Evening Star Newspaper, March 26, 1935, Page 8

A8 THE EVENING STAR With Sundsy Morning Editien. WASHINGTON, D. C TUESDAY......March 26, 1935 THEODORE W. NOYES. . . Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11th 8t. and Pennsylvania Ave. t 42nd 8t Building cago Office: European Office; 14 Re:em 8t.. London. Enzlan Kate by Carrier Within the City. dition. o Evenine ‘gt o B0 6 per montn Evening and 3unday Star s ‘when 4 fundays 60c ver mibnth The Eventng and ‘Sunday Star (when 5 Sundays).... .65cper month ‘The Sunday b see Night Fina) Editi Star e per €opy Nieht Mnai ana Sunday Star 70¢ per month Night Fina) Star .. .. B5cper month Sollection made af the end of each month. _Orders m: 7 be sent by mail or telephone National 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia, Bajly and Sundsy. .1yr. $10.00: 1 mo. 46 nly. . 00: 1 .. BOc ey onty 0 17E 84.00i1 mo” 40¢ All Other States and Canada. ily and Sunday 1 sT., 0; 1 mo.. $1.00 Bally taandeY 3k ®32 00 1 mo: *be Sundav only.. 1l $500: 1 mo. 60¢ Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively en. titled to the use for republication of al news dispatches credited to it or not other- wise .redited in this paper and also the local hews oublished herein _ All rights of publication of special dispatches hereln are also rererved Another Inquiry Needed. If the House committee or anybody else can show that a policeman warned s gambling establichment of an im- pending raid, and can name the policeman, the police force should be rid of a worthless officer in short order. In the face of denials and contra- dictory, cloudy testimony, there is| doubt whether such guilt can be pinned on anybody. But it is sratify- ing to note that Maj. Brown, superin- tendent of police, and the Commis- sioners are not waiting for any such revelations from the committee and | have proceeded to their own investi- | gation into what seems to be a re- | markable state of affairs in the fifth | precinct. According to the testimony, a raid was conducted against a suspected gambling establishment on February 20. The raid was unsuccessful, be-| cause no evidence of gambling was found. But about a month later the committee investigating police af- fairs is informed that there was sus- picion of a uip-off at the time of the raid, and the captain of he pre- cinct tells the committee that if there | was a tip-off it must have 9eme‘ from the precinct detective because he, the captain, and the precinct de- | tective were the only ones who knewi about the planned raid. It also de-| velops that the precinct captain had | been informed by & citizen, and had | transmitted such stories to his men, | that policemen in the fifth precinct were suspected of taking graft. | ‘Why was such information permitted | to remain uninvestigated> Why did it require the investigations by a special committee of the House to reveal these stories? Why did the precinct captain not himself move, immediately and | with the backing of his superiors in | the department, to sift these rumors | thoroughly and thereby remove all| taint of suspicion from everybody con- cerned? Can there be any morale, or | police discipline, or effective law en- forcement in a precinct where the captain admits that there is suspicion | of & leak, and of worse? A police in- | spector admits he had heard rumors | about the Fifth precinct. His reason | for not taking immediate action is that he did not want to interfere with | the House committee’s own investi- | gation. Who is running the Metropolitan Police Department? Is it the special committee of the House, individual members of the House, or the consti- tuted officials of the Police Depart- ment? N Regardiess of the ability of the House committee to reveal facts relat- ing to guilt or guilty knowledge, enough has been shown to demon- strate the need of an immediate and thorough inquiry by the Commission- ers and police officers into conditions | in the fifth precinct. —_———————— The mortality rate among spies is slready heavy. It would be a relief if disarmament could be so established 8s to leave nothing for spies to find out. —_————————— Business as Usual. ‘While European statesmanship ex- hausts its energies on laying founda- tions for the preservation of peace and devising new political mechanisms for prevention of war, one ancient and more or less dishonorable industry— the trade of espionage—goes on doing business as usual. Not the least amaz- ing feature of it is the fact that it is pursued by and among nations which are supposedly the best of friends or are bent upon cementing re- lations in a spirit of mutual interest. Because of the new crisis in Europe, provoked by German rearmament and deflance of the treaty of Versailles, France is at present coquetting with the Soviet Union for some kind of a pact that is expected to eventuate in another Franco-Russian military alli- ance of the sort that united the two countries at the time of the World War. To that end Premier Laval is about to proceed to Moscow for nego- tiations with Stalin and the other masters of the Soviet. In some quar- ters it is suspected that the Laval- Stalin discussions will only place a formal and official seal upon a Franco- Russian military agreement Which already exists in all but acknowledged form. A member of the Paris Cham- ber of Deputies during the Winter blurted out what was regarded as an indiscreet admission of that fact. It will strike the outside world as almost fantastic that at such a moment PFrance is placing on trial twenty-one alleged spies of Soviet Russia, including ten women, who are accused of trafficking in French military secrets for the benefit of the Moscow government. An American and his wife who have beca in prison at Paris for fifteenth months are entered it to uncover the intrigue on behalf of France. The moral in all this strange med- ley of circumstances is that espionage seems to be accepted in Old World affairs as & natural