Evening Star Newspaper, January 2, 1930, Page 8

A8 THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY.....January 2, 1930 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11th St. and Pennsylvania 2ve. Menso Omct? Lake Michisse Eunar PHENN Office, 1 R?enx‘a.. Lond Rate by Carrier Within the City. ‘The Evenine St 45c Ler month The Eve a1, 3 h .nd.nsu 60c per month 65¢ per month Tne Sunday Star S Sc per copy Collection made at the end of each month. Orders may be sent in by mail or telephore NAtional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in. Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Dllly and Sunday. 1yr..$10.00: 1 mo.. 85¢ Daily only . r.. $6.00: 1 mo.. 80c Sunday only 1 All Other States and Dally and Sunday..l 12 Daily only . Canada. 00: - 8.00. 1 mo. Sunday only 1yr. $5.00i 1 mo.. 50c Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitie to the use for republication of ail ncws dis- patches credited to it or not otherwise cred- ited in this paper and siso the local news published herein. All rights of sublicatior of special dispatches herein are also reserved. The Vilest of Crimes. Murder, which is always shocking, assumes a frightful aspect when com- ' mitted with atrocity, and with disre- gard for the lives of others than the object of hate or vengeance. Such was the murder of young Mrs. Naomi Brady, at Seat Pleasant, Md., who yesterday morning was slain by a bomb sent to her in the guise of a holiday gift. Six others were hurt, some of them so ter- ribly that they may die of their in- juries. That this was murder cannot be questioned. The package, addressed to the young woman, was left a few days ago by mistake on the doorstep of a neighbor, who forgot it in the con- fusion of the holiday season and did not send it to the home of the person addressed until yesterday morning. It thus reached the hands of her for whom it was intended. The plot of the mur- derer was completely successful. The package, upon being opened, exploded with terrific force, causing ghastly in- Jjuries to all within the room and wreck- ing the apartment. Theories as -to the identity of the bomb maker and sender are limited by the fact that no reasonable motive for the dastardly crime—if motive for such a deed is ever reasonable—is at present conceivable. Jealousy has been sug- gested as a possible incentive, but there is no tangible clue to justify its enter- tainment. The box itself and its wrap- ping were so completely dissipated by the explosion that there is no chance to trace its source. Unless some chance reveals an indication of motive and identity, this may pass into local his- tory as that “perfect crime” which is sald to be the object of a certain type of mind. Materlals for the making of an “in. fernal machine,” or bomb, are not dif- ficult to obtain. Only a slight degree of skill is necessary in the designing and making of the apparatus of det- onation. Yet fortunately few of these murderous devices succeed. Most of them betray their character by some oddity of appearance, or by the sound of clockwork Mechanism or by the odor of chemicals. Again, they are suspected on general principles and immersed in ‘water or otherwise rendered harmless Dbefore they are opened. It is the rare exception for a murder bomb to ex- plode at the time and the place in- tended. Yesterday's tragedy proves that the unusual remains possible. Of course every effort will be made to trace the package to its source, to find the make: and sender, to punish the slayer. But there is little on which to proceed. It seems & hopeless task. And yet it must be pursued, with the utmost shrewdness and persistence. For, atrocious as are all homicides, the secret slayer, sender of poison coward assassin, is the most despicable and dangerous. — et In a certain circle of human contact the or explosives, the rum runner and Coast Guard found it | necessary to omit the customary New | Year greeting. | o Morrow's “Neighborhood Party.” Dwight W. Morrow was given a “neighborhood” party on New Year day at Englewood, N. J.,, the home of the man who is at present Ambassador to Mexico, who is presently to go to London as one of America's delegates to the Naval Limitation Conference and who later still is to occupy a seat in the Senate. When it is reported that four thousand admirers of Mr. Morrow were guests at the party along with Mr. Morrow, the affair takes on significance. It will be regarded as the | first gun in the campaign which Mr. Morrow must wage this year for the Republican senatorial nomination. This “neighborhood” party was at-| tended by Republican leaders from all parts of the State. Many of them be- lieve that in Mr. Morrow they have a candidate for the Senate who will do great honor and service to New Jersey and the country. There are those also | who believe that the Senate is not to be | the limit of public career of this l.fll-J tinguished citizen of New Jersey. They are looking forward to presidential races | of the future, They point to the distin- | guished career which lies behind Mr. Morrow and declare that it but points | the way to other and larger fields of | endeavor. Mr. Morrow is a native of West Vir- ginia, where he was born at Huntington in 1873. He is in the prime of life, with | vears of active service ahsad as a real possibility. He has made his mark in | business and finance. He was a mem- ber of J. P. Morgan & Co., an office he keld for more than a dozen years be- fore he resigned it at the request of his cld college mate, Calvin Coolidge, to 2ccept appointment as American Am- bassador to Mexico. That was more than two years ago. The Mexican sit- uation was one of the most difficult vhich the United States ficed in its f:reign relations. Under the wise h:ndling of Mr. Morrow the situation I»s bzen changed for ths bstter. His r-me was vadely discussed for an im- perant post in the cabinst after the ¢ ’>cticn of President Hoover. But Mr. 1 arrow eentinued his work in Mexico, important international conferences ever held. The Republicans of New Jersey are congratulating themselves upon the fact that Mr. Morrow has agreed to accept appointment to the Senate on his re- turn from London. He will