Evening Star Newspaper, May 14, 1932, Page 4

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. _— WASHINGTON, D. C. BATURDAY. .May 14, 1932 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11th 8t and Pennsylvania Ave, -°110 East 42nd 8t pe e S TR - ent .. London, ean Omee sy Miand: Rate by Carrier Within the City. <5+ -45¢ per month ) (when 4 Sundays) . .60c per month The Evening and Sundiy Siaf (when 5 Sundays) The Sunday Collection made Orders may be sent n NAtional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. 1yr.. $10.00; 1 mo.. 85c Bl tng sunder. for. Stk e B Sunday only 1310 34.00; 1 mo., 40c All Other States and Canada. .1yr., $1200: 1 mo., $1.00 Binday only $5.00: 1 mo.. 50¢ Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclus o the use for republication of sll patches credited to it or not otherwise cre ited in this paper and also the local ne publisl ed herein. Al rights of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved 1¥r Organizing the Search. ‘There is an essential step to be taken before concrete results can be achieved from the President’s order yesterday directing “the law enforcement agen- cies and the several secret services of the Federal Government to make the kidnaping and murder of the Lindbergh baby a live and never-to-be-forgotten case, never to be rclaxed until these criminals are implacably brought to Justice.” That step is formally to designate one of the many Federal investigating forces as the clearing house for all in- formation relative to the search for the criminals, and, if practicable, likewise to centralize authority for directing the activities of the various Federal agen- cles. 1In other words, to put somebody in charge. With this step on the part of the Federal Government, which can only be taken by the President, some action is necessary on the part of the States to enable the Federal forces to co-op- erate intelligently with State and mu- nicipal police. The Governors of .I,he States could easily Temove an exist- ing handicap by formally requesting in- tercession by Federal agents and direct- ing the State and municipal police to co-operate with the Federal agents ‘whenever such co-operation is requested. The two obvious difficulties under which those investigating this case so far have labored have been, first, the natural secrecy with which Col. Lind- bergh himself has had to guard eny clues as to the identity of the kidnapers as long as there existed the slightest possibility of recovering his child alive. The second has been the absolute lack of co-ordination between the Federal and State agents, and even between the Federal investigators representing different branches of the Government. This first difficulty has been removed by the tragic discovery of the body of the child. The second should be re- moved by decisive action on the part longer recognized as the sole factor in accidents. The change has come about by the development of better cars, better equip- ment, better roads and better drivers. Four-wheel brakes, balloon tires, a pre- cision of manufacture and wide high- ways have raised the safe speed of automobiles in the past twelve years from ten to twenty miles an hour, and this fact has been recognized by authori- ties who have to do with this important subject in the various States in the Union. Even with this change, however, there is still no place on the crowded arteries for the speed fiend who is out to dis- cover how fast his car will go, regard- less of the safety of other users of the road. Inasmuch as it does not seem possible to ferret out such inclinations before he is granted a license to drive, the next best thing would appear to be to take away from this type of driver any suggestion by the manufacturers of his particular car that he will be in- stantly transformed into a Barney Old- flield or a Ralph de Palma and could immediately install one of those cute little signs on his rear spare tire, “Excuse my dust.” Accordingly, with the manufacturers’ co-operation, the ! campaign of the commissioners to re- move temptation to “hit it up” should prove an ald in reducing the accident toll. ——— The World Court. But for the more engrossing interest in other news of the moment, Thurs- day's favorable action on the World Court by the Senate Committee on For- eign Relations would be an event of paramount political importance. By a vote of twelve to nine American par- ticipation in the Permanent Tribunal of International Justice was approved, thus paving the way to eventual affirm- ative action by the Senate itself. When that will be taken is, unfortunately, under the obstructive possibilities per- mitted by Senate rules, a matter of disconcerting doubt. The foes of the court, though defi- nitely in a minority, are dying hard. If the roll call in the Foreign Relations Committee is a criterion, the opposition might be able to muster the strength to prevent the two-thirds vote necessary for final ratification in the Senate. ‘That the old irreconcilable group, intact and insistent as it ,was in Versailles treaty fight days, intends torpedoing the court protocol, if it can, is once again painfully apparent. Although Senator Borah's committee has approved American adherence, Senator Moses succeeded in incumber- ing the favorable vote with an amend- ment requiring all other nations sig- natory to the protocol to signify their understandings of the Senate reserva- tions. This is a proposition deliberately conceived for time-killing purposes. The processes of diplomacy, which originated with the snail, would entail a minimum of two years before such world-wide assent could be hoped for. Court proponents believe they can kill this obstructive proposal on the Senate floor, once the Foreign Rela- tions Committee report reaches that arena. Whether it will be found pos- sible during the remaining weeks of an of the responsible Federal and 10¢all gireqqy overcrowded session to bring suthorities. This is a manhunt that should be pursued with unrelenting vigilance. It is one in which the Nation as a whole should engage, irrespectiye of State and county lines, irrespective of individual | credit or remown. Crime and the underworld have flaunted law and or- ganized soclety, resting in a certain security behind the shadow of their about decisive debate appears prob- lematical. The irreconcilables, who | have already contrived to let nearly ten years of moss grow over the original proposal, would postpone consideration until next December. They have found delay their strongest ally and are plot- ting for more of it. There is, of course, no scintilla of sound reason why the issue should baby hostage. All that, now, is over. No labor is too great, no expense too not at once be dragged into the Senate oper. and fought to a finish. The decade high to bring those guilty of an oul- ' of frysiration to which the project has rageous crime to justice. No barrier | peen subjected since President Harding should remain to block the way of those Jaunched it in February, 1923, is noth- who are to make this a “never-w-b?'