Evening Star Newspaper, July 9, 1935, Page 10

THE EVENING STAR ‘With Sunday Morning Editien. WASHINGTON, SD, D. C. TUE! July 9, 1935 THEODORE W. NOYES..........Editer The Evening Star Newspaper Company. 11t 5t and Pennyivania Ave : n: New Yerk Office: 110 East 420d 8t. Chicago Office: Lake an Bullding. pean Regent St. n. England Rate by Carrier Within the City. Regular Edition. 45¢ per month The Sunday Star E Night Final Edition. [iisht Final and Sunday Star ight Final Star e Collection made at the end of each month. Orders may be sent by mall or telephons Na- tional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. fly and 1 yr. $10.00: 1 mo.. 85¢ aily only yr., $6.00: 1 mo. 50¢c Bunday onl; yri $4.00i 1 mo. All Other States and Canada. Daily and Sunday 1 yr. $12 Daily “only . 1y Bunday only. Member of the Associated Press. The Assoctated Press 1s exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in this paper and also the locsl news published herein, All rights of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved e s 1 mo.. 2 c i 1 mo.. Bue Questions to Be Answered. Questions addressed to Secretary of the Treasury Morgenthau on the occa- sion of his appearance before the House Ways and Means Committee to present estimates as to the probable revenue to be derived from the proposed new tax schedules indicated clearly the drift of opinion in at least certain sections of the country. “Is your primary purpose to redis- tribute wealth or raise additional reve- nue?” he was asked. “All the multi- millionaires marked for slaughter would not pay the President’s bills for sixty days,” he was told. And the closest that the Secretary came to a direct response to these and similar questions and asser- tions was that the proposed new income, inheritance and corporation taxes “can be made to yield substantial additions to the receipts of the Federal Government.” Granting the full, if somewhat delphic, accuracy of this statement and noting with probable gratification that other testimony of the Secretary indicated that in his opinion such revenues as the new taxes may yield should be applied to the reduction of debts either already in- curred or budgeted, rather than to new governmental spending, his questioners are still left a good deal in the dark. What a healthily growing cross-sec- tion of the Nation would like to know may be simply stated: Is economic and social exigency the controlling factor in the administration’s recent demands for legislation, or does political expediency shape its course? It is certain that the trend of much of this proposed legislation is anti-big- business, anti-vested-interests, anti-capi- talism. The utility measure, the bank- ing bill, the new revenue proposals can- not fail to demonstrate a trend. It is, of course, perfectly possible that the administration is sincerely convinced that the future economic and social wel- fare of the Nation as a whole requires & redistribution of wealth, a new finan- cial set-up and greatly augmented Fed- eral control of business in general. But what puzzles his questioners is why, if this need of near-socialism is the Presi- dent’s genuine conviction, the measures proposed are not more potent toward its accomplishment. And always the possibility of polit- Ical considerations recurs. The banks? Millions have grievances against them, end the champlion of those with griev- mnces gets votes. The utilities? The West and the South, notoriously anti- utility, need bolstering. Big business? The laborer’s vote is as useful as that of the employer—and there are more labor- ers. Share the wealth? Even the most honest man may steal a little of that ephemeral commodity known as thunder. The President is inevitably due to hear this question raised, over and over again, in the year that lies ahead of him. Upon his ability to answer it to the satisfaction of millions of Americans who are more Interested in getting out of the de- pression than in the political fortunes of any man alive and who are imbued with a virile, if inarticulate, belief that the economic system that concentrated one-half of the wealth of the world in the United States doubtless has a good deal in it worth saving, will probably de- pend his place in history. ————.———— ‘There is no possibility that Mussolini will become so busy in Africa as to leave home affairs temporarily in charge of the King of Italy. Not Much Help. Some improvement in the disordered taxicab situation may result from the Public Utilities Commission’s inquiry into rates and zones, to be followed by regulations relating to their uniformity. Certainly uniform rates and zones are the foundation of any system of sound regulation. But as developed by one of the large operators, at the opening ses- sion of the hearing yesterday, if present minimum rates are made the standard, the city will still be overrun by too many cabs and the drivers will be forced to work long hours to make a living wage, with resulting danger to the public; 1f rates are increased, patronage will fall off and a number of drivers will un- doubtedly be forced out of work. ‘This suggests that the Public Utilities Commission must decide at the outset its objective in rate and zone regulation. It should be something more than uni- formity, as desirable as that may be. The commission should decide whether its regulations of zones and rates are to be in the interest of the general taxi- riding public, or whether they are to be chiefly to assure employment for taxi drivers. The taxicab situation here has been muddled, first, by the almost total lack of regulation; second, by the fact that opposition to regulation has been based mainly on the effect upon the indi- \ vidual driver's opportunity for employ= ment. The result has been that & public utility, such as the taxicab business, has not been subjected to the regulation ex- tending as & matter of course to other public utilities. No attempt has been made to restrict the number of cabs to the needs of the public. Nothing has Leen done to force upon the cab oper- ators the assumption of financial respon- sibility. Nothing has been done to guard the riding public against