Evening Star Newspaper, December 8, 1931, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR WASHINGTON, D. C. TUESDAY. ....December 8, 1 THEODORE W. NOYES The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office 3 8 and pex‘\&u ranie Av Nex Yor ot st 42 Eake Michirss Bilidtie. Foehe B 'n'u et 8. London, n Rate by Carrier Within the City. The Eyonine star 45¢ per month e Evening and Sunday Siar Twhen 4 Sundays) 60c per month v diy Siar o Brinjog wad Busdis 8aii (when e Sunday Star c_er copy T orlaction, made at the eod of each month rders ma, sent in by mail or telephone Atione ] Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. y unday.....1yr. $10.00: 1 mo. §5c By Shiy Sundn 705800 1 mo s6c junday only $4.00. 1 mo.. 40c All Other States and Canada. fly and Sunday. ] rr.$12.00- 1 mo.. 1.00 ily only 1yr. $8.00: 1 mo. 75¢ anday only 1vr. 3500: 1 mo. 50¢ Member of the Associated Press. The Arsociated Press is exclusively entitled to the ‘use for republichtion of all news d atches rredited to it er not etherwise cred- ted In this paper and glso fthe local news published herein. All riehts of publieatian of special dispatches herein s o reserved P — e A Message of Confidence. President Hoover's annual message is pitehed upon the key of confidence in the recovery of the country from its present tribulatiens outset The chief influence affecting the state of the Union during the past year has been & continued werld-wide economic disturbance. Our national eoncern has been to meet the emergency it has cre- ated for us and to lay the foundations for recovery. 1If we lift our vision be- yond these immediate emergencies, we will find fundamental national gains even amid depression The President notes that for the first time in the history of our majer eco- nomic depressions there has been a notable absence of public disorders and industrial conflict, an enlargement of social and spiritual responsibility among the people, closer application, saner pol- icies and better methods. A survey of the world at large shows that within two years nineteen coun- tries have suffered revolutions or acute social disorders, embracing over half the population of the world, ten coun- tries failing to meet their external obli- gations, fourteen ecountries temporarily abandoning former monetary standards. These disturbances, in large part reac- tions from the World War, have sharply affected the markets and prices of our products, have inereased unemployment and greatly embarrassed our financial and credit system, Reviewing the steps taken to alleviate these conditions, the President notes the speeding up of the great Federal construction program, organized unity of action on the part of States and municipalities, and anticipatory and in- tensive construction on the part of in- dustries. A Jarge majority of indus- trial concerns have organized to spread available work among employes instead of reducing forces, have maintained ‘wages at as high a level as the safe eonduct of business has permitted. This course “has saved us from industrial eonflict and disorder which have char- acterized il previous depressions.” Reviewing the financial conditions and the measures adopted to relieve them, the President expresses the belief that they are designed to and will have the effect of strengthening finsncial, industrial and agricultural life fn Anterics. Noting the fact that increased Tevenues are necessary in the face of &n indicated deficit in the current fiscal year of more than $1,400,000,000, the President notes that “we must have insistent and determined reduction in Government expenses.” He adds: “We must face & temporary increase in taxes.” This increase, he goes on to say, “should be imposed solely as an emergency measure, terminating defi- mitely two years from July 1 next.” Thus does he specifically indicate the temporary nature of the increase of taxes which he will recommend in an immediately forthcoming message, ac- companying the presentation of the budget. Various miscellaneous recommenda- tions are laid before Congress. Others are to come, including particulsrly one for the further reorganization and con- solidation of Pederal administrative functions. The President is opposed to “any direct or indirect Government dole.” He is opposed to any extension of appropristions for the benefit and relief of veterans “until the country has recovered from the present situation.” Holding that the work of the Tariff Commission is adequate to effect in- creases or decreases necessary to pro- tect agriculture and industry from the effects of lowered foreign eosts, the President Is “epposed to any general congressional revision of the tariff, which would disturb business, industry | and agriculture depression.” No recommendation is made in regard to an extension of the morstorium of the war debts. The President merely reports that the year's postponement was brought about. In a later message he will “deal at greater length with our foreign relations.” The significance of this message lies in its expression of confidence that America is weathering the economic storm. It proposes no departures from established policies. It is & report of and prolong the progress against difficulties as great as | .any that have ever beset this country in all its history, ——— e After Prof. Robert Andrews Millikan smashes an atom—smallest thing in the universe—what does he do with the pleces? S Tariff Wer in Europe. As if they did not already have trou- Bles enough of their own, politiesl, eco- nomic and otherwise, Buropean govern- ments are now on the verge of tariff fisticuffs. Hostilitles have been pro- voked by Great Britain's proposal to | impose & 100 per cent anti-dumping customs rate on & variety of articles, He says at the| tests in Londen. The situation is en all fours with thé rain of criticlsms and complaints that deluged Weshington in 1930 while the Hawley-Sroot tariff bill was in the congressional hopper. The British express comprehensible Editor SUrPriss at the indgnation of their -| Continental neighbors. After all, is John Bull not merely resorting, tardily as the Conservative party thinks, to the selfsame sort of fiscal policy of which he himself has been the long-suffering victim? Great ‘Britain remains the jone important sem!