Evening Star Newspaper, March 22, 1930, Page 6

"THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Merning Edition. T Mauretania from Cherbourg to New York was four days, twenty-one boursstating the amount of proposed reduc- | —— | and forty-four minutes. The new Ger- | tion. .{man liner lowered the time to four WASHINGTON, D. C. * THEODORE W. NOYES. The lv-hc.ilg:: per Company d ival ot 8., London. cer 14 Regent 8t.. cago :n-mmunlh:bulldfla, was satisfactory i 85¢ ner month 5¢ per copy t each month. made at of sent in by mail or telephons Orders may be NAtionai 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia, fiy and Sunday mo.. 88¢ 2o 1 mo.. 50c mo. 40¢ All Other States and Can: liy any 4 s’ only Member of the Associated The Assoclated Press is exclusively entitl o the use for republication of aill Patches credited to it or not oth .ted in this peper and aiso ihe local news published All righis of publicaticn of special dispatches hes re also reserved. The New Commissioners. The President has nominated as Dis- trict Commissioners two men of ability and high character. One of them is & Washingtontan of long residence, thoroughly identified with Washington | indicated. in his professional career. The other is an officer of the United States Army, just retired from the Army in obedi- ence as a soldier to the order of his commander in chief, a Washingtonian in terms of adequate legal residence, but not qualified as one “from civil life,” in accordance with the spirit of the law, as the law has been hitherto construed. It is regrettable that the President could not be induced to change his mind concerning the necessity of appointing & retired Army officer as one of the two District Commissioners “from civil life.” ‘Thoughtful Washingtonians, who since 1878 have been defending against as- sault those wise and just provisions of the District’s organic act, which tend to protect the equities of the unrepresent- ed taxpaying local community, are dis- appointed that a President, so respected and admired as President Hoover, should, whatever the emergency, become the medium of violating the spivit and intent and nullifying the practical ef- fect of one of these District-protecting provisions. The President’s action in making this appointment is based upon a high motive and upon careful consideration ot the Capital's welfare as he sees it. He desires and intends through agents of his own selection to battle effectively against law-breakers in the Capital and to insure a Stiffer enforcement of the laws in the District, particularly the * prohibition law. The Star, with the law-abiding citizenry in general, will heartily co-operate to the end of mak- SATURDAY......March 2%, 1830 Editor | than days, seventeen hours and forty-two minutes, with an average speed of better twenty-seven knots, which Is equal to more than thirty miles an hour land speed. The Europa, according to Teports of its trials, is faster than the Bremen, averaging just under twenty-eight knots for two hundred miles against & rough head sea and thirty-mile wind. Her performance, according to the spect. As did the Bremen, the Europa will try for & new record on her maiden trip. Whether she breaks it or not is largely dependent on the weather, as | March is not considered as favorable to summer. In sany event, it is probable at two crossings faster than her best and without the power in her anclent hull successfully to challenge either ows diz- | ONe. i Recalling the Marines. President Hoover's desire to have the Haltl returned to the United States as speedily as possible, anneunced in hi annusl message to Congress last De- cember, is soon fo be satisfied, it is now Coincidental with the pre- lminary report of the special commis- sion which has been investigating con- ditions in Haiti was the announcement yesterday by the President that condi- tions had so far improved in Nicaragua that the force of Marines there was to be reduced by seven hundred and ffty men and officers, leaving about nine hundred men still in the Central American country. In its preliminary report to the President the Haitian Commission indi- cated that a solution of the difficulties in the island republic may be expected soon. Such a solution would result in the withdrawal of American armed forces without delay. One of the first steps contemplated by the Haitian Commission, it is said, is the substitu- tion of & civillan minister for the pres- ent American high commissioner, Brig. 1 every re- | | the setting up of ocean marks as Mid- | that before many trips have been made | the Mauretania will be gazing wistfully | American Marines In Nicaragua and l Pamiliarity with the present condi- tions of the companies has led Mr. }Keech to propose specifically the half- i fare provision. It is well to take this into consideration at this time as a definite factor to be considered in set- | ting the street car fares, and to work }trom the end of providing half fares grur the children, rather than treating | the proposed reduction as an eventuality that may or may not arise. | et 1 The Youngest Justice. { President Hoover's selection for the vacant seat on the Supreme Court meels ! with general approval, especially by | Southerners, who had hoped that the | late Tennessean, Justice Stanford, would be succeeded by another resident of that section. Judge John J. Parker of { North Carelina has won the high estcem of the people of that State. His ap- pointment to the Federal bench by President Coolidge was commended as merited by his abllity as a lawyer and his personal character. He was strongly recommended by the members of the | North Carolina delegation in Congress, { regardless of politics, ‘Two exceptional factors appear in his selection. Judge Parker is the first | nan to be named in sevenly years to he Supreme bench from the fourth | Judicial eireuit, which includes Mary- | land, West Virginia, Virginia and North | and South Carolina. He is the young- | {est man to be nominated for the Su- me Court in over fifty years, he being | forty-four years of age, John M. Harlan having been the same age when he was appointed in 1877. John Hay was the same age when he was made Chief Jus- tice and Joseph Story was only thirty- two when he was appointed. This matter of the age of the new assoclate justice is of considerable im- portance in view of the heavy task that lies