Evening Star Newspaper, July 22, 1931, Page 8

THE EVENI STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. WEDNESDAY ..July 22, 1931 THEODORE W. NOYES. .. . Edi itor The Evening Star Newspaper Company e P ivania_Ave st an 3 ; 3 East 42ud St. York Ofice: 110 Easi e ine. 1 New ke Michigan e O L}’A"Regm #.. Loudon, ngland. European Office:, Rate by Carricr Within the City. The Evening Star........ 45¢ per month ‘The hEV(h.in flg(: Sunday a 800 per month >, % 6sc per montn e per copy ‘ehch month Orders may be seni or telephone NAtional 5000. ‘Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. y! i + 85¢ Daily and S\H’?dl}fl. } ¥ S;g gfl : rrgu e Daily only Sunday only . -» $4.00; 1 mol, 40c All Other States and Canada. 4 ...1yr., $12.00: 1 mo., $1.00 Batly Shly sunday...3 ¥%: *55.00: 1 mo. - s H.nday only 15r., i 1 mo. Member of the Associated Press. e Associated Press is exclusively ¢ntitled tnTllm vse for republication of all news dis- e e dfted o it or mot othorwise cred- Tted in this paper and also the local news e med e fetne Al Tishts of publication of special dispatches herein are al eserved. hosgenite = Credit for Germany. America, having set its shoulder to the wheel in the financial and economic crisis threatening stability not only abroad but in this country, is not drawing back. President Hoover has followed up his intergovernmental debt suspension plan, now an accomplished fact, with a proposal that the bankers of the nations agree to maintain their present short-term credits with Ger- many as an essential step to prevent collapse in that country. The American Government believes in the ability of the German people to pull themselves out of the hole if given an opportunity. It believes, however, that steps must be taken without delay to restore the confidence of the busi- ness world in Germany and to restore the confidence of the Germans them- selves. Mr. Hoover's new proposal, if accepted as it is hoped it will be, should go far to the re-establishment of such confidence. Uncertainty over the situa- tion of Germany, which developed rapidly into almost panic proportions when the conditions in that country were broadcast, resulted in a run on German credits and the withdrawal of gold from that country in great quantities. The diplomats considering the case have coined a phrase, “the flight from the mark,” to describe what has been happenng to German credit. One of the most important steps, from the point of view of Germany, is to halt the flight of the German people themselves from the mark. Too many of them have sought to invest large sums of money outside their own country, in dollars or pounds or francs. If the latest American proposal is adopted, the seven powers now con- ferring in London as to what may be done to save the situation in Ger- many will encourage their banks and bankers to maintain their short-term credits now or recently extended by them to Germany and to German busi- ness. Some of these powers have a very considerable governmental control over their banks and bankers. Here in the United States the Government has no control whatever over banking, ex- cept to see that the banks conduct their affairs according to law and regu- lation in the interest of the depositors. However, it is to be expected that American bankers will give attention to the advice now advanced by their Gov- ernment, and that they will be willing to play their part if there is to be a real pooling of credits to Germany by the nations, with assurance on the part of Germany that no favorites will be played. As a matter of fact, it is estimated that one-half, or $600,000,000, of the short-term credits, so-called, totaling $1,200,000,000, which have been extended to Germany and German busi- ness by the banks and business of the outside nations are held by Americans. American business and finance, there- fore, must play a very important part in this effort to re-establish confidence in Germany. The run on German credit has been a threat for weeks. It began before the President’s moratorium plan was broached. It became evident that steps must be taken, eside from the mora- torium, to extend further credits to Germany, or at least halt this drive on German credit and the mark from both the outside and the inside of the country. President Hoover takes the position that if the run is stopped, aided by the suspension for a year of her repara- tion payments amounting to $400,000,- 000, Germany skould be afforded a breathing spell and in that period should be able to struggle to her feet again. And once upon her feet, the financing of the long-term credits which may be needed will proceed in a nermat way. Embodied in the new proposal ad- vanced by the President is an earnest suggestion that the European nations, particularly France and Germany, come to a more friendly understanding, in the interest not only of a permanent peace but in the interest of an economic revival. The American Government makes it clear, however, that in such matters the Eurcpean nations must act for themselves. S e One of the farmer's hardships is the likelihood cf his being criticized as a public menace when he has applied faithful and honest work to raising another bumper wheat ccp. e The Tragedy at Berwyn. One secks in vain for a reasonable cxplanation of such freak accidents as that which caused the tragedy at Ber- wyn vesterday afternoon. No automo- bile driver, with a normel regard for Mis own or the safety of others, will disregard danger signals and delib- crately drive his marchine upon the path of an oncoming locomotive. Yet a large proportion of grade-crossing fa- talities result from what appears to be that very impulse. There have been an astonishingly large number of fa- talities that occurred when automobile drivers deliberately ran into moving trains at grade crossings, hitting the 50c | ling to reports of eyewitnesses, and one|tween Nanking and Washington had| | | of the gates had been lowered when the young woman driver of the automoblle ! dashed under the other gate, then de- scending, and stalled her machine, No driver, no matter how foolhardy, would deliberately take the risk she ran. There could have been no real hope, or desire, on her part to beat the train to the crossing. Undoubtedly she suf- fered a temporary aberration, hastened by fright and confusion, and simply for- got what to do. Without the timely assistance of bystanders she probably would have remained in the car, para- lyzed by fright, and watched the train