Evening Star Newspaper, August 13, 1930, Page 8

-{THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. experienced difficulty in regard to air routes and regulations it assuredly means that with a greater volume of travel, internationally, steps should oe WEDNESDAY. ..August 13, 1930/ taken at once to iron out difficulties THEODORE W. NOYES. . ..Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company 11 St Bu"dl"l’u "mlc i a .“and Pennsylvania_Ave New York Office. 110 East 42nd Bt. gfllclm Office: Lake Mich! Bullding. Juropean Office: 14 Re‘reu .. London. England. Rate by Carrier Within the City. 45c rer month 60c per month ndays) junday Star Cellection made at ¢ o ?flfil’l ‘may be sent tn by mail + NAtional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Ma ia. v and Sunc iy, onl ay only All Other States .’:x‘l 'S’ll;ll‘l. yeiad 1] d Sund: lwr. mo., T R L B R lay omiy . 1 $5.00. 1 mio., 50¢ Member of the Associated Press. Z_» Associated Press is exclusively entitled 0 the use for republication of all news Cis- Piches credited to it or not etherwise cred in this paper and also *he ocal Iews published herein. All rights of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved 65¢ per month 1. .8¢ per copy ' sach month. or .elephone 13 i mo- S0c ¥ $4.00. 1 mo.. 80¢ On the Job. President Hoover has canceled his projected trips to Glacier and Yellow- stone National Parks because of pre- occupation with drought relief activi- ties at Washington. He will remain on the job in the White House—plus re- freshing week ends at the camp on the Rapidan, ‘The country grudge Mr. Hoover a real vacation aft- er seventeen tempestuous months in the presidency, will not fail to recognize at its full worth the unselfishness of his decision. He gives fresh evidence, if any were needed, of the high sense of public duty which characterizes his con- duct of the executive office at every astage. ‘Tomorrow and later in the week, the President will devote himself to confer- ences with governors of drought-strick- en States and nations] farm leaders. The conferences have a twofold pur- pose—to find out exactly what is wrong, and where, and then to map out some * co-ordinated relief plan whereby the Federal Government may co-operate with local authorities in the work of amelioration. Mr. Hoover is the world's most seasoned veteran in the endless Wwar against distress and devastation. ‘The State executives and argricultural spokesmen now converging on Wash- | ington are bound to find him rich and | which would not be- ! that confront the progress of flying over foreign countries. The day is not far distant when reg- ular schedules by air will be main- tained over the Atlantic. Whether it is by dirigible or airplane makes no difference. Red tape, complicated reg- ulations and lack of uniformity in in- ternational relations will hamper and discourage future flying of this kind. A case in point is that of the daring flight of Roger Williams from New York to Bermuda and back without'a stop for. the purpose of ascertaining the possibilities of a regular service be- tween these two points. It seems that Williams did not secure the kind of permission to fly over the island that the British authorities deemed neces- sary and he was summarily grounded by the Department of Commerce. That after an appeal he was reinstated probably helps the situation none at all. Flying to Bermuda will not be- come a regular service as long as the rules remain as rigid as they now are. Col. Lindbergh has put his finger on an important aviation problem. It is now up to the various countries to take up the question seriously in order that when international fiying gains popu- larity there will be no obstacles to sur- mount so far as administration is con- | cerned. o Effect of the Fare Boost. The first twenty days of street car operation under the new rates of fare may not prove anything conclusively, s the time has been short. The taxi- cab situation is, if anything, more con- fusing than ever and this is the time of year wicn many people are out of town. But Mr. Ham's statement con- cerning the results so far under the higher rate of fare cannot contain much encouragement for the street rallway corporations. Returns are ap- proximately $1,000 & day higher under the new fare tr.an they were under the old. But the loss in revenue this year as compared to last year continues, in spite of this $1,000-a-day boost, and the new fare has failed to make up for the reduction in passengers. Beginning March 1 of this year, when the cheap taxicab service descended on Washington and took the city by storm, the Washington Railway & Electric Co. was losing revenue at the rate of $1,157 & day, compared to the same period of the preceding year, 1929. The new rate of fare has cut ready in ideas for grappling with the | down the loss to only $148 a day. But situation on prompt and practical lines. | there is still a loss. The gain under The American people, regardless of | higher fare has been merely to recoup political prejudices, very much trust| that President Hoover may be per- suaded, sooner or later, to “knock off” and indulge in a vacation. For a man of his intensive energy, a vacation is a necessity, not a luxury, even though he finds it difficult to look upon it as & pleasure, for occupation notoriously is Herbert Hoover's pastime. Cuba and Mexico are eagerly awaiting visits from the President of the United States, who found it impracticable to include those countries in his good will tour of Latin America in the capacity of President- elect. Perhaps Mr. Hoover will tear himself away from the exactions of ‘Washington and even the lures of the Virginia hills long enough to “take in” Havane and Mexico City. Whether he determines to wander so far afield or not, it is earnestly to be hoped that he *+ will map out some kind of a respite for himself, for all work and no play is @s bad for a President as for & boy. - ——————— White Plains, N. Y. certainly can lJocate the spotlight. The latest wrinkle up there is a judge who provides piliows for jurymen and even lets them smoke. A famous Washington attorney some- times asks a gloomy-looking talesman ‘what he had for breakfast, fearing sub- sequent drowsiness, irritation, inatten- tion and possible miscarriage of justice. ‘There is no doubt as to the frame of mind of & smoker who has sat all day without his pipe listening to tiresome Witnesses. Most persons would prefer to be tried not only by a jury of their peers, but of their peers entirely com- fortabie, natural and at ease. o It 15 a curious thing that