before him. The work of the Su- preme Court is onerous. Its members are held to & taxing routine of duty, with & burden of responsibility that exacts & severe toll upon the strength. The average age of the present eight | Justices of the court is just seventy years. The eldest member of the court | Gen. John H. Russell. The commission had only praise, however, for the work which has been done in Haiti by Gen. Russell and other American officials, declaring that this work had made pos- sible the hoped-for establishment of a stable government by the people of Haitl themselves, President Hoover’s appointment of the | special commission to visit Haiti and the announcement of his own desire that steps might be taken soon to bring is Justice Holmes, who is eighty-nine. Next comes Justice Brandeis at sevenly- four, then Justice Van Devanter at seventy-one. Chief Justice Hughes and Justices McReynolds and Sutherland are sixty-eight. Justice Butler is sixty-four and Justice Stone, the youngest member of the bench at present, is fifty-eight. The advent of Justice Parker will bring the average age of the court down to sixty-seven, e b about an adjustment of the difficulties in the republic so that American armed forces could be withdrawn have been decidedly helpful. At the time the President announced his plan to send an American commission to study con- ditions in Haiti with a view to the withdrawal of the Marines and the re- ing successful the President’s campaign | turn of home rule to the people of for crime prevention and law enforce- | Haiti, it was generally approved. In ment. the Senate of the United States, how- The new Commissioners upon taking | ever, criticism raised its head. Here office after confirmation are entitied [ was another instance of presidential to have, and doubtless will have, the | commissions. ‘The foreign relations full and sympathetic support of the | committee and later the Senate itself people of Washington. Commissioners | stripped the resolution providing the Crosby and Reichelderfer will have a |funds for the use of the commission of dificult and somewhat thankless task to perform. Throwing themselves into the performance of their duties with energy and civic loyalty, they are en- titled to an unhampered opportunity | “to make good.” They will need often the encouragement of a friendly and sympathetic ' community environment. ‘This helpful and comforting encourage- ment should be assured them. A Desirable Measure. A prompt and favorable report on the MecLeod bill, which compels the reckless motor car driver to demonstrate finan- eial responsibility, is expected from a subcommittee of the House District committee which has been conducting hearings on the measure. For probably at no group of hearings on a vitally important proposal has there been greater unanimity of opinion expressed by those who testified. Motor offictals from the States journeyed to the Cap- ital emphatically to endorse the meas- ure which was offered to the public a little more than a year ago by the American Automobile Association as the first step for a solution of an acute problem, and telegrams from governors and officials in the twelve States which have already adopted the principles of the bill were sent to the committee. Such solid support is seldom found for & measure of importance. ~ Legislation of the kind embodied in the safety responsibility law is neces- l(lrlly somewhat experimental, but it is significant that not a single State has taken a backward step since adopting the American Automobile Association’s Proposal. This strong point in favor of the law was brought out by George R. Wellington, who occupies a position in Rhode Island comparable to that of commissioner of motor vehicles of other States. *Washington for many years has needed legislation of this type, which is designed to rid the city of reckless and insolvent and “judgment-proof” mo- rists. From the experience of States which have adopted it, it will sccom- plish its purpose. For this reason a favorable committee report and early action in the House and Senate would be gratifying to the residents of the Capital community. - :&dNot only are judges expected to work harder. 8o are the grand juries in all PArts of the country. A New Queen of the Seas. +3t looks very much as if the gallant old Cunarder, tile Mauretania, which, for many years, held the undisputed title of the fastest ship on the Atlantic, Will be relegated still further to the background of ex-champions. For the Europa is now churning the seas under her sleek bow, on her maiden voyage to New York. The Europa is the sister ship ©f the Bremen, which has already low- ered the colors of the Mauretania. Tests of the new liner showed a speed In ex- cess of the Bremen, and the best that the ageing Mauretania can hope for 1s third place among the fast ships of the Atlantic. In Midsummer last year the Bremen made its bow to America after the all congressional authority for the ap- pointment of such a commission. In the end the resolution merely authorized the President to expend the money. It was the Senate’s way of slapping at the President. He was to bear the odium, if sny resulted from the ap- pointment of a commission. ‘The President has indicated that he prefers 1o deal with important questions after all the facts have been developed. He believes that facts may often be developed through inquiries by com- missions which otherwise might not come to light. It seems W be a rea- sonable position, although it has been criticized in senatorial circles. The mmprovement in Nicaragua and the opportunity for bringing about still greater improvement in the Haitian situation are encouraging. It is the desire of the United States 0 remain al s good friends with its American neighbors. It has been with extreme reluctance that this country has in- tervened in the past to aid in bringing order when conditions in Nicaragua and Hait have become chaoli o It has been Mussolini’s good fortune to give the title “Dictator” more perma- nent authority than it has previously held. There was a time when a man in his position would have been referred to as a plain tyrant and regarded as doomed to & brief and turbulent sway. While his methods are severe, Mussolini evidently knows what his public wants. ————— e Leaders in China, while true to the traditions of national exclusiveness, have