-unprotected market in the world. It has bsen the happy “hunnn. ground of ever; other zoun- |try, theugh British goods must leap high tariff walls in ell directions, even \In British overseas dominions. There is a notable absence cf demand In the United States for reprisals asainst |the contemvlated anti-dumping tariffs in Great Britzin. It would strike most | Americans as the ouintessence of poor sportsmanship for Uncle S8am, who hss | waxed opu'ent behind his ekyscraner | | import customs system, to raise his volce against any nation that ascords him the sincerest flattery ef imitation The emotions of American exporters toward Grest Britain are those of gratitude for having eseaped so long the treatment British trade undergnes over here. In internationel commereial affairs | everything seems to depend, as in lesser | matters, on whose ox is being gored. | ‘The French raised their outraged voices | |to high Heaven against a Oenmn-l Austrian tariff union and final'y brought | about the condemnation of Anschluss | by the World Court. Now, believe it | |or not. Paris is suspected of projecting | |» tariff union with Belgium, and the | possible inciusion of the Netherlands in | a triple alllance, unless Great Britain | can be brought to terms. Belgian For- | elgn Minister Hymans has rushed ta London for eonference with British | Forelgn Secretary Simon. An anti- | | British economic union is sald to be the | trump card he is ready to play. | What a delicious commentary on the | consistency of statesmanship if it turned | out that probibitory sauce for the Ger- | | man-Austrian goose is not sauce for | the Pranco-Belgian-Dutch gander! — Congratulations to the Police. To the “hunger marchers” now re- turning to their homes the dem-nstra- tion in the Capital yesterday was “an | historic event in the history of the! American labor movement” and they are entitled to whatever satisfaction they may feel in having been participants. ‘To others their “march” on Washing- ton was a demonstration of the wisdom of tolerance and of permitting full free- dom “for the thought that we hate” as well as the relative ease with which safety is assured in clearing a tense atmosphere by giving plenty of room for the expansion and expression of pent-up emotions. Gen. Glassford and the Washington police deserve nothing but congratu- lations today for their success in deal- ing with a situation that might at any time have become a dangerous and tragic affair. And this success, in turn, is due to the fact that the plans were based on reason and common sense. Gen. Glassford realized that the men and women coming to Washington were urged on by leaders who wished to center public attention on & cause, whatever it was. He also realized that A5 they were American citizens they had a right to clamor for any cause they chose, and as a police official the nature of that cause, or whether good or bad, was beyond his jurisdiction. The cause would have to stand or fall on its own merits. Meanwhile, he went beyond the duties of his office in help- ing to provide them with food and Jodging, and he took pains to see that in everything they did they would have ample protection by the police, At the same time, extraordinary precautions were taken to prevent the danger of an outbreak that would imperil life and property, and the lead- ers of the marchers were firmly warned against the violation of certain regu- lations that are reasonable and neces- sary. What was the result? The only person arrested was a man whose bois- terous laughter at the marchers called attention to a state of mind induced by s physiological condition not per- mitted in public. There was no dis- order, And any glamour and mystery that might have been attached to & suppressed cause faded quickly under the light of full and free publicity. It is to be hoped that there was sympathy for the marchers yesterday— human sympathy for men and women in distress. But sound policy by public officials removed what grain of sympathy there | may have been for the leaders of this demonstration, those who were respon- sible for exploiting men and women and ignorance and human misery in the manner chosen as propgganda for a political theory. ———.—— An acoustical expert states that a puffing tuba player must oe exactly as musical as he who performs on trom- bone or violin, the so-called “perfect instruments.” Now if some champion will just take up the cudgels for the bass drummer. The New York Inquiry. | The Legislative Committee that has been for some months past investigat- | ing affairs in New York City expires| | by lmitation in Pebruary. This week | & conference of Republican legislators will be held at Utica to prepare & party legislative program for the coming ses- sion. It is expected that it will con- sider the advisability of msking the Leglslature for a continuance of the Seabury Committee's mandate, with ap- propriations to cover the heavy cost of operations, The feeling prevails, it is #aid, on the part of some of the Repub- licans that the committee has not made such & killing a3 to warrant the further outiay of public funds. It is true that 8 good deal has been brought to Mght | many officials and has at leest inferen- | tialy established the fact that certain ) of comfori end the eschewal of the joys { 1910, | matter of politics. regarding the “wonder boxes” of Tam- | P07 THE EVENING tion, and the inquiry cannot go very far into his affairs with & chance of success without the testimony of the missing Russell Skerwood, who is re- puted to be the mayor's financial and business agent. Mr. Sherwood, who first evaded the committes’s process by going to Mexico City, and was there served has, it would seem, re- foiled to present