Evening Star Newspaper, December 17, 1932, Page 6

A—6 THE EVENING S T SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1932, THE EVENING STAR {iwest & M) <o eevangho e i one b b ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. IiaSKIN. With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. SATURDAY...December 17, 1832 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. New York Office: 110 East 42nd St. Chicago Office: Lake Michigan Building. European Office: 14 Re:em. St., London, nzland. Rate by Carrier Within the City. The Evening Sta 45¢ per month The Evening and 4 Su 60c per month onth r.. Suilday’ Star nday’ Star 7 65¢ per m St Iiiise per made i the end 6f Orders may be sent in by mail NAtional 5000, Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. 1yr. $10.00; 1 mo., 85 2 °36.00; 1 mol. 500 » $400; 1mo. 40c er States and Canada. ay...1 £12.00: 1 mo., $1.00 $8.00: 1mo., ~ T5¢ §5.00; 1mo., 500 Member of the Associated Press. 4 P; s exclusively entitled n of all news dis- r 1ot otherwise cred- d also the local news herein. All rights of publication of spatches herein Silence That Is Golden. With restraint as ccmmendable as it is unusual, the Senale yesterday re- frained from a debate on the war debts and in particular on the French de- Word from the State Depart- certain interchanges of view were still in progress between Wash- ington and Paris impelled Senators to cause an abandonment of what was| & rum runner, national publicily is as- | not to be mysterious. It should be as | and the boys | wonder if there is any other sort of |dom which every one know: scheduled to be an afternoon of per- fervid oratory. Senator Reed well 2 are also reserved. | such a hall of fame. No action was taken upon it. Now Representative Smith of Idaho has introduced a reso- lution authorizing the Architect of the Capitol, as a means of relieving the weight on the floor of Statuary Hall, which is recognized as a possible menace to the security of the building, to place in the niches between the columns flank- ing the south corridor on the ground floor of the House wing such of the statues now in Statuary Hall as the Joint Committee on the Liprary may | select. marbles. One of two hundred and ten prizes went to a model of a monorail. Another was awarded to a model of Willilam Beebe's bathysphere for deep sea exploring. In all, two hundred and ten awards were' made by the ninety- four judges drafted for the purpose. Live exhibits, including fishes, guinea pigs, & brood of hens raised in a public school incubator, a snake and a baby alligator, not to fnention Flip, a squir- rel that “becomes downcast whenever he is not fed night and morning regu- larly,” are being exhibited; and the Obviously something must eventually | | be done to relieve this congestion and to “insure a more effective display of | these State representations. It may bc‘ questioned whether the division of the collection is the best method. It may | also be questioned whether the artistic | proprieties would be fully yespected if | come were grouped in & central sepa- | rate place, so varied are they in their style, material and quality. However.l they have an historic value, and what- ever their shortcomings as works of art, whatever the errors of judgment in the | selection of subjects that may have been committed through stress of emotion or passing enthusiasm, the group must be | | preserved as a symbol, possibly instruc- | tive and stimulating, in its very range | of artistic quality. In any case, the| | problem of the proper placing of these figures of representative Americans should not be postponed. s The Coast Guard. | sured. Every newspaper in the land| | aren. owners have written essays on their ob- servations of the habits of their pets. A gratifying accuracy has been de- tected in these papers. The youngsters are keen and truthful historians of their biological specimens. The entire fair reflects enthusiasm and patience. Many of the models the effiigies now assembled and yet to | must have taken days, if not weeks, to | construct. Internal - combustion en- gines, a by-product coke plant and an open-hearth steel furnace are among the mechanical displays. Electrical ar- rangements and radio hook-ups have been worked out with ingenious skill by youthful engineers, and airplane and dirigible models of perfect work- manship witness to the likelihood that aeronautics has numerous followers among the younger and the youngest generations. A visitor bemoaned the fact that cience is not mysterious” to the chil- They take the miraculous for granted. They live-in a world which is brim-full of commonplace wonders. Whenever the Coast Guard catches | That is their advantage. Science ought | clear and plain as da; ‘Turn out the lights some evening after placing the logs. It is time for fireside gardening! ‘Touch a match to the rolled paper beneath the kindling. Let the wood ignite, sending wreaths of smoke rolling up the chimney. Under the influence of the flickering fire the amateur gardener will be able to concentrate on what he wants to do next Spring. He proposes, and, happily, often dis- poses, in this matter, at least. Here 1s an entire little world of plan- ‘nlng and doing into which no one else seeks to poke a nose. That is something, in this world, where mostly some one is forever setting himself up as an “authority” on some- thing or other. If he would merely set himself up, that would not be so bad, but when he attempts to tell all and sundry how they should conduct their lives, and why, he becomes something of a bore and a nuisance. Especially the why! What the world needs is to be let alone more, to be its own master in its own way, without the benefit of advice. Now, fireride gardening, as it is called, is distinctly one living affair in which | one receives advice only as desired, and strictly without need of warning. ‘There are books, there are magazines, number of delightful seed catalogues, but, one and all, these are friends, and |pntlent friends, at that. |, With their aid, or without their aid, it | is possible to do exactly as one pleas: | Perhaps it is too eariy for the new | catalogues, those peasant friends of treating of the subject: there are any | pec many an evening’s speculation. How. every one who dabbles in the soil wel- | comes their annual visit! One may | | records the event. But what of the so- |and girls, starting with that concept, | Publication which is received with such | epitomized the seli-denial of his col- | called “silent activities” of