Evening Star Newspaper, April 11, 1931, Page 6

THE EVENING -STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. SATURDAY.......April 11, 1031 THEODORE W. NOYES. ...Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 5 2nd &t n Bindine. London, 11n St N lcago Office: 1chi o fce; 14 Regent R.. Encland. ropean C: 00: 1 $6.00: 1yr. 84000 Rate by Carrier Within the City. q: Evening Star, 45c per month & iRl Shsech B Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. 5 All Other States and Canada. 13 13 1 £8. M' },mo o B AEBEER Ol R L I i Sl I sl o Siicat!s 14 ik e A Wise Decision. The Commissicners have made a 60c per month Sunday SR G und Sunday. only .. ly and Sunday...]yr.. $12 0.8 1:60 Member of the Associated Press. e, for Top: i hes credited fo it r gnd e e 1 B G Are = move as wise gs it is just in deciding to engage the services ‘immediately of | an architect for the rather specialized work of cesigning the new Children's ‘Tuberculosis Sanatorium. The pressure of other business in the municipal architect's office and the technical nature of designs for the new hospital. ineurring differences ©f professional opinion, have been cited @&s explana- tions for the delay thus far. But such explanations oan be regarded as reason- able for a limited time only. In some respects no undertaking in public works facing the District is more important nor backed by more sound reasons for an immediate start than the Children’s ‘Tuberculosis Sanatorium. The Com- missioners are to be congratulated in departing from a “priority” schedule that threatened to hold back construc- tion and in giving the project a certain preferred status of its own. Final construction of the Children's ‘Tuberculosis Sanatorium will represent victory in a fight lasting many years for those who consistently have sought to provide adequate care for children subject to tuberculosis. Until a few years ago they were left without any hope of attention from the community. ‘The Tuberculosis Hospital was never equipped for the special type of work Tepresented in the care and treatment of children. The establishment of the health schools miet one meed in pro-' viding a certain proportion of children ‘with educational opportunities under conditions that benmefited them physi- cally. But children suffering from the more advanced stages of the disemse have remained without proper institu-. tional facilities. The Children’s Tuber- culosis Sanatorium will provide those facilities. With the money avallable for beginning econstruction, and with the land already sequired, the project should be regarded as an emergent undertaking. A delay of so much as a day should be avoided. 4 s s s The City Gates. Beautification of the entrances to the try, arriving st the gateways of the National Capital, take a. keen interest entrances by right ought to be both impressive and beautiful, but far too often a Jack of interest, on the one hand, has vied with pldin inertta on the other, to make such gates incan- spicuous, A point in instance is Chevy Chase Circle. It is today, as it has been for many years, a circle —and nothing more. What might easily have been, all these years, one of the beauty spots of this wicinity has vemained 2 perfectly bare expanse. Bimplicity, it must be admitted, Chevy Chase Clrcle has had in full measure. But the wasted opportunity s greater, and it 45 encoursging that steps are now under way for the recti- Sfication of this lack. Tre entire residential area around the circle, in all directions, is exception- ally beautiful. The approach down Comnecticut avenue is charming, es- pecially at this time of year. This cir- cie, however, is only indicative of the | state of things which exists at the other city gateways. The point on Wisconsin avenue, where the District line inter- sects, is known only by a sign which so states. The time has come, in view of the approaching George Washington Bicen- tennial, when this stzte of affairs must be and will be changed for ‘tte better. Committees are looking into the matter and garden organizations are being asked to aid. ‘Washington will Jook forward to the day when its gates will be made, .if not exactly architectural, at least dignified and beautiful and distinctive in them- selves. v No town is too small to get into head- lines as the scene of a bank robbery. Pulaski County, Virginia. commission held that New River was neither navigated nor navigable in fact, but that its flow could affect that of the KanawhasRiver,-a navigable,stream into which:dt mepges 155 miles -below Radford, in West Virginia. Conse- quently, it ruled, -a “major” license should be issued, under which the Gov- ernment would supervise the financial set-up of the project, provide for re- capture of excess-earnings and Nmit its ilease to fifty years. ‘The Appalachian Electric protested, declaring the Federal authority sheuld -go no further -than mecessary to :safe- guard navigation. It offered to take A “minor part” lieense -on -such terms. In this it was backed by Virginia, West Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and | Kentucky. An opinion by Attorney General | Mitehell held the “minor part” license could issue. ! mitted, however, that the wording of the |law s cbscure, and that such liberal construction “appears necessary in or- ituticna’ity of the act.” The new commission .deeided to go into the case | on its own,and the present d:sision s the result. It did not pass 1e navi- gability of the New River, ho! g only | that the flow affects the IKenawha, ! which is tributery to the Ohio. It seems -certain now that 'the Su- preme Court will be called upen to | settle ithe issue finally. Gandhi in America. It is easy to credit the suggestion that -exalted guarters in Washington | learn with mixed emotions that Gandhi | contemplates @ wvisit to the United | States before or after the forthcoming second round teble on India in London. Dispatches from New Delhi quote the Mahatma as feeling that “the inde- pendence /movement would recelve greater support if he were to visit the country which one hundred and fifty years ago faced much the same prob- lems now confronting India.” Evidently Gandhi and his associates have well formulated ideas for a so- journ by him in the United States. He would come to us, the cables suggest, (“as a private citizen and without a formal invitation.” His friends in India are said to “feel that after he lands on American sofl, the President would be free to invite him to Washington