Evening Star Newspaper, February 11, 1930, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. TURSDAY. THEODORE W. NOYES. . ..Editor ... 45¢ per moath ‘Star 80¢ per month 65¢ per month 8¢ per cop: m; ' the e Quders may he sent in by tional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. d irginia, AN Other States and Canada. iy .+ $12.00: 1 my ily only ... . 38, mo.y unday only . 1yr, 35 mo.. Member of the Associated Press. ‘The Associated Press i3 exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news ¢ at credited to it or not otherwise cred. ited in this paper and also the local new. published herein. All rights of publication of *pecial dispatches herein are also )eserved. $1.00 .00: 1 e 00: 1 s0c The Issue in the Crosby Case. If, as Secretary of War Hurley in- timates, opposition in Washington to the appointment of Gen. Crosby as Commissioner has been interpreted as reflecting upon the profession of the soldier, the personal qualifications of Gen, Crosby or the ability of solaiers to perform civil duties, the principle of this opposition has been misread en- tirely and has missed its mark by a ‘wide margin. Objection to the appointment of Gen. Crosby or to the appointment of any retired officer is based on the spirit as well as the letter of the orgunic act of 1878, which, creating the com- mission form of government for the Capital, clearly stated that of the three persons selected one should bé chosen from the Engineer Corps of the Aimy and the other two should be appointed “from eivil life,” who should “at the time of their appointment be citizens of the United States and shall have! been actual residents of the District of Columbia for three years next before their appointment snd have, duving that period, claimed residence nownere else.” ‘There was specific differentiation be- tween the man selected from military life, who would in theory represent the Federal Government on the Board of Commissioners, and the “two persons appointed from civil life,” who, because of their mandatory residence gualifica- tion, would be chosen from and repre- sent the voteless people of the District ©of Columbia. Gen. Crosby will not be selected from «civil life, but from the ranks of retired Army officers, and court decisions have definitely drawn a line between the two. A retired Army officer is not & civilian in the technical sense, nor is an Army officer on active duty, definitely selected in advance of his retirement from the Army, to be rated as having been “ap- pointed from civil life.” It is extremely unfortunate that per- sonalities have become involved in this controversy over fundamental principles. ‘There is no reason to believe that Gen. Crosby’s appointment constitutes a step towidrd militarization of the local gov- ernment, and his fine record in the Army is a comforting indication that he would function eficiently and well s a civilian Commissioner. ‘The point is that Gen. Crosby's ap- pointment, as Washington sees it, in- dicates a dangerous departure from the spirit of the organic law. In effect it deprives the city of what semblance of local representation and home rule there remains in the Board of Commis- sioners as customarily constituted. It opens the doors to the selection of men ‘who would not be temperamentally or otherwise fitted for the position. ‘These constitute, in part, the bases of the objection expressed in Washing- B ,lljfllty 11, 1930 generation expressed by & sonorous sentence. Take, as a mild example, the word “damn,” now apparently coming into good usage again. ‘This leads to the possible considera- tion that the change from generation to generation is not so much a change in moral viewpoints as a change in the meaning which soclety at large agrees to attribute to certain symbols. I, for some reason or other, there should be a consensus that the word “green” was immoral, it would become immoral, school room dictionaries from long usage would open almost auto- matieally to the page containing it, im- plications would be attached to it totally different from anything it now implies, and the book in which it was used would be liable to censorship. ‘Words are defined rather sharply in the dictionary. But in the popular mind they imply from time to time more or less, according to the changing thought habit. Perhaps we are in a process of transition from one thought bhabit to another, in which a great many words are undergoing the same change in implied meaning which has taken place—for example, in the word “leg,” a term which two generations ago a decent lady would hardly have |used in describing symptoms to her| physiclan. “Leg” does not mean quite the same thing now as it did then. These changes in the meanings, or { rather in the moral implications, of words from time to time may or may not be an important element in the apparently changing morality of liter- ature. But critics and censors should not altogether neglect it. The morality of the use of a word may have to be judged by what it meant to the writer and what it will mean to the majority of the readers, rather than what it would have meant to Alfred Tennyson or Henry Wads- worth Longfellow. Can anything be found in current literature, with all its frank use of lan- | Buage, so grossly immoral as many of | the ideas expressed by Swinburne in the sonorous purity of language of the Victorians? But who would suggest { barring Swinburne for immorality? r—.— Crimes OQutside of Washington. In the reckoning of the criminal record of Washington, by those who contend that the District is an incom- parably law-breaking community, care | must be taken to differentiate between the lawlessness manifested within the confines of the Capital and that which occurs outside, within other jurisdic- tions. For example, there is the street car hold-up early Monday morning, ‘which took place in Maryland, about & mile beyond the boundary. This theft, a bold and skilled operation, falls under the range of ‘the State’s police activities and does not pertain to the District, even though the money that was taken was headed for Washington and if not. “lifted” by the thieves would shortly have been in a strong-box within the District. Of course the District police will co-operate with those of Maryland in the pursuit of the thieves, but the responsibility for detection and punish- ment rests upon the neighbor State. In just the same way numerous felonies are committed within the area surrounding Washington which are looked upon indiscriminatingly as “lo- cal” as affecting Washington and as calling for the official action of the District