Evening Star Newspaper, February 24, 1931, Page 8

THE EVENING With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C TUESDAY.....February 24, 1931 THEODORE W. NOYES. . ..Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11th 8t. and Pennsylvania Ave. New Yox; Office: 110 East 42nd 8t. icago ice: Lake Mlchilg\ Building. an oflu:'n' MJ"“ .+ London, neiand. Rate by Carrier Within the City. ening Star.... . 4bc per month and Bunday Siar '4"Bundays) 80c per month Tre Evenin, « (when § 65c per month Sc_per copy Sunday Star 5 Sc_pe llection made at the end of ‘each month Gadgrs o e sest in by mall or telepnone Ational 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. $10.00: 1 mo., 85¢ $6.00: 1 mo.. 50c $4.00; 1 mo., 40c All Other States and Canada. ily and Sunday...]yr.$1200: 1 mo.. §1.00 Iy Rl 1yr. $8.00: 1 mo., 75 sy only ¥ 1 . $5.00: 1 mo., 50c Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all newr dis- atches credited to it or not otherwise cred- ied In this paper o The local mie e ui herein of publication Eoecial duepaicnes ve' Bio reserved il jun and All riel herein How Many Veterans Are Needy? President Hoover is undertaking to ascertain the number of veterans of the World War in this country today who are actually in need. He is seek- ing this Information in his considera- tion of the soldiers’ bonus loan bill, permitting all veterans of the World War, whether in need or affluent, whether they are out of work cr have Jobs, to borrow up to fifty per cent of the face value of their adjusted com- pensation certificates. The bill, passed by overwhelming votes of both houses of Congress, is bef-re the President for his approval or disapproval. On ‘Thursday, if not before, it will be re- turned to the Congress by the Chief ‘Executive, accompanied by a veto message. The congressional committees which handled the bonus loan bill might properly have undertaken the survey which is being made now by order of the President. The reason for passing this bonus legislation at this time has been repeatedly stated. It is to give the war veterans a measure of relief in these times of depression and unem- ployment. The suggestion was ad- vanced that the benefits of the meas- ure be extended only to those veterans | who were in need. But this proposal | ‘was turned down, with the exceedingly | thin excuse that to ask a veteran if he | were in need would be embarrassing to| the veteran, would in effect “‘pauperize” | him. Unfortunately the desire of Con- gress to curry favor with the whole body of war veterans, instead of making pro- vision for the relief of the veterans now in need, has been an impelling factor in this legislation. At a time when the Government is “hard up,” when busi- ness has been depressed, and unemploy- ment great, it 18 now proposed in this bill to set up a special class of citi- mens, able-bodied and with jobs in the great majority of cases, to receive cer- tain financial benefits from the Gov- ernment. Many of the war veterans themselves, far more patriotic in their judgment of the matter than many members of Congress, are opposed to this legislation. Pigures received by the President in survey of situation show, for , thst in a city where 20,000 veterans located, 159 are in In another city, far re- the first, where approxi- ,000 reside, it is reported 1,700 veterans are in need. Gillett of Massachusetts, one few members of the Senate who voice against the passage of loan bill, called attention to that the veterans of the World who returned to their homes in body are today in the prime 1ife and vigor, that of all groups in country they are the best fitted to for themselves and their families. would appear from the survey being made for the President that Senator Gillett was justified in his statement. The position of Senators who opposed the bonus bill, among them Senator Borah of Idaho, has been that while they were willing to put through legis- lation designed to aid the war veterans 1n need, they did not believe it wise or patriotic at this time to permit “a gen- eral raid on the Treasury” for men who are not in need. The bonus certificates are due and payable in 1945, at a time ‘when it may be hoped that the country will be better able to meet the pay- ments than now. The present legisla- tion for bonus loans, supposedly for the 8id of the veterans in distress, stripped of its camoufiage, is showing up more and more as the sham it is. Better by far to pay the veterans in actual need the whole face value of their certificates. — e It is probable that Mussolini does not | desire frequent apologies. A test of greatness is the ability to declare an in- | cident closed and keep it from being Teopened. R Special Tags. The “Congressionial Tag” amendment o the traffic bill" to which the Senate | bhas agreed, is an improvement over the former lack of definitive rule or regulation relating to the issuance of these special markers. It restricts the tags to the automobiles of the members, and while it permits certain special parking privileges it guards against the abuse of such safeguards as the no- parking regulation near fire plugs or street loading platforms. The ques- tion now is whether the special privi- leges will end with the members of Congress, or whether the amendment is merely an opening wedge for the grant of favors to other classes of Capi- tal residents. “Diplomatic” tags are now issued to the members of the diplomatic corps. These are intended more as a warning to the members of the police force than snything else, serving notice, as they do, of the immunity enjoyed by the holders. They confer no special grants, of course, to violate the law or the regu- Ilations. Doctors sometimes embellish the n are their tags with special markers, which | are presumably intended to serve no- tice that the automobile is probably on an errand of mercy or emergency that might be construed as demanding leniency. The official cars of some of the higher Government officials are marked by seals, which certainly serve %0 impress a policeman with the august Sharacilr of the paccengers. And any Columbia carries with it a certain im- munity from anything more serious than & courteous warning that certain driv- ing practices, such as making a com- mon-sense left turn, are not ¢ondoned in the Capital. ‘Why not carry the thing on through? A number of police cars have been involved in traffic accidents recently, and as everybody knows, there is nothing more conducive to lowering the morale of a policeman than to have his official car smashed up In a traffic accident. Police cars should be appro- priately labeled, with some such sign as “Do Not Hit—Official Car.” Prominent citizens are forever being ticketed for leaving