Evening Star Newspaper, April 25, 1933, Page 8

‘A—8 THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. TUESDAY........April 25 1933 THEODORE W. NOYES....Edito The Evening Star Newspa) Business Office 11th_St. and Pennsylv: New York Office: Chicago Office: Lake Mic] European Office: 14 Ms!nl England. Rate by Carrier Within the City. Toe Frenine Star, ., 45¢ per month e Evening and Sund yRYsass i Sunday Star Sy oi o 65¢ per month 5c per copy per Company T (when 4 Sunda: 60c per month The Evening_and (when 5 Sundays) The Sunday Star.... Collection made at Orders may be sent in NAtional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. 3 each month. by mall or telephone Al Other States and Canads. e 312.00: 1 mo- 81, Bally amg Sundar: 33 HE0o! 1mo. Vs Sunday only 1yr, $5.00; 1mo. 50c Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled 10 the use for republication of all news dis- patches credited 10 it Or not otherwise cre ited in this paper and also the local news published herein. All rights of publication of ecial dispatches herein are also reserved. Sonciah e e X Debate on Inflation. The Senate debate on the inflation- ary amendment to the farm bill has become largely a discussion of the prin- ciple of inflation, rather than close ex- amination of the legislative and eco- nomic principles involved in the vari- ous sections of the amendment itself. But, explaining the broad purposes of the amendment at the outset of his speech yesterday, Senator Thomas of ‘Oklahoma, who is sponsoring the meas- | ure for the administration, made the bold statement that: No issue in 6,000 years save the! ‘World War begins to compare with the possibilities embraced in the power conferred by this amendment. Two hundred billion dollars now of wealth and buying power rests in the hands of those who own the bank deposils and fixed investments, bonds and mortgages. That $200,000.000,000 these owners did not earn, they did not buy it, but they have it, and because they have it the masses of the people of this Republic are on the verge of starvation—17,000,000 on charity, in the bread lines. If the amendment carries and the powers are exercised in a reasonable degree, it must transfer that $200,000,- 000,000 in the hands of people who now have it, who did not buy it, who did not earn it, who do not deserve it. who must not retain it, back to the other side—the debtor class of the Republic, the people who owe the mass debts of the Nation. Of course, the Senator did not mean | his statement literally. But the idea| he sought to express is the underlying idea of those who believe in the prin- | ciple of inflation as a method of reliev- ing the “debtor class” of the Nation. This idea is necessarily based upon a concept which divides the population of the country into a creditor and debtor class. It is, of course, signifi- cant that the mortgage-ridden farmer, whose friends in Congress are legion, is today placed in the debtor class. Anything that is supposed to help the debtors will help the farmer, and infla- | tion is frankly proposed as one of the countless schemes to aid the farmer. But, if the debtors are to be relieved at the expense of the creditors, who are the creditors? Those who favor taking away from those who have to help those ‘who have not may envision the “creditor class” as the moneyed manipulators of ‘Wall Street, the barons of wealth who foreclose on impoverished farmers. But, unfortunately, the “creditor class” is far from being made up of those who rep- resent the great “vested interests.” ‘Widows who have invested life insur- ance in bonds and first mortgages, and who depend for a living on the interest; wage earners who sell their services for a stipulated amount on pay day; the small-salaried men and women who have put their money in savings banks or have invested it in annuities, life Insurance or other securities; those of small means who, in order to help win the World War and to make the world safe for democragy, patriotically bought, and still hold, Liberty bonds—these are the ones who comprise a large propor- tion of the creditor class. And one of the traditions of this country has been that the debtor of today becomes the creditor of tomorrow; the creditor to- day may, within the space of a few years, become the debtor of tomorrow. ‘There is no line to divide the “creditor class” from the “debtor class.” The danger of inflation is not that it will work as a capital levy on great wealth to the advantage of the impov- erished. The chief victims of inflation are the wage earners and salary work- ers, whose pay never keeps up with a stimulated rise of prices, and those whose small amount of worldly goods is represented by money in bank or in- wvested in what heretofore have been re- garded as safe and conservative medi- ums—Ilife insurance, Government bonds, gilt-edged industrial securities. The only ones to gain, should inflation be al- lowed to run its course, are the specu- | than lators. Speaking befcre the annual meeting | of the Asscciated Press in New York yesterday, Senator Robinson, the Dem- | ocratic leader in the Senate, said thxt‘; the chief purpose of the so-called in-| flation bill was to arm the President | with additional powers which might be | used to advantage in negotiations with foreign nations. “Imprudent or uncon- trolled expansion of credit,” he said, is not contemplated and the admin- istration has no intention of entering | into “a race to cheapen money or de- preciate currencies.” It would be comforting to hear from others who, like Senator Robinson, can with authority allay the fears of such Democrats as Tydings of Maryland that this amendment is dangerous. It would be comforting again to hear the pre-election assurances of well informed Democratic leaders that, under a Democratic administration, ~ “sound money” advocates have nothing to fear. School Orators. The present National Oratorical Con- test is the tenth of the series. Pre- sumably, the competitioh has becoms an institution, certain to survive. That it serves a useful purpose must be particularly complex in detail. Each and every phrase in the text is a theme for exposition, and a knowledge of traditional interpretation is of the highest importance. .The document in itself is lifeless; it lives only as it is comprehended, accepted and applied. Composed of mere words, mere symbols of human thought, its influence expands in the consclence of the people only as it is received into their intelligence. The ideals which it was framed to translate into forms of social action, of democratic government, function in the ratio in which they are appreci- ated. The Oratorical Contest has the pragmatic value of bringing the Con- stitution to the more intimate knowl- edge of the men and women, the boys and girls, whose protection it is. The contest also has a more general significance in that it promotes the practice of clear and cogent speech. Its awards are given to those who mani- fest the greatest mastery of oral ut- terance. Thus it stimulates a higher standard of expression, sets a loftler | mark for the speaker’s aim. Each par- ticipant perforce trains himself to speak clearly, coherently, forcefully, at- | tractively. Forensic gymnastics, he sees, are not enough—he must be moderate in his manner if he is to be entirely convincing. It follows that the good manners of speaking are acquired in the preparation for the trial. Again, clarity of thought, a method- ical science of thinking is required o!