Evening Star Newspaper, January 23, 1935, Page 8

A—8 THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. WEDNESDAY, January 23, 1935 THEODORE W. NOYES. . . Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company as i Office: Lake Michigan Building Birovean Offce 15 Regent St.. London. Englan Rate by Carrier Within the City. Regular Edition. The Evenine Star, ~45¢ per month The Evening and Sunday Star when 4 Sundays).... .00c per month ‘The Evening and Sunday Star (when b Sundays) 5¢ per month The Sunday Star.. . .be per copy Nigbt Final Editior. [iicht Binel and Sunday Star. 700 er month g ht Final Star.. .. ... 55Cper month Collection made at the end of each month. Orders may be sent by mail of telephone National 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virgini Bfl“y and Sunday. .1 yr., $10.00; ily ~onl 1yr 86 Sinday onty: 1 3E All Other States and Canada. Daily and Sunday 1 yr., $12.00; 1 1n0.. $1.00 Daily only 1yr’ $8.00:1mo. 750 Sunday only. $5.00: 1 mo.. b0c S Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively en: titled to the use for republication of all news dispatches credited to it or not other- wise credited in this pape local news published herein publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. mo.. 85¢ mo.. 80c mo. 40c Another Crime Investigation. An investigation of crime in Wash- ington, with no specific objectives and no limitations placed on the amount of territory to be covered, is apt to’be a large order. Representa- tive Randolph’s subcommittee of the House District Committee might easily consume the time available in this Congress and prolong the inquiry into the Summer, as has been suggested. And something of benefit might come of the investigation. But it is to be hoped that the pro- posed expedition into the general field of crime will not delay the subcom- migee’s report of one important measure already referred to it—one that has heretofore been thoroughly in- vestigated as to its efficacy in fighting one of the conditions conducive to crime in the District. The measure in question is the new anti-gambling bill, aimed specifically at the num- bers racket. The bill has been passed by the Senate. It has been approved by the law-enforcing agencies in ‘Washington, thoroughly familiar with the evil it is intended to eliminate. The subcommittee might make a good beginning by reporiing this bill and helping to facilitate its passage through the House. Then it may turn its attention to other matters, such as the need for more policemen and the desirability of a modernization of the District’s penal and parole systems. ‘There are qualified experts who are ready to testify as to these needs, and there is opportunity for benefit to the District through sympathetic consid- eration of local police and penal problems. ‘Washington's standing among the cities of the country as concerns the prevalence of crime is still a matter of conjecture, because there are no re- liable figures which would offer the necessary information. The nearest approach to such statisties is furnished by the “uniform crime reports” issued by the Division of Investigation, De- partment of Justice. But the report itself explains that “in publishing the data sent out by chiefs of police in dif- ferent cities the Division of Investi- gation does not vouch for their ac- curacy. They are given out as current information, which may throw some light on problems of crime and crim- inal-law enforcement.” The element which detracts from the accuracy of the figures is the lack of consistent practice by police officials in the mat- ter of crime reporting. Efforts in this direction are continuing, but there is much to be desired. From the figures available, Washington's position is not enviable, although below the average in various crime classifications for 1,228 cities reporting. ————————————— However gold may be managed in & monetary system, it invariably re- mains the metal most talked about. ————— Honest Administration. Congress a year and a half ago, on recommendation of the President, provided for the establishment of a Public Works Administration and au- thorized the appropriation of $3,000,- 000,000 to carry on a program of works designed to relieve unemploy- ment. The President picked as the administrator of the public works Harold L. Ickes, Secretary of the In- terior. For eighteen months Mr. Ickes has labored indefatigably to spend this huge sum of money, so placed at his disposal for public works, honestly; to see that no graft entered, and that no scandal attached to the Public Works Administration. His present reward for these efforts is a violent attack upon him on Capitol Hill by members who are opposed to his continuance as administrator of public works. If the country must have expendi- tures of public moneys for all kinds of works to meet the unemployment emergency, it should be grateful be- cause the President placed a man of the caliber of Secretary Ickes in charge of the administration. Mr. Ickes has declined to approve grants and loans for works for which money was demanded by members of Con- gress and local politiclans when it seemed to him that the projects were not warranted in the public interest and not calculated to aid effectually in reducing unemployment. He has not ladled out well-paying jobs to poorly qualified applicants merely pe- cause they had political backing. In the light of his administration it would be amazing had he not in- curred the enmity of some members of Congress and of politicians who have sought sugar plums, either for themselves or for their clients. The President’s $4,000,000,000 work relief bill, now pending before Con- gress, carries in it a provision author- izing the Chief Executive to extend the life of any agency of the Govern- ment until June 30, 1937. Under the original national industrial recovery act, the Public Works Administration PP———— THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, | is slated to fold up after June 16 next, unless Congress grants an extension of | life. It