their cars parked too long. A simple tag—"Influential Citizen"— would save the citizen and the police no end of inconvenience. Newspaper reporters on some such emergent errand as interviewing the Secretary of State to find out whether anybody has em- barrassed Premier Mussolini today often have difficulty in parking their cars and a tag—"Do Not Disturb"— would result in better and bigger sym- pathy from the police. The Government employe, who is forced to leave his car standing at the curb all day long while he is busy transacting Government business, should certainly have a tag that would serve to end many of the difficulties he now encounters. There should also be considered the need for special tags on the part of Friday bargain hunters, and, of course, by those who stop along the roadside on Summer evenings in the parks. It is to be presumed that such steps as are necessary will be taken by Con- gress to meet these and other require- ments. = Italian Sensitiveness to Criticism. It may be that the Ambassador of Italy at Washington does not relish the zeal of the editor of an Italian-American newspaper who reported to him the other day that a certain official of the American Government had made some “slighting” remarks about Premier Mus- solini in a semi-public speech. Quite | probably the Ambassador wishes that the earnest supporters of the Italian ministry would not be so prone to take offense. For surely there will be no end of trouble and friction if everything that is said in this country about Mus- solini is carried to his diplomatic rep- resentative at this Capital for investiga- | tion and’complaint. True, there can be | no “case” unless what is said falls| within the range of official impropriety, | being said by a member of the admin- | istrative, judicial or military-naval | branch of the Government. It does not | lie within the scope of international protest if the remarks are uttered by citizens without official status, or by members of Congress, who can say whatever they please without being sub- Jject to administrative reproof at the be. hest of a foreign government, even as they are free from question by an| American citizen. The latest instance is not one of mo- ment, however annoying it may become as an item of international correspond- ence and action. A subordinate official of one of the Government departments expressed in a speech his hearty grati- tude that “we do not live in such a country as Italy, where the dictatorship of one man can make a horizontal slice in wages.” In this instance there is no doubt as to the facts, as there was in the case of Gen. Butler's repetition of a story told him by a friend. The pre- mier of Italy did indeed recently, by his own' order, effect a cut in government pay amounting to twelve and a half per cent. The only question involved is whether reference to the fact is permis- sible on the part of an officer of the American Government, If comment upon foreign affairs is to be censored, the censorship should be exercised by this Government, with the limits of observations by members| of the administrative forces laid down | as “office rules.” It would indeed be much more to the taste of the Ameri- can people if the whole matter of re- buke and correction were left with the American Government, without initia- tive from representatives of the foreign governments stationed at this Capital For it is entirely conceivable that in | some instances the American Govern- ment may not consider that offense | has been committed, and if in such | cases complaint has been made from | abroad it becomes the difficult duty of this Government to return a refusal to act in correction or rebuke. The ! only alternative to such a mode of procedure is to prohibit all offictals of the Government, of whatever grade or relationship, from speaking in public on any subject that might be connected however remotely, with the government of another country. Such a denial of speech would never be tolerated by the public. Good taste and ordinary dis- “retion are far better guides to propriety of public utterance than any gag rule that can be devised. R Unfortunates who become crime vic- | tims have in recent days appeared to possess extraordinary ability in writing personal impressions. Had their lit- they might have been content to exer- | cise it in patient industry and avoid much disagreeable experience. —————— Law as a Cloak for Crime. An inquiry is in progress in New York City into the matter of police and magisterial grafting. Much evidence has been adduced to show that official blackmail has been practiced upon of- fenders against the laws, some who were not precisely offenders but who might have been but for police prompt- ness, and even some who yere not offenders at all but were just out of | |luck. 1In the course of the investiga- tion positive proof has been given that slightly higher ranked members of the force, have for some time past been de- positing large sums of money in bank, under their own names and those of members of their families, and have afterward withdrawn considerable por- tions of these deposits. 8o out of pro- portion to the legitimate resources of these men have been the deposits and withdrawals that the assumption has been logical that the funds have come from an illicit source, and also that they have, in part, later gone to the tradi- tional “higher-up” personages of police department and others in the circle of municipal managers and manipulators. ‘The referee in this inquiry has sought by subpoena obtain records of de- posits and wiflidra: from others than the minor certain policemen, mere patrolmen lnd‘ THE EVENING STAR |foreign tag entering the District of |[to find out who has been getting these funds. But immediately an effort is made to blockade the research. An at- torney, acting for one of the policemen involved, who has refused to testify on “constitutional grounds,” has interposed & plea for an order restraining the referee from seeking the financial rec- ords of the fifty-one higher-ups of the police department. His move is ex- plained on the following grounds: Referee Seabury is empowered to in- vestigate the magistrates’ courts and to investigate policemen only in so far as they are connected with these courts. When he has specific evidence that in- dicates there is an unlawful connection between certain police officers, then, and only then, he is empowered to subpoena that officer’s accounts. How- ever, Referee Seabury has been working the other way. Without evidence, save suspicion, he has subpoenaed the ac- counts of a large group of officers and is endeavoring to find evidence of cor- ruption in the magistrates’ courts through an examination of