Evening Star Newspaper, December 22, 1930, Page 8

T A-8 [THE EVENING STAR With Su Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY.....December 23, 1930 own office is merely that of a single member of the central executive body. He, the secretary general of the politi- cal party, has dictated the removal of the premier and named his successor. Heretofore whenever the Russlan THE EVENING S TAR, WASHINGTON, B-.C, | from incongruity, and there is no more | obvious incongruity than comes from | the superimposing of equal but differ- ent standards of conduct. It is “funny” to read of a king in the South Sea Islands with a thousand wives, but it is mfll ‘W.NOYES....Editor | Soviet governm'nt has been ehurgcd|equnlly amusing for the dusky gentle- TFoe Eveaing Star Newspa e 1 o' 4 engtan _ Rate by Within the City. & iS¢ per month | % SR SNl | S % by "mall of elephone | fonal. 5000. | Rate by Mall—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. B All Other States and Canada. B 1t y and Sunday.....1 yr.. $10.00: 1 mo. 85¢ only . ol 3600 1 mo.. 50c | sy only . 1y1., $4.00: 1 mo.. 40c | Euv only inday only Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Fress is excjusively entitled o the use for republication 3 all Lews cis- atches credited to it or not otherwise c'ed- t Mear Butidine v Bt., London, ) 60c per month | r 65¢ per month $800: 1 mo. 13 $5.00: 1 mo.. 50c | | party. { fall with subversive prcpaganda in other countries the official defense of Moscow has been that these activities were alto- gether th> work of the Communist party and not of the government and that the Soviet commissars were not responsible for th> activities of the This pretense has never b.en now it will be repeated if and when th: government at Moscow is accused of maintaining pernicious propaganda |in foreign lands. ‘This is not merely an academic ques- tion. It relates to the matter of recog- nition of the Russi: government by th2 United States. securing the cust'r cf Rykoff and Tomsky and the prospective removal of Bucharin, whose official head will scon into the baske stands as en avowal of the interlocking director=te at Moscow W h links up government and party pr-ct as the United States has maintained in its refusal to accept man in question to be told that the head of this Nation has only one wife. | " America has no interiority complex. Americans—it is to be wondered if Mr. I Shaw has qui {not joining him in his laughter at things American, but are laughing at him for laughing. Even so the farmer laughs! | - THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. 1Is Sinclair Lewis “a portrayer of life’s ugliness”? ‘We don't think so, but Dr. R. L. Ly- man of the University of Chicago does. | Perhaps Dr. Lyman feels that way in | Sinclair Lewis has succeeded both in Council of English Teachers. It has becn our experience that Eng- lish teachers, as such, have such an exalted sense of the nobility and purity te grasped this—often are | his capacity as president of the National | pleasing Mencken | Pl tion of his own spirit, but also the ap- lause of such critics as H. L. Mencken. To please Mencken, one must write so-and-so, and do it thus-and-thus. and the world. Which success he himself considers the greatest we do_not know. * ok x % Lewis' literary father, the French- believed. It remains to be seen whether | DOt at the clumsy boots the city chapof the English language that they fect| man, Emile Zola, also was held to be is laughing at, but at the latter for | Called upon to lean over backward, as ' a porirayer cf life’s ugliness, but in i laughing at them. { It may be quite different, of course, ! with the farmer's daughter, whose at- titude is that of a considerable number !of Americans with whom Mr. Shaw | ‘ comes in contact. Few Americans ever Sta'in’s action in bave taken a national pride in their | vi culture and even are inclined to under- estimate it. It i5 amusing to them that anybody should be.amused by it. The national attitude toward one who | criticized the national letters, for in- stanc>, woulu be far differsnt from that of the Norwegian people toward one' who criticized Norwegian letters. Ameri- | |3t were. uth that is clean and wholesome hers, 1 ness there. due respect, We don't agree r that the author With al the yood prof <1 “Babbitt” > that the donors of literature belleved it. or | the ugliness is seen to contain certal i end uplifting is the ideal of true litera- | t said Dr. Lyman, addressing fellow | he put ugliness and cruelty into words, | who put beauty in|he also made the read-r feel the dif- not the Sin- | ference, not by purposeful intent, pcr- ugliness in the fore- | moir.” with its esscnce he pictured decency, too, if by no other method than contrast. His glory, as a realist, was that while haps, but simply 1t will be discc reader that such through comparison. work as “L'Assom ord-by-word account of the havoe vrought by strong drink, contains aspects of beau It Is a beauty of both foreground and backgrcund, brought about because ‘: feel | aspects of goodness and decency. inoss i$ occupying too prominent a position, * ok ok % The character of the woman, Ger- vaise, the crippled heroine, if the book can be said to have such, is one of in- The trutia seems to be. at least to us, | finite pity, for she might have becnt ered by the average ! MONDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1930. The Political Mill By G. Gould Lincoln. President Herbert Hoover, ever since he came into office nearly two years ago, has been hooked up in one row after another with the Senate. From the uproar in the Senate it might ap- pear that the Senate had scored heavily against the Chief Executive. But it hasn't. Except for pages in the Con- gressional Record and in the newspa- pers devoted to criticisms and attacks of every kind on the President, there seems to be nothing to chalk up for the Senate. On the other hand, Presi- dent Hoover has had his way in every clash with the Senate, except in the matter of “national origins” as a basis for immigration quotas, the matter of the increase in pensions for Spanish War veterans and the nomination of Judge John J. Parker of North Caro- lina. o i Just recently the Senate——or, rather, the anti-Hoover coalition in the Senate —rent the air with its attacks on the Chief Executive and his program of relief legislation. When the Senate took a recess early Sunday morning for the Christmas holiday, Mr. Hoover's pro- gram, with small amendment, had been enacted into law. Senate amendments, Senate threats to hold up legislation ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. This is & al department solely to the handling of 5:::" ;!":el: Ppaper puts at your dilrul MD:H extensive organization in Wash- 1 n to serve you in any capacity that relates to information. This service is free. Failure to make use of it deprives j¥you of benefits to which you are én- titled. Your obligation is only 2 cents in coin or stamps inclosed with your inquiry for direct reply. Address The Evening Star Information _Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washing- ton, D. C. Q. What do they mean by “Winter rules” in golf, and why do they haye them?