is obvious that if the provision | in the work relief bill is adopted the President will be able to continue the Public Works Administration for two years beyond the time it is slated, un- der existing law, to go out of business. So members of the House opposed to Mr. Ickes and all his works are seeking to amend the bill. They wish to make certain that the President shall not keep Mr. Ickes in office as public works administrator, if they can write that kind of a provision into the work relief bill. Mr. Ickes has shown himself to be an able and honest puolic servant. It seems incredible that the present ef- fort to unhorse him will prevail, or that President Roosevelt will agree to sidetrack and supplant him in the continuance of the work he has been doing. The President has asked for another $4,000,000,000 to be used for all kinds of public works in the fight against continued unemployment. He has asked that the Congress place na strings upon the expenditure of this vast sum of money and that its dis- tribution be left to his discretion. It is as clear as crystal that the President can not himself give attention to all the details of the allotment and ex- penditure of this fund. He must rely upon others to do this job, although under his direction. The effort to prevent the use of a man who does not yield to political pressure nor grant special favors for this work will not commend itself to the country. o Reciprocity With Canada. Exactly eighty years from the time, in 1855, when the United States and | canada put into force the first re- ciprocity treaty they had ever con- cluded, Secretary Hull anuounces the intention to negotiate a new reci- procal tariff pact with the Dominion. Hearings on the subject will begin in Washington on March 18. Thus will be renewed the efforts, which proved unsuccessful in 1911, to place Canadian-American trade relations on a mutually satisfactory and profitable basis. The result of the failure to do so has been a recurring series of tariff hostilities on both sides of the border, although, thanks to an era of North American prosperity, the trade volume between the two coun- tries in the interval assumed peak proportions. H Since then, due to tariffs and de- pression, Canadian-American business | has slumped to a mere shadow of its former dimensions. The United | | States’ exports to the Dominion drop- ped from $948,000000 in 1929 to $211,000,000 in 1933. Canada sales | to us fell from $503,000,000 to $185,- 000,000. The importance of Canada iin the United States’ foreign trade is graphically illustrated by the fact that for years she has been our leading source of imports, the total being almost as great as those from all of | South America. In late years, too, Canada has considerably outstripped the whole of the Southern Continent as a market for our goods. The Dominion takes from us mainly machinery, coal, crude petroleum and gasoline, chemicals and allied prod- ucts, iron and steel products, auto- mobile parts, fresh fruits, raw cot= | ton, books and printed matter. We derive chiefly from Canada news print, wood and wood pulp, fish, precious metals, nickel, copper, furs and as- bestos. The Canadians expect that reciprocity negotiations will bring about concessions by the United States | on Canadian natural products in ex-} change for lower Canadian duties on | our manufactures. Never was there a more ideal set of conditions for full play of the; give-and-take principle in interna- tional relations. They augur well for a square deal for both countries. R Leave It to the Commissioners. The Senate District Committee has wisely refrained from attempting to | dictate to the Commissioners the method of sewage treatment to be! used at the disposal plant, which some day may be built with the money borrowed from the Public Works Ad- ministration. The Commissioners, relying on the expert advice of the Engineer Commissioner and his con- sultants, should decide this matter. They are responsible. Their decision, whatever it will finally be, may be| presumed to be based on their best | judgment as to use of demonstrated methods which do not involve risky experimentation, with taxpayers’ money. The Senate Committee suggested, however, that Commissioner Sultan inquire at the Public Works Admin- istration whether it would not be ad- visable to obtain additional funds which could be used in purification of Rock Creek. That is a good sugges- tion. If additional funds are to be spent on sewage treatment or dis- posal, it would be to the best ad- vantage of the community to await the outcome of the preliminary survey | of steps necessary to eliminate poliu- | tion from Rock Creek. That under- taking, carried along with the con- struction of the modified sewage plant, would probably represent the best ex- penditure of sewer money now. ——ee—————— The Hauptmann case is frequently referred to as “drama.” The de- fendant says, “I can explain every- thing,” which has been a familiar line in plays for many years. Winter Philosophy. ‘There are days when it seems good to remain indoors, and thousands of men and women, boys and girls this morning must have been tempted to escape from the ordinary routine of duty and remain at home, close to congenial fires. An instinct to evade unpleasant weather is universal and difficult to resist. But humanity providentially has an endowment of will power equal to the | Pireside enjoyments, home-born hap- undaunted hearts accept the challenge without hesitation. And, indeed, there is a certain joy in braving the snow, the wind and the icy streets. Granted that caution is necessary if accidents are to be avoided, traffic can be kept moving and the usqll number of passengers can be transported from the residen- tial areas to the downtown section of the city. Then, when the trip has been completed, comes a moment when each individual can feel the thrill of a victory over the seasonal handicap. Eyes grow bright for a little fraction of time as the travelers respond to the triumph of having ar- rived. In a few hours