take the seat which was held by Walter Edge, now Ambassador to France, and which is now held by David Baird, jr, who will resign when Mr. Morrow is ready to come to Washington. The New Jersey Republican leaders have been searching for a candidate with whom they could first defeat former Senator Joseph Fre- linghuysen, who is anxious to stage a political comeback, and with whom later they could carry the State against the Democrats, They regard Mr. Mor- row as the ideal man, because of both his ability and the fact that he is known as a national figure. The “neighborhood” party of yester- day, given in honor of Mr. Morrow, is only a beginning. It was a wise polit- ical move, however, although no men- tion of politics was made by Mr. Mor- row in his brief address at the party. He must soon go to London and, after his return, to Mexico to wind up affairs there. To delay the opening of his campaign until so late in the Spring might be disadvantageous. Mr. Fre- linghuysen has been at work lining up votes and building an’ organization for more than a year, it is said. So well had he accomplished his task that the organization searched far and wide to find a candidate which it considered strong enough to meet him in the primaries. But the organization ‘ be- lieves it has the right man now. ———— The Merchants’ Request. In pointing out the difficulties and confusion of Washington’s “peculiar” left-hand turn for motorists as a preface to its reasonable request for signs advising visitors of what they may expect when they reach the heart of the city, the Merchants and Manu- facturers’ Association does not go nearly far enough. There are many more dif- ficulties and many more reasons for confusion than were enumerated in the association’s proposal to the Commis- sioners. The merchants’ body, for instance, pointed out that there are two different methods of making the left-hand turn in Washington—one method for con- trolled intersections and the other for uncontrolled crossings. As a matter of fact, there is a different method at al- most every intersection, and this is the condition that has made and is making the National Capital the laughing stock of traffic experts the country over. At a crossing controlled by either lights or policemen the motorist is sup- posed to make the outside turn, yet at several intersections of this type the Hoover turn,'the inside maneuver used in practically every city but Washing- ton, is still in effect. At corners which have no lights or policemen the motor- ist is supposed to make the inside turn. Yet so great is the confusion in the minds of many Washington drivers that the outside turn will be seen at such points almost as much as the proper method of turning. And there are different methods of making the turn even at crossings where there are lights and policemen. At Fourteenth and Pennsylvania ave- nue will be observed the “rotary” turn, 8s the traffic office would have it. Here & policeman is on duty. At Twelfth and K streets, with heavy bus traffic and lights, will be observed a mongrel turn, of which even the traffic office would not be proud to claim parentage. ‘The entire street is blocked, and the busses turn not from the outside, but from the inside, and begin the maneu- ver before they enter the intersection. ‘The individual policemen are said to be in favor of the rotary turn. Yet, each one seemingly has a different idea of what it is all about. One police- man will give two sharp whistle blasts, close together, for completion of the turn. Another will give two blasts properly spaced. Another will motion motorists to complete the turn after the first blast, holding up though traffic until the stream has straightened out. Another, even after the second blast, will wave through speeding cars to the imminent danger of drivers attempting to complete a turn, evidently expecting the latter not only to be mind readers, | but to have eyes in the back of their | heads. And still another disdains the | ‘waves his arms in what are meant to be traffic signals, but which look more like the slow gyrations of a windmill. So while the merchants and manu- facturers’ request for signs is a reason- able one, it can be seen that the plan presents its own difficulties. If enough signs were painted to illustrate Wash- ington’s idiosyncrasies in the matter of the left-hand turn they would extend from here to Baltimore, and if the young motorist tried to puzzle them all qut he probably would be an old man by the time he reached ‘Washington How much better it would be to aban- don once and for all this “pet” scheme that has literally been shoved down the throats of District residents and return to normalcy in the regulation of one of the most vitally important ma- neuvers in traffic. The Hoover turn, or the inside turn, satisfies the needs of such congested traffic centers as New York, Philadelphia and Chicago, and it is getting to be a little tiresome to have Washington persistently cling to an antiquated, dangerous, confusing and fundamentally unsound method. —_———— Holiday celebrations suggest that the idea which made the Fourth of July safe and sane might be carried a step further. o —r—e— ! The Fate of the Early Bird. ‘The experience of the early bird yes- terday who arose in the dark hours of ?chuly dawn and rushed to the White House to be the first in line to greet the President ought to provide a tale with a moral—one that would serve to guide young men in the ways of the world and prove something. The gentleman who cherished the laudable ambition to head the White House line and be the one first to feel the friendly grip of the President’s hand | knew, of course, that such a victory was not to be easily won. It required prepa- ration and self-denial. While the rest Inumbers of wild fowl, including sea use of a whistle at all and languidly | THE EVENING had made himself the vanguard of the host that later would gather. And when the time came to march through the doors of the White House he was there—and lo! his name led all the rest. That is, it led all the rest until he ‘was about to pass in front of the Presi- dent when two ladies behind him were gallantly put ahead and our hero