Evening Star Newspaper, January 10, 1931, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. BATURDAY....January 10, 1931 THEODORE W. NOYES. ...Editor Star N Co 4% B S Snnggioen Snisons 11th St. New' Stk Shike’ : Lake Michi st e el Rate by Carrier Within the Cif¥. ‘The Evening Star PRy 45¢ rer montl ni The Evening and (when 4 ‘Star » 800 per month (when 5 Sundays) ... 65¢ per month The Sunday Star -5¢ per copy Collection made at the end of each morti. Orders may be sent in by mall ct telepbone NAtional 5000, Rate by Mail—Payable l:' Al-(‘lvlncm 190 £€00: 1 mo.. 50 1yrl ¥4.00; 110, 49c All Other States and (;lnlda. 2.00; Daily and Sunday..] st . Ay Blnde"ony ociated Press is exclusively entitled the use for republication of 11l news dis- ratches credited 1o it or not otharwise cied- ited in ihis paper and also the local news dublished herein. All rights of publication of svecial dispatches herein are also roserved. = The Power Commissioners. The Senate, by & vote of 44 to 37, has sought to remove from office ! three members of the Federal Power Commission after they have been duly “appointed” and commissioned by the President. None of the Senators who Voted last night to request the Presi- dent to return to the Senate the nomi- nations of these three commissioners would hold that the President had in any way violated precedent or the law, after he had been officially notified that the Senate “advised and consented” to the appointment of the commissioner. ‘They have insisted, however, that the | Senate has the right to call back the nominations of the commissioners be- cause the motion to reconsider and re- | call was made within the first two “ex- ecutive” sessions of the Senate after confirmation, It is now contended that the Sen- ate, as the journal of .its executive session shows, waived the rule when on December 20 it sent to the President notice of the confirmation of the nomi- nations. Senators who demanded the recall of the nominations, by their ob- Jjection last night to sending to the President notice of the confirmation of other nominations, acted upon _ ester- day by the Senate, gave emphasis to the argument that in acting on the power commissioners’ nominations orig= inally they had waived their rule and given the President authority to go ahead and “appoint” and commission the power commissioners. The President, having acted within his rights, is now asked by the Senate to rescind that action and return to the ¢ | some hereditary differences and signed | American law of copyright is half a | reaches print and becomes of use, it en- | tion he secures to himself its exclusive 1 not formally disclosed. He insists it is' without political significance. But, as a news cable quaintly observes, it is not supposed in Italian diplomatic quarters that the Hellenic leader has ventured into Mus- solini’s realm purely in order to bask in the Italian Midwinter sunshine. ‘Undoubtedly a new “balance-of-power’ atmosphere is prevalent on the conti- nent. France has her series of mili- tary alliances in all directions, and "taly is linked by understandings, more or less definite, in other directions. Italy, Greece and Turkey, the three most im- portant countries bordering the eastern Mediterrancan, are already bound by mutual treaties of friendship. Musso- lini took the lead in effecting them, first ! with Greece and then with Turkey. Largely as a result of Italian interces- {sion Greece and Turkey then buried Rome is hirgself a treaty of friendship between them- selves. Under all these circumstances, it is a matter of genuine concern when & | Grecian prime minister of Venizelos’ stature turns up at Rome. There can be small doubt that, whether or not it has that avowed object, his visit will tend to strengthen political ties previ- ously cemented. Such a solidification of Mediterranean common interests is not designed to awaken the enthusiasm of France. The three countries in question are bound to move cautiously toward anything savoring of a hard-and-fast triple alliance. That this, or something closely resembling it. is at the back of the .eads of Mussolini, Venizelos and Mustapha Kemal smacks strongly of probability, The Vestal Copyright Bill. The Vestal copyright bill, which comes up in the House next week, de-! serves early and favorable action. Our century behind the times. Passed in 1891 and only slightly amended in 1909, it i modeled on the old English “right to print,” which the British themselves abandoned before 1910. By its terms | a book, short story, drawing or musical composition is protected by the com- mon law of property only so long as it remains unpublished. As soon as it ters a strange status. The person who puts it forth—virtually never the au- thor—may send a copy to Washington to have it “copyrighted.” By this ac- use for a limited term of years. Copy- right, however, is not “divisible.” One must copyright for all purposes or not at all. The magazine which buys and copyrights a serial “holds in trust for| the author” the foreign rights, the dra- matic rights, the moving picture rights. Long ago the Authors’ League ar- ranged with the reputable publishers a modus vivendi by which the original proprietor, after making his own use of Senate the nominations of the power commissioners. If the President accedes to the request, he establishes a prece- dent which may rise to plagu: the Ex- ecutive in the future in its dealings with the te, which is constantly seeking to enc upon the authority of the Executive, as has been shown over a long period of years. It is not the part of the Senate to retire from office of- ficials of the Government affer it has “advised and consent=d” to their ap- pointment, and these officials have been appointed and commissioned by the President in accordance with the law. That is a function allocated to the Chief Exccutive. Impeachment pro- ceedings for malfeasance in office may be instituted in the House, and, if de- termined upon by that body, may be tried by the Senate. | Politics lies at the bottom of the pres- | ent controversy between the Senate and | the Chief Executive. Also a desire on the part of opponents of Mr. Hoover to | make the so-called water-power issue paramount in the campaign of 1932 and to align Mr. Hoover with the so- called power trust and against the in- terests of the general public. The op- | | —as far as possible—on the same basis the manuscript, hands back to the au- thor all other rights. This works