police. Recently & hideous crime was perpetrated a short distance beyond the District line in Maryland, & bomb exploding and taking three lives. The District police aided in handling the case, but only in an advisory capac- ity. The crime has not been solved. It stands as one of the “mysteries.” It should not be included in the list that was mentioned the other day in the course of a discussion in the Senate. Yesterday morning’s hold-up was evi- dently planned on the basis of intimate knowledge of the manner in which funds have heretofore been transported in the early hours from car barn to { ton to Gen. Crosby’s appointment. The efficiency of Army officers as a class, their demonstrated ability to fill civil posts and the thoroughness of their training as military executives are mat- ters wholly beside the point. ———ra——————— A little extension of time for Com- munity Chest work will ensble any slightly dilatory eitizen from reflecting later on an opportunity that he missed. — e Morality and Its Symbols. ‘Entirely apart from the justification of censorship of allegedly Iimmoral books by customs inspectors, it must be obvious that the United States since the war has been flooded with a type of Mterature which would have scandal- ized all right-thinking persons earlier in the century. Much of this has come from abroad. Much more of it has been produced at home. The “best seller” now found on every bookstand and discussed and ad- mired in parsonage, high school class snd Sabbath school room often is such Jiterature as would have been read only #n guilty secrecy & few years ago. One obscure factor is involved which may serve to clarity the whole phenom- ,enon. SBtrangely enough, what an author says in any generation hardly is of as much consequence as the words e uses to say it. And even a super- feial comparative examination shows that word fashions change amazingly from generation to generation. ‘Themes and philosophies in liter- ature do not change very much. It has been said that there are only a Jimited number of plots possible of con= struction and that all are used over and over n in every literary era. And there are only a limited number of Interpretations to be drawn from these Pplots. But there are an almost infinite mumber of ways of saying anything. So the problem come back to the use of words. Now certain generations hold that certain words are immoral, just ®s certain generations hold that cer- tain styles of dress are immoral. Thus ‘'we find the literature of one gener- ation replete with certain words which are accepted as a matter of course and excite no comment. For some reason or other the style changes. The pages ©of the next generation are sprinkled ‘with dashes and asterisks where these ‘werds are implied by the context. And ithe next generation replaces the dashes ‘with euphemisms. Then the cycle may start over again. Thus writers of the grossly immoral , Restoration period sometimes expressed | retired from the bench to engage in city. It is quite evident now, after the fact, that this is a very unsafe way of handling cash. And it would seem that nobody has heretofore thought that there was any risk in using a street car, in passenger service, as a money wagon. Presumably this method will not be continued. It is through such expensive experiences that progress is made toward security. e Chinese have often wondered why they invented gunpowder, and peace- loving Americans are often doubtful about the desirability of having orig- inated the submarine. —— et Dragging in Politics. Senator Norris of Nebraska, chairman of the Senate judiclary committee, yes- terday opposed the appointment of Charles Evans Hughes to be Chief Jus- tice on two grounds. First, because Mr. Hughes has engaged in politics and may be politically minded. Second, because Mr. Hughes has represented as an attor- ney many large corporate businesses in cases before the Supreme Court. Mr. Norris apparently believes that Mr. Hughes believes in big business. The Senator from Nebraska is entitled to his own opinions. But it appears that he is himself dragging politics into the Senate action on the nomination of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to an unprecedented degree. Mr. Norris is a Progressive in politics. He writes himself a Republican, but he is not bound by party affliations. If there was a Progressive party in this country Senator Norris would be a shining member, or could be if he de- sired. His ideas of government differ from those of Mr. Hughes. In other words, he is politically opposed to the eminent leader of the American bar, who has been nominated to be Chief Justice. His suggestion that Mr. Hughes is not entitled to appointment to the bench because Mr. Hughes has engaged in politics will find little sympathy in America. Chief Justice Taft, now retired, was in politics. He was elected President of the United States by the Republican party, The Chief Justice who imme- diately preceded Mr. Taft, the late Edward Douglass White, was in politics before he became a member of the Supreme Court, serving as a Senator of the United States from Louisiana. Not only did both Chlef Justice Taft and Chief Justice White hold political office, but both served on the bench before they held high political office, THE EVENING he entered upon a long list of important exscutive offices, concluding with the presidency. Mr. White was an associate Jjustice of the Supreme Court .of Louisiana before he was elected Sena- tor. It is not of record that the Supreme Court has lost in luster or gained the reputation of being ruled by partisan politics through the appoint- ment of elther Mr. Taft or Mr. White to be Chief Justice. Mr. Hughes, it is true, has since he was & member of that court been em- ployed as attorney by many big inter- ests ‘having cases before the Supreme Court. His eminence in the law has his employment might have influenced the members of the Supreme Court for |any other reason than through the correct presentation of the law involved in a case is insulting to the members of the court, The record of Mr. Hughes, first in politics and as Governor of New York, then on the Supreme Court, and again in politics and private life, has been impeccable and beyond reproach. Never has there been a breath of scandal in connection with him. On the cuner hand, his services to his State and to his country have been of great vaiue. It is altogether natural that Senator | Norris would prefer to have appointcd as Chlef Justice a man who has his own political ideas of government. He would prefer to have such a man Presi- dent