as a distinguished foreign guest, after which Gandhi would consult with rcsponsible Americans respecting a formal itinerary.” Just how the Mahatma would expect {to be regarded as an ordinary person touring the United States is something which the mystic Indian intelligence may comprehend, but which is a little foggier to us. He would arrive in this hemisphere either directly from or en route to London. At London his role is to be official in the highest degree. He could 1o more divest himself of his real identity over here than President Hoover could do, i the American Chiet Executive essayed to travel through South America “incognito,” or if the Prince of Wales sought to conceal him- Self as a hotel guest registering as the Duke of Rothesay. Apart The Attorney General ad-| {fired in any case. der to avold serious question as to the| THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, rmwsw_lu-u—hrmn»nummlhvflwmfl»fluhfi-fime the vmlm' ‘project ~on “MNew =River, -near ‘Radford, | is-striving to regain dominance over his | ' A previous | emotional reaction. In the case of the attack upon the Marlboro bank Thursday the leader of the robber gang bungled his job. He ‘had ‘too ‘many points of possible attack before him. He gave his eventual ob- jective, Cashier Owen, time to stabilize before the erisis. ‘Mr. Owen was 'equal to the emergency and won the duel that ensued. The result might have been different had the bandlt's gun not failed to discharge-at-a eritical moment. But the whole eriminal enterprise was wrecked by a fumbling start. Probably Mr. Owen, ‘who thus thwarted the robbery -and doubtless saved his own life by his eourageous assuiption of the offensive in defense, was unaware of any process of reason- ing in that crucial moment. His in- stinct was to resist and it was given opportunity of expression by the rob- ber's momentary distraction by the episode of the stoppage of a customer by the gangmen who guarded the door. Perhaps he would have “drawn” and Probably he ecannot now precisely determine what he would have done had the hold-up followed the ordinary course with the presenta- tion of a gun dircetly before his person without any warning. He might have tried to do just what he actually did, but with less success. S0 long as criminals can get weapons they will continue to stick them against the persons of their victims and trust to luck to get away with their loot withcut having to fire. And just so long will the victims in most cass yield without shame or sense of cowardice, and in a few others will resist, with varying results. ————— A new kind of record s apparently being sought by Lindbergh. The average man with so spectacular a start in fame 'would have tried to be continually in the spotlight. Lindbergh retains the capacity for studious silence that made his achievement ctomplete and unex- pected. — e Bhould Smediey Butler realize his aspiration to become a U. 8. Senator, he will find himself compelled for a time at least to restrain his talents ws a disciplinarian and study new ocondi- tions of usefuiness. The Senate is not an easy place in which to introduce Butlerian methods of quick action. e ——— In the matter of announcing the actual arrival of Spring, the cherry blooms around Tidal Basin are more re- liable than the calendar. e —— A thought of going into politics had occurred to Al Capone, who, after read- ing the election returns from Chicago, has probably changed his mind. e Clues are found in abundance when & crime is committed. Dstectives con- tinue to find persons who fit them. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNBON. Easy Enterprise. The farmer says he'll go in debt from whatever character | For things with which to plow. ‘Gendhi might sttempt to assume for | The tradesman says that he will get traveling purpeses, the object of his mission to this country would not be and could not be disguised. possible plans indicate, that object Tor the cause of Indian independence. The Mahatma, in other words, would seek to propagandize public opinion in the United States against “the British oppressor” and in favor of the Indian Nationalists. Leaving the merits of the Gandhi crusade entirely on one side, it |must be apparent to him and his ! thoughtful lieutenatts that en Ameri- |can campaign of the proposed sort, |under his perscnal and magnetic this Government with embarrassment. In a vague way, Indian independence Senator Blaine of Wisconsin has intro- duced a Senate resolution seeking to | Blaine's proposition. It would supply pretty vivid evidence of just how strong | hereabouts. Nature's Comedian. The penguin is described as & nat- ural comedian, entirely fearless of hu- | man beings. When killing was deemed { ‘whua to change the natural trustful- ness of many animals to intense fear. The camera has in a large measure | caken the place of the rifie, making it possible to enjoy what is interesting or | beautiful in wild life without needless slaughter. Possibly the penguin will be enabled to retain his droll famil- larity instead of learning to regard himself as an object of pursuit whose | first thought must be that of hiding| | from danger ——e. Fault-finding was not conspicuous n the personality of the late Nicholas Longworth. stinging criticism, yet his sense of duty Ashl” would be to arcuse American sympathy | leadership, would inevitably confront | | essential to sport, 1t took only a little | | | { A stock of goods, somehow. But the gangster whose endeavor Is to keep us on the run Has no trouble whatsoever When he wants to buy a gun. The workman pays the interest Upon his house and lot; To own outright he does his best ‘The flivver that he got. But the gangster whose ambition 1Is for homicidal fun Finds no trace of opposition Adaptability. “Are you a wet or a dry “I'm broa@minded and adaptable,” answered Semator Sorghum. “A poli- ticlan now uses the method of old days the same old phrase, ‘What'll you take?’ ” [commit the United States to support| Jud Tunkins says he has heard all lof Gandhi's ambitions. Perhaps the | kinds of political speeches, and hopes leLml would be well advised to | next campaign they’ll tune the old band |await the result of action on Mr. ! wagon up for folk dances. Joy of Inaccuracy. the pro-Indian independence cause §s 11! try to shun th= thought of gloom And sing a little song, Remembering how the flowers bloom And not how crops go wrong. The future frequently we say ‘Will cause us some distress. But when I prophesy that wa; I hope I miss my guess. The Yearn for Excitement. “So you dom't think you would be content with a domestic life?" “I might,” answered Miss Cayenne. "‘But 80 many people I know would rather go to Reno and play roulette than stay home and play backgammon.