Evening Star Newspaper, September 12, 1930, Page 8

TrE EVENING STAR WASHINGTON, D. C. FRIDAY.....September 12, 1030 THEODORE W. NOYES. ... Editor ‘The Evening Star new'¥ en moath. mad id of each e mail or celephoue v be gent in by 5000, Mail—Payable in Advance. land and Virginia, ily Sind: .1yr, $10.00: 1 mo. Baily ;> ; junday only All Other States and E,“,‘y and Sunday..iyr.$12.00: 1 ers Ational $1.00 iSc 0.0 Iy only [1yr. $8.00° 1mol i 1mo. S50c y only 151, $5.00; Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dis- patones crecited to it or not atherwise cred- ted in this paper and also the local 1ews published herein. All rights of publication of Bpecial dispatches herein are also rescrved. Politics and Prohibition. Unless all signs fail, the prohibition issue will be desperately fought over again i the next Democratic National Con- vention. It is becoming increasingly apparent, too, that the issue of wet and dry, which has been successfully brushed aside by the Republicans at national githerings since the eighteenth amend- ment was adopted, is likely to come to the fore in 1932 when the G. O. P. delegates meet to pick a presidential candidate and to draft a platform. ‘The formal announcement of Gov. Franklin D. Rooscvelt of New York that he favors repeal of the eighteenth amendment and & return of the liquor- cantrol question to the States, with a reservation that there shall be no more saloons and that the dry States shall be protected from an Jlow of liquor from the wet States, ®as brought the prohibition question again into national Democratic politics. Gov. Roosevelt has been much discussed in recent months as the probable candidate of the Democratic party for President in 1032, ‘Except in the South, the wet cause— the demand for the repeal of national prohibition—has fastened itself more and more securely on the back of the Democratic party. Practically every Eastern and Northern Democratic can- didate for important office in the elec- tion in November is committed to the anti-prohibition cause. This is true in Massachusetts, in Rhode Island, in Maryland, in Pennsylvania, in Dela- ware, in Connecticut, in New Jersey and in New York. But the wet cause has reached out farther West and laid #8 grip on prominent Democratic candidates for office. Stretching across Pennsylvania, it has placed its label on the Democratic senatorial nominee in Ohio, Robert J. Bulkley, former mem- ber of the House. It has leaped to IMlinois, where James Hamilton Lewis 18 battling with Mrs. Ruth Hanna Mc- Cormick, and apparently with so much success that it has brought Mrs. Mc- Oggmick to straddle the issue. In Oklahoma, usually considered a South- em as well as a Western State, the Democrats nominated this year for the Senate former Senator Gore, who had the support of the wets in the bitter fight which was waged in that State over the Democratic senatorial nomina- tion. These are but instances, however, in the list of Democratic candidates who have announced themselves in favor of prohibition repeal. Gov. Roosevelt's declaration against the eighteenth amendment has received the immediate and delighted approval ©f the present chairman of the Demo- ceratic National Committee, John J. Ras- kob. Mr. Ratkob sent a telegram to Gov. Rooscvelt which literally over- flowed with praise because of the atti- tude assumed by .:e Governor. Alfred E. Smith, the Democratic nominee for President in 1928, has likewise declared his gratification. Mr. Roosevelt's declara- tion differs little from that of Mr. Smith 8t the time of the last presidential campaign. Mr. Raskob, however, as- serts that the Roosevelt statement should please even the Democratic brethren of the South, that arid area. He points out that Mr. Roosevelt plans to have the National Goverament safe- guard all the dry States from importa- 2 tions of liquor, in the event his plan is followed out. Mr. Raskob might point out which Southern States today are safeguarded by the National Govern- ment from the importations of liquor, although the entire country is supposed %o be dry. ‘The Democrats still nominate their presidential candidates by the old two- thirds rule. The South has hitherto been able to impose a veto power, gen- erally spesking, on the selection of these candidates. Will the South, stick- ing to the dry cause, be able to head off & wet Democratic nominee for President two years hence? It falled to do so0 in 1928, and the pressure for & wet cendidate will be even stronger in 1932, With hitherto dry districts in Wash- ington and Michigan nominating wet Republican candidates for the House and indications that the Republican leaders in New York and Illinois, not to mention New Jersey and Massa- chusetts, are swinging more and more to the wet side of the prohibition ques- tion, the dry grip on the G. O. P. ap- pears to be faltering, at least for the moment. The next two years aré likely to be momentous in the history of pro- hibition in this country. President Hoover's Commission on Law Enforce- ment has still to submit its final report on national prohibition. e It is frankly admitted by Sir Thomas Lipton that he is one of the greatest of advertisers. And so is your old yacht race. Motorized Police. In the motorization of the second precinct, to be followed if successful by similar equipment in other precincts, ‘Washington is Joining the ranks of cities which are putting modern tools in the hands of their policemen to fight 0 was hopelessly handicapped at the start. Not enly could he cover oni: & limited beat, but it was comparatively easy for gunmen and burglars to ascer- tain the safest time, in regard to the location of the policeman, to carry on even backward, and that if the wheels round they will turn with equal itacility in either direction. Of course, 'there were other momentous discov- ferfes, but it seems useless to record ‘them here, first, because if they were their enterprises. Besides these obvious ; made public they might lose their value difficulties in the way of law enforce- ment, the policeman in full- uniform swinging along on his beat was a con- | spicuous object and frequently a get- away oould be made long before he could approach. The advantages therefore of putting officers in small, light cars, two men occupying each one, and sending them out to patrol quickly, but vigilantly, an entire neighborhood, can read” - be realized. Not only are the police cars inconspicuous in the traffic stream, but the mobility of the automobile can be combined with the detalled work of a. footman. If culprits, for instance, take. to the alleys and back fences one of the policcmen can be discharged from the car for the pursuit, while the other can attempt to cut off an escape. In many cities