epproach. There have been such cases ! efore. The highway at Berwyn, a paved road, leads from the BEaltimore Boule- vard to Edmonston and many cars pass rack and forth across the main line tracks. The grade crossing is protected by gates, operated from'the depot about 100 feet away, and by an alarm bell that signals the approach of trains frem both directions, starting to ring when trains are about a quarter of a mile awa The tragedy yesterday shows that even with these precautions the crossing is mot foolproof. Nor is any grade crossing foolproof. Accidents of the sort will never ke prevented until grade crossings have been eliminated. Until they have been eliminated, high- way and railroad authorities should be able to devise some method of so block= ing the roadway as to impede automo- biles in their approach to the crossing, rendering it impossible for them to reach the tracks faster than a crawl. — e France and Disarmament. By no stretch of the imagination can it be sald that the prospects for @ successful Geneva disarmament confer- ence in 1932 are enhanced by France's attitude toward it. In a communica- tion to the League of Nations, the Paris government has just disclosed that it consicers the French military and naval establishment to be already reduced to as low a point as the republic's de- fensive necessities wil permit. Secu- rity—the Alpha and Omega of its inter- national policies—runs through France's statement with the haunting persistence of an operatic leitmotif. Doubtless it comes as a shock to those many Americans who view the disarma- ment problem purely through idealistic and altruistic spectacles to be told, point-blank, as France now says, that disarmament is a political, rather than a technical question. Despite the League of Nations, despite Locarno pacts, de- spite Kellogg treaties, despite naval limitation, despite recurring prociama- tions of peaceful intent by statesmen, Europe is envisioned at Paris as still a seething cauldron of warlike possibilities. As long as ways and means remain un- found for guaranteeing that the caul- dron will never boil over, the French are determined to depend upon their own strength. They will not prema- turely place their faith in international agreements. They prefer fortifications, battle cruisers and bombing planes. Of course, there is no secret as to the methods by which France would acquire | 8uns and gangsters that even some of | the biographers are tainted with under- the “guarantees” for which alone she will exchange armament. The memo- randum to the League sets them forth with almost brutal candor. The French want an “Eastern Locarno,” for one thing, that is, a treaty whereby Germany would renounce for all time any designs on rectification of her eastern frontier just as in the Western Locarno the Ger- mans accept the status quo on the Rhine. Berlin, in other words, must give up any idea of trying to wipe out the Danzig corridor which cuts across East Prussia and divides it. ‘Then France comes forward with the proposal that if she is to give up the security afforded by her own war ma- chine, other powers signatory to a di: armament agreement must pledge them- selves to make common cause against an aggressor nation. The French would have the League name the aggressor. ‘What American public opinion would say to any such arrangement, should the United States Re asked to enter it, can easily be guessed, even in France. Although in this country there will be no inclination to condemn, out of hand, an exposure of French policy to- ward Geneva that almost certainly con- demns the 1932 conference to futility, if Paris persists in its position, the Amer- ican people regret, even if they fully understand, that the French seem still to be fighting the World War. Notwith- standing the painfully sacred memories of 1870-71 and 1914-18, here on this side of the Atlantic men and women have been longing for a new psychology in France. It has not yet taken root. ‘The hope must continue to be cherished, fllusory as it may seem in light of thé memorandum to the League, that France will yet discern both wisdom and saféty in making further conces- sions to the world's impatience for re- lief from excessive armament burdens. o THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, WED failed of effect, this Government declin- I ing to abandon the principle of extra- | territoriality in the present condition of the Chinese judicial system, but agreeing to consider measures of gradual abolition of “extrality.” Never- theless the Nanking judicial “yuan,” or department, has proceeded to set up, on paper, an elaborate system of courts for the trial of international cases, with prisons: for the accommodation of persons accused of offenses against the Chinese laws, all of this to be effective next January, when the decree of the Spring itself becomes effective accord- ing to the terms of the edict. Even granting that the Nanking decree abolishing extraterritoriality should be regarded as of some measure of validity, the Tucker case would not by any stretch of imagination fall un- der it. Dr. Tucker, who seems to have shot a native for burglary at the hospital, should, under the decree of abolition, be subject to consular court action up to January 1 next, in any circumstances. The thought of his being held as hostage for the formal]| abandonment of extraterritoriality by | the United States is abhorrent. Yet that may be the motive of the present move to hold him for Chinese trial. If the circumstances are as reported, the United States should make the most forceful possible demand for the release of this worthy man. It can not palter with such an outrageous violation of American rights. ————t———————— Now a very old man, Dr. Charles Parkhurst lives at Atlantic City. He re- marks that there is still room for in- vestigations into manners and morals, but belleves that New York City has more need of them ian the gay towns along the coast. ] Jargon of the underworld gradually makes its way toward respectability. “Twenty Grand,” originally meaning $20,000, is, as the name of a great race horse, mentioned with deference by some of the soclally exacting patrons of h the turf, ———.