Evening Star Newspaper, November 7, 1931, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. SATURDAY....November 7, 1831 THEODORE W. NOYES. ...Editor indeind "~ iy ness Office 11tn 8t. and Pennevivania Ave. Neako Ofice’ Lak 'i?n&'.‘g"h' T uropean H RTD‘ .. London, an Rate by Carrier Within the City. " " . .48¢ per month The Evening ma sundsy Biai when 4 Bundays) 60¢ per month The Evening and Surl (when 5 Sundays) The Sunday Stai Collection made at ers may be sent Ational 5000. Rate by Mail—Pa Maryland and Virginia. 1y and Sunday, ily only inday only " All Other States and Canada. E" i 17181200 1 mo. 31, nday only ': BRI e Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press 1s exclysively entitjed fo the use for republication of all hews dig- atches credited fo it or not otherwise ered- fted in this paper and also the local news published herein. ~ All rights of publication of Special dispatches herein are also reserved. - A pe nd ‘6f each month. in by mail or telephone Republican Prospects for 1932. It will not profit the G. O. P. to look back upon the elections of last Tues- day. The Republicans must look for- ward and hope for better times. The party in the past has had serious set- backs between presidential elections and has yet sprung back to life and unex- pectedly defeated the opposition in the following general election. The Re- publican party was at a low ebb in the tide of its affairs in 1922, when a huge majority in the House was almost wiped out, but 1924 saw another sweeping G. O. P. victory. It is natural to look to the results of the elections just held in New Jersey, Kentucky, Michigan and one or two other States, where Demo- crats won over the Republican candi- dates, and for the Democrats to take heart from them. But what the year 1932 holds for the country and for the political parties is still a mystery. The campaign is in the making. At last there are indications of an upswing in the business world, and within the past two weeks wheat has advanced amazingly in price. Many of the farmers have held their wheat, hoping for such a change. They have been strongly urged to do so by leaders in Kansas and other wheat-producing States. Corn, too, has made & remark- able recovery recently. Almost unher- alded and quite suddenly these changes for the better in the economic situation have come. Let there be a real swing upward, and the political situation will vastly change. It will then be remembered that the Republican President, Herbert Hoover, stood firmly against the Federal dole, against such unsound panaceas for the farmers as the debenture and the equalization fee. It will be remem- bered that he stepped into the breach with his proposal for a. half-billion-dol- lar bank pool to aid the weaker banks and engineered the moratorium of reparations and intergovernmental debts when the world seemed headed for bankruptcy. Hope is what America needs, hope and confidence, and if they come within the next few months, the issues in the next campaign are going to be different from what they ‘would be if the voters went to the polls today. In any circumstances it would be dif- ficult even for the most partisan Demo- crat to draw a true and honest indict- ment of the Hoover administration. From the point of view of the radical such an indictment might be made, since the President has kept the faith and stood solidly against the nostrums advanced by certain progressives, rang- ing from the issuance of billions of dollars of flat paper money to the pay- ment by the Federal Government of money to a long list of unemployed. ‘When the depression burst upon this country two years ago and the stock market crashed, the President acted promptly. He called to Washington Tepresentatives of industry and labor and obtained pledges from them not to curtail wages and not to strike. Fol- lowed a remarkable incident in Ameri- can history, Labor, which in the past was always the first to bear the bur- den of a business depression, suffered far less than in other past depressions. Reductions in wages were stalled off until the cost of living had materially decreased for labor. If the country has a breathing spell and the pall of hard times lifts, the political psychology will change, may change almost over night. Mr. Hoover has a number of con- structive measures to advance when the next Congress meets, measures de- signed to aid in the present situation and to prevent as far as may be a recurrence of these present conditions. ‘The country will watch with interest what the Congress, hostile actually in “both Houses, will do with these recom- mendations. I1f Mr. Hoover and the country pull themselves out of the present slough of despond, they are likely to rejoice together. ——— ‘When he chooses to do so Mayor Jimmy Walker can introduce a pictur- esque variation in wet and dry discus- sion and direct attention to the glass of fashion as a more important topic than the flowing bowl. — o Much wealthier than he was sup- posed to be, Edison commands regard for the simplicity of character that re- fused the ostentation of wealth in which he might so easily have indulged. ————————— Bumping Off the Undesirables. A report has been made to the Sec- retary of Labor that gangland killings in Chicago in recent years have saved the Government from starting deporta- tion action against 317 undesirable aliens. A Federal agent has examined the records of casualties in the rack- ‘eteering war and has found out that that number of suspects have been either “bumped off, taken for a ride or tossed in the lake or river.” It does not appear whether any considerable number of the victims of gang reprisals have been American citizens not sub- ject to deportation proceedings. The belief, however, is that most of the dead have been foreigners. It cannot be denied that there is a certain degree of gratification in this record of eliminations, but there is an- other side to the picture. If 317 unde- remain who should be deported? It is & fair conclusion that a large percentage of those who have done the work of execution are themselves in the “unde- sirable alien” category. ‘The Government's task of cleaning out these unwelcome and dangerous aliens may be lessened, but not ac- complished by the murderous activities of the gangs. It should be prosecuted vigorously. Every individual who falls within the classification should be brought to book speedily and sent out of the country as quickly as the proc- esses will permit. Not all of the gangsters who have made a business of organized