—B. J. A. Under Winter rules the player may improve the lie of his ball or tee it up on the fairways without penalty. Ordi- | narily the ball must be played as it lies or & penalty incurred. The object of the rule is to save the fairways as much as possible from damage when weather conditions are such that balls fre- quently take “cuppy” lies. Q. Was Mme. Curle, of radium, subsidized by the French government?—L. K. A. Mme. Curie, upon the twenty-fifth anniversary of the discovery of radium, ‘was honored by the French government the discoverer | devoted | possi| ble to the pewter in use by the early Plymouth settlers, Q. What js the beverage called Cas- sina?—M. C. A. A. The leaves of the cassina, a type of holly tree, are rich in caffeine, and, property prepated, make a latable drink. The tree grows along the coast from Virginia to Texas. The beverage is made from the dried leaves. but is brewed more like coffee. by boiling for two minutes or percolating for five minutes. Q. What was called the gremtest lib- erty man ever had taken with nature? —J. T. A. James Bryce, English historian, said this of the Panama Canal. Q. What is the significance of the phrase “Merrie England”?—D. R. 8. A. The original meaning of “merry” was pleasant or delightful, and it is with this meaning, rather than folly or full of merriment, that the phrase originated. Q. What is the Flateyjarbok?—A. E. A. It i3 a collection of sagas, once preserved in the Island of Fl 2 Copenhagen. It was writtza in 138 {by two priests of Iceiand and is one | cans laugh with Mr. Shaw because he | until it had it the way the coalition ! wanted it, all went into the discard. There were two reasons: First, the Sen- ate knew that the country wanted re- liet legislation more than it wanted d above all of the “ugly” | better and made more of life under nd deeds which occupy the | dh‘zrgtnk clrcul;uwnoedx»he S S i 1elists, r' 1 cla knew 1S, Ant S s of such noielists, from the time | e sake f a study in writing methods, every the Bolshevik organization as a govern- | that over a | has not i yet chosen to turn his ridicule | characters ment in good standing in the family | Y i ] |in a direction calculated to make us |P2g of nations. et 2 make US| of Emile Zola down, thére 13 & sense of | make his readers feel it. | of the main sources for the belief that the Norsemen discovered America. Q. When did Sir Walter Scott reveal | the fact that he was the author of the with a pension of 40,000 francs a year. Q. How much money is spent by ad- vertisers in chain broadcasting?—T. N. A. It is estimated that the expendi- The Enigmatic Mr. Henderson. From this distance it is net quite| elear what Mr. Arthur Henderson, Brit- | A . | something good and fine. i=h forcign secretary, is driving at when | he talks about “one of the turning points in their histories” which Great Britain and the United States have reached. “We have {5 choose between peace and war,” he lugubriously and enigmatically adds, and insists that “we have to make that choice now,”: without evasion or postponement. Coming from the foreign minister of a government always cautious in in- ternational utterance, there is bound to be a certain disquiet as a result of Mr. Henderson's cryptic words. He should forthwith submit a bill of particulars. Anglo-American relations surely can- not possibly be in such a state of strain 8s to make a full and prompt disclosure of the facts undesirable. What is it that induces the chief of the British foreign office to say that Great Britain and the United States must decide “be- | tween co-operation and conflict, between | a developing and ennobling civilization and a collapse into the barkarism of the | past”?> Why, barring early Anglo- American concord, does Mr. Henderson set us shivering over “a cataclysm to come upon the world which will en- gulf all that we care about in Western | eivilization”? As far as the American people are aware, there is but one unliquidated “issue” pending between the two English- speaking peoples. That issue is best known as the freedom of the scas. It affects our rights at sea as a neutral commercial nation in the event of in- ternational war. American views and British views on the freedom of the seas vary in vital respects. In 1915 and 1916 differences of cpinion on that score more than once seriously threatened| the relations of the United States with PBritain and other allied powers. Un- doubtedly it is incumbent upon the statesmen of London and Washington to come to grips as soon as possible with that ancient bone of contention. Until it is picked to pieces, even a naval accord, such as that which is now in existence, will not suffice to keep the Anglo-American skies cloudless. But Mr. Henderson would have found §t easy to speak plainly if nothing but the freedom of the seas is at the blckl of his head. The probability seems far more justified that when he so gloom- 1ly descants upon Anglo-American re- lations he is alarmed over the general state of affairs in Europe, which in many respects are as full of explosive ingredients as they were prior to 1914. In common with many other authorities, the British foreign secretary envisages the possibility of another devastating European war, in which Britain and the United States would not be directly involved as belligerents, but in which they would be cast for roles no less momentous. Between them, the British end American Navies wield more than fifty per cent of the world's sea power. They dominate the world's finances. They control the supply of essential raw materials. Is it not within the realm of the conceivable that Mr. Henderson seeks to stimulate public opinion in this country in favor of some hard and fast | understanding between John Bull and Uncle Sam whereby their mighty forces »—material