Evening Star Newspaper, March 16, 1935, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Editien. ———— WASHINGTON, D. C. SATURDAY.....March 16, 1935 THEODORE W. NOYES. . . Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company 100 st oRe Fenmsivants Ave New Vork Offige: 110 East dond s icago Bullding London. o Office: Lake Michigan uropean Office: 14 Regent St.. England. Rate by Carrier Within the City. Regular Edition. The Evenine Star_ . . 45¢ per month The Evenine and Sunday Star (when 4 B‘gonmrmonth y . .65¢ per month The Sunduy Star 5c per copy Night Final Edition. ight Final ana Sunday Star . 70c per month ight Pinal Star_ ... c per month Collection made at the end of each mont rders may be sent by mail or telephone National 5000 Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily and Sunday. .1 yr., $10.0 Dally only.. 1yr.. $6.0 Sunday only. ! $4.00: All Other States and Dally only Sunday only Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively en- titied to the use for republication of news dispatches credited to it or not othi wise .redited in this paper and also the local news published herein _All rights of Dublication of special dispatches hereln are also rererved _— A Free Hand for the President. President Roosevelt gets a free hand in the matter of fixing wages on work- relief projects by the vote of the Sen- ate, which defeated the McCarran “prevailing wage” amendment to the relief bill yesterday. The so-called Rus- sell compromise, which was adopted, it is true, provides that the prevailing wage must be paid workers on “per- manent ouildings for the use of any department of the Government of the | United States or the District of lumbia.” $4,000,000,000 work-relief fund, bow- ever, will find its way into the con- struction of such buildings. It there- fore remains 1o be seen what the Chief Executive will do and what the Co- “security ‘wage” which he has sug-| gested will amount to for the workers on relief vrojects. The Russell compromise says that the President shall use his discretion | in fixing wages upon any project financed through the work relief fund. It adds that these wages shall “not affect adversely or otherwise tend to decrease the going rates of wages paid for work of a similar nature.” This admonition to the President is interpreted by Senator Wagner of New York. who shifted his vote from support of the McCarran amend- ment to support of the President, as meaning that the President will pay the prevailing wage. Senator Carter Glass of Virginia, on the other hand, holds that the President is entirely consistent and will pay the “secur- ity wage,” which has been estimated by spokesmen for the administration at an average of $50 a month. Mr. Glass, as chairman of the Appropria- tions Committee and in charge of the work relief bill, is in a position to know what he is talking about. The possible effect of the payment of a “security wage” to 3,500,000 workers on relief projects on the wage scales in private industry has given organized labor much concern. They fear that if the lower wages are paid by the Government the rates of pay for similar work in private employ- ment will be reduced. Senator Wagner, who has always been a staunch friend of labor, pleaded with the Senate yesterday to put.its trust in President Roosevelt. Referring to Mr. Roosevelt, Senator Wagner said: “No one has excelled him in steadfast and intelligent devo- tion to the welfare of the working Ppeople of this country.” He urged the Senate not further to delay the bill, “a most important feature” of the President’s program. Either Mr. Wagner is right and the prevailing wage will be paid under the operation of the work-relief law at the direc- tion of the President, or Mr. Glass is correct and the President will pay the security wage. That is a matter which time will demonstrate. If the President is going to pay the prevail- ing wage, then why, as Senator Borah of Idaho asked during the debate, all this row over the McCarran amend- ment? The Idaho Senator asked, in effect, if, after all, the fight was merely a matter of saving face for the White House. ; The work-relief bill, when it be- comes law, will be in the nature of an experiment. There are those who fear that it will fail to accomplish what the President hopes it will do; that a great mass of the unemployed, par- ticularly in the cities, are not quali- fied for the kind of work which the highway construttion, the soil ero- sion work, the elimination of grade crossings and the like will call for. They fear that in addition to the vast sum of money required for these work-relief projects there will still be needed hundreds of millions of dollars to continue direct relief to millions ©of persons. ——————— ‘Women are outspoken in condemna- tion of breach of promise suits. The feminine mind is self-reliant and can see only nefarious motives in a pre- tense of having been fooled by silly protestations of romance. —ate— France's New Army Plan. France has lost no time in taking retaliatory action against Germany's rearmament. Early this morning by vote of 389 to 190 the Chamber of Deputies approved the proposal of Premier Flandin to increase the com- pulsory term of French military serv- ice from one to two years. As evidence of the necessity of so drastic a re- course, M. Flandin pictured the Reich with 600,000 soldiers in 1936, com- pared with a threatened fall of French domestic effectives to 208,000 as a re- sult of the World War birth-rate collapse. “What has sabotaged the one-year service law,” government supporters contended in the fervid debate that preceded adoption of the new plan, “is Germany's rearmament. France's ex- istence is at stake gf this moment.” Premier Flandin prothised the Cham- ber that the arrangement will be open to revision downward if the interna- tional situation so improves as to permit an arms