Evening Star Newspaper, January 16, 1930, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR ‘With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY....January 16, 1930 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star N per Company 11ty 5t "and Fenpevivana Ave 3 7o East 4204 ; A Michigan Eullding. Regent 8t.. London. 8D i ach month, o 4 L R R S Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. 7r.$10.00: 1 mo. g3¢ 1 0c I mo.. yro $6.00: 1 mou All Other States and Canada. E“?Y ;l‘l.‘y !l‘nfll!-.} ;;.- l‘:fi llfl”\g !l_' S AERREER A 1 Rl Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press ir exclusively entitied 10,00 028 10F 3% i Gr ot Gt e e FEretaber and. ulso the ‘ocal newi r in. All rizhts of oublication of fic&ui Giapaichs Derein are also reserved. The 1930 Community Chest. Approval of the 1830 budget for the Community Chest sets Washington's thousand cars is increasing, which in turn means that there is less care in driving or in walking, or more con- gestion, or all of these. 1Is there a remedy? That question is troubling municipal authorities and or- ganizations of motorists and safety coun- cils the country over. Efforts are made to imprcve traffic rules. But the best traffic rules will not correct character faults, will not make reckless drivers more attentive to conditions and more painstaking in making their way across traffic lines. No traffic rules ever writ- ten will of themselves checkx the crim- inal folly of the driver who fatls to take proper care at rallroad grade crossings. And the grade-crossing fatalities alone constitute a very Jarge factor in the na- tional casualty list. There is no lack of educational effort, to teach drivers care and to teach pe- destrians caution in self-protection. The necessity of being considerate, the 00 | danger of being too speedy, the risk of running improperly equipped cars, the peril of stepping blindly into trafic streams, these are all constantly iterated and proclaimed, with pictures to accent the tragic results of failure in any and all of these lines. And still the trafic toll mounts, at a ratio of deaths per car that becomes iarger in gravely menac- ling degree. o Snapshot Criticism, goal this year at $1,786,737, an increase of $443,389 over the total sought last year. After months of careful prepara- tion the groundwork has been laid and ‘Washington’s second Chest campaign is about to begin. In some respects this year's ampl!mi may be regarded as a crucial test. Last year the idea of the Chest was new to Washington, and like all new things there was an attractive glitter about it that afforded & unique impetus to the movement from the start. This year the total fund sought has been in- creased. Instead of meeting the budgets of fifty-seven organizations, Washing- ton must finance seventy-five. Instead of “selling” prospective contributors with & new idea, the workers for the Chest fund must persuade contributors to repeat and to increase their invest- ments on the basis of dividends received during the last year. The task is dif- cult, but not too difficult. It will be undertaken with the fine spirit that made Washington’s generous response last year unparalleled in the history of Community Chest experiments in other cities. ‘While the total amount set for the Chest fund this year is greater than last, 1t does not mean that Washington's bill for organized charity and welfare work i3 being increased. The bill would be presented any way. If the additional organizations which this year have been admitted to the Chest had preferred to The Law Enforcement Commission, which includes in its membership emi- nent jurists and attorneys, has ad- vanced a proposal to relieve the con- gestion of the Federal courts, due in great measure to the piling up of pro- hibition cases. In brief, the plan pro- poses that Congress shall by law dif- ferentiate between minor violations of the prohibition law and major viola- tions and that in the case of minor vio- lations the cases shall be heard by & United States commissioner if the de- fendant pleads not guilty. Immediately there was a burst of criticism of the plan. Constitutional lawyers on Capitol Hill saw in the proposal a menace to the right of trial by jury, the setting up of United States commissioners as “Federal Police Court judges.” Unfortunately, ecriticism frequently springs from the throats, even of mem- bers of Congress, without the critics having a full understanding of what they criticize. A little study of the supplemental report of the Law En- forcement Commission and of the pre- liminary report, too, might have allayed the fears of some of these gentlemen who now appear to be uptet by the constitutional question involved. It is easy, however, to criticize first and study later. There is, too, a group which has no desire to see the law more careful, will not make pedestrians | the Red Man blends into the picture where the Far West is concerned. The lone rider against the sky-line, the brave peering retrospectively from the crag. the tepee against the background of woods and waters, are all popular subjects with artists and with the pre- parers of picture postcards. To have intelligent young Indian men serve as guides through regions their wild an- cestors traversed as homelands is an appealing thought. To have comely Indian maidens serving tourists in park 10dges, stores and tea rooms sounds well. The young man who makes the pro. posal is himself a Carlisle graduate, a full-blooded Shoshone and an employe of the Interfor Department, and appar- ently he has studied it from all angles. Those who have employed Indian guldes on hunting and angling expedi- tions as a rule speak well of them. There is no doubt as to their native ability, provided those chosen are of suf- ficlent intelligence to make for reliabil- ity. It is true, also, that many such ob- tain fair or better educations and then, returning to their people, find little out- let for their talents, often with a result- ant slump into semi-savage laziness. It would appear that these guiding and similar positions are more or less made to order for them, giving them the out- door life they crave, and giving a fillip to the experiences of the Caucasian visitor, Travel to the national parks in 1929 broke all records, more than three million persons having visited them during the year just past. The prospect of having around plenty of Indians in Just the places where the