‘ the successful competitor. The winners know that they must be competent in reasoning and plainly direct in style of composition. They must know what they wish to say as well as how best to say it. The contest, so viewed, is con- ducive to a more thoroughgoing logic and a more skillful employment of the principles of grammar and rhetoric. For all these reasons, elocutionary ability, of rational cogita- tion and of graceful literary production, the National Oratorical Contest de- serves public support and co-operation. The school orators of today may be the lawyers and legislators, the judges and statesmen of tomorrow. That would be the natural outcome in the circumstances. But even if their paths in life lead through less conspicuous fields it may be taken for granted that they will be better Americans because of their experience. Red Cross as Relief Agency. In a message to the American Red Cross, at the opening of its annual convention in this city yesterday, Pres- ident Roosevelt, who but for the pressure of business incident to the meeting here of representatives of for- eign governments on matters of grave international importance would doubt- less have been present, said: In the national relief program now under consideration by Congress the Red Cross may be called upon to take a part. I am confident that the same efficiency and loval service which have marked its operation for so many years will again be evidenced. Already the Red Cross has been tak- ing part in the relief work made necessary by the country-wide depres- sion of business and the lack of em- ployment. It has been engaged for some months in the distribution of 85,000,000 bushels of wheat donated by Congress to the needy. That task will be completed by the first of June. At present there is no definite plan for the substitution of other food supplies for those which are soon to be exhausted. By the terms of the general relief bill at present pending in Congress, passage of which is ex- pected in a short time, such means will be provided, and it is altogether fitting that the Red Cross, with its highly efficient organization, should be entrusted with the dispensation. This association of citizens, formed many years ago to undertake the relief of those afflicted by disasters, with a membership of millions and with the sdvantage of complete confidence on the part of the people of the entire country in its {ntegrity and effective- ness, is in the best possible position to administer relief works, particularly in the matter of distribution of supplies. Its “overhead” of cost is small, its knowledge of conditions is broad and its efficiency of personnel is exceptional. At yesterday's opening meeting Judge John Barton Payne, chairman of the Central Committee, noted that through | the agencies of the Red Cross more 25,000,000 people, constituting over 5,700,000 families, had received donations of flour, ground from the wheat turned over by Congress out of the surplus holdings of the Govern- ment. In some instances the organiza- tion had to “fight desperately” to keep municipalities from selling the supplies, but was able through watchfulness to distribute the supplies without cost to the people assisted. It also handled some 42,000 miles of cotton cloth, made up into more than 38,000,000 garments. These are achievements of direct practical value. There is no taint of political manipulation in the work of the Red Cross. There is no favoritism in its distributions. With an experience of many years it goes directly to the places of need and relieves all suffering, whether the consequence of disaster or of depression. It is therefore reassuring to find that the President is in effect already enlisting the Red Cross in the work that is soon to be authorized for the public succor. A new record is made by Amelia Earhart as the aviatrix with the most distinguished passenger list. ———e———————— Canada and the United States. Vital as are the interests under dis- cussion with Prime Minister MacDonald and former Premier Herriot, those con- cerning the United States and Canada have an importance of their own, which clothes them with a significance that is almost paramount. The fact that we are next-door neighbors of itself places Canadian-American TYe- lations in a special category. But the circumstance that the two countries are respectively each other's best cus- tomer makes trade between the Do- minion and the Republic almost the outstanding issue in the international negotidtions now in progress at Wash- patently evident, but it may be worth |ington. while to examine again what that pur- pose is designed to be. The subject may be discussed under several divisional headings. The first of these is that of an increased and more exact understanding of the Con- stitution of the United States, the basic law of the land. Naturally, the sub- dpct s of vast dimensions as well as It is in that realization that the American people and Government re- jolce in the nresence of Canada’s ruzged prime minister. Many weeks ago, long before President Roosevelt’s formal in- vitations for the current conversations were tendered, Mr Bennett in the House of Commons at Ottawa pro- claimed his esgerness to confer at then, of in-| telligent citizenship and patriotism, of | THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, Washington on ways and means for accelerating the flow of commerce across the border. Although as leader of the Conservative party, he confessed himself & consistent protectionist, Prime Minister. Bennett recognized the bitter need, in these times of economic disorder, of evolving methods whereby Canadians and Americans could buy of each other under conditions de- signed to facilitate, not