Evening Star Newspaper, April 22, 1931, Page 8

‘' A-8 THE EVENI With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. WEDNESDAY.....April 22, 1931 THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Cempany Business Office 11th 8t. and Pennsylvania Ave. New York Office: 110 East 42nd 8t. Chicago Office: Lake Michigan Building. European Office: 14 Regent M..-Londan. England. Rate by Carrier Within the City. e Evening Star . ... 45c per month n'.:fl‘fl!“ll; B .'m per month (when 5 l prc 3¢ per mogn; undays) : The Sun ik i s thie erid of ‘ench monf o&'}’ffi‘l‘}"flé‘.{# in''by ‘mail or telephone NAtional 3000 4 Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. ily lfllll Sunday. .1yr., $10.00; 1 mo., 85¢ 1ly on L1yr., $6.00; 1 mo., 50c B 6 #E1E 1yrl 0. 40c All Other States and Canada. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled ! to the use for republication of all news Patehes gredited to it or not otherwise cre ted in This paper and also the local news published herein. Al rights of publication of special dispatches herein are also roserved. o Forty—And Going Strong. ‘The Daughters of the American Revolution are forty years old and going on forty-one. Reminding the ladies of such a thing might be consid- ered frightfully poor taste, but under the circumstances it should cause them an extraordinary amount of wholesome satisfaction. Few organizations can look back over the relatively short stretch of forty years and sum up so much material progress. Few organ- izations can attain to the rank of a national institution within the space of four decades—and if the D. A. R. 1s not an institution, there is none. Few organizations can point to such consistent growth in membership, to such tangible evidence of well-being as the beantiful structures dedicated to fts use in Washington. It has required something more than mere pride in an- cestry, or the love of colorful pageantry and fashionable gatherings, to find the D. A, R, at the age of forty, looking forward to another long period of val- uable service. ‘The D. A. R. was organized in Wash- ington in October, 1890, “to perpetuate the memory of the spirit of the men and women who achieved American in- dependence; to promote institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge; to cherish, maintain and extend the in- stitutions of American freedom; to| foster true patriotism and love of coun- try and to secure for all mankind all tbe blessings of liberty.” Through various activities, too numerous to mention, the organization has done much to preserve for posterity national traditions and objects of historical interest associated with the days of the founders. It has successfully emphasized the importance of educating aljens in what we under- stand as “Americanism” It revived, in its early days, and has always fostered, an intelligent interest in early America. In later years its unylelding conserva- tism has identified the organization with a particular blend of patriotism, to which it gives vigorous expression in the espousal of policies that changing times and points of view have made controversial. Its objective today, as restated simply by the president general in her annual address to the congress, is “a better country.” There will be no controversy over the desirability of bringing that about. There will be plenty of contro- versy over the ways and means that are finally chosen in efforts to bring | | a general customs federation with the | immediate, positive and far-reaching advantages of razed German and Ausirian tariff walls, Berlin and Vienna will in all likelihood choose to follow the furrow they have laid out for them- selves. Briand realizes that, politically neces- sary and desirable as it may be to smash the German-Austrian customs merger, world opinfon will demand that the wreckers come forward with some- thing to take its place. Painfully con- sclous that the scheme is a definite, far-reaching advance toward his own ideal of European economic dis- armament, Briand is obviously bestir- ring himself to devise an alternative. He is not constrained to remain on the horns of the dilemma to which Ger- manic diplomacy—duplicity, according to the French—has hoisted him. oo Sticking to Its Guns. The zdministration is sticking to its plan to get American armed forces out of Nicaragua at the earliest possible moment. It has not permitted recent outrages by banditry in the Central American country to shake its deter- mination in this matter. Indeed, the course followed, as announced by Sec- retary Stimson, since reports of the killing and looting by bandits on the east coast, not only is in entire accord with the plan of ultimate evacuation of all armed forces of the United States, but gives added promise that the plan is to be carried out. On Pebruary 13 the Secretary of State revealed the purpose of the administra- tion t8 reduce the force of Marines in Nicaragua to 500 by June. The way had been paved, Mr. Stimson said, for the ultimate removal of all the Marine forces from Nicaragua immediately after the election of 1932. This, he said, was made possible by the organi- zation of the Nicaraguan National Guard, which has been under the com- mand and instruction of American Ma- rine officers. The announcement was acclaimed by - Americans who believe that the United States should not re- main permanently in the Central Amer- ican. country. The devastating earthquake which destroyed many lives and much prop- erty in the capital city, Managua, and the bandit raids on the east coast have threatened to throw a monkey-wrench into the plans of the administration to “get out” of Nicaragua. They have, however, not caused President Hoover nor Secretary Stimson to lose faith in the ability of the Nicaraguan govern- ment, with a trained National Guard and the promise of better roads through bandit-infested territory, to carry on. Announcement was made on April 17 that Americans in the interior of the Central American country must rely on the protection afforded them by the National Guard and that American forces will not be sent into the interior. Americans were warned, if they did not feel secure under the protec- tion of the Nicaraguan government and the National Guard, either to remove from the ceuntry or to coast towns where they could be protected or evac- uated in case of necessity. Such warnings to American citizens in foreign countries are by no means new. There was no implication that the United States would not protect | its citizens. It was quite clear that this Government would hold Nicara- gua responsible for protection of