Indians should | naturally be should prove & factor in still further increasing this total. A curious, but perhaps natural, angle | of the Red Man's psychological make- up is that he is not likely to “stay put." Apparently he must go up or he must | g0 down. The urge to return to tribal | life lies deep down and often is strong. Jim Thorpe, greatest athletically of his | race or any other, has signed to play base ball for a small Montana team that is near the Blackfoot reservation, and some see in this a step toward return to the wigwams of his people. Socka- lexis, his big league predecessor, after a meteoric career and every possible ad- vantage, returned finally to his tribe up in Maine and died indistinguishable from any other of those backwoods men. Work such as is suggested, congenial to their natural talents, may well be worth consideration at the hands of the In- terior Department. ————— It is contended by Clarence H. Mackay that a merger of cable and radio will provide better service at less expense, This is the normal purpose of every merger when first projected. The | human element that seeks further profit amended so as to increase the effective- ness of prohibition enforcement. It has been the claim of that group that pro- hibition never could and never would meet their budget requirements inde- pendently of the Chest, Washington still would have been called upon to furnish the money. And the total would have been greater, outside the Chest, than it is this year, within the Chest. In weighing the task that lies ahead this year, therefore, Washington must bear in mind the fact that the Chest has served to reduce a load that other- wise would have been borne regardless of the Chest. Instead of combining fifty-seven varieties of -appeals for funds into one, the Chest this year ex- tends ft§field and combines seventy-five varieties in one. The budgets of the or- ganizations admitted to the Chest have been gongé over with a fine tooth comb by men who demand that the expendi- ture of every red cent be justified. The overhead cost of collecting the money has been reduced enormously. As the Chest machinery shakes itself down and the functioning becomes more smooth, this overhead promises even greater re- duction. ‘The contributor who regards his do- nation to the Community Chest fund Jast year as an investment will find dividends in the satisfaction that should accrue to him as an individual in the thought that his dollar, or his thousand dollars given last year, has played its part in meeting the city's inescapable responsibility to the unfortunate, the weak and the helpless. If such returns are deemed too intangible, he may vegard his contribution as the fulfill- ment of an obligation of citizenship— one that is seif-imposed and which be- comes more sacred by reason of the fact that the extent thereof is a matter lying wholly between each man and his conscience. ————— Lobbyists have developed the art ef salesmanship to a point that finds some otherwise shrewd business men buying gold bricks. ——— e The Heavy Toll of Motoritis. According to a statement just made public in Chicago by the National Safety Council, 31,500 persons were killed in automobile accidents in 31 Btates in 1920. This was an increase of 13 per cent over the fatalities in 1928. And still motor vehicle registration in those States increased only 8 per cent. More than half of the victims were Ppedestrians. Automobile accidents have become a eaticnal evil. The casualties, from collisions and from carelessness in driving and walking in which pedes- trians are the sufferers, constitute & heavy loss for which there is no com- It there were 31,500 deaths in the United States from an epidemic disease in the course of a single year the coun- try would be aroused, would be indeed slmost in panic. As a matter of fact motoritis, as it might be called, is worse than any disease that prevails today. Not only are these deaths recorded— and it must be borne in mind that the yecord covers only 31 of the 48 States— but there are countless injuries that seriously deplete the working capacity of the people. No mention is made of them, of the broken bones and other ‘wounds that cause long courses of treat- ment entailing idleness and suffering and cost. h 1t the total cost of motor accldents of all kinds and all classes were computed, with fair valuation of the lives of the Jost and the injuries inflicted and the earning power lessened and the ex- penses of treatment and convalescence, not to mention the material damages to motors themselves, the aggregate would be staggering. The most striking fact of the Safety be enforced. Any step which might jeopardize that claim would be sure to arouse hostility. The defenders of pro- hibition, however, may have more diffi- culty explaining to the pecple who be- lieve in prohibition why they should oppose a plan to relieve the congestion in the courts and make it possible to try and dispose of prohibition cases. Particularly when this plan comes from the Law Enforcement Commission and apparently has the indorsement of the President of the United States and the Attorney General, The plan neither takes away the right of trial by jury mor daes it set up a new group of minor judges. In the first place, the defendant in a case of minor prohibition violation is given the right to demand a trial by jury if he pleads not guilty and if after a hearing by the United States commissioner, that official recommends conviction to the court, the defendant may within three days after the filing of that report demand a jury trial and get it. In the second place, the United States commissioner may only recommend conviction. The judge of the court to whom the commissioner reports may, upon examination of the commissioner’s findings, either acquit or convict the defendant, and the sen tence, if conviction is held valid, is im- posed by the court, not the commis- sloner. Congress is asked by the Law Enforce- ment Commission to define “casual or slight” violations of the prohibition laws, for which the penalty shall be not more than & fine of $500 or im- prisonment, without hard labor, for not more than six months, or both. An uproar arose over the passage of the Jones-Stalker “five-and-ten” law, which made it possible to impose heavy pen- alties for slight violations of the liquor laws, Yet some of the same men who engaged in that uproar are now attack- ing the plan to specify minor