so many murderers Arst successfully, accurately and often repeatedly shoot the com- panion of the opposite sex: then turn the gun against themselves to take their own lives and—fall! — International Aviation. Although international aviation is still in its infancy, Col. Charles A. Lindbergh sees the immediate need of the formula- tion of a uniform set of regulations for the convenience of tne international fiyer. Speaking before a group of foreign representatives at Willlamstown, Mass, yesterday at a conference on national air policies, the colonel ex- pressed the opinion that everything possible should be done at this time to simplify and encourage international He pointed out that commer- | part of it. The loss remains. The companies based their petitions for higher fare on returns that were held inadequate prior to 1930. Mr. Ham's statement, therefore, shows that for the first twenty days of operation the higher fares are producing a return that is still less than the return held inadequate by the courts. Mr. Ham lays the blame for this fall- ing off of revenue passengers mainly on unregulated taxicab service and to some extent “to the general business depres- sion.” Taxicabs will be regulated even- tually, of course, and business will not always be depressed. But there is no proof that cheap, flat-rate taxicabs, with or without regulation, are not here to stay. And in Washington, particu- larly, the effect of a business depression upon the number of street car pas- sengers is probably small. In other words, It is yet to be demonstrated that the car companies’ loss of revenue caused by a declining number of pas- sengers is not & permanent loss. The next few months should tell whether the higher fares will mean a remedy for this loss. Higher fares were demanded to boost revenue. So far they have not permitted the car companies to break even with last year's revenue. — e In Mark Twain's “A Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur’s Court” one of the characters, an ignorant serf, states his conviction that if all kings and princes were stripped naked one could npt distinguish them from common folk. The same thing seems to be true of them when they don fiying sults and helmets. —re—————— Bits From China’s News Budget. Not all of the dispatches that come from China are one hundred per cent correct, for the news correspondents in that country are themselves the vic- tims of misrepresentation and camou- flage. They are, however, as a rule, Icln‘(ul to present their nmews budgets with proper qualifications, stating | rumors as rumors, reports as such and indicating any lack of verification that may be the case. In these circumstances the run of the dispatches is most inter- esting. Within the last day or two some especially striking passages have | occurred in the cabled accounts of doings in the ancient land. From Hankow comes a dispatch to the effect that terror prevailed in Changsha “as the Communist horde clal fiying in the United States n the o870 0 (0 L4 hd burned the pest few years has progressed faster | oo yocyeported returning with threats than in any other nation in the world and that reguiar air services are now being maintained between this country and Mexico and Central and South -America. Col. Lindbergh puts it in these words: There are still great opportunities to ke the carrying of passengers and express a great deal more valuable, a great deal faster than at the present time, if we can obtain a standard set of regulations, obtain a simpler series of forms to be filled out in international transport, and if we can prevail upon - fthe various countries which are served he United States air lines to co- t te, with an idea toward the future d what these lines will bring to them the future. At the present time it is the private fiyer, the private owner of aircraft, who requires the most assistance in interna- tional flying. He has not an organization to find out in advance what forms and reports it is necessary for him to make. and in many instances it sadvance the conditions he will expects to fly through. Col. Lindbergh should know whereof he speaks. Probably no man in the history of fiying has had greater inter- He has flown over the western part of continental He has made | legiance to the central government and to If he who performed . mational experience. Rurope and England. several trips to Mexico South America. and | munists | throughout Huna® Province “claimed | connections is almost impossible for the private fiyer making an international trip by air to learn in en- eounter, both in regard to air routes and also to the regulations and restrictions Iaid down by the various countries he |to murder every one between the ages of fifteen and thirty-five.” Gov. Ho Chien of Changsha was re- ported to have directed the tortyre and killing of approximately two hundred and fifty Communist suspects daily. It is further stated that men said to be Communists were hunted down by troops and quickly executed. No de- tails are forthcoming regarding the ex- tent of these reprisals or the character fof the tortures inflicted.. A late dispatch states that Com- in newspaper broadcasts with Moscow and an- nounced that they planned the estab- | lishment of & Soviet regime in Hunan, | Hupeh end Kiangsi; they declared themselves against Nationalist and rebel factions now fighting for control of China’s government.” Nevertheless a recent dispatch stated that Nanking de- clares that a coalition exists betwéen the northern revolutionists and the Communists of the southern provinces. One of the most interesting items of recent information is that President Chiang Kai-shek of Narking has issued a circular telegram addressed to the armies of Feng Yu-hsiang, pleading with his soldters “to return their’ al- | receive food.” cash rewards, clothing and The telegram, it is stated, con- these exploits as a pioneer, with all th: tinues: “If you return to the govern- sdulation that has been hga) p«fuhll ment with real repentance 1 will not M‘.