the Guard? | are to be congratulated. he saic: “The logic of A leagues whe events will force France to pay. speech at 000, not counting the expense of print- ing it in the Congressional Record.” Seldom before has there been so typi- | cal a case on Capitol Hill when silence was golden, At the risk of indulging in adulatory self-congratulation, it can justly be said that the American people, under the lead of their responsible spokesmen in Washington, have shown a com- mendable spirit toward events of De- cember 15. Of the eleven Eurcpean governments liable cn that day for varying debt payments, only five met their obligations. The British lion's share of $95550,000 was overwhelm- | mgly the bulk of the round $100,000,- 000 that was received by the Treasury. Italy’'s $1.500.000-odd was the mext largest amount. Of the $30,000,000 that | remained in default, France's interest| semi-annuity of $19,500,000 was the jor item. The payments due from B and three smaller clgium, Poland states account for the rest of the total | due and unpaid. | Not so much because of the sum in- volved, for it is trifiing from the stand- | point of both creditor and debtor, but, because it is France, public opinion in the United States was stunned and chagrined by the action of the Cham- ber of Deputies in forcing Premier Herriot from office on the debt issue. Relations between this country and the French Republic, after all, are no ordi- nary relations. They are cemented by too many sacred ties to be menaced with severance over a matter of money. The mere thought is repugnant to the American people. That is why President Hoover, Sec- | retary Stimson and the Senate, jointly and severally, are exhibiting patience in the face of the difficulties which statesmen at Paris are now meeting. A successor to M. Herriot has not yet been defnitely found. M. Camille Chautemps tried and failed to form a cabinet that could compose parliamentary differ- ences on the debts. Now M. Paul- Boncour has essayed that task. Paris dispatches report that the would-be premiers are proceeding on the theory that if France makes even a belated payment to the United States, Wash- ington would not be averse to renewed discussions about future payments. There are intimations that matters do in fact rest just there, —— e | Estimates as to when a beverage be- comes intoxicating cannot be reliably made merely by figuring alcohol per- centages. Scientific examination will e necessary in order to ascertain whether the subject of experiment has anly normal digestive power or must be rated as “a man with a castiron stomach.” = According to a few economists, one way of getting out of “the red” is to tear up the ledger and throw the ink | bottle at the bill collector. —— - The Hall of Fame. When the United States Capitol was | extended by the addition of wings m= accommodate the two houses of Con- | gress the semi-circular room on the | south side of the origiral structure, | that had been occupied by the House | of Representatives, was left vacant and | became a storage space for miscel- Janeous material, with an aisle permit- ting access through the building from wing to wing. This was an unsatis- factory condition, unsightly and undig- nified, and after long consideration of | the use to which this space should be | devoted, Congress, on the second of July, 1864, passed a joint resolution | designating the old meeting place of | the House as a national statuary hall, with provision for the reception and placing of statues provided by the States, “not exceeding two in number | for each State, of deceased persons who have been citizens thereof and illus- trious for their histotic renown or for distinguished civic or military services such as each State may deem to be worthy of this national commemora- tion” The President was authorized to invite the States to provide such statues, in marble or bronze. From time to time statues of Ameri- can immortals have been presented to the Nation and placed in the old hall of the House of Representatives until there are now sixty-five in number, two having recently been selected by the State of Delaware for early em- placement. Under the law there may be ninety-six effigies. 1t has long been recognized that there is not room in this hall for that number of statues, and from time to time proposals have been advanced for a change of location, with possibly the provision of a separate building in this city for the reception and display of these figures represent- | is to secure “ Are they to pass unnoticed? Perusal of the annual report of Rear Admiral H. | suggests the proper answer to these | questions. ‘The International Ice Patrol, operat- | ing in the North Atlantic, is but one of | the unadvertised enterprises in which | the Guard is engaged day by day. It was instituted after the sinking of the Titanic, in 1912, and because it has been so effective, so efficient, in the perform- ance of its duty, it is able to report the fact that no life has been lost by rea- son of steamship collision with floating icebergs these past twenty years. The regulation and protection of a long list of annual regattas is another neglected phase of the Guard's work. Obviously a certain danger exists when sporting chances deliberately are risked by racing yachtsmen. Spectators of the contests are apt to find themselves in unguessed peril. The Guard accepts the responsibility of policing the courses in the interests of both participants and | bystanders, and no loss of life ever has occurred in connection with any such event held under Guard protection. The Alaska service also deserves men- tion. The Guard keeps watch over ter- ritorial Wwaters in behalf of the seal herds which Congress has seen fit to ! take under Government care. But hu- man beings are just as important u‘\ seals in the eyes of the Guard, and it | renders various and unfailing service to | shipping and gives medical aid to the| natives of the coast settlements. In| many sections of Alaska the Guard is | the symbol of law and order, rare| enough quantities in those remote neighborhoods as in communities nearer | Washington. Admiral Hamlet calls attention to a total of 5214 persons saved from death | by the Guard in the year ended Junef 30 last. Considered as a group, this figure approximates the population of | a good-sized town: It implies at least | an equal number of heroes. But, more | significant, it indicates an heroic policy, | which, however unpretending, however | unadvertised, is characteristic of the best