crime are aliens. Many of them are American- born, though perhaps of foreign par- entage. Some are of long-established American stock. The Federal Govern- ment’s jurisdiction over them is lim- fted to a few cases. Some can be reached, as in the case of the Capone brothers, only by the income tax evas- jon process. The majority of them must be left to the local courts, which have not been effective. e New Taxicab Orders. ‘The Public Utllities Commission, drawing a deep breath, has leveled a bean shooter at the taxicab problem and expelled the missile, in the form of a new order, with all the force that it can muster. If the bean bounces off the taxicabs and is crushed somewhere beneath the wheels of Washington's dense traffic, one must not condemn the commission or the bean. These have done the best they could. What the Public Utilities Commission needs is a sawed-off shotgun. What the Public Utilities Commission has done in its order requiring taxicabs to install meters by January 10, abol- ishing the rental system of operation, requiring cab drivers to wear coats, etc., is mainly to outline what the commis- sion believes is the proper plan for taxicab regulation. But can it be enforced? The orders issued by the Public Utilities Commis- sion are not enforceable as police regu- lations. If, on January 10, the Public Utllities Commission, surveying Wash- ington’s five thousand or so taxicabs, finds that none of them has the re- quired meter, and none of them is abiding by the order, what is it to do? Its only course is to select one or a number of cab drivers and file its dec- laration in Municipal Court, setting forth the reasons why it should collect a penalty for non-compliance with its regulations. The cab driver or drivers thus selected may immediately retaliate by a plea challenging the commission’s right to issue the order, or the contents of the order itself, on one of a number of possible grounds. And in due course of time this litigation will find its way before the Court of Appeals, while the cab drivers do more or less as they please. ‘The weakness of the commission's attempt to regulate the cabs lies in the physical difficulty of enforcing its or- ders. In the case of the street car corporations, the gas company, the telephone or electric light company, the commission has one large and established company with which to deal. Such companies will comply with the commission’s orders to avoid the trouble and inconvenience and Joss of will involved in litigation, and none of these established companies will become involved in litigation un- less the importance of the issue justifies it. But in the case of the taxicabs, the commission is dealing with approx- imately 2,000 “companies,” the great majority of them consisting of & man ‘with an automobile. How can the com- mission proceed to sue each of these to force compliance with its orders, when winning the suit merely estab- lishes the right to collect a nominal Ppenalty? The commission has set down a pro- posed method of regulating the cabs. The order includes no reference to financial liability, because that has al- ready been eliminated by the courts. What the commission should proceed to do, while waiting expectantly for the result of its orders, is to seek from Congress the power to enforce its regu- lations as police regulations are en- forced. Until such authority is granted no real solution of the unregulated taxicab problem can be expected. e Statesmen who are truly congres- sional minded prefer to hold investi- gations and conduct discussions among | Senators or Representatives without depending on outside assistance. —_————— Red Russia Baits China. Communist Russia this week is cele- brating the “October revolution” of 1917, whereby the Soviet usurped power. Yesterday the Third Internationale, which in our parlance might be de scribed as the “administration part; THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. form that what sometimes appears to be the truth is the diametrically op- posite. For example, Washington diplomatic quarters, at the very moment of anti-Japanese maneuvers by Russia, both at Moscow and in the shape of military movements near Manchuria, hear that Japan and Russia in fact have a thorough “understanding.” This not incredible suggestion is accompanied by the statement that the most power- ful and respected foreign dipiomat now on duty in Tokio is M. Karakhan, the Soviet Ambassador to Japan. The in- | Lo timation is that Karakhan, working with either the civilian authorities or the military. party in Tokio or both, is cognizant of Japan's every move and purpose in Manchuria, and has given Tokio the seal of Moscow's approval. Whether this is merely one more tis- sue in the tale of rumor, recrimination and remorse that habitually is spun in the Far East, the fact remains that China must think twice, thrice and even oftener before hitching her wagon to the Soviet star. The bear that walks like a man keeps his nose and eyes headed straight in the direction of China, even though he is now a Com- munist and not a Czarist bear. Indeed, the longings of Soviet Russia to despoil and déminate China are more sinister than those which guided Imperial Russia’s policy, for the Russia of today would insinuate itself into Lhe hearts and souls and territory of the Chinese people, in the guise of the savior, but in reality for the purpose of enslaving them under the red yoke. A China that accepted the help ot Soviet Russia in a war of lberation against Japan would wake up some day, and at & very early day, to find that the Chinese had escaped Japanese bondage only to be plunged into Rus- sian serfdom. ——————— One benefit has been brought to this country by the war which is by no means unimportant. Americans once took their pleasures more seriously even than the English. Armistice day will again demonstrate that this country has at last learned the true value of the holiday spirit which was once considered normal chiefly to the Latin tempera- ment. Jests eventually become serious. The airplane was cruelly ridiculed. The Ford car was called a “filvver.” Many playgoers can still remember when “Natural Gas” was regarded as serving its chief purpose in providing a title for a popular farce, —— e Manufacturers of grape concentrates have taken pains to warn purchasers of conditions that may produce alcohol. Some of the courts are frankly of the opinion that it is impossible to prevent people from being careless. e Cleveland, Ohio, regretfully, no doubt, reached the conclusion that a city manager has too hard a job to leave it possible for one man to discharge its duties for a lifetime. e It has been said that this Govern- ment was founded by philosophers. The latest literary move appears to be an effort to make it & government by nov- elists. —— e School children are entitled to com- plain that geography, always difficult, is changing so fast that a student has to add to his task with text books a diligent attention to the current news. — e Tammany 1s again the beneficiary of a civic timidity that makes men “rather bear the ills we have than fly to others that we know not of.” A Texas statesman used to be recog- nized by his large hat and loose coat. Now he is known at first glance by his faultless tailoring. