Evening Star Newspaper, February 25, 1930, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. “ WASBHINGTON, D. C TUESDAY.....February 25, 1930 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company iness Dffce Pel lvania_Ave " Regent St.. London. Rate by Carrier Within the City. ¢ Evenine Star.. . 45¢ per month The Eihine S8 sunaay star Cwhen 4 Sundass) 80c ter month and Sunday Siar ays) . 65¢ per month ‘ r . . 5S¢ per copy ™ made af the end of each month. | %fltl’l may be sent in by mail or telephone tional 5000. » Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. nd Sunday. fly an i a3 All Other States an fly and Sunday..} s ily only ......0'1¥r. y only ") d Ca $12.00 38. nada. this paper and rablished herein. #pecial dispatches herein The President’s Warning. President Hoover has issued a timely warning to the leaders of his party in Congress not to permit the appropria- tions for the coming fiscal year to ex- ceed the budget. The country has passed through a period of deflation in the stock market, which may ultimate- 1y be reflected in the amount of Fed- eral income taxes received by the Gov- ermnment. Acting under the leadership of the administration, Congress not long ago put through a measure cutting $160,000,000 off the income tax bill which Americans will pay during the present calendar year. This was a benefit to the individual taxpayers and to business, especially under existing circumstances. It is true that recent surveys have indicated an upward turn in business and employmert. But a policy of expansion of governmental expenditures at this stage would be taking a chance. In fiscal affairs of the Government, it is wise never to take such a chance. As a part of the program to stabilize business and employment, the admin- istration has undertaken to keep pub- lic works moving along through the country to as great an extent as pos- sible. This is a wise policy. Activity in public construction may well act as a safety valve when employment is on the decline. It is understood that the President will adhere as strongly as possible to this policy during the com- ing year. It is a contribution which the Government makes toward progress and prosperity in the country—a very tangible contribution. ‘The President’s warning to the con- gressional leaders does not give the impression that the Government will not be able to meet all its obliga- tions or that there is any reason to suspend the orderly progress under the budget which he sent to Congress at the opening of the present session. It is simply a definite statement that, no matter how meritorious new projects now advanced in Congress may be, this is not the time to provide for them out of Government funds. A list of such projects, calling for an additional outlay of $1,735,000,000, now offered in Congress, has been prepared by the administration. Naturally there is great ppressure back of some of these projects, meritorious in their objects. The Presi- dent has called on Congress to 7zesist this pressure. The Government is to expend during the coming fiscal year, under the budget sent to Congress by the President, $3,830,445231. To the layman this does not look like parsi- mony, aithough it is some $145,000,000 less than current appropriations. Congressional leaders already have | been hewing close to the mark set by the budget, for the appropriation bills coming from the House to the Senate represent in the aggregate a reduction of $25,000,000 from the budget figures. Benate amendments, however, might quickly wipe out this margin of reduc- tion and sweep the totals to higher figures than the budget. Furthermore, there are three more important appro- priation bills to be passed by the House. ‘The Senate and House leaders with ‘whom the President conferred yester- day gave immediate assurance that their efforts would be directed to keeping the appropriations within the budget submitted in accordance with the law. ‘This is a hopeful sign. But vigilance in matters of appropriations is the only sure way of keeping totals down. A few millions here and there soon swell appropriations for the Government to new heights. ————— As a rule “communism” appears to be clear about only one thing it wants and that is trouble. —— - The Stabilizing Syndicate. ‘When, four months ago, the New York stock market was in convulsions in a swiftly developing selling move- ment and stocks were being sacrificed st tremendous losses, with general de- moralization setting in, a syndicate of bankers was formed to undertake the stabilization of the list, if "possible to stem the selling tide. From day to day these men, representing institutions commanding many billions of dollars in “quick assets,” stood by as purchasers of stocks. When “air pockets” formed in the market, heavy offerings with no takers, the bankers bought at the price of tender. They sold their stocks as soon as the pressure was removed, sometimes on the following day, some- times several days later, in some cases weeks afterward. They were in and out of the market, co-ordinating their pur- chases 0 as to effect the best influence upon the list. Yesterday it was announced that the syndicate had closed its accounts, com- pleting the liquidation of its operations. No accounting was made, but it was in- dicated that the syndicate had done a little better than break even on the whole transaction. If any profit was made, it was a small one. This was the purpose at the outset, to effect stabiliza- tion without any profit and, if possible, without any loss. The effect was that the syndicate loaned the “Street” about $240,000.000—which is the amount now computed as that used altogether “in the transactions—for four months, and the gains, such as they ave, constitute s low Interest charge. swept down to the point of a disaster greater than that which pccurred. If THE EVENING sult of the ahsence of something else. It is part of an extremely complicated the syndicate had not been formed it|pattern of psychic and material en- is probable that as a consequence of the constant formation of the “air pockets” the downward movement would have carried the stock prices to unprecedented depths, causing a disaster from which the country would have been years in recovering. As it was, the market stabilized at a point at which real values prevailed in the main, with some securities below the mark of intrinsic rates, as measured by income returns, and others even above that mark. There was plenty of room below the line of the ultimate stabilization for further declines, which would probably have occurred had it not been for the support of this buy- ing syndicate. This incident has demonstrated the