American traditions. Founded in 1790, the Guard is older than the Navy. Its function, theoreti- cally, is that of mere police duty to protect life and property at sea and to | | prevent violation of the customs and | quarantine laws. Actually, it has a| much wider province. and recovers or destroys derelicts and other menaces to navigation; it main- | tains two hundred and fifty-four life- saving stations; it renders medical and other aid to deep-sea fishermen; it| regulates the marine traffic of harbors like those of New York, Galveston, Chi- cago and San Francisco; its airplanes operate over an area of more than two million square miles, and it is sum- moned to perform all sorts of miscel- laneous and emergency service. Its motto is “Always Ready,” and it does not fail to justify the precept. The per- sonnel of the Guard includes about twelve thousand men, and each is trained to be prepared for any duty which may be assigned to him; each is expected to be faithful, efficient and loyal. Laboring unnoticed in peacetime and wartime alike, the Coast Guard is an institution of which all Americans may be proud. It deserves generous appre- ciation for its good work and fine spirit. ————————— A new problem in government service e efficlency besed on morale under umstances suggesting that every pay day may be the last. e The Young Scientists. A’ civilization in miniature went on display recently at the American Museum of Natural History, New York City, when the' fifth annual Children’s Science Fair was opened for public in- spection. More than seven thousand boys and girls had been working since last Spring to complete the four hun- dred and eighty-one exhibits listed. The show affords a cross-section of scientific progress. It is to be com- mended to the notice of pessimists who presume to imagine that twentieth century youth is degenerate. Science always has had vast attrac- tion for children, realists as they are, but the striking fact about modern youngsters in this regard is their ca- pacity for invention and interpretation on their own account. Parents and teachers®have given them the funda- mentals of “organized commo: sense,” as Huxley called it, but the children themselves have dealt with facts and theories according to their own instinct. In this way, they have made a contri- bution to the sciences which have at- tracted their interest. They have sim- plified and dramatized what they have been taught. In the current exhibi- tion the solar system is represented by a black cotton umbrella, with white marks identifying the constelations, It apprehends | | ing tha States. A few years ago Repre- The Mendelian law af heredity is dem- Why not a Children's Science Fair in Washington? The Capital's schools time might cost $19,000,- G. Hamlet, commandant of the service, | have their share of young scientists, and such an exhibition here would be almost certain to attract considerable public interest. [, The French statesmen who advocate a greatly advanced “identification gratitude. | |~ They are changed every year just ienuush to retain their interest, while | at the same time the old is kept very much to the fore. Hence one greets an old friend in a new suit, as it were. | Most of them do not come in until | the New Year, about which time really | ardent gardeners begin to keep close watch on mail boxes. | Red-ripe tomatoes, huge ears of corn, | ! » | monstrous beets—these flaunt their best | the old provisions. colors on the covers of the seed cata- THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. is tbrilling to feel that its symbolic colors follow us all through the year and are never out of our sight. Even in the snow, evergreens and berries eep us in mind of the Light of the; ke World, so humble yet eventtul is their on. By the fireside the garden in prospect takes on as many hues as flicker in yonder log, as the fire strikes a gas pocket in the wood. All the hues of the rainbow are there for a few seconds, then they fade to the standard color of flame, satisfying enulngh in its place, unde: proper con- trol The garden is like that. It must be controlled, else it is not a garden. It must bear the impress of a human mind. N Humanity is what makes a garden, large or small; there is no substitute in it for the directing mind, exercised con- sciously or unconsciously. By the fireside it is easy to see that perhaps he is the happiest gardener who_gardens instinctively. Perhaps he iz the only one really deserving the e. Yet from another viewpoint—also by the fire—there is much to be said for the man or woman who gardens “by the book,” who comes to the exercise as a task, and remains from love of it. If he likes gardening, thereafter, either in its theoretical or practical as- ts, or preferably both, he has a right to feel that he has worked harder for | his” knowledge, that he has overcome more, and that he has gained more. The third ordinarily follows on the first two, does it not? ~ More often than not he who works hard and who over- comes stands a better chance of gain- ing than he who loafs and sees no ne- cessity for overcoming anything. There is a great body of anclent w in theory, at least, but which few ever stop to ap- ply to their own lives. The more one studies the old writings, in all lan- ‘guages, and of all nation-, the more one sees that basicaliy human nature is one, and likewise inescapable. What we dis- cover today is amazingly like the dis- coverles of yesterday, except in the realms we term science. There is little new in human think- ing or emotions; the same old situ- ations, the same old reactions; here every man is a law unto himself, under What “hits” one will not strike another: all the other charge for Americans remaining i jogues, where they-are a happy re-|can do is look on in wonder, at the France, will not offset loss of tourist | minder the year through of gardening|same time he understands the general profits. The most the move can ac- complish will be to create a rush of business for the steamships from Amer- | icans abroad, who have been growing rather homesick, anyhow. — e Owing to multituainous details avail- able for comparisons, a “coldest day on record,” with limitations as to time and place, may be expected each Win- ter. Unfortunately it cannot be fore- told with an accuracy that would per- mit people to take to cover by estab- | lishing it as a national holiday. A cordial understanding among na- tions may still be reached in view of | the fact that there are temperaments that like to insist on further