Evening Star Newspaper, December 6, 1932, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning um'-._ WASHINGTON, D. C. SUESDAY......December 6, 1832 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: Rate by Carrier Within the City. Evening Btar.... ........45¢ per month he Eve and 8unday Btar (vien 4 Bundavs) 60c per month vening and Sun (when 5 Bundays). 7.65¢ per month The Sunday S ;.5¢ per copy Collection made at the end of each month ders may he sent in by mail or telephone Aticnal 5000, Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virgini | 1mo. 8 . 1mo.. 50c 1¥r. $4.00; 1 mo.. 40¢ All Other States and Canada. ily and Sunday...lyr. $12.00: 1 mo., $1.00 | E:télinnly ey 1ve 1800 1mo. ise day only 1111 yr. $5.00; imo. 50 Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dis- atches credited to it or not etherwise cred te this paper and also the local news published hercin. All rights of publication of #vecial dispatches herein are also reserved. its attraction for generations to come. | mens on display are of high value, and, since each exhibitor entered only a few examples, the philatelic wealth of the community must be vegy great. The gallery last evening was filled with eminent collectors and guests. Philately needs no apology, but it is entitled to certain eqganation. It should be made clear tha no collector worthy of the name is exclusively in- terested in the speculative worth of stamps. To gather specimens solely be- cause they one day may be guictioned for profit would b2 a perversiga of the science. Authentic philatelists rye con- cerned with the historical, gpygraph- ical, esthetic values represented h their albums. It is this fact which _)res to| | philately its now unchallenged Fisition | as a cultural occupation. Stamp collecting is here to stay. By | the same logic, it is here to make| progress. The basic strength of the sclence is the enthusiasm and devotion of colleciors, old and young, profes- sional end amateur. The exhibition at the Washington Bullding testifies to the popularity of philately in this gen- | eration and witnesses to the power of Sl T P The House Vote on Repeal. Last March 14 witnessed the first real | test on changing the elghteenth amend- | ment since it had been placed in the Constitution, the House on that date The State of the Union. President Hoover today transmitted o Congress “informaticn upon the state of the Union” together with certain recommendations for legislation to im- prove conditions. Undoubtedly to the people of Washington, the seat of the | National Government, his proposals re- | gardinz cmployment and pay of Federal workers will appear of vital interest. | He recommended a continuation of the “furlough system” adopted by Congress | for the present fiscal year. and to this Be added a selary cut of eleven per cent | upon all Government pay in excess of | $1,000. It is estimated that, added to the | furlough-without-pay cut, the average | salary cut for those receiving more than $1,000 a year will be slightly in excess of 14 per cent. The cut now proposed 15 for one year. The great need of reducing govern- mentel expenses in the plan for a bal- anced budget is cited by the President as the reason for calling for a further and additional pay cut for Government employes. He said that the cost of liv- | ing has been reduced by 20 per cent and that therefore the Government em- ployes and officials could better stand ghe proposed cut. Admitted that the Government ex- penditures have run far too high, it is | not a matter of record that Congress has ever hastened to give the Federal employes high pay to match the in- creasing cost of living. It would be fairer now to lop big sums from the Government expenditures in some other direction than from the wages of the workers. Undoubtedly the recommenda- tions to cut salaries will be strongly re- sisted. The proponents of Government pay cuts will seek to use the psychology of the unemployment situation to bolster their cause. But it is always a debatable question whether it is possible to im- prove the condition of a whole people by pulling down a certain group to a Jower level of wages. ‘The President suggested in his mes- sage, too, the need of new sources of taxation and in effect recommended 4 general manufacturers’ excise or sales tax. The plecemesal attack on the tax problem made by Congress at its last session has proved insufficient to meet the Government’s needs. The Chief Executive quite properly said that it would be not only fairer, but far more efficient to levy a reasonable and uni- form tax on manufacturers than to sin- gle out a few for higher rates of tax- ation. While Mr. Hoover leaves no doubt in the mind that this country has a struggle ahead of it to mount finally out of the slough of the depression, he pictures the country as a going institu- tion of great and enduring virility, with | much to be thankful for. He declares that the public health, notwithstanding the hardships the people have en- countered. is better than before the de- pression began. He points to the lack of industrial strife as a good sign, too, end the improvement made in employ- ment and production and consumption since last July. Among his most important recom- wendations to Congress is a proposal that the banking system be recrgan- jzed and strengthened. The appalling number of bank failures in this country—4,665 banks suspending since January 1, 1930, with deposits totaling $3,300,000,000—is given by the Presi- dent ss a clear indication that there is & fault in the system. His statement | the Judiciary Committee frem further | voting 227 to 187 agaifist discharging considcration of the Beck-Lintiicum | resolution for modification of the| cighteenth amendment. | The vo'e in the House yesterday on | the Garner resoution for unqualified repeal of the eighteenth emendment was 272 to 144, just six votes shy of the necassary two-thirds major The House that voted yesterday was | the same House that voted eight months ago, and the remarkable display of wet strength yesterday on this most drastic of wet proposals reflects the growing wet sentiment thet showed itself 1irst in the party conventions and later in the naticnal election. ‘The question now is whether the wet votes yesterday marked the high point of flood tide, to be followed by an ebb, or whether the sweep of the wet cur- rent registered yesterday was merely indicative of new highs to be reached in the next Congress. It might be ac- cepted as an o:ious fact that if a Congress which w5 dry six months