Amer- icans in the interior of the country. Americans in Chine, many of them holding big property rights within that country, have been repeatedly warned by this Government to go to coast cities or to leave the country when they have been menaced by revolutionary it about, and one believes that in the next forty years the D. A. R. will rise to greater prestige and influence or succumb to the processes of decay that have undermined other institutions, ac- cording to the nature of its contribution to this “better country.” Under able leadership, well endowed and bound by ties of high idealism, the D. A. R. should play as conspicuous a part in the next forty years of building for the future as it has in keeping alive the spirit of the past. 1In the meantime, Spring in Washing- ton would not be Spring without the “Daughters.” Many happy returns! ol e Police vigllance might add to finger~ printing a system of records that will identify by number every firearm, sold and require all who own weapons to report at regular intervals all purchases of ammunition and the use to which it 1s put. The method might not diminish crimes of avarice or passion, but it would at least provide the police with more clues with which to interest the public. ————— Base ball has not only created its own heroes, but it has revised lan- guage. In earlier days of English gram- mar no proof reader would have per- mitted a chronicler the distortion of & verb in announcing that H. Rice “filed” to Webb. .- Reports that Alfonso of Spain has been offered a large salary by the movies may lead to hopes of a solution for one of the world’s most distinguished un- employment problems. Briand's Dilemma. Aristide Briand, whose dream of suc- ceeding Gaston Doumergue as President of Prance this year is said to be wrecked on the rocks of the proposed German- Austrian customs union, is evidently determined to salvage his prestige if he cen. The master of French foreign policy has made two moves in that direction. He appears to have per- “suaded Austria to drop all negotiations with Germany until after next month's meeting of the League Council at Geneva has weighed the proposition. But & second and more concrete form of counter-offensive is M. Briand’s pro- Jected offset to & German-Austrian tariff alliance. He has initiated a plan for a reciprocity arrangement between agricultural Middle and West. As even the Germans and Aus- trians themselves could hope to profit by this wider customs union, Briand in- dulges the thought that they might, in conceivable circumstances, prefer it to their bi-lateral tariff merger. ‘The crafty veteran of the Qual d'Orsay probably reckons without his Teutonlc host. Europe, with what Dr. Southern Europe and the industrfal North and forces or by bandits. No one has sug- gested that the United States send forces into the interior of China. This country does not expect to set up a government in China because some of its citizens are unable to pursue the even course of their business under the conditions prevalling in that country. ‘Warnings to Americans in Honduras to ieave and to go to the coast where they could be protected have been issued by this Government many times in the past, as they have been in the last few days. It was not so long ago that the Wilson administration warned Americans in Mexico to leave the in- terior and to go to coast towns for rotection. Armed forces of the United States have been hurried to the east coast| towns of Nicaragua where the bandit outrages were recently perpetrated. Secretary Stimson has made it quite clear that such forces will always be dispatched to aid Americans in danger. But he has made it equally clear that this Government does not intend to take over the government of Nicaragua, which of necessity it would do if it sent its armed forces throughout that coun- try to police it. The time has come when it is believed to be to the best interests of all concerned to call upon the government of Nicaragua to do this police work. Furthermore, with the aid afforded by the American Ma- rines, which is believed capable of handling the situation. e Suggestion that Smedley Butler be placed in charge of the new organiza- tion of Oregon State police comes rather late in a career of prominence. Gen. Butler is too well established in public attention to feel the need of going West to grow up with the country. - Sclence was extolled in the second address by radio of Pope Pius XI. Radio is itselfl an example of what Sclence can do in the service and uplift of man- kind. O, A Futile Flight. It seems a pity that almost as soon as a fiyer becomes proficient in his art he begins to turn his thoughts to an At- the immortal feat of Col. Charles A. Lindbergh. Many have done so and but few have succeeded, and the fatality toll has steddily mounted. York-to-Paris attempt is Miss Ruth Nichols, who has set up enviable fem- inine records for flying. Holder of the transco. tinental mark for speed and for speed on & measured course, this plucky a guard has been organized | lantic crossing in a desire to emulate | later carried, their plans into exécution, | The latest to feel the lure of a New | THE rmna STAR. WASHINGTON, D. C. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 193 . ' ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC ). HASKIN. G STAR |brelia. Comparing the scanty value of | questioned. Neither is her skl as a| pilot nor the airworthinéss of her plane. But what is to be gained by such a fi'ght? There should be no controversy as to the answer. Exactly nothing. Suppose she does succeed in making the long trip. What will it prove? That a woman has the stamina to sit at the controls of a ship. for thirty hours, or that the plane of 1931 is faster than the Lindbergh plane of 1927? ‘These facts have already been amply proved. In endurance flying women have succeeded in staying aloft longer than the time necessary for a Paris trip, and Miss Nichols herself has sped through the air at better than 210 miles an hour, faster by nearly & hundred miles an hour than the Spirit of St. Louis ever achieved. Personal glory, of course, will be hers if she succceds in her attempt, but it seems rather futile to match the chances of personal glory against the ever-clutching forces of the elements on a three-thousand-mile over-water flight. Miss Nichols should by all means abandon her plans and stick to more prosaic forms of achievement. Parking Space for Bees. Washington's parking problems may seem hectic at times, but they do not as yet include that of the busy bee. In Brooklyn certain candy manufacturers are