hamper, such trade. He would gladly, he sald, con- is in Washington today to do it. The history of Canadian-American commercial relations is not one that fills either country with agreeable ree- ollections. The more recent history in particular is not such as to cause the American people to point with pride. In the vear the present United States ilarlfl law was enacted, 1929, we were selling Canada a round billion dollars’ worth of goods, a volume greater than that which we exported to all the rest of the Western Hemisphere combined. Not only that, but the Canadian- American trade balance at that time, | as it generally is, was about two to one in our favor—we sold the Canadians twice as much per annum as we bought | from them. Yet these eloquent facts | and figures did not deter Congress from | dealing our overwhelmingly best pa- | tron a staggering tariff blow and inev- | itably precipitating self-defensive retal- | jatory treatment by Canada. | Notwithstanding all this, there is room, as there is urgent reason, for a sane and a sagacious trade arrangement | between these two vast contiguous | peoples, whose buying power in normal | times is wide and intensive. They need each other’s business. It is a trade de- | signed by nature and geography to flow | uninterruptedly. There is almost as little sense in setting up artificial cus- toms barriers to impede it as there would be in fortifying the border on either side with slege guns. Canada and the United States face a situation which sets them apart from the Euro- pean “system,” in which nations like Great Britain and France have neces- sarily to deal with essentially Old Werld problems. The Dominion and ourseives have complementary problems unigde to North America. Much is heard of the difficulties which have to be surmounted because of the Ottawa agreements of 1932, the trade compacts formulated between Great Britain and the empire “daughter na- tions.” It is gratifying to be assured from responsible British quarters, in- cluding Canadian authorities, that there is ample latitude within the framework of the Ottawa agreements for separate trade arrangements with non-British countries. The sun never sets on John Bull's empire, but, after all, the com- monwealth of British nations accounts in territory and population for only a quarter of the globe, and it was our | British cousins’ declared intent at Ot- | tawa not to disassociate themselves economically from the rest of mankind. | There is an array of the strongest arguments why Canada and America | should proceed, with a minimum of | delay, to invoke the spirit of enlightencd mutual interest and place their trade relations on a level of common sense and common profit. In London, Mr. Dawes was unsparing in censure of G. Bernard Shaw's wit. | It is not likely that there will be an- other meeting at the banquet board that will permit Mr. Shaw to comment in a spirit of repartee on Mr. Dawes’ manner of addressing Chicago school teachers. Those about to lose their Government positions will go with the comforting consciousness that they are leaving the positions with less wages than when they entered them and are therefore entitled to remembrance as martyrs to economy. ———————————— An economic reform which aims at | the same time to regulate the value of currency and also the value of com- modities should be expected, to quote a famous expression, to “get together and get somewhere.’ ' —————————— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. The Borrower. “Don’t borrow trouble,” some one said To Hezekiah Bings; “Remain serene and go ahead With more important things, Such as your comfort and your health, And do not interfere. Be carefu! to preserve your wealth Of personal good cheer.” But Hezekiah always found ‘Temptations to invest In troubles that canie driftin’ ‘round An’ causin’ folks unrest. Although he couldn't hope to end Life's doubting and distress, He'd borrow trouble from a friend An’ make the burden less. He listened to the sorrowing tale Of many a mournful elf. He'd borrow trouble by the bale, An’ handle it himself. Sometimes he'd even put up cash— A most unusual plan! in financlerin’ Hez was rash, But gosh! He was A Man. A Base Ball Mystery. Effect and cause are studies strange; | There’s no one who can tell Why, when one person hits a ball ‘The rest all want to yell. Sad Worldliness. “Honesty is the best policy,” marked Meandering Mike. “It sure is fur folks like us,” an- swered Plodding Pete. “Our transac- tions ain't big enough to enable us to hire de best legal talent.” Te- Seven Billions. Seven billion dollars’ worth! Is there such a thing on earth? Look across the country fair— Trillions there and some to spare! Grain that now is sprouting green Scatters treasure o'er the sceme. Herds that roam the pastures vast; Ore that walts the miner's blast— Numbers fail to count the sum Of tjys wealth and wealth to come, Called by heart and brain worth more Far than all the earthly store. Seven billions! It is small When we come to count our all! “Many a gal,” said Uncle Eben, “has had trouble by not realizin’ dat bein’ & a young man mo' dan six or seven dollars & week down to dfto’.” tribute his utmost to that end, and he | & good dancer don’ necessarily guarantee more THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Is extravagant language, especially raise, ever justified? e answer will depend upon_one'’s irt. ” oth- ‘The real question remains, whether such language, almost always over- drawn, really impresses any one, even when it flatters. * ok ok k A gentleman was exhibiting to a friend some excellent views of the Tidal Basin at cherry blossom time. He had taken the pictures and per- sonally hand-colored them. results were extremely effective, particularly so in that the tints had lrlx:lt_‘dbeen laid on with too lavish a Most of the cherry blossom pictures one sees are much toa pink. They make a pretty picture, at any depth of coloration, so there is really no sense in making them pinker than they are. * R ox ok ‘The friend, being somewhat of an amateur photographer himself, having taken photographs since he was 8 years old, viewed the prints with critical appreciation. Never had he owned such a good camera. As for the tint- ing, that required a patience he did not possess. “They are beautiful,” he said, which was the simple truth. Just at this moment bubbling Homer Julian came into view. Although he had never taken so much as a stapshot in his life, he was long on words. “Magnificent!” he exclaimed, shuffling rapidly through the prints. “Glorious!” he added, as if afraid that “magnificent” was too weak a word. Evidently he searched his word reser- voir in vain for a bigger and better one, for shortly he handed the batch of pictures back with an explosive “Mag- nificent!” which shook the very rafters. | x kX % The quiet gentleman who believed in the values of words, and especially the proper appreciation of those values, tried his best to make out, from the facial expression of the photographer, how well the wordy barrage was “going over.” A poker face defeated him, but just once he rather thought he caught a sense of satisfaction. “Magnificent” is, indeed, a magnifi- cent word! It is guaranteed to flatter almost any one, from an archbishop to a “man in the street.” geous, sumptuous, glorious, brilllant, as a splendid , gift, achieve- ment victory. Colloquially, it means excellent, capital. k% It will be seen by this brief review, therefore, that there is some excuse for using such words in everyday talk, it one wants to. That they are so used is common knowledge. We may speak of a day as glorious, or of glorious fun, in & jocu- lar sense, or of the glorious uncer- tainty of base ball, in jrony. The term “glorio drunk” means some- thing, although every one will not agree on what it means. It is possible to speak of good photography as splendid, in the sense of a real achievement in the art, or colloquially as excellent, capital, but such praise is only valuable when coming from some one who practices the art himself and knows whereof he speaks. * A E ok ‘The basic ground for dislike of such words in ordinary talk, therefore, is not that they are actually wrong, in themselves, so much as that they are unnecessary ‘They are on a par with the so-called “‘wise-crack,” happily being forced out of style by the depression. One no longer hears so many cute sayings, so many flippancies masquerading s cleverness. This is something to be thankful for. Sophistication, in general, is suffering & setback all along the line. Thousands of Americans are discovering, or re- discovering, that one of the true joys one is not under the slightest necessity of impressing others there. In the home it is not as at these “parties” where various persons, totally unacquainted, nevertheless at games glibly call each other by thelr first names, and then pass each other on the street the next day without recognition, because they really do not know each other. * x x % It must be admitted that extravagant language of all sorts comes a great deal easier, because a great deal more natur- ally to some persons than others. The man of a florid nature finds the language loaded with “big words” which he uses to suit himself, regardless of their proper application. A little thing like proportion has nothing to do with it. Just so long as he can find any one of the various definitions to give him a toe-hold on There are few persons, perhaps, who do not like to feel that others appre- | ciate what they do. Many pretend to| be indifferent, but few really are. | And these grand words, rolled out of the mouth of one who has no shame in | using them, or any sense of proportion, either, make a great splash. x % ox % Just for a moment, it may be hoped, especially by quiet men everywhere. | They are the mother tongue. | They stick, not to the letter of the| dictionary, but to the spirit of the lan- | guage. S words as “magnificent,” “glori- slightest occasfon. * X % % The deeper implication is this: That he who deliberately trades in these grand words, reserved by more sensitive persons for really fitting occaslons, has either something to conceal, or attempt to_gain. ‘To some this may seem a harsh judg- ment. Is not the man simply rolling words old guard, the con- | over his tongue for the sheer pleasure |relative on a much lengthened visit servators of language, the protectors of | of it, as delighted as a savage with a | from Boston, a brother who heartily string of gaudy beads? Let us consider our case in point. By talking—er, magnificently—the gentle- man easily prevented any one from asking him whether he had ever taken | any photographs himself, or had any s commonly used. “Magnificent for instance, means splendid, statel: sumptuously constructed or adorned; | splendidly lavish. | “Glorjous,” according to the diction- | ary, means possessing glory, illustrious; conferring glory; splendid, magnificent, intensely delightful “Splendid,” equals magnificent, gor- ' real tpenmml background for his judg- ment. It may be believed that few persons are really taken in by such big talk, that they may swallow it, at the time, possibly with some relish, but that in the back of their heads they know all the time that judgment and flattery are different things. High Lights on the Wide World Excerpts From Newspapers of Other Lands NOITE, Rio de Janeiro. — A| rather complicated history, in- | volving the disappearance of an auto truck, has just come to | a happy ending, much to the | surprise, though certainly not the regret, of the persons justly concerned. ~About | three days ago a representative of a de- partment store in Sao Paulo, the widely known Empresa Rodovia, came to this city in a truck belonging to his em- ployers and driven by one of their chauf- feurs. The representative made selec- tions of goods for his firm at the vari- ous warehouses of the wholesalers, pur- chasing silks, satins, shoes and cloth- ing already manufactured, amounting to some 80,000 milreis ($6,000). This merchandise was duly loaded on the truck belonging to the Empresa Rodo- | via and intru.stgd t6 the chauffeur, Bon- | ifacio Maufer, to convey to the estab- lishment at Sao Paulo, a distance, as many of us know, of about 350 kilo- meters (220 miles). A friend of Mau- fer's who wished to go to Sao Pauo went along as guard and helper and the en- tire distance should have been accom- plished in some 10 hours. ‘However, a full day elapsed after the representative had telegraphed his em- ployers of the departure of the truck and there was still no sign of its ar- rival. Notifled in turn to this effect, the representative hired a private car and traveled the same route that Mau- fer had been expectéd to take. He had traversed half the distance between the two capitals when Re espied, drawn up at the side of the road, the missing truck, cargo intact, while the chauffeur, Bonifacio Maufer, and his friend, Ca- nuto Moreira, were sitting under a tree playing cards. It seems that at a distance of some 10 kilometers or so from the Campo dos Affonsos, one of the tires of the truck sustained a puncture and the vehicle could proceed no further. There was neither an extra tire