Evening Star Newspaper, February 17, 1930, Page 8

K-8 THi. THE EVENING STAR |no secret that a large portion of the|Indiana and Louisiana avenues com- With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY.....February 17, 1830 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company 11tn 8t “ARd Pennayivanta_ Ave new Yook Sitice: 110 i2nd 8t Tovean Ofice. 14 Regent SL. London: Eostand. & Rate by Carrier Within the City. nfi E"Mn' Star.. . . .45¢ per month e Evening and Sunday Siar (when 4 Ilndllg . 60c er month ‘The Evening and Sunds hen 3 b 68 per month Collection made at the end of cach month. Orders may be sent in by mail or telephone RAtional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Vll’l‘"nll.‘ uadas’ only All Other States and 1y and Sunday..} yr. $13. s only . Member of the Assoclated ‘The Associa to the u: Canada. George Washington Bicentennial. Definite organization of the Nation- wide celebration of the bicentennial of George Washington's birth in 1932 has been effected by the commission created by act of Congress. Lieut. Col. c | their labors, - | formation in regard to prohibition and population is still opposed to it. If the opposition to prohibition is growing among the younger people, the school and college students, and the younger workers, prohibition has rough sledding ahead. On the other hand, if there is an appreciable falling off in the drink- ing among the students and the young people generally, the hope of more effectual prohibition than exists today is brighter. ‘The Law Enforcement Commission is going deeply into the question of pro- hibition and its effect, as now prac- ticed, upon the people. It is having a survey made to determine whether prohibition is beneficial to the workers of America. Reports from a number of industrial centers, it is said, indicate that the workmen are more steady in and that there is less absenteeism from work on Monday mornings; that savings bank deposits are increasing, and that the children of the workers have more clothes. These are hopeful signs. ‘The country is entitled to as full in- its effect upon the people as it can have. The Law Enforcement Commis- slon apparently is very wisely making its survey as complete and as accurate as possible. et : Preventing Fraudulent Securities. No reputable dealer in securities in ‘Washington is going to raise a voice U. §. Grant, 3d, U. 8. A, and Repre- sentative Sol Bloom of New York have been named associate directors to work together with joint authority to co- ordinate the activities of the States and the communities in a consistent, com- prehensive program of observances to commemorate the anniversary. These two selections are exceptional in excellence. Col. Grant is an executive officer of unusual ability. He is the di- rector of public bulldings and public parks in Washington and is the execu- tive secretary of the National Capital Park and Planning Commission. Repre- sentative Bloom has had a long and intimate and successful experience in the organization and direction of vari- ous forms of public entertainment, ex- positions, shows and theaters. He has an extensive acquaintance with the per- sonnel of the entertainment world. The general plan is that the bicen- tenary of George Washington's birth will be marked thioughout the United States by public demonstrations and observances and displays from February 22, 1932, until Thanksgiving day, & period of nine months, during which there will be in one part of the coun- try or another a virtually continuous celebration. The States will organize and direct their own programs, but these programs will be co-ordinated in harmonious sequence and character. Patriotic societies, business organiza- tions, conventions, all concelvable gatherings of the people for whatever purpose will be held or be marked by special George Washington meetings, and memorial and histbrical expressions. Pageants will be conducted in the cities. ‘Through the radio the Republic’s found- er will be continually brought to the minds of the people by speech and song. Talking pictures will reproduce scenes from the life of Washington, to be kept as permanent records and sources of perennial reproduction. The direction of all this will center in Washington, which, it is indicated, will have its own special George Wash- ington celebration of a nature to com- mand national attention and to make a Tecord of public expression not hereto- fore equaled. Certain specific features are now in contemplation, the dedica- tion of the Mount Vernon Boulevard, the Arlington Memorial Bridge, and of the George Washington Masonic Me- morial at Alexandria. Completion of these three great works, it is hoped, will be effected by 1932. Commemoration of this bicentenary will be upon a purely patriotic basis. ‘There will be no commercializing fea- tures, no “shows™ for the advancement of trade or the promotion of local in- terests. The services of those engaged | will be voluntary, without compensa- tion. Only thus will it be worthy of the occasion and worthy of the Ameri- can people. The associate directors are inspired by this ideal to make the observance of the 200th anniversary of George Washington's birth a full, sin- cere and in itself inspiring expression of the reverence in which the name of the first President is held by the Nation. ‘Treating is out of date and yet the bills presented by lobbyists to their em- ployers are said to be larger than ever. -t —— Less Drinking by Children. Drinking is on the wane among high school students in this country, prelim- inary reports from an investigation be- ing conducted by the National Educa- tion Association indicate. The inquiry i3 being made for the President’s Law Enforcement Commission. ¥here should be no drinking among high school stu- dents. Even the wettest wet would agree to that proposition. But there ‘will be wets ready to deny the assertion made by the National Education As- sociation. A Nation-wide survey of the use of liquor by high school students, prop- erly conducted, cannot fail to be of benefit in the study of the prohibition question. When prohibition first came into being as part of the Constitution and the Volstead act was placed on the statute books, there was an in- crease in the drinking among these students, it is declared