—— When a street riot is réported much of it frequently depends not so much on the demonstrations of a crowd as on the impressionable imagination of the reporter. B . As a center at present for the dis- tribution of bad news Germany might instruct her publicity philosophers to execute some variations on the theme, “it 1s alway: darkest just before dawn.” oo ogitlh Farmers are threatening to use wheat for fuel..Coal miners will not welcome such an idea. It is not always easy for farmers and other workers to maintain a reliable co-operation. o American statesmen who object to foreign entanglements do not always find it easy to persuade American in- vestors to feel the same way about their relationships. ) Current fiction deals so freely with world literature and devote laborious pages to character assassination. ——————————— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Cheering Up. The best of us sometimes feel lonely and sad And feel we're deserted and left to repine. But there's always attention sincere to be had, ‘Though it may not be quite with your wishes in line. Companionship oft relieves misery’s grief. We sneeze or we groan and in sor- row agree. So I pause and reflect with a sense of relief ‘That somewhere a microbe is waiting for me. ‘Though fortune be fickle and cast me aside ‘There is one who will seek me with interest great. With a cordial persistence which can't be denied, He will teach me to share in human- ity’s state. So there’s little excuse when my spirits get low, As I think of a future of sociable glee I'm never forlorn or neglected. know ‘That somewhere a microbe is waiting for me. % In Agreement. “How is your boy Josh getting along with his employer?” “Well,” replied Farmer Corntossel, “they have come to an agreement at NESDAY, THIS AND THAT - BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Reading recently’ in a_semi-autobi- cgraphy, written by a celebrated author apout himself, we stopped to wonder t was distasteful about the effort. Finally we resolved it down to three main_faults: 1. Covert boasting. 2. Ultra-sophistication. 3. Stralning to besclever. ‘The trail of these three disagreeables, as they may be called, clung to every page like the thin silver line left by slugs on a concrete walk. Perhaps many & reader of that book will like those marks, or overlook them, and they are to be congratulated, for otherwise the work is excellent. * K x K W, Many a reader, however, will be un- able to overlook them. Such an one will find his pleasure in the book almost destroyed. ‘To him it will be a regret, for the author in (glestion has it in him to have done the thing properly. If there had been no boasting, no straining after cleverness, no evidences of sophistication, the book would have been a perennial delight. As it is, there will be few such read- ers who will not be willing to predict for the afair a sale based only on the past reputation of the author. That, and that alone, 'will sell thou- sands of copies. i 2 * In reading the bcok in question one is struck with the evident fact that the writer had on: eye on his critics all the time. Evidently he was never able to get cut of his mind’s eye the thought of those big boy critics, sitting out there with clubs in their hands, if he did not live up to their credo of How It Should Be Done. wreaths to put on his brow if he did do it according to their standards. So he strove for cleverness. Instead of stating his thought, and letting it go at that, he needs must elaborate it in a thousand different ways, to make sure that the critics would know that he had not lost any of his Old Punch. This trall of the serpent is over every page, =almost every paragraph, and sometimes in each sentence. It reduces him to making statements which sound but which, upon the slighest fall to pleces in the reader’s * % kx X When he praises good and modest | women, instead of permitting that much | to stand, to his eternal credit, he evi- | dently fears that his wise-boy friends | will find that a bit too goody-good. | So he spoils it all by declaring that | the only place he had ever found such | modesty again was in a certain chorus | on_the burlesque stage. Somehow the whole thing falls flat at once. Here he was, praising the quiet | Eeauties .of his childhood days, and he | is unable to stand his ground. Even at this date, long, long after- ward, he realizes to the full the charm of these older days, before <o- phistication struck the United States | full in the Zace. He is brave enough to admit as much, to praise it to lay flowers at the feet s L, ML i o il enough to stick to his guns No, he realizes that in print, at least, | it will not do to become too serious. | To be fully serious is to run the risk | of being jibed at by the Masters of So- | phistication, | * ook ok | Perhaps it js necessary to look for a | moment at these persons, for the third | of these faults follows straight from the second. Without the Cult of So- phistication there would be little men- tal pull upon our subject, or upon any | one else, to strive so resolutely to be cleve: Now, being clever, from Nature, as a gift of the Most High God. and being | clever by .sheer mental effort are not the same’ things at all. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. ‘There's a good deal more than meets | the eye in the tragi-comedy of the Hoover “proposals” to the London Con- ference on Germany, about which said | “proposals” the conference itself claims | to be in blissful ignorance. The ex-| planation is simple. It revoives around the ancient controversy between open and secret diplomacy. The President— | taking still another leaf out of Wood- row Wilson's international note bock— favors covenants publicly arrived at. ‘The statesmen and financiers now pow wowing in London (American as well | as European) adhere to the cld system of bargaining and bargains behind | closed doors. Hence Tuesday's amazing spectacle of the State Department’s dis- |* closure in Washington of the latest| Hoover plan for saving Germany, with | London simultaneously disclaiming_all knowledge of its existence. The | divergence in method thus glaringly | revealed has existed, in fact, since the | inception of the Hoover program a month ago. The White House policy, | from the outset, has been to keep the | public abreast of every development as | fast as one occurred. Hence, Acting Secretary of State Castle’s unconven- tional and regular communings with the press, both in the shape of com- muniques and “background” conversa- tion, and his radio talk on the heels of the moratorium “accord.” i President Hoover himself has joined in, as well as sanctioning, this wide- open publicity on the German business. At critical moments during the past four weeks he has called off, on short notice, scheduled semi-weekly