of the United States. But it docs not follow that his opposition to the confirmation of Mr. Hughes is well founded. He admits that Mr. Hughes is well qualified, because of his knowl- edgs of the law, to hold the high office to which he has been appointed. The country believes that Mr. Hughes is qualified in every way to perform his duty as Chief Justice, relying on the | 1aw as his guide and not on politics. Large cities are making appeals from the pulpit for the unemployed. There are many ways in which religion is | capable of doing good, and the relief of fellow humanity in distress is one of its first obligations. B A culprit who incurs the fearful penalty of life imprisonment for the fourth offense, under the Baumes law, may be regarded in many instances as far more foolish than criminal r——— A movement to restore the Russian monarchy is said to have its headquar- ters in Philadelphia. And Philadelphia used to be considered such a nice, quiet town! ———— ‘There may be variations in the sums made _ availlable, but the Community Chest, thanks to human generosity, is, like the purse of Fortunatus, never empty. e Music is notoriously temperamental. Serious statesmanship should not be re- quired to referee small quarrels about “The Star Spangled Banner.” - ‘The fight promoter is essential in the world of sport, but it is unanimously agreed that he has no legitimate place in the affairs of nations. been the reason. The suggestion that | STAR. WASHINGTO A correspondent wants us to write a diatribe against people in movie audi- ences who insist on coughing directly on persons sitting in front of them. “Within the past two weeks I have been subjected to several baptisms on the part of persons behind me,” he writes. The trouble with invectives is that the very ones who ought to read 'em never do. They go right ahead cough- ing, sneezing and giggling on persons near them. We include giggling because it ought | to be ineluded. TIt, too, is something unwanted which lssues from the mouths of others. An audience which harassed its soul the other night with ©'Neill's “Strange Interlude” included numerous young ladies who insisted on giggling at the most Iinopportune moments, The evening was further complicated by an unusually large number of first- ciass coughers and A No. 1 sneezers. As a general thing, these atlments have not been as prevalent this Winter as last, when the influenza epidemic was going strong. Yet at the National that night they sneezed behind, before, to the right, to the Jeft, And the worst part of it was that they invariably sneezed just when you thought they would not. This is a char- acteristic of the first-class sneezer. A second-class performer warns you. A sensitive comrade knows whole seconds in advance that the inevitable explosion is on the way. We say inevitable, because with these persons there exists neither need for smothering or knowledge of how the thing is done. e The first-class sneezer, instead of placing his finger firmly over his upper lip, and thus nipping the sneeze in the bud, as it were, lifts his head like A war horse going into battle, Actually, he seems proud of what he is about to do. “Hey, folks, listen to me sneeze!” he seems to shout. Look- ing around proudly, the scoundrel lets g0 with the depth of his lungs. “Ker-chew!"” Words are inadequate. They are worse than inadequate; they are plain | misleading, for they tend to make comical an act which is a social and physiological misdemeanor, a deed worthy “of all recrimination, since inimical to the health of others, shock- ing to their sense of decency and an esthetic assault on their sensibilities. Especially during the hearing of a good play Is the social sneeze out of | place. It must never be forgotten that the main element with which the actors are working is the spoken word. And words, as sneezes, issue from the human mouth, so that by that very fact the sneezer puts himself in direct competition with the people on the stage. For a brief second or two he detracts the attention of the audi- ence from the main thing, the play, to an unnecessary performance on the part of an unknown individual. ‘Theater audiences are somewhat of a bore, at the best. Here we have a number of people, all dressed up, studiously ignoring one another, al- though they are sitting jowl to jowl. The artificiality of the modern thea- ter audience is marked, in contrast with the more natural humanism _which must have prevalled in the English audiences of Shakespeare's day, or among the Grecians at one of their classic dramas, or with the Romans in their amphitheaters, European audiences today abound more in the friendly feeling than do ours, with each one of us pretending D6 to be so terribly well bred. Yet un- mercifully we give ourselves away— ‘We sneeze right out. * * % % The m‘r‘: or ‘c’iomm who sneezed | upon another, and especially upon a stranger, is & boor of the worst n;’gt. The family sneeze is something else again. One knows the sort of oral hy- { giene the sneezer indulges in, one knows the brand of tooth paste he uses and the food he eats. Such a sneeze, while nothing to brag about, is a little personal matter just between cne and one. It may be for- | given. The strange sneeze, however, is an atrocious thing. He who gets sneezed upon cannot help speculating immedi- ately upon all the diseases in the med- | ical books. Out_of the corner of an eye the sneezer is inspected. Yes, the fellow looks—well, it is to be hoped he doesn’t, or hasn't, as the case may be. One sees the millions of cold germs spreading out in concentric circles, in- creasing rapidly as they go, multiplying with compound interest at every jump. The particles of air are fairly clogged with germs, which fight one another furfously in order to get to that most desired of places—one’s own mouth and nose passages. No doubt they are circling around, trying to find the right place. Ah, they have keen noses, those rascally little germs! Here come a& billion or two, | madly vying with one another to be first in the best old nose in the world. * K ¥ % No sooner has this grand alarm been quieted, by the deft combination of an | elevated handkerchief and the most op- | timistic hopes, than the assault begins from the right. The old gentleman who looks at all | the ladies as they come down the aisic | 1s beginning to turn his head again. He | is looking maliciously at that handker- | chiief held nose-high. | He resents that handkerchief. What | right has any one to protect himself | against the ill breeding of others in public places? Tt is their right to do | as they