Evening Star Newspaper, February 20, 1932, Page 6

A—6 THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Editien. WASHINGTON, D. C. BATURDAY. . ..February 20, 1832 THEODORE W. NOYES. . ..Editor ;110 Ei Chicago Office: Lake Michig European Office: 14 Regent England. .. London, Rate by Carrier Within the City. e Evening Star_ .. ... ..45¢ per month e Evening and Sunday Star (when 4 Sundavs) . ..60c per month ‘The Evening and Sunday Star Uwhen 5 Sundays 65¢ per month The Sunday Star N Sc_per copy Collection made at the end of each month. ders may be sent in by mail or telephone NAtional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. {ly and Sunday.....1yr.,$10.00: 1 m {ly only 1yr. $8.00: 1 m unday only 4.00; 1 mi All Other States and Canada. Dally and Sunda ¥r..$1200: 1 mo.. $100 Daiiy only ... 3800: 1 mo.. 15¢ Munday only " 3$5.00; 1 mo., . Member of the Associated Press. The Assoclated Press is exclusively entitied o the use for republication of all news dis- patches credited 1o it or not otherwise cred- the local news £ publication of special also reserved. = Curbing “‘Short Selling.” The President, it is now revealed, Fas taken a hand in the movement to prevent bear raids on the stock mar- ket, raids conducted through “short selling” It is high time that & halt be called on professional traders in the market who have been making millions out of the ruin of others and by bring- ing about still further depression in business. Gambling to win on greater and greater misfortunes of the people and the country does not have that shining appeal to the man in the street which would endear to him the bear raiders of the market. Short selling, the sale of securities which the seller does not possess but which he hopes to purchaze and de- Mver when he has driven the prices lower by his so-called sales, thereby making a considerable gain for himself, s hitting business below the belt. It has been argued again and again that if a man Is permitted to speculate on the increase in values of securitles in the stock market he should be at liberty to speculate on the decrease in such values. There is something particularly sinister, however, in the operations of the short-selling bears. Announcement was made yesterday that the New York 8tock Exchange had endeavored to meet the demands of the President and those members of Con- gress who have attacked short selling by adopting a rule which would prevent brokers from using stock owned by their customers to lend to the short sellers without the written consent and spe- cific permission of the individual owner of the stock. It seems incredible that such & practice should have been per- .mitted at all. Brokers, however, have reaped & rich harvest from the activities of the short sellers, obtaining interest or commissions on the loan of this stock which they do not themselves own, and on the handling of the sell- ing and buying transactions for the #hort sellers. If short selling were pre- vented the dealers on the markets would lose & luerative business. All of .' which has made it more and more dif- - fleult to deal effectively with the prac- tice of short selling. Even before Congress assembled in December the rumblings sgainst the further manipulation of the market by the shorts were heard. Senator Wat- son, Republican leader of the Benate, and other prominent members of Con- gress asserted that legislation to prevent short seHing on the market would be put through unless the market cleaned house itself. Since then measures have " been prepared and introduced to put an end to short selling. A committee of the House is investigating the trading activities of the bears. Demands are made by Senator Capper of Kansas for an investigation by the Senate Finance Committee of the short selling on the New York Exchange. It is asserted by Benator Watsén and others that the step now taken by the exchange leaders to limit the activities of the short sellers is not sufficient. The time seems set for action, either by the exchangé itself or by the Congress, to regulate drastically the trading on the éxchange. “: Enough warning has been given. ——— Like other comedians who have in- sisted on being taken seriously, G. Bernard Shaw is probably disappeinted &t the results of having his own way about the matter. The jester who de- lights to place tacks on other people’s chairs 1s especially disconcerted when, aspiring to a seat with the mighty, he happens to sit on one of them himaelf. B ‘The name “Pacific’ was perhaps not appropriate for a body of water that develops warlike prépartions that may astonish the world. S LT < — s The Attack on Hoarding. Yollowing on the heels of congres- sional enactment yesterday of the ! Glass-Steagall banking bill is the ad- ministration’s newest attack on hoard- ing, which takes form in today's Treas- ury announcement that in Mareh the Government will issue in undétermined amount a series of anti-hoArding or _“reconstruction bonds” in denomin- tions of $50, $100 and $500, and bear- ing interest somewhere between 6ne ~'8nd a half and two 4nd 2 half per cent. The small denominations and the fow interest of these one-year certif- icates will provide safety and liquidity, .. these being what everybody, these days, ¢ wants. It is believed that. more than “any one thing, the issue of these baby bonds will help to bring forth from ~.under the mattresses or from sAfety : deposit boxes hoarded funds that are i estimated at a billien and & half dol- § lars. i #oarding here and abroad has ! reached alarming proportions and the { “process of hoarding, like otheér abpects ! of this depression, has followed a ¥i- { ®ous circle. Depositors have in fear i called on the banks for their money, | and the banks have, in turn, called i ‘loans and liquidated good securities &t & sacrifice in order to supply it. And '# then, for fear that the demand for cash will become greater, the banks have jolned their depositors in hoarding. Liquidation and hoarding, in & way, have become synonymous. The (heory behind the new lase of Lreasury ceriificates s that the indi- vidual hoarder is willing enough to ex- change his cash for a bond, if the bond is good enough. The transaction may mean that the mattress will yleld gold in return for paper. But the gold will be freed for circulation, while the paper is intended for storage under the mattress. The banks which sell the bonds become depositaries of Govern- ment funds, which prevents the pos- sible drain on savings deposits that might be