ago has become so we! now that a mere six votes in the House prevented passage of a naked repeal resolution, the same resolution will be passed by the new and much wetter Congress without a struggle. But there are other considerations which cast doubt on such an assump- tion. A part of the strategy of House leaders yesterday was to take advan- tage of the momentum already gained by growing wet sentiment and to test the strength of that sentiment before any contrary reaction had time to as- sert itself. Furthermore, passage by the House of the Garner resolution yes- terday would merely have transferred the fight to the Senate, where such a resolution would have had even less chance of passage than in the House, but where such chances would have been increased by favorable House action. - Pailure of the resolution in the House means, in all probability, failure of sub- mission to the States of & new amendment during the short session. That failure has been already inter- preted as rendering inevitable a special session after March. The interim will provide the dry forces, stunned tem- porarily by the decisive defeats suffered all down the line since the Republican National Convention, the needed oppor- tunity to close ranks and embark on & new fight. The nature of that fight remains to be determined. But in his speech last night in The Star's National Radio Forum Senator Capper's refrain was his opposition to the return of the saloon and his assertion that the re- peal of the eighteenth amendment meant the return of the saloon. That is the refrain of others who, not sharing all of Senator Capper's convictions, still believe that naked repeal of the eight- eenth amendment means the return of the saloon. That is the refrain that will be heard in the Senate, when it resumes consideration of the Glass amendment for repeal of the eighteenth | amendment, coupled with constitutional guarantee against the return of the saloon. That theory will be empha- sized between now and March even more strongly than up to this time, for up to this time the rush of the wet tor- rent has served to drown out everything else. The House has provided the drys with a welcome breathing spell. In the meantime, it has been demon- strated that had House leaders been | disposed to compromise with those who | that during the same period in Great Britain, which has been terribly hit by the depression, no banks have failed must convince any one that there is need of reform in this country. The President stresses the neéd of econcmic co-operation with other na- tions in the effort to restore a measure ©of prosperity throughout this country and the world. Three lines of attack are suggested—first, disarmament; sec- ond, an economic ccnference soon to be held, and, third, a proper handling of the intergovernmental debts. No sug- ge=stion is mede of debt cancellation by the United States, but the implication 1s that other avenues of payment than cash might well be opened. “Over There” is now due to be war- bled Bam'’s gold supp r——— 7 Stamps. The third exhibition of the Washing- ton Philatelic Society, which opened yesterday, demonstrates that in the Capital, if not elsewhere, philately is a Teal science, not merely & pleasant pas- time or a harmless hobby. Stamp col- fecting has taken its place with numis- matics smong the cultural studies. So complex and intricate is the subject that to be a master in the field sig- nifles long years of application and ex- gerience. Yet so simple is it in its fundamentals that the average school- boy may enter upon a philatelic career unafraid. Democracy prevails, and all comers are welcome. Warren Irving Glover, Second As- sistant Postmaster General and founder of the philatelic agency of the Post ‘Office Department, has sald that Wash- ington is the capital of the stamp-col- lecting world, and it therefore is not gemarkable that the present show should be of exceptional interest tg col- believe that the prevention of the sa- | loon and the protection of dry States, | promised through different agencies of | enforcement in both political platforms | | and by both the victorious and the de- | | feated Presidential candidates, should |be written into the Constitution, ‘Krevman of the eighteenth amendment | would now be on its way. And the vote | yesterday indicated the difficulties of passing a Volstead act modification over | the' President’s veto, should he receive | a bill from Congress which may be challenged strongly on constitutional grounds. | | | e | Chicago is going to hold a great fair and expects a great crowd, delivered | | mainly by automobiles. It will be a| automobiles of a nature to typify de- | pression have been bringing to the| District of Columbia. ——r——————— Confiscation in Spain. With a suddenness that will take people in this country completely by surprise, Spanich- American relations |are seriously clouded by impending action in the Cortes at Madrid. Accord- ing to a bill just introduced by the government, it is proposed to confiscate, for purposes of nationalization and state ownership, the National Telephone Company of Spain, in which an Amer- ican corporation, the International Tele- | phone & Telegraph Company, has & majority interest of $65,000,000. The United States Government has promptly and vigorously objected to the threatened action. The confiscatory legislation is cpposed not only because of the immense intrinsic loss to Amer- ican interests involved, but because such “unilateral” action on the’part of the Spanish government is contrary to the comity of nations and the fundamental principles of international law. The . THE BVEVYwE $PI%, WASHINGTON, D. C, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1932. = State Department's protest at Madrid goes the length of intimating that if the projected confiscation is carried out the American Ambassador may be with- drawn and diplomatic relations with Spain automatically broken off. The contract under which the Amer- jcan telephone corporation operates the Spanish telephone system was en- tered into in 1924, during the dictator- ship of Gen. Primo de Rivera and the waning years of King Alfonso's reign. The affair was denounced in Spain at the time as a deal which was accom- plished through bribery of public offi- cials, but those charges were never pressed or substantiated, and do not now form the basis of the government’s | confiscatory enterprise. Soon after the overthrow of the monarchy the repub- licans introduced and then shelved a bill to abrogate the Americans’ con- tract. Recently radical deputies in the Cortes insisted upon reviving the issue, and the government ylelded to their “It is better to travel hopefully than | to arrive,” said Robert Louis Steven- son, in another connection, | might have meant hobbies. Most_hobbies are good &r:cl!ly be- | cause there is no end to them One can come to the last milé in a collection, which' is the form so many hobbies take. There are always more specimens to investigated. The practical and theoretical sides of enough to keep the enthusiast happily busy for the rest of His life, if he uses the essential moderation which adds zest to all things. Fortunately, there is no incentive for making any sort of “drive” in connec- | tion with the pursuit of a legitimate demands, though indicating its reluc- tance to pursue a policy which might | cause a rift with the United States. Important in itself as the I T. & T.'s imbroglio with Spain is, it assumes spe- | cial significance becaus> of the com- pany’s far-flung interests in twenty other | countries which might look to Spain | for leadership. Many of these are Latin | American States. The United States | has always taken consistent and strong | ground ageinst confiscation of its na- tlonals' interests by forelgn govern- hobby of any sort. ‘The very nature of the thing makes for a slow approach, with plenty of time allowed for anrecintion of its in- tricacies, its highlights, its good and bad points. For every hobby has its weak points. ‘These, sure enough, often are turned into features by the dyed-in-the-wool ‘fan,” the man who prefers lying to himself rather than telling the truth to himself, but that does not make them anything but weak points, after all. ‘There is no hobby which does not have them. Therefore the man taking up a new enthusiasm is suspiciously on the watch for them, as he enters into his new do- ments. Recurring difficulties with Mex- | o0 ! ico resulted from such threats to Amer- | ican commercial rights. American re- fusal to recognize Soviet Russia springs in part from the Communists’ confisca- tion of hundreds of millions of dollars’ | worth of American property and Mos- cow’s stubborn opposition to any form | of restitution. A vital principle of international law is involved in the pending dispute with Spain, and its outcome will be watched with abiding interest in other eapitals than Washington and Madrid. The menace which Spain's action connotes could overtake the nationals of any country, so America's present stand at Madrid has far-reaching implications. ———e—— After receiving Andrew Mellon as the greatest Secretary of the Treasury since Alexander Hamilton and hailing Ogden Mills as the greatest occupant of the office since Mellon, Carter Glass is regarded as in line for the distinc- tion of being hailed as the greatest since Ogden Mills. ————————— Congress has at least been making an effort to clear away the beer question and give undivided attention to more | important matters. Curiosity has been | strong as to whether beer legislation | could walk a straight line or move in | a zig-zag. Tl DT SR The District of Columbia taxpayer is again compelled to bear the imme- diate burden of economic derangements which, in its patient votelessness, it had no share in producing and no oppor- tunity to give legislative counsel that might aid in averting them. ———r—————— A New York theatrical club is re- ported to be in financial difficulties be- cause of a big butter and egg bill. This disposes of the impression that the big butter and egg man is the chief pe- cuniary reliance of the theater. —r——————— Much has been said and sung about “The Sidewalks of New York.” The demonstrations at present on Pennsyl- vania avenue are of greater immediate concern. ————————— Repeal of the eighteenth amendment lost by six votes in the House of Rep- resentatives. A lame duck may not be able to fly, but it is still able to assert itself by influential audibility. SomamomanEas A few of the college professors who speak over the radio make it easier for the public to understand why so many students prefer the foot ball fleld to the lecture Toop. — a—————— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. ‘What Then? What then? The question must appear From day to day; from year to year. As at the chess board players sit Seeking to say which move is fit, We strive with care—and strive again' And with each move we ask “What | then?” One move or even two or three Is very easy to foresee. Only a genius true can claim A foresight far into the game We piay 'gainst Fate. The pawns are men. Once more we pause and say, “What then?” Favoring a Revision. “Are ydu glad the dry Congressmen won a victory?” “I'm not sure,” answered Senator Sorghum. “It looks to me like a pe- riod in affairs where politicians might revert to those old days when in order to be popular they were expected to treat the crowd.” Jud Tunkins says the man who won't take advice is foolish and so is the man who takes the wrong kind. Delay. | Some ordered beer with great good | cheer, And as in long ago cnly in connection with Uncle | PAying crowd and not the kind that | They sigh, “My dear, is it not queer ‘That waiters are so slow!” “They say that George Washington Sometimes used ultra-vigorous lan- guage.” | “I don't doubt it,” answered Miss Cayenne. “Is it not unfortunate that only in this respect some of our mod- | e statesmen are able to imitate him! “A broken promise,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “is like a needful crutch that has been used for firewood | In & passing chill.” Irrelevancies. Trotsky hits the old typewriter, Einstein does a sum. Paderewski, much politer, Makes the keyboard hum. Though they work ten hours a day And lead a merry dance, What has this, the people say, To do with world finance? “Go to church,” sald Uncle Eben, bitious to_ be famous as de. loudest singer in de cholr.” 