himeeli in Mew York. Over him hangs the threct o a fine of $100,000 for his failure to respond to summons. He may eventually turn up in New York, may perbaps stay away, and suffer the fine, which it 1s believed would be gladiy pald by a syndicate of his friends who appreciate h's sacrifice of Manhatian for the sake of his friend | the meyor. Meanwhile the mayor himself has gone to California to argue the case of Mooney, now imprisoned for the San Francisco Preparedness day bombing in Judge Seebury, the counsel of the Legitlative Committee, plans to call | the mayor to the witness stand upon his return frcm the Pacific Coast. It is not believed to be likely that he will compromise the mayor in his examina- tion without the aid of Sherwood's testi- mony or of dotuments secured from an mination of the fugitive's accounts. The fact that Tammany red & smaching victory at the polls early this menih despite the revelations up to that time has caused some of the Republican legislators, who are to vote upon a con- tinuance of the inquiry if it is proposed, to feel that it is hardly worth while going on with the investigation as a Apparently it will take a shocking disclosure of Tammany graft to arouse the electorate of Mln-J hattan, which seems to have accepted “wonder boxes” as a matter of course —————————— Out in Vancouver the minister of | agriculture criticized his fleld staff for wearing spats and carrying canes into the stockyards. He was answered by the contention thst spats were protectives ' against barnyard muck and a stout | stick was a mighty handy thing to have | when inspecting a fractious bull. In[ fact, some believe that only a very un- chivalrous bull would attack a man wearing spets. e ——— A paleontologist named Barnum Brown has returned from the West with | the skeletons of nine huge dinosaurs and an arrowhead, which, he claims, proves that man was in North America 15,000 years ago. It is hoped there is no undve coincidence in that first name. ——————— Those who, formerly accustomed to the fine flavor of thé American “Bob- White,” now taste South American quail eannot conscientiously criticize their southern neighbors for permit- ting their sale and export. ————— Gen. Willlam Tecumseh Sherman is credited with the pithy saying that war’s legitimate object is more perfect peace. Sometimes, too, it seems as if pacifistic peace programs had for their object more perfect wars. e g ‘The Bpanish government has raised the pay of telephone workers by 16,000,- 000 pesetas, and, to the consternation of the Spanish National Telephone Co., not “manana,” either. R o It is & funny thing that both a slain wild duck and a wash cloth are at their Just, before they are at their worst. e SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Difficult Demands. De Congressman, he come along an’ do de best he kin, De folks dey keeps remindin’ how dey done help him to win. . Dey specks to find appointments all arranged upon de shelf, Wif every one invited to come 'round | an’ help hisself. Dey wants a lot o' laws to send de benefits deir way; { Dey's mighty quick fur gittin, but| dey’s kind o’ slow to pay. I tells you, Mistah Congressman, if you expects to be A hit you gotter make yohse'f a human Christmas tree. A Sense of Suspicion. “So you are inclined to suspect the man who makes a profession of being an idealist?” “Yes," replied Senator Sorghum. “An idealist nearly always tells you he doesn't care about money. And a man | who says he doesn't care about money is nearly always just fooling.” | A Continuous Feaster. | “I have just been reading the story of the Prodigal Son,” sald Farmer Corntossel. 3 | “Well,” replied his wife, “there’s no danger of our boy Josh goin’ to town and euttin’ up that way.” “No. I sometimes think it would be a savin' of fatted calf if now an’ then he'd turn loose an’ go visitin' fur a few months.” Christmas Reminder. Again, perchance, you'll understand The differences met "Twixt benefits you hoped for and ‘The things you really get. Generous Laughter. “What makes you laugh at those comic pletures?” | “I'm laughing for joy because no human beings really look like these illustrations.” | Without Value. | Human Equality “Politeness doesn't cost anything,” said the ready-made philosopher. “Perhaps,” replied Miss Cayenne, “that is why so many people do not consider it worth keeping around.” - Out of Practice. “Jimmy shows what bad habits will do,” sald the small girl. “Whatchou mean?” ssked the small He has got so out of practice he can’t even be good just before Christ- chiefiy including vegetables and fruif, people identified with the municipal ™S which ordinarily come to the Britsh Tsles in large quantities from the con- | tinent. Prance, Belgium and the Netherlands | are particularly affected and aggrieved. The French have already tmports. ¥ Forwey wnd formal elamped | reached any of the higher-up person- down a 15 per cent surtax on British | ages now in authority, and there is some | cdministration have grown wealthy from commissions and unexplained fees, | gifts and other revenues in the course | of the transaction of the public busi- pess: But this revelation has not Limited Statesmanship. No matter what the need may be, Expenditure my soul resents Unless some benefit I see In store for my constituents. “De man dat pertends to be smahter L'Information, important | doubt as to whether further inquiry|dan any one else,” sald Uncle Eben, “is Paris financial dally, speaks of “tariff | would put anybody in the pillory of | like a man dat’s runnin’ in debt—he | of the STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C. TUESDAY. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. The Famous Author set down the fol- lowing list of rules to be observed by the aspiring young writer. 