Evening Star Newspaper, February 8, 1930, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR Wih Sundoy Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, N. C. SATURDAY. .. .February 8, 1930‘ THEODO! W. NOYES....Editor |stead act, on the theory that if there T e e atircement law, ten there wil ‘The Evening d pn%ln PEALE by o e Rate by Carrier Within the City. ing Sta; B B ¢ ver roonth enen s Cetien 3 Bun The Su: - Siar -...65¢ per month made at the end of cach month. fi?flgdfl.!lflunllflh!m or televhone Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. E.H' snd Sunday. .. 1 yr. s c das”onty 0 .. 85 .. 50c mo.. 40c All Other States and Canada. > ang Sundey..lar. 3tz 00§ mo. s Iy o0l 112 "88.00: 1 mo.s .00 o i e lay " only 1yl 1mo. ted to it Otnerwise ered. his n:.pndlnrll;m I'h:::;cll ne bere o #vecial ‘disbatches herers Sk Secret Investigations. A policy that encourages the secret nvestigation of the administration of various offices in the District govern- ment in order to check up on the of- ficials who appear to defend their esti- mates before the committees of Congress eontains certain dangers that will of eourse be borne in mind by those who direct the investigators. It will be granted, for instance, that i morale and dignity amount to any- thing more than figures of speech, one of the quickest ways to undermine one and to belittle the other is to let it be known that a number of nameless agents have been turned loose on a fishing expedition for the gathering of various facts and fancies that may be used to cross-examine those who ap- pear before the committees. It will be granted that such secret in- vestigations tend to stimulate the tale- bearing instincts of discontented subor- dinates, quick to pick flaws and run| with them to Capitol Hill, instead of working with their constituted superiors to correct faults themselves or to sug- §est remedies. It will be granted that any praise- worthy enthusiasm for his work that may exist on the part of a municipal employe will receive a disheartening shower of cold water when he learns that his actions have been secretly lons in America. It was an inspiring|in tying together rows of the collapsible noted by investigators and carried, with g the hfimflmm.fi the | °CCasion, and therein may rejoice not|3eats, does not meet the objections of ‘committee rooms of Congress, where the employe i unexpectedly asked to ex- plain and to justify them. The business of sending an agent Wwith a note book to the District Su- preme Court to check up on the time spent on the bench by the justices during one week has at least served 10 satisfy public curiosity on that point, | though the simpler procedure might have been to ask the justices. them- selves. At the same time that partic- ular bit of espionage seems rather wasteful of somebody's time and prompts the natural inquiry as to who watched the watcher. The committees of Congress charged ‘with the duty of legislating for the Dis- trict will be applauded in their efforts to bring more efficlency into the ad- ministration of public offices and the expenditure of public funds. The more doubting Thomases there are on these committees the better. It is also to be borne in mind that the members of these committees, like generals or great executives, must depend for much of their information upon reports from the firing line. But experience has shown that attempts to inculcate a spirit of loyalty to service among the workers and to reward diligent en- deavor with even a word of approval will accomplish more in the end than the most highly organized and sys- tematically reporting secret service— that is, unless the object of the secret service is the taking of scalps instead ©f an efficient Government organization. ———————— One of the easiest things an eminent legislator does is to find something new %o investigate. B ] The Right to Drink. Representative James M. Beck of Pennsylvania, former Solicitor General of the United States, argued before the House yesterday against a continuance of national prohibition. He went far back into the history of man to prove that there are certain rights of the person with which the State has no real Tight to interfere, or that the races bave declined to permit the State to interfere with. One of these rights, ac- cording to Mr. Beck, is the right to drink alcoholic beverages. In his argu- ment he complained that a mere ma- Jority has no real right to impose its will upon & minority in this matter. Presumably he argued that a mqumy.’ of the people of the United States did | not have a right to impose its will upon | & minority of the people. Mr. Beck was greatly exercised be- cause, through the prohibition amend- ment to the Constitution and the Vol- stead act, the States are losing their powers and their moral consciousness as States and “are fast becoming little more than police provinces.” He gested that the self-respect of the peo- ple would be restored by repeal of the eighteenth amendment “and thus leave to the States the adjustment of the! problem, in accordance with their local conditions and several necessities.” I this means anything—and pre- gumably it does, coming from Mr. Beck—it means that the several States @re to determine for themselves whether they shall have prohibition or not. But 42 the right to drink is one of those smauienable rights which should not be @ented a minority of the people in the United States, as Mr. Beck declares, ‘why should it be denied a minority of the people in a State of the Union? If Mr. Beck’s argument were carried log- fcally to its conclusion, he would not Jeave it in the power of the individual States to trample upon the rights of the minority in this way. Rather would he have the Constitution amended so #s not to permit any State to adopt prohibition. In that way alone could he safeguard to the minority of a people in a State the right to drink alcoholic &:Nn—nm . .60c per month through the for changing Mr. Beck insurmountable at this time. Indeed, he sees little hope, if any, for such a repeal in the future. His rem- edy, therefore, is the repeal of the Vol- be no prohibition. ment, it might pay just as little Tespect again flourish in the United States. Representative