like any other gentleman’s agreement—it is good only between gentlemen. An un- ethical fringe constantly ignores it. The fundamental titles upon which the pub- lishing business rests are growing even more confused and hazy. A sense of impending peril is the essential reason why through five years of congressional hearings all elements in'the publishing business have jojned in demanding copyright revision and indorsing the Vestal bill. Thi includes book, periodical and newspaper pub- lishers, theatrical managers, motion picture companies, the trades unions. Only one or two small interests on the edge of the trade stand now in oppo- sition. It is as good as unanimous. The Vestal bill puts artistic property as any other property. If it is enacted copyright will become with us—as with all other civilized nations—“automatic, divisible, international.” When the author finishes his work, it is by that act copyrighted. We shall retain regis- tration of copyright, but only as a matter of proof. The author may sell ponents of the administration seized | upon the fact that the -three power | commissioners—to whose appointment | a majority of them had “advised and | consented”—had let out of office two | afficials of the old Power Commission | who were declared to b antagonistic to the power interests. It is true that at the same time the commissioners had | declared vacant the office of executive | secretary, held by F. E. Bonner, char- acterized by many of the Senators as a | friend of the power interests. | Never before, so far as the records| have revealed, has the Scnate under- taken to remove from office by the re- consideration route officials to whose | appointment it has adviscd and con- | sented, after appointment has been | made by the President in dus form. If | the President declines to send the names | of the commissioners back to the Sen-| ate, holding that he cannot waive the| powers of the executive relating to dis- | missal, there appears to be nothing the | Senate can do about the matter, al-| though it might by some device be car-| ried to the courts for final determina- | tion. It has been suggested that the Senate, in its wrath, may withhold ap~| propriations for the members of the| Power Commission. But in such action ! it must have the concurrence of the| House. It is doubtful if the House| would undertake to upheld the Senate | in its course with regard to the power ‘commissioners. The Senate’s action last night appears to be notice to any and all who are appointed to serve on the Federal Power Commission that they must retain in service subordinate officials whom the “coalition™ desires to have retained. If that is to be the dictum, the only course for the President to follow would be to appoint Messrs, King and Russell, the two officials in question, as members of the Power Commission. o ‘The passing of the old market house will cause many regrets. Yet, in view of modern conditions there are who would really care to bave the old bulld- ing continue to occupy its former place. —_— et Greece and Italy. European developments in the direc- tion of new power groupings are ac- or lease his product to one man for one purpose, to another for another. Pinally, it puts us into the International Copyright Union, a thing impossible so long as we retain our archaic law ‘of 1891. When that happens the Ameri- can author who copyrights at home will | by that act copyright in forty other| publishing countries. At present the | American who wants protection in Continental Europe must copyright in England and get the privileges of the union on the fiction that he is a British subject! But even that loophole is about to be closed, which is one of the many reasons why Congress should act promptly. The present law is as outdated as the traffic Jaws of 1891, and the Vestal bill is common sense. ) Occasionally some man who has in- dulged in sensational spech appears to have dropped from public attention when he is merely en route to fill the next lecture date THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, position. Few outside of the field of his immediate labors or the circles where they chanced to be known real- ized to what an extent he was depended upon by the Government. For his lovable personal qualities as well as for his remarkable talent he is deeply regretted. ——— One Worthwhile Step. Engineer Commissioner Gotwals and Representative Simmons of Nebraska are to be commended for their decision to seek the release of “betterment” funds on March 4, in the off years, instead of having them held until the beginning of the new fiscal year. This is one method | of 'speeding up the realization of proj- ects for which appropriations have peen made. A delay of nearly four months every other year is thus prevented. If this first practical step to get at the root of delays in bullding projects in Washington is followed by others that | may suggest themselves with study of the problem, much can be accomplished that otherwise would be lost in a pleth- | ora of recriminatory charges and coun- tercharges and futile passing of the buck, In this case the District is fortunate in securing the services, as its champicn of the influential Mr. Simmons. — ————— Inquiries as to the government of New York City have 0 frequently demanded. New York has alw ceeded in conveying the impression that it was doing such big things in the way of commerce and construction that it had no time for the ordinary points of propricty ‘on which smaller communi- ties are disposed to insist. . References are made by the New York stock market to profit-taking. When the process of gathering up resources is discussed, it should not be forgotten that the accounts for holiday. expenditures are commanding attention at this time. — e Public interest becomes discriminating in consideration of airplane accidents. Only the very great crashes involving a large loss of life now command the at- tention once accorded air disaster of any description. e O Hindenburg as President of Germany looks the part and acts it. History might have been different if he could earlier have taken his place as & com- manding figure in the arena of politics. —————— Rumors that Stalin is losing authority are vaguely distributed. He apparently still has enough authority to cause hes- itation about starting adverse rumors concerning it. N —.