anticipated by & rush for the purchase of the bopds. ‘The principle is probably sound enough. The only question is whether the “small” man who will be attracted by these bonds is the fellow responsi- ble for the hoarding. He is not, of course, alone responsible, and the amount of money that he is hoarding is probably small in comparison with the amount that the banks and the “big fellows” have tied up. The hoarding spirit has nct been due altogether to fear. In many cases it is encouraged, or made necessary, by the lack of banking facilities, But, as stated before, none of these reconstruction measures can be con- sidered as standing alone. They must be considered together as a whole, the purpose of which is to restore confi- dence, loss of which is the greatest handicap in the way of recovery. The Federal Government is telling the peo- ple that the Government is behind them. The public response to these vari- ous efforts toward reconstructing shat- tered confidence will answer the ques- tion whether such assurance means anything. —~.—- Patience at Geneva. Within & few weeks it is intended to adjourn the Geneva Conference on reduction and limitation of armaments for the Easter holidays and to permit various European statesmen to look after domestic affairs which, for the time being at least, outstrip in Iim- portance anything they could accom- plish in Switzerland. France and Germany are holding important elections. The Spring is the budget season in many countries. The crises that accompany it in nearly every one of them this year are of unprece- dented gravity, because of the disloca- tion of business and the derangement of currency systems. The French will not choose their new Chamber of Deputies until some time in May. In Germany, the elections to the Prussian Diet, which the Hitlerites are bent upon capturing, will be held sooner than that. Vital as are the issues associated with disarmament for both of the Western European nations, domestic politics for each of them is a para- mount interest. If, as the cables suggest, it may be June 1 before the Geneva conference reassembles for decisive action, that does not mean that the intervening weeks will be wasted. Geneva will not stack arms while waiting to curtail them. It is not proposed to suspend the meetings of committees and sub- committees now plunged into the end- less Intricacies and technicalities of arms problems. If during the four months between February 2, when the Geneva conference was conVened, and June 1, when it is scheduled to resume activities in full force, the air is cleared of non-essentials and the bedrock of some agreement is Iaid, it will have been & hiatus of utmost value. When it was provided for that, at any rate, was in conference leaders’ minds. ‘Thé Washington conference of 1921-22 on naval limitation and Far Eastern questions Iasted four months. The Lon- don Naval Conference of 1930 was in session from January to April—a period of three months. At Washington ten years ago, only nine powers were in session. At London two years ago, but five conferred. At Geneva, in 1932, six- ty-odd nations have their heads to- gether in & herculean effort to grapple with armaments. Delay in Switzerland, therefore, does not remotely denote fail- ure, Or even a sign of failure. The call is for patience. In the lexicon of inter- national dealings there is no such word as hustle, especially such dealings as #re how vexing the minds of world statesmen at the capital of the keague of Nations. Not only does Trotsky continue to write and publish, but he allows his remarks to be s0 emphatic in interest as to imply the suggestion, “Now 8 the time to subscribe.” - Most of What China seems ablé to do at present 8 to give national seope to the aneient proverb, “Beware the anger of & patient man.” o Sportsmanship in Ballooning. Standards of clean American sports- manship have been upheld magnifi- cently by the country’s ptemier balloon racers in waiving their rights to hold the Gordon Bennett international bal- loon trophy race in the United States this year. The United States now holds two legs on the trophy, by virtue of inter- national victorles in two successive years. Victory this year will mean per- manent possession of the trophy which has come to be regarded as the great- est prize the balloonist can gain. Vic- tory in the internatienal race entitles the winning country to hold within its borders the succeeding race. The victory of Ward T. Van Orman in the last Gordon Bennett contest automatically brought the race to the United States this year for the third time in succession. Owing to unsettled financial difi- culties, it was feared that few European contendérs would be able to send bal- loons to the United States and that an American team would pefmianently an- nex the tup’ with little real eompeti- tion. American balloonists decided that they did not wanb the trophy under such eondifions. Theéy felt that if théy could not win it in thé fice of real competition the victory would be hol- low and the trophy a thing ef litlle werth, Aceotdingly, the country's premier ballooriists informed AmericAn déle- gates to the annual meeting of the Fedération Aeronautique Internation- ale, held recently in Paris, that they would welcome a transfer of the Gor- don Bénheit face to Europe this year. It was decided at Paris that the race will start from Basel, Switserland, be- tween September 20 and October 10. This action undoubtedly will reduce considerably the number of Ameri¢an competitors and correspondingly in- crease the European entry list. Chances THE EVENING for an American victory are conde- quently much reduced. Should an American team win the final leg on the trophy under such handicaps, however, it will be & vic- tory in which every American can glory. No falr-minded competitor could begrudge an American team victory under the circumstances. Win or lose, the American balloon- ists who enter the Gordon Bennett race this year deserve the most cordial best wishes of every American in whose breast glows the fire of true sports- manship. If they win their victory will be doubly glorious. Should they lose it will mean a prolonging of & contest around which cluster the high- est traditions of clean, manly sports- manship. An Ill-Starred Venture. The youth who gave up his job and bet his friends two thousand dollars that within a period of one year he could dine with President Hoover, play golf with John D. Rockefeller, sr., and Bobby Jones and motor or play golf with