1. Keep a note book of all ideas. | 2. Write in long hand as much as| poszible, | 3. Use a pencil. | 4. Keep physically fit, “for literature | is 90 per cent physical energy, 10 per cent intelligence,” he said. | 5. Never think that any idea is too trivial 6. Keep a firm grip on your sense of humor, After all, there is nothing particularly | new sbout this advice, but it is very | good, much better than the average | young writer wil realize. He—or she—has not written enough et It takes time to club some of these good principles into one { Experience is a grest teacher, indeed, but she is at her best for oldsters, not youngsters. The aspirants to fame, in any branch of human endeavor, may be divided into two main classes, approximately. The Arst of these comprise about one-fourth of 1 per cent and are those who need no rules, but make up new rules for the world to observe. The remainder, the bulking class. constitute ordinary mortals who have some ability, but who otherwise need all the help they can get. Most do; the unfortunate part is that young people too often are unable to grasp that whet is told them is good; | they want to argue about it. Lacking the experience of years, they expect some overwhelming light in ad- vice given them. They want sor thing which will “knock them cold,” their hes it. They expect advice which will glisten, gleam or palpitate; it must ring a bell, | or blow a horn, or knock them down. | B i ‘When advice does none of these things, but comes in the form of ordi- nary, plain language, without fuss or | feathers, the young person feels ter- | ribly let down. Keep a note book, indeed! Why, haven't our teachers forced us to keep note books until we hate the very sight of them? But_not the sort of memorandum | 200% writers keep, dear boys and gitls. | This is a Ifttle book, maybe leather | covered, maybe of paper entirely, per- | haps good looking, maybe entirely dis- | reputable in appearance, in which the writer sets down, for his own benefit, | and entirely his own, the stray thoughts | which ccme to him. ‘There is nothing in this world more | elusive than a thought. Even dreams | are solid, as compared with ideas. ‘The more novel an idea is, the it is, the quicker it will fly away. The inexperienced handler of thoughts that pass in the dl( (as well as in the night) will be inclined to think that the more diverting an idea the surer one would be to hold onto it. The exact opgollle is nearer true. Beware the thought which appears to be s0 good that one could not possibly forget it. | “1 need not trouble to jot that down,” | the proud thinker thinks. “How could | I possibly forget it?" | So he does not write it down. | Perhaps his little idea book is in an- | other room. Maybe he has the book, but no pencil handy. “That is so good” he chortles to himself, “that I could not possibly for- | get it.” as | vigorous, juvenile expression better | * oK ok % | Some hours later, or days later, he | recalls that he had a big, fine idea. | “A whale of an ides,” he hums. “Now let me see—-" | thy | find Much to his dawning astonishment— for he is not astonished all at once— ;1“3 finds that the idea has passed from m. The big, beautiful idea that he could never forgel, that was much too fine to be forgotten, has taken to itself wings, and has flown away as silently as those Arabs that Longfeliow wrote about. It is a sort of variation of the old saw obout prizefighters, “the bigger they are the harder they fall.” Intriguing ideas, the basic material of many sorts of writing, must be put down in black and white at their incep- tion, if one wants to hold onto them. Our Famous Author's fifth point really should be his second. Never think that any idea, no matter how small or however slight it seems, is either small or slight. Small ideas, like little asorns, have a surprising way of growing into great oaks of thought. At least, mighty from the standpoint of him or her who writes, and, happily, in the eyes of some who read. Get the idea down on paper, then it 1s safe. It cannot run away, but will remain in snug harbor there, walting for its owner to elaborate it—that is, to write. T ‘The injunction to write in longhand as much as possible, nndfrcfen\hly with a pencll, is the result of much experi- ence. Perhaps not every writer would agree with it, so great a hold has the worthy typewriter taken upon the writing world Indeed, the very man who gave the advice about using a pencil was at that very moment using his typewriter. It was just another case of “do not do as I do, but as I say.” The best point about one's manu- script, written by the hand with penc is that there is actually more time be- tween words, and this added time en- ables the writer to think more as he writes, It is astonishing how little thinking one may do when writ.ng! Some writers it necessary to plot out their articles, stories, essays, editorials or whatnot before they write, in order to get their thoughts in correct order, so they fondly believe. In reality they make this preliminary chart because they unconsciously know that once they sit down to their type- writers the words come so quickly that any added thought, except in a small way, is impossible. The closer the writer is to his paper, in a literal sense, the better he writes, everything else being equal, which it seldom is. A pencil is a much smaller machine than a typewriter, and permits the user to get closer go his subject. ok % x His advice to keep physically fit may | astound many a young aspirant, who belleves that composition is done in “a fine frenzy,” and that one should work | only when'the mood is upon him. Any one who has studied the lives of great authors, however, knows that they worked hard. Even the sickly Robert Louls Stevenson had a physical drive behind him which was fairly amazing. The physical energy of such men as Alexandre Dumas, in the past, and of H. G. Wells of today, is tremendous. Energy, with them, does not dig ditches, but writes books. Energy is not some- thing to be ashamed of, but to use pur- posefully. As for our man's last dictum (that the young writer should keep a firm hold on his sense of humor), that fairly speaks for itself. A sense of humor is & great thing, and no one needs it more an a writer, Highlights on the Wide World Excerpts From Newspapers of Other Lands AZETA POLSKA, Warsaw.