the tide will flow outward again, and the privilege of an evening of comfortable relaxation will be the throng’s reward. The poet Cowper understood the significance of such release when he was prompt- ed to write: I crown thee king of intimate de- lights, piness, And all the cemforts that the lowly! roof Of undisturb'd retirement and the hours Of long, uninterrupted evening, know. For the philosopher it is not re- maining sheltered all through a Win- ter day that gives happiness, but rather going out, performing the cus- tomary task and returning home with the knowledge of having met a test and passed it honorably that stimu- lates rejoicing. e People who affect Shakespeare will recall the “divinity that shapes our ends” when they remember that| all Charles Lindbergh wanted when | he flew the Atlantic was to go on his way to see a little of the world. —— e Whatever changes may take place in the aflairs of the Nation, the name of Charles Evans Hughes continues to loom in a manner that implies au- thority and commands respect. . Sam Insull, on noting the preva- lence of deliberate crime, may feel additional resentment of the trouble and humiliation he suffered largely because he was not a very good book- keeper. R — Senator Thomas fears apparently | that the World Court might reveal Uncle Sam not as a Daniel come to| judgment, but as a Daniel in the lions’ den. ——— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Surfeit. What's the good of scandal In this present day and age? Stories most too hot to handle Will be found on history’s page. Helen was a lady Who was terrible in Troy; Phryne’s reputation shady Brought a chill to righteous joy. ‘Through the library you'll wander And on every shelf you'll find Stories that will make you ponder In a startled frame of mind. We couldn't hold a candle To adventures on display, 8o what's the use of scandal In the present age and day? Gag Rule, “Do your constituents favor gag rule in Congress?” “Some of them do,” answered Sen- ator Sorghum. “They say the Con- | gressional Record would be improved if it contained more jokes.” Alphabetics, The alphabet is all confused, It's leaving us in doubt. The public now is all enthused To get it straightened out. To words with care it will be turned, Then phrases will be taught; And after this much we have learned It may be used for thought. Ins and Outs. “Repeal has enabled alcohol to put a lot of men into business.” “Yes,” answered Uncle Bill Bottle- top, “but it started in the old way puttin’ a lot of men out of business.” “The world would be happler,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “if we were all as cautious about taking Pbad advice as we are about taking bad money.” Exploded Bliss. Had a dream the other day. Thought I went to Heaven And all I had to do was play A game called “7-11." The game was goin’ very nice. It suddenly exploded. Thought I was in Paradise— But that pair o’ dice was loaded. “A man dat hasn’t any work to do,” said Uncle Eben, “often has to go to a heap o' trouble pretendin’ to enjoy hisself.” Build Cars So They Cannot Be Speeded To the Editor of The Star: Repeated lamentations are heard reporting the increasing automobile accidents everywhere, which moves me to say this source of accidents and death may be reduced fifty per cent or even more, if it were required by law that the speed limit be not in ex- cess of thirty-five miles an hour. But to do this no law can be enforced without requiring the manufacturers to fix the car in building it so that it cannot run in excess of the speed limit specified, and on failure to com- ply with the law the manufacturer should be held responsible as well as the driver of the car; and let a heavy fine be the consequence. Thirty miles an hour will put one as far as he should be in any one day's driving. Of course this would work a hard- ship on the young bloods who think sixty miles an hour is a bit too slow. To aid in the detection of excess speed the speedometer should be so need. The task of getting to work may be tedious, but people have de- veloped a technique of opposition to the trials of life. Overcoats and mite tens, overshoes and umbrellas consti- tute an armor against the storm, and fixed that the highest speed attained will be recorded, something like a cer- tain type of thermometer. The other fifty per cent of accidents may be con- sidered unavoidable or caused by in- competence or drunks. suvm H. KING. - D. C, WEDNESDAY, THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Many persons, when setting up a home aquarium, worry about the water, when that element is about the last thing they should worry about. They have read something about the “pH"” of aquarium water, written just so, and they get the idea that one must be both chemist and physicist in order to manage a tank successfully. Nothing could be further from the truth. The water in this vicinity, both in the District of Columbia and nearby suburbs, is only slightly alkaline and free from chemicals harmful to fish life. If the beginner worries about the water, he is worrying about the wrong thing. L ‘What he should worry about more is the number of fishes in his tank, especially too many placed in it at once. He should worry about the light the plants get, about the number and sort of plants, about the sorts of foods and their proper utilization. There are, indeed, so many factors to consider in the successful manage- ment of even the smallest guppy bowl that the water need be given little consideration, in itself, in this vicinity. Some communities are not so fortu- nate. Waters of a very high alka- linity, or degree of hardness, often are harshly inimical to fishes of all types. In places where such chemicals as copper, even in a tremendous dilu- tion, are used, the aspiring aquarium keepers well may worry about the water. Chlorine is vastly hurtful, but, be- ing a gas, tends to leave the water, especially at room temperature. Water heavily saturated with chlorine will lose most of it within 24 hours, if per- mitted to stand in an open vessel. Those living in communities using chlorined water may drive a great deal of it from the water by the simple expedient of causing it to break up into a spray when drawing it from the faucet. 