Evening Star Newspaper, July 10, 1931, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR ‘With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. FRIDAY..........July 10, 1831 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company 10, st S Benna 5 N York Office: 110 East 42n it. fice: Lake Michigan Building. Siropean Ofiice: 14 RE&:M #.. London, Englan Rate by Carrier Within the City. e Evenine Star, 45c per month fen s Buhdavs) **60c per month and Sunday Star o) “Tg5c p-x month Ber oy unda: &t the enid i each mont) Orders may be sent in by mail or telephone NAtional 5000, Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily and Sunday. Daily only ... Bunday o All Other States and Canada. afly and Sunda. 0: 1 mo., $1.00 0., 5¢ nday only 0. 50c Member of the Assoclated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dis- atches credited to it or not otherwise cred- fted in this paper and also the local rews published herein. All rizhts of publication of Epecial dispatches herein are also reserved. —_— Secretary Stimson in Rome. Not the slenderest doubt remains that President Hoover's historic move for world economic recovery is linked with his progmem for promoting dis- armament. There is accordingly some- thing more than coincidence in the presence of the Secretary of State in Europe at this particular moment. The working holiday on which Col. Stimson embarked a fortnight ago really set in at Rome yesterday, when he was in protracted conference Wwith Premier Mussolini and Foreign Minis- ter Grandi. Even the generalities which are allowed to leak out about their confabulation indicate that ef- fective spade work was accomplished in the realm to which President Hoo- ver has his heart set—namely, the fleld of curtailed armaments. 1 Duce informed Col. Stimson that peace and disarmament have been chosen as Italy's objectives. “There are two roads,” said Signor Mussolini with that gift of terse expression which marks the Fascist chieftaln's public statements, “a Toad toward war and a road toward peace. I told the Amer- jean Secretary of State that I have chosen the road toward peace.” Am- plifying his views, while discussing the Stimson interview, the premier ex- plained that Italy would be content with 10,000 rifles if no other country had any more than that. If Itallan rifles are outnumbered, the Mussolini conception is that his country “would be in the position of defending her- self with a club against a pistol.” The outside world will not go far wrong in interpreting this graphic al- lusion as a veiled reference to Italy’s continuing demand for something ap- proaching naval parity with France. That thorny problem remains unset- tled, & year and a half after the Lon- don conference and despite many sub- sequent months of mediatory effort. Until Franco-Italian naval differences are ironed out, platitudinous prodlama- tions of peaceful desire in either coun- try are more or less academic. Nothing so far has crept into the Rome dispatches about Secretary Stimson's activities in the direction of patching up an accord between the Mediter- ranean sea powers. Such an agreement can almost be described as the bedrock of any enduring European disarma- ment plan. President Hoover's diplo- matic handy man, Ambassador Hugh Gibson—drafted for new emergency service at the forthcoming meeting of moratorium experts in London—has already rendered good service in the field of Franco-Italian naval harmony. Col. Stimson, in Rome this week and in Paris next week, is certain to carry on the work of conciliation launched by Mr. Gibson last Winter. It is a con= dition precedent to success at Geneva in 1932, —— e It is no longer the custom to tear up telephone directories to make confetti when heroes of aviation appear in a triumphal street procession. Econo- inies are deemed necessary in business, and there is no reason for a wasteful- ness of paper and print that may sug- gest to efficiency experts the desira- bility of ralsing rates to meet this new dtem of overhead. ———— Protesting Paraders. ‘The utter futility of “picketing” as & means of protest against official ac- tion was demonstrated anew yesterday when a small group of striking miners and sympathizers, representing an in- surgent organization of mine workers, paraded before the White House in disapproval of a conference that was being held between Government of- ficials and representatives of the coal mine operators. The picketers at first attempted to display banners and to shout slogans of dissent and demand, but the banners were taken from them and they were enjoined to remain silent, which order they respected. They wandered back and forth for & time while a few of their number entered the ‘White House and presented a paper o a representative of the President. Then they dispersed. This demonstration served only to call attention to the fact that there are two organizations of mine workers, each claiming to represent the body of the operatives. Several of the marchers were women, who could have had no claim to being actual workers. Perhaps they had a good time, coming to Wash- ington for a little visit. Certainly, they did not affect public opinion or official judgment or the economic conditions which are the cause of the sad plight of the miners. These occasional parades in Wash- ington, with either White House or Capitol as objective, are part of the “atmosphere.” When the paraders ob- serve the rules and refrain from un- seemly display and disorder. they are tolerated. When they insist upon clamorous and offensive proclamation, by volce or by banner, they are dis- persed, and if continuously persistent they are arrested for disorderly con- duct, just as any other person may be taken into custody for disturbing the peace. Attempts at achieving “martyrdom” tarcugh police molestations are not roadily accommodated. The police are vonjed to handle these demagstrants ¥ ,}p:uence and forbearance, ' Short of actual violence these marchers are unable to gain notoriety or suffer penalty for their partisanship and pro- test. Meanwhile the causes which they represent are neither furthered nor hampered by their foolish performances. They may gain a little prief -publicity, simply for the fact of their enterprise, but they do not affect the situation in the slightest. Washington sees them come and go without emotion other than pity for their folly and their waste of time and energy. vt Controlling News at the Source. One of the penalties of being Presi- dent of the United States is to become the central figure