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON, Conserving the “Hello.” We have a dial telephone. We find it rather slow. Although it may save time, we own, We like that word “Hello.” It is a greeting we have made A part of daily cheer. The figures that are now displayed Are silent and severe. When statesmen come from everywhere Our troubles to explain, We will pronounce in accents fair That greeting once again. So, “Hello, Congressman!” A welcome all complete. For, but for you, that word “Hellol” ‘Would soon be obsolete. We'll show Political Relativity. ‘Now regarding this relativity idea ——" began the man who digresses. “I have a high regard for a certain now in autocratic power at Moscow, | kind of relativity,” interrupted Senator seized upon the anniversary as an oc- | Sorghum. casion for breathing defiance in the di- rection of Japan. It urged the “workers and oppressed people of all the capi- talistic world” to support China against “the imperialists,” and proclaimed that if Japan made war on China it would be “a step toward war against Soviet The State Department at Washing- ton wisely refuses to look upon this Communist stage thunder as presaging the imminence of Russo-Japanese hos- tilities. The Third Internationale's gesture can be far more accurately in- terpreted as an impudent bid to the subversive forces within China—as an invitation to spread the “world revolu- tion” there and spread it, of course, under Soviet guidance from Moscow. ‘The idealistic and altruistic purpose of the Communists toward China is re- vealed in the appeal to help “our Chinese brothers actively in their struggle against occupation, against the League of Nations, against the treacherous Kuomintang, against Chiang Kai-Shek—for & united, independent Soviet China” The Third Interna- tionale is nothing if not candid and unabashed. One can imagine the Nan- king government today, in the midst of its hapless conflict with Japan, pray- ing to be saved from China's friends beyond the Siberian border. Ever since the Nationalist government has main- tained its precarious existence it has had to cope with ruthless Communist efforts to undermine it. Oriental politics in erises like the existing one in Manchuria frequently passes Occidental comprehnsion. News is so systematically suppressed or cen- sirgbles have thus been forcibly re- sored and so often reaches the outer moved, are there not many more! who world in fragmentary and misleading “Is there more than one?” “Oh, yes. The man with the most relatives is likely to control enough votes togive him considerable political influence.” Jud Tunkins says a man taking of- fice is like & feller puttin’ on snowshoes for the first time. He thinks it's goin’ to be easy to go perfectly straight and all of a suc... his feet get twisted. The World Plays Rough, Hostilities are bringing doubts That bid us hasten to our prayers. Perhaps we should rear more Boy Scouts And not so many foot ball players. Ornament and Use. “You have two callers whom you seem inclined to encourage.” “Yes,” sald Miss Cayenne. “One dances well to the radio and the other knows how to repair it.” “Some men,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “are so envious by nature that they are jealous even of misfor- tune if it is exceptionally conspicuous.” Days That Are Numbered. ‘To mathematics we must turn, No matter what we wish to learn; About the market and the rent And how to run the.government. For song and poetry we try. Even these measures now come high. And if youwre well or if youre sick, You struggle with arithmetic. “I can't git used,” sald Uncle Eben, “to hearin’ & man dat can't keep his own family comfortable, talkin' loud 'bout runnin’ de business of all de peo- ple in de world” 1 His trio could scarcely have been more | ."whm I bought my farm, I did not know what a bargain I had in the blue- birds, bobolinks and thrushes; as little did I know what sublime mornings and sunsets I was buying,” wrote Emerson, in 1862. Perhaps every one might feel the in of Nature more if he stopped to think about it as the great American philosopher did. ‘Today. we so pride ourselves, as a nation, on our noise and rush, that we | do not have time to consider what life | throws in gratis. | ‘We buy a home and are concerned | immediately with its interior decora-| tion, without realizing how much extra comes with it. The mornings and evenings, the snows and rains, the winds, the birds, and squirrels and rabbits, if one 15‘ fortunate—these are some of the gifts of Nature to an observant home owner. There is a great deal to be found that wasn't in the contract. Emerson named a few of the things the enter- pl‘leni'hnme owner may seex for, and undoubtedly find. It is not with these things as with many others; they are not products of a fiery imagination, but have been there always. It is noticeable that the philosopher named three birds and two natural phenomena. We have gone him sev- eral better, as it were, and included rain, snow, wind, and two animals, the tailed rodent, the squirrel, and the eared rodent, the rabbit. * ok ok K Emerson was a great lover of birds. happily selected. Every one loves the bluebird, bobolink and the thrush. The first is & somewhat rare visitor to ‘Washington and vicinity, at least it does not come to these parts in such numbers as to make it at all common. Usually two or three sights of a blue- bird are as much as one gets around here. The bobolink (which some insist on confusing with the Bob White), is not so common, either. It is more fa- miliar up North, although it migrates from Canada to Paraguay, it is said, every year. Just why Paraguay, we do not know. When it settles in large numbers in the rice flelds of the far flma(.h, it is called the ricebird, or reed- rd. ‘The thrush is not one, but