Evening Star Newspaper, August 2, 1933, Page 8

.THE EVENING STAR _ With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. WEDNESDAY....August 2, 1933 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Offi icago Office: e uropean Office: 14 Re Englan Rate by Carrier Within the City. I"nl‘x'z" A iy Btar 0 P ‘month Ren 4t )oY 512 goc per month ent St.. London, status as. & prime consideration. For the act states specifically that appoint- ments can be made “without regard to the provisions of other laws.” And Mr. Stevenson is to be commended for candidly stating his own policy. But one naturally wonders how long it will be before the taxpayers wake up to the fact that a policy of scrap- ping the merit system in favor of filling Government jobs through the patronage system is one of the most expensive luxuries at the disposal of politicians. Practically the only guarantee to those who pay the bills that their public servants are competent and efficient lies in the merit system. The only feasible merit system is founded on competi- th. tive examination, open to all the citi- All Other States and Canada. i 17, $12.00; 1 mo.. $1. 3 .. T8¢ 17 B ime: Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled 10 the use for republication of all news dis- tches credited to it or not otherwise cred- ted 1n this paper and also published herein. speclal dispi B0, puviication of ul Alerela 'are also Teserved. atches —_— Japan Arms to the Teeth. Japanese Army snd Navy chiefs yes- terday presented revised estimates for the 1934-1935 defense expenditures larger than any in the island empire’s previous history and forty-five per cent above sppropriations for the current year. They aggregate in American money the colossal sum of 3347‘000,000.‘ 1t Nippon actually embarks upon the | new program of military and naval | expansion which these figures connote, the world has reason to look forward to the resumed Geneva D\s‘mlm!nt‘ Conference in the Fall with almost eomplete hopelessness. The outlook was bleak enough in Europe, with the continent, nineteen years after the outbreak of the World War, shud- dering in the presence of the new German menace offered by Nazi rule. ‘With Asia threatened with d"mm"i tion by Japanese armed power on | the prodigious scale Tokio now signals, | the Western nations envision a situation | on the other side of the world little | conducive to a sense of peace and se- curity. Before indulging in hasty judgment of Japan's motives and purposes, it is the duty of other peoples to look at them through her spectacles. As to naval expansion, the Tokio government now proposes to do no more than that which the United States is just pro- ceeding to do, namely, to build up the fleet to the full limit permitted by | the treaty of London. Indeed, Japan's | primary reason for planning to spend the record sum of $190,400,000 on her navy during the next fiscal year, or thirty per cent more than the previous highest naval sppropriations, is said to be the present naval budget of this country. Japan, for better or for worse, hav- ing committed herself to extensive po- litical and military engagements in Manchuria and elsewhere on the Asiatic mainland, feels obligated to caparison herself in corresponding military might. She looks upon herself as politically and diplomatically isolated by the atti- tude of the League of Nations in the Manchurian affair and considers it the part of fundamental self-preservation to be prepared single-handed for any military eventualities that can ensue from the situation which Geneva cre- ated. As to sea power, too, the Japanese are said mainly to be looking forward to the Naval Conference of 1935. With & fleet in commission or under construc- tlon measuring up to the full limits of the London treaty, Japan's statesmen think they would be in better strategic position to enforce their long-cherished demand for naval parity with the United States and Great Britain. It is an ambitious program for an island power with the restricted finan- clal and economic resources of Japan. Her people are still in the throes of a burdensome depression, like the rest of the world, and are carrying, besides, & heavy load of taxation. It will be for the nation to decide whether it can stand the new fiscal strain which the militarist party would now impose upon it. To date the people of Nippon have been docile and uncomplaining, for their sense of patriotism and national pride is deep, but patience may be strained by such unprecedented sacrifices as the war lords are now demanding. In that direction seems to lie the Western world’s main hope of checking the “defense” excesses to which the Arakis snd Osumis would lead Japan, regard- less of economic consequences. While building up to London treaty limits at sea, they may find themselves ap- proaching dangerously near the limits ©f Japanese endurance. —_——e————— Russia is so determined to be recog- nised that she goes on saying *present” even when not mentioned in the roll call. —_————— Scrapping the Merit System. Chairman William F., Stevenson of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, who has some eight to ten thousand Jobs at his disposal, said some time ago that he would use his own “merit sys- tem” in filling the positions. Pressed for a description of this merit system, he explained that it was necessary for an applicant to have the indorsement of his Senator or his Representative—be- cause it would be impossible for the Pederal Home Loan Bank Board to know the qualifications of every appli- cant, and the Senators and Representa- tives “are better acquainted with the merits of the persons considered.” Only the views of Democratic Senators and Representatives are, naturally, being sought. In a statement yesterday “before leav- ing on a brief Summer vacation, com- bined with official business,” Mr. Steven- son went a little further and flatly an- nounced that the policy of re-employing men and women with civil service status, dropped from their positions in the regular establishments, will not be fol- lowed by the Federal Home Loan Bank Board. This is contrary to the wishes expressed by the President, as inter- preted by Secretary of Commerce Roper, but that, apparently, makes no differ- ence to Mr. Stevenson and the Federal Home Loan Bank