be- came merely one of those who also shook the President’s hand. What is the moral? Write it your- self, young man, and never forget it! —————————— A Park Bird Center. Col. U. 8. Grant, 3d, director of Public Buildings and Public Parks, is planning to stock the Tidal Basin with wild ducks, and is making that stretch of water a bird refuge. Already sev- eral hundred birds are appearing on the Basin, attracted by food that is distributed for them by park attend- ants, and it is believed that with per- sistence and systematic efforts large gulls, will be brought to the park. At Oakland, Calif,, a bird refuge has been established in the public park of the city. Tens of thousands of fowl, ducks, gulls, wild geese and indeed many varieties, assemble there at certain times of the year. They attract great numbers of people. Indeed the bird refuge, as it is called, is one of the most popular places of public resort in Oak- STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, [ THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. “It is greatest to believe and to hope well of the world, because he who does 50, quits the world of experience, and makes the world he lives in.” S0 wrote Emerson in his journal for May 20, 1843, when he was 39 years old. By that age a man usually decides Where he wants to place the accent, in the one world or the other. Life is mostly a matter of accent. ere you put the accent means everything. The main things, earth here or heaven there, are immutable; argu- ment does not them. Let every one have his own idea of earth and ‘heaven; it is the placement of the accent which counts, and which Wwill do most to make life acceptable to those who are sometimes irked by its harsher aspects. * ok ok ok Has not man done wonderfully well by himself to have got to the point in his self-development where he can have ideas as to life itself? This has always been the glory of mankind. The animals accept life as it comes. Meat pleases, noise affrights, but the creature does not know meat as pleas- ure or noise as fear. What hapj is ‘what happens, and what will be is what Wwill be. The brute creatures are the true fatalists. Man cannot be a fatalist because he to do what Emerson land. The birds, which are strictly protected from molestation, become quite tame and the children of Oak- land consider it a great privilege to be taken to the park to feed them. Washington might develop & bird refuge of exceptionally interesting character. It is near enough to the sea to bring salt-water fowl here as a resting place at migration time or as a permanent feeding ground. While the Tidal Basin is fresh water, salt water is quite near, in terms of bird flights, and it is altogether possible that with special provision for feeding the Basin might become a center of ornithological study of scientific importance. Cer- tainly the presencé of large numbers and a wide variety of birds there would add to the attractiveness of thel park. | —_——————— Chinese are supposed to pay all debts once a year. Authority in China is arbitrary and exacting and those who do not pay may expect to have the money taken away from them, or, if it cannot be produced, to suffer an un- pleasant penalty. It is perhaps for this reason that the Chinese acquired the reputation of being the most honest of nations. —— e Shaking hands - with the President and wishing him a happy New Year is something that many ecitizens look forward to as the experience of a life- time. And to the President the custom cannot fail to be valued as a direct assurance of deep esteem. ————————— Law enforcement has always been a problem. If this were not the case, it would not have been found necessary by every generation to have so many different kinds of policemen. ——o— ‘There is no disputing the assumption that persons who send infernal ma- chines as gifts are suffering from emo- tional excess which seeks morbid excite- ment instead of holiday cheer. ——————— A few men naturally command atten- tion. One of them is Senator Borah, whose remarks are always interesting, even to those who do not happen to be in agreement with him. e o It has been demonstrated by Calvin Coolidge that a happy New Year may be fully enjoyed by a man who does not choose to linger in the political spotlight. ———ee Times have not changed as much as | was expected for old John Barleycorn, who is still being arrested for dis- orderly conduct. R - SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Forecast. In just a little while you'll find That every one is good and kind; Without a word that's impolite And not a deed that isn't right. That New Year resolution strong Will keep us all from going wrong. And later on—a week or so— I'll feel the old repentant woe Because in anger I have raved. I've squandered what I should have saved. This sad apology I'll make, “That resolution didn’t take.” Expediency. “What is statesmanship?” “It's not easy to define,” answered Senator Sorghum. “Out my way states- manship seems to consist in guessing which side of an argument is likely to bring along the most votes.” Jud Tunkins says he has wished everybody a happy New Year and dis- covers as usual that his wish can’t come true beeause every game has to have losers as well as winners. No Myth. ‘We've put aside the Christmas tree, Old Santa must forgotten be. And father dear, who gets no praise, His checkbook brings and pays and pays. Authority Questioned. “Why are so many young people in- different to parental authority?” “Pérhaps,” sald Miss Cayenne, “they is able and willi advises. He may believe, or not believe. He may hope well of the world, or re- fuse to hope. He may quit the world of experience, at least upon occasion, or he may live in it solely. If he does quit it, he makes the world he lives in. * E ok % Making the world one lives in fis rather a large order, it must be admit- ted, easier for an Emerson than a Jones or & Smith or a Brown. But it may be done.’ It is being done every day all around us, by every man Wwho believes in himself, in his job, in his religion, in his hopes, in his fears, in family, in_his motor car, in books, in his beliefs and faiths. In the peculiar sense which Emerson Taeant, however, one truly makes the world he lives in when he comes to the time in his life when he is willing to admit to himself that it is greatest to believe and to hope well of the world. This attitude is optimistic, but sen- sibly optimistic, not mere clap-trap. It is sensible because it is the result of the mind coming to itselt. It is not merely great to believe and too; his est. Only the superlative will do. Millions of men have been trying all sorts of life attitudes since history be- gan and the sensible ones almost in- variably come to Emerson’s conclusion. ‘They have tried every type of action and believing, but, no matter what their actions may be, their beliefs are strangely alike. * ok ok % Disraeli replied, to asked him his religio: any sensible man, madam. ut what is that?” she insisted. sensible man never: says,” he smiled. He would have been reasonably well satisfled with Emerson's words, “It is greatest to believe and to hope well of the world, because he who does s0, quits the world of experience and makes the world he 1i n.” woman who ‘The religion of to hope well of the world, it is great- | n pleases—more or less—every one is a poet. The key-word to our quoted wisdom is the verb “makes.” He who believes well of the world, and he who ho) well of it, makes the world he lives in. How can any one deny it? One does not have to join any organ- ization or read any particular set of books in order to believe and to . is is practical optimism, helpful idealism. * koK ok ‘We can all be optimists and idealists in this sense, - Even cynical people “be- long,” for they are driven most of all to making for themselves a world to live in. greatest pessimists become Yhe greatest optimists. Misanthropes no lorfger loom as haters of mankind, but, because they do hate human beings, gntnt for themselves a race of super- uman beings. Out of disgust comes love, from dis- like & whole battery of kindliness, de- cency and 'Lmtleneu. ‘This is the way to put the worst to work, and to make it produce the best. ‘Those who rant against cynics, pessi- | pel mists, misanthropes, little realize that if it were not for the dreams of such people the world would be the poorer in literature, music,. philosophy, religion. ‘The high place which the child takes in modern society is due, in part, to the railing of those who once foamed at the mouth over the lowly place it held. ‘Those who were satisfled did nothing, but those who despaired of voluntary aid banded ther for child-labor laws, and the world got on. * ok k% ‘The “world of experience,” as Emer- son put it, is the sole abiding place of those who refuse to believe and to hope well of the world. It is their world. ‘The mere fact of believing and think- ing well of the world is the quitting it of which the sage speaks. He asks no mystic something or other which the ordinary man or woman finds difficult to understand or do, He who believes and hopes thereby makes the world he lives in. Let him be brave in that world. Let him not be frightened because a hard realist says he is a day-dreamer, or mentalist, or a Victorian. * K K ok Crass holders to the world of experi- ence know no more about their world than these others, who like to think that Heaven abides off there, and that little: things that die are loved there as ere. The materialist pushes his ignorance back by giving it a new name, but it is ignorance still. Dissection never takes the place of love. The psychologist re- names old experiences, but the next neration of chologists repudiates names, and glories in still newer ones. He who makes his own world to suit himself quits the world of experience because he finds it necessary and pleas- ing to do so. If the others do not understand him, he does not understand them any the better. He feels that he has the advantages, because belief and hope are better than doubt and despair. He who fools him- self with eyes o?en. may fool himself as much as he pl S, ‘Whether we.know it or not, each one of us makes the world he lives in. We make it by every ht and word and The poet the original maker. In the sense that & man may think as he look, by every sound, every idea. Hail to the world of our make-believe! BY LEMUEL F. PARTON. NEW YORK.—Alfred E. Smith was not the first “happy warrior.” Gen. Jan Christian Smuts, South African statesman here for the tenth anniver- sary of the League of Nations, bore this tsms ;‘onl before it was awarded to Mr. mith. Britain and for Great Britain and for Cecil Rhodes and against him, and for and against various South African poli- ticlans and issues since his entry into public life in Cape Town in 1895. There |15 no doubt about his being a warrior, but just how happy he is may be sug- gested by his own remark that a South African Negro was the only happy man in the world. He was a hard-boiled and hard-fisted general, but his favorite light reading is the “Brer Rabbit Stories,” Joel Chandler Harris, and his favorite recre- ation is botany. Although a pragmatist in politics, he has the gift of tongues, and he more than any other world statesman engaged in the serve and return of the Wilson ideology, out of which grew the League of Nations. Here is what he wrote of Woodrow Wilson after the signing of the ce treaty: “We went down into the pit like a second Heracles to bring back the fair Alcestis of the world's desire.” Like an expert trap-shooter, he could bring down winged words like these, just off-hand, without missing a shot, and then sit in a tight little confer- ence and fence with a sharp pencil over boundaries, tariffs and trade with perfect thrust and parry. Perhaps faro was never played in the Transvaal, but Gen. Smuts has the instinctive tech- nique of the born faro player. He strews his chips liberally over the 'board, keeps one cold eye on the case- keeper and knows unerringly when to copper a bet. Rooseveltian in his energies and in- terests, he is not “unlike the great American statesthan in his planetary idealism and his alert sense of the im- mediate and the practical.” This duality has marked him in world affairs as a great humanist and liberal, and in the view of his Nationalist foes of South Africa as a stubborn