nor materials for repair among the tools and equipment of the veh’lcl: mfiiflfl; x:en were in a yandary just wl o. g Maufer suggested that Moreira walk either to Campo dos Affonsos, in one cirection, or to Paulicea, in the other, d get a new pneumatic. ~Moreira an thought it would be better if Maufer b took the walk. Maufer, he contended, knew better just what sort of tire the wheel needed. As for himself, he had once been a policeman in Bello Hori- zonte, had worn a splendid uniform with plenty of gold braid and knew far better than Maufer how to guard the truck and cargo of the Empresa Rodovia. The consequence was neither departed to secure the tire or ma- terials to repair the damaged one; they decided instead to wait beside the road until some kind fellow-traveler ap- peared, willing and able to help them. Unfortunately, though, most of the motorists coming along the road (and there were mnot very many), Wwhile willing to help, were unable to do so, for another implement that Maufer had forgotten was the lever for raising the axle; none of their chance ac- quaintances had one powerful enough. So there was nothing to do but pass away the time and await the outcome, which was that the buyer for Empresa Rodovia came along, saw their predica- ment and, driving on to Campo dos Affonsos, returned with the necessary pneumatic. Eventually the merchandise belong- ing to the Empresa Rodovia will reach Sao Paulo, but so far as our chronicles extend at present that success is not yet a matter of accomplishment. One thing, we believe, is certain. The Em- presa_Rodovia, Sociedade Limitada, will very likely ship its bolts of cloth here- aftes the In such a case adjolning the grounds, deposits of gold ore were found several feet beneath the surface. Immediately rebuilding operations ceased, and excavations in all directions were begun with feverish enthusiasm. The whole town took a hand in the digging when it was bruited about that a stratum of gold | ore, several inches thick, underlay the | whole cricket ground, and two school- | | boys, implemented with lead-pencils, | scooped up seven ounces of the pure | metal after 15 minutes’ grubbing. A couple of ex-cricket players staked a claim in the center of the field, and retrieved 44 ounces in a week. No cricket will be played in the field this year, but conditions are ideal for the planting of potatoes. * X Kok | Deprived of Fresh Bread by Ban on Night Work. LA TRIBUNA, San Jose.—Of all the | pestiferous legislation which has from time to time tested the well-nigh inex- haustible patience of our population, perhaps none has a bigger nui- sance than the law which forbade noc- turnal working in the bakehouses. This edict, it is true, applied to other in- dustries as well, but none of the others were so adversely affected by the in- junctions which made it necessary for them to perform all their labors in the daylight. The purpose of this co-called “re- form” had several ramifications. One was to have all necessary noise of work and manufacture confined to the hours when people were wake. Another was to economize in the consumption of the pursuit of any activities when the radiance of the sun is available. Both considerations had, of course, their merits, especially in this period of diminished industrial activity, but there are exceptions to every dras- tic plan and specific limitation, and the exception in this case has proved to be the bakeries. If these enterprises must produce their goods only in the daytime, then a night must_intervene before they can be dis- tributed. Under such circumstances they can no longer be denominated fresh reads and pastries, but rather products which are musty and rancid, by no means agreeable to the palate of the customers. The result has been such & fzlling off in the baking business and such a renewed fervor in the prepara- tion at home of foodstuffs formerly purchased from the bakers that an im- mense agitation has been cooked up, both by these operatives and by the public generally, to revoke the law in so far as it applies to bakeries at least. It is quite likely that the Congress, in its approaching extraordinary ses- sions, will take some action to modify the legislation governing nocturnal em- ployment in so far as these very es- sential and honorable enterprises are concerned. The secretary of state has already been visited and importuned to use his influence in achieving this alle- viation by distinct delegations, both of the proprietors, the employes and the consumers, which last elassification may well be said to include our entire citi- zenry. 8 e Sinister Silence. From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The Far East situation reminds us of that type of mother who calls out to the children: “Y'all are too quiet Whatever it is you are doing, A New Island for Sowaebody. Prom the Rochester Times-Union. Sclentist says a new island will arise in the Pacific. All the nations will worry which about: that—all except Japan, will do something va: it. — vt How Big Is a Lump? ‘Transeript. of the pleasures of the home is that | the word, he trots it forth upon the | electric current not at all required for TUESDAY, APRIL 25 1933. NEW BOOKS ' AT RANDOM M. G. THE CELEBRATED CASES OF CHARLIE CHAN. By Earl Derr Biggers. Indianapolis: The Bobbs- Merrill Company. 8ince the appearance just a few weeks ago of this collection of mystery cases solved by Charlie Chan sorrow has descended on Punch Bowl Hill and now the long famous and usually happy Chinese detective is sadly reflecting upon the inscrutible ways of Providence. For the black camel has visited a certain house in far away Pasadena and he who was mortal has passed on into the realm of the immortal. On the| fifth of this month Earl Derr Biggers, the dearest friend, the creator and the biographer of Charlie Chan, passed into the beyond and never again will this genial oriental detective fare forth to solve a mystery which baffles the homi- clr'l; squads and the forces of law and or A great multitude of people in every land are sharing the grief of Charlie Chan, for the six great mysteries which he has solved during the past ten years have been translated into ten foreign languages, and to this host of readers the detective has become a real per- noteworthy fame before he created Charlie Chan, but his greater success came to him through the exploits of the fat and kindly oriental who, through the skill of his creator, rose from the rank of an humble member of the Honolulu police force to become the best known and most beloved detective in the world. So vivid and human have been