by the officials of the National Education Association, now making the survey. The boot- leggers were ready to sell liquor to minors as wcll s to adults. The ef- fort of th> National Education As- sociation is to determine, not only if drinking is on the wane since the earlier days of prohibition, among these studcnts, but also, and perhaps more fraportant, whether there is less drink- ing now among high school students than there was before prohibition came into effect. If the survey indicates that there is a real falling off in the drinking among high school students, it will an encouraging sign. For after success or failure of prohibition : 5 ! { E il the experimental stage, despite its ten years of age. The attitude of the people toward any nstitution, such as prohibition, is a matter of growth. It 1s no secret that a large portion of the population was opposed to prohibition before it was enacted into It is 13 -3 | creates a securities commission with against the intent of laws regulating the sale of securities. They have been committed for some time to the need of a blue sky law or fraudulent secu- rities law for Washington, and some of their representatives spent considerable time last year conferring with the Sen- ate District committee on the Capper fraud bill which was reported but never passed. The only argument will be over the phraseology of the law. Hearings soon will begin in Oonmssl on two bills that have been introduced at this session to regulate the sale of securities. One of these is the Capper bil, already indorsed in principle by some of those whom it would affect. ‘The other is the Blaine blue sky bill, recently introduced. ‘This latter measure is modeled on the uniform sale of securities act ap- proved last OctobSe by the American Bar Association in convention at Mem- phis. This model bill is very thorough and is carefully drawn, representing sev- eral years of research by competent men. For the most part the Blaine bill follows the wording of the model act, but there are noteworthy exceptions. ‘The Blaine act places the regulation of securities in the hands of the Puklic Utilities Commission. Certain classes of securities are exempt from any super- vision. Other classes of securities must be examined by the commission and approved before they are sold. This approval is obtained in two ways. The sale of some securities requires merely formal notification to the commission that they are to be sold. The sale of others requires a notification to the commission and response from the com- mission that the securities are approved. The first procedure is called “notifica- it is & loan on a completed building for not’ over 80 per cent of the assessed value, can be sold here except by quali- fication, unless there is a leasehold that would amortize the first mortgage dur- ing the period of the loan. It would seem on its face that this would immediately curtail building loans in Washington. The building sold, unless it can be shown that the bullding is to be used to produce through rental a net annual moenu,‘r after deducting operating expenses and taxes, at least equal to the annual in- terest plus not less than 3 per cent of the principal of the mortgage indebted- ness. ‘The model law adds, however, “or will have a fair rental value.” The Blaine bill eliminates this phrase, in- viting the contention from its opponents that there is no assurance in advance that the revenue above described will be produced. The definite proof can be furnished only after the building has been in operation a year. But an outside financing concern may loan all it chooses on local projects, so long as it does not sell its securities in Washington, and this can be done of course without any supervision. This is apt to be interpreted as discriminat- ing against local first mortgage houses whose bullding loans must be approved as described before the securities are sold hege. Both the Blaine act and the model law impose a minimum fee of $20 on every mortgage sold. This will naturally constitute a tax to be paid by the bor- rower. The revenue will help defray the cost of additional duties assigned to by the Public Utilities Commission. ‘There will be objections to the Blaine act, similar to objection to blue sky laws in general, because it puts the Govern- ment on record as approving certain securities. This approval will be capital- ized, and the Public Utilities Commis- sion will no doubt be embarrassed. That objection, in general, has led to some preference for the Capper bill, which powers to prevent the sale of fraudulent securities, but which does not take the affirmative action of approval. Senator Blaine has stated that his bill is merely in tentative form. Peatures that actually discourage legitimate busi- ness will no doubt be removed. Out of the intelligent discussion of these meas- ures there should come the best solution of a problem that must be solved in the interest of the Washington public. e - Before he gets through with it Col. Passing Souvenirs. prised in 1830 the principal stores, ho- tels and other business establishments and a considerable number of dwell- ings. ington, some of which still remain within that area, will have been swept away forever, One of these is the old National a short period will be razed is not the actual original structure of that place of public entertainment. But the ho- tel establishment that has just been closed, and the contents of which are being sold, has prevailed on the pres- ent site beyond the memory of living men. It has been the home of some of the most famous Americans, their abiding place while they were serving the Federal Government, or while they were visiting in Washington on po- litical or official business, Especial interest attaches to relics of Henry Clay's sojourn at the National, he having made that place his home for the greater part of his long perlod of service in Congress. He died there and the room in which he drew his last breath is now in evidence and contains :orne interesting souvenirs of furni- ure. Washington is changing more rapidly now than it has at any time in the past. It is going through a remarkable trans- formation of physical equipment, In the Mall-Avenue triankle, chosen as a general site for an impressive array of public