radio is installed in, all department machines and in the; event of crime Word can be instantly transmitted to hundreds of men on motor patrol with the consequent less- ening of the fugitive's chances to make a successful flight. The motor patrol- man is unquestionably here to stay and, although Washington is conducting its ; first experiment along these lines, its success is assured. The next step will be the addition of radio equipment. When this is done and precincts are functioning on a motorized basis the National Capital will be a good place for the criminal to avoid. MRS S e P AT BN What Is “City Proper”? One phase of the taxicab war now raging in Washington has caused a great deal of confusion. This is the use of the term “ecity proper” as the limit of the flat thirty-five-cent fare charged by the drivers of independent/ cabs. Just what constitutes this “city proper” has not been defined. There seem to be almost as many geographical definitions as there are taxicabs. Now the Public Utilities Commission in con- sidering the taxicab question is to take this matter in hand and check up on the various meanings of the term. Riders in these cabs have had some surprising experiences. They have. found in some cases, for instance, that going eastward from the center of the city across North Capitol street they have been assessed another fare, Just when North Capitol street was made a city boundary is not a matter of recol- lection. Time was when Florida ave- nue—long ago known as Boundary street—was the northern urban limit. That might now be considered as the end of “city proper” if the taxi drivers knew their Washington history, which few if any of them do, not to speak of their Washington geography. Out on one of the main thorough- fares leading northward from town there is a taxi stand occupied by both “regulars” and “independents.” A per- son taking one of the thirty-five centers at that point to drive into town is later shocked by finding that he has passed through two fare zones, making his ride cost him seventy cents. This is be- cause a certain street just a block south of the taxi stand has been arbitrarily chosen by the independent drivers as the boundary of “city proper.” Then there is another little trick to make the thirty-five cents of a single unit fare grow. If two people take one of these cabs to drive to a point within the “city proper,” thereby assuming re- sponsibility for a single fare, and one of them drops off, even at a compulsory traffie stopping point, an additional ten cents is charged. No notice is given of this in advance to the passengers. This whole taxicab service demands regulation of fares, of cabs, of drivers. At present the District is suffering from the worst form of public vehicle piracy. What with rate-cutting and counter rate-cutting—as fares are dropped from metered rates to thirty-five cents and then to a five-cent basis—and with the employment as drivers of men from out of town who do not know Washington, men without even any definite places of local abode and without responsibil- ity, the local taxi-riding public is puz- zled and concerned. There is no guar- antee of security. ‘The Public Utilities Commission may find a way to taxicab regulation one of hard going in the lack of specific jurisdiction. However, the more diffi- culty in the way of proper supervision that is met during the next few months, the greater should be the chance of getting an act of Congress which will specifically and fully invest the com- mission with effective jurisdiction over?| this public utility. —e—s The suitor who carried a bouquet is still regarded as more in accord with romantic propriety than the one who carries a gun and accompanies his mar- riage proposal with threats. s —e— Taxicabs assert rivalry with street cars. Street cars must retain a degree of popularity because they do not seek to monopolize curbstone parking space. ———— e The End Is Not Yet. Now that tree-sitters have made thetr bid for fame along with other ridiculous antics by publicity-seeking persons, it is not at all surprising to learn that two young men have just performed the daring and uscful feat of driving an automobile across the continent backward. What an accomplishment to be proud of! ‘Think of the fame that will ring down through the ages—a fame garnered in such a courageous fashion by these two ploneers! Their children and their grandchildren will probably always bask in the plaudits of the whole world for this astounding ex- ample of American ingenuity. It took them forty-five days to do it, but nothing daunted they carried on to this magnificent suc 5. And besides the persistence which was finally re- warded as they craned their heads around to back into New York many data of scientific value were discovered. For instance, it was found that if a speedometer is not disconnected and the car is reversed the instrument will automatically register backward. In other words, when they began this the modern criminal. recognized, particularly in cities which have comparatively few guardians of the law in respect to the area of the territory to be patrolled, that some mcans must be found to make police- men more mobile: With criminals re- sorting to fast automebiles to carry It has long been | stirring adventure the speedometer | registered sixteen thousand miles, but after they had finished ‘backing both | ways across the country it only regis- tered eight thousand. for sale by the “backward drivers” and second, becamse they must be amply proved by further tests before they can be accepted as real contrlbutions to the motoring world. It was certainly thought that tree-sitters and marathon dancers and others of their ilk had reached the height of asininity. But it is not so. No, it cannot be s0. How- ever, until others come along with something else the cast-iron hairbrush must be awarded to these ploneers, It 15 a prize well merited. S PR Aviators and Local Laws. Recently a noted aviator was “grounded” by the Federal authorities for having flown over the Island of Bermuda without having first obtained permission from the insular govern- ment, his license being suspended for a period. Later, upon explanation that he had made the flight with the under- standing from a consul that no specific permission was required, the suspension was rescinded. - The incidert, however, served to stress the fact that pilots must conform to the rules and laws of the ameas over which they fly, which is as ¥ should be. . The other day an airplane was flown over the city of Washington for the purpose of advertising, by Joud speaker, a certain make of motor cars. The noise emitted from the plane was deafening. The community was shocked by the sound, which constituted