\ing short of a legislative disgrace. forgotten case, never to be relaxed.” Three Presidents In succession have —_——— |approved American entry into the American newspapers were faced World Court. Three Secretarles of State with a delicate task In connection with the Lindberghs. They met the re- sponsibility which required silence with restraint and dignity and when the information was due gave it with punctual accuracy. The real spirit of journalism is not reliably inter- preted by dramatists for stage and screen who have sadly confused the manners of the reporter with those of the racketeer. ————e e Hints that George Washington was, not a skilled grammarian overlook the | fact that no man can become a Master Mason without achieving close knowl-! edge of some of the most beautiful forms of expression of which language found so much fault with the poor old | is capable. ——— | supported it. Three American jurists of eminence have in turn occupled places on the World Court bench. The best legal minds in the country time and agein have urged our adhesion under the safeguarding provisions of the Root reservations. The pros and cons of the question have been argued to the point of threadbareness. The time for action has come. Further pro- crastination is unnecessary and inde- fensible. e e Several of the so-called college comic publications appearing on the news- stands leave many elderly persons won- dering why their fathers and mothers Police Gazette. Speed on the Road. ‘ The decision of -the Eastern Con- ference of Motor Vehicle Commission- ers at a recent meeting in this city to discourage the “specd complex” on the | part of motorists by persuading the automobile manufacturers to eliminate eo far as possible, emphasis on speed and power in their advertisements should prove productive of beneficial results. The question of speed on the SSEEse Every thoughtful citizen earnestiy desired every happiness for Charles A. Lindbergh. “The will of the people” has again suffered a sad defeat. e e Cynical declaration to the effect that money can buy anything is the latest and most disheartening addition to the list of “punctured proverbs.” - ——— | A Premier Loses His Job. ‘ “Down under,” out where the South Seas begin, they have just shown what ! can happen to a statesman who is re- creant to his trust and blind to the sanctity of governmental obligations. New South Wales, the principal state of the Australian commonwealth, for | the past few years has been under the | domination of the Labor party and its | aggressive leader, John Thomas Lang. | As premier and treasurer of the state, highways occupied much of the delib- erations of the annual conference, and it was the consensus that the claims of manufacturers for their products often resulted in reckless driving by motorists to prove or disprove the capabilities of various cars as advertised. In other words, the mo- torist who bought an automobile that was advertised to deliver a speed of eighty or ninety miles an hour would, et the first opportunity, proceed to test out the claims made for it, thus b coming a menace to other users of the road. Co-operation with the manu- facturers by the commissioners of the various States was therefore decided Upon as & measure to reduce accidents throughout the country. In the past ten or twelve years the opinion of traffic experts on speed has undergone a radical change. Anything over twenty-five or thirty miles an hour, even on the open highway, was considered as certain evidence of reck- lessness, and many a motorist discov- ered “the law” chugging along behind him if he should dare to push the speedometer needle up to the high mark of thirty-two or three miles an hour. Today it is entirely cifferent. Some States have abolished speed lim- 1ts altogether, others have set the limit up to forty-five and fifty miles an hour and the few States which have limits Mr, Lang was virtually its autocratic ruler. Early in 1932, at his behest, New South Wales defaulted on interest pay- ments due on its bonds in London and New York. A little later in the year it defaulted on another payment. | Thereupon the Australian federal com- monwealth passed the financial agree- ment act, under which it accepts re- | sponsibility for the obligations of pro- |vincial governments, and the New | South Wales defaulted payments were covered from the national treasury. The commonwealth then moved through the | courts to seize the income tax revenue of the recalcitrant state. Premier Lang temporarily balked that step by secret- ing the tax file and suing to bave the court action declared unconstitutional. | The apparently final act in this un- precedented political tragi-comedy was | staged at Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, yesterday, when Premier a5 low as thirty-five miles an hour are | Lang was summarily ousted from office, considered :omewhat backward in fol- | His removal was ordained under the lowing the trend of this fast-moving ' executive authority vested in the crown generation for speed and more speed in governor, who is clothed with emer- its dally life. Speed in itself 1 no gency power for such extraordinary pur- 1 THE EVENIN poses. The direct cause of its invocation was the distribution of a circular letter in which the deposed premier urged provincial department heads to with- hold local revenues from the common- wealth, Mr. Lang declined to recall the letter and the demand for his resigna- tion ensued. The United Australian party. Labor's opposition in New South ‘Wales, was thereupon asked to form a provisional government, which will hold office until a new general election is held, at as early a date as possible. Australia has been in the throes of & devastating economic crisis more or less chronically since the World War. It has been putting up a brave fight in the face of almost insurmountable obstacles. The commonwealth authorities, jealous | of the international reputation of Brit- ish credit, realized that the action of | New South Wales was designed not only