Evening Star Newspaper, April 4, 1931, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR ‘With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. SATURDAY........April 4, 1831 THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave New York Office: 110 East 420d 8t Chicago Oftice: Lake Michigan Build] European Office: 14 Regent. . Londo nglan Rate by Carrier Within the City. Jhe Evenine Btar, ... 45¢ per month he Evening and Sinday (when 4 Sundays) .. 60c per month The Evening and Sunday Star (when 5 Sundays) ..........65¢ per month The Sunday Star . .. Sc_per copy Collection made at the end of each month Orders may be sent in by mail or telephone NAtional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. ily und S ..1yr., $10.00: 1 mo.. 85¢ a7 snf sundar. o} 7 HeES: | me: e Bunday only . 1¥r., $4.00: 1 mo., 40c All Other States and Canada. Daily and Sunday...1yr. $12.00: 1mo.. § Datly only .. 1yr. $8.00; 1 me Hunday only 1yr ; Member of the Associated Press. The Assoctated Press is exclusively ertitled to lse for republication of all news dis- a Credited to it or not otherwise cred- Red ' This paver and published herein. Allr 50 ‘the local news Fpecini dispatches Lerein are also reserved 1.00 75¢ ts of pubiication of Coal Weights and Rates. ‘When is & ton not a ton? That ques- tion is now before the District Commis- sioners in the matter of the announce- ment of coal dealers of the Capital that hereafter all shippers of cocal to the District of Columbia will sell on a 2,000~ pound basis instead of the statutory basis of 2.240 pounds, and that the re- tailers of fuel will discontinue the gross ton and will adopt the “short ton” unit. although the word “ton” is not used. This change, it is announced, will be accompanied by reductions in prices. The intimation is that the lower rate will more than compensate the con- sumer for the smaller tonnage. The law is explicit on this matter of coal vending in the District. It specifies that “coal shall be sold by the long ton, consisting of 2,240 pounds avolrdupois.” An effort was made some time 8go by the coal dealers to secure an amend- ment of the law, permitting the estab- lishment of the short-ton basis for fuel. This failed, and the law stands now as it has stood for years. 1f the law requires that coal be sold by the long ton of 2.240 pounds it is difficult to see how the vendors can by their own initiative establish the short- ton basis. A “ton of coal” is 2240 pounds. Anything less than that is short weight. It is not material whether the price be lowered with the pound- age. The law does not. specify price. It gpecifies weight. If the “ton” can be reduced from 2,240 pounds to 2,000 pounds, by dictum of the wholesalers, repeated by the retailers, it can be brought down to 1,800 pounds, to 1,500 pounds. If coal were sold by the hundred| pounds. instead of by the “ton” there would be no question. But universally and from time immemorial the ton has been the selling unit, and the ton has been the “long ton” of 2,240 pounds. The householder orders his coal by the ton, celculates his season’s use by the ton and estimates his expense by that unit. To offer him now the short ton is to confuse his calculations, to re- quire him to amend his estimates. The vital question after all is not the technical definition of & ton but the cost of fuel to the consumer. It may be that the scale announced will give the user more coal for his doliar than the former scale of weight and price. But the suspicion not unnaturally arises that when the short-ton basis is once established—if that is permitted—the price may be advanced, perhaps back to the point at which the long-ton coal was sold previously. So there is more than a question of terminology in this proposed change in | the meaning of the word “ton.” The District Commissioners, charged with the enforcement of the law, will prob- ably take the view that whatever the rates may be the statutory definition cannot be amended by the coal pro- ducers and the coal dealers. e New York has a great deal on hand §n the way of local investigation. Tma“ does not prevent some .of its citizens| from being generously willing to offer advice as to how the affairs of the Na- tion ought to be conducted. Z —r—e— | interpose further obje tingulshes the city from many another, the combination is an ideal one, not only from the standpoint of education, but from that of sight-seeing as well. While the boys and girls may be tempted to feel that their visits are pure play, they are at the same time receiving & visual education in citizen- ship. Washingtonians greet them, and wish them joy of their happy days. D Another Rate Fight? The Potomac Electric Power Co. leaves to the Public Utilities Commis- sion one alternative to embarking upon an immiediate rate reduction fight. As nobody knows where such a fight would end, it is well worth considering. The company, in its letter to the Pub- lic Utilittes Commission, undertakes to show u decline in net revenues in Janu- ary and February of 1931, as compared to the same months of the preceding year, despite a reduction this year in operating costs. Should the decline con- tinue throughout the year the profits for 1931 would be cut below the profits for 1930, which the commission has ad- Judged excessive. The alternative sug- gosted by the company is to wait until the trend of business for this year shows effect upon net profits. If the commission does not thus to delay its next steps, it has al- ready outlined what such steps may be. One possibility is that the commission might proceed on its own initiative to order a reduction in rates. This would abrogate the consent decrce, provided the courts upheld the commission's right to depart in this manner from the terms of the decree. But the com- mission has no fight with the principle of adjusting rates through the instru- mentality of the consent decree. It has indicated no desire to scrap the decree. And it should think a long time before doing it. Another possibility is that the com- mission might prepare for future action by ordering a revaluation of the power company properties. The only drawback to such a move is the fact that the commission is already burdened with the revaluation of the car lines. And if such proceedings are arranged ac- cording to priority of need, the gas company should certainly come next on the list. ‘The third move is to go into court to seek a modification of the consent decree. The success of this move would depend &t the outset upon the court’s opinion ‘as to Whether the decree could be modified without the consent of the other party to the agreement, and after arguments on the merits of the com- mission’s plea. If it could beé, the commission would have to convince the court that the company's earnings above a certain margin of profit are in fact “excessive” and that greater rate re- choose consent decree are due the public. If the natural ebb and flow of busi- ness reduces. the. company's profits this vear below & margin adjudged by the commission as excessive, the commis- ston will not go into court with the prospect of immediately reducing rates below what they now are. Its sole pur- [ pose will be 5o to modify the decree that | {in future “fav | more generous division of “excessive years, sure to follow, a profits—demonstraied as possible un- der the present ¢ cree—will be made with the public by further rate reduc- tions. It present: earnings and rates are not to be touched, the company should not fons to gam- bling on its future prosperity. If does, and " Insists “upon regarding the existing terms of the decree as fixe and unalterable, the commission will be left with no other recourse than to seck able in the interest of the - ——— “Demand” Traffic Lights. Interesting experiments are being conducted by the Traffic Bureau at isolated points with the “cem: vpe of signal. At Connecticut avenue end public. | Albemarle street tests were made with | the newly developed light which at the pressure of a button by & pedestrian or the crossing of a plate in the road by an automobile will cz e signal to change, and new it is announced that similar experiments be conducted at the busy intersection of Massachu- setts and Wisconsin avenues an; Bureau to A spirit of Christian humility is 8p-| propriate to Easter and many are will- | ing to remain personally unassertive while permitting the dressmakers 0| clalm the greatest admiration. | is misleading. The human w haunting Managua, 1ook- are reminders that, in spite sts and poets, there is nothing nely picturesque about & bandit - The Spring Invasion. The good drive on Washington has begun v year about this time, and Spring the city is happy because of it. From all over the United States v Capital at this season. Washington has come to look for them, and to greet them their numbers are thou- sands ng school boy faces, jed with an intense interest and sparkling with the zest of the real sightseer. They come by railroad and mutomobile and they come from every State in the Union from and South they come, and from 'ar West and nearby Eastern Romar vuitures ing for of no 1 each the T see this year a Washington in tran The great building projects which are afoot have only been com- menced, but the beginning is & worthy one, and will give any visitor an idea of what the Washington of the future will be. The background of the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Mall, the parks throughout the c the wide avenues and the many and varied historical exhibits, serve to bring home to these visitors the essential greatness of Washington as the heart of the Nation. Just as every citizen of the world is said to have two homes, his own city and Paris, 5o every American has his own home town and Washington,’ for the National Capital is, in a peculiar sense, the property of every man, wom- an and cbfld in the Nation. It is fitting that the youth of the land, in par- ticular, should have this annual op- portunity of visiting here, and .of in. specting the work of the Federal Gov ernment at first hand. When it can be ecombined, as at this season of the year, ors flock to the National( and girl| Along the trails | It is well for the Trafic 20 into all phases of aut Only by doing this w Capital be able to t the latest developme: perplexing problem pedestrian regulation. The u demand” signals, however limited and there are probably few points in control. ts of in motorist the ever- and strictly a is only cordingly, lowly in i installing such {in making its present | every angle of the situation | studted, the trafic office is w the best interests of the comm 2 PR, Thanks to racketeers, the only ket that of late has remained and reliable the n t that ! supplied equipment for gunmen. A bootlegger who uses a smoke screen is bad. One who uses a distress signal at seg to call off the Coast Guard is worse. mar- steady is has Publicity Seekers. ©f course there have been tree-sit- ters, marathon dancers and other | equaily useless publicity stunts, but for sheer time- g fut . to attract attention, t the young Philadelphian who, on a bet, | 15 trying to play golf with Bobby Jones land John D. Rockefeller, sr, ride | horseback with the Prince of Wales and | dine with President Hoover within the | - | space cf a year. Alt he has only | recently started out on the trip to wirl his bet to prove that “a man can do any- ! thing 1f he has sufficient presence, good | manners, certain ingenuity and an in- difference to Tebufl,” this ambitious youth claims that he has already ful- filled one of the terms of his contract by “dining” with the President when he managed to secure ag invitation to 2 large banquet at which Mr. Hoover was the honor guest Advices from Florida tell of his first rebuff; but inasmuch as he is attempt~ ing to show that “indifference to re- buff” is an admirable attribute, he prob- bly is not very much worried. Five times he has asked Mr. Rockefeller to ductions than those resulting from the | d | atfonal | of the | in an effort | the case of | THE EVENING STAR, played on the same golf course as Mr. Rockefeller, and if dining with the President can be streiched to cover dinner in the same hotel, then he has succeeded in winning the first two events on his program. Certainly the publicity seekers of these days adopt strange means. They may get the publicity, but it is diffi- cult to see where it will add to their self-esteem. The world’s plaudits are seldom won by time-wasters and notoriety seekers. ——— Honoring a Hero. In issuing an invitation to young Bryan Untiedt of Towner, Colo. to spend a night with him at the White House, President Hoover is recognizing heroism in a most gracious manner. For Bryan is a hero, if there ever was one. Trapped in a achool bus in a raging blizzard with other children and placed in command by the driver, who vainly started for aid, Bryan met the situation with = resourcefulness | that is more often found in an adult { than in a thirteen-year-old