—A very radical and significant po- litical meeting was lately held in Harzburg, attended by all the mutually antagonistic forces which would like to be in power in Germany, The National-Socialists predominated, and demanded, among other upheavals, the dismissal of Bruen- ing, the dissolution of the Reichstag, A new parliamentary election, and a general government inclination to the extreme Right. Among the distinguished delegates to this convention were Herr Hitler, two or three of the ex-Kalser's sons, a num- ber of generals of the Old Imperial Army, as well as Gen. Seckt of the “Stahlhelm” (secret military society), Director Schat of the Reichsbank, and representatives and officers of many large industrial and financial groups. Despite the political incompatibilities of those making up the assemblage, they were all determined and united upon one subject, which was that the Versailles treaty should be abrogated and its obligations revoked. Elections now would undoubtedly result in Hit- ler'’s—that is, a Communistic—victory, for Hindenburg's moral backing of Bruening becomes more and more doubtful, especially since Hugenberg's and Hitler's ®visits to the President. His environment is becoming more and more military, and his policies are veering more and more toward those of the Right wing. It is superfluous toalot.rm. in this regard, that if the factors esteeming the Versailles treaty | merely another “scrap of paper” arrive to power, Europ:an peace—indeed, world peace—will be more than threat- ened—il will be shattered! | Yet Hugenberg's and even Hitler's political supremacy are by no means | improbable, especially since President | Paul von Hindenburg's influence and | policles are now with them, rather than against them. Germany's evident veering to the Right may have incalcu- lably serious consequences. * k% % Absolutely Impracticable. El Camagueyano, Camaguey.—Human equality may be & desirable thing in theory, but is absolutely impracticable when it comes to actual establishment. The same sized hat does not fit every head, and an arbitrary standard of con- duct and thought will not suit every individual. It is as natural, from variety of our instinct- and procliv- ities, for one man to be good as it is for another to be bad; for one to be industrious as for another to be in- dolent; for one to be intelligent as for another to be dull. | ‘To require every one to think and act in a certain set way would, at best, but lower the average mentality and morality of the race, for since it would be impossible for those indifferent to ‘what is better and purer in life to as- cend to the level of the good, the good must descend to a mean inferior to their original status, %hst all individuals i | i e Such a scheme of things would place culture and coarse- ness on & par. Low motives and al- truistic ideals would be considered of equal acceptability and merit. It is only when the majority of a people lose the sense of duty and obli- gation to their fellows that they begin to support the concept that the wise should have mno rights or privileges above the foo'ish, nor ths spiritually- minded above those whose only object in life is to gratify their bodlly in- stincts. ok ox o Native Banks Held Safest in Eocuador. EL Telegrafo, Giui uil—The press s replete EEnETE s are afraid to confide their money to the banks. No doubt the rame conditions obtain here in Ecuador, though pos- sibly in less degree, for our people, though generally professing trust in our banking institutions, unfortunately have not rolled up, in most instances, any surplus funds. However, there does persist the su- perstition among some of those who still possess a relative amount nf wealth that foreign banks and foreign invest- ments are safer than those of their own country. The branches of fore! banks in Guayaquil have been in the habit of publishing figures relative to capital and reserves with purport to show that they are stronger than local banking institutions. Careful compar- ison of these figures will prove this is not the case, when all liabilities are balanced against assets, however great in the case of exterior banks these la ter may appear to be. Our citizens have been stunned by the recent abolition of the gold standard by t.hel:lnk o(b: - land, reputed the most impregnal in the world. And when such manifest difficulties assall the strongest of banks, what stability can be assumed for its connections and subsidiaries in other places? And herein is an admonition concerning the security of all foreign banks. For if the strongest admits a weakness, how far shall we trust those supported by the trade and markets of acknowledgedly weaker nations? As- suredly our native banks are safest un- less we desire to contribute sooner or later to the general financial debacle in Europe. * K ¥ % Destitute Open | Abandoned Mine for Coal. Neues Wiener Tagblatt, Vienna.—On the abandoned premises of the Old Widow mine near Dortmund, in West- phalia, in recent weeks numbers of destitute and unemployed people have penetrated into the old shafts and are digging out coal to keep them warm and to cook with this coming Winter. With primitive implements and apparatus they have opened up as many as 20 old diggings, to which they have given new names, for the purpose of identification and proprietorship, suc) erty,” “Pit Necessity, ing.” The imminent danger exists that some of these workings may cave in on the amateur operators, and the police are exerting every effort to close again every shaft that is opened up. As soon, however, as the diggers are barred from one pit, they immediately begin work in another, a procedure which has so far nullified the precautions of the authorities. The New “Brake Test.” From the Des Moines Tribune. In the Chicago Speeders’ Court, Judge Frank M. Padden proposes to fine more heavily than others those speeding motorists who cannot ex- hibit proof of a recent testing of their car's es. A motorist with defective brakes, he flgmuwt.unmuummm e and limb. decision came after the Chicago cars showed that 71 per cent of them were defective in one or more ways; 42 per cent had faulty brakes. If more ju would take this at- titude, we m! have a more frequent testing of automobiles, "And 1f such examinations were mads at regular intervals, our accident rate would decline. ——.