power of co-operative organization as a jmeans of market support. By the same token it shows what might be done for sinister purposes, for the false booming of the market and for the depression of the list for the purposes of profit. But the institutions engaged in this opera- tion, the greatest banks in America, in- deed the greatest aggregation of bank- ing resources in the world, are con- ducted as for the public welfare, rather than for tricky advaatage. not eleemosynary institutions. are actuated by business motives, They are run for profit to the stockholders and for the benefit of those who use their resources for business develop- ment. But they have proved conclu- sively in this affair, that they are not engaged in stock market speculation with other people’s money, even though in a national emergency they were buying and selling by the tens of mil- lions daily for a period of several months. They proved to be the stabil- izing force to prevent a great financial tragedy. ——————————— Control Over Visiting Drivers. ‘The United States Supreme Court decision yesterday upholding the right of District officials to bar automobile drivers whose permits have been re- voked in the District of Columbia, although they may be residents of the States, is fortunate for the District. Had the United States Supreme Court taken the view of the Court of Appeals, which held that the Commissioners do not possess this right under their reciprocity agreement with Virginia, local traffic authorities would have been faced with another of their al- ready serious traffic problems. Charles H. Fred, a former resident of the District, had his driver's permit revoked. He moved to Virginia and was issued a registration card there carrying with it the usual privileges. Upon his return to the District he was arrested. His conviction in Police Court, however, was dismissed in the Court of Appeals and the Commission- ers, because of the possibilities inherent in such a situation, asked the United States Supreme Court to rule on the matter. The ‘Supreme Court yesterday upheld the District authorities. In their appeal for review the Com- missioners ~ emphasized the serious menace presented by a ruling which would in ,effect tend to nullify their power to revoke permits. A driver losing his permit in the District, but registering his car under the laws of Virginia, could drive with impunity here, no matter how serious had been his offense that lost him his local permit. ‘The Supreme Court decision is doubly interesting b-ause of recent proceed- ings in the Virginia Legislature that indicate Virginia’s attitude toward drivers’ permits in general. Debating a bill for certain changes in the State automobile laws, an amendment pro- posing that automobile drivers in Vir- ginia be licensed was defeated on the strength of the argument that Virginia presumes every person driving an auto- mobile to be a qualified driver; that his discrepancies become apparent through failure to obey traffic laws, for which he is punished. At the same time an amendment was favored raising the maximum speed limit from 35 to 45 miles an hour. A registration certificate, dis- played in the car or by the driver, is Virginia's only requirement. There are no tests or examinations, as required in many other States and the District of Columbia. It is fortunate for the District that the Supreme Court has not adopted the view that reciprocity agreements cover any and all sins of automobile drivers. Had that been the case, the full benefits of reciprocity would have been left in serious doubt. e Prohibition enforcement is compli- cated by the bootlegger who is in doubt whether to draw a cork or a revolver, e Mr. Hoover's School. A model rural school has been pro- vided, through the generosity of Presi- dent. Hoover, for the illiterate children of his Summer neighbors in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The President, among whose out- standing qualities is his deep interest in human welfare, naturally was dis- | turbed last Summer when he learned accidentally that the urchins of the denied all their lives what generally 15 presumed to be the common heritage of American childhdd. ‘The artless conversation of a moun-.| tain boy proved a window through which the President of the United States could look into the mind of a people—the folk of the hollows. They were a revelation and a challenge, these log-cabin dwellers of twentleth century America still living, with the air full of radio music and airplanes flying over their heads, at the intellectual and eco- nomic level of two or three hundred years ago. Mr. Hoover acted directly, in an ob- vious way, upon the immediate problem. Out of his own funds he provided a school. This opened yesterday with about twenty children in attendance. The establishment of the school, of course, does not mark the end of the problem or of Mr. Hoover's interest. It has been estimated that there are more than a million children in the South- ern highlands whose condition is com- parable to that of the President’s neigh- bors. For some it is considerably bet- ter. For others it is very much worse. ‘The establishment of schools ob- viously is not the only step required to At no time in the operation of this syndicate was there any attempt or de- sire to “bull the market.” All that was tought was to prevent it from being where else, is the almost inevitable re- raise these people to & level comparable to that of the populations about them. ‘The absence of schbols, here or any- They are | They | mountainside #bove his camp had been | vironmental factors and their biological consequences. Lack of education is not an isolated fragment of the picture of the sparsely populated Appalachian “hoilows.” Much objective scientific research will be required to resolve the pattern into its fundamental elements. What started the cultural devolution? ~ What has contributed to the formation of the vicious circle which has coiled through the human generations in these isolated communities? What are the underlying economic factors? Answers to these questions are not to be found on the surface. Considerable research has been car. ried out in the past on the human problems of the region. But, like the educational efforts, it has been patchy. ‘There are many model schools in the hollows, from Virginia to Alabama, established by philanthropists, research foundations and churches. They have done excellent work—in their own im- mediate neighborhoods. There have been numerous research projects in economics, sociology, psychology and biology, and the findings have been of inestimable value. But, up to the present, little has been done