and oormal ac- companiment of international rela- tions and to be practiced on the theory that what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. In the language of the old saw, “every- body's doing it.” The result is that there is probably no vital military “secret” anywhere that some power genuinely anxious to know about it does not ultimately learn; and doubt- less governments, general staffs and intelligence services habitually balm what serves them as consciences on these occasions with the reflection that the other fellow is zealously engaged in the same stealthy activ- ities as they themselves. As loog as the peril of war hangs over hapless humanity, espionage is destined to flourish and remain a lucrative occu- pation for those who care to incur its incalculable risks, including the su- preme danger of a firing squad or, as in Hitler's Reich, the headsman’s ax. ———— The Program. President Roosevelt, before leaving here yesterday on his vacation, out- lined to the Democratic leader of the Senate his ideas of legislation that must be passed before the present session of Congress ends. Five meas- ures, four of which at least are extremely controversial, are pre- sented as “essential” There are still other measures which the President would like to see enacted, but which | may be allowed to go over until next | Winter if the Congress cannot get | time to pass them now. The five bills on the program for immediate passage are the economic security bill, the bill to regulate utility holding com- panies, the bill to reorganize the Fed- eral Reserve banking system, the bill to extend the N. R. A. for another two years and the bill to increase the capital of the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation by $1,750,000,000. The work relief bill, which is expected soon to go to conference, is apparently regarded as an accomplished act. “The essential program of legislation advanced by the President, although it omits the ship subsidy bill, the bill imposing regulations upon war profits, amendments to the A. A. A, the Mead air mail bill, not to mention the Wagner labor relations bill, contains plenty of controversial matters to keep the Congress busy for some time to come. And in addition to the ad- ministration’s program Congress is | likely to give attention to some mea- sures of its own, among them the sol- diers’ bonus bill, the Black 30-hour work week bill and the bill for the re- peal of the pink slip publicity clause of the income tax law. When the work relief bill, the first big measure of the President’s pro- gram, becomes & law Congress will have been in session for three months. The stubbornness with which that measure was resisted in the Senate indicates rather clearly that Congress has lost its appetite for grants of power to the Chief Executive. There is no longer that eagerness to swallow bills served up to it hot off the New Deal griddle. The economic security bill, instead of being rushed through the House Ways and Means Commit- tee and to the House, has been taken apart and rewritten. It has yet to reach the House. The bill extending the N. R. A. is going through a long process before it can reach the Sen- ate, a process involving an investiga- tion of the operation of the whole sys- tem by the Senate Finance Commit- tee. The banking bill, its critics say, makes for political control of all money and credit and business. An army of opponents has arisen to at- tack the bill for the regulation—and possible elimination—of utility hold- ing companies. This legislative program put for- ward by the President is of tremen- dous importance to the whole Ameri- can people. It is quite proper that Congress should give ample time and consideration to each of these meas- ures. Tll-considered, hurried legisla- tion can do incalculable harm, and repentance would be too late. — et Plans for the distribution of wealth have not been devised as yet that will provide a scheme for keeping the middle man from cutting in at some point. ————————— “Mass Gains.” A curious social issue gradually is coming to the fore in the United States—perhaps throughout the whole world—but not many persons appear to have thought about it. The time will come, however, when it will have to be faced, and possibly the denoue- ment might as well be anticipated. Dr. Charles Merriam, professor of political economy at the University of Chicago, approached one aspect of the problem when he told a recent meeting of the Town Hall of Wash- ington: Democracy assumes that the gains of civilization are essentially mass gains, to be enjoyed by the people who create them. National planning should be directed to this end. By inference, he postulated two op- posing forces—genius on the one hand, the people on the other. And he had abundant precedent for his state- ment of the democratic theory. It is true that such an assumptipn has been entertained by eminent expo- nents of popular rights—Karl Marx, for example. But is the doctrine sound? In sober fact, it may be and should be challenged. Appeal to history shows that the “gains of civilization” inveriably have been achieved by individuals, not by classes. Solon and Lycurgus were tyrants who forced society into obedieénce to their visions of law and order; Charlemagne and Alfred the Great crammed peace down the throats of their subjects with swords; Cromwell and Napoleon were dictators, ruthless in their resistance to the tion—the Revolution was not a ris- ing of the populace. But in"the flelds of art and science the eternal principle of personality versus mass mediocrity is even more strikingly illustrated. Blind Homer was permitted to starve, Pericles was deprived of his command and pun- ished with a fine, Phidias was im- prisoned, Socrates was legally mur- dered, Plato was sold as a slave, Demosthenes was driven to self-de- struction—all because of the stolid degradation of the Greek race whose glory later ages—not their own— esteemed