Evening Star Newspaper, March 13, 1935, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 1935. - A—8 @ e ‘ ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Editien. WASHINGTON, D. C WEDNESDAY. ..March 13, 1835 THEODORE W. NOYES. ..Editor P ————————— The Evening Star Newspaper Company o B Suyivania, Ave, : i 5 ork Omce; 110 East l..Bx:mdB!m" : Lake Michigan fice; 14 Regent St.. London. nd., Rate by Carrier Within the City. lar Edition. Tl g 45 per month a . 800 par month Biar 11 W Edition. Star.70c per mont tar . . S .55¢ per mont| ollection made “at " the end ‘of each flflnkh. Order: ay be sent by mail or elephone National 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. 1ly ana Sunday, .1 yr., $10.0¢ ily “only. 1 $6.0¢ Sunday only 1 mo.. 86c X mo.. 80¢ $4.00: 1 mo.. 40¢ {ly and Sunday 1 3 ily only . Sunday only. Member of the Associated Press. ‘The Associated Press is exclusively ens titled to the use for republication of al news dispatches credited to it or not other- ed in this oal Jocal news published herein Dublication of speclal dispatches herein are also rererved. 00i 1mo: s0e Social Security Taxation. If Congress and the community are to give needed, intelligent considera- tion to the various forms of “social security” legislation proposed for the District, the questions relating to financing and cost are of great im- portance. For that reason Represent- ative Ellenbogen of Pennsylvania, sponsor of the proposed unemployment insurance bill in the House, has done well to make available for study at this time the income tax by which he would raise a part of the necessary Tevenues. Up to this time a local income tax has been put forward as a substitute form of taxation to take the place of the present intangible tax on personal property. It found some proponents among those favoring one form of tax- ation as against another—but it was not designed primarily to increase the : total burden of taxation. Mr. Ellenbogen’s income tax bill is frankly offered to raise the additional money to finance, in part, unemploy- ment insurance and old-age pension measures. It would constitute a heavy increase in the total tax burden. The yield, estimated on the basis of the latest statistics of income tax available (those for 1932), would begin in the neighborhood of $1,500,000. It would directly affect less than half of the Federal income taxpayers of the Dis- trict—those with incomes of more than $4,000—and more than half of the money raised would be furnished by corporation taxpayers, to whose Federal income tax would be added another levy of 40 per cent. Under the provisions of Mr. Ellen- bogen’s two bills—the unemployment insurance measure and the income tax measure—the greatest burden would fall on the employer. First, the employer would be called upon to pay & 3 per cent tax on his pay roll, and, on top of that, the corporation tax-paying employer would be as- sessed an additional 40 per cent of his Federal income tax. The total tax would doubtless fall so heavily on some employers as to raise a question as to their ability to remain employers. It has been testified, during the Sen- ate hearings on the social security measures, that a 3 per cent pay roll tax will in some cases amount to & 26 per cent tax on net income, and this tax varies with the nature of the business. These heavy additional forms of taxation are not being proposed to meet the demonstrated demands for revenue to finance tried and proven governmental functions. The unem- ployment insurance bill, as drawn for the District, is entirely new and its theories are as yet untried. It dees not follow the lines of unemployment insurance abroad, nor is it patterned on the only State law so far in effect— that of Wisconsin. Congress will pro- ceed cautiously before slapping addi- tional tax burdens on the community to yield millions of dollars for financ- ing an untried scheme, with the tax- payers wholly unrepresented in the administration of the funds. Specific suggestion has been made to Mr. Ellenbogen that the employe, Wwho is to receive benefits of the in- surance, should participate in the payment of the premiums. At the same time, more thought should be given to the wisdom of taxing pay Tolls—a tax that may have the unde- sirable result of shaving pay rolls and increasing uninsurable unemployment —and of levying an additional in- come tax on incomes already bur- dened and facing the inevitable pros- pect of additional drains to finance other national unemployment relief plans. The theory of unemployment insur- ance is sound in principle and is a desirable protection that should work, in the end, to the interest of any auxiliary lines, rolling stock, repair shops, a telephone and telegragh sys- tem, a river fieet and plers at Harbin, and schools, club houses and dwellings hitherto used by Soviet officials and employes of the railway. ‘While Manchoukuo is the nominal buyer, Japan’s guarantee that the pur- chase conditions will be faithfully carrfed out is sufficient imdication as to which country is in reality mainly concerned in the transaction. The line will forthwith become part and parcel of Japan's flourishing South Manchurian railway system, with which it has long been linkeZ. Man- choukuo is permitted under the sales 7 | agreement to make two-thirds pay- ment in goods. Some Japanese' commentators the- orize that the deal constitutes rec- ognition of that “independent” state by the Soviet government, although there is no explicit reference to rec- ognition in the documents initialed at Tokio this week. Under all the cir- cumstances, that feature of the ar- rangement is of secondary impor- tance. The true significance of the pact is that it is & tangible harbinger of more amicable relations between Japan and the Soviel. As a direct link between European Russia and the Pacific, the Chinese Eastern un- der