buildings, are now standing old structures that date back many decades, landmarks, relics and reminders of the days when Pennsylvania avenue was unpaved, when the city was compassed by a radius of a mile or two from the National Hotel. In a few months they will all be gone, and for their passing there will be no particular regret, for no sentiment attaches to them. On the contrary, they have been for a long time regarded as blots on the landscape, as unworthy disfigurements of the Capital scene. . - Thus there is consolation for the spoliation that is in progress. The new Washington will lack something of his- toric souvenirs, but will present its own fresh tokens of national development. Perhaps a hundred years from now there will be other changes, as sweeping as those now making. But that is un- likely, for the construction work now under way has the quality of per- manance and the plan that of finality, ————— If a patriotic song can be written to displace “The Star Spangled Banner,” competition is wide open. There are no restrictions whatever on the tin pan alley lyricist who has anything new to add to the many efforts in that direc- ton. There was & time when many people not yet well acquainted with the U. 8. A. believed that “Hot Time in the ©Old Town” was our national anthem. & e By declining to talk polities Calvin Coolidge begins to worry some hopeful admirers with the fear that for the rest of his career he will continue not choos- ing to run. —_———— Pebruary is giving another climatic demonstration which reminds the pru- dent legislator that the date of the next presidential inauguration should be changed while there is yet time. ——te. Agitation is not likely to run so high as to call for extra police to take care of the sentiment which questions a District of Columbia Commissioner’s eligibility to office, ———— After 50 much activity in affairs, Mr. l;;:.hu may find it pleasant to resume old custom of settling arguments without participating as a personal advocate. ———— Government medication of industrial alcohol may prompt Al Capone to claim that since he retired from public life liquor has been getting worse and worse. ——— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSOR. Told in Confidence. Good friend, I may as well admit In confidential tone My weather rhyme From time to time My real feeling does not fit, It simple truth were known. And when I talk about the smile ‘That has a wondrous pow'r, I'm singing to myself awhile To cheer a wintry hour. I do not like the sky so gray Nor snow so sparkling white, it's way down deep Where sweetly sleep The radiant blooms of May. So when I advocate the style Of a courageous elf, I'm asking your assistance, while T'm singing to myself. Needs of the Hour. “We mneed more statesmen in the world!” “Maybe,” answered Senator Sorghum. “And yet & great many citizens seem to think that what we really need is more and more police. Jud Tunkins says some men can talk by the hours without leaving you sure they have told you anything important except what party they belong to. Pathway of Greatness. He rises to an office high And to one loftier, by and by. Each new promotion bids him fret ‘With troubles growing greater yet. Wide Open Spaces. “I'm leavin' Crimson Guich for awhile,” sald Cactus Joe. “Any special reason?” “I'm longin’ for the wide open spaces.” “You've got the prairie a few miles ° =) “They ain't what T mean, T'm goln’ to Chicago. What I have a hankerin' fur is them wide open speakeasies, “Wise words,” sald Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “have three sources. Many come from the lips, some from the mind and & few from the heart.” Endless Task. the oldest sections of the city Washington, an afes that a century 8go was virtually the heart of the Cap- tal. The space between Pennsylvania, The tariff, when discussed with skill, dread. “De congregation,” said Uncle Eben, “don’t always show how much extra time dese shorter hours i leavin' foh beneficial instruction in » When it is cleared for its new | use many relics of the original Wash- Hotel, though the building that within |as in Congress or in other branches of | bool tion, I must answer that I wished to make something very touching and very simple, and that I have not succeeded could have wished,” wrote George Sand, speaking of her story, “The Devil's Pool.” “Seeing and depicting are not the same thing, and the most that an artist can hope for is to charge those whu:d have eyes to gaze where he has azed.” § Such was the literary theory of Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, better known &s George Sand, one of the first of the feminists, who wrote 80 novels, aroused the censure of her age, and is remembered by two or three of her ks. ‘There is no one who has written any- thing at all but who will echo her honest, rather sad, words: “I wished to make something * * ¢ and I have not succeeded as I could have wished.” That is the eternal cry of the artist, whether _successful or unsuccessful, whether big or little, whether recog- nized by all as an artist or held to be one only by himself. George Sand was not a great writer, but in her day she was a successful one. Her ability was aided by her somewhat startling escapades = with young men. Today the world has largely forgotten her books and her amours, As a writer she was rather inclined toward the sugar coating. Her peasants, as set forth in “The Devil's Pool” and “The Little Fadette,” are peasants in their best light. And again we ask, “Why not?" artist to paint her characters as she saw them. If she chose to forget the Even those who have written in a small way know that when one starts out to “write something very touching and very simple” he has a real job on his hands. It would seem that the very attitude of determination involved in such a t: k tends to render the effort useless. He succeeds best who has no idea at the beginning that he is attempting such a feat. He wants to tell a cer- tain story, he sets out, and the first thing he knows he has achieved pathos. Pathos and humor are the most diffi- cult in all the writer's arsenal—the ability to ereate them is a gift. What- ever one may think of Charles Dickens, | the fact remains that he did achieve | genuine pathos and genuine humor in many of his