seriously to damage British credit, but | to arrest economic recovery by frighten- ing indispensable foreign capital away from the continent. The disciplinary measures to which Premier Lang has at length fallen vic- tim should help to re-establish the ! world’s confidence in Australia and in | the integrity of its securities. e The Oldest Hero Story. From Oxford comes word that fifty | more lines of the epic of Gilgamesh, the traditional Babylonian hero, have been found inscribed on a stone tablet lately excavated at Kish, a very ancient | city in the desert of Irak. This is re- | garded as a most important addition to the oldest adventure story in the world. One estimate of the Kish tablet places its writing at about four thousand years ago. But even that does not necessarily | mean the beginning of the Gilgamesh epic. From time to time contributions | to this adventure story have been made ' as records have been unearthed, with | evidences of earlier production. As | digging is continued and older and older cities are brought to light earlier ver- sions of Gilgamesh may come to hand For Gilgamesh is the fundamental, basic story of herolsm. Historically Gilga- mesh is reputed to have been a king in the first dynasty of Erach. to whom is attributed a reign of 126 years, which is doubtless an exaggeration to be understood in the light of some of lhe{ great ages reported in very early rec- ords of man. Gilgamesh was a soldier Wwho became a sun god. To him were attributed many feats of great valor. He sought the secret of immortal life and perpetual youth. In him are embodied the nature myths such as are identified with all primitive civilizations. From the Gilgamesh epic ramified innu- merable legions throughout the Medi- terranean area and Southwestern Asia. There are traces of Gilgamesh in the folk tales and myths of the Hebrews, | Phoenicians, Syrians, Greeks and Ro- mans, throughout Asia Minor and even in India. The finding of fifty new lines, presumably dated earlier than those hitherto available for study, is conse- quently an achievement of moment, and it is hoped that these lines may supply gaps in the story of this oldest tale of heroism of which man now has any records. If Mussolini insists on dropping Eng- lish words, along with those of other foreign languages, from the Italian vocabulary, it may become proper to insist on eliminating some of those old Italian storfes from our circulating libraries. —————— Comparatively few kidnaping plots are successful. It is not unreasonable to assume that the criminal in such a case is a fool who should be as easy to catch as he is difficult to deal with. ———r————— ‘Tariff legislation is necessarily de- layed by the statesman who feels it essential to go back and assure the home folks that he at least put up a struggle. ———————— Before reducing Government wages, a few words should be heard from the genuinely scientific efficiency experts. e — Illiteracy in communication calls at- tention to the old theory that ig- norance and crime travel together. e e SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. The Silly Season. Now life grows serious and stern. The world has very much to learn. 1t is no time for romping rhyme Or soft romance where roses climb. Experience, no longe- kind, Asserts a cruelty refined We love the merriment of yore. The silly season is no more, The flowers have grown sad at last, Fond emblems of a vanished past, When honor held more might than guile | And love reigned in a baby's smile Smart impudence has lost its pride. The cep and bells are cast aside. The shadows dark we must explore. The silly season is no more. Dangerous Assumption. “You have made a profound study of politics,” remarked the friend from home. “Don't advertise any impression to that effect” said Senator Sorghum. “You're sure to lose votes if you allow our friends to think I'm assuming to know more than they do." Jud Tunkins says sometimes he thinks a pessimist is an optimist who has only just woke up. Fantastic Phraseology. “Psychology,” to words inclined, Hints that the world may not rejoice | Tl what they call unconscious mind Is hocked up to the silent voice. Customary Classification. “Would you marry a poor man?” asked the sentimental girl “Certainly," answered Miss Cayenne, “that is, if I married at all. I don't see |why I should hope to be different. Friends always say ‘Poor man!' when a woman lands him. “To cheat,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “is senseless. The operation is easy, but in a short time the quest of new victims becomes most laborious.” Frequent Impression. Men seek harmonious to be; Yet some in a listening land | Who play the loudest off the key Sound like the leader of the band. “Dar’s gineto be jealousy an' hard feelin’s,” said Uncle Eben, “as long as G STAR, THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. “How much music there is in mere whistling!” wrcte Walt Whitman in one of his prose moments. An American professor was to get himself a great deal of publicit; half century later by declaring “only morons whistle.” ‘The poet, however, didn't know about that, and he wouldn't have minded if he had. He spoke particularly of the birds, those eternal songsters, whose music is, after all, just plain whistling. Those who abhor human whistling should think of what the birds do. “Mere whistling," as Whitman put it, “is four-fifths of the utterance of birds. There are all sorts and styles. For the last half hour ncow, while I have been | sitting here, some feathered fellow | away off in the bushes has been re- peating -over and over again what I may call a kind of throbbing whistle.” This poet, who could just as well have been called a Washingtonian as not, perhaps better, wrote most of his na- ture notes on the spot. “As I finish this, seated on a log close | by the pond edge, much chirping and trilling in the distance, and a feathered recluse in the woods nearby is singing deliciously—not many notes, but full of music of almost human sympathy—con- tinuing for a long, long time.” * x ok *x Whitman discovered what all people find out who listen to bird songs, that their two favorite concert hours are the first and last of daylight. He found a “woody place,” he tells us, near a creek, where the birds loved to congregate. “Especially at the beginning of the day, and again at the ending, I wus sure to get there the most copious bird concerts.” The poet was not a precise handler of words; such a phrase as “copiou: bird concerts” is somewhat crude Eng- lish, but at least it had the