Board. It is true that Mr. Stevenson is amply fortified by the' wording of the act creating the Home Owners’ Loan Cor- zens of the United States. It is a dangerous thing for a government that s trying to save dollars by pay cutting and lay-offs to announce through one of its agencies at the same time an open disregard for the merit system in filling new positions. It is costly, wasteful and injurious to the Federal service. oo Public Works Policies. The Federal Emergency Administra- tion of Public Works has laid down cer- tain rules and policies which will govern contractors for the work on projects and in the selection of the prcjects them- selves. Wisely it has provided as the initial rule governing labor that the jobs shall go first to the qualified workers who are unemployed. The public works program is primarily designed to give work to the unemployed. Otherwise | there would be no slightest excuse for it. beyond the stimulation of the indus- tries which produce materials necessary to the projects. To take men already employed and put them to work on the public work projects perhaps would leave their old jobs open to unemployed. Another of the policies announced with regard to labor is that so far as | practicable human labor shall be used instead of machines. Here is plainly an attempt to turn back time, on the theory that the fewer machines the more hands will be necessary to per- form a certaln task. This is in entire violation of the policy adopted in in- dustry in this country for many years, a policy that has sought to accomplish the greatest amount of labor with the least possible number of laborers and a policy that has been, perhaps, more in the interest of the employers of labor than in the interest of labor. Surely it must be dawning on the American people at last that the recovery pro- gram—as in this instance—is virtually a revolution, a shift in the direction to greater thought of and for the masses than of and for the individual. Re- strictions are made also in the method of payment of labor by contractors. There is to be no charging off wages against goods, rents, etc.; the wages must be paid in lawful money, with the workers free to make their pur- chases where they will. The Public Works Administration has passed the billion-dollar mark in its allotment of funds for the prosecution of projecis under the recovery act. This is a huge sum of money. It will be weeks before work can actually be begun on many of the projects, while on others the work may go forward im- mediately.” If there is any real hope of re-employment from a public works program, it should be definitely estab- lished before long. All of this money ‘must eventually come out of the pockets of the American taxpayers. There is no getting away from that. The, tax- payers will insist upon knowing whether the huge expenditures for public works have been worth while and have really assisted in recovery. In the selection of projects on which money is to be expended preference is being given to water works, to sewers and to sewage disposal, all in the inter- est of the public, and as far as possible the administration is approving those other projects which may be of the greatest benefit to the communities in which they are to be located. In addi- tion, the administration is giving con- sideration to the ability of the com- munities to carry through and to make the repayments to the Government that are called for under the law. The administration of a fund of $3,300,000,000 is no slight task. The Secretary of the Interior, Mr. Ickes, is at the head of the whole administration, with a board to aid him in making his decisions. The matter has been tackled expeditiously and courageously. The in- terests of the people and of the Govern- ment are being cared for. If the public works program shall prove a success, if it shall bring the necessary stimula- tion to employment and industry, not only will it hase proved its value, but it will be & great accomplishment and an honor to the men who are ad- ministering it. e Beautiful screen stars have the gen- eral public at their feet, but they smile in vain on the technicians who are de- termined to strike. It is another ex- ample of sentiment that ceases where real money is involved. Authorities will at least relieve kid- napers of the idea that all they need to take over a large sum of money is & motor car, & pistol ahd a postage stamp. “Family Away.” Perhaps the commonest conversational phrase just now is: “The family's away.” Washington is alive with “Summer bachelors.” The Missus and the youngsters have gone to the coun- try, the mountains or the seashore. Daddy is carrying on. It happens every year And it is a curious thing, psycho- logically. The house seems so empty. Dust gathers on the furniture, and dishes accumulate in the kitchen sink. Pictures on the walls wiggle out of their normal slignment, and nobody sets them straight. The laundry basket is crammed with masculine raiment waiting to be washed and ironed. Things are put down anywhere and re- main where they are put, to add to the growing confusion. Disorder reigns. Of course, a few days before the fam- ily returns everything will be adjusted in a panic of anticipation. The collec- tion of solled dishes will be dealt with. The laundry will be sent off to' the usual sawmill. The dust will be more or less sketchily removed. The house will be returned to some semblance of what President Harding called “nor- malcy.” And the Missus will have a less trying task of reconstruction than she expects. T, less. Certainly, he had planried a com- prehensive list of things to be accom- plished in the family’s absence. His intentions were excellent. The vaca- tion period should be his golden oppor- tunity to catch up with his ambitions for household improvements. He would spend his leisure hours on the little jobs around the place that so much need to be attended to. In his de- sign he omitted only one factor—that strange inability to concentrate on any single business in an unnaturally empty house. work drag themselves into history, one by one. He listens to the radio, he tries to read, he potters about aim- lessly. not invariably to sleep. Instead, he lies awake, wondering about the Missus and small Junior and the baby. And per- haps he also pays