their ac- counts. He has not laid a proper legal basis for this, He is merely on a fish- ing expedition. The law provides that before the personal business and affairs of a citizen can be publicly pried into there must be evidence that he has vio- lated the law. Suspicion is not legal evidence. Technically this may be correct. There are, however, other considerations than the technical limitations of the law to warrant even a “fishing expedi- tion,” when evidence glaringly presents itself that there is corruption, Common sense says that these police officers have not been banking legitimate funds. Common sense declares that they have not been collecting graft money for themselves alone. Common sense holds that there are higher-ups who are splitting the fecs and dividing the blackmail. Common sense maintains that it is justifiable to use any means, even if technical limitations prohibit, to find out who has been getting that graft. One of the gravest evils of municipal corruption is the abuse of the technical law for the covering of the guilty. Graft has flourished in New York and else- where in this country under the cloak of the law. When exposure comes the law which has been outraged in a long serfes of blood-sucking outrages upon | the people should not be invoked to stop the probe and prevent punishment. — e, = Tearing down a theater to make room for public improvements is slow work, The ruin makes a melancholy reminder, Melba sang in the opera house now being gradually demolished on Pennsyl- vania avenue. Such incidents of bril- liancy are forgotten. In the light of recent events the pitiable fate of an usher girl, bewildered in night life, be- comes temporarily more conspicuous-in remembrance. Human careers are what make a theater. The building itself is but a small part of it. ———— Chicago is not producing any orators in whose campaign speeches the general | public is interested. One of the rough- and-tumble meetings, &owever, would make good radio material if reliable arrangements could be made, in the general disorder, to keep the microphone from being mobbed. —_———e—— Recognition of silver as money fis advised by students of international trade, Willlam Jennings Bryan might have been more influential as a friend of silver if he had been less eloquent. His rhetoric often transcended his logic. — . Bincerity of February birthday ob- servances shows that publications in- tended to traduce the characters of great men have not made any serious impression on the popular imagination. References are made to the “original” Wickersham report. Question as to whether the report is original cannot prevent a widespread opinion that it is quaint, . ——— Farmers agree that more molisture is needed. This is one year when a March blizzard will, as a matter of practical SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Peril in a Word. This 15 a time when men will heed A word as equal to a deed. And while the world s run this waj Oh, have & care of what you say! When in the street you're told to stop, Speak gently to the traffic cop. Bow to h's “yea,” likewise his “nay.” Oh, do be careful what you say! ‘When any little talk you make At which great folk offense might take, Remark, “This is a pleasant day.” Then, Please be careful what you say! A Factor of Disturbance. “I can't see that your speech settled anything,” said the faithful listener. “It wasn't intended to do 50," an- swered Senator Sorghum. “The ques- tion didn’t seem likely to be decided my way. My remarks were not expected 80 much to settle things as to unsettle them.” Jud Tunkins says that brains goes ahead of beauty. The handsomest peo- printed the most. Innocent Victim, I did not venture into crime. And so my patience falls As I'm kept reading, all the time, The harrowing detatls. The execution day is set. The culprits hard as nails. Only the guiltless can’t forget The harrowing details. Tactless. “No,” sald Miss Cayenne. “I must be firm. 1 cannot allow you to present | me with a pearl necklace.” “I am sorry I mentioned it," replied the devoted slave “So am I. Instead of talking before- hand about so extravagant a gift, you should simply have placed it around my neck. Then I might have been so overwhelmed that I couldn’t refuse it.” “To speak in anger,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “exposes you to the risk of being laughed at when you had expected to be feared.” Protest Unheeded. ‘The gunman unrestrained will rave And wrath unreasoning nurse. If you request him to behave, It only makes him worse. “Don’t be hard on folks dat is con- sald Uncle Eben. sidered sinners,” “Tryin' to keep others ou| T ously) that alcohol and its disabilities STAR, WASHINGTO D. C, TUESDAY THIS AND THAT We are reading Edgar Lee Masters’ “Lincoln, the Man.” ‘Wherefore we think ourself fit to write something about it. Most of the writing you have read about this book hitherto has been by men who haven't read it. Perhaps no single book in literary history has had so much written about it by people who have not read it. They read reviews about it (probably by reviewers who had not read it, either), and then “rushed into print” with their indignant reactions. We do not presume to review Mr. Masters' tome on Lincoln, but merely to make a few comments about it. Maybe we shall review it after we have finished it, maybe not. LY If you want to get a literary cold bath, this book is it, shivers, reaction, and all. Most of the words you have read else- where about it are merely the reactions. All of us, products of the American educational system, have ready-made ideas about Abraham Lincoln, which are as much a part of us as our very hands and feet. If we are honest with ourselves, we will have to admit that we have never done a bit of thinking, especially critical thinking, about Lincoln, or about Wash- ington, or even about Roosevelt. We have accepted them and their place in history as the majority opinion bhas made that place. * ok ok Mr. Masters simply has refused to accept that majority opinion, that over- whelmingly majority opinion, in the case of Honest Abe Lincoln, He sneers. To him, Lincoln is no hero at all, and he honestly cannot understand how the man ever got to be a hero, and specially such a hero. He is so terribly earnest about his re- fusal to bow down before Lincoln that he makes the mistake, as we see it, of all terribly earnest persons. He lacks humor. X % % % When a man writes without a sense of humor, he runs a great risk of being largely unfair to himself, his reader, and, in the case of biography, his sub- ject. Upon these three points we at reserve judgment until we have the book. We are willing to say, after about 100 pages of the volume, or one-fifth of the ‘total, that Mr. Masters seems to have committed the very fault of which he accuses “refcrmers,” for whom he has no love. He has set out to prove his contention that Lincoln was no great man, after 211, in such a whole-souled fashion, that he leaves the reader—at least one reader —wondering how Lincoln ever got as far as he did, if he were nothing more than the man here depicted. The only honest reply which the reader—at least this reader—can make to himself is that he must have had something else not bring out. resent. nished A A This “something else” was the politi- cal sense. A hundred years from now some puzzled gentleman may set out to write & book about Calvin Cooll , and un- less he remembers that “Cal” was a tremendously shrewd politician, while at the same time HE OBSERVER, London.