and moral—would be pooled for peace-preservation purposes? Such ® project lacks the element of novelty. It London should ever put it forth in any gulse suggestive of an alliance, American sentiment unquestionably would recoil from the thought. If Mr. Henderson has anything else up his sleeve, he would do well to bring it forth, let us see it and give us a chance to think 1t over. —— e —e— Even thrifty old Ben Franklin would, &f now offering advice, be willing to Bdmt that money in order to assert its walue must be put in circulation. He ht be persuaded to agree that you | cannot have your cake and eat it too. ———— Stalin's Mask Is Off. When Joseph Stalin ousted Alexis Rykoff from the position of chairman of the Union Council of People’s Com- missars at Moscow, he did more than remove from the Russian administration | one who was opposed to him in policy | and oprinciple of government. He| demonstrated his power as virtual dic- tator of Russia. Following up his dis- missal of Rykoff came the ouster of Michael Tomsky, vice chairman of the Bupreme Economic Council, and next, 8t is expected, will come the removal of Nicholas Bucharin, & member of the Central Committee and also of the Bupreme Economic Council. These changes have been and will be made by the central committee upon the order of Stalin. As a matter of fact Stalin’s officlal position is that of secre- tary of the Central Executive Com- mmittee of the Communist Party. He is only incidentally & member of the Union Councll of People’s Commissars, but holds no other office than that of the secretaryship. The point of particular importance to the United States and other coun- tries in which Russian bolshevik propa- ganda has been conducted is that these changes st Moscow involve an acknowl- edgment to the world of the identity ©f the Communist Party of Russia and the Soviet National Administration. £talin as secretary general of the party 'should criticize them. The city fellow | y of is making & clown of himself, in the sstmation. Bumer personnel as well as dopia the fact R L] Party Regularity. ‘The Government of the United States has been a two-party government for years. Frequently there have been “third party” movements. But in the end the ccuntry r:turned to the two- system. Now and then a major 1 party has been swall and has vanish~d from th® board: to gatkering sirength of a third or to new issues. More frequently, the older political parties have survived and the third party movements have dissi- pated into thin air. The American It meets their needs and gives them a more effective manner of expressing themselves at the polls. It would be a misfortune if the “bloc” system should prevail in the Congress of the United States. Party regularity, which means loyalty to party platforms and party candidates and cfficials, i tize party system is to prevail. This need nct mean a blind subserviency to any in- dividual leader, in thes White House or out. represent themselves to be members of a party will not oppose measures ad- vanced by the party leader merely because he happens to be the party leader. Robert H. Lucas, executive director of the Republican National Committee, in a statement issued amplifying his reasons for opposing Senator George W. Norris of Nebraska in the recent elec- tion said: ‘To accept office at the hands of this party (the Republican party) and then viclously oppose its policies, principles and leadership brings an intolerable situation and on: which must be eradicated if the party is to Lve. Such conduct by Senator Norris has been revolting, and until the leaders of the Republican party not only fail to sup- port, but give their active opposition to men like Senator Norris, they are not doing their full duty to the party v.'!;ich has come down to us from Line celn, Most people will believe with Mr. Lucas that Senator Norris has taken himself outside of the Republican party by his acts; that he should have run, not as a Republican, but as a Demo- crat or as an independent for re-elec- tion to the Senate this year. Senator Norris, however, elected to enter the Republican primary and was renomi- nated. It is an open secret that he had wide Democratic support in Ne- braska. However, he reccived the Re- publican nomination. It was up to the Republican high command, in Nebraska and out of it, at that time either to accept Mr. Norris in good faith as a Republican candidate or to repudiate him, and to do this openly. Unfor- tunately there was not that openness in the opposition to Norris. It was sought by indirection to do that which some Republicans high in the party, including Mr. Lucas, desired. These diatribes against Norris come a little late. Recent developments have played into the hands of Mr. Norris, who at least may claim that what he has done in opposition to the leadership of the Republican party, he has done openly. He winds about him the martyr cloak. ‘The so-called Republican Progres- sives who follow Senator Norris have a perfect right to their ideas, political and ecohomic. If they are to remain members of the Republican party, how- ever, they should give a measure of party loyalty. If they can prevail upon a majority of the Republican party to take their views, these views become those of the party. Otherwise, they should take themselves and their ideas willing to conform. It is a difficult matter to run with the hares and the hounds, too. Nor is it a proper thing to attempt to do e et Efforts to exploit athletic celebrities before the microphone often result in the reminder that physical prowess does not necessarily make & man an orator. Television when it arrives will enable the public to see just how @ base ball player knocked a home run or how a Jockey rode a winning horse, ————————— Many statesmen prove willing to cease controversial activity for a year, if the World Court will consent to do likewise. ———. Laughing at Americans. Do Americans enjoy being called yokels? They do, says George Bernard Shaw, commenting on the uncomplimentary characterization of his fellow country- men made by Sinclair Lewis before the Swedish Academy when he received the Nobel prize for literature. He himself, Mr. Shaw points out, consistently has ridiculed them, and, because of it, they adore him. Seventy-five years ago Dickens painted them in the most un- complimentary colors, and they made }him a demigod. There is, of course, & bit of truth in Mr. Shaw's remarks. There is a sur- vival among us of something akin to the