complaining because bees from a nearby apiary are swarming on their fresh tafly, butterscotch and bonbons. Hence, whether a bee has a right to park on taffy is the serious question now confronting the health office, rather than the traffic bureau, for as yet this latter department of modern urban life has not undertaken to tell the bees where to get off. If ordinances do not yield a satis- factory section, whercby the authorities may order the bees outside the city limits, it, would seem that the next move would be that of the candy- makers. Perhaps common sense might solve the problem, after all. For bees are so busy, according to all traditions, that they do not swarm for long and are too much occupled the remainder of thelr lives to cause much trouble. It would seem that a few screens might go a long way toward keeping the bees off taffy, butterscotch or bon- bons. Particularly the bonbons. On the other hand, perhaps no one should take the bee-parking problem too seri- ously. Maybe there was only one case of it. e By trying out a number of new pre- liminary ideas Washington, D. C., will be able to offer Traffic Director Van Duzer some valuable suggestions for the establishment of a permanent system. — e = Often light-hearted, Mayor Walker recognizes the fitness of things and perceives when charges against his ad- ministration must be regarded as no laughing matter. - Deportation of alien criminals s urged by Vice President Curtis. This is one line of production in which the home-grown supply is conspicuously superabundant. —— Immediate reform was announced by the new mayor of Chicago. It is now conceded that there are still a few de- talls to be attended to. ————— Early mention of a presidential possi- bility is one way of preventing an training as a dark horse. = o — It is urged as an argument in favor of Soviet Russia that Stalin pays his bills. So does Al Capone. i SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. By the Potomac River. We sometimes vow in language sad The world of ours is just too bad. And then we Lft our eyes and find A glorious wealth of blossoming. The swamp land is left far behind, ‘Where the mosquitoes used to sing. The major and the judge would say: “Quinine will cure mal-ar-i-ia.” Prom time to time a hunter bold Would feel the birdshot smart and sting, As other hunters stalked of old, Where the mosquitoes used to sing. The bright Potomac, clear and free, Now hurrles gladly toward the sea, And bids us with no thought of fear Wait for the changes time shall bring, Till beauty fills the world with cheer, Where once mosquitoes used to sing. For Variety’s Sake. “Do you Intend to entertain when you go back to Washington, D. C.2" “No,” answered Senator Sorghum. “There is already so much entertain- ing that every evening begins to sound like amateur night in the town hall. The public wants a little variety. I propose to go on trying to be serious and instructive. Jud Tunkins says its getting harder to catch criminals for the reascn that the best detective brains in the country {h busily engaged in writing fiction. The Crowning Invention. To Henry Ford the people said, “You've great ideas in your head. No one on earth will hesitate ‘To call you an inventor great! “Your vehicles command for you Respect that's an inventor's due. Keep on Inventing till you place For each a proper parking space!” Another Reason. - “Why are telephone rates so high?” “Because of the extravagance of the | American people,” answered the man who can explain everything. “The company- has to charge extra because | whenever there is a great popular demonstration people insist on tearing up telephone books to make confettl.” “A contented man,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “wil] sometimes pre- ‘und to be irritated by small annoy- /ances in the hope that envy will not seek to affiict him with greater ones.” Just for Fun. She went to Paris just for fun. Her play was never rough. She stayed till her divorce was won, And that was*fun enough! woman fiyer, conceded to be one of the of the fair sex, has announced “De man wif a big voice,” sald Uncle Julius Klein calls its “5,000 miles of | that within the next few weeks she will [ Ebes ‘kin be mighty useful, same as Barbed-wire tariff entanglements,” has|set out on the hazardous flight in a|a locomotive whistle. But it's a mis- relatively few points of customs contact borrowed 200-mile-an-hour plane to'take to expect to git fur wif de whistle upon which the Continenta] nations beat the Lindbergh time to Paris. as de only reliable part of de ma- ".flmmmm'm Miss Nichols' perscnal courage is not chinerg,” aspirant from going into undercover | The dandelions came up. overnight, and by noon there were hundreds of filem scattered like stars throughout the wn. Fortunate was the householder who had got over worrying about these weedy flowers. For beautiful they are, in their hum- | ble way, and harmiess enough, if one | knows what to do with them. ‘Tearing up their taproots is not nec- essary. Often it is not possible to get |all of it, even when a digging instru- | | ment is used, and if there is even so | little as an eighth of an inch of it left | there will soon be another dandelion i plant. The proper procedure is to enjoy the bright flowers and let the hardy tap- | root alone, * ox X * Pull off the biossoms before they go to seed, and remove caves, U No plant, not even a weed, can live | without leaves, especially at this time of year. | The third step, and perhaps the most | important, in dandelion control, is to drop grass sced immediately into the small space where the removed leaves show the bare ground. This renders the removal of the root, with consequent tearing of the earth, and usually an unsightly spot, totally unnecessary. If grass seed is put in the ground at once, the dandelion root will find itself literally smothered. The competition which the one root will have to face with scveral score or maybe hundreds of fresh young grass plants will be too much for it. * xox % This, of course, is the theory, which often enough works out perfectly under practical growing conditions. It is & much better system than that commonly adopted, of tearing out the plants by the roots, or permitting the yellow “lion’s teeth” to go into those white puffs which the least touch will scatter. Then each tiny seed goes riding away on the wind, to light on somebody else’s lawn a block or a mile away, perhaps. He who righteously destroys the dan- delions on his own plot of ground will act as & benefactor to scores of persons unknown to him. He, in his turn, will receive