Soviet control would have been an enduringly potential cause of strife with the Japanese and might easily have provoked incidents of gravest consequence. The Soviet evidently came to the conclusion that its trans- Siberian transportation facilities, plus its air establishment adjacent to Manchoukuo, safeguard Russian de- fensive necessities sufficiently to jus- tify relinquishment of the Chinese Eastern. , In any event, the line's complete transfer to Manchoukuo and corre- spondingly to Japan's sphere of in- fluence undoubtedly removes from the Far Eastern situation one of its out- standing danger spots. That is & vic- tory for peace and a consummation in which the whole world has cause Lo rejoice. Dr. Michael I. Pupin. Dr. Michael I. Pupin, celebrated physicist and philosopher, died yes- terday, and the whole world, endowed by his genius and his labors, joins in mourning his passing. He was seventy- seven years of age and had been retired from active work since 1931, but his interest in human welfare and progress { had experienced no decline, and literal- ly thousands of younger men, struggling onward in paths it had been his priv- ilege to blaze, found inspiration in the fact that he was watching them, still concerned with their problems and anxious to give such help as he could to their endeavors. Govern- ments, universities, colleges and learned societies haa showered honors on him, but the reward which be ap- preciated most was the respect which an international public of humble and unpretending men and women mani- fested for him. An autobiography, published in New York in 1923, and subsequently trans- lated into French, German, Serbian, Swedish and Japanese, established once and forever the basic democracy of Dr. Pupin's career. It reaffirmed his own view of himself and was ac- cepted as a truthful portrait. Destiny had ruled that he should be born a peasant, close to the earth, and by deliberate choice he preferred to re- main within that unassuming role. He loved the masses and the main objective of his mind was their service. The memory of the poverty of his youth drove him forward even after he had acquired great wealth through the employment of his talents in such practical inventions as the fa- mous Pupin coil. His pragmatism was a form of capital which he preserved from first to last and which brought dividends to mankind in general. But Dr. Pupin also maintained an idealistic attitude toward the uni- verse. The mysteries of electro-tech- nics, X-ray, wireless telegraphy and telephony confirmed him in a primi- tive faith in spiritual values. Hz be- lieved in powers which cannot be ex- amined in a test tube, powers which rule the cosmos, govern every soul and yet are not to be measured, weighed nor analyzed by a finite in- telligence. The last message from his pen was one of optimism and re- assurance designed to strengthen those who, in an era of trial and suffering, were distressed by the riddle of ex- istence. Serbia bore the child and America gave opportunity to the man, and thus there was personified in Dr. Pupin the old and the new, the small and the great. the strife and the victory which are the distinguishing charac- teristics of a planet dedicated to human aspiration and achievement. His example, it follows, will endure and prosper and his memory will be & source of courage and comfort to his race. —————— The fact that Cuba calls it & strike does not prevent it from looking like community. But only employers can increase employment, To soak them heavily and as a class with additional taxation may prove contradictory to other efforts to increase employment. Increasing employment is manifestly more important at this time than in- suring against unemployment. A Japanese-Soviet Accord. Arrangements just completed at Tokio for sale of the Russian section of the Chinese Eastern Railway to Manchoukuo materially strengthen the prospects of peace in the Far East. Ever since Japanese occupation of Man- churia, possession of the once vitally strategic line across that province has been a bone of contention that threatened an armed conflict between the Soviet Union dnd Japan. Twenty months of negotiation and haggling over terms have finally resulted in an agreement whereby the Russians sur- render all right and title to the rail- way to Manchoukuo for 140,000,000 yen, or roundly, the equivalent of $40,000,000. The property embraces 1,072 miles 90 main line, 508 ziles of sidings and the same old revolution. —_——————— Holding Companies. President Roosevelt’s message to Congress demariding . that legislation for the control of public utility hold- ing companies be enacted was & good answer to the tremendous volume of messages opposing such legislation which has rolled in upon a bewildered Congress. The holding company at best s & luxury. At its worst it is a parasite, vicious in operation. It is a form of endeavor which has been utilized to concentrate power and ‘wealth in the hands of a few, partic- ularly power, and to make prices all that the traffic will bear. Millions of shares in holding companies are held by many persons, it is true. But that is no good reason for the continuance of uncontrolled holding corporations, nor the kind of transactions which built up an Insull empire in utilities and resulted in the distress and ruin of thousands of investors when the bubble burst. The opponents »of legisiation for the control of holding companles apeak of the “millions of innocent investors.” The rule of caveat emptor—buyer be- ware—must apply in any cese. Fur- thermore, i is better to have the in- vesting public protected in the future from the kind of thing that Samuel Insull and his companies did to it than to permit a situation to continue under which such transactions may be carried on with impunity. Particular attack is directed against the Rayburn-Wheeler bill