all the performances of Chan that many read- ers of the Biggers mystery stories have | believed that he must be a real person. ! Of course, he is not, though the idea| of creating a Chinese detective was| born of the discovery that there were two members of that race on the police | force of Honolulu. When the first story in which Charlie Chan figured appeared Mr. Biggers made the fol-| lowing statement: “Sinister and wicked Chinese are old | stuff in mystery stories, but an amiable | Chinese on the side of law and order { had never been used up to that time.” ‘To the end of his career Charlie Chan the side of law and order.” It was no lightsome task to endow his detective with the gift of aptly applying the deep philosophy of the oriental to the | often distasteful and frequently menial | job at hand. Diligent research was necessary in the development of the style which made possible the delight- fully twisted English of Chan and in the employment of many equally de- lightful and fathoms-deep quotations from old Chinese philosophers and wise men. | The present collection of stories leads | | off with “The House Without a Key," vhich is the tale of the stabbing to | death of Dan Winterslip in his own | house in Honolulu. An elderly woman hates and a daughter who idolizes the victim, her flance, a nephew sent to| Honolulu to retrieve and bring back to| Boston the long over-due aunt; a some- | what disreputable hotel keeper and his | beautiful daughter, & mixed variety of | guests at the questionable inn and a| collection of ‘personal and impersonal | in the net of suspicion before Charlie | Chan cuts the mesh, releases the inno- | culn and forces the hand of the crimi- nal. “The Chinese Parrot” is the first story which takes Charlie Chan abroad. For many years the detective has wanted to see America, but the duties of office and the demands of his constantly growing family have kept him close to home. In this story, however, he is employed | by an American woman for whom he | has worked in Honolulu to protect and | safely deliver a valuable necklace of pearls. The journey takes Chan from San Prancisco into the fastnesses of the | desert, and keeps him there for a far longer time than is either comfortable | or happy. It is a great “case,” with a | number of hair-raising experiences in which the imperturbable tenacity which is characteristic of the race leads to victory and reward. Looking forward to a well-earned 1 rest at the end of the necklace episode, and with due regard and concern as to the arrival of a new member into his | family, Charlie has booked passage for | home, even though another crime has | pushed itself under his nose and de- | manded that he solve the mystery. In fact, he is actually on board ship and |in his stateroom when an overheard conversation causes him to change his |mind, and to the delight of friends whom he has made in San Francisco he walks down the gangplank and into the thick of “Behind That Curtain,” a ro- mance dealing with the disappearance of several girls and trailing through three continents. It is during the un- raveling of this mystery that Chan re- ceives word of the birth of his eleventh: child. He is homesick, and longs for the little house on Punch Bowl Hill, but in spite of discouragements and blind alleys he stays on and wins his victory. It was but natural that some time or other Chan would have one of the many Hollywood crimes to solve, and in “The Black Camel” Mr. Biggers gave him his opportunity. True, the murder of the beautiful actress took place in Honolulu and not in the pageant city of the motion picture in- dustry, but practically all of those in- volved were members of the Hollywood set and connected in some manner with a murder which had been committed in the tinsel city some three years be- fore. It was not necessary for the noteworthy detective to leave the home shores in this case, for all of those in- volved had managed to collect them- selves in Honolulu. Much of the magic of the tropics and semi-tropics per- vades this enticing tale, and not in any of the Biggers mysteries are there more examples of the typically Charlie Chan brand of philosophical observations than in this one. The concluding book is “Charlie Chan Carries On,” with murders in London, Nice, San Remo and Yokohama. This case very nearly gives Chan a trip around the world, during which his own demise at the hand of an unknown enemy is avoided only through the miraculous intervention of Providence. Perhaps this is the most extrao: trail of sleuthing which Chan has done, but if it were necessary to make a choice of this collection of five novels the celection of the best would almost eurely end in a tie for all of them. The passing of Mr. Biggers at such an untimely age is trulp the cause of sincere mourning among his thousands —indeed millions—of readers. Had he lived his full three score and ten years there would undoubtedly have been many more excursions into romance, travel, adventure and crime, with the lovable Charlie Chan and his unmatch- able phraseology, his frequent outpour- ings of ancient philosophy and his never-failing amiability winning for him new laurels and uncountable new riends. Four of the foregoing novels have been made the basis for motion pic- tures, and Mr. Biggers’ last Chan novel —which has not been included in this publication—is now in process of re- hearsal for dramatization. Only recent- ly Charlie Chan has become a radio star, being broadcast over a nation- wide hook-up. “The Keeper of the Keys” is the volume, the last chap- % Chatils Chian b, those who have for 7] 0se him and to think of him ividual will continue to surrounded his large in home on the R . Some Comfort. Prom the Newark Evening News. A Newfoundland sealer has son. Mr. Biggers had already achieved | States has remained the “amiable Chinese on | F. O. friends all manage to become entangled | He ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. ‘What do you need to know? Is there some point about your business or per- sonal life that puzzles you? Is there something you want to know without delay? Submit your question to Fred- eric J. Haskin, director of our Wash- ington Information Bureau. He is em- ployed to help you. Address your in- quiry to The Evening Star Information Bureau, Prederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C., and inclose three cents in coin or stamps for return postage. Do not use post cards. Q. What pitchers introduced the spit ball and the curved ball-—U. H. S. A. Elmer Stricklett was first to throw a spit ball, while the curved ball was introduced by William Arthur Cum- mings. Q. Which President was the first to receive the $75,000 salary?