— Home raids will be the subject of eloquent protest. The citizen may, if certain threats are carried out, find it desirablé nevertheless to observe cau- tion in selecting his household utensils. ————— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Melancholy Monopolist. Good friend, beware, as forth you go, Of dwelling on your special woe, For you will come, if you persist, To think you're a monopolist. Do not imagine that you cdn Claim all the troubles known to man And try to be the one alone ‘Who can make sympathy his own. Good friend, forget your special grief And think of friends who need relief, Alding the others, that you may Assist yourself to moods more gay. On Sheer Merit. “Washington, D. C., will one day be the most beautiful city in the world.” “Yes,” answered Senator Sorghum, “every statesman, including myself, has complimented this city, and in spite of the fact that it is not in a position to vote for any of us.” Jud Tunkins says if you want to know whether a man or woman is boss in the home, persuade the man to put his feet on the furniture and see what happens. True Wisdom. There have been men so very wise That still their brains we advertise. Not one of them would try to show How the stock market next would go. Feature of Municipal Charm. “What's the new building going up on High street?” “That's a skyscraper,” answered Cac- tus Joe. “Do you need a building of that size? A “After a good deal of debate the city council decided it was necessary. We had to do something to keep folks that want to look at the tall buildings from passin’ Crimson Gulch up an’ goin’ on through to Chicago.” “To love the sound of your own | Joseph S. McCoy. [ Yesterday, with shocking suddenness, | death took one of the most valuable | servants of the Government, a man of | peculiar genius whose service to the Treasury during more than forty years | has been unique and beyond commen- | surate compensation. S. McCoy, actuary, has been astounding and Congress by who, since 1887, Treasury officials over abstruse financial mathematical problems. Mr. McCoy's connection with the Government. which. began shortly after his graduation from a technological institution, gave opportunity for the development of his gift for “figures.” Year by year his fame grew, at first in the division of the Treasury where he was engaged, then in the depart- ment, then in all Government circles and finally in the country. The time came when he was in demand for serv- ice with private concerns. Many offers were made to him to leave Government employment and take highly profitable positions in financial and commercial institutions. He refused them all. He preferred to devote himself to the solu- tion of the problems of the Treasury, centuated -anew by the presence in Rome of Premier Venizelos of Greece. He is being welcomed with honors be- fitting his rank by Signor Foreign Minister Grandi and other im- portant Italian officials. Although un- der Pascist conditions it does not mean | the compiete confidence of his superiors | Prom the Detroit News. much, the veteran statesman from Al has also had the honor of con- Mng with King Victor uel. %mdlv visit to he was reserved and retiring of dis- refunds despite the limitations put upon his compensation by appropriation acts. ‘To Joseph McCoy his unique gift was a source of great joy. He delighted in the work in which he employed this talent for mathematics. He enjoyed and of all members of the Government, executive and legislative. Withal he ‘was modest regarding his gifts, just as “This was Joseph | his extraordinary | facility of computation and mastery| voice,” said Hi Ho, the sage of China- | town, “is permissible if you are sure | of the wisdom of what you have train- ed it to speak.” ear Old Days. The Congressman of days gone by Would sometimes favor rock and rye. Of course, the rock was building stone, | The rye was for nutrition grown. Those dear old days we can’t forget, When no one talked of dry or wet. | “De good man an’ de sinner” said Uncle Eben, “kin both be made to labor in a righteous cause if dey gits de right kind of a boss.” ] Philosophical Plumbers. From the Ann Arbor Daily News, Plumbers will discuss art and Aris- totle in the new civilization, predicts a University of Chicago sociviogist. But not, we trust, while en route to the shop for the tools they forgot. ——— Yes, Let Bossy Be Heard. Prom the New London Day. Now that Musiolini pledges his best | efforts to ote the peace of the world, it o remains for Bossy Gillis to do as 11 ——— Farsighted. Prom the Ashland (Ky.) Daily Independent. The broad general rule is that the girl who looks most astonished when ! her Romeo finally proposes is the one | who had it figured out a year ago what | she would wear at the church. P RS A Creditor. {a right to know that Pres THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Words are free. That is why any one can say any- thing about any one or anything. Also it is the one big reason why no one should much mind what any one says. Yet human nature is so made that most, of us feel hurt by the evilly in- tended remarks of others. ~ The peculiar thing is that often the injury is more keen when the remark is unjust. “It is the truth which hurts” was coined by some one who did not know what he was talking about. As a generality it has its applica- tions, but there are thousands of men and women to whom the false accusa- tion is far more hurtful than the truthful one. The truth they can stand with im- punity, because “they know it them- selves, and probably far better than the one who proffers it as a revelation. The false accusation, however, hurts them with a hurt which they ‘are at an utter loss to explain to themselves. It is customary for others, noting the resentment, to say that “Oh, he is too thin-skinned!” or imply that he should not permit hirhself to be “kid- ded” so easily. Perhaps he should not, but that is aside from the question. The fact is that he fecls an almost ungovernable resentment at the slings and slurs of those who say whatever they please, regardless of the truth. * oKk % ‘The only apology which can be made for those who make too free with words/is that they are not in posses- sion of the facts. For the rest, they use words as weapons to combat those whom they cannot fight with truth and too often misuse them. Words are free and any one can use them in any way he likes, aside from some little regard to the libel laws and the dunger of being punched in the jaw. It will be found that those handle words carelessly take tage of the modern