them to be. And what explanation save that of rare personal genius can be found for Michelangelo and Raphael, Dante and Shakespeare, Beethoven and Wagner, Galileo and Newton, Darwin and Hux- ley, Goethe and Carlyle, Emerson and Whitman, Fulton and Morse, Edison and Marconi? Which of the achieve- ments of these masters of fate can be attributed to democracy? What help had Columbus from the people of Spain? What recognition had Spinoza from the multitudes? What reward had Simon Bolivar from the millions he set free? Dr. Merriam, of course, may be cor- rect in his belief in the justice of the expropriation of the few by the many. But socialism, even in the form of national planning, surely contains within itself a hideous contradiction— the doctrine whereby the individual, to whom society owes so much, is pun- ished for his variation from the com- mon average of his contemporaries. And that difficulty cannot be laughed away. It is basic, and eventually 1t will have to be faced. R Blossom Time. Weather permitting, Washington will next Sunday present to the world, as far as it may come here for the | occasion, a display that is not to be equaled anywhere else in America. This is the annual display of cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin in Potomac Park. Official announcement has been made to this effect, based upon the present condition of the buds, which are already beginning to show a faint trace of color. Unless there is a premature burst of warmth or a belated touch of Winter, by the end of this week the trees around the basin will be in nearly full glory, with the maximum of the display in the northerly group two or three days later. A letter received at The Star | Jersey asks for information about | the blossoms, an index of the interest that is felt on the part of a multi~ tude of people who have never before seen the trees in bloom, but wish to do so this year, or who, having seen them before, want to repeat that ex- | perience. Indeed it is & fitting time to visit the Capital, for it presents & most attractive aspect when these jewels of nature are in view, The first person singular habit has developed literary difficulty. It is | seldom that sa author can present a | story hero as fascinating as himself. | — . | Those who cannot afford lottery | tickets may buy a ten-cent package | of garden seed and indulge in a few }weelu of glorious expectation. — e ‘Taxpayers protest but most of them | remain unheard because they cannot | afford to pay for radio time. —_— e In promoting study of the classics professors have not gone very far into a political analysis of Alsmithology. o SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. A Restraint of Language. “Some men I've seen are mighty mean,” Said Hezekiah Bings. A profit they will seek to glean From awful sorts of things. But one who seeks the kind of gain That may from war arise I'm hesitating to explain How him I do despise. They never know, such reckless chaps, How far their greed extends. They will be shooting up perhaps Their family and their friends. And when a shout of boastful cheer Such warriors lift anew It seems but nothing to my ear Than “cock-a-doodle do!” The flaunting feathers on display Denote the man who begs For cheers, though powerless to lay A few good honest eggs. T say, bereft of language clean ‘When such ambition clings, “Some men I've seen are mighty mean”— Said Hezekiah Bings. Experiment. “Just by way of wealth distribu- five of my farm hands ten dollars apiece.” . “And then what?” “The best poker player among them now has it all.” — Jud Tunkins says the only satisfac- tion some women get out of alimony is bein’ reminded that the old man is still broke and worried. Sign. 8igns of the times we read afar When Mars is the unlucky star. The clearest one, beyond a doubt, 1s one which simply reads “Keep Out.” 'Ware the Snooper. “Do you object to that pink slip because you don't want your neighbors to know how large your income is?” “No,” answered Mr. Dustin Stax, “I'm afraid they'll find out how small it is.” Policies. We have to do our best to hold A straight and level course. But as conditions new unfold Comes a disturbing force. ‘We must admit we have our faults. We can’t, we are aware, If we keep turning somersaults, Keep right side up with care. “Tryin' to run away from trouble,” mob; Washington created and Lin- implicated in the reputed plot, al- though their defense is that they 1. coln preserved the American Re- public in the face of democratic agita~ ) sald Uncle Eben, “is lisble to put you in s frame of mind correspondin’ to somethin’ like athlete’s foot. | office today from a resident of New | tion,” said Senator Sorghum, “I gave | BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. The man who says for us what we are afraid to say for ourself is our hero, is he not? It is true the world over, and you see it everywhere. Men rise to leadership by daring to express their honest convictions. Each such hero makes all and sun- dry aware how prevalent the opposite is, the crass bowing of the knee, the timidity, the 'fraidy-catness of modern adults. Universal education has done its work only too well. Supposed to make man a thinker, education’s chief fruit has been spine- lessness, masked under the holy name of tolerance. * ok ok Men under civilization no longer dare to call their souls their own. First they must apologize to you for claiming a soul. Or they do a little probing to find out whether you think you have one. Ask them what they think of Huey Long. They probably will reply that he is a “clown” or & “mountebank:” But don't mistake that for down- right opinion. It is merely the popu- lar and orthodox belief in their circle, and they think you share it. The truth seems to be that Sena- tor Long is a mighty smart man. Huey is an optimist. He feels sure that the country will come out all right in the Long run. * ok % X The longer a man lives the surer he is to feel that expression of opin- ion, just for the expression's sake, is worthless, and a waste of time. Opinions that are not truly of, for and by one’s self, are not worth the holding. Their expression is juvenile stuff, and every one of us can remember standing until long after midnight on the court house square arguing | what was called socialism. The result made no difference. the performance was only a trial flight, a testing of the ability to roll words one after the other. Such are the debates so popular in scho.