in a large propor- tion of the news stories that describe official life in Washington. Some of the members of the President’s officlal family have shown anxiety over the number of these stories that have ap- peared without having first received their sanction, and an investigation, in- cluding the questioning of secret service men and White House correspondents, has been undertaken in an effort to locate the source of the so-called “leaks.” At the same time it has been announced that henceforth the policy will be that all news of White House activitics, particularly those describing the activities of the President and the members of his household, must come from “stated official sources.” There have been “leaks” White House in the them historic. But they assumed im- portance because of the nature of the | information divulged, or because of the motives prompting those who divulged it. “Human interest” stories, so-called, from the dignity of the presidential office or em- personal tone, have not been, he.eto- fore, placed under the ban. If a re- porter saw the President throw a pea- nut to a squirrel, he has construed it as news and written the facts without having them officially scrutinized and approved by the President's secretaries. If the President has felt it necessary ! to leave his camp on the Rapidan and | make a fast automobile trip to Wash- | ington to transact pressing public busi- | ness, that, also, has been considered worth printing, and up to now it has not seemed a matter requiring nego- tiations with “stated official sources” for the necessary permission. As long as reporters are equipped with eyes, ears and the traditional nose for news, stories will cbntinue to ema- nate from the White House and the President’s advisers would adopt the | wise course in not making an issue of an effort to stop them. The Presi- dent’s right to privacy in his personal affairs is respected and should be main- tained without resort to the doubtful expedient of attempting to set up an arbitrary tribunal for judgments as to what constitutes printable news. As long as the information conveyed to the public is correct, there should be no ob- jection. When it is incorrect, there are practical methods of dealing with the offenders. "o A Timely Warning. Cornell University has again demon- strated the value of scientific research by the warning, just issued from -the university's department of animal nu- trition, against eating transparent cigar Wrappers, Or cigarette wrappers, or transparent wrappers around anything. “Transparent wrappings that are used eaten,” says the announcement, “since many of them have additions in process other than pure cellulose. The animal nutrition laboratory of Cornell Uni- versity has fed large amounts of & specific form of cellulose to rats, mice, fish, swine and even to men. In this form it is harmless and large amounts of it may be eaten without injury. This discriminately.” Now that is worthwhile common sense! 1If all of our universities would devote their energies to practical hints, such as “Do Not Eat the Wrapper Off Your Cigar” or “Eat the Candy—Not the Box,” this would be a happier and a better world. If it had not been for this warning, how many thousands of cur good citizens this Summer would be blaming that pulled-down feeling on the humidity and not have placed it squarely where it belonged—on eating the wrapping off their cigars? It is sincerely to be hoped that Cor- nell’s caution will have proved a timely warning and that every one will now stop eating cigar wrappers. »All that glitters is not pure cellulose. Ground glass, match sticks, old bricks and faded neckties are other good things not to eat. T Nobody denies that a large amount of time and intellectual energy was applied to the production of the Wick- ersham report. Many citizens may re- member it as an example of consclen- tlous work serving no practical purpose. Those who have put labor and faith into it will doubtless rank it as one of the great literary works that must depend on posterity for a complete discerning appreciation. R The Eternal Question. In American politics there is just one question that is eternal—the tariff. ‘When a Democrat can think of nothing else to say about the G. O. P. he talks of the “iniquitous” Republican tariff. Such discussions have been going on for about three-quarters of a century. In more recent years the Democrats have in many cases approached so closely to the Republican attitude to- ward the tariff that they have been handicapped when it comes to making detailed charges against the G. O. P. tariff laws. From free trade, the Dem- ocrats graduated to tariffs for revenue only, then to tariffs with “incidental protection,” and, lastly, to “reasonably protective” tariffs. In the case of the Smoot-Hawley act, against which the Democrats fulminate with regularity, that measure could not have passed the Senate without Democratic support, and there were a score or more of Demo- crats in the House who voted for the measure also. It might be supposed that under such circumst nces the Democrats would think up s -thing else to talk about in their preparation for the coming national campaign. But they do not. ‘The Democratic leader of the Senate, Joseph T. Robinson of Arkansas, one of the most able leaders that either party has had in many years, a day or past, some of | as long as they did not reflect on uml barrass him or the members of his| household because of their intimate or | for food or cigars should never be does not mean that all forms of trans- | parent wrappers should be eaten in-| THE EVENING STAR, WASHINWTO two ago proposed that President Hoover, since he has had Democratic support for his intergovernmental debt suspension plan, throw the weight of his influence back of an immediate re- vision of the Smoot-Hawley bill, a re- vision in line with Democratic thought. If there is to be a moratorium on in- tergovernmental debts, he suggested, why not try a moratorium on tariff protection? Senator Robinson's re- marks, as those of a good Democrat, were as uncomplimentary as they could be. ‘The burden of his statement was to the effect that more could be done for the economic revival of the world by tearing down tariff walls than by any debt suspension plan. The Arkansas Senator's statement was put forward by the Publicity Bureau of the Demo- cratic National Committee. The Democratic leader's two-page statement inspired the Republican sen- atorial leader, Senator James E. Wat- son, to issue a five-page statement in reply through