— Questionable. Prom the Oakland Tribune. They are talking of giving the Ru- manian crown to 9-year-old Michael, but whether as a Christmas present or in punishment is not explained. Book Prices. , | consequence of youth. DECEMBER 8 1931 NEW BOOKS AT RANDOM 1. 6. M. ONLY YESTERDAY. Illustrated. By Frederick Lewis Allen, New York: Harper & Bros. A long “yesterday,” stretching from the Armistice clear up to the doorstep of 1931. “An Informal History of the Nineteen Twenties” gives specific name and suggests in general character the enterprise itself. A period of tumult, this decade, whose only approach yet must be this author’s approach. A sort of catch-as-catch-can cut of the vast bewilderment, out of the naticnal chaos, the world chaos, left by the Great War. Executive administra- tions at Washington serve, roughly, as a guide to indicate point of time and seeming cause for this or that of na- tional and individual behavior, out- standing signs and waymark of sig- nificant drifts, movements, rebellions, of outbreakings countless and confus- ing. This history cites, as its beginning, the disappointment, the faflure in his high dream, the death of Woodrow Wil- son. And around that tragic figure gathers the whirl of unabated excite- ment of wartime itself, reflected in the financial condition of the country, in its economic straits, its political recoil, in its social releascs, in its tremendous clamor of coming and going for means of diversion and general playtime. Here youth i3 definitively cut loose from the former inhibitory routine—home, church, school. The country itself is a riot. “Reds” and its tribes and clans, seeking passion- ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. | their Government does for them. Read- jers of The Evening Ster can draw on all Gove! ent activities through our free inforthation service. The world's greatest libraries, laboratories and ex- perimental stations are at their com- ‘mand. Ask any question of fact and it | will be answered, free, by mail direct to you. postage and address The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington Q How mafy feathers has a 25- { pound turkey?—E. G. A. A turkey has 3,860 feathers. Q. How many people attended high school and college foot ball games in 1930?—G. R. D. A. The attendance at high school | games numbered 24,000, pay admission | fees amounting to $18,000,000. College gzames, 16,000,000 attendance; $32,00.,~ 000 admission fees. Q. Is it always possible to see the top of the Empire State Building from the strect?>—H. G. A. The building is 1,248 feet high. It is possible for the top of the building to be obscured to observers from the street by fog or low-hanging clouds. Q. What is the capital of Turkey?— E. J. D. A. The capital of Turkey i Ankara (Angora), in Anatolia. Q. Do many books contain gram- matical and typographical mistakes?— ately to overthrow the substance of gov- | M. T. ernment for its shadow. Charlatans, cranks, quacks, along with some honest folk, all bearing specifics of world heal- ing, all clamorous for their own restor- ing nostrums. A riot social, too, with youth bent upon “living its own life” and age disporting itself in the gay in- Families fall apart, children go their separate ways. A high playtime is seemingly the goal in this era of intoxication. “Intoxica- tion” suggests the crusade of prohibi- tion, a gruesome story of national con- tent whose climax is not yet, whose finale seems fashioning for some super- mystery tale, And other intolerances belong to the new Puritanism, the old Puritan come to life. Dictations as to religion are not infrequent. Indeed, it appears thaf the “blue laws” are alive to take issue with the no-law activities of the day. Harding's administration brings the “Washington Conference” and a new world outlook, with an international ideal as the goal of statesman and economist. The outlook obscured al- most at once by .scandals at home in high places, business run wild under the consenting nod of faithless officials, Then comes Coolidge, with economy and prosperity. Not an exact sequence, et the one greatly influential in pro- ducing the other. And the radio keeps on erooning. The alrships cleave the skies, calling for heroes—Lindbergh and Byrd and a growing host—explorers, adventurers, builders all. By way of them the u verse itself swinging into the narrow- ing time-space. North Pole and South, aloof and exclusive, are losing these oualities, are takig on partnerships, definite and contributory, with the rest of the world. Space within this period has narrowed unb-lievably, turning na- tions into a neighborhood, easily within gossiping reach of the world’s tittle- tattle. And every minute, night and day, sei- ence, the true necromancer, is at work grinding out new truths, rather undis- covered truths, settingsover into every- day life a thousand miracles of inven- tion and application; making a new world, in effect, right under our unsee- ing eyes. Science is in large part the use of our current revolution—a rev- olution of which we are in the main unaware, but with which we are soon to deal, despite ourselves, face to face, To science belongs the motor car, a prime agency in overturning the world, the business world, the social world. But why try even to name the ways in which science is overturning old ways, old institutions? These ways crowd all about us in a confusion of forms and activities. This is the point at which “Only Yesterday” does us so capable a service. It untangles the maze. Sets off the vital from the ephemeral. Traces developments, big