bargaining before settling a debt and take a little semblance of quarreling as a normal part of the effort to trade. SE T As near as the man in the street can measure the situation, these are no times for the innocent bystander to bother the cop with Ris troubles. To be regarded as serious they must be suf- ficiently aggravated to call for Federal roops. e == Another social line-up is to be ex- pected with a change of administration, | which will permit the announcement that society 1s “all ajog.” ) SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Primitive Finance. For money, whose mysterious spell Rejoices us, or grieves, Some men have used an oyster shell And some tobacco leaves. Sometimes a printing press you'lll see From which the bills were thrown, Until white paper got to be Worth more when left alone. The things which make this life com- plete Ate neither bills nor gold. But bread and milk and eggs and meat, And clothes to fight the cold. Though currency shows Works of Art In elegant display, I sometimes long to make a start In the old-fashioned way. I'd rather take some hay to town To swap for shirts and shoes And never lay a nickel down For ‘what I have to use. Life would be simple and sincere Upon this earlier plan, And each could travel without fear Of any hold-up man. ‘Wary. “Have you any great political in- fluence at present?” “If I have,” replied Senator Sorghum, “I'm not going to take a chance on losing it by bragging about it.” The Full Coal Bin. Into my humblest garb I slide ‘To give the furnace proper care. To sackcloth now I point with pride; Likewise with ashes in my hair. Obligation Admitted. “Has your library been a help to you in your business?” “Yes,” replied Mr. Cumrox. “Which books gave you the best ideas?” G Vi “I didn't get much from the books themselves. But several of the chaps who persuaded me to subscribe gave me some wonderful suggestions on sales- manship.” Goodly Outsides. Deception in fair forms doth dwell, As poets oft have brought to mind. Cold storage eggs while in the shell Appear just like the other kind. “Sometimes & man is lucky,” said Uncle Eben, “same as a fisherman dat ketches an eel. His luck makes him so much trouble he 'most wishes he didn't have it Correcting an Error in Washington Observations ‘To the Editor of The Star: Through an inadvertence, due to the rush of preparing that particular col- umn, there slipped into Washington Observations in Friday's Star the state- ment that the President and Mrs. Hoo- ver had dined at the French embassy on_December 14. 1t wes the Secretary of State and | Mrs. su‘mon vhnchwere m& enter- Very mu €ITor. | possibilities, if not probabilities. As one plans for the pleasant future | | at this time, these helps will be largely | lacking, this being Christmas tide, with all that it means, or ought to mean. Yet there is nothing incongruous' | about Christmas and gardening. The thoughts of the one ought to be bright end happy and the thoughts of | the other ought to be bright and happy. Christmas is colorful, gardening is colorful. If the former rather runs to red and green, for various symbolic and prac- tical reasons, these colors are vital in horticulture, t00 Green is the basic color of nature, in | these aspects. |~ Without green there would be no | world as we know it. | Red is another fundamental col- oration. found largely throughout the | floral kingdom, in fishes and on the | feathers of the bird world. Tomatoes and beets and radishes present us with red in the vegetables: | cannas, gladioli and multitude of others | among the flowers. If our hope centers in Christmas, it law; or at least makes an attempt to comprehend it. 1f one is very “modern.” one is likely to feel inclined. at times. to sncer at the old grecepl& such as that about work- ing hard, and overcoming, and so on. Old stuff, to be sure but it is based on long observation of human nature “as is” Its application to gardening is easily seen. If one happens to be of the temperament which does not “take” to gardening innately, but which forces itself to take to one may stind a chance of gaining more, in the long row, than he who seizes a hoe with abandon because it is his nature to seize hoes with abandon. enthusiastic that he cannot find enough t0 hoe, 2nd so loses his interest, where- as the former finds it so much work to hoe that he hoes away for dear life! The fireside gardener will have many plans to make, as he thinks back over the mistakes of the past. Some of them can be rectified, others make no dif- ference. he sees now, although perhaps he didn't see then One is able to see a great many things in the firelight. Reorganization Aided by Evils of Depression President Hoover's plan for reorgmx-f zation of the Government service re-| ceives the general approval of the coun- try, although there are some doubts as | to the possibility of overcoming the de- | fenses of those who uphold the present | arrangement. Transfer of the engl- | neer work away from the War Depart- | ment is one object of serious attack, It' Is felt that if Congress permits the re- | to legislate within two months, the de- | p_;,elssion will have bee partly respon- | sible. | “President Hoover has accomplished a | task,” says the Philadelphia Evening | Bulletin, “for which Congress gave him | | only belated and much circumscribed | authority.” That paper describes his plan as “a regrouping of existing bu- Teaus and other agencies in four new departmental divisions,” and makes the comment on the project: “Such reor- ganization is in line with the professed desire and policy of Congress. It makes possible substantial economies urgently | required to help balance the budget. The plan deserves close study and the earliest practicable action by Congress.” The Bu points out that “the Ex- | ecutive orders cannot displace statutory jobs, and the full potential of saving still rests in the action of Congress.” ¥ ek “This reform,” according to the Rochester Times-Union, “is further ahead than ever before, and the temper of the country not permit it to be shunted aside indefinitely.” That paper advises that “Congress should think twice about rejecting a plan which romises u:o give improved service cost.’ and personal whole thing o tion,” but hold that “Mr. Hoover’s proposals are good,” and that gefieration of uxply“g would have some reason for gratitude for the worst economic ‘depression in our history.” ‘The Union believes that it will go over to the Roosevelt admin- istration, with the reservation that ‘adoption may be counting