the Republican National Committee. Mr. Watson challenged the Democratic Senator to be specific as to the rates in the present tariff law he would reduce and how much he would reduce them. The fallure to note rates that should go down in a tariff revision has been the weakness of the Demo- cratic attacks on the tariff to date. One or two items in a tariff bill cov- ering thousands have been mentioned by Democrats as requiring special at- tention. The great difficulty, however, for the Democrats is to deal specifically with all the items, when they know that some of their colleagues would re- sent efforts to lower duties on many of these items. It is safer to issue a blanket indictment of the whole tariff law. ‘The tariff will be the subject of many | speeches containing in the aggregate many millions of words during the cam- paign next year. Most of the men and women who criticize the tariff know nothing about it themselves. They have heard that the law is a bad thing. As a matter of fact, the present law provides for a tariff commission with wide inquisitory powers. The commis- sion is composed of able men, both Re- publicans and Democrats. Yet little attention is paid to the reports of the commission by the general public. The ! country might be better off if it gave ear to the facts developed by the Tariff Commission instead of listening to polit- icat arguments. But such & condition | approaches the millennium. ———————— Invention has compelled nations to be more neighborly. Trading which promotes mutual understanding is fully recognized as far more important than war which destroys it. It is upon bar- gaining that civilization largely depends for success, regardless of which party to the bargain may assume temporary ad- vantage. e Progress in world culture is shown by the celebration that is content with oratory and athletics and does not ad- vertise, as did promoters of early Eng- lish festivities, “a dog sent up in a bal- loon with fireworks. ———— Thanks to the “technical knockout"” instead of the final and possibly deadly blow, pugilism is enabled to retain its status as a humane, though spectacu- larly flerce, form of sport. r————————— A Hollywood actress-farmer makes hay while the moon shines, aided by large studio lamps. A last touch would be a big radio going in the corner of the field. ————————— France, with that little $92,000,000 deficit, must feel positively plutocratic when she reads of Uncle Sam’s being nearly ten times that much “in the red.” N Senor Zamora seems now to be seated firmly in the saddle. Probably every- thing will go along smoothly for him if he refrains from too free use of the Spanish bit. Bt SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Farm Fantasy. Long past the hour of the departing day The cowbell tinkles in melodious glee. The cattle seem to “moo” along the way. The hoot owl seems to warble from the tree. The squeaks and whistles seem to rep- resent All of the sounds that nature can produce. It brings a melancholy mood whose dis- content Persists while sleep is going to the deuce, 1t is no_harmony of rural charm, Though with the tones of rustic life replete, As once again it fills me with alarm— That radio playing jazz across the street. Extravagant Hope. “You must admit that your political antagonist uses good English.” “He ought to,” replied Senator Sorghum. “His ideas are so'slight that he doesn’t have to think about any- thing but the grammar.” Jud Tunkins says & man who prides himself on saying a thing and sticking to it is liable to get as tiresome as a ‘whippoorwill, Whoppers. Where substance fades and goes astray ‘The shadow still will thrive; The largest fish all get away, ‘The biggest yarns survive. Service Appreciated. “Do you see any real argument in favor of a monarchial form of govern- ment?” “I do,” replied Mr. Stormington Barnes. “In the old days Kings served as subjects for some of our best comic operas.” The Burly Buccaneers. “Pirates had to be expert navigators.” “One would think 50, replied Miss Cayenne. “But judging from the stories of buried treasure most of their real work must have been done with a pick and shovel.” Uselessly Busy. The kicker has a method quaint For life’s enjoyment, And never offers a complaint, Of unemployment. “Ef you wanter flattah er man’s vanity good,” said Uncle Eben, “fell "im he ain’ got none.” . D. FRIDAY, ., THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. ‘What is the quality 1n a novel which makes one want to read it over again? Not every work of fiction, even among a};e‘ acknowledged great, creates this sire. Perhaps the quality lies not so much in the book as in the reader, and not s0o much in him alone® as in the com- bination of the two. ‘Thus the book which one reader de- lights to read a second or third time, another will find not to be worth his attention again. In this judgment he casts no reflec- tion whatever on the book. A work of fiction is a slice of” life, if it is any- thing, and the particular reader may not care to repeat the experience, that is all. * ok ok ok ‘There are many persons who love to read and reread the fictional works of Charles Dickens, or Walter Scott, whereas the next reader is unable to do_so. He may delight in the hearty fun of the “Pickwick Papers” as well as any one, but somehow feel no urge to re- peat the performance. There are, undoubtedly, many read- ers who do not grasp all they read the first time. in the fame of the writer, they are willing to read the work one or two times more, in order to be sure of re- celving the maximum amount of enter- tainment and profit. These are honest readers. They know themsclves, and are willing to abide by that knowledge. Like the opera goer who returns time and again, finding new beauties at each perform- ance, “these readers discover certaln felicities in the second reading which they overlooked at the first. Perhaps this is inevitable. Even the swiftest and surest readers may and undoubtedly do fail to catch some of the finest made points in most written works. Not that every one always works in perfect co-ordfation with a writer. It is impossible. There are certain good readers, however, who attain the luxury of rapid and reasonablv complete read- | ing. They put themselves not so much in the attitude of readers of novels as participators in them. * oK ox These latter readers are not suffer- ing from the inferiority complex so prevalent among a certain class, who, even though they read fiction, seem to believe that what they do is unworthy of them. We read recently