™ No Monotony. “Monotonous life cannot grow,” I heard a motorist remark. “In just a month or so I know There’ll be another way to park.” “A grea. man,” said Hi Ho, the sage He cultivated no gift for of Chinatown, “is one whose name is remembered even after his teachings This form of publicity, however, 48 N0t | was strong and found unhesitating ex- | Mave been forgot.” tvip Tegarded by any student of civic devel- o) t s having practical benefit, ex- g when the teller is 3 marksman and can prove that the depositor is safer than the hold-up man. Power and Navigable Streams. The new Federal Power Commis- sign, in its first major decision, has pression in acticn rather than in words. AN At the Pistol’s Point. Many & man has wondered what he Unattainable, Man gives his money or his life Nor finds through argument or strife A place to pause and say with pride, would do in & sudden emergency, such | “At last I'm wholly satisfied.” |85 that of an armed man confronting {him with drawn weapon and demand- |ing the delivery of cash. It is hard to answer such a question. It is especially “Playin' de banjo,” said Uncle ‘Eben, “don’t attempt no argufications an’ foh dat re: it’s a purty safe subs'itute laid down the principle that the Gov- hard to be quite honest in estimating | foh tal ernment is empowered to exercise full cantrol over hydroelectric developments on water that may be non-navigable if the flow affects a navigable stream, the ruling coming in the celebrated New River case. The point is all importznt, inssmuck: as such physical condition ob- tains in by far the greatest part of the potential power development in this country. The decision conforms to that school of thought which holds that only through Pederal supervision may the vast water- power resources of the United States be conserved and developed econom- ically. Opposed to that stand is the view of those proponents of “State rights” who insist that Government suthority should extend only to the particular needs of each case. The the reaction in such a moment of sur- prise and peril. The average man likes to believe that he wculd resist, would | make a show of courage or skill. Yet | he cannot be sure that he would do 8. He does not positively know what his instant response would be. Gunmen and thieves reckon upon the chance that the victim will yield with- out any show of resistance. They know that the percentage is decidedly in favor of an instinctive throwing up of hands, that it is only the rarely exceptional| person who tries to defend himself by counter attack. This is not at all a question of per- sonal bravery. It is a matter of nervous response to a sudden stimulus. The ,cemmand to “Stick them up!” reinforced | with the presentation of a gun, almost = S The Autoist Gets the Stretch. From the Florence (Alabama) Herald. Some take a Spring tonic for that run-down feeling, but pedestria) & stretcher. ® w i P — Who Remembers Mah-Jong? From the Albany Evening News. Oh, well, eventually the crooning craze will pass and we'll get some other annoyance! . Try Them for Your Clog Feet. From the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, Jimmy Walker taking mud baths in California? frying pan into the fire, as you might say, sir. o lines were sharply drawn in the pres- automatically brings about an attitude eht inctance. The A;_:’mchlm El= of surrender. The victory for the bandit with Ex ctric Power Com- les in that first moment, even though wanted a souveni. Tie That Ship Up Tight. From the Charleston (W. Va.) Dally Mail. Probably that gentleman who ran off plorer Byrd's overcoat merely But he uses | Why, sir, that's out of the | ‘Mary, the pony, was loose. About this time every year Mary looks over the fence of her small suburban pasture and fancies the grass is greener in the other feliow's yard. You know how it is. The meighbor's grass always looks greener. Somehow 1t has a deeper, richer tone, a more healthy look, an April perfection, us it were. ‘The truth is that, in the vest ma- jority of cases, the other fellow's grass is no better than any one else’s, but neither you nor Mary stop to realize that. " %ok % S0 Mary looked over the fence and took an immediate liking to the succu- lent green which early April rains had caused to Tise up in beauty and light. ‘What is more attractive, either to man or horse, than the fresh, new green of grass blades arising from a burgeon- ing, soft earth? No wonder old Walt Whitman, Wash- ington's poet (but one, alas! whom we permitted New York and Camden to take @way from us long ago)—no won- der he wrote: . “A child said, ‘What is the grass' fetching it to me with full hands. How could I answer the child? I do not know what it isanymore than he.” * o % % Mary didn't know what the grass was eny more than old Walt knew, but she did what he did—guessed—she guessed it must taste pretty good, if only she could get Bt it. nnWh.mmm guessed in' the following es: “T guess it must be the flfi of my dis- position, out of hopeful green stuff woven. or 1]5\::»5 it 1s the handkershief of the 2 rd, A scented gift and remembrancer, de- signedly dropped, Bearing the owner's name someway in remark and say, Whose?” “The pony, not being & poet, sschewed words and went in for action. wanted to chew grass. Bhe got over the fence, or through the fence, or maybe it was & carelessly left open gate which gave her egress. Anyway, she got out. ok % ok It was a lovely world in which Mary found herself without her bridle. There was great sport just in that, | for 1t was seldom that the pony got out without her herness. ‘When she did usually it was upon some such occasion as this, The air had & soft something in it which brought wild ancestral memories to Mary. She looked around in amaze- ment at the familiar streets of the sub- urb where she had bezn brought up. ‘Today there was something remote, far away, strange, in the long slope of the thoroughfare, the appearance of the omks and the locusts, the homes along the way. * ok ok Mary had been along here many times with Jimmie in the saddle and with other children, but this was her first trip—this year—by herself. Upon several similar occasions she had made such solo trips, and, strange to relate, it