Evening Star Newspaper, February 19, 1935, Page 8

A-8 ¥ THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C TUESDAY....February 19, 1935 THEODORE W. NOYES. .. Editpr The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. New York Office: 110 East 42nd Bt icago Office: Lake Michigan Building. opean Cffice;, 14 Regent St.. Londen. Rate by Carrier Within the City. lar Edition, The Eventnz 's't:.}.!f 3450 er montn The Evening an st 850 per month O g Der covy tion, 70c per month 856 Der month end of e: sent by mail or Night Final zht Pinal and Sunda: Final Star ection made &t onth. = Orders may be felephone National 5000 Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily and Sunday. .1 yr., $10.00; 1 mo., 85¢ Dall‘r only 1yr. $6.00; 1 mo, 50¢ Sunday only. .1yr. $4.00:1mo. 40c All Other States and Canada. Reily and Sunday. 1 vz, $12.00: 1 mo. $1.00 aily only. 1yr. $8.00:1mo. 78¢ Sunday only $5.00: 1 mo.. 50c Member of the Associated Press. ‘Tne Assoclated Press 1s exclusively en titled to the use for republication of all d to it or not other- Tocal Tews o publication of special dispatches are also rererved The Gold Decisions. In a material sense the Govern- ment has won a victory by the five-to- four decisions of the Supreme Court in the gold cases, and in a material sense the country is for the time being better off by reason of the decisions. But victory, in these cases, does mot carry with it moral justification for the Government in the pursuance of its new money policies nor assurance that those policies will be in the long run best for the country. “We are not concerned with their wisdom,” said the court in reference to the Government’s monetary measures. “The question before the court is one of power, not of policy.” That power, the court held, has been exercised within constitutional limits as far as concerns the regula- tion of value of the Nation's cur- rency, The exercise of that power supersedes, in the case of dealings between individuals, contracts (if they may properly be called contracts) stipulating the payment of private debt in gold. “Contracts, however express, cannot fetter constitutional suthority of Congress.” But, in regard to the Government's own stipulated agreement to pay its own bonds in gold, the court found that the joint resolution of Congress declaring provisions requiring pay- ment in gold to be against public policy “went beyond the congressional power.,” Repudiation it was, repudia- tion it is and repudiation will it con- tinue to be until the borrowing Gov- ernment has met the terms of its agreement with creditor citizens. And here, it would seem, is a test of sovereign integrity which, dismally enough, will in all probability not be met. The Government had no right, legal or moral, that the Supreme Court could find to justify repudiation of its gold clause. But at the same time the court gives the debtor National Gov- ernment its way out by denying, in ef- fect, the creditor citizen's right—at the present time and under existing conditions—to recover what was prom- ised and was not paid. ‘There the matter rests—between costly integrity and cheap expediency; between fulfillment of what is a sacred obligation and the practical advan- tages to be gained by sliding through the loophole which the Supreme Court finds now to exist. The odds un- doubtedly favor expediency. In a dissenting opinion which con- tains an extraordinary expression of maral indignation, four of the justices unite in the belief that if Congress may require the holders of obligations to accept payment in devalued coin, or promises by the Government to pay in such coin, “then a gold dollar containing one grain of gold may be- come the standard, all contract rights fall and huge profits appear on the ‘Treasury books. Instead of $2,800,- 000,000, as recently reported, perhaps $20,000,000,000, maybe enough to cancel the public debt, maybe more. ¢ * * We must not forget that if this power exists Congress may readily destroy other obligations which pre- sent obstruction to the desired effect of further depletion. The destruction of all obligations by reducing the standard gold dollar to one grain of gold, or brass or nickel or copper or lead will become an easy possibility.” That result, the majority opinion of the court might agree, is possible. The court was passing on power, not policy. “We will not have in the future any further trouble as far as constitutionality is concerned in the enactment of monetary legislation,” Senator Thomas is quoted as com- menting. There is now no protection against the execution of just such a policy as the dissenting opinion pointed out— no protection, that is, outside the com- mon honesty and common sense of the American people. ‘These, one may continue to hope, are not perishable assets, and in the end will remain, with or without that Constitution which Justice McRey- nolds discovers “is gone.” Mr, Mellon’s Gift. ‘The gift of his unparalleled collec- tion of old masters to the Nation, announced yesterday, places the American people under increased obli- gation to Andrew W. Mellon. Never before, perhaps, has so rich an offer- ing been made to the advancement of the cultural status and significance of Washington. But greater even than the gift is the purpose and intent of the giver. He has no wish to create a memorial for himself. Rather, his desire is sim- ply that of stimulating a like philan- thropy in the hearts of other citizens. He dreams, as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson did, of Washington as the cultural as well as the legisla- tive and administrative center of the United States. The offering, therefore, is patriotic in character. It endows 1 right herein elevation of the spirit of the masses from which Mr. Mellon came and through the labor and travail of which much of his wealth was ac- quired. A