freedom, applies to words as well as to actions, Also, they have learned the clever trick of smiling when they say the rottenest things, thus causing friendship to carry a load it was by no means de- signed to bear. Let no sensitive one, therefore, worry about anything which is said, but keep in mind the simple truth that words are free and are susceptible of misuse as well as proper usage. Children show the simplest misuse when they shout their singsong doggerels at play- mates, irrespective of fitness. It takes ability and much practice to use words properly, to make them say what one wants them to say and, above all, to make them truth tellers. Words are so packed with meanings, so fringed with inferences, that only the exceptional man can use them properly in speech. Perhaps a few more can tell the truth with written ‘words. At any rate, the average person in conversation is utterly unable to make words do what he wants them to do. To use them to bring frowns, to wound sensitive minds with them, is so easy that only children ought to in- dulge in it. It is safe to say that the greatest men in the world, if subjected to half the banter which ordinary fel- lows bestow upon one another, would react no otherwise than many a per- son does in silence. * x % % ‘Words are free, to the extent that no one has a patent on the 400,000 which get into the larger dictionaries. Most of the nearly half million mean noth= ing to the so-called man in the street. It you want to please or insult him, you will have to stick to the approximately 4,000 which make up the average vo- cabulary. ‘What fearful execution can be done with the 4,000, to be sure! No more are needed for any one to make the most unjust statements, based on no more than a dislike, or a misunder- standing, or a nasty disposition. Then the words which he might appropri~ ately apply to a criminal he swings against the face of an honest man, pleased mightily that they sound quite as bad against the innocent as against the gullty. Surely, that is where words fall down. In a perfect world, words would crumple up and evaporate from the mouths of those who misuse them. In the perfect state, nothing will be quite so revered as the principle of simple Jjustice. Then, any injustice in words cannot be stated. In that delightful state it will be, in truth, only the truth which hurts, because untruths will not be_able to come into being. Let us look for a moment into that state and see how it would work out. A gentleman, we will call him, for that word means something or nothing, like all the rest, starts to utter a sneering statement against one of his acquaint- ances. His mouth opens, but not a sound comes forth. God has cut him off, and he can make no sound. He at once knows that what he was about to say is false. The listeners know that God has taken His hand in it and has blockaded the evil mind and tongue Thus apprised, our gentleman decides to say something decent, which thought, no sooner thought, issues forth as a clear stream. * Kok Malicious gossip of all kinds would be stopped at the source. The corroding influence of too close contacts among neighbors would receive a balm of healing. The person who wished to deny, with solemn pronouncement, o truth uttered against him would find his lie withered in his mouth. This dream is too good to be true. As things are now, all any one has to do 15 to reach into the dictionary and take out whatever words he chooses, then marshal them into sentences. If pressed for time, there are a number of high-pressure words which will stand by themselves and which are guaran- teed to get a “rise” out of the victim, the more undeserved the more surely. It is a sad thing, this big effect of a little word. Maybe some radio in- ventor will be able to devise a method of causing a terrible heterodyne whistle to be set up as a result of the emission of false words, lying words, fretful words, nagging words, words misused because of lack of facts, words unjust in_implications. ‘True words, on the other hand, would be accompanied by sweet music, which would make even man’s favorites more charming still. Always we must wake from these dreams to the reality of the stern life of words under whose rule mankind has Mved and worked for so many centuries. Words are free, and because they are none of us should pay too much atten- tion to them, especially when we do not like them. Schopenhauer had the right idea: “When two persons laugh at you, or say something spiteful, choose to re- gard them as two fools in a comedy. ‘Then their words will not hurt.” Perhaps if words were difficult to secure, instead of being free, fewer of them would be spilled in conversational nothings or let loose with vindictive- ness against those who deserve only the most pleasing combinations of sounds as their rewards in this life Youngstown Merger Ruli Called Stockholder Victory ‘While the United States Supreme Court is expected to pass final judgment on the proposed merger of the Bethle- hem Stee! Corporation and the Youngs- town Sheci & Tube Co., the decision of Judge David G. Jenkins, holding up the | project, is viewed as an important con- tribution to corporation law. The court is credited with courageous action in | emphasizing the ethical side of the proceedings, and Cyrus S. Eaton, Cleve- land capitalist, is declared to have made an effective fight for the rights of minority stockholders. The intended establishing of a “billion-dollar corpor: tion” gives importance to the case. “Another chapter in the year's most notable litigation” is seen by the P&lu- burgh Post-Gazette, which observes “in- teresting personalities on both sides— Charles M. Schwab and Eugene G. Grace of the Bethlehem and the vet- eran steelmaster, James A. Campbell, of the Sheet & Tube among the repre- sentatives of the pro-merger group and, on the other hand, the exceptionally energetic and determined opposition led by Cyrus S. Eaton of Cleveland, who, coming to the United States from Can- ada in 1900 as a lad of 17, has since developed into one of the outstanding financiers of the country.” The Pitts- burgh paper also emphasizes the find- ing that “the stockholders of the Youngstown corporation had not been given sufficient information before the merger vote was taken,” and it con- cludes: “Naturally the public at large cannot be expected offhand to form a judgment on the merits of a case so vast and complicated. There is assur- ance in the finding for minority inter- ests in cases of this character that their proverbial ‘day 'in court’ is no empty phrase. It is recognized, of course, that the pro-merger forces may carry the case to the highest court.’ “The decision and opinion of Judge Jenkins, on the whole,” according to the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, “is an imporéant lesson for big business, re- gardless of whether or not the merger of these two corporations is desirable.” The Bulletin also comments: declaration of the court that the part piayed by one director in common of both the Bethlehem and Youngstown directorates, ‘regardless of his inten- tions,” was ‘a breach of trust and con- trary to public policy,’ goes very deeply into the question of a director's re- sponsibility and whether or not a di- rector can serve two masters. The fact that the directors at their meetin simply ratified an arrangement alread: decided upon and that one director, op- posed to the merger, had no opportunity to inform himself from essential data as to the merits of the proposition, is declared by the court to be shocking, setting up a standard of ethics for big business to which heed should be given.” * % ok x “It 1s not a small matter,” declares the Columbus Ohlo State Journal, “that Judge Jenkins found so many vital mat. ters meriting the rebuke of the court. That paper also feels that “it is of vast importance that the court rose to the situation and took a brave stand in de- manding the utmost of good faith and fair dealing in such proceedings.” The State Journal also says: “The fact that Bethlchem officials had distributed some millions annually in bonus pay- ments came out in the hearing and was entirely new to stockholders. They had ent Grace was pald for one year $1,600,000 in salary and bonus. Punds of the com- any belong to the stockholders and abulous salaries never have been in- cluded as ordinary affairs of business management. The t incor- rect figures were placed in the hands of two groups of stockholders of the Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. was arf “ng eature in the case and the court rightly refused to validate it by judicial approval.” “The injunction now secured Eaton _grouj inks the (Mass.) A local market victim, called for ns, still being lllng that if he doesn’t pay an income in Government will owe ) March the & $31,000 bmvt‘ml when 8 determined, acious capitalist of large resources see Bl o, property mieteste.. The New! own ark Evening News offers the “The | | that the decislon “is a timely treatise on business good faith, efficient corpo- | rate stewardship, honest accountancy and fair dealing all round”; that the | court “leaves no doubt of his conviction | that square dealing was not uniformly present in the merger set-up and was largely absent from the negotiations which undertook to combine the two companies. “Whether or not the injunction is upheld,” concludes the Chicago Daily News, “it administers a deserved re- buke to men who departed from modern standards of corporate ethics, who failed to take their stockholders into their full confidence but submitted - to them incomplete and misleading in- formation. Such practices are not and should not be tolerated by the courts. g:;é:mly t}'\e}; are not approved by essive leaders of corporate in and corporate flnnncn."rpo na * K ox * “It was Eaton and his counselors, asserts the Birmingham News, “who fought the thing through from the start. It was a battle of giants, beside Which the old wars between the Harri- mans and the Morgans, before ever the age of bigger business dawned, pale into insignificance. Curiously enough, the Youngstown judge's decision made o reference to the Sherman anti-trust act, which in former days was the bogy to frighten big business away from these mergers. What inspired Ilhl ustice in his ruling against the Bethlehem steam-rolling magnates was that the Sheet & Tube directors—a majority of the directors, incidentally— employed three accountants, who, wltlsellher intentionally or not, made a misleading statement of the Sheéz & Tube.” e “Certainly no fault can be f P~ in the opinion of the Worcesteroukn\"ie’- ning Gazette, “with the judgment of the court requiring knowledge of ac- counting facts where the outstanding Question at issue is the equity of an interchange of stock. The public re- action in this instance is likely to be that in the negotiations leading to the vote on the merger there was too much haziness as to the truth or else a reluctance to have the plain truth presented. Whether carclessness or sharp practice is the right name to apply, in either case the merger may :;:xlr wait for more light on the trading es.” r—— Base Ball Star’s Death Recalls Game of P. To the Editor of The Star: Present-day base ball fans—that is, the younger generation—will not be interested in the death of Roger Con- nor in Waterbury, Conn., the other day. He played first base for the old New York Giants in 1883, their first year in the National ‘They “think “Babe” the “alpha and omega” distance hitting, but, seen Roger Connor, they will continue to cherish their delusion. _Connor made two home-run hits in 1887 over the 113th street fence of the old Polo Grounds on the Fifth avenue side, 'w York, probably the longest hits ever recorded in base ball history, and the hell while not “dead” was far less livcly than it is today. When one reads of iie home runs with the livelier ball used ic7sy on these minia- ture base ball fields, compered to those of yesteryear, it is little than painful. ‘The fact is that men like Dan_Brouthers, Roger Connor and Ed Delehanty were far longer hitters than “Babe” Ruth or other present day hard hitfers. In those days the outfield covered acres of ground, giv= ing flelders a chance get under long hits, make sensational catches and home runs were not so frequent. tween miniature indoor golf links and those out in the country. Nine-tenths of the hits that go for home runs in this commercial age of base ball would be easy outs on && old base ball flelds, | ter of the book of San Michele, SATURDAY, - JANUARY 10, 1931.