please, in this best of all pos- | sible worlds; if they please to sneeze |on you, you must submit without the batting of an eye—or the elevation of | & handkerchief. | You know that he is waiting for you to take the protection down, in order that he may slip in twenty billion gems before you can get it back up again, You know this, and yet you wilt. -He seems so terribly insulted— mayhap he will not sneeze, after all, if you lower the screen for a time. Ker-chew! With cries of joy the germs fly 3 | feet with the speed of light. The | hastily averted 'head, the updrawn | handkerchief, block approximately 5,000,000,000 of them, but full 15,000, 000,000 get through. ‘They say that one cannot possibly count that many of anything in ten lifetimes, but unhappily one does not have to count them. They arrive in sses, and the psyehology of the crowd is queer, strange, outrageous. Germs cling lovingly to germs, as they pour in great streams adown your warm esophagus. Between the girls who giggie at the wrong time and the sneezers who are at it from time to time, a perfectly good play and an otherwise delightful evening is in process of being spolled. Yes, we agree with our correspondent that something ought to be done about it, but until some courageous manager arises to eject all patrons who sneeze, {we do not know what can be done. It |is a relief, however, to write what one "th\nks about. such unthinking people, 'and we hope that fellow sufferers get ! some pleasure in reading about them. Gangsters observe with regret that Chicago is still financlally confident to a degree that keeps the police on the | trail of crime. i T R IS It has been demonsirated that a glider is perfectly safe, 50 long as Lind- bergh is superintending the machine, Red Tt W SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. The Early Bullfrdg. I am listenin’ in the twilight while the snow is on the ground. I am waitin’ for a tune that will serenade the moon. ‘Cause I know a fine musician who will presently be found ‘When the bullfrog all alone starts to play the saxophone. It is yonder in the meadow he'll com- mence the old refrain, And his good ‘old friends will meet till the chorus is complete. The butterfiies and blossoms will make ready, once again, When the bulifrog, all alone, play the saxophone. tarts to Limitations, “Some day no doubt you will be rep- resented in Statuary Hall.” “Possibly,” answered Senator Sorghum. “That is a distinction that has to be worked, out, by posterity and even a man who knows the game as I do can hardly expect to make a political pull extend that far.” Jud Tunkins' says maybe the man who looks down on the world is a philosopher and then again maybe he's only one o' these flagpole sitters. Gone Fishing. “Why don't you sing a little song?” Said one I met toda “Among the swift and striving throng ‘Where business goes its way— You give much lyrical acclaim To tofl in high position. In poesy why don't you name The friend who goes a-fishin'? “Why don't you lilt a little lay Of simple humankind ‘That now and then afar will stray, Life's fellowship to find. And undertakes to learn anew Man's earlier condition? So here’s a bit of thyme for you, The friend who goes a-fishin’.” Petrified Joy. “Did you enjoy the automobile show?” “Yes” answered Mr. Chuggins. “It was like a pleasant dream to be in the midst of so many cars with riot &’ horn sounding nor a traffic cop in sight.” “Magnificence,” sald Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “often misleads a man mto a bellef that he is personally earning the admiration that is be- stowed on his house and his attire.” Supererogation. Now comes the orator so bold, Referring to the days of old With speech so long and voice 50 strong, Repeating things already told— ‘Yet not s0 good, though each man harks, As the original remarks, “Maybe we'll have to get dat old by & dash what the Elizabethans ex-|political contests, and thereafter were | pressed by a word and w! wmmmfi parrot vaccinated,” sald Uncle Eben, “but we'll have to shut de windows to more appointed to the Supreme Court. Mr. keep de police f'um investigatin' de N. YTPh‘on_e i{ate Setfiement Leaves Issue Still Cloudy Clashes between State and Federal Authority in New York, growing out of the proposed higher telephone rates, are temporarily averted, but predictions are made that Congress may be asked to clear up the situation. Although the New York Telephone Co., relying on constitutional provision against confisca- | tion and a Federal Court decree, fixed its own rates, it has surrendered by temporary acceptance of the schedule of the State Public Service Commission. “A distinct victory for the State” is recognized by the Brooklyn Dally Eagle with the comment on the situation: “Nobody familiar with constitutional law can deny the right of a public utility tion to seek relief from insuffi- cient rates in a Federal court when the question of confiscation arises. Private property must be respected and pro- tected by the Federal power whenever its owners are threatened with loss by State action or inaction. But this does not mean that public utility cor- porations for which regulation is pro- vided by the State law shall ignore the regulating power of the State and evade the jurisdiction of State courts by first rushing into Federal tribunals. The Supreme Court of the United States rebuked the Interborough Rapid Tran- sit Co. for doing that very thing.” “A serious crisis,” in the opinion of the Springfield Republican, “has been avoided by the backdown of the tele- phone company in submitting to the rate order of the commission. The company.” continues that paper, “had announced a new rate schedule to yleld a 7 per cent return. The commission was told by the company's lawyer at Albany that it had no power to inter- fere; that the company was acting un- der a decree of the Federal court, granting to it a 7 per cent return on & fair valuation. The New York com- mission promptly put the company's legal assumption to a test by reducing many of the company's proposed rates 20 per cent and ordering the new rate schedule thus revised to be put into effect. The result is that the company tentatively accepts the commission’s 20 per cent discount, and even admits that it could not interfere with the commis- sion's order except by going into court. And it will be a State court that the company will first appeal to against the commission. Which is & wise decision.” ‘The Hartford Times, quoting the com- pany’s contention that “the State could interfere with the company rates only by showing them to be disproportionate