Beck is a Republican. He predicted dire things for the G. O. P. unless it disassociates itself entirely from the cause of prohibition. He said, perhaps remembering a remark made by another Republican on another cc- caslon, “it cannot forever be half-wet and half-dry.” While Mr. Beck did not pecifically say that the Republican party, to live, must become entirely “wet,” that is the inescapable implica- tion. Certainly, judging from the con- text of his speech, he does not believe that the party can become entirely dry and live. Perhaps he intends to read all of the drys out of the Republican party and thus preserve it. Yet Mr. Beck does not appear to be on= of those Who would have the tail wag the dog. Prohibition is still in the experi- mental stage, despite the fact that a decade has passed since the. national ary law went into effect. It may | 2Tways be in an experimental stage, for man has sought for centuries to deal Wwith the traffic in alcoholic liquor. But one thing appears to be rather certain— A majority will continue to rule and impose its will upon the country in this matter as long as the present form of government stands, desplte the objec- tions of Mr. Beck. When a majority decides, if ever, that it no longer de- sires prohibition,'then prohibition's days will be numbered. 1 oo Another Triumph for Conservation, Fortunate, indeed, can those com- paratively few count themselves who Thursday afternoon witnessed at the Interior Department the formal trans- fer of the 150,000 acres of former State land to be the nucleus of the Great Mountain National Park, which, once it has peen made accessible by a proper system of highways, will become one of the most notable public domin- only the officials representing the Fed- eral Government and the two donor States, Tennessee and North Carolina, but all residents of the United States, whether or not they shall ever be for- tunate enough to visit this fascinating region. The Government acquired title to these more than two hundred square miles early in January, but the formal tender of the huge public Pplayground took place only a day or two ago. An important milestone in park progress Wwas passed when the governors of the two States involved in the transfer pre- sented the necessary deeds to Secretary Wilbur. There is as much more land to be acquired as the total already owned in order to round out this great park to desired proportions, but there seems no doubt that it will be obtained. The region has been described as one concerning which it is next to impossi- ble not to become lyrical, unless one be so thoroughly awed that any lyrical tendencies depart promptly from him. Much of the land has never been seen by the eyes of a white man, save through the lens of an aerial camera. It lies in the largest wilderness area remaining east of the Mississippl. The right to purchase the land has been fought successfully through varlous courts. The victory is one in which not only every North Carolinian, every Tennessean, but every American and many thousands of foreigners may re- Joice. The thanks of the whole people to those who have labored to fulfill this dream of a great, playground in the East were cordially expressed by Secre- tary Wilbur, who declated, “This hour marks a historical occasion in the progress of conservation,” and who paid high tribute not only to the Legislatures and parks commissions of both South- ern States, but also to the public spirit shown by the Laura Spellman Rockefeller Memorial and by John D. Rockefeller, jr., through their gen- erous contributions to the acquisition of this national treasure. Both governors have expressed con- fidence that at an early date sufficient additional acreage will have been ac- quired to permit the national parks officials to proceed with the develop- ment of the region on a basis compara- ble with the Yellowstone and other similar great tracts in the West. There is little doubt that very many now alive, and by no means youthful, will enjoy opportunity to traverse this his- toric, yet primitive and beautiful, region in comfort and with consequent benefit and inspiration. It is possible that a number of in- nocent rabbits have escaped while huntsmen concentrated attention on the mysterious prowler. The Same Old Russia. Great Britain and Soviet Russia have not been on resumed diplomatic speak- |ing terms very long, but already London | has proof that Moscow's pledges are not the last word in reliability. When the Macdonald government determined, in the teeth of widespread British opposi- tion, to rerecognize the Soviet, following demonstrated evidence of Russian med- dling in British domestic affairs, the Moscow government, gave a definite un- dertaking to abstain from Communist | propaganda on British soll. Yet in the If there were no police, criminals might do as they please, until the people themselves un- dertook to deal with:them. The op- ponents of the idea now advanced by Mr. Beck as the practical way of deal- ing with the prohibition tangle doubt- less will say that if Congress is to pay no respect to the eighteenth amerd- to the amendment which abolished slavery and that institution might THE EVENING Third International style with char- acteristic thrusts at the evils of | Although the British government does Dot propose for the moment to bestow any further notice upon the incident, the forelgn secretary's action in taking it up with the Russian envoy is a matter in itself of first-rate significance. It indicates that Downing Street has its eye carefully peeled in the Soviet's direction, and is not disposed to stand any more of the subversive nonsense which ended in the severance of previ- ous Anglo-Russian relations—the Arcos | House affair in London. Even at this early stage of Britain's reawakening to the Third International's incurable perfidy, there are signs that the fresh experiment of diplomatic rela- tions with Moscow may come to a sud- den collapse. If the experiment proves enduringly successful, it will be rather ! conclusive proof that the age of mira- cles is not past. e S — Movies in School Auditoriums. Turned over to the school authorities by one branch of the District govern- ment, equipped and