&lm!flf‘mm only forgive but will reward you with THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. prizes.” A scale of rewards is indicat- ed: One-step promotion for every of- ficer who induces his men to surrender, twenty dollars to each private sur- rendering with arms, five hundred dol- lars to each officer with « machine gun, and one thousand dollars to each of- ficer with a field gun. Thus the “silver bullet,§ which has been fired so often in Chinese warfare in the past, is again in use. Not many months ago Feng himself was brought down by such a missile in the preceding campaign, retiring from the fleld on payment of several million dollars. e T 0 oy safe Driving Records. Assistant Traffic Director Eldridge, perhaps inadvertently, inaugurated a wholesome contest for the safest auto- mobile driver when he discovered, a short time ago, that a District permit holder had a clean slate for twenty-six years of motoring. Since then others have arisen to challenge Mr. Eldridge’s prize longevity find and the battle wages merrily on. The latest to come forward is a motorist who proudly displays a 1903 operator’s permit for steam vehi- cles, who llkewise claims a clear driv- ing record, giving him a year more than the original discovery of the Traf- 4c Bureau. Tomorrow it may be some one else. There is no way of telling when all the entries will be properly filed. Regardiess of this fact, however, any publicity which emphasizes safety on the streets is beneficial to the com- munity and the assistant traffic direc- tor, in stirring up the old-timers to come forward -with their claims, has performed a notable service. Of course, there may be skepticism about the au- thenticity of some of the records. Prior to the establishment of the traffic office there was no such system as is in effect today for keeping track of an individu- al's driving performance, and withoui casting any aspersions at those who have entered the impromptu contest, it may well be possible that in the days of the twelve-mile-an hour speed limit violations occurred which were never recorded. Since the traffic office was created, however, no infractions escape official notice and a clean driving record from that time to the present is sufficient guarantee of carefulness in automobile operation. As a matter of fact, not only those who boast of a quarter of a cen- tury of safe driving, but those who have not run afoul of the law since the establishment of the traffic office, deserve the congratulations of the com- munity. —————— Habits of systematic saving are now regularly taught in Russian schools, as exemplified by rotogravure pictures f chubby bloused youngsters each hold- ing aloft his bank-book. Is not the ideal over there communism, everybody to own everything? Why save, then? ———— Amos 'n’ Andy have signed up for five years more. This will make the satisfaction over Babe Ruth's three- wear contract seem in comparison like general gloom. —es Bryan University is to open this Fall at Dayton, Tenn. Here is a fine chance for the composer of the college yell to ring in the word “Boru.” e SHOOTING STARS, BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Appreciation. We don't pretend to have much fun at Pohick on the Crick. We don't go round to health resorts, ‘cause none of us is sick. We don't rush round in motor cars. ‘We'd rather sit serene At home and not be pestered with the smell of gasoline. ‘We don't have no explosions, nor col- lisions in the street, Nor get appendicitis from the fancy things we eat. We're free to say existence isn’t movin’ very quick. We're livin' safe and easy, down to Pohick on the Crick. We're Mlvin' safe and easy; fam'lies isn't vexed With a social item one day an’ a funeral note the next. We've got our feet to walk with an’ we've got our hands fur toil, An’ we're happy an’ contented with the blessin’s of the soil. We're different from some people, ‘cause we feel we wasn't born To go through life a-spinnin’ to the tootin’ of a horn. If I looked the whole map over, with a chance to take my pick, I'd settle down in jes' one town—that's Pohick on the Crick. an’ our Audiences at Fault, “We haven't the orators we once had,” said the man who is habitually regretful. “Yes, we have,” answered Senator rghum, “The trouble is that the pub- lic nowadays is t00 busy to listen. to rem.” Courageous. “Are the Americans courageous as & rule?” asked the foreign visitor. “I should say so!” answered the patriotic citizen. “You should see the way the average American eats sardines and pie at a pienic.” % Introspection. This world of freaks contains a host; Each day a new one will disclose, And oh, the thought that haunts me most Is, maybe I am one of those! Precaution. “Why don't you save up your money?” asked the thrifty man. “I'm going to. I am merely looking around to make sure I am not putting it in the hands of some concern willing to take bigger risks with it than I am.” “Bliggins says that some one has tried to make him pay money .to keep things out of print.” “Nonsense!” rejoined Miss Cayenne. “Mr. Bliggins is trylng to convey the impression that he is in the smart set.” A Parody. All situations stand in need Of great reforms to right 'em; And these reforms need new reforms, And so ad infinitum. “When a man stahts in braggin' 'bout how honest he is,” said Uncle Eben, “it allus kind o' sounds to me like he was ' foh not bein" mo’ s Are they writing great short stories any more? Peculiarly an American medium, al- though this country has no unique claim to it, the short story had flowered vividly in the United States. Those who love the brief tale will be interested in a new volume just issued in the venerable and beloved Everyman Library—"American rt Stories of the Nineteenth Century,” with an in- troduction by John Cournos. Only three of the stories are by even such “moderns” as Richard Harding Davis, Jack London and O. Henry. The remainder hearken back to the classic days of Poe (“The Tell-Tale Heart”); of Irving (“Rip Van Winkle"); rich (“Marjorie Daw”); and a few others of the same renowned stamp, in- cluding Henry James, Hawthorne, Mel- ville, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman. Such books of selections, even when made by an authority, always leave one dissatisfled, because the plain truth seems to be that there are a great deal more than a handful of stories which properly belong in ‘any such selection. A “nosegay” of stories such as this can represent only one man's ideas of the best, and his only at a certain time, and maybe even place. If he were residing in Switzerland, and had to do the job all over . the probability is that he would throw out some that he included, and put in a few that he omitted., * ok % % ‘There still are good short stories being written. hand American life vibrates , passion, love, honesty, decency, crookedness, these s thou- sand more, all thrown together into as complex a civilization as the world has ever known, Short stories are written by the thou- sands every year. Several worthwhile collections of the “best” are made each twelve months, by those who ought to be able to select the winners. There are so