to & 7 per cent return or by offering in substitution its own rates which would yield 7 per cent,” says of the resulting action that the “Public Service Com- mission has chosen the latter method of attack and announced a schedule of rates, effective as of Saturday, which is a reduction of 20 per cent from those announced by the company. In arriv- ing at this schedule the commission reduced by $27,000,000 the valuation claimed by the company upon which it, was, entitled to earn a 7 per cent re- turn. ‘The belief in New York is that there will be a further litigation, prob- ably marked by another appeal to the Federal court.” “As we ook at it,” remarks the Syra- cuse Herald, “the telephone company committed a serious tactical error when it assumed that the generalized decision of the court establishing its valuation and standardizing its percentage of re- turns or earnings gave it a judicial carte blanche for determining its own increase of rates, in absolute disregard of the rate-fixing power of the State. ‘The court laid down a general rule as a new foundation for such rate regula- tion, for the guldance of the State and of its representative commission. But the court did and could not deny or abrogate the nu-nxmf power of the commission within the limits created by its decision.” An opportunity is seen by the Buffalo Evening News, in this controversy, “to develop very important legislation re- lating to the supervision and permis- alble_profls SIT@ubls servige. corporn: | chance sk tions. ‘This may require,” continues the Evening News, “co-operation from Con- gress as well as State legislation. The body of statute laws and judicial de°- cisions resting on the ‘due process’ clause in the Federal Constitution still | is very confused and ill co-ordinated. | The entire subject may be opened be- | fore this agitation which the telephone cases have aroused is terminated.” Considering the Federal requirements in the matter, the Baltimore Sun says: “So long as it is established that the Pederal Constitution grants utilities protection against being deprived of their property without due process of law, and as long as the United States Supreme Court, ultimate authority on the meaning of that phrase, holds that such protection requires that the utili- ties be allowed to charge rates that yield a reasonable return upon a r sonable valuation of the proj y di voted to the public service, all disput on utility rates must ultimately be set- tled by that court.” “Regardless of what legislation may be passed by Congress,” according to the Newark Evening News, “it is doubt- ful if the avenue of appeal to Federal courts can be closed. A constitutional right stands in the way. The real pur- pose of the movement to curb Federal Interference in State utllity rate cases should be to compel the utilities to avail themselves of processes in State courts before appealing to the Federal courts. Another relief would be deci- slons by the Federal courts more in line with sound regulation. Regulation is not an exact sclence, and few judges have had the time to master the intri~ cacles of accountancy which distinguish rate clses.; “There wonder over this constant fighting " _the courts,” avers the Utica Observer-Dispatch, “on the part of this monopoiy to secure larger and larger returns. Its securities are among lead- ers in the high quotations, and there has been no indication of an attempt to confiscate its property on the part of the public. The contentlon appears to hinge upon what is considered a ‘fair’ valuation of the property, and one of the problems entering the subject of valuation will doubtless be that of cap: tal investment, including amounts through long years of warfare in clear- ing the field of competition on the part of rival companies, either local or general” 4 “No illumination has yet been she comments the Jersey City Journal, “up- on the problem of how to preserve the rights of corporations and at the same time make ‘the ruling of regulating bodies like the New York Public Service Commission absolutely effective. Per- haps the only solution is for the regu- lating bodies to be more nearly perfect in their work of estimating values upen which rates of profit are to be allowed to be earned. The hardship here is that the utility regulating bodies can never expect, from one case to the next, that the courts will accept the sai meth- ods of valuation and depreciation as being correct.” Bishop’s News Sense Seen in Novel Speech From the Los Angeles Evening Express. We have admiration for the Denver bishop who, when no audience came to hear his speech, paid the janitor of the hall 50 cents to sit and listen to him. The good bishop is wise in his day. He knows the news value of the unusual. Had he acknowledged defeat and quit, or had there been those eager to hear him speak against increased street car fares—that was his subject— the newspapers would have paid no at- tention. But an audlence of one, and that one hired, and the speaker a bishop. made a story. The result was that the bishop was heard by all the United States, through the newspapers. 1t's the man L sees and selzes his 4 v mad alrships were, f TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 19 THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. NEW BOOKS AT RANDOM L G. M. AYALA'S ANGEL. Anthony Trollope. London: Oxford University Press, Anthony Trollope suffered temporary eclipse when, in between him and the low of a deserved and growing popu- arity, there stepped that surpassing pair, Dickens and Thackeray. These two ook prompt charge of the public. In the main, of course, by way of the pure quality of their genlus. In small part, however, through the partisanship and contention that grew up around them. A simon-pure genius, declared the advocates of one. A deal of alloy in that writer's metal, opined the other side crowding closer to its particular idol. So the dispute went on. And, even today, off in some musty corner here or there, may be found a couple of honorables mumbling the old con- troversy over again in the familiar “ 'Tis and "T'aint” brand of argument. In the turmoil of such prolonged and engrossing inutility, even Anthony Trollope and other men of genius re- ceived less than their deservings, much to the general loss. Now all three are forgotten, along with many another of the great of other days, Right here, from some re- mote shut-in study or from some equally cloistered class Toom of second- ary education, comes a growly, “No, no! That's not true!” All right. Let us not contend. But, honestly, how many of you do wade through the