an ele- ment of danger in the streets in dis- tracting the attention of drivers and pedestrians. This was a violation " of 2 local law, or regulation, which forbids persons from adveftising wares by shouts ‘or loud noises in the public spaces. Attention was called to the nuisance, and a representative of the concern engaging the advertising plane sought & permit from the District Commis- sioners, who refused to grant it. The plane made no further noisy flights. The pilct, landing outside of the juris- diction of the District, could not be reached for penalty. The case, how- ever, has been cited fo the Department of Commerce, with the request that the licenses of pilots who defy District laws be revoked. This is precisely in line with the sus- pension of the license of Roger Williams for his unauthorized flight over Ber- muda. Pilots must conform to the local rules, else there will be confusion and peril in the promiscuous use of the air for transport. The local instance is not to be disregarded merely because the emission of roaring noise in advertising was simply & nuisance, If a municipal rule of that character can be ignored and violated with impunity, others can, and no community will be safe from recklessness in the air. ‘This matter should be considered by the Department of Commerce in the in- terest of a Nation-wide observance of laws and rules by all aviators, whether they are engaged in scheduled trans- port or in occasional flights or in ad- vertising work. The jurisdiction of each community in respect to the en- forcement of its own regulations should be regarded as extending indefinitely upward and also to the landing fields to which violators descend 'beyond the boundaries. a————— An official who commands an enor- mous amount of respectful attentiom remains anonymous and does not figure in the debates. He is known simply as “the collector of internal revenue.” oo Musicians may go on strike and so may projectionists. The films will re- tain the basic feature of their com- mercial influence so long as the pho- tographers keep busy. e LR el IR Plans for Italian glory bring intima- tions that Mussolini desires to be an- other Caesar. Mussolini is a fighter, but in modern environment he did not use the same weapons that Caesar did. —— e A tariff war is free from spectacular explosions. It carries the dull, relent- less menace of hung~= »ud hatred, more to be feared than p.:y..cal combat. B S W erde SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. ‘Where Science Falters. I heard the volte of Science speak aloud About electrons near and space afar. I gazed upon the faces of the erowd That viewed in awe the atom or the star, ‘The mighty knowledge that is thus dis- played Brings admiration not unmixed with dread. Its power cannot leave us unafraid Of some small thing such as the price of bread. A Limit. “Remember, the Lord Helps those who Help Themselves.” “But there’s a limit,” answered Sena- tor Sorghum. “The Lord has often been distinetly unfavorable to those who have been helping themselves to the earnings of the taxpayers.” if it will help to stop the fuss about evolution, he's per- fectly willing to shake hands with a monkey and call him “grandpa.” The Sporting Test. My Radio! My Radio! You're nmiarvelous, indeed. You're great although your tunes are slow For distance and for speed. Old-Fashioned. “Are you a wet or a dry?” “I'm & dry,” declared Uncle Bill Bot- tletop. “Leastways I'm one of the old- fashioned gents who regard it as a point of propriety to use moderation and keep sober under all circumstances.” “We seek power,” sald Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “and wish to be ad- mired. All we arrive at is to be feared as tax collectors. No Song, But a Sad Story. ‘The Farmer goes at break of day And sings, they say, a cheery lay. ‘The Farmer early wakes to vote Or be in time to meet a note. Other priceless gems of information gathered by thesc intrepid fellows were that it is possible for an exhausted per- “To keep some of us sinners f'um backslidin’,” said Uncle Eben, “dar's gotta be scme arrangement to keep a on th¥fr activities, the foot patrplman son to sleep while a car is In motion, campmeetin’ soln’ all u.u- ‘round.” Rea aloud well is & gift. We had the pleasure recently of hear- ing a 7-year-old child read several things in prose and verse which she had never seen before. Few of her elders could have put the genuine expression into what she read that she did, and yet there was nome of that bane of good reading, elocution, nor its opposite, the level monotone in which so many persons read aloud. The little girl knew by instinct— there is no other way to describe it— just where to sink her voice slightly, just where to raise it, how much sur- prise to put into it for an exclamation point. She was a born reader. The “mo- tions” of the voice came as naturally to her as the movements of the legs and arms do with some born dancers. Her elementary training had been but two years, yet she was able to pick up | at random articles much beyond her | years and read them aloud better than those who had written them. | * ok K k¥ | The greatest charm of her reading | was the utterly care-free way in which | she did it. Even when she stumbled on the “big words,” which she did oc- | casionally, naturally enough, she car- ried it off with a touch of childish gay- ety which was nothing short of art. | There was i her reading no trace of the sing-song quality heard in the | reading of the average person, child or “grown-up.” Every one knows the peculiar intona- | tion wHich most Koople put into their reading. Many find it impossible to read the conversational material of a letter without inserting a queer and un- usual something into their voices which strikes even themselves as odd. One can Bever read aloud to the best effect untfl this form of self-conscious- ness is banned, and since it is so diffi- cult, if not impossible, to oust it, we say that reading aloud well is a gift. Like the ability to make money, one either_has 1t or does not have it. Read- ing aloud acceptably is not in vogue at | present, but at any time now it may re- | turn, since these things have a habit of | going in waves. | Once in this country the ability to | read alocud in good style was accorded the praise and esteem which it deserves. It was not unusual for the “head of the house” to read for several hours in the evening. | In a few homes the book to be read | was not left to the will of the father, | but was selected by the vote of the eve- | ning assemblage. Although this charm- | ing custom has largely gone out of | style, there are many persons who still recall such evenings. * koK K Just how great a part the motion pictures have had