the Prince of Wales is back again in the obscurity from which he s0 briefly emerged when he made public his wager. He was a loser all the way round, as he well deserved to be. Pub- licity seekers are not welcomed by those who have attained the heights through family, money or achievement, and & frosty reception was accorded the youth from those In whose company he tried to climb to a doubtful degree of fame. He did succeed in dining with President Hoover, if it can be called that. He was an inconspicuous guest at & large din- ner which the President attended. His other conquests, however, were not brought off, although it is quite con- ceivable that he might have played on the same golf course on the same day that Bobby Jones or John D. Rockefel- ler had chosen for their rounds. He is out the two thousands dollars and it is up to him to pay it off for his ill- starred self-advertising adventure. N Prevalence of bootlegging may pos- sibly tempt an overworked doctor to make & hasty and erroneous diagnosis in a case where a man is so severely injured that he cannot explain that he is a sober and hard-working citizen. Alcoholism threatens to become an ad- ditional evil a5 & means of accounting for symptoms in a way that permits fast but careless work. e ————— England may as well be notified that it must be content with carefully studied data from Mr. Mellon without the rhetorical exuberances with which his predecessor used to embellish his discourse. e ——ree—— Journalism has not changed in one respect. However statesmanship may labor with economic essays, it is still the police reporter who is required to work the hardest and lose the most sleep. _— George Washington was & man of few words. Orators who have spoken about him have more than compensated for any lack of verbal lavishness on his part. — s A number of public speakers who mis- pronounce words over what he calls the “raddio” could be mentioned by Al Smith if he were not afraid doing so might help to endear them to the met- ropolitan masses. R The Orient has at last succeeded in persuading the newspaper writers who charm by briskness of style to take the latest war seriously. +ates SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON.ss» Nature Does Not Hoard. The twilight gold is fair to view At each departing day; It shines across the sky so blue And then it fades away. The day well spent it glorifies; With confidence we learn To see it pass without surprise And walt for its return. The stream goes flowing brightly on, The blossoms bloom and fade. We do not ponder what 18 gone By any fear dismayed. What this year spends next year will find Abundantly restored; So Nature works with generous mind And never deigns to hoard. Important Legal Knowledge. I saw & man who knew the laws That govern great affairs, To justice and its various flaws He gave judicial cares. His wisdom great I praised anew, Yet with & trace of fear 1 wondered if he fully knew All traffic rules round here. The Terrible Inconsistency. Men say they love their fellow man, Yet oft they do the best they can With shells to shatter those who pass, Or 1Ay them low with poison gas, And vow that the inventor's skill 1s finest when 1t works to kill. Embarrassing Admiration. “Have you extended your education 50 48 to include Oriental Janguages?” “No,* sansweréd Senator Sorghum. “And I'm glad I never did. My con- stituents have great faith in me. If I knew Orlental Ianguages my constitu- ents would expect me to get between the Japanese and Chinese armies and make & speech that would stop the war.” Jud Tunkins says the man who first called China “The Celestial Kingdom” must havé beén ene of those silver- tongued real estate promoters. Making Terms. “po you lké your new butler?” “yes,” repliéd Miss Cayenne. “Does he require much time off?” “He says he's being quite liberal in that respect. He allows our family to dine at home as often as three times 8 week.” “Philosophers sometimes ba¢ome het- mits,” sald Hi Ho, the sage of China- town, “so that in cade their politicAl or religious advice i8 unpopular they can rétire to caves where the mob can- not get to them.” “Dar is so many folks tryin’ to 'tend t6 6rie anothér’s business,” said Uncle Eben, “dat 1t's gittin’ to be like de world was full o’ policemen all seelin’ to af~ rest everybody else.” STAR. WASHINGTON, D. (.. SATURDAY, THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. One of the greatest bores in the modern office -is the gentleman who roars over the telephone. Something ought to be done about him, but what? He is in the unfortunate position of the poor lady in the advertisements, ‘whose best friends won't tell her. He bellows away, regardless of the fact that his associates are trying to work. And he is so utterly unconsclous of his misdemeanor. Blithely he screams, “Hello, hello! Yes, this is Mr. Bunk speaking!” The dlaphram of the mouthpiece fairly rattles. But the gentleman con- tinues cheerfully, oh so cheerfully, “What did you say? Oh, yes, oh, yes! Fine! Fine!” * K X X ‘The curious fact is that he never once seems to become wise to the covertly hostile glances Wwhich are thrown in his direction. No one would say anything to him, of course. That wouldn't be polite. And the world is in thrall to politeness. (Fortunately for the world.) 8o the telephone loud speaker sits there and roars away. ‘While he is on the phone work comes to a standstill. The man in the corper stops his writing, the man in the middle stops his thinking. Another glares, another frowns. The blatting still arises. “And I told him * * and he told me * ¢ * and he sald * * * and I sald 2 A little softer, a little softer, if you please! * ox % x The monster does not please. He is beginning to warm up iIn earnest now. Proudly he looks around as if asking for the plaudits of his auditors. ’tl"he showman in him begins to crop out. Surely he is enjoying himself and he hopes you will like his performance. He rolls his eyes as he talks this way and that. If his left hand were not engaged holding the receiver, he would gesticulate. How he would gesticulate! Already he has sung his prologue, and now he is down to work in his best style, making the welkin ring. “Welkin" is an old-fashioned word weaning “telephone instrument.” He makes it ring. The waves he sets up clatter over miles of wire, jolting sparrows off the line and shaking telephone poles. It crashes through the receiver at the other end, causing “quack-quack™ sounds which those nearby hear but do not understand *oxox