decided to call a peace conference to take care of local disturbances. ——— e Reduced School Fares. The people’s counsel, Mr. Keech, has espoused & popular cause in his ad- vocacy of certain legislative provisions that would bring about a mandatory reduction in street car fares for school children. His position calls for an energetic presentation of the cause of the people who support the railway corporations and of the people’s right in granting privileges in the fise of the streets for public service, and he acquits himself well in the stand thus taken. Reduced fares for school children have been successfully effected in other cities, and the new merger negotiations open the way for giving Washington parents the advantages of such a re- duction at a time when the necessary family. expenses are heaviest. ‘The companies 1ave stated that they ‘would interpose no objection to an order of the Public Utllities Commission ordering lower fare for school children. The amount of the reduction proposed has ranged, however, from a special rate to free fares. The amount of re- duction would be decided, in the end. not upon sentiment but upon the actoal effect upon the earnings of the companies as related to their rate bases. { Mr. Keech propbses to write into the merger bill & provision setting the rate of fare for school children at half the rate for adults, leaving the way open, at the same time, for action by the Public Utilities Commission that would provide free fares for these school ehil- dren should conditions warrant. The epeediest crossing in the history of provision now contained in the merger tarift mankind. The old record held by the bill merely gives the Utilities Commis- a rate on Freeport, Ohio, crimeless for over twelve years, fell from grace and put two under arrest, men accused of carrying iiquor through the town. It was too honest to let suspects travel on their way unnoted and so preserve a reputa- tion so picturesquely admirable, - Communists in Mexico City displayed banners demanding relations with Soviet Russia. It is useless to advise those who like Russia to go there to live. Such experiments in emigration have been tried without conspicuous success. — e A joint debate is a reliable method of letting men appear as antagonists and be rewarded by gate receipts without depending on a professional fight pro- moter, B The arrival of Spring is another mathematical triumph, proved by the almanac regardless of the weather, —_———— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON, Permanent Interest. The Fates, in times of old, provided Some things must be left undecided, And still we hasten to assemble To make things clear or else dissemble. And all are happy more or less; The argument is a success. In seeking some sublime solution, ‘The language shows no diminution, The same old prcblems face a nation, Revived for each new generation, And life still fills us with content. It is a fine old argument, Long Speeches, “Were you ever tempted to go on the stage?” Yes,” answered Senator Sorghum. “But I found that no manager could | compel the public to listen to my long ! speeches, while a political boss could ar- range it easily.” Jud Tunkins says he would go up in an airplane just to show that he isn't scared if the way he felt about it ap- peared to make the slightest difference. So he just admits he is scared, stays where he is and gets a thrill just tne same, Long Distance. A brand-new planet, 'way up there, Is adding to our weight of care. Some day we may communicate With it, despite the distance great. But one slight question frets the soul: What will we have to pay for toll? Tnevitable Change. “Skirts are longer.” “They had to be,” sald Miss Cayenne. ‘The previous trend of fashion would have made it necessary to wear bathing suits all the time.” “Since you lament the loss of some slight jewel,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “do not be careless with anything so precious as a friendship.” Tmport Interests. The statesman to his desk returns, ‘While Wintry breezes play, But longs to leave them when he learns That there is golf to play. “De Bible is de good book,” said Uncle Eben, “dat folks keep right on readin’ even though dey don't find it in & picture cover on de newsstand.” Makes Conversation Anyw Prom the Loufsville Courier-Journal ‘The straw vote on the wet and dry situation wi)l have about the same ef- fect as the testimony before the House committee, It's Worth Considering. From the Toledo Blade. Somebody threatened to throw a bomb into the Senate chamber, reminding the tinkerers that they had not fixed [ the modern reader cannot go into ec- H. L. Mencken is one of the few writers whose thought is his style, rather than his words. . Every one ought to read this mah, as found in his new book, “Treatise on the Gods” (Alfred A.' Knopf, New York), whether one agrees with him or not. For originality and formation of thought patterns he has scarcely an equal. | style, through sheer use of words. Tieir style’ does not begin except with the printed word. Mencken's style begins much further back—back where style ought to begin. but where it seldom does. His is manifested in a peculiar glow of intelligence, which is above and around the words, rather than in them. If you don'teunderstand what we mean, read “Treatise on the Gods” find out. * K ok K We have read it twice. The first time, happening on the phrase is or that” we read the book in order to find out how many times he had used it. To our intense delight we discovered an_even dozen. Our thought was: Have we managed to catch one of the most-talked-of authors napping? In other words, is H. L. Mencken be- inning to slip? . A s:‘und reading convinced us that not only is he not slipping a bit, he is even better than ever. Yet an author raay be said to show a trace of tiredness when he uses a single phrase as many as a dozen times in one book. For the curious-minded reader we list the pages on which “this or that Preface, pages v and vii; and 64, 91, 92, 121, 205, 215, 221, " “The sparkle of Mr. Mencken’s thought | is everywhere present in his new book, his_fir e 1927, except in those sections where he falls to speculating upon what must have occurred in pre- historic times. Such speculation is & dangerous field, but any one who attempts it has plenty of company. There is a splendid passage in Lucretius in