many storles, in fact, that the average reader by no means can keep up with them, even with the books containing the cream. Only as friends recommend one or another of them from their own per- sonal reading is it possible for the so- called average reader to begin to keep up_with them Perhaps word may come that “S. 8. Pedro” in the current number of “great story.” One looks it up, finds it good. But is it great? Will posterity put it into a collection? On every with _greed ‘The reader may wonder whether it is & “short story,” la the average meaning of the term. To one reader at least it seems rather an impressionistic presentation of a conversation, or set of conversations, depending, for such effect as it has, upon the present vogue which the liquor question has acquired. When this vogue has declined, will “Wine of Wyoming” seem anything except a set of speeches? i 4 * ko ‘The true short story, as we see it, has to achieve one thing, an effect. What this effect is no one can say. It may be different in each case, but its authentic urge, if one may put it that way, is unmistakable. Such an effect may not be produced upbn every reader, and if such is the case, the story does not possess that effect for that reader. That is all Thus we apply mathematics to a cul- tural proposition, making each reader the entire judge and jury for each story. If ‘any writer of short stories pro- tests this, we can only say that readers will continue to do just that thing, de- spite what any one thinks of it. A rteader carries with him to the reading of a novel, short story, poem or anything else all of his own convic- tions and especially all of his own prej- udices. It is entirely conceivable, for in- | stance, that & man who is very much | worked up over the prohibition issue will view “Wine of Wyoming” in an en- tirely different light from the man who does not drink and who does not care a whoop whether any one else does or not. * * kX The individual method of judgment, which is the natural method, does not imply mental anarchy. The judgments of perhaps nine out of ten readers will be worthless in so far as passing upon the permanency or true greatness of a work. “I like it,” one will say—and his de- cisiorn will concur with that of time— time future, relentles;, all-seeing. “I do not like it,” another will an- nounce—and his pronouncement fails to coincide with what posterity will say. Yet if one looks over the two read- ers, he may see that the latter was handicapped by a certain small peculiar- ity which prevented a correct judg- ment in the particular case. ‘The short. story, of all works of art, is peculiarly liable to impressionistic &dflnl on the part of readers. There e plenty of readers who do not get much of & “kick” out of the stories of O. Henry. “Too mechanical,” they say. “One knows a twist will come at the end, and one is waiting for it, anticipating it— and failing to lik@ lt‘When it comes.” x oK K K ‘The art of the short story has noth- ing at all to do with the length. We can recall reading in an advertising booklet of furs a tiny story written by & well known woman writer. It was a masterplece of about 500 words. Had it been four times as long it could not have been any better, probably only “worse,” whatever the word means. Thus several of Conrad’s ‘“short stories” are, in fact, not short at all, but only long stories contracted from novel length. Yet they are short sto- ries, in all that we can say of them, because their effect is singular. The short story is short because the singleness of effect which it must se- cure—and this is almost its only law —cannot be maintained over a long period of time. The reader cannot re- celve a single impression if he is re- quired to keep his imagination on the stretch. Sometimes we wonder how so many persons are able to read short stories, since s0 many seem to have so little imagination. Or perhaps one’s judg- ment of the amount of imagination in the minds of others is somewhat harsh and uncharitable. One cannot judge by looking at yon- der face what stores of imaginative ! thinking are held in check there. Romantic dreams, sealed up by life, roll in_clouds behind closed portals. ‘Words, magic, can unlock those doors and release, in the privacy of the printed page, a veritable cloudburst of dreams. That is why the short story is so popu- lar, perhaps. It evokes a mood—and when 1t i8 your mood, then the short story is yours, and you will call it great. And who dares dispute you? WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS .‘BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Vacations have never meant very much in the life of Herbert Hoover, 80 the cancellation of his trip to the na- tional parks savors neither of the sen- sational nor the unusual. The Presi- dent comes pretty near to subscribing 1o Bernard Shaw's “Who's Who" defini- tion of his “recreation,” which reads, “Anything but sport.” Medicine ball, which is more of an ordeal than & game, is Mr. Hoover's sole sport, unless the art of meditation called fishing comes within the category of play. The President does not ride, golf, swim, play tennis, hike or motor as a pastime. Probably the Californian’s fondest hob- by is contemplative conversation in & small circle of intimate friends. In such an environment, with & pipe in his mouth and a leg thrown over the arm of & chair, Hoover can sit by the hour and enjoy himself. With an ave erage of three days and nights & week at his camp on the Rapidan, the Chief En- gineer has decided upon that kind of 2 1930 vacation. Constituted as he Is, it’s the ideal sort. * ok kK Discussion naturally has promptly set in as to whether the President’s decision not to go West is good or bad politics. Opinfon is about equally divided. The consensus is that, on the whole, Hoover is wise not_to cross the Mississippi at this time. In many respects, he would find it a brickbat zone. Business—both in town and country—is bad. People are grouchy. The President personally comes in for a tremendois share of the blame, as is always the way when the times are out of joint. Hoover might— undoubtedly would—get a respectful welcome in the open spaces. But it might have turned out to be lacking in cordiality, had he tempted fate at this articular moment, That would have Been a circumstance which the Demo- crats would gleefully exploit in the im- pending congressional campaign. Alto- gether, the hard-boiled politiclans in both camps feel, the hour is not meet for a Republican Chief Executive to wander so far afield from the White House fireside as the embittered and