apparently planned {for the display of motion pictures, | auditoriums in some of the elementary schools have been declared unfit for this use by another branch of the District government. The school authorities are left in the lurch and hope that some- thing will be done. Something should be done immediately. The movable seats in the elementary school auditoriums, when the audi- toriums are used for display of motion pictures, apparently constitute a menace that is contrary to fire regulations. But as the auditoriums are used part of the time as gymnasiums and part of the time as assembly halls, the seats must be movable. apparently acceptable to the Fire Marshal, for the projection booths meet the requirements. They were planned for showing moving pictures, which have been adopted as one of the chief means of carrying forward the visual education program in the public schools. They were intended gradually to eliminate the necessity of sending children to convenient churches or neighborhood moving pieture houses, the expense of these expeditions being borne by the parents. This is a matter that ought to be settled in a brief conference of a few minutes between responsible authorities at the District Building. If the scheme that has been proposed, which consists the Fire Marshal, there must be some other way of getting around the difficulty. And it is to be trusted that the correct procedure will be decided upon and adopted without further delay. ——e—re— As Chief Justice, Charles E. Hughes can lead a life of comparative repose unless another campaign gives him the thrill that an old fire horse feels when he hears the engines coming down the street. ———— All kinds of elegant office furniture are at the disposal of Col. Lindbergh, who prefers to avoid the close atmos- Pphere of an office and to take the fresh air'in & glider. r——— Paris fashions say that skirts will be longer. The announcement is cautious- ly made at a period of the year when outdoor sports are not a dominant in- fluence on attire. R Detective stories convey the impres- sion that the solution of a crime is in- evitable. Unfortunately criminals are not inclined to attach serious impqr- tance to literature, .- Intelligently organized charity is one of the most notable expressions of a time remarkable for intensive organiza- tion in every field of human endeavor. — et Oceasionally an eloping couple is so careless as not to leave a telegraph ad- dress to which forgiveness can be promptly forwarded. r——e— Psychoanalysis should be able to do something with the would-be assassin who regards himself as an extra added attraction in a political celebration. —————— Most important discoveries in polar Teglons are those relating to lost ex- plorers. —————— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. ‘The Calendar. Blossoms are hidden over there By hills so gaunt and proud. The rainbow with its colors fair ‘Waits just beyond the cloud. 8o I am plodding toward the May ‘That banishes our grief, As from the calendar, each day, I tear another leaf, Human Uncertainty. “You have learned a great deal about human nature during your public ca- reer.” “A great deal” agreed Senator Sor- ghum. “But not enough to enable me to feel confident at any time as to how the crowd is going to vote at a coming elec- tion.” Jud Tunkins says a book censor ought to be paid extra for engaging in a mor-~ ally hazardous occupation. Unanimous Preference. Our plans are for complete release From wars that all regret. ‘With every one desiring Peace, How can they be upset? At the Sandwich Counter. “I have to be more careful about what House of Commons on January 22 For- eign Secretary Henderson announced that he had found it necessary to re- monstrate with the Soviet ambassador at London against a highly provocative message from the Third International which appeared in an English paper on January 1. In guarded but unambiguous language Mr. Henderson informed the ambassador that such ac- tion was “calculated to impede the im- provement of the relations between Great Britain and Russia.” beversges when the desire comes upon them. ‘The London paper to which the mes- sage was t is & new Communist ‘The difficulties of bringing about a journal tly established in London.' “don't have to holler 1 eat.” “Reducing?” “Yes. Not weight, but expenses.” “It is wise,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “to think twice before giving to charity and with each thought to double the amount.” Fish and Geography. Give thanks, O fisher friend of mine, For transportation far and fine! Though frozen be this neighborhood, In other respects the auditoriums are [ tad STAR, WASHIN THIS AND THAT Why are human beings so happy if they can but look alike, dress alike, live alike, even think and talk alike? Conversely, why do they resent the person of - unlike appearance, frown upon any difference in dress, or in liv- ing habits, become angry when ethers differ with them in ideas, especially during conversation? An amazing amount of time, nd thm:rht is put forward every year | by the tribe of mankind in the pursuit of similarity. One might think that distinction was the last thing the average man or woman wanted or appreciated. to judge by the studious care most of us take to offer no handle for criticism through a difference of any sort, The truth seems to be that difference is, indeed, the most feared quality among men. We feel safe with the fa- miliar, ill at ease, afraid before the un- known—which is just another way of saying the different. * ok ok % If there were any proof needed of man’s kinship to the animals, it would be found in huge measure in'this very trait of humanity, even after all these centuries. Variation from type, either in ap- pearance or habits, is visited among animals with resentment amounting to physical harm and even death. The lame "or fl&ded animal is speedil; o pack, or else killed out- right. Those most animal of the ancient Greeks, the 8 had little if any use for the vidualized child. He was nelther wanted nor tolerated. A severe standard of physical and mental characteristics, mostly useful in war, was demanded of each and every youngster, Those who could meet the grade, as some say nowadays, were