toward the expensive and titanic study of the region as a whole from all the possible avenues of approach, ‘whereby not only a true picture of the entire situation could be obtained but the interrelation of the historical, economic, biological, psychological and sociological factors determined. It is encouraging to note that, spurred on by the interest of Mr. Hoover, several foundations are contemplating just such a project. The condition of these hollow folk— S0 near to twentieth century civilization and yet so far away—constitutes a gross defect in the American scheme of things. It is not well, in senseless vain- | glory, to paint the defective patch with a thin coat of gilt or refuse to look at it altogether. Such a procedure is like tying up with string a vital part of an automobile’s mechanism. The motor trip ahead and has need of all its parts in good condition. Mr. Hoover’s school will accomplish a great deal of good locally, but its real function will be that of a symbol of the problem. It serves to focus public attention on a direful situation. With the great name of the President attached to it, that little building under the sunrise-colored crags of the moun- tains stands as a warning sentinel. It will not allow the American people easily to forget. —————— A successful fishing vacation does not imply a promise by President Hoo- ver that White House conferences will be rendered peculiarly interesting by the introduction of sailfish for break- fast, ———————— Income tax returns may be less this year. There will inevitably be some inquisitiveness as to how the Nation managed to get along in days before the great war when'there was no in- come tax. —ee Ideas of hitching Lindbergh to an office job have apparently been aban- in a roll-top desk would be to let him figure on equipping it with wings and 2 motor. ———— Radio regulation will hardly under- take to prevent the able ad writer from using so much time that Handel and Beethoven are in danger of being crowded out of the program. —o—s Soviet interference with religion is reckless. A public that does not believe in religion can scarcely be expected to believe in anything so notoriously fal- lible as politics. o ‘Tragedies that bring regrets to many admirérs of screen favorites arise in reminder that the jocose press agent is not permitted to write all the head- lines from Hollywood. B A b HOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Wishing. Wishing for December joy. Wishing for the May. Thus existence we employ, Wishing“time away. There are always wishes new; Old ones are forgot, Some of them are coming true. Some of them are not. ‘The realities we see Soon seem scant and small. Most of life appears to be ‘Wishing, after al Futile Protest. “Do you forbid the use of money in your campaigns?” “Absolutely,” answered Senator Sor- ghum. “But in talking to the boss I try to be enough of a philosopher to realize that a statesman can't expect to have his own way about everything.” Jud Tunkins says the nedrest he ever got to farm relief was when the man who held the mortgage relieved him of the farm. The Smart Detective. A good detective worked away And gathered insufficient pay. Said he, “I'm going to spend my time Upon imaginary crime. I'll write a story which will sell, And that, I know, will pay me well.” Working Faster. “Did you see “Ten Nights in a Bar- room’ “When I was young,” answered Uncle Bill Bottletop. “We work faster now. ‘The deplorable evils of drink can be shown by ten minutes in a bootlegger's automobile.” “We say we have converted a ma said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “when we have compelled him to ac- cept a new opinion, even though it may be as erroneous as his old one.” gt ‘Wave Lengths, Ete, My Radio! My Radio! With all your operatics, The real working that you show Seems mostly mathematics. “Experience,” said Uncle Eben, “is & good teacher, but she don't tell you much dat. common sense didn’ know in de fust place.” of American civilization has a long | doned. The only way to interest him ! S’i‘AR, WASHINGTON, Conceit is the first and last bloom on the fruit of human self-consciousness. The silly light of satisfaction which llke a mask athwart a million countenances is never seen on & h One can examine horses from now to doomsday without catching a single one of them looking as if he were well pleased with himself. Go to the Zoo and inspect carefully each and every animal there, and you will never find a glimmer of conceit on the face of one creature. There is plenty of dignity in tigers and lions, something of the comical in the monks, a bit of the absurd in wart- {hogs and gnus. But no conceit. Man has a monopoly on that. * ok % x Self-consciousness evidently is at the To0t of the matter. No sooner does an animal become conscious of himself than something be- gins to happen. Like God Almighty, he looks around and is well pleased, but the joke is on him, because he has not made himself. Finding himself as he is or as he is growing, he decided that somehow great credit is due himself. For a long time we thought that this silly smirk of self-satisfaction was due to things physical. It was, we opined, the result of an erect head, a straight back, strong mus- cles, plenty of red blood corpuscles. It takes more than excellent physique, however, to flower conceit at its best. Some of the homeliest little shrimps in the world are the most conceited. The question remains: How do they get that way? * K ok % ‘The so-called original Fall of Man is the only way to account for it. It seems a long way to go back to explain yon conceited young man stand- ing there on the corner, but let us see. In the first place, the fall suffused the human race with an inferiority com- plex. This is all theory, of course; but a theory is a mighty useful thing, and any one who attempts to explain con- ceit needs one badly. To this original tinge of inferiorit; permeating the peoples of all Christian in contact, was added the effect of the social systems of the world. Higher and lower, up and down, aris- tocrats and plebeians, these ideals have tended to make the children of men accept ideas of inferiority. Added, to all this must be actual in- feriority, both physical and mental, which the possessors are first to see, ceal the lack from the world, * k% % Youth is the great savior of man from this all-embracing sense of inferiority, which one nation. through a quirk of fate, has managed to set at the top of | the heap. Orne has but to look at the faces of see conceit coming into flower to save the boys from thinking too humbly of themselves. ‘The first definite personal achieve- ments as the result of social contacts lll‘\fm.lllly begin in this era of a man's .. " Here a young fellow begins to find out that he can run faster than his mates, or outshine ithem in studies, or that he possesses superior ‘“looks,” or a more HE BULLETIN, Sydney.