o We have called the hearty telephone user & “monster,” but that was only in fun, of course It is his voice alone which is mon- strous His heart is guileless. Never once have we encountered one of these loud speakers without finding him to be of a most sympathetic tem- perament, Usuaily he possesses a good heart If Caesar were alive today, his ulti- matum would not be. “Let the men about me be fat” but rather, “Let me be surrounded by loud talkers over the telephone.” Caesar would find his offices rather noisy, however. The loud telephone speaker is so blithely unaware failing that he scarce would believe it if any one told him of it. mmq doubt to him his voice just sounds anly, .., He probably prides himself on & ‘8ood round voice.” Hear him now, “No wishy-washy voice for mine,” he announces proudly. “I believe in being heard " He is heard, all right. Except when the person on the other end of the line asks, “What say?” * kK X ‘Telephony has given rise to no greater monstrosity of language than the slovenly phrase, “What say?” We are convinced that the telephone is responsible for this vulgarism, and that from it the thing has spread to ordinary conversation. Here is how it probably came about. Some one sald something over & | telephone, but the connection was so Poor that the other could not hear it. ‘What did you asked the other. The first speaker, in his turn, found Ithe ‘‘connection” a poor one. | Al he clearly caught was “What oo o ey * % * % Somehow the phrase hung in his un- conscious mind. Nobody knows whether lhh:"lt“h.n unconscious mind or not, ul & convenient wi LD something. e | The next time the fellow was in con- versation, face to face, he wanted to be | clever, or thought clever, which is al- \moitvy:he same )lhmz. “What say?" he asked hi languidly. s COmpATion, The expression caught on. Young girls, once referred to as “flappers,” although no one ever knew really why, ook to it rapidly. “What say” became, with them, s | language standard. Why go to sll the trouble of saying. solemnly, “What did |you say?” when it was far more chic— so _they thought—to ask, “What say?” Maybe we are unfair in placing the blame for this on the telephane, but | stories of the originations of such things |are almost mlways guesses, scarcely facts, and must be understood as such. | * ¥ % x Here s another accepted saying which riles us, and which we cannot lay at the door of the telephone. It is a substitute for real brightness, and arises as follows: You are sitting in a public vehicle, on the way down- town in the morning, when a; ance in & rear seat aris you on his way out. Instead of saying. “Good-by,” or “So- long " or some other common sente equivalent, do you know what he says? “It's another day,” he says. | What has that got to do with it? | Are you to think him clever, or to in- pm on regarding him as the human equivalent of the June bug? There is no Answer one may make | to such a statement. Tt is supposed to be sophisticated. and you. being of a :]l"lnus turn of mind, regard it only as You long for the loud volce of th | | office bore, the telephone user, !hn: you might roar back the only conceiva- ble bit of repartee: | “What say?" Hoover Ban on Handshakine Called Commendable Ref?)rm President Hoover's decision to give up the practice of shaking hands with the great mass of visitors to the White House receives hearty commendation | from the press. It is felt that the phy- sical strain resulting in this usless, if traditional, custom should not be de- manded by the crowds of Washington tourists, so numerous in the period of the Bicentennial Celebration. “Though disappointed.” says the Washington Evening News, “the 8ele- gates to the scores of conventlons that are to meet in Washington during this Bicentennial year will doubtless accept the situation cheerfully and in a spirit of patriotic co-operstion. They will be handsomely entertained and amply ac- commodated while in Washington. and if they miss the presidential handshake, they will at least see the Government at ‘work and probably will leave the Capital with the feeling that their interests are being better served by the concentra- tion of the President upon his weighty responsibilities than by the grant of a formal. crowded reception.” “Doubtless a good many men and women have gained a sort of satisfac- tion out of the quick grab, flop and go ahead that it all amounted to.” thinks the Nashville Banner, “but it was hard on the President, just the same.” The Providence Journal offers the opinion. He owes it to himself and his office, especially in such a period of stress| as the present, to put an end to this great drain upon his physical and men- tal resources. The ancient practice is nothing short of barbarous. is anxious that his position in the mat- ter shall be understood: he will receive spokesmen for organized bodies so far as opportunity permits. and Mrs. Hoo- ver will be as hospitable to visitors as Possibl! But the old-time promiscuous nroads upon his time and strength must come to an end. This sensible conclusion should have been reached long ago.” ERE “I¢ Mr. Hoover can establish a prece- dent in this,” according to the Sioux City Journal, “he will serve admirably those who follow him. The Chief Exec- utive of the Nation should not be re- garded as & curlosit; ‘The Jersey City Journal concludes, “The head of the greatest busihess in the world should be allowed to dispense with these affairs, which are supposed to show him as a ‘regular_fellow' and to humanize him before the people. This country of ours should long ago have grown away from this silly practice.” The Ann Arbor Daily News holds that “it is a custom that should be abolished for all time," stating that “there is nothing personal in a handshake, from either the point of view of the caller or that of the President.” The Boston Transcript comments, “Mr. Hoover has borne the infliction like a stoic for three years, but now the pressure of business is so great that he must reuniulsh such pleasure as he may find in the process of greeting organized groups of men and women frem all parts of the coun- try. From ome point of view he must regret discontinuance of the custom; from another, his relief must be inex- ressible.” ‘The Trandcript maintains hat the practice “should not be re- sumed, if Mr. Hoover or any other President is to do the work properly.” “Try to put yourself in the place of the harassed Chief of the Nation,” ad- vises the Spokane Spokesman-Review. “Think of the strain upon