1 “an’ try to learn, ’stid o' gittin' am- | Nothing ever goes wrong here, ac- “experts.” All is plain sailing. In the heart of the rose lies a worm, at the bottom of every hobby there is some difficulty, some trouble, io be en- countered, do not be fooled about that, it would not be 5o if it were not life, which incessantly ebbs and flows, and which has trlumph at times only be- cause it knows failure more. In listening to the enthusiast™alk of his collections, whatever they may be, the innocent bystander might think that no problems were to be encoun- tered, no difficulties met, no disap- pointments faced. If he becomes smitten himself with the particular virus and goes at it with the 'vigor of the apprentice hand, it will not be long before he learns that all is not gold that glitters, nor any plcture quite as rosy as it is painted. He will discover what he should have known all along, that most human beings only put their ‘“best foot forward,” whether it be in sports, en- thusiasnis, or the more practical aspacts of life, when talking to others. They prefer to cover up the failings |of what they have, not out of any par- ticular tenderness to the subject itself, one may think, but rather because they want to appear all-perfect in ther se- lections. Just why they imagine that they ave fooling any one it is difficuli to say. Few actually have the wool pulled over their eyes, in such matters, except by their own pulling. And right there one runs squarely into one of the basic delights of hob- bies of all sorts, especially those which take the turn, as most of them do, of being collections of one sort or another. The primary delight of a hobby is that every hobbyist, in first taking it up, anticipates a perfection which he knows does not exist, but which he hopes is to be found there at last. Perfection! Every collector longs for the ultimate, and hopes to find it. If he is half a man, he will not be too much disappointed when he does not, however. The trials and tribulations of a col- L COMERCIO, Lima.—The col- lecting of Peruvian coins is a sufficiently interesting pastime, albeit, in these days, an expen- sive one. The hobby provides, of course, an acquaintance with two very different periods, the Colonial and the present. The periods might further divided into many other numis- matic eras, but these two grand di- visions may be said to include, roughly, first, all the coins minted before the foundation of the republic, and, second, the modern period, comprising mintages since 1821. Difficult of acquisition as are the coins of the earlier period, those of the last hundred years, including even the issues of the past decade, are hardly more accessible for the majority of people, and o, unfortunately, collect- lecting these pleces of stamped metal is not a pursuit which has a very large clientele. We all have, however, an opportunity, to contemplate and talk about the as- sortments which do exist. both agreeable and educational to trace the history of our country through most of them truly works of art. The first coins struck in Peru bore the date of 1535. These were rather heavy, irregular chunks of silver bearing on the obverse a cross of four equal arms, the emblem of “La Orden de Cristo,” with the inscription around the edge, “Carolus I de Hispania Rex.” On the reverse appeared “Lima, El Peru,” and the date. Smaller coins, bearing the same insignia, were issued during the epoch of Gonzalo Pizartro. These were also of silver. Thirty years later Philip II ratified the first laws governing American coin- age. The date of this decree was Au- gust 21, 1565, and the initial coins under this authorization showed the columns of Hercules and between them the words “Plus Ultra.” Above this legend was a “P,” if the money was intended for use in Peru, and an “M” if designed for circulation in Mexico. Below, figures indicated the value in reales (Spanish currency unit). On the reverse side ap- peared coat of arms, the initial “R” for the royal assayer, Don Alonso Rincon, and on the circumference “Philipus II.” These coins were marked variously 8 and 4 reales, and have individual char- acteristics of different dies. At this time Spanisk money was also used largely in Per, including doubloons, crowns and “pleces of 20" all of them minted from gold, and requiring an unlimited coinage of- Peruvian silver pleces to preserve any sort of balance and interchange. By means of these heterogeneous mediums trade was transacted more or less conveniently until 1686, when Carlos II authorized an entire new coinage of uniform’and distinctive type. These were largely superseded in 1728 and 1747 by new coins bearing'busts, Tespectively, of Felipe V and Fernando VI, with new values and appropriate inscriptions. These were largely in use, with occasional additions of other mon- archs, until the republic revised its | monetary system, and began to mint its own money in 1825. The subject is an entertaining one, though necessarily restricted in vogue. But specimens of every issue exist in the collections that have been as- sembled in Peru, and can be seen by any apprentice antiquarians, o ey Marine Monstrosity Menaces Fishermen. El Mercurio, E£antiago—A marine monstrosity three imeters long has ap- peared in the waters off the Province of Chiloe. It was at the very point of shipwrecking the small boat which ven- tured out to capture it. but he| road, but scarcely ever to the end of a| be gathered, and more branches to be| the subject, in all its ramifications, are | And it is| these pretty discs of gold and silver, | BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. High Lights on the Wide World Excerpts From Newspapers of Other Lands be | something to do with it, the vision was | with a good heart; and if the heart | does not find it good, that the heart | & modern individual may act with such cording to the enthusiastic words of the | the, matural restraints and limitations | faces—to themselves—than with being | From the Philaediphia Public Ledger. lector and of his collections are a part of the happy whole, due to the fact that appreciation of rightness is in- variably whetted by wrongness. ‘The discovery of the faults and fail- ures of any subject, and their correction, or cure, if that may be, constitute the | very part of an enthusiasm which is| enjoyed the most by many persons. Can it be that all this trouble is the | best part, the most desirable portion, of a hobby? Can it be that failure and its cor- rection, if possible, are the true zests | of life? Or that acceptance, if correction is ot possible, is the necessary thing, and needs correcting, too? ‘While there may come times, in col- leciing. when hurry is the essence of the sc-me, in the main a delightful slowness is the best part of it all. Lack of pressure, a human sense, is one of the finest features of riding a hobby of any sort. Here every man is his own master, | at Jeast. | He does what he pleases, or he does not do it, just as he pleases. And often enough his favorite recre- | ation is about the only affair in which freedom. He is held back everywhere else by | visible and invisible bonds, many of them running back through the ages, but when it comes to his stamp