imperialist, the As premier Gen. Smuts was kept in power from 1919 to 1924 by a coalition of Unionists, who were English colo- nists, and the South African party, composed of anti-native and imperial- isttic groups. In 1024 it was a coalition of Labor and Nationalists who overthrew him. In politics he is at the opposite pole from Ramsay -Macdonald, being an un- compromising enemy of even the aca- demic socialism on which Mr. Mac- donald built his career. He is sharply opposed to the entire tradition and pfiumnhy of the British Labor party. While "Gen. Smuts drives sharply ahead, either in forward or reverse, he has many intermediate gears. Perform- valiant service in the Boer army, he led the compromise faction at Vereenig- ing in 1902. He then became a stanch and loyal Imperialist, with the in- look into the old-time fashion maga- zines and lose faith in the judgment of people who wore that kind of clothes.” “Speech,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “is a lamp that illumes the truth or a curtain that conceals it.” Leaving Off the Make-Up. She had of make-up not a trace. Perhaps she was unwise, For when I looked upon her face, I thought it a disguise! Uncle Eben. “If I keeps dem workin’ of Washington was snugly recuperating from the hardships of New Year eve our cvn hero was up and about, Before the street lamps had retired in favor « «’arirg that it was not completed. $! new he has baen sole by the > renvesent this eountry ot 3 ©ing, one of the most of the rising sun he was on his way to the White House gates. Long before the other recruits to tie army of presiden- tial admirers had taken their places he dar ain’ no hope of jes' a five-day workin' week foh me.” A Depends on Where It Was. Prom the Albany Evening News, Officers dynamited a still out but what we wonder is wl dynamite blew up the still or exploded the dynamite. est, the still " “I got & fiivver an’ a radio,” said | too gunning for him 3 ter years of his public life, and finally bri g him down. He was an ally of Cecil Rhodes, but sud- denly backtracked when evidences of Rhodes’ duplicity were produced. Im- perialist as he was, it was he who in 1917 made the Imperialist war confer- ence swallow the now memorable decla. ration that Great Britain was no longer an empire but an of nations. Even in his philosophy—and he is a philosopher as well as a soldier and statesman — his many-faceted mind catches the spectrum of the in-between zone bounded by black and white. His book, “Holism and Evolution,” written in 1926, is a shrewd presentation of & theory of :’:‘oluuon. not violently wrenching underpinnings of Dutch farmer tradi- tions, whence came Oom Paul, carrying a Bible under his arm, proclaiming that the world was flat, and making Gen. Smuts state attorney. ‘When Woodrow Wilson began work- Gen. Smuts has warred against Great | 4 enemy of labor and a potential dictator. | of Gen. Jan Christian Smuts Held South Africa’s ‘Happy Warrior’ tial thinking and felicity of phrasing. | Gen. Smuts was graduated first from Victoria College and then from Ca bridge. Like Woodrow Wilson, he was | an academician, but life in the veldt had made him a sort of two-gun doc- tor_of philosophy. | Gen. Smuts’ recent Rhodes lectures | at Oxford are brilllant and informed rses on world affairs. He sees the disarmament problem as primarily one of disarmament on land and in the air, rather than merely on the sea. He is a stanch bellever in the commission form of government. Coming from a nation with fewer citizens than Phila- delphia, he has made himself one of the most arresting world figures of the age. Not for many years has New xlfr:r entertained a more interesting (Copyright, 1920.) Aviation’s Progress In 1929 Noteworthy From the Columbus Ohlo State Journal. Whatever other claim it may have to distinction, the year 1929 has been note- worthy for progress in aviation. Among the more conspicuous achievements this year were 13 new world marks, accepted by the International Aeronautical Fed- eration, 4 of them for major events. Chief among these were the elevation of the speed record to 357 miles an hour and the raising of the altitude to 41,794 feet, Two of the four major records set were established by Americans. Lieut. Apollo Soucek of the Navy pushed the seaplane altitude mark to 38,560 feet, besides setting a new American land plane altitude record of 39,140 feet. The other aerial blue ribbon captured by Americans was the endurance record of 420 hours made by Dale Jackson and Forest O'Brine. Notable unofficial feats in the United States included new transcontinental marks of 17 hours 43 minutes eastbound and 19 hours 10 minutes westbound. But while these record-breaking feats are spectacular and have practical pos- sibilities, they are not the only tests progress in aviation. Commercial fiying in the United States in particu- lar has made notable advances this year. become safer and surer; existing air lines have been ex- tended and new ones established. As far as the country at large goes, per- haps the best test of ess is that the task of making the public air- minded can be written down as about completed. ———ote o Coast Guard Does More Than Chase Rum Runners Prom the Roanoke Times. ‘The annual report of the United &tates Coast Guard, just made public, contains some rather impressive figures as to the work done by this branch of the country's service an who take the trouble to scan them will find out that it is an injustice to the Coast Guard to regard it merely as an outfit which chases and shoots at rum run- ners. In the last fiscal year, the report states, coast guardsmen rescued from peril or saved the lives of 4,375 persons, assisted 18,725 on board vessels, cared for 879 persons in distress, boarded and examined the papers of 80,263 vessels, seized or reported 2,571 vessels for law violations resulting in fl:sl of $425,000, patrolled ;’M “""‘fl a ine parades, performed 4,419 rate instances of lives saved or vessels assisted, in addition to 4,867 and removed or destroyed erelic or other obstacles to na . The assisted estimated value of vessels at nearly $50,000,000. From all of which it may be surmised that the Coast Guard kept reasonably