—It is s point of fact (and facts—the hardest ible—are the only things the present generation can be expected to taki - are no longer exclusively the province of men. In the days when “drink,” to use that r but convenient term, meant heavy wines; brandy, whisky, and the coarser spirits, titrere was very little temptation for women to indulge in it. But things are very different now. Eur has become “cocktailized,” and there s, unfortunately, no form of alco- hol more dangerous and at the same time more adaptable to the feminine palate. has approximately the effect of a glass of champagne, and it is a drink which may be taken at almost any hour. Can anything more tempting, more seductive, and, though she probably does not realize it, more intensely de- moralizing to the woman of today, with her arduous and multifarious duties, be imagined? You are tired after a long day, a couple of cocktails help you to shins at dinner. Taken at regular in- tervals, like medicine, they form thelr extraordinary task of “getting you through the cay.” to rely upon them course, you tell yourself, it is only dur- ing the season, or while you are so busy; you can always give them up. Then, you try to do so—and you cannot. You try again. You are miserable, low, de- pressed, as you yourself admit, “not fit to speak to,” and in 99 cases out of 100 you again zive in. It is inevitable, for the alcoholic habit, once formed, is scarcely ever broken unaided. * ok ok % Torrential Rains | Make City Far Cleaner. Diario del Comercio, Barranquilla.— Though the recent torrential rains have turned our streets into veritable clay- pits, and have wrought considerable damage to pavements and, houses, they have not been entirely Without their advantages. When all the sediments and debris have been removed by the municipal workmen, and repairs have been made to buildings and roadways, our city certainly will be brighter and cleaner than it has been for a long time. All grime and discolorations have been removed from exterior walls and sur- faces, and the original tints and color- ings shine forth in all their pristine purity Particularly is this rehabilita- erary talents been discovered earlier | ple arent the ones whose pictures are | tion noticeatle upon the facades of d hospitals and other highly al structures, where intricate rvings and the statues of saints and patriots are 1evealed in their original whiteness and beauty, after being igno- miniously darkened with the atmos- pheric deposits of many years. All these sooty zccumulations have been washed away, and are collected in the rubbish clogging many streets. When the streets are scra and cleansed our whole city will be clothed with a fresh radiance and healthfulness. xer Mantilla and Peine Fast Disappearing in C El Mercurio, Santiago.—‘Moribus mu- tandis” with changing customs, and the ever fresh destre to discard the old and to put on the new, the mantilla and peine have disappesred almcst as com- pletely in this country as in Spain. With the modern style of hairdressing so universally adopted by women, it is no longer ible to wear the beautiful and embell hing Spanish peine (comb), for their formerly luxuriant locks, once the glory of the sex, have been shorn to comply with the exigencies of this era’s frantic activity in business and social life. As for the artistically designed and wrought mantilla, so popular in Spain and in Spanish countries throughout the centuries, this, too, is fast disappear- ing. The young women long since rele- ted it to oblivion. While a covering for the head, in conformity with the edict of the Apostle and the doctrine of the church is still an essential part of women's costume at religious services, the requirement is technically observed. at least, by the throwing of a filmy veil of lace or silk about their shorn and depleted ringlets. As for the old-fash- churches o' Heaven joned shawl, somberly black or varie- The purpose is clear, ain’ g'ineter help you to get i yohse'f.” gated with bright colors, this has no ac- A cocktafl is a strong “pick-me-up;” it | | which the writer does | giving no particular | outward indications of the gift, he may 'ful and necessary. Highlights on the Wide World Excerpts From Newspapers of Other Lands BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. do precisely what Mr. Masters has done in_this big book about Lincoln. The Illinois poet forgot, as far as our reading to date shows, that Abraham Lincoln was a politician, a_politician born. Mr. Masters criticized him for not having read the great books of his day, but read enough for his pur- poses. It seems to have escaped Mr. Mas- ters’ attention that the very factors in the man's character which he, Masters, at a long remove disapproves might ve been the very ones which helped finally to put him in the White House. * X k x Again let us point out that this is not a review, in any sense, but merely a friendly discussion of & book one- fifth read. Let us repeat again that this is 100 pages more than most writers have read, evidently, who have dis- cussed this book to date. Let us call this one-fifth of a book review, if you please, but no more. Per- haps we shall attempt the other four- fitths later. “Lincoln, the Man,” is like a cold bath. Few people like them when first they step in. Few readers will like Mr. Masters’ hymn of hate at first. But after a hundred pages or so they will begin to see what he is driving a He dislikes the memory of Lincoln and wants to prove to others, as he has proved to himself, that the mar- tyred President was no such man or hero as the world popularly believes him to have been. ok ok % It must be submitted, in all honesty, that a writer has a perfect right to take such a theme, if he wants to, and try to prove it, if he can. Some months ago another author at- tempted to do a similar thing with a great woman who left her mark on his- tory. The unprejudiced reader, at its