his unspoken compli- ments to the theorists who pretend to imagine that “it is good for a family to be separated occasionally.” However, Daddy has one comfort— he knows they will come back. The Summer will end. That is what pre- vents him from sending for them in- stantly or from dropping everything and going to them wherever they may be. Certainly, he does not want them in town so long as it would be a hard- ship for them to be so confined. On the contrary, he is happy that they can be in a more congenial environ- ment. And his reward will be the spectacle of the children's increased health, their bright eyes and red cheeks. He pays in the coin of love, and it is hard labor. But he really does not mind. He would be truly miserable, in awey. ———— What Are the Facts? Two precinct detectives have been suspended on the allegations of a colored prisoner that they attacked him with their fists and beat him during an examination. The case was referred by the police to ‘the United States at- torney, Mr. Rover, who sent one of his assistants to interview the man. An- other caller, who interviewed the prisoner, was a former employer. now said that the ‘prisoner will not prosecute, and the case may be dropped by the United States attorney’s office. It is also said that in proceedings be- fcre the Police Trial Board there must be a prosecuting witness. There may be none. . It will be interesting to see whether the case against the detectives is dropped. In view of past experiences of the Police Department in connection with so-called third degree practices, 1t would seem wise for the department to continue its own .investigation, in- dependently cf other agencies, and to discover whether the evidence already | in its possession is of sufficlent weight to justify disciplinary action. It would be enlightening. for instance. for the public to be told what the evidence was |that led to the precinct detectives’ suspension. ———————— Steel and automobiles are rated as the Nation’s two great industries. They remain leaders in financial speculation as well as in labor controversy and are big enough to establish an economic leadership which other industries will hardly see it to disregard. _———————— The aphorism reminds us that “money does not grow on trees.” Never- theless, reforestation has just been the means of putting 300,000 pay envelopes | at the disposal of those willing to do the | work necessary to gather them. —_— e 8o much sensational news is likely | to be brought to attention at any mo- | ment that many studious persons find it 'dlmeult to concentrate on their daily lessons in contract bridge. ———e———————— Gen. Coxey likes to visit Washington, D. C. He has gained at least one great point. He can now walk on the grass as much as he likes. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Guessing Again. Life was made for hoping— ‘That’s the good of it. Sometimes we are groping, But we never quit. If your wheat you barter And are fooled by chaff, Don't pose as a martyr, Pass it with a laugh. Though an hour distressing Often we must view, We will keep on guessing. "Till a guess comes true. Mutual Advice. “Why don't you politely ask that farmer to quit telling you how to run your office?” “I'm afraid to” answered Senator Sorghum. “He might come back at me by asking me to quit telling him how to run his farm.” Jud Tunkins says Barnum was right about folks likin' to be fooled; only don’t try to do parlor magic unless you're sure you're downright clever. The Ocean Sallor. ‘The sallor sails upon the sea Or yonder in the sky. “The ocean sailor seems to me ‘The better plan to try. He navigates his course with' care, To him our hats we doff. He does no fiip flops in the air By way of showing off. Economics and Fashion. “Why do you insist on more elaborate costuming?” |swered Miss Cayenne. “We aren't ‘wearing enough clothes now to pay the seamstress a decent wage.” “Trade is the great civilizer,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “but it must be honest trade or else it becomes a de- moralizer.” Henry’s Birthday. As Henry Ford goes on his way We give three cheers and gladly say, “Hurrah for years gone by! And more Por years of usefulness in store!” “When & man tells you he has lost patience,” said Uncle Eben, “he’s liable to turn out to be one o' dese folks dat brags about losin’_ sumpin' dey paration in disregarding civil service But, meanwhile, Daddy is, too, rest- never had in de fust place.” ‘The evenings he had dedicated to| Iike In the end he goes to bed, but| times, point of fact, if the family were not | 1t 1s| “As an economic proposition,” an-| ligh BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. People who are friendly—when they want somet! ! What shall be done with them? Every observer of life in the raw knows a number of ‘em, and if he is a Teal observer, he is willing to take them as they come. Just as he does not expect a cat to show the psychology of the dog, so ewise he does not expect human be- s to be other than fhey are. man who is friendly enough when he wants something, but pays no particular attention to 5, 18 an interesting specimen. * k% % Honest he is, whether he means to be or not. | Actions speak louder than words, indeed. Those old bits of wisdom have amaz- ing applications; they fit in cases and situations where one might least sus- pect them. He who is very friendly when he wants to be, but at other times is con- tent to be a fair greeter only, his sud- den enthusiasm strangely evaporated, never seems to have the slightest idea that he acts one way one time, another | way at another. He might be givén credit for oper- ating on the Emersonian principle, that consistency is the bugbear of little minds; he might be, but he is not, since his principle is much more simple. * % % His principle is the basic one of doing Just what he pleases. when he pleases. If there is any more fundamental rule of human conduct, we have yet to discover it. 1t is s0 universal, in fact, that, it sel- dom is stated, therefore its plair utter- | ance amounts almost to a discovery. | This specimen, who has one way of | speaking and acting when you can do him a service, and distinctly another when, in the ordinary course of events, he has nothing to gain from you, sim- | Ply acts fiom his own self