rewarded with the full rank of “man,” according to the Spartan ideals. These peoples, first in civilized times, enunciated the doctrine that man is for war, and woman for the warrior, Yet surely there must have been cer- n boys, “sports” from the old heroic breed, who neither cared for war nor regarded women as simply something to raise up another warrior. There must have been a young Spartan, every now and then, who looked upon some one maiden as a friend and comrade, one to whom he effogt pleasure’s sake, nor even for the duty of raising up more children for the state, but above all and before all be- :(auuu she met certain needs c* affec- n. Yet such a Spartan, as judged by the all-inclusive trend for similarity of the tribe, was a bad Spartan, a traitor both to himself, his comrades’ and the state, * ok ok ok His crime, of course, would have been that of difference. Today one sees it, rather simply and in the pure state, in the scorn visited upon those who dare to differ with the herd wearing of hair. Let a young man, strictly minding his own business, walk along one of our downtown streets closely muffled in an overcoat, but without a hat, during a Snowstorm, at least 8 out of 10 passers- by will brand him as ass. And this, in spite of the fact that the young fellow is as healthy as a pig, never suffers from a cold or sore throat, has a wonderful complexion, and may cians several years ago ordered him to 8o hatless. It any adventuresome person wishes preferred to go before all others, not for | 888! e BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. to learn of the displeasure of the ma- jority at first hand, let him go in steadtastly for long hair. Cromwell started something, years ago, when dheads set a hair- dress fashion. The spread of that t! t the world has n ;toyt‘;:m' less than marvelous. - We of America are 5o used to cloge- cropped hair, now even among our womenfolk, that unless we stop to think of it we fail to realize the universality of the short hair cut. Artists and actors, through some queer dispensation, are permitted the luxury of being different in this respect. Maybe it is tradition, no doubt that is it; what- ever it is, if we know that a man is a member of either one of those profes- sions, we permit him to do as he pleases in this regard. All the rest of us, however, must have our hair cut just 80 if we want to please everybody else. This pleasure will be shown in the usual negative way, by lack of comment. Be a plumber, however, or a writer, a bricklayer or a stock broker, and dare to enter the lists with flowing locks— Then you will see What it meags to be different! * Kk Most of us spend nine-tenths of our time trying as hard as we can to be like everybody else we know. Bubconsciously, until it almost ap- pears an instinct, we realize that com- ment on differences will be adverse. All of us can please each other only by reflecting other, as in mirrors, so that Tom Jones sees something of the great Jones in Bill Smith, and Bill Smith, in his turn, sees only the gra- clous reflection of one Smith in Jones. Those great exemplars of humanity, the men who have dared to think their own thoughts, live in thelr own way, and always and everywhere be them- selves, have taught us nothing. We would much rather meet the approbation of Timothy Hay, whase approval amounts to nothing, than bs righteously satisfled with ourselves because we are living, acting, thinking, mkn} as befits this unique person— ourself. We are mortgaged to others, and yet think we are free. Our time is given up to resembling the mob, when the will of the herd is notoriously fickle. Women, for instance, find that now that men know they have legs they can go back to wearing long skirts but no sooner do they do so, than every-man-and-Jack-alive on the streets begins staring at them. The very men who cried “Shame!” the loudest over short skirts are the first to bellow against the long ones. » ‘To be as individual as possible ought to be the goal of every person, so long s he achieves his end without violating public decency or harming any man. Ought to be, afirm, because only by means of the individualists has the bulk of mankind been moved on- even be alive today because his physi- | beca ward and upward to better things. Without the great and glorious men and women who have dared to be them- selves, the rest of us still would be gnawing bones in caves. Think of the men who dared to dream of anything first, to be the initiators, the leaders! ‘They were dreamers all, but the bravest, and, the final analysis, the most practical of men, Most human beings look alike, dress alike, think alike, one may well believe, use they lack the courage be otherwise. Peace hath her victorles, no less than war, and one may be brave on the street as well as on the battlefleld. Majority sentiment appears to uphold Attorney General Mitchell in his declaration that officials connected with enforcement of prohibition in the future must be persons who themselves are “dry.” Many believe that this will offer a more eiecuve test of condi- tlons and will remove current criticism. Others fear that it will be difficult to recrult enforcement officers with this requirement. Still others deny that the law requires officers to meet the quali- fication. “Such a requirement,” according to the San Antonio Express, “does not infringe upon the citizen's acknowl- edged right to oppose any law and, Lhrcu,h constitutional channels, to work for its repeal. Mr. Mitchell mere- ly holds that the avowed critic of the eighteenth amendment is not best qualifiéd to enforce the statutes enacted under it. He purposes exercising his right of choice and appointing officials Wi in his judgment are fitted for this responsible public duty. In his first inaugural address Washington set up such a standard: ‘The foundations or national policy will be laid in the pure and immutable principles of private mnnmz}: ok “Much of the current dissatisfaction with prohibition,” in the opinion of the Wichita Beacon, “is doubtless due to the fact that many of the dry off- clals and legislators responsible for the law have been personally wet. If Mr. Mitchell can help to change that situs tion he will