that a famous in- ternational personage had not read work of fiction for three years. Evi- dently the tremendous publicity which he had received had given him certain ideas of his own prestige in the world, and he had been so occupied that he had failed to divert his mind and heart with the lives of others. ‘The story form is too old in the world to require any apology or defense at this time. As long as mankind has been able to think, as a thinking animal, it has found a remarkable satisfaction in the telling and hearing of stories. ‘Whether such tales are all true, or part true and part “made up.” or en- tirely composed, makes little difference in the delight’ with which they are heard. Jules Verne's account of the trip of Phineas Fogg around the world “in eighty days” was quite as good reading as the recent flight of Post and Gatty. The el®ment of adventure was just the same in both trips. In some respects the fiction outstripped reality. The reading world has little cared | whether its storles were real or not, so long as they managed to work up in readers the sense of the passage of time, the illusion of real human beings and a certain amount of physical ex- | ultation and mental exaltation, * % * K Those are the three necessitles of a good work of fiction, and every novel of merit will possess all three—at least, in some degree for all readers. The sense of the passage of time is Realizing this, and trusting | one little spoken of, but it is one of the most _important. Every good story has it. Mere bulk will not account ?:)r it. Eugene O'Neill's “Strange Interlude” is a good play—not because it is a long play, but, among other things, because it manages to give the impression of the sln“si&;ze of time with exceptional fa- Drama on the stage is helped by make- up, and so on, but the drama of a novel has no such aids. If there is to be any making-up, the reader must do it, with the writer's help. The mcment one opens the first page, the writer steps down, and the reader steps into com- mand. And what this reader will do then, and what this next reader will do, and 50 on, and 5o on, is an unknown qualltznw the publishers and authors. If they knew in advance, much that they publish would never see the light of days between boards. * ok ok % The one overwhelming reason why & reader goes back to the same novel, often with greater enjoyment than be- fore, is that the particular book meets a need of his nature. It is impessible for every man who writes not to find certain natures prac- tically akin to his own. He will find | himself writing for these people. Kip- ling can do no more. There are millions of people in existence, thousands of them readers, who have never read a one of Kipling's stories. Shakespeare wrote many plays, but there exist today millions of human be- ings who never ever heard his name, and by no means have read one of his productions. ‘The happiest reading is not done ac- cording to famous names, although that | sort has its merit, but rather is the re- sult of a reader discovering a nature somehow like his own. Then he will be able to see life and men thrown in rellef, as it were, upon a glorified screen. What he has thought |and believed spring into the life of | words on the printed page. * K ok X When such a reader finishes such & book, he is not through with it. Even if he is'the type which ordinarily does not Te-read a book, he will find his thought continually going back to it. ‘The time will come, maybe a month | 1ater, maybe a year, maybe 5 or 10 years | later, when he will take the book down | from’ its place in the case, and begin | again the adventures, which he knows by heart, having been that way once, but which he is anxious to see again. Having been a participator in it be- fore, he cannot capture again the en- tire first worth of the novel. Let so much be admitted. There are a few fortunate readers who say they are able to do this. One of their favorites is “The Secret Garden.” This they read and read again with the same | pleasure. Perhaps this story has been reread as much as any other novel ever printed Most readers, however, will find that what suffers most in the rereading of a novel is the sense of the passage of time. The plot, such s the book has, has lost suspense, and with it has taken some of the time element. The illusion of having to do with real | human beings will be exactly the same s of old, if the writer has done his | work properly. Physical exultation and mental exaltation will remain almost the same. We are of the opinion that no sub- sequent reading_can be quite like the | first reading. That is why it is best. if one can manage it, to read a novel as much at a single sitting as feasible in order to capture the senses of mo- tion, time, surprise, and so on. The great original glamour of creation, the prime merit of a novel, in the last analysis, must be dimmed a little by handling. This cannot be helped. There will remain enough to win many a reader back to a rereading of some few books which possess certain quali- ties making a peculiar appeal to like | traits in himself. And the secret shall {be kept. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC Believe it or not, the flexible ma- chinery of the tariff law is getting in its deadly work. The duty on pipe organs has just been reduced and the duty on bicycle bells has been raised. Let no man henceforward assert that the inequalities in the Hawley-Smoot masterpiece are not being ironed out according to schedule. The United States Tariff Commission, on Wwhose recommendation pipe organ and bicycle bell rates have just been adjusted at White House command, is scattering to the four winds for the Summer, so flexing is over for the immediate future. Despite these intensive efforts to right the wrongs of the law, indications multiply that Old Man Tariff will be with us in 1932, as of yore, in the guise of & paramount issue. “Joe” Robinson's blast is intended to be the opening gust in the big wind the Democrats are preparing to let loose. They intend in particular to lambast President Hoover for not bringing about changes in rates on important commodities like pig iron, hides and skins, olive oil and Cheese. ~The Californian’s alibi, when | signing & bill_notoriously not to his liking, was that it contained the mechanism whereby it could and would be adjusted. The Democrats’ general chargc, in light of the feeble operation of the flexible clause, will be that the administration sold the country a tariff gold brick. * K X X A certain distinguished