pre-Christmas activities in those times. Nobody was supposed to know what was going on. Down in the basement there were sounds of hammering and sawing, and nobody asked the young son of the family what he was doing. And there Increase in postal receipts at the city injuries. The electric equipment for a tree is not expensive and is safe. Carelessness or incompet¢nce in handling the wires of such a rigging may cause trouble. But the materials now available for tree illumination are virtually “fool proof.” It is to-be hoped that there are no tinder-box trees in Washington tonight. ———————— Dogdom’s Curfew. Curfew is to be rung for all dogs in Mount Pleasant, Utah, to save sheep. At the suggestion of herders, the city commission has decreed that all dogs are to be indoors by 6 p.m. Large clties ought to have dog cur- fews in order to save, not sheep, but sleep. If there is anything in the world more annoying to many persons than a barking dog, it is difficult to name it. ‘The sad part of this urban nuisance is that the dog is so utterly unconscious of himself.. He bays merrily at the of paper that blows down the alley, growls deeply and menacingly at the stray pedestrian. The city dog, alas, does not know that his immemorial job as watchman has been taken away from him—more or less—by the police department! As he stands there in the hack yard, alone in the night, he honestly feels that he is doing his duty. A sensible dog curfew for a city would be enacted in the mind of every dog owner who really loves dogs. There are, of course, two sorts of dog keepers, those who love them and those who for one reason or another think they love them. Those who do love the dog are the first to care for them and to want to- save them from the recriminations of others. A sensible dog curfew need not be rung with bells, but by the in- dividual dog owner, who, if he owns a dog which barks, should keep it in at night. The nuisance of dogs is more truly the nuisance of those who own other fellow. —rees. Fame is a compelling influence. Helen Wills could not have had a quiet wed- ding if she had desired one. No domestic career can obviate the fact that a star in the firmament of sport still belongs to the public. —————s References to the present” as a severely mechanistic era are numerous. Yet the books of adventure and, the fairy tales are as welcome to the Christ- mas tree as ever. oot Santa Claus limits himself to simple benevolences. He cannot be expected to make an especial favorite of the moon, barks lustily at the slightest piece | gratitude to them but are unwilling to think of the | THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. ‘The Christmas season is notable not, only because it brings love and gentle- ness to the fore, but also because it makes the average person think of gratitude. It is impossible even for a covetous, grasping person to receive Christmas presents without feeling some glow of gratitude toward the givers. Sometimes it seems as if the true | spirit of the season is being lost in the | commercial aspects which clutter it/ around, yet these very aspects are a part of life, too, and for that very reason are dear to us. Even the most careful balancing of presents against presents will not cause one to entirely forget the underlying meaning of Christmas, in which the| human virtue of gratitude plays such a | large part. * ok x x The festival of Thanksgiving is for God. The gratitude of Christmas is from one human being to another, an earthly, temporal thing, yet none the less good for all that. “Thanks are justly the due for things got without purchase,” sald the pagan poet Ovid. If Ovid had known all about our modern Christmas, he could have hit it no_better. . Each one of us, knowing the cost of articles, feels a sense of gratitude for the article in itself, and also to the| giver for the thought which pmmgted Bim to expend the money to purchase the gift. So much for the money aspects. There are others, of course, chief of which is the gratitude which comes to one who is grateful that others have thought of him at all. * ok ¥ % If one stops to consider, even at Christmas time, the large number of people in the world who do not care a Jot whether one exists or not, he must be_grateful to the few who do. Egotism, father of so many faults, also is the mainstay of ingratitude, Which, as Mme. De Sevigne said in one of her letters, calls forth reproaches as gratitude brings renewed kindness. The egotistical person may make a great personal success out of his life as such things are measured by ordinary standards, but unless he is extremely careful he will fail Jamentably in exer- cising that gracious gratitude which is to human beings what perfume is to flowe:u. " i A typical egotist often possesses the ability of thanking one in such a man- ner that the donor is offended instead of pleased. Some women possess the faculty of being so grateful that it grates, * ok ok ok A play Ponul-r many years ago car- ried the line “Praise the bridge that carried you over.” This is a form of gratitude in which egotistic persons commonly fail. They like to kick the ladder by which they | mounted out from under the | P:elfl'lfl that they never used at all. police and provide solutions for all the mysteries. —— e It is wisely assumed that the anclent battle scene, the Mediterranean Sea, can make a good start toward world understanding by reaching an agree- ment on its own account. It is not always easy to forsee just