Evening Star Newspaper, December 8, 1934, Page 8

A8 THE EVENING STAR ‘With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON,D.C. SATURDAY...December 8, 1934 THEODORE W. NOYES. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office Fand Pennsylvanta Ave, New York Office: 110 East 42nd St. Chicago Office: Lake Michigan Building. European Office 14 Rexent St.. London. ngland. Rate by Carrier Within the City. Recular Edition, The Evening Star 54 The Eveninz and Sunday Sta i Sundays) Hc per morith e Eventie and Sunday’ &'ar (when 5 Sundays) .65¢ per month | ‘The Sundav Star 5c per copy Night Final Edition. Night Pinal and Sunday Star, 70¢ per month Night Final Star 55¢ per month Collection made_ at,_the end ‘of cach m ers. 'c ser month may be sent by mail or Rate by Mail —Pa. ;blr in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Datly and Sunday. .1 yr.. §10.00: 1 mo.. 85¢ Daily only $6.00: 1 mo., blc Sundav only. .. 1 $4.00: 1 mo.. 40¢ All Other States and Canada. Daily and Sunday. 1 yr. §12.00: 1 mo.. $1.00 Datiy only. . 1yr, $K00:1mo., 7ac day only. 1yr. $500; 1L mo. 50c Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively en- titled to the use for republication of all aews dispatches credited to it or not other- wise credited in this paper and also the Tocal hews published heren Al rights of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved Everybody Knows Best. The mounting toll of deaths and accidents, together with the increas- ing numbers of delays and tie-ups in all forms of urban transportation, caused in the main by traffic density. are producing the usual number of suggested remedies. Some of them savor of hysteria and a good many of them are plainly contradictory. The Public Utilities Commission has warned the street car company to observe the speed laws, the warning having been issued on the strength of assertions that the street cars were exceeding the speed limit. Yet the Public Utilities Commission, and ev- ervbody else, has been complaining of the snail-like movement of street car transportation, and one of the chief arguments in favor of the new type street cars, suggested as one remedy for poor car service, has been that they are faster and capable of greater facility of movement in traffic. Of fifty-one fatal accidents last year caused by vehicles. the street car was charged as responsible for only six of them; of 7.209 non-fatal accidents caused by vehicles last year street cars were charged with responsibility for 360 of them. The speed factor in street car accidents has not been | analyzed. But speeding and reck- less driving by private passenger cars and taxicabs cause most of the acci- | dents in which vehicles are to blame. The speed laws. however, were recently condemned by as high an authority as the United Ssates attorney as being useless and the police were more or | less blamed for enforcing them. One solution proposed for some of | the trafic troubles due to mere den- | sity of traffic on the streets is th construction of a subway system at a | cost which has not been estimated | and with funds the source of which | has not been revealed. No private | corporation is interested in the con- struction of a subway system in a city the size of Washington, and it seems idle to discuss the construction of & subway system with public funds in a clty that lacks the revenues to sup- port an adequate force of traffic po- licemen really capable of enforcing the traffic laws. ‘The ideal situation might be found in & street system capable of accom- modating both the movement of traffic and parked automobiles at the same time, but that system does not exist during the busy hours of the day in Washington. This Winter the first heavy snowstorm will add chaos to an already chaotic traffic situation, un- less the city is prepared and equipped to clear the streets of snow. The first effort in this direction by the Com- missioners is resisted by a minority of automobile owners who feel that an adequate program of snow removal can be carried forward without in- fringing on their rights to leave their cars at the curb, ‘Washington is a rapidly growing city, with a traffic problem made more difficult by the centralized location of the Government buildings, which house its chief industry. It is & ques- tion how long the authorities can con- tinue the rather liberal policy of the past in dealing with such problems parking, regulation of pedestrian movement downtown and the wide- spread violation of law by careless drivers. They are facing a condition, and not a theory, and the seriousness of the condition becomes more ap- parent every day. ] Considering the embarrassments which gradually developed through four terms, there is natural curiosity as to what the popular Gov. Ritchie could have wanted with a fifth. S e A “White House spokesman” was often mentioned by the late President Coolidge, but President Roosevelt lets it be quite explicitly understood that he is “it.” ot Two Schools of Courtesy. In these ungracious days, when talk of the “insolence of office” is heard everywhere, and especially in ‘Washington, it might be well to re- member the sad case of the good Duc de Coislin, who died unpreten- tiously at Paris in the Spring of 1702. This kindly, upright and hu- morous little man, who had been a lieutenant general in the armies of the Roi Soleil, became unwittingly the terror of the court. His home was practically unvisited except when he was laid up helplessly in bed with | the gout, in which case his rooms would be filled with the great, who much enjoyed his company except for one thing. His politeness was unen- durable. In one of Louls XIV'S interminable Dutch wars M. de Coislin had the misfortune to capture an enemy named Rhinegrave. The good duke insisted upon the captive's occupying the only bed in his tent. The cap- tive refused for hours. Finally, both ’ collapsed on the floor, and the bedl was not used at all. When this same Rhinegrave called on the duke in Paris there was such a profusion of compliments at parting that the Ger- man in desperation leaped from the room and bolted the door behind him. M. de Coislin was not thus to | be outdone. He jumped out the win- dow—it was on the first floor—and appeared at the front door at least a minute before the astonished Rhine- grave, who was forced to admit him- self beaten. “There was no end to the outrage- ous civilities of M. de Cotslin,” com- lained the Duc de Saint-Simon, who spent & harrowing hour one day try- ing to give a lift to the general when his coach had been stuck in the mire. Saint-Simon’s coach would hold the bemired duke and his son only if the two chambermaids were ejected. This the duke would not allow, and in the end the four-seater rumbled off to Versailles with six miserable occu- pants. Though it would be a general mis- fortune if the example of the good duke were much followed—think of the waste of time—it- should be re- membered that his courtesy was of the right kind, the product of a kind- ly and sympathetic nature, rather than the cold modern routine which, like the intricate etiquette of China, tends to bury all human feeling be- neath endless formula. ‘Europe's New War Peril. On the threshold of the season of peace and good will among men, Europe finds itself suddenly plunged into another international crisis of immeasurable gravity. The conflict between Yugoslavia and Hungary, growing out of the former's charge of Hungarian complicity in the plot that led to King Alexander’s assassi- nation at Marseille in October, was bitterly accentuated two days ago by Yugoslavia's action in ordering the expulsion from her soil of the 27,000~ | odd Hungarians resident there. Deportations are taking place amid | conditions of cruelty and ruthlessness inseparable from such episodes, and refugees streaming across the border | into Hungary bring tales of suffering and hardship that have naturally aroused frenzied passions against Yugoslavia. To add fuel to the flame of animosity irregular Serbian units of the Yugoslavian Army—the comi- tadjis of other Balkan days—have strayed into Hungarian territory and | armed clashes with border patrols heve been narrowly averted. ‘That there is a plenty of inflam-! mable material in this acrimonious situation is apparent and the Euro- pean powers through their spokesmen | at the League Council in Geneva are alive to its explosive possibilities. All concerned ere aware that an armed clash between Yugoslavia and Hun- gary could by no stretch of the i localized in their particular region of Southeastern Europe. Already the Little Entente powers— Czechoslovakia, Rumania and Yugo- slavia—have served formal notice a* Geneva through Czechoslovakian For- eign Minister Benes that they will fight if any nation tries to break up that alliance. That is a thrust at Hungary and its demands for revision of boundaries, which deprived her, after the World War, of territory she craves to recover. But it is hardly less of a warning in Italy's direc- tion, for Mussolini has indicated since the outbreak of the Yugoslavian-Hun- garian imbroglio that his sympathies are with Hungary. France is, of course, directly involved in the crisis, too, as the ally and protector in chief of the Little Entente. In his ad- dress to the League Council on Friday, in which M. Benes did not shrink from speaking of “war,” he even went the length of declaring that the Soviet Union stands ready to back the Little Entente against an aggressor. ‘Thus are present all the ingredients of another major conflagration in the Old World, and again the sorely perturbed League of Nations is con- fronted with a supreme problem in its chosen field of peace preservation. Probably the circumstance that none of the leading powers wants war, plus the fact that in no case are any vital interests of their own affected by this new Balkan crisis, will impel them to herculean efforts to keep the lid on Europe's traditional powder barrel long enough for statesmanship and diplomacy to suppress acute and im- mediate dangers. There is no time to be lost if a catastrophe is to be averted. e When the stock market sags the demonstration is attributed to profits. Even a financial minus sign brings good news in the assurance that there are profits to be taken. e Life Begins at Eight. Two phrases are current in the speech of the American people. By the terms of the one, life begins at forty; according to the other, it com- mences at 8:40. In point of fact, of course, it really gets properly started at eight. Infancy is a period of dependency or of more or less vain effort to escape from tutelage. Then comes a time when a boy or girl is merely & squirm- ing organism, all nerves and undis- ciplined muscles—a rambunctious ag- gravation to everybody. But the next stage—the span which opens with the achievement of con- scious control of mind and body— really is life in the accurate meaning of the word. Theodore Roosevelt, for example, in his later years looked back with authentic pleasure to a European tour which he had made with his parents when he was “only a kid,” and went to the trouble to advise mothers and fathers to take their children with them when they traveled. ‘The point need not be labored. Any normal man or woman who has a small son or daughter eight years old knows from both observation and ex- perience what a fascinating age eight is. ‘The world is so big and so re- splendent with possiblities for explo- THE EVENING ration and enjoyment. Each day brings its own fair quota of oppor- tunity for fun and frolic. Circum- stance not yet has put its blighting hand on the imagination. Glorious victory still seems within the range of ordinary effort—even when that effort be no more than the climbing of & garden gate. Certalinly, it is