member of | Congress now in Europe evidently thinks his postal franking privilege | follows him wherever he goes. At any rate, recent mails from the other side have just brought to various Wash- ington friends of the statesman in question post card greetings which had 1o stampe on them. It cost cach recipient 6 _cen due to hear from him, D * X x X Former Senator Atlee Pomerene of Ohio dropped onto a couch in the office of the solicitor general at the Depart- ment of Justice the other day, an- nouncing that he was dog-tired. He'd just been making a motion in the Fall case before the District of Columbia Supreme Court. “Why, Senator,” re- marked an attache of the solicitor general’s division, “a man like you who sat 12 years in the Senate and cam- paigned all over Ohio ouzhtn’t to be upset by a 5-minute speech in a court room.” Quoth Pomerene: “Well, you see, in court a fellow has to do some thinking.” * Kok K Somebody suggested to a high British official in Washington that the mora- torjum business was settled in London a couple of weeks ago when “Uncle Andy” Mellon and Montagu Norman, governor of the Bank of England, got together. “I doubt it,” replied the Britisher. “They probably talked about pictures, and not debts.” The Secretary of the Treasury's passion for paintings is proverbial. What is not so generally known is that the head of John Bull's central bank is a portrait artist of no mean distinction. * kK % ‘The very latest Republican vice presi- dential dope ranges around the worthy name of Ogden L. Mills, Undersecretary | of the Treasury. He would supply th Eastern note which wiseacres say the Hoover, ticket will have to take on this time and strengthen the President in the heart of the country’s biggest finan- oial district, where his stock is not high. gave Al Smith a pretty stiff race for the New York governorship in 1926. Since then he has grown in stature through his work at the Treasury, capped by late performances during the debt-holiday negotiations. The Presi- dent thinks highly of Mills, who was an “original Hoover man” in 1928, * ok K x Attorney General Willlam De Witt _ Mitchell waded unabashed into a hor- WILLIAM WILE. |net's nest when he addressed the annual meeting of the Minnesota State Bar Ascociation at St. Paul. The At- | torney General chose for his subject | “The Appointment of Federal Judges.” Evidently he did so with malice afore- thought. because of his recent run-in with Senator Thomas D. Schall, Repub- lican Progressive, of Minnesota, who was | badly worsted in his effort to land a va- cant United States judgeship in the | Gopher State for a political crony. Be- | fore the fracas was endegd, Schall ban- | died some bitter words ‘with Mitchell. The Attorney General disclosed at St. Paul thet of the 58 major Federal ju- dicial appointments made by President Hoover, 48 have gone to Republicans and 10 to Democrats. Tk ok k% Politicians, especially of Democratic | hue, will have their ears to the ground | at the end of the month for a speech by Gov. George White at Cleveland on July 31. The occasion is the anniver- sary of the battle of Lake Erie. White is expected to seize it for the purpose of making some keynote utterance which may attract national attention to himself as & contender for his party’s presidential nomination. Cox, Baker and Bulkley to the contrary, notwith- standing, Gov. White is said to have a stranglehold on the Ohio delegation, which is slated to go to the convention instructed for him. He is said to com- mand strength in adjoining States like West Virginia, Kentucky and Indiana, | too. The Governor is reported to be | fighting shy of any second-place temp- tations. If the Democrats stage anoth- er Madison Square Garden next June White's friends believe that far stranger | things might happen than his emer- | gence from a deadlock as the conven- tion’s choice. EEE Here's a bit of truth stranger than fiction. A group of New York finan- ciers is on the still hunt in Washington for a man of eminent Government background who is worth a salary of $100,000 & year. They are promoting a monumental new banking organization and seek a personage of established national reputation big enough to com- mand a six-figure pay check as presi- dent of the institution. P Apropos the recent 100th anniversary of the death of President James Mon- roe, the Department of State has issued an attractive map, showing “the New World and the European Colonial Sys- tem in 1823" (when the Monroe Doc- trine was proclaimed) and “the New World and the European Colonial Sys- tem in 1931.” The map indicates in graphic colors that the vast areas in North, Central and Soll‘l’%h America held by European pOwers years ago are n’t;w Amgglcun republics. It also reveals ihat Arctic and Antarctic territory “un- explored” in Monroe's day can no longer be so described. (Copyright, 1931). —ra—————— Plenty of Aspirants. From the Omaha World-Herald. Commissioner says there will be no successor to Al Capone in Chicago. But he must not judge by the lack of appli- cations. — e Openly Arrived At. From the Dayton Daily News. A psychologist tells the secret of good golf, but our impression is that when a fellow gets any good golf out of his system he never makes & secret of it. ——— The Glass of Fashion. ssville Courier-Journal. n?t !:::ymr“n;a Mahatma Gandhi has | given the correct example of how to | dress in this kind of weather, Civilization Fails To the Editor of The Star: “He who takes no thought for the future finds trouble near at hand.” America. is already submerged in trouble enough to stimulate a thought for our tional eeping—our political political economy has to do with our bread and. butter, of which many millions have less than sufficient, and because it touches every pocket- book every day, it is the most important subject for studious consideration that confronts each and every one of us and it 1s high time to discover that we can- not, with prudence or safety, leave our economics to the professors and our politics to the politicians unless we are content to witness the failure of this Government by the people. Now that we find ourselves in a sorry plight no practical suggestion is made, but we sustain ourselves with the as- surance that ‘“normal times” are just ahead of us and everywhere confronted with the suggestion that we must be patient and reflect the hope, courage and faith of men in affluent circum- stances. It would be far better if we were urged to be studious, thoughtful and honest, for, as Milton wrote, “the reforming of education