Evening Star Newspaper, June 25, 1935, Page 8

"THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON. D. C. TUESDAY .... ssess..June 25, 1935 THEODORE W. NOYES..........Editor The Evening Shr Nnmper Company. ess Office. x o&?."“"‘"m Ave, Lake Mich 2nd 8t Chicago Of Al an Building, Juropean Office: ll Regent St . London, Englan Rate by Carrier Within the City. Regular Edition. Star u.\d Sunday Star y8) d Sunfll! Bllr undaye) The Sunday Star - Night 1 Edition. Kleht Fincl and Sunday Star Night Final 5¢ per month Uolleckion made at the end of cach, month: be sent by mail or telephone Na- The Evening 45c per month 60c per month 85¢ per munth ‘56 ver 600y 70c per month Orders may Holll 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia, Dally and Sunday..1 r. : 1 mo. 85¢ Daily on - .. oo ;1 mo. B0c Bunday only . ‘1yrl $4.00i 1 mo. 4be All Other States Balls and sunday 1 yr. Daily only ST Bunday only .. . Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in this paper and also the local news published herein. rights of publication of special dispatches PRI, reserved nd Canada, $1200: 1 mo. 1 mo.. I 38851 A Dead Airport Bill. The same vote in the House that passed the airport bill yesterday ‘put the airport bill on the shelf for at least enother year, eliminated all prospect of immediate steps to build an airport, continued unabated the unsatisfactory, dangerous conditions at Washington Air- port, universally condemned by every aviation expert who ever gave them a minute’s thought. ‘The paradox is explained by the ap- parently willful opposition, on the part of a small group of men in the House to anything proposed by the House District Committee which is fair to the people of the District. usual difference of opinion over location of an airport. There are many students of the airport problem who remain convinced that Gravelly Point is the most suitable site. But while the House bill favored Washington Airport as against Gravelly Point, that bill was written by members of the House Dis- trict Committee sincerely interested in obtaining for the National Capital a suitabie airport, which, in turn, largely depends upon some practical method of financing it. The bill provided that the $2,500,000 cost be divided half and half between the National and District Governments, the latter repaying its half, dfter ten years, at three per cent interest. Rep- resentative Blanton and one or two others were able to strike out the divi- sion of cost arrangement by parlia- mentary strategy; the whole cost of the project would have been thrown on the District. The Senate, of course, would never consider any such unfair arrangement. The District has no funds to meet such requirements. The bill, as one of its proponents, Mr. Nichols, said, is dead. Mr. Blanton’s characteristic argument Wwas that the people of the District should build and pay for their own air- port, without aid from the National ‘Government, as do the people of Abilene. But, of course, there is no parallel, and Mr. Blanton knows it as well as any- body else. The people of Abilene con- trol the expenditure of their own tax money, run their own airport, decide what they can afford and what they can- not afford, and without the anomaly of having every section of the country ex- cept their own city represented in their local government. In Abilene, the mu- nicipal airport is run for Abilene. In Washington, it would be built for the Capital of the United States, and ac- cording to the terms of the bill passed by the House yesterday it would be operated by a commission, appointed by the President, on which no member of the local, tax-paying community would necessarily be represented. Mr. Blanton's suggestion that the peo- ple of Washington build their own air- port was merely a figure of speech, and is as possible or as probable as the cow's jumping over the moon. The unfor- tunate part of the business is that the exclusively controlling Congress is block- ed in its serious duty of legislating for the District by such tactics. If there is a tragedy at Washington Airport some day, the responsibility has already been fixed. ———.