limitation convention and removal of the atmosphere of menace created by Germany’s military preparations in deflant violation of the treaty of Versailles. It was the Radical Socialists, earn- estly devoted to peace ideals, who turned the tide in favor of the government's proposals. Their leader, former Premier Herriot, strongly pro- testing his fidelity to one-year service, intimated that the foreign situation is really much worse than any one outside of the government realizes. He threatened to lay down his cabinet post as minister without portfolio un- less his party supporters rallied to the government’s side at so critical an hour. They decided to do so, and the Flandin cabinet received an over- whelming vote of confidence. With Soviet Russia threatening to expand its “defensive measures” if Germany is permitted to rearm at will, with Great Britain adopting ex- tensive increases in her land, sea and air forces, and with France now pre- paring to make herself more formid- able in a military sense, it cannot be said that the cause of disarmament in Europe is advancing. Sir John Simon in Berlin next week will have an ideal opportunity to talk frankly with Fuehrer Hitler and tell him where, in Europe's opinion, chief responsibility for existing conditions lies. e New Swimming Pools Needed. ‘The Monument bathing pools, to- gether with the odd assortment of | unsightly buildings which surround them, are doomed to go—not alone because they are unsightly, not be- | cause they were built twenty years ago as fish ponds and their equip- | & yery mnall part O e ents antiquated and not because | they are no longer needed by the chil- | dren or even the grown-ups who have | no other place to go swimming. They are doomed by th: improvement pro- gram of the Mall, together with the projected work in connection with Llhc flood-preventing dike which the engineers say must be built to pro- | tect the low-lying Federal buildings of recent construction. Grading work in connection with construction of the dike will take in the land now occupied by the pools. But the roar of protest which greeted the news of their fate and | which has postponed for the time | being their demolition is indication enough of the course which should be | pursued by the Park and Planning }Commlsslon and other authorities. Before these pools are destroyed thére should be definite agreement on new pools. There are thousands of chil- dren in Washington denied the in- ialimable right of youngsters to go | swimming in hot weather. Recrea- | tional bathing facilities have been re- | duced, rather than enlarged. despite | the growth in population. The tidal | basin beaches were removed with the | understanding that a program of pool construction would be undertaken. It has been only partially carried out. | Even wading in Rock Creek is con- | sidered dangerous because the stream is polluted. The river is not only un- clean, but the lack of proper super- vision makes river swimming danger- ous. To deprive children of super- vised swimming even at the inade- quate, antiquated Monument pools is to drive some of them to the river— | and to drowning. Certainly the authorities chargea | with responsibility for the needed Mall | improvement and the various engi- neering tasks in connection with that improvement, cannot overlook the other responsibility to carry out the bathing pool program already author- ized—but unnpproyrinwd for—by Con- | | | { | | i | I pool, at First and Lincoln road north- east; the Francis pool, at Twenty-fifth and N streets; the Banneker pool, in | the vicinity of Howard University, and | the Takoma pool, at Fourth and Van ; Buren streets. No faciilties have been | provided for the area in Southwest Washington, nor for Northwest Wash- ington west of Rock Creek Park. The inadequate Monument pools took care of some of the children from South- west Washington, and their removal will leave these children without even these second-rate facilities. The fact that the Monument pools must go should lead to their immedi- ate replacement in some other location —replacement that will substitute for the ramshakle, unfit pools the modern, up-to-date facilities represented in new construction. This is a task that the newly formed Recreation Com- mission might approach as one of the great and immediate recreational needs of the city. e It is good of Miss Earhart to intro- duce high-minded reflections into aviation in order to counteract the resentment of low flying. o Rounding Up the Crooks. The effectiveness of a co-ordinated drive against criminals was demon- THE EVENING activities taken'in person, but a large amount of paraphernalia was seized— presses for printing counterfeits, stills for the making of illicit liquor, stocks of narcotics and smuggled goods. Evi- dence, too, was obtained that will probably be utilized later in the prose- cution of leaders in these various illicit enterprises for violation of the income tax laws. In one respect the haul made yes- terday was especially effective. Some of those taken into custody were the leaders of these different iilegal activi- ties, the “big shots” of the games, who direct the field work of many thou- sands of underlings. Their arrest, with evidence, will go far toward the cleaning up of the field. The combined forces of the Gov- ernment yesterday concentrated upon this drive numbered about 12,000, the largest army of law enforcement ever mustered in America, perhaps in any country. The effectiveness of the raids was the result of a long and painstaking training of these repre- sentatives of various bureaus and their co-ordination under the direction of a counsel comprised of the heads bf the several agencies. Thus has been proved the possibility of a unification of law enforcement services, for which the law-abiding citizens of the land are highly grateful. One achievement to be credited to N. R. A. is that of permitting a grati- | fleation in some degree of the desire | every man feels to take a hand in | running every other man's business, —.