in making the race eye-minded, and thus unable to con- | centrate well upon the spoken word, is difficult to say. ; Yet no doubt the cinema has had something to do with the almost uni- | versal preference 6{ men and women of | today to read books for themselves, to | themselves, and thus silently. The good point of this is that it keeps | ostentatious persons from parading their | voices before the community. No doubt | if reading aloud were to become fash- | ionable once more, these same persons who insist on parading themselves and their cars forever before the city would read aloud in thunderous volces. ’ ‘They would want the neighbors to ‘The next Senate is certain to con- tain many new faces due to retirements, voluntary and involuntary. Six Sena- tors whose terms are ending did not “choose to run” in 1930 for one reason | or ‘another. They are Baird of New | Jersey, Gillett of Massachusetts, Goff of West Virginia, Gould of Maine, Phipps of Colorado and Sullivan of Wyoming, all Rerubllcln.l. Five oth- ers, Deneen of Illinois and Grundy of Pennsylvania, Republicans, and Blease, | South Carolina; Ransdell, Louisiana, and Simmons of North Carolina, Demo- crats, did not survive the primaries in | their States. Added to these 11 may be other Senators who will not make the grade in November, when 35 Senate seats will be contested for in 34 States. * * % x ‘The political mortality rate among Senators In the primary season just closing was much higher than among national Representatives. Five defeats out of 29 starts afford a startling con- trast to the success of 49 of every 50 House members who sought renomi- nation. Even though the election brings no Senate upsets, the turnovers in that s0dy since Herbert Hoover became Pres- ident will include two resignations (Edge of New Jersey and Sackett of Kentucky), three deaths (Burton of Ohio, Tyson of Tennessee and Warren of Wyoming), one disbarment (Vare of Pennsylvania), six retirements and five defeats, a total of 17 in two years, * k¥ x Seven men who have sat as Senators, six Democrats and one Republican, are sesking seats in the next Senate— Thomas F. Bayard, Delaware; Peter G. Gerry, Rhode Island; Thomas P. Gore, Oklahoma; Gilbert M. Hitchcock, Ne- braska; J. Hamilton Lewis, Illinois, and | M. M. Neely, West Virginia, Democrats, | and Willlam M. Butler, Massachusetts, | Republican. Their success would mean | the return of familiar faces to offset, in | & measure, the new faces which are «certain to appear. Two additional fa- miliar faces may be expected, inasmuch as the chances for election of Secretnry‘ of Labor Davis in Pennsylvania and Ambassador Dwight W. Morrow in New Jersey are believed to be excellent. * x x x Next to the “field of exes” the House of Representatives is the greatest “feeder” of Senate candidates this year. Four distinguished members of that y have been nominated for seats at the opposite end of the Capitol. They are Wallace White, Maine, who already has been elected, Mrs. Ruth Hanna McCormick, Illinols; Cordell Hull, Ten- nessee, and L. J. Dickinson, Towa. In addition two former Representatives have been nominated for the Senate— James P. Byrnes in South Carolina, where success in the Democratic pri- maries s equivalent to election, and Robert J. Bulkley in Ohio. The House has always been a training school for Senators, supplying, as a rule, about one-fourth of the Senate's membership. A ‘Thirty of the thirty-four States nomi- nating Senate candidates in 1930 use the State primary system. Only Idaho, Delaware, New Mexico and Rhode Is- land made selections in State nominat- ing conventions, The primary season will come to a close next Tussday when New York, Massachusetts and Wiscon- sin will vote. Of these States, only Massachusetts will name candidates for the Senate. The contests there in both parties are calculated to supply thrills for the curtain drop. i * ok ok The Democrats must win 10 seats now held hy the Republicans to gain control of the Senate. This will re- quire victories in 23 of the 34 States electing Senators by virtue of the fact that 13 of the Senators whose terms are expiring are Democrats. As the number of doubtful States is only 14 or 15, both parties will concentrate in a comparatively small area. To gain control of House the Democrats must capture 54 Republican seats in additicn _to holding those they now have. This means a campaign of much wider area than that for Senate seats. A Republican loss of 30 seats would not cause great surprise, inasmuch as the party in power won about that number in excess of it: normal strength in the Hoover sweep of 19: s leaves 24 Republican seats and a neg- ligible number of Democratic seats for the two parties to battle over, negligi- ble because the party out wer was reduced to virtually min‘mum strengch in the last election. D. C., FRIDAY BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. hear them. They would be the same people who now run their radios all night, and as loud as possible, in order to be sure that no one for a mile around will be able to escape the fact that they own one. Such mental braggarts could never make good readers. The essence of fine reeding aloud lies in the ability to in- crease and diminish the tone, just as & good singer must use the Icreacenda and the diminuendo. ‘The nuances of voice, so desirable in singing, are even more important in reading aloud. It is perhaps true that the majority of sllent readers know per- fectly well how what they read should be read aloud. In particularly fellcitous passages they can almost hear themselves read- ing. This is a queer sensation; perhaps it does not come to every silent reader, but there are many to whom it con- stitutes one of the joys of reading. Yet for the life of them they could not read aloud as they read to them- selves. They know that the moment they opened their mouth, the sounds w{ould in no wise coincide with the de- sire. The quivering question, with a“drop for pathos, which they realize so ar- tistically as they read silently, would fall flat, as it were, from the mouth, the tongue and mouth and throat muscles unable to carry out the wishes of the mind and heart. . Now this is a sad state of affairs, one in which training of the proper kind no doubt would be helpful, but would fall something short of perfection. The perfection of reading aloud is heard only from those persons, be they men or women, boys or girls, who some- how and instinctively put just the right inflection where it should be placed, make the proper pause where the ave: age reader would go right on, lower the voice when the text demands it, raise it where excitement enters—in a word, make the right linguistic motions. Such a reader seidom descends to the