Evening Star Newspaper, December 26, 1929, Page 6

‘THE . THURSDAY. DECEMBER 26, SVENING STAR, WASHINGTON: b ¢ THE EVENING STAR is rewarded for his long and able serv- : iiziiis whish 5k “M:rry Chr —_With Sunday Morning Bdition. WASHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY...December 36, 1920 THEODORE W. NOYES. ...Editor 11th 8t "and Pennayivanta Ave. New Yor - “Tio East 42nd St Blrorean Ofice. 14" megent Br.. London. ngand Rate e i TRehen 4 Sundas ‘The Evening and (when § T, Mupdare the City. Carrier Within Star.. 45c Ler month .00: 1 mo.. S0c ¥r. $4.00: 1 mo. dcc | ARl Other States and Canada. Dally and Sunday..l yr.$12.00: 1 nio.. $1.00 y enly .. 1yr, 53001 ise _— An Executive Office Plan. ‘The structure erected in 1902 for the accommodation of the executive offices, that which was burned the other night, ‘was ot designed as a permanent ac- commodation. It was proposed and planned and erected as a temporary | provision of quarters for the President and his staff. The architectural de- sign was kept in harmony as far as possible with the central building, the ‘White House, and a balance was ef- fected by the creation of a corridor on the east side to give access to the main building on special occasions of large attendance, as at receptions. If it is decided to provide for the executive offices in permanent quarters outside of the “White House grounds,” as for example within a new State De- partment structure, the latter, ac- ecording to a plan urged hereto- fore and now advocated anew in discussion of the burning of the Execu- tive Office Building, possibly replacing the present tri-departmental building immediately west of the White House, or occupying the square to the north of that site, west of Lafayette Square, it would be possible to restore the White House to its original individuality of appearance, without the excrescences to the east and to the west involved in the ices by appointment t> th: bench. That leaves a vacancy in the House. ‘Who is to get it? There is where the machine-building skill comes into play. The privilege of selecting the nommee to run at & special election, when he will, of course, be chosen is given by Leader Curry to & man whose switch in the Tammany contest last Spring over the successorship to Judge Olvany insured his selection. The privilege of naming the nominee in itself earns re- wards for the selector. § Then there is the case of former Mayor ‘John F. Hylan. Ever since he was beaten for renomination by the present mayor, Jimmie Walker, he has been hankering for place. Last Sum- mer he and his friends made a rather loud noise like an independent ticket for the mayoralty and other municipal offices. Then suddenly there was quiet in that quarter. Hylan indorsed ‘Walker for re-election and turned over to him his not inconsiderable personal following. Now there is a vacancy on the bench of the Children's Court. Mayor Walker has the appointment. It is understood that he is going to give it to Hylan, despite the fact that his peculfar qualifications are not in the direction of a Juvenile Court Jjudgeship. But merit and especial value all and quite apart, the appointment would eliminate the ' Hylanites from the equation as antagonists, probably for all time. And that is how the ma- chine is built and kept intact and in runhing order. —eee ¢ “The Unkindest Cut.” In the past it has been a favorite pastime of the “wets” to assail the man- ner in which prohibition was being “enforced.” But now the wind changes. It is the ardent drys in the Senate who are taking a fling at the executive branch of the Government, charged with the enforcement of the Volstead act. Senator Harris of Georgia, a Demo- crat, set the ball rolling with an at- tack upon the President’s Crime Com- mission. Senator Borah of Idaho has followed with a statement that pro- hibition will never be enforced with the present personnel of enforcement offi- cers. Not unnaturally the prohibition enforcement agencles regard these at- tacks as the “unkindest cuts of all.” At- torney General Mitchell, speaking for the legal end of prohibition enforce- ment, has replied sharply to Senator Borah, and Prohibition Commissioner Doran insists that great steps have been made in recent months in the matter 1902 enlargement plan. The Executive Mansion would then resume its true eharacter. 1t is, however, in the event of & de- cision to remove the executive offices from the White House reservation, not essential to combine them with the State Department, when that depart- ‘ment is given its own housing. A plan han been proposed, though not hereto- fore strongly urged, that would give the maximum of accommodation and of dignity and yield the best possible archi- tectural and landscape effect. That plan is to sweep away the present tri- departmental building, the remodeling of which would cost at least $3,000,000 and would yleld only & makeshift re- sult, leaving & questionable structure Tegarding fire security. On that site, directly west of the present executive offices, would be erected a building bal- ancing in design and dimensions the ‘Treasury om the east, and providing ac- commodations not only for the execu- tive working force, but for the housing of foreign guests and the holding of important national and international conferences, official entertainments and social assemblies. The State Depart- ment would, in such a plan, find place upon the site to the north, imme- diately west of Lafayette Square. At present there are no facilities in ‘Washington, within the scope of the Government’s own provisions, for the entertajnment of foreign visitors or the assembly of large groups for the dis- cussion of national and international affairs. An Executive office bullding, designed upon properly liberal lines, ‘would supply that deficiency. It would provide with dignity for the transaction of the executive business. It would clear the White House of its disfiguring excrescences. ‘This matter might as well be con- sidered now, in all its aspects. The Government is in the midst of a con- struction program, designed to provide adequately for its needs. It is planning rearrangements and relocations and new buildings on & scale never hereto- fore undertaken, a proper scale, with a truly economic disregard for the amount of the expenditures eventually to be made. Makeshifts and compromises are not necessary. The opportunity is at hand to correct old faults and to create the ideal Capital. This Christmas