mawkish sentimentality of Dickens for the rich treasure of human stuff and heart-warming humor that he offers— provided only that we have patience to stand by? And how many of you do accept the stuffed rags that Thackeray calls women, for the sake of arriving at the finely broad outlook of the man, at the historic sense embodied in ro- mance, at the gift of structure, at the satire of word and smile? How many of you do? No, I am not forgetting Becky Sharp on the one hand, nor the plous recurrent ceremonial of “Christ- mas Carol” on the other, Average readers—you and I—do not lead. We follow, discarding old gods for the new half-gods. So, today, wish- ing, laudably maybe, at least to ap- pear Intelligent, io seem “well read,” cultured if you will, prompt to step off with the last cry, we read the “best- seller,” we dog the censored iniquity of this writer or that one, falrly prying up the print for a possible uncovering of the repudiated naughtiness. Often the author, honest fellow, is striving in | toil and sweat, in innocence of mind as | well, to portray life as it is which—so he has been told—Is the sole end and alm of the novel. However, pretty much all of this is something else. And I want to tell you what happened to me. Oxford Uni- versily Press sent me a Trollope novel— “Ayala’s Angel.” 1 thought I had read this novelist. Certainly I have made the famillar gesture of reading him. But I had not read “Ayala’s Angel"— an unforgettable story. Delighted now that I had not, and for good reason. This novel was published for the first time just about 50 years ago. Yet, in mood, it steps out in perfect time with this February morning of 1930. Not alone in mood, either, but in the little ways of expressing mood is there this good accord. The turn of word, the slant of smile, the life of eyelid—all familiar, all current and of the mo- ment—our moment. And back of these individualities of manner there is the knowing outlook upon men and women urying to make a go at the business of being alive. There is the perfect seiz- ure of the unequal admixture of wisdom and folly whose name is “man.” Com- prehension plus sympathy produce the tolerance of Trollope, the perfect co- median in life, true embodiment of the great comic spirit that moves in pliant aptitudes toward every age and phase of human idiosyncrasy. ‘Then the theme of this romance is an everlasting one. The girl—that un- changing girl whose sole genuine pre- occupation is that of creating—out of nothing at all save dream-haze—the wondrous creature who is finally to rescue her to the fulfillment of life's meaning. Nothing less than an angel, nothing less than Gabriel himself, will do. And this is the story—Ayala's story. An obdurate maiden, the despair of thrifty guardians mindful of her future and keen to the fleeting hours of youthful beauty. But only young men, clearly of the earth, swarmed about Ayala, who was waiting for Ga- briel or one better. And this girl Ayala is in every essential Mary and Anne and Betty—the girls all around us. To be sure, her dress is longer, her hair is unshorn, but these are trifles. It is this astounding leap ahead into our hour and minute that constitutes the ‘lofl?!'l’n!;( this Trollope novel. Do you wanf now what happened to Ayala? What became of her dream? ‘};/hlb form her angel took? Just what hap- pens to every girl today. By the truly Heaven-sent gift of imagination Ayala— and all the other girls in the world— built ug only a fairly good fellgw to the high stature of a celestial being, all fitted with wings and luminous with heroism. 8he had to. Every girl has to in order to justify her own exist- ence In the world-scheme of family and children. Certainly imagination has mnde.emt!’it of the mlln'llcel. as it has also served, more or essful maintain them. S S ere is a great deal said about the young woman of the Druenao " rear and apprehension follow her in the person of her elders. Read “Ayala's Angel” for the way it used to be done in respect to settling these young wom- en into matrimony and safety. The story has to do with four of such un- claimed damsels—all in the keeping of one man, a rich man whose entire time, outside of the bare attention glven to a successful business, is spent in securing husbands and settlements for this group. In something of an Oriental seclusion these wait, breath- less and on tiptoe, so to speak, for the husbands that will come to them over this peculiar kind of bargain table. We know that the picture is not over- colored. We know that it was just that way 50 years ago and more and even less. Herein comes the difference between Ayala, cherished in an ab- surdity of convention, and Anne of our own day. Anne declares herself to be & human being, capable of work, of earning a living, of taking pleasures of her own choosing. So, Anne goes to school and then to work. Anne picks her man as best she can. Without great kotowings of traditional bent these two get married—and then make the best of it. Granted, it is not al- ways & success, but it s that as often as it was when Ayala and her sisters were passed on—provided the settle- ments were pleasing to the enamored swains—like any other bargained ob- ject from one hand to another. “Ayala's Angel” is a superb picture of the family customs of the past. And, by its keenly current effect, it is an equally superb means of contrasting that other day with this one. Absorb- ing as a novel, as something to read. Inspired, it truly is, as a reliable me- dium by way of which social progress— or social backsliding, if you are of that mind—has made its way within the past half century. An absorbing story as modern as the passing moment. A quite beautiful comedy as well. e THE EXPEDITION OF HUMPHREY CLINKER. Toblas Smollett. New York: The Modern Library. To the student interested in literary ees Smollett becomes of moment ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERI This is a special department devoted to the handling of inquiries. You have at your disposal an extensive organiza- tion in Washington to serve you in any capacity that relates to information. Write your question, your name and your address clearly, and inclose 2 cents in coin or stamps for reply. Send to The Evening Star Informat! Bureau, mdglcc.!. Haskin, director, Washing- ton, D. C. Q. Is it necessary that vacancies which occur at West Point be filled? When is the next examination?— R. AL M. A. It is not compulsory to fill the places of the cadets who were dismissed from the United States Military Acad- emy. The examinations for entrance to the United States Milil Academy are held on the first Tuesday in March. This year the date of examination falls on March 4. Q. Has Easter Island disappeared?