personal word, however, should be said. The former Secretary of the Treasury has been misunderstood. For partisan purposes it has been con- venient to represent him as a per- sonification of avarice and greed. How grotesque the caricature was, those who have known the man have real- ized. But the public, possibly, has been led astray. And now the occa- sion is ripe for a plain statement of the truth. The fact is that few of his contemporaries among those well endowed with material means have been anything like so generous. Mr. Mellon is the anonymous benefactor of ‘scores of different projects in Wash- ington, in Pittsburgh and elsewhere. But he has deplored any advertising of his kindness, and only those di- rectly concerned ever have been aware of the extent of his gifts. It seems only yesterday that he came to the Capital for the first time —a stranger, and none could have guessed how deeply his name was destined to be woven into the city's history. A century hence the accident will be better comprehended. An- other generation will have a more ade- quate appreciation of the love, the loyalty and the service enduringly as- sociated with Mr. Mellon’s name. —— A Barbaric Episode. Edith Cavell in Belgium they shocked the conscience of the whole world and mobilized mankind's opinion against themselves as did hardly any other single incident of the entire war. Stra- tegically, psychologically and morally it was one of the Berlin war lords’ cardinal blunders. They never lived it down. It may well be asked whether the bloody affair on Monday within the courtyard of Ploetzensee prison, when they beheaded two young women of aristocratic family for espionage and treason, was not an equally ghastly mistake of the Germans. Perhaps the Nazi regime, which as- sumes responsibility for this episode, has become so callous to its interna- | tional repute that it cares nothing for what may be said about it abroad. Possibly, the fact that in the Hitler | Reich womankind has officially been status deadens the government to any | sense of shame in sending women spies to the block. It may be that the offense of which they were convicted was so heinous and was proved to be of so deadly peril to the state that the authorities felt they had no alter- native but to impose upow the culprits the extreme penalty of the law; and in Germany capital punishment takes | the form not of hanging or electrocu- tion, but of medieval decapitation by | a headsman’s ax. Espionage is a dangerous game. | Those who play it always take their lives in their hands, and women are no exceptions to the rule. Neverthe- |less the Berlin executions smack to moderns of Anglo-Saxon civilization as a species of barbarism that out- rages the sensibilities. After all, the spying gang of which the two be- headed women were tools was only doing in Germany for Poland what German agents simultaneously were doing in Poland, for there was a proposal to exchange Baron von So- snowski, a Pole, the women's em- ployer, for “German operatives” now in Polish custody on espionage chargés. From whatever standpoint viewed, no matter what the legalistic justifi- cation for the beheading of the Ger- man women may be, their execution cannot be stripped of its horrifying brutality. It will remain a stigma on the Nazi cult and take rank with the unspeakable “blood purge” of last Summer. Fuehrer Hitler would have been well advised, if he places any value on the opinion of the world beyond the Reich’s borders, to be chivalrous enough to mitigate his woman spies’ punishment to life im- prisonment or to evolve some other form of chastisement less barbaric than the spectacle just enacted in Berlin, ———e— It was not necessary to close the stock market and deprive numerous investors of the joy of swimming a little way out of the red ink. —_——te —— Cheapening War. The House Committee on Military Affairs has submitted a report recom- mending that legislation be enacted to clip the wings of war profiteers. It proposes that a one hundred per cent “excess profits” tax be levied, When the Germans shot Nurse relegated to an ignominiously inferior | THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1935. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E, TRACEWELL. suffering of those whom they leave behind. That is entirely irrespective of whether the removal of profit from war would lessen the likelihood of ! conflict. ‘The World War, for which America is now paying through the nose, the House committee says in its report, was doubled in cost because of “out- rageously extravagant profiteering.” The committee estimates that the cost to the people of the United States in dollars and cents of that war was $89,000,000,000, including about $10,- 000,000,000 loaned to the allies. Had there been no profiteering, no amass- ing of huge fortunes and lesser for- tunes all down the line, the cost of the war might have been cut in two, ac- cording to the committee. It is its contention that if profiteering can be prevented, if the taxes during war time are heavier, it will be possible to finish paying for a war when the Na- tion finishes the war. That, of course, presupposes a victory on the part-of the Nation and assurance that it will not have to contribute reparations to a victorious enemy, and also that the war shall not run too long. ‘There is the chance that if war is made less expensive nations desiring =to extend their territorial possessions would be more willing to go to war. There might be more and cheaper wars under such conditions. But at least, the most obnoxious of the hu- man race, the profiteers who gain out of the sufferings of others due to war, would have their talons cut. ——— Charles Evans Hughes was never a man to seek an easy job. No public expression for any man in years has equaled in care and responsibility the opinion he has just delivered. e —e———— ‘The United States Government can- not be sued without its own consent. There is a limit even to the extent to which it can be attacked by soap box orators and pamphleteers. e Gold is international money. Plain | market basket trading has always held pretty close to simple barter, with foreign exchange well in the back- ground. - In the vocabulary of jurisprudence there must be somewhere a way of pointing the distinction between the criminal lawyer and the lawyer crim- inal. Prices have been going higher. More active markets are expected to produce an increase of dividends and wages to keep up with the price tags. —————————— It would be hard to believe that any subtle strategem has forced so much wealth on Al Smith as to make him look like a plain cash register puncher. “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” relate to the war on crime as well as to broader theories of government. ——————— No propagandist has been able to create the kind of literature that schoolboys enjoy reciting before the class. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON, A Mistaken Identity. There was a man they called the “boss.” His ganner was exceed- ing cross. They felt completely at a loss. When menials met his glare. the sweet stenog, the clerk so gray, would all curl up and fade away Beneath his stony stare. ‘The great man never felt surprise; his personality so wise he found would quickly hypnotize ‘Wher'er his glances dropped. The lesser men observed his style and laughed with glee for quite a while when he vouchsafed a passing smile, And when he scowled, they stopped. He did not try to understand the awe displayed on every hand to his most trivial command. He took things as they came. But this much he could surely see; the thoughless one whose man- ner free might give offense was sure to be A loser at the game. He never thought that in his face the Winter wolf they seemed to trace with threats of danger to the place ‘Than all the world more dear. The deference was not to him, but to the shadow strange and grim that makes the light of life grow dim where prices are found in excess of those charged on a particular date before the war began. At the same time, it plans higher taxes on every one in the event of war. Under such a program, the committee contends, it should be possible to finance a Wwar on a “pay-as-you-fight” plan and 80 not impose staggering debt on the survivors of the war and on genera- tions to come. ‘Taking the profit out of war has been urged in many quarters as a most important step toward lessening the probability of war. In fact, it has been popular to assert that if men of wealth and the governing classes in a nation were prohibited from making money profit out of war there would be no wars. That argu- ment implies that the profit instinct in man is the sole instinct which leads him to conflict. Man is not quite as simple as all that. There are other quirks in the human being that lead him to conflict, quirks that cannot be controlled perhaps so easily as the instinct for profit. How- ever, it seems quite clear that if war is not to be profitable, it will not be as popular with the potential prof- iteers. ‘The House committee is quite right in its demand that profit be taken out of war. There is nothing more repul- sive than the idea that money shall be wrung from the bodies of men who When sorrow hovers near. His Position. “What is your position on this great question?” “My position,” replied Senator Sor- ghum, “is somewhat like that of a tight-rope walker. I dont want to stop to argue or show off. What I want to do is to get across to solid ground.” “I have noticed,” said Miss Cayenne, “that & man who says he enjoys work is usually on a vacation when .he says it.” Obvious Fallacy. If there were a silver lining ‘To each cloud that drifts on high, Folks in airships would be mining Every corner of the sky. “If it took a men as long to git into debt,” said Uncle Eben, “as it does to git out, dar wouldnt be nigh so much financial worriment.” Mum'’s the Word. Prom the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. Internal revenue authorities rule that for income tax purposes there can be only one head of a family. B‘;lltbemrnothnllboutlthm e. —t Sufficient. Prom the Toledo Blade. It isn't necessary to fool all of the majority will do, America and contributes toward the 'go to the front in war and from the " people A J<} O e The boy who whistled light and gay, | | was possible a rational and legical ‘Templeton Jones continued his men- tal adventures. In this one he imagined he felt like Columbus when the latter dis- covered how to stand an egg on end. Jones had wondered why so many men fail to act like gentlemen. He noticed the propensity of some to indulge in so-called witicisms, in- stead of contenting themselves with an honest “Good morning.” Offices are full of such wights, and Jones often had wondered why. ©One morning, as he came up in the elevaior, he solved the problem of why so many fail even to try to act like gentlemen. 