conclusion, could not help asking him- self, “If this woman was exactly as she is here pictured, and no more, how could she have done what she did”" The only possible answer was, “Since she did it, she must have been far dif- ferent than here pictured; at least she must have had other traits and gifts which are either here omitted or mini- mized.” Mr. Masters’ treatise is refreshing to a reader who is tired of reading all the simple and unadulterated praise which goes on in the world of writing. Great men are great, but probably never ex- actly as great as they are portrayed by the writers who use “buttered” words. ‘To such unwholesome and uneritical applause “Lincoln, the Man,” is an an- tidote. Many will find it, perhaps, too bitter and wish for a little “butter,” honey, or even applesauce. WA As for us, Republican, born and bred, we are enjoying Mr. Masters' over- whelming grouch against everything Republican If what he says is truth, it is truth. If what he says is not the truth, it i not the truth. refuse to get red in the face because he does not agree with us. A reader should accept this book as cold bath, a refreshing dip in a swift and turbulent_current. 1t may do him good! Sugary laudation has its place, but caustic criticism has a place, too. Such books as “Lincoln, the Man,” are help- ceptance in the present mode. Alas, much that was picturesque and conven- tionally native has been banished with the castanet! * X x K Talkies Have Done Much To Uplift People of Ireland. Belfast Telegraph article by moving picture critic) : Recently I have read a good many attacks on the “talkies,” based on the ground that they made it too easy for people to waste time. But the people who waste time at the “talkies” would waste it scme other way if the motion picture had never been invented. In my youth idle women wasted their time gossiping over bick fences, while their equally idle husbands used to sit 2round pool rooms and livery stables to waste it. The theory that If there were no “talkies” there would be less idleness is not founded on an understanding of human nature. You do not find busy men or busy women becoming drones because, for & small price, they can spend an after- noon at a cinema. Some of them were born drones, and some of them beccme drones because they have not had the energy to keep up_with the procession. Before there were any “talkies” wom- en who did not like to bother about their household duties rushed about the neighborhood visiting other equally lazy women, and lazy men sat around blr;-ooms and shook dice or played As to the “talkies” themselves, they have done much to take people out of their dreary surroundings and show them glimpses of the whole wide world. It is little wonder that a woman, whose life has been spent cooking meals and caring for children, likes to be transported to a different world, and she is hardly to be blamed if sometimes she spends more time at a cinema than she really has to spare. ‘Whether or not this can be consid- ered time wasted is debatable. Only men and women who are so intensely interested in their work that they would rather follow it than anything else in the world are free from some guilt of this sort, and these are comparatively few. Most new amusements are viewed with alarm, but the world has not grown much worse with the arrival and vogue of many of them, and those who want to destroy themselves or their usefulness can do it very easily today: but they could do it a hundred or a thousand years ago, too, and often did. | There has never, since the world began, been any lack of opportunity to be iazy. ——————— Powder Truck at Crossing Prom the San Antonio Express. Perhaps the most striking circum- stance about the recent strange grade- crossing accident in Salt Lake City— involving a passenger train and a powder truck—was that only three per- sons were killed. The dead are the two who were in the motor vehicle and the engineer on the locomotive; the fireman was criti- cally, perhaps fatally, hurt. But the passengers in the two day coaches es- caped serious injury! ‘The physical damage was such as would be expected when a cargo of ex- plosive was set off: The truck was scat- tered all over the neighborhood; part of it was buried in the ground; one side of the big locomotive was caved in; a box car on a nearby siding was spiit open; a steel rail was cracked down the center: windows were shat- tered for two blocks around. Certainly material of such potentially destructive force should be handled carefully. It may be questioned whether such a load should be per- mitted on the streets at all; but at least it might be restricted to hours of comparatively light traffic. And every such cargo should carry a conspicuous red banner indicating its dangerous Dature. Perhaps the driver was observing the regulations—which were insufficient to avert disaster. However, he must have known he was approaching railroad tracks; and carrying so hazardous a load, he should have taken unusual precautions before venturing across. If the driver of a powder truck can- not be trusted to stop at a grade cross- ing and see thag.the way is clear, whe can be so trusted? (excerpts from | EBRUARY 24, 1931. NEW BOOKS AT RANDOM 1. G. M. ‘WEAVES AND DRAPERIES: Class! and Modern. Helen Churchill Can- dee. Prederick A. Stokes Co. Climate started it. An equable heat by day and night, long seasons through, the earth around, n:: much of the great accomplishment to be seen on every hand would hardly have been . Man, by and large, w&reh only under whip of one sort or other. ‘Those earliest folk, nipped ing frost and chilled by nightfall dew, grew contri for ways and means of bodily fort. It was, maybe, a wayside web woven by some instinc- tively mechanic insect that threw a hint’ their way. Or, maybe, the clithb- ing interlaced liana mats set them a pattern. Or, some other ingenuity of vegetable or animal that suggested long plant fibers close-laid side by side, stretched taut and held fast at the ends, while across this surface other fibers were threaded, “one over, one ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. ‘The answers to questions printed here each day are specimens picked from e handled the mass of inquiries by our great Information Bureau maintained in Washington, D. C. This valuable hmhm:rfumol&nwmk. any to know and you will get an immediate reply. Write plainly, inclose 2 cents in coin or stamps for return postage and address The Evening Star Informa- tion Bureau, Prederic J. di- rector, Washington, D. C. . Does & broadcasting company have a course in correct speech for its announcers?