is one of the greatest and noblest designs that can b2 thought on, for. by the want thereof thel l;:l}zn gflhes." and in America no individual so insignificant that he Is n:vlthoul influence in its political econ- omy. It is sald that we are affiicted with overprodgction and that there is not sufficient d>mand for labor. Meantime several million men, women and chil- dren are in dire want of things labor produces. Take any one of the idle dis- couraged men and toss him, together with his family, like a Robinson Crusoe or the Swiss Family Robinson, onto & desolate island and in his own needs, the wants of his distracted wife and hungry children there is demand for labor. In his two hands is the supply, and although cut off from the enormous advantages of civilization and its pro- ductive machinery he can fill the mouths and keep warm the backs of those dependent on him. In so far as he is concerned civiliza- tion is a total failure. This presents a problem that, if too long conspicuous, will insure for America the rebellion and perchance the revolution that the same problem has precipitated in so many other countries. This would be a sorry alternative for justice because our form of government is the best that has ever been devised. Its greatest weakness lies in th= disposition of peo- Dble to_accept ready-made ideas when they should think for themselves and vote righteousness into our affairs. J. B. CHAMBERLAIN. Discrimination Against Women To the Editor of The Star: Time after time the question is asked me, “Does not the law forbid | discrimination between men and women in classified positions under the Gov- ernment?” To which tne reply is made, Yes, that is true.” Then I am assailed with proof that such discrimination is prevalent; that nothing is done to pre- ‘vzm the prlc!iice, that whenever a acancy occurs in a position which has been fllled by a man and a woman is given the place she 1s not raised to the same grade as the man occupied, | but is expected to perform the same | work while drawing a much lower sal- ary and graded one or sometimes two grades lower. I have in mind a certain office where the male clerk was allocated in grade 5. He died and the place was filled by & young woman thoroughly experienced in the same work and this young wom- an has filled this position for over two years without one promotion and still allocated to grade 3, although doing the work in a more proficient manner, s0 I am told, than the man who for- merly held the plate under grade 5. This is riot an isolated case—there are hundreds of just such discriminations | throughout the entire Government serv- ice, hot all of them women, of course, but as a rule it is the wamen who are the greatest sufferers under this system. Conditions such as this tend to lower | the morale and sap the ambition of employes. It should not be permitted, and no doubt will be straightened out when the Brookhart board of appeal bill is enacted into law, and in the meantime women can vote. A woman's vote is certainly es important as a man's, and in very many instances much more important—therefore, we can hope for better conditions just as soon as the woman voters learn to exer- cise the elective franchise—to vote to protect the rights, advance the inter- ests and promote the welfare of the citizens of this Republic and to let our Congressmen know Just where she stands on these questions, but she can- not sit supinely by and expect to change matters. Nothing in this old world of ours was ever gained except by sacrifice—if not your own sacrifice, then the sacri- fice of some other through whom you reap the reward. MARGARET HOPKINS WORRELL. ] Millions to Save Redwoods. From the Allentown Morning Call. One of the finest glories of the West- ern country s the giant redwood tree, a few forests cf which remain against the temptation of private owners to dispose of them because of their high value as timber. As the poet said, “Only God can make a tree,” and, in the case of the redwood, it has taken many hundreds of years to bring them to their present state cf grandeur, unsurpassed by any living or growing thing in the world. So it has appeared to a great many people that the redwood forests, per- haps above all others, ought to be saved for as many generations as may be permitted to enjoy them, and there have been agitations on a number of occaslons to effect the saving of them. In some cases national parks have been established. Recently agitation developed to save the redwoods in the Bull Creek Flat, Calif. John D. Rockefeller, jr., philan- thropist extraordinary, heard the call of the old poem, “Woodman, Spare That Tree,” and he decided that the only way to save the trees was to buy them. Therefore he has offered to match the contributions of any and all other per- sons who wish to engage in the project to the amount of a million from his own pocket, and after that he is willing to go another millicn. ‘That would seem to assure the pro- tection of the trees for as many more years, as they will grow and defy the storms and the lightnings and the pests that up to this time have not been able to do much with them in the course of hundreds of years. Plea for Oil Independents. From the Oklahoms Oity Times. Senator Elmer Thomas made a strong and consistent plea for a tariff on crude oil in his address before the Southwest- ern Forelgn Trade Conference. With America rather definitely committed to a tariff policy, even in view of the pres- ent law, which placed many schedules exorbitantly and ruinously high, it should be plain that the nMum are entitled to share its oquintg in- fluence. No other industry suffered more from the importation foreign products, and all business in the several great oil-producing States suf- fers because of t.h:‘x-ruan plight of ofl. ‘The logic of tariff, ance it can be 5 pendent producers should take no such result for granted. They face a hard fight, if not a hopeless one. In that fact there should be a strong incentive for better regulation of domestic produc- as East Texas is now left to flow to capacity, tion. Such developing, thaa im- may do even more dam ported oil. e s ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. ever write a letter to Prederic L ? You can ask him any ques- tion of fact and get the answer in & ]l letter. Here is a great edu- ~ cational idea introduced into the lives of the most intelligent people in the world—American newspaper readers. It is & part of that best purpose of a newspaper—service. There s no charge except 2 cents in coin or stamps for return postage. Address Frederic J. Haskin, director, The Evening Star Information Bureau, Washington, D. C. Q. Was the attendance large at the ngnnll Alrcraft Show at Detroit?