boy. Know- {ing that to permit himself or his charges to go to sleep—the sleep that is so alluring when death stalks in freezing air—Bryan struggled manfully to invent games for the little band For more than thirty-six hours he kept up his vigil, finally sacrificing his own | clothes in an endeavor to ward off the black specter from others. The driver, Carl Miller, died in seek- {ing aid, but Bryan did not know this. All he knew was that he must per- form & superhuman feat if any of the children were to be saved. Nor did he falter in his appointed task as, one by one, five of his charges succumbed |to the tempting sleep of a freezing |death. He carried on with the others despite the agonies he was suffering, and when help finally arrived, said to his father: “I'm all right, dad. I knew you'd get here. Take the other kids first. I can make it all right.” So it Is a singularly happy thought on the part of the President to honor such & lad. Bryan is still in the hos- pital suffering from his injuries and will not be able to leave for some ten days or more, but it seems assured that |the invitation from the White House | will speed his recovery. And in later years he can look back with pleasure on his visit with the President. Mr. Hoover, in a most kindly way, is in- deed giving & life-long thrill to & boy who hes won the admiration of the Na- !tion by & superlative act of heroism. — b A magazine trust is now regarded as a literary possibility. Periodicals are already so much alike that the patient | reader will derive little satisfaction from | the idea of seeing them all standardized ! under one management. — | | | { | | reveal much that is to be avoided by | modern civilization. A Roman festivity wealth should refrain from financing. o Precise causes of ryrplane accidents | are not eastly determined. Flying could | more easily be made entirely safe if & shing machine did not conceal the | reasons for the disaster. ————————— Ideas of barring rich men from active | participation in politics are mot easily | put into effect. Politics is a complicated | game, often requiring the deliberation which only wealth can permit. Studles of the glories of ancient Rome | | was frequently an example of what great | WASHINGTON, D. C, SATURDAY, THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. ‘Windows! Man spends a great deal of his time looking through windows. From infancy to old age, glass is often between him and the great outdoors. ‘Those who are observant will notice children peering over windowsills. Rid- ing around town, the observant will see fair heads just clearing the sills, and will note blue or brown eyes gazing out so_intently. The sight will take them back many years to their own childhoods when they were tiny and had to stand on | very tiptoe In order to see out at all. * %k What do the little ones actually see as they peer out at the passing world? One searches in vain his own memory. It is reasonably sure, however, that children are_interested in moving ob- Jects, into which classification fall hu- man beings, the few horses that are left, automobiles, busses, etc. The children of yesteryear were per- haps better provided with gazing mate- rial, for then the street piano man and the organ grinder were very much in evidence. “The latter, too, his falthful monke would climb to a ond-story window where a small tow-head showed. Occasionally there was & bear, led around the streets by its trainer. oo These were some of the things seen by the children of the old days as they stood on tiptoe in front of the home windows and looked out into the streets of Washington. To all city children of all days the streets remain, to be looked at through windows for some eight months of the year. It is only when one does the aston- ishingly natural feat called growing up that he begins to look through windows in_earnest. Then he begins to realize their im- portance in the scheme of life. He thinks back over civilization and real- izes that man's progress almost may be marked by his window: In the earllest days, both of the civi- lization of the race and the progress of any country, the houses were neces- sarily crude affairs, often without any windows at all. Even the great castles of the Middle Ages had windows few and far between, in s literal as well as a figurative sense Glazing was unknown, except with thin &kins, The pioneer log cabins of America were almost without windows. Window lass had but recently come into use, nd it is said that such windows as the cabins possessed often were fitted with ofled paper. In communities where Indian forays were a matter of alinost daily occurrence it can be realized that few persons would put their trust in window glass. o ox o Glassed windows, then, are a true mark of civilization, not only because they bespeak a love for beauty and sor understanding of hygiene, but also cause they mark a falr degree of safety from lawless forces. ‘There is nothing more fragile than glass in a sense, 50 that its large use throughout civilization is & testimony both night and day to the vast mass of good intenticns and normal as accompanied by which sometimes ulation, of a century has been toward more and more windows, so that many homes may be said to have their outer walls com- posed almost entirely of wingows. This type of construction is seen not only in seaside and mountain resorts but occurs in many city dwellings. The same observant person who, riding along in private or public vehicle, has the time (and ability) to see the heads of little children poked over the sills v be interested also in these much-win- dowed dwellings. ‘Especially in the suburbs many homes of this character will be discovered leading the observer to wonder about | e Old customs are in many instances | picturesque and admirable. The feud which continues to reappear among mountaineers is not that kind of cus- tom. | e American aviators are forbidden to { those modifications that under certain!gy oier Russia, The Boviet desires rec- | circumstances would be deemed desir-| og ognition, but not inspection from above. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Habit. “Never again!” were the words we sald When the New Year sun shone over- head. Only a quarter of a year, And the same old foibles again appear. We remark, for reasons we can't ex- plain, “Alas, Old World, we're at it againl” Never again” would we theorize And seek iIn politics to seem wise. Never again” would we take a chance On the mystical methods of high finance. We now admit with & sense of pain, ‘Alas, Old World, we're at it again!” ‘Never again” we s0 often say, But the way we start is the way we stay We follow the fashions, as they change, In speech or raiment, polite or strange. We're a bit surprised, but we can't complain— ‘Alas, Old World, we're at it againl” Activity Postponed. “Do you expect to go to Heaven?” asked the very serious friend. “Yes” replied Senator Sorghum. “But at present T am not planning any active campaign in that direction. It's about all 1 can manage, to keep on going to the U. S. Senate.” Jud Tunkins says one way to handle unemployment s to get yourself a plitical job an’ be paid for doin’ nothin".” | Fascination of the Unique. So many “beauty prizes” grace The present annals of the fair, A homely girl around the place Would have a charm as something rare Studies in Fame. “Can your small daughter name the Presidents of the United States?” “She wouldn't even try. She sald she was not interested. None of them were ever movie actors.” | f-distrust,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “is a dangerous falling | since it seems to base on intimate in- formation a warning to others to with- hold confidence.” “High-Hatting.” When I was an unlearned lad, And discipline had made me sad, The dunce cap proved—it soothed my gloom— ‘The Highest Hat in all the room! “It's better to use de longest words you knows when you gits excited,” said Uncle Eben. “Makin’ sure 'bout de with the freshness of air which dis- he been refused, Of course, he has temper to cool down.” Oklahoma’s Ex Much national Interest has been around by the action of Gov. Wil- llam H. Murray of Oklahoma when he paroled three men recently with the re- quirement that they leave the State Prctests are made that this is hard on the other commonwealths of the Union althougi it is conceded by some editors that it is in accordance with a practice which has been known in the past *As & matter of fact,” says the Cles land News, “he is merely following in the open & custom that has been wide- spread in this country, if kept some- what under cover, for years. The prac- tice of running paroled convicts out of the State which has been unfortunate encugh to be their host is common The old exile idea of the Romans and later of the French and English has had many exponents in later vears. One of the by-products of the Baumes laws is driving the two or three time offender out of the State which has these laws and into another which has edent in a situation such as this. It would appear that the concern for his almost conventional behavior in respect to the paroles was not without definite motive. Politics in Oklahoma have been seething for years. No man's political life has been safe in the State which once saw machine guns trained on th State Legislature. ‘Alfalfa Bill' appe: to be the latest victim of the St s political cabals, His forthrightness and utter absence of sham makes him all the more vulnerable to plotters.” “This system stirs recollectiors cording to the South Bend Tribun ac- , “of trates kept local crime at a minimum by escorting or ordering escorted to the town limits all suspicious strangers. It was dubious procedure, for it was either invasion of private rights or evasion of duty. But no great harm was done for the reason that the perscns ‘run out of town' were not necessarily people who intended to commit crimes in that town or any other. With convicts it is dif- ferent. * * * Gov. Murray evidently reasons that the convicts to whom he is granting paroles are too good to stay in prison and too bad to stay in Okla- homa. Citizens of other States will reason that if the convicts are too dangerous for liberty in Oklahoma the: ought to be kept in Oklahoma prisons. A «1f Oklahoma had the hoof-and- mouth disease or the San Jose scale” argues the Chicago Tribune, “it would be put under an embargo. and if among citizens departing from ghe State there is reason to suspect that there are ex- pelled convicts required to practice else- Where & quarantine would be the rea- sonable protection &t the border. Okla- homa’s neighbors are not in need of such imports. It would not make a Qesirable state of affairs in the Union to put up barriers against a sovereign State and coop its citizens within for the protection of others. bt Mr. Murray should perceive that this would be quite 4justified if he insists that other States shall take care of Oklahoma's crim- inals.” “A vicious way of attacking crime, since it unloads criminals on other communities,” declares the Baltimore Sun, while the Roanoke News com- ments: “How would Gov. Murray and his fellow Oklahomans like for their State to be used es a dumping-ground for the undesirables of Arkansas, Texas New Mexico and other nearby States Their roars of angry protest would re- sound throughout the Southwest. Yet to send | ‘homa as deeds which guide the bulk of the pop- | The tendency during the last quarter | Unwelcome not. ‘Alfalfa Bill' can hardly set a prec- | the days when police forces and megis- | there is just as much reason for Texas ts criminals into exile in Okla- From the here is for the Governor of play golf with him and five times has perzack meanin’ may give time foh yoh Okllhoml‘w adopt r- measure which} the expense of curtaining them and the labor of keeping them properly washed. P What looks barer than an uncur- tained window? The old Washington custom of taking down all hanging curtains for the Sum- mer is happily going out of style. Today one sees many homes with windows properly curtained the year around. This necessity arises because mankind has gotten over the novelty of the use of glass for this purpose. There are few things more naked, as sere, than a sheet of window glass. e put_intd its frame, and puttied there, it loses its individual character | and becomes an integral part of the | opening called a window. | "Even if the glass be flawless and of the better sort which possesses a sheen and glitter all its own, it will not of itself be regarded as a thing of beauty. Its object in the world is mainly util- itarfan, to permit the householder to | look out, in the first place, and to admit | light | 'These are the two great uses of win- | dow glass. Such esthetic pleasures as | come from it are to be derived from its combination_with curtaining material nd the resulting harmony of the group- |ing with the architectural beauty of | the house and the room. . ox o Forward-looking engineers