violations of the law with lighter penalties. Con- sistency, however, so far as the pro- hibition question is concerned, runs only to entire opposition to any en- forcement of the dry laws. George W. Wickersham, former Attor- ney General of the United States, chair- man of the Law Enforcement Commis- sion, has come forward in defense of the plan of the commission to relieve congestion in the courts. He asserts that it violates no principle of the Cen- stitution and that it does not contem- plate any invasion of constitutional guarantees. He calls attention to the fact that the commission’s proposal is on all fours with State legislation, which hes distinguished & number of petty misdemeanors from major crimes and made them subject to prosecution under complaint or information and triable by a magistrate without a jury. ‘The Law Enforcement Commission has come forward with a definite plan to do away with congestion of the courts. Such congestion has become a menace to law enforcement and has re- tarded justice. Opposition to this plan must be based on solid ground, indeed, if it 15 to be convincing. —wor—s. One of the greatest economy cam- paigns ever undertaken will be the pro- { gram by which nations hope to reduce the high cost of battleships. Employment of Indians. ‘There seems to be sound sense in the suggestion of a Western Indian to place some thousands of the more intelligent young men and young women of his race in various suitable positions throughout the national parks of the West. This move, he claims, would be Council's showing is the increase of 13 per cent over last year, while the in- crease in the number of registered ve- hicles is only 8 per cent. That means What the average of accidents per There is no doubt whatsoever that ) pleasing t6 the many thousands who often interferes. 1 o e The Prince of Wales is said to have enjoyed himself thoroughly in masquer- ade when the ship, carrying him to South Africa, crossed the Equator., He is fortunate in possessing that greatest of human advantages, the abllity fiot to take himself too seriously. ————. A slight effort was made by Cole Blease to introduce profanity, now so popular in literature, into the Con- gressional Record. THe experiment was not adroitly conducted and the circula- tion of the famous publication remains at about the same old reliable figure. ——— ot German finance begins to feel that it is about time to enjoy some of the peace of mind that goes with the ‘pros- perity, so rapidly achieved. Debts are | not irksome when a practical method of | meeting them is available. ——— vt New York theater ticket brokers say they are willing to end ticket specula- tion. Possibly they feel that the bull | market in Broadway entertainment has | given way to & popular respect for ac- tual values. e When an investigation is undertaken in New York and elsewhere, the word “politics” is likely to be used in protest. It has a legitimate meaning. Without “politics” reforms would be impossible. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNBON. Busy Official. The President in power stands And spends long hours in shaking hands. It would be something very strange If he did not demand a change And undertake with purpose wise Another form of exercise. 80, when the Congress makes a move ©Of which he cannot quite approve, His gesture wakens speclal dread. He won't shake hands. He shakes his head. And so he meets the great demands By working with both Head and Hands. Campaign Currency. “What happens out your way when a man uses big money in a political cam- paign?” “People take his money,” answered Senator Sorghum, “but they distrust him. They know that a politiclan of real experience and sagacity would know how to use big promises instead of cash.” Jud Tunkins says the treating habit is all over, When two men meet in the presence of liquor, instead of filling a glass they are liable to begin shooting. Busy Politics. ‘The toll is never ended Which able statesmen view. And when one fence is mended, ‘There are more chores to do. ‘When one election’s over, Another’s on the way. And those who are in clover Must keep on making hay. High Cost of Hay. “They are going to make rubber out of straw.” 'm glad,” answered Farmer Corn- tossel, “you didn't say they'd need hay. That would make it more expensive than ever.” “The uninformed,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “waver in opinion. Those who are easy to lead may be found hard to govern.” The Hard Question. "The times of bitter strife are past ¥ | and that this same power is not always And peace shall greet the world at last— Unless the world stands at.a loss visit these national assets, and would partially solve the problem of Indian unemployment. 1 And wants to know just who is boss! “A man dat has de sense to take good advice,” sald Uncle Eben, “is smart enough to make it up foh hisself.” / THIS AND THA BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL, A year ago in this column we re- viewed Matthew Josephson's “Zola and His Time,” expressing the belief that it was destined to live. It is with satisfaction that we report its continued life in the bookstores. Amid the mass of biographies which flows from the presses of America a book is doing very well to survive a twelvemonth. This one, wd are confident, will live for many years. One critic has placed it amc the “seven best biographies” published during the past two. “Zola and His Time” is good, as we see it, because it keeps the golden mean between the old and new styles in biography. %hl?e meking full use of the psy- chological met] the author has steered clear of the entanglements of “complexes” and the other jargon of the schools; he has given full interest to the life of his subject without bowing the knee to seekers after thrills. The result is not only a book about Zola which portrays the man, but a book which is & book. Now there are plenty of biographies which give us men but which somehow strike a reader as cheap and rensational. He is convinced that the writer has taken an unfair ad- vantage of him. ‘There is enough of the devil in every man (and maybe in every woman, we are not sure about that) to make him read with interest the ca-ryings-on of famous men and women of. the past. Yet as he is reading he has a sense of peeking through a keyhole; he is ashamed of himself for what the author is making him see and hear. He knows that great men are great, in part, be- cause of their possession of vital force for dress parade, After reading this type of biography a reader of ordinary sensibilities has an uncasy feeling, which he seldom ana- lyzes, but which would make him posi- tive, if he did, that there is a great deal more to writing biography than filling out a book of 400 pages. * ok % % A really good piece of biogra) writing, such as “Zola and His gives the reader “a man” in a sensible, decent way. We submit that a book, to be a real book, must be both sensible and decent. A book is, above all, a product of intelligence. And intelli- ence of the sort of which mankind proud is thoroughly decent. This is why it would seem that so many readers have a sense of futility after reading some of the much-praised “modern biographies.