— C. A. Contrary to reports published at the time, Easter Isiand was not de- stroyed in an earthquake. It is still in existence. Q. Does the gray squirrel eat lead on telephone poles?—C. R. C. A. The Biological Survey says that gray squirrels do not gnaw lead sheaths on telephone or telegraph cables. Rats, however, will gnaw them. Q. How does it happen that a certain place on a boat is called a state room? A. Dr. Vizetelly says that the evolu- tion of the word “stateroom” may be cited as follows: Cabin, state cabin, stateroom. The term ‘“stateroom” w: taken over from the British Navy. There is & note in Pepys’ Diary which gives a clue to this (April 24, 1660): “Very pleasant we were on board the London, which hath a state-room much bigger than the Nazeby, but not so rich.” Another evidence of this use is to be found in the London Gazette for 1694, No. 2, 982: “The Yacht having lost | in this encounter but three men, who were killed by one great shot in the state-room.” By the time the Han- overian Kings were on the throne of England the term “stateroom” was thor- oughly established in the language, for Smollett used it in “Roderick Random," which was published fn 1748: “A cabin was made for him contiguous to the state-room where Whiffle slept.” Q. Is Mount, Pnpocnl.?etl & mountain that can be climbed?—J. McA. A. The height of Mount Po) tepet] is 17,888 feet. The ascent of the vol- cano is made on the northeastern slope, Where there are rough roads which are kept open a greater part of the year. At an elevation of about 14,500 feet horses are left behind. Diego de Ordaz was probably the first European to make the ascent. Other exploration trips were made in April and November, 1827, in 183¢ and 1848. In 1905 the Mexican geological survey spent two days on 1. slope. Q. Why was Mo. ma tion for Missouri?—M. A. This was taken because any other abbreviation would be likely to become confused with an abbreviation for Mississippl. Q, How tal is the Venus de Milo>— "A.The Venus de Milo is 2 meters 38 millimeters, or a little over 6 feet 3 inches, tall. Q. How old is the new owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates?—T. W. D. A. Sam Dreyfuss, who succeeds his father as owner and president of this Pittsburgh base ball club, will be 34 dé the abbrevia- C J. HASKIN, years old this year. He was born in Louisville, Ky. Q. How does Carl Laemmle pro- nounce his name?—E, G. A. His name is pronounced Lemly. Q. How long are some of the rail- road non-stop runs?—E. R. A. A. One of the longest non-stop runs was over the Canadian National Rail- ways from Montreal to Vancouver, a distance of 2,937 miles in 67 hou! ‘This was a test run and, although th train made several stops, the engine in the car did not once stop running. ‘The motive power was a Diesel electric car. However, the London Midland & Scottish Railroad has the longest dally non-stop run in the world, being from Euston to Carlisle, 209%: miles. Q. When were screws first made?- D. G, A. The screw js in reality an in- clined plane wrapped around a cylin- der. The principle of the screw Wwas known to Archimedes as early as 250 B.C. 1t was used by the Romans ol the empire in their wine and oil presses and was probably familiar to many Mediterranean peoples at the be- ginning of the Christian era. It is one of the most extensively used of the eleméhtary mechanisms. Until early in the nineteenth century screws were roughly made by hand and imperfect tools. ‘The thread and nick were formed by the use of hand dies and hacksaws. In 1838 as a result of an American invention, machines began to be used. . Does George Gershwin come of a musical family?—V. C. A. According to “Great Musicians as Children”: “When Mr. Gershwin burst into fame the family tree was scanned for musical ancestry. Not the slightest trace of any musical or other artistic talent could be found on either side of the family, yet Mr. Gershwin's older brother and his sister are also artists. The brother, Ira, is writing the lyrics for George's compositions and 'l.ll:s Gershwin is a professional dancer.’ . Can a French postage stamp be lu:qfl in the United States upon a letter addressed to some one in France? K. H. G. 'A. The letter would not go through the mail. It would have the same status as if it bore no postage. Q. What kind or'xround is chosen for a gliderport?—H. F. 24 A‘:;lflerpon is distinguished from an airport in that an airport is & Tevel piece of land which has the least - sible number of approach obstructions and the gliderport should be entirely surrounded by high hills, so that these motorless flying machines may be taken off from the top of the hills in any wind direction and flown to the level ground in the center. Q. What are Rin-Tin-Tin's latest pictures? Where can I gef a story of his life?—D. L. A. Rin-Tin-Tin is to star in “On the Border,” “Rough Waters” and “The Man Hunter,” all to be released soon. Lee Duncan, owner of the canine is writing a book recounting the life story from his discovery o e baitlefields of France up to the present ime, Q. Does France have strict banking laws?—C. H. A. The only banking laws in ferce are those dealing with the Bank of France and organizations in the fleld of popular agricultural credit. For ordinary commercial banking there are no laws or regulations as to organiza- tion, management, reserves, audits or inspections to protect either the de- positors or shareholders. Highlights on the Wide World Excerpts From Newspapers of Other Lands ough that some indignation and much discussion have been caused by motorists re- ANCHESTER GUARDIAN.—It M is reported from Wellingbor- fusing to give a girl a lift whom they found soaked in a rainstorm. “Some” and “much” are words perly used. ‘There is certainly room ‘e for mor discussion thi indignation. Let me try and give a man's view of it: ‘The girl had been into Northampton; 10 miles away she had missed the last bus home. When finally she there —by walking!