be doing all of us a favor. In expressing approval, the Puebio Star-Journal points out that “no one wotld think of putting on a police force a man who did not believe in the detection and punishment of crim- inals,” while the Charlotte News feels sure that “the Department of Justice will get somewhere with enforcement if it can get anywhere with this pro- posed reform.” “It is a wholesome standard which Attorney General Mitchell is propos- ing” says the New York Times, although that paper feels that “it is doubtful if the men he has in mind will measure up to it, but it will at least have the success of being an open rebuke to unblushing hypocrisy in offi- clal places.” Comment from the New York Herald Tribune is that “they will learn one of the lessons of Government, namely, that laws can and should be made to fit the people, and that the people neither can nor should be made to fit the laws.” * K K % “There is no law against drinking aleoholic liquors,” argues the Charl ton Evening Post. “There is impro- priety in public indulgence in them on the part of those charged with enfore- ing the prohibition laws. But to make total abstinence on the part of such officials an effective requirement will call for a constant scrutiny of personal conduct and raise up a swarm of spies and informers and agents provocateurs, because incentive is given to dln‘flm- ment of and the hope of succeed'ng to the place, as an addition to enmities which naturally are excited by ad- ministrators of the law.” 2 ‘The Columbus Ohio State Journal voices the hope that the Attorney Gen- eral “may select men too honorable to take bribes, too wise to do foolish things, who will place on the law ad- ministration the hallmark of honor~ able service.” ‘The paper adds, how- ever, that “merely to be on the d &'“e is not proof they will supply that distinguished service. The Attorney Iry | cent alcohol by volume. HARR' General is far too wise to accept that idea and seek to build on it.” * ok ok ¥ : does not mean, as Attorney General Mitchell shows,” states the Kansas City Journal-Post, “that only professional _ prohibitionists shall be employed. The task more than zeal. No mind reader will be called in to ascertain what any applicant for appointment may believe, 'way down Somewhere the fishing’s always good. “A good preacher,” saidgUncle Eben, 0 as to Yepeal of the eighteenth amendment The message was for the most part & keep you f'um going to sleep.” in his consciousness, as to the practi- cabllity and immortality of national prohibi But if he is a brave, | prudent, loyal man, who will do his guly without fear or favor and will ob- Set a Wet to Catch a Wet Admitted to Be Poor Légic may be depended upon to render faith- ful and effective service.” “It is evident that in order to make the eighteenth amendment and Vol- stead act effective,” aggues the Provi- dence Journal, “some ‘of the friends of these e ents are im- Yruud With the necessity of revamp- Ing our legal machinery all along '.ge line, And, of course, there is also the necessity of transformi; ng our social practices and, in short, remodeling our national customs. Putting it in an- other way, national prohibition goes athwart our whole American scheme of things, and to enforce it in anything like & businesslike and efficient fashion would require such a turnabout and overturn of established habits and theories as is absolutely impractical “It is not nearly so absurd, not nearly 80 obnoxious, not nearly so repugnant to a sense of justice and the proprieties,” asserts the aha World-Herald, “as to have the homes of citizens raided and searched by enforcement agents Whose breath smells of whi or to see a citizen prosecuted for the iliegal pos- sesslon of liquor by a Federal attorney who 1s guilty of the same offense. When such things happen, the effect on popu- l‘:x; hr_lg‘agect for prohibition law is devas- On the other hand, the Plain Dealer pictures the an officer who established test: barrassment of Cleveland experience of mgm meet m:hnewly +One can see the em- these 100 per cent dry -mnu when they make a seizure of what they really think is whisky but are prevented by Rule 89672 from sub- Jecting it to the logical and time-hon- ored test. Their strength might be ‘the strength of ten because their hearts are pure,’ but we have a sneak be- lief that when the news of Mr. Mitchell's ?l.m went forth the biggest laugh came rom the bootleggers.” . Gauging the Alcoholic Content of Beer To the Editor of The Star: Your editorial on 2.75 per’cent beer makes meniion of Ontario’s 4.4 per cent beer -mtl Il,::ve:. thetln!erence bt'hlt 4.4 per ‘cen T not a-good beverage. ‘The beer sold publicly in Onhn;'h 4.4 per cent proof, which means 2.2 per cent alcohol. The word “proof” usually escapes the notice of those who look at the label on the bottle. Ontario near- beer is 2.2 per cent alcohol, ours less than one-half per cent. The beer of pre-prohibition days was usually 3 to 32 per cent, but sometimes went as high as 5 or 6 per cent. Canadian beer sold under permit is marked 6 per cent grool or 8 per cent proof, which means per cent or 4 per cent alcohol. Ale marked “rfl" cent proof is 8 per cent slcohol. e percentage is found by dividing proof by two. Beer that ran as high as 4.4 per cent alcohol would be strong beer and pos- sibly intoxicating because & pint of it would contain nearly as much alcohol as the average drink of whisky that was served over the bar in saloon days. ‘The erroneous idea as to 4.4 beer arises from the fact that in Canada all liquors are marked in proof, British standa: while in America we usually used the ‘word ‘“proof” in referring to wl . Our whiskies ran from 90 fo 110 proof, ‘which meant 45 to 55 per cent alcohol. One hundred proof whisky is 50 per 'Y M. DENGLER. B — An Expert. From the Detroit News. A dmbl--uh’mlu “lrylhh: is where weather forecas very umtén in me ical instruments of all kinds and a case of rheumatism, [ Only Fixed Ones. From the Shreveport Journal. The telephone company boasts that during 1929 1t set up more than a lion poles in the United Stal and we e that 't serve the law he is asked to eriforce, he | been in | ond place in h l’gew:entue of | purn TON, D. C, SATURDAY, pgBRUARY 