™ Another miont at which specimens of the new school, as it is proudly called, fall down with a mighty thump, lies in the inability of their authors to concentrate on the essential things in the life of their subjects. We have read biographies of both Alexandre Dumas and Honore Balzac, both prolific writers, in which their novels have been given second or third &Zlnce rather than the major positions e very bulk of their work deserves. We submit that the chief thing about mas was his . romances; the main thing which Balzac left to us was his “Human Comedy.” To “play up” the amours of these two men, page after page, as if these were the real and only life of their subjects worth considering, is to miss the bull's-eye of reader interest. One “life” of Dumas scarcely mentioned | one of his stories. We claim that| no reader who has ever heard of Dumas but would want to know about his mighty romances whose sweep still | covers the world of readers. Anec-| dotes of Dumas in his hours of ease are well enough, but far more inter- esting must be the story of the real work of his life. And no amount of collaboration can exgllln away the herculean labors of those scores—ni hundreds—of books. It was “mass p: hical ‘ime,” mnAnbgn all, those romances were “the His foibles were incidental. Yet this blography under discussion gives the reader the impression that these were really Dumas, 'oon, & man who by no possibility could have accomplished the gigantic g hand, page after page, brimming over with gayety and a cer- tain “joy of Iliving” ‘which have charmed so many readers ever since. These sketchy biographies, which arc almost legion, misplace the accent. They are pot-bollers thrown together by ambitious writers and publishers to catch the wave of public interest. They remind us of some notices of musical comedy presentation we have read with all references to the music left out. The music, of course, was exactly the thing we wanted to know about. Was it good, and if so, what were the names of the “hits”? Yet one might think there had been no music at all in the show, to judge by the K of mention of it. The beauty and grace of the girls received due acknowledg- ment, a5 did the dancing of the stars, but if they sang anything the reader was left to guess it by the fact of the play having been advertised as a “musi- cal comedy.” Matthew Josephson, in his review of the massive production called “Zola,” |glves us first and foremost the musical numbers. Consider the case of the writer of some 32 novels, each and every one large, both ir. conception and length. Such a man had but one real life, for posterity, and that was his life in relation to his books. He wrote, therefore he was. When we think of Zola tods "L’ Assommoir,” la_and His moir,” “Germinal,” * The plot of the book leads uj and declines from them to the unfor- gettable end. * ok ok ok ‘The time and the place and the gify E’ay their J’"" in “Zola and His Time," t they do not play them to the ex- clusion of the solid, meaty books which make up the “Rougon-Macquart” series. Consider the matter for a moment. Could any man, in a world such as this, devote enough time and thought and labor to produce more than 30 novels without those same works constituting “the man”? We believe anything: else impossible; a writer who insists on giv- us Dumas with his romances left out is producing “Hamlet” without the Dane. We may be intrigued by a dis- play of fact and fancy, but we keep on asking about “Monte Cristo.” Why aren't we told that Dumas got the idea and something of the plot for his im- mortal “Three Musketeers” from the real memoirs of a real M. D'Artagnan? And why aren't we informed that these same memoirs, still available to any with the charming roast which the master chef made out of them? Certainly those interested in the art of writing will enjoy most “Zola and His Time,” but since almost every one today practices both reading and writing the audience for Mr. Josephson's work should be extended every day. Here is a blography which descends to none of the tricks of the so-called new school, but neverthcless squarely falls within the charmed circle, while holding fast to the solid merits of the old. Zola was one of the most interesting men who ever lived, a man of peculiar interest to most of us because he was so like most of us, in many particulars. There is a saying that there is at least one novel in every man. If this is so, Zola is the man to help bring them out. Yet do not make the mistake of thinking his “method” easy; he did not follow it himself except in so far as it pleased him. If you want to know ?mw a methodical-minded man could at the same time be a poet, how a man who wrote by rule at the same time wrote duction” long before Edgar Wallace had been born, with inspirgtion, read “Zola and 1:39"‘ 1t is not new, but it is Highlights on the Wide W orld Excerpts From Newsp AILY MAIL, London.—The old- est bicycle in the British Isles, if not in the world, belongs to James Kirwan of the Royal Irish Constabulary, in Newry, | County Down. He purchased the bicycle he now rides in 1895, and it has been in constant use ever sincc. He seys it runs as well as on the first day. The combined age of the bicycle and Mr. Kirwan is 111 years. * ok k% Chinese Ruling. Injures 10,000 Workers. North China Standard, Peiping.