—— If railways carry out all their present ideas for swift traffic it may be pos- | sible to allow the art of flying to con- | centrate on defense equipment in case | of “another war.” | ————r———— | President Roosevelt will go fishing, | thereby setting a good example to various gentlemen who ought to think record. - | o | The element of physical endurance The most energetic and untiring oratory has not yet caused a serious case of laryngitis. ————— Much police activity is applied to keeping the law-abiding citizen under close observation to prevent him from | vielding to any temptation to be swept off in a crime wave ) | |but some time is required to show | what it means in subdivided currency | for expanding valuations. ———— In all the debate it might be per- 1mlssiblc to allot a little radio time to |Gen. John J. Pershing, who knows ‘samr!hing by practical experience | about military management. e | So long as attention has been di- might be proper for some enterprising Jjournalist to interview the King of Ttaly. ————————— According to the Communist, who really verges on anarchy, the way to prevent failures in law enforcement is to have no law. — High prices in the meat shops are renewing sentiments of regret for the little pig who did not go to market. —— e SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. i Turn of Events, | Experience is what we find As a reward for living. | We need it to prepare the mind For taking or for giving. | gress. Only four of six authorized | According as the luck may go, | pools have been built—the McKinley | This world keeps slow by turning And by the symbols it may show Our fortunes we are learning. Experience may bid us sing In gladness or in sorrow. We take the tips today may bring And play them on tomorrow. Favorite Play. “What is your favorite play?” “I never gave that question much thought.” answered Senator Sorghum. “But don’t you enjoy the study of incidents that lead to the joy of com- edy or the gloom of tragedy “Qf course. Taking that view of the matter, I'd say my favorite play is drawing to a four flush.” It Never Happened. We know conditions must improve. We try and try again. However great events may move We mortals will complain. Again we must approach the task To which by fate we're bid. We can't get everything we ask— At least we never did. Afar From the Office Chair. “Munitions makers should have the courage of their convictions,” said Miss Cayenne. “How would you test that point?” “I'd require them to hold every strated yesterday when, as a result of simultaneous raids, upward of three thousand counterfeiters, narcotics peddlers and addicts, smugglers, liquor tax evaders and other violators of the law were arrested in different parts of the country. This was the largest round-up of lawbreakers ever at- tempted in the United States, and the most successful. It proved that with careful preparation in complete secrecy and with the utilization of all the law enforcement agencies of the Government headway can be made against crime. While some of those taken in the dragnet yesterday may go free for lack of adequate evi- dence of their participation in various offenses against the Federal laws, the final effect is certain to be wholesome. ‘The Government. has been planning this raid for some time, concentrating all the agencles of law enforcement and preparing the moves in such a manner that when the net was flung and drawn the haul was certain to be a large one. Yot only were the participants in the verious criminal board of directors’ meeting on a bombing plane or a dirigible.” “To say nothing or to say too much,” said Hi Ho, the sage of China- town, “are equally uninforming.” Fascination of Commerce. My radio! My radio! With patience most admiring, As you tell things I need to know, I listen in untiring. Although your gentle diction lends A charm that is surprising, Your truest poetry depends On what you're advertising. “A real orator,” said Uncle fimn. “is a man who kin holler loud enough to make his own self sound like a crowd.” The Pink 'Uns. Prom the Manchester (N. H.) Union. ‘The sweet young thing continues to think that the pink slip people are growling about these days is an un- dergarment. “Why so much men- tion,” she asksX¥“of an unmention- able?” ) things over more before going on enters conspicuously into public life. | It is easy to say “a billion dollars,” | | values while groceries are conspicuous i |rected to “the forgotten man,” it | THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. Home aquarium enthusiasts always are looking for the “one big rule” of successful management. It is so plain that they refuse to see it, or if they do, they will not put it into practice. It is simply not to overcrowd. Now every one who has kept fishes for any time, either goldfishes or the so-called tropicals, has heard this since he began. Even the experienced fanciers, how- ever, seldom abide by it. Just a few more fishes, they say, will not hurt anything. But it is this additiona! pair which does the damage. e A local fancier had this proved to his complete satisfaction recently. The loss of two fishes in a tank which he had not deemed at all over- crowded, according to usual stand- ards, made a thing of beauty and a joy forever out of an aquarium! which previously never had done well, Any one who has kept fishes for any length of time knows that there always will be at least one tank which does not do well. ‘The water may become green, taking | on a deep pea-soup tint. The fancier resorts to cutting down on the light and the amount of food given the fishes. Sometimes this work, sometimes it does not. He has read that the addition of fresh water simply makes the free- living