'l'hg: reason they didn't, was be- cause they weren't! It was as simple as that, Jones thought. * %X % % They were like the famous sheep in the poem; they knew no better. Every generation has to catch up with all that has ever been acquired before, in the history of the world, and the pace is too fast for some, evidently. The background isn't there, either. The value of everyday courtesy is unknown to many. They are not to blame, because they do not know any better. ‘We are all students of the same world, and some acquire one thing, some another. * k Xk X There’s a homely old proverb, you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Jones saw that his fundamental mistake was in expecting too much of some persons. That was because he was of an op- timistic, generous nature, he thought. Knowing that all things lay exposed to all persons, if only they would look in history for them, he naively believed that all persons ought to be able to find all things. Hence, since courtesy is an almost fundamental outgrowth of reaction to discourtesy, and especially valuable where human beings are packed in cities, the worth of it should be ap- parent to all. * ¥ X% This reasoning was good, but it had a flaw in it. Most so-called reasoning has. There is a flaw in reasoning as well as in apples. The flaw, in this case, lies in the assumption that all good things, even when universally admitted, are equally desired. Surely they are not. And the world hasn't gone ahead in such matters as much as the world would like to think, either. He who does an ill deed today, and then laughs about it, is not much ad- vanced over those who threw the| Christians to the lions. Courtesy, which is a kind of gloss over human nature, is at bottom kind- mess in action. ¥ ki ok . Jones had to admit that many dis- courteous souls were kind. Even in their discourtesy they aimed at kindness. All the more sad was it, that they missed it so wide. Where they failed was in not con STARS, MEN sidering the wishes of their victims. If they had done that, as well as consider their own, they would never have struck others as lacking in basic courtesy. Consideration for the likes and dis- likes of others—is not that the bot- tom of the whole thing? 1t is the supporting foundation of civilization, by whatever other name or names one may call it. Only consideration of and for others leads to kindness, to gentleness, to the Divine courtesy which saith “not My will, but Thine.” * % Xk X Temp Jones by no means was the universal soul of courtesy to others, himself. Honestly he tried to be, however, no matter how many and gross his failures. His intentions, at least, were good. And so, he realized, were those of others! How did it happen, then, that they could fail to do so easy a thing as say & cheery “Good morning,” but must substitute for it some false wit- ticism which had at its core a nasty prying notice of faults er failures of others? “I guess you are too sensitive to such things, old man,” Jones told elf. m"{";en he remembered the looks of annoyance on the faces of others who had been subjected to the same thing and he realized, as he had so often realized before, that what he sald of himself he said of others, and that the way he felt no doubt was the way millions felt, for he, after all, was not exceptional, but simply so normal that he did, indeed, stand rep- resentative of them all. E Look to the beam in thine own eye, oh, Jones! Templeton knew because his eyes were full of beams he recognized easily those equally famous motes when he saw them in the eyes of others. He knew that life is a queer propo- sition, and getting queerer all the time. Nature first made simple forms of life, then complex ones, but at times she let go of some structures, as they became useless, and permitted them to die out. Man, as & mass organism, has per- mitted few of his inventions to escape, with the result that living has become “so complicated that I find the road extremely rough in spots,” as one cor- respondent puts it. Everybody has different spots, that's all. * % x % A sore spot with Jones was the fail- ure of any one to accord him a de- cent, normal “Good morning,” when a decent, normal “Good morning” was called for—and nothing more. He applauded the recent request of Secretary Perkins that all the work- ers in her department say “Good morning” to each other. He hoped that this movement would grow, not because any one asked it, or ordered it, but simply because it would help hold back the tide of barbarism which now and then threatened to engulf America. AND ATOMS Notebook of Science Progress in Field, Laboratory and Study. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. “Nature and nature’s laws lay hid In night. God said, ‘Let Newton be,’ and all was light.” So, at least, it seemed to Alexander Pope and to physicists and phi- losophers for two centuries after the great Englishman discovered the law of gravity, by which, for the first time, explanation of the behavior of the universe. It explained almost every- thing in the mechanics of nature, from the fall of an apple to an eclipse of the sun, very precisely, so that pre- dictions could be made years ahead which would be verified within a split second. But Sir Isaac was mostly wrong, says Prof. George Gamow of the Leningrad Academy of Science, who is now visiting professor of nuclear physics at George Washington Uni- versity and who is lecturing to Wash- ington scientists on the latest phases of physics. Newton made a remark- able approximation which is stil} good enough for such gross calculations as the split-second prediction of eclipses. but which is far from the actual facts. His approximation must now be replaced by the “principle of uncer- tainty,” which, even more than rela- tivity, is a bugbear of the new physics. One never can tell precisely where any moving object is at any precise time. Basic in the Newtonian nics was the concept of the traj or, as in the case of planets revolving around the sun, the orbit. One knew precisely the force impelling an object of a known mass away from another object, also of known mass, and one knew precisely the gravitational forces the two exerted on each other. So, whether the moving object were a cannon ball or a planet, the mathe- matician could calculate exactly where it would be at any given instant. The ballistics experts could predict where a cannon ball would be in space a half second after it left the gun. The astronomer could predict exactly where the planet Neptune would be in space at 11:15 p.m. October 3, 1960. At least they thought they could, and for all practical purposes the assumption was justified. The twentieth