attitude of the farmer toward the city boarder. The criticisms of the “intellectuals” do not anger the Amer- ican Nation as a whole any more than the city cha criticism of his clothes angers th» farmor. The latter isn't proud of his clothes, anyway. It is intenscly amusing to him that any one But it should mean that men who | into some other party, if they are not| Americans are not suffering from an inferiority complex, as Mr. Shaw's char- | acterization might indicate. {or not they are victims of an opposite | condition 15 more debatable. ) The Navy has adveriised obsolete de- | stro; to be sold on the installment |plan. It is not known just what Unele Samucl wiil do to you if you fall down ¥ on the payments, but at any rate he | probably will never demand the ship back. e A combination of the Railroad people are used to a two-party system. | Brotherhoods with the American Fed- | eraticn of Labor would represent a new kind of merger and one that would command the serious attention of | economists who have taken a number | of problems in hand. S s — Very interesting ideas concerning the essential if | Einstein theory were expressed by | | G. Bernard §haw. The distinguished | professor has not yet undertak:n to elucidate the G. Bernard Shaw theory as to Einstein's theory. ————— Trad: with Soviet Russia might be more easily arrived at if that political institution did not insist on selling a lot of theories along with the mer. chandise. e So many Spanish citizens are con- fessing to a part in rebellious con- adopt the Russian suggestion and give th m all a chance at radio broadcasting. ———————— Laws against bootlegging find ap- proval, even among the persons who evade them. The same thing holds true concerning laws against prize fights. — Unemployment will find its depression lightened by the fact that there is money available for relief without the delay of preliminary argument, — e SHOOTING STARS. | | BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Christmas Carol. Harsh words and proud words, Bitter words and loud words, Even when we seek for cheer, Will assail us every year. Then the Christmas carols rise Through the lights, up to the skies. ‘World seems right instead of wrong As we hear a Memory Song. Rancor swiftly fades away As once more we hail the day Revered from time untold, Bacred unto young and old. Merry measures still we tread As the stars shine overhead. Still, most dear to all the throng Is the cherished Memory Song. Increasing Caution. “You are compelled to devote a great deal of study to certain questions.” “A great deal” agreed Senator Sorghum. “You must consider popular senti- ment as well as the principle involved.” “Of course.” “And is that why you are so slow in making up your mind?" “Partly why. But the main reason | for deliberation is that the longer you | study any subject in which your public |is informing itself, the more cautious | you become about going on record with | a vote.” | Jud Tunkins zays that only & few ars ago, in the good old times out home, all a man needed in order to qualify as a first-rate politiclan was to be a good hand-shaker. The Late Comer. His manner is surly. ©Of cheer he's bereft. He didn't shop early— He takes what is left. No Use Answering Back. “What are you going to give your wife for Christmas?” “A new radio,” answered Mr. Meek- ton. “I know of nothing so reliable in stopping an argument as to turn on a | musical selection or a speech from a total stranger.” | “You seem to get a great deal of satisfaction out of the idea.” “Yes, indeed. You don’t know what | a pleasure it is to see Henrietta set her |1ips in grim silence and realize that there 18 no use talking back to a micro- phone in the distance.” “No man,” said Hi Ho, the sage of | Chinatown, “can fal to respect our an- ! cestors if he will but remember that to them we owe some of our noblest thoughts and the memory of brave deeds.” Reality Preferred. | When Dad makes up like Santa Claus | ‘The children’s laughter sweet will | chime, | And yet they're very glad because | He doesn't look so all the time. “Dar is all kinds of insurance,” sald | Uncle Eben, “an’ plain honesty is de ' best insurance I knows of foh keepin’ cut o' jail, vt hie Next Du From the Darton Dstiy News. Mussolini i5 reported to have chosen g N AW‘ | Whother | spiracy that it will be impossible to| Perhaps Lewis and all such writers | {do not exactly mean to bring out, by | {contrast, the good and sweet things of | life, but we submit that they do, and | they do it because they are, in the best | sense, arti ary artists, working with | give neither beauty nor | things, as qualities, the ad- forcground, nor the ig- {nominy cf the background. They are s s, before every- thing else, and th or swim with r stoiy. The is the thing. The effect is what they are after, and | if they secure it, they are willing to | forget the yawpings of those who be- lieve, no matter how sincerely—or mis- takenly—that truth that is clean and wholesome and uplifting is the ideal of true literature. * kX Kk % Consider Babbitt, the character, Waatever Lewis' intent with him was, he succeeded in making him a pretty decent chap, after all. No one can read “Babbitt,” the book. without coming away feeling that | George Follensbee Babbitt had many | ! good trait |~ The “ugly” spots in his character— | jeven if in the foreground—do not ob- | literate the “good” points. | | This comes about through two main | reasons, we belicve. In the first place, | Babbitt s presented as a complete ma and if the whole man is set forth, in any man, something of good will be found in all but the very exceptional case. In the second place, he is presented by a writing man, and the real writing man, whether his name is Lewis, or Zola, or Munthe, has a heart. In the case of Sinclair Lewis, we are confronted with a man who has tried | to write what he wants to write, and at | the same time meke it conform to cer- tain standards of modern-day criticism. Thus Lewis seeks not on | | Well, it's going to be a merrier Christ- | mas, politically speaking, for Mr. Hoover than he had much right to expect a | couple of weeks ago. The tumult and | the shouting die on Capitol Hill—for the | time being—Ileaving the administration with its tail feathers mostly in place. The President’s relief program has be- | come law. He asked for appropriations of between $100,000,000 and $150,000.000 | to combat unemployment with accele- | rated Federal ccnstruction. Congress | voted him $116,000,000. He requested | the privilege of directing its expenditure. | Congress gave it to him. He recom mended loaning drought-stricken farm- | ers $25,000,000 for feed and seed. Con- | gress authorized $45,000,000, of which only absolutely necessary fons will t. He opposed outright food in the drought regions. Con-| gress_went along on that score, too.