when and how the proceedings of a grand jury may develop unexpected prospects of punishment. e Snow is welcome at Christmas time. It is one of the embellishments, how- ever, that are at their best when em- ployed in moderation. [R—————— Another debt the world owes Edison is the diminution of fire risk by the use of electric lights on the Christmas tree. BB £ 3 In lobby circles, a man is known by ‘were mysterious fabrics and rainbows of color and skeins of yarn and a great' humming ef the sewing machine up- stairs, and it was considered to be the worst of form to inquire regarding the purpose of all the bustle and the sudden hiding of things and the locked doors. It is altogether idle to repine the passing of those times. They are gone, and probably forever. It is impossible to reproduce the atmosphere of the pre- Christmas period of fifty years ago. Machinery has destroyed it. Mass pro- duction has rendered domestic toil trifling and needless. Tastes have radically changed. Home-knit muffers are not cherished as against silken scarves. Painstakingly hemstitched handkerchiefs are not appreciated in accord with their worth, nor elaborate embroideries. And as for crewel work— perish the thought! It simply is not done. Thus passed the time when folks re- lied upon their own industry to supply their needs as givers of Christmas sou- venirs. The successors of the diligent needle-plyers who started in September on their gift making are those who started their buying then, or in Octo- ber. The successors of those who started late with jig-saw and thread and worsted and linen and lace and had to work half the night during the last week or so before Christmas are those who awakened on the fifteenth of De- cember in this year of. grace 1929 to a realization that they were belated in their Christmas buying and spent the next ten days in frantic battles with the crowds in the shops and added to the nervous stress of modern life. ——————— It is a long way from the North Pole to the South Pole, but old friend Santa will make the trip easily with a promo- tion by way of Christmas greeting. —r—e————— Let There Be Safe Lights! ‘With all the warnings that have been given, some by example and many by | admonition, there should be no lighted candles on the Christmas trees this year. The fire chief has again fssucd a plea that this old-style method of illumination, which is the most dan- gerous possible, be wholly' abandoned. A terribly costly record of fires started by Christmas trees and lives lost in them stretches back for a fong, long period. ‘The mrarvel is that there have not. been more.. Think of.ji! Naked flames flickering from tapers set by the most insecure means ‘upon the slender twigs-of a highly inflammable resinous tree! . And the tree Jaden with packages wrapped in tissue paper! And often with a “Santa Claus” with cotton-wool beard and cotton-wool trimnred costume at work in the stripping off of the gifts for distribution! The swiftness with which a tree in such a situation flares into flames is appalling. It is a veritable explosion. It cool heads prevail, disaster may be averted. But the fire is as a rule of such instant development that panic seizes the company he pretends to keep. —_— et SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Memory Gifts. A silent recollection here amid the Jjoyous throng— A fleeting glimpse of rainbow and the echo of a song— The baubles of the present seem so merry, yet so small. The gifts that memory brings are far the fairest of them all. Beyond the lights that glimmer and beyond the starry glow Are faces brightly.smiling of the friends ‘we used to know. More vivid than the present is the past that we recall, And memory is the Saint whose gifts are fairest of them all. Disappointments Inevitable. Of course, some holiday wishes must be disappointed.” “Yes,” answered Senator Sorghum. “It is beyond the power of human be- nevolence to give everybody precisely the kind of tariff he desires.” Jud Tunkins says a boy with a Christ- mas homn and another with a drum can make a jazz orchestra sound mu- sical by comparison. Santy's New Itinerary. Old Santy from the North Pole went, or so we all have heard, To visit his “Aunt Arctic” and to see friend Admiral Byrd. So in his line of travel he will face both cold and drouth. So cheer up, Children! from the South. Santy's comin’ He'll gather tropic fruits, while he is coming on this way, And birds of splendid plumage, and he'll pile ‘em in his sleigh. So, don't get wrinkles on your brow nor pucker up your mouth, Cheer up, Children! Santy's comin’ from the South! Delicate Suggestion, “Does your wife tell you what she wants for Christmas?” i’ “No,” answered Mr. Meekton. “She takes me walking through the shops and I am supposed to be very tactful in observing what she especially ad- mires.” “Merry-making,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “is often but a toilsome struggle to lift up a heavy heart.” ‘The Human Element, There has to be a human voice Behind the radio. The films that call us to rejoice Some human art must know. In spite of mechanistic skill Prevailing in the land, The plain, old human being will those who are about, and the flames they are reliable barometers of the state of prosperity, they are barometers none dwelling itself. It is a merciful dispen- Uncle Eben, “give a kind word an’ the less. One may put one’s own inter- sation when terrible burns are not in- ‘Merry Christmas!’ " o v spread quickly beyond the tree to the Continue in demand. “If you can't give nuffin’ mo',” sald say It was to this type of man that the cynical French writer of maxims, La Rochefoucauld, referred when he penned the following: “The gratitude of most men is but a :':.;rgt desire of recelving greater bene- The duke's “most men” was a rather exaggerated phrasing. What he meant was that most of the men he knew were that way, No one would say today that normal, ordinary gratitude for a Christmas pres- is but a secret desire for more presents in the future. ik In looking over the tomes of Edward Gibbon’s “Decline and Fall of the Ro- man Empire” we were amused recently 2t running onto the following line: “Gratitude is expensive.” ‘That might do very well for a Christ- mas thought. A better one, however, is from the poet Gray, who wyote the famous “Elegy.” Paraphrasing the saying about con- science, he speaks in one of his little- known pcems of “the still small voice of gratitude.” If we look back through literature for wisdom on the virtue of gratitude, we find more of it, strangely enough, in pagan times. ‘The great Marcus Cicero in one of his orations said that a thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, “but the parent of all other virtues.” Before Christianity there was noth- ing but gratitude to restrain men from evil deeds toward their benefactors; nothing, in short, but the better part of human nature. Love as a principle of being was known only to a few of the wisest and learned men. The still small voice of gratitude, however, spoke in some de- gree to all men. Even the most downtrodden men of ancient times, including the slaves who attempted a revolt at Rome, knew the sense of gratitude for such kindness as came their way. History preserves us no instances, but undoubtedly there must have been slaves so attached to their masters by Lumane treatment that they refused to Join Spartacus. It was not love so much as gratitude, b Gratitude is thus no new thing nor peculiar to religion, but is literally as old as the hills. It must have come into being when the first cells, strug- gling for mastery, realized that among their competitors there actually were those cells which seemed to be helping them! Out of this sense of co-operation may have grown through dim subintellectual processes the whole splendid economy of the human body, with each part inde- pendent yet vitally related to all the others. Amid the hurry and good cheer of Christmas time it is well to stop and think, if only for a ‘moment, of the strange paradox which Nature offers n her life processes. On the one hand we see creature eating creature, rivers| o which would as soon drown an innocent baby as a savage monster, and on the other the quick indignation which flares up in most human beings at the sight, word or sound of cruelty to little ones. On one side Nature seems to hate and on the other to love. In one in- stant she seems remorseless and unsee- ing, and in the next compounded of all honor and decency as she blossoms into a Christ. In the midst of this per- plexity the simple virtues of human beings stand as the anchor of mankind. And in the role of virtues gratitude is by no means the least, even if one is not willing to give it the place accorded by Cicero, living in a far-gone age and under conditions vastly different from those prevailing today. Gratitude is one of those bridges which tle the ancient world to the modern, which link decent men and women of all ages together in the gentle bonds which end in the land of love. The way is dark, and many millions groping for love find it not.” But the lantetn of gratitude, shining in the gloom, will lead them as near to it as ent, and the thought behind the present, they can go here below. Internal Strife and Feud Seen Blocking Way to Moslem Unity BY JOHN GUNTHER. Correspondence of The Star. Three years ago I was in Damascus, when it was a city beleaguered against itself, when it was completely ringed by a wall of wire, with machine guns pointing both inward and outward. | §; The French were fighting rebels both within and outside the city. Now I am in Damascus again and the city is still strange. - The guns don't fire any more, but they still are there. The ring of barbed wire no longer holds crouching troops, but it still surrounds the city—and sand-bag parapets still command the great gates and the main roads. Of course, there is a tremendous dif- ference today. In 1926 Damascus had apparently ceased to live. The bazaars were shut; the hotels closed; the streets virtually empty. Now life rises thick and high at every stre:t corner, in every cafe, But near the great mosque the dust still lies thick on ruined houses, and in the suburb of Meidan row on row of crumbling desolation confronts the visitor, where oncz were streefs. The areas blasted to bits by the 1925 and 1926 bombardments, even those in the center of the city next to the Street Called Straight, have not yet been re- paired, and are not to be rebuilt. In the roof of the Street Called Straight, tattered beams still hang down pre- cariously from jagged splinter holes. Damascus is traditionally the ccnter of the Arab world, not in actual poli- tics, certdinly, and not in religious sanctity, but as the dream capital of the Arabs, the economic and dynastic focus of their future, and for a few short months in 1920-21. Feisal ruled in Damascus as an Arab king. So in Damascus it is becoming to reflect a little on the possibility of pan-Arabism, ur