century dawned on a lawful and orderly uni- verse. ‘Then, explains Dr. Gamow, the trouble started. The first trouble- maker was Albert back in 1909. This was long before the trouble- some theory of relativity came into general notice. The bomb he threw was a clear demonstration that radiant energy—most familiar in the form of light—was emitted only in precise amounts. It came in a standard- sized package, the so-called quantum. ‘The smallest possible amount of energy ‘Wwas one quantum. The next smallest possible amount was two quanta. ‘There couldn’t be a quantum and a half or a quantum and nine-tenths. Any amount of energy would be an exact multiple of the quantum. Hitherto it had been supposed that there could be any gradation what- soever in the amount of light. But when the physicists thought about 1t they realized that if this were true the newly-evolved concept of the atom—comparable to a miniature solar system with negatively charged particles called electrons revolving around a central nucleus of positively charged particles called protons—was As such an atom lost en- juously through emission, the electrons would drop into the nucleus and in a minute fraction of a second there would be no atom. The concept of the quantum, as evolved by Einstein and the Danish physicist Nils Bohr, was essential to save the atom. It also was essential to explain the precision of the wave lengths emitted by atoms of different elements which made up their charac- teristic spectra. * ® % % But if the quantum theory was true how could the Newtonian trajectory be real. Light exerts pressure against the moving object it hits. The trajec- tory of the cannon ball or the orbit of the planet must be slightly different —very slightly, indeed—with light hit- ting upon it than it would be in total darkness, or rather in a condition completely removed from radiation of any kind. Now if this pressure were continu- ous from all directions due allowance could be made for it or, since it is in- calculably small, it could be dis- counted altogether. But the pressure is not continuous. It comes in precise amounts. It is not like the steady pressure of water from a hose. It is like the pressure from a stream of machine gun bullets coming from all directions. Hemnce any object in a trajectory or orbit will be knocked helter-skelter in this way and that as the light bullets from different directions hit it. Hence there is no way of telling where it will be at any given time. Its path now has breadth as well as length and curvature. All that can be said is that it will be somewhere on its road through space. It may be in the middle of the road, on one side or on the opposite side. Of course, this makes no difference for any actually observable object. For a cannon ball, for example, the variation would be in terms of bil- lionths of centimeters. For a celes- tial body the zig-zag in the path would amount to only a few feet, which would be of no consequence whatever in determinations made in terms of light years. These objects are bounced back and forth by light along paths, the widths of which are un- observably small, so that they can be considered merely as lines. But when it comes to the strange universes of the infinitely little—the atoms—it makes a great deal of dif- ference. In this unimaginably tiny space the force of the impact of & quantum and the size of the object hit—the electron—are comparable. The moving electron is knocked side- wise for very great distances, con- sidering the space inside the atom. The phenomenon cannot be discount- ed in calculations, and since it is discontinuous, no precise account can be taken of it. Hence, one never can predict just where a given electron will be at any given instant. The best that can be done, taking all elements of the phenomenon into consideration, is to make a statistical determination of its probables position —or where the average electron Will be. It may or may not apply to any particular electron. Position can be designated not by a precise point, but by & normal probability curve. It is much the same procedure as would be used by an actuary in determining the average span of life of & population. In one sense it is very precise indeed. Life insurance companies can bet on it and be sure of making money, if they write enough policies. But when applied to any individual it has very little meaning. No actuary can tell when John Jones will die more pre- cisely than somewhere between one day and a century. Such is Prof. Gamow’s explanation of the “principle of indeterminism,” Urges D. C. Officials Get A “Taste” of Traffic Ills 'To the Editor of The Star: Public transportation in Washigpg- ton has been the subject of criticism, mockery and “official” study, but as each day goes by the citizen of mod- erate means finds himself squeezed, trampled, insulted and what not, somewhat more than the day or week before. No matter what an average citizen may report, or what any “official study” may disclose, there is very little likelihood of this situation being im- proved to a degree commensurate with the actual need for ever decent serv- ice, let alone any thought to comfort or health. There is only one cure, and that is a “good taste” of this condition by our city officials who, it is worthy of note, usually have their official cars, with or without chauffeurs, or at least have private parking spaces. That may be said to be true of all the renowned men of influence in Washington, including Government as well as private business officials. Let these people get a good first- hand taste of these conditions and something will be done, not alone quickly but thoroughly. Let these influential people get on a packed Fourteenth street car, say at Park road, at 8:15 am, allowing 45 min- utes to reach the District Build- ing, and let them (as is the case many mornings) get