only a brief moment —the little handful of months between eight and ten or twelve. But for that reason, if for no other, it ought to be appreciated by the grown-ups as well as by the children themselves. Busy parents, unfortunately, all too frequently do not make the most of its opportunities, But once lost, the privilege is gone forever, Hence a word of warning: If Junior and his sister are “just about” eight, be mind- ful of them; the best hours of their childhood are passing—share them, use them happily. And the memories of .the whole family, adult and juve- nile alike, will be enriched commen- surately. e The White House masquerade will prove a brilliant occasion, making many a mere male wish he could in- trude as “Old Lady 31"—that quaint man who was accidentally admitted to a retreat established by feminine endowment. ot The seven-year-old boy whose in- telligence quotient is figured attwen- ty-five points higher than Einstein's puts another complication into the question of how far mathematical cal- culations are reliable in establishing ratios pertaining to human mentality. —r e The price of pressing a gentleman's suit of clothes has been regulated by code. The White House masquerade makes the cost of fancy costumes a | more important consideration. — - | The war on crime is expected to be successiul to the extent of preventing what should be an ordinary arrest from becoming a machine-gun duel. M S “All the world's a stage,” said one of the Shakespeare characters. Poli- tics often develops some rather ineffi- cient stage managers. — v The great game of politics occa- sionally calls for especial vigilance on :(he part o. the “Jookout” who super- | vises the operation of the deal box. i — caeee————— ;‘ Vice President Garner was affable but not loquacious when he left the White House. A good Vice President i knows when not to be eloquent. The great hope of the Republican ! ments of destruction that the Demo- | cratic party has so brilliantly survived. SRS, International finance cannot yet go into the details which relate to the o | imagination be confined to them or| purchase of chances in foreign sweep- | | stakes. S SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON Collective Considerations. Dear old Santa Claus, You have a pleasant plan. But following your great applause’ We meet the credit man. You teach us generous intent And true unselfishness; You leave us all sincerely bent On human kindliness, Dear cld Santa Claus, You'd help us now and then If for a conference you'd pause * With hard-boiled credit men. Sympathetic Ringsider, “Do you enjoy a prizefight?™ “Very much,” answered Senator Sorghum. “It reminds me of politics. | People engage in violent encounters for the profit of others when they have no | personal grievances whatever.” Jud Tunkins says his wife wants to get into soclety, so he's reading all the newspaper pieces about how to raise children and make home happy. Languages, Willie went to college. He specialized In Greek. He showed a depth of knowledge Which made us very meek. ‘The measure of his quota In wisdom that we saw Was a Big I in Iota And a rousing Rah! Rah! Rahl Ultimate Consumer, “Did hog scarcity work out to your advantage?” “As long as I stayed home,” answered Farmer Corntossel. “But when I went travelin’ I found I couldn't afford & ham sandwich.” “My ancestors taught me humility toward superior assumptions,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “so I salute my neighbor Hi Hat with a deference, even when I know he is on his way to the pawn shop.” ‘Working Hours, Mother has to wash the dishes. Mother has to run the bome, Mother has to curb the wishes Of the prodigals who roam. Mother makes the’ soup bowl simmer, Rising at the break of day— Mother never gets a glimmer Of relief from N. R. A. “A rabbit's foot ain't lucky,” said Uncle Eben; “anyway, not lucky enough to help some rabbit to escape with his life.” —_————e—— Recovery. From the Salt Lake Deseret News. A rural preacher reports that he received a bushel of corn from the bridegroom for performing a marriage ceremony, and another sign of eco- nomic improvement is a diminishing number of suspender buttons in the collection basket. On the Dole. From the Detroit News. An Ohio woman, on public relief, spent a week's dole for a permanent wave. Where money is scarce, it goes to the head. STAR, hero of the old play about the gentle- ! (ot care to give evidence of just ex- party rests in the numerous announce- | WASHINGTON, D. C, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1934, THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Where do all the street loafers come from? Young and older men—but mostly the latter—none of them in the va- grant class. Most of them, as a matter of fact,’ very well dressed. You see them in almost every block, sometimes standing on corners, &t others leaning up against buildings. Apparently they have nothing to do and nowhere to go, so they just stand. ‘They managed such things better in the small country towns, when chairs were leaned back against the wall of the hotel and everybody was com- fortable. ‘There was comfort for the loafer then, but where is it now? Surely not in that uneasy pose there on the cor- ner, x X ¥ ¥ It must not be supposed that many, if any, of these persons are pan- handlers, so-called. ‘They are just stopping. ‘The curious thing is that not all of them are looking. They seem to be sleepy-eyed, in & sort of doze, but perhaps they see more than they seem to see. A great many persons are that way; they do actly what they are doing. It may be felt, therefore, that their eyes are wide open, but that they sim- ply prefer to give the impression that they are not. Nor is this phenomenon sectional. Any place one goes in a big city these loafers—what else can they be called?