Eve fire should result in the completion of the program along the correct lines. —— e ‘The tariff on carillons is defended by Senator Bmoot. A carillon is a set of bells suitable for mounting in a tower. ‘This is carefully explained for the bene- fit of representatives of agricultural in- terests who might have assumed that a carillon is some kind of an animal. — ——— Machine Building. Political machine building is not al- fogether a matter of money. It is sometimes a matter of brains, of acute perception of human values, or dis- crimination in the choice of assistants snd co-operators and beneficlaries. The proper distribution of public of- fices is an important factor. The filllng of vacancies in either electivé or appointive offices calls for the exercise of the most careful judg- ! ment. Who that fits the place—grant- | ing that such a consideration is enter- | tained at all—will most surely| strengthen the party or the faction organization? Whose gratitude for such preferment will be the most veluable and the most lasting? New York is now witnessing some machine-biilding or rather machine- maintaining operations. When the time came to name s municipal ticket | last Summer for Greater New York, to give Mayor Walker the best chance for re-election it was deemed neces- sary to put up s new man for the office of district attorney, to replace! the rather outworn incumbent. A judge of the Supreme Court was draftzd for the job and assured of election. He took his chance and wen. Now, following the election, it becomes Mecessary to fill the vacancy on the of prohibition enforcement and points out that a reorganization plan for en- forcement agencies is about to be sub- mitted. In the meantime, the “wets” are enjoying the controversy. Nothing is easler than criticism. En- forcing prohibition is a huge task, re- quiring years of education. There was plenty of illicit trading in liquor in this country long before the first State prohibition law was enacted. There was & constant eonflict between Gov- ernment enforcement officers and the liquor traders. It is obvious that fllicit traffic in liquor continues today. But there has been a gain in the enforce- ment of the law, largely because many of the American people are taking the question of law violation more seriously. Some of the criticism directed at the administration and the President's Crime Commission is undoubtedly po- litical. Having followed a wet candi- there are Democrats hailing from dry States who are more active than ever before in their demands for stringent prohibition enforcement. Prohibition has been called by Mr. Hoover a ‘“noble experiment, which must be worked out constructively.” ‘The criticisms now leveled at enforce- ment agencies and the Crime Commis- slon can scarcely be called constructive. It the Crime Commission is to produce & series of recommendations, soundly based on facts which will be of aid, it must be given an opportunity to com- plete its work. Proposals for further legislation to strengthen prohibition enforcement have been advanced by the administra- tion. They should be enacted into law as speedily as possible. One looks to the transfer of prohibition enforcement in large measure from the Treasury De- partment to the Department of Justice. The States can do their share, if they will, particularly those which today have falled to put through their own laws for enforcement. The Constitution puts the burden of enforcement jointly on State and Federal governments. The most drastic proposal yet ad- vanced is that of Senator Sheppard of Texas. He has offered a bill to make the purchaser of illegal liquor as guilty of law violation as he who sells it. ‘The National Conference of Organiza- tions Supporting the Eighteenth Amend- ment, meeting here two weeks ago, sug- gested that definite action on this pro- posal should be deferred, until after the President’s Crime Commission has made its report, at all events. Logically the purchaser of illegal liquor is no supporter of the law of the land. But even the dry forces apparently hesitate to go the length of this measure. The President has called attention forcibly to the fact that many citizens give aid and encouragement to the traders in 1liicit liquor by their purchases of liquor. Education and example along this line may accomplish much. Unless it is effective, the day may come when the Sheppard bill or a similar measure is enacted into law. B ) This is the richest country on earth and the year 1930 will present abundant opportunities to gain money Wwithout dangerous speculative ventures. As a consistent idealist, Senator Borah frequently finds that few things are done as well as they should be, B Christmas Lights. Exterior fllumination at Christmas has been gaining ground every year, with the result that this season Wash- ington and its environs have takenona guy appearance as colored lights flash Lheir happy greetings from doors, win- dows, trees and. bushes. From the high roof line of the Wash- ] | ington Cathedral, where an flluminated star gleams as & reminder of the re- ligious significance of Christmas, to the lowliest shrub adorned with a string of small lights, the use of electricity is peculiarly appropriate. supreme bench. A member of Con- gress, dean of ihe Temmany delega- ‘The idea of light is so connected with Christianity that there is, therefore, The snowfall, outlining houses, trees, bushes with white, furnishes a most appropriate setting for the sparkie of Ted, green, blue and yellow bulbs, so |- that this form of decoration for the next week will add materially to the natural beauty of the National Capital. PRI i A A Welcome Visitor. Washington is host to a distinguished Latin American in the person of Senor Pascual Ortiz Rublo, President-elect of | Mexico. He comes to the National Capital on much the same sort of mis- sion as took our own President-elect, Herbert Hoover, on his expedition of good will to Central and South Amer- ica a year ago. The cordial welcome prepared for Senor Ortiz Rublo by President Hoover and Secretary Stim- sont will interpret the feelings of the whole American people and their ar- | dent desire for friendly and mutually profitable relations with the great re- public beyond the Rio Grande, It is fitting that Ambassador, now Senator-designate, Morrow is in Wash- ington to participate in the Govern- ment’s greeting to Senor Ortiz Rubio. The change which has come over Mexi- can-American relations during the past