your vitality to shake hands on an average with 500 people daily, giving to each a smile, & hod of recognltion, or & few wotds of conversation. That would be & &lzablé day's work for a vigorous man or woman of leisure. It is unreasonable to expect it from the President of the United States at this time of surpassing stress and anxiety. With the possible exception of President Wilson, in the war period, it is_questioned if another President since Lificoln has berne sb many anxieties 48 now weigh upon the patient, uncomplaining Hoover. He needs every ounce of his reserve strength. His breakdown would be 2 national calamity and a world loss.” * K kX “Mr. Hoover, in the present com- plexion of human affairs,” says the New Orleans Tribune, “has a good deal to @o that is mote motnentous than shak- ing hands,” & thought which is voiced also by the Roanoke Times, and the Texarkana Gazette contends that “his time and energy both are worth too much to the Nation to be squandered in such manner.” On the other hand, the Davenport Democrat takes the posi- Mr. Hoover | tion: “Despite President Hoover's at- tempt to curb handshaking at the White House. the fact remains that there is magic in handshaking., and fortunate is the politician who is its master. It not onlv elects, but often “If recollection setves.” remarl Omaha World-Herald, “Mr. Hoo&l‘ u;et the beginning of his administration, in- stituted & new handshaking policy. He said he would not discontinue the custom entirely, but he would practice it only within reason. He had seen it become a real burden on the presidency and he didn't propose to impair his efficiency by overindulgence. Now ft Appears he couldn't shake hands within reason. If he shakes one hand he has t‘o'szmkp more and more and more. We are denling with the fact of his discovery that the shaking of hands and answering the telephone are tak- ing too much of the time and physical energy which he needs to devote to the problems of the depression. The Presi- dent has arrived at a happy means of deliverance. Hereafter Mrs. Hoover is to do the handshaking.” The new arrangement tribute from the Chlr]»flanmwh'es , decla 4 President really has to hlr':n:urfll:hn! to give to the affairs of the Nation," continues as to placing the burden on the President's wife: “Perhaps this wa: é\;;s‘;"i:onversdmm If so. she is & ous and self-s v After all, she is leGrl;I“Src‘gEll'.I"‘ e e — Trade in the Small Cities. From the Fort Worth Sta Telegram, The Department of Commerc forth with figures to deny the \'i:wcggl.:: expressed that the retailer in the ssall city and in the rural districts is fighting a losing battle with the retailer in the cities. The census of distribution of re- tail trade shows, says the department, the volume of business outside the larger ;:uunefi)w be 3uopvzumi of $1,500,000,000 an- v, or 'l rer.}l:hbuslneu.p" cent of the Nation's T condition is not likel; &t any early date, says the deymt:m:? It has found that the retail stores in the small cities and in rural districts now generally stock the most modern mer- chandise, which they are enabled to do through the perfection of transporta- QOn. These stores have a special ad- vantage in the fact that they are able zom{;:‘::r a " rsonlzl" service to the Wwould not be a mov.lr_‘nedi.in':m myflimm home.” e € CEensus prov fact that residents of the sml:lle:!ci:lhe: and rural districts still supply by far the major part of their needs from home stores, this item being the sales by "general stores,”” which dg not exist in the larger cities. Stores By this classi- fication aceount for nearly $2,000,000.- o0 in sales snnually, or nearly & per entire w.?#d om e il business of the ere is 4 magnificent field here for devélopthent by manufacturers and wholestlers who might specialize in service fo this great market existing in the sméll cities and rural districts, e Cuba Limits Planting. From the Lincoln State Journal. The President of Cuba has signed a deeree fixing the amount of sugx“rncme that may be planted and harvested in that country during 1932 at a figure that the g‘mdueers and the representa- tive of the world syndicate of sugar growers agreed upon. Imagine what would happen in this country if Presi- dent Hoover promulgated a similar de- creé with réspect to theé planting of wheat! When his Farm Board modestly suggested that as g fairly certain way of increasing wh- ¢ prices, its members were - and down in Kansas, to she" adependent they are, the far: .. add:l 25 per cent to their wheat ¢ _.ge. What happened—a deluge 0. wheat—was not, of course, the fault of the farmers, but of the Farm Board for making them angry. Yet in Cuba only such amount will be produced as is the fixed share for Cuba, and the growers will be the gainers, None of them has been heard to say that sugar is grown in so mmiv places in the world and the of rain and storm.are mumnmmnymz-mtm crop will be, anid hence that it is im- possible to control acreage. 4 keeps him in office for years thereatter.” | & black and filled with devils his | “The Loving Spirit.* FEBRUARY 20, 1932. THE LIBRARY TABLE By the Booklover A study of heredity in four genera- tions has furnished Daphne Du Maurier with her theme in her novel, ‘The four parts of the novel are: “Janet Coombe (1830- 1863),” “Joseph Coombe (1863-1900),” “Chifislopher Coombe (1888-1912)" and “Jennifer Coombe (1912-1930).” The setting of the story is the coast village of Plyn, in Cornwall, with its small har- bor, the busy shipyard of Thomas Coombe, the narrow street straggling up the cliffs from the sea, and Ivy House, the cottage half way up the | Wi cliff, where Thomas and Janet Coombe commence housekeeping. The fascina- tion of the sea fills the atmosphere of the story and is one element of the wildness and love of freedom which are part of the character of Janet Coombe —the part which she transmits to one of her descendants in each succeeding generation. The story opens with the i Th wedding day of Janet and Thomas Coombe, cousins. In the morning, while her sisters are preparing her wed- ding garments, Janet alone- up at the top of the cliff, near the castle Tuins, watching the sea, “and it seemed that there were two sides of her; one that wanted to be the wife of a man, and to care for him and love him ten- derly, and one that asked only to be part of a ship, part of the seas and the ;k{ above, with the glad free ways of a gull.” Thomas joins her on the clift tries to talk of their ivy-colored cottage and their new furnishings and their