too confl- dently on the success of the next Con- gress in facing inevitable bureaucratic opposition.” “The largest single need of the Fed- eral Government is a housecleaning which will remove all duplications and all sinecures,” says the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, while the Newark Eve- ning News feels that “whatever the fate of these suggestions individually, they offer something to cheer about, because they represent a beginning at last in the overdue task of revising govern- mental set-up.” The Pasadena Star- News advises that “just as this uni- versality of ‘hard times’ has broken all precedents, so_the with the problems of government, un- doubtedly will break new paths and open up new’ methods of economizing in governments.” That paper sees a de- mand for “a sweeping change in gov- ernmental operations.” The New York Journal of Commerce offers the opinion that “the proposition seems destined to be made effective by the Hisinclina- tion of members of Congress to run counter to party platform and cam- paign pledges for economy in govern- ment operations.” The Chicago Daily News avers that “hasty condemnation of the plan can be attributed only to partisan or factional politics.” The Hav- erhill Gazette believes that “Congress should judge it on its merits rather than on the possibility that Roosevelt may have a somewhat different plan.” Providence Journal states that n to President “A good many of the President’s proposals,” says the Butte Montana Standard, “are dictated by common sense and do not require execu- expert tive knowledge for their justification. Still the whole , for wl the country has been waiting lmpaum‘tlz; } 15 more tian likely to meet the same of Bureaus reasoned opposition in Congress that the other administration plans have encountered. * * * ere are serious and fundamental duties for this short session of Congress to perf ticians ignore the exigencies of the day | when they call upon the public to wait calmly until the new administration and the next Congress take hold.” Opposition to Congress is forecast by organization to become law by failing | the Lincoln State Journal and the Salt | “ts” when it is used as a demonstrative Lake Deseret News, while the Des Molnes Tribune views such opposition as “inconceivable” after the attacks on bureaucracy. The Indianapolis News thinks that “true representation of the desires of the people calls for approval.” Support of the desire to retain en- gineering in the War Department is given by the Roanoke World-News with the statement: “Until Congress and the President are ready to go all the way in reorganizing the Department of the Interior as a real Department of Public Works, there would seem to be much wisdom in the argument that all river, harbor and flood control work should remain, at least for the present, under the Army engineers” The Hartford Times points to the fact that “the engi- neering division of the Army has high traditions_and a record of which the country should be proud.” e A Case for Standardization. From the Birmingham Age-Herald. The American Assoclation of State Highway Officials, after several years of study and research, has settled on a uniform standard for the regulation of busses and trucks which it recommends for adoption by the States. Since bus and truck regulation is a matter of growing concern not only to individual States, but, because of their interstate operation, to all the States together, the desirability of standardization is obvious. The recommendations of the associa- tion for standard maximum weight, height, length and speed limits seem reasonable. They would limit busses and trucks to a speed of 45 miles an hour, and in the case of solid-tire ve- hicles to 10. miles an hour. Vehicles more than 35 feet long or 8 feet wide would be barred from the highways, except by special permit, and no vehicle, with or without load, could exceed a height of 12 feet 6 inches. Combina- tions of vehicles could consist of not more than two units with a total length of not more than 45 feet, and no wheel would be allowed to carry a load of more than 8,000 pounds. The load limitations, it is suggested, need not apply to metropolitan areas if the state 50 desires, These are the principal recommenda- tions. The association regards the adoption of such a uniform standard as a fundamental necessity, in order to “establish one of the fundamental pre- requisites of highway design; to_ pro- mote efficlency in the interstate opera- tion of the motor vehicle; to secure safety in highway operation: to remove from the highways undesirable equip- ment and operations, and to stabilize on a definite basis the many relation- ships between the highway and the mo- tor vehicle.” ‘The proposed uniform standard was not dccrded on in an arbitrary manner. The recommendation in each case is based on study of the question involved. For example, it was determined by re- search that low-pressure pneumatic tires can carry 9,000 pounds per wheel without increasing pavement slab stresses, and the association recom- mends a maximum wheel load of 8,000 pounds as a safe limit. Legislatures in various States which have been struggling with the question of bus and truck regulation should wel- come the recommendations of the as- sociation as at least a for a uniform standard. The desira- bility of striving for uniformity in the State regulatory laws will hardly be questioned. It is not always well to standardize laws, but in this case there should be no objection to it anywhere. The subject i5 one of vast and general concern to the public, from the stand- mflnfi of the safety of citizens using the ghways, the public’s huge investment in roads and in otheg respects. . The latter is so, form. Poli- | THE LIBRARY TABLE BY SARAH G. BOWERMAN. “Family History,” by V. Sackville- West, is perhaps not as broad or pro- found a piece of work as the author's previous novels, “The Edwardians” and “All Passion Spent,” but her style is so finished, her characterization so acute and her gently satirical attitude toward life so stimulating that any book by her is productive of esthetic pleasure. The titfs eems commonplace and is not. at all suggestive of the subject matter. The plot is the smallest part of the in- terest; the character delineation is everything. The character of Evelyn Jarrold, who has chosen to place her- revealed in all its pitiable weakness, with its few shreds of sl‘rgn h. A beautiful woman, not at all ihtellectual, | subtle or resourceful, she has surprised | all