three vears is very conspicuously due to Mr. Miorrow's diplomacy. Our inter- | course with Mexico has been completely sapped of the acerbity which so long characterized it on both sides. Points of difference may arise again, as they do in the affairs of the friendliest of nations, but, as far as human calcula- tion can envisage them, they are not at all likely to be approached, either in Washington or at Mexico City, in the old. acrimonious spirit of five and ten years ago. Senor Ortiz Rubio will enter the Mex- | ican presidency in 1930 as the inheritor | of this new era of agreeable relations with the United States. It should be an augury of good for his administra- tion, for it is of paramount importance to Mexico to have her status with this country regularized on terms of confi- dence and respect. We crave, it goes without saying, the same status for our- selves in Miexico. Perhaps the soundest guarantee of | Mexican-American amity in the days immediately ahead is the circumstance that President-elect Ortiz Rublo and President Hoover speak the same lan- guage—the lamguage of the engineer. In their professional lexicon, the word con- structiveness is red-lettered. If {t becomes their watchword in cementing Mexican-American ties, they will build between our two countries a bridge of understanding, esteem and prosperity as enduring as any that spans the surging Rio Grande. P ] In addition to his many important | attainments, President Hoover adds the accomplishment, much valued in subur- ban communities, of being a good hand at a fire. —————— One of the great promoters of holiday cheer is the Christmas savings account. The advice “Shop early” is superseded by the sensible suggestion, deposit regularly, o It is again confidently asserted that | the world is growing better, but grand juries have to keep more than usually busy eliminating obstructive influences. oo Further evidence of the Nation's date for President in the 1928 campaign, | nrosperity will be given when the cover charges for New Year eve dimners are | announced. —oe - Frankly out of accord with his fellow | men, the anarchist does not belfeve in | peace on earth, even at Christmas time. ] Whatever censure may be addressed to Mr. Grundy, no one can accuse him of being quarrelsome. oo SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Greetings. Back to the familiar friends, the friends of long ago, ‘Too easily forgotten when old Santa makes the show— Friends who wear no beard so white, nor fur-trimmed coat so quaint, Each kindly toward his neighbor, with no claim to be a saint, Back to the policeman, who still does the best he can To regulate the traffic or to curb the bootleg man. We'll greet the letter carrier, since his hardest work is through, And give him welcome once again, just as we used to do. Back to the fire laddie, whom we've treated with neglect. Too often we forget him till we've some- thing to protect. . ‘We've had our Merry Christmas and we gladly turn anew With Happy New Year to the friends 50 ready and so true. Drawing the Line. “I understand you wished your worst enemy a Merry Christmas?” “Yes,” answered Senator Sorghum. “But the time draws near for relentless antagonisms. I draw the line at a Happy New Year.” Jud Tunkins says children soon break their toys and if they are noise pro- ducers he believes in making them as perishable as possible. Same Old Resolution. A diary! My heart is set ©On starting it next New Year day. In one sgort week I shall forget Indifference. S “Are you in favor of fashion's chang to longer skirts?” “It makes no difference to me,” an- swered Miss Cayenne, “I have become used to the weather and I {rankly be- lieve that my stocking lines call for no concealment.” “Only he who can face the morrow without remorse,” sald Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “can truthfully say that he has dined well Annual Inadvertence. Old comradeships I'll not disdain, As for the date I choose a line, 1 should write '30—that is plain. | Tl keep on writing 29, “Honors is bein’ divided,” said Uncle Eben. “Santy perduced de Christmas tree, but Edison invented de ’lectric 8@ in the Houe of Representatives, more than simple charm in the bright lights dat makes it what it is.” v ~ ‘The back-seat driver is well known in automotive circles, but how about the left-hand adviser among pedestrians? Any ene who has ever attempted to escort a woman through busy traffic lanes knows something about this. She hangs trustingly to your manly left arm, pulling on jt as if it were a steering wheel. You start right, she drags left. You go left, she steers right. Just as you decide that it is better to bz run over by the 3-ton truck rather than by the 5-ton one, ske seems to de- cide that perhaps the latter is the one to dodge, after all. So away you two go rignt into the middle of the traffic lane, with cars roaring along cn both sides, some skim- ming your right sleeve, others raising the dust on the other side. L If there §s anything more perplexing than being marooned in the middle of a busy modern street, we do not know | what it is at the present writing. ‘Women rush into this situation more agreeably than men, we have observed. ‘The average man thinks twice before he puts himself into such a position, but moet‘ women do not consider the matter at all, They just rush out, until stopped by the line of cars. .We refer especially, of course, to those streets which have no signal lights. We have noticed, too, that the older a woman is, and the less agile she is, the surer she is to put herself at the mercy of rushing motor cars, ‘We wish the world had not gotten into the habit of speaking of automo- biles as impersonal things. 