entirely. He never thinks of the other person &t any time, that the fellow might re- sent his change of pace, according to circumstances. He never has the slightest fear, evi- dently, that the other may “get onto him- " he doesn't care whether he does or not! | L There you have the logical conclusion of a selfish human creature. Pure selfishness is at the base of this man’'s character, that 1s why he is in- teresting, displaying selfishness without | admixture or apology. So many men and women plainly show varlous tralts without doing it | openly, with some sort of apologizing | attached to it, that it is refreshing, at | times, to watch in operation some one ' who does what he does because he) wants to do it. The man who is talkative enough,! when he has something to gain from you, but who, after he has gained it, | settles back into his old incommuni- | cativeness, is being himself, above ev- erything else. . . * x When he wants you to do something | | for him, he becomes as friendly as a chipmunk. utter, as the old saying has it, | wouldn’t melt in his mouth. | If you happen to be of the sensitive | type of human being, who manages to deprecate yourself more than others, | and often most needlessly, you will| come in time to reciate the sterling sincerity of this other type. | His acceptance of others is more | practical than your own, perhaps. If! During the current job-hunting and, job-grabbing season in Wi n | much has been said about the similarity | of patronage conditions today and those | which characterized that other illustri- |ous Democratic regime, the Andrew | | Jackson administration, a hund:ed-odd; | years ago. In the first year of Old Hickory's presidency he removed some 2,000 e from the civil service, or many times more than were dismissed by all six of his predecessors put to- gether. * x k¥ Less familiar to us moderns than the | spoils system originated by President Jackson is the fact that he had a “brain | trust.” It consisted of politicians, not | professors, and was called the “kitchen cabinet.” One of Jackson’s biographers, | William Graham Sumner, in the Amer- | ican Statesmen series, says the kitchen cabinet of four members controlled the administration. The key man in the “brain trust” of 1833 was Amos Ken- dall, native of Massachusetts, graduate of Dartmouth, and once a tutor in Henry Clay's family. Sumner gquotes the following contemporary description | of Kendall: “He had a whooping voice, an asthmatic cough, with a stooping frame and a phthisicky physiognomy. Yet this little whiffet of a man was the Atlas that bore on his shoulders the| weight of Jackson’s administration. He originated or was consulted in advance upon every great measure, and what the prompt decision and indomitable will of | the fllustrious chief resolved upon the | subtle and discriminating intellect of Kendall elaborated gnd upheld.” * * % Uncle Sam'’s young Sherlock Holmes, John Edgar Hoover, just appointed di- rector of the Neow Bureau of Investi- gation of the Department of Justice, is a native Washingtonian. Still on the sunny side of 40 and lawyer by profession, he is serving under his seventh successive Attorney General, his first chief, Thomas W. Gregory, in 1917, having been a Democrat like his present superior, Homer 8. Cum- mings. Mr. Hoover succeeded the late William J. Burns as director of the Bureau of Investigation in'1924, under Attorney General Harlan F. Stone. He has ‘made so enviable a& record there that he was publicly commended in the House Representatives last year. Since he took charge of the bureau, there has & decrease in the in- vestigative personnel with an increase in accomplishments in the way of fines, convictions and recoveries. During the past year convicticns were obtained in 9551 per cent of all cases investi- gated by the bureau, upon which in- dictments were had. The bureau lost less than 5 per cent of its cases which went to trial. During Mr. Hoover's administration there have also been established and developed the national Division of Identification, the crime laboratory, the collection of criminal statistics all law-enforcement agencies of the United States, and a training school for new appointees to the investigative force, and a close co- ordination ~and co-operation - of the police chiefs and law-enforcement offi- clals, not only of the United States, but of Canada and other foreign countries. * ok ok X Everybody in the it sooner or later Washington lime- finds that he has a “double.” Now_ somebody’s discov- ered that Gen. Hugh Johnson and Senator Bob Wagner of New York, bear a brotherly resemblance to each other. * ok ok % The Roosevelt professoriat keeps on expanding. Dr. William L. Thorp, newly appointed director of the Bureau of m'l:n and Domestic ng:ir.nel:’ee. comes Roper’s le- partment straight from the chair of economics at Ambherst. His immediate chief, Assistant Secretary of Com- merce Di , is also a university professor. There are now almost more professors in office at Washington than politiclans, which seems to indicate that Jim Farley has gone collegiate. * %k X ¥ one at other |t0 yworth writing in real life. others can do nothing for him, he ac- cePu them pleasantly enough, but without any particular emotion. He has his own set of cronies, but outside them he seldom works himself up to the boiling point of enthusiasm. His greetings to the herd are pleas- ant, but scaled down to the point of keeping them in their place. He may have an honest regard for certain of its members, but he cannot be expected to do more than greet them properly. Isn't that enough? He thinks it ought be, if he ever lhlnkl‘lbout. it at all. * x % ‘There comes a time when he wishes the advice, let us say, of one of these outsiders, these outlanders. Personal enthusiasm now to the fore. Oh, he can manage it as well as any one, when he wants to, the compul- sion hinges solely upon himself. He has what a great man called the “single track mind.” He is the engine on the track, and"the track, too. ‘There is a warmth, now, in his voice, which is a revelation to the more mod- est man, who somehow had received the idea (as a result of what used to b2 called “home training”) that one should be courteous to all, and at all times, not just when 1t suited one. Now it suits him, evidently, because he is chummy to a degree. taken one into his sacred circle, for the nonce, at least, until he has received all the help he‘cl;x i'et.