White House press conferences. But when- ever the newspaper men were admitted to his air-cooled sanctum, they gen- erally got an earful. It wasn't what | As time goes on apprehensions that | 1ast. Josh sald he was goin’ to quit an' | they’ called “quote stuff,” but it always seem>d serious fade out. Numerous pleas and protests leave no further room for fears that the railroads are going to own the country. — e China Defies America. A grave complication may ensue be- tween the United States and China in the ease of Dr. Francis Tucker, treasurer of the Porter Memorial Hospital at Tehchow, Shantung, who has been: arrested for murder and is now being held at Tsinan by the Chinese for trial and sunishment. TUnder the extraterrivoriality treaty, which remains in force despite China's effort to displace it with a new arrange- ment affecting the rights of American nationals in that country, Dr. Tucker, the boss, he said so, too.” No Opportunity. “Does your cook ever answer you back?” “Oh, dear, no,” replied young Mrs. Torkins; “I never think of presuming to address her in the first place.” Father Time’s Lament. The pictures that we often find, The proverbs that we see; Must make it plain to any mind ‘That there are flies on me. The Nature of the Assemblage. “I understand you folks had a lovely family reunion.” “Well,” replied Mr. Crosslots, “that’s what it started out to be, but some of revealed the presidential mental proc- esses on pending and impending devel- opments. There is, of course, method in Mr. Hoover’s madness. It has both international and national purposes, to say mnothing of purposes personal to himself. In the first place, the keynote of Hoover foreign policy is that on major gecasions like the German crisis, “mobilization of world opinion” is the most powerful weapon at a statesman's command. World opinion vannot be mobilized, the President thinks, unless it is an informed opinion. So he be- lieves in telling the world. * ok ok X Now, all this is very disconcerting to diplomatic gentlemen of the old school. ‘They have been trained on the theory that the dark lantern is mightier than the archlight. They resent prying eyes and vigilant ears. They prefer to confront the hoi polloi with accom- plished facts. They hold it to be of whose technical guilt there is|them got to talking our rich relations | nobody's business how these facts are specific doubt, should have been turned over to the American consul for trial by the international tribunal. A dis- patch from Shanghai states that the Kuomintang, or Nationalist party, which is virtually the government of China, is seeking to make this case a test of the extraterritoriality laws. It will be most unfortunate for China thus to proceed on the basis of a condition of international law which does not now exist, but which it hopes to establish efter January 1 next. Un- fortunate especially for China. Indeed it is hardly to be believed that the Nanking government will act so un- wisely. Its advisers in international matters are surely shrewd enough to over and the occasion resolved itself into an indignation meeting.” A Palmist, “Baron Fucash is something of a palmist,” remarked the very rich young lady. ‘What makes you think so?” “Every time he looks at my hand he thinks he seems money in it, and says he would like to have it in marriage.” Cautious Communication. Speak gently. It is better far To rule by love than fear; Besides, a lot of things there are ‘That few should overhear. Speak gently. It is more polite To voice your thoughts that way; cars long after the locomotive hadrealize that the United States could. passed. Locomotive engineers dread|not condone so flagrant a violation of grade crossings, knowing that accidents’ exicting treaty rights. are as likely to occur from being struck | by cutomobiles as from striking them. Nenking government proclaimed esterday the warning extraterritoriality weuld be abo , accord- on January 1, 1932. At Berwyn Bell was rinofiag at the cra Some time ago, in the Spring, the thet =4 Negotiations be- But never telephone or write The things you have to say. “Some folks,” said Uncle Eben, “has a way of remindin’ you of yoh troubles by continually tellin’ you not to worry 2bout 'enm” ) ‘brought about until everything is signed, sealed and delivered. Professional dipiomatists always find that bankers, financiers and corporation lawyers are kindred spirits in the realm of invisible statecraft. These, too, shun the pitiless glare of daylight when big deals like “saving Germany” are afoot. Run down the list of statesmen, diplomats, finan- clers and lawyers who comprise the London Conference, and you’ll under- stand why they view with alarm, irrita- tion and impatience the Washington policy which they privately assail as “talking too much.” * K ok So much having been said to ex- plain the fundamental gulf between ‘White House and London conference conceptions of current events, it mustn't be forgotten that President Hoover has nrmflo{hfilcmm y. It is a legitimate game. He staked something approximating tion—some say, political future—by moratorium. Overnight it rehabilitated his tcttering 1932 fortunes. He would be less than human if he did not grit his tceth and highly resolve to leave no stone unturned to. se> the thing | bright | tive and leadership clear before the | to the contra: Cleverness, be she natural, is divine,) and all the world bows down to her. ‘When she takes the shape of wit gnd humor, the world pays tribute. When cleverness crops up as repar- tee, exactly the right words at the right time and place, men of all nations lisien eagerly, cach thinking how he himself 50 often failed in that very cir- cumstance, ‘When cleverness assumes the guise of the new creation, a something or other which scarcely has existed before in exactly that form, the world of in- telligence is happy to give the credit where the credit belongs. * Kk % x ‘To be sophisticated means that a premium has been placed upon clever- ness, not the gift, but the achievement. Hence, this cleverness assumes a glit- ter and a cheapness which is at once hard and common. A prime example of it occurred several years ago among the writers of the great City of New York, who suddenly took to their hearts the saying, “And so's your old man.” For as long as half a year together almost every article printed in that mightly mefropolis managed to weave in that saying. And the curious thing was that, as long as the rage for it} lasted, ii was unanimously credited by all the