— Mr. John Dalley’s laudation of the American as a superbather in a recent Bulletin is doubtless true of today, but it wasn't always | so. The first bathtub was introduced to America in the 1840s by a wealthy Yankee traveler, who had seen the in- novation in England. He installed one in his house, and the wrath of the en- tire American press fell upon him. “An epicurean and obnoxious toy, imported from England and designed to corrupt | the democratic simplicity of the repub- lc,” was one summing-up of such a new-fangled luxury. Doctors issued warnings that baths caused rheumatic fevers and numerous other ailments, and in Philadelphia the city council attempted: to prohibit !)gu dangerous practice. Then President lmore had & bath put in at the White House, as another Cato remarked, “to the great scandal of democracy and the medical profession.” That was the last phase of the campaign against “this monar- chial luxury.” As for the bath in England, as a lad in the 1880s and early 90s the writer lived in at least 20 fairly modern houses of those days in different parts, and every one had at least one bath room, with hot and cold water laid on. In country houses of the type of the Yorkshire rectory, “Thormanby,” every bed room had its tin bath, for which hot or cold water was brought up every morning, as deslref, o * Holds France and U. S. Most Progressive. Le Matin, Paris—Andre Maurols, | the Prench éritic and essayist, sees no reason why France and the United States should have any disagreements. ‘They are probably the two most pro- gresslve nations of the world today and ave much in common in enthusiasm, in vitality and in benefactions to the human race. The fundamental differ- ence between France and America is deprived of a similar unanimity of mind and soul because of the multitudi- nous ingredients that go to make up her national opinion. As far as her in- dustrialism has impaired deep think- ing, the same can be sald of France and Germany and England, though per- haps not the same degree. A nation that is chiefly concerned with making money cannot make intellectual prog- ress in proportion. * K K % Twentieth Century Filled With Wonders. El Nuevo Diarlo, Caracas.—The twen- tieth century has so far sufficiently exploited itself. It has accomplished much, both in invention and develop- ment. It has been filled with wonders and achievements, which in their bril- liant originality and astounding suc- ‘cess have been made known to all. Such stupendous feats could not be hid. But In one respect the era has retrogressed to the Middle Ages, and for a reason, and a good reason. Short trousers for gentlemen have been regularly re-established. Men wore them centuries ago for business and for dress, and so they are ‘doing again. One reason for this is the increasing activ- ity of the age. With business in the morning and golf and other sports in the afternoon, the pantaloon or the koicker has naturally solved the prob- Jem of how to work and play without stopping to change clothes. The twen- tleth century, with its short pants and its skyscrapers, glories in the freedom of its youth and shows its tendency to extremes in all directions! % * | But the chief reason for the innova- jtion is that the trousers of men corre- spond to the skirts of women. When women shortened their skirts, men for a long time retained their long, baggy nondescripts, but with the continued curtailment of the feminine habiliment men finally declared their independ- ence, too, and shortened thelr pants to correspond. * ok ok % Offers Solution Of Language Question. Lel Sn‘l‘r.“:mmels,—m uestion approaching gl. Jasper, minister of state, after de- tailed examination of the sentiments of the country, and consideration of what will be mutually best for the people and the government, has proposed certain changes in lmc n'ii“?:u'i' ;l:ifond-l;‘nfi guage” tangle, which he belleves dispose ‘of the -matter nations and those with whom they come | although they may do their best to con- | the high-school students of the land to | D. C. BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. upright carriage, or something upon which he can pride himself. And he is pathetically eager to find | something or other to brag about to himself, as well as to others, because he must convince himself of his own su- periority first before he can impose it | upon others. ‘The result of this mental process is the arrogant look found on the faces of the youngsters. Here we have the antithesis of the attitude of the Ameri- can Indians. | Look upon the picture of some great | chief, such as Sitting Bull, and you will see there not a trace of conceit, but only dignity, exactly the sort as worn so majestically by lions, tigers, buffe'ses. * oK K K The Indians, as the result of their | training and social customs, adopted | stolidity of countenance as their mask. to reveal to the world, whereas the mod- | ern American boy puts on, more for his own benefit than for any one else, & | vince all and sundry that he is some- | body. In an individualist country, of course, one must be somebody in order to keep from being nobody. If one cannot do |1t in any other way, it is permissible to | put on a fine look of personal pride. Let us admit that most of this process is entirely unconscious. A young man, after a more or less normal childhood, looks in the mirror one day and finds | that a pleasing countenance looks back | at_him. He wakes up to the young man, as it were, looking at him from the glass. Gradually the satisfaction which the sight arouses in his mind and heart, spreads over his face. Pretty soon he is just another one of the million or two conceited young fellows prancing over | the land. * k% x | fi = t Just how this unconscious mental at- | titude gets translated into the self-satis- fied look is a mystery, but probably no | more mysterious than the operations of the sympathetic nervous system. Perhaps the secret lies there, after all. Just as husband and'wife come to look allke, through obscure changes | based upon llke mental and physical living habits, so the thoughts of the mind come out in faces. ‘This h: mankind, and no doubt too much reli- ance has been placed upon the ability to read character from facial character- istics; but there can be little question that mouths, chins, and, above all, an indefinable “lock,” do reveal a great deal to a person of ordinary experience and interest in human nature “as