—"she man: to t into bed in the early hours of orning without rousing her parents!” g‘hu evidently had more faith in the charity of passing motorists than in her parents’ charity, which is an interesting point In the story. On the way home, walking, the girl hailed seven motor- ists. Three of them stopped. One said that his wife “would object to stran girls rldinr in his car at night”; a other curtly refused to give her a lift; the other refused to pick up the girl, but took a man in a similar predica- ment. Evidently he had no objection in the abstract to giving a friendly lift, but simply objected to giving a lift to a girl. His reasons, and those of the man who refused curtly, were no doubt the same as those of man who spoke about his wife. Nine out of 10 men would say that this attitude is right. But it is rather the horse-sense point of view. The more important question is whether, finding a fellow creature in a mess, one should do one’s best to get her out of it and hang the consequences. Leaving out of the discussion any nonsense about chivalry, I think I should have picked up the girl. Of course, I have no car, and an intelligent wife, but I think I should have picked her up had I had a car and a shrew. But I cannot find it in my heart to blame the men who thought otherwise and were shy u!hlpuhmn' themselves into a position whicl of spurious evidence for the concoction of a sordid “romance.” * K oxx Austria’s Press Faces Seal of Silence. Neues Wiener Tageblatt, Vienna.— Section No. 493, paragraph 32, just passed by the Constitutional Assembly, provides that no dero!lmry allusions may be made through the press refer- ring to the President of the National Union, to the National Assemblies, nor cret offing then. Nevertheless, there is an active journeying around about Eng- land here on the part of Matthew Bramble and the two young folks, niece and nephew, whose letters to one an- other provide the good substance of “seeing England first.” It is the zest of this outfaring, its spirit of really far adventuring, that gives delight and pleasure in the book. Another thing: The background, just as it does s0o many years later in Trollope's novel, defines the state of soclety in relation to the position, the clearly subordinate position of the youngsters. Here, no matter how engaging this boy and girl are, nor how importuning for this and that from the hand of the good uncle, Matthew Bram- ble keeps these two where youth be- longs—quite in the background. He fills the front of the scene, as an experi- enced and waywise man should. In the introduction Arthur Machen, telling why he chose “Humphrey Clinker” in- by virtue of his direct descent from Flelding. To the mere reader, how- ever, Toblas Smollett is the source of many pleasurable hours of adventure, And here, projected under the sponsor- ship of ur Machen, is an early ap- pearance the novel through the medium of correspondence, which sums, besides, as the progenitor of th - ern travel book nowadays so widely ap- preciated and enjoyed. To be sure, the ends of the earth and the corners thereof are not encompassed in this rec- ord that began, and ended, well along toward 200 years ‘Trains and liners AWAY. IR some se- stead of the two equally excellent novels, “Roderick Random” "and “Peregrine Pickle,” for this production, not only gives to readers an admirable compara- tive view of Smollett’s place in English literature, in his substantial contribu. tion to it as part of a clearly pro- gressive thing, but he becomes personal, confiding to readers his own experience as a boy and young man thrown upon Smollett for L&m and e an inti- the deep joy of rud.lvx mate trlend who lived up o the ex- pectatiops of his companions at every demand and turn, this Tobias Smoilett stload Machen, . - "y ‘when he was hay ht give unfair critics a bit| It to any other division or officer of the government or of the army. This pro- vision concerns either reflections upon the character or honor of the persons or tions referred to, or any un- complimentary references made to their perfoarmances or operations in the usual course of their duty, regardless of the nature of the dissatisfaction, The Ity for ignoring these injunctions is imprisonment for from six months to & year, and is also applicable to any printed notices, other than in ne - pers, which may contain matter of the same sort, prohibited above. All such criticisms are considered transgressions against the state, and provision had therefore been made for infractions in the federal code. * ok ok Kk Colombians Get Chance to Honor Dead. Diario del Comercio, Barranquilla.— Owing to public demand for some months past, the administrator, Senor Marco Aurelio Llamas, has arranged for the electric illumination of our prinei- pal necropolis, the General Cemetery. Unfortunately, many people find it in- convenient to visit the cemetery in the daytime and have not been able to find their way about there at night on account of the obscurity. The lighting service at present does not illuminate the grounds until 8 o'clock, which is & matter to be remedied, as the greater number of people desire to visit the sa- cred precincts between twilight and 8, but Senor Llamas will correct this de- fect, and the public is very grateful to him for his efforts in assuring such & notable betterment in their oppor- tunity to honor the departed. Retired Officer Attests to Gen. Crosby’s Eligibility | To the Editor of The Sta | _A resident of the District for almost all of the past nine years, I have as much reason to be interested in its ef- nflfl" government &s can be any ci- vilian. It appears to me that a very small fire is putting out a lot of smoke about the gropoud appointment of Maj. Gen. Orosby as one of the Commissioners. ‘The spirit of the law governing the appointment is that selection shall be from those who have resided here long enough to be conversant with conditions and needs within the District. The least period of residence is defined ns three years. And “residence” in this case appears to mean only actual in- habltance qualified by the condition that the resident shall not have legal or voting residence elsewhere. Gen. Crosby has lived here much longer than the minimum period and is & property owner. He has no vot- ing_ residence. The selection of a Commissioner is within the discretion of the appointing :we:; subject to confirmation by the nate. As to the suitability of this selection I can testify through acquaintance with Gen, Crosby, since he varied situations perlatives might well be E sufficient to say that he is of acter, intelligent and thoughtful, tact- ful and forcible, willing to assume re- sponaibility and reasonable in the exer- cise of power. I venture to predict that his services as Commissioner will be wholly ap- proved and deeply appreciated by all Wwho are interested in mfl of the District and persons of thie \C! supported by il thoughtful and unsel community, E. F. McGLACHLIN. Major General, Retired. A Prefer Broken Dishes. From the Hamilton, Ontarlo, Spectator. n consider there are m:nfllu:h:d- ‘who would prefer to hear the noise of hhr*