| The White House submitted its nomi- | | nations for the Federal Power Commis- sion. The Senate confirmed them. The | Hoover batling average for the cpening innings of the lame-duck session is close to 1.000. * % %W Hail, the holiday season's choicest rumor—"Wild Bill” Donovan cf New York and nowadays frequently of Wash- ington is going to realize his ambition | to be Attorney General of the United | States after all! Not right away, but eventually, and pdssibly in 1931, Here's | the how of it. Associate Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes is going to leave the Supreme Court bench—some day. He will be 90 years old next March, and perhaps think that noble anniversary an appropriate time for quitting the post he has adorned for 28 years. As successor to Holmes, 'Uis said, President Hoover will appoint William D. Mitchell, now Attorney General, and then Dono- van will be named to head the Depart- ment of Justice. No one in authority will discuss this triangular _hypothesis, but it's rolling off many Capital lips. Mr. Donovan ranked as an almost sure- fire bet for the attorney generalship | following Hoover’s election. The Ku Klux Klan and the Cannonite drys op- posed him. But times have changed now. A Maj. Gen. Herbert B. Crosby of the District of Columbia’s triumvirate of Commissioners, whose birthday happens to be Christmas eve, was at dinner at the Army War College the other night amid a company which contained a striking galaxy of names. At the head of the table sat Maj. Gen. John Mc- Auley Paimer, grandson and namesake | of the John M. Palmer who ran for President as a Gold Democrat in 1896. Near him was Maj. Simon Bolivar Buckner, son of the man who ran for Vice President on the Palmer ticket. A couple of seats away was Brig. Gen. “Jim" McKinley, nephew of William McKinley, who won the presidential contest in 1896. Gen. Palmer has re- tired from the Army and now writes books. Maj. Buckner is execufive offi- cer at the Army War College. Gen. McKinl who lived at the White House &s & youngster, is assistant to the adjutant general at the War De- partment. &%k Uncle Sam's envoys in revolution- minded countries would do well, it ap- pears, to stay on their jobs. In no fewer than three recent cases, political revolts have broken out at moments which found American diplomatic rep- resentatives, by sheer accident, away on leave, Ambassador Morgan was on vacation when the Washington Luis government blew up in Brazil. Ambas- | sador Laughlin was just winding up & holiday in the United States when King Alfonso's rebels began making | whoopee in Spain. Minister White- house was sunning himself in Florida last week when Guatemala upset and installed two or three presidents. Peru chose the moment when the United States had no Ambassador accredited to Lima, to revolute. Perhaps the pres- ence of American chiefs of mission in turbulent capitals is a soothing in- fluence, i iRl d President Hoover had a caller one day last week who didn't get to see him. The visitor was a bright-eyed, well spoken colored youngster named Benjamin Dinkins, zged 16, of the first- r cless in A'mcitong High School, ngton. Banjamin s of the execulive d to see Mr. T | ness.” 'The business consisted, he ex- plained, of a desire to ask the President b R B e ba ‘on Lus admirer of Sinclair Lewis ought to back and read Zola's “Nana,’ sommoir” and “Germinal.” These are foundation stones in the mighty fabric of the modern novel. Their realism seems pale t:day, in con- trast with that of some of their suc- cessors, or imitators. But Zola's books do give one the feeling of having known real people, of having been present at real scenes. And out of Yeality never comes ugliness as a total, obliterating effect, not if one has de- cency of mind and heart in the view- ing. Out of it also comes some beauty, some decency, some loveliness. * % * g0 “Artists and_etchers in the city of Chicago,” Dr. Lyman tells us, “can go down on avenues Wi street cars jangle and rumble, with ugliness all around, and can find things of beauty that the average eye cannot see. They can portray ugliness as just & dim background.” That, we submit, is just the trouble with etchers. They do that very thing, but how do they do it> By “playing up” some one feature and failing to note the rest. Much “art” is similarly false to life. en an architect’s draw- ing of a home, with all lines softened by the device of actually leaving cut a bit of a side wall or the sides of bricks? When the home is finally completed, and its photograph compared with the drawing, it will be discovered to be somewhat, and sometimes entirely, dif- ferent. The glory of art in words, such as the novel, is that it does not sacrifice truth to _an enthuslastic yearning for beauty. It does not—at least the works of Lewis and Zola do not—depict a beggar child as a “faint background,” or ven possessing aspects of glory, but simply as a poor little one who needs new shoes and something to eat. Which “art” is the best? And which is nearer the truth? WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. a bit of change fof Christmas presents. The lad said he'd been reading about Mr. Hoover's efforts to “find jobs for | people” and thought he'd go after one in person. & Two names brimming with signifi- cance graced the White House list of guests at the recent presidential dinner to Vice President Curtis—William Green, president of the American Fed- eration of Labor, and Mrs. George H. Strawbridge of Philadelphia. Green's presence means, of course, that the hatchet has been buried between the astute A. F. of L. chieftain and Mr. Hoover. They were perilously near a real fall-out last month when Hoover named Doak Secretary of Labor in the teeth of Green's protest, and largely be- cause of it. Probably when the men- folks, after dinner, retired to the Presi- dent’s study for cigars and talk, Green disclosed the pending plans to affiliate the Pederation of Labor with the rail | brotherhoods. ~Mrs. Strawbridge is the energetic Quaker lady who is crusading to bring the social leaders of the coun- try into line for prohibition observance. That Mr. and Mrs. Hoover thoroughly approve of her crusade, Mrs. Straw- bridge’s appearance at the White House table amply demonstrates. [ A Senator Henrik Shipstead, Farmer- Labor, of Minnesota, has, more or less unnoticed, done his first stuff as Mr. Balance of Power. It was his vote which broke the tie in Senator Borah's | Foreign Relations Committee on De- cember 17 and, by making the roll call 10 to 9, sent the World Court protocol to the pigeonhole until December, 1931. ‘There were 9 votes for postponement and 9 against it. Shipstead’s aye in favor of the Reed delay motion put it over, E o Julius Rosenwald of Chicago, mail- order king and philanthropist, told a ‘Washington friend he's thinking of en- dowing a tomb for Wall Street's “Un- known Solvent.” (Copyright. 