is.” Conceit, since it grows the earliest, the easlest to detect—so easy, in fact, that there is no concealment. The swaggering gait. the arrogant eye, the loud-mouthed talk, are but parts of a stupendous whole, recognized alike by child, man, woman. Conceit is by no means vice. It raises the blood pressure, gladdens everyday life, tends to impress others with one's worth, and in general may be said to be an important trait in the arsenal of general humanity. The man who lacks conceit usually lacks shrewdness, too, and he who is without some native canniness in such a world as this must be content with more spiritual ingredients on his platter of life. It does seem as if few of us | can have everything, and those who are | not conceited are doomed to eat for- ever at the second table. Highlights on the Excerpts From Newspapers of Other Lands ‘While the geographical situation of Bel- | lum requires to some extent the use of governmental, military and legal con- nections, nevertheless Flemish will be made the national language of the country, and will be the vernacular in which ‘all instruetion in public schools will be carried on. It will also become the language of instruction in Ghent University. To offset any inconvenience to those attending the university who at present understand French but not Flemish, instruction in French will re- main optional in special classes, until such time as there is no further need for this concession. The study of the French language, of course, will be re- tained in the public schools, for such children as desire to learn it, but the instruction in the varlous subjects of the curricula will be in Flemish, throughout Belgium. * ok Kk Unusual Character Uncovered. A Noite, Rio de Janeiro—The au- thorities have taken up with renewed energy the campeign inaugurated some time ago to rid our streets of undesirable elements. It is understood that the fresh intensity will continue until satisfac- tory results are achieved. In one of the round-ups on & recent morning, the in- vestigator, Mario Arruda, brought in three known thieves—that is, Jose Car- valho, Americo Ivette and Domingos Burges—and one specimen of whom nothing criminal is known, who is reg- istered at the police station as Eduardo Valentim. This gentleman, fn luxurious rags, has never been known to work. That is the worst that can be alleged against him. When questioned as to his means of livelihood, all Eduardo could say was that though he never had any employment, he was never in need of anything, and always lived comfortably. ‘The quartet were remanded for lessons under government supervision of how to work for a living. * koK ok Earthquake Sounds Death Knell of Kuruma. Japan Advertiser, Tokio.—Ten years ago transport in Toklo was deficient. Unless one was wealthy and either owned a car or could afford to hire one at the rate of 6 yen per hour, the only alternatives were the electric tram or the two-wheeler “kuruma.” There was fiever any difficulty in procuring the services of the last named, as “kuru- maya-san” with his little two-wheeled cart cruised the streets looking for fares in much the same way the taxi does today, and in addition” kuruma stands were to be found in most streets, within & few hundred yards of one another. Today? All this has changed. If you told the office-boy to call you a “kuru~ ma,” he would stare at you in amaze- ment. With luck, and after much pala- ver, a decrepit old kurumaya might arrive an hour or two later, and trundle Vm'xl slowly and painfully to your desti- ation, The earthquake sounded the death knell of the kuruma. For the warren of narrow, tortuous lanes that existed all over Tokio before the earthquake, the kuruma was invaluable. No other form of vehicle was small cnough to thread its way through the back streets and the labyrinthic conglomeration of alleys. The fire that followed immedi- ately upon the heel of the earthquake wiped out 70 per cent of the districts served by these mazelike thorough- fares, and the construction that has taken place since has provided broad, straight and smooth-surfaced streets suitable for the most modern traffic con- ditions. Road space in Tokio has been more than doubled since the earthquake, and as a result not only has the man- pulled kuruma practically disappeared, but also the ox-drawn niguruma, the first superseded cheaper and faster-moving taxi, and the second by the more rapld and commodious lorry. (A man-pulled cart for NEers— smaller than & jinrikisha” and without the folding top of the latter. The “kuru- maya-san” is the coolie who pulled this vehicle.) e Qualified. From the Pittshursh Post-Gazet: ‘The swedish dancer, who, by strict dieting, lost & quarter of a pound in a make his l.lveumml on & 2 fine flush of self-satisfaction to con- | as been a favorite theme with | | th Flemish and French, the latter in | great American business man, our first | expansionist, as well as first soldier and | NEW BOOKS AT RANDOM LG M WASHINGTON, LINCOLN, WILSO! ‘Three War Statesmen. 'Gen. John McAuley Palmer, Doubleday, Doran & Co- War is merely a speclal form of | political action 0 | “Soldiers and generals and armies are merely the instruments through which, | under certain conditions, must attain political ends.” The Revolution, therefore, agent of securing to America political ’Xndependfm:e, The Civil War likewise, but the factor of the Federal Govern- | ment sent out to maintain the Union, | The World War, as well, but & barricade of fighting men lifting between imperial designs and the advance of democratic nationalism. Such, broadly, the foundation upon which Gen. Palmer has built this mili- tary history of the United States. A concrete demonstration drawn off from war itself. ed upon deep research on the one hand, upon personal military experience and observation on the other. An illuminat- ing survey by virtue of its range and its close-knit identification of war with the civil life in whose behalf it is, for the time being, the most vital and signif- icant part. War is the most. exigent of all n: | tional manifestations, the most exac ing and arbitrary. It deals in great magnitudes. Under such pressure it tends, as matter of course, tosoverride civil matters, even to rival the govern- but the i | i p- . Such has been the way of war | throughout history. This tendency, | during war, to dislocate the properly c | ordinated functions of the government { becomes here, also, a vital point in Gen, | Palmer’s study. i * oK Kok A war ended—any war ended—the { next step is toward plans for national | defense in the fture. The official mind en that way. So is the public mind. istakes are then most outstanding, in- viting to