® days. Adolescents barely out of short trousers argue about the most tre- mendous questions, settle affairs of state, national and international. While the audience of more or less biased persons listens to these young people give the pro and con of it every one present would swear that no more could be said. * ok X X ‘What may be sald in addition is simply what always is said when | human beings come to hold genuine opinions of their own at last. Then they seek expression for themselves, not for the opinions. All too many of us, alas, never reach that state. We are afraid. And what are we afraid of? We are afraid of so many things that we scarcely know what. Above all, we are scared of each other. The passenger aboard the bus is afraid of the driver. The driver is afraid of him. Nothing is more supinesin modern STARS, MEN Laboratory Dr. Raymond Pearl, professor of biology at Johns Hopkins University, grew some seedlings with a rigidly controlled food supply. It was possible to calculate how large they would grow and how long they would live. From some of them he removed a portion of the food supply, carefully measured, 50 that he could calculate how much smaller and shorter lived they would be than the “controls” to whom the full ailotment was given. But the experiment didn’t work out according to arithmetic. The de- prived seedlings lived much longer and grew much larger, relative to the size and longevity of the controls, than the calculations permitted. The deprivation had removed the inhibition of some unknown poten- tiality in these little plants. There had been a release of normally pent- up energies. So what? Dr. Pearl described the results of this experiment for the first time be- fore the Washington Academy of Sciences the other night as one of the factual building stones of a new biological and sociological philosophy, the application of which might have far-reaching consequences for the fu- ture of the human race itself. These seedlings were samples of the living organism which obeys the same basic biological laws, whether it be a fruit fly or & man. This living organism has unknown and incalculable po- tentialities which can be called out by the necessity of adjusting to new environments. The body of the or- ganism cannot be looked upon as a graduated container, capable of hold- ing just so much and no more. So, speaking from the standpoint of the biologist, Dr. Pear] intimated that the progress of mankind in the fu- ture—quite contrary to the postulates of most of the current social and political philosophies—may well de- pend upon the removal of inhibitions and the release of energies. When man is called upon to adjust, he somewhere finds the energies requisite to do so. They are in his biological nature. Based on this biological rimen the social vhflmpl:y"i of e;“nc mmrta' should contemplate greater freedom for the release of these energies and more encouragement for the individual rather than further regimentation of the race which tends to act ss an inhibiting factor. * k% % ‘There is no great need for concern, Dr. Pearl told the Washington Academy, over the so-called differen- tial birth rate by which the sup- Pposedly less able multiply rapidly while the economically and socially superior leave few progeny, so that the families tend to die out. This was one of the fetishes of nineteenth century biology, when, due largely to the start given by such men as Darwin, Weissman and Men- del, great stress was laid on' heredity and very little upon the molding and energy-releasing effect of environment on the organism. The future of man- kind was predicated on misconceptions of animal breeding nts. By careful selection in cattle or pigs it was possible to create superior types— superior, at least, for the purposes for which man uses cattle and pigs. These animals might have somewhat different ideas. Now, Dr. Pearl pointed out, the only measure the animal breeder had of the success of his work was “the test of progeny.” If the progeny of any particular pair tended to show superi- ority in some particular character— speed in race horses, milk production in dairy cows, weight in hogs—the geneticist right knew he was on the track. But this “test of progeny” 18 mot esslly applicable to buman heings, ’ Notebook of Science Progress in Field, BY THOMAS R. HENRY. life than the passenger who takes orders from the bus driver. The driver, of course, is merely the mouthpiece of the company. ‘He does what the company says. Traffic managers decide that the vehicle must not let off passengers at the corner, as is natural, but must carry them around the corner, about half & block down the street. Instead of drawing up to the curb, the vehicle stays out in the m‘'ddle in order to make the short left turn. ‘The passenger who might get off at once, and be saved crossing any street, must cross two entire streets in order to get back to where he might have been placed. “Traffic demands it,” say men in & huddle. “Can't let you off here” says the driver. “The stop is around there.” And what do the passengers say? Nothing. One who observes this phenomena for months has yet to hear a pas- senger “kick.” Co-operation? Tolerance? Spinelessness! * x % x The final co-operation is all right: the tolerance of rules for the general good is good in itself. ‘What is wrong is not protesting the thing, if one does not like it. Daniel Boone would protest. Davey Crocket would “kick.” Everybody ought to protest what they do not like for their soul's sake. Modern life has a great fear of “criticism,” which seems to be any opinion that may differ from the belief of him to whom you may be talking. How silly. If everybody was not so leaning over backwards to avoid ecriticising, as they say, they would see that plain differences are the spice of life, and that every one of us may learn a great deal that way. There need be no heat, anger, ire, or choler, just because another states a belief with which we do not agree. It is possible for men to converse together, and state fair, honest opin- ions, without going into a rage just because they do not agree. Surely there must be something at the bottom of this universal seeking to “play safe” this widespread fear of offending others. * * k ¥ What can it be but fear? It is such a nasty, corroding emo- tion. ‘There is some point to fear, when it is motivated by the glands of internal secretion, and results in activity of the muscles of flight, resulting in ulti- mate safety. This fear of offending some one or other, this perpetual “feeling out” the mind of another, in order to agree with most or all of what he says, is not the same sort of thing at all. It is a craven reflection of the real thing, the true animal fear which makes the hair stand on end. It is not good, from any standpoint, except as regards & craven surface agreement. | ‘Why is humanity today so afraid | of its precious “face,” so fearful of | disagreement on the small things? Awake, ye spineless, and say what you think, right out, for the sake of | your immortal soul! AND ATOMS and Study. because mankind is not looking for a sterile standardization of particular | qualities. Moreover, when the test is | applied in the field of general ability | Dr. Pearl's own researches give quite a different picture from that which often has been presented to the public | and upon which alarming predictions | of race deterioration have been based. First, he points out, the great ma- jority of outstanding individuals come from mediocre parents. Second, so-called geniuses tend to be very unfortunate in their offspring. By this “test of progeny” the fact that a man himself has succeeded in rising above the dead level of his fel- lows is no indication that his sons will have the same capacity to do so under the same circumstances. Even if much more were known about the laws of human heredity, it would be impossible to differentiate the roles of “lucky breaks” and favorable environ- ment from superior innate qualities, possibly transmittable, in any suc- cessful individual. Dr. Pearl protested against the dogma of human heredity, which has | contaminated so much biologico- philosophical thinking and has acted, like all dogmas, to slow the progress of science. Present-day biological concepts, he pointed out, would justify restriction of reproduction only with respect to the obvious biological de- fectives. x ok ok % Dr. Pearl described for the first time another experiment in his laboratory at Johns Hopkins which proves con- clusively the stability of a simple hereditary trai:. 1t was an experiment with fruit flies, the favorite material of the geneticist. Normally these flies have functioning wings. But many are born with ves- tigical wings, which are greatly under- sized and cannot be used for flying. Whether an individual has functional or vestigal wings depends upon & single gene. Dr. Pearl has mated the winged and wingless flies over a period of 15 years and 300 generations. This is the long- est controlled experiment in genetics ever made. First winged and wingless files were mated. Since the winged form is dominant, all the offspring had wings, but in the third genera- tion, following the Mendelian law, the recessive trait appeared again and half the flles were of the vestigial winged type. These latter were all killed and the winged onces mated with vestigials of another brood. The same process Was repeated through the three genera- tions. Now, at the end of 300 gener- ations, the hereditary process is work- ing exactly as it did in the beginning. If the same experiment were to be performed with human beings it would require approximately 9,000 years, It is a striking proof, Dr. Pearl pointed out, of the stability of the gene and the resistance of the species, once established, to morphological change. This explains, he pointed out, why some organisms have survived with absolutely no morphological change which can be detected by experts for hundreds of millions of years—almost, in fact, since the first known evi- dences of life on earth. * x % X Probably the fundamental motiva- tion of life, Dr. Pearl said, is the urge for individual survival. Even the urge for reproduction and survival of the species, he pointed out, may well be considered a re- sultant of this, especially in man, for the self is identified with the offspring and the parents see in them their own immortality. The individual makes everything subservient to the desire for survival. But, the biologist pointed out, there are various social phenomens in na- tuze which would seem to Propaganda by Radio a New Force in Affairs ‘To the Editor of The Btar: The influence of invention on our social structure has never been s0 graphically illustrated as in the in- stance of radio. The inauguration of radio broadcasting presaged enter- tainment for the masses, mostly in the form of music. Nobody at the beginning of this new art envisaged its greatest possibility, either in di- rection or extent. Today this im- ponderable power is the weightiest force that governs our social and po- litical actions. In the form of dis- semination of ideas and propagands it has become a weapon of over- whelming capacity for any objective that it is desired to achieve. It can create public opinion of great spread and high intensity and with speed inconceivable before this era. It can inaugurate mass action for