stalled along about K street or above the “circle,” and let them run from there to the District Building to get there prob- ably after 9 o'clock, which is “tardy” for an ordinary employe. Or let them try to get a Sixteenth street bus about the same time, say at Columbia road, and have to ride in the open air on top of a double decker when the temperature is 10 or 15 degrees above zero. Let them get a nice cold or case of “flu” from such & pleasant ride and something will be done. Or, better yet, let them “try” to get home at night by public trans- portation between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. and they will find conditions which no “official” report can describe clearly enough for them to understand with- out a good taste themselves. If our officials would “lower” them- selves to that extent and all agree to put aside their limousines and chauffeurs for just one full week, Washington would be shaking with “thunder” soon after. Only a taste will cure! PHILLIP O'DONNELL, JR. N Wants No Bonus, but Would Welcome It Now To the Editor of The Star: I never have considered that the Government owed me a bonus for the 23 months I spent in the Regular Army between November 1, 1917, and October 1, 1919. Nobody told me to enlist. Nobody threatened to draft me. When I walked into the recruit- ing station, two months before my nineteenth birthday, the invitation was entirely my own. I didn't even have a pal enlisting with me. I chose to join the Cavalry because, as far as I was concerned, the ro- mance and glamor of war was con- centrated in the mounted service. I was nuts about horses then, just as I have been ever since. Anybody with casual knowledge of the A. E. F. knows that it did not contain much Cavalry —four regiments, to be exact. I did my soldiering on the Mexican border, near Douglas, Ariz., and I had a good time. There isn't any two- year period in my life that I look back on with fonder memories—or greater nostalgia. Why should the United States pay me a bonus for enjoying myself? I never have lifted up my voice to de- mand one. Last Spring, in the C. C. C., I refused to sign the silly bonus petitions that were circulated in camp. I was pleased when the bonus bill failed. But—the situation is changed now. I have no money, no job, no prospects. The C. C. C, which I left in Sep- tember, won't take me back and the Army won't even look in my direction. Since October everything I've done, everything that has happened to me, has been wrong” My personal history for the past four months is so full of setbacks that it's ludicrous. Now I hope that the bonus boys will win their battle, and if they do T'll be right in the front rank of cash collectors, My fingers itch for the feel of that money—but the United States does not owe it to me. If it comes it will be a gift, pure and simple. Isn't it awful to own such collapsible prin- ciples? ‘WILBUR THORP BENTLEY. Cites History of the Federal Reserve Act To the Editor of The Star: The law creating the Federal Re- serve Bank was the immediate and primal result after the defeat of the Aldrich-Vreeland resolution to estab- lish a single bank of issue, a la the Bank of England and the Bank of France. These days many Senators and Representatives talk and speak as if Senator Carter Glass alone was the sole originator of the Federal Re- serve Bank law, while the then Sena- tor Owen of Oklahoma, chairman, I believe, of the Senate Banking and Currency Committee, was much more to the front in the framing of that legislative act than Representative Carter Glass. Senator Jim Reed by not one, but several, amendments perfected the bill and every amend- ment he introduced passed. Presi- dent Wilson personally wrote Senator Jim Reed a most thankful letter about his effective assistance in per- fecting the Federal Reserve Bank bill. ‘This writer on one occasion was shown that Wilson letter to Senator Jim Reed. During the Reed-Breckenridge primary contest for nomination for the United States Senate in Missouri President Wilson wrote a letter favor- ing and indorsing Mr, Breckenridge. Senator Reed made no comment upon the Wilson letter, but the Wilson letter to Senator Jim Reed and the Wilson letter indorsing Mr. Breck- enridge were published in juxtaposi- tion in a St. Louis newspaper during that primary contest. Mr. Brecken- ridge was snowed under by hundreds of thousands of votes and Jim Reed won and was re-elected a United States Senator. W. E. RYAN. —_ physical behavior of any such system, from a pin point to a star, is basically determined by the behavior of the atoms which compose it. Here lie the possible practical implications of the principle of uncertainty. But up to date its most far-reaching effects have been in philosophical out- look. It demonstrates that one of the most basic phenomena of creation follows not laws of precision, but laws of chance. It represents a far cry from the dawn of the twentieth cen- tury, with its naive faith that all things were perfectly ordered and that all events could be predicted precisely enough if one only knew enough about their behavior. Let science continue to accumulate facts and some day man would know enough. Now comes the demonstrated “prin- ciple of uncertainty,” with its implica- atom | tion that the old naive faith of science In & perfectly ordered cosmos was “all bunk,” n 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, Washington, D. C. Pleasg inclose stamp for reply. Q. How long has backgammon been played?—S. G. A..Backgammon is said to have been invented about the tenth cen- tury. A similar game was known to the Romans, and Plato aliudes to a game in which dice were thrown and men were placed after due considera- tion. The etymology of the word, backgammon, is disputed; it is prob- ably Saxon—baec, back, gamen, game, that is, a game in which the players are liable to be sent back. The French name for backgammon is trictrac, imitative of the rattle of the dice. Q. How large will the lake at Boul- der Dam be?