forms of algae, which cause the trouble, multiply beyond belief, so he refuses to try this natural remedy. | | If he is wise, he disregards the rule, and adds some fresh water, from time | to time, as well as cuts down on the light. If his tank is overcrowded the fancier may find the water is never | clear. Now the clear water aquarium is | what every one wants, unless the tanks | are kept in a “fish room” of their own, where murky liquid is not so notice- | able. In the living quarters anything | but clear water is very undesirable. Cloudy water may be caused by bac- i terial growth, by the rapid multipli- | cation of so-called infusoria, by too | | much food uneaten. | Lack of major plants, or poor |growth of those present, may help cause disagreeable water conditions. The beginning aquarist may not no- | | tice weblike blue-green algae, which | smother larger plants at times. The one sure way of preventing | many of these troubles is to live up to | the common injunction not to over- crowd. | It is here, however, that we all fall | down, for the temptation to add “just | one more pair” seems irresistible. | * ok X % ‘The “usual standards” of which we have spoken call for one inch of fish, exclusive of tail, per gallon of water— for goldfish. ‘This seems standard enough for this | small carp: it is when we come to the | subject of tropical fishes that we all err. | There has been a tendency, in all the literature on the subject. to admit that many more tropical fishes can be kept per gallon of water. Where the trouble comes in is right here. Many more can be kept, and often well enough. but if we seek perfec- tion, or near perfection, especially in | water conditions, we ought to abide by the goldfish rule even with fishes which demand less oxygen. STARS, MEN Supposing that vou could live your ! life over again, but with the under- standing that every detail from birth up to the present must be repeated precisely; that you could profit in no way from past experience; that you had the choice between this and an- nihilation, and that at the end of the second existence vou had precisely the same choice—what choice would you make. Dr. Knight Dunlap, professor of psychology at Johns Hopkins Uni- | versity, put this question to many of ! | his aquaintances and reported that they almost invariably said they would choose total extinction. Life's attrac- tion to them lay in the future, with its promises, either here or elsewhere. The pleasures of the lives they had lived had been outbalanced by the pains, Dr. F. L. Wells of the Boston Psy- chopathic Hospital, an outstanding American psychologist, put Dr. Dun- lap's proposition in the form of a que: tionnaire and used it with 121 persons —all within the upper 10 per cent level of intelligence, most of them between 30 and 50 years of age, and most of them in at least medium eco- nomic circumstances. They were pro- fessional aquaintances, college teach- ers and graduate students and hos- | pital personnel. They represented about the seme strata of the popula- tion as those tested by Prof. Dunlap. But his findings, reported in this week's Science, are almost precisely | the opposite. Most of his subjects | would take life over again—good and bad together. Only one out of six | would choose extinction. Some rep- | resentative groups were much more | pessimistic than others, however.| The largest proportion of extinction | choices came from those under the | greatest social and economic pressure. | The second largest, curiously enough, came from a group of 23 college un- dergraduates. Six of them preferred extinction. Out of a group of 32 student nurses, the youngest of whom was 18 years old, only four made the annihilation choice. He published his data in the expectation that the same test might be applied in other parts of the country and to other age, | sex and economic groups. * X ¥ X | One result of the depression—some | reports to the contrary—has been to bring down the American birth rate. The rate in 1933, it is shown by an analysis just published by the Ameri- can Medical Association, was they lowest since 1915 and very likely the lowest in the Nation's history. It was 164 per thousand, compared with 174 per thousand in 1932. The mortality rate per thousand births also was slightly higher—58.2 per thousand, compared with 576 in 1932. The fall in the birth rate was chiefly in the industrial areas of the East and North. Highest rates, by States, were as follows: New Mexico, 26.7; North Carolina and Utah, 22.9; South Carolina, 22.7; Mississippi, 216; Alabama, 21.1; Virginia, 21 The lowest rates were in Oregon and California, 12.2 and 12:, respectively. * k% - If Cleopatra drank & concoction of powdered pearls for her complexion she probably got some real benefit from the expensive beauty treatment, according ta s communication from Dr. G. A. Stephens in the British anthropological journal Man. Pearls, dhe nn’. are essentially lime salts miX®t with some organic prod- | overcrowd. | because each tank is a standard all | to itselr. TRACEWELL. The running of air through the water by means of a small pump does not alter anything. Many more fishes may be kept, it is true, but the more there are the more other factors will tend to interfere with water perfection. Often by removing just one pair of fishes from a tank a great deal more stable state will be attained, not only to the betterment of water clarity, but also in the health, speed and color of fishes. This real “balance” will free us from the necessity of resorting to filters, to help keep the water clean: air pumps, to give enough oxygen and sweep out the carbon dioxide; dip- tubes, to take up excess food, and many of the other tasks of aquarium keeping. Most of these would not be neces- sary at all, or at least only at rare intervals, if enthusiasts would abide by the primary rule of thumb—not