1t is the fashion to write and think of them as cars, when it would be better for all’ concerned if they were regarded as men in cars, which is what they really are. A car, of itself. is Inert; it takes a hu- man being to vitalize it. Yet we are =0 in the habit of think- ing of men in cars as simply cars, that | we rush headlong into traffic streams as if there were something utterly imper- sonal about the whole affair, and that | no harm could come to us from so much steel. *ox oK % ‘The tendency is to become confused when faced with two rushing lines of automobiles. We have seen strong men as well as weak women shrink, start one way, then turn back, another. ‘The automobilists cannot tell what the pedestrian is going to do—that 1s the standard complaint of those who drive cars, Every car owner should remember that he, himself, at times is a pedestrian, and that at such times he is no more sure of himself while in the street than the man who dodges so crazily in front of him. At some of our corners the mad swirl of s is not only perplexing, it is terrifying. We stood at Connecticut avenue and K street the other day, and watched a girl walk boldly into the middle of the street. Just as she got there the cars began going east and west. A fellow driving a big truck came squarely toward her at 25 miles per hour. Something on the sidewalk—or maybe it was some one—had attracted his attention, so that he did not see the girl in the road. ‘When he did see her he executed one of the prettiest pleces of dodging with a truck that we have ever seen. He fairly -skidded around the petrified pedestrian If he had hit her, some witnesses would have claimed he was not watch- ing the road, and others would have or dart|to be been equally positive that the girl jumped back just as he tried to go | around her. THIS AND THAT l ‘The l:ft-side adviser, among pedes- trians, whether man or woman, offers many complications. It is perhaps best for every one attempting a passage in traffic to go it alone, but many try to help each other, ofien with amusing results. A iman and a woman were crossing north at Thirteenth and E streets the other morning. The woman thought the bus going south was going to turr. west into E street, so she gave the arm of her companion a mighty jerk. He jumping back, realized that the bus merely was trying to get ready for a left-hand turn to go east on E. So he pulled the woman back the other way. Neither of them seeing a car following the bus, both were nearly run over. It was evident that they were disputing violently over their course as they went up the street, Every one has seen a couple at the curb, one pulling forward, the other backward, as each saw some feature of the impending traffic which the other overlooked. The safest way, in all likelihood, is for each person to take care of himself or herself in traffic lanes, but the old- fashioned sense of gallantry, not en- tirely disappeared, reasserts itself at cvfry corner, with many amusing re- sults. If automobilists always seem in too great a hwiry, many pedestrians also think too much of a saved minute, It is better to wait two or three minutes in order $o sccure a comparatively safe passage across a street than to take a chance on getting caught between two roaring lines of noisy cars. This advice may be trite, but any one can prove its necessity by noting the chances which women take every day in regard to traffic. Perhaps they rely t0o much on the gallantry of the aver- age man. Whatever the reasom, they will step into the street where few men will verture, A good scare, now and then, is about the only thing that will bring carcless persons to thelr senses. should be remembered that flesh and blood cannot dispute the passage with steel, wood and glass. The argument is very one-sided. * ok ow ok Even the most careful pedestrian will find himself caught in a disagreeable traffic situation if he permits his mind taken away from the present problem for so much as a second. A man going west on the north side of Pennsylvania avenue had turned north at the end of the small triangl> where Franklin's statue stands, ‘and ‘was about to step into D street, when he heard a hail from the Avenue side. ‘Turning his head for a second, he saw that the “hello” came from two young lady acquaintances. This took his traffic caution away for just one | step, his first one into the street. As he did so, with his head turned south to greet his acquaintances, he felt something brush his left side, and, turning, found that a car going east on D had grazed him. One more step and he would have been full in his path. He felt that the automobilist should have seen the predicament he was in, but, on the other hand, the whole ac- tion took place so quickly, in just one step, that the automobilist probably aould not have stopped himself in me. There is, then, but one way to avoid traffic accidents, so far. as humanly possible, and that is to refrain from putting one's self in the path of cars. It is a difficult task, and nowadays takes every ounce of energy, caution and brains a man has. Eternal vigilance today is not only the price of liberty, it is the very price of life itself. BY JUNIUS B. WOOD. Correspondence of The Star. Advertising eampaigns in Buenos Alres this Summer clearly showed the difference between British and Amer- ican methods of salesmanship. Brit- ish interests raised a fund of several thousands to advertise that English- made goods were superior to any oth- ers, all embracing without specifying particular articles. The American method was Individualistic, telling why a particular article should be used, from a stick of chewing gum or a tube of tooth paste to a locomotive or a steel skyscraper. Which is the better method is for the experts to decide. ‘The situation is not entirely the same, for between 50,000 and 60,000 English, or of English descent, com- pared to between 4,000 and 5,000 with similar ties with the United States, are in Argentina. In the gratifying assurance that everything from the homeland is the best, prices are ig- nored. Figures for the previous year, however, showed that Argentina’s im- ports from England, while below those from the United States, made a 15 per cent increase per cent increase In purchases from this country. Good will is a factor in business which has not been of much help to the commerce of the United States in Latin America. It is pronounced in some countries, but in most of those of South America it is either lukewarm or distinctively unfriendly, European nations, chiefly England, France and Spain, either as a busi- ness proposition or from national an- tipathy to the United States, have en- couraged this. British bombing of Arab villages does mnot affect the quality of Man- chester cotton goods, but United States Marines in Nicaragua are fig- ured in the combustive test of Amer- ican gasoline. The relations of the | United States and Cuba or Haltl cause more gloom in several countries of South America than they do on| the islands themselves. The reputa- tion of Paris as a center of culture sells sleazy silk print dresses from France in the lonesome stores of the pampas, while the music, literature and art from the United States, which is so conspicuous in every