sophisticates as being really clever. A thousand changes were rung upon it, and each one bore all the earmarks, at least so they thought, of Cleverness. Like most such things, however, time, the master, puts the end to it, and revealed it at last in all its poor cheap- ness. It isn't funny now, and every one sees that it never was funny, but a rage, a craze, based on a plain striving to be clever, in order to please the ultra- cophisticetes and their hangers-on. A real sophisticate may have some good points, but their followers scarcely any at all. o Perhaps the covert boasting of which we have comnlained follows as a motte this” and “I did that” as by constant references to events with which the reader will already have been made fa- miliar by past writings or past pub- leity. ‘Thus the reader who might fall upon this book without any previous knowl- edge of its author would wonder over many a reference which would mean nothing at all to him. Thus, the book cannot stand on its own legs, but must constantly fall back upon other props. Perhaps the writer is right about that, after all. Who can any writer appeal to, no matter who he is, except his own readers, those who have found or might find in him the expression of their own conscious and unconscious thoughts? But boasting on the printed page is dangerous. One cannot even use the personal proncun “I” too often, or the reader becomes weary of it. Constant referencs to deeds and achievements of an author, even in his own biography, are replc‘e with danger to him, even if he is celebrated and has his own list of ardent readers. He had better step lightly, for the ice is thin and the water beneath is cold. But if he must boast, let him do it with gusto rather than by sly ref- erences now and then to great events in his life. Approached so solemnly, the mighty subject ought to give forth some sparks of light, ring a few belis in our mem- ories as well as in his. If this author would be honest with himself and with us, his readers, and do this book over again, happily forgetting about the boys with their clubs and wreaths, what a beautiful book we might have, indeed! But, heaven forgive us! we had almost forgotten that to be “beautiful” is to be damned nowadays. ing less—is what Hoover is now doing, with his latest “proposals” for snatch- ing order out of the German chaos b fore it's too late. The Presiden impatience with recent international dodgings reached tke brcaking point more than once since June 20. One country in particular has got his goat. He intends, as far as in his power lies, to keep the record for American initia- natic “ethics” ending. “If that is treason,” Herbert Hoover can, be conceived as saying, “make the most of it!" world, old-fashioned dip notwil S “Democracy at the Cross-Roads” is the arresting title cf a symposium soon to be published by the Woman's Na- tional Democratic Club. The book will have an eminent list of contributors. John W. Davis will write the chapter on the tariff. Newton D. Beker will discuss war. Senator Thomas J. Walsh of Montana will deal with hjs favorite theme, power. Huston Thompson, for- mer chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, will write on monopoly. The. final chapter, a sort of summing up of Mother Democracy’s trials, tribu- lations and hcpes, will be the work of Claude G. Bowers. e Lieut. Col. George P. Ahern, U. S. A., retired, entertained an interesting guest in Washington this week—Capt. Fred- erick Funston, jr.. son of the late Maj. Gen. Funston, captor of Aguinaldo. How rapidly the whirligig of time heals old wounds is exemplified by the fact that Funston, jr., and Aguinaldo’s son were classmates and comrades at West Point. Ccl. Ahern knew both Gen. Funston_and the “George Washington of the Philippines” well, having been on active service in the islands during and after the war of 1898. e Fred K. Nielsen, American commis- sioner on the American-Mexican Claims Commission, who seems to have in- curred official displeasure in Mexico City. was once a line-bucking Uni- versity of Nebraska foot ball star, so he comes naturally by his pugnacity. Incidentally, Nielsen is Uncle Sam’s most experienced international arbitra- tion expert. He is a e by birth, but has been an American since he was 1 year old. Since Nielsen entered the solicitor’s office in the State De- partment in 1913, he has served as the United States’ representative on a dozen arbitral occasions all over the world. Presidents Wilson, Herding, Coolidge and “Hoover commissioned him in succession. Broad-shouldered and husky, he’s a tough customer either in physical or legal combat. * K K K Revelations that Mrs. Charles E. Mitchell, wife of the New York banker, has written an orchestral composition, thus entering the select group adorned by Gen. Dawes, makes it timely to dis- close that Washington official society has a Beethoven of its own. It's another woman—Mrs. Patrick J. Hur- ley, wife of the Secretary of War. Mrs. Hurley is not only an_ accomplished planist, but a composer of sonatas, con- certos and ballads. ‘This Summer, when not in the surf at Atlantic City, where she’s living, she’s generally toy- ing with the octaves. (Copyright, 1931) ot Foot Ball Forecasts in Order. Prom the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Californian who has predicted xtremely heavy rains for 1938-40 may le)e axpeelcybed wbe out any day with forecasts on the foot ball scores of next Fall. — e ____ Oh, for a Panacea, From the Worcester Telegram. _ Surely, out of the thousands, of bac- calaureates issued during the last few weeks, we ought discover some way through. That—nothing more, noth- JULY 22, Silver Purchase Urged by Gold Standard Believer To_the Editor of The Star: In the brief period of two years sil- ver has dropped in price from 60 cents an ounce to 26 cents. It is a moot ques- tion whether this tremendous is due to world-wide depression following. in the wake of the world war or whether silver has been deliberately placed upon the toboggan for its “ride” to oblivion, thereby reducing the buying power of a thousand million silver-using people from the plains of Hindustan to Mex- ico, all over Central and South America and Indla and China. Mr, Deterding, the.English oil king well says underconsumption znd not overproduction is the matter with the globe. A recent repott on India shows frightful conddtions [of poverty and deprivation. Millions of people starv- ing to death in China are matters of daily news. Little children are working in cigarette factories in Ingia 15 hours for a wage of 4 cents. In our country, which is very well off if it could only think so, the farmers of Kansas are asked not to raise wheat for which they 19371. can at least get 30 cents a bushel| wherewith to buy clothcs and other neegled articles. 