———— Occasionally Senator Borah adopts the manner of one who joins in the general rejoicing when in reality he is only telling the bad news, Where Does Wealth Begin? Discussion of heavy inheritance taxes usually brings to mind the Doris Dukes and the Barbara Huttons and the heirs of Harry Payne Whitney who have come into vast fortunes. There is little diffi- culty in deciding, in such cases, what wealth really means. While neither Secretary Morgenthau, during the bonus hearings, nor the President in his “Share-the-Wealth” message last week, went into detail regarding possible rates of taxation on inheritances, Mr. Mor- genthau did make the suggestion that “to subject all inheritances and gifts to @ system of rates similar to that of the Federal income tax law” would consti- tute a “program * * * relatively simple to formulate and to administer.” He gave this as an illustration: “On very large bequests or gifts during a single year—one million dollars or more—if the existing income tax rates are applied the total tax would approximate sixty per cent.” But there should be a distinct differ- ence between rates of taxation on in- comes and rates of taxation on in- heritances. Wealth, represented by in- come, does not mean wealth as repre- sented by inheritance. The tax on a *“surtax net income” of $100,000 is $28,000. If a $100,000 legacy were equally taxed, considering the Federal inher- ftance tax alone, the surviving widow, Sor instance, would receive $72,000. If 3 There was the | less. If the inheritance amounted to $30,000 the tax would take $7,700, leav- ing a balance for investment of $42,300, which might bring an annual income of as high as $1,600 a year, There is a vast difference between taxing incomes and taxing inheritances, and the Barbara Huttons should not be permitted to confuse the picture. Rushing the Taxes. Having handed over to the President the Government purse, the spending power, it is now proposed that the Presi- dent shall be given the taxing power. Or 50 it seems. How else, in a practical sense, can be interpreted the sudden demand of the White House that a new tax program, enunciated by the Presi- dent less than a week ago, shall become law within five days? The new tax program has been described as a great new principle in American taxation, de- signed to redistribute wealth and break up great concentrations of economic power. This is the proposal that is to be written into law in five days. The House Ways and Means Commit- tee has made no study of the Presi- dent’s proposals. Nor has the Senate Finance Committee examined it. In the astonishing program for this legislation, neither committee will have opportunity for careful consideration. Indeed, the tax plan of the President had not been revealed in detail up to the very hour that the congressional leaders received their orders from the White House to go ahead and put it through in five days. The assumption was, however, that the details of the bill had been worked out by the administration and would be handed to the Congress with- out further delay. It is not for the Con- gressman to reason why. It remains for him to do or die, politically. ‘There is a provision of the Constitu- originate in the House of Represent- atives. Its purpose was to_bring the taxing power as directly as possible into the hands of the people, who elect the members of the House every two years. If the plans of the President and the congressional leaders who met with him yesterday afternoon are carried out, however, this great new tax program, this new principle in tax legislation, will originate in the Senate and the only | function the House will have will be to agree to what the Senate and the Presi- dent have done. The plan to bring this tax program into the Senate first is sub= versive of the Constitution. It is possible only because there is before the Senate a joint resolution to extend beyond July | 1 certain excise or “nuisance taxes,” | temporary taxes to produce needed revenue, the Senate may amend a tax measure which has passed the House and has been sent to the Senate. In this case, however, the amendments will have | nothing whatever to do with the original purpose of the joint resolution. It is a mere subterfuge. In this plan of action there is prac- tical denial to the people and the busi- nesses that are to be subject to these proposed new taxes of all opportunity to be heard before the law is enacted. The Congress itself may rebel. It may not swallow this plan, so glibly declared by the President and the ad- ministration leaders of the House and Senate. Perhaps the leaders themselves were convinced thal this would be the case when the agreement was made to push immediate passage of the tax pro- gram. After all, there appears to be a great deal of face-saving in the ma- neuvering, Bootleggers still carry on their trade. Their product s not much cheaper if ultimate consumers figure up the taxes they must pay for a complicated job of policing. Current reading would take on val- uable interest if the position of Charles Evans Hughes did not prevent him from writing for a syndicate. Britain and Italy. Capt. Anthony Eden, new British minister for League of Nations affairs, is not accustomed to travel the rocky road he has encountered on his present continental mission of propitiation. In the past, as a roving ambassador of good will, Capt. Eden’s peregrinations almost always turned out to be successful pil- grimages. This time a tougher task was assigned him. He was called upon to justify in Paris and Rome the unilateral action of Great Britain