5 It should be stated again that those living in Washington ang nearby counties do not need to worry about | the water supply as an element for fish life. Virginia counties use Washington water, and nearby Maryland has an excellent supply of its own. ‘The “pH” of Washington water at this time of the year is 7.2, or only | slightly above the theoretical neutral point of 7. Water in nearby Montgomery Coun- 2y tests 7.4, just slightly more alkaline than Washington water. These tests, is at neutral, blue when it goes above or on the alkaline side, and tinges of yellow when it goes below 7, or neu- tral, on the acid side. It should be stated that these de- grees of rekative acidity and alkalin- ity are not very acid nor very alka- line. * ¥ X X A sample of water was sent this writer from a Midwestern city where friends had great difficulty in keeping goldfishes alive in home tanks. We had suspected that this water might show a really high alkaline re- action, but when a tube of this water was subjected to tests, it revealed a “pH” of 72, exactly the same as local water! Then it must be that minute quantities of copper, or some other chemical used to purify water, are re- sponsible for harm in this case. Explaining what the term “pH of made with a blue | reagent, show green when the water | water” means is a task, but here goes: The term really means the potential of the ogen-lon concentration, but this in itself means nothing un- less one knows his chemistry and electricity, and the complicated meth- od, using logarithms, which is used to detexmine water standards. . For everyday usage the term “pH' may be said to be “the relative acid- ity and alkalinity.” Therefore, it one reads such a phrase as “pH 7.2, he may know that it denotes a rela- tive alkalinity of that degree, in & scale running, for average purposes of the aquarium keeper, from a low point of 6 to a high point of 7.6, with 7 as neutral, neither acid nor alkaline. EE Last Sunday, with snow in the morning and rain in the afternoon, was a fleld day made purposely for the amateur “fish fan” interested in water. ‘What would rain and snow test? A small portion of snow was gath- ered from an unsullied place and per- mitted to melt. Tested, the snow water gave a read- ing of 64, or definitelly on the acid side. It must be reiterated that this acidity is very small and in no sense corrosive, or eating, in any way. Rain tested later in the day gave & reading even lower, a pH of 6.2. ‘These waters are soft, in the popu- lar sense, just as tanks which have been running along well for many months contain soft water, rather than hard, or alkaline. Again it must be emphasized that acidity and alkalinity are not great, one way or the other, but just enough so that simple tests show which way the scale runs. * * X K X 1t is significant that tanks which had been running along successfully for many months tested 6.4 and 6.2, exactly the same as our tests of snow and rain. Theoretically, if fishes from these tanks had been placed in a quantity of rain or snow water, properly brought up to the same temperature as that in their tanks, they would have suffered nothing as a result of the change. Actually, the four kinds of water—in two tanks, and rain and snow—could not be the same, in that the life proc- esses in the tanks would have placed in their water quantities of various substances which would not be found in the rain and snow. The chemical analysis, in other words, would be entirely different. It is thus seen that the “pH” of the water, and this information, if one lives in this vicinity, is scarcely neces- sary for general aquarium manage- ment. Good general advice is to keep chem- icals out of the aquarium, as much as possible. * x ok X It will be realized, then, that the “pH” of water is only one factor of | many, and by no means the most im- portant. Successful aquaria may be and have been kept for years by per- sons who never heard of the term. They concentrated on proper man- | agement. They kept fewer fishes in a given body of water, got good plants and gave them enough light to make good growth, kept water temperatures over 70 degrees for tropical fishes, chose good foods and wisely dispensed them, did not fuss over their tanks, other ways helped the fishes establish themselves, so that in time they be- came experts, in their way, without once bothering their heads about the water, since a good water supply did | the latter for them. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Lion's share of the credit for the report of President Roosevelt's Eco- nomic Security Committee, on which the proposed unemployment insurance and old-age pensions legislation is based, is accorded to the committee’s executive director, Dr. Edwin Emil Witte. He was a professor of eco- nomics at the University of Wiscon- sin until drafted into the New Deal last July. The 48-year-old economist has had long experience in his present field. He began his career as statisti- cian to the Wisconsin Industrial Com- mission. In 1912 he accompanied for- mer Representative John M. Nelson to Washington as his secretary. Two years later Dr. Witte became a spe- cial investigator for the United States Commission on Industrial Relations and afterward returned to Madison as secretary of the Wisconsin Indus- trial Commission. Four years ago he was one of the group of American economists selected by the Carnegie Foundation to study European condi- tions. Dr. Witte is the author of a volume entitled “The Government in Labor Disputes.” Because of his pro- fessional background, it's thought pos- sible that he may be appointed one of the three $10,000-a-year members of the Social Insurance Board to be set up in the Labor Department to ad- minister the forthcoming system. the first unempioyment insurance law now in force in Wisconsin. * Xk X X In