col- lections, or his tropical fish, or his golf, or his tennis, or his beetles, or his old prints, he is his own man, subject only to his own_desires, his pocketbook and of his hobby. The theory of liberty and freedom becomes an actuality, in the sm2!1 world of the collector. Every man is born free and equal here, indeed. ‘The iittle world he explores is nearer comprehension, in its several features, than the blindingly vast system of things called Nature. He can discover something or other here, no matter how often it has been explored in the past. This will come about, in part, because of the inability of some human beings to admit the truth when they find it, if that truth does not square with their preconceived notion of things. It is amazing how many notions men build up, then how persistently they work to support their preconceptions, no matter how much at variance they find the facts. How many persons do you know whom you have ever heard admit they were wrong about anything? Two sentences one seldom hears: “I do not know” and “I was wrong about that.” ‘You can’t blame people much, at that. Nobody likes to feel he does not know, or is wrong, and especially that others know he does not know, and know he is wrong. Mostly it is a case of what the Orientals call “saving the face.” The majority of human beings are more concerned with saving their right or wrong. The reason why every enthusiast, no matter what his hobby, has a chance to discover something new, something useful, something right, is that men with manufactured notions fail to ex- periment with open eyes and minds, simply because they do not choose to run the possibility of finding themselves in_error. ‘The man who delights in discovering himself wrong, and who is willing to admit that the joke is on him, even if he has to admit it to others, will get the greatest possible “kick” out of his hobby, because he will have the satis- faction of the scientist as well as the rightness of the moralist. He will be traveling hopefully the right road. herént and fragmentary account of what transpired, but it seems that one of the men rashly attacked the monster with a pike, and in its pain it charged the boat with the results to its foes which we have already related. It may be, of course, that imagination had so fantastic. But it is genuinely mel- ancholic, too. Heroic and silent is the life of fishermen. They seek their sil- very prey in peril and solitude, and have little genius for invention of gro- tesque tales. X * o ok k Shanghai Ready For Finance Reforms. North China Daily News, Shanghal.— ‘To the editor: The time for the re- vision of the District Court agreement is drawing close, and a section of the Chinese population is urging for the complete rendition of the municipal aims. And why not? The ever-increas- ing prison population cannot be for- ever a burden on the ratepayers’ shoul- ders. The enormous expenditure on gaols might well be diverted to some useful purpose—hospitals or schools, for instance; the council might, through the consular body, accept responsibility for foreign consular prisoners, but why maintain a large establishment and a huge foreign and Indian staff on the municipal pay roll, the expense of which the government appears to be very keen on assuming. The Chinese government collects quite a large sum through the customs which seems to do the ratepayers here very lit- tle good. By all means let them spend something on their nationals in the €2t~ tlement. Anyhow, if the cost of living rises very much more, quite a number of us will be seeking the hospitality of the local prisons; and maybe the munic- ipal orchestra will at least justify its existence and keep us amused during our stay there. RATEPAYER. P The Stricken Caribbean. Two thousand people who lost their lives in Cuba in last week's hurricane are the latest of many thousands who have, ever since man first knew the Caribbean Islands, been periodically sacrificed to the storms that brew at sea, come swirling in between North and South America and lay waste those lands nestled beside the Gulf Stream. Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Santo Do- mingo, Haiti and even the Florida main- | land have all felt that fury and seen their homes destroyed, their fields devastated and their people left dead or dying. It is the old, old story of wind and torrential rain striking at lands that are forever recovering and never safe, Both Haitl and Puerto Rico have often felt the blow. Last year Puerto Rico felt it again. The year before that Haiti was particularly hard hit. Four years ago Puerto Rico was strewn with ruin, and Cuba as well was left battered and in mourning. In 1926 an espe- cially violent storm roared through the Caribbean and struck the mainland in Florida with terrific fury. Other years have seen such storms whip across the blue waters and go whirling even up the Mississippi Valley. 1t is a storm center of the Western World, and the plight of its people comes ectly from the hurricane. W'gemer its storms are bred in the | stage for all time. NEW BOOKS AT RANDOM LG M “CAN AMERCA STAY AT HOME?” By Frank H. Simonds, author of “Can | Europe Keep the Peace?” New | York: Harper & Bros. “Can America Stay at Home?” puts the question whose answer, direct, logi- cal, convincing, gives the ‘substance of this study. Its method is that of an examination of the United States for the last decade. A close examination into the spirit and equality of its for- eign relations during this period as| these refer to war settlements and fu- ture peace securities. With the serious news reader, no stu- dent, publicist, special correspondent stands higher than Mr. Simonds. A thoroughgoing delver into facts, fair in his evaluations, broad in his back- | grounds, progressive in spirit and most readable Withal, this journalist is sub- stantial in both promise and fulfillment. He is, here, in fine measure. In general scope this is a the four American administrations that | have succeeded the World War. In more of detail, it is a scrutiny of each | survey of | | of these in its international significance, backed by the common spirit of the country itself, as well as by the more restricted urgencies and demands of party politics, looking this way or that. But, moving shead, in either wide vision at this point or microscopic detail | at that, one senses the answer to this | titular ‘query growing round and full, whether we altogether like it or quite positively do not. An interesting approach to the heart | of this matter is a brief