novels. It is interesting to realize that George Sand, who wrote after the French man- ner, simply by putting her pen to paper and permitting the ideas to come, thought that in her peasant stories she had failed, to some extent at least. Posterity, by choosing these as the ones to keep alive, has reversed her own opinion. And yet she was right, too. She did not succeed as she could have wished. No writer ever does, * ok ox % “Seeing and depicting are not the same thing, and the most that an artist can hope for is to charge those who lllvc eyes to gaze where ne has This is a bit self-conscious. It is trfie that seeing and writing are not the same thing, but an artist, by the very fact of his writing, does more than turn the eyes of the reader in the same direction. The sightseeing tour is an example. The sightseer is taken to a spot or a bullding, and there he can see all that 15 to be seen, guided by the hand and voice of the man with the megaphone. A reader can see nothing but what his conductor, the writer, sees. The author not only creates all that is to | dono; be seen but he is very careful to put his own interpretations upon it, so that the reader must be a real reader, Mr. Coolidge during his occupancy of the White House was exceedingly fond of discoursing upon the prosperity theme. In this connection he was wont to cite as a barometer of business conditions the increases in postal re- ceipts as disclosed by the monthly re- n was W correspon month of the previous year and the average gain customarily ranged from 2 to 4 per cent. Neither Mr. Coolidge nor the Post Office Department alluded to the fact that the normal growth of the United States would account for a ,Munl increase in the volume of mail rom year to year. Assuming, however, that the postal receipts figures are an index of business, it is noteworthy that the percentage gains during the past six months have been on & downward curve. Last August, August, 1928, cent; September, the P! ‘Was 4.40; in October 4.52, in November 3.19, in December 2.03. for January, 1930, just now at hand, com- pared with January a year ago, a percentage increase of only 1.85. mall figures, which are reported sep- arately on a poundage basis, show a similar decline. Last November the total was 623,161 pounds, ber 618,809 and in January 505,033, * ok ok Former Senator Fred Thomas Dubois, for 50 years Idaho's most distinguished citizen and her first Senator, died in Washington last week at the age of 79, still in actiye service as a member of the International Joint Commission. His passing takes from the scene a other of the sturdy figures of the clos- ing quarter of the last century. His obituary notices make much of the fact that he was one of the few men in history who switched his y al- legiance and to be elected. to the Senate once as a Republican and once as a Democrat. On the question of free silver in 1896 this g:n old man d company with the Republican party, but the ‘zsny name. When he he clung to was returned the Senate in the election of 1900, his official bl phy ted him not as a Democrat but as & “Sllver Republican.” But when in the 1924 Mr. Coolidge appointed him to F im] he International Joint Commission, designated him as a Democrat. * % ¥ % A factor to be reckoned with when the blican national convention of 1932 rolls around, which has been by no means overlooked by Mr. Hoover and Chairman Huston of the Republican national committee, but which as yet has not come in for much public at- tention, is the increased convention vot- ing strength of the 11 Southern States comprising the block of 10, usually re- ferred to as the "“Solid South,” plus Tennessee. At Kansas City two years :go these States cast 167 votes. In 1932 ey will be entitled to 226 votes. The increase is that the Hoover-Curtis ticket carried | Virginia, North Carolina, Florida and ‘Texas in 1928. Under Republican rules designed to cut down convention repre- sentation of non-Republican Southern States these Reguhl jcan victories plus increased Republican voting totals in various congressional districts o) to markedly swell thelr numeric: vention strength. Republican Presi- rate be 1t well nigh precludes any rival ing ch’: nomination (r‘::’m Mr. & contingency, not t some one should * k% % ‘The elevation of Attorney General Willlam De Witt Mitchell to the Su- preme Court bench, at the earliest op- ty, is rated as a near certainty y those close to the White House. The only possible barrier is the fact that he {l fellow townsman and former law er of Justice Plerce Butler of St. ul, Minn, But this is a hurdle w) may be surmounted, according to - THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. “If T am asked what was my inten-indeed, it he dare to differ from him. She had a right as an| sweat for one book, that was her right. | —— e WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS show | Thy Alr- accounted for by the fact bY ! A real author—and by that we mean one whose work will live in after ages— makes the scene and the characters, It is not s0 much a matter of making the reader see what he has seen as of creating scenes, character and action whicli will make the reader see at all. * Kk ok ‘The first-hand testimony of writers as to “how they do it,” and especially as to how they view their own work, will always interest readers. Not only are they given a glimpse into the minds and hearts of writers but they come to find out that the latter often are mis- taken about themselves. It is seldom that an author's own preference_among his novels or other works i3 the same as that of the gen- eral public. This often comes about because the author, being an artist, could not Pmptrly put in the work in question all that actually went into it— that is, he could not show to the reader the full content of the story, because to have done so would have killed the artistic effect. It is Interesting to note in the above | given specimen of self-analysis from | the pen of George Sand that she rather told the truth about “The Devil's Pool” than give any real hints about the writing business. “I wished to make something very! touching and very simple.” It was that desire, flowering into those quiet pages, which gave them the charm they pos- sess today. These three or four peasant stories, redolent