—will be found, calmly inspect- ing the beauty of the day. If that is not what they are doing, then it is impossible for an individual passerby to know whai they are doing. x X % X The truth is that they are doing what all people do. Some are just waiting No doubt every one who waits on & corner or at the door of a popular | department store seems a pure loafer to_every one else. Waiting is not easy. The best way to get through with it, perhaps. is to look utterly bored. then time may pass more quickly than usual No one loocks more weary than he who waits. The minutes have a way of drag- ging their usually nimble heels, in such & situation—one known to even the most impatient of mortals. So yonder bored gentleman, stead- fastly refusing to hold up the wall of the building by sturdily standing & little way from it, is not a loafer, in the generally accepted sense, but sim- ply one upon whom a necessity has been imposed * x * % It is scarcely fair to include in the list of loafers the thousands of per- sons who daily stand on corners during the lunch period. They are loafers, true enough, but with a difference. Impromptu gatherings of this sort help keep high the sanity level of many. Just to stand for a brief space and do nothing at all— It is helpful, and the psychologists will lPll you why, bul. am one v\m\ common sense doesn't need to be told —he knows from his own experience. The older man, however, may need to recall his younger days. He will not readily forget the many hours of nappy loafing he indulged in, even to the extent of sitting for hours at a time in one or another of Washington's sun-drenched parks. ©Old Dupont Circle, for instance. You cannot tell one cf the old boys that the park today is as good as the park then. He knows better. The merry-go-round race track had not oeen installed, the walks. 1In the center a bronze soldier made warrior than any number of beautiful marble ladies supporting a great sau- cer from which water spills. So the old timer thinks, at least. * *x x % Loafing in company, of course, is not exactly the same as solitary loafing. There is more life and spirit to it, and the participants excuse them- selves, if they think about it at all, by the belief that they are settling instances. There is not much difference in this than in the situation one sees, and especially hears, aboard a stuffy bus, when two large and pompous gentlemen attempt to tell each other why the administration is all wrong. They are just loafing along, but you | couldn’t get either one ot them to admit it ‘or a second. Each is so tremendously sure he | | knows! He must know, or he would not :alk so loudly. Nor would he; look around for approval from all sides. and find it so readily, as he thinks He thinks! The truth is that every one is dis- gusted with him and with his friend, 1 ‘thev are so loud, so know-it-all, so | positive that their thoughts upon all matters are the very last words. Just because they order a few clerks and office boys around, per-| | haps. gives them no real reason for feeling that their thoughts are eternal truth. Yet were they handing down ver- dicts from the mountain top they could do it with no more aplomb. The aplomb boys, some wag calls ‘em, but the title is too good for ‘em * o o x “I lean and loaf at mv ease, ob- serving a blace of Summer grass.” Whitman was frahk. He wasn't afraid of words: he didn't mind if any one called him a loafer. He admitted 1t. He wrote about it—how he felt and what he observea while he was loafing. Most of the lcafers one sees on the streets have a very good reason for being where they parently doing nothing. But suppose they didn't have, what would it make? A part of the street | color is due to them, without any doubt. A thoroughfare without sev- | eral standing at their ease, looking the scene over, would observer as unnatural. As it is, the loafers lend just the right touch to make every proasic block a bit of the “street scene” from “Carmen.” One may soon. A Plea for a New Deal for the Blind as Well as for the Seeing To the Editor of The Star: The time is now approaching when Congress will again convene to take up the pressing needs of the people. The majority of last year's Congress promised to give the people “a New Deal” and to the best of its ability the pledge was fulfilled. but what about the blind of the Nation? Are they not to have a “New Deal” as well as the rest? The writer feels that the best way to give them a “New Deal” is to grant them a pension to sup- plement their meager earnings and to enable them to receive a living wage the same as capable sighted men and women. Here is an illus- tration: degree of education, the same pro- ficiency in a specific type of work as his sighted friend will receive forty dollars a month for his labors, while his friend will receive from sixty to seventy-five dollars per month. Can any one concede that this condition is fair? The blind of the District need a “New Deal” to enable them to have the same degree of happiness and contentment as the sighted men and women of the same intellectual standing. There are 296 blind who live in pri- vate homes in the District. When you stop to think of the number of places that employ the blind here and of the few who find work therein it is self- | evident that some new form of per- manent employment is needed here to take care of this deficiency. The blind want employment, not relief. It is a known fact that only one of these organizations that employ the blind pays them anything like a living wage. The other places pay on the average of $10 per week, but it must be clearly understood that these organizations are mainly supported by private funds and consequently are in no position to pay a living wage. Since no institution maintained for the sole purpose of aiding the blind is in a position to take care of all the needs, then it is the sacred obligation of the Government to take a hand in the matter and see that these