at least of soms approach to Arab political unity. - But let it be said at the outset that the chances of this are infinitesimally slight. If ever the Moslem world did have a good opportunity to express its puta- tive unity the chance came with the Palestine riots in August and Septem- ber. Here was a plain case of fellow Arabs in trouble; here was an excuse for unity as convenient as it was ur- gent. And, it is true, responsive demon- strations did occur in sympathy to the Palestinian Arabs, in Beirut, in Damas- cus, in_Bagdad, in most other Arab citles. But nothing came of them. It was not necessary to revolt. At least the Arabs might have contributed something more than a few broken heads in minor riots. Natlonally, of course, Arab unity is at present out of the question. The British and French mandates in Pales- tine and Syria have many years to run, and, when they expire, probably they will be renewed. The labor government plans to withdraw from political par- ticipation in the aflairs of both Egypt and Irak; but whether this can cause any actual coalescence in between is extremely doubtful. Political unity in the Arab world probably could come only threygh “jehad,” holy war, And there is not much of a chance of a holy war ever happening now, since it did not happen in conjunction with Palestine. Anyway, in Syria 26,000 French troops are ready, and in British mandated territory groups of small, sharp, fleet airplanes. Religlously there appears no chance of Moslem unity. The concept of unity is embodied in the caliph, and there is no caliph. A conference was held in Cairo in May, 1926, to try to choose one, but there were no serious candidates. The only powerful enough Moslem potentates in the Middle East are Reza Khan of Persia, Mustapha Kemal in Turkey and, above all, Ibn Saud in Arabia, none of whom would take the caliphate if it was of- fered them on a filigreed platter, per- fumed with attar of roses. In language, of course, the Arabs of the Middle East have a cultural unity, but there is nothing much they can do with it. Po]m.clllwhn situation is even more hopeless. Turkey stands severely aloof from all pan-Islamic movements since pan-Turanism died in the cold hands of Mustapha Kemal Pasha; so does Persia. We are not dealing in this ar- ticle with remote Moslem countries like Morocco and Afghanistan. This leaves Hedjaz, Nejd and the other principali- ties which constitute Arabla—Egypt, Tn;:s}ordmh. Palestine, Irak and yria. Now it happens that in Arabia Tbn Saud is King. It happens, too, that in Transjordania, Abdullah is ruler, and in Irak Feisal is' on the throne. It also happens that Abdullah and Felsal are sons of old King Hussein of the Hedjaz, who is now in exile in Cyprus, and that. it was Ibn Saud who conquered Hus- sein, crushed another son, Ali, thor- oughly scared both ' Abdullah and Feisal, and was, in short, the deus ex machina, who ended the rule of Hus- sein's house, the Hashimites, in Mecca, and all but drove them into the sea. Of the Arab world remaining perti- nent to this discussion, then, somethi; over half is a house very bitterly divided against itself. Hussein, Abdullah, Feisal, hate Ibn Saud. He retaliates is hatred. For a good many generations blood feud went on between the Sauds and the Hashimites and it has reached its climax. I have heard the Emir Ab- dullah express himself on the subject of Ibn Saud, and the words were chcice to hear. So, for the day anyway, Irak, Transjordania and all of Arabia are “out,” as far as unity is concerned. Palestine and Syria, we have seen, are also out, being to all intents and purposes British and French, respec- tively. In Egypt, except through the widespread and important propaganda affedting all Arab-speaking countries through the powerful newspapers Abram and Mokottam, there is little leadership in Arab unity. Neither Ahram nor Mokottam is pronouncedly pan- Arab. Egypt, in general, its leaders, its newspapers, its people, are having plenty to do settling their own internal affairs and saying, as politely as possible, an anticipatory farewell to the British gar- rison in Cairo; and problems of Arab un]l;y are remote from general Egyptian policy. Yet in Damascus, remembering Feisal, going back a few generations and re- membering Mohammed, one can't help but think of Arab unity and what it might mean, Ot course, Damascus is one of the Pleasantest cities in the East, a good place for meditation. And Damascus itself, even if it is a hotbed, lets you meditate wihout intrusion. Damascus is the oldest city in the world, and it doesn’t care much. Hereditary Peerage Principle Dangerous From the New York Sun. The late Lord Russell of Killowen, Lord Chief Justice of England, was op- posed to the hereditary principle and on being raised to the peerage stipulated its tenure during his lifetime only. His example is not likely to be followed by any of Ramsay Macdonald’s supporters, who, in the New Year honors list, will be slated for membership in the Upper House of Parliament. The premier has @iscovered the need for a larger repre- sentation among the peers, not for the purpose of obtaining a_majority on di- visions, but with the opject of shifting the necessary work to be accomplished onto as many shoulders as possible, It might be imagined from the char- acter of Mr. Macdonald’s administration that the creation of hereditary peerages would be obnoxious to him and unac- ceptable to the Laborite party. por time out of mind the oratory of