which the Golden Age is considered. The beauty of the early pastoral life of mankind is praised by the great Roman poet, but in the light of dis- coveries made during the past 100 years | stasies about the Golden Age. Mencken's ideas as to how men must | have been thousands of years ago are rather dull, at least to one reader, and we believe he must have been rather ‘bored himself, since he is forced to bolster up his case with adducing the size of the books of one of his authori- tes, Mr. Mencken is one man who ought to have no “authority” except the in- tegrity of his own mind. As long as he sticks to that he is all right. K K * Sometimes we think that there has been too much of a Mencken “cult” in this country. There are those who read everything | he writes, and those who will read nothing he writes. If reading people will simply accept the “Treatise on the Gods” at its face value, and forget all about the author, the chances are very decided that they will enjoy themselves, We are thinking particularly of all those good church people who shrink Most writers, great or near great.| manage that mose elusive of qualities, | HE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, v sion power 10 reduce fares without | just a little better than most. from reading the Voltaire of this age and country. SATURDAY, D. G, THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. ‘They are the very ones who ought to read him. He will do them good! ‘They will sce how the church must be defended, If she is to be defended, with the weapons of the age. For here one finds a fair fighter using one of humanity’s most powerful weapons, words, as they should be used. Perhaps one has to try to use words one’s self before he is in a position to realize just how well Mr. Mencken handles ‘them. His use Is a joy and a sorrow, then— a joy because of his wit, a sorrow be- | se one cannot go and do likewise as easily, as pleasantly, as thoroughly, as divinely «if Mr. Mencken doesn't mind). No one by reading him will learn how to do it, because the trick goes back farther than words—back to those inherent thoughts which somehow or other are different from most people's thoughts. His thought is his style. And he is a foolish reader who will not savor it, replete as it is with a rich gusto which recalls at once Montaigne, Voltaire, ;luurch, Shakespeare and even Maul of Sus. “Treatise on the Gods” is not meat for babes. It is Intellectual fare for intelligent men who want to see all sides of a question and who can value difference in thought if it is well done. T And honesty of thought. Mr. Mencken is one of the few wriling men of 1930 who dare to say exactly \\l'};xfli they think—and all of what they think. If any one doubts this statement, let him look up the reviews of “Treatise on the Gods” which appeared upon (its publication two weeks ago in the New York papers. Such a beating around the bush you never read. The boys were afraid even to_quote him. ‘The present writer gets out of this difficulty by not writing a review, but simply an article recommending the book, with some personal ideas about the man, There is an urbanity to Mencken which makes his tremendous honesty palatable even to those who do not agree with him. An instructive comparison may be made between “Treatiss on the Gods” and Prof. Harry Elmer Barnes' “The Twilight of Christianity,” published sév- eral months ago. Prof. Barnes’ book is well documented, planned, thought out, written, yet it lacks the convincing touch which Mencken manages to put into his, and this comes about largely, one may be- lieve, because the eminent young his- torian does not have the sheer writing ability which the editor of the American Mercury possesses, R ‘To write or not to write—and no one can do any betler than ‘he can. That is what makes the writing game inter- esting to writers and readers alike. Mr. Mencken, one must think, does it It you compare him, sentence by sentence, with some other writer—say Prof. Barnes—he does not stack up larger. | It is an ability larger than sentences. His superiority to many other writers is due, we believe, to a special innate ability working with sheer honesty. His thought on paper started away back where all thoughts ought to start, in the mind, and when they get out in print, staring the reader in the face, they somehow please him as few other words do. Proposed sction in Canada by which legalized shipments of liquor to the border of this country would be discon- tinued arouses differences of opinion. ‘The measure has the approval of Prime Minister King and of many Oanadians, and the chief discussion is as to its effect on enforcement. “A friendly, neighborly act,” is the verdict of the Los Angeles Express on the Canadian measure, with the expres- sion of opinion that it “would cut off a chief source of liquor supply and greatly simplify enforcement of the law.” The 8t. Louis Globe-Democrat points out that “the legislation is direct and un- equivocal, and leaves no discretion either to ministers or to any other offi- clals.” “The prime minister was admirably outspoken in his plea for this bill,” says the Flint Daily Journal, “despite the fact that in its passage Canada is sac- rificing about $30,000,000 annually, in liquor trade and about $15000,000 in revenue. Without action by the Cana- dian Parliament there has been found no effective way to check the inflow of liquor legally exported from Canada. r Py Because of the financial sacri- fice entailed by Canada, we owe that country & great debt of gratitude in co- operating in the enforcement of our prohibition law.” * ok ok “Seldom has the government of one country made so handsome a gesture to another,” avers the Detroit Free Press, while at the same time holding that “apparently Prime Minister King, a personal abstainer and a friend of ami- cable relations with this country, seized the first opportunity to introduce legis- lation as agreeable to a large element in Canada as to himself, which did not endanger his party’s tenure of office.” The Chicago Daily News sees “new evi- dence of Canada’s sentiments of true neighborliness,” although it comments: “The effectiveness of the proposed law remains to be determined. The inter- | national border is 3,000 miles long and the liquor smugglers are daring and re- sourceful, “Canada is going to unusual lengths to co-operate with our