° By the Booklover ‘Those who expected another book like “The Story of San Michele” when they |saw the announcement of “Memories and Vagaries,” by Axel Munthe, have by this time, of course, been disap- pointed. Such a book as “San Michele” is written but once, and “Memories and Vagaries” was written over 30 years ago, in Dr. Munthe’s experimental pe- riod, both as & writer and a physician. It was puhll’hed in London in 1898 and was republished last Autumn in this country, follow! the great success of “San Michele.” But to say that it does not bear com| n with another book is not to condemn it altogether. It has its own charm and in reading it one is sometimes almost under the illusion that it is a collection of stories by Leonard Merrick. Both Merrick and Dr. Munthe love Bohemian and for- elgn Paris; both know and deeply feel with the unsuccessful actors, dramatists, singers, writers, painters who haunt the boulevards and live in attics on streets never visited by the fashionable; both use the same irony in writing of the submission to fate and the humble but heroic tragedies of the Bohemians they know. Dr. Munthe is also especially interested in the poor Italians who have found their way to Paris in the hope of bettering their fortunes, but there lead, in crowded tenement colonies, an even more wretched existence than in Italy. * k% x The preface of “Memories and Vaga- ries,” beginning with an apology, is it- self an excellent review of the book. A few sentences will give an idea of the subject matter and the quality of style. “‘Benevolent readers of ‘The Story of San Michele’ have come forth with a gallant attempt to rescue this little book from oblivion. I fear I have not done very well for myself by consenting to a reprint of these small sketches or stories, or whatever they are to be called. They were all written long, long ago by an inexperienced hand in rather indifferent English. I flatter myself with the belief that, were I to sit down and rewrite them today, I would make a better book, at least to the majority of its readers. But there Btill exists a minority of book lovers with a sneaking weakness for spon- taneous writing, who will, maybe, ap- prove of my boldness in leaving these stories just as they were written, to take care of themselves as best they can. Readers of ‘The Story of San "Michele’ will ‘come across several old acquaintances here, all in their same old clothes, for they have nothing else to put on their backs. My friend Arch- angelo ' Fusco, the street sweeper of Quartier Montparnasse; the Salvatore family, Don Gaetano, the organ grinder with the shivering monkey; M. Alfredo with the MS. of his last five-act trag- edy under his arm, are all here. Even Soeur Philomene, the sweet guardian angel of Salle St. Claire in the Paris hospital, lives and dies in these pages. The same shabby old monks and priests are carrying through the cholera slums af Naples their respective madonnas and patron saints, all quarreling among themselves. The same glorious sun is chining over Golfo di Napoli. Out of its sparkling waters rises the same en- chanted island (Capri), where the same friendly people welcome the reader. Even the dogs in this book are wagging their talls in token of recognition. The beloved Tappio in the" chapter ‘When ‘Tappio Was Lost’ in this book was the great-grandfather of the Tappio Miss Hall took for his daily walk in Vijla Bor- ghese and who lay half-asleep in the sunny pergola of San Michele while Billy, the drunkard baboon, was busy catching his fleas. The pedigree of Billy is more obscure, though I still stick to my belief that he was an illegit- imate son of I Demonio. But I know for certain that the wooden horse I gave on Christmas day to John, the blue-eyed” little boy in ‘The Story of San Michele,’ was a lineal descendant of the wooden horse which Petrucgio, the child of sorrow of the Salvatore family, is holding in his withered hand in this book. I know, too, that my friend Archangelo Fusco, the street sweeper in ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - BY FREDERIC This is a special department devoted solely to the handling of queries. This paper puts at your disposal the services of an extensive organization in Wash- Ington to serve you in any capacity that relates to information. This service is free. Failure to make use of it deprives you of benefits to which you are entitled. Your obligation is only 2 cents in coin or stamps inclosed with your inquiry for direct reply Address The Evening Star Information Bureau, HFrederic J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. Q. What is_the oath of the Air Scouts?—B. A. R. A. It is as follows: “I am an Air Scout! I am living to the besf of my ability the Scout oath and law. I be- lieve in the slogan ‘Safety in the Air. I know that 2 healthy mind and bédy are the greatest factors of airworthi- ness. I shall strive to further aviation by applying the principles of muung in all matters pertaining to flying shall always remember that a good fiyer is an efficient flyer, and that efficiency comes through application. I wiil never forget that an Air Scout is first, last and always a Boy Scout, that he prac- tices_self-control, is a clear thinker, is cool-headed, a student of aviation and has respect for experience.” . What was used for a mirror be- fore silvering of glass was invented?— F. H. A." A piece of polished metal was used. It was called a speculum. Q. What is a sugar-loaf sea?—G. T. A. A sugar-loaf sea is a sea heaving in pyramidai waves, usually with but little wind. Q. What kind of lumber should be used, for forms for concrete work?—A. A. White pine is best fdr fine face- work, and quite essential for ornamental zonstruction when cast in wooden forms. Partially dry lumber is usually best. Kiln dried is unsuitable, as it swells when the wet concrete touches it. Q. How many acres of land does the Nile River irrigate?—E. B. O. A. It irrigates 5,000,000 acres and this rumber may be increased to 7.600,~ 000 acres by engineering improvements. Q. Was the original canary bird yel- low or green?—P. V. B. A. The original canary, whether serin or true wild canary, in its native haunt was much different in color from. its modern pure-bred descendant. The back of the wild bird is, in general, gray, tinged with olive-green, especially on the rump, with dark shaft streaks on the feathers. Underneath it is yellowish, streaked on sides and flanks with dusky. Wild canaries from the Canary Islands, the Azores and leira differ from the Continental ser in being slightly grayer with less of yellowish green in the plumage above. Q. Please tell something of the Wright Memorial to be built in North Caro- lina—M. C. A. Work on the monument, com- memorative of the first flight of the Wright brothers, will begin in Jani It is to be situated on Kill Devil Hiil, Congress has appro- Kitty Hawk, N. C. priated $232,500 for the construction of Ithe great winged pylon' designed by Robert P. Rodgers and Alfred E. Poor, New York architects. It is a memorial to the birth of human flight and the quotation “There Shall Be Wings” will be inscribed upon it. Triangular in plan, the monument conveys the effect of forward motion and speed. The apex SPECTATOR, London.