many. ‘The different varieties look much alike, to the unpracticed eye, but the varie- ties differ greatly in size, and some- what in song, although the latter is fairly uniform. For ordinary home consumption, via eyes and ears, there is no more pleasant bird than the thrush. His foolish way of hopping around in the shrubbery, beneath which he loves to pick up his dinner, causes constant perturbation on the part of his friends, when they know that cats are lurking around. Perhaps birds which insist in build- ing their nests near the ground may be termed the most foolish creatures in the world, since they alone possess the power to fly and to build and live high. Many songbirds insist on put- ting their nests a few feet from the ground, where they are the easy prey of maurauders, both two-legged and four-legged. * ok ok % Mornings and evenings by no means must be forgotten, in the estimate which the home owner puts on his property. It is too bad that many do not get up in time to know anything about the former. There is nothing which will put one in right mood for the day like watch- ing its inception. Dawn is still a fa- mous time, as much so as in the days when whole cities of ancient men waited in the dark for the first illum- inating streak of the sun. They called it sun worship. Ankhnaton, unfortunate young Egyp- tian king, presided at many of these ceremonies, and was the first to pros- trate himself when the rays of the D. €, BATURDAY, Irudi‘ god were seen cutting across the sands. Sun worship no longer prevails, as a rite, but many a human being still carries in his mind and heart a great fondness, if such it may be called, for the “orb of day.” There is no color in the world quite so gracious as sun- light, as it comes to the earth, after its long filtering process through the stra here. Sunlight, as the world of men knows it, is made for human beings, and hu- man beings are made for it. Power- ful, antispectic, it lies on the living room rug like & thing of beauty. Children and old ladies bask in its rays. It is so common that no cne thinks of it, unless in connection with ;omle‘hdeslre of human beings, such as ealth, or “sun-tan,” or bigger and better crops. ee * K K X Emerson felt that the sunsets were as much a part of his farm as the very acres themselves, or the fence rails, or the farm house, or the New England lilacs which grew in the door yard. Surely it takes the country to dis- play a sunset best. On its going down, as at its coming up, what the sun needs * Slemty_of enty of room, that is the sun’s motto. Nothing quite gives this sun essential as well as a desert, a prairle, the sea, or a rolling farm land. ‘Those who do not possess farms, how- ever, need not despair. Much of the sunset’s glory 1s to be gained by any one, at no more trouble than a walk out on the front steps. ‘The lazy might even get some of the benefit of a typical Washington sunset by pushing back the curtains and gawk- ing cut the window. Autumn sunsets are particularly fine in the District of Columbia and sur- rounding territory. Visitors to the city often comment on them. A ‘Winds, snows. rains—they form a pretty trio which come with every house, no matter how small or large. Sometimes the householder feels that they are trying their best to destroy his’ home, but for the most part he may rest assured that they possess at tributes of beauty as well as of de. struction. ‘What is more beautiful than a snow- fall? 'The leaves are off the trees, and the houses of a neighborhood seem to huddle together to keep each other warm. Houses at a distance, which were lost in Summer’s foliage, once more assume their rightful place in the landscape. And the snow comes down. The beauty of rain is not appreciated as much as it might be. But the times of drought have turned the its of many persons to rain. A drought is now prevailing again, by the way. Few natural phenomena have more sheer loveliness in them, if one stops to think of it, than a dull, soggy rain, when trees and grass glisten in the wet, and sidewalks and streets take on an appearance totally different from what they wear when they are dry. ‘The beauty of wind is a loveliness of motion, combined with a sound un- like any other, unless it be the rush of water. Often the householder in a well wooded community thinks it is raining, when it is nothing but the rush of the wind, and the swaying of the boughs and_branches. The tailed rodent, the squirrel, and the eared rodent, the rabbit, furnish inexhaustible amusement to the house- hold which feels that a title is not all 1t is purchasing. Squirrels and rabbits abound in Rock Creek Park, and contiguous territory. As comical a sight as one would want to see is a squirrel solemnly walking along in the gutter of a house’s rain- disposal system. From the earth it will be almost hidden from the eye, with the exception of its back and its bushy tail. Rabbits are not so com- mon, but always are grateful sights to the householder who likes animals. Philippine Freedom Opposed As Dangerous to Islanders Discussion of the status of the Philip-| pine Islands finds little support for those who urge their immediate free- dom. The majority of editorial opinion in America expresses doubt that the| proper moment for this step has ar- rived. Economic as well as political reasons are offered to support this view- point. “The present agitation in this coun- try for immediate freedom for the Fill- pinos would be more impressive if it did not so palpably come from people who care more for shutting out Philip- pine sugar for the sake of their own beet sugar than they do about human freedom or the sanctity of the word America has given to free the Ph\llp: pines as soon as it is right to do it says the Duluth Herald. Somewhat the same opinion is expressed by the Mor- gantown Dominion-News, as it remarks: “It appears that American proponents of granting independence, aside from & few who sincerely wish to set the islands free, are motivated by utterly selfish desires. They would have Con- gress set the islands adrift upon a strange economic sea With Bbsclutfl!ly no provision for a steadying rudder. As the Baltimore Sun views the ques- tlon: “The issue is no longer whether the Filipinos are ready for self-govern- ment, as it was during the early years after the passage of the Jones act. The fundamental question now is whether they can have political independence without losing their economic freedpm. The Sun goes on to explain that “dur- ing the years in which we have retained the Philippines our