better legjslative measures for national safety, |, 8o, following the Revolution, Wash- | ington, about to give over his command, | called ‘upon his most efficient genera {for views in this matter of defense. | These, with his own, he transmitted to | the Continental Congres: Then, in the course of events, George | Washington became the first President | of the United States. Before the Con- | gress was his plan, the substance for new legislation in behalf of “a well regulated militia” to stand as the Na- tion’s chief bulwark against invasion. Not its sole bulwark, but the chief one. | Among Washington’s military aides Baron Stcuben had been most com- petently alert to the major adequacy of a citizen soldiery, Indeed, he is here cited as “the inventor of the National Guard. He so ably supported Wash- ington in this outlook that the “militia bill” was the result. However, the Revolution was off and politics was on—just as it is today and | ever has been where the prime object of ! #ach minority appears to be to discredit the majority by way of its Executive— and let the country go hang! For four | Yyears from now, or two—and so on. Washington’s bill was defeated in Con- gress. It was, moreover, buried with many another ~plece of repudiated statesmanship going to keep this one company. When Gen. Palmer began the r rch that culminated in this remarkable study, he sensed a some- thing missing. So he went upon the trail. Under his energy the forgotten i bill came to the light of day. More | than that, it has served the author and i the book in & manner for which read- | ers and students cannot be too appre- lclntxvely grateful. * oK ok K .Oelumbll network, hear Dr. Julius Klein on “The World’s Business"? The | point of that talk was, fittingly, of course, George Washington—our first President. Quite in the current vein | and spirit Dr. Klein shows him to have been the practical man in every matter, the safe and sane man, whether com- manding an army or managing his real estate business or pursuing his profes- slon of engineer. 'A man of careful plannings, each plan fitted to the par- ticular issue before it. A man of strict atcountings, of wise economies and shréwd investments, A man of vision, too, who, looking off into the wide West, saw not the wilderness but farms and homesteads, thrift and growth— saw all these linked into common ex- change and intercourse by a great and growing system of riverways and canals. Looking outward in this fashion, he saw clearly that in time of national danger it would be these lusty growing hordes of settlers who would stand as the coun- try’'s best defense. Splendid war stuff here—training, teamwork, collective ac- tion—then, the job done, back to the home, back to productive work again. I hope you did hear that talk. For, moving from it over into 'Gen. Palmer’s great book, you come face to face with this wise, sane man—George Washing- ton, our contemporary. * K oK K It is upon the Washington vision of defense that.the author of this book builds. Not—no, not by any means does he use this in deprecation of a duly organized and supported “Army establishment.” But he does make clear that had the original plan become fact, then the Army as such would not, in its definite role of teaching, training, lead- ing, commanding, have become subject to many of the accusations that have been set against it. In effect, the study is that of the evolution of our defense theories and practices—that is, it is this if so dramatic, so immediate an effect can be looked upon as a study— yet, that is exactly what it is. The high point of this book is the Civil War, that spot where neither the project of ‘Washington nor the inspiration of Elthu Root had come into the war situation. And, let me say to you, if you want to follow the disasters and agonies involved in saving this Union of ours, don't fail to read Gen. Palmer’s story of the Civil War. And you must want to follow these. Lincoln becomes even more | tragic, if this be possible, under the | graphic and sympathetic projection of him by the author. Rivalries, misin- formation, headlong activities, both in advance and retreat, confusion, deep fears, follies inconceivable—every dire eventuation possible pile Ossa upon Pelion in this national cataclysm of the Civil War, No sense of organization upon which every army must depend if it continues to be an army and not a rabble. No sense of subordination among those of the higher ranks, and none at all toward the President, Com- mander-in-Chief Lincoln. This story of ‘war and the Army does not come to you here by way of the author's assertions. Not at all. Instead, he lives that Civil War and makes you live it. At some crucial point he lays the matter out be- fore you-—men, alignments, officers, ac- tion, ‘the objéctive, and then, more than likely, as at Gettysburg, the failure to make use of some advantage because the commander’s foresight had been too shert, his preparation not long enough to reach the possible retreat of the enemy, in complete success as actuall took place. The book is crowded wit! such objective immediate war business. A little out of the tumult of clashing authorities and under the genius of that “great Virginian,” Robert E, Lee, practi- cal matters were in better hands in the South. Some training and drilling were going_on_down there, Jefferson Davis actually did create a “chief of staff” in the person of Lee. He actually did pro- vide some sort of intelligence service without which an army may as well turn tail and go home, or march for- ward into certain defeat. There is a most dramatic chapter, “Dramatis Per- sonae, e 165. Read it. Before the drama of war really opens, meet some of these actors—Jefferson Davis, “home from the Mexican War, a military hero”; Robert E. Lee, the great Vir- ginlan; George B. McClellan, later to develop “inferiority complex” of tragic implications; Stonewall Jackson, tired of routine’ of the old Army, An expert treatment found- | DId you on Sunday night, over the| ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC 4. HASKIN, paper puts at your disposal the services of an extensive organization in Wash- ington to serve you in any capacity that relates to information. This service is free. Failure to make use of it deprives you of benefits to which you are en- titled. Your obligation is only 2 cents statesmen ,in coin or stamps, inclosed with your | {inquiry, for direct reply. Address The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washing- ton, D. C. Q. How long have the Christie tures?—R. M. | A. They have been in Hollywood pro- ducing pictures for 19 years. Q. How many medals for heroism | were given last year by the Carnegie | commission ?