—M. M. C. A. Engineers estimate that by the time there is a depth of 580 feet at the dam, 30,500,000 acre-feet of water will be held back in the lake. It will stretch for 115 miles along the Colo- rado River behind Boulder Dam. Q. How many Senators voted for and against the World Court? What per cent of voters is represented by each side?—F. W. A. Fifty-two Senators voted in favor of the World Court. On the basis of 1932 election figures, they represent 60.8 per cent of the voters. Thirty-six Senators voted against the World Court, representing 39.2 per cent of the 1932 popular vote. Q. Is horse meat canned for human consumption in this country?—H. M. A. It is canned largely for export to Central Europe. The lower classes of Europeans have no objection to eating horse meat and, in fact, relish | It is packed under Federal in- | it. spection and the products are marked by official meat inspectors. Some of it is sold for consumption in this country. Q. How many different issues of United States postage stamps have there been?—G. K. L. A. Since the issue of the first stamps in 1847 there have been 11 regular issues of ordinary stamps and 57 commemorative issues of stamps. Q. Was there an increase in 1934 over 1933 of fatal motor accidents which were caused by drinking?— B. J. A. Drivers in fatal accidents re- ported as “had been drinking” in- | creased 29 per cent in 1934. In both years there were many unreported cases. | graduate?—C. R. A. He graduated from West Point in 1861, served with distinction through the Civil War and then took part in the Indian camapigns. He was killed in the Battle of the Little Bl‘dg‘ Horn in 1876 when only 36 years o Q. Why is wool warmer than cotton? —R.J. B. A. Because it is a non-conductor of heat. Q. Who was the first English sov- ereign not buried at night and by torchlight>—A. 8. A.Queen Victoria. Q. By whom was the bougainvillea ramed?—C. E. W. A. It was named for Louis Antoine de Bougainville, French geographer and discoverer (1729-1811), by Phili- bert Commerson, French botanist Q. Was Gen. Custer a West Point | (1727-1773), who, in 1767, at the com= mand of King Louis XV of France accompanied de Bougainville on a voyage around the world. Q. Are correspondence courses as good as the lectures given to college classes?—P. C. A. American Universities and Cole leges says: “In 1891 when Dr. William Rainey Harper became president of the University of Chicago he included in his plun for the new institution a division which should offer courses ex= actly the same in content as those of~ fered in residence, courses conducted by regular members of the university faculty who themselves organized the lessons, read the papers prepared by students, set the examinations, and assigned credit for the work done. To a limited extent such work was accepted in satisfaction of require- ments for baccalaureate degrees; but no degree was conferred for work done by correspondence only. Conservative 1y administered by reputable universi= ties, the correspondence study system has grown, especially in connection with the extension work of the land grant colleges.” Q. Did Lord Lytton or J. L. Mec= Creery write “There is No Death?"— W. E. G. A. 1t has been attributed to Bulwer Lytton in some collections of poetry, but it was written by J. L. McCreery. Q. How can a Government tea { taster drink so much tea and retain his sense of taste?—C. D. A. He seldom swallows the mouthful of tea he takes. He inhales its bouguet |and usually takes a spoonful of the | tea 1n his mouth, but does not drink it. | Q. Why is a monument to be erected |to Mrs. Jane Todd Crawford by the Kentucky State Medical Association?— J. T. McC. A. She is called the pioneer heroine of surgery. In 1809 she submitted to an experimental operation performed by Dr. Ephraim McDowell without an anaesthetic. It was this operation which started the development of the safe, sane surgery of today. She re- covered from the operation and lived | over 32 years thereafter., Q What is meant by a revolving or circulating fund in regard to some of the Government loans?>—F. M. M. A. Tt refers to an appropriation made for a certain purpose for which the money is distributed on loan at a rate | of interest. When it is repaid it is again loaned and returned, the idea | being that eventually the money, hav- | ing served its purpose, will return to the Treasury. | | Q. In the Westminster Kennels Dog Show what are the classes?>—B. D | A. There are sporting dogs, sport- ing dogs (hounds), terriers, working dogs, toy dcgs and non-sporting dogs. Q. Who were some of the people who founded the sejtlement which is | now the city of Alexandria, Va.?— A.G.C. A. The formal founding of Alex- andria was preceded by a settlement | known as Belhaven. The most prom- | inent in establishing that little com- munity were William Ramsay, John Carlysle and John Pagan, who settled | there between 1732 and 1740. Others | who came to live in the community were Simon Pearson. the Alexanders, Chapmans, Wests, Washingtons, Fitz- bughs and Terretts. Q. What two saints were the first to set the example of retirement from | the world?