policy of admitting their products duty-free has channeled their trade in our direction, with the result that the trade with America is now the very lifeblood of their com- mercial system. Suddenly to sever the trade ties between the islands and the American mainland and the interposi- tion of the tariffs the agrarian advo- cates of independence desire might bleed the Filipinos to death.” * ok oK KX ‘The San Francisco Chronicle asserts also that “the American market lls the chief support of Filipino business,” and predicts that “an unprepared stoppage of this outlet would be sheer disaster. Before the tariff bars go up—and they must inevitably go up when the Philip- pines cut loose from Uncle Sam—the islanders need to have developed at least enough other markets to_soften the blow.” As the Wall Street Journal says: “Separated from the United States it would be impossible for & Philippine government to meet its ex- penses, and the inevitable result would be a collapse. It would be far better for this country to be faithful to its trust and give independence only when the Filipinos have given tangible, not oratorical, proof that economically and politically they can maintain a govern- ment that will endure.” As a preparation for future inde- pendence of the Philippines, the Haver- hill Gazette suggests “an economic re- lationship with the Filipinos by which the xmrrcnom on Filipino trade, which Americans desire will be gradually im- posed, thereby giving the Filipinos time to adjust themselves to a condition they may expect when they finally acquire full independence.” Similarly, the Louis- ville Courler-Journal urges careful thought, belleving that “immediate in- dependence would spell economic ruin for the islands.” = The Providence Journal advises: “Of course, the separa- tionist leaders in the Philippines de- sire us to grant self-rule to the islands and at the same time continue to exer- cise a benevolent favoritism in their behalf. But such a policy could not be continued permanently. We colild not hold ourselves responsible for & nominally independent state.” * ok ok K “It would be wise to trust the ad- ministration ‘maf insists the Wheeling | or sincerity of their opinions.” that “if Government representatives in position to know feel the day of in- dependence should be delayed, we have no reason to doubt either the wud_‘%rln e Rock Island Argus feels that “it may safely be assumed that Mr. Hoover is well informed,” and quotes the President as feeling that “independence would mean their economic shipwreck.” The Cleveland News thinks that, “with stable governments hard put to it to ride out the storm of business - sion, cutting the Philippines adrift now would be little short of suicidal.” The Springfield, Mass., Union is interested in the fact that “the administration pledges itself to further study of the whole question,” while the ~Houston Chronicle declares: “An early solution of these problems might be more urgent if the Philippine people were, in fact, suffering any tyranny. But they have every freedom that citizens of the United States have. They have every opportunity to make their government serve them as best it can be made to serve.” Describing the differences among the inhabitants of the islands themselves, the Lexington Leader states: ‘The islands are’ inhabited not only by a variety of racial groups, holding differ- ent and utterly hostile religious views, some pagans, some Mohammedans, some Christians, but by thousands and hundreds of thousands, who, in the matter of culture, range all the way from pure savagery to the status of clvilized beings in ‘the western sense. ‘The really educated, cultured people of the Philippines are in the distinct mi- nority, constituting a comparatively small group.’ For this reason, says the Leader, “the masses are unfit for representative government as the people olsthls t‘:;l)untrytgndersland it.” umming up the whole Hartford Dally Times aserier e United States would occupy a humili- ating position in world affairs if it should refuse ultimately to redeem its promise to the islanders. It would be equally humiliating if it should turn them loose merely that their products ;lr:)ls;l:"yleld us returns at the customs — West Point Carries On. From the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. The philosophy that upholds West Point athletic authorities in their de- cision to continue the year's foot ball schedule despite the lamented death of Cadet Richard Brinsley Sheridan, jr., was expressed in a fort by Dean Clarence W. Megrde‘i?at:fe Ywnali College at a Yale memorial service for the Army player who died after an in- juryuh} 3, game. & oot ball is the test: where the real man umrgev‘e’:‘;:;fi ab;;::s:hzefi:;nm‘t‘na we to abandon it rude ? doPn;‘tnmlnk o s even there? I aying high tribute to the “serious purpose, high sense of honor and light- hearted chivalry” of Cadet Sheridan, and Dbserxlng that the cadet’s mother had said “You mustn't think of aban- doning Joot ball” the dean with the phrase “death intrudes even there” as- cribed the foot ball accident to the uncertainties of a dangerous world and declared against quitting a flield of sport where men test their ] Foot ball is a rough game, why it is good training for life in a world where life itself is often rough. The emphasis given the risks of the game by the West Point fatality will work against the foot ball opportunity of many a young man adored by his parents, but death by accident is a bad whim of fate that may be evi- denced anywhere a man moves or stands. ~Yale, West Point and Cadet Sheridan's mother do not young athlete a sacrifice ‘:wr e NOVEMBER 7, 1931. THE LIBRARY TABLE By the Booklover “Green Hell” is a sensational title for a true thriller. The author, Julian Duguid, an Englishman tired of office life in London, with three companions, trekked through the Bolivian jungle, from Asuncion, up the Rio Paraguay, to Corumba and Lake Gaiba, then across the Chaco, through primeval jungle, to Santa Cruz. All four travel- ers were driven by the “urge of Ish- mael.” Mamerto Urriolagoitia, called Urrio in everyday life, was consul- gzeneral for Bolivia in London and easily obtained leave of absence for explora- tion. J. C. Bee-Mason, Englishman, cinematographer, bee cultivator, was out to make a thrilling commercial movie film, and to that end insisted on posing his friends with poisonous snakes and wild animals. Alejandro Siemel, called Tiger-Man, a Russian engineer, who had lived 14 years in the jungle, joined the other three