busy during the year. - Or Sing About. ith Leon Bourgeols b- ert Cecil, he found in Gen. Smuts third informed and gifted ally. Wilson and Gen. Smuts were somewhat alike their aptitude in sweeping, tangen. From the Des Moines Tribune-Capital. ‘There may be 8 ‘where Byrd and his comrades are, there will be no tulips through may tiptoe. THURSDAY, JA NUARY 2, 1930. IA}ggmenls Offered Against 13-Month Year To the Editor of The Star: Concerning the proposed new calen- dar of 13 months, a certaln magazine recently gave the following disadvan- tages which are worthy of every one's consideration: “l—Under the new calendar there would be 13 business closings each year, instead of 12. This would increase the cost of bookkeeping and accounting considerably. The number 13 is not divisible, as is 12, and in quarterly and semi-annual business statements frac- tional numbers would have to be em- ployed. “2—The public utility companies would have their expense in reading meters and mailing out bills increased 8 per cent annually, and the increased cost would be passed to the consumer. “3—The new calendar would necessi- | tate 13 monthly payments of rent, tele- rhnne. etc. It is to be doubted that landlords would reduce the monthly rent unless forced to by competition. Thus the new calendar would increase the cost of living to the average family, “4—Many long-time leases and con- tracts, payable at a specified monthly rent rate, would immediately be thrown into litigation because of so radical a change in time reckoning, with the likelihood of injustice and great ex- nse. “5—The proposed calendar would change all former dates, anniversaries, wedding days, greatly complicating the work of the historian, and necessitating & double system of calendar reckonings. ‘“‘6—Every person whose birthday does not fall in the first 28 days of January wl'::i‘-gd have the date of his birthday al in France and Empire day in the Brit- ish Empire would be changed. “8—The 13-month calendar would destroy the unbroken continuity of the weekly cycle once each year and twice in leap year as a unit of measurement of time. This would give'a different day each year to Sunday and to the seventh-day Sabbath observed by Jews, Seventh-day Baptists ‘and Seventh-day Adventists, thus destroying their re- ligious significance. “The calendar has been revised sev- eral times in the Christian era, but not once since God gave the week at crea- tion has the weekly cycle been broken. Thus th AL e calendar reformers would defy and destroy the primal unit of time measurement. “9—Such a radical step would pro- voke religious dissension and strife, and would divide religious organizations into divergent groups, some following the original continuity of the fixed weekly cyele and others accepting the wander- ing holy days of the new calendar. “10—The new calendar would entail gelt hardships to religious bodies and dividuals whose consciences would not allow them to sacrifice their convictions regarding fixed religious days.” RALPH NESTLER. - Dale-Lehlbach Bill Support Is Opposed To the Editor of The Star. The Star of Sunday, December 29, published an article concerning the re- tirement bill now before the Senate. I am inclined to think that Mr. Alcorn has somewhat a selfish motive in his desire to have all organizations support the Dale-Lehlbach bill. Why should the Federal clerks sacrifice the 60-30 bill with uniform optional retirement just to have Mr. Alcorn, the chairman on retirement, get a bill through that is only pleasing to his special branch of the service, as well as the railway or- ganization of postal service? Why not take into consideration those that are compelled to retire on disability and go through an examination every year between the ages of 60 and 70 and then perhaps never get back in the service? It those so situated could have op- tional retirement at 60 years of age with 30 years of service, which many | have had, I think that would relieve the situation and place all of the em- ployes'on an equal basis of retirement. I hope this may enlighten the situa- tion as it now stands and help to get the desired bill passed with the 60 years of age after 30 years' service optional. J. ERWIN LATIMER. Nation’s Soubrette City Is Beautiful but Dumb From the San Diego'Sun, December 14, 1929. In affairs of state, its non-voting residents make Washington the Nation's Soubrette City—“beautiful but dumb.” * ok ok % ‘Want to Vote. Many or most of Washington's resi- dents—they can hardly be classed as “citizens”—want .to be allowed to vote and to be represented in Congress. They want to see what a ballot looks like. The only franchise they know anything about is the kind a street car company gets. They probably know more about the ins and outs of Government and the abilities and ,stupidities of public offi- clals than any other community, but they are not allowed to put their knowl- edge to practical uses. And they are clamoring to be allowed to get a ballot and let their “X" mark a spot on it. Of course, this seems silly to us in San Diego, where all of us adults may vote, and only 25 per cent of us do. * ok % But they have one thing. They have their own “national” song. It was writ- ten by Frederic William Wile. Here are two of its verses: L My District, 'Tis of Thee. (Tune: “America.”) My District, 'tis of thee, Land without liberty, Of thee I sing. Where Nation's laws are made, ‘Where income tax is paid, Yet, when all's done and said, Freedom can't ring. Nation at large, to you ‘We raise our cry and hue: Hear our fair plea! Tax without voice or vote Sounds a discordant note; See rank injustice smote— End tyranny! Widespread Concord Held Marvel of U. S. From the Helena, Mont., Record-Herald. Such is the multiplicity of conflicting interests in the United States today that the marvel is not that there is so much discord and controversy but that there is so much concord. Capital and labor are at peace and they have many conflicting interests, It is only that they have some common | interests which outweigh the others that their relations are usually so happy. Agriculture and industry, consumer and producer,. shipper and carrier, “bears” and “bulls,” tariff