to * ok ok ok The difficulty of this abiding comes If we have a tank, for instance, with five gallons of water in it, many an en- thusiast would refuse to concede that five zebra fish, for instance, would be enough. “Why, you could add a great many more,” and it is true. We have seen as many as 60 Guppies in that size aquarium, with clear water and lively fish, but the set-up really was not right from any standpoint. Such a tank is an individual achieve ment, not a standard, nor really any- thing to be aimed at. The balance in such a tank is always on the border line. If nothing happens, the owner | is just fortunate, that is all. He de- | serves no praise. | Tropical fishes are so diverse in their | requirements that it is impossible to | be precise in regard to rules for keep- | ing them successfully. | Therefore, we would not advocate | an inch of fish per gallon of water | for them, but we will say that the STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 1935. THE LIBRARY TABLE BY SARAH G. BOWERMAN. ANDERSEN’'S FAIRY TALES. By Hans Christian Andersen. A WONDER BOOK. By Nathaniel Hawthorne. BLACK BEAUTY. By Anna Sewell. HEIDL. By Johanna Spyri. THE LITTLE LAME PRINCE. Miss Mulock. THE WATER BABIES. By Charles Kingsley. PINOCCHIO. By C. Collodi. All =dited to fit the interests and abilities of young readers, by Ed- ward L. Thorndike. The Thorn- dike Library., New York: D. Apple- ton-Century Co. In the adaptation of these seven juvenile classics to children of 9 or over, Prof. Thorndike of Teachers’ College, Columbia University, has modified the vocabulary in order to make them more attractive to the modern child and of greater value for the development of vocabulary. In doing this, he has not tampered with the literary quality. “The Thorn- dike Library is a real event in litera- ture for children, the value of which is guaranteed by the reputation of Prof. Thorndike as one of our lead- ing educators. The make-up of the volumes is also so attractive that any normal child, once having seen the books, would give a parent no peace until they were purchased, with the By excuse of a birthday or some other | anniversary. The binding is of pink linen, with royal blue labels. The illustrations, in black and white, are in each case admirably suited to the story. Andersen’s “Fairy Tales” are illustrated by Gustaf Teng- gren, the “Wonder Book” by Robert Ward Johnson, “Black Beauty” by H. M. Stoops, “Heidi” by Hildegarde Woodward, “The Little Lame Prince” and “The Water Babies” by Hanson Booth, and “Pinocchio” by Helen Seweli. Andersen's “Fairy Tales” are the most famous and popular of all fairy tales; Hawthorne's “Wonder Book™ gives children’s versions of the old Greek myths: “Black Beauty” is the most appealing of horse stories, 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. Please inclose stamp for reply. i Q. How do retail sales of 1934 com- pare with those of 1933?—J. M. A. Retail sales for the United States are estimated at $28548,000,000 for 1934, as compared with $25,037,000,- 000 for 1933, an increase of 14 per cent. Q. Are English women or Ameri- can women taller?—G. M. J. A. They average about the same. American women average 5 feet 4 inches and English women between 5 feet 3 inches and 5 feet 4 inches. Q. How early was a mineral spring | known at Saratoga Springs, N. Y.?>— | M. 8. A. Rock Spring was known to the Indians as early as 1767. Over 40 springs have since been discovered there. of William and Mary College, Medical College of Virginia and the United States Naval Medical College. He retired from the Navy in 1928. He was assistant White House physician in Theodore Roosevelt'’s administra- tion, assigned to the presidential yacht by William Howard Taft and was made White House physician by ‘Woodrow Wilson. Q. What was Judith Anderson's first role of importance on the stage?—J. N. A. Her first role was in “Cobra” and this was followed by “The Dove.” Q. Did Mrs. P. T. Barnum marry again after Barnum’s death?—W. A. A. P. T. Barnum died in 1891. His widow married Demetrius Callius Bey in 1896 or 1897. He died a year later, and she married Baron d'Alexandry d'Orengiani about 1900. Q. What two Presidents of the United States were bachelors?>—K. N. A. James Buchanan and Grover Cleveland were bachelors when elect- A. It is a small Old World rodent somewhat resembling a small squirrel, | although the tail is not particularly | bushy. " It lives in trees and feeds on | nuts and acorns. The name, which | means “sleeping mouse,” alludes to| the fact that the dormouse becomes torpid in cold weather in its natural | habitat. Q. From what direction does the mistral come?—B. S. A. It is a_ strong, wind which blows across the north- west coastal region of the Mediter- ranean Sea. | cold northwest | Q. What is copra used for?—A. M. L. | A. Copra is the dried kernel of the | coconut. It is used for the coconut oil which it yields and coconut stearin. Q. What is meant by “pairs an- nounced” or “pairs arranged” in the | United States Senate?