was green grass Springtime which was to blame each time. Mary lifted her head and her sensi- tive nestrils quivered. Presh grass! Ah! Her large eyes flashed as she sur- veyed the landscape. Behind her she could hear the children running with the bridle. How she hated her harness today! Mostly she had become used to it. These strange creatures who put it on her ,wanted her to wear it and she liked to |oblige them, for they were kind, saw that she had plenty of oats and an oc- casional apple and even now and then the vorners that we may see and | She | | D. C, SATURDAY, THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. a few lumps of deliclous white stuff | called sugar, she believed. Bugar! Ah! There was only one thing better than that and that was the grass—the shining, translucent, ten- der grass of Spring. G “Hurry!” cried Jimmie. “We got now. Quick! Gfmme the harness!” But Mary was gone. ‘With & flirt of her shod feet, and the dislodgment of several small patches of turf, Mary went on down the road, heading directly for . pe- culiarly fascimating stretch of grass in & front yard, Mary's Toute was as direct as that of any bee. | _ Straight up a terrace she went, and across a sidewalk. Crunch! went the stalks of a Red Rediance rose, for Mary was rather heavy. If pony is & correct designation for her, then =il that the general observer can say is that she is very large for her age. One might properly call her a large horse. * ok ok ™ pony, or & small ‘Whatever any one chose to call Yl:r didn't make = bit of difference to ary. A few mouthfuls of fresh grass and she felt better already. My! what de- liclous stufr! Three smmll black-and-white cats came gingerly around the corner of the sun porch to see what manner of crea- ture this was. Was Mary & hippopotamus, an ele- phant or a giraffe? They had heard talk of such things, but never seen either hippo, giraffe or elephant. Maybe this brown-and-white animal, with its wild eyes, its huge bulk, its ringing feet, had come all the way :;:m Africa, where the first cat was n. Who knew? * * x Mary surveyed her small observers with that mixture of slight contempt and indifference which the larger ani- mal always Teels for the smaller. Cats? Pouff! And dogs were not much better. She could see two of them, = splendid white bull terrier, a fine Irish setter. a yard; the grass ; maybe she had better go over and investi- gute there. Then came the boys. Hurry, Jimmie, now I got her! But Mary was not there. It was great sport to run away when she knew they wanted her to stand still. Well, she would stand still after a | while. The law demanded it. Bwt she |'would lead them a nice chase for & | time. The boys were good sports and Mary suspected they were enjoying the chase a5 much as she was. o Bhe knew that this was her annual opportunity to run at will, and surely | there w': something glorious about it. strange creatures and maybe she had | better go on down the way. | It was mo sooner determined on than |@one. Mary gave a toss to her head, & filp, to her mane, and away she went, up a terrace, down a terrace, across & |yard, behind a houce, alongside a » ories of the children grew hedge. ‘The fainter. | Ah! Here was beautiful | transcendent grass, the best yet, the finest grass in the world. 2 She bowed her head and was eating away when Jimmie slipped up and | threw the bridle over her head Mary was not sorry now. In fact, |she was glad. There is something | entirely satisfying about & bridle, if | you are a pony. !’ Mary felt tiw old familiar pat on | her head. Jimmie was a nice kid. Few | ponies had better boys. Mary looked | at him, her big eyes eloquent and her Iarge mouth full of grass. greenery, “Wait for the results” advises a part of the American press, as Will H. Hays, leader of the motion picture industry, announces that realism is to be forsaken in the output for the screen, and that romance is to be eub- Isnruuu. Skepticism 15 expressed, | while emphasis is lald on doubts as to | the correctness of the Hollywood idea {has already achieved the distinction of | with a slight variation. He offers a flask | f ®ither realism or romance. Some !a formal issue at Washington because | or a pitcher of ice vater. | editors, however, welcome the an- nouncement as possibly offering a re- | lief from present conditions. “It is the policy of the industry,” the Chicago Daily News comments on the basis of the remarks of Mr. Hays, | “to draw more and more on the classics in literature and the drama, avoiding vulgar, flashy and sensational scenarios. | This is cheering news to the millions of motion picture patrons who are weary of intolerably hackneyed plots and stale variations of the one theme— sex—exploited by the screen. There are hundreds of old masterpieces to draw upon, and among the current pro- ductions on the legitimate stage there are interesting, significant and fasci- nating offerings available for the motion picture theaters. And there is a large public to support artistic, ele- vating and_ delightful forms of enter- tainment which thus may be provided.” Observing that “fashions come and fachions go in literature and drama,” the St. Louis Times remarks that “there are those which never cease to interest and delight,” pointing to the influence of “love, peace, happiness and comfort” which “enter into everybody's desires and as themes are as new: fashioned as they are old:fashioned.” The Sioux Falls Argus Leader holds that “the movies have a larger in- fluence upon lives and habits than mo:t persons realize, and an improve- ment in their tone should be a source of gratification.” The Little Rock Arkansas Democrat, noting public re- sentment at the “moral tone of the majority of the pictures,” exclaims: “Will Hays is right! All the glamour o“f ‘romunce remains. Let us get back o ox x “There is definite evidence,” asserts the Morgantown Dominfon-News, “that the public is through with its post-war preoccupation with morbidity _and crime in literature and drama. Seif- revelation as a theme is losing its pop- ularity. According to Mr. Hays, the year just passed saw a new record in the production of great feature films based upon historical, socidlogical, travel and other educational themes. Most encouraging, Mr. Hays predicts that the public is growing tired, not only of gangster rule, but of gangster themes in literature, on the stage and on the screen. That is at leact some- thing. And if Mr. Hays' attitude re- flects that of the producers of