now tend to believe that the day will come when windows as_institutions may be abol- | ished altogether, or partly, at any rate. | They believe that better ventilation may be secured from interior “weather-mak- |ing" devices which will deliver washed and cleaned air, and tbat sunlight may be secured irom the use of ultra-violet lamps. | Such windows as will be permitted to remain will be permanently closed, and thus will have but one use—that of per- | mitting those inside to lock out. It is probable that only extremists will dis- pense with windows altogether, espe- cially in residences, although this very thing has been done in one great mod- n_industrial plant. The desire to see out, however, is such | & normal and natural one that it seems extremely unlikely that windows will be { abolished in our time. The world of | men is now too used to them to give | them up readily. |~ 'The architecture of homes in particu- | 1ar is 80 well standardized in relation to | the basic appearances that it is ques- | tionable whether owners will give up | their windows, with their possibilities, | both utilitarian and artistic. What would a home look like with- out a chimney, for instance? It is very likely that within the next 10 |years the electrical industry will so | perfect the heating of homes that chim- neys. except for wood-burning fire- places, will be unnecessary. Attempt to visualize a detached house without its chimney. The result will be one which would strike the average person as ridiculous. We are used to sceing houses with chimneys, and per- haps a chimneyless home would eppear to many to be a mere box set down in the landscape. ook o A windowless house would seem hope- cne may well believe, to the ma- jority of mankind, not only because the utility of windows would be sorely misced and their artistic value replaced by nothing else, but mostly because no one could look out at the passing world, The eyes have been called the window of the soul. Similarly windows are the eyes of a house. It is through them and by means of them that we watch the | interesting pageant of everyday things A house without transparent windows would be almost less than no house at all to most of us. It would be like liv- ing in_one of these homes where the view of the garden is blocked by win- dows high in the wall. The best windows are so screened and curtained that they may be closed at will, but the important thing is that be there, ready to permit those in- to look out. In this quiet activity | dogs and cats of the household have nterested st | it ts iled Convic in Other States population of Texas and other Btates. In the early days of the eighteenth century it was the custom in England for certain countries to keep down their poor rates by sending their indigents ' other dictions. The scandals | which presently developed aroused strong public protest and resulted in a dis- continuation of the practice. Probably Oklahoma will find that it has eased | its prison burden a bit at the expense of the good will of its neighbors, a costly price to pay for an unsound and only temporarily advantageous policy. * ox ok % “If Oklahoma penal institutions, under Gov. Murray,” argues the Lincoln State Journal, “were reforming ‘crimi- nals in addition to punishing them, the Governor, through the proper authori- ties, would keep an eye upon paroled men and see that they make the effort 1o live respectably. But the Governor | concerned only with shifting the ibility and expense of protecting against criminals to other The Governor, in effect. tells the convicted man to get out of the State; | that Oklahoma wants nothing to do with him. Oklahoma owes it to her| neighbors and to the country at large | to make an effort to reform criminals, and if they e incorrigible to put them where can no longer do| harm. This country would be a crimi- | nal’s paradise if every State shirked its responsibility as Oklahoma, under Gov. Murray, is doing." “No wrongdoer who is sincerely de- | sirous of rehabilitating himself in the regard of his fellows,” thinks the St.| Louis Globe-Democrat, “does so com- piete a job of it as the man who makes the effort in a community that has known him. Oklahoma should give its| paroled prisoners this chance. And it's a duty of the State, not its neighbors The Globe-Democrat also states: “If this is a hard-agd-fast rule it may be | accepted as prodf that the Oklahoma | executive is more willing to create a responsibility than he is to accept it that he has no care whither the chips may fly so long as they fly bevond bor- ders of his State. Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado and Kansas, to mention only the neighbors of contact, may have the discard and welcome. Parole of prisoners is based or should be based on the willingness of | soclety to give delinquent men every opportunity to build themselves ane That there is good remaining in pris- oners who are released before expiration | of their sentences is implied if not ex- pressed by their parole.” ““Gov. Murray probably would be among the first to protest if any other State complicated his State’s law enforcement problem by adding to its criminal popu- lation,” asserts the Detroit Free Press, while the Rock Island Argus, protesting against having “Oklahoma's undesirable | citizens palmed off on other States.” | offers as the single exception to such | criticism of Gov. Murray’s attitude: | “Transients may be’ exiled without | scruple in most instances, but crime | committed by native Oklahomans | should be dealt with by the Oklahoma authorities on their home territory.” B Can Find Flat Tires There. From the Omaha World-Heraid. Sir Malcolm Campbell, the English speed ace, has gone into politics and' doesn't like it. Well, he's certainly pre- pared to get out in a hurry. Crashes and Splashes. Altoona Mirror. re being used in Armenia for Eggs & 1t must be easy there to drop money. can only result in swelling the criminal | & fortune. | with” head thrown | right, ! hands that mended the fire. | want, APRIL 4, 1931 THE LIBRARY TABLE By the Booklover ‘The triple climax of Cecilia Beaux's autoblography, “Background With Fig- ures,” is her account of her painting of the portraits of three of the great figures of the World War—Cardinal Mercler, Clemenceau and Admiral Lord Beatty. Miss Beaux explains how she came to paint these portraits: “In the Spring of 1919 a committee was formed of men and women prominent in our social and financial world for the pur- pose