protectionist and free trader, East and West and so‘dlu“j'l ";::';. and “ ,* the ncredd and the ane, “big Navy” men an disarmamentists, Mu"mavx!.nmd and iation, city and country, highbrow and lowbrow, :-l‘! :‘rle. playing at a never- endln, game -of-war, Profound minds see in the contest over Vare and Grundy in the Senate an outbreak of . Such a would affront their more bitter foes on the Senate floor, but igners often are ignorant of the real ‘“cause” for which they are fighting. It is a question Wwhether the attacks on Vare and Grundy have assured better Senators for the future or aggravated the quarrel between the East and West, which has been growing in bitterness for years. m’lm‘m l.ll no better testimonial to the o of to the ‘g:nlu- than ir these two time, “7—8Such national holidays as the | Fourth of July in America, Bastille day the Federal Government and | these of ‘mediator ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Stop a minute and think about this fact. You can ask our Information Bureau any question of fact and get the answer back in a personal letter. It is a great educational idea intro- duced into the lives of the most intel- ligent people in the world—American newspaper md?rl. It is & part of that purpose of a newspaper—service. There is no charge except 2 cents in coin or stamps for return postage. Get the habit of asking questions. Address your letter to The Evening Star In- formation Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. Q. Is the inventor of basket ball still living?—T. 8. A. Dr. James A. Naismith, its in- ventor, is the professor of physical edu- cation at the University of Kansas, which post he has filled for 30 years. It is 38 years since he inven! the game. Q. Which is farther West, Reno, Nev., or Los Angeles, Calif.>—E. O. B. A. Reno is farther West. It lies al- most upon the 120th meridian, while Los Angeles is situated in longtitude 118° 14’ 32" west. Q. What is the depth of the Mis- sissippi River at New Orleans?—R. P. A. 1t varies in the channel from 37 to 167 feet. Q. Is Frances Alda with the Metro- politan Opera Co. this season?—N. T. F. A. Mme, Alda made her farewell ap- pearance with the Metropolitan Opera Co. on December 28, 1929, in the title role of Puccini’s “Manon Lescaut.” She is nk) devote herself primarily to radio work. Q. Is the birth rate higher in Japan than in European countries”>—M. H. A. It is. In Japan about 33 births occur yearly in each 1,000 of the popu- lation. In Great Britain the pumber has fallen to 17.8. Belgium, 18.9; France, 18.8; Germany, 20.7; Italy, 27.8; Nor- way, 19.7. g4 éw".l'lt does the prefx Fitz mean? ""A._It means son and is derived from the Latin filius. Q. Hcw many passenger pi have been preserved at the Smithsontan?— W. H. A. There are 35 to 40 specimens of the wild or passenger pigeon preserved at the National Museum. Q. Where was Andrew Carnegle buried?—] A. He died August 11, 1919, at Lenox, Mass., and is buried at Sleepy Hollow, N. Y. Q. When did Sarah Bernhardt make her first stage appearance in New York city?—L. U. A. Sarah Bernhardt made her first appearance on an American stage at Booth's Theater, New York city, No- vember 8, 1880. Q. Were Abraham Lincoln and his wife ‘e'ver photographed together?— C. L. V. A. Dr. W. E. Barton says that they werfe not. The group pictures, some- times including the children, were in- dividual photographs which were as- sembled and rephotographed. Q. Who shot down Baron Von Richt- hofen?—J. D. H. A. The War Department informs us that it is not known who S T Rt Sy s d ines were fighting him at once. ’ Q. What proportion of the mechani- cal devices that are patented come into successful use?—G. O'B. A. Only 1 or 2 per cent of the ar- ticles patented are ever commercialized. Q. Do bears have talls?—J, P, A. They have rudimentaiy tails. AnSé cmh;:un was the first fire insur- organ| ‘St:m?—?. _g ized in the United . The first directors’ meetin, the first fire insurance wmp'unny ln.fllo\: country was held in Philadelphia on ;‘h‘l’l ls zlr}&’iu Th.ls was the ladel- lonship £ Insuran of Houses from u:!orwlhc ne Q. When was the R’xlm,i,hb“né"?m Cathedral of . The Caf 1 of Rh completed in 1231. It was &'fiin'«'.fé for its wonderful rose window as well as for other architectural details of great. beauty. The cathedral has undersme many changes. Its facade is said to tion - during the. be one of the yond descrip World War. It is in th restoration. s Q. Why are there more earthquakes in Europe and Asia th d s!:ten;%efl. 4 than in the United b € occurrence of ea depénds 'on ‘sirains set up ‘by changes in elevation and other slow earth move- ments. There are more such actively moving regions in Europe and Asia than in the United States, henc- mors quakes. The. details as to why ¢ rtain reglms are in this state of char >, and others not, are not fully ki, Q. Why was the I\;‘en_g'm name?—M., s;lerpllllr Cluhv . The Caterplllar Club s o of aviators who have "wmtamme chutes to save their lives in ‘airplanc disasters. The name was chosen be- cause it is the caterpillar that spins the silk of which parachutes are made. Q. How many people lived in - trict of Corgx'mbit:’ in 18002—T. o o A . Accordin 1800 census, thera were 1403 residents. ot Q. What gives rain its i 2 S peculiar odo: A Rain has no odor, but in falling gurmeu the air. Often rain is produced - }{ufi‘ifl?&l c&uu in the lm. and 'S luce a gas called which has a delightful 'l’elll m.omm‘ Q. When were schools for training teachers first established?