motion pictures whom he represents, we may look for increasingly better and better pictures.” Welcoming the fact that “the public is tiring of the morbid avidity for crime,” the Savannah Morning News adds: “Now if the public will lose in- terest in the s°x-problem stuff, the pic- ture business will get a lot of better friends.” The Indianapolis Btar ad- vances the theory that “perhaps the de- pressicn has supplied enough stark real- ism to spare the stage and screen from | further efforts in that direction,” and avers that “it is encouraging, at least, to hear the opinion of Mr. Hays that ro- manticism is regaining the good graces of the public.” The Hartferd Courant warns that “romance alone has not been a mark of moral or esthetic strength;” tide of public opinion that turns from rawness to romance to give assurance of progress in motion pictures.” The St. Fanl Dispatch ccncedes that, as to cilie, e ' moviss are reminder: of the that “something more is needed than a | Hays’ Idea of Film Reform Arouses Some Skepticism dime novel,” and recalls that “the crimi- nal in those shockers never went un- punished or unregenerated.” The Danbury Evening News satirizes “the _ordinary, -of-the-mine kind of hold-up gentry,” and taking a recent example of crime from real life con- cludes: “Of course, some silly girl is getting her ideas of the ‘romance’ of gangdom from the super-silly and vi- cious moving pictures which show Gangland’s habitues as near-heroes, Of ccurse she is getting some of her non- sense ideas, too, from the morbid and moronic fiction that deals in the same manner with gangsters. There is as much ‘romance’ in Gangland as there is honor and decency. Which is to say tkat it is about as easy to find romance in gangsters as it is to find teeth in hens.” ey “We are very glad,” says the Houston Chronicle, “to give Mr. Hays' movie friends and employers credit for some excellent work; we are very giad to agree with him that the movies have rendered a very great service to the cause of world peace and other im- portant causes; we are very glad to egree with him that conditions are im- proving, that plays announced for the fu- ture seem to promise a better grade of ideals, as a rule, than those of the re- cent past; we are very glad to know that he believes the movie public is de- manding & more ‘clean, high-purposed | entertainment.’ Nevertheless, the genial gentleman cannot, with all his phrases and eloguence, blind us to the dark side of the movie industry in the last 12 months. He may not have seen any of 1t—certainly he gives no indication of having ever seen or heard of an unwor- thy picture or a questicnable bit of ad- vertising, but there are plenty of people in the country who did see it and hear of it, and who are not going to forget it. If these conditions change, as Mr. Hays says they are changing, that will be #oon enough for us to join with him in unending hosannas of praise.” “There has been precious little realism on the screen; a bit more in recent years than formerly. but still very lit- tle,” contends the Worcester Telegram. “Early in the industry’s career, the £creen’s talent for unreality was a topic of amazed comment everywhere. It Is a talent which the industry has not lost. be sure, & horse 160ks like a horse on the screen and always did, for that mat- ter. But there was a time when men and women did not look like men and women. The he-dolls and the ‘she-dolis looked like a race apart with astound- ingly curious traits. And the things they did, following the prescription of the scenario geniuses, were even more un- real, if that were pcssible, than their looks. It was utterly amazing what the screen people would do to a novel or play in picturizing it. One thing could be depended upon—every trace of real- ism that might have been in the origi- nal would be squeezed out. Recently there has been noted a trend away from this wizardry, and realism has been creeping in. Some talkies have had enough of it to impart a pleasant veri- similitude to the drama. We had been hoping that the movement would con- tinue and perhaps gather momentum. It would be too bad if Mr. Hays' odd utterance should block it off.” “Mr. Hays now is manifesting sus- ceptibilities,” comments the Kansas City Btar. “He says the American public is beginning to turn against ‘hard-boiled realism’ (a mild term for smelly of- fenses) and that & younger generation, rising from the jazz age ises to support ¢lean, high-pi entertain- ment. Now we know what has been the matter with Mr. Hays; he has been waiting for the children to lead him, for the American public to ‘turn thumbs down' on a 1ot of his stuff. He seems' to take great satisfaction in the promise of something through public revulsion that h~ shouli haj\e accomplisihed by | - Mcial policy.” her | raphy | fresh air, APRIL 11, 1931 large, plump volume entitled ‘R. V. R.” expecting, from the reviews and from the subtitle, “The Life and Times of Rembrandt van Rijn,” to find a biog- of Rembrandt. Perhaps the a thor, Hendrik Willem van Loon, in- tended in the beginning to write a life of Rembrandt, perhaps not, but the actual performance is much more a life of his own medical ancestor, Joan- nis van Loon, friend of Rembrandt, than it is of Rembrandt himself. brandt comes into and goes out of the picture frequently, but is at no time its center. The foreword, supposed to have been written by Dr. Joannis van Loon October 9, 1669, tells of the funeral and burial of Rembrandt, paid for by his {friend. The doctor then goes back, for the plump book purports to be his remi- niscences, and tells how he first met Rembrandt and of their second meet- ing at the bedside of the mortally il Saskia, Rembrandt's first wife. Shortly, however, the doctor becomes more in- terested in his own life, with its strug- gle for the advancement of medicine— or, we should rather say, Mr. Hendrik van Loon becomes more interested in it. We have only occasional glimpses of Rembrandt, when the @octor happens to call to see Saskia or goes in the eve- ning to play chess with the painter at the invalid’s bedside. We almost lose sight of Rembrandt for over 30 chap- ters, while the doctor tells of his own family, the loss of his wife, his visit to America and the war between the Dutch and the English. The doctor’s own story is interesting enough, for he was an advanced thinker and a plo- neer in the use of anesthetics and hos- pitalization. Dutch life and customs of that period are also imterestingly de- scribed. But why is the book called “R. V. R"? Why not, more appropri- ately, “J. V. L."