in patching up a deal with Hitler, whereby Gefmany is restored to rank as a sea power. Capt. Eden's visit to France took place in an at- mosphere heavily charged with chill and resentment. At its end Foreign Minister Laval issued a communigque breathing in stereotyped language the general ac- cord which still characterizes French and British views, but it did not remove the impression that Capt. Eden’s diplo- macy had failed to smooth ruffied French susceptibilities over Britain’s private un- derstanding with the Nazis and the final blow it administers to the treaty of Versailles. In Italy Capt. Eden thus far seems not to have experienced much better luck than awaited him in France. Rome dispatches report that Mussolini has a deaf ear to his visitor's de- fense of the German naval transaction. With respect to London's view that Italy should compose her quarrel with Abys- sinia through the League of Nations, Il Duce reveals an even sterner attitude. In final conferences with Capt. Eden today, the premier is expected to de- mand the exclusion of Abyssinia from the League if there is any insistence upon Geneva's right to interpose itself in the conflict. Every indication coming out of Rome confirms Mussolini's de- termination to settle his account with Haile Selassie in his own way, regard- ¢ > tion that says all revenue laws must | Under the rules of procedure, | THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, TUESDAY, stood to be the Itallans’ irreducible ob- jective. Suggestions of the cession of a strip of Ethiopian territory, which would unite the suwrrounding Italian colonies of Eritrea and Somaliland, are scouted as inadequate and unacceptable. British statesmanship is famed for- its genius for compromise. Rome press cables state thut “a more yielding view” of Italian colonial aspirations is dis- cerned in British circles since Capt. Eden’s arrival. Mussolini holds trump cards in the present tangled state of European affairs, to say nothing of conditions in Africa, in which vital British interests are involved. That Il Duce will lay his cards on the table in his discussions with Capt. Eden is a cer= tainty. Britain’s known anxiety to bol- ster the tottering structure of the League of Nations is a powerful factor in Musso- lini’s favor. He may be depended upon to exploit it to the full in driving with the British a bargain that will gratify most, if not all, of Italy’s desires in Abyssinia, however costly such a settle- ment may be to the Ethiopians. ——————— The demand for driving Communists out of America may lead to a special system of examinations for school teach- ers to test their ability to forget some of the things they may have learned at college. ——— e Preservation of a skeleton N. R. A. is mentioned. Grocery prices may cause ultimate consumers to wonder whether it is to be regarded as the skeleton at the feast. ————————— An agreement between England and Germany as to relative naval strength sounds from a distance like the start of a spirited conversation to be conducted in several languages. —e A bureaucratic system may produce innumerable jobs, but & new system of eugenics will have to be evolved to sup- ply the profusion of brains necessary for competent office equipment. An economically inclined citizen will resent the trouble and expense it re- t yuired to insure Sam Insull's right to the pursuit of happiness as a forgotten | man. ————————————— After he has tried farming for awhile Walter Johnson may be tempted to dig up some old-time base ball language to apply to Prof. Tugwell as an umpire. —_—————— Some of the public utterances tempt listeners to suspect that the best of under. e The profession of lobbying has not been sufficiently formalized to warrant | any college in giving new practical sig- nificance to the initials L. D. e — The pursuit of wealth is never inter- rupted, although at times the pursuit is for the purpose of grabbing it by means of tax levy. Shooting Stars BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Chorus of Taxpayers. I love to pay my taxes. It will aid my moral health To know that I am sharing all thé penalties of wealth. I sweeten the old jack pot, as I'm called upon to do, Being proud of my white chip, the same as if it was a blue. I love to pay my taxes. As I under- stand the game, No matter how I kick I'll have to pay them just the.same. So cheerfully I'll ante up until perhaps some day I go upon relief and let the other fellows pay. Alert Suspicion. “What's that loud noise on the ra- dio?” asked Senator Sorghum. “That is static,” sald the wise young man. “I'm glad to know it. I feared it was that rival orator stealing my thunder.” Hold-ups. Since hoarding is forbidden, We ask in discontent Where is the money hidden That faithfully we spent. It seems like an illusion That sadly we recall Perhaps in the confusion The crime