Government,” states the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “but it cannot provide the solution for pro- hibition, and its attendant complica- tions. The problem is our own, and while our neighbors may look on with | sympathy, we shall h: to work it out in some fashion our: " Seeing in the Canadian attitude recognition of the soundness of the principle involved i this proposed actlol ning News remarks: “For many reasons it seems as if there were nothing else for Canada to do, no matter how little it may like this country's prohibition pol- ley. It is not a question of helping the United States enforce its liquor laws, but of maintaining order in Canada and avolding trouble with us.” * K ok ¥ “On this side of the line,” concl the Baltimore Evening Sun, ‘-meugff perience of 10 years has shown tha prohibitory laws cannot be enforced, and that the attempt to enforce them leads only to corruption in office and vastly increased Jawlessness, If condi- tions should prove the same on the other side of the imaginary line that divides us from Canada, Premier King's willingness to oblige this country would be costly, indeed, to his own. But per- haps he ‘can enforce his law. For Canadus sake it is to be hoped that he can.” ‘The Canadian minister of national Tevenue.” records the Worcester Eve- ning Gezette, “estimates that only 2 per cent of the liquor consumed in this country comes here from Canada. Whatever the percentage, the tax re | turns at Ottawa indicate imports of proximately 1,500,000 gallons & year from that source. If the proj law cuts off this supply of genuine Canadian liquor—genuine, at least, when it leaves the producer—the result will be felt on this :;mk ¢;1 the kl’me. In that "u;.;’; may look for a lowering of qual -4 a sharp increase of price in ‘imported liquor, Any effective Canadian bound to intensify the. contest the Newark Eve- Proposed Border Liquor Ban Stirs Debate as to Result now vigorously joined here over the question of prohibition enforcemct.” * oK K * The belief that Canada, “by shutting off the supply of intoxicants which has been pouring across the boundary in tremendous volume, could be of distinct help to our Government in the admin- istration of the dry laws” is stated by the Kalamazoo Gazette, while the ‘Toronto, Canada, Star offers the com- ment from the other side of the bound- ary line: “Many steps were taken by Canada to check the flow of liquor across the border. Information about clearances was supplied to the United States officials. The number of docks from which liquor could be cleared was reduced. Bonded warehouses were abolished. These and other measures were of value, but they did not prevent the growth of the smuggling traffic to huge proportions nor the development of a feeling in the United States that the only effective remedy for existing evil conditions was a law that would stop liquor leaving Canadian breweries and distilleries for export to the United States. That remedy seems to be re- quired by nelghborly considerations and to have the merit of being direct and inexpensive, It will obviate the neces- sity of the United States employing slong the frontier an increasing multi- tude of armed men, armored cars, gun- boats and machine guns to check the smuggling desperadoes operating from & safe base on Canadian soil and will lessen the likelihood of border incldents happening that would endanger cordial relations between the two countries.” Indorsement is given also by the Hamilton, Ontario, Spectator in words: “Whatever may be one'’s opinion of the liquor laws of the neighboring republic, or of the efficacy or otherwise of prohibitive legislation, there are few self-respecting Canadian citizens who will not agree with the premier that liquor smuggling is & disgraceful busi- ness and that those who engage in it, even when the laws of Canada are not violated, are rot deserving of much sympathy if further difficulties are placed in the way of their operations. Millions are made from the traffic, but the profits, to put it mildly, are not free from taint, under the best of cir- cumstances. JRE———- Wild Rose Not Suitable As the National Flower To the Editor of The Star: I agree with your correspondent, Carrie B. Green, that the wild rose is not suitable for our national flower, but not for quite the same reasons, The reason we should not select the rose Is because it has already been selected by another country, England. The sub- terfuge does not hold that this selection of the wild rose would not &n In- fringement upon England's flower. Every one knows that the original rose was the wild rose, developed by propa- tion into the varieties we know. The ld rose is & rose or it is not a rose. If it is a rose, it belongs to England by right of first selection. We have quite as much right to select the lily of France. It seems to me that we have borrowed quite enough from - “Mother England” in matters of sentiment. We use the air of her national anthem for one of our most popular patriotic hymns. Now if we&Qby congressional action, should select her national flower, would we not be subject to unpleasant criticism which to my mind would be justified? MAUD L. GREENAWALT, * ———————— Who's Complaining? ‘Prom the Des Moines Tribune-Capital. March, which came in like a lion, is already betraying weakness of the roar- ing apparatus. —————— And Home Runs Often Wanted. From the Louisville Times. This 15 the uncertain season of the filrwhcnflumlhflhofml&el tted ball, starting fair and rolling o} the, MARCH 22, '1930. THE LIBRARY TABLE By the Booklover more, who is to lecture March 28 at the Mount Pleasant Congregational Church, has had and has today a life of many currents, many sympathles. He has four professions, in all of which he has won distinction. In his autobiography, “Four Square,” published last Autumn, he tells the story of a most varied and interest- Ing life and how he came to be at thc {same time psychiatrist, criminologist. i college professor and scholar, and priest of the Anglican Church. Dr. Oliver is chief medical officer and criminologist | to the Supreme Bench of Baltimore, a psychiatrist in private practice, pro- fessor of the history of medicine at the University of Maryland, warden of Alumni Memorial Hall at Johns Hopkins and & member of the clerical |statf of Mount Calvary Episcopal Church, Baltimore. For recreation he studies