level of elocution, as it is generally known. Elocution is “stagy,” smack- ing of grease paint and drop curtains. It has its tricks, its well worn devices, its_ mannerisms. ‘The good natural reader might not pass the tests of the master of elocution at all. He (even our little girl) would know better than the master. If he utilized any of the latter's tricks, it would be unconsciously, not because they had been taught, but because they were right. ‘Thus the good reader naturally takes the best from all schools and combines them into & perfect performance. Voice quality of a high degree there must be. This quality is the “it” of reading aloud. It has been said that the late Enrico Caruso could read over a menu in such a way as to bring tears to the eyes of his companions at table. As strange as that may seem, one need not doubt it who has listened to a master of voice. ‘The glorious ring of certainty is there, in man or child. The voice is in its natural element, like a bird in the air, | & fish in the sea, a bear in the forest, or a woman in love. This sublime voice quality, entering into a listener’s ears, by a strange osmosis gets into his blood, and thence into the subtle essences of heart and mind. It gives to even the most serious reading a quality of joyousness not known in silent reading. It is happi- ‘ness laughing softly at itself. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS ‘There are not a few Democrats who would prefer that their party fail of a net gain of 54 House seats. They would Teally like to see Republican control retained by a slender margin. ‘This would enable the minority party to stress Republican responsibility in the second half of Mr. Hoover's term, while a coalition of Democrats and insurgent Republicans to plague the administration would be almost cer- tain to appear. Most Democrats, how- over, hope for a Democratic House as a forerunner of national success in 1932, Loss of the House by the party in power has come to be regarded as a sure indication of a complete po- litical turnover two years later. This is based on the Republican victories of 1918 and 1894 and the Democratic victory of 1910, each of which preceded greater triumph in the next election. ‘The party of the President invariably loses House seats in the election fol- lowing the inauguration. Four years ago the Republicans lost 10, and eight years ago, 77, although retaining con- trol of the House each time. (Copyright, 1930.) ——— Skilled or Unskilled Movie Projection? To the Editor of The Star: The theater corporations of Wash- ington will not agree to continue musi- cians by contract for production of artistic, living music, but propose now to serve their patrons with soulless “canned music.” The intelligent Wash- ington “movie picture” audiences may not_be willing to listen to or accept souiless “canned music.” But there is another phase to this non-employment of musicians in the Washington | theaters which please permit me to emphasize, to wit; that when the musi- cians cease to play in the Washington movie theaters, the movie picturé ma- chine operators will quit the theaters; cease their skilled and more or less dangerous projection work in these ‘Washington theaters. Who shall take over the dangerous projection work then? Skilled or unskilled replacers? Should not our District Commissioners, Fire and Police Departments get busy and exercise their authority now, rather than wait until a disaster makes Wash- ington again & city of mourners? E. RYAN. Scrapping Ships Held To Be Waste of Wealth From the Birmingham News. This modern business of scrapping. battleships whose fighting days have passed is & frightful waste of good ma- terial. Doubtless the scheme of sending a thousand tons of fabricated steel into Neptune's realms to affright its denizens may appear to be one way to destroy the battle lust in the minds of earth’s primitive civilized peoples. It is one way to bring the great pow- ers’ navies to, or toward, parity. But why should not these old-time fighting vessels lately doomed to watery sham- bles be simply stripped of their heavy armaments and commissioned as prohi- bition policemen on our 4,000 miles of coastline? If that isn't permitted,- why not resolve the materials that compos. them back to the raw steel? In the bodies of these three good, but aged, boats lately booked for oblivion— the Florida, Wyoming and Utah-—there should be enough steel td ‘bufldl several great skyscrapers for civilized persons to dwell in. It's funny, isn't it? While Government expenses mount and mount, and while heavy taxes with which to pay our worthy veterans of foreign and domestic wars must be im) , we are consigning costly and useful materials, brass, wood and steel, to the deep sea. ——— New Farm Problem. From the Charleston (W. Va) Daily Mail ‘The Department of Agriculture an- nounces that tractors rapidly are re- placing mules. In other words, some of the kick is being taken out of farm- ing. ————t et Viewed With Alarm, However. From the Hartford Times. ‘The recent wind which blew much fruit to the ground in Connecticut or- chards has not yet been identified as be- ing either Democratic or Republican in cause or effect. SEPTEMBER 12, 1930, ' Long-Range ‘Weather i Forecasting Debate To the Editor of The Star: In my letter published in The Star September 3 under the heading “Sun Cycle a Factor in Present Severe Drought” I presented the factors in luni-solar cycles, rest mainly on oceanic temperature reactions which caused the great drought of 1930, and named ‘the three periods of similar weather which sustained the cycle theory, viz, 1930, 1874 and 1818, sepa- rated by intervals of 56 years, the true theoretical cycle being 55.8 years. To should be added 1762, which Peirce’s Weather Records (Philadelphia, 1M;‘ 'h refers to as dmllows: “The severest drought ever . enced in America was in the sfi"mpuenr:r of 1762. Scarcely a sprinkle of rain fell for nearly four months, viz., from May to September. Vegetables of every de- scription perished.” The conclusion .of the letter was as follows: “I doubt if any meteorologist of standing will attempt to controvert s single assertion In the above proposi- tion.” The challenge still stands. The dis- claimers _and generalizations of Prof. Charles F. Marvin, chief of the United States Weather Bureau, set forth in The Sunday Star September 7 do not meet this condition. Let me add a se- ries of forecasts, each and all based primarily on & study of luni-solar effects on oceanic conditions and relating to this record-breaking drought with its accompanying heat. Synopsis of annual forecast for 1930, issued December 30, 1929: “The cold ‘Winter will taper slowly into a cold late Spring. . . The late Spring will be | followed by a Summer cool on both | seaboards, but with high temperatures |in July and August in the Great Plains and great interior valleys.” The above was repeated with amplifi- catie=s in the annual forecast for 1930 |ana 3931, issued January 25, 1930. | Among others, “Below normal rainfali will be in order in the Middle and South Atlantic . seaboard, including | Florida, from May on. . . . Tha dry belt this year will be south of the Ohio and the Missouri and quite in evidence in the areas now suffering from Winter floods.” For length of drought a close approximation. Weather forecast to July 15, issued May 31, 1930: “The end of June and the first half of July will be hot.” Weather forecast to August 1, issued June 14, 1930: “The heat will be no- table. All this effective from June 20.” ‘Weather forecast to August 30, issued June 30, 1930: “For the country &t large the hot weather predicted to arrive June 20 has come and will maintain its hold for the next two months.” ‘The average date in 15 leading cities for the beginning or the heated spell was June 20, six of them actually on the 20th, and in the others a variation being from one to two days. In a number of other cities the date was slightly earlier. An Associated Press releace appear- ing in The Star July 31 contains the statement from me that there would be no definite end to the heat wave till after Labor day. This statement appeared in hundreds of papers receiv- ing the Associated Press service. This iore:lst also was sustainea 100 per cent. Prof. Marvin refers to the cold wave of August and quotes in full the ‘Weather Bureau's “Outlook for the Perind August 11 to 16,” .and speaks of it as verified “close to 100 per cent.” ~He states that Forecaster Weightman detected the imminence of this cold wave Friday morning, August 8, in a wireless report from a Canadian meteorological station in the Mackenzie Valley. The cold wave was plainly in evidence the night of August 9-10, but the local forecasts issued Saturday morning generally characterized the coming weather as “not quite so warm Sunday night.” But Sunday night witnessed frosts in Pennsylvania and New York, Connecticut and Massa- chusetts, and temperatures of 28 in the cranberry bogs of Wisconsin. The interesting points are, first, that Prof. Marvin admitted the possibility of a successful forecast covering a week, although in this instance it was like figuring the time it would take a train to travel from Winnipeg to the Atlantic Seaboard, and, second, that 1 had forecasted that cold wave in the ,bulletin of July 31, as follows: “There will be a cool wave during the week of August 10.” And I did not have the convenient footstool a Canadian re| on which to stand. This whole guestion of long-range weather forecasting, and the scientific bases on which it rests, will shortly come before one of the highest sci- entific institutions in the world for examination and report. Prof. Marvin will undmb&edfi' be given an oppor- tunity of defending his position, stated publicly and officially, that “the bureau knows of no sound physical laws by which such forecasts can be made with any promise of success.” Incidentally, the dally map of the ‘Weather Bureau predicted showers 23 times during July and August for Washington, with only 6 verifications. Six other unforecasted showers oc- curred. What percentage of glorifica- tion will this yield? HERBERT JANVRIN BROWNE. Sermon on the Dog Was an Inspiration To the Editor of The Star: T must sanction the kindly and beau- tiful words of Mary E. Clark in her article in The Star and concede that my attendance at the Church of the Covenant was one of my greatest pleasures. seeing and hearing from the lips of the blind pastor his eulogy of his noble friend. His dog, lying there at the feet of his blind master, was & pathetic sight, but the kindly words and inspiration derived from such a scene will linger with me for many days. Little did I think as I entered the church that such a throng would assemble, but I am thankful to say that the vast assemblage left that sanctuary, as I did myself, feeling more than re- paid for hearing the eloquent discourse and seeing and believing that a man's best friend is his dog. What an in- spiration it must be to that blind preacher to know that on such a faith- and who will lend, as it were, & helping hand in his difficult journeys. May we learn from that discourse, to which so many had a chance to listen, a lessom of loyalty, devotion and more love fs the instinctive qualities of our faithf friend, our gog. . H. ALLEN. e Brown Economy Policy Yields Vexing Problem From the Boston Globe. Postmaster General Brown has been stndying ways and means whereby the deficit in the operation of the mails can be eliminated. Not many weeks ago he suggested that the thing to do would be 4o increase the rates on first-class mail. ‘This idea proved an unprosper- ous one. It became speedily evident that the effect of sich a change would be to add to the bill business has to pay for use of the mails, while other abuses in the postal service would remain. Mr. Brown now has worked out an- other idea and is putting it into effect. The new economy plan consists in & curtailment of the expenses of the postal service through reduction of service personnel. In residential sec tions of several I cities—Washing ton, Baltimore, Philadelphia and others- the number of daily collections is being cut. Vacancies created by resignations or retirements “will be permitted to lapse,” the Postmaster General explains. In other words, the postal service is to dispense with part of the personnel, and under certain conditions ‘with frequent co;l;ctlom o§. th:h’iml“' ow popular this latest effort to re- duce the postal deficlt will be remains to be seen. The Postmaster General is confronted by an unenviable problem, and doubtless if the excess of expendi- tures over income is to be halted, dras- tic reforms of some kind are in order. But is this quite the right moment to clip down the of the service? Are there no other departnients of post. office where economies mi; !: e better achiered? Tighy. e ful friend he can lean for his many jaunts | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS . BY FREDERIC Few Americans realize how much their Government doés for them. Read- ers of The Evening Star can draw on all Government activities through our free Information Service. The world's greatest libraries, laboratories and experimental stations are at their command. Ask any question of fact and it will be answered, free, by mail direct to you. Inclose 2-cent stamp for reply postage and address The Evening Star Information ton, D. C. . Did s major league ball player ever lead the league in batting and also play on the championship team the same year?