‘ ‘Then he slips back insensibly, and all at once, not degree by degree, into his old style of mere formal greeting. ‘What more can you give him? He has got what he wanted from you, why should be bother with you any more? Not—that is, until he wants some- thing else. ‘Weeks, months go by, with a certain reserve in his treatment of others, until the appointed time of his largess to humanity—that time when he shall de- sire_your help again. “Say. old man,” he begins, with rare ‘cordiality, “what do you know about——" ‘The voice is strangely familiar. One has heard it before has one not? Was it the old ar on the street corner, |or an old-fashioned book agent No, by George, it was this very same chap. the last time he wanted some- thing. * ko * Amusement follows anger. ‘The ire does not last, it gives way to something better, a quiet amusement at it all. There is no sense in being angry at this chap, that is the way he is. and he will never change. He has thousands of duplicates, so that one meets him everywhere; there is no use running away when he comes along, one might as well meet him on his own ground, and make the best of it. He offers the chance that one often thinks one would like to take, that of plainly telling such a person just what one thinks of him. One can picture the scene, the fellow being told just what }skwhlt—lmt in real life it would be a joke. It is a scene the common sense of | humanity never writes, because it is not Similar scenes do occur in novels, because fic- tion is a release of emotion, and re- leased emotions are necessary there. In real life one more often packs uf) one’s troubles in the now famous kit bag. and, if one does not smile openly in triplicate. as the injunction is, at least one is able to smile to one's self, up the well known sleeve. And it helps. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. t although he was preparing he spent three years in travel —mostly around the Mediterranean— in place of a’college course. The colonel says he “acquired an intimate knowl- edge of politics” from journalism, which he entered when 17 years old. * x ok Henry Morgenthau, jr., governor of the Farm Credit Administration, is ‘credited with the desire eventually to give American farmers control of their own government financial structure of the same sort that bankers possess in the Federal Reserve System. Soon it will be possible for a farmer to go into any of the branch offices of the Farm Credit Administration and secure farm mortgage credit, short-term production credit, seed loans or emergency credit— all under the same roof. Formerly he would have had to shop around in two or three different cities and perhaps take matters up with Washington in the end. Morgenthau, hailing from Manhattan, was at first viewed with misgivings by the farm world. He has meantime won its full confidence through his quiet but speedy and de- termined methods. No one in Wash- ington is closer to the throne. * k% x Politicians didn't have many chances in the late session of Congress to make reputations. When Capitol Hill turns on the gas again next Winter, many are planning to strut their stuff and court the limelight. ng the genuinely promising young 'mocrats is Repre- sentative Joe Balley of Texas, son and heir of the late Lone Star Senator whose name he bears. He is considered one of the up-and-coming men of his party and a possible rival of Senator Morris Sheppard when the author of rates thal for Yal | the eighteenth amendment comes up for renomination in 1936. Bailey is 41 years old, Princeton man, law graduate of the University of Virginia and served with the Army in Prance. He is one of Texas' three Representatives at large and halls from Dallas. * ok x % The peint and varnish industries don’t seem to have need to enterinto a good behavior code with Gen. Johnson. For several years they have maintained glul;'lunlflr'coapetmon bureau” in n for the purpose of mot- ing u-:?em ethjcs. B * kX ‘The pennant-pursuing Washington Benators have a red-hot fan in Repre- sentative Edward A. Kelly, Democrat, of Illinols, who was once a professional base bell player. * x x x Charley Michelson, famous Demo- cratic press chief, now to be in supreme charge of recovery oublicity, is the man, many think, who did more than anybody else to organize victory for the party in 1932. It was a four-year job, which set in right after Al Smith's defeat in 1928. Michelson was born in the Ne- vada goldfields. Chess and golf are his hobbies. He probably could have had any job he wanted from President Roosevelt, who holds his counsel in highest esteem. He used to say that 1he only job he'd really consider was one that was far away and that gave him & maximum of time for fishing and hunting, although as a matter of fact he’s a demon for work and happlest when turning it out. Washington news- paper men like Michelson “hand-outs,” and N. R. A. is sure of plenty of pub- Hlcity from now on. (Copyright, 1933.) Post’s Robot. From the San Antonio Express. Wiley Posts’s robot failed him in a pinch—which is just another sign that the contrapticn is almost human. No Waste. From the Rochester Times-Union. Thr ticker tape on valorous overseas is very good use for much of the ticker tape. ————. A Nocturnal Code. From the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. Now we are for the mos- mm and agree on an He has | sto) E_EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2, 19%8. THIS AND THAT NEW BOOKS "' AT RANDOM Margaret Germond. SHOES THAT HAD WALKED TWICE. By Jean Toussaint-Samat. Philadel- phia: J. B. Lippincott Co. It s not often that & novel wins the acclaim of an entire nation. More par- ticularly is it a rare thing for a mystery novel to create a sensation of whole- sale proportions, for this seems to be the era of detective stories, and the writers of this class of fiction are some- what hard put to devise new plots, new methods, new motives and new types of solvers of the. riddles which grow out of the misdeeds conceived and per- g:trltcd by human beings with criminal 3 re are, of course, annual each year they are won by somebody, but frequently the reasons for the awards are