wave got it all! 7 Cheerio, “Our customers complain of higher | prices,” said the salesman. “we'll have to do something to cheer ‘em up,” rejoined Mr. Dustin Stex. “Sup- pose we hitch up a music box to the cash register.” “Historians say that my ancestors were brave and righteous men,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “which is to say that they were sufficiently successful in their fights to assert control over the historians.” No More Pretensions. I eat with my knife while avoiding with care A time-honored practice of combing my hair. I look on the world with an air of unrest And never remove any spots from my £ vest. I shun every effort to smile and be gay For fear the inspector who happegs my way Wflldnwhlth‘thmklhoommem‘hhle, which nmmmmmmumofl the rich. “Weather don't make so much differ- ence to me,” said Uncle Eben, “It's jes’ about as hard work to cut de grass as 1t is to shovel snow.” ) Supreme Court Is : The Best Safeguard To the Editor of The Star: There is no better evidence #vailable to the contention that this ad- tion is advised by men of zeal, well meaning, but without understand- ing, than the effort of the head of the American Federation of Labor, Mr. Green, to have written into law a defi- nition of interstate commerce with a’ view of getting by the limitations pre- scribed in the recent N. R. A. decision. “A clear definition of interstate opera- tions is expected to avold any question of constitutionality raised on that polm e is all that is needed according to esteemed adviser of the Mmlnmntlon Of course, this is a purely mechanical conception of the law and the Consti- tution to which such law must conform. According to this conception, all that is necessary to make a biped a quadruped is to have the Congress so name it and the Supreme Court would be bound thereby. Now I respectfully submit it is time to stop acting the part of a disappointed child in this matter of trying to duck and dodge the provisions of the Consti- tution. The Constitution was adopted for the purpose of organizing a govern- ment and the protection of the people against th&t government, whether the government be an ambitious executive to whom Congress has surrendered, or a Congress dominated by partisan ma- jorities or controlled by organized mi- norities. I am especially delighted that we have a Constitution which is inter- preted by an independent judiciary. It may not be construed as I think it should be, but I know that a final decision must be made somewhere. There is no such thing as infallibility among human beings, be they New Dealers, Old Dealers, Democrats or Republicans. However, I believe that the United States Supreme Court, independent and capable as it now is and has always been, is about the best bet any people ever made when it comes to the safeguarding of their po- litical, personal and property rights. Let’s look at this matter sensibly for a few minutes. If you are going to define interstate commerce and tie the courts to that definition, let’s define fraud and tie the courts to that defini- tion, or define due process and tie the courts to that definition. Congress de- fined intoxicating beverage as being | anything containing ¢ of 1 per cent by volume of alcohol, which the Supreme Court accepted, though the Government in its brief admitted that the definition was not true. Of course, it made Con- gress, the administrative agenciés and the courts look silly, and such a fool definition was never accepted by the American people. But no irreparable damage was dbne—just a colossal ab- surdity was established. But if Congress can define interstate commerce and tie the courts to its defi- nition, it can certainly define both fraud and due process and likewise tie the courts to such definitions. It does not require any elaborate discussion of what would happen under such conditions. Frauds would be perpetrated and prop- erty and personal rights destroyed just outside the boundaries set by the defini- tions given by an all-wise and benevo- lently actuated Congress. So let’s think our way out of our present difficulties | rather than let motives and impulses, the old ghost writers have been plowed | be they New Deal or otherwise, drive us to foolish, absurd and injurious ends. . JOHN W. HESTER. Uncle Sam and Miss Prosperity To thl Editor of The Star: What is The Sunday Star trying to do to us—tear out our heart strings? ‘The i{llustration heading Dr. Carother’s article, lovely Miss Prosperity pleading to come in, with stern Uncle Sam barring the door, almost moves us to tears. Al- most—not quite. For if you will look closely you may discern over Uncle's shoulder the shadow of his two bad boys; that rotund profligate, Super- abundance, and his side-kick, Maldis- tribution, both waiting to do the girl & mischief. It has taken our Uncle a good 150 years to get hep to