the Jarrolds because, after the death of her husband, Tommy Jarrold, in the { World War, she has never married again, but has devoted herself to her son, Dan, and to the clothing of her lovely person with the most expensive | and best chosen creations of Rivers and | Roberts. The Jarrolds all admire her, especially her father-in-law, old Wil- | liam Jarrold, who has risen to a peerage from & collier’s cottage because of his success in the coal industry. She loves | him, but secretly despises all the rest lof the wholly conventional Jarrolds, while at the Same time she delights in | their admiration and flattery. Her son | she fails to understand, because he is | not of the Jarrold pattern; he hates | hunting and shooting, loves painting | and poetry, questions all the Eton coce and the Jarrold standards, and when | he is older will question the whole social order. * ok ox ok Evelyn Jarrold's character is com- pounded of vanity, conventionality, lack ol understanding for everything beyond her restricted life, and deep, unsus- pected possibilities of passion. In her love she has two insuperable handicaps, | the fact that she is 15 years older than the man she loves and the fact that| !she in inwardly all Victorian in her | attitude toward life, and yet is vielating her whole set of social ideas in her connection with Miles Vane-Merrick. Her 17-vear-old son, who becomes an | ardent disciple of Vane-Merrick, is also an embarrassment in the situation. We | know from the start that only tragedy | sult for Evelyn. Among the sec- ry personages of the story we are pleased “to meet again _Viola and | Leonard Anquetil of “The Edwardians,” | who are as strong as Evelyn is weak and are not torn by conflicts, because they are independent in their thought and actions, | * % ok % Beneath the story of “Family His- tory” the underlying thought is the same as that cf “The Edwardians'—a changing England, in which the gocd old English types are being exchanged for standardized, conventionalized types, from which all feeling and all culture arc being eliminated. Are the younger English men and women going to be able to regenerate England, to restore it to its place? Ola William Jarrold, in a burst of in- dignation " against his worthless sons, says: “We've created a lot of good-for- nothings who are damned careful of their manners and of their manners only, because they know they're in a 1 position. Give me a gentleman, give me a countryman, give me & Work- ingman, give me an honest-to-God middle-class John Smith, but heaven save me from these pretentious hum- bugs who imagine themselves the aris- tocracy of the future. And let me tell you “ * * you've got even your imita- tion wrong. There was something to| be said for the' Englishman of birth, once. * * * He looked after his lands and he wasn't ashamed either of his ! feelings or his brains. Today he's been taught to repress his feelings until he ceases to have any, and the same is even truer of his brains. 'He wasn't ashamed of his culture, once. Today he is. And he hasn't replaced it by | anything else. He keeps his superior manner and his respect for good form, but thatt’s all he has inherited from his ancestors and thatt's all that you and your like have imitated from him. He's a fake himself, and you're doubly a fake. | What use are you in a world which | wants living people and not waxworks stuffed with straw?” An idiosyncrasy | | of spelling which Miss Sackville-West | | (Mrs, Harold Nicolson) practices in this | | book is the spelling of “that” with two | pronoun or adjective. 1 * K X X { . Mary Todd Lincoln, much discussed | from almost every point of view, was perhaps unfortunate in being the wite |of a great man, the greatest of his' | time. ~As herself she might have had | unlimited peculiarities without attract- | ing_much "attention beyond the circle | of her next door neighbors and cer- | ftainly without being made the subject | | of chapters in important biographies | | and histories. Probably her happiness, | {if not her vanity, would have been | served if she had been the wife of a | moderately ~prosperous but _obscure lawyer. A recent book, “Mrs. Abraham | | Lincoln. A Study of her Personality | and Her Influence on Lincoln,” by W. | A. Evans, a physician, treats her almost as a case study. . Evans was formerly health commissioner of Chi- cago and professor in the Illinois Med- ical School and Northwestern Uni- versity Medical School. He asks scien- | tifically: “What was Mrs. Lincoln's type of mind? What were her personality traits? How did she come by those traits and how did she acquire her mental qualities? How much of them did she inherit? What experiences and influences of her childhood contributed to her personality? What in her make- up is explained by the experiences of her life as a girl in Kentucky, and as a marriageable young woman in Spring- field society? What were the effects of her experiences as a married woman and mother in Springfield? As the wife of a President? What influences did_health, religion, politics, financial problems, society, have on her?” *x ok * Lytton Strachey made Queen Eliz- abeth a human woman instead of a myth. We wish he had lived lorig enough to write a biography of Cath- erine the Great of Russia. less gifted biographer has attempted her humanization, Prancis Gribble in his “The Comedy of Catherine the Great.” He says that he has attempted to show her as neither so great nor so licentious as she has been painted and as much more womanly and charming. haps he has succeeded, but he has nol been able to change the accepted pic- ture of her as a vain woman, who fell under the influence of one favorite after another, while, as the permanent power behind the throne, Potemkin fi-‘axl_v ruled beghh her l:d d;he emphfg’ this biography one finds one’s sel becoming more interested in him and his intrigues than in Catherine and her love affairs. * * *x “The Education of a Princess” chronicled the life of a Romanov before the Soviet revolution ended all specific “A Princess in Exile,” tells of the successful efforts of the Grand Duchess Marie of Russia to adapt herself to an environment where her aristocratic birth was of no advantage and to earn for herself a living in a world where many women better trained for the job was obliged at the outset to overcome 50 many of the effects of her early training as a princess, a then favored member of soclety. * K K K of his country from a moderate point of view, which is neither strongly Dutch nationalistic nor British