entirely beyond the compre- hension of even the most inveterate readers. It is therefore a truly refresh- ing experience to find a prize novel that is in all respects worthy of the honor that has been bestowed upon its author. “Shoes That Had Walked Twice” won for Jean Toussaint-Samat the coveted f;;;:ch Prix du Roman d’Adventures of mystery, and it is highly meritorious in all of the requirelents of a first-class ry. On the road between Istres and Marseilles near the little village of Tholon, an Englishwoman has lived for some years. She has been but one of the many artists from all parts of the world who still flock to the Isle of artigues and its nearby territory, despite the invasion of hideous indus- trial encgrflflsu since the Great War. Like all other colonies where artists of all sorts gather, the successful ones are only transients, while the eccentrics are mostly permanent. Miss Gilchrist belongs to the latter class. Ten years before the opening events of the story this tall, anguiar, masculine-looking woman had arrived in Martigues with a full equipment of | artist’s paraphernalia. Shortly after- , ward she settled down in Tholon and began painting landscapes. The pop- ulace failed to find merit in the daubs and smears with which she plastered her canvasses, but her kindliness and charitableness soon won a warm place for her in the hearts of her neighbors, and despite her eccentricities she was regarded as the good angel of the community. On the morning which marks the beginning of this thrilling record of extraordinary and mystifying Miss Giichrist is found dead in her literally destroyed, and her two police dogs, fangs dripping blood, beside the | body. Attacked and devoured by her | pets ‘15 the verdict of the local police Such a conclusion is quite what would naturally be expected of the Prench { constabulary in localities which are ! popular as show places, play grounds | and resorts to which travelers are at- tracted. Murders and such unpleasant | things as robberies and blackmail are bad for tourist trade. so it is just | & matter of plain good business not to have them. | happened that a fisherman in a yellow | and green sweater, who had been vaca- tioning in the community for scme days, and who was known as M. Jacquot, was | Inspector 109 of the Counter Espionage Section bf the Intelligence Service of untrue about the efficiency of the police | of that nation in the handling of crime ordinarily, the entire force is made to step up by M. Toussaint-Samat and portant a part in the late war. The Englishwoman had been mur- dered, but why she should have met 50 tragic an end is beyond the under- standing of the neighbors and {friends who loved her. M. Jacquot, however, has reason to believe that he knows | why she was slain, and it is his job to prove his conviction. He s international intrigue to be at the root | of the case and that one of the spy systems has caught up with an enemy. The plot is so logical. the actors in its performance are so believable, and the working out of the story is so | dramatic that it is no wonder that the book was received by France with a | storm of applause. | * x ox % HE ARRIVED AT DUSK. By R. C. (A:shby. New York: *The Macmillan 0. Rainy, wind-lashed, fog-bound north- | country England is the scene of this wierd story of a Roman ghost, hun- dreds of years old, who played nerve- racking tricks in the big, gloomy house of an old English estate belonging to the Barr family, and who stalked the moor on misty nights leaving murder in his wake _Billy Mertoun, interested in an- tiques, receives a strange commission from an old man up in the Northum- berland region to place a valuation upon the books and furniture in his ancient mansion. The letter was a month old when he received it and the envelope had not been addressed by the same hand that had penned its content. Neither circumstance, how- ever, appeared to Mertoun to be in- dicative of anything mysterious, so he accepted the commission and went to The Broch. On his arrival he found almost no furnishing of real value, and amid a | veritable chaos of thousands of badly used books there were none worth more than the value a second-hand dealer would offer for them. What he found most and plenty of was cold, raw, foggy weather, a household of terrified human beings and a county- side rife with tales of The Horror which lived in the home of Col. Barr. One murder had been committed by the ghost and several severe accidents had injured some of the neighbors prior to the arrival of Mertoun. After his arrival another murder was com- mitted and many hair-raising episodes took place, among them the lodging of a Roman_sword dte'pgI into the wall of the library during the holding of a seance in which it was hoped that the ghost might be laid. The apparition which several people claimed to have seen on the moor was accepted to be the ghost of Vitelius Grachhus, whose army had met defeat on the site on which the Barr mansion stood. Among the many eerie things about the place was a circular tower to one side of the house, in which Grachhus was believed to hatch his evil plots, and a so-called stone in the cellar of the house, on which day by day the inscription, barely visible when the stone was dis- covered, became more legible. Mertoun was s dismisse g an to London he suffered a fit which he told the story of his experiences to Inspector Ahrman, in the hope that his friend would give him credit for still being a sane man. The inspector not only credited his , but decided that the ghost merited investigation. The spirits of the dead do not commit murders, and the tor knew it, so the two of them go to The Broch and finally lay the ghost. This is 8 splendid story and unusu- ally well told, though if it had been presented in active rather than in narrative form its dramatic effect would be more pronounced. Souvenir Dimes. From the Dayton Daily News. ‘There was a.time when a man who got a dime from John D. Rockefeller could afford to keep it as a souvenir. Hitler’s Dilemma. From the Newark Evening News. ‘When the Nazi shock troops mutiny, what Nazi shock troops are going to subdue the mutinous Nazi shock troops? Bridge in Britain, Prom the Omaha World-Herald. Contract | , it seems, isn't some- prizes in every class of literature, and | It is one of the unusual types of | events | cottage at Tholon, her face and hands | 1obe: | . But in the case of Miss Gilchrist it lol Any reader can get the answer to any question by writing to our Information Bureau in Washington, D. C. This of- fer applies strictly to information. The bureau cannot give advice on 1, jmedical and financial matters. It | not attempt to settle domestic troubles, | or undertake exhaustive research on any subject. Write your question plainly and briefly. Give full name and ad- dress and inclose 3 cents in coin or stamps for return postage. Do not use | post cards. The reply is sent direct to | the inquirer. Address The Washington | Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. | Q. How did Dazzy Vance get his | nickname?