1930.) e | Rules for Happiness In Marriage Stressed To the Editor of The Star: Dr. Eugene L. 8wan, president of the American Social Hygiene Association, in his article, “Clues to Nagging Wives,” may be all right as far as he goes, but he has gone only half the way toward solving the problem; he has touched only on the surface. To know why a wife is a nag, or why she becomes a nag, is of greater moment. ‘The remedy is in true marriage— marriage of the heart, the soul, the being—not a mere form we go through. ‘The foundation of a happy marriage is laid and built upon love, sympathy, understanding and confidence. Sym- pathy, understanding and confidence will come mearer bringing contentment and peace in the home than love alone. Love without sympathy is unrest; love without understanding is confusion; love without confidence is hell. husband and wife can look, each, into the other's eye and read life's meaning there—there eace. A “nagging” wife is, however, to be deplored, but a man who causes his wife to nag is to be deplored and shun- ned. “It is a poor rule that will not work both ways.” Why should the man know everything about the girl, her an- cestors, her past, her present, and she know nothing of him? From that day, when the first Adam fell and found it convenient to blame his fall on Eve, to this day men have tried to hold women responsible for their/ weaknesses and their failures. SYLVIA CINCLAIR. r———————— Real Test for Expert. From the Janesville Daily Gazette. What we would like to see as a test of Einstein is to let him pick an all- star foot ball team and make all the universities and colleges agree about it. Here or Hereafter. From the Loulsville Times. Suggested motto for motorists: Drive slowly and see the world; drive fast and see the next world. —aos Frogs Select Puddles. From the Richmond News Leader. All things are rciative, and being an b cltizen ely a matier » towg R Eenale speeches and Senate delay, and, tecond, the House, strongly organized and prepared to follow its leaders, in contrast to the Republicans of the Sen- ate, stoed back of President Hoover. The Hoover victories have been also victories of the House. The House does not mind a bit treading on the Senate’s tail, so to speak. Mr. Hoover won in his contest with the Senate coalition on the farm reitef legislation; he had his way in large measure so far as the teriff is con- cerned, although many of the Scnate coalit.onists were with him in his fight to keep the measure to a “limited” r vision. But he kept the “debenture” out of the tariff bill as he did out of the farm relief bill, and also won in his contention for continuance of the flexible provisions of the tariff law, though in modified form. He won, t00, wnen it came to the ratification of the London naval treaty, which was op- posed by a determined minority of the Senate at the special session called by the President to consider the pact last Juiy. There were ructions in the Scnate over the appointments of the President to the Supreme Court—Chief ice Hughes, for example. But hes was confirmed. There was an- |other roar from some of the Senators | when Mr. Hoover sent in the nomina- tions of the new Federal Power Com- missioners, headed by Dr. George Otis Smith as chairman. But all the nomi- nations have now been confirmed. * K % % ‘The President took a wallop at the | Senate when its criticism of his relief program was at its height. Mr. Hoover said that some members of Congress were playing politics at the expense of human misery. In Washington the immediate reaction to this remark was a Senate at fever heat. But out in the sticks—back beyond the confines of the National Capital and across the Ohio, the Mississippi and other rivers— the reaction was decidedly different. That is one reason that the President's relief program has been disposed of at last, after so much attack in ‘the last three weeks. * K ok ok But while Mr. Hoover has been suc- cessful in his clashes with the Senate, there has been a lot of trouble for the Republican naticnal organization—of which the President after all is con- sidered the titular head—caused pri- marily by the acts, stupid for the most part, of officials of the organization, and brought to light by the activities of senatorial committees. T committees, “pdrticularly the Senate Lobby Committee, headed by & Democrat, Mr. Caraway of Arkansas, and the Sen- ate Campaign Investigating Committee, headed by a Republican insurgent, Mr. Nye of North Dakota, have certainly played the deuce with the Republican | National Committee. The Lcbby Com- mittee led off when it dug up trans- actions of former National Chairman Claudius H. Huston of Tennessee, as president of the Tennessee River Im- provement Association. Mr. Huston finally was forced out of the chairman- ship—although he resigned in his own good time. And now the Nye Committee has de- veloped the fact that Robert H. Lucas of Kentucky, executive director of the National Committee and political heir presumptive of Chairman Simeon D. Fess, took about $4,000 of his own money to circulate in Nebraska literature and cartoons attacking Senator George W. Norris of Nebraska, Republican nominee to succeed himself, in the campaign which recently closed with the election of Norris. The executive director of the G. O. P. apparently is out of pocket and Norris is in the Senate. A very satis- factory outcome for Norris, who has an- other opportunity to make himself out a martyr. The Progressive Republicans in the Senate and out will continue now to shoot at Mr. Lucas as long as he re- mains in his present position. If it is proposed to make him chairman of the National Committee, the uproar is likely to become even more deafening. * K % % According