—A. B. F. A. Both the National Broadcasting Co. and the Columbia Broadcasting Co. maintain & course of instruction for ir announcers in their New York City studios. Q. How did boxing attain its sudden ularity?—A. B. WFL It L«m lar in 1917, when its directors under,” the length of the foundation | ¢ made ready to recelve and hold them. Finished, here was a cover against the cold, or & screen hung sagainst flerce sun or slanting rain. And so, in some such rude fashion, priceless rugs and tapestries began. That primitive gesture toward bodily comfort became the forerunner of a long pag- eant of splendor. Fabrics of every de- sign and use—tapestries, silks, velvets, brocades and damasks—go back to an origin not much above the one so crudely sketched. These march yith civilization from East to West acl the continents of the Old World, ex- emplifying one of the high arts of civilization in its various stages of advance. Those far beginnings held the seed of the huge textile industry of the present. Held, also, the substance of genuine art whose sheer beauty con- tributed along its way to the pomp and circumstance of royal living, to the high ceremonials of religious ritual. All gone, that great day of woven art. Only in museums and galleries and in the personal possession of individual col- lectors may fragments and relics of this patiently fabricated art be found. An interesting story lies in the be- ginning of many a familiar object. Light, heat, wood-eraft, metal-work and innumerable other commonplaces read like invention when traced back to origin and advance and arrival into the utilities of the present, Marvelous tales, these, in possibility. Here is one of them. A chapter of industrial history, useful and beautiful. Mrs. Candee, with the narrator's gift and the adventurer's spirit, jumps off, 50 to speak, straight from the reader's side into far and deep places of this absorbing theme. After a brief begin- ning with “originals and copies” the pursuil becomes wide as the art itself in its advance toward the present. And 80, under an expert guide, we go roam- ing wherever the art of weaving calls by virtue of its superior excellence or beauty, by virtue also of progress made in the mechanics of production. In Europe it is Spain that stands out through the weaving of silks and cloth- of-gold by way of the conquest of that country by the Moslem, who, in a bfend of Coptic and Moorish weavings, greatly enriched the defeated country. Periods as well as nations provide this writer with points of departure. The effect of the Renaissance, earlier and later, upon the seemingly inborn discrimination of the French comes out here in descrip- tions of the particular textiles and de- signs that set off the French national style from the development that took place under Louis XV and again under the revolution and so on. Changing political patterns appear to have gone as deep as the draperies and tapestries of each succeeding regime. France ab- sorbs much of this consideration. It would, by right. Interesting minor points stand all along the way of this study. Here is one: Mrs. Candee points upon the con- sistency existing between the dress of any period and the furnishings of the house itself. When dress is voluminous, ruffied and gathered and bunched, then curtains and bed furnishings and drap- eres of every sort conform to the gen- eral bounty of fabric and design. Proof, as the author points, exists in our own time when both attire and house drap- eries are scant, straight, short. Inter- esting, such rather unusual consistency of mode and manner. Coming up along this delightful path of history, the au- thor gives brief summary of modern textiles, in material, quality, source of design and decoration, the fitting uses of different classes of these. Mass pro- duction has taken the place of the old limited output, has taken the place of much of the clear artistry of early weavings. Yet, this author is no growl- er against the present, no mourner over a glorious past. Much of good and more of promise exists in this particular day of generally quantitative aim and end, with its often scant care for quali- tative effects. A book useful for study, interesting to read and of prime importance in helping toward a sense of fitness and harmony, of consistency and proportion in selections and arrangements for the modern home itself. Of prime impor- tance are the illustrations of this book, covering every period important to the fabrication of textiles, picturing com- mon uses of the various weaves and strange uses as well. Chinese and Per- sian prints, Coptic ornaments, Syrian silks, Persian damasks and velvets and many other illustrations serve, taken | together. as a pictorial world-wide his- tory upon the development of this art. | A book bound to breed enthusiastic ac- ceptance. ik THE CREATION OF A HOME. Emily Newell Blair. Farrar & Rinehart. A modern woman, a writer, politicall minded and public spirited, hpe?‘e mkei‘ up the important business of “creating a home” with her own daughter, under the impression, no doubt, that most good things should start as close by as this is possible. | A thoroughly practical, sound, com- mon-sense, plain-speaking document is the one here offered by a mother to her daughter. Yet, reading merely the le of contents, one wonders just how | much of this useful disclosure is likely | to lodge in the mind, or heart, of girl- hood. Merely a way of saying that the | business looks formidable. Not any shadow of intent to take away the au- thor's clear mission of general well- doing. To create a home there must be a sense of proportion and a scale of measurement. Purpose and plan to | fit, an agreement involving income, so- | clal implications and other public or quasi-public obligations. Then to se- lect the spot, ltself where this creation | is to become fact. The furniture, har- monious and fitted all of it to manner ot life adopted by the young people, or imposed upon them. " Character and | temperament, those elusive fugitive ele- | ments, come in for discussion, for some- thing like an otdl!l'lngl of their aptitudes and attitudes. The home habits—most pestiferous topic—and one that Sounds all right here under the pen of this wise and competent manager of affairs. But—Ilet it go. She is right, no doubt. Millions of us are wrong, clearly. And let us make a note of this: That the author leaves nothing unconsidered. A more thoroughgoing, comprehensive treatment of every possible phase' of home-making is treated here definitely and completely. Toward the end of this big book of matters both minute and expansive there comes a chapter on “Housework a Congenial Job.” Not half so much of a challenge as the words themselves suggest. Rather is it a detailed pro- gram for not following the laborious methods of the mothers and grand- mothers of the day. Rather is it, by intent at least, an incitement to make housekeeping something of a profes- sion, with needs and budgets expertly fitted to each other, with due respect for every sort of modern contrivance to lessen labor, on the one hand, and, porta trained men quickly for rigorous soldier ife. Q. How old is Rudolph Priml?