merit of being perfectly clear. No modern read- er is in doubt for a second what he meant. He once posed himself with the fol- lowing question: Which is the best bird singing, “the first or the lattermost”? Like many a listener before and after him, he chose the concert at dusk as the most beautiful. “The first always exhilarated and perhaps seemed more joyous and stronger,” he wrote, “but I always felt the sunset or late afternoon sounds more penetrating and sweeter—seemed to touch the soul—often the evening thrushes, two or three of them, re- sponcing and perhaps blending. “Though I missed some of the morn- ings, I found myself getting to be quite strictly punctual at the evening utterances." o ox % | The birds offer the city and suburban | dweller one of his finest opportunities for Nature observance; he does not | have to go to pondside or forest, but | the birds come to him, and he listens, as to the finest music. | It must be admitted that if the birds | were as persistent and as blatant as some human whistlers there would be no living with them; but the fact is that even the noisest of them is weak compared with some of the juvenile lungs lustily at work on the latest fox- trot love song. | The robin is about as shrill a bird as there is, especially when he is engaged | in that popular “calling for rain” This is a mixture | of clucks and clacks, of whistles cut| off sharp. and of trills that begin but never end. When a robin is busily “calling for | rain” he comes as near as a bird can to annoying a human listener. That is, if one happens to concentrate on the y a that | bird calls, and on nothing else, he will | thing is that a monotonous repetition, | our wonder how one comparatively small | creature can make so much noise, and why he does it. TRACEWELL. As a weather prophet a robin is rather good. One will be inclined to question his ability, however, when he discovers that he never chirps until the day becomes clouded over. Almost snyl one can predict rain on a cloudy ay Perhaps the robin redbreast prognos- ticates by symptoms of hunger, rather than by eyesight: he knows, from cen- turies of ancestral experience, that ralny days bring the worms to the surface of the ground. However he does it, he almost always “hits it,” and will be found thereafter softly hopping arcund in the wet grass, WASHINGTON, D. C, SATURDAY, | | { { MAY 14, 1932. THE LIBRARY TABLE BY SARAH G. BOWERMAN. Senate and House documents are not usually found on the library tables of general readers. A recent Senate docu- ment might well, however, be given a place among the fiction, biographies and histories on any such table. It would have to be a big place, for this document is a heavy book, handsomely printed by the Government Printing Office on fine, satiny paper, with many illustrations, and bound in blue cloth, Its subject is “Washington: The Na- ticnal Capital,” and it was prepared by H. P. Caemmerer, secretary of the Com- making darts now and then at the mission of Fine Arts. The edition is earth. For all his size, &s our song birds go, the robin is a complete gentle- man. His only rival, in this well-bred air of his, is the thrush. The latter is our fayorite, but next to him we place | the robin. 'Another gocd point in the latter’s favor is his constancy. He | comes to our gardens early and leaves late; as a matter of fact, a few of them ometimes stay all Winter in excep- tionally mild years, * % % % Many children brought up in country and small town seem to know the vari- cus song birds by sight, but city chil- dren, grown to man's estate, often will not find their identification an easy matter. Yet for the keenest enjoyment of these fathered friends it is essential to know their names. be made by giving them names of one’s own manufacture. ‘Thus we cailed the cardinal, loveliest of them all, the “cheer bird,” on ac- count of the curious sound which it emits, As “the cheer bird” it was known to this writer for many years before he knew what it was. “That red bird,” of course, was another kandy title. Our latest find is what we call the ‘dandelion seed eater.” He is minute, about 2 inches long, with bright yellow breast and black wings, forming a sort of black “Y” with his tail feathers, of the same color. His bill is black. These tiny birds fly in flocks and are so light that they can land on a blade of grass and sit there, Surely they must be wild canaries, but it is difficult for the amateur to identify them from the bocks of plates showing different birds in colors. Some one with real knowledge of birds could tell one more about them in five min- utes-than one could get from all the books ever written in a week trouble is that you are never quite sure whether the bird ycu see in the yard and on the plate are exactly the same, * * x * ‘These small birds are doing their best in many a yard, on parkings, and in vacant lots, to clean up the mll-l lions of dandelion seeds which are now showing in white puffs. 1t is almost & hopeless task, but the little birds are hard at it, trying to cope with the evil to the cultivated | lawn. A flock of them will fly down, settle | on the swaying dandelion stems, and shortly there will not be a seed left This is a feathered friend. indeed. Mostly these little fellows just chirp. It canot be dignified by the name of whistle, even, the sound they make. It is a thin, reedlike sound, which weuld scarcely be pleasant, were it not associated with the skimming, dipping work and their bright coats. Seen from a distance, in the hours just after dawn, these small birds look like so many fluttering butterfiies or Autumn leaves. Even the croak of a tree toad, or the whir of the katydid, is not discordant, in its proper setting. And the strange in Nature, is scarcely ever distasteful, as human sounds, too oft repeated, tend to become. Hawaiian Case Settlement Accepted as Best Solution Inability to obtain justice in the Hawalian Islands is emphasized by | many as the foundation of the settle- ment of the Massie case. Under the circumstances a technical verdict of guilty, followed by a brief term and freedom, is accepted as logical, though appeal to a higher court is suggested ns an alternative. Reform in criminal prosecutions is proposed. “In_the light of Honolulu justice, what less could the Governor have done than commute the sentence?” asks the Portland Oregon Journal, describing the attack on Mrs. Massle as “a Jast word in eriminality,” and attesting that “the horror of it, the tragedy of it, the ghastly shame of it, filled the mind of Lieut. Massle