— More than 10,000 Chinese employes will be thrown out of work if the Chinese government is determined to forbid the observances of the Chinese New Year, as a result of the abolition of the Lunar calendar. This is revealed in a petition which local joss-stick and incense deal- ers have just submitted to Mayor Chang Yin Wu, The statement points out that the dealers know very well that the order of the government should be obeyed, and that in this enlightened age many superstitious practices chould have been abolished long ago, but they placed their orders as early as last Spring and cannot very well cancel them. To do so would mean great financial losses. There are about 70 shops in Peiping engaged in the business of selling joss- sticks, joss-paper and incense, and an- other 50 ehops which supply portraits of the leading Chinese divinities and images of the gods for the New Year festival. They employ about 1,000 men, and it is pointed out in the petition that if the eity authorities are determined to abolish the old Chinese New Year and forbid all religious rites and exer- cises associated with that occasion they will have to discharge their employes. * ok Kk Pistol Tragedies Alarm Vienna Newspaper. Neues Wiener Abendblatt, Vienna— A young man, unemployed, and with time heavy on his hands, stood before a coffes house on the Praterstern and twirled & revolver. The weapon Was discharged, the projectile striking an old lady who had just returned to the city from the funeral of her husband at Brunn. Two days later the poor woman died. A couple of youths, scarcely more than children, were playing with a loaded revolver. They thought it was empty. In a few minutes one of the poor boys was left gravely wounded on the ground. Four market-helpers had passed the whole night in tippling and card-play- ing. They drifted about from one tav- ern to another, and finally, to put a finishing touch to a spectacular session, they took a taxicab to a more distant resort. What these young fellows threw away in money on this night belongs to another chapter. What concerns us just now is that in an argument as to which of the gentlemen was to pay the taxi bill one of them drew a revolver and shot another of the party dead. A child at home explores a bureau drawer. What is that pretty, shiny thing that reposes there? * a little shooter, a popgun! takes the glittering weapon, pulls the trigger, and now, perhaps, he has no mother! What is the matter with the laws that revolvers are available to every child and, worse still, o every tramp, loafer and reprobate? Bomething radi- cal must be done to lessen the ubiquity of the revolver, Permits for the pos- session of these fatal implements should be considered carefully and the respon- sibility of the applicant scrutinized in apers of Other Lands films that exploit them must be ruth- lessly eradicated. * ok ok ok Witnesses Come In Three Varieties. Morning Post, London.—Lawyers have sought to divide witnesses into three classes—the liar, the superliar and the expert witness—to which Lord Bramwell is said to have objected by adding “and my brother, Sir Frederick,” who was a great engineer and a superexpert wit- ness. Woman is often an expert in the witness box, having skill in advocacy, a loyal sympathy with her friend's case l&d a real delight in besting the other side. However, it is a new game for woman to be a witness, and she has not as yet learned the rules of it. Being invited to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, she starts out to teil the whole irrelevant truth, with graphic detail, and is greatly discon- tented at being told that the ‘“whole truth” is not always “evidence.” ‘The la-’s of evidence are incompre- hensible to woman, whose unerring in- stinct tells her that they are wholly artificlal and absurd. It was probably a fear of the superior common sense of woman that barred them from the wit- Roman and medieval European codes. In Switzerland, only a hundred years equal to that of one man. This seems to be based on the custom and etiquette of golf, where a scratch man is sup- posed to be able to give any woman golfer a half, This he is not always able to do, and he has also to fail in the witnees box! * K K X 25-Mile Speed Law Hope in Japan. been known the present automobile speed laws to meet the modern demand for rapid experts of the ministry of home affairs. The existing regulations, formed some 10 years ago, establish a maximum speed of 18 miles. This speed is con- sidered too slow, in view of the fact that there are now 60,000 automobiles in Japan, and the newspaj reports that the ministry cials ha decided to incremse the speed limit to 20, or perhaps to 25, miles an hour. While these experts agree that the are convinced that a change in the ex- amination for chauffeurs will be neces- sary before the limit can be safely in- creased. More complete technical knowledge on the part of motor operators will be required under the new system of ex- amination for chauffeurs’ licenses. About 100,000 persons are now licensed to drive cars in Japan, and the num- ber is rapldly anr:ni.nx; * Anclent Prison Gives Way to Garden. El Universal, Mexico City.—The old and famous Prison of Belen, in this city, is soon to be demolished, and a beautiful garden will be devealoped on the site where it stood. Flowers will bloom, trees will cast their shade, and fountains will play over the areas for- merly occupied by the most viclous and outcast of our population. All of the prisoners will be removed to the federal penitentiary, on the grounds of which institution larger quarters will be erected, and also court rooms and judicial offices provided, in new structures for these departments. parts of which were erected more than every respect. Deadly firearms and the & century ago, will begin early in 1930. He is made out a sort of glorified %0 reader, are but so much suet compared | of ness box in the Hindu, Mohammedan, | ago the evidence of two women was but | Japan Advertiser, Tokio.