Greek, in which he took the degree of Ph. D. at Johns Hopkins after he was 50, and writes books. Differing from many psychiatrists, Dr. Oliver thinks that there is distinct danger to a psychiatrist of mental infection; the best preventive of this, he believes, is some absorbing interest far removed from human ills. As an author, Dr. Oliver first became widely known through his book “Vietim and Victor,” published in 1928, which was chosen for the Pulitzer prize by the preliminary committee, though it did not finally re- ceive the award. In this work of fiction. the priest Michael Mann and the psy- chiatrist Dr. Claude Monroe, who work together for the restoration and salva- tion of certain mentally il human beings, are easily imagined to be the dual personality of Dr. Oliver himself. The reading of “Victim and Victor” caused many persons to discover an earlier book of Dr. Oliver, “Fear,” in which a psychiatrist who has himself suffered and through suffering learnec understanding is able to help those who are being driven by fear over the boundary line of sanity. * ok oK Kk ‘The title of Dr. Oliver's most recent book, “Four Square,” is taken from the Book of Revelations: “And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the bredth.” The intro- duction, which is called “My Greal Uncle Henry,” acknowledges indebted- ness to that early relative. “He had not been satisfied with being ‘just one kind of man; he had been many kinds. A fairly successful business man ¢ * * then a scholar and a dis- tinguished teacher * * * later on & soldier, adjutant general and a great executive. And, at various periods dur- ing these other shifting activities, Mayor of Salem. * * * Perhaps some few drops of his active blood, or of the blood that he inherited from some distant, common ancestor, some uneasy Oliver—uneasy in any Zion without the possibility of some future migration—may run in my veins.” book divided into four parts: “The Courts,” “The Psychiatrist's Office,” “The University,” and “The Altar.” All four parts reveal a personality in love with life, a full life, and sensitively sym- pathetic with human beings. In con- nection with his court work as a crim- inologist, Dr. Oliver has arrived at some interesting conclusions on many subjects, among them capital punish- ment, British judiclal procedure as com- pared with ours, insanity as a reason or excuse for crime, intelligence tests versus emotional tests, conflicts in ex- pert opinion, prohibition and anti-nar- cotic laws. As a psychiatrist, Dr. Oliver has an office which is a pleasant sit- ting room, without any evidence of its medical purpose. He never takes notes while interviewing a patient, but writes up all his cases at night and then promptly forgets the details. He has two chairs of different heights, one for himself, the other for the patient. If a patient is obviously suffering from an inferiority complex, he is given the higher chair; if his difficulty is an ex- aggerated ego, he finds himself in the lower chair. The chair assignment seems to be the first step in the cure. Every week end, from Saturday noon to Monday morning, Dr. Oliver spends in residence at the clergy house of Mount Calvary Church and celebrates mass each Sunday at 11 am. On Mon- day morning he returns to a lay life | when he leaves for the court house and | he says humorously that he instinctively puts his d to his throat to be sure that he has laid aside the clerical collar. It is impossible to read this autobi- ography, with its reserved account of the suffering experienced during the years after the author had resigned his orders, to which he was restored in 1927, without realizing that his religion means much in Dr. Oliver's life. * K kR Benjamin Franklin, during his long stay in Paris, when he was besieged by numerous applicants for letters of in- troduction and recommendations to per- sons of importance in America, worked out a technique which might serve as a model under similar circumstances to- day. Bernard Fay, in his “PFranklin. the Apostle of Modern Times,” quotes & standard letter used by Franklin to suit his purposes. Strange to relate, the re- ceivers of the letter did not, according to Mr, Fay, feel offended by the letter, but considered it an evidence of Fran lin's odd charm. Here is the letter: “The bearer of this, who is going to America, presses me to give him a letter of recommendations, though I know nothing of him, not even his name. This may seem extraordinary, but I assure you it is not uncommon here, Some- times, indeed, one unknown person brings you another equally unknown to recommend him: and sometimes they recommend one another! As to this ntleman, I must refer you to himself or his character and merits, with which he is certainly better acquainted than I can possibly be. I recommend him, however, to those civilities, which every stranger, of whom one knows no harm, has a right to; and I request you will do him all the good offices, and show him all the favor. that on further a quaintance you shall find him to d serve.” * ok ok % Another volume of Plerre Loti's “In- timate Journal” been published, covering the years 1833-85. Plerre Loti's real name was Jullen Viaud and he was officer in the French Navy as well as one of the leading romantic writers of France during a long period. Some of his chief novels are “An Iceland Fisherman,” “Aziyade,” “The Romance of a Spahi,” “Madame Chrysanthemum” and “The Marriage of Loti. * ok ok ox Andre Maurois, the French blog~ rapher of Disraeli and Shelley, has written a new blography of Byron, re- cently published. Maurois has described his new book as follows: “This is the first life of Byron written since a large amount of new material has be- come available. I have had access, thanks to Lady Lovelace, to all the family papers. I have also had the good fortune, thanks to the courtesy of Mr. Harold Nicholson, to be able to 3.