imperialistic. He does not emphasize the secession movement, perhaps because he does not believe that it is strong. mits, as do praci ly all writers and speakers on South Africa, that the most difficult problem there is the race problem, < Self in an equivocal situation, is sharply | 7 | State’s disfranchising the Negro, as | tied up, and a stral | to approach the dog with a lash in his | hand, and when the dog attacked him | Romanov existence. Now the sequel, | the When troublesome questions arise, avail yourself of the service of this department. It costs you nothing—you have only to send 3 cents for postage on the personal letter you will receive in reply. Do not use post cards. Any ques on any subject of fact will be answered. Address r letter of inquiry to The Star Information Bu- reau, Prederic J. Haskin : Washington, D. C. Q. How many times has Notre Dame beaten the United States Military Academy at foot ball since 19137— A. Notre Dame won in 1913 and has won 12 times since and tied once. Army has won 5 times from Notre Dame. In 1918 no game was played. Q. Of the appointments made to Civil Service positions last year, how many went to veterans?—H. 8. T. A. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1932, 21,449 appointments were made. Of these, 6460, or 30.11 per cent, went to veterans. Q. How long has the Christmas seal borne the double-barred cross?— A B. A. Since 1919. Q. Did Gary fioo;r ever work on & newspaper?>—R. M. A. Before entering pictures, he worked as a cartoonist on the Helena Independent. Q. Does any State Negroes>—M. W. L. A. The Constitution prevents any disfranchise such. Each State has the right to de- cide who may exercise the suffrage within its borders, provided no dis- crimination on account of race. color, sex. or previous condition of servitude is taken into consideration. There are, however, many property and litera tests which, due to the greater poverty and ignorance of many of the Negro citizens, actually serve to disfranchise many. . What is a bank call>—P. D. A. It is the demand which the State superintendent of banks sends to all banks and trust companies at any time during each quarter of a year for & sworn balance sheet showing their con- dition on a given date. Q. Will Mrs. Roosevelt continue her connection with the Todhunter School when she goes to Washington?—W. L K. A. Mrs. Roosevelt is quoted as ex- pressing her intention to continue as associate principal and part-owner of the school. She expects. as heretofore, to assist in the supervision of courses | and other problems and hopes to go to New York at least every two weeks, perhaps oftener. = Q. What percentage of all taxes assessed is pald by motor vehicles?— A. ‘The National Automobile Cham- | ber of Commerce savs that in 1931 | motor vehicles paid about 10 per cent | of the taxes. All Federal. State and local taxes amounted to $10,250,000.000 and motor taxes amounted to $1,025.- 735,112, Q How did the word “kodak” originate’—A. D. A. ‘The name was coined by the in- ventor, George Eastman, for a trade mark. K was a favorite letter with him and he tried out different combi- nations of letters beginning and end. ihg with K until he found “kodak,” which satisfied. him. Q. Must prunes be soaked over night before cooking?—S. S. A. It is not necessary. Prunes do not need as long soaking as the harder fruits, . - Six- houss in cold water, one hour in hot water, should be enough. They may. however, be soaked for two or three days and eaten without cook- ing. They will be soft enough. Or for steamed prunes, soak only 20 minutes in water just to cover. Drain, steam 20 minutes. ~ Take prunes from juice that | has exuded &nd put them in an earthen dish in a moderate oven (uncovered) until nearly dry (about one hour). If juice is wanted, take that from the soaking ard that from the steaming, boil 10 minutes. This is the best method of cooking prunes for richness in flavor. Q. Please name some well known men whose wives were older than they were—V. B. T. A. The Empress Josephine was older than Napoleon: Queen Catherine of Aragon was older than Henry VIII; Mary Stuart was older than Francis II of France; Jenny Lind older than Otto Goldschmidt; Disraeli's wife was his elder by 15 years; Ann Hathaway Shake- speare was 8 years older than her hus- band, and Mrs, Warren G. Harding was older than the late President Q. Is deafness common among chil- dren?>—B. C. T. A. There are in the United States not less than 3,000,000 children with impaired hearing. Of these 3,000,000 children between 300,000 400,000 have hearing difficuties sufficiently ad- vanced to need special classes in lip reading in order to be able readily to understand the spcken word. Some- times a child who seems unrasgaNsive when rpoken to and slow in s9eoes not stupid. He is only sufferisg We- cause of difficulty in hearing. Q. Are many cities to villages? A. Villages containing populations of less than 2,500 were augmented by about 3,500,000 between 1920 and 1930. Many urbanites are moving to small towns where they can have subsistence gardens and reduce the outlay of cash for neces= sitles. Q. Was Oliver Crcmwell rezlly the great man he has been proclaimed?— A TG A. Undoubtedly during the protecto- rate of Cromwell England emerged from a coud which had become increasingly dark and threatening. Voltaire said, however, of Cromwell: “It was very fortunate for Cromwell that he ap- peared upon the stage at the precise moment when the English people were ired of kings and as unfortunate for his son Richard that he had to make good his pretensions at a moment when they were equally tired of protectors.” Q. What nation won first place in the 1932 Olympic in Los Angeles, Celif.?— J. H. A. The United States won the 1932 Olympics with a total of more than 700 points, which was about three times as many as Italy, which took second place, These were followed by Japan, Sweden, France, Germany, Great Britain, Fin- land, Hungary and Canada, in the order named. Q. When did the Constitution cross the ocean for the last time?—J. E. H. A. She was used as & cargo carrier of American exhibits to the Universal Ex- position in 1878 and then made her last trip across the ocean. Q. How much has the infant death rate been lowered since 1915?—P. W. A.In 1915 the infant death rate in the United States was about 100 to each 1,000 births. In 1931, the correspond- “people moving from S. G. | ing figure was 62. Q. When was started?