of getting together a series of portraits of the outstanding figures of the war; these portraits to be presented finally to the United States Govern- ment. A group of artists, five in num- ber, was chosen to do this work. To; each artist was assigned three portraits, to be painted for the most part abroad, for the chief interest in the undertaking | lay in the fact that most of the subjects were to be Europeans of whom only photographs were likely ever to appear in this country, or be owned here, at any rate, by our Government. The secretary of the committee called on me and asked me to undertake to go abroad and execute three of these portraits 1 accepted with a full sense of the significance and interest of the com- mission. I was told that the three to be entrusted to me were Cardinal Mer- cler, Clemenceau and Admiral Lord Beatty.” o ox o Miss Beaux feared that each of her subjects would consider himself a victim and was delighted by the varied and graclous personalities revealed to her through the sittings. The ce:dinal was her first subject. His portrait was painted in a large salle, with an enor- mous hole in the celling where a German shell bad come through, in the Archeveche at Malines. It shows the cardinal standing, with his back to a Gothic window, dressed in black soutane, with short cape, broad ceinture of crimson ribbon, long crimson moire mantelletta, three - cornered scarlet buretta, and gold chain and pectoral cross. During the sittings, brief but| sufficient and generously accorded, the artist and the clerical hero of the World War became for the time pleasant | companions. The cardinal asked Miss | Beaux about her earlier work, and she told him that as a girl she had litho- graphed fossils for scientific books. He | threw up his hands and laughed heartlly as he exclaimed, “Et vous continuez encore!” By his orders a tea tray was brought to0 her painting table every afternoon. Just before the sittings were finished @s the cardinal was about to depart for America he presented her with three volumes of his works and a photograph inscribed “A la grande et patiente artiste” At that last interview came what she calls | “one of the supreme moments of my experience,” when the cardinal told her | that there are many portraits beauti- fully painted, but that she alone painted | the soul. e e Of all her distinguished subjects Miss | Beaux most feared to meet “the Tiger.” | She had 2 seat in the Chamber of | Deputies when Clemenceau presented | the peace treaty and for two hours watched him through her opera glass. Then, before meeting him, she decided on her composition. He must be painted | as he appeared in the tribune, standing, | slightly back. his arms straightened so that he seemed to be holding down the desk. The sketch made from this view of him was the basis of the portrait. Her first inter- view was arranged by the American embassy and she went to it fearfully. | Almost the first words of “the Tiger” to | her were, “Well, to begin with, we hate each other.” She had the adro ness to reply, “No, monsieur, that's only half true.” “Whereupon he threw | up his hands and laughed aloud, and I felt that the assault was over and the | breach opened.” There were not as| many sittings as with Cardinal Mercier, | very few in fact, but they did not seem | to be needed. The vision of the “small | old man in a dark grey suit” in the | His total was 22 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN, The answers to questions printed here , Q. To what part of the Western each day are specimens picked from the | world was the name America first ap- mass of inquiries handled by our great | plied? in | Information _Bureau, maintained Washington, D. C. This valuable service is for the free use of the public. Ask any question of fact you may want 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 Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. Q. Did Walter Johnson pitch big league base ball longer than any other pitcher?—C. D. A. Cy Young pitched a year longer. ars, Walter Johnson 21 years, and Grover Alexander is next with 20 years. Johnson holds the record in the American League and Alexander in the National League. Cy 1g pitched half his career in one league half in the other. Q. Why do the searchlights on Ni- agara Falls flicker and flare? D, G. C A. A flare or flame is occasionally seen in the huge searchlights used to illuminate Niagara Falls. These lamps lare operated with a carbon arc, which is automatically fed throughout the period of lighting, and during perfect operation there is no flare in the lamp, the carbon being perfectly adjusted and its content pure. However, when the carbon is being fed toward the arc a slight imperfection or a small particle of foreign matter will cause a flame. Q. Where is the next Confederate re- union to be held?—J. B. F. A. It will be held on June 3, 4, 5 and 6 at Montgomery, Ala. Q. Does hamburger contain pork? 0.Y. A. True hamburger consists of ground beef. It should not be mixed with ground pork. Q. What is » N. H. A. It is the name nastic organization in Czechg Q. Why aren’t English skylarks im- ported into this country?—E. M. G A. Permits are not issued by this country allowing the importation of the English skylark, since it is considered skylark are similar to those of the star- ling. Q. In “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" which character is the flend?>—E. F. D. A. Mr. Hyde is the character that represents the bad in man in contrast to the good. Q. How are oilskins made?— A. The material shouid be fine calico. It is dipped in bull and dried in a current of al oil, with a little litharge in the propor- tion of about one ounce to one pint of oil, should be applied. Each coat should be allowed to dry before the next is applied. Q. Was_Christ born on Christmas day?