ones, in the courses they have taken, in the ones they are likely in logic to follow. A selzure of the saliencies of the dec- ade in question is the finely helptul work of lerick Lewis Allen here, as- soclate editor of Harper's Magazine, A way-wise man with print and the good substance of ideas lying behind it. The Book League of America has made “Only Yesterday” its December choice, an assurance to readers who must have good guidance out of the mountains of literature into sonie open place where interesting books really of- fer invitations of good substance and true charm to readers, * ok ok K AMERICA'S TOMORROW: An In- formal Excursion into the Era of the Two-Hour Working Day. C. C. . D, New York. Funk 1s Co. No, C. C. Furnas, Ph. D, is not an agent for labor. He s, instead, holar in chemi xenm-eflnfn t Yale R scl cal al e University. Just & theorist? & way, yes. But with theories so backed by substantial findings both In material stuff and in the I of economics that one, at once, hands him perfect confl- dence and a complete absorption in the story he has drawn off from the world as it now moves. His position is, the place where he stands is, in that of a completely in- dustrialized, a completely mechanized world. Nobody is going to dispute that ground with him. Only a fairly intelli- gent look around, and then one short glance into the past, shows the direction and momentum of this mechanism that | science is making of the planet upon which we have, for the minute, paused. Granting the basic fact, as it must be granted, then what? Well, this book is 80 amazing, so overturning that I can- not possibly concede it merely my own small measure of analysis and appraisal. Sc. for the time, I am lim(rly going to quote this astonishing, and convincing man at points that will lead you, too, to his study. So here we go, almost toward the end of the story: “The fate of practical extinction awaits the small farmer. . . ., He will gradually pass through the process of consolidation. . . . At present he is sitting down and having his politicians call for ‘relief’ . . . However, for a number of years now they have been combining.” And so on to show the inevitable drift of the farmer tcward the great consoliiations that are bound to come, in greater measure and scope. Again: “There are limits to the expedient size of a city.” . Stuart Chase, popular economist, believes that “our larger cities are headed for a mechanical breakdown.” “Some commercial people, particular- gwflzm'y Ford, believe in decentralizing industrial population. Branch plants in small cities are a part of his I cannot begin to tell best of economic ‘when earth is made a great mecha- nism, out so much of machine- men, workmen, cannot possibly have more than a two-hour day, unless the great mass is to remain completely idle—and dangerous. It is possible to be only excited over the plausible and scholarly and con- vincing character of this study. I' frankly, excited snd a bit dazed. Later, T'll do better by it, or try to, for it is my book to study and think about. The author, an orde:ly_person, where I am in clear disorder right now, goes | back to show the changes that have come into common life by the intro- duction of machinery——tractor, cotton gin, sewing machine and so on. Then off he goes from the standpoint of the present into A. It 15 said that publishers have never been able to bring out a book entiraly free from errors. The book nearest_perfection is the Bible which, due to its many reprintings, has offered many opportunities to correct mistakes Q. Is modern concrete as strong as the concrete used in early Rome?—B. T. A. Modern concret> is cstimated to be from four to seven times stronger than the concrete of the ancients. Q. What collcg>s have residential quarters for students where the Jan- guage they are studying is spoken exclusively?—E, L. K. A:. The New Jersey College for Wom- en, Wheaton Co'lege, Wellesley and the University of Wisconsin have adopted the language hous> plan. . What concerns in the United S the largest truck fleets?—W. J. A. American Telephone & Telegraph Co., United States Postal Service, Standard Oil of New Jersey, Borden Co., Railway Express Agency and Standard Oil rof !ndh.m; ). Where was the first daily news- gger published in the United States?— W. ‘A It was the Pennsylvania Packet and General Advertiser, published at Philadelphia, September, 1784. Q. How did the old hymn tunes get their names?—E. T. A. Many of them were named for their composers, others for the writers of the words. Some are named for places with which there is a connection. Q. Is the banana an alkali or acid producing food?—E. B. M. A. The banana is kno alkali-producing food. wn to be an It is a food reducing the acidity of the body. The banana when fully ripe is a most val- uable addition to the diet of young children, particularly those for whom & Few Americans realize how much| Inclose 2-cent stamp for reply | which has been found to be efficient in | gain in weight is desirable. It can also be given to infants. This fruit when un- ripe consists largely of starch and is, L{lere{or!, difficult of digestion. As the ripening process gpes on a large t of the starch is conwerted into l\ign?r Q. How many pexsons are there in the average American family?—S. T, A. The census figurés show an aver- | age of 4.3 persuns; that is to say, if all | persons were put’ into family groups, | the groups would contain four or | persons, a few more four-family groups than five-family groups beimg made. | Q. Why is Monterey, in California, spelled with one while the Mexico city has two “r’s”"?—L. M. W. | A. This seems inexplitable to one unfamiliar with Spanish. The correct spelling in modern Spanish is with' the | double “r,” since 1t is & rule of Spanh | Phonetics that when any word ending in a vowel is compounded with another | word beginning with “r” the compound | word shall have the “r” doubled. Other good examples of this are Porto Rican, | which in Spanish is one word (Portor- | riqueno), and Costa Rican, which in Spanish is Costarricense. The expla- nation of the American spelling of the name “Monterey” is that it is simpler. | Q. Could the Volstead act be changed | or mocified without affecting the eigh- | teenth_amendment?