for the con- trol of holding companies. According to the opponents of regulation, this bill is especially objectionable. Probably any other bill which proposed regula- tion of those companies by the Gov- ernment would be the subject of at- tack from the same sources. The claim is made by public utility execu- tives and others interested in these holding companies that the holding company has made possible great achievements in every major indus- try. Great achievements had been accomplished in American industries before the holding company put its throttling grip on them. It was be- cause of these achievements that big aggregations of capital have been able to organize. And these organizations have too often been set up for the purpose of wringing more gains from the local companies. They have been made attractive to the investor and the holder of stock Tn the local com- panies by the issuance of additional stock, stock issued upon the theory that the bigger financing arrange- ments and the concentration of con- trol over many companies would make for greater gains. These gains, however, have to come out of the same consumers. The utility executives say that they do not object to & fair and construc- tive bill for Government regulation of holding companies. Any law which is passed should be both fair and con- structive. If changes are necessary in the Rayburn-Wheeler bill to make that measure fair and constructive, let them be made. But in the hurly- burly row over the provisions of this particular bill the necessity of enact- ing legislation should not be forgot- ten. ————— George Washington surveyed the C. & O. Rallroad, but this historic fact does not quite account for the manner in which Ohio has linked it- self with Washington, D. C,, in mat- ters of national politics. —_—————— Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes be- queathed most of his unogtentatious fortune to the United States of America; not a heavy legacy in value, but a deep and abiding reminder of affection. ————— Russia once fought the Japanese without success. As the occasion is dimly recalled, the Russians took along more champagne than ammu- nition and ballet dancers instead of soldiers. Archeologists discover so many primitive weapons ‘as to create the impression that munitions making de- serves to be classed with music as one of the oldest professions on earth. ——————— Although Controller General McCarl appeared to be functioning with health- ful accuracy it seems necessary at last to turn him over to the business doctors. ————— Communists are charged with get- ting into the school books. They can do little harm so long as students ‘continue to read the newspapers. Figures keep mounting until they hold out hope of attaining a mathe- matical stratosphere which will mean easy fiscal sailing. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Counting the Missing. ©Oh, General! The fight was hard And cruel words brought pain. The leader of & mob ill starred Made prayers to sound in vain. But as we pause to count the cost Of this historic fray We find no arms or legs are lost, ‘Though heads have gone astray. Oh, General! We're sadly led *Mongst darkening fears to grope. If good old Sense of Humor's dead— What is there left to hope! Inconsiderate Aloofness. “Do you think radio promotes |the proper eloquence?” “No,” answered Senator Sorghum. “It puts a man in a room by himself and leads him to forget how the au- dience may be suffering.” Jud Tunkins says a politician is & man who first shakes you by the hand and then shakes you down. Back to the Pigeonhole, He told us quick. He told us hard. He told us plain and straight. The meaning of a fling card, ‘The number and the date. But Fate has a vindictive snarl, This autocrat so bold, ‘Who often made our features gnatl, Has now been pigeonholed. Identification. “What is Crimson Guich going to do about the ‘crime wave?” “Plenty,” answered Cactus Joe. “We've put a deputy sheriff in the gas filling station. Nobody is allowed to pass without being photographed and fingerprinted to see whether he can be traced to Chicago's rogue's gallery.” N Extinct. “What is an optimist?” T said. The kind professor bent his head And sald “The word somehow is linked To critters that have gone extinct. My ’customed grammar fails me quite, It's even growing impolite. There, on this dark deserted shore, Ain't no such animal no more! “A man dat bets on hosses,” sald Uncle Eben, “ de difference be- tween hoss and foolish money.” THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Sitting at a desk is really America’s favorite indoor sport. It might seem, therefore, that some one would devote time gnd attention to making it an art as well as a recreation and part of the job. The world spends so much time at & desk that there must be rules for the thing. We refer, of course, not to what is done there, but how one sits, and especially how one greets others. The art of desk-sitting may be di- vided into three parts—the physical, the mental and the psychical. The first of these is, in some re- spects, the most important, because upon it the others depend to a great extent. * K X ¥ To be comfortable while at a desk is essential, and he who has common sense will see to it. The first consideration is the chair, the second the light. As for ventilation, that is & ques- tion which has never been solved to date, not even by the most expensive air-conditioning. The lady who didn’t like the air to strike the back of her neck in the old-time Government buildings is now fussing about “that air.” In the Summer it is much too col”, she says; in the Winter, too damp. The joke of the matter is that probably she is right. Science demands too much of man- kind. Just because a thing is hor- ribly new, and therefore terribly ex- pensive, is no real need why one need bow down before it, especially