“! use of an invaluable document, e’ copy of ‘Moore's life of Byron, an- notated by Hobhouse. ‘Byron’ is not a book on what has been so often and :s0 -stupidly described as the Byron scandal. Of course, I tell the truth, because otherwise Byron's life and Byron's works are not intelligible, but the story of Augusta occupies only four chapters out of 40. The book is es- sentially the study of the evolution of & young Puritan who was born chival- rous, affectionate and even heroic, and was transformed into a cynic by the first men and women he encountered in life. I want to show that the boy, the first Byron, always remained in him. That he was at heart a senti- | Abun mental and that his death in Greece can only be explained through his de- |good sire to become. agaln the first Byron, ‘This is the psychologieal conflict which Is s0 deeply interesting because it is true of so many men. We are so often jealous of ourselves—ourselves as we might have been.” * Wi “Whatl_You Do When You Grow Up?” by Berta and Elmer Hader is mmmwmw-flm by children, in play or in Dr. John Rathbone Oliver of Balti- | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. This is a ial department devoted solely to the handling of queries. This paper puts at your disposal the sery- jces of an extensive organization in ‘Washington to serve you in any capac- ity that relates to information. This service is free. Faflure to make use of it deprives you of benefits to which you are entitied. Your obligation® is only 2 cents in coin or stamps inclosed with your inquiry for direct reply. Ad- dress The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, ‘Washington, D. C. Q. What single article has the largest advertising appropriatien in the United States at present?—A. B. A. This is doubtless the Lucky Strike cigarette with an appropriation of $15,000,000. Q. Is Grace Moore to sing in a pie- ture?—R. E. C. A. Grace Moore, soprano of the Metropolitan Opera Co., has gone to Hollywood to begin her first talkie pro- duction. The film is to be based on the life of Jenny Lind. Q. Is the title of the presiding bishoj of the Protestant Episcopal Churcl ;dmo% rle)verend" or “right reverend”?— A. Right reverend is used in con- junction with the name of the presid- ing bishop. Q. Are there any countries that have abolished trial by jury?—G. M. A. There are several nations which do not have jury trials after the manner of the United States and the British Empire. France has abolished the jury system in all civil cases and Germany has recenlly revised its judiciary to eliminate the jury in practically all cases. Q. How far from a t office will a special delivery letter delivered?— C. McC. A. Special delivery letters addressed to all other offices are deliverable within one mile of the office. They are also deliverable on rural routes, but the carrier does not have to make delivery more than one-half mile from the traveled route. Q. Which one of the Pilgrim Fathers lef‘t( "x‘.. rguu in Broxbourne, England? A. The librarian of the Peabody In- stitute says: “The records of the May- flower compact are silent as ‘to place of origin of most of the immi- grants, and, in fact, I have found but n:n in which a definite place name is given. of the immigrants were plain le, lLe., artisans, who wml!dmbe e to have left estates, MQI;I gh“ does ‘‘amen” mn.n.‘l-- 'A. 1t means so be it or so it shall be. Q. What is the National Table Top?—E. E. R. e A. It is on a table made by Gordon H. Turner when instructor of manual training, Greenwood, Miss., High School. It is inlaid with 5,022 pieces of wood taken from every State in the Union and our major possessions. It wel :?0 pounds. It is 46" by 64" igh. Q. In poker, when drawing to a pair, what are the chances of mai threes ir?—J. V. . The ces against making threes are 8 to 1. The chances against making four are 359 to Q. Who built Blarney Castle?—J.A. W, Highlights and 327 ANCHESTER GUARDIAN. — ‘There is a glut of second-hand cars in the country, and as a consequence prices are low. They to stay at a low | figure for most of February. - After that | time prices may have begun to rise, if !nnly because of the operation of sea- sonal influences. Now, therefore, is the time to buy, and there are many bargains. We were looking recently at the ownership book of a second-hand car, which was almost as fresh as if new from the works, and the obvious deduction to be drawn from the entries was that the original owner had falled to keep up his liment payments and had to part with the car. It had done very little mileage, but was going cheap simply because it had been back too long on the dealer’s hands. ‘The used car problem, all in all, is & serious one. The glut of second-hand cars hinders the development of trade in new cars for the reason that the un- tapped market—that is, the number. of people who are able to buy a car for first time—is now becoming so restricted that the great majority of sales made today involve a transaction also in & used car as part payment for the new car. It is & process that cannot go on for- ever, Those used cars must be sold again if the dealer is to continue taking others in as part exchange. It would seem that the distributive industry, in some sort of co-operation with manufacturers, will have .to or- ganize itself to ‘deal with, this problem. * K K % Mask Protects Against Housecleaning Dust. Le Matin, Paris—At this moment we | hear that they are selling in London a new sort of m for - protection against the dust of housecleaning. These are masks of linen which cover the whole head and come ‘well down over the hair and shoulders. They are provided with little windows of mica, 50 the wearer can see around Wi wearing the covirlu. tr;gmthcn is u: an arrangemen Tm| one breathe without dl&ulty. Thanks to these new linen helmets, domestic servants ean raise all the dust they must in a room without discomfort or danger to themselves' and the mis- tress of the house can sit. tranquilly through the ordeal of sweeping and dusting without inconvenience from feather brush or broom. ‘There really aren't enough inmprove- ments of this sort carried out. Since the home and hearth is the natural and the true place of women, still more de- vices should be elaborated to make it more plensant for her to be there, * KX X Question Whether Filipinos Are Ready. Filipino Nacion, Manila—It is an academic question whether the Filipinos arc ready for independence. Probably no people has been ready in advance for self-government. Certainly Ameri- before they could establish a govern- ment that might be called permanent. It was not done until 1865. To judge the Filipinos out of hand, saying whether they are or are not capabie of governing themselves, therefore, is pre- sumptuous. But one thing that can be asserted is that either way, whether re- taining control or turning them adrift, the people of the islands have a right to be, and ought to be, treated fairly. If they are to be made independent, now is as good as any other time to do it. ‘They deserve and have a right to independence as much as any other people have ev:r ;1“1‘. < Peru Possesses . nce of Coal and Iren, El f:omerclo,r le,—Peru"hu fortune of poneulns thin "its v.’:;m%\;u:h {hlt w)'\'trc’h 3:; m}:.