1t is believed that the precipitate drop in silver was due to the British govern- ment in Indla and the French govern- ment in Indo-China dumping silver on the market to buy gold to place these countries on the gold standard. The writer is a gold standard man out and out and has no use for the 16 to 1 free silver heresy, nevertheless he belleves silver and gold have been the historic coins of the masses for thousands of years and that steps should be imme- diately begun to stabilize silver. The minister of finance in China, the largest user of silver, threatens to put that country on the gold standard if they ever get cured of civil war. Should this happen, silver would go to less than 10 cents an ounce, for it would have been practically demonetized throughout the world, An international conference has been asked for to have the leading countries agree on a ratio between gold and sil- ver, but England objects. ‘The writer suggests that the United States start the work of stabilization and it can do this very nicely and at the same time get rid of an anachro- nism in our currency system. For some mysterious reason we retain $346,681,016 of greenbacks, Civil War fiat money. These have been reprinted scores of times and reissued. At one time they became an endless chain to depleté the Treasury of its gold. A gold fund of $156,039,278 is now kept in the Treas- ury to keep. these bills at par, but, of course, the entire gold fund is also in trust for them, for all United States money is now at par with gold, includ- ing the 498,498,028 standard silver dol- lars coined and taking up needed room in the Treasury against which are issued silver certificates. Briefly the writer's suggestion is that our Government use the gold fund of $156,039,278 to purchase enough silver at the market price to replace the greenbacks with silver certificates. It is also suggested that the silver so purchased, along with a lot of the standard silver dollars which refuse to circulate, be melted into silver bullion bars of such size and weight, not easily stolen, and put on exhibition in a room in the Treasury called the silver room, open to the public, as a concrete con- tribution to the stabilization of silver. If other countrics would copy our money ystem which is sometimes made fun of by bankers, no doubt times would speed- ily mend. JEREMIAH JOHNSON. et One Who Thinks That Washington Is Hot To the Editor of The Star: Your cditorial in Wednesday's Star about Washington weather brings to mind the simple fact that so far as the business cr traveling public is con- cerned, Washington temperature is strest temperature—kiosk temperature and a theoretical re: on some high building has no more relation to actual conditions than the wetness of water has to its purity for drinking purposes. Not so long ago, several blocks of beautiful shade trees were destroyed in midcity, to make possible slightly wider streets for automobile parking purpcses. Even if (in some cases) others were replanted, it will be many a vear before their growth renders them of value for shade. Humidity records at the kiosk over an extended period show Washington atmosphere high in humidity much of the time; comparable only to such cities as Houston, Tex, or Shreve- port, La. This condition, with our.wide streets and lack of shade in many cases for several blocks during midday, does make Washington an unpleasant ex- ceptionally oppressive city in which to live or transact business, wholly aside from your facetious reference to sight- seers “runtfing around town.” Nor is it blessed with a “Gulf breeze” at even- time, while its wide streets act as fire- Jess cookers and still further make miserable the restless nights of its workers. Add to this, the ceaseless din of myriad radios on multiple programs, kept running at full power until late hours, the cries of men selling “snow- balls” far later than permitted by law, &nd then, as the tired body falls into exhausted sleep, to be awakened b raucous church bells at 6:30 am. it is no wonder we are becoming & race of nervous people. HENRY MACE PAYNE." e Surrender Scene a Yorktown Essential To the Editor of The Star: Please let me compliment you on the editorial captioned “Cornwallis,” which appeared in The Star July 16. It was fine. There is no good reason why any of the incidents in the surrender of Cornwallis to Washington at Yorktown should be eliminated to please any one. The American people are bound to re- sent any emasculation of the thrilling drama_at Yorktown, where the brave and sublime struggle of Washington and his immortal associates was crowned with glorjous success. Not one feature should be underplayed, no matter whose sensibilities are thereby offended. I recall reading in a British paper once how the editor of the paper in- sisted that the recital of British mili- tary victories should ncver be belittled or apologized for and not a werd should ever be written to please those who had been the losers in any war conducted in behalf of the defense or glory of that empire. Let the Yorktown pageant be enacted £0 as to revive and stimulate and per- petuate the love and reverence of the |, American people for the marvelous man who fought, suffered and won that America might forever be free from all European domination. I surely feel grateful to you for print- ing this editorial at this time and thor- oughly enjoy reading your splendid paper at all times. C. H. HARRIS. Chicago, Il —oe—n Parents Get Movie Excuse. From the Dayton Daily News. Boys of a London school are for- bidden to go to_the movies unless their parents t: them, thereby providing the parents with something Iike a legiti. mate excuse. Patrol Wagon Thief Caught. From the Cleveland News. Auto thief in Amesbury, Mass, who stole the police patrol wagon, was finally B ctopon- the. signar of an. ofeer on of an . Clearly he was of something. Freckle a Coat of Tan. From the Charlotte News. b A Canadian city requires that al women’s bathing T ith Teach 3 Inches below the knees. Given such equipment as that, a coat of tan for the Canadian miss 1S probably mad: up of three dreckles across fhe nosg, ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. This is a special department devoted to the handling of inquiries. You have at your disposal an extensive organi- zation in Washington to serve you in any capacity that relates to informa- tlon. Write your question, your name, and your address clearly, and incloce 2 cents in coin or stamps for repiy. Send to the Evening Star Information ‘Washington, D. C. Q. Must s referee count 10 when awarding a decision on a technical knockout?