of a chosen soil, but not too redolent, achieved utter sim- plicity. If they are “touching” or not | must depend upon the reader. But cer- | tainly all readers will find them simple —simple to the extent of being French | | fairy tales almost. * k% % Although French fiction is noted most for an utter honesty which sometimes | @ppears hard, a great deal of it pos- | sesses another quality, and that is a | simple ingeniousness. " One has to read |certain of the short stories of Leon | Daudet to grasp this quality to the full. | There 1s one story, whose title we have forgotten, of a sheepboy who sits all night in the mountains beside the beau- | tiful young daughter of the baron. To im she is as a being from another world. This is all there is to the story; not much, it must be admitted—until one stops to realize that he is being | made to see what the author meant for him to see. Then he realizes that he has been reading a masterpiece. George Sand was not the craftsman Daudet was. Her now remembered stories have a certain sweetness to them which remind one of the Victorian writers about whom we have heard so much in the last 10 years. certain leisurely method ill in keepts | with our swift era. Perhaps that is one reason why reading some of her stories is & pleasant experience nowadays. She Wwas not a bit bothered about what Mr. Mencken would think of them or her! She put her pen to paper and wrote thereon iy a large, round hand, scarcely It is said that she seldom had any idea of what she was going to write, but one may suspect that not always to have | been true. There is, howev | gain evidently in that methe { events | succeed in surprising the writer, it is reasonably sure that they will surprise the reader, too. If he is jogged out of his leisurely gait, the reader may get what today we call a “kick.” George Sand wrote voluminously, and in her day was immensely popular. Even in the late nineties her peasant stories were favorite presentation books, probably because they permitted the rs to deal in a famous name with- out harm to themselves or the recipi- ents. Let us read a little of George | Sand simply because she is worth it. Who predict the Mitchell appointment. The Attorney General's legal attain- ments, his legal vie city for work and aggressive vigor, ave all endeared him to the Presi- dent, and are by way of coming into full public recognition. Mr. Mitchell, at 55, 1s two years younger than Justice Harlan F. Stone, the latter the young- est member of the court as at present constituted. But, at that, Justice Stone was only 53 when Mr. Coolidge pro- moted him from Attorney General to the court, and his “youth" was rated an asset rather than a liability, A * ok ‘The net result of the hearings before the House judiciary committee on the many proposals to repeal the Volstead | act and the eighteenth amendment may well be a favorable report and passage by Congress of the resolution recently introduced by Representative Andrew, Republican, of Massachusetts, directing the Wickersham commission to investi- gate and report to Congress “what changes are desirable in our system for dealing with intoxicating liquors or in the legislation pertainin, thereto.” 3 e dAnlg"'lh resolution 7.! rame: put squarely up to the com- mission the fundament question of the wisdom, or otherwise, of prohibition, which to date the commission has studlously avolded. The wets hope to bring Congress to the frame of mind of saying, “Let's get the Wickersham have taken the position that prohibition itself was a closed chapter, and that the only problem was ways and means. of enforcement. * k% % An accumulation of carbon monoxide gas in the cabin of the de luxe Army transport plane which crashed at Boll- ing Field last Thanksgiving week, bring- ing death to every man on board, was suggested as the possible cause of the disaster by Senator Hiram Bingham of Connecticut, congressional avi- ation rt, in the course of debate the other day in the Senate. He was pointing to the difficulty frequently en- countered in determining the cause or placing the blame for aviation mishaps. ‘The Bol Field accident occurred in plain view of two dozen aviation officers within 100 seconds of the moment that the plane took off. Yet its cause is atill "a mystery. Senator Bingham thinks one Whiff of monoxide gas would have put the pllot out of commission for a few seconds, quite long enough for the fatal nose dive. * ook ok Dr. William Mosely Brown, who re- signed l‘;’mfflw"hb at Washington and Lee University to be the coalition candidate in the late gubernatorial contest in Virginia, and who met with defeat at the hands of the regular Democratic nominee, is to be employed the Wickersham Law Enforcement Commission as an e: to assist the commission in its studies of the causes of crime. His appointment was an- nounced last week, but it is suggested that this is a temporary berth and that he will be later fted into the Gov- ernment service in some other capacity, ibly in the Bureau of Education in mxnm“ Department. (Copyright, 1930.) Trust It’s Not Poison. Prom the Hartford Courant. Recent liquor ring disclosures lead one to wonder whether prosecution for violation of the Volstead act should not e Bherman anthuss w0 under ——————r———— Cheaper Alarm Clock: From the Worcester Evening Gasette. Cutting the duty on carillons lmg:nv ed for college bell towers may a m tribute to education, but, as a Dlstam ter, wlut.