‘nuum. r s coun! ignor R caled. the . “two. Biack: dlamonds "of earthly production"—that is to say, coal | §01€: and iron. In view of the abundant de- posits of these two most. important min- -mm.mmmeumevhnuqm. Sy vl o S use perhaps, & xuz deal to help. & et o It would appear that nearly all uniikely | on the cans were not. They had much t6 learn ; A. Blarney Castle was built al 1446 by Cormac McCarthy. It walls which in places are as thick . The fame of the castle bound up. in the civil history of country and the War of the Great bellion. The famous Blarney Stone near the top of the 'dll: "l;rvn'}:u flattering speeches dela; render of the castle in medieval ti and from this fact it is su 1] the tradition concerning the Bla Stohe arose. Q. Who said “I would rather be HJ than President”?>—J. J. D. A. Henry Clay made the statement & speech in 1850. Q. When did Alaska become a Terf}- tory?—C. T. A. It was created such by act @f August 24, 1912. This act gave it legislature elected by direct vote an governor appointed for four years the President. Congress reserves right to legislate on certain subjects{] Q. How many men volunteered to to France with Roosevelt?>—B. V. M. A. When Col. Roosevelt offered raise and lead to France a compl division, over 170,000 men above draft age applied to him for pl under him. Q. Are there any authentic data as to a movement in the New England States, during the War of 1812, looking to a separation from the Union and an- nexation to Canada?—S. H. M. A. Speaking of the assertion that the New England States threatened seces- sion during the War of 1812, Andréw McLaughlin says: “It was commonly supposed. that it (the Hartford. con- vention) wdéuld plot a disruption of the Union; but it simply drew up remen- strances, and proposed amendments to the Constitution intended to protect a minority of the- States against unwel- come Federal legislation.” Q. How many landscape gardeners are there?—K, D, 5 A. Landscape ‘architecture is a re- cently developed profession. The cen- sus of 1920 recognized 4,461 landscape architects or landscape gare , and the 1930 census will surely more.’ Q. What is a decibel?—L. L. A. It is an-arbitrary unit used in measuring minute quantities, of power on the specially engineered. telephone circuits over which radio programs are transmitted from station -to station. ‘What is* the national soup of r fried before the, fou s addeds 1t I8 often flavored with inegar. Russian are those some 1 - Q. Why was Joslah Mason knighted?— G. A. B. A. Between 1858 and 1868 he built up a great drphanage at ton, England, at a cost of about $1,500,000. For this he was knigh! in 1872. He was born at Kidderm! T in 1795, be- gan selling cakes on the street at the age of 8 and later taught himself to read and write while serving as a shoe- maker’s apprentice. Finally he became a manufacturer of steel pens and built up an enormous business. He added to his fortune by gold and silver plating and c r and nickel smelting. He gave $1,000,000 to Mason's College, now & part of the University of Birmingham. Wide World Excerpts From Newspapers of Other Lands efals, our dilatoriness in developing coal and iron mines is all the more - able and all the more Afiexcusable. With all the ingredients at hand in lavish accumulations we “continue to import all the steel we us€, and even import coal, though. this excavation to become people ever would gtn the idea of fabricating steel in Perti-from the iron mean the creation o industries. Millions of" e valuable minerals and m 3 under our feet—much of sight—yet instead of esf dries and forges, instead. own coal and ore, we imporf, prices, all the steel and iron W materials already fabr! rails for tramways and raf boil- flrk!é plates, corrugated roofing and the It may be that such manufactures are incompatible with the present knowl- and temperament of our workers, surely we can learn some new trades jand endeavor to turn our vast supply of diamonds” to some practical and mic account. The statement of some of eur eco- me experts that it is impossible to lish the steel industry in this coun= try is inexplicable nonsense. 4 * ok ok X Retiring Mexican Government Leaves Balance. El' Dictamen, Vera Cruz.—Twenty million pesos ($10,000,000) are on de- Posit to the credit of the retiring pro- visional government. This is the bal- ance on hand in the national treasury which the new administration of Senor Ortiz Rublo receives as the re- sources of its primary activities. Unlike - many previous administra- tions, which have begun their duties with a deficit, the new Mexican 8OV~ ernment takes office with the financial affairs of the coun gratifying condition, et * ok ox % Street Car Driver Races With Train. A. B. C, Madrid.—At the Cen| Police Court in Barcelona a m-m%:r' driver, Rafael Marin, was sentenced to two months’ imprisonment for attempt- ing to get his ear over a.grade cross at the very moment the gates were de- scending and & train appi For- tunately, by turning on full: power, Marin was able to get the car aver the railroad track without a collision, but in the panic which occurred in the car while he was doing this, because of the passengers struggling to get out, two persons were injured seriously. ‘The authorities are sparing no efforts to put an end to these calamities and punish slightest infractions of the rules, Rk ox Found Blind, Waif’s Sight Is Restored. A Noite, Rio de Janeigo.—Of all the little ones in the Hos) of the Red (literally Vermilion) Cross of this city none is more loved or pitied than little Jehova. Jehova is 2, possibly 3, years old. A pale, thin, though aliuring, little mite, he was found wandering about the streets one day last September and taken to the sixth precinct police sta- tion by a motorist. It was late in the ng; no one was in charge of the child. and, toddling aboui from side- ed. : = Well fed, warmly clothed, with toys to presents play with, he a different spectacle today. Even his M‘ s one Dr. o Goes of the medical