—L. S. A. The American Navy came into existence in_1775 after the close in- vestment of Boston by Washington had cut off all supplies to the British troops, save such as might arrive by water. To intercept these, some small vessels were armed and manned by New England seamen, first under the auspices of Rhode Island and Connecticut, and aft- erward by authority of the Congress which organized a Naval Committee with John Adams et its head. These little craft not only deprived the enemy of succor, but caj enough prizes to furnish the Colonial Army With war material, without ghich it could not have continued fes. e American Navy High Lights on the Wide Warld Excerpts From Newspapers of Other Lands VENING POST, Wellington. — Nine out of 10 people who have Alsatian dogs, said Mr. D. Moore, the noted English judge, in the course cf a lecture to dog lovers last evening. should not have one. They should study Alsatians first, and buy them afterward. In re- ply to a question, he said that dogs could not be trained seriously until they were nine months old, because they did not have the brain capasity. | If an attempt was made too early to| train the dog, it would turn out a dul- lard. If a young dog showed & propen= sity to molest strangers, it should be nger should be asked he should attack it in turn. This| would very quickly cure the dog of any inclination to attack strangers. ok Cesta Rica Gets Public Gymnasium. La Tribuna, San Jose—Within the next few weeks this capital will have occasion to rejoice in a novel and most important addition to its institutions. This project, now virtually assured, will mean much for the health and welfare of the whole community. It is, in effect, a physical culture academ: or gymnasium, established by the go ernment for the benefit of all the peo- ple. Here young and old of both sexes may indulge in healthful exercise and obtain a number of other invigorating privileges, not the least of which is the | enjoyment of a large and resplendent | natatorium, o%en to the salubrious rays of the sun, when the weather permits. Water, either warm or cold, may be provided in this pool, and likewise in the shower and tub baths, so recuper- ative after a lomg day's labors in the Summer heat. ‘The bullding which has been con- verted into such an admirable school for calisthentics and bodily refresh ment is conveinently located within few minutes’ walk of the Parque Cen- tral, and its facilities will be readily available to every citizen in the com- | munity. Those who desire special training in certain lines of physical culture will| find com| t instructuors ready to accy te them at moderate fees, and another accommodation is the provision of individual wardrobes (lockers), wherein any one coming into the academy for exercise or a bath early in the morning may leave his tennis shoes and astic clothes in safety when he leaves the building for his employment. A restaurant on e s will serve a meal at any hour for the patron hungry from his unwonted exertions. +This institution will be very appro- priately styled “La Academia de Cul- tura Fisica Olimpia,” in poetical allu- sion to the Olympic exercises and sports of the ancient Greeks. The “piscina” (fish pond) will have a depth of two meters at one end, gradually bect more shallow, until a de of 1 meter 30 centimeters is reached at the other, making it safe for experts and novices 1t is reported also that the Peruvian minister in Madrid is objecting strenu- ously, as is natural, to attacks upon President Sanchez Cerro. and the Peru- vian government, published in La Libertad and other papers the Spanish capital. * x % % Irish Taxpayers Face Cheerless Prospect. Irish Independent, Dublin.—While the unemployed are bombarding Boards of Pubiic Assistance and clamoring for increased relief allowances the ratepay- ers who are expected to provide the money find themselves in distress. es= pecially in the rural arcas. The Brit- ish tariffs and the depression in Eng- land have brought the farming industry, S0 far as it relied on what had been valuable export trade, almost to & standstill. In the circumstances which have arisen the bounties offered may soon resemble money granted to build bridges where there are no rivers. In Dublin the expenditure on out- door relief has risen to £4,481 per week as compared with £37779 at the cor- responding period last year. The con= tinuance of the existing scale will in- volve an increase of £33,200 in the esti- mate. Increased rates of relief mean a further addition of £42000 to the outlay. It is estimated that the board's demand for the next financial year will be no less £431500. The prospect be- fore ratepayers in the city and county of Dublin is certainly cheerless. One fact stares the farmer in the face, and that is that he and the in- dustry by which his people have lived for generations is facing ruin, and he is being driven back to a more helpless position than his ancestors were before the land acts were passed. This declaration was made by Mr. M. J. Lyons to a large meeting of farm= ers in Longford Court House, which, with three dissentients, decided to form a branch of the Free State Farmers and Ratepayers' League for the county. P. Doris, Company C. who presided, said every one realized the serious con= dition of the country. and particularly that of the farming interest, with which all other interests were closely bound up. When they fail the rest will have to fail with them. B ] “Cranky Old Lady” Objects to Parked Cars To the Editor of The Star “Give the taxpayer a break.” That's the best I cver read in The Star. We sure need a break. I am an elderly lady. For 40 years I have paid taxes for my home. I have lost nearly all my fortune, therefore am unable to keep a chauffeur or a car now. My neighbors not only park their cars in front of my home but also in my “private driveway.” When I ask them to move their cars they call me a “cranky old lady.” When it is raining and I call a cab I have to walk out in the middle of the street to get into it, as it is rarely possible for the cab to get in front of my home. It does seem that our Traffic Depart- ment would do _something about these cars parked in front of our homes day and it LILY GODDARD. German Elections. , | Prom the Lowell Evening Leader. EQ Tk i g e tra t boats. H I German elections seem to fail to de= cide anything for any length of time, —te Go-Bringers. Prom the Port Worth Star-Teickram. Approximately 70 per cent of the times those who are called “‘zo-getters” are merely super-personalities g 5 named after cities of the re- - A i } those ho say “bring-it-to-me” and here oomme st it o~