country of Latin America, is accepted without a thought s to its source. Looking at the picture from a disin- terested viewpoint it is as might be ex- pected if not as it should be, the United States, being a part of America, is closer to the countries of Latin Amer- ica than Europe is, and is looked upon by them as one of the family, though frequently a domineering and too pros- perous brother. The armed interven- tion of the United States in smaller republics has pained many persons in the United States, and it is not surpris- ing that citizens of republics, away from the vague assurance of a state de- partment that is all for the best, have similar opinions. ‘The United States sends high-pres- sure salesmen or engineers to carry out Elmcuhr projects, all high-class men, ut European countries also send states- men, men of letters, philosophers and scientists, who meet them on a cultural plane where commerce is not involved. ‘The good of the hurried Hoover trip was incalculable, A friendly gesture goes far in creating good will, especially in countries, where most of the citizens envision the United States as a land with frenzied men and women tending machines which never stop, day or night; millionaires dashing in high- powered cars from stock tickers to di- rectors’ meetings and gunmen and pro- hibition officers shooting up the street corners in every city. Exports from the United States, greater than from any other three countries combined, according to our Department of Commerce, are not sold in Latin America on sentiment, but for British Trade Gain in Argentina Exceeds That of United States compared to a 10| certain very prosaic reasons. Months summarize them as follows: First, quality and price, two factors of observation in those countries would | agents which are fundamental in the largest or smallest business. Sentiment may unequal, but the individual buyer wants to get the most for his money. That is one reason why retaliatory tariffs against the United States, or absolute prohibition of imports from the United States, as threatened in Australla, means penalizing citizens in those countries who are compelled either to pay more or to buy inferior goods. Second, service, which includes terms of payment, promptness of deliveries, packing and many other details, un- known to the customer, but important to the shipper. The American exporter does not give as long terms of credit as do his rivals from Europe, but the goods must be paid for anyway and less is lost through bad collections. Deliveries are expedited by most of the big exporters by having stock ware- houses at the largest ports in South America from which orders are filled. Packing of American goods, which 30 years ago was the worst in the world, now is the best—sturdy and as the ship- per wants it. More than that, the American exporter usually will change to meet his market, while the older European house merely replies, if at all, “That's the way we've always done .’ and does not change. ‘Third, advertising, which covers sales- manship as well as the well known use of newspapers, billboards, electric_signs and attractive counter displays. In no other countries have these lines been developed as in the United States, and they have been carried to Latin Amer- ica. They have succeeded there, as the results show, but it has required the personal touch and a readjustment to suit the tastes of those countries. Each article, from smallest to largest, has presented a different problem, and the foreign export nmnager who at- tempts to build up trade in those coun-, tries by correspondence or by shipping & line of samples to a department of commerce attache, without sending a factory representative to tour the ground, usually is disappointed. Satisfled customers are willing to be friends, but they are not necessarily so. ‘The fact that the Latin American coun- tries are good customers of the United States does not necessarily mean that they are friendly. Most of the American interests doing business with Latin America have a sincere friendship for those countries and want them to have the same for the United States, regard- less of whether it means.a cent’s dif- ference in trade. Others brusquely refuse to be inter- ested, which is what the Latin Ameri- can, with his sensitiveness to appear- ances, notices and says, “The United States is interested only in selling us something” A few days 8go one of these Americans was urged to join a so- clety which will extend hospitality to other Latin Americans than prospective purchasers. “See the Chicago Chamber of Commerce: it has a committee,” he replied, amply justifying the South Americans’ complaint about. lack of friendship. r——— Poor Police Take Leavings. From the Cleveland News. Four Chicago policemen are chargec with slugging and_robbing a war vet- eran out of work. We suppose unofficial robbers had taken all the really good prospects. o " And Then What? Prom the Dayton Dally News. An Ohlo judge sentenced & young thief to go to church every Sunday, and we predict it won't be An[vn time until he lands the job of taking up the collection. ) Gotham Book Agents Up in Air. From the Ottawa Journal. An’ 80-story_butlding is now bein constructed in New York. Nervous Sook have decided to provide them- | selves with parachutes in case they are shown out of the window, oo > W g NEW BOOKS AT RANDOM L G M. MYRON T. HERRICK. Col. T. Bent- ley Mott. Doubleday, Doran & Co. ‘The farm is fast moving into the city. Finally completed, this process will disclose as one of its essential ef- fects the loss of a great American tra- dition, the obsolescence of a respected formula for the aspiring youth of the country. From farm to White House or to governor's mansion. From country lad to great banker, or merchant, or legis- lator, or executive. So the tradition runs, so the formula reads. From Lincoln to the present the fact has held with enough of constancy to warrant a general faith in the efficacy of scant means, with its implied com- ponent of hard work, to open wide the door of opportunity to individual hopes and ambitions. It 1s science that is urbanizing the farm. An electrified homestead is, to all intents and purposes, a city in its impacts and effects. A genius of me- chanical efficiency plows and plants, tends and harvests and markets. In- doors a very demon of automatic house- wifery cleans and cooks, sews and mends in a swift and tireless perfec- tion. The nominal lady of the house is, meanwhile, sitting by listening to a crooning tune from Honolulu, or a symphony from London, or the market reports from New York. Down by the gate the malil box is piling up with half a dozen daily papers. The telephone brings “Good morning!” from a neigh- bor in the next county, and at night a motor spin of 50 miles, or twice that ANSWERS TO QUE BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. is & special department devoted lozlnyhlo thy mndllnxd of "Wme . This T puts at your :ronl services gl.p:n Z"xumm ol ization in Wash- ington to serve you in any capacity that relates to information. This service is free. Fallure to make use of it de- prives you of benefits to which you are entitled. Your obligation is only 2 cents in coin or stamps inclosed with your inquiry for direct reply. Address The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washing- ton, D. C. Q. Why is point lace given this name?