be afraid to express an honest opinion about it. Yet every one knows how it is with all the new-fangled devices; if you dare point out defects not yet remedied others call you an old grouch or think you picked the wrong brand. Yet in a few years all makers will be correcting the same defects pointed out by the honest man. * % x * The essential of good desk-sitting rests solidly in the chair., Hence executives who value their own nerves and those of their em- ployes see to it that good seats are provided. The sort of chair which has plenty of springs and is capable of being tilted backward is the best sort. ‘There seems to be little variance of opinion about this. It is human, shall we say, to want to tilt back at times. Every one recalls the old-time line of chairs drawn up against the hotel wall, each and every chair tilted back until the feet of the sitter were off the ground. This is a natural and therefore restful way of sitting. It tends to draw the stomach in and put the chest out, without any undue atten- tion to rules, so bothersome and hard to follow. It also allows for a natural pro- tuberance of the head. All the Army regulations call for a stiff, unnatural head carriage; it will be found that carrying the head slightly forward is more pleasing, eminently natural arid much more comfortable. The tilting chair secures this without attention. It will be found that such a chair makes it very easy for the average man, especially, to refrain from sitting on the back of his neck, as some put it. It becomes pleasant to slide back into such a chair until the back of the belt is pressed against the back of the chair. This way it becomes at once natural and easy to sit upright. that greatly desired position of all the physical culturists and posture ex- perts. If it were not for the tilting ability of such chair, however, this good sitting posture would not be at all easy, and no doubt the business world would be presented with the common home sight, that of a gentleman prac- tically lying down in a chair. * x % x Good posture in sitting calls for the use of such tilting chalrs when- ever possible. Even the best of chairs, however, is not so good when sat in inter- ruptedly, hence it will be found good practice to take a turn around the corridor, every now and then, if for no more than a drink at the water fountain. This is & bit of advice commonly acted on by all who are not held down as economic slaves or by work which demands a slavish attention, but the truth is that a great many persons do not yet realize the neces- sity for this walking around & bit, and feel somewhat ashamed of it. No real sitting, however, can be put into effect until this truth is realized and acted on. ‘Too much tilting, too much sitting in any one position, is bad, so that the best office practice calls for vari- ations from time to time. All these rules, unconsciously put into practice by most persons at desks, mean that the mental and physical side of the art have some chance. In speaking of the mental side, we speak not of work done so much as of the mental approach to work and the treatment of visitors of all sorts. The mentality of good desk sitting is a thing which flowers as the result of comfort. No doubt many of the foffice grouches” of the world can be traced to home troubles, and, shall we say, other illnesses, but surely a part of them are the result of plain failure to realize the necessity for comfort at a desk, flowering into good men- tal approach to the day's work, the latter including right greeting to callers. * ok xx There are some things the man or woman at the desk should not do: there are some things callers should not do. One of the most common faults of the desk man, one found everywhere, is the placement of the caller’s chair where he must look directly into the light. This is a piece of discourtesy which has never received the attention it should. No matter what the reasons |for it, and they are very real, it is impolitness carried to the last degree. It offends against the Golden Rule. It may drive an obnoxious visitor out more quickly, but it often upsets the good caller, too. There is little real excuse for it. One of the common faults of the caller is to attempt to act too free and easy, as the saying is. He should not fool with articles on another’s desk, nor actually seat himself on a | corner therof. Nothing is more com- mon or more obnoxious than this last. The victim feels impelled to give the fellow a shove, but seldom yields to the urge. The unmentionable habit of & caller placing his feet on & man'’s desll;ls not unknown, though it ought to Light and ventilation are prob- lems of management, but much de- pends upon individuals, too. Good desk sitters will not be so inclined to fuss and fume, but will be able to co-operate, instead of kick. He who knows how to sit at a desk will be a better worker than ono who does | not know. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC Whether politicians agree with Father Coughlin or not—he has both detractors and admirers in Washing- ton—there’s a consensus that his radio rejoinder to Gen. Johnson was an ex- traordinary performance. From the standpoint of irony and invective, oratorical experts think that he leaves the honors between himself and the general pretty even. Both of them have called names which are likely to stick as their forensic duel takes its place in current political history. That the Nation is enjoying the John- son-Long-Coughlin fireworks is be- yond all question. No radio program outrivals them in popular interest. Since the world series last Fall few things on the air have gripped the at- tention of so vast an audience. The end of hostilities is not in sight. Rapler and bludgeon thrusts in plenty are sure to be exchanged as the com- bat rages, with the wave lengths as the continued scene