these two unregen- erate rogues. He knows full well that if Miss P. could be persuaded to forget what they did to her in ‘29, and also back in 93 and in "73, and in fact every other time during her fleeting calls at Uncle’s house; if Miss P. should forget all this and get well into the house they would treat her just as they always have, then turn her out on the street again looking just like that old hag, Depression. To give him his due, one of these boys, Supe, is at heart a good egg. Uncle doesn't alwayé seem to appreciate this and tries to cramp his style. To be sure, when Supe and Mal gang up, it is pretty to say just who is to blame, and it ‘appears like the old man been taking it out on Supe for q s spell. However, that Mal is a tough, ornery guy. It's my private opinion that sooner or later the boy will be hung. And within the last week it began to look as if it might be sooner than some of Mal’s cronies thought probable. Anyhow, Uncle may tell Miss P. to just make herself comfortable on the front stoop, or perhaps go back around the corner until he has the boys under control. And maybe after Mal gets himself hanged, the well-known good qualities of Supe will come to the fore, and he will turn out to be such a pleas- ant companion that Miss Prosperity will come in and pay us a heap longer visit than has been her habit in the past. DWIGHT T. SCOTT. Protests Cruelty to . Rented Riding Horses To the Editor of The Star: I wish to call attention to the often pitiful condition of the rented riding horses in the District, and their abuse by inexperienced riders. Curb bits are used, with the snaffie bits often, and in some cases spurs, on weak, tired, wretched-looking animals. If a horse is hard mouthed or wild enough to need a curb he should not be rented to an inexperienced rider, and if he does not need a curb it is wanton cruelty to use one. The park police watch for fast riding, which is splendid protection for the harses as far as it goes. The Wash- ington Humane Society has only two agents, and there are many miles of bridle paths where neither the park police nor the agents have a chance tq protect the horses. If the fair-minded, horse-loving public would help by re- porting instances of cruelty of both con- dition and use of the riding hmm it would lift & burden of unnecessary suf. fering from these patient, helplen animals. Animals, generally, have an under- standing, sympathetic friend in you and it The Star, and I hope by calling your attention to the rented riding horses you will use your great influence to better their deplorable condition. S. E. MOORE. 1f-Stum Prom the muff.n-mu lgaeud. Justice has assumed a poetic form in JUONE 25, 1935. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Some one asked the other day, of all the fishes which may be kept in the home aquarium, which one we would select, if we had to be reduced to just one variety. Our aaswgr is unhesitating: ‘The angel fish, or Scalare; scientifical- king of the aquarium, is still king, as far as many are concerned. Its reign has not been threatened in the least by the advent of the so-called “Blue Scalare,” technically, Symphyso- don discus. The latter is rarely seen, is hard to feed, and even if it should become com- mon and its feeding habits reduced to simplicity, still it would lack the appeal of the famous angel fish, we feel sure. * . This appeal is something difficult to explain, Just why certain persons favor bull- dogs, for instance, rather than Irish setters, is in the same category. The fancier finds it easy enough to give some of the evident reasons why he likes one above the other, but down at the bottom he knows that the real reason is missing. Perhaps in the case of cold-blooded animals it is necessary first of all to explain why any one keeps them at all. ‘This is always a mystery to the per- son who simply is not interested. “Why, I can’t see why any one would want to keep fish!” says one. He or she is quite honest about it. s e ‘There can be little doubt that the ap- peal of beauty is one of the most com- pelling in fishes, ‘Those who have seen a properly man- aged home aquarium, with clear wa- ter, growing plants and healthy fishes, know something of the beauty of the arrangement. Even those who are not interested will admit this. It is a fortunate thing for mankind that whatever he undertakes, and throws himself into, he usually ends by becom- ing interested in. The primary interest in establishing an aquarium may come from any one of a hundred reasons, forces, but once the thing is done, the human mind and nature herself backs him up in it. Usually he ends by be- coming enthralled with it. This is true only if he succeeds. Plac- ing a couple of fish in a glass bowl or tank, without sand or plants, and call- ing it an “aquarium,” is not exactly con- ducive to beauty or interest. That is