8, 1930, . THE LIBRARY TABLE Alexandre Dumas, pere, rently as vain, as rfl g:ckm.uurfluam_ eager an ad- venturer as his own DAI:Y-llnln, it we accept Herbert Gorman's picture of him in “The Incredible Marquis.” His career of defying all authority, of pleas- ing only himself, of continual play- acting, began early, for his widowed mother Was never su in exerting any conl over her wayward san,‘ whom no one in his boyhood ever sus- pected of & genius. When Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, son of a Frenchman of birth and a Negress named Marie s, fell into disfavor with Napoleon, after a more or less dis- tinguished record as a general, he re- tired to the village of Villers-Cotterets and there soon dled, leaving his widow and two children very little in the way | of means of support. While his mother kept & tol shop, the young Alex- andre spent most of his time shooting and trapping birds in the ne&hborinl forest, fencing, and roaming the fields and country roads, with a desultory study which his mother ar- ranged with the village abbe, He learned practically nothing except a clear, flourishing penmanship, which was responsible, & few years later, for his securing a ?ocmun in the offices of the Duc d'Orleans in the Palais Royal at Paris. Dismissed from a solicitor’s office, where his mother md placed him in an effort to make Hm earn a portion of his livelihood, he rejoiced at his freedom and left for Paris, with a few francs in his pocket. Throughout his life, Dumas seems always to have been delighted when- ever he lost a paid ;eumnn. probably because he held such positions only under protest, in order to pay ele- mentary expenses. * ok kX Paris meant to Dumas not work, but adventure, and soon the chief of his adventures began to center about the theater. Free tickets enabled him to attend most of the popular plays. So his nights were spent at the theater and his days, in the duke's offices, in scribbling plays of his own. The duke was a thrifty man and ‘Was soon demoted and then told to choose be- tween his position and his writing. Of course, Dumas choSe the writing and left in a rage, but secretly pleased that he need no longer bend over an office desk, copying correspondence in his flourishing handwriting. At this time he had dependent upon him his mother, a_ mistress and his {llegitimate son, Alexandre fils, never weighed heavily upon him. After many dhc"numements, which did not depress him more than momentarily, fortune came his way when his play “Henry III and’/His Court” was pro- duced at the Theatre Francais, and won success as a forerunner of the new romanticism. After that plays tumbled from his pen for the rest of his life, most of them poor or indif- ferently good. It was not until 1835, when he was 33, thlt hc'llfien':,p;;d”nf'; tion, with Souvenirs of An ) which he borrowed liberally from Scott. Dumas had few literary scruples and little pride of originality. He never hesitated to borrow, without mention- ing the fact, from another author who had anything tempting to offer. the appearance of “The Three Mus- keteers” in 1844, the drama fell to sec- life and he became the most popular writer of romance in ope. Jrin * ok k% but his responsibilities | does ANSWERS TO QUES QNS Many readers send in questions signed only with initials, asking that the answers appear in the newspaper. The space is limited and would not accom- modate a fraction of such requests. The answers published are ones that may interest many readers, rather unr; the one who asks the question only. Al questions should be accompanied by the writer's name and address and 2 cents in coin or stamps for reply. Send your question to The Evening Star Informa- tion Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, direc- tor, Washington, D. C. Q. What kind of a steak is a minute —A. H. ‘"A.A”I!Au a small, individual steak. It may be either a plece IOI‘ potr‘vz\;'!;our:‘s: n(:: 11 tenderloin. get :ro:::mthe I:‘ct that it can be cooked in a very short time. . How thick are the walls of the w-qnunmn Monument?—F, L. F. A. Its height from the floor of en- trance to tip is 555 feet 514 Inches. ‘The walls are 15 féet in thickness at the entrance and taper to 18 inches at the top of the shaft. . How many kinds of tage unqmps have borne George w:ahmma portrait?—L. R. . . Thirty-nine different ~domestic postage stamps have borne his portrait. Q. What is Alaska's best crop?— =k no crop is more generally potato, Eu im- A. Perhaj cultivated than the portant commercially. is called China's cause it is the source of many of the floods which devastate the Northern China plain. It is also called Ungovern- able and Scourge of the Sons of Han. Q. Who composed the Lost Bat- talion?—J. D. A. The Lost Battalion was the bat- talion under the command of Lieut. Col. Charles W. Whittlesey, made | of the 307th and th Infani Division, A. E. F. of men » T7th Q. Is there really a planet named Vulcan?—W. B. L. A. The supposed discovery of the planet Vulcan in 1859 has never been confirmed, Q. What is the difference between &n octopus and a devilfish? How large each grow?—F. R. D, A. The Bureau of Fisheties says that there is no difference between the devil- fish and the octopus. In some parts of the country where the devilfish abundant, it ranges from 7 to 9 feet and welghs from 50 to 60 pounds. Q. Please give a biogre) of Dr. Mary Walker.