—E. N. W. | A. Very often when a Senator nearer this ideal is attained. the better | told by the horse: “Heidi" is a story | finds it necessary to be absent when chance the owner has for a successful | of child life in the Swiss Alps; “The | & vote is to be taken he arranges what | aquarium, the kind which looks best | Little Lame Prince,” a favorite for [is known as a “pair” with another | and is best for the fishes. The beginner may be excused for overcrowding, but not the old hand. | The latter invariably knows when he | has too many fishes in a tank for their own good. He attempts to make up for it by using pumps and gadgets, but all the time he realizes his fail- | ure. i Let him, then, as an experiment, try doing right by the fishes in just one tank Let him put several into another | tank, or give them away, or sell them | if he can. Let him get that uncrowded look at all costs. | If he is a real fancier, he will have | more or less got over the desire to see | “a whole lot of fish" swimming around. He will come to see, as the rosarian does at last, that a few good speci- | over 75 years, is the pathetic tale of little Prince Dolor, son of the King and Queen of Nomansland, who was dropped by his state nurse at his christening and lamed; “The Water Babies” is a fairy tale about all the things which live in the water, writ- ten by Charles Kingsley for “a land- bal inocchio” is the story of a modern marionette. All seven are claim to permanence in children’s literature. W THE THORNDIKE-CENTURY JU- NIOR DICTIONARY. By E. L. Thorndike. New York: D. Apple- ton-Century Co. Dr. Thorndike of Teachers' College, Columbia University, believes that adult dictionaries frequently not onl. fail to give the child the information 9| | Senator who will vote on the oppo- | | site side of the question. By this ar- | { rangement the other Senator agrees not to vote. Pairs, however, are an- | nounced so that all will know how |each Senator would have voted if | each had been counted in the regular | vote. Sometimes a Senator may ar- | range a general pair when he is away | from the Senate for an indefinite or | books which have established their | rather long period. In this case he | arranges a pair with a Senator who in general would always vote on the opposite side of a question. Very often when a Senator is ill. or cannot be present, he asks another Senator to! arrange for him a pair with some one | who is going to vote on the opposite | side of the question. ’ Q. What does entresol mean?—S. C. | A It is a low floor or story be- | tween the ground floor and the one mens are better than a crowd of medi- | he secks, but also add puzzlement and | 220Ve: 1t is also called mezzanine. ocre ones. | He will realize that half a dozen or adult, for that matter, who wants | specimens per five gallons are enough, | and he will rejoice at the better shape of those he has, aad the greater free- dom from care, and the better con- dition of their water. It must be pointed out that even following this injunction is no sure remedy for other ills. In aquarium keeping, there is never anything sure, | because so many factors enter in. AND ATOMS Notebook of Science Progress in Field, Lahoratory and Study. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. uct which makes them more assim- ilable by the blood stream. And one of the greatest causes of low vitality through the Orient is lack of lime in the diet. This is one of the reasons why Eastern women age so rapidly. In the aboriginal society of the | Six Nations all that was necessary to locate a murderer was to find the body of the victim. There the slayer would be found also. It was “against | the law” for him to leave the spot. Such a paradise for detectives is pictured by J. N. B. Hewitt of the staff of the Bureau of American Ethnology of the Smithsonian Insti- tution, the foremost authority on the ethnology of the Iroquois. Of course, it was something more | than merely a “law” which prevented | the murderer from leaving his victim. | It was an inhibition so intimately | bound up with the structure of society | that the slayer had practically no| choice except to comply with it. The “lex talionis” procedure was for him to await there the results of efforts | of his blood kin to make restitution to the blood kin of the victim. For, says Mr. Hewitt, a slayer was fair game for any member of the victim’s clan. He hardly could ex- pect to conceal his guilt in a closely organized society. If he fled he would be a marked man and certainly would be killed in a short time as an outlaw. On the other hand, if he remained by the body, his chances of life were very good. He waited for the arrival of members either of the victim's fam- ily or of his own. Then he would be taken into custody and a wampum settlement probably made for the life of the slain man by his own blood kin. Thenceforth he might go his way in peace. His crime was a closed issue. While he waited, any member of the victim's family had the right to kill him by any means whatsoever. Whoever discovered the crime, if he had the courage, could split the cul- prit’s head open while he was sleeping or kill him in a fair fight—but if he did so he in turn must abide by the victim’s body. It must have been a nervous vigil, sometimes continuing irritation to his ignorance. A child, to know what electricity is would be staggered by the definition, “A ma- terial agency which, when in motion, exhibits magnetic, chemical and thermal effects. and when at yes! accompanied by an interplay of forces between associated localities in which it is present,” but would receive mental illumination from Dr. Thorn- dike's definition, “An unseen force which can give certain metals the power to pull together or push apart from one another and which can pro- duce light and heat.” Compare also the definitions of such a simple thing as a candle: bustible substance inclosing a wick to furnish light,” and “A stick of tallow or wax with a wick in it, burned to | give light. Long ago, before there was gas or electric light, people burned candles to see by.” accom- panied by a picture of a birthday cake with 10 candles. Nearly 25.000 of the words in most common use have been selected for inclusion in this diction- ary and about 1,600 pictures make the definitions clearer and more interest- ing. The use of words is often ex- plained by means of illustrative sen- tences. Containing 970 pages, thumb- indexed, well bound and inexpensively priced, this junior dictionary should be a personal possession of every child between the ages of 10 and 15, Bk * MOUNT PEACOCK. Or Progress in Province. By Marie Mauron. Translated by F. L. Lucas, New York: The Macmillan Co. As village school mistress and mayor’s secretary