capable handicapped citizens are provided with Reducing the World. From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat. Beginning next July all United States and all of Europe will be connected by a maximum air serv- ice of 72 hours. That is less time than it now takes the best steamers to go from New York to Liverpool. Plans are being laid for extending air trans- portation from our Pacific Coast to Hawali and Australia and soon to Asia. Not long thereafter regular air lines will traverse Asia, just as has been shown to be possible from Eng- land to Australia by the recent race, and regular round-the-world mail and passenger service will be in full swing. How soon this will be consummated is uncertain, but as air development is now progressing it is safe to predict & maximum limit of five years, with three and even two years as & possi- bility. What effect such a close union of the world by transportation and trans- mission of intelligence will have upon universal peace must await develop- ments. Theoretically it should be a strong bond of union between the n: tions and tend to render them com- mon-minded. That has been the ef- fect of improved transportation and more general distribution of news and greater personal contacts between res- idents of different sections of the United States. Personal acquaintance is the greatest antidote for bellig- erency. It is fair to assume that bet- ter acquaintance among the nations and a clearer knowledge by the peo- ples of all countries of those of all other countries will make for less hos- tility ang suspicion, and thus remove A blind man having the same | of the | | the necessary employment and with | a sum for their good labors on which they could easily live. As said before, they do not want relief. as this form | of help does not at all solve this vital problem. The figures per individual under the relief greatly vary, but I will merely quote here those that have come under my observation. In one case a single blind man got under the relief $7 per week and a married blind man with | wife and child to support got $9.30. In each case the individuals had no | Now how can a | one to depend on. blind man get out and seek employ- ment on the days he is not scheduled to work for the relief? The sighted man can easily seek | employment on these off days. Even it the blind man could get out the sighted employer needing help would be too skeptical to even give the blind man a chance to make good. It would be safe to say that a capable blind man is worth $60 per month. | and he could live on this, provided he was not married. for in this case | if he had a wife and child to support | his expenses would be around $80 or | $90 per month. The writer is blind | and knows whereof he speaks. i If Congress or the District govern- ments does not lend the blind a help- ing hand they will havé to suffer even | unto the end of their days because of the extreme narrow-mindedness of those in authority. Now if the blind of the District and of the Nation were to unite in one concerted effort and make an appeal to the gentlemen on Capitol Hill, it is highly likely that this hon- orable body will lend an ear to so worthy a cause, a cause equally as worthy as the cash payment of the “soldiers’ bonus.” Much was done in last year's session of Congress in the interest of the blind and even more could be done this year if a greater eflor! and a more comprehensive pro- | gram was presented before the legis- | lative body on Capitol Hill. Figura- tively speaking, this is a call to arms |and not merely a play upon words. For “in unity there is strength.” CHARLES W. METZGER. the greatest fundamental cause of war. But it is possible this influence will not develop rapidly enough to avert another great struggle. | So far from promoting the psychal- } ogy of peace, expansion of air naviga- tion has until now produced the oppo- | site effect. Every nation in Europe | has had its fears and suspiclons mag- nified by the increased possibilities of hostile invasion by air. This is in- evitable so long as mankind continues to cling to the theory that force is the right and dominant influence in set- tling international differences, and also domestic differences, as we see in Russia, Germany, Italy and Spain. With such a mental attitude, every in- crease in offensive power must add to apprehension and stimulate greater preparation for defense. Yet that does not negative the fact that more mutual knowledge and understanding is the gateway to world peace, and that this new element, at present arousing fear, will eventually make felt its influence for peace. —— et Stocks and Gravitation. From the Roanoke Times. ‘The law of gravitation tells us that what goes up must come down. But the hisiory of the stock market during the past five years fails to indicate that what goes down must eventually come up. The Next Big Job. From the Philadelphia Inquirer, ‘When the Federal agents get through eradicating the public enemies who use guns they might give some atten- ition to the ones that drive cars. and benches were ! sprinkled here and there throughout | & more aporopriate monument to a! the affairs of the Nation, in many | are and for ap- | difference | strike every | hope to see Carmencita very| THE LIBRARY TABLE BY SARAR G, BOWERMAN. CHALLENGE: Behind the Face of Japan. By Upton Close. New York: Farrar & Rinehart. An observer in the path of a Jap- anese Army invading China, the young American Josef Washington Hall sent his confidential messages under the signature “up close” and a Japanese general later asked Mr. Hall to help him find this man Upton Close. The pseudonym has stuck to him, or he has stuck to it. For 20 of his 40 years he has been traveling in Pacific Asia or Pacific waters and he has written and lectured on Pacific cultures, lan- guages and politics almost continu- ously. Some of the things