why a great many people find that aquarium keeping is not the sinecure they thought. Water will become cloudy or milky, plants will refuse to grow, fishes and other forms of aquatic life become ill and die. Success in this form of endeavor is its own best salesman. Usually the person who establishes one tank well ends by setting up another, | | and still another, depending upon his | inclination and the resources and space | | at his command. Many a home in which there resides a “fish fan” tends in time to take on the appearance of a pet store. As in most human affairs, the up- swing, no matter how long it takes, at last ends in a downswing, which is just another way of saying that the keen enthusiasm of the early days will wear | out. We are of the belief that it is a good thing, too. It is the fashion to say, loftily, “Oh, if you really like a thing, you cannot be- come tired of it,” but that is mostly hokum, one may come to think. The joker of it is that there are many pretenders. Take dogs, for instance. It STARS, MEN or compelling | fashion to love dogs. Everybody lové dogs—if you can believe 'em. But what can one think of the motorists who refuse to stop, or even slow down, to give dogs a chance to gei across the street?. How can they be said to respect dogs, much less love them? We saw & fine fellow nearly run down twice in as many seconds on a busy boulevard, and it was absolutely not due to anything done by the motorists that he was not, but solely to his own ability at dodging, aided by an immense amount of good fortune, s 00 ‘When the old enthusiasm for things piscatorial begins to wane, as it often will and with those who previously have been tremendously interested, the thought comes in something of this form: Of all these fishes, in all these tanks, which one would I prefer to keep, if I get rid of the rest? Many factors will enter into a decision, but surely among them will be ease of handling. ‘The perplexities of tank management are among the major interests—until the old enthusiasm begins to wane. Then the comparative ease of man- agement must be given consideration. Perhaps one has not as much time to devote to the hobby as formerly. Perhaps—but there are many reasons, and each is a personal one, so why go into them? #Another point to be considered is gen- uine liking. This means, of course, real interest. Another point is beauty. Does the fish to be kept seem unusually beautiful to you? Do you like to watch it, to study it, to have it around? e o8 On all these counts, and many more, the old “king of the aquarium,” or “aris- tocrat of the aquarium,” looms large, at least to us. The fact that it may be purchased cheaply is nothing against it, surely. Three points must be kept in mind. ‘The first of these is feeding, the second is temperature, and the third is number. The angel fish may be kept in good health on dried foods, but one must ex- periment around to find those the crea- tures like. On any others they will go into a de- cline, or refuse to eat, as they do with 50 many ki The angel is “one fish whose tastes | must be met. If the right foods are found, it will not demand much live food, such as small earthworms, or the favor- ite “white worms” of the aquarist. These are always helpful. Unvarying temperature never lower than 74 degrees is essential. Those who attempt to break this rule are courting danger. These fishes can stand many degrees higher, as high as 95 degrees, much better than they can | undergo 4 degrees lower than the above | stated minimum. As for crowding, all that one can say | his return to his study where he works is that these animals grow quite large, with a “wing” spread of 6 to 8 inches, from top to bottom. Therefore, if one 18 successful in keeping them, they will | grow up at last, and be too large for small tanks. Certainly nothing less than 10 gallons will do for well Scalares, and if more than two are to grown | be kept in such a tank artificial aera- | tion must be supplied, especially at night, and particularly during hot weather. There are few fishes that will gladden the eve as much as this one, whether | the owner is a new or old fancier, and few that are easier to care for, after one has learned how. While the famous guppy must remain a favorite, too, the angel fish is the one to keep, in our esti- mation, if one is to have but one sort, after having kept them all. AND ATOMS Notebook of Science Progress in Field, Laboratory and Study. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. Birds, relatively speaking, have just | started flying. They were flightless for most of the 250,000,000 years, mre or less, since they | first appeared on earth and can be con- sidered to have had efficient wings for only about 70,000,000 years. Such flightless creatures as the ostrich, or the chicken when it first comes from the egg, probably represent an approxi- mate picture of what birds were like during the greater part of their evolu- tionary history. Such are the deductions of Dr. P. R. Lowe, noted British ornithologist, from consideration of the probable ancestry of the bird race. His reasons are ad- vanced in the current issue of the ornithological journal Ibis. “A study of fossil birds,” he says, “seems to point to the probability, or even certainty, that flight was only a recent, crowning feat in their evolution and that for infinitely the greater part of the total time consumed since they first appeared they must be regarded as flightless. It seems clear from the evi- dence that flight, when it did come, came with a rush as mysteriously and sud- denly as did the flowering plants. “The flying bird, the higher types of mammals, the higher insects and the higher plants all appeared together at a period of feverish evolutionary activity which appears to have set in toward the end of the Cretaceous (about 75,000,000 years ago) after millions of years of evolutionary somnolence.” Dr. Lowe takes issue with those orni- thologists who consider that such birds as the ostrich once were able to fly, but have lost this ability because of countless generations of terrestrial life. What happened, he @¥s, is that “they missed the evolutionary bus” re- mained little more than warm-| looded dinosaurs, while their close relatives took to the free life of the tree-tops and the clouds. There is little basis, he holds, for the belief that present bird flight has come down in a straight line from the ancient flying rept.llu, such as the arche- opterix. These, Dr. Lowe says, repre- sented one of ‘Nature's experiments flight which failed. She did not eon- tinue along the same line of expefllmn but started all over again, millions of mflhm,nmnuuol!mnmbdo- velopment, which finally succeeded. He traces the ancestry of the birds dence of their reptilian ancestry. * k% X of flight to escape from their enemies | and food was more plentiful on the ground, the birds stopped flying and lost their wings by default. But this argument, Prof. Lowe holds, can be turned against itself. The areas free of carnivorous enemies were the only places where originally flightless birds could have survived, or where many of them would have died natural deaths 50 as to leave fossil remains. A few, such as the ostriches, overcame the handicap of lack,of wings by de- veloping great running speed. Other- wise, as soon as the carnivores became established the flightless birds dis- appeared. LS % A bird ball room, where nightly dances are held—attended by all the birds of a certain species for 20 miles around— | is described by Maj. R. E. Cheesman and ‘W. L. Sclater, British ornithologists, in their account of a recent Abyssinian collecting trip. The “ball room” was a hollow in the mountains at more than 8,000 feet ele- vation. There was a small pond in the center. The birds were wattled cranes, a somewhat rare Aybssinian species. As the bird hunters describe the scene: “First we saw a pair of these cranes beside the water. Toward evening they were joined by pair after pair and a few single birds, coming from every di- rection. All flew low, never more than 30 feet above the ground. By dark 40 wattled cranes were assembled in one spot, and the dancing started. It was a purely social and very friendly enter- tainment. All were silent. One after the other would spread its wings, run a little, give a little jump and then bow. That was all. They were not feeding up to the end of daylight. It was pos- sibly more exciting after dark, as there were sounds at intervals far into the night. At sunrise not a crane was to be seen.” ‘They witnessed the same strange phenomenon on other nights. They estimated that all the wattled cranes within a radius of at least 20 miles must have attended. L A Rhyme at Twilight By 4 Gertrude Brooke Hamilton Summertime Blues Alone in his big dwelling, As twilight ends the day, ‘Takes out a bit of lupp!r Closes his frigidaire— e could sit down | ering of ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS By Frederic J. Haskin. A teader can get the answer to any question of fact by writing The Washing« ton Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washing- ton, D.C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. How many racing lublu are owned by the Aga Khan?—W, A. He owns 12 racing mblu which are located in England, Ireland, Prance and India. Q. Please give a biography of John B, - Stetson—M. I. A. John Batterson Stetson, American philanthropist, was born at Orange, N, J., May 5, 1830. He engaged in hat manufacture and founded the John B, Stetson Co. He built Stetson Hall for Deland University, Deland, Fla, and added other endowments, the name of the institution being changed to the John B. Stetson University. He died near Deland on February 18, 1906. Q. Do Americans or foreigners eat more sausage?