coming happiness, but Janet's mind is far away in the future, wan- dering among the mysteries of life. The practical Thomas is disturbed when she says, as if in a dream: “In a hundred vears there’ll be two others standin’ here, Thomas, same as us now—an’ they'll be blood of our blood, an’ flesh of our flesh, * * * Tl not bide in heaven, nor rest here in my grave. My spirit will linger with the ones I love— an' when theyre sorrowful and feared in themselves I'll come to them, and God Himself won't keep me.” Once mar- ried, Janet becomes absorbed in her new household duties, develops into a most practical housewife, and the vil- lage matrons nod knowingly and say that all she needed was a husband % steady her wildness, and wonder when the inevitable baby will arrive. x * % % The child comes, good, unimaginative Samuel, just like his father. Then Mary is born, another child who might belong to Thomas alone. so like him 1s she. Janet loves her children, but often wonders that they are really hers, and in moments snatched from her daily tasks which she spends alone on thé cliff, she knows for certainty that she has’ never yet loved with her whole being, that her nature has not yet been fulfilled. “One day it would come, but not yet.” One moonlit Christmas eve, when Thomas is at church and the children are asleep, Janet climbs to the castle ruins on the cliff and there has 2 remarkable vision. “Bhe leant against the castle ruins with the sea at her feet and the light of the moon on her face. Then she closed her eyes, and the jumbled thoughts fled from her mind, her tired body seemed to slip away { om her and she was possessed with tiie strange power and clarity of the moon itself. When she opened her eyes for a moment there was & mist about her, and when it dissolved she saw kneeling beside the cliiff with his head bowed in his hands the figure of a man. She knew that he was filled with wild despair and bitterness, and that his poor lost soul was calling to her for comfort. She went and kneit beside him. and held his head to hs breast. while she stroked his gray hair with her hand. Then he looked up &t her, his wild brown eyes crazy with fear at himself. And she knew him to be- long to the future, when she was dead ana in _her grave. but she recognized him as her own. ‘Husn, my sweet Jove, hueh, and cast away vour fear. I'm beside you always, al none who'll harm ¥ ¥ ou come before?’ he whispered, holding er close. ‘They've been tryin’ to take me away from vou,and the whole world There's no truth. dearest, no path for me to take. You'll help me, won't you?' * * * “They've been long weary days since vou went from me, an' I've not heeded your counsel nor deserved vour trust in me,’ he told her. ‘See how I'm old now, with the gray hairs in my head and beard, and you younger than I ever knew you, with your pale girl's face and our tender unworn hands'" About a year after this vision on the cliff Janet's third child. her son Joseph, is botn. Long vears after, when Joseph is on the threshold of old age and Janet has been for many vears in her grave in the little Cornish cemetery, the vision comes true. Joseph, threatened with blindness, mentally unbalanced, and driven to desperation by the persecution of his relentless younger brother, es- capes from the family at Ivy House to a refuge by the castle ruins and there in a vision his mother. Janet. comes to him, as she was in her youth, and brings him peace. P Christopher. oldest and favorite son of Joseph, has always been a disap- pointment to hix father because he has been afraid of the sea, but in his death he rises triumphant over his fear and saves the family trading vessel, the Janet Coombe, fri destruction. The Janet Coombe, ed for Janet and bearing her image in wood as a figurehead, has been the pride and joy of Joseph. her master, and often on starry nights when he has stood in the prow he has felt the presence of his mother with him. When the Janet Coombe is towed to retirement in the mud of the creek after her last voyage, the figurehead is uninjured. “a little white figute with her hands at her breast, her chin in the air, her eyes gazing toward the sea.” The derelict vessel becomes the wurfingmpllze of Jennifer Coombe and John, h great- grandchildren of Janet Coombe. One day while they sit on the deck just above the figurehead “Jennifer looked upon the figurehead in the white dress, the old-fashioned hat, the dark hair pushed away from the palé face, the eves gazing seaward. the chin in the air. ‘Oh!' cried Jennifer, ‘I wish I'd known her, I wish she wasn't dead. ‘She isn't dead’ (John says). ‘Isn't she?’ ‘No—she knows we're here, both of us' ‘I believe she does.’ They smiled at one another. ‘Jennifer, do you realize anything?’ ‘Realize what?' ‘Do you know you're exactly like her?'" When John and Jennifer are married and build their house on the harbor, near the shipyard where John con- structs expensive modern yachts, they bulld into & great outside beam the wooden figurehead of Janet Coombe. * ox X % After her successful Pulitzer Prize novel, “Years of Grace,” Margaret Ayer Barnes has again attempted to present the middle-aged woman who craves a last fiing with love before she succumbs to the evidence of her birthdays, knowsi to herself, however well she may ton- ceal them from others. This time, in “Westward Passage,” Mrs. Bafnes has covered a period of only a week in- stead of two generations, and has limited her narrative to a single in- eident. It might have made a good ghort story, but it is not a novel de- gerving much attention. Olivia Otten- dotf, married to Nicholas Allen, author, and divorced from him, has afterward married a wealthy broker, who has spoiled her badly. Returning from Europe. she encounters her former hus- band and they sentimentalize over each other until siie imagines the issue of & choice between him and the present husband. The sitution does not deeply intefest a rud:r.. e Ernil Trinkler, German sclentist, not thoosing the laberatory for his re- searches and adventures, began his geographical and geological explora- tions in 1923, when he made a trip to Afghanistan and India. In 1927 he agaih visited India, whence he made an _expedition to Northwestern Tibet and Chinese Turkestan. His book, "% l perhimpa. o0 ous, B}m‘hflw: t Roof of Asia,” 1s & rec of !m-: tion, fécord full -m"‘é':.fl""'"'"""""“‘ ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. This is & special t, devoted solely to the handling of queries, This paper puts at your disposal the services of an extensive organization in Wash- ington to serve you in any capacity that relates to information. This serv- ice is free. Failure to make use of it deprives you of benefits to which you are entitled. Your obligation is only 2 cents, in coln or stamps, inclosed ‘with your inquiry for direct reply. Ad- dress The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, ‘ashington, D. C. Q. What part of the money spent At race tracks in Florida goes to the Sll:e.i;h‘l E. D. . ie State gets 3 per cent of all beéts ' made mraush pari-mutuel ma- chines at dog and horse races and 15| per cent on admission and license fees. | is season it is estimated that the State will net at least $475,000. . Q. -What with rod and reel?