—Revision of | transportation is being planned by the | T Miyako | €| August present speed limit 1s too low, they also | Tearing ‘down of’ the old Belen Prison, ' Roosevelt Is Quoted On Enforcement of Law To the Battor of The Btar: ‘Three magazine articles by lore Roosevelt |:I.nhve to the enforcement of the Sunday closing law in New York City during his term as president of the board of police of that city, in 1895-97, are so excee ly pertinent to present | conditions and controversies in general regarding the enforcement of the pro- hibition amendment that they deserve ‘widely and carefully reread. These articles appeared in the Forum of Sep- tember, 1895; McClure's Magazine of October, 1895, and the Atlantic Monthly of September, 1897. ‘The Sunday closing law of 1892, says Roosevelt, was passed by a Tamman: | controlled Legisiature and signed by a { governor also under the domination of Tammany as a hypocritical sop to the temperance people, but with no inten- tion of its impartial and honest enforce- ment. Previous to the reconstitution of the police board in New York City In 1895 that law had been administered corruptly and with partiality against the small liquor dealers, more particu- Jarly against those who failed faithfully to support the Tammany machine, and to the advantage of the powerful Tam- many liquor dealers and brewers— against whom it was not enforced at all. ‘These three articles detail the vigorous, impartial and eminently successful en- forcement of the law (in which Roose- velt thoroughly believed, and in support of which Representative Schafer can perhlg)a find a text in the Bible) in 1895-97, in the face of general predic- tions of the impossibility of its enforce- ment, and in the face of the most bit- ter opposition of not only the liquor dealers and brewers and Tammany poli- ticians, but also, and most of ail, the “sensational press” of the metropolis. At present, however, it is desired merely to call particular attention to Roosevelt's account of the policy of the police board, under his tenure, relative to the use of weapons in the enforce- ment of the law. Stating that measures were taken to insure against brutality .| on the part of the police, he continues: “On the other hand, we made the force understand that in the event of any emergency requiring them to use their weapons against either a mob or an individual criminal, the police board backed them up without reservation. Our sympathy was for the friends, and not for the foes, of order: If & mob threatened violence, we were glad to have the mob hurt. If a criminal showed fight, we expected the officer to use any weapon that was required to overcome him on the instant, and even, if it becamie needful, to take life.” In these few crystal-clear, rapler- like words he thus cut h and through the fallacious, hypocritical and crime-inciting criticism of that day against the use of weapons by of- ficers of the law in dealing with desper- ate and murderous violators of the law. And these words are no less applicable to the similar criticism of today in connection with the use of weapons by officers of the law in enforcing the prohibition amendment against the no less desperate and murderous violators t amendment. They are words of eminent sense, wisdom and patriotism; and they should be the object of deep reflection—not least in_the National Capital. JOHN G. THOMPSO! : . One of Retired Men Tells Employe Side To_the Editor of The Star: I am one of those old retired Govern- ment employes who have tried to keep up closely with every move regarding the retirement law. In my lon, there are quite & number of unfair pro- visions in the present law which could be aulgl with but little cost and with great help to the lower paid annuitants. I do not imagine that any one feels those unfair and unjust pro. visions than 1. There is an old saying thal “if you throw a brick in a will be sure howling. Whether hit ac- -cidentally or not, I am hit just the same. In the first place, when I was retired seven years ago, I was & clerk in one of the departments, dra » salary of $1,500 per annum. My us was eliminated, leaving & remaining of $1,260, which gave me the then maxi- mum annuity of $720. Then, when the maximum was changed to $1,000, my status was changed to only $840, in- stead of the maximum of $1,000. Had rot my bonus been eliminated or even had I been allowed the 35 years of service which I had rendered to the Government, I would have still been eligible to the maximum $1,000. I do feel that the two amendments asked for are simple justice and should be granted. I do feel that every retired man and woman drawing less than the maximum annuity should have their bonus restored and be allowed all of the time made while serving the Gov- ernment, in computing the annuity. Of course, it does not matter with the higher paid annuitants whether the amendments are granted or not, as_they get their §1,200 in any case; but, I feel that the lower paid fellow should be he is to remain with you after retiring. I have always felt that the man who retires at 70 years of age is to remain with you a short while at best and should retain his status. Should he re- tire as maximum annuitant he should die the same, but the lawmakers seem to _see it differently. However, I hope the present bill will be amended so as to restore our $240 bonus and allow us for all the time made while serving our Government. JAMES F. CHILD. ] Calendar Reformation Advantages Are Cited To the Editor of The Star: |~ 'The reformation of the calendar is now a popular subject of discussion, apparently. But most people are luke- warm, if not actually opposed, to a year with an uneven number of months, and with many good reasons. It is ques- tionable whether it ever will be adopted. A much simpler mode of reformation and one, considering advantages and disadvantages of the various methods, seemingly offering a satisfactory solu- that presented below: No number 30 days 30 days | tion is New Year day . January February 31 days March . . 30 days i 30 days . 31 days | Solday | (leap years only).... Nonumbe July ... . 30 days 30 days . 31 days 30 days September | October | November 30 days December 31 deys Thus the year always would be di- vided exlcur into 52 weeks. Each quarter would be exactly like every other quarter of the year. Every Jan- | uary, April, July and October would | be ‘exactly alike and start on Sunday. Every February, May, August and No- vember would be exactly alike and start on Tuesday. And every March, June, | September and December would be ex- actly alike and start on Thursday. Knowing these facts, calendars would be unnecessary, as we always could mentally determine without difficulty on what day of the week any date oc- . The difference from year to_year would the occurrence of Solday in the middle of the ‘ur every four years—on lea] . But, being without a would not alter the fixed calendar. This plan would retain the ex! 12 months, divisible into halves ane quarters, mi g the calculation of in- terest on ths 6 per cent basis as easy s at present, and it would retain holi- days at the same qf approximately the same cates as at present. Why not promote some discussion of this simple and aprgrently eminentiy practicable mode uf reforming the calendar? KEPHAR' Stop s minute and think about this fact. You can ask our Information Bu- reau any question of fact and get the answer back in a personal letter. It is a great educational idea, introduce into the lives of the most intelligent people in the world—American newspa- per readers. It is a part of that purpose of a newspaper—service, There is no charge, except 2 cents in coin or stamps for return LF“"‘ Get the habit of asking questions. Address your letter to The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, ‘Washington, D. C. Q. How many divorces were granted in Reno, Nev., last year?