--A. D. 8. A. St. Paul the Hermit and St. | Anthony. The report of the Federal Aviation Commissior: is regarded by the press {as a distinct step toward a solution of the vexing problem of subsidies to commercial air services. Opinion is divided as to the wisdom of estab- lishing an independent regulating body. but there is complete agree- ment that some change in the control of aviation is necessary. “The commission recommends an outright subsidy of $7.000.000, to be distributed to air services according to need,” points out the Los Angeles Times. “This is a different form of the airmail subsidy and may help to save the face of Postmaster General Farley and other administration lights who inveighed against airmail sub- sidies. It is a tacit admission that such subsidies were and are necessary in the present state of aviation. The administration seems to be retracing its steps in air matters, by a devious Hoover administration.” e Charleston Evening Post is in- clined to agree and declares that “the most interesting feature of the report is the very plainly implied disapproval of the summary course taken last year by the Post Office Department in cancelling the airmail contracts with commercial lines and the recommen- dation for immediate repair of a situation which it is stated has wrought havoc in the aviation in- dustry.” The same paper, however, calls attention to the fact that “while recognizing the need for some form of Government subsidy to commercial air service, the President warns against ‘unreasonable profits by any private carrier,” which is a very proper cau- tion.” The Sacramento Bee feels that “the one disappointing feature of the Presi- dent's program is that it takes it for granted that the operation of the air- mail planes should be continued in private hands. That,” the Bee adds, “is difficult to reconcile with the gen- eral administration policy in the utili- ty field.” “All Americans will concur,” be- lieves the Buffalo Evening News, “in the expressed hope of the President that the current recommendations of the Aviation Commission will be trans- lated into action, so that the Nation may maintain the position of world leadership which was threatened when Postmaster General Farley started his vendetta against the commercial com- panies.” The Oswego (N.Y.) Palla- dium-Times finds the report “forward looking, helpful and not critical.” “Significant” is the term applied by the Danville (Ill) Commercial-News to “the recommendation that control of such subsidies be taken from the Post Office Department and lodged in a permanent air commerce commis- sion, with full power to regulate the entire field, in the effort to bring American aviation to a position of world leadership.” The Wall Street Journal holds that “justification of an independent aviation commission, in theory at least, is more convincing than the argument of the President's special message that we should ‘avoid the multiplication of separate regula- tory agencies in the field of transpor- tation.’” On the othef’ hand, the Newark Eve- ning News declares: “There is much to be said for the Presidenit’s opposi- tion to the idea of multiplying govern- mental agencies in the field of trans- portation. The regulation of com- merce among the States is a constitu- tional function of Congress and one that should be exercised as a whole. 1f only because of the frequent over- route, back to the principles of the | Aviation Report Appraised As Valuable Future Guide | lapping of these activities it would be | confusion worse confounded to have | separate regulatory bodies to deal with the railroads, shipping, freight and }pusenger bus traffic and commercial aviation. Here, if ever, is a growing problem that calls for unified control.” “The President is right,” the Day- ton (Ohlo) Herald agrees, “in affirm- ing that the cause of transportation as a whole may be served best by co-or- dinated supervision.” “It is evident.” concludes the Pasa- dena (Calif.) Star-News, “that avia- tion has progressed so far byond the experimental stage, as a public serv- ant, that it must expect permanent regulation, therefore a definite status in commercial affairs.” R New Comer’s Thoughts On Seeing Washington To the Editor of The Star: I have just come to Washington on a business matter from Californis. I am an actress. I have traveled all over the world, but, strange to say, this is my first time in the Capital. All women, men and children have dreams of visiting this Capital, Amer- ica's most beautiful city. But if their dreams will be shattered the way mine has been it is best that these dreamers of the most beautiful city in America do not come here. The first thing I asked was “Where Is the funeral?” The copper said, “What do you mean, madam?” I said “Well, where are all these cars going to?” He laughed and told me that every one in Washington used the streets for a garage and that all the garages were empty. This is the worst I ever heard of and it sure does make the most hor= rible effect on this city I ever saw. Not only are these dirty old cars but old wrecks. When I arrived it was snowing and for two weeks few, if any, walks were cleaned off. I never heard of such a city. Then I had dreams of seeing some real proud. well-dressed military-acting police. Well, I never saw such a bunch of lazy walking, sloppy-looking boys as these police= men. This, too, is awful I think. It is my understanding that this wonderful city is run by the Cone gress. Let me say that they sure have made a perfect mess of the job. LIDDIA LEE. Vandalism Prompted By Selfish Egotism To the Editor of The Star: What can we do to curb the sue premely selfish egotism which prompts people to carry off something of pube lic value, regardless of mutilation, defacement or loss which the theft occasions? The day after the White House wreath was laid at the Capitol in honor of Susan B. Anthony there wasn’'t & shred of identification left. ‘The bow of ribbon had been tampered with and part of it removed. Other wreaths at the marble group have been mutilated by these lawless im- pulses of unthinking individuals. It seems that only an armed guard pacing back and forth, as is pro- vided at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, could protect the women's shrine from the unholy fingers of desecration and spoliation. This in- dignity could not so easily be perpe- trated were the memorial elsewhere than “in the sticks.” ROSE ARNOLD POWELD, r