the pro- duction of political power, which in turn when obtained can deprive the masses of any capability of free ac- tion. Current instances of these potencies are readily observable in contemporary European history. An example of the potency of this agency in this country was the fate of an administrative program in the Senate, confidently arranged to be carried through with little opposition, which was utterly wrecked through the influence of a single address over the air. And this through the utter- ance of a man not in public life and not responsible to any electorate or official. Nothing as effective as this exhibition has ever happened in a free country in all previous history. To change even a few votes in the United States Senate has taken hitherto the efforts of editorial pro- nouncements of leaders long in the public eye, of tested capacity in rendering judgment, or discussion by chosen representatives of the people who reached high estate in public estimation and have reflected ma- tured public opinion. It is a manifes- tation of power suddenly come upon | us, with no historic parallel, and is cause for profound reflection. ‘Were that all it would be startling enough. There may be an aspect of legitimacy in what has been so far described. But when we confront the abuses that have arisen out of this | great privilege, we face a situation | of far more serious consequence. Once an audience of millions has been built up through a radio voice a sense of power is felt that urges its use to the utmost, that brooks no opposition | and confesses no errors. ‘The radio can give untold power to & man of no responsibility. In a time of stress, when its victims are ready to listen to any false prophet, a con- scientiousless or irresponsible man with gift of plausibility may acquire terrible power for evil. Irresponsible power bestowed even upon a man of high purpose and considerable in- | tellect may intoxicate its possessor and make him a danger to the state. But when acquired by one who has nothing but superficial mental gifts, who may be incapable of discussing | questions with knowledge or sincerity, ‘who may be reckless to the point of ignoring all consequences, be they ever so grave, but who possesses the | arts of persuasion and invective— | such an agency is all the more to be | dreaded in a free country. WILLIAM 1. WYMAN. Natural Alcohol in Body An Immaterial Quantity To the Editor of The Star: The value of blood tests by police surgeons in determining intoxication of those suspected of driving while | under the influence of alcohol is dis- | p counted by Mr. Edward Wolesensty in The Evening Star of March 22. Mr. | ‘Wolesensty says that alcohol is al- ways present in the blood and tissues, that, in fact, there are “several times” | fifteen one hundredths of 1 per cent of alcohol concentration in the blood, a concentration which the “drys” al- lege indicates an intoxicated condi- tion. I know of no truly scidhtific opinion anywhere in the world which supports this gentleman's assertion. It is the general opinion of medical men that two-tenths of 1 per cent of alcohol in | the blood is almost invariably at- tended by clumsy and boisterous be- havior, while three-tenths of 1 per cent of alcohol concentration causes | serious drunkenness. I cite “Alcohol and Man” by Haven Emerson. The following quotation is from “What About Alcohol?” by Dr. Emil Bogen and L. W. 8. Hisey: “It is sometimes said that alcohol is formed naturally in the body. The amount which is claimed to be found, how- ever, is so very small that it amounts | to less than one drop of alcohol in the entire body and it cannot be found by most tests for alcohol. Such traces cannot be compared with the amount | of alcohol present as a result of drink- | ing alcoholic liquors.” DEETS PICKETT. Bonuseers and Congress Should March in Review To the Editor of The Star: In celeoration of passage of the bonus bill, I would suggest that members of the House assemble at the Capitol some day soon and that the Legion and V. F. W. lobbyists take command, form them in line and march them at the goose-step down the Avenue to the Treasury, before which they should pass in review | with arms outstretched, hands open, palms upward. _ SAM W. JENKS. Brooklyn, N. Y. this. Such, for example, is found among the social insects, where the individual seems almost non-existent and to live entirely for the social group. But such a creature as the social ant probably does not recognize any altruism in his own behavior. It is in his biological nature to fight for the brood. He is expressing himself. Paradoxically enough, what seems the acme of unselfishness may be un- adulterated selfishness. From his own viewpoint—if he has any such thing —he acts for his own survival. Again an apparent contradiction is found among the higher animals— reaching its highest development with man during the past two centuries. The individual helps his neighbor in trouble, apparently voluntarily and without thought of self. He provides food for the jobless, medical care and medicine for the sick. He is quick to sacrifice his own goods to help those stricken with flood or famine. But, Dr. Pearl pointed out, this seems to constitute little more than an extension of the individual will to survive. est. The better the condition of one’s neighbor the better one’s own chances of survival. A typical example is in the fleld of public health, where it is decidedly disadvantageous to allow one’s neighbar to suffer of a con- tagious disease. Whether this apparent contradic- tion to the law of selfishness con- tinues to develop, Dr. Pearl pointed out, depends largely on whether it proves to have real survival value. This cannot be determined at pres- ent. During the past century, at least, the majority of the human race has enjoyed unprecedented easy liv~ img. There has been enough, and to for one's neighbors. But it may down while living becomes It is enlightened self-inter- | end. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC ]. 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. Q. How long ago was water-polo in- troduced in this country?—C. H. T. A. It was brought to this country in 1885 by Fred Wells. Joe Ruddy, coach of the New York Athletic Club team, began to play the game in 1895, and has played for 40 years, Q. How many Boy Scouts go to camp during a year?—H. L. A, It is estimated that in 1934 over 400,000 Scouts spent a week or more in camp, NQ. ‘When is Pioneer day in Utah?— . A, A. July 24, Pioneer day in Utah, is the anniversary day on which Brig- ham Young entered the Salt Lake Valley. Q. If the Indians had no written langdage, how is the Cherokee alpha- bet accounted for>—N. W. A. It was invented by Sequoya be- tween 1809 and 1821. It was the product of his contact with white civ- ilization. It was accepted by the Che- rokee nation and thousands were soon able to read material prepared in their own language. Q. Why is the expression, to learn & thing “by heart” used?—R. Y. A. Many centuries ago people be- lieved that the emotions and functions of the brain centered in the heart. These, of course, included intellect and memory. The expression grew out of this misconception. Q v;'u Zangara an American?— A. Zangara, who attempted to shoot President Roosevelt and who did fatally wound Mayor Cermak of Chi- cago, was an American citizen who immigrated from Italy. Zangara be- came a naturalized citizen in 1929. Q. Where did human beings first | live in North America?>—F. E. L. A. Recent excavations lead to the belief that the oldest habitation site in the New World is near Folsom, N. Mex. Q. What plants would seed were planted?—M. A. Birdseed consists of the seed of grow if bird- W. c small seed used for feeding cage birds. Some of this seed may be viable, and may germinate and grow if planted. Q. How much gold has been pro- duced in the world since America was discovered?—G. F. L. A. The amount is estimated at more than 94,400,000 troy ounces, Q. How many calories are there in a pound of marshmallows?—R. K. A. There are 1,737. Q. Is the English ton heavier than the American ton?—W. H. H. A. The English use the long ton containing 2,240 pounds. In America, unless otherwise specified, the ton contains 2,000 pounds. Q. How many toy balloons are made in the United States>—T. B. A. Billboard says that there are about a dozen factories turning them out and that the total daily output is about 1,000,000 balloons. The | American-made article is exported to all parts of the world. Q. Where is the Isle of Capri?— R. terranean at the entrance of the Bay of Naples. It is 21 miles south of Naples and has an area of 53} square miles and a population of 6,300. On ry grass, hemp, or millet, or other | . Acupri is an island in the Medi- | the island are ruins of Roman baths and aqueducts and of the 12 grand villas built by the Emperor Tiberius. To the west of the town of Capri is the Blue Grotto, a cavern entered from the sea. Q. For what was Louis Cartouche famous?—E. H. A. Louis Dominique Carouche (1693- 1721) was the leader of a band of robbers and assassins who creates terror in Paris. For many years he eluded the police, but at last was ar- rested and, after a long trial, was sentenced to death and broken on the wheel at Chatelet. Q. Please describe the League of Nations’ flag.—D. J. A. An official flag for the League of Nations came into existence for the first time when the League com- mission, selected to study the dispute between Peru and Colombia over the Leticia question, announced June 22, 1933, that it had adopted a League flag consisting of a white rectangle for a background on which is the in- scription in blue letters, “League of Nations Commission for Leticia.” The flag was flown for the first time when it was raised over the Leticla terri- tory upon the arrival of the commis- | sion to take charge pending settle- ment of the dispute. Q. Will there be reprints of the Maryland Tercentenary or Wisconsin Tercentenary stamp issues?>—M. D. A. There are no plans for such re- prints. Q. How did Hitler get his present power?—R. B. A. The unification act of April 8. 1933, brought the federal states of Germany under the rule of governors directly responsible to Adolf Hitler, the chancellor or reichsfuhrer, with the power to appoint and dismiss state premiers and other high state officials and to promulgate laws. By | the law reforming the Reich, of Feb- ruary 1, 1934, the sovereign rights formerly possessed by the federal states passed into the hands of the Reich cabinet, and this cabinet abro- gated to itself the promulgation of new constitutional laws for the fed- eral states. Q. Please give some facts about the national art gallery proposed by An- drew W. Mellon—H. E. M. A. Frank J. Hogan, attorney for Mr. Mellon, says that the establish- ment of this gallery has been under consideration for about 25 years. The actual trust was founded in 1930, at which time Mr. Mellon transferred certain great works of art which had cost him approximately twenty mil- | lion dollars. At present he owns and will shortly transfer to the trust ad- ditional paintings, bringing the total up to $26,000,000. There is to be erected in Washington, at the cost of the trust, or of Mr. Mellon indi- vidually, a gallery suitable to hold works of art that have been duly qualified by a committee of art au- thorities. Mr. Hogan states that it is not within the power of the donor { or the trust to prevent this gift being made to the United States Govern- ment for the people. There is no connection whatever between the plan and the present attack on Mr. Mellon. No matter what the out- come of the present litigation may be the American people are assured that this great gift will be theirs, | Q What is the origin of the slang term “school butter"?