“ country a trift F!rs of Presidents Taft and Wilson, it blotting out a word in a whole novel. | lan carefully | Of Congress Recognition of Anthem a Mere Form To the Editor of The Star: ‘We of the Veterans of Forelgn Wars read with a great deal of interest the various _discussions on “The Star Spangled Banner” bill. Anything worth doing at all is worth doing right, "lnd since “The Star Spangled Banner” is reccgnized as our national anthem, and has been so recognized by executive or- ould seem that indorsement of it by the Congress of the United States should be_a mere formality. It would also seem that proper credit should be accorded to the individual and to the organization responsible for this move. The movement to make 'The‘ Star Spangled Banner” the official an-| them by an act of Congress is the origi- nal idea of Capt. “Daddy” Joyce, na- tional patriotic instructor of the Vet- erans of Foreign Wars, Years of un- ceasing effort marked “Daddy” Joyce's| campaign, in which he was backed up | by the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the| United States as an organization. It is strictly a Veterans of Foreign Wars project, and was so placed before Con- gress. The official singing of the an- them at the céngressional hearings was by Mrs. Elsie Jorss Reilly, a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary and the solo soprano of the Overseas Military Band of the Veterans of For- eign Wars. gAll of this in favor of “The Star Spangled Banner” is done with a motive in these days, when the younger genera- tion is being led to belleve that an apology is almost necessary for old-time patriotism and old-time songs. Spreaders of foreign propaganda are leading many of our youngsters to be- lieve that internationalism is the thing, and it is such organizations as the Vet- erans of Foreign Wars which make it their sacred duty to combat this per- nicious and undermining influence. That is the reason for “The Star Spangled Banner” campaign, and the more pub- licity patriotic newspapers give this movement the greater will be the suc- cess of the campaign. Another part of this campaign that the Veterans of Forelgn Wars is put- ting over is to urge upon all American citizens to memorize the words of all four verses of “The Star Spangled Banner.” You will find very few Amer- icans able to do this, and it takes a good shot to snap them into the realiza~ tion that their national anthem is something worth learning and memo- rizing. lL'mllht be of interest to recall a little bit of ancient history to illustrate how an American who does not know his own national anthem can be cheap- ened by this fact. In 1906 I was a member of the erew of the U. 8. 8.} Maryland, when that fine, big, armored cruiser went on a trip around the world, in company with the Pennsylvania, Colorado and West Virginia. Our first port of call was Gibraltar, Spain. The English soldiers and satlors there made elaborate preparations to give us a real welcome. They staged a fine theatrical performance, boxing bouts, and at the end of the program their band struck up “The Star Spangled Banner.” Every Britisher in that audience stood at at- tention and sang all four verses of “The Star Spangled Banner” which our gal- t Americans hummed and “la-la’d" the melody. After this the British struck up “God Save the King,” and our jolly tars sang “My Country, 'Tis of Thee," at the top of their voices. The next day there was a great rush on the ship’s library, with all hands memoriz- ing “The Star Spangled Banner.” HARVEY L. MILLER, Department Commander. r—e—s More Fresh Air and Health For the School Children To_the Editor of The Star: In the past couple of weeks there have been two letters in your columns concerning_ shorter school hours for children. It is certainly gratifying in this day of feverish cramming of book knowledge to find a few sane adults to whom health is of it portance. Where there is physical well-being there can be no doubt concerning the development of a fine intellect. No memorized book knowledge, which is about all most children get, can make up for lack of health. It is too bad that our educators of today cannot or will not see this. In California, which State ranks first in its educational work, I belleve, they have a four-hour school day, with three recess periods, and their children are not only far above the average physically but their minds also are the very keenest. Here's hoping that we, toa, will soon see need for more sunshine and mental relaxation for our children. MRS. RALPH R. o Irish Not to Blame For Chicago’s Ills To the Editor of The Star: Chicago is broke. Crime is on the rampage. We have 5,700 policemen and about 12,000 public speakeasies. But, mest of all, we still have our war-time mayor—*"Big Bill" Thompson—get this, now—Willlam Hale Thompson, not O'Sullivan, McDonald or an O'Flarity. course, maybe many of the coppers and bootleggers may carry our great old Irish names, but we Irish want you folks to know we're not all to blame for Chicago's present reputation all over the globe. We admit some of the crimi- nals, too, carry the Irish name, but many of the police clubs have found a great many criminals who were not Irish at all—just carrying our name for protection, I guess. 1 am anxicus that The Star publish this, so those dry Senators and Repre- sentatives down in the Capital can't say. “Well, it's the Irish causing the present-day debate because their friend, Al Smith, was defeated.” Anyway, we admitted our defeat with 17,000,000 voters with us. JOSEPH DELEHANTY, Chicago, 1 i G Veteran of Many Words. PFrom the New York Times. Before the Senate adjourned Febru- ary 3, Mr. Smoot referred to Theodore F. Shuey, oldest of the official reporters of debate, as “one of the most faitnful servants the Government of the United States has had.” Mr. Smoot was add- ing to the praise of Mr. Shuey just ex= pressed by Senators Hebert and Shep- pard. It was one occasion when every Senator agreed with every other. Mr. Shuey was 85 years old this week, and for 61 years, without missing & day in any session of the Senate, he has sat making stenographic signs in his notebook which developed next day into much of the Senate section of the Congressional Record. His_accuracy and his good temper alike have been the admiration of many series of states- men, That Mr. Shuey has lived so long and in such health and with such a record in any occupation would be wonder enough. But that he has endured so surprisingly in a calling ing and tedious is amazing. He must frequently be bored. On the day he was receiving encomiums the Record was being filled with (1) Senator Robinson's radio ! pi speech from London, (2) the objection of Arizona peace officers to the Cutting amendment and (3) Mr. La Follette’s speech en the dye schedules. ‘This last con innumerable ta- bles, covering 13 pages of the Record, and ranging from napthanol yellows to Zambesi blacks. “I hope every Senator will read said . La earnestly, Mr. Shuey took it.all in the day's work. leanwhile his House conferees were debates on a statue to Goe- thals, tribal mohey for the Fort Ber- thold Indians and equally exciting mat- ters. A congressional re- porters are a tough lot! —r———————— And Study the Coal Bill. From the Charleston Evening Post. One way to keep warm in cold weath- er in these parts is to read sbout the where the thermométer is 50 re] that country have dled at the hands of assassins,” * ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN. The resources of our free information bureau are at your service, You are invited to call upon it as often as you please. It is being maintained solely to serve you. What question can we an- swer for you? There is no charge at all except 2 cents in coin or stamps for return postage. Address your letter to The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washing- ton, D. C. Q. What are the duties of staff anists in broadcasting studios?