—L. D. M. A. A Mako shark weighing 2,176 | pounds holds the record. It was caught by W. W. Selkirk in South Africa i | Q. What hospital is the largest gen- eral hospital in the world?—M. M. A. The Cook County Hospital of Chicago is the largest general hospital. There are many hospitals for nervous and mental patients which are larger. "'Q. Are British consols similar to United States bonds?—J. F. | A. British consols are obligations of Great Britain, just as United States bonds are obligations of the American | Government. Q. How many are in the crew of | the U. B. 8. Akron?>—H E. H. 1 A. ‘The crew consists of 60 men, of | which number 12 are officers. | Q. What early Presidents have held | the office of Kitchie Okemaw, or Great | Grand_Sachem, of Tammany Hall’— | P.L.D. | A. Presidents Washington, John| Adams, Jeflerson, Madison, Monroe, | John Quincy Adams and Jackson. Q. What is the largest privately| owned business in the world?>—R. T. F. A. The House of Mitsui, in Japan, is said to be the greatest business enter- prise in the world. Takatoshi Mitsui, | “the great” began with a dry goods' store, where he established the first fixed price, spot cash. no credit system. | He sold cloth in any length desired, in- | stead of only “kimono lergths.” The | house is ruled by the senior Baron| Hachiroyemon, 14th Baron Mitsui. but | the “prime minister” of the !\fl(sull empire is Baron Kakuma Dan, fre- quently referred to as the Morgan of | Japan. Baron Dan was graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Tech- nology. The aggregate wealth of the | House of Mitsui has been estimated at 2,000,600,000 yen, or $1,000,000,000. | is the largest fish aughl. | the ru Q. What were the first eommemora- uv_% colmw made in the United States? A. The silver Columbian half doflar, 1892 and 1893, and the Isabella quarter dollar, struck in 1893, for the ‘World's Fair in Chicago, were the first. Q. What is the origin of the expres- slon to send one to Coventry?—S. S. A. “To send one to Coventry.” says Crowell, “is to take no notice of him; to make him feel that he is in disgrace by having no dealings with him. It is said that the citizens of Coventry had at one time so great a dislike to soldiers that a woman seen speaking to one was instantly tabooed: hence, when a soldler was sent to Coventry he was cut off from all social intercourse. Hutton in his ‘History of Birmingham.’ gives a different version. He says that Coventry was a stronghold of the parliamentary party in the civil wars, and that troublesome and refractory royalist prisoners were sent there for safe custody.” Q. What are the heaviest rails used for regular service on a railroad?—E. N. A. The Pennsylvania Railroad has recently purchased rails which weigh | 152 pounds per yard. Q. How dense are clouds?—F. L. L. A. The densest clouds are probably not more than 1 part water to 30,000 parts air. > How long did it take to build the cathedral in Moscow which has recently been razed?>—M. D. M. A. The Church of the Redeemer was built to commemorate the deliverance of Russia from the French in 1812 and 1814. It was a thank offering of the Russian people for the victory of the War of Liberation. The work was actually begun in earnest in 1837 and the cathedral was completed in 1883. Q. When a man snd woman eccupy the rear seat of an automobile, does the woman sit at the man’s right or left? A. A woman enters a car first. In Europe it is extremely important that she occupy the position at the right of her male companion. In this country, is by no means strictly ob- served. She enters the car and takes her seat on the right and is followed by the man. who merely steps across the intervening space with a word of apology. Q. Will Mount Vernon be open to the public on Sundays during the Bicentennial Celebration’—C. G A It will not. The policy of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association has been to preserve the quiet. peace and dignity of this national shrine. Q. What fron?—F. A. is thought people first made tools of H } of tools an and saws of hardening and tempering steel was Q. What _does “Exitus acta probat” & familiar cne in Homer's time. mean?—D. E. M. A. It is a Latin quotation from “Ovid" :m:ld means “The result justifies the | Q. Are older people less susceptible to common colds?—E. R. A. Oider persons are less susceptible to colds. They may have developed a certain amount of immunity. Q. What States sent the most b ar for Cavalry and A. The greatest number of Cavalry horses came from Texas, Oklahoma, Oregon and Idaho in the order named. The greatest number of draft horses were secured from Missouri, Kansas and Jowa. | Q. How many families are there in Washington’—F. A. R { _A. In the 1930 census there were 126,014, Q. Why is a native of the Philippine Islands, called a Filipino, spelled with an F?—J. W. H | A. The Philippine Islands were | named originally Islas Filipinas honor of Philip IT of Spain. When ame became translated into En was spelled with a “Ph an “F.” The term Filipin [to the inhabitants, has tained in its Spanish form. Q. Is Kenneth MacKenna mar; M B. ) A. Kay Francis is his wife. Highlights on the Wide World Excerpts From Newspapers of Other Lands GYPTIAN GAZETTE, Alexandria. —Following the decision taken by the customs administration forbidding representatives of hotels and tourist agencies to meet passengers arriving on board ships, the director-general of the customs ad- ministration informs the public that these measures have only been taken following numerous complaints made by passengers, who, in fact, often found themselves surrounded by a large num- ber of these representatives who quite frequently throng round passengers and quarrel about taking their lugguge. Passengers’ luggage has frequently been lost in this way, and the responsibility has been thrown on the administration. On the other hand it has been estab lished that some of these representa- tives when boarding ships tried to smug- gle gold out of the country. In order to stop this, the administration has been obliged to search everybody going on board ships without any distinction This measure was very inconvenient. as it delayed the landing of passengers owing to the considerable number of these sentatives ana dragomags. For tfie convenience of passengers, the administration will put on the quays, where the boats are berthing. an enclosure which will be reserved for hotel and tourist agencles’ representa- tives. Pastengers will then be at liberty | to get in touch with these representa- tives. . * x * x Spanish Reliet Propesal Meets Opposition. 