— A. During the nine days of the show, 81,000 people paid admission. Q. What gems are found in the Palu gem field?—C. P. A. In this district in San Diego Coun- ty, Calif,, tourmalines have been found in great numbers close to the surface of the earth. In some places they are picked up from the ground. Q. What citizens of the United States ;“J !gmed in Westminster Abbey?— A. No American s burled there. Long- fellow is honored by a portrait bust and the late Aml jor Page by a memo- rial tablet. Q. Is the City of New York in more than one county?—F. A. E. A. The City of New York is incorpo- rated as five counties which are called boroughs municipally. These boroughs | all have their own borough form of govemmem. and the City Hall in Man- attan Borough is the headquarters for the city government as a whole, as well as for the Borough of Manhattan. Q. What will remove a stain made by silver nitrate and mercury?—C. L. H. A. The Bureau of Chemistry says that stains caused by a solution of silver nitrate and mercury are stains of me- tallic silver and are indelible. Q. When was Kipling's second “Jun- | gle Book” first published in the United States>—E. S. A. It was published by the Century Co., New York, in November, 1895. Q What is yellow dog contract?— A. It is an obligation which certain employers compel their employes to sign when entering their employ, stat- ing that during the period of employ- ment they will not enter into any ne- gotiations or activities calculated to upset the present system of rates of remuneration. Q. What was the population of Chi- cago in 1850?—J. K. A. In the census of 1850 there were 29,963 inhabitants. Chicago had a pop- ulation of 3,376,438 in 1930. Q. What States have laws similar to the Baumes law?—R. C. A. States having laws for the curbing of crime somewhat similar to the Baumes law of New York are Michigan and California. Other State Legisla- tures are considering such acts. Q. Of what material are whistling buoys and bell buoys made’—R. W. S. A. The Bureau of Lighthouses says that all types of buoys used by the De- partment of Commerce are made of steel plate and steel -angles, Q How long a_time 1s required to roast coffee?—J. N. C. A. It depends upon the heat of the oven and its capecity. The ture usually used is 400 degrmmn- heit and the average time for roasting is about 15 minutes. Q. Is & rosebush without thorns a ranty?—F. G. A. The Bureau of Plant Industry says that it is not rare. Some species have few or no thorns. Q. Does the French President receive more salary yearly than the President of the United States?—L. K. J. A. The French President receives about $152,000 a year. The President of the United States receives a of $75,000 a year with an allowance of $25,000 for traveling and entertainment expenses. The French President, how- ever, is chargeable for practically all the expenses of the upkeep of his houses, as well as all services and per- sonal charges. He is at the expense of entertaining and of traveling. The Winter home of the French President is the Palace of the Elysee and he has the choice for Summer occupancy of se\-e?l chateaux owned by the govern- ment. Q. If a pure-bred dog mates with a mongrel will her puppies always be part mongrel?>—J. E. L. A. The Bureau of Animal Industry |says that it is contrary to general be- lief that the previous mating of a pure- | bred dog has any effect upon the off- spring when the female is mated with a pure-bred. Q. I was told that the Statue of Freedom on the dome of the United States Capitol was executed by a wom- an. Is this true?>—D. B. N, A. It is not. Scveral of the statues on the east froni of the Capitol and | the Statue of Freedom on the dome were the work of William Crawford. He died before the completion of his work and its final execution was carried on by expert masons under the direc- tion of his widow. Q. What years did Sam Rice pitch ball for Washington?>—E. S A. He came from Petersburg, Va., as a pitcher in 1915, pitched that season and in 1916 when he also played in the outfield. He has not pitched since. | Q. On each side of the north and vest steps of the Treasury Building is an immense block or slab of granite approximately 18 feet by 20 feei by 1 (foot. Can you tell me where these ®me from and how they were trans- ported to Washington as they are too large to be handled by rail or trucks? =B X W. A. “A History of Public Buildings Un- der the Control of the Treasury De- partment” says that the granite used in the extension of the Treasury Build- ing (which was carried out between the years 1855 and 1869) was quarried on Dix jeland near Rockland, Me., and brou#Wt o Washington in sailing vessels. From photographs made dur- ing the construction of this extension it would appear that the slabs men- tioned, as well as other granite for the building, were brought up to the building on specially designed trucks drawn by several yokes of oxen. Q. What wild animal in Africa is the most dangerous to hunt?—A. B. A. The African buffalo is considered the most dangerous animal in Africa to hunt. The wounded buffalo will go into a thick brush and will lie down and, when approached, make a charge. Mountain Climbers Lauded For Setting Climbing cf one of the high peaks of the Himalayas by the band of youtr ful British explorers, under Frank ment as one of the major achievements of the year. While the Asiatic moun- tain range has other units which have been attempted in the past, Mount, Kamet is 25447 feet above sea level, and its conquest is declared to ha been the product of outstanding er durance and skill. “They have done something that lhcy sclentists and explorers have been talk ing about and trying for a century, says the Janesville Gazette, with th incidental remark that Smythe, the leader of the big party, “has no fcien- tific standing and no degrees, is not in the British ‘Who's Who' and is not recognized by the aristocracy of the mountain-climbing profession. “Six members of the expedition,” states the Worcester Evenng Gazette, “have reached the summit, conquering difficulties that defeated nine previous attempts and placing man’s foot on the loftiest point yet attained by mountain climbing.” The Gazette views the ascent as “bristling with dangers and almost canceled by troubles with pack | animals and the loss of equipment.” That paper continues: “The main thing, from the point