a manner of speaking, the Hoover administration has just given belated recognition to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. That is to say, while Ambassador Troyanovsky was in California the other day, on his way back from the Far East, a reception in his honor was given at Stanford University by Dr. Ray Lyman Wilbur, Mr. Hoover’s intimate friend and Sec- retary of the Interior, who is now back on his old job at the head of the former President’s alma mater. Whether Mr. Hoover was among those present is not known here. Addressing the Commonwealth Club of San Fran- cisco, Mr. Troyanovsky referred point- edly to current stories that things are not going well in the Soviet Union. He said that in view of the bumper crop harvested in 1934, the abolition of bread cards and other signs of eco- nomic improvement, tales of woe about the Soviet “must be judged not merely from the political, but from the pathological standpoint.” The Am- bassador is due at his post in Wash- ington within the next few days. American-Soviet debt and trade talks are presumably to be resumed forth- with. * kK With the South in the saddle on both sides of the Capitol, it accords with the eternal fitness of things that a son of Dixie should be chosen as chairman of the Standing Committee of Correspondence in the press gal- leries of Congress. That blue ribbon honor, by vote of his colleagues, has just been awarded to Thomas L. Stokes, Washington correspondent of the New York World Telegram. Mr. Stokes was bora at Atlanta in 1898. He won his Phi Beta Kappa at the University of Georgia in 1920, but hasn‘t worn that badge of academic distinction since the day an old sea captain on the Savannah water front, which Stokes once covered, asked Tom where he got “that old watch key.” The gallery chairman’s first newspaper job was on the Atlanta Journal, where he sat A&lfil dect of Masliee Branchy Witte had much to do with fashioning | to be enacted in this country—the one | then its city editor and now second Assistant Postmaster General. Fol- lowing a tour of service on Georgia papers, Stokes has done more than a dozen years of political writing in Washington and throughout the coun- try. He accompanied Herbert Hoover to South America in 1928-1929. Re- cently he has been in Louisiana writ- ing a series of close-up pieces about Huey Long. * x % % Nobody in the world has a livelier interest in Europe’s newest trouble spot—the tiny territory of Memel, the strip of East Prussia along the Baltic, which the treaty of Versailles de- tached from Germany—than Norman H. Davis, President Roosevelt's dis- armament Ambassador at Large. In 1924 the League of Nations appointed Mr. Davis chairman of a special com- Memel, which eventually was awarded to Lithuania. German Nazis are in control of the local government of Memel, and an agitation is now afoot cide by plebiscite, as the Saar re- cently did, whether or not its inhabit- ants wish to return to German juris- diction. Hitler storm troops are said to have been gathering menacingly in the neighborhood of Memel. * ok % X How American news ranks at the moment in the estimation of English editors is indicated by the ‘Washing- :,cn correspondent of a London morn- ng paper. An American asked if the British scribe hlc(;)l::eanl;gl‘el; a very copious account of the Roose- velt economic security plan. “Not very,” was the reply. “You see, the Hauptmann trial is still on.” * k x % Somebody in Washington was curi- ous to know whether Senator Joseph F. Guffey of Pennsylvania aspires, as alleged, to be another Boles Penrose, Quoth the first Keystone Democrat to reach the United States Senate for more than half a century: “Well, be- fore we're through therell be a Democratic organization in Pennsyl- vania.” Organization was Penrose’s middle name—the shrine before which he incessantly burned incense. Guffey confesses he's a devotee of the same school of thought. Once upon a time, when asked why he never married, Penrose said he was waiting for the organization to select a wife for him, Mr. Guffey happens also to be unmar- ried. Not long ago, when the Senator was introduced at the dinner of the Pennsylvania Society in New York by Charles M. Schwab, the steel king presented Guffey inadvertently as “Senator Grundy.” That caused Guf- fey special glee, as the other “Joe,” former Senator Grundy, was one of the targets at which he 'shot repeat- edly during his triumphant 1934 cam- paign. * * Xk % President Roosevelt, apart from his humanitarian impulses, comes honest- 1y by his interest in the insurance fea- tures of his economic security pro- gram. He used to be in the fidelity insurance business in New York City, prior to his election to the governor- ship, as resident vice president and di- rector of a Baltimore company, ‘of which, at the time, Maryland's new Democratic Senator, George L. Rad- cliffe, was an executive. The Presi- dent and the Senator have remained intimate friends ever since. - * ok ko Despite the reputation for uncon- s Wi aquarist shows only one thing about | but still kept them sanitary, and in| mission to determine the status of | to permit the entire territory to de- | JANUARY 23, 1935. NEW BOOKS AT RANDOM Margaret Germond. VIA MALA. By John Knittel. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Co. As massive as the mountains in which the scene is laid is this story of the family Lauretz, descendant from a Napoleonic captain of noble birth who fell ill with a fever and re- mained in the care of the kindly Benedictines of the Monastery of Andruss when his regiment passed through the Canton of the Grisons in 1799. High up in the Yzolla district in one of the side valleys of the Via Mala this amiable and persuasive gentleman had taken possession of & property belonging to the Benedictines, to the ill rather than to the good luck of the canton, and there Lauretzes came into being through succeeding generations until Jonas Lauretz, the dominant character of this impressive novel, had become the master of the property. A saw-miller by profession, a drunkard by habit and a blasphemer by choice, Jonas Lauretz was guilty of every physical and moral crime which a human being has the will and the ability to commit. His wife was warped, bent and lame as a result of blows and abuses dealt in outbursts of his violent temper. Of the six chil- dren born of his marriage, four bore the marks of his brutality. Niclaus, his oldest son, he had crippled for life with an ax. The body of Hanna bore a ghastly scar where the flesh had been torn away. Sylvelie, whose beauty and saintliness infuriated him, carried a useless arm resulting from a blow that had paralyzed the con- trolling nerves. Mannli, the youngest living, had been born an idiot. The twins he had murdered in their in- fancy by stripping the clothes from their bodies and bed and opening a window on them in below-zero weath- er. No form of debauchery was un- known to him. An unlovely picture of a man is this description of Jonas Lauretz. More horrible still would be his selection as the dominant character of a novel if his presentation had been under- taken by a craftsman less masterful than John Knittel. With the majestic peaks of Switzerland as a background, he has written a story that rivals in the vastness of its depths and heights of human emotions the magnificence of its setting. * k% % The crushing misery of loneliness is the share of the Lauretz family, lone- liness born of the isolation which pov- erty, despair and the disgrace of a bestial husband and father bring to the unfortunate victims of such circumstances. It is in the depths of such hopeless loneliness that the flames of passionate hatred against the master of the house on the Via Mala, who forces his son to slave from dawn until darkness makes work im- possible. Hanna and Sylvelie both work, the latter in a hospice during tourist seasons. Good fortune eventually comes to Sylvelie through her services as wait- ress and maid of all work at the hos- pice, for it is there that she makes the acquaintance of two men whose in- fluence brings about extraordinary changes in the lives of the Lauretzes. who lives in a chalet high up in the Yzolla Valley during the Summer months, finds in this child "of the mountains the simplicity of spiritual beauty and inspiration which in the long span of his life he has failed to find in others. Under his guidance she receives her initiation into the magic world of literature, art and philosophy. During the Summer maneuvers held in the Yzolla Valley a group of men stop at the hospice for wine. Among them is the son of an influential, wealthy and exclusive family. He is attracted by the ethereal beauty of Sylvelie Lauretz, but promptly forgets her until he finds her working in an- other inn some months later. The attraction deepens and he sees her frequently. They fall in love and against her wishes they marry. He knows but little of her family, under- stands her reluctance to talk about the hardships of her life and is confident that however horrible the circum- stances of her family life might have been, his love is great enough to ac- cept it. And in the meantime events of ap- palling magnitude have been taking | place on the Via Mala. Pride, loyalty, | fear and love battle in Sylvelie's heart | for supremacy. If the sages and | philosophers and those of lesser intellect to whom humanity entrusts its moral and spiritual guidance were honest teachers of the truths of life, how much simpler would be the answers to so many vital problems? If all of the fanciful embroidery about the supremacy of love were discarded and the simple fact that fear is the most compelling of all human emotions were frankly acknowledged, would not love be given thereby a far greater value, with a stronger foundation for understanding than the existing theory permits. Fear and loyalty sealed Sylvelie's lips against & truth that might have brought less unhappiness to many people. But who would not withhold a truth if love were in the balance? Few loves are great enough to survive | the shattering of pride. She knows accept any lot which fate might de- cree for her, but is Andi's also of that nature? Life has been kind to this son of culture and wealth, who loves and respects the peasants of his native land. Fine and strong he is in character as well as in stature. He, too, is destined to become ac- quainted with stark despair when in his official capacity he must uphold the trust of public office and pass judgment upon the family of Jonas Lauretz. “Via Mala” is a big novel, done in a big way. It is a reminder of Dickens in the strength of its char- acter portrayals, and a reminder of Tbsen in the vivid intensity of its action. It is powerful, dramatic and exquisitely beautiful. It is a book that will live long after the popular novels ot the season have been discarded and forgotten. Not Phoney Currency. Prom the New York Sun. Thirteen dollar bills wadded in a shirt pocket saved a West Virginia man from a bullet, It must have been hard money. ———————— Unguaranteed. | Prom the Rockford Register-Republic. Gov. Laffoon of Kentucky has ap- pointed 2,368 colonels, but, we have an idea, does not guarantee their abil- ity to command a regiment in time of war., Just a “W” Missing. Prom the Rochester Times Union. Damrong is a leading statesman in Siam, and in one respect Siam is no different from nations in the western world. to Washington, Senator Theodore G. Bilbo of Mississippi has made the best kind of an impression on Senate Dem- ocratic leaders, who say they find him shrewd and co-operative and destined, they Lelieve, to become an effective and useful member of the lodge. & (Covvrisht. 10382 Mathias Lauters, a famous painter| that her love is deep enough to| ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. A reader can get the answer to any question of fact by writing The Washington Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washis , D. C. Please inclose stamp for repl; Q. How many of the people who appear in movies are under term con- tracts?