—B. M. A. “Who's Who in Major League Base Ball” says that Arthur Charles Vance | acquired his nickname by mocking a scg:b:’y“who said “Dazzy” instead of Q. What is the record speed for a transcontinental flight in the United | States?—V. W. A. Jimmy Haizlip holds the transcon- tinental speed record of 10 hours 19 minutes from Los Angeles to New York. Col. Rescoe Turner holds the transcon- tinental record of 11 hours 30 minutes "!mm New York to Los Angeles. Q. When was Ernest Shackleton, the explorer, knighted?>—M. C. A. He was knighted in 1909, after | leading an expedition to Antarctica and planting the Union Jack on Mount Gauss, 111 miles from the South Pole. Q. What is the derivation of the slang word “ornery”?—W. H. M. | "A. It 1s & corruption of the English word “ordinary” and is used in a con- temptuous sense. | Q. Where is the burial place of the féhcrcr of “The Bivouac of the Dead?” | _A. Col. Theodore O'Hara is buried in | Prankfort, Ky. Col. O'Hara served in lthe Civil War as chief of staff to Gen. John C. Breckenridge. | Q How much quinine is consumed in |a year>—T. N. | A The average consumption of qui- | nine sulphate in the world is 15,000,000 | ounces. " Quinine became known to the world about 1640, when the Countess of | G Chinchon, wife of the viceroy of Peru, carried a supply of the Peruvian bark to Spain. Q. Who originated the idea of gold as a standard?>—R. K. A. It grew up imperceptibly in Eu- ( practices may be regarded as the fore- | runners of an established gold standard involving a gold reserve against paper. |_Q Wnat s the Hotel des Invalides? | Al Tt is the famous military hospital end soldiers’ home in Parls. It was founded in 1670. | Q How is the boundary between Cnl:‘m;: gnd the United States marked? | A. The international boundary be- | tween Canada and the United States | extends over 5,500 miles, of which 3,100 {miles are land boundary and 2,400 | miles are water boundary. The land | boundary is marked by 5483 monu- ments and a vista cut through the tree- | identified by 2,530 reference marks. | This long length of boundary line con- | stitutes what is probably the longest | undefended boundary line in the world, salute to the service which every man's ' for no armament or armed forces are | son of them knew had played so im- | maintained by either country at any | per family in the United States for the | point along the 5,500 miles. The early Venetian bankers drew | | bills secured by gold and the bankers | |of Antwerp later did likewise. These | . ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. How much milk ued dailyy LT R e A. Four million ds a da; wre consumed in'the Uniied States. Q. Is there a history of the life of ch;uewbetween the ages of 12 and 20? A. Apart from the scriptures them- selves there is no historical and little traditional record of the life of Christ between the ages of 12 and 30 years, when his ministry commenced. There are traditions that during this time he visited India and the British Isles, but these rumors are exceedingly valueless so far as an actual historical record is | concerned. Q. What is & portmanteau word?— M. D.R. A. It is an artificial word made up of parts of other words, carrying the mean- ing of both, as “mimsy”—muiserable and fitmsy. Q. Should a woman wear a hat having a picture taken?—W. T. S. A. It is a matter of personal taste. Many women look better in hats, but styles change rapidly and a hat of yes- teryear marks the photograph as old- fashioned in a short time. Q. Please explain the .expression, “poor little rich girl.”—D. M. C. A. It refers to the neglect and loneli- ness which a cold of wealthy parents sometimes suffers. Eleanor Gates wrote & play with the expression for a title. Q. Can the lineage of Queen V: be traced back to Adam and Eve out a break?—C. N. A. It cannot. Burke's and other Peerages show the lineage to Willlam the Conqueror. No European family makes a serious claim to tracing its | genealogy to the period before the Dark when | Q- What is meant by the expression, “Give us back our eleven days"?—L. A. A. When the new-style calendar was adopted in 1752 many people in Eng- land were greatly aroused by the change and went about crylng “Give us back our eleven days.” Q. What kind of a mouthpiece does a boxer wear to protect his teeth?— w. ‘A. These protectors aré made from dental rubber, specially treated and cured, and steam vulcanized under gradual pressure, resulting in ones of steel-like strength and great J:lhhulty. | They are scientifically made by a red dentist from an impression e in an impression card sent the prospective buyer. Q. What kind of fare is being pro- | vided for the boys in the reforestation | camps?—L. R. W. A. They are being given regular sol- diers’ subsistence, which varies in the different corps areas, depending om | transportation costs, etc. Q. What is the origin of the super- stition that a “cricket on the hearth® brings good luck?—J. N. A. Superstitions concerning crickets | have existed from very remote periods (in many countries and their origins | are obscure. Cicero refers to them as | an omen of good luck in his “Second Book on Divination”; Pliny mentions them as much esteemed by ancient magicians in his “Natural History,” book XXIX, and says it is lucky to have | France. And whatever may be true or|covered areas; the water boundary is one in the home. Q. How many individuals to the ;;erlce family in the United States?— |W. 8. 