— T. o A: Requirements may differ in vari- ous studios. Those employed by one large broadcasting company play about 150 auditions each week, or about five hours every day. They also have cer- tain lfuhedulfl.l fl;n!':‘ l;nbr‘l;ld.cbla:, ’n“r;d must repare - ment's nguce. For instance, if the daily stock market report should lack five’ minutes of filling in the allotted time, the staff pianist must be pre- pared to present a program of piano music lasting exactly five minutes. Q. How long has chocolate been in use?’—W. B. P. A. Chocolate for eating is compara- tively & modern development. As a beverage it has been used since the discovery of America, The Aztecs made a cold, frothy drink from cacao beans. 1t is only since 1700, however, that milk has been used in preparing the drink. Q. Please give some information about the Valley of Ten Thousand ‘nokes.—B. R. A. The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes is a volcanic region in Alaska. which came into being at the time of change. This is entirely true of classi- cal Latin, which is the foundation of rhummullcnl Latin, though the lat- er does increase its vocabulary. New words with Latinized forms are coined as the need for them arises, but the meanings of the words so formed do not change, any more than do the mesnings of the words of classical Latin. A sec- ond reason is that Latin is a universal language, and so may be used as a means of international communication. Thus & Latin prescription written by a German physician may be interpreted in Italy, England, in the United States, or & prescription by an American physi- cian in any foreign country. This is of great convenience to the traveling public. A third reason is that in many cases the Latin names of drugs are more distinctive than are their vernacu- lar names. The use of Latin also helps to conceal the kind of medicine being taken, and perhaps the nature of the disease from the patient himself, if this is desirable, and also from other in- quisitive persons. Q. What is meant by a “natural” ‘waterway?—W. McC. A. 1t is a navigable waterway which is not improved. Q. What does a quart of cream weigh?—G. L. V. A. The weight of a quart of cream. generally speaking, is 2.12 pounds, This is the weight for coffee cream at 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Whipping cream would weigh less. Q. T have received a letter from Holland with a name in it which I do not understand. It is “Gloeilampen- hhrtkénfi' What does it mean?— the eruption of Mount Katmai, June|H. C. 6, 1912. It and its neighboring won- ders were discovered by Robert F. Griggs, director of the National Geo- graphic Society expedition, from 1915 to 1919. ‘This region proved to be such & stupendous volcanic laboratory, as well as being so rich in_scenic value, that in September, 1918, President Wil- son set aside the whole district, com- prising more than 1,000,000 acres, as the Katmal National Monument. Q. What South American country borrows the most money in the United States?—O. C. A. Chile is the heaviest borrower, Last year the Chilean government is- sues, publicly offered in the United States, oomrflud nearly two-thirds of the total value of Latin American gov- ernment issues offered here. q;rn cider an alcoholic beverage?— A. Cider, as made outside the United States, is alcoholic. It is the vinous fermentation of the expressed juice of apples. Many fine ciders are of cer- tain vintage varieties of the fruit. The cider apple orchards of the world are mainly confined to certain districts of France and England. In America fresh unfermented apple juice is called cider. | his Q. Is it true that thousands of tons of iron shot out of the sky in Siberia some years ago?—J. L. A. This is a fact. It was caused by a falling meteorite crashing to earth in Yenesel province, in Central Siberia. It exploded as it neared the earth and illuminated the country for nearly 500 miles. The heat from this body could be felt for a distance of 300 miles, It was the est star in history. If it had struck New York City, every building and subway would have been du:troyed and every bit of life wiped out. Q. Why are prescriptions written in Latin?>—N. A. L. A. Several reasons have been ad- vanced for the desirability of its con- tinued use. It is a “dead” language, no longer used as a conversational lan- guage by any people. Coi uently there is no increase in its v lary, 'A. It means “Incandescent Lamp ‘Works.” A. Is the coast line of Africa deeply indented?—E. D. H. A. The coast line of Africa is pecul- far, in that it presents a remarkably even front, contrasted with the coast lines of Europe, Asia and North Amer- ica. It resembles the coast line of South America. . How many men are there in the United States Navy d?—H, W. A& There are 78 musiciacs in the ' Q. How did Norman Smith's record compare with De Palma's?—H. E. R. A. Norman Smith of Australia on Jl‘nu:g' 21;1.51930. ::nve 10 miles in 4 minul =5 seconds, an as of 148.637 miles an hour. fl'"l:..mndw Ralph De Palma's straight-away auto record for 10 miles in 4:09:31, averag- g.;gnuam miles an hour, February 16, Q. When was President Monroe's burial place changed to Richmond, Va.? & On “the 100tn . On e 1 annis of President Monroe's birth, A) m;'nf'uu. ashes were carried under escort tp Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Va. Q. How large a mass is a gram of radium? Does it have to be trans g‘oecma in a special container?