—R. G: M. A. It seems to have originated in an obscure sense as long ago as 1584 or 1593. It came to be equivalent for a slang term for flogging, about 1700. Later it was used as a teasing call to ! school children. Responsibility for the sudden drop in the price of cotton is divided by | the press between the loss of foreign markets due to increased competition abroad and uncertainty over the future of the A. A. A. price-pegging policy. Continuance of price fixing is believed by many observers to be inevitable in view of the disastrous effects which rumors of discontinuance had upon the cotton market. “It was the wildest session of the New Orleans Cotton Exchange since 1929, the year that the panic_was ushered in,” says the Austin (Tex) American, describing the situation. “Net loss for the day was $5.30 a bale, or $86,123,900 in value. According to the cables and the wires from the home market, the Federal Government was a heavy loser. It controls more than 6,000,000 bales, including 4.110,538 bales on which it has loaned farmers as much as 121; cents a pound. Get these figures: The value of spot cotton middling was 11.28 cents a pound at the close of the New Orleans riot. The loss was 106 points for the day. and all this is said to have been caused by an error in the transmission of news from Washington and to the cot- ton exchanges in the nations of Europe and the Orient.” “Exactly what caused the sudden drop in the price of cotton may not be told,” thinks the Columbia (8. C.) Record. “Out of the confusion some things are apparent, however. And one is that governmental control of agriculture has its limitations and the other is that it has its dangers. Con- gress may not be able by what it has done to keep the price of cotton up, but a mere rumor of what Congress might do may send the price of cotton down.” To the Providence Journal also the cause of the break is hard to determine, but it suggests that “it is reasonable to conclude that it has its -basis somewhere in this ghighly artificial general situation which the dministration has created.” “Dealing with the immediate causes,” declares the Wall Street Journal, “the cotton loan plan stands out most prominently. Experienced deal- ers thought the loan plan was a peg which, so long as it was maintained, would hold up the price even though that price were artificial. Instead it has proved & trap, even though it was not baited and set with the intention of harming any one. The A. A. A. must be given credit for a desire to aid the producers, and it has helped them temporarily, but at the expense of those who distribute and consume the cotton. Help of that kind is always bound to be expensive in the 1t is the opinion of the Birmingham (Ala.) Age-Herald, hcwever, that, “whatever the point of view on the disadvantages of pegging & commodity price above its natural level, there can be little question that it is gen- erally conceded that the action taken on cotton in that particular respect has been a tremendous boon to the entire business structure and perhaps the salvation of the South.” The Alabama paper continues: “That a continuation of this pegging may be unavoldable will be admitted, regret- table though it be. The policy in the past was not an ideal choice, but an | obvious compromise with what ap- peared an inevitable necessity.” The Charlotte (N. C.) News calls ttention to the fact that in spite of the break in the cotton futures market, A.A. A., Foreign Competition Blamed for Break in Cotton “the relatively small quantity of cot- ton that is being sold brings a price | of around 12 cents per pound, and the panicky conditions among the buyers | and sellers of cotton futures contracts have not spread to the ranks of the growers.” “A sudden sharpening of concern over the consequences of foreign com- petition is one of the reasons assigned | for the break which has now sent | prices well below 12 cents a pound.” states the New York Times. “Other explanations given are the decline of ‘lthe English poynd and the circula- | tion of rumors (soon denied) that the | Government intended either to in- crease the amount of cotton grown this year or to revise the basis of its loans.” Of these explanations the former seems most important to the | New York Herald Tribune, which holds that ‘“on one point of great importance to the country the experts | appear to be in full accord—that the | artificial raising of prices in this | country is placing a premium on the | production of cotton in other coun- tries.” With this conclusion the St. Joseph | News, the New London Day, the Syra- | cuse Herald and the Indianapolis News agree, while the Portland (Me.) Press Herald calls attention to the fact that Russia will in 1935 produce three times as much cotton as she did before the World War and thst India, Brazil and Egypt “have gone into the cotton raising business with remarkable success.” In this_connection the Charleston (8. C.) Evening Post reports that “American capitalists and technicians in the cotton industry are concen- trating in force in Brazil to develop cotton growing and manufacturing in this new field, which has grown rapidly as a rival to the Southern States since the rigorous restrictions of the Bankhead law have almost destroyed the world market for Ameri- can cotton.” Arabian Sportsmanship. #rom the Des Moines Tribune. An Arab tribe agrees to give the loot back if it may continue to raid towns. It is pleasing to feel that sport somewhere is not grossly ecom- mercial. B ] Emulator: Prom the Saginaw Dally Ne: Even if Sir Malcolm Campbell fails to make 300 miles an hour all is not lost. Hundreds of grocery truck drivers will keep on trying. —— et A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton. F. D. R. Framed in the window of a passing car I glimpsed the outline of a tempered face, A face in cameo sent my thoughts afar 1 Into an ideal realm of light and space. | I felt all chaos in the world abate, Seeing beyond my long-desired goal One ;ll:‘o‘::mld keep amid the stress o A calm serenity within his soul, A