—A. G. league ball player led the league in batting and also played on the cham- plonship team in the same year. was Hans Wagner, Pittsburgh, 1909. Q. Please explain what is meant by “the visible church.”—] term meaning the church s seen by man, not as it appears to God. cludes the whole body of professing Christians, while the invisible church consists only of those who are worthy in the sight of God to be members of church. Q. When is the International Road Congress to meet at Washington? What nations will be represented’—G. D. K A. The International Road Congress will assemble in Washi n on October 6. Among the nations to bs represented are: Algeria, Anglo- Egyptian Sudan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile. China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cubg. Cgechoslovakia, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Finland, France, French Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indo-China, Irish Freg State, Italy, Japan. Morocco, Netherlands East Indies, New Caladonia New South Wales, New Zealand. Nica. ragua, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, No: way. Panama, Poland, Portuguese East Africa, Queensland, Rumania, Salvador, Siam, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, ‘Tunisia, Turkey, Union of South Africa, Syria, Venezuela and Jugoslavia. Q. What Inspired Carrie Jacobs Bond o write “The End of a Perfect Day"7— "A. The composer describes the cir- written as follows: “The story of the writing of “The End of a Perfect Day’ has been told many, many times and in many, many ways, but the truth is a very simple story. The inspiration came to me as I was viewing a wonderful sunset from the top of Mount Rubidoux in Riverside, Calif. ing through Scuthern California and we had been seeing many beautiful sights, but the glory of this sunset from the mountain was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I hurried back to the Mission Inn to get ready for din- ner and while dressing I thought how I wished I could express my thanks to those friends in some little way, just out of the ordinary, and almost at once came the words of ‘A Perfect Day.'” Q. Please give a history of the comic strip—H. L. U. & ‘The remote ancestry of the Amer- ican serial comic would include the figures of “The Rake's Progress” and “Marriage a la Modé” of Hogarth, the work of Rowlandson and Cruikshank and the “Robert Macaire” of Daumier and Philipon. The indigenous product first found expression in the back pages of the American magazines of the lat- ter half of the nineteenth century. Examples of this early work were Bureau, | Prederic J. Haskin, director, Washing- | A. In one notable instance & major | ‘This | A. “Visible church” is an ecclesiastical | t in- | West Africa, Germany, Great Britain, | NMetherlands, | cumstances under which the song was | I had been motor- | 1. HASKIN. Palmer Cox's “The Brownies” and the sketches of A. B. Frost. It was in the '90s that the comi¢ serial found its way | into the newspapers. “The Yellow Kid,” a creation of that decade, contributed to the coinage of the term “yellow journalism.” “The Yellow Kid” is gen- | erally credited to R. F. Outcault, who | was the originator of “Buster Brown." | Prederick Burr Opper, E. M. Hawarth, | T. E. Powers, Gene Carr, creator of “Lady - Bountiful” ‘and Carl Schults, creator of “Foxy Grandpa,” were other | outstanding comic artists of the period. Q. Is the yacht, America, which won the trophy in 1851, in existence?—H. V. A. The original winner of Amerie: Cup is at the dock of the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md. This Spring an attempt was made to restore her so that she might take her place as a guest at the races in September, it was found, however, that it would | cost $80,000 to make the necessary re- pairs, so the idea was abandoned. | QI thought “Ma” Ferguson carried the Democratic primary for, the nomi- nation for Governor of Texas. Am- 1 | wrong?—T, R. S. | A Mrs. Ferguson carried the first primary, leading 11 candidates, but did | not, receive a majority vote. the run-off primary she was defeated by | Ross Shaw Sterling. | Q Why is mgm sometimes ealled | “hooch”?—B. C. 8. word “Hoocheno” or “Kootznahoo,’ which term is applied to a liquor used by the natives of Alaska. It was named after an Indlan tribe. Q. Please repeat the briet speech Marshal Joffre made recently on the World War—R. L. A. When a delegation of Cataloniana presented Marshal Joffre with a memo- rial, he was asked to speak on the World War, His address was as fol- lows: “A people once dreamed of estab- lishing & world hegemony. France ruined ' their project. And this was done at the Marne.” Q. Has Canada a good potato crop this’ year?—D. §. A.” Canada expects a record this year. 'It is estimated at 66,500, bushels or 45 per cent more than in 1929. Potatoes are grown in commers cial quantities in every province in Canada. Q. Where was golf first played, and who invented the game?—W. A. 8. A. The Romans had a game called paganica, played with a crooked stick and a ball of leather, and in and | during the reign of Edward the me was called bandy ball. e tch game differs greatly from the Scottish, and it is helieved that golf is a direct descendant of tg:mgnme of shinty, but is probably a ination of both. Golf was extensively played in Scotland in 1457. Q How long has paper been in . e e of hina . e use of in CI been traced back top.t e second emthug B.C. It became available for the rest of the world about the middle of the eighth century. Q._How large is Palestine?—G. P. C. A. Excluding Transjordania, the rrea oluhlemne is slightly over 9,000 square miles. 3 QN lB'Io' is paint made fireproo ?— m?ymfilnmo&( plut'l:ismll:: usually crdie paints con 2 propor ion of fine asbestos, borax, sodlumpt‘{*ng- state and other fire-retarding mater.als, Marks Man’s Coste and Bellonte, by making the westward flight from PFrance to New York, gain a place in the aviation world beside Lindbergh. Their accuracy in methods of navigation is declared to have offered a notable illustration of the progress of aviation, since their trip was undertaken in the face of greater difficulties than are met on the eastward trip. Public opinion still feels that ocean flying is limited to the province of the great airmen, and holds regular service unlikely for some time. “They stand forth as men of great achievement,” says the Albany Eve- ning News. “They have accomplished the most difficult and most dangerous of all flights. They have succeeded where many have failed. They are heroic figures who won where other heroic men failed. They have brought honor to France, which rejoices now, and America rejoices with it as it re- members Nungesser and Coli. * * We can acclaim two heroes, achievements, without indulging 1. fantastici dreams that man has actually conquered the air and that westward crossing is safe.” The'Helena Montana Record-Herald calls it “a most notable achievement.” “‘Coste, who has a Southern Atlantic crossing to his credit, as well as many other long-distance flying feats,” re- marks the Buffalo Evening News, “is de- serving of all applause for his daring Jjump through the swirling mists along the Great Circle route—the reverse, roughly, of the course taken by Col. Lindbergh. It proves that the non- stop crossing on that route is not an impossibility. But it is still the deed of heroes.” 