to the information so far at hand, Mr. Lucas takes all the respon- sibility of seeking to defeat Mr. Norris in Nebraska after Norris had won the Republican nomination. He did rot tell his chief, Senator Fess, about the transaction at all. Mr, Fess was d claring to the newspapers that Repub- lican nominees generally wcre to be supported. This was supposed to in- clude even Mr. Norris. It looks as though Mr, Lucas was going to have a hard time differentiating between his acts as an individual and his acts as exccutive director of the Republican National Committee, however. Once a man has been placed in an official po- sition, everything he does is considered in the light of that position. The troubles of the Republican na- tional organization apparently have a way of multiplying. In the old days, when Butler, Will Hays, Frank Hitch- cock and others back to the time of Mark Hanna presided over that G. O. P. National Committee, things ran along in a very different shape. Senate committees were at work even then, but they never turned up such embar- rassing things about the National Committee as they have in the last year or two. Naturally there is going tc be a lot of conversation about the future of the Republican National Committee. It had been expected that Senator Fess, who merely took over the job of being chair- man as an accommodation at a time when some one was needed to keep the boat, from rocking, would step out after the first of the year and the attacks on must stick to the eighteenth amend- ment had died away. But the thin, doesn’t look so simple now. One reporf was spread recently that Ray Benja- min of California, the President’s own | State, was coming h-re to take charge. | But this has been denied. It doubtless would be a relief to & lot of Republi- cans if just a sound business man like the present treasurer, Joseph R. Nutt of Cleveland, could rsuaded to take the chairmanship. . Nutt has fought shy of the job in the past, how- ever. R Althfluzh Congress the relief bills befos a two weeks’ hasn’'t done so regular appropriation bills and with the pro- gram_ which Senator Norris and some of the other progressives have set cown as a sine qua non if there is to be no special session of the new Con- gress in the Spring. The first of these eppropriation bills to pass both houses, the Treasury and Post Office bill, has been sent back to conference by the Senats. The Interior bill ran into op- put through him for declaring that the G. O. P.|brol tures of national advertisers in the chains for station hire and wires this year will reach $28,000,000 and for talent $15,000,000, making a total of $43,000,000. Spot’ and local broadcast- ing'for advertisers amounts to between $30,000,000 and $50,000,000, with no estimate for money spent for talent. Q. How many holidays and other special days are observed? Are there as many as there are days in the year? —8. W. A A. Mary E. Hazeltine in her book, ‘Anniversaries and Holidays,” = “The calendar includes 77 holidays, zechl days, seasonal festivals and holi- , without counting the feast days of the saints or constitution and state- hood days, which in some countries and states al bse persons, of whom there are 892; the latter with events, of which there are 229; a total of 1,198 calendar entries, an average of three and a half for every day.” HQ. kaen was Daniel Boone born?— have agreed upon November 2, 1734. Q. What proportion of the people in the United st?:m lives on surfaced highways?—D. B. per cent of the population lives on sur- faced highways. Q. How much was paid for the Gu- tenberg Bible purchased from a mon- astery and now on exhibition in the Library of Co P. A. It was not purchased from a mon- astery. Dr. Vollbehr had it on deposit in a monastery for safe keeping. The Library of Congress paid $1,500,000 for the collection of so-called incunabula collected by Dr. Vollbehr. This in- cluded the Bible. Q. Why is Plymouth pewter so called? R. O. TTAL It is in its shape, design and col- as similar as oring (due to the alloy) ?7—R. 'A. 'Various dates have been given for | Boone's birth, but_accepted authorities | A. American Highways says that 75| | The two-story building Waverley Novels>—S. F. R. A. For 13 years the author was ume known. In 1827, at a banquet in Edin- burgh, Scott was forced to admit the authorship when Lord Meadowbrook made the announcement that the au- thor was present. Q. How large is the new Ford plant in New Jersey?—R. 8. A. The Ford assembly plant at Edge- water, N. J.,, e~cupies a 33-acre site. is 1,500 feet long by 360 feet wide. The plant has a capacity of 800 cars a day and when turning out the maximum number will employ 6,000 men. It requires about 48 minutes to complete the assembly of one car. Q. Who was the official who offered to resign from the Patent Office many years ago because he thought every- thing had been invented?—W. H. W. A. This is one of the legends of the Patent Office, but cannot be absolute- ly authenticated or ascribed to any certain official. However, Commission- er of Patents Ellsworth in his report to Congress dated January 31, 1844, said: “The advancement of the arts from year to year taxes our credulity and seems w‘t‘)rauge the arrival of that p!rdlnd when human improvement must end.” Q. What part of the rubber manu- factured is made into tires for automo- biles and bicycles?>—R. B. A. Almost three-fourths of the rub- ber manufactured is made into tires, tubes and tire accessories for automo- biles, motor cycles and bicycles. Q. What was the ratio of the value of gold wcauver money in biblical times? A. The monetary system of the He- brews was based upon the Babylonian system of weights. The ratio of the value of gold to silver was 1:13'; and prevailed over all Western Asia. Q. Who supports the United States Soldiers’ Home in Washingto: n, D. C.? —W. E. B. A. It is self-supporting. ‘Tributes are paid to Senator Lee Overman of North Carolina as death ends his long career in public life. He is remembered particularly for the !leadership that he took in the passing of legislation required for the partici- pation of this country in the World War. He is credited with a tEflmml wisdom, & kindly nature and the pos- session of personal qualities tradition ally associated with the dignity of sen- atorial life. e. “When America was at war in 1917” recalls the Houston Chronicle, “Senator Overman it was who sponsored those measures of defense which empowered ‘Woodro mand in time of stress. after, he was one