of action, unless some enterprising promoter prevails upon the gladiators to exchange verbal fisticuffs “in person” before a visible throng and can find an arena big ennu%h to mowu it. Unques- tionably the tifree-ways debate has become the talkfest of the age. * k% x Decidedly a noteworthy feature of Father Coughlin’s address was his conspicuous omission of any reference to Senator Huey Long or any sugges- tion of an alliance between the National Union for Social Justice and Louisianan’s Share-the-Wealth organization. Many members of Con- gress are wondering, too, what ex- plains the priest’s distinctly cordial sentiments toward President Roosevelt. These were couched in terms that would seem to make it difficult for the administration directly or indirectly to take up arms against Father Coughlin, if there has been any such intention. Angles of his broadcast are among the points on which Gen. Johnson may be expected to expatiate when he agitates the ether in the next round of his bout with the Kingfish and the clergyman, * Xk kX As Japanese born in Hawail are American citizens and form so large a portion of the population, it is nat- ural that presidential appointments to postmasterships in the islands should in many cases be given to men of Nipponese origin. The latest list of nominations sent to the Capitol for senatorial confirmation includes such names as Kenichi Masunaga, Kenichi Oumi and Masaru Yokotake. Hung Luke, which has a Chinese smack, is the name of another Hawaiian post- master. He has just been re-ap- pointed to succeed himself at Kohala. * k x * Representative Edward A. Kenney, Democrat, of New Jersey is utmnnc. the discussion of home owners' loan legislation in the House to revive in- terest in his bill to establish a na- tional lottery. Mr. Kenney suggests that the difficulty of paying the sol- diers’ bonus could be readily met by a lottery. The Jerseyman believes that such a source of revenue would provide $1,000,000,000 a year. He quotes the assistant solicitor of the Post Office Department as having stated in 1932 that during the preced- two years not less than that amount was kept from going out of WILLIAM WILE. revealed that in the early days of the Republic Congress authorized a lot- tery to raise funds for erection of two school houses, a penitentiary and & town hall in what is now the Dis- trict of Columbia. Representative Kenney has come into possession of what he believes to be the only lot- tery ticket issued under the act of Congress now extant and exhibited it on the floor of the House. * %X x % Secretary Hull nowadays scribbles diplomatic memoranda at the State Department with lead pencils pro- duced in his home State. It appears that the procurement division asks for quarterly bids for Uncle Sam's lead pencil supply. The contract for the current quarter was awarded to & con- cern which proudly emblazons upon its pencils the fact that they come from Shelbyville, Tenn. * kXX ‘Thousands of income taxpayers have not waited for Congress to take action on pink slip publicity, but filed their returns, as usual, in advance of March 15, with the controversial ob- long form filled out and attached. If Congress eventually abolishes publicity, the slips will become waste paper in the Bureau of Internal Revenue and eventually be destroyed, without eny- body being the wiserf or any official record in that particular form. Even if the Senate should not concur in repeal until after March 15, congres- sional action would become effective in time to prevent publicity, because it has not been planned that the in- formation would be made available before the end of the Summer. Under the new White House press conference rule not to discuss pending legislation, there has been no public indication of the President’s attitude on the pink slip issue. * k% % President General Edith Scott Magna of the Daughters of the Amer- ican Revolution is hopeful that next month’s Continental Congress of the Daughters mm Washington will be made notable by the complete success of the “last round-up” to raise the $250,000 balance of the debt on Con- stitution Hall and $7,550 accrued in- terest. During Mrs. Magna’s ‘admin- istration the former debt balance of $566,500 was more than cut in two. ‘Throughout her nine years as finance chairman she has concentrated on efforts to wipe out the building deficit. The president’ general announces in the current D. A. R. Magazine that “in spite of the worst three years of the depression,” the Daughters’ treas- ury “has at all times been on the right side of the ledger.” (Copyright. 1935.) Solved. Kansas City Star. tists are puzzled over the re- ported discovery in India of the fossil remains of an 18-inch pygmy cow, ‘That’s easy—evidently she's a con- densed milk cow, says J. D. Prom Scil Recovery Philosophy. From the Charleston (8. C.) Post. So long as business is getting bet- ter, it hardly makes much difference what kind of money it is getting bet- ter in. - —_———————— Wild Life. From the Atlanta Corstitution. .'l'hou who contend 9 shol b ber of dnvenmnl.