reminder of the youth of this country. A little scant of three centuries since the May- flower cet the Pilgrims ashore, these bent only upon freedom to worship God. Freedom and peace. A domain of amazing extent and natural resource which under the 4ndustry and thrift of | healthy and husky settlers became, within this little reach of time a marvel to the other side of the world, domain to be coveted and possessed. Young and lusty and a shade arrogant, the great new land, out of its physical setting, developed isolation as a national policy, supj to this minute, in_theory at least, through the First President’ H warning against “entangling alliances, “You tend to your business and we'll tend to ours,” said this robust young- ster, and meant it, too. But then, plous by temperament, it did send oft devout evangelists to show the heathen which way heaven lay, and much later in some wholly justifiable resentment it did set up a war with Spain. But save for these quite commendable out- farings the United States did, until the World War, preserve more or less intact its high policy ef isolation. From this point Mr. Stmonds steps into America’s position in respect to the great conflict. ‘Wilson, high-minded citizen, cloistered scholar, instinctive autocrat, a power of eloquent persuasion. Laying aside for | the moment his high executive office, | this President of the United States be- took himself to Europe, there to out- line peace and equity and wellbeing to this worn old soldier in national rival- ries and conflicts. And he took him- self so seriously end behaved so grand- 1y, and the lure of the New World's re- sources was so stropg with that Machia- vellian tribe over there, that the Presi- dent came back to the White House actually believing what the diplomats had said, actually believing that he had made the world safe for democracy, had brought to peaceful issue the war that was to end war. And that President died of the ultimate disclosure and an- other one took his place. Then Mr. Simonds points out in fine detail the procession of conferences which, to the United States, seemed the way, the only way, to ultimate and conclusive peace for Christian countries to pursue. So a naval conference, a peace con- ference, long and ceremonious talks about “cancellations” and ‘‘mora- toriums” and other knicknacks of diplomatic inoomeguence came along as possible and, indeed, quite probable, means of settlement and universal bed- time for many orderly and quiet nights the world over. The jacket of this book is the best of guides. Listen: “Why have ell Ameri- can adventures in peace from Wilson to Hoover failed?” Read that chapter, 1y, Again, “Why is a European war in- evitable and how can the United States postpone it?” Better study that. Once more, “Why do Europeins find our conceptions of peace naive and our official proposals hypocritical?” “How did the Sino-Japanese 'clash break the back of the League of Na- tions and reduce the Paris pact to a ‘scrap of ™ And “Can America ever again ignore world affairs and return to her tradi- tional policy of isolation?” ‘These not all of the questions for American readers to spell out and fol- low along here for their expert trails of reasoning, for aptly set budgets of in- formation, for positive and direct bodies of concrete case and conclusion. These merely a sample of the positive advance of Mr. Simonds through the intricacies of an international complex, bearing down upon America itself at many an unescapable point. As for isolation, that is not possible, according to this waywise investigator. Nor does it in any real measure exist. Trade, investments, credits, the spend- ings of milllons of tourists and students, the to and fro of art, music, painting, literature, fashions—all of these have bound the United States to Europe in bonds so substantial that further lines of co-operation cannot be resisted. The literal shrinkage of the earth precludes isolation if no other spirit, no other demand united these two parts of a single whole. However, the story is Mr. Simonds’ alone. If you are looking for informa- |tion upon this topmost theme of inter- national engrossment, here it is—suc- cinct, driving, conclusive. If you are testing the validity of the argument, here is a fine point for analysis and checking. If you are a student of these tremendous days in their most im- portant points of significance, do not let this chance go by. No, you may not agree, probably you will not at every spot of disclosure, but difference of fiy&lntdn often whets intellectual exer- cise. Testimonials of substance gather about this study by our foremost_jour- nalist in politics. From H. G. Wells, Owen D. Young and many another of equal authority and experience. A book, clearly and positively, for American readers to study at this particular ten- sion of international affairs. T A Birthday Valedictory. From the Newark Evening News. Having arrived at the age of 66 years and possessing a competence, David Warfield says he is through with the He got some hard knocks during the depression, but noth- ing seriously damaging, so he views life with an indulgent eye. Warfield began humbly and finished his professional career in the heights. Memories rise of early days when the man who later was to play Shylock to great audiences was a Jew comedian of the era of the 90s. He was a shoe- string peddler with Lee Harrison as his “feeder.” In the act Harrison, re- ferring to an imaginary dog whose at- tentions had bothered Warfield, says: “You know, Isaac, the barking dog never bites.” Whereupon Warfield, with doubts assailing him, remarks: “You know the bar! dog never bites, and I know the barking dog never bites. But the dog—he don't know.” It was a far cry from the old side- walk conversation to “The Merchant of Venice,” but Warfield went the distance with honor. He alm o " and “The Auc- “The tion: background. * Perhaps acuteness of the humor that produced the barking dog held him back. Yet he went far and strove nobly. A Wholesale Bivalve. Prom the Lowell Evening Leader. That 2- m,moh'.-mg?n Bay to be capable of fla attracts ufimm can conclusively foretell.” The M L Je o to “4 Take advantage of this free service. If you are one of the thousands who have patronized the Bureau, write us again. If you have never Wsed the service, begin now. It is meintained for your benefit. Be sure to gend your name and address with your question and inclose 3 cents in coin or stamps for return postage. Do not use post cards. Address The Evening Star In- formation Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. Q. What American race horse has won the most money on an American track?