—J. E. A, i A. Dr. Mary Walker was born in Eniate Dhvaiclan 23 serrscar graduate n at 23 years of age with a d from S; e mdw'- Iyracus: 1 odlh'r New York. She commenced practice in Columbus, Ohio, but soon returned n' Rome, Al cticed Some years. At out- of the Civil ;hr she on the surgical staff of the Union forces. She always appeared in male tire. After four years' service she was awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor for bravery. She then took to rent anomalies in the char- in M&eo:n&mu are simple enough, ac- | dress, cording to Herbert Gorman, if he is cnml:e'nd as a child—a barbaric child. , “My father is a great me——bo“ln when I was quite a child.” his career of popularity Dumas made huge sums of money, but slways spent much more than he made; he died in a bare room im a pension near Dieppe, cared for and paid for ‘by the two timate children who had retained intermittent relatiors with_him. Longing to be elected to the French Academy and making re- peated and crude efforts to attain that end, he never achieved it. He em- ployed various hack writers to write rtions of his works and to rummage ibraries for material, and was the sub- Ject of viclous attacks because of this practice, but he seems not to have overstepped the law, probably by good luck rather than by pllnnmf He was involved in many lawsuits for breach of contract, as he never hesi- tated to leave France for some tempt« journey, even though he was ol ited to turn in regular installments on a number of serials. He loved showy clothes—gaudy waistcoats, many chains and rings, flowing capes, and uniforms. He was an epicure and a good cook, and loved to concoct delica- cles for himself and his friends. He ‘was generous, wasteful, with his money, and often fed several hundred friends, acquaintances, and even strangers, at his table in the days of his greatest “folly"—the chatehu which he called Monte Cristo. He was affectionate on impulse, but was easily wearied de- mands on his affections. He sald of ‘Pilmull that he ;;vf; n;ue}g:d &1: iways acted on ulse. ps Duc d'Orleans, later Louis Philippe, pronounced his most ap te char- acterization when ke of him, “What a playboy!"” * ok ok k Among other interesting sea yarns narrated in “Ships and Sailors: Tales of the Sea” by Stanley , who has also illustrated the volume, is & true story which goes to prove that Jonah might have been swallowed by a whale ungl come mr& alive. This same experience, says Mr. Rogers, was undergone by a sailor, James Bartley, who, in the excitement of harpooning a cachalot, was lost overboard the Amer- ican whaler Star of the East, in 1891, off the Falkland Islands. The next morning, after the whale had been dispatched, its stomach was opened up in search of ambergris, and the body of a man, doubled up and unconscious, was found. It was Bartley. He was delirious for two wecks, but completely | lit recovered, although his skin was per- manently bleached to a deadly white- ness. * ok ok % John Wesley is seen in a romantic light in “The Lord's Horseman,” Umphrey Lee. The ey of his picture appears in the description of the “single , small and slight, bis long gray hair falling over his shoul- ders, sitting on a tired horse, plodding forward with loosened rein.” John Wesley was not mere preacher; he was humanitarian, philosopher, per- sonal adviser in a way to suggest mocd- ern workers in mental hygiene, un- official physician. For about 60 years he traveled and preached and cealt with the troubles of human beings; he left a record of 225,000 miles covercd on horseback or on foot and 40,000 sermons preached. * ok ok ok Swinburne criticism has been en- riched by a volume, a large ore, by Prof. Samuel C. Chew of Bryn Mawr College, under the simple title “Swin- e.” Prof. Chew devotes especial attention to the prose writings and tragedies of Swinburne, because they have received less comment from rritics than the lyrics, which, however, are properly rec ized as the poet's best work. = Swinburne is essentially an the, lecture fleld, appea: in male at- '-lé. either tmekwe 2:{ or evening . She died in February, 1919. Q. Can a drinking glass be broki by the vibrations of l‘ lin note of or clarinet?—E. V. M. St A. The Bureau of Standards does nol believe it possible fo break a drink glass with the vibrations of a note o;n: » N. Y., where she|ing. BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN, g g e h v G S the i e nds?—A. A. R. % Their colns are minted in the United States. Q. Is there a town named after Clemenceau?—E. 8. D. A. Clemenceau, Ariz, is so named. In his will Georges Clemenceau be- queathed to this town “a vase designed by Chapelet in a light lilac color, which will be found on the shelf above the mirror in my study.” Q. How much almond paste is used in the United States each year?— G. I. A. Tt is estimated that from 6.000,000 to 7,000,000 pounds of almond paste are consumed _in country annually, most of which is manufactured by large candy manufacturers and sold to bakers for making cakes and macaroons. Q. What are the seven virtues as set flpn.h by the Roman Catholic Church?— . 8. A. The three theological virtues are faith, hope and charity. The four cardinal virtues are prudence, justice, ge | fortitude and temperance. iy Q. What rate of intercst does a Government bond pay? Where a such bonds bought?—E. L. R. A Government bonds do not all pay the same amount of interest. At ade vertised times they are sold by the Treasury. During the period that sub- scription books are closed the purchase of United States Government bonds must be made in the open market, through any rellable bank, trust com- pany, or reputable bond dealer, at the rrev-mn. market price, which is quoted n the financlal columns of pers which are published in the mlud States. Q. What color is lapis lazuli?—E. L. M. A. This stone varies from a deej azure blue to a greenish blue, bot colors often being combined. Q. Is it injurious to silk and woolen fabrics when storing same in moth- proot containers and placing them in an attic during Summer months where the thermometer registers probably 100 degrees or over?—L, M. M. A. Such fabrics should not be sub- Jected to the Summer heat of the attic. It breaks down the materials and lowers their resistance to ordinary wear. Q. Who was awarded the Lamme gold medal this year?—G. E. A. R. E. Hellmund, chief electrical engineer of the Westinghouse Electric & is | Manufacturing Co., will bs awarded the e gold medal at the Summer ses- slon of the American Institute of Elec- trical Engineers, which convenes at Toronto in June. Mr. Hellmund will receive this honor for achievements in developing electrical machinery apparatus. FHe holds more than 300 United States and foreign patents, has o and «mped ‘:‘ elee:’rlnll! operated ventilat s an - fected a new method of armature wind- th | missioned as first lieutenant to serve | boXer, wear?—i p him recently measured 9 inches across the sole and 18%:inches from heel to toe, Q. Is Dr. Karl Menninger, author of “The Human Mind" an American? If MH‘.