—F. R. A. He is 49 years old. He was born in Prague, Bohemia. Q. Why are snowflakes of different sizes?—L. R. A. sm’x"h consists w(:{ l;nnufnmvhm stals. e Crysf of wal are gr!yx 1 , and water in the crystalline state in the atmosphere shows all the various shapes that this form of crystallization can take. Hav- ing once started, the crystals may grow either along their central axis, giving rise to long, thin prisms, or plong their six axes to form hexagonal plates. Sometimes the growth is uniform, but at others the growth along the axes is more rapid than in the space between. This gives rise to star-s 1s. In cold regions the crystals are small, because there is little water vapor pres- ent from which they can grow. When crystals form at a temperature near the freezing point, they grow to their larg- est size. When the air is full of large crystals, collisions may take place, so that they become interlocked. Q. Please give a biography of the man who wrote the letter to ‘“Dear Virginia” in answer to the question “Is there a Santa Claus”?—K. 8. . Francis Pharcellus Church, the author of the famous letter, was born in Rochester, N. Y., February 22, 1839, and died there April 11, 1906. He was graduated with honor from Columbia College in 1859. He began the study of law, but put it aside to write. He was editor of the Galaxy Magazine and with his brother managed the Army and Navy Journal. Some of his finest work was done for the New York Sun, in which the Santa Claus letter appeared. Q. What is the urban population of the United States?—L. L. A. According to 1930 census. it is 68.954,823. The rural population is 53,820,223, Q. How did Decoration day become established?—F. O. L. A. Before the close of the Civil War May 30 was ol in several sections of the Southern States in honor of the soldiers killed in that war. In the North there was no fixed celebration un- til 1868, when on May 5 Commander in Chief John A. an of the Grand Army of the Republic issued a general order designating May 30, 1868, “for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorlundxe the graves of com- rades who died in defense of their coun- try during the late rebellion.” By 1910 it 'was a legal holiday in all States and Territories save Alabama, Alaska, Discussion President Hoover’s personal experi- ence with bureaucratic government ac- tivities is recognized in the general discussion of his advocacy of State rights in his speech on Lincoln day. There is much commendation of his lea for a return to old principles and Ris® attack on paternalism. Changes in scope of problems to be met, how- ever, are viewed as raising some doubts as to the boundary line between na- tional and State duties. “The conduct of Democracy at l.hg short session of Congress this Winter,’ says the Roanoke World-News, “where every principle has been sacrificed to the greed to secure Federal appropria- tions, seems to have thrown away & campaign jssue on which the party might at this time go before the coun- try. Instead of building a construc- tive platform, based on State rights and home rule, the party that once stood for those principles stands with outstretched palm at the door of the Pederal Treasury, while leaders of Re- publican thought, including the Presi- dent and former President, sicken of the monopolistic trends of their own party and, while adhering to its rec- ord of special favors through unfair tariffs, seek to gather into the party that has always stood for centraliza- tion those who are becoming alarmed at the extent to which that very con- dition now obtains.” “An evil of the centralization of authority,” in the opinion of the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, “as Mr. Hoover points out, is the limitation which it places upon the liberty of the indi- vidual and the resultant restriction of individual opportunities, both charac- ter-weakening tendencies. This ap- proach must lead us to the conclusion that, inasmuch as the true growth of the Republic is commensurate with the growth of character in its indi- vidual citizens, then to weaken or re- tard the development of character by depriving it of the opportunity for initiative action and the exercise of liberty is obviously a blow at the Re- public’s basic a:ruftu‘u.: “For two years President Hoover has been in a position to determine the ef- fect of centralized government upon the people as a whole. He is drawing upon personal experience for his warn- ing,” according to the ‘ham| News-Gazette, which concludes: “His warning should be taken to heart. The individu:! must realize his duty toward government. He must realize that com- munity government is for the benefit of society and that larger political di- visions are merely for the purpose of binding together the' smaller oups. The larger division should not ex- pected to perform service that the com- munity government can perform. The National Government is to bind the States together—not to solve the prob- lems of the individual States. The State binds ether the counties and the counties bind together the town- ships. Each should take care of its own problems and not é}lfln them on to be solved by another division.” “His sound and sane remarks apply with great force to a great many steps in paternalism, contemplated or already taken,” declares the Columbus Ohlo State 'Journal, while the Oklahoma City Oklahoman remarks that “Mr. Hoover has learned that governing and suj porting are two incompatible things, high mission. Yet, a daunting book, after all. Mind you! I'm not finding kansas, Georgla, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas. In Virginia May 30 is observed as Confederate Memorial day. June 3 is observed as Confederate Memorial day in Louisiana and Ten- nessee; April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi; May 10 in North Carolina and South Carolina. Q. How many of Count Tolstol's children survived him?—M. D. A. At the time of the distribution of his property nine children were living. They were Scrt , Grineka, ya, Masha, Lyova, Andryusha, Sasha and Vani Q. What percentage of the originally ?hnted agricultural crop is a complete allure due to adverse conditions, such as extreme wet, extreme dry or storms?