the flying seed from blocks around; thus the good which he does shall be returned to him in full measure, heaped up and pressed down with nice, new dandelion plants for the Spring of‘lflil & * ‘The Spring of 1932! Here at the gateway of the growing season of 1931 we can afford to turn our eyes ahead for a few minutes. ‘This present Spring is here in full| blast. Small now seems the damage | done by the drought. If similarly in- imical conditions prevail this Spring and Summer, all will not be so well | with the Spring of 1932. | Then garden affairs will not be as good as they are today, but as the present Spring dowers the land with | flowering trees and shrubs, and brings back the old-time greenness to the grass, it is difficult to think pessimis- tically of the seasons to come. Let us rejoice in the Spring at dand, unusually early, perhaps the earliest for | | ® decade. Let us be glad that it has come in April, not in June, and hope | for rains, in order that every growing thing may get a good start. ‘Warm suns demand plenty of rain at this time of year. If the rains do not This_Spring, the cherry blossoms: next Winter, the cherries—not the fruit that never sprouts from the non- bearing trees which fringe the Potomac at Washington, but the cherries destined | to sour debates in Congress. Along with cherries, there will be tomatoes. It will all be due to recent action of President Hoover in refusing to act on the United States Tariff Commission’s recommendation of lower dutles on im- ported cherries and tomatoes, The stage is being set for a congréssional knockdown and dragout, which may ramify into one of the roaring tariff | issues of the 1932 presidential cam- paign. The old tariff on pitted cher- ries was 3 cents a pound. The Hawley- Smoot law raised it to 91 cents. The Tariff Commission, having bzen directed by the Senate to review, among other rates, the duties on cherries, made a rapid-fire investigation and advised the | President to slash the cherry tariff to | 6 cents. This about split the differsnce between the old and the new rate. Bul' Mr. Hoover demurred. He sald some- thing about this not being the right | moment for reducing tariffs. He also rejected the Tariff Commission's recom- mendation to cut down the rate on to- matoes. * kKo Here's where the Democrats come in. or are preparing to wade in, horse, foot | and dragoon. They are going to point out (1) that the President’s reluctance to tamper with the cherry tariff may | be due to the coincidence that the Italian fruit, which is mainly in ques- tion, happens to compete with Califor- nia cherries; and (2) that it also com- | petes with fruit grown in Oregon, the | home State of Chairman Hawley of | the House Ways and Means Committee, | and of Chairman McNary of the Sen- ate Agricultural Committee. The heart- less opposition also intends to remind the country that President Hoover ac- | cepted the tariff bill he notoriously | disliked, because it gave him the right to deal with “inequalities” through its | flexible provislon—for which he was | ready to fight, bleed and die. Having called attention to that little detail, the Democrats then will ask how come | that Mr. Hoover, at the first flexing | crack out of the flexing box, turns thumbs down. Italy is hard hit by the | high cherry tariff. In 1929 she sold us | $3,327,000 worth of cherries. The to- | mato rate affected her, too. We bought | canned and paste Italian tomatoes to the amount of $9,928.000 in 1929, EE No foreign envoy ever stationed at Washington quits ~ these shores with more poignant feelings than Don Ale jandro Padilla, who has just re- linquished the ambassadorship of Spain. It is not only because of revo- lutionary conditions at Madrid that | Senor Padilla leaves us tearfully. He | has known Washington for more than 35 years. His ambassadorship began only in 1926, but he was on duty here long before that, as a secretary of the old Spanish legation, in pre-Cuban war times. Senor Padilla remembers when the Chevy Chase Club, just across the District of Columbia liné, in Maryland, was the center of a picturesque and primeval hunting country. With Padilla Washington loses its most marvelous ccllection of pipes. Assembling pipes of all countries and designs, especially | ancient types, is his hobby. ooy From Arkansas City, Kans., home- town of the late Maj. Laban J. Miles, Herbert Hoover's old Quaker uncle, who recently passed away, comes a quaint tale of a family happening after the barefoot boy with face of tan began to achleve fame. Uncle and Aunt Miles had charge of young Herbert when he was 7 years old. He lived with them almost till college time. When Hoover became food administrator during the World War, Aunt Agnes called a fam- ily council’ at the ranch home, near Pawhuska, Okla. “Our nephew and cousin,” she sald feelingly, “now is one of the great men of the country and of the world. I do not believe it proper to do an; or say anything that would imply famillarity. S0 I ask thee all never to refer to him again as Bert. He the sprawling | THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. the things of field and garden hold up during a second hot drought? We dis- tinguish hot drought from cool drought, because they are different. This vicini- ty, ug until March, suffered a cold drought, the follow-on of the hot drought of last Summer. What gardens need now is a series of adequate rains to take full advantage of the warm, growing weather. * Kok X For all the molling and toiling which goes on in gardens, it would seem that the average householder gets little tangible results. At this season men spend hours in gardens, digging, raking, all to little purpose, if one may judge from visible Tesuits. Perhaps the secret of this seeming lack is the unwillingness of most of us to “loosen up” in the matter of plant ‘materials. In the garden as elsewhere, and whether one cares to admit it or not, money plays a part. Whether it is at the root of all evil is debatable, but there can be little question that it, in a very matter-of-fact way, is at the root of every good growing thing. Most gardens suffer from the lack of | expenditure, and most gardeners realize | 1t; but there are so many more neces- | sary things which must be bought in | the upkeep of every home that often the garden is put off to the last. | * % x x | 'This fallure to give the garden its | due share of mcney is something of a mistake, all the more unnecessary since a budget planting, as it may be called, is possible. | A few shrubs every year, for in- tance, in five or six years would grow into @ sizable