embattled reaches of the Rockies. There is, of course, u positive political ad- vantage in Hoover's remaining at home. He is sticking to his job in order ac- tively to direct drought-relief activities. * ko % ‘There never was any real danger of “Joe” Robinson’s defeat for renomina- tion in Arkansas, which yesterday gave him a handsome vote of undiminished confidence. The Senate Democratic minority leader has been aware, ever since the 1928 presidential campaign, that & concerted opposition to him was by way of crystallizing. It sprang from | ultra-dry, anti-Catholic elements which considered him the same ticket as Al Smith. Campbell primary nomination at no time, however, had anything but a nui- sance value, as far as Robinson vas concerned. “Pighting Joe's” enemies thought they had a new and crushing issue against him when he accepted naval conference servjce London under a Republican nt. But Robinson's 4-to-1 victory over his pri- mary opponent indicates that Arkansas is satisfied with its senior senatorial representative at Washington and proud of the premier position he occuples in the councils of the Democratic party and the Nation. * ithless for running -m ‘The Tom * x % Rear Admiral Willlam A, Moffett, re- doubtable chief of naval aeronautics, is the proudest sallorman in the United States these days. His eldest two boys, both graduates of Annapolis—one in 1928 and the other in 1930—have just completed, with honors, their prelimi- nary training in flying. The older son, of course, is farther advanced than the youngster, who quit the Naval Academy in June. But both are now definitely headed for an aviation career. Admiral Moffett has one more boy, & lad of 17, whose W are also sprouting. R Will H. Hays, motion picture czar, who is just back from a seven-week fruitful sojourn in Europe, sends word to Washington friends that he en route to Cody, Wyo., for the first tion he's had since the war. “Four years ago,” writes the former Postmas- ter General and G. O. P. chairman, “I told Bill Hays, then m 10, that if he would go to Culver tary Academy for the next four Bummers and grad- | Creek. uate at the woodcraft school I would then, during the Summer he was 14, take him to a ranch out West. He did his stuff, graduating in June, and I am now delivering. We were all set to July 1, and then I had to call him in and tell him it was all off because of this European trip. Bill took it with his head up, but he has been waiting in Indiana, I think on the curb with his gun across his knees, for me to pick him up and start for the big outdoors. When I took vacations I always took them out there.” Hays is convinced that the movies peace conference or- ganized by him, in Europe has made & distinct contribution to “amity” in the general foreign trade situation, L ‘They're certainly seein’ things at night out in Chicago—in addition to gun- men and gangsters. To the Department of Commerce and the Federal Farm Board this week there came a serfous in- quiry from the Windy City to know if there was any truth in a report widely circulated in Chicago about the Gov- ernment and beer. “We hear,” the in- quiry ran, “tha. the Department of the breweries in the United States, ask- ing to be advised how many men they could put to work if the breweries ran full time and manufactured beer, and the approximate amount of materials they would use. We also hear that vari- ous farm boards throughout the coun: try have been requested to inform the Department of Agriculture how much of a loss the farmers sustained when the breweries stopped manufacturing beer.” Interested officials are inclined to suspect the beery query was one of those wishes which sometimes are fa- thers to thoughts. R Economies in the Army and the Navy are henceforward to be the rigid order of the day, by edict of the Commander in Chief in the White House himself. But it's been decided to loosen up a bit in one interesting particular. Unéle Sam is now installing ice-cream soda foun- tains in big battleships and cruisers for the accommodation of gobs and any- body else aboard. The founta to be run by the ship commi: fats, and drinks must be paid for by the sallors the same as anything elie they buy mshore or afloat. From grog to chocolate sundaes is going some. (Copyright, 1930.) r——— Rock Creek Culvert Plan Distasteful To the Editor of The Star: First we get & proposal to put roofs over the parks in the city, and now we get a proposal to put a roof over Rock Creek. “There is no smell so sweet as no smell at all.” The way to get this is not to put a rool over bad odors but remove the cause of the pollution. Mr. Henry Fofd is a lover of antiques, and an able man. I wonder if he or some lover of the National Capital could not devise some method of having a large quantity of fresh water flow through Rock Creek all the time. Mr. Rocke- feller, you are restoring Willlamsburg; please restore Rock Creek to the Na- tional Capital. Possibly the bed of Rock Creek, paved with cobblestones, might please a utili- tarian engineer, but it would be a very poor imitation of the beautiful natural bed of Rock Creek, with its huge boulders in the upper part of the park. It certainly would not please beauty lovers. If Maj. Gotwals is Interested in in- closing streams in culverts, introduce him to the culvert monstrosity that is now desecrating one of the ravines in Rock Creek Park. Mr. Rockefeller, please give a million to have that cul- vert monstrosity destroyed. Gov. Ritchie of Maryland ought to be interested in preserving the beauty of Rock Creek for posterity by prevent- ing the sewage of Maryland from flowing into Rock Creek. The present District of Columbia was once a part of Maryland. We want to see our National tal become the most beautiful capl- tal in the world. In regard to the chasm between two ash dumps, -~ .ase leave Rock Creek in the chasm and.beautify the ash dumps instead of & roof over Rock Waste of Vegetable Life Held as Drought Cause To the Editor of The Star: Drought! Is it not one of the most distr;u‘ul of all calamities? And what is its cause? Some prophet avers it to be astronomical, while the Weather Bu- reau characterizes it as self-creating or cumulative. I say it is due to the universal de- struction of forests and wooded areas throughout this country. The baneful and criminal process has been going on unhampered for decades, and Dame Nature, after suffering such constant violation, is hitting back, and hitting | hard. Oh, think how terrible it would be were the drought to continue indefi- nitely, or until all vegetation, including what trees we have