—F. s. M A. Congress could repeal or modify ad act. Tke eighteenth t would still be in effect. Q. At what age does the brain reach its full size and weight?—P. E. | _A. The brain reaches its full size and weight at about the same time the rest of the body matures; that is, between the ages of 22 and years, Q. When was the special delivery stamp recuced to 10 cents?—L. T. A. The Post Office Department says that the special delivery stamp has never been sold for more nor less than 10 cents. the v | amendm | | | Q What is the Army regulation in | regard to the use of military titles by Reserve officérs?>—H. W. L. A. The regulations state that Re- serve officers may properly use their military titles on personal visiting cards. | Alo that the use of military titles on personal. as distinguished from busi- ness, \»mnY cards is considered appro- | priate for all officers of the Army. Q. How did the Chinese happen to g}l;:r the American laundry business?— . K. D. A. In the days of the California gold rush everybody was so busy digging for gold that the homelier household chores | were neglected. With gold beckoning, ‘ no one was willing to work at plain jobs. There was no land communication with | the East, but ships were constantly ply= | Ing to China. The forty-niners acquired “he habit of sending their washing to China, getting it back in two or three | months. This showed the Chinese that there was a business opportunity in this | country. Q. Was Mark Twain especially fond | of Jews?—R. K. N. | A In “My Father, Mark Twain"” Clara Clemens sajs: “Arguments as to | the virtues or non-virtues of the Jews | were often the topic of discussion in our | drawing room, and father always grew | eloquent in defense of Christ's race. | Indeed, so often were his remarks on | this subject quoted that it was rumared at one time father himself was a Jew. About this time he wrote his article ‘Concerning the Jews,’ in which he states he considers them ‘the most mar- velous race the world ever produced.'” ‘That Hoke Smith, W‘I.'Amowl’:hn:(::’(g died, made a vigorous n, nationally and in his home State of Georgia, is evident, from the comments passing, “Those who will attempt to write upon away at his home in Atlanta after a life of unusual public activity, will find ically as he was group in which he the Atlanta Journal, of which he was proprietor from 1887 to 1896, says: “The Journal mourns his going hence, as a a brilliant career at the bar and in poli- tics. Hoke Smith will lcng be remem- bered in Georgia by friend and foe.” The Columbia S. C. State thinks he was the kind of a man who “would have made his way to the top in almost any political or civic group in America,” and affirms: “He made numbers of enemies, but his enemies made him. He rose by climbing over them.” Recalling that he occupied “a field of wide ex- perience, from that of Governor to United States Senator and member of President Cleveland's cabinet, which latter post he filled with signal ability,” it % on Georgia, will Femermber with WaSs & son Temem| feelings akin to those in which it holds the name of Henry Grady.” In other parts of the country, too, the appraisal of Hoke Smith is gratifying {to his memory. Says the Worcester | Evening Gazette: “Of distinguished | family, with roots in New Hamp- | | shire, Smith was diligent and brilliant | in youth, having been admitted to the | | bar at the age of 17. He won the con- fidence and respect of Grover Cleve- land, who made him Secretary of the Interior. He was influentic]l as a| journalist and was long prominent in the political Yeadership of the State of The estimate of in the newspapers of the country on his | the career of Hoke Smith, whe passed | Hoke Smith Is Remembered As Brilliant in Man o A SRS o o 2 ) y Roles an honored and worthy adopted son, in , “during his active in the second Cleveland administration friend of long years and deeply cherished | Myth In ‘its estimate of Mr. Smith, the ore Sun says: “What is left at —and who will soon be forgot.” | opinion that, “with amazing gifts and ability to sway the electorate, Hoke Smith missed greatness by & sur- prisingly narrow margin,” the oke h ments: “Perhaps students of his career will come to the conclusion that lack | of loyalty was his outstanding defect.” Honor to Whom It Is Due. Prom the Atlanta Journal. It is pleasant news that 60,000 spec- tators attended a recent corn-husking contest at Grundy Center, Iowa, the eighth annual and national event of its kind. This compares with the largest crowds that ever flock to a base ball or gridiron series, with the eager galleries that throng the links, and the more remarkable in that the husk- ing field was remote from any great center of population. That so many persons should foregather to watch the skill and prowess of those who excel in a feat of the farm would seém to show that the early American virtues are ~ t yet entirely passe. “The finalists,” we read, “were nearly all newcomers, young fellows who in the State tournaments had eliminated about every one of the stars of the previous national contests”; and the Minneapolis Jourhal remarks, “Pride in work well done is still the common heritage of the millions who m on the soil in the Corn Pride in work done! ot ] il engaged in the oldest of arts most essential of industries? does exceedingly well in f; ter than he that taketh a city. "eg %Esf most _exhilarating study that has come | my way, that can come your way, ever, I am safe in saying. Sorry to be | futile, but let me try it again when 1 bit calmer, a bit saner, over the | vision projected by this “chemical en‘fl; | The Ultimate. Prom the Toledo Blade. If and when jazz passes out alto- ether consolation can be found in the lief that nothing worse can take its