collection, with each bush individually growing larger every year. A stated addition of perennials over a period of years would, within | the same period of time, give any home a sizable collection. Plan is necessary, and no doubt it is in planning that most human beings fall down, alcng with all the other de- | partments of life and living wherein mankind does fall down with several loud bangs. | The legend of Humpty Dumpty is seen | not g0 much as a childish tale to tickle | the juvenile ear as a serious presenta- | ticn of facts to warn adults to do more | and better planning, for all the horse- | power of that rapidly vanishing offieial, | the King, is inadequate to the task of | righting matters afterward, we are told. x ok ok x 8o with the weeds of cur little subur- ban and city gardens. ‘What of them, after all? Weeds are very sterling plants, of sturdy construc- tion and growth, always with fine green foliage, and sometimes bearing pretty flowers. A few choice weeds will brighten any border. Do not be in too big & hurry to tear them up, but be sure to remove their flowers before they go to seed. As much is done with sweet peas and other cultivated plants, so called. The weeds in the grass, including the dandelions and the bright buttercups, are easily contrclled by the system out- lined; ordinary grass mowing takes care of many of them. Even the objectionable crab - grass, which sends out long runners, may be controlled by ripping up the runners as far as feasible without tearing the soil, then breaking at the lowest joint. Here again plenty of grass seed is the solution of the matter. A handful brings reinforcements to the grass at the right time and place. If you would be the | follow, the question will be, How will Napoleon of the lawn, piay this strategy. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE, written by a famous Washington sol- dier, Col. Arthur Conger, a member of Gen. Pershing’s original headquarters staff in France. Conger retired from the Army in 1928 after 30 years' service. In “The Rise of U. 8. Grant,” he paints an entirely new picture of Grant, the soldier. It differs in cardinal respects from the portrait which biographers and historians have been drawing for half a century. The striking feature of Col. Conger's “Grant” is that the soldier- statesman is made to tell his story in his own words—in the exact phrases inscribed by him in handwritten mes- sages and documents. The author set himself the task of answering the ques- tion, “Were Grant's honors really earned or owed to chance?” Thereupon, in 400 gripping pages, Conger brilliantly analyzes the major strategy of - the ?;flbo\\éxr.wm}"redict:on is made that arouse wides - troversial interest. e LR Benator Arthur H. Vandenber; Guard Republican of MJcm::n?' S crossing the Pacific for a look-see in g:e Far East, addressed the Hawalian House of Representatives at Honolulu He paid tribute to Hawail's importance flow:gg fie:}::e;«lic ?{1 Ame_;_!fi\n national defense c.” The Wolverine states- man also envisioned the territory as lte:e natural outpost of the United States expanding trade interests in the Orlent Whereupon he christened the land of Aloha” “the spearhead of American prosperity, as well.” He pledged the territory the hearty support of Congress in developing its vast economic pos- sibllities. ~ Senator Vandenberg deposes :r‘lcvlesr:‘?:tthn; Do people in the world ered the art of hos) the Hawailans have. S * X ok ok Wisecrack making the rounds of the Washington diplomatic corps: What is diplomacy? Diplomacy is the art of permitting the other fellow to have your way. (Copyright, 1931.) s Attempt to Outlaw Flower Vendors Hit To the Editor of The Star: Is there no way of enlisting public sentiment in favor of the street flower vendors who, it appears, are now to be | driven from the streets upon complaint of merchants? The two charges made against these men are really too ridicu- lous to be considered. They are certainly not hurting the trade of the merchants, for the people who buy from them would not in any case patronize the florists. The vendors merely make it possible for people who love flowers to have a few of them oc- casionally in their homes or in their offices. Driving the vendors from the streets will not drive these people into the flower shops. It will merely deprive them of a little beauty and pleasure which they can now enjoy at a cost they can afford, in addition to depriving the vendors of their only means of livelihood. I don't suppose any one takes seri- ously the charge that the vendors are obstructing traffic. Both the . streets and the sidewalks of Washington are wide and the atmosphere of pictur- esqueness and beauty added by baskets of flowers might in any case, it would seem, compensate any one but the most arrant materialist for the loss of a few feet of space. Isn't it about time for Americans to outgrow being merely a nation of hus- tlers and so-called efficiency experts whose sole gods are sanitary plumbing and blg business? Washington and its citizens will lose much aind the merchants will gain nothing if the heartless proposal men- tioned as imminent in The Sunday Star is carried out by the authorities. SARAH WEADICK. R T e Jazztime. is to be Mr. Hoaver or Herbert Hoover.” * %X % Like the fame of Lincoln, that of Grant grows with the flight of time. ‘There is just off the press a volume on the Union commander in chief, From the Worcester Evening Gazette. It may be encoureging to have the editor of the musical magazine, Etude, tell us that “Jazz is in its twilight,” but it's in the twilight that we seem to hear most of it. the | Letters Help People, Says Reader of Star To the Editor of The Star: The fairness with which you throw open your columns to us common folk who cannot hire a hall or own & news- paper is something on which you should be commended and the public congratulated, Perhaps it may have the same soothing effect as the privi- leges granted to soap-box orators in Hyde Park—a chance to blow off steam. In the very nature of thil cannot offer space to all who red jas' T have no doubt the members] , the “Something - Ought - to - Be-Done- Abcut-It-Club” is very great, may I tell an actual happening? It may help. Many years ago, when farming in Virginia was a mighty lean living, my | father, who was a_practicing New York 1 attorney, undertook to become & scien- tific farmer and show the natives how it should be done. Fortunately for the family, he did not give up his law practice, otherwise we would have starved, but instead sent down all the latest labor-saving devices—and a small