left, were perma- nently withered and killed! Think of fair Columbia being converted into & Sahara through the thoughtless, sinful devastation wrought by man for the sole purpose of converting all creation into gold! Not only have forests been annihilated for lumber and pulp but there has in recent years been an ever-increasing tendency—I may say mania—to cut down all vegetable growth, arboreal or herbaceous, along highways and field edges, “Clean up, clean up!” being the ubiquitous slogan, denoting & nerv- ous, impatient yearning to shave every- thing off as smooth as men shave their faces every morning. How many, many country lanes here in Maryland, through which I delighted to saunter, because they were lined on either side with & generous covering of fragrant sassafras and festooned grapevine, flowering dogwood and Virginia creeper and the whole array of nature’s incom- parable ornamentation, have been ruth- lessly laid bare, their refreshing cool- ness being turned into merciless tor- ridity! With dogged determination has every dgvice or measure been utilized to dry up the country from end to end, thereby converting the surface of the ground into a burning-hot stove top, radiating dry heat instead of cool moisture, as intended. Thousands of picturesque marshes and romantic swamps are drained and gone; brooks, runs and rivulets have been straightened and de- nuded of their verdant fringe, so that] 1750 at Gloucester, England, and he they now carry rainwater back to the river and sea with a rush instead of letting it seep into the soil and remain a while to beget further rain by its gradual evaporation; underbrush from woods has been cleaned out, thus dry- ing the ground even where the trees are left standing; along roadsides, espe- cially automobile pikes, a fiendish per- sistence is shown in suppressing every smitch of vegetation as soon as it #)- pears, roadmen being employed to pa- trol .hé highways for this sinister pur- pose, not even a timid wildflower being allowed to show its face! Farmers are prone to root up wild growth along the edges of their fleld, where but shortly ago they left it standing, if for no other reason than as a shelter for their feath- ered friends, the birds. But now it is everywhere—burn up, grub up, slash, hack, destroy the last vestige of nature and plant something that will bring dollars, dollars, dollars! I ask, * I dollars, piled skyhigh, elicit & drop of rain from the outraged heavens? And without rain can dollars produce one calorie of food for the nourishment of your fiber? What good will gold do when there is no food left for it to buy? My humble suggestion would be that, pending the time when a duly consti- tuted commission of Government scien- tists shall have devised means of artifi- cially inducing rain or making the limit- less water supply of the ocean available for our flelds, & nation-wide campaign be inaugurated with a view to permit- ting Nature to come back into her own throughout the length and breadth of the land, lest we be brought low in our purse pride by the awful specter of death in the form of drought, followed by famine! WILFRED STEVENS. Two Practical Thoughts For the Drought Time To the Editor of The Star: There are two phases of this drought which many persons have not consid- ered, and both of which might be brought to their attention through short editorials. Motorists going into outlying districts Commerce has addressed a letter to.all | should be urged to carry a supply of drinking water and an emergency filling for their cars. Farmers are hard hit in many cases to get water for their family use and for their stock, and should not be asked to share their diminishing supply with persons from the District of Columbia, but they do not realize what conditions are in the country. Many people would put out food and water for the birds, too, if they knew that their feathered friends were starv- ing to death, especially robins and other birds which depend on earthworms. As the ground bakes, the worms go down farther, and it is impossible for the birds to get their food. Suet, erumbs,’ seeds and improvised bird baths would save the lives of many birds at this time. They really need help now s acutely as in the Wintertime, when we all are in the habit of aiding them. MARY L. BRUNDAGE. ————————— Money Carriers Should Bear Arms for Security | To the Editor of The St I view of the number of hold-ups taking place recently, banks and busi-| ness houses trans{ rring large sums of money should be provided with armed guards and other precautions to safe- guard the money and those engaged in| If ‘the Police Department suci work. finds it impracticable to furnish such guards on account of scarcity of offi- cers, permits should be granted for such employes of banks and large business houses to carry the latest modern weapons durin h transfers, and, if necessary “gatling” guns, to protect the money intrusted to them and safegua: their own lives. Where such hold-u are committed on growded thorough- fares, of course, it would be enda ring ldren the lives of men, women and el to stage battles in such sections, except by experienced men. But even shots in the air would attract crowds, some of whom may be enabled to give valuable testimony in regard to the bandits tak-'sev:ia years a growing volume of com- ing_part in such hold-ups. When no! such features accompany such acts, they usually happen without any one know- | ing what is going on until it is all over and the culprits escape, and the clues are so meager that men escape the police who should be hand_gd and get long terms in the “cal K H. T. McCONVEY. Pumping Proposed to End Creek Pollution To the Editor of The Star: I was mu_h interested in reading the editorial in a recent issue of your val- ued paper with reference to the present condition of the water alang the course of Rock Creek, resulting from the pres- ent drought, which renders this stream | %o essential in complementing the set- ting of one of the most natural public parks extant. It is really most unfor- tunate that conditions are such that youngsters cannot avail themselves of the heglthful and pleasant pastime of wading these waters. In order that a mean level flow be/ maintained at all times, I would sug- gest the installation of a pump of ample capacity at & point above the Great Falls of the Potomac River that would ~ discharge directly into Rock Creek, just above the Zoological Park,| or provide there an impounding reser- voir, whereby water could be released in sufficient quant’ties as occasion re- auired to effect and sustain