with a terrific anger, just as it would any decent husband.” The Harrisburg Telegraph suggests that “it | will be some time before another wom- an is assaulted in Honolulu,” and &s to the conclusion of the case, that paper thinks “the supremacy of the law is upheld and public demand for leniency | for the accused js met.” | “In the exercise of the Governor's power to commute,” says the Omaha World-Herald, “there is logically to be considered, not alone the question of guilt, but of provocation and of ex- tenuating circumstances. Commuta- tion is an act of legal mercy, and the sense of mercy and compassion, as well | as justice, are its proper guides. The appeal to the sense of mercy in this case seems little short of overpowering The Oshkosh Daily Northwestern feels that the governor’s action, “like the verdict of the jury, at least has the merit of having conformed to due process of law and in all probability is the best way out of an unusual and delicate situation.” ® %% “A man's right to protect his wife’s| honor, as well as her life, has a bear- ing on such cases,” in tha opinion of | the Ann Arbor Daily News, which con- | cludes: “Technical justice was satisfied by the verdict of guilty, and the Gov- ernor of Hawail gave recognition to the unwritten law. The combination of the verdict, the sentence and the commu- tation was a compromise that should satisfy both those who insist that ‘the law is the law' and those who belite that there may be exceptions, and that the Massie case was one.” “In view of all that had happened, and especially of local conditions,” de- clares the Dayton Daily News, “it was far from clear that anything would be gained by consigning Massie and hi mother-in-law for a long term to prison. | Here the final authority spoke. The | pardon power intervened. There re- | mains, from the whole case, a de- cidedly bad taste in the mouth; vet this outcome is probably the best that could have been devised. We are left with the problem which led to this case in-| tact.” “Prom this confused mix-up,” ad- vises the Baltimore Sun, “it is impos- | sible to draw any inferences except that | Hawailan®justice is in a terrible mess. Nothing that has been done appears to have been based on any serious convic- | tion as to what ought to be done about | the original crime or as to the real cul- pability, if any, of the unfortunate Massie defendants. The whole business is shot through with hysteria and con- fusion, to which members of Congress have largely contributed, and which seems likely to react unfaverably upon aff: in Hawall for a considerable| period to come.” | % a b x “Had the crime been committed in any American State,” according to the San Jose Mercury Herald, “the defense and prosecution would have used the | same tactics. The trial would have been a battle to secure an emotional | verdict. The appeals would, of course, be some members of de family has to stay home an' wash dishes while others go to de circus.” [ varied, because the emotions of an American and a Hawallan community ‘would not be the same, therg be no difference. What the Mas- | jority of Americans." |is not to be justified. That this taki of the law out of the hands of the au- | | tion. sie trial has done is to throw the spot- light on the faults of American crimi- nal courts. From the standpoint of criminal justice they are odious, no matter what emotions are sought to be capitalized to sway juries. And Amer- ican criminal justice will never be effi- cient until the people give judges the power to compel lawyers to abstain from | such tactics, and make trials, in fact, a | Jjudicial inquiry, and arguments to the jury a candid analysis of testimony ad- dressed to its reason and judgment. It is bad enough to have government by emotion in politics, but it is intolerable in the courts.” “For several reasons the defendants might have preferred to stand on their appeal rights and carry the case through to what they hoped ultimate! might be unconditional acquittal” states the Rockford Register-Republic. recalling “that many Americans felt the legal machinery of Hawaii operated to prevent a fair trfal.” The Toledo Blade iolds that “a verdict of not guilty—and that verdict alone—wculd have met fully the viewpoint of the great ma- ‘The South Bend Tribune is convinced that the longer sentence “would have been a miscar- riage of justice.™ “The disposition in Hawali in respect | to the defendants in this case.™ the Oakland Tribune, “is one of pathy and understanding. Lynch law st ng thorities was occasioned by a belief that | the Honolulu police were not zealous | in their efforts to apprehend men guilty of an outrageous crime is the charge which has been freely made. In an- swer to that, Honolulu has summoned cxpert advice in the effort to reorganize its police.” ———— Consumer Should Not Object to That From the Spokane Spokesman-Review. | Dean M. L. Wilson of the Montana | State College of Agriculture is in Wash- ington with a new plan for the relief of American wheat growers. He calls it the allotment plan, and claims for it | | “four convincing points: First, that it |12 is a price elevation plan that will not |stimulate production: second, it does | not involve foreign dumping; third, it | requires no outlay from the Federal | Treasury; and fourth, it contemplates local administration.” The tariff on wheat is 42 cents a bushel. The purpose of this plan is to give the farmer the world price of wheat in foreign markets, plus an additional 42 cents. On wheat sold at the mills for domestic consumption the growers would receive allotmwent cer- tificates worth 42 cents a bushel, the millers buying these certificates on all wheat milled by them. If the farmer’s price could be in- creased 42 cents without cost to the Government, then who would pay that 42 cents? The consumer, for the mill- ers would pass along the 42-cent cer- tificate charge to merchants buying flour, and the merchants would pass it along to the consumers. Farm Board economists are examin- ing this plan. If they find that it offers no other objection than that £mall cost to the consumers, that objection should not bar it from adop- The farmer is entitled to a living price for his wheat, Consumers should be willing to pay it. A Visiting Oracle. From the New York Times ‘The original Alice of Wonderland is | now visiting the United States, and perhaps we might get her to ask the March Hare to ask the Mad Hatter to ask the Carpenter to explain the way the stock market has been behaving. A beginning may | | The | Ellicottplans Tedbreasy