—FP. W. A. Handmade laces take their names in some cases from the method of man- ufacture, such as bbin lace, pillow lace and point lace. The last named is made by hand with a pointed instru- ment, a needle. Q. What colors are seen in the coat of a plebald horse?—P. E. A. Piebald horses are often black and white, but the patches or spots may be of other colors. Q. What is an intermezz0?—C. R. N. A. It is a song or chorus or a short burlesque, ballet, operetta or the like given between the acts of a play or opera. Q. In what country is punatoo used for food?—F. G. A. In Ceylon it is used for food as cakes or as an ingredient in soup or curry, It is the dried pulp of the fruit of the palmyra-palm. Q. When was delft ware first made? distance, freshens the farm folks up for | N. S, sleed and dreams. Upon occasion wings take the place of wheels and the farmer flies half across the country upon some errand of moment and requirement. Clearly, the farm is moving into town. The old isolation is going. So is the hard muscle pull of farm work. So is the good digestion, the sound sleep. So the self-reliance, the independence of thought and action that have made the farmer the prime individualist of the world. Unfamiliar accommodations must now direct him, and strange com- pliances lead him. He is now, or is speedily becoming, & part in some thing immeasurably bigger than him- self. Co-operation is the new and not altogether ~ welcome lesson for the {lrm!r of the immediate future to earn. A new sort of man will emerge from this new sort of farm. Indeed, he is already here, recog- nizably a stralght product of the new condition. Between him and the long line of distinguished men who have sprung literally from the soil of America there lles, in effect, a full thousand years. And yet it is but yesterday since one out of that earlier tradition stood face to face, hand in hand with the vital and stupendous present. If one had searched, never so diligently, hardly could he have found another'who, in personality, character. and - service, Tepresents so fully, as does Myron T. Herrick, both the old and the new in public life—fulfilling the earlier as- sumption in spirit that partakes of both present -nd‘mmre as well. * ok ok ¥ Farmer boy, country school teacher, business man, head of a great banking concern, politieal leader, governor of his own State, Ambassador to France dur- ing the World War and again during the peace conference. So stand the words that touch the high points in the public career of Mr. Herrick. 1t is around these names that the deep interest in this book centers. Biography, auto- biography, story—yes, all of these, Above all else, however, the record is adventure. Adventure, too, into which (t)l:e .l:l;der“ plunnsl with the clear gusto g along, of rtaking in situa- tions and events thnr-re of a substance to stir and engross one. In a meas- ure this effect of immediacy is due to the manner in which the story is pro- Jected. Here are two friends together— riding, ;walking, going Mere and there upon one mission or another. But al- ways are they talking. Rather, Mr. Herrick talks. Col. Mott listens, with the sort of listening that feels and en- be | Joys, that is keen to catch the flashes of mood.and personality—friendliness, ‘wit, ‘'open avowal and frank disclosure, grave statement about some momentous matter of world concern, tender reflections here about this or that in the old days, the simpler life. ‘There are gay and amusing reminis- cences. There are seriously bright fore- casts of the oncoming feature with its marvels of discovery, invention, eco- nomic unity of the world, international adjustments along the lines of sanity and co-operation. It is not possible to name the various points of simplicity and charm that come in the intercourse of these two friends who are so frankly willing for you and me to 70 along, to hear it all, to rejoice openly in it all. And when the adventure is over—the book closes—it is not over at all, not ended. ‘ For out of it—personal adven- ture or the mere reading of a book, as you will—there emerges a man who falls into step beside you, talking still about the good things that men are doing, the fine enterprises that are springing up for the well-being of—-not i’\ut a few who are called selfish men, ut the well-being of all instead, in proof that these men, are public-spirited and whole-hearted, working for the country as a whole, a Wwho loves he things roundabout. “That night my dog Max, who alws slept in my room, having made Lind- bergh's acquaintance, decided he was a better man than I was and went in and the night on Lindbergh's bed, with his head on the pillow. You can't beat a dog's instinct—not a good dog’s!” A light quotation, out of a big book that contains letters to Presidents, messages from the big folk of the world? Well, maybe so. But I like it, not bet- ter perhaps than some of the grave substantialities of the big story—but I like it! So, here it is—to me a reveal- ing truth, & hlpi flash uj this robust, clean, frank, wise and beloved American. One can hardly do better just about now than to sit down with these two men for an hour or so in un- deniably fine company. ‘Want a word about this author, Col. Mott? Probably you know already that he was a warm personal friend of Am- bassador Herrick; that he for this rea- son was chosen as the one to col- laborate in the friendly intercourse from which the book itself comes. That's about all—save for the plain oneness of heart and mind existing between them, for the common experi- ences—substantial