? Joannis van Loon is thus deseribed on the title page: “Doc- tor Medicinae and Chirurgeon in Ex- traordinary to a vast number of humble citizens, whose enduring gratitude has erected him & monument less perishable than granite and more enduring than porphyry and who, during a most busy life, yet Tound time to write down these m!mm.l recollections of the greatest of fellow citizens and which are now for the first time presented (provided with as few notes, emendations and critical observations as possible) by his great-great-grandson, mnine times re- moved, Hendrik Willem van Loon.” x ok ok % The story of the last days of Saskia in “R. V. R.” is sympathetically told with the realization that she need not have died in her youth if medical sci- ence had been er advanced or even if Dr. Joannis van Loon had been calied in sooner and his superior intalli- gence r:ud not been{ th!;nrted by met ignorant obstinacy of Saskia's nurse. Al the time when Dr. Van Loon was sent for to come to the hous: in the An- thonie Breestraat, which Rembrandt had bought but not paid for, Saskia was not yet 30 and had borne four children, three of whom had died soon after they were born “of nhothing in articular.” Th> youngest, the baby itus, was lying in a cradle beside the bed of the sick mother. Saskia was very {1l with tuberculoss, several centu- ries before that name was used for the disease. She was lyi “in a big bed that had been built within the wall, for only the very rich have thus far taken to the Prench custom of sleeping in those four-postered affairs that stand in the middle of the room and are ex- posed to all the draughts of the night.” Saskia was of better family than Rem- brandt, a Leyden miller's son, for her father was “that Rombertus van Uylen- burgh who had been lunching with the Prince of ‘when Gerard mur- dered him. He had been burgomaster of Leeuwarden and had been sent to the prince to talk about the political situation in the north.” Saskia had be>n & beautiful girl, though perhaps not as beautiful as Rembrandt had made her in his pictures of her, in which he had delighted to deck her in jewels and garments of rich texture. She had faded early, had had no re- sistance to offer to_the ordinary strains of life. Dr. Van Loon knew that she was dangerously ill; that, in fact, she had no chancs of recovery. He thought also that her disease might be conta glous and ordered that the child be re- moved to another room. In this he was disobeyed by the stubborn nurse, Geertje, who had taken care of children all her life and knew that they should be with their mothers and be kept from which was sure to injure them. Geertje was also already plan- ning to be the second wife of Rem- brandt and the child's stepmother. . ok x % ‘The faithful doctor came to see Sas- kia regularly, urged her not to exert herself to rise from her bed, or to hold her child, gave her sleeping potions, and sat by her bed and talked cheeringly, vith the usual foolish stories which are the stock-in-trade of our profession.” But she grew weaker and weaker, lost more and more flesh, and the feverish fiush on her cheeks became deeper and ceeper and the succeeding pallor more anc more livid. Two learned medical colleagues who had studied the disease in Grenoble and London were sent for and examined the sick woman, and shcok their heads and oplned that she had a month, perhaps six weeks, to live. Rembrandt presented them with proofs of an etching of the Magl. Saskia went to sieep wearing in her hair a red rose, which she had placed there “to give herself a more festive appearance, be- fore the arrival of the "Antwerp art- dealers’ " (as the two doctors had been called, to deceive her). Rembrandt and Dr. Van Loon settled down to a long quiet game of chess in her bed room The docter played a subtle game and, as Rembrandt thought he was winning, sald, “I have your queen and you are mate in three moves.” Before com- meneing another game, the painter went to the bed to see that Saskia was all right. “He picked up one of the two candles, went to the bed and pushed aside the curtains. Then he turned to me and whispered: ‘Look how quiet she is tonight! T never saw her sleep so fcundly. She must be really getting Letter.” I stood by his side and put my hand upon her heart. Saskia was dead.” Al e e When all the financial arrangements were finally concluded, it developed that we had paid Napoleon about 4 cents an acre for the million square miles which is now the State of Louisiana. It seems cheap enough for land—any kind of land—but. when we stop to consider this particular land the stores of fable, romance and history which came with it, we might well consider ourselves Yankee traders of the most sinister description. Georges Oudard has writ- ten the story of the discovery of Louisi- ana by way of both Montreal and the Gulf of Mexico in his new book, “Four Cents an Acre” The exploits’ of La Salle, Crozat and Law; Loulsiana under the royalist regime, the Spanish occu- pation, the return to France, and finally the sale by Bonaparte to the United States are recounted in this story, full of adventure, color and romance. ik A strange combination of daring license, literary appreciation and crea- tive ability and piety characterized Marguerite of Navarre, Valois princess and Queen of Henry IV of France, Her biography is written by Paul Rival, un- der the title “The Madcap Queen: The Story of Marguerite of Navarre.” It is translated by Marvin McCord Lowes. Much of the gossip about Marguerite of Navarre i8¢ to be found in Brantome, Malherbe and D'Aubigne, and M. Rival has followed their accounts to & large :.xcent. 1t 18 to btl_hflped 31‘1“ in “her ter of her sins, which she after she had lost youth and beauty. ——————— Nor Lent Any. From the Birmingham News. “I have thousands of friends,” says a Corgressman. So here’s one man who nsver tiied to borrow money. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC ]J. HASKIN. agenty in the world | many I u.ml;u l Medal?—L. D. n Bu- pointment when they picked up the|reau in Washington, D. C. This highly | the honor for his outstanding perform= organized institution has been Frederic J. Haskin. By k¢ stant touch with Federal ‘position to pass on to you authoritative information of the highest order. Sub- mit your queries to the staff of experts whese services are put at your free @is- posal. There is no charge except 2 cents in coin or stamps for return post- age. Address The g _Star In- formation Bureau, Frederic J. director, Washington, D. C. A. Mme. Frances Alda is a native of New Zealand. She left that country when & child and was raised by her grandparents in Australia, San Fran- cisco and Chicago. Q. Has cotton ever been used in road construction?