—M. E. E A. There are no data which would prove conclusively at prec what time of the year Jesus Christ was born Many are of the opinion that the birth occurred in March or October. The fact that at the season observed as Christmas now a great Roman feast was held which had been held for centuries probably influenced the early Chris- this period. Highlights on t Excerpts From Newsj tribune remained with her and from her memory of t the portrait was, painted. She bad known from the first that “a study from memory of what I saw_then, though probably incomplete, | would be truer than if I attempted to | ‘do’ him directly from sittings, if I ever | got them.” After seeing more of him, | her final conclusion was: “But the | near and surface visions of the great | patriot always faded quickly. The | permanent and real presence was that of the tribune—the voice of France.” * ok x % The last portrait was that of Admiral Lord Beatty, or, as she calls him, “Baron Beatty of the North Sea.” He | readily consented to the necessary sit- tings when requested through the Ameri- can embassy, but evidently looked upon | the affair without enthusiasm, as in the | line of duty. Established in a studio in | a side lane off Kensington road, Miss Beaux painted the portrait, with the help of a sitter who was always prompt and co-operative, &s Was to be expected from one of his traditions. At the first meeting, she estimated his type. “I saw that it was a falcon face; the nose broad at the base, unbelievably fine at the end. the brows bending toward it, eyelids heavy and full, over-large, far- seeing grey eyes. A falcon ready for the chace.” He was painted standing up- against the background of a stormy sky, in naval uniform and cloak, with his fine hands crossed on the top of his upright sword. A Cockney actor out of work served as & model for the details of the costume. “Even the hands could be done (for the first and only time In the experience of the artist) from the model, from the queer bony They held the sword by means of the same mech- anism_and action, and, in some way, Lord Beatty's smooth, fine fingers ap- peared in the end.” koK ox In “Reader, T Married Him” Anne Green has turned out, rather soon after her last novel, “The Selbys,” another story of irresponsible, amusing, but not altogether real Americans living in Paris. Andrew Douglass, in spite of his Scotch name, lacks thrift and most of the other careful virtues. His daughter Catherine goes after what she wants in a wholehearted way, but one wonders why she wants the things she does especially why she wants to marry Gilbert. Caprice and good-na- tured selfishness are the mainsprings of all the characters. Aok Atmosphere is responsible for the suc- cess of the stories of Eleanor Mercein (Mrs. Kelly), the atmosphere of the Besque country. In “Nacio: His Af- fairs,” she pursues farther the fortunes of the Urruty family, the romantic Basque tribe ruled by a matriarch, with whom we have already made acquaint- ance in “Basquerie.” L In “The Diaries of John Bright” is recorded the strange association that existed so long between Bright and Dis- raell. The magnetism that drew to- gether these two personalities from alien and utterly incompatible worlds s elu- sive. On political matters, they some- times agreed on a point of detail or tac- tics, but on no ground of principle had they a thing in common. But the asso- ciation continued—with a kind of half earnest, half amused liking on_ both sides—for more than 20 years. Bright read Disraell’s books as they appeared, and his comments are sometimes caus- tic. He records a conversation in which Disraeli told him that the shilling edi- tion of his novels had sold more than 300,000 copies in less than a year, and added that 400,000 copies would give him a profit equal to his salary as chancellor of the exchequer. W e A facsmile reproduction of the Lon- don account book of Willlam Duesbury (1751-53), now in the British Museum, has recently been published in England. The editor is Everilda MacAlister, who has written an_introduction to the book. There is also a foreword by R. L. Hobson, C. E., Keeper of Ceramics and Ethnography of the British Museum. William Duesbury was the founder of the Derby Porcelain Works, and had, in 1751, a decorating establishment in Lon- don, His account book is full of quaint ORRIERE DELLA SERA, Milan. —Much excitement has been noted in governmental circles all over Eurcpe, but particu- larly in France and England, in regard to the reported naval building operaticns of France and Italy during the year 1930. Just what grounds there are for this consternation are not quite apparent. It is true that Italy con- structed 20,000 more marine tons than France, but certainly no restraint was placed on the French Republic under the dual agreement which prevented her building on a parity with Italy. The entente between France and Italy rati- fied last July provided that no new ton- | nage was to be produced by either coun- try up to the end of the year. Vessels beyond a certain point in construction, however, might be finished. Apparently Italy’s operaticns were sufficiently ad vanced on several vessels that she was cnabled to complete them without transcending the terms of the agree- ment. Now, however, to balance her armament with Italy’s, though it is al- on an equality in the eyes of neutral experts, Frence has authorized the expenditure in her 1931 naval budget of the 50 million lire (82,500,000 at prescnt exchange), for the’ construction of a r. This sin- gle ship will displace nearly 23,000 mari- time tons. France insists, however, that she is not building agaist Italy, but against world-wide cont that as it may, it is o strange adherence | to the letter of an agreement! * % ox % Argentina Acts to Curb Juvenile Delinguency. La Nacion, Buenos Aires—A decree of the provisional established an institution to be known as the “Patronato Nacional de Mencres, or National Juvenile Protectorate, tlie functions and benefits of which will be under the jurisdiction of the ministr cf justice and of public education. This new organization is empowered to in- vestigate the lives ments of backward or n a view to amelioration of their disabi ties, physical or intellectual. Juvenile delinquents found on the streets will automatically come under the supervi- sion and protection of this new depart- ment. Other children whose apparent circumstgnees seem to warrant official sttention' will be reported by the schools and other institutions to which they re- scrt. The gentlemen in charge of the program will be commissioned for their knowledge and experience in dealint with cases of juvenile misbehavior and destitution, and such children as re- quire it will be consigned to camps and homes where they can be taken care of properly and ful and contented cil ever refuges appear necessary will be founded, not only in the capital, but also in all provinces and territories. Medical care, as well as educational, so- cial and industrial training, will be given | &ll those coming under the surveillance | of these institutions, with the idea of | making national assets out of a group | otherwise certain to become 1] jeopardies and liabilities. Th will be a father and mother to those whose parents are incapable of caring for them because of poverty, ignorance or depravity. In this way the autho ties hope to alleviate by a mild and wholescme ~ discipline and _ instruction those whoss state heretofore has been more unfortunate than that of orphans admitted to our asylums. No doubt this most important enterprise will bear good fruit and redeem these neglected ¥ for high social usefulness. o A Colombia Looks To Health of Nation. El Tiempo, Bogota.