and influential— that united them as they are so clearly united here. I suppose this makes for the “authentic record” about which so much is heard. Essential, too, this authoritative essence of blographic re- port. But the finest flower of this great American story—and that is what this story is—rises from its spontaneity ana zest, from its open avowals on the part of a public man who has served with charm as well as with distinction, who has counted friendliness and sin- cerity and straight dealing as clearly as he has counted weighty acts, ana wise counsel, and definite knowledge and deep experience in his obliga- tions to his munu‘-!. to you and to me as well. A beautiful outfaring waits upon any one who enters this story, a rare adventure in American life ana its opportunities. e Wouldn't Be Worth Framing. From the Seattle Daily Times. A way has been found to take photo- graphs directly on cold, hard, untreat- ed metal. Evidently the time is not far distant when it will be ble to take a picture of the miscreant who crumples the fender on a parked car, ‘That’s Doubtful,; From the Charleston Daily Mail, Chicago is building a three-million- dollar hospital—possibly on the that jt needs hospitals and ceme! than it does jails, i more e G - \ !. | 'A." It was made in Delft, Holland, about 1310. Other ware made later in imitation of it is also called delft. Q. Is there any difference in the name given to wool clipped from a live sheep and from a dead one?—E. 8. N, A. Wool sheared from a live animal is known as fleeceswool and that from & dead animal as dead-wool. Q. Why is Dr. Corrie of Florida called the inventor of artificial ice when it was known before he was born' . A. Dr. Corrie took out.the first American patent for practical ice man-. ufacture. Q. What does the name chopsticks menn]lg:l. {‘flfln A. Ppi English name for the pair of small llm\nf sticks used by Chinese and Japanese in eating the quick ones; chop is pidgin English for quick. Q. What was Artemus Ward's con- %ecxlor’: with the Continental Army?— A. Washington was the first com- mander-in-chief of the American Army, appointed by the Continental Congress. However, the Congress adopted the Army of New England men besieging Boston as the Continental Army. Be- fore the appointment of Wn;lnnon %ey were in command of Gen. Artemus ?—D. Q. Are miufflers ever used on air- pI?e'sxzn—c. O'H. i . They are sometimes - clally when fiying at night. i Q. How many people must there be to get rural free del?very 3 A. The United States postal laws and regulations say that each shall serve at least 4 families to the mile, except that on a route less 10 miles length at least 6 families shall be served for each mile of travel involved. The shortest rural free de- ! the lvery route is 6 mileknrd 146 W6RRest is 89.11 miles, » i T Q. Are people stil burisd T the graveyard of Trinity Church; New York City?—A. W. F. A. For a great many years burials have not been permitted in the yard except in the case of of old families possessing, & family tomb. A number of" persons, including Alexandet ton, Capt. John Lawrence and Fulton, are buried there, + Q. Do rats require water! A. Rats drink, but can get along A small' quantity of water en have foods containing moisture. il Q. How does the number of books now published in Russia compare with the number before the World War?— F. E 8. A. The: Soviet Union ~Review. says that in 1912 there were published books of 34,620 titles, with a total of 135,- 562,000 coples, 'In 1925 yhere were 36, 416 titles with 242,036,090 copies, and in 1927 44,000 titles with 190,000,000 copies. Later figures are. not yet available. Q. In.a ¥eport of the Militia: Bureau for last year there were 15,587 officers, 213 warrant officers and 1 cornet, What is a cornet?—D. 8. P. A. There is only one cornet in the Army, who is & member of the head- quarters. treop, 52d- Cavalty - Brigade, Philadeiphia, Pa. The ‘reason: for this one assignment is that the history of the regiment goes back to the Revo- lutionary War, and at that time this regiment had a cornet. According to the national defense act, this regiment may retain this privilege. The grade is between that of an enlisted man and an officer. Q. Is there such an animal as a fiy- ing fox?—C. J. B. A. A flying fox is any of various Vez large fruit-eating bats, so called the foxlike face. Q. What is the meaning of the term ‘“cover_charge”?—E. H. . ‘The term is applied to the charge made ‘for the privilege of occupying & place at a cafe or restaurant table, It is derived from the French word couvert, which means dinner things, such as knives, forks and spoons, with which a place at a table is set. Q. What is meant by a phantom eir- cult?—T. B, . It is the name given to the scheme which permits a telephonic talking eur- rent to be superim, d on two pairs of wires, each of which stmultaneously transmits a telephonic conversation. The third, or phantom circuit, is ob- tained by connecting the two pairs of wires in a particular way. After it is roperly arranged, three separate, non- terfering conversations may be car- ried at the same time. Q. How can ground ivy be eliminated from a lawn?—S. W. LYy A. A simple and effective remedy has been found. This consists of a single spraying with sodium chlorate, using 1 to 2 ounces per gallon of water, and that quantity of solution is sufficient to cover 100 square feet, providing a - sure flnnr is used. If applied with a sprinkling can, a trifie more solution will be needed, as that method of ap- plication is somewhat wasteful of ma- mml’éd“'l; hl‘nveu lm“ldb:a thr.: covered. Spray can be applied any time d\lrl;ll the iumn;eh: or ;:ll Since spray “discolors for a short time, 16 is perhaps b‘unt.