—T. A. J. A. Twenty-one acts of heroism were | recognized by the Carnegie Hero Pund Commission last year. In each case a bronze medal was given and pensions were arranged for seven dependents of those who lost their lives while trying to rescue others. Q. T understand that the passport | fee of $10 which the United States now | charges is really a nulsance tax and a | hangover from the war. Is there a tend- |ency on the part of the authorities to eliminate this expense to Americans who travel abroad?—W. F. M. | | | duce the price of passports from $10 to |52, and the other extending the life of jeach passport from two to six years. | While it is doubtful what action will be jtaken -on these proposals, some relief | has been afforded by the State Depart- ment’s arranging with all governments, with the one exception of Great Britain, {for the elimination of the charge for | vises. Q. How long has the Jewish Agricul- tural Society been in existence?—L. H. A. It was founded in 1900. At that time there were about 1,000 Jews on farms. At the end of 30 years the num- ber has grown to more than 80,000, and the area under Jewish operation ap- proximates 1,000,000 acres. . How many manufacturing plants in the United States use the five-day week?—E. L. V. A. At least 270 manufacturing estab- lishments in the United States, employ- ing 218,000 persons, are operating on the basis of a five-day week. Q. What is the cost of the Cleveland terminal?—G. 8. A. The entire terminal development, comprising all the buildings, 42 miles of trackings, 10 acres of platforms, and all that goes into the enterprise, repre- sents an investment variously estimated at from $150,000,000 to $200,000,000. Q. What is the largest university in Europe?—D. C. S. A. The University of Paris, with an enrollment of 26,100 students, is Eu- rope’s largest university. Q. How did H. G. Wells happen to | tures of Tommy"?—E. B. A. It is said that this book was written while Mx. Wells was convalescing In a friend’s home. He had been given a box of paints, and to amuse himself ‘This 1s a special department, devoted | solely to the handling of queries. This| | brothers_been producing motion pic- | write a child’s book like “The Adven-| wrote and illustrated this story of a! “very proud rich mar’ and a “very | nice boy named Tommy’ He presented |1t to a little girl in thehousehold, with | the colored pictures, Vhich are now | published in facsimile ) this manu- | seript. | Q. What State is secod in area in the Union?—M. L. | A California is second, | first in area. Q. What words ending n * the plural by changing the and adding “es”?—D. P. P, A. With the exception of he follow: ing words, nouns ending i an ound form the plural in th regulaj way: Leaf, loaf, half, self, lie, shea. wolf, beef, knife, wife, shelf, el. wharf. Q. Please give Caesar's rebuketo per- sons who lavish affection upon mimals. —H. C. A. The following quotation o1 that subject is from “Plutarch’s Lyes' “Caesar once, seeing some walthy | strangers at Rome carrying up and |down with them in their arms and bosoms young puppy dogs and monleys, embracing and making much of tinm, | took occasion, not unnaturally, to ik, | Whether the 'women in their 'counvy| | were not used to bear children; by tht, | prince-like reprimand gravely reflectirg upon persons who spend and lavisa upon brute beasts that affection anc| kindness which nature has implanted] in us to be bestowed on those of ou own kind.” " Q. What is the difference in meaning| of climate and weather?—R. C. A. Climate is a more general term than weather. The former is the sum and average of the weather, which in- cludes daily change in temperature| pressure, wind and rain. Climate shows a general condition, while weather deals with the special instances of changes in the atmosphere. Q. When_was Arthur Conan Doyle knighted?—F. 8. A. He was knighted in 1902, Q. How long and wide is Wall street? —C. C A, Wall street, New York City, is llbout, 30 feet wide and one-half mile ong. Q. How long are the longest days ab, | the Equator?>—M. B. b A. The Naval Observatory says the | length of the day at the Equator varies less than one minute throughout the year, being slightly longer at the sole stices than at the equinoxes. The terval from rising to setting of the sun’s upper limb at the Equator is about 12 hours 7 minutes, Q. Where is the original of Samuel | Pepys’ diary?—T. A. J, | A. Six of the original volumes are {the property of Magdalene College, Cambridge. They are displayed to & limited number of visitars upon reque Q. Why is the Douai Bible so called? -~ Q. R A. Doual is in Northern France, and h{ ‘u}?poni"xiltflhmanchlg as the center of the political and religious propagan of the exiled English Roman Cllholl:: In 1562 Philip II of Spain founded a university there, and in connection with it Wil founded an English college in 1568. Here the Douai Bible was pre- pared. \Texla being { | | The Senate’s confirmation of the inomination of Charles E. Hughes as | Chief_ Justice is followed by a debate ;equnl in proportion to that which pre- {ceded it. Admirers of the new Chief Justice are convinced that he has all the qualities of an impartial official. Others base their support on his knowl- edge of the law. A third class holds that the battle has been beneficial as contributing to public knowledge of the functions of the court. “As Governor of New York,” it is pointed out by the Cincinnati’ Times- Star, “Hughes upheld the interests of the people against three great groups of corporations—those engaged in life in- surance, those engaged in metropolitan transportation and those engaged in the production of power and light. As an attorney, he has effectively represented the legitimate interests of his clients. As Chief Justice, he would do just what he did on the bench before—and he was a strong, impartial judge.” EEE “The so-called Progressive Republi- cans,” according to the Hartford Courant, service as attorney for the people in the New York gas investigation and in the Armstrong insurance inquiry, as well a: the liberalism he displayed as Governor of New York and his willingness to sup- port reform measures against the wishes of the Republican organization.” Fort Worth Record-Telegraph holds that it would have been “difficult to suggest & name for the high office that carries, on past performances, more of the ingredients of judicial impartiality.” “The interests of the masses of the American people,” in the opinion of the Lexington Leader, “could not be in better hands. No reproach need attach to any one who thinks that some other jurist might have made a more satisfac- tory Chief Justice. That