—A. C. S. A. It is not necessary. The term means that a boxer is “out on his feet” and is at the mercy of his opponent. Q. What were the names of the sire gnd dam of Old Hambletonian-10? was he foaled and whe i NS d when did he . Hambletonian-10, was a bay horse, foaled May 5. 1849; bred by Jonss Secly, passed to William ‘M. Rysdyk, Chester, N. Y., and died, the property of his estate, on March' 27, 1876, at the age 98,27 His sire vas Abhallah I, and arics €] Bellfounder. PR Q. Why was Gen. Winfield Scott called Old Fuss and Feathers?—N, P. A. The nickname was given him be- cause of his strict military discipline and his fondness for personal display. Q. How is the name of the Swiss city Basel pronounced?—H. N. A. Tt is spelled efther Basle or Basel and pronounced Bah zel by English- speaking people. Q. Has any one ever circumnavi- gated the world at the Equator?—C. G. A. No one has even gone around the world at its 25,000-mile circumference at the Equator. Magellan sailed a greater distance as he had to go far south to round Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope and return norih of the Equator to his starting place. The Graf Zeppelin followed almost zigzag course over part of it Byrd usually is said to hav around the Pole rather tha: earth. Thesc records are relative. As matters now stand Post and Gatty have the record for the combination of :‘l; greatest distance in the shortest e a te. Q. At what angle should a flag be displayed on special days?—B. S. A. A. It must depend to some extent on the way the flagpole is placed, but the lIls\u..l angle is an angle close to 44 de- | grees from the face or the front of the building. Q. Who was the young French noble- man who was the first to rise in the French Assembly and renounce his feudal rights?>—H. D. i A. The Vicomte de Noailles rose in the French National Assembly, August 4, 1789, and suggested the renunciation of feudal rights. Q. What is the meani King's Highway?—D. M. A. The term has been used from an early period, particularly in England, where it designated the chief or princi- pal roads traveled by the public and brought under the protection of the King’s peace. In early Spanish-Amer- ica the term referred to public high- vé:{s constructed at the expense of the state. Q. State the automobile and motor cyi}e {Legistl'lunn throughout the world. ing of the term A. Automobiles, including trucks and busses, registered throughout the world this year number 35,805,632, a 2 per cent increase over 1930. At the close of 1930 motor cycles registered in all Bureau, Frederic J. Heskin, Director, | countries numbered 2,750,578, & B ver cent increase over the previous year. | Q. What is the crigin of the expres- sion, born with a silver spoon.in his mouth?—A. L. §. A. It means born to good luck. The allusion is to the custom of giving silver spoons at christenings or as prizes. The expression has taken on the further meaning of being born to wealth, Q. What part of New York City has the largest Jewish population?—L. L. A. The population of Jews in New York City was 1,765,000 at the latest official estimate in 1927. This was dis- tributed by boroughs as follows: Brook- Iyn, 797,000; Manhattan, _465,000; Bronx, 420.000; Queens, 75,800, and Richmond, 7,200. Q. What name is given to the oozes which lie at the bottom of the sea and which contain the remains of sea denizens?—R. D. M. A. There is no generally adopted sclentific name for the various ooz:s that are formed mainly from the cal- careous and siliccous remains of plants and animals which live in waters under which- the deposit is found. Various cozes are tecognized, the most Wide- spread being gigbigerina ocze. This de- posit consists of the shells of Foramini- fera, which live in the surface waters. Diatom ooze is next in abundance. It | is formed from the siliceous remains of | aiatoms, which occur in enormous | quentities in cold surface waters. Of | the sea bottom beyond the 100-fathom | line it is estimated that 17 per cent is covered by mud, 40 per cent by red | clay, and 43 per cent by oozes of the | various kinds. Q. Can a person driv Scuth America?>—N. A. C. | T A. At the present time a motor trip to South America is not feasible. Pla: for a highway to link the Americas & | being formed. It pozsible now | mot south as Monterey, Mexico, N . and even to Mexico illing to use Coming north. a by motor to stages of the t X enced many hardshi of roads in certain sections. | Q. Is it the practice to transfer mail on the high seas from eastbound ves- | sels to westbound?>—A. R. E. | A. The Post Office Department savs “ that it is not. Q. What is the grade on the Colum- | bia River Highway?>—C. T. A. This scenic highway from Port- land, Ore., to Hood River has no grade which exceeds 5 per cent. Q. Are lott: and sweepstalics | legal in Canada’—N. R. A_ It is contrary to the criminal code of Cenada for any one to conduct a lottery or sweepstake of any kind in the | Dominion. _Persons found guilty are liable to a heavy fine or a term of im- | prisonment or both. | Q. Was the woodwork painted or | stained in the early New England | homes?>—D. A. | A Pine boarded walls and ceilings | were generally used in the early New England homes. In most cases the woodwork had no finish at all. Some- times they were rubbed with oil or wax, | but th wood was in its natural color. | Paint or stain was not used until much | later, say 1740. | Q. Who said “What this country | neads is a good 5-cent cigar?