—A. P. A. Sun Beau holds the world rec- ord for winning the most money. Through 1931, after 5 years on the race tracks, he had won $440,744, of which $376,744 was cash and $64,000 the appraised value of cups won. Q. Who was the common ancestor of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the late President Roosevelt?—H. E. C. A. The common ancestor of Roosevelt family in America was Klaes Martensen Van Roosevelt, who emi- ted frcm Holland, 1644, and landed 1 New Amsterdam, now Netw York City. Q. What does the “nixie,” indicate?—P. S. A. Nixie is the term used by postal employes to designate mail which can- not be delivered or returned without special treatment. Q. _When did Antiochus Epiphenes, the Syrian Grecian ruler, reign, and how and under what circumstances did he die?—T. S. E. A. He ruled for 11 years. ascended the throne B.C. 175, and died raving mad at Tabee in Persia, B.C. 164. His madness was attributed by Jews and Greeks equaly to his sacri- legious crimes. Q. What causes children to tell les?—H. F. A. Children tell lies for different reascns. One class of lies is due to a misunderstanding or misapprehension by the child of what has happened to him or what has been said to him. ‘Bense may be the cause of other lies. The child may not know the difference between “I did” and “I will” and “I mean to.” Another class of lies is due to eonfusion of the fancied with the real. A. child may believe that his dreams were actual events. A fourth type of 's 18 deception where a conscious substitution of the untrue for the true is made. One rea- son for deception is fear. Another is torgain his own way without friction. A third reason is to attract attention, while a fourth is the desire to pre- serve one's self-respect or the respect of one’s associates. A child often lies to avoid ridicule. Q. How long has the American flag had 48 stars?—D. A. N. A. The United States has had 48 stars only since July 4, 1912, the In- dependence day following the admission of the last two States, New Mexico and Arizona. Q. How was an Indian papoose car- ried?—B. R. A. The Indian mother carried the baby in a cradle-board swung from her shoulders. Q. May a priest refuse to divulge a confidence told him in the confessional? I see a judge recently rebuked a priest for his refusal to reveal what he knew.—J. D. A. The Sodality Union says: “At no time, under any circumstances can the priest divulge the tiniest sin ever con- fessed to him. The seal of the con- | fessional is one of the church’s most ringent laws. No court of law can make a priest break it nor does it try to in any land.. The Pope himself would not dare to ask it and asking it, would be refused ¢ ¢ *.” postal term, A | He | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ~ o BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. Does the United States keep | troops in China?—W. T. H. |,.A The United States has main- | tained troops in China since the Boxer uprising. At the present time there |are 44 officers and 705 enlisted men there. Q. How much money was given to Harvard University by the man for whom it was named?—P. H. B, | A. John Harvard, a young clergy- man, gave the institution a portion of his cstate, amounting to about $4,000— a large sum in those days—and it was | called after his name. | Q What officers signed Gen. Lee's | parolz at the end of the Civil War?— |C. 8. H. | "A” The following names apbear: | Lieut. Col. W. H. Taylor, Lieut. Col Charles S. Venable, Lieut. Col. Charles | Marsball, Licut. Col. H. E. Praton, | Brooke, A. A. surgeon general, and | 8. Young, A. A. general. | Q. Was Millet's famous picture, | “The Sower,” well received when it wa | first exhibited?>—D. T. D. A. Only one critic praised it. Q. Have any President’s children been born in the White House?—D. A. Esther C. . eland, who was Pres dent Clevelan’s second child, was bo] in the White House, September 9, 1893, high does the bush grow ich tea leaves are taken?— . As cultivated in China, it is an evergreea thrub growing to a height of from 3 to 5 feet. Q. Where did—éfigeflfly settlers get their shoes?>—G. H. J. . Shoes were brought to America by the first settlers. The Indians wore moccasins and the white men adopted them until Thomas Beard, a London shoemaker, came to Massachusetts in 1629, bringing a supply of leather, as well as a kit of tools, and became the first shoemaker on record in the colony. Many, early scttlers made their m shoes. Some raised the cattle tanned the leather of which their shoes were made, Q. was first recorded?—G. T. N. A. In Samuel Pepy's diary of No= vember 14, 1666. - Q. Will a person living in Jaj have to pay duty on silk stockings as a gift from a person in this try?—P. McN. | "A. The duty on silk stockings sent to | Japan as a gift is 100 per cent of the value. All goods sent to Japan as gifts are subject to the regular dutles. Q. Is the plate in the floor of Library of Congress containing gns of the zodiac made of gold?—L. G. A. This metal plate is brass. Q. Who said, “I do not agree with one word you say, but ‘will defend with my life your right to say it?"—H. T. A. The famous sentence, often quoted as the best llustration of the ciple of freedom of speech, was contained in | & letter written by Voltaire, the French satirist, to Rosseau, the French revo= lutionary. | | sig Q. What can be used to glue two pleces of cellophane together?—B. G. A. Any commercial glue is usually satisfactory. There is a waterproof cellophane which can be cemented gx wetting the surface with acetone a pressing together. Q. Why do United States Govern= ment bonds bear different rates ¢f ine terest?