1a Razon, La Paz—The proposals of the Spanish minister of justice that adopt & two-year plan to assist the new republic out of its present dif- ficulties is not meeting with entire &ap- proval either from the press or from other governmental officials. Senor Unamuno declared, when he heard of | the project: “Such a scheme mizht be efficacious were we & nation of workers, but events during the past half-year have shpwn that we are rather a nation or idlers, each day increasingly desirous to live at the expense of the govern- ment without working for our own maintenance.” El Debate, a strongly ecclesiastical otgan, has stated editotially: “Agrarian and social reforms are valuable, but not so much so when conceived along the lines of Boviet or Communistic meth- ods. ‘Thé plan as proposed to the Cortes would really interfere with rather than promote u'rlcultlm}l actlvities, for few men will work as faithfully for others as they will for themselves. One's own ambition and aggrandizement are the mainsprings of human effort. The pro- posed pecunlary contributions from the chureh and aristoéracy constitute an- | other injustice, for so far these quar- ters havé already been drawn upon the most heavily. To demand more of either would be virtually to selze their prop- érty cotfipletely.” * x % & ‘Mussolini minded Of Pitfiotic Duty at Cinema. 5 Vaterland, Lucerne.—According to the story in the “Thousand and One Nights,” when the Caliph Haroun Al Raschid went about the streets of Bag- dad, disguised as one of his own sub- jects, he found conditions generally to his satisfaction, and the people dwelling in and satisfaction under his rule. ‘Whether the same conditions obtain when Bénito Mussolini makes a sim! excursion in his metropolis is not quite 50 clear. 1l ‘Duce, it is related, sought to ehjoy a little respite not long since from the cares and ceremonies of state, and éntered ifcognito a cinema of Rome to enjoy the program upon the screen. While seated there amid a throng of ordinary eitigens the orchestra play- ed the.Fascist national hymn, and the entire audience arose. That is, all except Signor Mussolini, who, m the desire, make himself less conspicu- more #o. LA mm)fll : mmmmwm.hz : “You Are inde leed courageous, but { really it would be more tactful for you to rise, despite your political convie- tions.” ‘Thus adjured, the Fascist leader was alacrious in springing to his feet. x * % % America the Menace” Held Universal Warning. The Japan Advertiser, Tokio.—An English translation has appeared of “Scenes de la Vie Future.” the extreme- | 1y well written impressrons and reflec- tions of the famous French novelist, | Mr. Georges Duhamel. ‘The very title of the translation re- e a fundamental misunderstand- of the authot's atm. It is called ‘America the Menace.” which gives the impression that the book is simply one of the periodical indictments of America and things American to which Europea lecturers occasionally treat themse in return for the la hospitality the receive in the United States. It is nothing of the sort. It is a revolt on the part of the artist and the individualist against the standard- | ization of men and values which me- chanical civilization (by no means con- fined to America) is forcing on us all. Mr. Duhamel thinks, of course, that the French, temperamentally the most indi- vidualist of nations, are best able to resist this standardization, but he knows | his modern Paris too well to assert that | they are actually doing 1t. The picture he paints of the “future life,” a distor- tion of modern America at its worst, | has aroused much indignation, but the more discerning will see in it & univer- sal warning. | —— }Mennce Seen in Posts Near White House | To the Editor of The Star: | It is my privilege to share with other citizens the more than ordinary beauty of the streets of the Naticn's Capital. On my way to and from the office I | find it convenient to use West Executive avenue, as it is the most direct way to reach my destination. It occurs to me | that not once have 1 seen the gates at the Pennsylyania avenue entrance |closed to traffic. That they were use- less was proved long ago when, during |the Harding administration, the gates | were removed end generously donated |to & municipality in Ohio to serve a | more useful purpose at the entrance to the cemetery where th- late President | Hayes is buried. With the gates re- | moved it is a mystery to me why the |two huge granite posts should be left standing. Surely they are not orna- { mental. neither do tnet sérve any sym- metrical purpose, as no such obstruc- tion exists on East Executive avenue. Yet there they are, a menace to traffic and a constant danger to pedestrians, for, although the posts act as a stralner and traffic must slow up in approaching them, their bulkiness seriously obstructs the view of aporoaching motorists and pedestrians alike and during the rush hours a person has to resort to both mental and Yhyslca) acrobatics to cross this particular spot. I take it for granted that they are not serving any useful purpose to either vehicles or pedestrians, as no suggestion has ever been made to erect other similar archi- teetural embellishments at other street intersections. Petsonally, I am in fa- vor of two less gate posts in the streets ilar | of Washington, and it is my hope that tho next time they “give them the gate(s)” they will give them the posts also. AUGUST J. NOGARA. ———— Some One Not So Happy. From the Boston Ev ‘Transcript ‘The Happy Warrior would seem to be causing considerable unhappiness for the man who gave him the title, ) Mfs. Murray Knows It. From the Minneapolis Journsl. dite; But Mrs. Murray knows it