of view of con- templaticn, Is that success came after so many failures. In this instance it was doggedness plus preparation plus the ardor and vigor of youth—all six men were undey 33 years old—that | brought them to the top. One thinks of Olive Schreiner’s allegory of the bird hunter, who, by incessant tcil, built a footpath up the face of a precipice in quest of his great white quarry on the top of the high plateau. The climb ex- heusted him, and he perished as he clutched the single feather that came fluttering down to him from the whit2 bird far overhead; but those who came after would find it easier gcing because of his lifelong search. All mountain climbing suggests this symbolism. Rec- ord follows record through the years. And ever the new aspirant for honors rises to new heights because of the labors of those who first tried and failed. It is this which gives to moun- tain peaks their white glory afar off, that Pl:res men on and raises them at last to the heights.” * K KK “The world’s mountain record” re- marks the San Francisco Chronicle, “was set last year by the Kanchenjunga expedition, and was the ascent of the Jonsong Peak, 24,340 feet high. Before that the highest peak ever climbed was Trisul, 23,406 feet, also in the Garhwal Himalaya, surmounted by Dr. T. G. Longstaff 24 years ago. Greater heights have been reached on Everest and Kanchenjunga, but these are the highest summits yet attained. This helps us to realize the formidable difficulties in the way of climbing Mount Everest or Kanchenjunga. Everest is almost 4,000 feet higher than Kamet—Kanchenjunega | and K2 not much less than Everest.| These giants are supremely jealous of their untouched summits. ~Even to climb a peak like Kamet takes an ex- pedition as large as one to go to the poles—much larger than the one with which Amundsen reached the South Pole.” * ok k% “Smythe’s achievement,” asserts the Youngstown Vindicator, “will rank with the greatest exploits of mountain climb- ing and, because of the extraordinary difficulties attending it, will aid in the final conquest of Everest.” Describing the difficulties encountered, that paper continues: “Far below the summit there is a perpendicular rock face, 7,000 feet high, which the climbers must traverse. They must carry their oxygen with them and flerce winds add to the terrors of the intense cold. One can only wish that it may fall to the lot of the you men who have reached the heights of Kamet to employ the expecrience they have just gathered in attaining in their next attempt the heights of Everest itself, where no man has ever set foot.” “Far short of the summit,” records the Boston Transcript, * physical powers of man to the dencl»n;{ deficiency made in shortn of orders; must carry his oxygen with him. Even at 15,000 feet the thermogpeter seldom rises above the Highest Record freezing point. Fierce winds add to the terrors of tre intense cold. Yet .| Kamet looks straight Smythe, is recognized in American com- | B where eternal Summer reigns. The con- quest of Kamet will contribute to the eventual complete ascent of Everest, for the experience gained in the lesser summit will help to overcome the eon- ditions which resulted in the death of Mallory and Irvine in 1924 on Mount | Everest.” o The Railroads’ “Goat.” | Prom the Portland Oregon Journal. |, “If the Government barge line doing business on the Mississippi and War- rior Rivers were a private enterprisey owned and cperated by private capital and compelled to pay taxes and capital | costs out of its revenues as the rail- road is required to do, its losses last ye?:r “D'ou)d have been $1,279,317.” . Morris of Chicago, speakin; for the Committee on Pubiic Relations of the Western Railroads, made this statement. Yet the Government corporation operating the barge line reports that the service is earning $1,000,000 a year. When one goes into the costs and taxes the railroads would charge to the barge line he finds that the rail carriers would assess the whole river against the water carriers. Their demand is that the stream be considered as much an element of cost as the privately owned railroads with its terminals. A | river by national law is, if navigable, | a public highway as much as is & | motor highwa The river is open to | the use of all on even terms. The railroads want the burden of the whole Mississippi River’s maintenance and improvement to fall upon the public's barge line. No such proposal was ever applied to a truck or a bus line on | any highway. | Moreover, the railroads allow no credit for river improvement because | of flood control. They do not recog- | nize the value of improvement for | power development. Remorselessly they | pursue the barge line with the demand | that it pay and 1if it does not so | do, then they say it must be judged & | failure and be destroyed. The attitude of the railroads toward | a national inland waterway policy is an anomaly. At the most, rivers can | carry only a fractional part of the | Nation’s freight. The competition of | highways and even of the air is much | more substantial. But you hear no | battle waging between the railroads | and their real competitors. They thirst alone for the defeat of the waterways. ‘What, exactly, lies back of their strniéled argument is hard to under- stand. Right now, the whole Mississippt | barge operation is being conducted by | the Government for the sake of prov- | ing the ultimate profits of private own- | ership of the service. Under the terms of the Denison act the barge line must be sold to the most responsible bidder, other than a railroad, that will give satisfactory guaranty of sustained serv jce. The Government isn’'t in compe- tition with private business; it is con- ducting research for private business. It is giving great Chieago a demon- strated outlet to the sea through the Gulf of Mexico. It is providing the additional units of a complete trans- portation system for the service and the economy of shippers. It is even furnishing a means by which railroads from the Midwest may ultimately hope to meet legally the water rates in ef- fect between fhe Atlantic and the Pa- cific Coasts. e Poor, Hungry Father. Prom the Albany Evening News. A food expert says a normal boy should eat more than his father. But he ought to leave something for father. R Unfairness in Humidity. Prom the Dailas Journal. If the Weather Bureau would only prorate the humidity! The Higher Courage. From the Florence (Ala) Heald. any » man who has “gone over the top” w-uld shrink from acting as jucge at a baby show.