1In recording its impression of the flight, the Allentown Morning Call pays the tribute: “About the Coste flight, from the beginning, there was the air of assurance, of the cer- tainty that attaches to the departare of a passenger train out of our local station and its arrival at a given time in some other city. This air of as- surance was given by the aviator .him- self.’ The St. Louis Times observes that “the near-impossible was converted into the possible by preparedness.” * k% % “The flight proves,” accor Little Rock Arkansas Demodc‘l.’nli. u"t}‘fi airplanes can span the North Atlantic— when the weather is favorable—hence that must mean that some day regular lines will be established. But it was not of such things that the great crowds which greeted those two Frenchmen in New York were thinking. Nor were men, who staged a great demonstration in Paris, concerned with the commercial worth of their feat. Men always have | been and always will be hero worship- | ers, and nothing more than a spectac- ular adventure is needed to loose such | emotion. The world is better for such ‘explosions of delight.” They bring a | bit of happiness into & drab existence. They make us forget for a moment that | men can hate. In this particular in- | stance, they turn our ‘minds from the dollar mark to the Question Mark, and that means much,” Balancing the fact that Lindbergh flew alone against the greater difficul- tles of the westward flight, the Grand Rapids Press points to “three years of improvements in airplanes,” and adds: “All of which is to say that, through | these improvements and the fact that | airplanes now are equipped with crews | instead of lone flyers, the westward | crossing of the Atlantic is about where | the eastward crossing stood in point of difficulty when Lindbergh came down in France. 8o, out of the feat of Lind- | bergh and the victory of the valiant, calculating Frenchmen, we are squared | away for the next great step—the | founding of transatlantic air lines. They | will come, as surely as these ploneers | have ridden their steeds of the skies to triumph.” EE “Both flights, Lindy to Paris, and the | Frenchmen from Paris to New York, | demonstrate that ocean flying can be successfully negotiated,” as viewed by the New Castle News, “when done by Coste and Bellonte Flight Progress in Air at least “an evefl break with the weather.” The Janesville Gaszette ob- serves that the Frenchmen have defied “the hoodoo of western aviation,” and expects “more of these flights.” The Cleveland Plain Dealer says “the :chl:vemen' I}n :(bemw l"l;‘p.pleull:'nu the work o rgh”; t “it proves that the Atlantic is no barrier between the Old World and the New, and that the sclence of aeronautics is assuredly d;:st:lr;ed tg bind the enlnrel world more closely and ever more closely together.” “Almost_startling” is the verdict of the Portland Oregon Journal, with the thought that “progress comes from Bfir- ilous groping.” The Fort Worth o Telegram sees “the near approach of commercial triumphs in aviation with- limit,” but the San Antonio News he answer after the Question Mark is ‘not yet'” and the Scranton Times describes the feat as “proving only the capacity of engines.” “The accumulations of information and experience that Coste and Bellonte | were able to draw upon,” declares the Chicago Ddily Tribune, “diminished the margin of chance which every avia- tor has had to meet many of them to their destruction. That they made the best. possible use of these accumulations is greatly to their credit and their victory more valuable to the world as }Jell as more honorable to themselves and to French aviation. They have not o::iv -proved their own skill, knowledge and gallantry, but they have reminded us that the art and science of aviation are moving rapidly and that a new epoch in man’s progress is here.” “It is appropriate that France should froduce the " pilots who would return he Lindbergh visit, using the same aerial terminals, Paris and New York, to join the two countries,” suggests the Hartford Times, adding that “the Lone | Eagle's trall has been retraced with | superb skill and courage.” The Sche- nectady (fazette makes the appraisal of Cosfe that “he has shown he sesses ny of the x[ullities which have endeared Charles A. Lindbergh to us. Like our noted flyer,” continues that paper, “he has shown what can be complished by quiet, methodical plane Carefunly Svery Jast ‘detair acauaty refully every last detall, acquain himself with his airplane so “Q “lu:l‘ most, & part of his very being, he awaif ed the proper opportunity for a take | oft.” The Jersey City Journal holds that “in view of the admitted difficule ties of the Coste-Bellonte flight, it in no wise diminishes the glory of the the fellow eitinens of those gallant air- | French success to point out that there were two in the Coste plane.” “America, still jealous of the popu= larity of Lindbergh and Byrd, need not for an instant hesitate to rate the Frenchmen with them,” concludes the New Orleans Item, while the Oakland Tribune thinks “there is ground for real enthusiasm over their success.” The Los Angeles Express avers: * knew it would be done; it was on] matter of time when the right man and right plane and right atmospheric conditions would meet.” ] Tough Bregk. Prom the Davenvort (Iowa: 7 om th ) Democrat and It now seems up to the Prince of Wales to get married, but oh, there are s many girls and only one princel Really Not nlxyt-lriu.ut, From the Detroit News. . Last year's crime t "Mr. Coolidge, was l'fifim ever, we had quife.a bit of crime to show for it. ————e Deficit a Deta r"(’:‘)‘:l:":..ol’:u;."tlh ‘Times. ast opera season, “unusue ollol“y Jbrilliant, d%e', .ll::flcl‘lz of ‘D‘l...l,- .’ was _some ‘the superior farming which commuters do. ————— One Essential Element Lacking, From the Detroit News. fiyers who are sufficiently trained for the task, understand the flying con: tions, unde) d their planes, and ha In every on some candidate has 4he solid bocking.of all. citizens who do:'t‘:i ‘blukg ;lx‘:uou