—We have & num. ber of grave social problems in Colom- | bia, all of them of vast proportions and of a sort in which women can be and | are the principal factors for good or evil. We refer particularly to the state of the national education and health. | ‘These two elements of public life con stitute the chief defonse of our na toward unwholesome mental and p ical developmenigy and are the vital descriptions which arehelpful in the | identification of museum pieces of por eelain. The edition of s geproduc. thon is limited to 300 coples, g ns. What- an undesirable bird. The habits of the | ward two or three coats of raw linseed | tians to celebrate the birth of Christ at | e into use- | | tric M. H. R | _A. It was originally used onl Central Brazil, and was applied in |of the Itallan Amerigo Vespucci, who | claimed he had discovered it. It was | first employed for the entire Western | world by Mercator in 1541, Q. Did Abraham Lincoln upon see- ing Walt Whitman say, “He looks like a man’?—D. A. A. This remark has been sttributed to Lincoln, but his biographers do not credit it W. E. Barton says, “Lin- | coln gid n /1t ‘or know how Whit- for dual of average helght >—H. C. W. sht of an adult male skel- v from 10 to 12 pounds. h light bones would weigh a skeleton with heavy es would weigh a pound more. Hitchcock chairs and mature ag A. The we _A. Lambert Hitchcock was the best known _of the men who devoted themselves chair making in as born in Chesh« in Hitcheockville, ¢ left his native town n the Farmington River, t of Winstead. The Hitch- nt house are still Q. What are the young of fish called? - 1 ”A Young fish are called fry while las ally 30 days. When of this stage it is When a fish is & led a yearling. When e of ars it is called a 3-year-old, "7—R. M. urse on angels s in regard to did ';x'u “last troops leave >, M. as h troops left on June 30, 1930. Q. When is work on straighten the Missouri River to begin?—W. P. lx?' ject of straightening the is being worked on all time. The expenditures on the 1 River from March 1, 1929, to unted to more than $30,000,000, g_concentrated on the Kansas City. As the completion it is expected itures between Kansas City will increase. | the s the great stock market October 28 and 20, 1929, are the 1at go down in history as mark- ing the collapse of the market. 1d the expression “Show the " gets its present meaning? iing to Brewer's Manual, the v the white feather” origi- centh and seventeenth cockfighting was & Game birds used for are entirely without white s, and one chancing to show it- s the plumage of the bird indi- cated a crossing or inferior bird, and therefore probably loss of courage and hting qualit he Wide World papers of Other Lands upon wi y of the progress any nation are g forward to the fu- glory of Colombia, it us to prepare men for must teach our children how to wage w: re on ignerance and disease. Ve the value of education, is powerful atio to the ex- ure. But it is of little advantage to be versed in all scholastic lore if one is to be handicapped by sickness. Fortunately for us, we are not as generally indisposed as we de- serve to be, considering our disregard of all the rules and precepts of hygi- ene. The cor satory characteristics of our climat: and topography check many maliadies in their incipiency. Wwho goes into a morass vertheless his home in and there daily he re- covers during his hours of leisure from the effects of the pestilential vapors absorbed during his hours of labor. Nevertheless there is much more mor- tality and kness than we need to have, and chief among the treacherous perils confronting our people are tu- bereul alcoholism, syphilis, malaria, tropical anemia and malignant cutane- ous affections. Some of these maladies, particularly syphilis and alcoholism, are transmitted from generation to genera- tion, the ren innocently suffering for the sins of remote ancestors. Our hospitals and prisons are filled with we allow such deplorable con- ditions to go on, or shall we begin re- newed efforts to save future generations throu tion, ops not only the men- and capacities, but brings wbout improvement in national health as well, through a better understanding of hygiene and sanitation? P End of Malaria Seen in Panama. strella de Panama, Panama.—Ma- laria is the scourge that has devastated Panama most fatally in the past, but, | thanks to cur own efforts and the as- | sistance of the American Rockefeller Institute, it appears that in & com- | paratis rief time the disease will be |eliminated. The campaign waged by the authorities and the American insti- tute is both offensive and defensive. The peo ructed in better methe n, and at the same time all the br 2 spots for malaria will be treated to destroy virulence. It is a formidable enterprise, but one well . if the interfor can ; the causes of this dread- ful pestilenc 10y is in charge of the Rockefeller work. P S Electric Firms Asked To Pay Better Wages To the Editor of The Star: The efforts of the Public Utilities Commission to keep excess earnings of the Potomac Electric Power Co. down to a lower figure by further rate reduc- tion bring to mind the fact that elec- light and power corporations are ined to wages. And the s not, under such . pay better wages and let the employes rejoice as well? The average yearly wage of most electric ligh corporations is about $1,5(0—rather less than more—which, for such a highly technical and at umer risky business, may be considered fair.: low. If all of our American corporations would inteliigenily pay as high wages, or bonus equivalent, as business would permit, instead of limiting wages, as s u been done, the purchasing r of the country would be kept nearer its proper place, at the side of production, for, after all, what good & mass ction without mass con- ! | sumption? America should always work toware he ideal—for therein is our salvation. ROGER SHERMAN WHITE, Secretary, Order of the Golden Rule, |