—M. E. A. The Geological Survey says that A gram of radium is about twice the size of an ordinary match head. Ra- dium is transported in structed lead containers. Q. Is there really a Devil's Island whAe.re Dt::u“ ‘;fl: prison?—T. B. R. 's nd does actually exist. It is located in a group of islands called the Iles Du Salut, in French Guiana, off the coast-of South America. Here is located a French penal station, with administrative headquarters in Ile Royale, nearest the mainland. To the seaward is the Ile Du Diable (Devil's Island), noteworthy as the and the meanings of its words do not | ported I Attack on President Rubio Debated as to Significance The attempt to assassinate Ortiz Rubio, new President of Mexico, is com- mented upon by some as proof of the failure to establish peaceful conditions in Mexico. Others, how optimistic, seeing evidence of progress in the fact that revolution failed to develop after the excitement subsided. “The order prevailing in the country following the outrage, with the authori- ties proceeding methodically with the invest jon,” in the opinion of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “adds to th belief that the attem) nation represented an individual rather than any group.” The Bangor Daily Com- mercial remarks that “a few years back the attempt at assassination would have been considered as a very likely fore- runner of a revolution, but the marked advance of Mexico in the last decade in the direction of observance of law has | o greatly lessened the likelihcod of any general appeal to arms.” B The fact that no disorders fol is emphasized also by the nd Trib- une, with the comment: “The Mexi- can government is not to be upset by the act of a madraan, nor are the people to be turned to revolution or riot by the crack of a gun. Fortunately, Ortiz Rublo came through the ordeal with wounds not considered serious. - He had & narrow_escape, as did other members of his party, and he stands today before the le of his country as a stronger leader ever. Declaring that “President Rubio rep- resents forces in the political and eco- nomic life of the nation which offer the mise of progress and prosper- e Chicago Daily Tribune em- phasizes the belief that “another assas- sination of a :l‘;:h loflshl:l ‘would 1'njun Mexican pres n eyes of world mapr:ould threaten the political stability which is the prime requisite of Mexico's progress.” The Boston Tran- script holds that the incident is “partly due to the manifest unfairness of the elections, even allowing for lack of tech- nical equipment with which to conduct them.” That paper adds that, “as & matter of fact, and admitting the defects of the Mexican election laws, the country is slowly and painfully making its way toward stable condi- tions.” llowed ERE ‘The San Antonio Express calls the act of violence “the worst possible dis- service which could have been done the Mexican nation; that as a whole no doubt would accord its new president every falr opportunity to fulfill his pledges. * * * Broadly continues the Express, “it may be said that upon the achievement of substan- tial progress in executing the common welfare policy depends the ultimate suc- cess of the economic development pro- gram which President Ortiz Rublo has announced,” The Columbus Ohio State Journal feels that the incident “is not a thing which will upset the Mexican government or be followed by any grave danger to the interests of the United States in that country.” “The men recently in power,” avers the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, “have made restoring ord this radical propaganda and revolutionary effort for the attack. ite of Mexico in the past. In recent years," continues the !ug?“‘three Presidents of e | Whether placed in considered.” | gy Mexico. Rubio s no stranger to the bitter political feuds and some of the revolutions in Mexico. He was first for R assoc wi in Political affairs when Carranza was de- posed and killed.” * ok ok “Such is Mexi lotting, turbulent, blood-leting, Hie-tabing.s" states. the | Chattanooga Times. iblic 3 office by popular bal- lot or through the success of revolu- tionary plots to seize the reins of by force, seem never to be safe. * That the unhappy country should have 't mud to settle down of e ballot and peace. nt Rublo will have to carry on under great difficulties, as his have had to do.” “Blood and politics seem to be in- terminably mixed in that country,” says the Scranton Times, “That being so, it is not surprising that an assassin should make an attempt on the life of President Ortiz Rubio, nor that the attempt should be made on the very day on which he'was sworn in as President of the republic.” “Intelligent efforts of unselfish patri- ots to lead the country back to sta- bility and prosperity,”" concludes the Roanoke es, “have come to naught repeatedly because of the malign Ivi- ties of those who are persuaded that the dagger and the pistol represent a pana- | cea for all civil {lls. Those who belong | to the school of assassination must be dealt with sternly and without merey, else Mexico will never achieve materiai progress toward rehabilitation. And the country will never enjoy the res; and esteem of civilized nations until by the force of public opinion and other- wise it puts an end to terrorist methods.” - sem Reserve System Survey Is Awaited From the Filnt Duily Journal. 5 e Chamber of Commerce of the United States will issue a report late in hbmnrymmnlulzolmcpflll it is making of its members on the question of whether American business men and bankers believe Congress should enact legislation strengthening the Federal Reserve act. ‘The poll is undertaken because of the large amount of criticism which came about uring the last two yvears in cornec- ton with the “bull market.” Senator Vandenberg of has ll!‘ld{ made a poll of the of this State and from the results of his We may be able to judge what the national referendum may produce, belleving that M represents a falr cross-section of the country, The bankers of Michigan are over- i e s e ‘l‘: this time, wever, a desire liberality in the matter of count collal ———— The East Warme 'Em. W neves. Hbe & > ‘e never pass a cold wave on east, but it's the only way rid of one. ™ R Good Thing, if It Works, From the Savannah Morning News. * ¢ Those who live by the sword.glso dle by .the sword in ™ e