at Mont-Paon, the author had an opportunity to see the charm and the humor of life in a small town of Provence, half-way be- tween Daudet’s Tarascon, home of | his famous Tartarin. and the Mill from which he wrote “Lettres de Mon Moulin.,” Mme. Mauron’s sketches of the inhabitants of Mont-Paon, penetrating their secrets, humorous over their foibles, ironical over the government meticulosity to be found even in such a small hamlet, sympa- thetic with the primitive makeshifts of their life, suggest comparison with Beverley Nichols' similar studies of an English village tucked away from the main-traveled Toads, “Down the Garden Path,” “A Thatched Roof” and “A Village in a Valley.” Like Beverley Nichols' books, “Mount Pea- cock” is also a delightful discovery of quietness, gayety, humor, and aioof- ness from the wild scramble and Pectic extravagances of the world in its larger centers. Authors who can find little pockets of unspoiled ter- ritory like this should be thanked, es- pecially when they write about them so charmingly. *‘France must be made banana-minded’ cry the now familiar accents of the captain of commerce from his American wilder- ness; but the retrograde inhabitants of Mont-Paon show no sign of be- coming ‘banana-minded.’ They still eat the snails they like; not the for a week or more, beside the un- byried body .of the slain. Actually, however, the chance of this kind of retribution was very small, for the dealer of vengeance himself became a murderer in turn. When the clans met to decide the fate of a murderer capital punish- ment seldom was decreed, because the executioner, in 'turn, became a slayer and himself subject to death unless his relatives paid for his life. This would have started an endless chain of killings, and the clans were willing to make almost any com- promise to prevent this, Thus the murderer's only chance of escape lay in letting himself be caught. The one alternative was to flee to come other tribe and ask to be adopted. This sometimes was done, especially by criminals who had reason to believe their own clans were tired of paying for their misdeeds. But 1t meant practically certain death. It was entirely up to the other tribes whether they wished to adopt or kill the refugee. The very fact that he came to them branded him as a bad character whom they would not m:unt‘o adopt. They case he was almost certain to. starve to death. Even if he did not, he was an outiaw who could be killed on sight by anybody. bananas they are adjured to like.” 3 * k% % THE TINKLING SYMBOL. By Phoebe Atwood Taylor. New York: W. W. Norton & Co. If the real Cape Cod were such & center of crime as Phoebe Taylor's Cape Cod, Summer people would louag since have sought Chicago for their long vacations. This new Asey Mayo mystery is even more crimeful and baffling than the others, but, of course, after the officers of the law and an as- sisting group of Cape Codders have pursued a different clue in each chap- ter, Asey triumphantly produces the real criminal, a bad one, and puts him in handcuffs in the last chapter. Nearly every one on (he cape is sus- pected before Asey pounces on his prey. Four young women have at in- tervals been pushed at night from & t is | “A cylinder of com-} Q. Please give Blind Tom—J. H A. Blind Tom, who was Thomas | Greene Bethune, was born blind and |a slave near Columbus, Ga. May, 1849; died. 1908. At 2 years of age he could unerringly recognize tunes, | played the piano at 4 years, and at |an exceedingly early age could imi- | tate winds, rain and birds, as well as classical music. He gave his first | concert when 18 years old, toured ;Europe and both North and South America. It is said that he could play any selection after hearing it | once. a biography of B. | Q Please give a short biography of the new chairman of the Red | Cross.—S. A. A. Rear Admiral Cary T. Grayson | was born in Culpeper County, | October 11, 1878. He is a graduate ed. James Buchanan did not marry, Q. What is a dormouse?—C. C. G.| but Grover Cleveland married Prances | Folsom during his first term in the White House. Q. What was Patrick Henry's re- ligion?—A. R. A. He was baptized in the Church of England and remained an Epis- copalian throughout his life. Q. Why does a star precede the number on some currency instead of a letter>—C. P. A. The bills with stars are those | substituted in the Bureau of En- graving and Printing to replace those which are spoiled or defective in the process of manufacturing. Q. How many oranges does it take to make a quart of juice?—H. D. A. Oranges vary in size and in juice content. An average orange contains about 2 ounces of juice, so 16 oranges would make a quart Of orange juice. Q. What is a cadastral survey?— J. A. It is a survey map or plan for making a cadastre, which is an offi- cial statement or register of the quantity, value and ownership of real estate for the apportionment of taxes. It is a map commonly made on & large scale about 25 inches to the mile or a square inch to the acre so as to represent exactly the relative positions and dimensions of objects and estates. Q. How long has mineral wool been made?—P. M. A. It was first manufactured in Germany in the early 70s. In 1875, a little was made in New York. The industry was well established by 1885, when rock wool entered the field and shared it. Q. In what part of the United States are the most kinds of fossil remains of animals found?—L. A. A. The single district in the United States where more different types of fossil remains have been found than any other is the district within the city limits of Los Angeles, Calif., known as the La Brea pits. La Brea is Spanish, meaning “the tar,” and these pits are so called because of a large yield of tar which comes from them, in which the remains of a large number of pre-historic ani- mals were embedded. Apparently the tar ensnared these animals at the time it was formed and the bones are in a remarkable state of preserva- tion in many cases. Q. Is there much counterfeiting of small coins?