—W. W. A. Formal estimates of abandonment are made by the Department of Agri- culture for only two crops—Winter wheat, for which the 10-year average abandonment has been 12.1 per cent, equivalent to 5,245,000 acres per year; cotton, for which the 10-year average estimated abandonment has been 3.4 per cent, equivalent to 1,430,000 acres per year. Average abandonment for remaining crops probably does not ex- ceed an average of 1.5 per cent a year, which would be equivalent to approxi- mately 4,300,000 acres. Q. Who owns the home of James Monroe near Monticello?—S. P. A. The James Monroe home, near Charlottesville, Va., is owned by Jay W. Johns. The house is known as Ash- lawn. Q. Are owls biind in the daytime?— V. M. A. Owls can see in the daytime, but not so well as at night. They are noc- turnal birds, and their eyes are adapted for seeing in the dark. Therefore the bright light of day partially them. Q. Why 15 oclock spelled with an he?—C. G. R. k 'he apostrophe represents the omission of letters. “O’clock” is & con- traction of the words “of the clock. Q. What three Bmunu‘les now have the t gold?>—F. B. mo:. ’ls'he United States has a fl stock of $1,141,421,000 and France - State k of $1,253,500,000 - d ,000. lu’x‘l'wm'e are the three countries in the world that have the largest amounts in their possession. Q When was the Associated Press formed?—P. D. A. The Associated Press is a ative organization formed to news for the daily papers. Even before the Civil War the New York newspa- rs realized that each was paying fr[e sums of money for news that was accessible to all. ~Accordingly, pro- vision was made for a m&mnc’ which acted as a sort of cl house ve to all agency) r- other s (members of any ng'.vgfl(;ha! it might receive. This formed the nucleus for the or- ganization known as the New York Associated Press. In 1865 the Western pers incorporated thetr agency, known : the Western Auoclw:' Press, and there were several minor associations which formed a general alliance cen- tered in the New York association. In 1892 a stock association was formed, and in 1900 this was changed to & mu- 1 association. Q. ing woman character in “What Every Woman Knows" 3 A. Maggle Wylie to her mar- riage, Sha terward. Hoover Address Stirs New of State Rights and the Rock Island argues: "It is significant that sue warning should emanate from one who is cer- tainly better informed than most peo- ple in regard to the operation of the Federal bureaucratic system. 'n he declares that the Federal power, in- trusted with too many functions, threat- ens the whole system of local govern- ment, the Nation should give serious heed to his warning.” Hope that his speech is evidence of “a determined swing back to his former convictions that the people should make themselves independent of Federal aids and subsidies” is expressed by the At- lanta Constitution. The Bl n Pantagraph agrees that he “sounded a sensible note,” while holding that “the liquor traffic regulation is in a class by itself, and it was in relation to other matters of many kinds that the Presi- dent advised less, rather than more, Federal meddling. ‘The Savannah Morning News is convinced that his “fear of a superstate is one that ought to be present in every American's mind.” * ok kX Raising a query as to the ultimate result of the adoption of the policy set forth by President Hoover, the Fort Worth Record-Telegram comments: “The Constitution defined the author- ity of the Federal Government and then retained as States’ rights the tenth paragraph of the Bill of Rights, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are re- served to the States, respectively, or to the people. The great American ques- tion is, what are those powers and how are those already usurped going to be regained by the States? The growth of industrial and transportational re- lations takes away all resemblance to the States and their populations as they appeared to the lawmakers who wrote the Bill of Rights into the Con- stitution. The Civil War changed the complexion of most of the political interpretation of States’ rights. Prog- ress in education, finance, communi- cation and productivity has wreaked its havoc with the intent of the Gov- ernment entertained by the founders. The 48 States might well raise their voices in unison and ask, ‘What are those burdens we are expected to as- sume?" " “It is always a practical question,” urges the Des Moines Tribune-Capi- tal, “as to how far we can invoke general principles, sanctified by tradi- tion, in new circumstances. How far ‘States’ rights’ can be pressed in 1931 is such a question. Our present trou- bles, we have learned, resulted, -in Ly from overproduction in certain lines and from the failure of private enter- prise to adjust production to consump- tion. Already the Government has made a few efforts to aid in the stabilizing of production. * * * The President’s warning against drifting into a paternalistic type of govern- ment is timely enough. Perhaps that is the thing that most needs empha sizing. But it should not be lookea upon as all that needs to be thought about. The President himself made his real appeal for work, not for utter- ing shibboleths and calling it a day. Vindicating our ‘old principles’ must be by accomplishments.” Quoting a part of the speech which leads to a statement that divesting of local government responsibilities lays “the foundation for the destruction of liberty,” the Memphis Commercial Ap- peal continues: “It needs no inter- the least fault with it. On the con- trary, I've often wondered when, if ever, there would come a sense that a home is, after all, a place of business, of honest contract, of fair business deal- ings, of general competency on the practical side. Yet, against such mild opinion there rises a storm of protest. Here is a sacrosanct institution. I grant #t and the theory. But whag common- sej business effi- on the other, to enamel such toil as positively must be done with the shin- ing surface of making believe that it is great fun. en together this is a most inter- esting book, of stralght business and ciency can do to imper seem to think, is a my: Mss. Blair does just this long enough, and often en maybe —well, just amaybe. It is &, theme. Ne: sunning and ity good , t0o. preter of these words for any reader to realize that they refer directly to conditions pre: h stricken regions. It presidential contention that these regions should bear the responsibilities and obligations of the situation that has been forced upon them, despite the fact that the forcing was a ju tion of nature over which they had no control. This position of the President has seemed unfair, contradictory and even cruel when it is taken in con- nection with his anxiety on other oc- casions to furnish food to peoples of 1¢ other countries visited either mi" drought, earthquake or Ufllll! e