a uniform ow of water in Rock Creek, which| would not only prevent the mlutlon resulting from an insufficient , but, what is also important, conserve the beauty of the whole who could easily supply ‘themselves if they used a | little forethought. Most motorists would | be glad to do this if they thought of it rd | than’ the present condition.” |and long-needed reform.” pos revision of the statite in essential par- ticulars,” News, as give nceded protection to those in financial difficulties. o P Ty T X ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Thousands of Government experts are working constantly for the benefit of all citizens of the United States. They will work directly for you if you | call for the fruits of their labors through our Washington Bureau. State your inquiry briefly, write clearly, and, in- closing 2-cent stamp for a personal let- ter in reply, address The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Has- kin, director, Washington, D. C. Q. Is the toastmaster on the radio Arco birthday party the one who broadcasts Cheerio?—A. 8. A. He is one and the same. Q. Is more acreage planted to wheat now than there was before the war?— R.N. A. The world wheat acreage is now 42,000,000 acres larger. In America, 14,000,000 acres increase has been made. These figures do not include Russia. Q. Is Da V]’“i'! “Mona Lisa” painted on canvas or Zoard?—J. H. M. A. It is painted on canvas. . What Btate ranks as the most arid and sparsely settled?—T. P. A. Nevada. Q. How is Jewish cheese made—a cheese that is much like cottage cheese?—H. G. A. According to the Jewish Cookery Book by Mrs, Esther Levy, the cheese desired is made as follows: Put five quarts of new milk into a pan with five pints of cold and five pints of hot water, a little sugar and as much rennet as will bring the whey in 20 minutes; when it comes strike the skimmer three or four times down and leave it on the curd. In an hour or two ladle into the vat without touching it, and when the vat is full and the whey has run from it, put a weight upon it. Q. Who wrote the music to which The Star Spangled Banner” is sung?— "A." John Stafford Smith was born in died at London, September 3, 1836. He was an able organist, an efficient tenor singer, an excellent composer, and an accomplished antiquary. He was the author of “To Anacreon in Heaven,” a variation of which is the music used wday in singing “The Star Spangled Banner.” Q. What are smallclothes?—B. E. R. A. The tight-fitting knee breeches of the elghteenth and early nineteenth centuries were called smallclothes. Q. How many steps does a man take in a minute?—H. §. A. The War Department says that there are 90 steps to the minute. The double step is 180 to the minute. Q. How long has it been against "’li‘thl'L to smoke opium in China?— “30 It has been legally a vice since Q. What are {lluminated manu- scripts?—V., B. A. They are those whose texts are brightened and heightened by vignettes and otherwise decorated in colors or in ld and silver. Fifteen centuries be- ore Christ the papyrus rolls of the Book of the Dead were illuminated with brilliantly colored scenes. Later, as writing became alphabetic, ‘the mpor- tant letters were illuminated. Q. What is the literal translation of Koran?—S, N. T. A. In the Arabic language it signi- fles “the reading.” Q. What is the English equivalent for the name of the opers “La Travi- ata"?—B. A. E. A. In English it is “The Lost One.” ‘The original story is entitled “La Dame aux Camelias.” It was dramatized as “Camille.” Q. Does the Navy use butter substi- tutes?—H. 8. B. A. It does not. It uses only the best butter—92 score butter, in fact—as it is necessary to consider that the butter may be subjected to extreme tempera- :un and to rapid changes in tempera- ure. Q. What was the population of Pom- xp)ell at the time of its destruction?— . K. A. It had about 35,000 inhabitants. It was a city of wealth and refinement, situated on the Bay of Naples, at the foot of Mount Vesuvius. It, together with Herculaneum and Stabiae, was de- stroyed by & volcanic eruption August 24, AD. 79. Q. Who paid the cost of bringing the obelisk in Central Park to the United States>—A. B. A. The obelisk was the gift of Ismail Pasha, and the cost of transportation, about $150,000, was defrayed by William K. Vanderbiit. Q. Did the shepherds or the Wise ifieg visit the Christ Child first?>—B. A. The shepherds came first. The Wise Men did not appear until three days Ister, according to the Bible. Q. Are other suns surrounded by sys- tems of planets?—A. E. A. It would not be possible for as- tronon.-rs to detect them, even if they exist. It is probable that double stars are the rule and planetary systems the exception. Q. What is & “fleche”?—H. G. O. A. Fleche is an architectural term which in France signifies any but in English usage is limited small, slender spire which is upon the ridge of a roof of a church and not upon a tower. Q. Who were the “Fifth Monarchy Men"?—L. O. F. A. They were a Puritan sect in land which, for a time, su government of Oliver Cromwell in the belle!t.hnnmlg:ww-uenmlh “fifth monarchy” t would succeed the Assyrian, the Persian, the Greek and the Roman. . How long does It take an alligator 3 to hlleh?‘—!'. N. i 4 It takes about two months. Q. How many people were thers in the United States when the first census was taken?—J. H. A. It was taken in 1790 and the population was reported as 3,929,214 Q. Is there such a word as “accepti- lization”?—L. K. A. We do not find the word as you spell it. Acceptilation, in Roman and Scots law, means a verbal release of & verbal obligation. Cheap Demanded Losses representing many millions of dollars, traceable 09 fraudulent meth- ods in bankruptcy’ cases and unrea- sonable lawyers' fees, prompt a wide- spread approval of the recommendation by President Hoover that the law be amended, and that present methods be investigated by the Departments of Justice an¢ Commerce. “The main weakness of the American bankruptey situation is the enormous economic waste involved in the opera- tion of the law,” declares the Roches- ter Times-Union, while the New Castle News believes that ‘“changes seem necessary if the Nation's commerce 1§ to be relieved of this ruinous c ag” and the New London Day predicts “a tremendous saving to business in gen- eral if the law can be changed so as to make bankruptcy proceedings more secure for society, to make bankruptcy more often genuine and less fictitious.” The St. Louls Globe-Democrat con- cludes, “If, in addition to closing loop- holes in thq law permitting the escape of swindling