that .ty has been directed against the E‘rd! who sit by virtue of primogeniture, 1t is reported that the subordinate mem. bers of the Labor gcvernment will forego elevation to the peerage: it may be taken for granted that the honors will be given to capitalistic gentlemen who deserve well of their country, 1t is a recognition of the rlfhu and privileges of wealth which will jar on the sensi- bilities of those who voted the Soctalistic ticket at the lu: election. i the Federal bank's dividends. Repre- ito determine the fate of stock of the | €| a civilian who wished every advantage Reserve Bank Law Stands Incomplete Prom the New Orleans Times-Picayune. It is little short of astounding that the -legal and financial minds that co- operated in framing our Federal Re- serve bank laws and regulations should | have failed to notice the “joker” that has required the introduction of an amendment to two sections, /6" and of the Reserve Bank act to prevent & curious misplacement of certain of i sentative McFadden of Pennsylvania, chairman of the House banking com- mittes, has fathered the proposed changes in the law. The freak that has come to light isi due to a failure of the original measure | Ped:ral Reserve Bank held by member | banks when the latter voluntarily quit functioning as banks but continue a nominal corporate existence. In such a case, as the present law has been interpreted, thz "Federal Reserve stock remains the property of what amounts to an outside unrelated corpus that draws down the often magnificent divi- dends on its possession though itself kccdpmg no funds in the central bank and, in fact, performing none of the duties or services that it was, of course, Intended that member banks should render. The present law authorizes the sur- render and cancellation of Federal Re- serve Bank stock only under any of four conditions; (1) If the member bank goes into voluntary liquidation; (2) if it is placed in the inds of a re- celver; (3) if it withdra®s voluntarily from the Federal Reserve system; (4) if it is expelled for violation of the law. | It should have been plain that these four cases did not cover all possibilities, There exists also that one suggested above, namely, that, without withdraw- ing from membership or being forced out for cause, the member bank shoulé simply quit functioning and lie dor- mant, pocketing regularly its dividends on its Federal Reserve Bank stock, on | equal terms with the most active of member banks. s ehe s Alaska Rail ,Critics Overlook Benefits From the Seattle Daily Times. Eastern newspapers have shown some concern over the moderate increase in the annual deficit of the Alaska Rail- road. The operating loss for the fiscal year of 1929 was $958,414, an increase of $111,024, or 13.1 per cent over the preceding year. Considered in relation Alaska’s vast contribution to the wealth of the Nation, the deficit is un- important. There was a substantial in- crease in the number of rail line pas- sengers during the year, but freight rev- enues decreased. That important econ- omies in operation were inaugurated is shown by the decrease in expenses. The construction of the Alaska Rail- road was undertaken 15 years ago, not with the thought of making money in the transportation business, but with the expectation that it would lead to the development of the Territory's vast natural wealth. Until the Government has established feeder lines, fostered in- dustries and encouraged the develop- ment of resources the railroad cannot be expected to pay. The adoption of a more liberal policy toward potential in- vestors in Alaska eventually would put the 500 miles of line on a paying basis. Since Congress first authorized the construction of the road, $66,581,839 has been invested. Of the total amount, $54,- 397,995 represents the capital cost of the railroads, while the operating defi- cits have aggregated $12,183,884. On the whole, th: money has been well spent. It is the proud boast of the Fairbanks Commercial Club that the undeveloped natural resources of the Territory would pay the National debt. We paid $7,260,- 000 for Alaska, and since 1880 approxi- mately $600,000,000 has come from Alaska's mines. The yield from the Northland's fisheries has been enormous. Last year's shipments into Alaska were valued at $31793,213. The balance of trade in Alaska’s favor was $44,245,239. ‘The Territory is a storehouse of wealth inexhaustible. The railroad must be regarded as an investment which in time will yield rich returns. -—on—s Lauds Good’s Statement On Teaching Army Men ANSWERS TO QUESTI BY FREDERI Many readers send in questions signed only with initials, asking that the an- swers appear in the newspaper. The space is limited and would not accom- modate a fraction of such requests. The answers published are ones that may interest many readers rather than the) one who asks the question only. All questions should be accompanied by | the writer's name and address and 2 cents in coin or stamps for reply. Send your question to The Evening Star In- formation Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. Q. Can airplanes llm}qln Yellowstone | Nauonal Park?—C. C. A. Airplanes are not permitted to | land in Yellowstone Park. These re- strictions are imposed by the Park Com- mission. Q. Why was the columbine given this name, since columbine means “like a dove"?—W. B. L. A. According to Murray, the name columbine” was applied because the inverted flower has some resemblance to five pigeons clustered together. Q. Are irrigation costs in Egypt as- sessed against the land owners?