—C. S. A. President Taft was the first to enjoy the increased salary. Q. In how many States is betting on horse races legalized?—L. A. A. It has been legalized in Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, Montana, Illinois, Ohlo, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington and New Hamp- shire. Legislation favoring racing or betting, or both, is pending in 11 other Q. Are the portraits of any living De;Ivonsa usud on United States currency? A. Tt is. a regulation of the Depart- ment of the Treasury that only like- nesses of persons who have died shali appear on United States money. Q. Do tomatoes which have been col- ored with ethylene gas have the same | vitamin content as naturally ripened | tomatoes?—J. W. B. A. Tomatoes that are allowed to stay on the vine until they are actually ripe | are superior in vitamin content and | food value to those picked green and then treated with ethylene gas to give the fruit the color that is character- | istic of the ripe fruit, but the ethylene | treatment apparently has no harmful effect on the vitamins already formed in the green fruit that is treated. Q. What was Tennyson's comment upon Browning's poem, “Sordello”?— A. He said that he had done his best with it, but that there were only two lines which he understood—the first | and the last—and that these were un- true. The first line is, “Who will, may hear Sordello's story told.” The last | line is, “Who would, has heard Sordello’s | story told.” Q. Is it safer to be indoors or out- doors in a thunderstorm?—S. P. A As a generalization, it is safer in- doors. Merely kecp away from stoves, fireplaces and walls. Outdoors, tall | trees, wire fences and tops of hills may | well be avoided. Q. Was Robert E. Lee offered a com- mission in the Union Army at the out- break of the Civil War?>—M. F. A. It has been reported that Gen. Robert E. Lee was on April 18, 1861, offered the command of the United States Armies by Prancis P. Blair un- officially, but authoritatively with the ! knowledge of President Lincoln. Lee went from his interview with Mr. Blair to Gen. Scott .on April 20, 1861. wrote from Arlington a resigna- | tion of his command to take effect | immediately. After the offer he ac- | cepted a commission in the Confed- erate forces of Virginia. Q. What is the tale concerning Dick | ‘Whittington's cat, which brought him | a fortune?—T. W. | A. The tale runs that Dick Whit- | tington's master cllowed his servants to put in an “adventure” in a ship | i | | | | bound for Morocco. Whittington had nothing but a cat, so he contributed that. It so happened that the King of Morocco was troubled by mice, which the cat destroyed. He thereupon bought the mouser for =a fabulous price. This was the foundation of Whittington's fortune and fame. Q. When will this international Polar year close?>—C. R. A. It is to close August, 1933. began August 1, 1932. During &~ period representatives of 33 foreighi nations are gathering data having a bearing on the deveiopment of radio communication, the study of the heavi- side layer, the establishment of new airway routes, the aurora borealis and weather forecastin Q. Did Siam depose her King?—G. K. A. Siam is now a constitutional monarchy since the well planned, and bloodless revolution of June 24, 1932. King Prajadhipok him- self was behind it, since the revolution was aimed at the elders of the royal house, of the government and of the army, who had opposed the King in liberalizing his regime. The King, on June 24, signed the new constitution declaring a limited monarchy, full franchise for the people, and an elect- ed Parliament with full powers and to which the ministers are to be re- sponsible. Q. Is it against the law to send monthly bills by messenger instead of by mail?—E. J. M. A There is no law compelling a per- son to send any message, bill, or article by mail if one prefers to deliver it in some other manner. The mails are merely for convenience and economy, but one is not compelled to use them if he does not choose. Q. What were the original Cinque Ports of England?—C. J. H. A. They were located on the coast of the counties of kent and Sussex. The original ports were Dover, Sandwich, Hastings, Hythe and Romney. Later ‘Winchelsea and Rye were added. These ports were granted special privileges by the later Saxon and early Roman Kings of Britain, on condition of furnishing a certain number of ships during a war. ‘There was no permanent British navy before the reign of Henry VIL Q. How many checks are used each month in the United States?—G. W. T. A. There are no figures on the number of checks cashed in the United States. However, there is a figure on the tax collected on checks from last Juiy. Ac- cording to this, it may be estimated that Iboutthl75,000.000 checks are issued each month. Q. Why were masks placed over the faces of the Egyptian dead?—J. W. A. Masks were employed to perpetu- ate the appearance of the living after death and placed upon the mummy to aid in its revivification, according to their belizf. Q. What proportion of the candy sold is accr?umed for by the 5-cent package? A. More than half the total output of the trade is sold in this form. Q. What effect have hard times on the churches?>—W. H. A. A. According to data in the Year- book of American Churches, when busi- ness was steadily going up, church membership was steadily going down. At the time of the crash of the market, in 1929, church membership showed & sharp rise, and the churches have been :Ezwml increases constantly since that e. Q. Is cork classed as wood?