pastime, | flight of the birds, their beneficent | Trado, {1t in Colonial estates. |the chairman of the | fifty-fourth annual | people. | Rockefeller Museum in San Jose. limited to 4,000 copies. Mr. Caemmerer says in his foreword: “Several years ago the writer was persuaded by the public school authorities of Washington to un- dertake the writing of a history of the development of the National Capital, It was sald that while clvics was taught in the class room, there was no text| book suitable for reference and that it was necessary to make use of prints and clippings. About the same time a si est from a Cornell Unis sity professor expressed the need of a history of the plan of the National Cap- ita! for use in teaching a course in his- tory of landscape architecture in the College of Architecture at that univer- sity.” The writing of the book was de- layed until the public buildings program ¢f the Government had taken definlte form. * k% ok v of the move- ished the seat of gov- Potomac and of the early settlements along the Potomac. Part 1I discusses the development of the Capital and the plan of the ci from the earliest preliminary studie under the direct and minute super- vision of President Washington and Secretary of State Jefferson.” The City of Washington thus originated as no charce utility settlement. The plans for it were prepared with the aid of great models from overseas. Royal governors and wealthy planters were interested in the art of landscape ar- Cchitecture and had already introduced The maps and reproductions of engravings orpsearly Washington used as illustrations are as interesting as map: 1 farther those of L'Enfant. Speculation pre- vailed then as now. “The building of the city attracted many real-estate speculators, who invested heavily. Rob- ert Morris, James Greenleaf, Thomas Law, John Nicholson and Samuel Biod- gett were among those who lost there- by.” Real estate spe in terms of palatial apartment hotels. “When Washington City became the city of Government in 1800 there were 109 brick houses and 262 frame houses, .ahrzulaqmg a total population of about The Jater parts of “Washington: the rial and the Arlington Memorial Bridge, ct of Columbia, public buildings and institutions, archi- tecture of early day: semi-public buildings, and institution: developments to the present, the mun; cipal center, government of the District of Columbi Washington Board of Arlington National Cemetery, statues and monuments. Part XI, en- titled “Miscellaneous,” includes a list of Presidents of the United States, a Cchart of the Government of the United States (admirable for any one to copy in larger type and keep for reference when in need of information about the execu- tive, legislative and judicial functions of Government), a bibliographical list books on the National Capital, and some quotations from great Americans on the National Capital. Even a long- time resident of Washington may learn much from this book and its delight- ful illustrations. Perhaps one may come upon a picture of some smpall, but artis- tie memorial in a section of the city Irequently passed, which has never been noticed. Facts once known but forgot- ten and facts never known emerge from Interestin of many m\ en the story. Which we smile at as relics or shudder at as monstrosities less justified when “{:\sy ow thets stary, “Waterless Mountain, Navajo Armer, was bery medal contribution statues and buildings Know thelr siory. ' e story of an boy, by Laura ng ,fl recently awarded the New- for thethst distinguished L 0 children’s lite: published in 1931 by the sec’:]v.lx‘a;a“;; library work with children of the American Library Association. The award was presented to Mrs. Armer by sec';lun during the conferenc American Library Asscwluli::ne u‘frz\fhf Orleans. The story is that of Younger Brother, a young Navajo boy of the present time, who learns the ancient secrets of his tribe and the mysteries of the medicine men in the sun- parched desert places of Arizona. Mrs Armer is legends, symbolism and cere- Mals, and an artist whose paintings of Navajo mythology have brought her widespread recognition. Into the tale of Younger Brother she has woven many illuminating glimpses of the co- mestic and religious life of the Navajo Of her choice of title, Mrs Armer says that her inspiration came during a trip to the Navajo's country to copy sand pair for the new Her travels took her to a remote section of the country. where there was a moun- tain topped by a large flat mass upon which there was not a drop of water. This waterless in is made a bolic theme g the book. Tlustrations are by M 4 self d her husband, Sidne San Francisco artist. * x4 % The Newbery medal, which is award- ed annually at the conference of the American Library Association, was es- tablished by Frederick G. Melcher of New York in honor of John Newbery, one of the first publishers to appreciate the value of good books for children. Other books which have won the award are “The Story of Mankind,” by Hendrik Van Loon, 1922; “Voyages of Dr. Doolittle.” b; Lofting, 1923 he Da Charles Boardman Haiwes, Silver Lands.” by Charles Finger, 1 “Shen of the Sea,” by Arthur Bowie Chrisman, 1 “Sme the Cowhorse," by Will James, 19 iay Neck,” by Dhan Gopal Mukerjl. 1928; “Trumpeter of Krakow,” by Eric P. Kelly, 1929; “Kitty, Her First Hundred Years.” by Rachel Field, 1930, and “The Cat Who Went to Heaven,” by Eliza- beth Coatswerth, 1931 * * Philosophy can attach itself to the most ordinary things and e philosopher reeds but little to start reflection Hilaire Belloc’s volume of essays, Conversation With a Cat and Oi . arts with a Pe in the bar room of a railway station and ends with speculations about the mutations and transmutations of life. Mr. Belloc has just said the cat, reclining in his lap: “I will respect your sleep and we will sit here together through all uncounted time, I holding you in my arms and you dreaming of the fields of Paradis tender calls “Puss, puss” and “Ama- thea” (Mr. Belloc’s name for his chance acquaintance) lifts herself del- icately and leaps lightly to the floor and joins her older friend at the bar. * ok ok * William Beebe has again been leeving this crowded surface of the earth in favor of the much more romantic depths of the sea. It is both more original and more exclusive to sit in a bathing suit on the edge of a coral reef than on a resort beach. In his last book, “Nonesuch: Land of Water," g'ubllshed under the auspices of the ew York Zoological Society. he de- scribes his recent undersea explorations near Bermuda. * r t ilations were not | ational Capital” deal with the public| buildings program. the Lincoln Memo- | public buildings, | g bits of the past! Some of the statues | recognized authority upon | _Ithat nation, so infinit » | would not n cat met | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN. This is a special department, devoted solely to the handling of queries. This paper puts at your disposal the serv- ices of an extensive organization in Washington to serve you in any capac- ity that relates to Information. This service is free. Failure to make use of it deprives you of benefits to which you are entitled. Your obligation is only 2 cents in coin or stamps inclosed with your inquiry for direct reply. Address The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washing- ton, D. C. Q. In two-handed cribbage. what is considered an average count for a hand?