—W. W. A. All irrigation and drainage work is done by the government. Mainte- nance is also a government project. No special tax is levied, there being a fixed land tax, payable yearly. Q. When a railroad train is detoured over the tracks of another road, does the train have to have a pilot?— J. 8. M. A. The sstandard form - of detour agreement adopted by the American Railroad Association provides in para- graph 2: “The foreign company granted such permission shall run its trains be- tween points over the tracks of the home company, using, unless otherwise agreed between the parties, its own en- gines and crews, and train crews fully conversant with the standard code of the American Railway Association, but always with a pilot or pilots. Not more than one pilot for each foreign engine or train crew, nor more than two for any one train to be furnished by the home company, and sabject to all rules and regulations of the home compan; and the orders of the train dispatcher.” Q -swhen was Chile discovered?— S. T. S. A. Chile was discovered by Pizarro's partner in the conquest of Peru, Diego de Almagro, in 1537. Three years later Pizarro's lieutenant, Pedro Valdivia, reached Central Chile, founded the two first settlements of Santiago and La Serena, and was- killed on his way south to establish new centers of popu- lation. Chile threw off its allegiance to Spain in 1810, and soon after estab- luhct:l a stable and orderly govern- men Q. On what day do the wives of Representatives and Senators receive callers?—C. J. L. A. The wives of members of the House of Representatives are at home on Tuesday afternoons, and the wives of Senators receive on Thursday after- noons. About 4 o'elock is the usual time. The only exception to this is in the case of the wives of Senators and Representatives who reside on Capitol Hill. It is an old unwritten law that these will receive on Monday. Q. When were Stainer violins first on the market>—W. A. B. . Jacob Stainer was born in Absolm in 1621 and died in 1683. His violins were offered for sale the first time in 1639. The best Stainers are now to be found in England, and nearly all other violins claimed as his are not genuine. ONS C J. HASKIN. X Q. What is “pemmican"?--E. L, A. Pemmican I8 a compressed food | made from dried beef, fat, sugar and dried currants. It is used extensively by Arctic explorers. Q. What is the caus: of electric light bulbs burning out?—W. C. | A. The Bureau of Standards says it a lamp bulb cracks or if the bulb has | been improperly exhausted and a'r | comzs into contact with the heated ‘ungsten filament, the "filament actu- ally burns, producing the oxide of tungsten, WOs, which is a yellowish powder. If a bulb becemes white, it indicates thatesthe bulb leaks where the lcad-in wires enter the bulb, or a small | crack in the glass somewhere allows air to enter the bulb and the filament burns up. Q. What did the Forbes-Wood report on the Philippines recommend as to giving them their independence?—F. M. A. It recommended, among other things, “that the present general status of the Philippine Islands continue until tite people have had time to absorb and thoroughly master the powers already in their hands,” and “that under no circumstances should the American Government permit to be established in the Philippine Islands a situation which would leave the United States in a position of responsibility without au- thority.” 3. ;vhere is the Santa Fe Trail?— A. The Santa Fe Trail is known as the National Old Trails road, National pike and Cumberland road. It goes from Washington, D. C., to Los Angeles, Calif., a distance of 3,096 miles. It is the most northerly road that is open all the year around from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It was conceived by George Washington in colonial days, fin~ .ced by Congress on the admittance .. Ohio into the Union in 1802, extended to Santa Fe by Congress in 1825, and passed to State control in 1837, o, Q. When was a clock with brass works first manufactured in the United States?>—T. S. L. A. So far as we can determine, brass Wwheel clocks were not made in the United States until 1837. Wooden works were developed by the early clock mak- ers about 1620, but clocks with hand- cut brass works usually antedate those. The machine-cut brass movements e:elnhully superseded both the above styles. Q. How does the length of the New geeument compare with the Old?— A. There are 181,253 words in one version of the New Testament and 593,- 493 words in the Old. The New Testa- g;eznlt‘ contains 7,959 verses; the Old, Q. Is it true that birds can see ob- Jects behind them?—M. R. A. It is believed that the eyes of ground birds have tiny periscopes or reflectors which enable them to observe the approach of enemies from behind. Q. What is meant by a “compound” fracture?—E. B. G. A. A compound fracture is a frac- ture of a bone so that the skin is broken. This is often confused with a multiple fracture, the proper name when more than one break exists. Q. Is Newfoundland a part of Can- ada?