he tells about Japan in this book are of espe- cial interest just now, when Japan is claiming complete freedom to build up her navy without international restric~ “ tions. Mr. Hall, or Mr. Close, tells of the Japanese belief in the mission of Japan to lead the human race to “the world of light,” of the rise of Japan contemporary with the growth of Eng- land, of her amazing two and a half centuries of isolation, of the overturn of feudalism 70 years ago and the entry of Japan into world competition, of the present status of Japan's army and navy, of the “American angle,” of | the “waiting attitude of Great Britain” and of Western capitalism “outclassed by Orientals.” He says that “America could throw her weight with Russia to crush Japan. That would mean either a temporary American empire of the Pacific and Far East, with perhaps its imperial capital at Honolulu—or im- mediate Russian hegemony of Asia. The prospect is not enticing. Yet so many events go.” ~The section on “Emotional Faces of Japa: nation {of the ‘feminine’ mentality,” classes among the “faces” individualism, in- ! tuition, non-conformism, hysteria, ec- centricity, humanitarianism, love of beauty and pleasure. * k% % JAPAN IN CRISIS. By Harry Emer- son Wildes. New York: The Mac- millan Co. The author, a former professor of | economics and sociology at Keio Uni- versity, the oldest Japanese university, | has tried to avoid propaganda on | either side of the question which al ways arises today when Japan is men- | tioned. He is neither a sentimental admirer of Japan nor unreasoningly | fearful of Japan as the enslaver of th East. He gives a thoughful explana- | tion, based on his own observations | and interviews and official statistics, of the present difficulties and aims of Japan. The last of the medieval | monarchies, Japan, he is beset by | | corruption and graft, inefficiency and | selfish ambitions of public officials. | ‘ Her people are discontented. the intel- | lectuals, the middle class, the tenan- {try, the proletariat. The army and vy clique is seeking an end of par- | liamentary rule in favor of military | rule. What the outcome will be Mr. | Wildes is, of course, too prudent to | prophesy, but he says that the future | holds war, “almost without a doubt. | Japan has no other recourse if she | would remain alive.” The explana- | | tion of this statement is detailed, but not altogether convincing. - ox % CONFESSIONS OF A SCIENTIST. By Raymond L. Ditmars. New York: The Macmillan Co. | Dr. Ditmars. curator of reptiles at | the New York Zoological Park, is well | known to readers who like second- | hand reptilian thrills, as well as to real biologists, through his former popular books, “Thrills of a Natural- ist’s Quest.” “Snakes of the Worid - “Reptiles of the World” and “Th Forest of Adventure” In these new “confessions” he tells of his exneri- ences as a lecturer, when by way of illustration he has handled reptile specimens on the stage, sometimes to the distress of members of the audi- ience: of his experiments with snake | poisons in his laboratory: of his mak- | ing movies of the most deadly snakes, |including the dreaded mamba of | Africa. The book is full of anecdotes | from his own exciting experiences—! the capture of the first vampire bat to be exhibited alive. found in a tropical cave where thousands of his fellows hung in clusters and where the cracks in the walls were filled | with bloodsucking insects; a narrow | | escape from the blue-green shootmz‘ form of a mamba which had just been | safely landed on the branch of a tree for photographing: hunting for bush- masters in the low jungles of the Val- |ley of the Chagres. Dr. Ditmars a scientist of authority, who can write { the most technical of reports, is also | able to transmit to a non-scientific | reader all his own suspense and ex- ultation in realization. | * X X X THE YACHTMAN'S YEAR BOOK. 1934. Edited by Alfred F. Loomis. New York: Dodd, Mead & Co. A permanent record of the big events of the sailing and boating sea- son and interesting tales of the year's cruises and races. Information fis given about the latest rules and de- velopments in connection with all forms of boating. There are full stories of such events as the Amer- ica’s Cup race, the Bermuda race, the Honolulu race, and Alfred F. Loomis’ story of this year's race of Rainbow | and Endeavour for the America's Cup is here published for the first time. * ok x % | WILD FOWL DECOYS. Barber. New York: House. For duck shooters and wild fowlers. ‘The author has collected decoys for 20 years, from Nova Scotia to South Carolina, and has put into this book his great knowledge on the subject. It gives much practical information and is also a text book on decoys as antiques. Over 100 illustrations, drawings, colored and black-and- white plates, show old decoys and in- dicate how to make modern ones. * o x FISHING A TROUT STREAM. By Eugene V. Connett, 3d. Photo- graphs by Lawrence B. Smith. New York: The Derrydale Press. ‘The story of the fishing of a trout stream is told by means of 94 hand- some plates from pl hs, with descriptive and instructive explana- tory notes. The frontispiece shows a stretch of trout stream beautiful enough to tempt an artist, as well as to send a fisherman off to get his fishing equipment ready for a start. The last plate shows “the end of an angler's perfect day,” as he displays a row of speckled beauties for the photographer. e e Surplusses. From the Macon (Ga.) Telegraph. State Senator-elect Whitten of Idaho ‘wants bullfighting legalized to get rid of the surplus beef. And another thing, it might get rid of the surplus bullfighters, too. et Marital Advice. Prom the Amarillo News. A man is suing his wife for divorce because she hid his glasses and false teeth. Moral: Never insist on seeing what your wife gives you to eat. — et The Imitative Chinese. Prom the Portiand Oregonian. In China they have a new levy By Joel Windward | | daughter? ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. A reader can get the answer toi any question of fact by writing The Washington Evening Stqr Informa- tion Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. How many automobiles have been sold in this country since their in- vention?—J. H. A. About 55,820,000. Q. When was base ball first intro- duced into Japan?—A. L. F. Base ball was first introduced | lnw Japan in 1889 by an American | engineer who was working on the gov- ernment railways. Q. What amount of humidity is| considered best for valuable books?— | 8.8.K. | A. In the Library of Congress 50 | per cent humidity is kept in the stacks | containing rare books. Q. How old is the “the Lambs’ Club, and | why is it so called —R. C. B. | A. The Lambs was founded in 1874. | Henry J. Montague proposed that the | name of the club be taken from the parent Lambs of London, of which he ; was & member. Montague, who was famous as a leading man, was the first shepherd of the Lambs. Q. What is the name of Caruso's Who chose her name?— P.N. A. Caruso himself chose the name, Gloria. y Q. Does coffee lose flavor if kept hot for some time?—C. S, M. A. Coffee starts losing flavor and aroma soon after its brewing, and it is not good practice to attempt to keep it hot for any length of time It should be consumed soon after it is brewed. | Q. What langungc is spoken most in the world —R. A. The English 1anguage is the most widely diffused language in the world It is spoken by almost 200,000.000 people. The Chinese, although not so widely spread over the earth, is spoken by some 400,000,000 people. Q. What gauge are the railroads of France and Germany?—P. K A. The main trunk lines of France and Germany are all 4 feet 81, inches. or so’close to that gauge as to permit hrough running of locomotives and rolling stock. Q. When was the Washington Mon- ument lighted? B A. The Monument became a danger ! to aviators in 1930, and four red lan- one on each it was flood- terns were hung out, side. In November, 1931, lighted. Q. Who are the sponsors of the Academy of American Poets and where is its headquarters’—T. L. D. A. Among the sponsors of the Acad- | emy of American Poets are: Conrad Aiken, Joseph Auslander, Louis Brom- field, Mrs. Calvin Coolidge, Robinson Jeffers, Edwin Markham, Edna St Vincent Millay, Eugene O'Neill, Edwin Arlington Robinson, Mrs. James Roose- velt, Mark Van Doren and Owen D Young. Particulars concerning the organization may be obtained from Mrs. Hugh Bullock, 435 East Fifty- second street, New York City. Q. What kind of a god is Manitou? —S. G A. Manitou is the Great Spirit of the American Indians. The word is Algonquin and means either the Great Good Spirit or me GrP.\' Evil Spi Q. Where is Hall Caine buried?— E A D. A. The novelist is buried in the parish churchyard at Maughold, Isle of Man. Q Is Father Coughlin a Canadian or a citizen of the United States’— IW. PP A. Father Charles E. Coughlin of Michigan was born of American par- ents in Canada. He has been a life- | long American citizen. Q. Do Government employes take all the sick leave to which they are entitled?>—P. W. A. Very few find it necessary. In the Department of Agriculture, rec- ords for eight years show that, out of | the maximum of 30 days' sick leave a year which is allowed, the average taken was 7.5 da Q. What proportion of the treasures in the Walters Gallery in Baltimore, Md.,, are on exhibition’—S. S A. Only 15 per cent of them are on exhibition. Q. Who are meant by the Sons of Han?—L. S A. The Chinese, so-called from Han, the village of which Licoupang was chief. He conquered all opposi- tion and founded a asty lasted 422 years—that of Han this dynasty the modern history of Chma begins—B. C 202 to AD. 220. Q Is “L'Aigion,” in which Ethel Barrymore is appearing the play by Rostand?—H. H A. The play is an adaptation of Rostand’s drama by Clemence Dane. Q. Why did George Eliot and George Henry Lewes never marry?—I. B. W. A. Mr. Lewes had a wife Lving whom he could not divorce. Q. How can pine Christmas trees be given the snowy effect’—R. G. E. st, spray the tree or branch e solution of glue, such as is used in the sizing of walls before the final decorative coat of paint is applied. Before the glue solution has completely dried the tree should be dusted with what is known as artificial snow. This may be obtained at any of the 5 and 10 cent stores or at most paint shops. The final dusting gives it a sparkling appearance sim! to snow. the chiefs of bu- tes Department Q Who appoint reaus in the United of Agriculture?>—S. D, A. They are appointees of the Sec- retary of Agriculture, with the excep tion of the chief of the Weather Bu- reau, who is appointed by the Presi- dent of the United States. Q. How many Indians were killed as the whites settled this country?— J. M. J, A. There are no defl iving the number of Indians killed. T, 6 per cent or 7 per cent of dian population was estimated to have been exterminated. ite figures Q Why are —J. A. K. A. The word “beatitude” means a state of bl ess, or consummate bliss, and the phrase in Matthew V. refers to the declarations made by Jesus Christ h regard to the blessedness of those who are distin- guished by certain specified virtues. The beatitudes are regarded as the essence of Christian perfection. the beatitudes so called? Insull’s Methods Held Doomed, Despite Financier’s Samuel Insull and his associates were not wholly vindicated by a cago jury's verdict of acquittal, ac- cording to the general tone of com- ! ment in the press. It is widely | believed that the Government offered a poor case against the leader of the | utilities empire that collapsed during the depression. Losses suffered by in- vestors are repeatedly stressed. It is generally assumed that future safe- guards will prevent a repetition of the situation that