through a chance meeting at a ranch on the Paraguay River, and because of his jungle wis- dom proved the real leader of the party. The adventures of the four included snakes, alligators, mosquitoes (the ma- larial variety fortunately is not found there), tarantulas, ticks, small tortur- ing black insects called “ihenni” In- dians, rivers in flood, thirst, and vari- ous wild animals. * Kk K X ‘The description of the “ihenni” sug- gests that they are of the same family as the “midges,” found in the Maine woods and the Adirondacks. “The whole caravan track to the interior is plagued and made abominable by a tiny fly, surnamed ihenni. It is black and prolific, and its bite is like fire. There is not a single moment from day’s end to day's end when it is not present in vast, hovering, blood-sucking clouds. At night it takes no rest, and if a man can manage to sit tight for three consecutive minutes he must have a hide like an elephant. Not long ago a German and an_American started to walk from Puerto Saurez to Santa Cruz and they died on the way—from lack of sleep. Into this first hell of unrest we rode all unsuspecting at 10 o'clock of a moonlit night, after 18 hours of prep- aration and travel. We were ready enough for sleep and we slung our hammocks to the poles of an open shed. In 10 minutes our skins were burning and our minds inflamed, for the nets which were good enough for the mosquitoes of the Paraguay were laughably inadequate here—the ihenni sailed through with wings spread. Be- fore long, Urrio, Bee-Mason and I met near the cattle corral, where a bunch of long-horned, sleepy bullocks grunted i through the bars at us as we passed. None of us spoke, but we walked into the forest in the urgent hope of finding somewhere to rest. Soon we found it, and in our excitement ran back to the hut for our hammocks. In the mean- time, however, the insects had spied out the Jand and were waiting for us. Weary and disheartened, we plunged down a steep slope to a tiny stream and took it in turn to lie buried in the water rushes. * * * Back at the hut we discussed the matter with the guardian. He told us grimly that no one had ever become accustomed to the scourge and that the only way to sleep was to possess & net of thick, holeless material like Tiger-Man’s or his own. At this we settled down to the inevitable and walked about the clearing while the moon sank behind the black wall of forest and the real darkness began.” ‘Tiger-Man had warned them about the necessity of the thick nets and they had not taken his advice, 5o when he offered to share his in turns they were too proud to accept. Bee-Mason did not sleep for 90 hours —all the time they were in the ihenni country. bites and his two friends gave him a night's sleep by standing by his cot and driving off the ihenni \\;éth towels. ey In the midst of sufferings and nar: at night by their camp fire, talking about their lives and things in general, Tiger-Man sometimes appeared as a philosopher "and ‘told them of his un- conventional beliefs. Before he lost himself in the jungle he had lived in cities and suffered from the injustice and cruelty of men and women. Yet he nourished no animosity. *‘I blame no man for being bad,’ he used to say in his grave sweet voice. ‘No one is responsible for his parents or his up- bringing. If he is bad it is just his nature. Naturally if he is dangerous the community must put him away, but for God's sake don’t call it justice! ‘Then justice has no meaning to you?’ I asked. ‘Is it just to kill a tiger that robs you of your cattle? His stomach is made for fresh meat and he only follows his nature. Some men are like tigers. I don’t blame them, but I don’t let them bite me. Is a sheep more righteous than a lion because its teeth are made for grass?’” * x x Bertrand Russell in his new book, “The Scientific Outlook,” looks forward, either seriously or satirically, to an oligarchy of sclentific experts ruling a world exhausted by the experiments of politicians. Such an oligarchy will not offer a happy paradise for the individ- ualist. It will be ruthless with the in- dividual for the benefit of society as a whole. The only loyalty permitted will be a world loyalty; nationalism will be a thing of the past. All decisions will rest with government; it will not be the duty of the individual to “reason why.” Manual workers will be properly cared for, but will be kept in & subor- dinate place. By the way, where will the labor unions be at this time? Mr, Russell does not explain. A picture of Mr. Russell, published with a review of his book, shows a cynically smiling face, as if he were making fun of his own program. Perhaps he does not intend to allow Bernard Shaw to have a monopoly of sl;ocl:ing ti:e public. Those who have thumped and rattled over the loose flooring and under the gabled Toof of an old-fashioned covered bridge, in a buggy or surrey, of course, will enjoy dipping into the book, “Covered Bridges of New England,” by Clara E. Wagemann. One reader, however, immediately starts an argu- ment with the title’s implication. There Were many and still are a few covered bridges in upper New York State. Mrs, Wagemann tells the history of over 50 covered bridges in various sections of New England. She has pictures of many of the bridges. She has searched for and discovered the origins of covered bridges, with the result that she con- cludes that the peculiar roofed-over type so common in New England is indigenous there. * koK % A. J. Cronin, British physician, in writing his first novel chose no model of fineness and subtlety, if he did choose a model and did not merely pour out his own urgent inspiration. “Hatter’s Castle” is dour, sinister and pathological. Its chief character, James Brodie, a Scotch-Irishman, lives in Scotland, about 1875. He is a victim of alcohol and psychopathic delusions. His brutality to his wife and two daugh- ters brings about one tragedy after an- other, each logical enough as the re- sult of the domination of a tyrant who is almost a maniac over three weak- willed women. The story is melodrama, but so are Emily Bronte's “Wuthering Heights” and Anne Bronte's “Tenant of wildfell Hall” and, like them, it has strength and fascination of a morbid sort. 2Ry All that is needed to know the tem- per of the author, that his point of view is that of the insurgent, vulgarly called “Kicker,” is to read the title of Gerald Stanley Lee's new book. It is “Heathen Rage: o Make Us True and Beautiful and Good. « '« « How Is It People Can Seriousiy Pick Themselves Out to Be Professors, Physiclans, Lawyers, Artists and Even Ministers, in a Day Like This? * + = What Is our Civilization Doing and Going to Do With Them and What Are They Going to Do With Us?” Of course, the obvious question of a reader is, “How is it people can seriously pick themselves out to be critics in 'a ‘day like this?” So Duguid and | Urrio became ill from tick | | row_escapes from death, when sitting | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. ‘The resources of our free Information Bureau are at your service. You are invited to call upon it as often as you please. It is being maintained solely to serve you. What question can we an- swer for you? There is no charge at all except two cents in coin or stamps for return postage. Address your letter to The Evening Star Information Bu- reau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. Q. How do the annual receipts of foot ball games and base ball games com- pare?