‘QO practice in the United Dr. Karl Menninger is one of the 5 Topeka, Kans, andttock ns., and tool A. B. and M.'S, at the University and his M. D. at Harvard. violin or clarinet. The vibrations are Z‘.’.f,'"'"’”" for a sufficient length of ‘Wisconsin With his father a brother he'con- ucts a ps hospital and ‘sani- at Topeks, Highlights on the Wide World Excerpts From Newspapers of Other Lands ORTH CHINA STANDARD, Pei- .—The anti-queue and anti- d-feet crusaders of the bu- reau of social welfare and the | By police started recently to take & census jointly. The crusaders are empowered to cut the queues from man wearers. Ladies with small feet will be given 10 days to unbind their feet. Handbills were distributed by the bureau of public safety to the local residents announcing the purpose of the taking of the census. The residents are instructed not to make false reports to the police, as the authorities are also attempting to weed out thieves, bane dits, reactionaries and undesirable char- acters from the by means of the forthcoming census. The bulletins add | bees that the poor and meedy should be lo- cated, so that Winter relief will be distributed more effectively. The mat- ter cannot be delayed, since six per- sons have already been found frozen to death on local streets. * ok % Young Princess Worships Her Ancestors. Japan _Advertiser, Tokio.—Princess S I e =l e ToT, af the Kashikodokoro firlne. in the com- pound of the 1 palace, on a re- cent ;nomlnl. ?nmuny was in accordance with a apanese custom Which specifies that a ‘worship on the e Was m: the chief court lady, The little princess was colored Japanese dress of pink and_yellow silk and seemed to take much interest in the rites, which were conducted by the chief ritialist, Prince the dignitary read a mes- from the, altar icess Kazuko was supposed have performed her infantile ‘worship, after which all the princes and prin- cesses of the blood did Nkewise. " - After the ceremonies the mguvr and e’ soun Beaitnor et oner o€ of thel t daughter, and dolls, toys, mt’lm‘! other gifts were presented to the m- perial y. She was born 30 and has mwl:r sal lly, according to the imperial household de- partment. An official , announcement Informed the interested public that her height is 57 centimeters and her weight 5,440 grams, * ok ok % Britons ..re Told Gambling Greatest Evil. Manchester Guardian.—“A gamble is a transaction whereby the transfer of something of value is made wholly de- pendent upon chance.” So Canon Peter Green said recently when giving an official definition of gambling at the an- nual meeting of the anti-gambl com- mittee of the Manchester and ford Council of the Christian itions. someEhing tf Boiiokhand h ecs fo- ng for no been de- scribed by the chancellor of the ex- chequer, Mr. Snowden, as more of & Vice of our age than drink and licen- . What little exotic, emotional poet. Pcrwnllg he Ui 1905, Tie was practically shrough un! 3 ‘was with his work of by 1879, when, on account of his excessive he was taken under the of the family friend, Theodore Watts- Dunton., * ok % Mazo de la Roche, author of. the Atlantic Monthly prize novel for 1927, “Jl.l.nl,"‘ I.’n?nnflw of its sequel, “White- mil- | 8 tiousness, made in combating evil was de- stroyed by the last government when it introduced the taxation of betting. What 1s the good of sa; to any young man that he can turn right around ln’ the national stamp on the bet- ticket? Women are gambling as There are show Th oh i streets in Manchester and Salford where, on the day of a big race, nearly every woman is at her door wll'.lnu’to buy the 1 o'clock edition. Some contend that gambling is a nat- — mber | g, TOgTess has been | farmers ural instinet of the human hean and that it cannot be eradicated, bug the same might be said of cannibalism. usiness men in favor of race tracks harm done by wal from industry of £300,- -devoted to gambling in the last few years. e in the workshops trade ‘in the shops are completel h these reprehensible manipula- . Gambling is telling agafnst the making of better men. It feeds the basest passions of human nature. The chief constable of Manchester is tn bn congratulated on removing, gaimting n . He has been called a “killjoy,” but the real killjoys” are those who first intro- ced gambling into honest Writish Neues Wiener Abendblatt, Vienna,— Dr. Curtius, the new German, foreign made his first official speech in recently on the so-cal Hbercion i, "B, Curlue ' oppuaed and so is rty. o sured his hearers that % possent o the present gov ernment of Germany is of the Yous y Is much in favor lan and intends to follow the policy tgu former chancellor, Herr Gustav Stresemann, in hel, many to adhere to all the ob! ersailles ifications. f treaty and suh.equlnon * % ox % Buly To Agriculture. Bulgarian British Review, Softa.—En- erguc measures are being taken by?he ministry of agriculture with a view to Increasing the erops throughout the to | Country, both in quality and qunnu‘tly',.b"! ::: l;hu‘ o=° - u:i:m melv.hodl of cull ; deep plowing, fertilizers, etc. With the high tariffs on and the llmlhflnn” on a o industries, coupled wif tively small quantities of s use of the soil which are avai year for export, the of th:u country is the compai ra being an agr all efforts of the government are ing centered on this branch of nnlnn-lht?l! dustry. One reason for the limited pro- duction each r is the primitive methods which ?.ve been, an@l to a m;?‘fe?l are l!lulbelnl. used by the or preparin, land g:rvuun' t.hcqr 5. pl' kay il Beginning with the e current year, there ligh The first tractors in garia were th: deemum int lowed by the Fordso; CAmerican). ng m been em in 5 lers, ) cultivators are dno“:v?::'d on the same basis, as most own and work - .°b only small par- use of them binders and and operated as well. rian agriculture will slow §yd~dv-r.umm'o'rp=-=nu-fl"mu methods. Hope for improved duction lies in the younger geneaiin. * X x oK In Alsace-Lorraine, Cologne Gazette.—, omaly post-war situation o eeacaaly of i Lorraine rdless of new tical afflia- tions, inhabitants of thu":l:nm must of her time in the country, u.m; in the woods, where lg., can " the transaction of S, all know German. This 1s necessary for conduct of