—H. E. A. As an experiment, 500 feet of road were built near Gonzales, Tex., with un- bleached canvas as a binder. After 15 months of heavy traffic the pavement showed no signs of wear. If the mate- rial stands up well for three years, it is said that the State will adopt this form of road construction. Q. What is the inseription on the Houden statue of Washington in Rich- mond?- H. R. A. It is as follows: “The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Vif- ginia have caused this Statue to be erected as a monument of affection and gratitude to ‘Was| uniting in the endowments of the Hero the virtues of the Patriot and exerting both in establishing the Liberties of his Country, has rendered his name dear to his Fellow Citizens and given the world an imortal example of true Glory. Done in the year of Christ one thousand and seven hundred and eighty-eight and in the"yeu of the Commonwealth the twelfth.” Q. Our class would like & good defi- nition of poverty.—M. G A._The following definition is that of Dr. Robert W. Kelso, sociologist: erty is that condition of living in which the individual, whether from lack of means or the failure to apply them, consistently falls to maintain and those properly dependent him at a plane of living high enough to in- sur2 continuous bodily and mental fit- ness to CArry on permanently in his occupation and locality, and which al- lows him and them to live and function in their community with decency and self-respect.” What is the seating capacity of L. A. The new $2,500,000 auditorium will seat over 10,000. Q. Who discovered coffee?—J. B. P. A. The early history of coffee as a beverage is traditional. There are many storjes as to who discovered the food value of coffee. One i that Leon- hard Rauwolf, & German enhydchn. was the first to make coffee known in Eu- rope in an account of his travels, pub- lished in 1573. In some parts of Eu- rope the discovery is credited to the in- mates of a monastery in Arabla who had discovered that their goats after browsing upon the coffee berries were decidedly lively. Prompted by curiosity they decided to taste the berries to find out if they would be affected in the same way. They tried chewing the berries and boiling the berries, but the Tesult was not satisfactory. They then Toasted the berries and found out that it gave them a delightful flavor. Pil- grims to whom the monks gave shelter and food were pleased wit! e new beverage and spread its fame. French have preserved the following picturesque version of the legend: A young goatherd, Kaldi, noticed one day that his goats, whose deportment, up to 'n irreproachable, were abandoning themselves to the most ex- travagant prancings. Kaldi attributed | this f-yety to certain fruit or berries. He picked and ate the berries and be- came the happiest herder in Arabia. L_UNIVERSAL, Mexico City.— Hospitals throughout the repub- lic are entering into a mutual organization, under the super- vision of a Board of Directors, at the head of which will be, for the present, Senor Moises Saenz, chief ad- ministrator of the Board of Public Charity. Nurses, physicians and sur- geons will be exchanged between all th~ hospitals for the improvement of their efficiency by a more varied experlence. Medical discoveries, methods and new seientific data relative to the diagnosis and treatment of disease and injury will also be exchanged. * % w Immigration Curb Seen | As Jobless Solution. El Comercio, Lima.—By an official legislative resolution of September 15, 1930, all immigration to Peru was sus- pended. Notwithstanding, this migra- tory movement has continued into our country, until now a new measure, dated January 27, has been ratified to strengthen the former embargo and to make it effective. These dispositions have, evidently, the purpose of protecting our workers from unemployment, most disquieting to our social problems. It is the duty of the state to come to an actuality, if slowly, yet constantly, in the attainment of a moral and material betterment for the workers, This ideal should be reached without destructive commotions. It must be an evolution through public opinion. The vital factors in a happy commonwealth are a constant harmony and a mutual dependence of all th economic elements of the country. It is necessary to arrive at this to expel the germs. from our body politic of all the acute and dangerous injus- tices and discriminations which beset it. One of the most eloquent testimonies |to the fact that there is something fundamentally wrong in our social or- der is the dally sight of men fit and anxious to work, but unable to find anything to aid in making a living. It is primarily the problem of the unemployed. It is a problem for which nations constantly fall to find & satis- factory solution. But it seems to be universally agreed that the first step is the limitation and, generally, the entire prohibition of for- eign igration to the respective na- tions affected by adverse condlf and this is almost all of them. Argen- tina, Brazil and Uruguay are countries which have also adopted such protec- tive measures. Mexico and the United | States have l.lnldf adopted similar | legislation. This will give each country gpp'ortunlty to care for its own citizens rst. * ok o Conduct of Youths Laid to Defective Instruction. Le Matin, Paris—For some time past youths and immature girls have usurped a freedom in their behavior which is very shocking to their elders and which provokes some very severe Criticisms. A while back the extremes were noticed in a familiarity of gesture and oxgnl- sion. Now many of them do not hesi: tate to embrace with ardor even in publie. Such conduct is, naf , con- liddtfed v “t‘onl'h?ma m‘::“vldeflm An nt as the concrete e of im‘l‘ml education and lack of parental lfllcr.. ‘These exhibitions, their in defective rather than in parental laxit: folk not instructed in the t Testraing which was the saving fa a bygo#ie day. They are taught, T, Q. Of what nationality is Prances | Ald: A W | | n who, | not the Municipal Auditorium in New Or- | vided, leans?