—J. P, M. A. The first genuine effort for the &rkoreuloml training of teachers under- en in the world was undoul by in Jean Baptiste de La Salle at Rheims 1681, At the l:;flndmn{ of the nine- tury the devel t of in- stitutions to train teachers took on a teenth cent new life and the Prussian system normal schools was firmly sltlhlllhc:f 1 tention in Better White House Offices Are Urged as Result of Fire Flames in the White House offices commonly known as the i have turned public attention to the need of better quarters for the business of the executive department, and also o the ~-desired building of a struc- ture for the safe housing of valuable Government ents. “The unfortunate State, War and Navy Building, of neither good archi- tectural lines mor of convenient ar- rangement,” is mentioned also by the Roanoke World-News with the state- ment: * g in time for the complete reconstruction or rebuilding of this structure along architectural lines more in keeping with the surroundings and with a vast im- in convenience of arrange- It could then readily give ample and fitting s) to the offices of the President and his lrowl% staff, and to the State Department, with which the President must necessarily keep in close touch. The day when the President of the United States can do his work in a study at home, or in a little outbuild- ing in the yard, is over.” * K kX “The White House,” states the Boston Transcript, “Is no ‘presidential palace,’ no Elysee, no Quirinal; it is simply, as often has been said, ‘an American gen- tleman’s residence’ Ifs extensions must be of humble height. But, at least, they can be permanently and beautifully bullt and not, as were those which have just been dugmyed, of timber and thin brick walls.” “The volume of business carried on in the Executive offices buildin, cording to the Scranton Times, “has Uni wn tremendously in recent years, so fia regardless of the damage by fire, a new structure would have been in- evitable in a short while. When one is ‘built the public will want it to be not only a fitting place for the Nation's Chief Executive to carry on the affairs of his office, but fireproof and worthy in every way of & country such as ours and a city of such splendid structures o “c:meMna on the report that Mr. Hoover will make temporary use of a portion of the mansion that is asso- clated with the administration of Lin. coln, the Providence Journal remarks: “May the return of the President’s office to the mg‘;flh l‘!lgw;i with pi‘t:kvl.d“e; view across the louse s its further view of the Washington Monument, and the saturation of it all Lo with memories of Lincoln, give a still keener vision and a still broader woge to the mind of the new President as he applies himself to the vastly greater, if not more pressing, problems of the sec- ond quarter of the twentieth centuryl RN “The history of fires is that the buildings are usually replaced by some- thing better, more serviceable and more attractive. ‘That may well be the com- as that President Hoo! - gin at home with his national building program,” says the Davenport Demo- crat, while the Buffalo Evening News, the New York Evening Post and the Newark Evening News, remarking upon the fortunate escape of valuable papers from the destruction of the fire, ad- vocate measures in the direction of erecting a suitable archives building for the Government. “The most spectacular fire at the White House since British troops burned the mansion when Washington was captured in 1814” is a subject for t by the R&s.k sl Christmas eve of all times to occur.” * k k¥ “Being relatively modern,” acording to the l'vlnmhuul’hmot, “the execu- created within its 'I]l:.' ding itself has been rather ar ‘Mfi of the White House ds than s de- traction to their rms. In avoidin further risk from fire the architects will have also to avoid the risk of replacing the office building with.a structure less lultxtbtl: to 1)!]1 p‘:ce." . “After al portant pers - had been removed. and while the President and his family stood in the beautiful old White House itself, watching in safety the fire in the wing,” ests the Grand Rapids Press, “it is d that Mr. Hoover was not greatly con- cerned about it all. No doubt he was planning how to. rebuild a makeshift and unsatisfactory structure into a real business edifice, fireproof and on up-to-date lines.” The Kansas City Journal-Post offer; the verdict: “If we were building « mansion for the President and an exac- utive office now, unfettered by tradi- tions, the office would probably occupy a few floors of a modern skyscraper and the residence would be in some other mrt ro!“to;n' :le;!dmll tht “}lsl ey regular ess. hours and could not be reached rt other times.” Moving Pictures Exert Wholesome Influenc From the San Antonio Evening News. Motion pictures exert a wholesom influence on youthful morals. Thoug' misinformed ~ or unthinking ~ critics sometimes charge the screen drama with an opposite effect, a study of 628 feature pictures produced in the ted States last year shows that it is a powerful deferrent of erime. Dr. Clinton Wunder of Rochester took this favorable report to the National League of Pen Women, convened in Washington. Of the pictures investi- gated, that authority said, one-third presented no villain and no erime. In another third the villain was caught and severely punished: in 17 per cent the bad man was killed; in 10 per cent he quit his evil ways and irf:d to repair the wrong he had done; in nd Vilain—the Tevorie devis SEoaia: e —the favo! e of old- ":{‘“&“mmfl?dxm R ; erefore, ely that any’ impressionable youth will glean from the movies the’?m thal & ers wrong whi never is But o N even in most “realistic” fiction such things would not be tolerated. The literary pro- prieties demand that in the end jus- tice be dorie. Lights for Pedestrians Called Sensible Idea Prom the New York World. This scheme of Miss Ida Lathers, who carries a little red eleoctric she fares forth on the street, rather odd, that must be granted. But who can say it is not sensible? When you go walking around New York, par- Heularly at night, one of the fears you cannot shake off is that the driver of an approaching car will not see you, and will mash you to pulp simply beeause he d:;l xfl:ot 'know ’ot“ were there. As stand at present you to attract his attention. ¢ [ You can yell at him assumes that you realize he does not see you, which you do not until he is almost on top of you; When it is time to yell it is all over but the verdict of the coroner. d tive offices have not attached to them |or the sentiment of the White House itself. ‘That structure is so historic that even fire in its neighborhood is likely to ‘lva the Nation a fright.” The ‘rookyn le, however, while recognizing , remarks as to the offices: idents have New York gets that 110-story all the o&‘e‘r‘ el .:l lzmuu their minds on - things. o