“m s NEW BOOKS | AT RANDOM Margaret Germond. SYMPHONIC MASTERPIECES. By Olin Downes. New York: The Dial Press. This new descriptive volume, by a man whose voice is now famillar to millions of radio listeners, contains interpretive chapters on nearly seventy of the famous orchestral compositions of twenty-five great masters of the most spiritual and the most intangible of all the arts. The book s not actually new in all of its content, but is the out- growth of an earlier publication, in- spired by the keen public interest manifested in the talks made by Mr. Downes in his capacity as commenta- tor on symphony programs, during several seasons of broadcasting. Realizing that symphonic and or- chestral music has only in the past few years come within the listening range, through phonograph records and by radio, of the masses of the American people, Mr. Downes has written his book in a style of simpli- filed expression that is easily under- stocd by the layman, and that is stimulative and instructive equally to the musician and to the music-loving public. In his introduction he says: “The sum of a work of art is not only its creation; it also Mes in its interpretation—the creative response of the individual to whom the work appeals. It is not a question of our significance or omniscience. It is the question of the response to a master- plece. We listen to Beethoven or Debussy. We listen, and we have to interpret, articulately or otherwise. It is well that we do so and fruitful that we exchange our ideas. The inter- pretations of a work of art are as varied as the minds and natures of those to whom it speaks. Each of us sees the work in a different light and each from his own point of view approaches nearer the common truth. Art is created by humanity and is an- swerable to it. “Each art has a language of its own. To those unfamiliar with its idioms that language may not be immediately comprehensible. My ex- perience is that often a word or sen- tence is sufficient to connect music and imagination in the mind of the reader, and I find that with a very little aid of this sort the musical perception of the individual and the play of his imagination are stimu- lated. Then he is off on his own voyage of discovery.” The compositions discussed by Mr. Downes begin with those of Johann Sebastian Bach and proceed in cth: ological order to the period of tne “Petrouchka” and “Le sacre du prin- temps” productions by Stravinsky. There is a chapter on the orchestra and the musical forms of Bach's time, and thematic quotations from the Mozart “Symphony in G Minor,” the Beethoven “Symphony No. 5 in C Minor,” the Franck “Symphony in D Minor” and “Till Eulenspiegel” by Strauss are included. There are no bio- graphical sketches, but a brief survey 18 given of the times and conditions of the political and social world in which each composer worked. The book is handsomely bound, and con- tains portraits of Bach, Wagner, De- bussy. Beethoven, Stravinsky and Sibelius. * X ¥ THE GLORY ROAD. By Arthur Hopkins. New York: E. P. Dut- ton & Co. In their announcement on the jacket cover of this unusual book the publishers say that it is “extraordi- pary that such a book should come from the pen of one of America’s best known and most gifted theatrical producers—even more extraordinary that such a book should come out of Broadway—in this day and age!” As a matter of fact, it is from ex- actly such a source that the inspira- tion for a book of this kind would naturally spring. The back-porch philosopher who tilts his chair against the kitchen door frame and feasts his soul upon the glorious drama of a setting sun and the enveloping peace of a gently falling twilight is too inti- mately acquainted with man’s nearest approach to truth to go seeking it in far places or from the lips of strangers, or to be more than passively aware of the tragic fact that Broadway has neither porches nor sunsets. And, after all, there are many millions of back porches and but a few dozen Broadways in this mighty land. The book itself is a dramatic pres- entation of the search of humanity for truth and of the experience of the race as, through the ages, it has strug- gled to evolve a civilization sufficiently pliable to meet man's spiritual needs and at the same time satisfy his in- nate desire for material wealth. Old age and youth, sitting on the green- sward watching the multitude, sym- bolize the ideal, while before them passes the pageant of the world, seek- ing truth, grasping strange beliefs only to cast them aside and take up a new search for that fundamental prin- ciple through which mankind sur- vives the chaotic confusion that clut- ters and sometimes blockades the path of life. *x =k THE CURTAIN FALLS. By Joseph Verner Reed. New York: Har- court, Brace & Co. ‘When a young man just out of col- lege and into a job he does not like is financially equipped to step out and go places and do things more to his taste, he usually does nothing of which to be proud. But the author of this colorful story had definite ideas about what he wanted to do with his time and his money, and with characteristic American tenacity of purpose he set about to do it. He wanted to know the theater, to be a part of it, and to be ineit. Fortunately he possessed enough wealth %o enable him to be- come an active, co-operating and sup- porting member of the limited cast of a theatrical company, and this volume is the amusing and interesting story of his career through a series of years of association with the theatrical world, its people, its problems, its triumphs, its tragedies and its mis- sion. It is an inside backstage story of Broadway, told with straightforward simplicity and sympathy by a producer of varied experience. * x X ¥ ERNESTINE TAKES OVER. By Walter Brooks. New York: Wil- liam Morrow & Co. Here is a novel of sheer nonsense, picturing the kaleidoscopic events that crowded upon Fred Thompson who, in that forlorn state of self-pity which envelops & man whose wife does not understand him, created a dream girl. She was all right and a wonderful companion so long as she remained a day dream, but when she stepped out of the dream into life and descended upon the helpless creature in whose imagination she had dwelt, life took on & swiftness far beyond Fred's management. story is full of fun and sparkles American brand of the big town. It is illustrated with sketches picturing the hectic career of Fred and his dream girl. * ¥ X X JOHN LILLIBUD. By F. G. Hurrell New York: Claude Kendall and ‘Willoughby Sharp, Inc. dual personality is the A men of ch of this fantastic novel, in which 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. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. How long has there been com- mercial telephone service between New York and London?—V. B. E. A. The service was opened in 1927. The first words were “Hello, Lon- don,” sent by Walter 8. Gifford, pres- ident of the American Telephone & Telegraph Co., to Sir G. Eveiyn P. Murray, secretary of the British Postal Service. Thirty-one commer- ¢ial calls were made on the first day. | Q. What is the value of the South- ern mountaineer industry of making candlewick bedspreads?—W. T. A. In 1933 it amounted to at least $1,600,000 and gave employment to more than 10,000 persons, chiefly women. Q. Why did so many old buildings have gargoyles at the roof line?— A. They were used to drain the water from the roof. The water spurted from their open mouths. Drain pipes have almost entirely superseded them. Q. To whom do the ruins at Stone- henge belong?—A. R. A. They were given to England by Sir H. Chubb, who died last year. Q. Why are the minutes of a meet- ing so called?>—B. G. A. The expression is very old. It came from the use of the word meaning to minute down, or make a note of. The first published use we find of this expression was as early as 1648—“All which minuted by Louis de Longueville was at last thus fully concluded. Q. What do the words Allegheny and Monongahela mean?—E. G. T. A Allegheny is a corruption of the Delaware Indian name meaning lost. Monongahela is a similar corruption for the word meaning river with sliding banks, Q. What kind of armor was gambe- son?—G. M. by the Egyptians. It consisted of canvas or leather. In the Middle | Ages it was worn by infantry as their only defense and by knights under their mail shirts. Q. How many school teachers are there in the United States?—J. B. A. There are approximately 1,063,000 teachers in all types of schools in the | United States. About 700,000 of these are in elementary schools, about 250,000 in secondary schools and about 190,000 in colleges. | Q. Does Switzerland publish many | newspapers>—C. G. A. With a population of only 4,000.- 000, Switzerland publishes nearly 500 daily newspapers. Q. Was Adam furniture made by the Adam brothers?>—M. P. A. The Adams were architects who | designed, but did not execute, fur- niture. Q. When did wigs become the fash- ion in France?—M. G. A. In the latter half of the six-| teenth century the fashion became much in vogue in France, Italy and England. In 1560 no lady appeared in the Fernch court without a blond | wig. Louis XIII set the fashion,| wearing & wig of long curls, being himself bald, and the courtiers naturally followed. During the reign of Louis XIV the wigs assumed mon- umental proportions, and about 1660 even ecclesiastics began to wear them. ‘Toward the end of the eighteenth century they began to be superseded by the queue with hair powder. Q. How many countries have Y. W. C. A’s?>—H. A. D, A. There are organizations in fifty countries which affiliate with the World’s Council of Y. W. C. A., which has headquarters in Geneva, Switzer- land. Q. For what purpose did Daddy Browning leave a large benefaction?— A. In his will, Edward West Brown- | Ing left a $100,000 trust fund for the treatment of crippled and siling chil- dren through the Hospital for Joint Diseases. Q. When a President of the United States is impeached, who presides at the trial>—N. M. T. A. The Senate tries the case, with the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court presiding. Q. Who first taught law in an American college?—G. N. A. George Wythe was the first pro- fessor to offer a law course. In his house in historic Willlamsburg, Va. George Washington made his head- quarters before the siege of York- town. Q. Why does the rubber tree bleed only in the morning?—J. L. P. A. The Bureau of Plant Industry says that rubber trees bleed more freely in the morning than at other times because the bark pressure is higher. This is due to the fact that transpiration is cut down during the | night. The tree will bleed to some extent at any time. Q. What are the Latin names for | the three fates?—C. T. A. They are Clotho, who presided over birth and drew from her distaff | the thread of life; Lachesis, who spun | the thread of Jdife, and Atropos, who | presided over death and cut the thread | | of life. Q. How many States were repre- A. Gambeson, or wambais, is the |sented in the first Continental Con- most ancient of armor and was used | gress?—W. W. A. Twelve. Of the thirteen orig- layers of cloth, tow, or similar ma- | fnal States, Georgia was not rep- terial, and was quilted on a lining resented. Q. Are there fish in the Sea of Gal- ilee now?—V. N. A. Fish are plentiful and are caught wth nets by a guild of fishermen. Q. What were the three greatest railroad disasters?—T. M. A. Two occurred during the World War—one at Modane, France, and one at Gretna Green, Scotland. At Modane, December 12, 1917, between 500 and 600 soldiers lost their lives and about 250 were injured. At Gretna Green, May 22, 1915, about 230 people were killed and 250 in- jured. The third of the greatest ac- cidents of this kind was the wreck, at Lagny, France, December 24, 1933, in which 200 lost their lives and 300 were injured. Q. What is the purpose of the Na- tional Institute of Social Sciences?