—N. O'B. py A. Newfoundland is a separate en- tity of the British Empire and bears the same relationship to the empire that Canada does. It has its own parlia- ment, premier, ministry, and issues its own money and bonds without regard to Canada. The Big Ten Conference is still a storm center as a result of ousting the athletic teams of the University of |Towa. This is notwithstanding the fact that the Belting fund at Iowa, from ‘which loans were made, has been repu- diated at home and some players have From the Raleigh News and Observer. In the report of the Secretary of War, written by the late Secretary Good be- fore his last illness, he wrote, “The ability to instruct is second only to the ability to command,” and he called ticular attention to the detailed analysis of the Army's educational system. It was needed, becat in recent years there has been a letting down of the educational system inaugurated first in the Navy and later in the Army 4n the Wilson administration. Secretary Good, given to the enlisted men in the Army, showed by his reference the interest needed in restoring educational oppor- tunities of men enlisted in the service | of their country. After the Navy had established a school on every ship and made attendance by sallors compulsory and assigned officers to the duty of teaching, the Secretary of the Navy called the attention of Congress to a letter read in the Senate by Charles Sumner on sending enlisted men in the Army to school. It was a letter written in 1866 by Gen. Lew Wallace to Gen. John A. Bingham, chairman of the military committee, giving reasons why every soldler should be given an education and officers de- tailed as instructors. After preparing the private soldier for honorable serv- ice, Gen. Wallace said there was “no sound objection to a law by which offi- cers of the Regular Army shall be drawn from the ranks exclusively.” He argued this would stimulate ambition. He sald that by such schooling “you will not only get better military service, but as an act of wisest statesmanship you offer in a constitutional way the coveted opportunity for education to every lad in the land.” Substantially what Gen. Lew Wallace / Pproposed and Charles Sumner approved in 1866 received no serious considera- tion. The old idea was dominant. It was not until 1914 that such schools were established in the Navy, and later, after the World War, introduced in the Army. Evidently Secretary Good was looking to restoring such schools, and it is to be hoped in both the Army and the Navy the instruction will be univer- sal and will lead to the promotion | which Gen. Wallace suggested. If it is done, civilian leaders and officers with the modern and democratic viewpoint must lead the way. The old-time offi- cers, trained in a school away from genuine democracy, will be slow to cuc loose from the spirit of caste.- Indeed, they objected to it when first intro- duced in the Navy. But it will come. The sooner the better. "o Revenge Is Held Apt To Injure Innocent Prom the San Francisco Cronicle, Here is one of those things. A liner been declared ineligible. In support of the action of the con- ference the Milwaukee Journal argues: “Iowa was caught in practices that were too unethical to be tolerated. Her very action now admits it. The 14 ath- letes who are barred were borrowing money_from a fund to pay their tui- tion. “There was no assurance that this money would be paid back, and until it was repald the thing amounted to the hiring of men to compete for Iowa. And the way the money was distributed is significant. Loans were made to 11 foot ball and basket ball players. Ten of them lived outside the Stat: was Iowa favoring outsiders with tuition loans? * * * When it is revealed that = house-cleaning must be made before even outside schools can be played, Iowans ought to begin to do some sober thinking."” * k¥ ¥ Replying to critics, the Des Moines ‘Tribune-Capital says: “Iowa is simply undergoing a needless humiliation in now admitting everything after going to the big conference and denying everything. Jowa should have known what was in the wind and adopted the military motto that the best defensive is an offensive. Iowa’s nose would not be rubbed in the dirt if Jowa had sent some tactful men to the other schools and learned in detail just what they are doing to provide for their athletes. ‘There is not a school whose mouth would not be closed if the real inside was known of its methods for getting and holding athletes.” The Des Moines paper makes the charge that “there is no reason why there should be any subterfuge about this matter of inviting and securing the best players”; that “it is_an organized activity in every big school in the United States.” “In repudiating the so-called Belting fund and declaring ineligible the ath- letes who benefited from it,” according to the Chicago Daily News, “the board in control at the University of Iowa took action that shocked many sup- porters of Iowa teams. In the circum- stances, however, it was the only proper action that could have been taken. * * * It is not to be regarded merely as a surrender to the demands of the Big Ten. It is a straightforward recog- nition and repudiation of a discredit- able situation in Iowa athletics. Iowa crred, and now has acknowledged its error. Apparently there is no reason why it should not be welcomed back into the fold of the Big Ten.” W Questioning the drastic action of the conference, however, the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel declares: “Couldn’t the conference have accomplished as much by way of reform by extending Iowa's probationary period as by making final ouster of one of the Middle West's finest schools from full fraternity in athletic affairs? Whatever may be the whole merit of the case, Iowa has undoubtedly coming into New York Harbor in a fog sank a freight car ferry. The liner, later going out of New York in fine clear_weather and keeping strictly in | the channel, scraped her bottom on an i obstruction, had to put back and was delayed on her journey. Investigation ~showed that those cantankerous freight cars d been lying in ambush to get even with that liner, Among the losses incurred by the delay was one to shippers of $6,000,- 000 in gold to France. The gold ar- rived a day late and the interest at 6 per cent amounted to about $1,000. 