volume could be written about our experiences. With these devices came farmers— sclentific farmers,” “practical farm- ers,” “theoretical farmers’—the 1. | ficlency farmer” was still in the offing —and among the former was a giant of a man named Holland—that is, he was a giant physically, and wonderfully useful in lifting farm carts out alflthu Virginia mud, but “above the ears,” as they say, we all thought he was not so L%dne happy, lazy farmhand, quite in- different to the stimulus of responsibil- ity, at first puzzled him, then frritated him and finally reduced poor Holland to a state of fault-finding with every- thing and everybody till he was quite beside himself most of the time. «This continued for quite a while, during which time he “cussed” every- thing from the “sacred soil of Virginia to the Governor. Then IL suddenly st d. w:pleew weeks later Holland went the way of his predecessors, but, so far his outbursts of temper went, seem ingly, & changed man, and it was sev- eral days before we learned the truth. In a large closet opening oii his room we found over two bushels of let- ters, stamped and addressed in a clear neat hand to the President of the United States—sealed and ready for the postman. At the risk of robbing the mails some were opened, and they were all com- plaints—some personal, some general, some that were couched in diplomatic language and some that would have made an angry longshoreman feel his education had been neglected. They had evidently served their pur- pose, the “steam pressure” had been re- lieved, and I for one have often won- dered whether Holland was as weak “up stairs” as we had thought him. CHAS. MORGAN. Parking Enumerated To the Editor of The Star: I voice my opinion that the prohi- bition of angie parking on specially wide | streets and requirement of parallel park- ing (where I observe that each car occupies the space that would accommo- date three parked at an angle) is a harassment of the public and unneces- sary, especially in conjunction with the prohibition of parking before 9:30 in the morning. I have had more difficulties in driv- ing out from the curb from parallel parking than I have ever had moving from an angle-parked position. As to the traffic stream, there is only a frac- tion more time involved in moving from an angle-parked position than from the one parallel to the curb and it has the element of greater safety, because the | movement in backing out is one which is clearly apparent and unmistakable, whereas I have struck cars moving out from a parallel-parked position because the motion was not apparent in its initial stages, and_have observed many narrow escapes. I have never been in an accident connected with movement from an angle-parked position of my own or another car and have not wit- nessed any. If there were a solid stream of traffic—that is, where a continuous train of vehicles at the closest practi- cable interval is moving—there might be objection to any parking. But with the electric-signal control there are intermittent lulls which the motorists may take advantage of to move from angle-parked position without material interference with traffic. ‘There is but little purpose in widened streets if parallel parking is to be re- quired where the widening gives more than a four-lane clearway between arked cars under present conditions n the downtown district, because at present the traffic in the wide streets like Thirteenth is only that derived | from ‘and destined for a comparatively few two-lane streets for the most part, except in early morning, and the added space serves only to permit the enjoy- ment of liberal “vistas through” and I irresponsible mcu;}lderlng. i L. WOODWARD. Broadcasting of Crime News Seen as Menace To the Editor of The Star: Apropos your editorial “Fiction and Fact of Crime,” I wish to say that even the solution of each and all crimes, when successful, the evils resulting from broadcasting the detailed accounts far outweigh the mere ostracization. or even the punishment, of the so-called criminal. Thus the real criminal is the irresponsible labit of picturing the methods of crimes, as well as the care- less production of circumstances on the part of society, that gives occasion for an otherwise good citizen to not only kill and rob others, commit suicide, but even kill his own often innocent little children. Helas, that the pride of in- tellect now controlling 4ll branches of learning will not admit its own inabil- ity to adequately solve vital problems of the nation, and is ready to brand every genius who would dare to take the fleld as a “crank,” because he is per- haps too original a thinker to work with obsolete methods! ‘This writer is not a financial genius. He has not developed this faculty most prized by the average man, and if financial geniuses are patriotic enough to see to it that there is food and work for every man or woman, I do humbly, but with a full knowledge of my mental capacity to accomplish the task, pro- pose to undertake tasproduce a moral and mental revolution (to the glory of American free libraries which have equippsd me) to the extent of not only reducing crime to a very minimum, but even to reduce the number of divorces, labor contentions and bring about such a change of thought that “prohibition” or “thou shalt nots” will not be neces- sary in this great Nation. PHILIP CALPAKIAN, Seventh-day Adventist Missions Circle Globe “To the Editor of The Star: ‘The survey given in your issue of Sunday, April 19, by Miss Pauline Fred- erick, concerning the work of American missionaries in foreign countries, did not include what Seventh-day Adven- tists are doing in lands across the seas. May I inform you that the Seventh- day Adventist Foreign Mission Board, which has its headquarters here in Ta- koma Park, has a total of 12,178 mis- slonaries, exclusive of children, in for- eign countries? Since 1920 a total of 1,983 missionaries, exclusive of children, have been sent from America alone to foreign countries. Seventh-day Adven- tists are now operating in 139 countries of the world in more than 400 languages. ‘We shall appreciate your mentioning this for the benefit of your readers. ‘WALTER L. BURGAN. D What Good Dying Rich? From the Toronto Daily Star. |""The Soo Star says that a lot of young fellows in Algoma will die rich if they really want to do so. But. on the other mcg-;.mtmdnuudnnmnmdh Have we had the pleasure of serving you through our Washington Informa- | tion Bureau? Can't we be of some help to you in your Our business is to furnish you with authoritative in- formation, and we.invite you to ask us any question of fact in which you are interested. Send your inquiry to The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washing- ton, D. C. Inclose 2 cents in coln or stamps for return postage. Q. What was the attendance last at t:eclndhmpom Speedway nd 40 cars were entered. Q. How many probation officers are there in the United States?