—S8. 8. A. There were 2071. In 1928 there were 2,102. About two-thirds of the di- vorces are granted to women. Q. Are there many forests in Egypt? are no forests. The date palm and sycamore are the ipal trees, Many other trees, principally fruit trees, have been introduced and flourish when sufficient moisture is fur- nished. Q. What was the value of & Spanish ducat?>—G. T. The gold ducat was worth $2.32. A. sglln issued silver ducats 90 cents to $1.10. Q. How is William Cowper's name pronounced?—R. 'A. 1t is given the usual English pro- nunciation, Coope A. There ere lynched Q. How many Dersons wi in the United States in 1929?—J. A. There were 10. Of these 7 were negroes and 3 were whites, Four lynch- ings occurred in Florida, 1 in Kentucky, 1 in Mississippi, 1 in Tennessee and 3 in Texas. Q. What countries form the Little Entente?- 3 A. Rumania, Jugoslavia and Czecho- slovakia are the three. Q. Has the G. A. R. admitted Con- federate veterans?—S. P. given a fair deal during the few years | to A. At its encampment in tember, 1929, the Grand Army of the Republic rejected a resolution for union with Confederate veterans. ins. . What do English-s nlenly call nuenm'mu?i.fl. g'ewk A. The name is popularly abbreviated to B. A, Q. Who helps Amos and Andy when an_extra character is heard over the radio?—C. A. H. - b A. Amos and Andy take all parts in their program. There is no third party. Q. Why did Oberammergau begin to give the Passion Play?—E. !i - A: Ol mmergau is a small town in Upper Bavaria. In 1633 the peasant inhabitants of the place, in gratitude for escape from contagion of a deadly plague then raging throughout the themsel d. ‘Who the ' 3,70 U, o, e The English magasine Punc! credited with the origin h of the is in full—"Learn to mfiw BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. the | poinsettias. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS o ‘The other grace is to keep your smoke from people’s faces.” . Which gl the oldest Indian reser- 4 | vations?—F. A. The oldest Indian reservation is the one at Indian Mills, N. J., estal ¢ | lished in 1758. Other old ones of c siderable size are the Navajo Reser- vation (largest in_the United States) and the Seminole Reservation, 75 miles southeast of Fort Myers; also the Crow Reservation in Montana. Q. When was a cracker bakery first established in this country?—L. J. T. A. As far as any authentic record shows, the first cracker bakery in the United States was that of Theodore Pearson at Newburyport, Mass. He be- gan business in 1792 and his specialty was 8 large cracker which was known both as a “pilot” and as ship’s bread. Joshua Brent was Pearson’s first great business rival. He erected an oven for cracker baking at Milton, Mass., in 1801. He was succeeded by many other cracker manufacturers. The crackers were first made by hand. During the years between 1840 and 1865 the me- chanical process employed in making crackers underwent a remarkable de- velopment. Prior to 1840 the us> of machinery in the cracker-making proc- ess was practically unknown. Even . then the dough was still workea up and put into the oven one picce at a time. Machinery was finally invented which took the dough after it had been pre- pared by hand and rolled into a thin sheet which, as it passed over a sort of endless belt, was cut by a stamping ma- chine which works automatically. Q. Who invented the jinrikisha?— . Rev. Jonathan Goble, an American Baptist missionary, invented it in 1871. He was in Yokohama at the time and devised it as a vehicle in which his invalid wife might take the air. Q. How should a poinsettia be treat- ed so that it will bloom again next Christmas?—M. G. B. A. The care "of poinsettias is rather involved. Florists handle them along the following lines: When the plants are through flowering, the 1st of January, the stock plants are selected and placed under the benches for at least 10 weeks. Here they are allowed to becore dried, but the wood should never shrivel. They should be kept at a temperature of 50 to 60 degrees. About the middle of April the soil should be taken off and the plants potted in new, rich soil. They are then cut back considerably and placed on & sunny bench where they will' get some bottom heat. New growth will start almost immediately, and this furnishes material for cuttings. As soon_as the cuttings are rooted they should be potted carefully, so that the roots are not injured. A good fibrous loam, to which has been added about one-fourth the bulk of well rotted cow manure, makes an excellent soil for During the Summer thev may be plunged out of doors' in full sunlight. They should be repotted fre- quently, so as not to become pot-bound. Th ture should never go below at night. As soon as the to show color the tem- ’ e 55 degrees bej uch | perature may be increased 10 or 15 de= The plants should be fully de- the early part of December. Q. When will the new harbor of Peru be completed?—G. A. A. The new port, which is being con- structed at a0, will be finished in the Fall of 1930, This will give Peru one of the most modern and one of the e e 1 grees. Hubert Will Stirs Interest in Methods of Aiding Charity In the midst of various contributions from wealthy persons for charitable purposes, the gifts made under the will of Conrad Hubert are of special interest to the public because of the method of distribution. Catholic, Protestant and Jewish enterprises have shared in the estate of $6,000,000, and the selection of beneficiaries was placed in the hands of former President Coolidge, former Gov. Smith of New York and Julius Rosenwald, himself a philanthropist. “There is announced in the findings of this most unusual committee of ad- ministrators,” according to the Albany Evening News, “one fundamental pre- cept. It is that the organization bene- fited shall also help itself. A condition of the award is t additional funds shall be raised to validate the original gifts. It would seem that there is an underlying principle here, typically American, typically constructive and ti/pluuy energizing. The great institu- tion 1s not to sit 'k complacently to receive the largess of great givers. It is progress, aided toward doubling of the talents awarded.” o “We are particularly glad,” says the Columbus &nmu Dispatch, “to see on i the list such causes as the American Foundation for the School for the Deaf, and the Leonard ‘Wood Memorial Fund for the eradica- tion of leprosy.’ The American Re Cross gets $375,000 toward the erection of its proposed building in New York City, and the importance of developing character in the young is recognized by the allotment of $500,000 each to the Boy Scouts of America and the Girl Scouts.” Referring to “the stream of immigrants into America within the generation now closing,” that paper finds satisfaction that Conrad Hubert “is only one of very many cases which prove that it has good features.” “The American public owes Messrs. Coolidge, Smith and Rosenwald a debt of gratitude for the efforts thus exerted in selecting the causes to which to allot the juest,” avers the Shreveport Journal. “Education, benevolences and charity will be benefited because of the generosity of the late Mr. Hubert, whose personal experiences, especially in his early years, made it possible for him to be an intense sympathizer with those in distress and need. * * * Having made his fortune in the United States, it was a form of gratitude that he wished most of his wealth used for the w;yl{_ne of those in his adopted coun-, * ok Kk “There is something of a magnificent faerie touch,” remarks the Baltimore Sun, “about three men sitting down quietly to divide up $6,000. a number of import ganizations and institutions. dom that such a sum, large enough to be impressive even in th days, is distributed at one time. is even rarer when it is largely among educational projects and medical institutions. Nor is it a fre- quent thing for three men, even when they are rich and eminent in their own right, to have it said to them: ‘Here— here is a fortune. Split it up as you think best.’” * * * It must be admitted that Alfred Smith, Julius Rosenwald and Calvin Coolidge, selected as repre- sentatives of the Catholic, Jewish and Protestant denominations, respectively. have made a thorough job of their pleasant and unusual labors.” llm!hrl; considering the distribution among_different churches, the Dayton Daily News comments: “Here was ag- ited from 5 to 20 centuries of racial religlous antipathy. In the back« of this combination run_rivers of blood. Calvin Cooli Julius Rosen~ wald and Alfred E. Smith came together around a table and had a delightful time at their job. They parcel out Hubert's six millions to hospitals and schools and social settlements, and never a harsh d. - These three men annulled the evil of ages.” Attest- ing that the distribution has been pu"g- made, the Blind, the Clarke |Papel d | that s likely tHat tha'#ffects of the festator's generosity are going to be more widely and generally felt than if he had relied upon his own knowledge and impulses.” * & % ok «“The work was well done,” states the Birmingham News, with the further comment: ‘“Hubert was Russian-born. Before he came to this country he lived in Germany. But it was in America that his fortune was made. It is to , American institutions that his wealth is awarded. Russians by birth, like Hubert, should be welcomed ‘in Hubert’s adopted country. Who knows that mére than one mute, inglorious Conrad Hubert is not being excluded from these shores by severely stringent immigration laws?” The personnel of the committee is praised by the Rock Island Argus, which recalls, as throwing light on their labors, that “Mr. Rosenwald journeyed from Chicago to New York every two weeks in the time since last July, to attend the committee meetings, and that Mr. Coolidge attended every session.” “Not e benevolent verson of ) wealth who that his iartune be sed of wisely for the benefit of hu- manity after his death can command in the execution of his will the services of a former President of the United® States, a former Governor of New York and an eminent philanthropist of orig- inal ideals and rare executive ability,” says the Chicago Daily News. That 'r recognizes that “a high degree cf public benefit was the result aimed at and attained.” The Hartford Times feels Mr. Hubert “used remarkable in- genuity toward securing a fine useful- ness for the large contribution he ;vlahed to make to the natiomal wel- are.” Federalization of Police Forces in States Urged To the Editor of The Star: The clever advantage you have taken of the Seat Pleasant affair to drive home the lesson of “Boundaries and Crime” is beyond admiration. WMay we not hope that you will follow this up with as capable an explanation of other phases of this question? ‘The Drocess of ex- tradition, for instance, puts in the hands of the governcr of each State a judicial function respecting crimes with which he should have no concern at all, and adds a useless element of inefficiency to the long trail of loop- the criminal finds in Ameri- can jurisprudence. The federalization of the police system also would make ble many other improvements in he enforcement of the law, such as the provision of a uniform type of armored car to deal with the criminal use of automobiles and remove the danger to both officer and citizen which exists in the present method of stopping an automobile on -the highway, and it would add a uniformity to law enforce- ment which is sadly needed in displac- ing hatred with popular support and re- spect for the administration of justice. May we not, indeed, properly conclude that the peculiarities of the unfavorable criminal situation in the United States are largely attributable to the system of , dual sovereignty accentuated by the valence of the use of the automobile? 'he “damnable affiiction” in American today is not prohibition, but self-government. ——— True Thanksgiving, m the Oregon Datly Journal (Portland). quietude and sanctity of chamber, in lluaaly - ~solemn still- e, s cove the fashions of the ——————— Safer With Flowers. From the Hamilton Spectator. A Newark woman shot her husband Io played with v acclaimed as wisel 1l Evening Lead that “it 3 she loves me,” is better flower petals,