'hich shows that those who set out to get revenge are very apt to hurt the innocent bystander. The episode also is a striking instance of the well known perversity of inanimate objects, the commonest example of which is the collar button that always rolls under the bureau just as the little woman is calling up staiss, “For zoodness sake hurry or you'll miss the first picture!” drawn much sympathy from the alumni of other schools, whose representatives and agents acted summarily in kicking the Hawkeyes out of the Big Ten.” The Des Moines Register discusses the sub- ject of amateur status with the state- ment that “we have two astonishing inheritances from England in this New ‘World. One is from the long past, when the laborer and soldier were serfs and vassals of the upper lords,” continues the Register. “To this day we say the common soldier must fight for the glory of his country. But we reward the com- manders with titles and estates. The other is that our college boys must win the games for nothing and board them- selves, while the colleges and coaches cash in with hundreds of thousands of dollars in a single ggme.” ‘The Worcester Evening Gazette con- tends that “there is not a reputable col- le“e in the country which would pay its athletes if it had to make a public ac- Athletic Situation at Iowa Still Disturbs Middle West of Michigan as saying that “a good foot ball player is worth $25,000 or $30,000 a season,” that “he earns it and he ought to get it.” * Kok ok “It isn't as it all members of the Big Ten came with clean skirts,” complains the Waterloo Tribune, with the asser- tlon that “only two of them have been given a clean bill of health by an <r- ganization that made an impartial in- vestigation.” The Tribune argues fur- ther: “It is plain that Iowa is ousted, so far as schedule of games in this State is concerned, by members who find the gate receipts of Towa City some- what below what they would like to have them. * * * Jowa can stand the ouster. There are plenty of colleges not members of the conference which will be glad to arrange games with Iowa.” “As a free lance, the school may be more prominent in the college athletic world,” thinks the South Bend Tribune. “Membership in the Big Ten does not leave many dates open for competition with non-conference . scheols. Notre Dame’s freedom to book intersectional games has been an important factor in that university's athletic growth” The Bay City Times also maintains that “it eppears that the University of Iowa is the gainer. Certainly, in view of the Carnegie report, if nothing else, it can- not consider itself much worse than those who showed it the conference door. * * * Jowa is now in a position to go out into the lucrative highways and byways and prepare a much more colorful ‘and successful foot ball schedule.” | The Ann Arbor Daily News protests against the charge that “the question of ‘gate receipts’ was partly responsi- ble,” and replies that “Iowa was ex- pelled, after all, not by the professional coaches nor by the conference business managers, but by the faculty men who are by nature opposed to ‘commercial- ized athletics. ‘The St. Paul Pioneer Press states: “Justice does not lie n excusing guilt, because guilt suspected in others has not yet been proved. * * * The conference method be questioned. Its purpose must "e - mended.” The Springfield (Ill.) State Journal says that “hiring or subsidizing of players must be eliminated, and at whatever cost in pride or prestige.” The Spokane Spokesman-Review recog- nizes that the expulsions at Iowa in- volve “a sacrifice,” but emphasizes the thought that the men who “have suf- fered the pangs of ineligibility will be able to feel that they were instruments of a great reform.” No Christmas Trees For Soviet Children From the Rochester Times-Union. Many wild storles have come out of Soviet ‘Russia, but there is nothing ex- travagant in the report that the Soviet Unlon is determined to abolish religion and all its works. The latest pro- nunciamento wipes Christmas off the calendar. No outward observance of the festival is permitted. No toys are displayed for sale, no Yuletide artiales, no decorated trees and no public con- certs or festivals. Children are taken to anti-religious movies and atheistic celebrations. This is of a part with the whole Communist program. Whether the leaders detest religion as much &s they say, or whether (as has been reported) their blow at religion is really a blow at public assembly and discussion, we cannot say. The facts are that or- ganized atheilsm is strong in Kussia. + * * One marvels at the faith of the Russian leaders in no faith! * * » The Russian leaders have made a few bad guesses to date, and this nppears to be another. Are they forgetting tnat the church did not make religion, hut vice versa? Are they successfuily to 'chlllelw the axiom ' that has never peen dispu counting of its acts and the acts of its ST, ted success| fl Kitherto— that man is incurably r ?