8. | “A. The average number of persons year 1930 was 4.1. Unity of Action Commende(i | | | Chief among the reactions to the ya- tional recovery efforts of President Roosevelt and the organized forces of the Government is the evidence. reported by the press, that unity of purpose has made notable prcgress. Patriotic zeal is observed, accompanied by statements that the administration has staked all on this policy, that complete co-opera- ticn is necessary, and that general good will is potent in the struggle toward better conditions. “President Roosevelt has charted a success or failure,” says the Altoona Mirror, with the belief that “an over- whelming majerity will co-operate.” That the promised co-operation will win the battle for recovery is the assurance given by the Columbia (S. C.) State, while the Lincoln State Journal avers that “the drive has met with a kindly response,” and the Lima (Ohio) News and we cannot afford to shirk, evade or attempt to circumvent the true meaning of the program.” Lauding the spirit imparted by the President, the Portland Oregon Journal suggests that “you can almost feel as if you had been in the White House in personal conversation with the Presi- dent on the state of the Nation,” and finds reason for confidence in “his manner, the tone of his voice,” and in his harmony with “the purposes and hopes of the citizenry.” The Cleveland Plain 'Dealer feels that “a major de- velopment in American history is here in its first stages,” and that “the re- sponse to it from every section of the country is as inspiring a demonstration of national solidarity as®one has ever seen in a time of peace.” With a protest against the attitude of the London Times im offering the idea of “universal disaster” if the “great American experiment fails,” the New York Times describes the movement as one which is enlisting “hope and cour- age,” and advises that “the thing to do is tfi plw:emthe eml;‘“nmsmon the potlu;e motives, the pro aspects, the gains already recorded.” The Spar- tanburg . (S. C.) Herald-Journal de-~ clares that “it is a time that will test the courage, the comradeship, the pa- triotism of all men,” and that *it is & time for whole-hearted, earnest, hope- ful co-operation.” “Industry is co-operating.” asserts the Asbury Park Evening Press, while the Des Moines Tribune quotes a local lead- er to the effect that “the President has asked a moratorium on selfishness,” and the Omaha World-Herald avers that Nebraska “will labor, without stint, to | make the program successful.” The Chicago Journal of Commerce holds that “the flood of answers to the Presi- dent’s appeal, choking the malils and the telegraph wires, is ample proof that Americans are expecting great things.” The Chicago Tribune promises “a sin- cere and whole-hearted response from the main body of American business men and from the Nation.” The Osh- kosh Daily Northwestern recognizes “an enthusiasm equal to that caused by a ‘war-time appeal to national patriotism.” The Minneapolis Tribune calls for the building up of “the spirit of loyalty at any cost.” “Indication of the beginning of in- dustrial recovery” is seen by the Nash- of the recovery machine to & huge loco- motive, suma that “the administra- sant the track and the heavy bold course and will stand or fall on its | & declares that “it is a noble undertaking | gay, As Recovery Drive Opens Age-Herald lelieves that it “went in 8 | straight line to the people.” The Youngstown Vindicator agrees with Gen. Johnson that “the people are aroused and are giving the President their united support,” and the Toledo | Blades sees “a response as quick and spontaneous as one to a call to arms.” | The Miami Daily News finds evidence | of the “essential gameness and patriot- 1 ism of the people.” The Danbury News- | Times says ‘that “the experiment de=- mands the best that Americans can “The President appealed” to deep- seated American instincts and they will | not fail him.” declares the New York Sun. The Rbck Island Argus observes that “the Nation is making a response to the President and entering upon & | campaign which may turn out to be one |of the most important in its history.” ‘The Topeka Daily Capital sees “a great challenge and a great opportunity.” The t Lake Deseret News records unan- | imity in the support from its State, and |the San Joes Mercury-Herald points out that “the shorter week has been the subject of discussion among business leaders for years.” Great care in exercising the power of the Government is urged by the Newark Evening News, the Philadelphia Eve- ning Bulletin, the Springfield (Mass.) Republican, the Baltimore Sun, the Yakima Daily Republic and the Kansas City Times. The Charlotte Observer remarks that “the call is for voluntary co-operation on the part of every firm, corporation and individual, and ill will fare these who are disposed to hold out.” The Rutland Herald states that “the right to license, which. next to the right to tax, is held also to be the right to destroy, is firmly conferred on _ the President.” As to the results, the Scranton Times ppeal has been responded to is evident from the wire by the post- master of San Francisco of over 3,500 agreements filed with him before noon. Not only are business and industrial establishments getting into line, but States as well.” The Kidnaper. Prom the Alton (IlL.) Telesraph. He is not brave, the kidnaper; for he acts under cover of the darkness, and _ his victims are persons of an age pre- venting self-defense or children too young to resist. He is not intelligent, for he plies a nefarious trade in which all the ad- vantages are his—surprise, getaway, long start—and his lair often is reached Dbefore his deed is known to those whese task it is to seek him out. He is not cunning, for he gains his wealth by instilling fear in the hearts of others, who hesitate to act. fre- quently, because they want no harm to come to their loved ones. He is not courageous, because he threatens torture to helpless ones and terrorizes their friends and families. He is the arch-criminal, because he considers in terms of money those fine human qualities of love and loyalty. Heé is the enemy of the community, because he spreads terror. i He is despicable, because he acts as 8 creeping thing acts and is as: the nugey m'm the community fears— fe and hates. v Let the Patients Decide. Prom the Lincoln State Journal.