—A. 8. A. Grantland Rice estimated that $75,000,000 was paid In admissions for foot ball in 1930. Base ball admissions amounted to at least $30,900,000. Q. The papers carried a statement that Mrs. Wood had in her possession fifty $10,000 bills. How can this be true when we are told that the Gov- ernment called in and canceled all bills of that size?—H. W. L. A. The office of the Treasurer of the United Strtes states that there were forty million dollars in $10,000 United States notes issued, all of which have been redeemed and destroyed except one bill. This bill is in the cash of the Treasury and is reported in the reg- ular monthly statement of paper cur- rency as outstanding. There is none of these bills in the possession of the public. If Mrs. Wood had in her pos- session fifty $10,000 bills they must necessarily have been Federal Reserve notes or gold certificates. Q. Where was Richard Harding Davis buried>—M. K. A. The body of Richard Harding Davis was cremated and the ashes were u;",xe.rred in the family lot in Philadel- phia. Q. What became of Dr. Barnes' col- lection of butterflies?>—O. S. A. The Smithsonian Institution says that the collection of North American butterflies belonging to the late Dr. William Barnes of Decatur, Ill., was purchased from his widow last year by the Bureau of Entomology of the United States Department of Agriculture under an act of Congress. The price paid was $50,000, which is considerably less than the collection is worth, since it contains about 500,000 specimens, 300,000 of which are named and carefully system- atized. More than 10,000 species are represented and it is the most complete collection of North American lepidop- tera in existence, as well as one of the finest insect collection of any character. Q. What President first appointed & colored man as register of the Treas- ury?—L A. F. A. President Garfield. He appointed | Blanche K. Bruce. Q. Was the shower of stars in 1833 visible in the United States>—R. S. A. The meteoric shower of November 13, 1833, is regarded as the most re- markable ever recorded. It was vis- ible in America from the Great Lakes southward almost to the Equator. Q. What do the French call the breakfast food known as mush in ti country?—O. K. A. There is no equivalent for it, as cooked meal is not used in France. Q. How_tall was Alexander Hamil- ton?—R. McC. A. He' was approximately five feet seven inches tall. Q. Can the Akron be put into the hangar at Lakehurst?—R. P. S. A. The length over all of the U. 8. 8. Akron is 785 feet. The hangar at Lake- hurst, N. J., is 803 feet long, so it is | seen that this hangar can accommodate a ship as large as the L UNIVERSAL, Mexico, D. F.— The subsecretary of the interior received a delegation of Chinese merchants recently and was hon- ored with expressions of approval from them for the kind offices of the federal ministry in intervening in the hostile demonstrations lately made in the industrial and commercial agita against the Chinese immigrants. to the intervention of the government this campaign the Chinese in the states of Sinaloa and Sonora has largely abated. EREE Managua Residents Use 45 Gallons of Water Daily. La Noticia, Managua—In this last few days, according to reports of the district commissioners, Managua has been consuming water at the rate of 1,800,000 gallons a day. When it is taken into account that the present pop- ulation of Managua does not exceed 40,- 1000 inhabitants the consumption is at the rate of 45 gallons a day for each person. Yet, where is it possible to find in Managua individuals drinking so much water? - Most of it is undoubtedly wasted. . * K x x Charges Japanese News Agencies Promote Dissension. The China Weekly Review, Shanghal. —The China Press, Chinese-owned Eng- lish-language newspaper, published in its issue of Sunday, April 19, what ap- peared to be a careful tabulation of al- legedly inaccurate reports circulated to Chinese and foreign newspapers in China by the Japanese Rengo service. The total number of inaccurate reports in the list exceedemo. ‘:’me of :r)lle mo;: laring being reprodu on the ne Bace. B fhepection of those listed along with parallel reports from Reuters pertaining to the same events, easily proves that Rengo's correspondents have were based on nothing more substantial than gossip or unsubstantiated rumor. In a previous discussion of this sub- ject, which appeared in our issue of April 18, it was stated that Rengo's close connection with certain branches of the Japanese government lays the Japanese news agency open to the charge of deliberately issuing inaccu- rate reports for a specific purpose—to promote dissension among Chinese mili- tarists and politicians and keep China disunited. We prefer, however, to take a more charitable view—that the fault has been due to inefficient, slip-shod, inaccurate reporting. As these re] were issued in the English language, the suggestion has been made that this may have .contributed to the inaccu- racies; in other words, that unfamiliar- ity with the English language by Japa- nese reporters was the cause. ‘But Chinese newspaper men, familiar the Rengo reports published in the Jap- anese language press in China, claim that the reports in Japanese are even more inaccurate than ’It‘l};m m“’du‘sré the English language. e reader mi therefore take his choice of the ex- planations, but of the facts in the case there can be little dispute. The Japa- nese Rengo service stands indicted for issuing glaringly inaccurate reports on happenings in China. ere is, of course, some excuse for reporters’ mistakes in connection with the news of