is a matter of opinion. But the Senators who have sought to make it appear that Mr. Hughes will be inclined by tempera- ment and by past associations to lean too far to the side of conservatism are simply mistaken in the man or speak as they do out of pure cantankerous- ness.’ b O ot “The senatorial strictures against the Supreme Court are not likely to get far” says the Charleston Evening Post. “Undoubtedly the court today has powers far beyond those contem= plated by the framers of the Constitu- tion, but this is due in small measure to the deliberate assumption . of tired of “killing time” and turning to a study of military history and technic on his own account; Grant, also tired of 1idling in the old Army, turning to farm- ing instead; “Capt. Abraham Lincoln of Sangamon County,” no longer in the militia, but trying to learn a few things out of books, and life, by way of being a lawyer and then a politician and later a President and then a martyr. And so they come and go, in their very persons, each with an equipment clearly set out by this writer who has such an ener- getic and lusty and pointed use of words. Fhe Civil War and the World War occupy the genius of this writer, with the backward look, however, upon the original plan of Washington as a meas- ure of the Army, an establishment and of its accounting when the test came. And ever there is, pointed out here, that lamentable disregard of the proper sub- ordination among the leaders, always that misconception of war as an in- strument, as & political means. No, the war, with the Army, is an end In itself, fatal misapprehension. Then with time there came Elihu Root, Secretary of War under Roosevelt, and the rise of the general staff with its chief of staff. ‘The present organization, in effect. You will agree, and disagree, with this writer, not in his description of the ‘World War as this related States. Your denials will come when he estimates Wilson—a genuinely grea man. However, the majority will accept this sound and impartial student and observer, I wish I could tell you of the amazing content of this splendid s of its tremendous impact upon & read- er's mind. Under all the special train- ing, under ail the deep learn! there is such a body of hard sense an talk that even the remotest civilian seizes upon the story with ardor. And what must it be to those of the eraft wholl- business is so brilliantly set out the United | to { sound | tice ket . Hughes Appointmeént Praised, But Debate Thought Salutary ) powers by the modern court in com- parison with the changes wrought by the genius of Chief Justice Marshall. It would require a constitutional amend- ment to curb the court’s powers, and ft 1s highly questionably ~whether the people would be lling to take the legal check off the actions of Congress.” ‘The criticlsm of Mr. Hughes, in the judgment of the Rochester Times- Union, “may be unsound, but men have a right to make it if they real believe it. Inded it is not a disservi to do so. Mr. Hughes' critics,’ tinues that paper, “take the view that there ought to be more men of the out= look of Justice Brandeis and Justice Holmes on the Supreme Court. In tak- ing it, they are doing something worth doing. They call attention to a fact of' major importance—that is, the fact that the social attitude of the judges of our highest tribunal is a potent factor in molding the decisions and the law of the futur * ok K ok “An evolutionary Supreme Court,” argues the Dayton Daily News, “is America’s most essential protection {against revolutionary movements. Sen- ators did not hesitate to fling these {facts in the face of the Supreme Court. {The court is human. Its members are | neither omniscient nor sacrosanct. The shower of criticism was a salutary t:ll:s for a Supreme Court which ail citizens wish to be worthy of their su=- preme confidence. The Little Rock Arkgnsas Democrat adds: “For the bene- fit of those who believe that the king can do fo wrong, we quote no other than William Howard Taft, retiring Chief Justice, whom Mr. Hughes suc- ceeds upon the bench. “The opportunity freely and publicly to ecriticize judicial action,” he says, ‘is of vastly more im- portance to the body politic than the immunity of courts and judges from w Just aspersions and attacks. Nothing tends more to render judges rlrefu:oa their decisions and anxiously solici to do exact justice than the conscious- ness that every act of theirs is to be subjected to the intelligent scrutiny and candid criticism of their fellow men.'” ‘The Kansas City Times holds that “even if somie of the criticisms of tRe court were extravagant, the discussi was timely and important, for we are witnessing a tremendous growth in the power of public service corporations and holding companies and the banking in- terests allied with them.” Referring te| the decision in the case of the Maryland Public Service Commission, that paper calls the dissenting opinion of Justice Brandeis “one of the most sweeping and thoroughgoing of recent years,” and concludes: “We have no doubt that the Brandeis opinion, though not prevailing, will be accounted among the most ime portant thus far delivered on this sub- Ject, The fact that such an opinion, sustained as it is by comprehensive re- search ‘and- elaborate exposition, still is unprevailing, has given some concern about the changing personnel of the court.” * ok ok “Such an issue as the Hughes J maintains the Grand Rapids Press, “is ready-made to challenge patriotism and common sense, It calls forth a defense, pure and simple, of the Constitution and the checks and balances which keep the branches of Government separate.” The| Spokane Spokesman-Review suggests| that “many will wonder if this atiack| upon Mr. Hughes in the Senate is not| motivated more by envy and fanatical {and partisan un?ar than by sincere de-| votion to the public welfare.” The Flint| Datly Journal thinks that “perhaps Mr.| Norris would have been better pleased) did not Mr. Hughes ss such oute| standing ability that his services were| desired by those who desire the best| legal talent to be had.” “Senator Norris could find out, if he| tried, what Mr. Hughes did for the people of New York State as governor | ward the checking of greedy public| service corporations,” argues the Ni York Sun, and the Charlotte Ob comments: “The good faith of an nent lawyer was in- question, and final vote gave established confidence on| the part of the Senate in the goqd faith of Mr. Hughes. It is a very ren at this vote of confid Chief Jus- course of time, the Hughes record on the bench 15 likely to establish full and| complete vindication for the wisdom of the Senators responsible h - tion to the of