of the leaders of his party, a loyal lieutenant of the great war President. Woodrow Wilson's con- fidence in him never faltered. North Carolina’s_devotion to him never lan- guished. He was a great Senator from the South. His services will not soon be forgotten.” i “He was one of the ‘right-hand men of Woodrow Wilson,” says the Flint Daily Journal, adding that “during the 28 years he has been in the Senate he has served his_country unselfishly and well” The Seattle Daily Times emphasizes “the Overman bill, which gave President Wilson extraordinary powers for the prosecution of the war,’ as well as the espionage bill and other measures, and declares that the Sena- tor “fully deserved his reputation as a conscientious, patriotic and industrious member of the Upper House” The Asheville Times holds that “in his knowledge of constitutional law, espe- cially, he was outstanding among his associates,” and adds that “to North Carolinians he was not only the junior Senator but the always approachable friend and counsellor.” * Kk ok ok “It was the rare distinction of Sena- tor Overman,” according to the At- lanta Journal, “to live through an era of sharp issues and keen conflicts with- out giving or receiving a personal wound. He _believed wholeheartedly and stood unflinchingly for his faiths; he fought a good fight and his sword, once unsheathed, went ringing home. But so free he was from bigotry or malice and so knightly to those with whom he measured steel that he would emerge from the hardest battle un- embittered. He aroused no heat in others because he harbored none him- self. Lukewarmness and animosity alike go with little minds, but magna- nimity is the crown of a high spirit. It is also a mark of deep convictions. “With him passes an epoch and a says the Dayton y News. “He was born in 1854, early enough to imbibe that flavor and savor of the old South, which is giving way to the new South. The poise and suavity which went with the age of the South- ern country gentleman yields to the greater snap and speed of the new in- dustrial age. One by one the relics of the old regime. have disappeared from Congress. With the death of Senator Overman the last senatorial link with that great and picturesque past is ken. “In the Senate he was .greatly ad- mired,” records the Charloite News, with a tribute to “the generous spirit- edness and the noble idealisms that issued from a great storehouse of an abundant humanity.’ ‘The Charlotte Observer states that “he retained the love of his people to an extent that has marked but few public careers.” Times describes him as “a model of dignity and courtliness,” and the Baltimore Sun concludes as to his career: “He gave to his country and his party years of sound, faithful, honest service. Of some who stir uj more dust little better could be said.” proestie el el i e ol So far nothing has been done about Muscle Shoals, the Norris “lame duck” session reso] session. The shelved, ap- lations Com- 3 ets back January* § just two months” ggme will remain’to se of the approfriat! bills and these other matters. Congress end the country re Overman’s War Legislation A Monument to His Services S.| The Louisville Times says, “He was a good example of the conscientious law- maker as distinguished from the pro- fessional demagogue.” * ok ok % Believing that Mr. Overman no eremies in the Senate, the Birmingham News continues: “There is doubtless not one member of the Senate, from the youngest to the oldest, who can re- member evar having felt a moment’s bitterness, even in the heat of the fiercest debates, toward Senator Overman. For there was nothing about him that in- spired resentment or anger. If he ever had occasion to differ with a fellow Senator, he did so in a spirit that left no rancor. Kindliness was - guishing quality.” “His death makes necessary & con- siderable change in the Democratic line-up in the Senate,” according to the Roanoke World-News, which points out that “because of long-continued serve ice he had become the ranking Demoe crat on three important committees, propriations, judiciary and rules.” ‘That paper also remarks: the matter of continuous service in the Senate, Senator Simmons stands alone, having taken officc on March 4, 1001, Senator Overman shared second rank with Senator Reed Smoot of Utah, having taken the oath of office on March 4, 1903.” “He honored the State which he rep- 1esented,” states the Lynchburg Ad- vance, while the Buffalo Evening News feels that “Congress has lost one of its ‘;‘fw““";d‘)‘" g&xru." fild the cmmm . Va. ly Mail recognizes “for nearly 30 years he held his position, ‘growing in inflvence and experience and standing.’” The Raleigh News and Observer refers to him as “a golden- hearted and honorable and distin- guished son of North Carolina,” assert- ing that “he was gifted with political foresight and judgment.” The Me) fhi:. Commerc} Appeal calls him “a loyal Democrat and a patriot.” “One need only recall,” advises the New York Herald Tribune, “the steadi- ness with which Senator Overman sup- ported Judge Parker's nomination to the Supreme Court—it was his last im- portant figh inst the radical ase saults which finally compelled the with= drawal of the nomination to sense the qualities which this older Democracy exerted in senatorial affairs. Twenty= seven years of experience are not eul!y replaced, and many will feel that at this moment, especially, Senator Over- man’s influence is one which it is & misfortune to lose” ! R Incentive for Bandits. From the San Bernardino Sun. 1 ‘We notice there's still enough money in this count to kee) the of bank obbess. i oo Use Phone for Safety. From the Cincinnati Times-Star. Whenever we read the love notes in a breach of promise case we reflect that there's more discretion in a tele= phone. ————— Good Business Prescription. - From the San Bernardino Sun. The business problem is really quf simple. ~All we have to do is to control production and consumption. ; B Leisure Forced on Some. From the Savannah Morning News, A good deal has been written stilted- ly and said academically about the growlnz need for training for I ut nobody thought that so many wot S Seon be eligible to practice thess Prefers Different Brass. From the San Antonio Evening News. \President shows Congress how to get wn to brass tacks’—but, as usual, it prefers a brass band. S Belgian Fog Not Political. rom the Des Moines Register. yet, so far he s ‘That fog in Belgium certainly was a lot more deadly u\'n the one our Con-