military activities dealing with Chinese wars, because Chinese gen-. erals are not noted for telling the truth about their military plans, but Chinese generals have no monopoly on this char- -euruu:,d vw.nw Bth: propaganda g the Worlt ar. ut Rengo seems have been guilty of issuing consist- ently inaccurate reports, which, as stated, suggests an underlying motive to keep Chinese politics in & mess. ‘Although not connected with the present case, the Japanese news re- ports from North Manchuria during the course of the Sino-Russian complica- tions in 1929 had a similar effect—they created suspicion between the Chinese and Russians, and one or two occasions almost provoked & genuine war situa- tion. At the very beginning of the tions | to do in causing the been guilty of sending reports which| g, Q. Please list the professions of the Interstate Commerce be- fore their appointment to the commis~ o oot S ore a lent ir e ollows: Ernest mefl' jpaper cortespondent; B. H. Meyar, lege president; Clyde B. h B. Easf sions were as writer and railroad financier; Richard V. Taylor, railroad economist; Ezra Brainerd, jr.; Claude R. Porter and Patrick J. Farrell, lawyers. Q. How many Jews are there in Palestine?>—A. C. A. There are about 115,150. ‘The total population of Palestine is between 850,000 and 900,0¢ Q. How high is the Kaleteur Fall?— E. H. R A. The Kafeteur Fall is a famous waterfall in British Guiana, on the Potaro River. Its total height is over 800 feet, and the sheer descent of the water is 741 feet; the width of the hard Tock over which it plunges is 370 feet. The water has worn a cavern in the softer underlying layers, and against the dark background thus larm:g the whiteness of the spray is contrasted with magical effects. Q. When was the blotter invented? —M. E. K. A. No definite date is L It is mentioned as early as the year 1465— at that time consisting of a coarse, ay, unsized paper, fragments of which ave been found among the leaves of fifteenth century accounts, where it had been left after being used for blotting. It was probably in ordinary use early in the sixteenth century, for it is refer- red to in W. Horman's Vulgaria, 1519. Q. Is the Masonic Order active in P 6 g 86 o e boenperast It at no e It in Russia. = Q. When was the first book on first ald published?—D. C. A. In 1633, by Stephen Bradwell. . What is the derivati Q. it e e derivation of the word A. It is derived from the Anglo- Savon “eorthe”—the old Saxon “ertha” —meaning the earth or ground. Q. What is the greatest pressure ac- %cn‘:,pumed by a hydraglic press?— A. The largest testing machine in the world, at the Bureau of Standards, is essentially a hydraulic press, and will give a pressure of 10,000,000 pounds., Q. What makes sugar sweet?—P. M. A. The principle in sugar - ylelding plants which produces the sweet taste is a chemical substance known as sucrose, and is the same less of the type of plant from which the sucrose is extracted. Q, Who is the President of Spain?— “A. ‘At the present time the provision- his | al President of Spain is Manuel Azana Diaz. He succeeded Nicete Alcala Zamora, Q. How many cent pleces have been coined by our Government?>—W. B. 3{ edAlmnlt six billion have been coined. Q. Why do most flywheels have 5] instead of being solid>—G. K. A. Weight in a flywheel is most effec~ tive in the rim, and the metal is placed where it will do the most good. wise, a solid wheel, unless it were & very small one, would be difficult to nghlights on the Wide World Excerpts From Newspapers of Other Lands from Manchouli on the border stated that Russian troops had invaded Chi- nese territory and captured the town. American newspaper men ordered to the scene proved this to be false, al- the Russians did, later on, carry out their invasion of Chinese m’i The earlier Japanese report had mucl to mobil- ize their troops. Then later on a Japa= nese news agency also circulated the fake report from Harbim that the Chi~ nese had decapitated a number of Com- munist youths—which naturally had & serious effect on Russian public_opin- ion. The Japanese newspaper in Dairen actually published alleged photos of the bodies, said photos having been faked and supplied for the purpose by the Soviet officials. ‘These instances are cited to show that other countries than China are guilty of suppressing news—which is, of course, no justification for the prin- ciple of news suppression. But the glaring disregard of the first principles of accuracy and fairmess ‘in reporting Chinese events by some foreign news- paper men in China, has naturally been LAl U empts & sup] on. Also, it ‘has been responsible for the recent passage of a press law, which, when it becomes effective, will make it extremely difficult for foreigners to ublish newspapers in 8, or at least to publish reports or comment on Chinese political affairs. * Kk ok * Youths Choose Parliament Instead of Zoo. Daily Sketch, London—Just after luncheon I was watching. a party of school children being shown around the houses of Parliament. The spectacle induced an M. P. standing in our group to_be reminiscent. He recalled acting as guide to a num- ber of little boys who had come up rom an industrial constituency in Yorkshire—Bradford, I think. After the tour he turned to one youngster and asked him what they were going to see next. The child replied that he didn’t know. “You see, sir,” he explained, “we were told we could go to the zoo or come here, and we chose horel” ‘:;ld then his c wi amazement because some le laughed. T~ * K ok X Swimming Possible In Germany in November, Deutsche _ Verkehrsblaetter, —It is not to expected _that the weather is always mild far North in Germany, but swimming, sun-baths, tennis and other outdoor recreations can really be enjoyed until November 1 on the three small Berlin. with the Japanese language, who follow | East ally swallowed up the islands them- selves if they had not been protected by dikes. As late as 1874 the waves Spiekeroog was for a time threatened with the same fate. These islands and this part of the East Friesian coast wzrle once a part of England. The geologists have this study of the soil formation and phlhl—w - m‘ub:‘t‘" dexnnnud ?m strong kin- p ween English the East dwellers on the East land. Available. Prom the Springfield (Mass.) Union. The George Washington Bicentennial Commission is looking for “a perfect George Washington” for the part in a Sino-Russian complications early in the Soving of 1039 tne Japancss’ reports pageant in June. Perhaps Senator Borah is walting to be asked.