—R. C. A. There are now 3,929 _‘g‘mb ion of- ficers in this country. ey are mnot evenly distributed. In States where propation work is well developed there are many times the number of pald probation officers in proportion population than there are in States where little probation work is at- tempted. Q. What percentage of automobile accidents occur at street and highway intersectiogs?—L. A. A. About 50 per cent. | _A. The Department of the Interior | says that last year 35,000 tourists visited Southeastern Alaska. Only a small pro- portion of this number went farther North. can be made to encourage visitors to include Seward, Fairbanke and Mount l\egf’(ymley Netional Park in their itin- Q. What are movable’feasts?>—C. 8. A. They are those church celebrations vary as to date within fixed limits. Im- ‘movnble feasts are those which fall al- ways upon a certain calendar date, such as Christmas. In a_general way, Thanksgiving day may be considered a movable feast. ! platinum?—E. C. . A, The largest use of platinum is for the ‘manufacture of jewelry. The metal is also employed extensively in the electrical and chemical industries, in ldenusu’y and for in variety of miscel- laneous purposes. the early days if was used in Russia for colnage ylnd !:mf sequently from time to time it has been proposed by bimentallists as a standard of value. of Q. What variety of iris thrives best in wet ground?—J. C. E. A. Siberian iris. Q. Has the Government a narcotic farm?—D. J. A. The site for the first United States Narcotic Farm has been selected at Lexington, Ky., and plans are under way for the development of the nec- essary buildings thereon. Medical offi- cers have been assigned to the medical and psychiatric clinics established at the several penal correctional in- stitutions. Q. How:many of the inhabitants of ga;ulxl- are pure-blood Hawallans?— A. There are 22,636. There are 28,- 224 part-Hawallans. The remainder of the total population of Hawaii of 368, 336 is made up largely of Caucasian whites and Japanese. Q. What is the foundation for the poem “Evangeline”?—S. A. S. A. The poem “Evangeline” is based lon a true story, which traveled from oo “The ‘attendance last year was 165,- | | . @ Do many tourists visit Alaska?— | M. P, = It is hoped that arrangements | which, depending upon Easter, may | Q. What are the principal uses of | Canada to New England by word of mouth, finally reaching Hawthorne, whe did not care to use it for & rom: and turned it over to Longfellow. story has founded a national legend which has kept alive the memory of an episode which would otherwise have | been forgotten. | nek ! Q What are lineal and collateral | descendants?—N. A. |, A. Lineal pertains to direct descent from an ancestor. Collateral pertains |to descent from a common ancestor | through a different line. For instance, George Washington has no lineal de- | scendants, but through his brothers |and sister has many collateral de- scendants, | { | Q. Were the Indians hospitable when they were on friendly terms with the white men?—W. U. A. Handbook of American Indians says: “Hospitality, distinguished from charity, was a cardinal principle of every Indian tribe. The narratives of many pioneer explorers and settlers, |from _De Soto and Coronado, Amidas jand Barlow, John Smith and the Pil- grims down to the most recent period, are full of instances of wholesale hos- pitality toward the white strangers, es at considerable cost to the | h ers actually keep guns ny noise when fired?— | Q. Did silenc | from making a. |R. H. G. ¥ A. The report was not strictly sf- lenced either on rifles or single-shot | pistols. It was reduced, however, from {an explosion to a sort of loud puff or | biss. On & revolver, the report escaped |at the junction between the cylinder and barrel. Q. How heavy & traln of cars has | been pulled by & locomotive?—R. T. H. | “A. On Wednesday, May 25, 1921, & train of 100 loaded 120-ton’ cars of | coal. aggregating 16,000 gross tons, was hauled by the Virginian Railroad. This s & record for heavy train-loading. This |load was successfully handled both om | the heavy grade and on comparatively level sections. Q. When was Poll's Theater in Washe ington built?—E. 8. A. It was first known as Albaugh’s Opera House. The permit was issued in April, 1884, and the work began that Spring. It is now being demol- ished as part of the Government pro- gram. . Are there many persons on the waiting list for United States Civil Service positions?—B. T. H. A. Civil Service Commissioner Camp- bell says that the number is now the largest since the World War. It amounts to about 235,000. Q. Where is the largest museum of Bibles in the world?>—A. N. A. The British Foreign Bible Society has the largest museum, while the Amme’;lecln Bible Society has the second E | Q. Are brunettes easier to photograph than blondes?>—M. R. o A. They are. Shadows and dark tones are what count in pictures. Blondes offer less contrast to the camera. Light hair, eyes and skin blend into each other. . Did President Harding coin the word “normalcy”?—F. M. W. A. The word has been in use for | many years. People were, however, 8o | unfamiliar with it when President Hard- ing used it during his campaign that | those who read his speeches thought he | had coined the word. | Pinchot Effort Gov. Pinchot of Pennsylvania has at- tracted attention in his effort to re- move unnecessary and stupid but tra- ditional phrases from official letter writing under his jurisdiction. Hearty concurrence with the Governor's sug- gestions is recorded, but some fear is expressed that in some instances cleri- cal originality will become subject to a great strain. “The Governor, being a disciple of the strenuous Col. Roosevelt,” suggests the Pasadena Star-News, “inherits some of the strenuosity of the lamented colonel as he goes after the cumbersome, old- fashioned and archaic phrase.” That paper agrees that “there is very little diversity in personal letters in theearly days of this country, but the coming of the typewriter, evolution of shorthand and perfecting of stenography have brought great changes”; that “the per- sonal letter today, whether on business, or sentimental, or whatnot, is direct, trenchant and to the point.” “More power to the