—M. S. H. A. Cork is the light, porous, elastic outer bark of the cork oak, Quercus suber. Since it is a part of the bark, it is classed as a wood product. Muscle Shoals Project Gains Favor, But S National comment on the advocacy by President Roosevelt of the develop- ment of Muscle Shoals shows new sup- port for the work in the Tennessee Valley, though opposition to _the project still is widely expressed. Pro- ponents seeing it as an initial move which may spread to other parts of | the country, stress its importance in a public works program, providing em- ployment in new flelds, of fertilizer and power production, flood control, forest and soil protection, etc., and ap- prove of it as a means of regulating power. Opponents base their argu- ments upon objections to the outlay of public money necessary to carry out the development and to the entry of the Government into competition with private business. “The President moves in obedience to a splendid vision,” thinks the Nash- ville Banner, with the statement that “nothing that Mr. Roosevelt has pro- posed bears so clear an impress of constructive statesmanship.” That “he sees the application of the plan to the areas traversed by other streams, in- cluding the Missouri, Arkansas and Co- lumbia,” is the opinion of the Banner, which observes “the opening of what may easily prove to be a distinct epochal advance in the development of the Nation’s resources.” The Omaha World-Herald records that “Mr. Roose- velt believes he has found, in a great national system of watershed, power and forest development, a means of keeping alive the spirit of the pioneer.” “Before his inauguration,” says the Roanoke World-News, “Mr. Roosevelt gave his views as to the Tennessee Valley, proposing a vast program of public works to decentralize industry and make available cheap power as ‘probably the widest experiment ever conceived by government.” It is the first step in that program that the President now recommends—the utili- zation of a vast Government-owned project that through the years has been lying almost idle.” The Atlanta Journal quotes from a | speech by Mr. Roosevelt in Oregon in the course of which he held, as to | State-owned or Federal-owned power sites, that “private capital should be | given the first opportunity to transmit | and distribute power on the basis of | the lowest rates and best service, to give a reasonable profit only.” The Journal concludes: “That principle the President now applies to the neglected potentilities of the Muscle Shoals, and with it he links a logical program for flood control, reforestation, soil protec- tion and agricultural progress that is worthy of America’s greatest pioneering traditions.” “There seems no good and sufficient reason for Muscle Shoals not playing its part in the Roosevelt reconstruction program,” declares the Fort Worth Star- Telegram, with the thought that the message “illustrates the distance Gov- ernment has traveled in the last 12 months.” Regretting lack of adequate information on the subject, the Oak- land Tribune recognizes in the prolect “a single part of one plan which is in itself a separate porti of a public- works program calculated to put many men to work.” The Port Huron Times Herald sees the possibility of salvaging “at least a part of the Government's in- vestment while getting the big plant into condition to shift the burden of operation upon the shoulders of private enterprise and without putting Government permanently into the manu- facturing business.” “If the President's is un- derstood,” according the Newark Evening News, “it means the creation under Government auspices of a ‘body col te and politic’ which will have authority to do a number of things by successive steps, each step predicated upon the demonstration in advance that it can be put and kept on a self- sup] basis. Given such a basis. the realization of the power potentiali- ties of Muscle Shoals, its possible con- tribution to nitrate ent Tennessce a3 an industrial ares, till Is Criticized can all be undertaken without devolv- ing more than a moral responsbility for its success upon the Central Govern- ment, without impairing Treasury bal- ances.” Advice to count the cost of the prof- ect is given by the Lincoln State Jour- nal, the Hartford Daily Times, the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, the Cleveland News and the Oshkosh Daily Northwestern. Opposition to Govern= ment competition with private business is indicated by the Charleston (8. C.) Evening Post, which calls it “unfair.” The Buffalo Evening News holds that “it ought not to go forward as a project designed to discourage private initistive and to scrap private institutions when they have served the public well,” while the New York Sun argues: “According to figures from an engineer, ten com- panies operating in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi end Tennessee have invest- ments aggregating more than $700,000,- 000, which pay annual taxes aggregating $8,000,000, which have on their books the names of 44,000 local investors in preferred stocks and 70,000 non-resident holders of stocks and bonds. What is to become of all these if the Federal Government enters the field as a com- petitor?” Importance of the proposed flood control is m%geated by the Rockford Register-Republic, while the Houston Chronicle feels that it is unwise to keep the plant idle, and the New Orleans Times-Picayune avers that the Presi- | dent gives the plant “something re- sembling its war-time status as an emer= gency enterprise.” Need of Federal supervision of the power industry is voiced by the Youngstown Vindicator, and the need of checking private mo- nopoly is upheld by the Portland Oregon Journal. The carrying out of campaign promises is indorsed by the Scranton Times, and the Indianapolis News ad- vises: “The administration is interested in the mass of consumers, as it should be, and it deserves a chance to see what it can do.” The Baltimore Sun con- cludes: “When the Government under- takes to regulate &rlvabe enterprise ex- tensively it very definitely tends to in- X{g:n'n bseuhsequel;t’ sfiep to public oper- cause of failure °’A"';l"““‘°“-;1m es in the process Ivice to k it over” before takin action is given by the Cincinnati Tunu! Star, while lack of public faith in Utoplan prospects is declared by the Minneapolis Tribune, and absence of promise of a real test is observed by the Boston Transcript. Prospects of lack of effective results are seen by the Rochester Times-Union, the San Jose Mercury-Herald and the Providence Journal. The Chicago Daily News charges that the administration has ‘Junked sound Democratic doctrine.” — Big Boom in Offing? From the Des Moines Tribune. Financier James Adams, who set him- self up as a m&e.t of ridicule in 1928 by predicting t Wall Street was headed for a crash, now risks derision again by ting that we are gnw n:l?'! threshold of a “stupendous He thinks we are now facing a fron- tler of sclentific discovery that will bring business expansion equal to that Which came with our conquest of Amer- ica’s physical frontier. About the only reasonable reply to the | Mr. Adams’ apparently fanciful sugges- tion is to say that nothing, today, is impossible—except to believe a fln-ncmy prophecy. ——.— Three-Pointers. Piom the San Dieso Union. Mr. Roosevelt has a three-point for the railroad interests. ~His program was three-point also. P T Intemperate. From the Louisville Times, ‘The %m‘m the Pittsburgh Zoo that started to eat a agven-foot snake didn’ believe in temperance, 5 4