>—C. F. B 5 A. In six-card cribbage the average expectation of the non-dealer for hi: | hand and pegging is 12 points; for dealer, in hand, crib end play points. Each player hav had a deal, | their scores should be about 29. If a ! player is 29 or more he is said to be “at home,” and if he is 7 or more | points ahead of his opponent on even deals he is said to be “safe at home.” Q. How fs the distance for of a marathon race determined A. According to the Grerk story, the original marathon runner was Pheid pides. He ran from Marathon to Ath- ens to inform the King of the Greek victory. He dropped dead from exhaus- tion immediately afterward. The exact distance was 26 miles and 386 yards which is the standard distance of the marathon run jn this era. he run H. K Q. What does the mileage of mem- bers of Congress cost the Governmer yearly?—C. T. N. A. Transportation allowances to members of Congress are said to exceed $175,000 annually. Q. Is our persimmon a native fruit? —L. T. W. A. 1t is a native fruit and grows wild throughout the Eastern United States from Connecticut to the Caro- linas and westward to Missouri and Arkansas. The American persimmon is mon, or date-plum, which came orig- inally from China. This tree bears a than the American species and is more tropical, having been grown successfully is Southern California. Q. What relation to President Roose- velt is Gov. Roosevelt of New York?— G.S. H. A, Pranklin D. Roosevelt is a fifth cousin of the late Theodore Roosevelt Q. Why are cups sometimes called mugs?—N. T. A. In early days the drinking cup was often made in the form of a face. and was therefore called a mug, an old term for face. Q. Did Phillips Brooks often quote poetry in his sermons?—G. M. A. Alexander Allen, writing of Bishop Brooks, “He objected to quota- tions in a sermon, whether of poetry or prose, because they weakened the power of personality.” Q. When was Washington baptized? —B. A. T. A. By the present style of reckoning, | the baptism date is April 14, 1732. | Q What Bool . 8. A. In the traditional histcry of the Roman Kings, the Cumaean Sibyl sold to Tarquin the Proud the Sibyllin Books, Tradition says that the books became of the Sibylline C | Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus and were destroyed by the fire that consumed the temple in the year 83 B.C. Q. Are more perfumes and cosmetics | L MUNDO, Havana.—The Muni- cipal Council has decreed that detailed and explicit plans for | any building wherein it is contemplated to exhibit cine- matograph films must first be sub- mitted to the department of internal afairs of the district, in order that s | every precaution may be taken to see the bullding will be safe for such use | Already several calamities have trans- pired, both in the capital and other | sectors of the island, because the halls were never designed with safety factors | against such grave .ontingencies. {new provision also makes it unlawful | to store more than 12 rolls of film, each {1,000 feet long, In anv building where | motion pictures are shown to the publ | * % ks | Dutch Oppose | Selling Islands to United States. La Prensa, Willemstad —Some years ago there was published in Den Vrim- cedige, then the leading paper of Cura- cao, an article strongly advocating the sale of the Dutch Windward Islands to the United States, declaring that if the project were put to a plebescite, two- thirds at least of our population would be in favor of this transfer of alle- Exception was taken to this view, after the publication of such an interesting recommendation, and S |claimed in rebuttal that we were |too proud of the unique and gl | history of our mother country and of the prodigious deeds of valor, as well as he constructive achi s for hu- {manity acknowledged to her people in { nearly every quarter of the globe. The world has not forgotten the cour- {age and persistence of the Dutch when nal compared ation of her with the areas and pop antagonists, fought bravely for liberty and independence, pledging themselves to no rest until the Spaniards and the French were driven from the Nether- lands. And if the world has not for- gotten, much less have we, loyal sub- Jects of the mother country, forgotten how the States of Holland, Zeeland and the other provinces joined in close lunion for the future, decl even if they should find all the of nations of the earth again fall to mainta pendence and inegrity till the last fell. No, our destiny is to remain alws a part of our beloved motherl | lieges Queen Wilhelmina and patri- otic citizens of the Netherlands—real Dutchmen, even though by virtue of geography we are called West Indian Dutchmen. There is little either that our little West Indian Islands will be transferred to another fiag or that the form of our centsal government of Holland will ever be changed to that of a republic. Our whole history. our sensibilities and our | traditions make such propos con- gruous and fatuous in templation! likelihood * ¥ k% Municipal Creditors Start Costa Rica Action. La Tribuna, San Jose—Holders of municipal “pavimentacion” (pavin stock, issued by the corporation to pr vide for these necessary improvements in the city, are now resorting to legal curities, which has not been paid since | January. Another interest payment| will be due next month. However, we understand that the funds to pay the interest, and also to make a partial payment on these bonds, has been available since the thirteenth of Jan ary, but the holcers refuse to the cash because the municipality de clines to recognize the discrepancy now existing in North American exchang:. The bonds were originaliy issued on the basis of four colons to §1, but now the International Bank has notified the , municipality that liquidation must be based upon the ratio of 4.25 colons to si. Officials of the city informed us some 4 a close relative of the Japanese persim- | larger and much less astringent fruit/ were preserved in a stone chest in the ! A, "impomd than are made in this coun- try?