—W. C. A. There are about 375 stars and featured players under term contracts. Q What restaurant introduced dancing with meals?—R. McC. A. It was introduced at Rector’s, in New York City. Q How many cigarets were sold last year in the United States?—S. S. A. The total consumption is esti- mated at 125,000,000,000. Q. How many people in the United States carry life insurance policies?— C.B.T. A. About 32,788,000 carry ordinary life insurance policies, and about 83,- 000,000 industrial policies are in force. Q. Where is the oldest tennis court in England?—A. G. A. It is one which was built for Henry VIII in 1530 at Hampton Court Palace. Q. What is an alcazar?—M. B. A. The name is applied to various Moorish palaces in Spain, which were originally constructed as forts. They are chiefly noted for their decorative work and arcaded courts. Q. How old was Louisa May Alcott when her first book was published?— D.D. A. She was 23 when “Flower Fa- bles” was published. Her first novel, “Moods,” was published nine years later. She was 36 when “Little Wom- en,” her greatest success, was pub- lished. Q. What was the fate of the Speed- well?—M. W. A. The Mayflower and her log says: The Speedwell was sold at London and was “refitted,” her old trim being restored. Bhe afterward made for her new owners many and very prosperous voyages. Aside from this nothing is known of the subse- quent history of this historic craft. Q. Is alabaster as hard as marble? —W. H. A. It is a variety of gypsum or sel- enite, resembling marble in appear- ance, but softer. “Oriental alabaster” is a mineral substance which is harder than ordinary alabaster. in Egypt, where in ancient times it was worked into jars, urns and the sparks of resentment are fanned into | 1Ke- Q. Is it true that the Statue of | It is found | in harm's way!” “I have ever looked out {?r the honor of the American :‘llgg.ou “[lucnn rnevcr renounce the s title of a citizen of th United States.” & Q. Have most of the financial panics in the United States occurred |in the Fall>—G. R | "A. It seems that most panics occur in the Autumn. Black Friday, one jof the worst stock exchange days, was in September, 1869, and the panic | of "73 started in September. The 1907 | panic was in the Autumn. An excep- tion was the beginning of the 1920-21 depression, which broke in April. The panic of 1929 began in October. Q. Is there any difference between illusion and hallucination?>—H. B. G. A. Tllusions and hallucinations are both false sense-perceptions and the | distinction between them is difficult | to define. Q L. A. A simple flame, as that of a candle, consists of a luminous en- velope surrounding a body of un- burned vapor and itself swrrounded by an invisible layer of gases pro- | duced by the burning. What is flame made up of?— A. . Q. How many hot springs are there in Yellowstone National Park?—T. L A. There are over 4,000, large and small, and 100 geysess, big and | little. Q. What is the difference between common law and statutory law?- A.C. H A. Statutory law is a law which depends upon a statute for its au- thority. In distinction from thi | common law is the unwritten lav | which receives its binding force from | immemorial usage and universal ac- ceptance. I Q. What does P. P. C. on a visiting card mean?—T. C. | A. It means that the card was sent | or left to notify the friend that the person was leaving town. P. P. C stands for the French words, pour prendre conge; literally, for to take leave. | Q. How many magazines are pub- | lished for the blind?—F. W. A. A survey made the American Foundatio; r the Blind shows that there are 252 magazines and period- icals dealing with problems of spe- cial interest to the blind. These pub- lications are printed in 20 languages. | Q. How did it happen that Mischa | Elman, whe is a Jew, studied at the | Imperial Conservatory of St. Peters- burg?—W. A. A. When Elman was but 10 years old, Leopold Auer was so impressed with his genius that he prevailed upon | the Czar to suspend the rule barring | pupils of the Jewish faith from the conservatory. Freedom surmounting the Capitol at | Washington was made in Italy?—R. M. A. The statue is the work of Thomas Crawford, an American ar- tist. The modeling was done in Rome, and at the time of his death, in 1857, he was endeavoring to secure the necessary funds for the casting of it at the Royal Foundry at Munich. | On April 19, 1858, the plaster model was shipped from Leghorn, Italy, to this country. The casting of the statue was by Clark Mills. Q Please give famous sayings of John Paul Jones besides “I have not | yet begun to fight."—C. R. A. Others were: “I do not wish to have command of any ship that does not sail fast, for I intend to go Q. Are elephants still used as beasts | of burden in India?>—N. B. A. They are. In their half-domes- ticated state they are patient and effective workers. Q. When were olive trees brought to Mexico and California?—R. W. A. Soon after the discovery of the American continent the olive was conveyed thither by the Spanish set- tlers. Introduced into Mexico by the Jesuit missionaries of the seven- teenth century, it was planted by a similar agency in California. The as- sumption is made that seed was in- troduced in 1769 from Mexico and planted at the San Diego Mission, whence cuttings were taken to other | missions throughout California. I’'m Alone Decision Lesson In Good Neighborly Relations Another demonstration of the ideal relations between the United States and Canada as well as a lesson to the world on how two civilized and friendly nations can settle disputes is applauded by the American press in commenting on the decision in the T'm Alone case. Under the decission | of the American-Canadian Judicial | Commission, given by Justice Van De- vanter of the United States Supreme Court and Chief Justice Sir Lyman Poore Duff of the Canadian Supreme Court, the United States must pay $25,000 damages and apologize to Can- ada for the sinking of the Canadian rum runner by the guns of a Coast Guard cutter outside of the twelve- | mile limit. “The Canadian government,” recalls the Bloomington (Ill) Pantagraph, “brought action for damages, and the case has been hanging fire for four years. Of the sum required to be paid, $10,000 goes to the widow and children of a sailor on the I'm Alone who was drowned when the ship sank. ‘Various other items are to be paid to others of the crew who lost their per- sonal property or suffered personal in- jurries. The court ruled that the sink- | ing of the Canadian boat was not justified ‘by any principle of interna- | tional law.’ The damage is one item in the general bill of expense which the Federal Government had to meet | in its 12-year effort to enforce prohi- | bition, and was the result of one of its major mistakes in that course.” “The decision may not satisfy every- | body.” concedes the Manchester (N. H.) Union, “but the point is that the | matter has followed the regular proc- | ess of litigation, and the recommenda- tions of the commissioners will be promptly met and the incident for- | gotten. The friendly relations be- | tween the two nations will be in no way impaired, but each will have an | ¢ added respect for the other’s willing- ness to deal justly. Some of the na- tions of Europe may study this inci- dent with profit.” “The United States Coast Guard,” according to the Tampa (Fla.) Daily Times, “is enlightened about the num- | ber of sea leagues necessary to assure even a rum runner’s safety, as regards gunnery practice.” The Milwaukee Journal declares: “Wars have been begun on no more provation than this. We lament that. We think nations are backward which thus subordinate their young men’s lives to petty ques- tions of damages, national honor or national humiliation. The way for nations to avoid war is to submit their differences to civil determination. Most of them have agreed to do this within limits. They have set up and support a World Court to do exactly the kind of thing that was done in adjusting this claim of Canada against the United States.” “Another triumph for international amity” is seen by the Schenectady, N. Y., Gazette, while the Worcester Evening Gazette expresses the judg- ment: “The whole affair now seems a trifie. Yet sinking another nation’s | boat may be a serious business, if the other nation is looking for trouble. The real importance of the case is the demonstration it affords of the ease with which difficulties can be settled | between friendly nations that are gifted with the same kind of common sense, and speak the same diplomatic s * “Out of incidents such as this one,” says the Columbus, Ohio, Dispatch, “come many developments not fore- seen at the time. In this case is the acknowledgement that the United States was in the wrong in sinking the ship, thus reaffirming that the na- ~dion the of i to freedom Y-* seas, and, further, it may well be tha* the incident did much to reconcile cer- | tain elements in our national life to the fact that the enforcement of the eighteenth amendment was fraught with a great deal of potential trouble with other countries.” “It would be easy,” in the opinion of the New York Sun, “to overemphasize the resentment which the sinking of this rum runner by a Coast Guard boat aroused in the Dominion and here, and this should be avoided, but that does not justify belittlement of the seriousness of the incident, which involved the firing on the I'm Alone, sailing under the British flag, by a national vessel of the United States. | It was an occurrence which might have stirred sentiment deeply in each nation. “The decision of the arbitrators s that the officers of the Coast Guard erred and that the crew of the I'm Alone is entitled to compensation, but that the owners of boat and cargo shall not be recompensed for their loss. The closing of the hearing writes another paragraph in the record of peaceful solution of embarrassing happenings between Canada and this ! country.” ——— Organize Farmers and Consumers to Fix Rates To the Editor of The Star: Mr. S. H. Mumford's comments on rising food costs express the senti- ments of many Washingtonians, of whom I am one, although I dare say the most of us are complaining of ris- ing food costs without recourse to their reason and merely because it is habitual to do so. In the new spirit of things we should all recognize that such complaints unaccompanied by suggestions for improved and fairer ‘den'.lng between buyer and seller are | little better than the bearing of our | burdens in silence. Rising food prices |are in some instances due to in- | creased prices paid the farmer, and with these I, for one, take no issue. As to high costs of meats—especially | the thick, juicy steak of which Mr. | Mumford 15 so fond—the following | facts are of interest: In the Fall of |1932, 1933 and 1934 beef steers in a | particular locality of West Virginia imld at 5¢, 3c and 2'.c per pound, re- spectively. Retail prices in Washing- | ton during the same period and for a certain cut of beef have risen from ‘about 25c to 35c per pound. During | this time a drought and A. A. A. con- trol should have increased the stock- man’s return for his steers, but didn't. | Strikes in Chicago leading to improved | working conditions in the stockyards, | together with management of the packing industry culminating in a re- cent report of substantial earnings in | that flield, have increased the retail | price of meat and the spread between beef on the hoof and beef on the plat- |ter. It is easy to see that the pres- ent system of unorganized farmers, unorganized consumers, and interven- |ing well organized processor-distrib- | utors, is working to demy Mr. Mum- | ford his daily beefsteak. To organize | the consumers and, the farmers would provide an ideal setting for a contin- '\Ill tripartite trade war. Perhaps Government control of the processor- ! distributors would provide the sim- | plest solution of the food problem. J. W. WESTHAVER ————— Non-Tearable Paper. | Prom the Flint (Mich.) Journal Paper that cannot be torn has been invented in Japan. That will be fine | for international treaties, "