>—E. R. A. Bond issues follow the market im the matter of interest paid. When money is tight the Government has t@ pay more for it, just as individuals dg. Despite the continued power of the military faction in Japan, ganized financial situation of that country is a serious obstacle in the way of further military activity, the opinion of the American public. It is a matter of comment that the financial interests of the empire have given warning of the dangers involved, while the issue of bonds to meet a deficit hold aggression in check. “Manifestly, Japan is finding itself in a dangerous fingncial situation, which may end,” according to the Salt Lake Deseret News, “in_disastrous inflation. This is the warning of Baron Goh, president of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce.” The Columbia (8. C) Record observes that “Baron Goh warned the government that its policy of depending upon bond issues was in- creasing the national debt greatly and threatening further decline of the yen, leading toward something like Ger- many’s post-war collapse.” That paper adds: “Other Japanese business lead- ers will come to perceive it and the price of Japanese bonds will reflect it. The army and navy rule the roost in Japan now. But not always. Even- tually your wars will find you out.” “Whereas last year,” says the Hart- ford Times, “a total of $80,000,000 was spent on army and navy, in the new budget the sum of $163,000,000 is appro- priated for that purpose. In view of the discussion at Geneva on the basis of the Lytton report, it is possible that the cabinet can carry its point at home, but that will not solve its borrowing problem when it needs to find cash for two-fifths of its national budget, for which no tax income was planned. It is perhaps this financial situation which may eventually prove to be the strong st factor to teach Japan econ- cmy in its military expenditures. When the government can neither collect by taxation nor borrow from others funds with which to finance military expan- sion it will have no alternative but to cut expenses.” * i w “That the Japanese government has approved the largest national budget in its history in the face of warnings from influential financial interests,” con- cludes the Indianapolis News, “is an indication of the great difficulties of its policy in regard to Manchuria.” That paper feels that “though the opposing forces in China may be less alert than the Japanese, and lack unity to a de- gree amounting to something like chaos, they have a size and & wearing capacity that may swamp Japanese resources.” The News offers the estimate of the situation: “It seems probable that if the danger of the weikening of home support were not so great, the Japanese would be less anxious about making a show in justification of their course be- fore the Council of the League of Na- #lons at Geneva. Much of what has been said there by Japanese has the ap- pearance of boldness and defiance of world opinion, and yet that opinion’s favor is still sought. Extra effort to exert a persuasive influence on the United States is indicated by the report from Tokio that a plan to keep a ‘coun- selor at large’ at Washington in addi- tion to the usual diplomatic representa~ tion is under consideration.” “Japan is in a strong technical posi- tion, having a sharp grip on Man- churia, despite some Chinese armed re- sistance,” in the opinion of the Provi- dence Journal, “but is beset by grave domestic economic problems which may seriously affect her political licies. How long the Japanese people stand for the expensive business of assimi- lating a large mainland area nobody inne- apolis ‘s police raid ont.hehmn!utthcrmmduunham oul farge o number of civic organizai it takes in many pa- triotic terroriSté—and these include ele- , the disor-| millions, has caused by war activities is believed to Japan’s Financial Problems Viewed as Check on War Bloe ments with which Toyama, Tevered hy , been alfied. It is both nae tionalistic and socialistic, for while % reaches down into the proletarian classes, it still defies the Emperor as the spiritual as well as political head of the nation. In all these situations the army figures ovtstandingly. There are opservers who believe the army would maintain for a while, at least, the parliamentary system, and dominate the Diet as it now sets the foreign policy of Japan. On_ the other hand, some prophets declare the army leaders may sweep aside all obstacles t> their po- litical control of the govc-nrent—in- cluding its forms—and sc. < upon & of socialization c- the eco= ucture.” EE “The startling program of the Dal« Nankokai, & band of patriotic assassins, which has invited ardent young subal- terns in the imperial army and navy to snuff out the lives of high Japanese officials,” is & subject of comment by the Chicago Daily News, which de- clares: “In view of the means em- ployed, it is not surprising that the Japanese army and navy get what they want from the legislative and adminis- trative branches of the government. Despite the deplorable condition of Japan’s agriculture, industry and com- merce and the shaky position of the ven, the imperial cabinet has just adopted the largest budget in Japanese history—much of it for military pur- poses. Indeed, the military appropria- tions aggregate $164,000,000, though Japan'’s income from taxes is estimated at only $138,400,000. A total deficit of $179,400,000 will have to be met by bond issues. Such reckless financing must give much concern to sober ele- ments in Japan. However, the super- Nationalists are in the saddle; they call the tune by free use of bullets and bombs.” Japan’s argument that its policies in the Far East have been similar to the American methods in Panama draws from the Louisville Courier-Journal the statement in reply: “Many worse things could be cited by Japan against most of the nations interested. History is full of oppression suffered and wrongs condoned. The nations do not plead mitigation of past offenses. They merely promised to abstain in the fu- ture, Japan among them. They set up in the League of Nations procedure for the settlement of such grievances as Japan may have against China. They, including Japan, signed the Kellogg- Briand treaty to abandon war. No claim of self-defense is tenable until all the peaceable means of com | disputes have been exhausted. Japan ignored them all and invaded Man- huria.” program nomic stri e Gradual Improvement. Prom the Pasadena Star-News. ‘Those who, in the heat of a political | campaign, charge that evidences of re- turning industrial and business activity were fictitious and devised only for campaign use, are finding reasons v revise their opinion. Every day nn& additional news of increased employ~ ment of labor and added economic ac- tivities. The unquestionably is a gradual improVement in economic con- ditions_throughout the country and it sincerely is to be hoped that this bet- terment will continue. Or Maybe Greece? Prom the Dayton Daily News. Samuel Insull observed his seventy- third birthday in Greece under guard. Let's hope no one was indiscreet enough to wish him many happy returns to America. 3 Bet He's No Papa. Prom the Nashville Banner. One of these child experts advises let- ting the child create his own emotional dynamo. Our experience has been that the problem is to get him to shut the