“w defer application until late Fall. Expediency Held Chief Issue In Alabama’s Ban on Heflin Emphasis is placed on expediency in the arguments by which Alabama Democrats’ action in reading Senator J. Thomas Heflin out of the party is condemned or approved. express disapproval ‘of the action feel it was not sufficiently inclusive or decry 1t.as opening the way to division within the party. L “It is the only possible ruling which the executive committee could ‘have made,” in the opinion of the Birming- ham News, “if the Democratic party in Alabama is to be maintained as a well knit and cohesive organization func- tioning as its founders mean it to func- L ewhere some. satirist has sald that ‘martyrs are the happlest people.” If that be true, these persons who find themselves out of tune with the rank and file may find great joy in following the torch flamed, albeit futilely, by Prof. Brown of Virginia in his onslaught against Mr. John Garland Pollard of Virginia.” * ok kX “Having exercised his freedom of choice and action,” says the Atlanta Constitution of Senator Meflin, ‘“he must admit the right of the party to exercise the same freedom. He still has liberty to take his case directly to the people, as he did last year, when they repudiated it at the polls by & majority of 13,867 for Smith over Hoover.” “We note with deep sorrow,” -satiri- s | cally remarks the Little Rock Arkansas Democrat, - “that the Democratic ex- ecutive committee of Alabama is num- bered among those organizations whose appreciation of ‘true service is at best but pickelplated. * * * Senator Heflin has poured out his heart's blood. * * What is his reward? He is kicked out of the Democratic party in Alabama. Baseless ingratitude, ~we call it; baseless ingratitude!” Supporting the disciplinary measure, the Montgomery Advertiser avers that “the Democratic party is entitled to ordinary protection, and that protection consists in denying bolters the special privilege of contending for high Demo- cratic honors until they have first given reasonable assurance that they will mot use the power the desired honors would confer to eviscerate the Democracy at the next election.” * K % % “Results will tell,” in the judgment of the Lynchbu News, which ~argues: “Unquestionably, if his defeat in the primary was certain or reasonably to be expected, it would have been better to let him in. If, however, it was con- sidered much safer to bar him from the primary because easier to defeat him ®s an independent, the action taken was the expedient action. In other words, it is & case of being jus- tified by results, and for results we will have to wait. In the meantime, it seems wiser to admit that possibly those on the scene have better opportunities for judging than those at this distance from it.” The Anniston Star, on the other hand, holds that “from a standpoint of party expediency their action will be oren to question,” but it concedes that “it remains to be seen whether Heflin and Locke can wean away a sufficient number of vetes from the Democracy to join with the Republicans and pre- sent formidable opposition in the gen- eral election next Fall.” The Memphis al calls the ac prolonged. The Richmond News Leader calls it “unwise,” with the conclusion that “if the Senator is put in & position where he can pretend to be & martyr he will attract the IIIPDGH- of many ignorant Ppeople and will revive antagonisms tha are best forgotten.” “‘Alabama, De! 'mocrats take: question- tion' that *it [« it that paper “Aside from the academic the . gty i ol P -the woud. ~sympat i Wwould shelve.the more the T"m involved,”. concludes: % ‘Those who'| t | or not. Correct from the party primary will serve .the ses %o, Tun’ independently and. saya be ntly and says. will be elected. Mlybe’m. Afl"hfi!‘y - can happen in Alabama.” * K Kk % That the committee’s position will help Senator Heflin by arousing sym- %lr.hy is the opinion of the Roanoke imes and the Louisville Times, while objections to party quarrels are made by the %n.h Press and Mobile Register, Raleigh News and Ob- server,. eiting the example of Virginia, which .took'no such action, advises that +all Democrats should unite for solidar- ity at home and not invite a return to the llls which are inseparable from Democratic divisions.” The Charlotte News thinks that “it's a powerfully dan- gerous.course for the Alabama regulars to take”. and hopes “that there will be no such’temper in dealing with a simi- lar situation in North Carolina.” A difference, nevertheless, is seen by the Charlotte Observer, which states that “the’scores that were held against the Alabama .Senator do not hdld against the North: Carolina Senator.” “Much as the'retirement of Senator Heflin from public life is to be desired,” remarks the Petersburg Progress-Index, “it may be doubted whether the action of the State Democratic committee will prove effective in achieving Heflin' Obscuration.” The Asheville Times con tends: “The ambition of Alabama’s ‘most thoughtful Democrats to be rid of Senator Heflin as one of their accred- ited spokesmen in the United States Senate is both- understandable and praiseworthy. Nevertheless, those Dem- ocrats have adopted undemocratic and questionably legal methods of accom- plishing a good end for their parly and their State,” ‘The Baltimore Evening Sun advises: “There is a certain dubiousness about urging bolters to vote in the primary and at the same time forbidding them to run in the primary, If they are good enough Democrats plck the candidate, they should be good enough to be candidates.” Kansas Legislature Admits New Pronoun Prom the Chattanooga News. J The lexicographers, in their latest works, make available’ to the user of the English language a compendium of well over 75,000 words. And yet there is discussion among the grammarians of certaln inadequacies of our vocab- ulary for the expression of everyday, ordinary sorts of things. The inade- quacles are in the simple pronouns, The language is sald to lack a needed singular pronoun, and suggestions are being made of made words to fill the gap. ‘The Legislature of the State of Kansas has by formal enactment given its sov- a:‘e‘lxn authority to a mew pronoun, " To use e present ac- cepted English mode would require one either to write, “The boy or girl can go to his or her class,” or, to put the whole matter in the plural, “The boys and girls can go to their classes.” 1In the great American vulgate, no heed 18 given to this deficiency and the state- ment is made without any feeling of ‘#ts grammatical error that “The boy or girl can go to their class.” Another word s been suggested, but which no islature has formally adopted, is the word “thon."” Whether these words created to fit a syntactical need will ever have any general currency depends altogether upon whether people begin to use them lish is that English which s habitually written, Apparently there are two languages, written :lish and spoken English, and quite of the, &; not coincide. A form can e and almost universal in s English for_ many decades—* i such & t - being rated in the grammars. But if enough people start writing “ihn” or “thon"— or “ain’t”—they will creep into tke writing habits of the race. -k ) i \ \ § Y Y