—W. C. B. A. In the past five years the counterfeiting of small coins has almost quadrupled. In 1930 counter- feit coins totaling $19,148 were con- fiscated by the secret service, while in 1934 there were $72,818 in small coins seized. Ship Subsidy P Gain in public approval of ship subsidies ‘s reflected by the comment on President Roosevelt’s suggestion that the policy be adopted. It is held by a large proportion of the press that | direct subsidies are preferable to pay- ments disguised as payments for mail | service. Some editors oppose any | Government participation in the ship- | ping business, tut generally there is | strong support for any practicable | step in the direction of developing an American merchant marine, for serv- ice in war and peace. | “As world trade improves,” thinks {the San Antonio (Tex.) Express, ‘shipping activities in several countries are reviving, and the United States must not allow its vessels to be driven from the nigh seas by subsididized alien craft.” The Express also recalls: “This country paid heavily for the lack of blue-water shipping when the World War pegan in 1914 and if must not risk enother such experience. Should the United States become a belligerent, many merchantmen would be required for the Navy and the Army, not only as auxiliary warships, but also as transports and cargo ves- sels.” Need of subsidized shipping in time of war is emphasized also by the Co- lumbus (Ohio) Evening Dispatch, the Portland Oregon Journal, the Oshkosh (Wis.) Daily Northwestern, the New- port News (Va.) Daily Press and the Baltimore Evening Sun. “It is axiomatic,” asserts the Detroit News, “that if this country is to have a merchant marine commensurate with its size and importance, it must pay subsidies as long as other nations do so and operate their ships more cheaply than we can. It is logical, also, that as long as the world con- tinues to pile up armaments in prepa- ration for war, each nation, ours in- cluded, should provide itself with mer- chant vessels to protect and preserve its trade either as a neutral or a com- batant, in case of war. But the coun- try ought % know what such a subsidy policy costs. The amounts paid should not be disguised as part of the cost of carrying mails, nor should they be based on the transportation of occa- sional and unimportant letters, as too many have been in the past.” merchant marine and takes great risk in being without one; the argument is familiar and it is incontrovertible,” says the San Francisco Chronicle, while the Knoxville (Tenn.) Journal holds that “no appropriation could be by the dying man is a greater strain on the reader’s credul- ity than the strain ordinarily involved in & mystery story; with less expendi- ture of his failing strength Dave could have given the name of his murderer. ‘The almost boisterous good time the Cape Cod neighbors have in hunting the criminal (there is no leisure for mourning poor Dave) saves the tale from the slightest depressing effect. And they are a fearless crowd; they are all irresistibly drawn to visit the death cliff in the middle of the night, singly and unprotected, and to si around there, just thinking. “The country needs an adequate | lan Draws Strong Support From Press | made by Congress of equal amount | that would yield better returns either |in war or peace.” The Manchester { (N. H) Union maintains that “such a matter is not only a question of | national pride, but of national need; | we cannot afford to place our carry- ing trade on the seas at the mercy of foreign shipping interests.” Objection to abnormal mail con- tracts for overseas service is voiced by the Port Huron (Mich.) Times Herald, the Wilkes-Barre (Pa.) Times- Leader, the Chicago Journal of Com- | merce.” the Indianapolis Times and | the Pontiac (Mich.) Press, These papers indorse frankness in saying that payments made by the Govern- ment represent subsidies for shipping. “A direct is better than a con- cealed subsidy,” agrees the Rochester (N. Y.) Times-Union, “but why is it necessary to subsidize shipping at all?” The Times-Union concludes: “There is the war argument, of course. But if we are to make every pos- sible preparation for war, we shall never reach the end of expenditures. Also it is precisely this matter of shipping goods under our own flag in time of major war that has more than once dragged us into conflict. | Our coastal trade is already reserved for American ships. Subsidizing ships for foreign trade is an unprofitable venture. We would do well to aban- don subsidies.” | “A good many people” suggests the Brooklyn Times-Union, “fail to see why the indirect subsidy was so wicked and why a direct subsidy for the same purpose immediately be- comes a virtue. It is not clear how | any saving can be made. It is simply another way of doing the same thing. The direct subsidy is to replace the mail contracts. Anyhow, if we are to build up a merchant marine, that is the main thing. It was the | same way with the airmail con- | tracts. They were also liberal in order to build up commercial avi- ation as a branch of the air defense. The airmail carriers claim to be losing money and perhaps they may also get a subsidy.” | Reduction. | From the Rochester Times-Union. Julian Huxley thinks the population | of the United States will presently decrease. Is he anticipating an early Spring and & pick-up in highway traffic? | A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton. The Earth Sleeps The long, cool fingers of the night Laid on the earth’s hot braw. After the flush and fever of the light Rest cometh now. Sweet, tranquil, dreamless rest From vale to mountain crest. Only the rhythm of her ocean breast Its ceaseless vigil keeps While the earth sleeps.