—A. B. | "A. Only about one-fortieth of the | tollet preparations in terms of money | value are imported. 1 Q. How long has “The Star Span- gled Banner” been the national ane them?—I. S. H. A. “The Star Spangled Banner” was made the national anthem of the United States by act of Congress, signed by the President, March 3, 1931. Prior | to this its only official recognition oc- curred nearly a hundred years after it was written, when it was formally ordered to be played in the Army and y on occasions of ceremony. Its standing was undisputed in other lands, and whenever America was honored in music this air was played. Q. It s necessary to send a gift when invited to a church wedding?— L. T. D. A. There is nothing compulsory about giving a wedding present. It de- pends entirely upon a person’s inclina- tion. At a home wedding the guest list is usually limited to frinds of a degree of intimacy which leads them to wish to send gifts. Often in church wed- dings a reception card is inclosed with some invitations. Those recefving re- ception invitations are in the class with guests at home weddings. Q. What Is a trot-cozy?—E. R. A. It is the name given & hooded riding cape. Q. Why didn't Queen Alexandra be- come Queen of England upon the death of King Edward’—N. H A ndra was Queen of rtue of her being the ng Edward. On the death of arch the kingship is inherited dest living son. Q. When were concerts given in t. A. The Et place in New York City in 1765. Q. What is the origin_of the new name of Constantinople?’—P, B, A. Istanbul is not really a new name. It has always been the Turkish name for the city. It is from the Greek words meaning “into the city.” Is it lawful to buy playing cards, k the seals, altar the cards and 11 them again?—T. N. A. A person can do this under cer- regulations. He would have to be i as a repacker. He would file & thiy statement with the collector nternal revenue of his district and the necessary revenue stamps. Q. Who is Marcia Davenport, author of “Mozart"?>—R. T. She is the daughter of Alma Gluck and stepdaughter of Efrem Zim- balist. In writing the biography she had the assistance of both musical and historical authorities, and visited prac- tically every city Mozart was in. She also had unlimited access to every library and museum containing Mo- zartiana. Q. What was Briand's oath that there should be no war?—E. K. | A. The famous oath pronounced by Aristide Briand in an address to the Assembly of the League of Nations on September 11, 1930, was: “Tant que | je serai ou je suis, 11 n'y aura pas de Fuerre.” (So long as I am where I am there shall not be war.) O. When is Midsummer day?— D. S A. June 24. Q. Which are the 10 Jargest cities in Canada?—C. B. A. In crder of size they are: Mon- treal. Toronts, Vancouver. Winnepeg, Hamilton, Quebec. Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton and London. he Wide World the first open-air country?—S. W. that they took F. Highlights on t Excerpts From Newspapers of Other Lands | time ago that they had the necessary | funds to discharge these bonds in ac- cordance with the original agreement, buv that if they were oblig=d to pay the difference in exchange on them the | higher payments compelled during the first quarter of the year would retard payments in the latter quarters of the year in the event that the municipal | income was not materially increased by then. | CHLa T Government Banks | Feared in Guatemala. Nuestro Diario, Guatemala.—The | establishment of government banks, or the engagement of the government to a controlling extent in banking, are piocedures which we will be wise to avoid. Other public institutions have alwa; benefited under political L. and it is likely that the fleld unities party, or even personal, enrichment at the cost of the public. The existence of the country is so | contingent upon credit, funds and money at it would be the very essence of stupidity to make this department of natic onomics a political shut- tlecock. Finan affairs, public or private, must never be exposed to the machinations of political inflence or favoritism. ———— Vitamin C. From the Omaha World-Herald, believes he has succeeded in isolating and identifying vitamin C. It will take a lot of proving to con- vince scientists generally of the gen- uineness of his discovery, but assum- ing that he really has cornered a vita- min he has performed a scientific achievement of the first order. To it the finding of a needle in a haystack on a pitch-dark night is comparatively simple. If you do find the needle, you at least know it for a needle the minute it pricks your finger. But you can't be sure your vitamin is a vitamin until you have painstakingly proved t it can't be anything else. The vitamia is something like life itself. You know it is there, but you can't separate it from the material body it inhabits. There are a whole family of vitamins which constitute a sort of sclentific alphabet crackers. Vitamin | € is one of the most important. It is that element, substance, principle, property or something in certain foods which prevents the human race from | being carried off with scurvy. It is known that it cag be destroyed by heat or developed by sprouting grainm, but what becomes of that which is de- stroyed or where that which is being developed comes from is a mystery yet to be explained. The scientists have been looking for the explanation in & chemical formula, Scientifically one must suppose dis- covery of the existence of the vitamin is important and valuable. Popularly, however, it has been a cussed nuisance. It is the parent of more food fads than all other discoveries put together have spawned. We shudder to think of the consequence of actual isolation of one when the bar-|action to get their interest on the se- of the brood. —— R gt Smedley’'s Waterloo. From the Connelisville Courler. For once in the history of engage- ments in which he has pa ticipated, the former Marine comm: not send he messeg o and have the situation well in - A Great Need. From the Hamilton (Oatario) Spectator. What is described as being a fool- proof airplane has been developed in | Ttaly, and we wonder if the special | gadget or dooddad that makes it s could be attached to automobiles.