—H. L. A. The per capita consumption of sau- sage in this country surpasses that of : any other nation. The average person.’ eats about 11 pounds of sausage a year. On this basis we consume annually 1,400,000,000 pounds. Q. Where was Edward MacHugh, the .| gospel singer, born?—N. A. L. A. Edward MacHugh was bomn in Scotland, May 26, 1894. Q. What does it cost the Government to print postage stamps?—H. W. B, A. According to the latest estimate the cost per 1,000 stamps is approximately 6.4 cents. Q. What is the new method of treating cancer by radium?—J. K. A. The teleradium or radium pack has recently been developed for treating deep-seated cancers. The teleradium is composed of 20 portions of radium held in place by a disc protected by a cov- lead 6 inches thick through which the radium rays pass. Q. Can milk be kept as long as three weeks?—C. G. A. The storage of milk for three weeks causes little or no deterioration in the | nutritive qualities, provided the milk is | kept cold enough so that it does not spoil. Heating the milk to a temperature of 140 degrees F. or higher for 30 min- utes before it is put in cold storage will help to keep it from spoiling. Q. How does the Kaiser spend his days at Doorn?—E. J. A. Rising at 7 the Kaiser goes for a walk in the park. At 8:30 he conducts morning prayers and at 9 has his prin- cipal meal, breakfast. After a trip to the woods where he clears out the un- dergrowth, he returns at 12 to take care of his mail. Luncheon at 1 is followed by a rest hour which ends with until 7. Formal dinner at 8 is followed | by an evening with his family or guests. Q. When was Dillinger killed and what reward was offered for his capture?— N. H. McQ. A. John Dillinger was killed July 22, 1934. A reward of $10,000 was offered for his capture. Q. What is the origin of the term knot as a unit of speed?—C. C. A. The knot is s0 called from the series of pieces of string stuck through the strands and knotted at equal dis- tances on the logline. Q. When did world unemployment reach its peak?—L. G. A. The peak of world unemployment was reached in the Autumn of 1832. There has been a steady decline since that time. Q. When was the clearing house sys- tem first used in this country?—H. C. A. The system was first introduced into the United States by the banks of the City of New York in 1853, Q. How much damage was done in the recent floods in Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri?—P. L. A. Property loss in Nebraska was esti- mated at $11,000,000 in addition to $2,- 000,000 in damage to highways and bridges. In Kansas the total loss was placed at $2,000,000, half of which was to highways. Missouri’s losses were estimated at $2,000,000. Q. Which are rarer, giants or dwarfs? -—C. G. A. Giants are rarer in occurrence than dwarfs, and like them and other ab- normalities are frequently sterile, Q. Please name some books popular in 1895—W. H. A. In December, 1895, the six books most widely read in this country were: “Days of Auld Lang Syne,” by Ian Maclaren; “The Red Cockade,” by Stanley Weyman; “Chronicles of Count Antonio,” by Anthony Ho 4 Satan,” by Marie Corelli; Brier Bush,” by Ian Maclaren, and “The Second Jungle Book,” by Rudyard Kipling. Q. Why are geysers so called?—L. P, A. The name is derived from an Ice- landic word signifying “to burst forth with violence.” Q. Who was the first woman on the regular pay roll of the United States Government?—T. E. A. In the Spring of 1862 Mr. F. E, Spinner, treasurer of the United States, prevailed upon Secretary Chase to per- mit him to appoint a woman to cut and trim United States currency. This work was then being done with shears in the hands of men. He appointed Miss Jennie Douglas, and as he afterward expressed it, “her first day's work settled “the matter in her and in woman’s favor.” On October 9, 1862, the following women employes were appointed: Miss Fannie | L. Halstead, Miss Annie York, Miss Belle 8. Tracy, Miss Elizabeth Stoner, Miss Mary Burke. They were the first women for whom Congress regplarly made an appropriation. Q. How early were iron beds used? —H. G. A. Although iron beds were not used to any extent until the eighteenth cen- tury, one is mentioned in the inventory of the furniture of the castle of Nerac in 1569. Q. For whom was Toynbee Hall named?—E. W. A. PFounded in London by Canon Barnett, then rector of St. Jude's ‘Whitechapel in 1884, Toynbee Hall was named after Arnold Toynbee, & brilliant economist and co-worker whose death shortly before had been hastened by his zeal for social reform. Q. Can the finder of a meteor claim it?>—C. M. A. The courts have decided that the meteorite belongs to the person on whose land it is found. Q.mec is meant by second feet? Amu:‘zm-nzxmnwu of cul water hll“ second in & body of flowing water. ,.