—R. Q. Who received the 1930 Spingam A. Richard Harrison was awarded bullt up ance as the Lord in “The Green Pas~ and is under the personal direction of | tures.” ing in con- | to Teceive the award, Charles ureaus and | of “Emperor Jones® fame other educational enterprises it is in a | other. He is the second Negro actor 8. Ofl&l: Q. From what source 88 the phos- hate obtained which is used in making aking powder?—M. E. K. A. While there are deposits of phos- rock in the West, practically all is used in beking powders comes from Florida and Tennessee. Since the Bart of the twentloth ¢entury nat- ural phosphate rock has been the prin- cipal source of phosphate used for food purposes. Formerly the rock was treat- ed with sulphuric acid, in which process phate which | the tribasic phosphate was converted into free phosphoric acid. The crude phosphoric acid usually contained small quantities of impurities, which had to be completely removed before it could be used for food purposes. The purified phosphoric atid was made into mono- calcium phosphate by reaction with calcium carbonate. It was then dried in vacuum, milled to a fine granulation and boited to a uniform size, The wet mces& of producing phosphoric acid to some extent been supplanted by the volatilization processes, in which phosphorus is voltalized, oxidized to phosphoric anhydride and condensed in & smail quantity of water, ylelding a concentrated solution of phosphorie acid (HPO.). Q. What is & _flapper>—F. P. A. Webster's New International Dice ys: A young m of about 185 se2, especially one who 15 vith 2 double allusion & young duck, and to the braid of ly to “flap- worn hanging down the back of young girls. Q. What are the denominations of go!i\‘eyom common use in England?— A. The three major units of Eng- lish money are pounds streling, shillings and pence. The guinea, the half crown, and the half penny and the florin also remain in use, but the vast majority hat of | of business is done with the firet three named. Q. What causes spontaneous com- bustion of egm-—n. 8. - .. ureau of Mines that themun:olcul-beluve?t’;bu. surface phenomenon. If a ton of bitu minous coal could be delivered in & sin- @le cube, each dimension of the cube would be about 2.8 feet. When coal heats, it is due to something that goes on with respect to the surface and not something that happens inside of the plece. So far as is known, this is true no matter how finely the piece is di- . It is, therefore, interesting to know the area of the total exposed - face in a ton of coal. If the cube, hav- ing originally an area of about 47 square feet, be continuously subdivided until a1l the pieces are fine enough just to pass through a 16-mesh screen, the ares g:a:pnu‘fl’ ‘n:uflm xin kone flton of coal acre. It is perfectly obvi- 6us from this why it is that trouble from spontaneous combusion originates In fine coal, because the great increase in extent of surface do*s not begin un- til one gets below 114 inch, or nut size. 1t fine coal is kept out of the pile, the heating surface is relatively so small as to remove the cause of spontaneous combustion. Q. What s the local name of the NbAhc: Hawall's national flower? A._The flower emblem of the Pua Alealo. e Q. Who is the carillonneur of the Laura Spelman Rockefeller ch: Riverside Church?—A. M. Rc. Lo A. Kamiel Lefevre. Q. What is a panda?—E. L. C. A. This Asiatic animal is one of the rarest, o!‘mmlls with the face of a Taccoon, feef a cat and body similar to that of the bear. There are two n at the Field Museum in Chicago. These were captured by Theodore and Kermit Roosevelt the o near Highlights on the Wide World Excerpts From Newspapers of Other Lands self-expression and initiative—to talk much and talk grandilogquently! We have arrived at a point when a thin veneer of sophistication and of frivolous repartee has supplanted real knowledge and real virtue. However, in 80 far as any consclous indiscretion is concerned, that is an- other thing. Most of those objectionable sxihitlens on the part of adolescence are »--ught forth rather in ingenuous- ness than in badness. nE T - Brave Huntsman Captures Fox in Well. Nation and Athenaeum, Londo: (Letter to the edihrn:sh;‘i“ One of ;mr evening papers repor t “a fox, after a long and exacting chase by the Ynysfor hounds in Snowdonia, eventu- ally took refuge in an old copper mine shaft. Capt. J. R. H. Jones, brother of Col. Bowen Jones, the master, was ith a rope 45 feet down the Locating the fax with an elec- tric torch, he seized it, and, hole by the back of the neck, was hauled to the surface, where hcunds made short work of their quarry.” Col. Jones no doubt led with con- spicuous gallantry the long and exact- ing chase which ended in the fox, com- pletely worn out, creeping into the old mine. With a courage probably unex- ampled in the hunting field, his brother, Capt. Jones, entered the mine an faced the ferocious animal alone. Armed only with an electric torch, he sought it out, caught it by the neck, and on reaching the surface threw it to the e | hounds. And so ended a glorious day's ‘Wha spon‘. it a group for Mr. Hardi- man Is it any wonder that the British Army has the reputation of being ready to g0 anywhere and do anything? D. M. STEVENSON. ok ok % English and Spanish Af.{'lenncnl Equal in New World. El Nuevo Diario, Caracas—There are nearly as many le south of the Rio Grande as north. deed, allowing for omissions due to the impossibility of enumerators reaching various tribes living in the remote interiors or on inaccessi] mountain peaks, it is likely these two divisions of the all- Amcrican population are about equal, which means again that the vogue of the English language and that of the Spanish is about on a par in the West- ern Hemisphere. It is true that in Brazil Portuguese is spoken almost ex- clusively by the educated native popu- lation, but this daduction is offset again by the fact that many millions in North America speak French, and not Eng- lish. Besides, Portuguese is much more analogcus to Spanish than French is to Englich. A summary of the latest census in Central and South America and Mexico gives the total population as 113,436,000, Of these people 42,600,000 are in Brazil, 16,000,000 in E livia, Cuba. Other smaller nations on the continent and in the West Indies make which proves that Anglo- 8% |Saxon and Spanish achievement and mfim are about equal in the New 3 - Has No Ear for Humor. From the Toledo Blade. He who laughs last may laugh best, of {but he will be suspected of having ne ear for humor. -