led up to the Insull collapse. Belief that the Government. charg- ing mail frauds, failed to present a case to support its contention is ex- pressed by the Dayton (Ohio) Journal while the Springfield (Mo.) News- Leader charges persecution of & man who became “a pathetic figure.” The Brooklyn Times-Union also sees pop- ular sympathy for Insull. “Adequacy of the jury system in such cases” is questioned by the Chat- tanooga Times, and the Pasadena (Calif.) Star-News feels that “the jury was not influenced by Insull's actions in evading arrest for many months.” “In such cases acquittal is a consid- erable distance from vindication.” in the opinion of the Pittsburgh Post- Gazette. Conclusion that “the long interval that elapsed between the collapse of his companies, his going abroad and his forced return helped him in the fact that the public’s temper had cooled” is voiced by the Scranton Times, with the verdict that “out of the Insull case should come—and it is hoped there will develop—an effort to make impossible a similar situa- tion.” Prospective beneficial results in new legislation are emphasized by the Troy (N. Y.) Record, the Bay City (Mich.) Daily Times. the Newark Eve- ning News, the Lowell (Mass.) Courier- | gests that Acquittal Citizen. the Winston-Salem (N. C) Journal, the Huntuington (W. Va) Herald-Dispatch and the Rochester Times-Union. Judge Wilkerson. who presided over the trial. is quoted by the New York Herald Tribune as stating that “a man cannot be convicted for a bad business guess. however disa: consequences for the commu as misrepresentation could condoned, however innoc tentior The Herald Tribune cor cludes: “One of the chief prol which the American system must solv over the coming years is that of es- tablishing a greater social responsi- bility and soundness of method in the control of the larger aggregations of corporate wealth and power." A point of view favorable to the de- fendant is upheld by the Salt Lake Deseret News. with the declaration that “the entire case presents a striking illustration of the unfairness often done to men and causes by the ruth- less manner in which the public deals with half known and poorly digested facts.” The Atlanta Constitution sug- “when it comes to sending an aged man to prison as the sole representative of a large group which followed the same tactics, the average American jury can be counted on to take the same view as did the one that acquitted Insull.” The New York Sun advises that “it should be remembered that trial of the case followed by a long interval the practices held to be questionable.” The Indianapolis News concludes that “the trial did result in the conviction of a system of financing,” and the Kansas City Times says: “So Insull may go, but Insullism will remain, a warning, a deterrent, a terrible re. minder of an era that shall not arise again.” Challenging A. A. A. From the New York Times. Not a bushel of American wheat was shipped abroad last week. This is a record not matched in many years, but for a considerable period our ex- ports not only of wheat but of various other farm products have been at an extremely low level. This is only in part the consequence of the tariffs and | “quotas” and other trade controls erected by nations which formerly provided profitable markets for our | wares. It is also due, in part, to the fact that the crop-restriction program of the A. A. A. and other artificial in- fluences have raised the domestic price of a number of our products above the world level. Wheat, for example, is selling in Minneapolis at above a dol- lar and in Winnipeg at 80 cents. The spread between the domestic and the forelgn market which char- acterizes prices of various farm com- modities has prompted a number of suggestions that the present methods of the A. A. A. be scrapped and be re- placed with something else. Several substitutes are offered. One is the so- called “two-price” system, whereby a higher price would be maintained at home, while exports would be sold on a competitive basis. Another is a plain subsidy plan, under which all restric- tions on production would be removed, permitting domestic prices to seek the world level, but compensating Ameri- can producers by bounty payments based on that part of the crop destined for domestic consumption. is plan has two variants, depending on whether its advocates wish funds for such bounties to be raised by means of processing taxes, as at present, or propose instead to discard such taxes as a deterrent to business and to sub- titute funds borrowed directly by the Treasury. Other observers favor a simple abandonment of Federal con- trols and a return to free competition. | At the opposite extreme is a massive plan advocated by the Governor of Minnesota. He would substitute for the open market a system of “admin- istered” prices determined from day to day by public agencies. ‘The discussion now under way is significant, because it challenges at various points the philosophy of A. A. A. Secretary Wallace stands stout- Iy by the present system as an emer- gency device. But it is already evi- dent that much more will be said on the subject when Congress reassembles. — et Still Hoping. From the Pasadena (Calif.) Post. Spectators of a wrestling match haven't seen any wrestler killed yet, but they keep coming, for hope re- mains alive, Traffic Note. From the Los Angeles Times. A pedestrian ran down an automo- bile yesterday at Fourth street and Harbor boulevard, San Pedro. A win- dow in the car was broken. French Disarmament, Prom the Tulsa World. ‘The fact that France voted only $732,000,000 for its military machine indicates the entirely peaceable dispo- sition of France. —e——— The President Assured. From the Ann Arbor Daily News. Headline says “bankers pledge aid to Roosevelt.” 8o it appears that the President will not have to face the possibility of going on the dole, .