— C. R. A. The principal objects of this corporation are to promote study of the social sciences and research there- in and to reward distinguished serv- ices rendered to humanity, either by election to membership or by be- stowal of honor medals, or other in- signia. Qualification for membership is some notable achievement in the field of social science or services pere ! formed for the bentfit of mankind. Estimates of the achievements of the first two years of the Roosevelt | administration are publisned by the press, with a majority recording pub- lic confidence in the Executive. Sup- | porters hold that he has made prog- | ress and that the experience of the | first two years will be valuable in| meeting the difficulties which are | recognized. Opposition is based on the charge that business has not ade- quately responded and that confusion exists in the plans of the adminis-| tration. “Legislative and otherwise,” says | the Newark Evening News, “the Presi- dent is at a critical turn. His prob- lem is as critical as any he has faced since early 1933. At that time, as a fresh figure on the scene, he had more prestige and more power than he commands today. To win the bat- tle he is now in he must fight as he | never did before.” | “The political leadership of the Nation,” according to the Charlone} (N. C.) Observer, “continues to work manfully with its patient. Perhaps it is not using the right medicines, but | it at least is using some medicines, and those who are most hostile to the treatment and most critical of the method for a cure which is being used are notoriously empty-handed when it comes to proposing a different way.” “He is now realizing,” declares the Tampa (Fla.) Daily Times, “what many other Presidents before him have learned—that he holds the world’s hardest man-killing job, and, despite a host of personally chosen advisers, in the last analysis he can rely only on his own judgment to steer the right course.” That the public maintains confl- dence in his leadership is the conclu- slon of most of the commentators. The Oklahoma News states: “We can be thankful for the progress made so far if we can hope for even more in the next two years. The real test of President Roosevelt, as of every leader, is his staying power.” “On the constructive side” it is pointed out by the Indianapolis News, “the Reconstruction Finance Corp. has maintained a good record. Thou- sands of farms and city homes have been refinanced by Government cor- porations, the volume of business in many lines is growing, faith in the President’s ability and willingness to move quickly and in the right direc- tion still is general, and the people approve the drift toward a fairer in- terest in the plight of the aged, the infirm and the unemployed.” “The administration,” says the As- bury Park (N. J.) Evening Press, “has been much less successful in relieving unemployment than in increasing in- dustrial production. Figures recently released by the National Emergency Council indicate that 13,597,000 were John Lillibud, & successful, pitiless and merciless financier, changes spas- modically in character and in appear- ance into Richard Whittington, & handsome and struggling author, who eventually attains recognition and popularity, As Lillibud he is hated by all, and the change in character when he becomes Whittington makes him hate himself. "In the latter role he is kindly, sympathetic and charm- ing. winning admiration and affection and even devotion. But it is not a lovely story, and not one to be re- %fiufiflmmmum«i Press Appraises Progress In Two Years of Roosevelt unemployed in March, 1933, and that the number in December, 1934, was 10,830,000. The indicated increase in employment was only 20 per cent. However, if the increase in population during this period of 769,000 be dis- regarded, the New Deal has produced jobs for 26 per cent of those unem- ployed when President Roosevelt took office. Moreover, there were probably at least 2,500,000 unemployed when the depression began.” The New York Sun holds that “in the two years the President has had many triumphs and few defeats,” while the New York Times feels that “he still has the great opportunity to shew himself a man of unswerving will and a true leader of the people.” Voicing opposition to the policies of the Government, the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch argues: “The New Deal, at the end of its second year, has run into obstacles, many of them of its own making and others caused by a collision of its policies with the laws of nature, which have left it ineffec- tive so far as reducing unemployment is concerned, and at a loss apparently to offer anything more than the same thing it has tried for so long on a larger scale.” “So long as American business is dealt with by the Government as an unconvicted criminal,” asserts the Los Angeles Times, “it is idle to expect that it can make substantial progress toward recovery.” The New York Herald Tribune also criticizes “threats to business, to investors, to the tax- payer, to the dollar.” The Chicago Journal of Commerce asks: “What of an administration which, when it finds that admitted experiments will not work, moves further and further toward a dictatorial regime?” The Philadelphia Evening Bulletin observes: “There has been relief and| some measure of reconstruction, but recovery has not been accomplished, Meanwhile, a Congress that for two years has been obedient shows inclina. tion to exercise its own mind, or ta reflect the pressure of a national mind which, in one phase or another, is be- coming more critical of the adminis. tration and, in one direction or an: other, is actually divergent.” “The country,” in the opinion of the St. Joseph (Mo.) News-Press. “i showing signs of turning away fro: ‘planned economy’ and of viewing it problems realistically, with regard for natural laws and measures that have proved their worth.” The Columbia (8. C.) Record sees “confusion” i methods, the Topeka (Kans.) Daily Capital records p “disappoint-| ment,” and the Tulsa (Okla.) Tribune avers that “the living standard of the people has been lowered.” A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton A Seasoned Hufi They cannot understand, the young, ‘The seasons of the heart. They think the head once crewned with snow In the Springtide has no part. They cannot understand, ihe young, m;tbum-urehl:'kenueo lite Which leafs an s again, when Rouses fresh ecstagy, -