Governor's big blue pencil, and may the movement be more successful than the late Theo- dore Roosevelt’s attempt to simplify spelling!” says the arrisburg Telegraph, with the advice: “If Gov. Pinchot suc- ceeds in taking all the waste words but of State correspondence, he may very well extend his reform to business at large. Indeed, it would not be surpris- ing that the elimination of unnecessary words and phrases from all business letters would net a larger saving to the country than the reform which he hopes to bring about in the regulation of utility corporations. Of all the dreary, uninteresting ~collections of verbiage to be found anywhere, tI average business epistle is the worst. “The Governor's protest has been read and contents noted,” remarks the Albany Evening News, “and in reply we beg to advise that we are glad that his favor of recent date is at hand and we hope that letter writers will take note thereof. The average business let- ter, and dictated letters in particular, are altogether too hackneyed and clut tered with useless phrases like those the Governor mentions. It is a pleasure to receive a letter that is different, that is original in form, that expresses some individuality, a letter that goes to the point without the usual phraseology. If Gov. Pinchot can effect this reform in his State, maybe it will become Na- tion-wide.’ * ok KK “The Governar's campaign,” thinks the Kansas City Star, “if successful, should make his re-election a certainty, provided he desires the post again. But if he will broaden his prcgram to in- whole reform across, the reward should be Mr. Pinchot's elevation to the presi- dency—not earlier than 1936, which ought to be satisfactory to him. The two to be included—and here is a chal- lenge to Mr. Pinchot—are the damnably reiterated ‘same’ and ‘sell’ the latter used with reference to an idea or proj- ect or town. ‘Contents of same’ or a similar expression is abominable, while men have been urged so often to ‘go out and sell this plan to the public’ that rebellion and resort to an soon will be inevitable unless relief is given. In the interest of pe order, good will and plain, sensible language, something should be e forthwith. The cause demands leadership. The Governor seems to have the courage to assume the task.” “While he is about it,” comments the Chicago Daily News, “he might see what he can do to revive the lost art of private correspondence. Any- way he has appointed a special com- mittee to recommend desirable changes, simplifications and abbreviations in of- ficial letters. He would have them courteous, of course, but he insists that they also should display common sense and candor. If they were written in good, clear grammatical English the | change would be little short of revo- luflama‘wfl rusading Governor has been advised ppointing & com- mitiée to_ wrestle W the question. Left to tifemselves, publiy officials and employes public offices ‘rould waste clude two other items and can put the | to Reform State Letters Commended | brains, their memories and their vo- | cabularies in efforts to find proper substitutes for the conventional and time-worn expressions. Gov. Pinchot would win fame and lasting honor if he succeeded in revolutionizing public and business letter writing. Even his wars on predatory public utilities and | corrupt political machines are holiday affairs compared with that which he has started to effect stylistic and lin- | guistic reforms.” | * * X % He is approaching the task “like a ood forester removing underbrush and dead wood,” in the opinion of the New York Herald Tribune, which, however, critically examines the purpose of the Pennsylvania effort: “If Mr. Pinchot's young men are going entirely modern it is OK. with us, but they will have :41)0 n‘::y alo:z without most of the dic- A reason assigned for the Pinchct drive for bl'!vlf;(l is to save | time. In theory, yes; but the stereo- tylfed expressions run on so easily in dictation that it takes more time to remember to omit them than to let them go full tilt. If Mr. Pinchot sets his staff to grappling for laconic style he may have them sitting at their desks for hours on end searching like Senti- mental Tommy for the right word. No letters at all might be too brief, though not always. Mayor Gaynor, who was born to write letters, said: ‘What is the best way to write things? you sk, | Often the best way is mnot to write them.' If it seems simple to get away from the bromides condemned at Har- risburg, consider the opening of a typical Gaynor letter, thank you for your favor of July . “He is encouraging a form of econ- enriches rather than im- declares the Columbia h the conclusion, hy an intelligent person of independent mind will suffer himself to fall into irra- tionalities and rubber-stamp expres- sions' is incomprehensible.” The New London Day offeds the energetic sup- port of the idea: “These worn-out phrases have for years entered into the general business letter to the disgust of the readers and, while some persons have even gone so far as to blame the econoriic depression onto them, that should be taken with some of the well known Gandhi material. There is no doubt, however, that about 80 per cent of the average business letter is pure bunk, bilge, irrelevant trash, wasted lineage, sloppiness, plain verbosity, or whatever one may choose to label it. Other matters crying for attention will g0 unheeded in this latest move to im- prove the drool of letter writers. Many of us will be glad to see these terms eliminated if only for a few years. . If they should be revived, mayhap, they would strike us as fresh and original, but just now they certainly ‘are tire. some and may Gov. Pinchot scalp a few of them from his own letters and statements.” e Heirs May Seek Reward. From the Indianapolis Star. ‘Those who fail to quality as Wendel heirs might try to get a share of the Fred Burke reward. ———t——— Dentist Drills for Oil. From the Toledo Blade. Kansas dentist has closed his shop to drill for oll. If he strikes Mother Earth's nerve, it may mean another earthquake. ‘Wagon Hitched to Gold Star. From the Duluth Herald, Wilbur Glenn Voliva didn't make his $10,000,000 by the study of astronomy. Long Vacations May Aid. From the St. Louls Times. Mr. Hoover might do better if he were to allow some of his commissioners to go on a permanent vacation. et Not Yet Determined. mere time and more public Woney than could possibly save 1 to reform their resj ve epistol styles. For they m”nnwb (4% their Prom the Toledo Blade. Time will be required . Sinclair FirER | whether the idea of turning the