—J. A. W. A. It is" attributed to Vice President Marshall. Attention Popular conceptions of Greenland as a great waste of ice and snow, unim- portant in the world's ccmmerce, are being revised as new interest in this island is awakened by the controversy between Norway and Denmark over its possession. The fact that airplane de- velopment has extended communica- tions to the Arctic regions is cne factor in the renewed conflice of jurisdiction, while the reference of the matter to the ‘World Court is a matter of international attention. “What a healthy example to nations carrying chips on their shoulders,” re- marks the Minneapolis Star, “if Den- mark and Norway com mc of logic and reason and abide by the World Court’s decision.” The Phila- delphia Public Ledger lcoks upon the dispute as “like a revival of Viking ri- valries of centuries long forgotten,” and concludes that “the most probable use for that area—East Greenland, which has been virtually no-man’s land—would be as an airplane base, and that threat, combined with Scandinavian rivalries, seems to have started the controversy.” Recalling the fact that Comdr. Robert E. Perry charted Greenland's northern coast and that his success ';romnml Danish explorers to extend the work, the San Antonio Express emphasizes the reference to the World Court, and adds: “The disputants are parties to treatles providing for such a course and also are pledged never to war against each other.” The Providence Bulletin com- ments: “Norwew, while powerful encugh to maintain its claim over Eastern Greenland, has stated that the occupa- tion was made mostly to create an issue for settlement by the World Court, and that she will abide by the decision.” * ok x % “A few years past,” thinks the Buf- falo ®vening News, “the fuss over Greenland would have appeared to be a bootless quarrel. Now, however, the great ice cap is considered important as a base for aerial operations and meteor- ological observations, perhaps as a place of natural resources other than seals and polar bears.” “From a practical standpoint, Den- mark’s right to so vast an area may be questioned,” according to the Manches- ter Union, which finds it “gratifying that the matter is to be settled by peaceable methods of adjudication.” That paper points out that “there are indications that the region may be rich in iron, copper and coal that have been found elsewhere in vicinity.” As to the present :.iportance of the region, the Schenectady Gazette sets forth: “The population of Greenland is mainly Eskimo, of which there are ap- proximately 15,000. Added to these are about 250 Europeans, many of whom ave Eskimo wives. The island was set- tled in the latter part of the tenth century by Norwegians, who established churches and monasteries and occupied it for 300 years. * * * The chief ex- ports from Greenland are fish, eider- down, furs, whale oil and ;rl&rhfle. Its deposits of cryolite are the gest in the world. American ships fish halibut off the west coast. TheEskimos live mainly on and whales, about 100,000 séch year. During the four years 1845 to 1849 over 25,000" reindeer were shot yearly, but |today reindeer are scarce on the island. A party of hunters and students from Norway during a recent visit to the big island planted their flag and claimed a jon of Eastern Greenland in the name of their sovereign. This parti lar territory has been long hunters, so, on the old theory that pos- session is nine points of the law, they have come to t it belongs to e ‘a jumping- t for Arctic explorations,” con- :efldemn “the mot aviation may increase its importance.” The New York Evening Post avers that “the World Court hast new item on its calendar.” hood to g0 |&‘.‘,‘i.".x“:fl" 5 ey as they | bably will—their differences by the | Fight Over Greenland Turns to World Court | were popularly coupled in this country with India's coral strand.” | _“The claim of Norway,” suggests the | St. Paul Pioneer Press,,“comes &s & su | prise to the pubtic, in view of the ger ‘eral assumption that Denmark has sov= | ereignty over the entire island. This, it would seem, was conceded by the Nor- wegians themselves as recently as 1924, when a convention was signed between the tw> countries, in which Denmark granted Norway certain commercial rights on the east ccast of Greenland. Ferhaps the most significant aspect of the dispute. as far as the rest of the world is concerned. is the readiness with which both countries have referred their differences to The Hague.” e s e “Stop™ Signs Should Always Be Respected ‘To the Editor of The Star: Unless_prompt and_vigorous action is taken by the traffic police to see that the law is enforced, the “Stop” signs at cerizin street, intersections had better be junked, along with the other su- perflucus “do” and “don’t” signs that the trafiic director plans to soon elim- ate. It is the opinion of the writer that these “Stop” signs have become a def- inite source of danger unless they are conscientiously obeyed. They certainly do not invite or justify carelessness on the part of the motorist traversing the arterial street. However, they do justi- fy him in assuming an equal amount of care on the part of the motorist on the non-arterial street. If that care is not exercised, it takes the arterial street motorist off his guard and a greater element of danger is created than if the “Stop” sign had not been in place. It is silly, mere twaddle, to think that “Stop” signs cannot be obeyed in Wash- ington, when all over the country the thing is done as a safety measure. Like- ly, the overwhelming sentiment of driv- ers favors this precautionary measure, but if some hard-headed, scifish, devil- may-care creature chooses to ignore the law, then the careful, law-abiding driv- er is imperiled. And, strange as it may seem, the utter disregard for these safety devices is not alone among per- scns of low degree, but by motorists of culture and refinement as well. The police need not detect every violator to bring about obedience to the law. good, stiff campaign at unexpected times and places, with appropriate newspaper publicity of the results, will make all motorists more attentive to this admirable device for the lessening of motor accidents, which is certainly not placed where it is for other than protection of all who drive motor cars. J. ED. SNYDER. ———— Drafting Time Recalled. From the Worcester Evening Gazette. ‘With all this talk about drefting everybody and everything in time of war, you can't blame tke man out of work if they wonder why they can't be drafted into a job. o When Fountain Pen Works. e Akron Beacon Journal. nt is & man whose fountain pen won't work until he darts it at your best rug. —— e Kind of Horn to Blow. From the Detroit Free Press, The man who said, “Teach a boy to Y |blow a horn and he'll never blow a safe,” wasn't talking about automobile horns. —re————— Production of Wills. From the Indianapolis Star. ‘When a fortune runs into six figures, the number of wills it can produce is truly remarkable. —_— e MacDonald as July 4 Speaker. From the Cmeha World-Herald. MacDonald can moke-a very gosd PFourth of July speech for the United States,