—We have just spent three days in Russia. We docked at Leningrad Impasse Roussel, is the same Archangelo Fusco I met in Heaven in the last chap- Iam equally certain that his cruel landlord, the money lender to the poor in Im- passe Roussel, whom I caused to hang himself in this book, is now keeping company in hell with the ex-butcher who blinded the quails with a red-] needle in ‘The Story of San Michel * Kk % Sergt. York's name placed with those of Ford, Edison, Calvin Coolidge, Alfred E. Smith and Jane Addams, on a list of six Americans typifying the current century, may cause some criticism of M. A. De Wolfe Howe’s reading course, “Representative Twentieth Century Americans,” which has just been pub- lished by the American Library Asso- ciation. Mr. Howe explains r{m in- clusion of the private from Tennessee in so august a company by saying that, since the World War has colored the early years of the century, the largest group participating in that conflict—the drafted men—deserve to be placed on any list called “representative.” In selecting the others, the author says that he has sought outstanding from the dominant forces at work in the country today, industry, applied science, current politics, and a new conception of social responsibility. For politics, both Coolidge and Smith are cited to illustrate the contrast between the rural and urban viewpoint, a dis- tinction which, Mr. Howe believes, will loom with increasing importance as the century grows older. By no means cherishing a blind admuration for the individuals he selected, Mr. Howe in- dicates that their faults as well as their virtues are closely akin to those of their fellow citizens. Wilson and Roosevelt have both been omitted from the list because they are “too obvious.” So much has been written about these Presidents that the reader who wishes to follow their careers and therr controversies may easily find abundant material else~ where. Mr. Howe's course, which is one of the “Reading With a Purpose” series, as well as the biographies and . | quite plain, I think. She is 28 years & | reads Germ: autobiographies suggested for further reading, may be obtained at public libraries. T L “The Letters of Henry Adams (1858~ 1891),” edited by Worthington Chaun- cey Ford, recently published, contain a description of his fiancee, in a letter to his friend Charles Milnes Gaskell, which might have broken off the engagement had the young lady seen it. Henry Adams says: “Imprimis and to begin with, the young woman calls herself Marian Hooper and belongs to a sort of clan, as all Bostonians do. * * * So- cially the match is supposed to be un- exceptionable. One of my congratula- tory letters describes my fiancee to me as ‘a charming blue. She is certainly not handsome, nor would she be called old. She knows her own mind uncom- mon well. She does not talk very American. Her manners are quiet. She an—also Latin—also, I fear, a little Greek, but very little. She talks garrulously, but on the whole pretty sensibly. She is very open to instruc- tion. We shall Lmzrove her. She dresses badly. She decidedly has humor and will appreciate our wit. She has eno\lgh money to be quite independent. She rules me as only American women rule men and I cower before her. Lord, how she would lash me if she read the above description of her!” * ok x x The essential modesty of former Pres- ident Taft is shown by a story told of him in “Taft and Roosevelt—The In- timate Letters of Archie Butt, Military Alde.” Taft was asked soon after his inauguration whether he liked being in the White House—a rather banal ques- tlon. He replied: “I hardly know yet. ‘When I'hear some one say, ‘Mr. Presi- and when I read in the headlines of the morning papers that the President and Senator Aldrich and Speaker Can- non have had a conference, my first thought is, “T wonder what they talked about.' So you can see that I have not gone very far yel ot | formed part of the treasures of palaces, figures ! and were surprised to see lots of shipping in the harbor. On the landing stage stood a large wooden pavilion, sale of antiques, furniture, porcelain, furs and glassware to people who come in ships, but do not etrate this point. Most of these articles private homes and churches. While waiting to land we contemplatéd the pavilion, with the Hammer and Sickle boldly showing over the doorway, and watched barefooted me?] :}l‘ ‘women operating a primitive pile-driving paratus for the extension of the stage. An armed guard, with fixed bayonet, patrolled to and fro, 13: m;" was an indefinable war-time atmosphere. After being scrutinized by courteous but non-committ- | officials, to make sure that we looked like our pie- tures, Wevfilsud through the now fa- miliar pavilion, and found ourselves in Russia. Of six clergymen on the ship three were not allowed to land. No reason was given, but it was noted that those not admitted had described them- selves in their passports.as “Ministers of Religion.” The other three were “Clerks in Holy Orders.” The “Clerks” won. We then proceeded to the real busi~ ness of “sightseeing.” Rows of guides—mostly young women of the “modern” type, from Russian universities—stood by the waiting mo- tor cars. These ::m‘s.c all of !orel‘: make, are government property an were lent w‘o\m by the 0;:1:‘18 ‘who ordinarily used them. Our guide spoke English well, for she had been at school at Brighton before the war and later at Oxford. She had also known Tolstoy. She watched over us with motherly so- licitude, and told us that she was the wife of a physician, had two children, was the daughter of a barrister (Who now was an old-age pensioner) and lived with her family in four rooms—the pre- scribed_accommodation. As everybody in the U. S. 8. R. who is not ill or old has to work, she was a guide. We drove for some 6 miles from the harbor of Leningrad, through dingy, cobbled streets, whose many potholes racked our bones, although the car, a Fiat, was well sprung. We passed dilapidated houses, from which the facade plaster iwas failing, giving the streets a“Slummy” air of disrepair, past queues of poorly dressed but clean-looking people, wait- ing at the government shops for their due ration of bread, boots and clothing. ess of individual physical re- quirements, each worker receives food lnr})roporllon to the category of work performed; manual workers more, other ‘workers less. Our guide showed us first the Yusu- poff Palace, in_one of the basement rooms of which Rasputin was murdered. ‘Then to Isaac’s Cathedral, now used as an “anti-religion museum,” where there are mighty bronze doors and columns of malachite and lapis lazuli, which we were told represented the a government, shop for thei| J. HASKIN. of the triangle points down to the land- ing field and its flat surface confronts the land approach. The pylon is set upon a star-shaped base, the insiznia used on the military and naval planes of the United States. Q. Can you give me the o of the saying, “The gray mare is the bette horse”?