bankrupts, the investiga- tion, which will cover 10 of the leading business centers of the country, shows the way to a substantial reduction in bankruptcy costs, it will be well worth ,the time and effort.” “Evasion and deceit,” asserts the New York Sun, “poison the atmosphere in which bankruptcy proceedings are con- ducted; there is a neutral zone in which the line of demarcation between a conscientious debtor’s duty and his rights is difficult to establish, particu- larly in the environment of suspicion and distrust created by ever-present scoundrelism. * * The Department of Justice will not be obliged to go far to find evidence of abuses; its files contain evidence ample to convince nybody that the law is not perlect.; It remains only to draft a better act. * kK K “Fraud, no matter by whom comm.t- ted,” demands the Memphis Commercial Appeal, “should be so severely punished, that few, 1i any, will dare to resort to it. But even better will it be if the opporturities for fraud are closed by improving the law.” The Martinsburg Evening Journal avers that, “whether or not & law or practice can be devised that wil! check the predatory activities of the bankruptcy courts and thelr hangers-on may be a question, but cer- tainly nothing could be much worse ‘The Philadelphia Evening Bulletin de- scribes the current action as “virtualy & sequel to the disclosures at the in- vestigation made in New York last year,” and adds that the hearings “cca- firmed the charges of evil practices .n bankruptey, now possible under the law, and against which there has been for plaint from commercial interest Toe Scranton Times points out that “hardly a section of the country but has what is known as a bankruptcy ring,” and the Jersey City Journal feels that “the results of the inquiry should prove beneficial,”” adding: ‘If there is any- thing which interferes with a nice, profitable racket, it is to have the methods, and particularly the names, of the operators made known to tie sucker list. The sucker list in this racke. is astounding in its length, con- taining, as it does, somewhere i the nelgaborhood of 80,000,000 people.” in the opinion of the ‘Times, is “calculated to lay the groundwork for a wholesome ‘The Rich- mond News-Leader states: “Behind some of the petitions is a tale of herolc battle against sickness and verty. Some men have not ylelded till the fight was hopeless. Others have walked into bankruptcy and through it, as if it were & lawful means of increasing their spending power. It is a situation, so fraught with danger to the weak and with temptation to the crooked that it justifies the inquiry the Presidenmt pro- es to make.” “A thoroughgoing inquiry looking to says the Roanoke World- “would reassure creditors as well It would tend to save both the Federal Government and the United States Courts from the growing suspicion that the present method of procedure in bankruptey cases does not in all instances guaran- tee equity to all the parties at interest.” Condemning the “unseru] forth their hands. Is it possible?” & big watering-can in heaven forth for 10 minutes, and people on the street rejoiced and cried out, “The cat!” mostly movie mostly talkle. Then came the mergers. and Honest Methods for Bankruptcy peka Daily Capital remarks: “Just how any bankruptsy law is to be framed so that it will not be subject to this criti- cism is not easy to see. It may be better that rascals take ad: of the law than that honest debtors have no pro- tection.” * kK X “No one should be permitted,” ac- cording to the Champaign News-Ga- zette, “to go into bankruptcy except as an extreme measure, and the liabilities should be an amount that the bankrupt could not possibly pay in the channel of doing business. When it comes to the business world losing $7! 000,000 & year through court. it credit is ruined.” Hol that the law is for the benefit of both debtor and creditor, the Louisville Courier-Journal advises that “to carry out this object, flrecnumnl are essential to prevent the W's use to defraud creditors and to prevent waste in the management of Lh_er heau;;," e objects of the movement inaugu- rated by the Federal Government are described by the Charlotte Observer as “‘a speeding up of the administration of bankrupt estates, E’cmfi.}‘h’ adminis- :.;ll!")n on : business is, relieving e courts of business re?tmllblm centering it in the executive hnnfi?l the Government, circumscribing eredi- tor control and enforcing more effec- tively the criminal and discharge provi- sions of the present act.” The Providence Journal believes that “it needs to be emphasized that the grocess of revision-should not be too urried,” while the Worcester Gazette states that “with the s of the President, Congress may now be expected to correct the more glaring defects of the present law.” The. New York Evening Post ' concludes that “whether our lenfent treatment of bank- rupts is due to our proverbial na- ture or to some less creditable cause, it plainly demands the critical examina- ton it is evidently about to receive.” The Cleveland News advises that, “In the end, the cost of such abuses falls indirectly on the public, which must pay the losses so sustained, in order that the legitimate merchant can fllll% tnog:wfixehmutbummdm&h‘ profit.” How Napoleon the Cat Gave Baltimore Rain To the Editor of The Star: Napoleon is a big white Persian cat belonging to a lady in Baltimore, Mrs. Fanny De Shields. He has a right to 'l-'lbi:‘ n:ma,o for he has won such renown a Government position has been suggested for him. August 7 was Na) He is 9 years old. ed this event by se leon’s birthday. He eelehnl- nding forth a word of comfort to the heat and dr ight stricken people of Baltimore—rain was coming inside of 24 hours. To prove ft, Napoleon jumped upon the hall stand, stretched himself out flat on a tray used for visiting cards, paws out- little white face between . _This for nine years had nt rain. It never failed. At once his - tress telephoned the newspapers, “Rain 1s coming sure,” and the papers told the people, dicted by ‘Rain_for Friday night, pre- e eI e ople chaf t it, laughed. nice little write-up—but it X‘Ilnx. Abfll‘l 10 o'clock people were seen to stretch “Ah, & drop of rain! ‘Then all of a sudden poured on Napoleon’s reputation was MARY C. Bixon. And What Mergers! Prom the Ithaca Journal Tn other days life in the big town was and in the small town oL e 81 pomc s Tough Decision. Prom the Harrisburg Telesraph. Now comes the season when one de- cides whether to enjoy for next ] And No Water Waves. st | Tl s e Rkt iy powy b 3 to be permanents.