—D. 3. C. A. The proverb dates back to Hey- wood (1546). Q. How many county agents are there in the Extension Service of the | Department of Agriculture?—P. E. P. A. There are 2,373 county agricul- | tural agents in the United States; 231 | white assistants, and 173 negro assist- |ants, | Q What should a person's biood | pressure be?—E. R. H. [ A. The normal blood pressure of & person is 100 plus his age with a varia- tion of 10 points either way, Q. What are the most common do- mestid furs? How many fur farms are Lh;«;;‘ l}? the United States and Canada? | A. The four outstanding domestic |commercial furs are muskrat, opossum, skunk and reccoon. There are about 2,500 fur tarms in the United States and Alaska, and about 1,500 in Canada. The majority of these are raising silver or blue foxes. Q. How many people are employed in the railroad industry?—G. L. The average number of employes in the railroad industry during 1929 was 1,702,150. ‘There are 148 divisions of labor within the railroad industry. Q. Did roni?—B. A. Macaroni appears to have been the invention of the Chinese. It was introduced int> Europe by the Germans, |from whom the Italians learned of it. By the fourteenth century they were the only l2 enjoying it. The method of menufacturing it was held a great secret. Later, however, this secret leaked out to a cook in France, and it is recorded that Louis XIII was induced to order it in an inn in Tours. He was 50 favorably impressed that he had his awn cook study the method of prepara- on, the Itallans invent maca- M. S. Q. What is the American Philosoph- ical Society which gave membership to Herbert Hoover, Raymond Poincare, and Marshal Joffre in 1918?—C, D. A. It is the oldest scientific society in America. It was founded by Ben- jamin Franklin and some of his ac- quaintances. Q. What is an encylical and what is & decretal?—N, T, A. An encylical, in the Roman Cath- olic Church, is a'letter issued by the Pope to the whole church. A decretal is a letter or rescript of the Pope's, deter- mining some point of ecclesiastical Jaw. Q. Has any one reac Mount Everest?—P, A, M. A. Mount Everest is 29,141 feet high, g of No cne has as yet succeeded in reachin the summit. “Three expeditions were conducted; a reconnaissance expedition in 1921. The first attempt to ascend Wwas in 1922, when an altitude of 27,300 feet was reached, and the second at- tempt, 1924, when 28,200 feet was reached. . When was the Alamo in San An- EDIASQ. ;lc‘al.. buig.:— P. T » pe , A. It was a Pranc built about 1722, and ;Fekmfinm hoA“l‘lf mofide mflo. After 1793 it was etimes as a fort and - named Fort Alamo. i 242 Highlights on the Wide World Excerpts From Newspapers of Other Lands. 8 p‘hmu how? Educators doctrine to Such a doctrine overnight. Perhaps some as great as Karl Marx will arise in Japan and convert those believing in Marx un,nd other em:rer:g thinkers of the west to more sane an ot nomic principles. S Yo neo * k% % Sanitary Agents Inspect Mexico City Homes. El Universal, Mexico, D. F.—The de- rtment of health, through Hon of one of its divisions, &: ng with the object of h!flenwmcox;dm ns, quiry consumed of three months and, accordiny &?c:fl .uu&lmcs’ furnished us, e inspection of 10,248 dwell houses in this capital. The nmu'g’ agents examined all these buildings minutely and reported all defects dangerous to health. In the case of 1,346 houses, the owners or occupants were ordered to make repairs or changes, to bring the buildings up to the prescribed stand- ards. In the case of hundreds of other houses, their immediate demolition was demanded. There were 257 tenements in this category, and the same fate threatened 720 others unless they are promptly rehabilitated in accordance ;v‘im}:&muucflom of the department their g to the included The Deadly Machine. From the Portland Oregon Daily Journal Sold under the hammer for $23,000,- 000. the Chicago & Alton Rail eon- servatively estimated at a value of more than $100,000,000, examples the mighty iy ot many years ago cago & Alton was one of the most popular Ay R, m ck and ope: ween Chicago and Kansas Ci&i Tts famous passenger train between o’o and St. Louis was at one time one of the best patronized lines in any system of trans- lives of many thousands of starving| portal people under the old regime. Then we saw the Nevski Prospekt, once the finest avenue in Europe, now known as “Oc- tober street.” It is still the wide, beau- titul thoroughfare of the past. But its buildings are depressing and lack paint, and but few poorly stocked shops were open on it. The Winter Palace is r;o:r:hown the first typical bolshevik, with tousled red PAelt e iaied.the Blue M The we e Blue Mosque. usual Mohammedan services are held in the morning and the church used for anti-religious propaganda in the after- noon. We passed a white funeral cart, drawn no mourners?” we asked. one horse and at good speed. | and the The line served prosperous cities and towns through a rich country. Its man- agement and its general business policy popular, i It had a magnificent double-tracked roadbed. It had a signal system that was the last word in safety devices. It operating equipment as pre- OF 1 ol nd T splhe of care. o an: 8 honest it, the road the Baltimore & tentious in spite ful and W $95.000,000 cach nd certain af 000, a nt obligations assumed. hio in the f ? tra s T B T Alton. Its business fell off under the competition of automobiles % ved MT‘. by the motor truck. Its bulk freight bunnu:n'u lh:mnd::v eco- Der cent of its frelght fon-