dangers re- sulting from long hours and overwork by the drivers, although one of the oper- ators stated yesterday that these “impair the efficiency of the drivers and endan- ger the public.” Nothing has been at- tempted to assure the driver a minimum wage for his labors, or to guarantee any standard of service by the taxi com- panies. The local taxicab business is an ex- ample of unrestricted competition at its worst. And, while Congress has finally given the Public Utilities Commission authority to fix regulations on rates and zones, it has still left the commission’s hands tightly tied as concerns adequate regulations for public convenience and safety. The Great Court. Senator William E. Borah of Idaho, in a letter to the New York Herald Tribune, strongly urges that the Su- preme Court of the United States be kept out of party politics. Its members, he says, should be free of the suspicion that they are presidential possibilities. For the sake of the court as well as the country, which must look to its highest tribunal for the protection of its liber- ties, Mr. Borah’s advice should be heeded. The Supreme Court has its functions to perform. They are as vital to the country as any that may be per- formed by the Chief Executive. The court has not long since given a demon- stration. It has given new hope to millions of Americans who have watched with increasing alarm the encroach- ments of the Executive upon the legis- lative branch of the Government. The strength of the decision of the court lay in the fact that it was non-partisan. It was the unanimous opinion of men holding widely divergent political views before they dedicated themselves to service on the supreme bench. The Senator from Idaho was impelled to address his letter to the New York Herald Tribune because of newspaper reports that efforts might be made to “draft” either Associate Justice Stone or Associate Justice Roberts for the Re- publican presidential nomination next year. Senator Borah made no criticism of these gentlemen. His attack was upon the proposal that the membership of the highest court should be dragged into partisan politics; that the court might become a hot-bed, a greenhouse for the cultivation of presidential booms. The thoughts of the people have been ! turned to the Supreme Court in recent weeks because that tribunal has spoken out effectually to check usurpation of power and the unconstitutional delega- tion of the law-making authority of Con- gress. The suggestion that the major political party in opposition to the Roosevelt New Dealers should turn for leadership to a member of the court may be natural. At the same time it would necessarily be embarrassing to any of these judges who have given themselves so wholeheartedly to the cause of justice and the support of the ‘ Constitution. The Supreme Court of the United States has been a bulwark for the people on many occasions. As Senator Borah has pointed out, it was the Su- preme Court which finally called a halt on the military government of the Southern States, imposed by an embit- tered Congress at the close of the Civil War. It was the decisions of that great court which ultimately brought again to that section of the Nation the freedom which is American. The Supreme Court now has begun the task of halting a dictatorial government of the people. It has much more to do. It is no time to shake the faith of the people in this tribunal by making it appear merely a political proving ground for great guns. —_——————— A happy birthday was spent by John D. Rockefeller, who must feel some sat- isfaction in noting how much anti-trust legislation a wise and public-spirited financier can survive. — e Arms for Scandinavia. It is not only the equilibrium in West- ern Europe that has been disturbed by Great Britain’s private naval under- standing with Germany. Northern Eu- rope, too, is upset by the rearranged balance of power, which again makes the Reich a force in the North Sea and the Baltic. While the rest of the Old World has been giving itself over to costly competition in armaments since the World War, the Scandinavian king- doms have devoted themselves to pursuit of the peaceful arts, concentrating time, energy and resources exclusively upon development of their respective social and economic interests. Now Sweden, Denmark and Norway, which have been called “the last out- posts of sanity in Europe,” suddenly realize the need of strengthening their defenses, unless they are to face help- lessly contingencies created by the re- emergence of Germany as a naval power. While both the Reich and Rus- sia remained negligible at sea, the Swedes, Danes and Norwegians experi- enced the luxury of effortless security. They presented the exemplary aspect of nations which had solved the joint problems of peace and disarmament. The Scandinavian peoples envision henceforward an entirely different and far less comfortable situation. With the Nazi fleet in unchallenged control of the Baltic, Sweden’s position becomes especially worse. Plans are already in the making to concentrate the whole of her foreign trade at Gothenburg, on the North Sea, in order to avoid any de- pendence on the Baltic in case of war. With the Baltic and the Skagerak vir- tually alienated to the Germans by the British, Swedes are now talking about France as the only power to which they can look for support. The Anglo-German naval deal re- quires Denmark, too, seriously to recon= sider her defense problem. The Danes have already been reminded from Ger- many that they control the entrances to the Baltic and that Danish neutrality can be maintained only if Denmark retains the power to close or open the Great and Little Belts and the Sound at will. Denmark has also had Nazi warn- ings that the Reich, one of these days, may sgek rectification of the post-war arrangement that restored part of Schleswig-Holstein to Danish jurisdic- tion. Stockholm dispatches report that be- cause of these various considerations the Scandinavian states reluctantly now face the necessity of armaments on & substantial scale. Even the present So- cial Democratic government in Sweden recognizes the conditions that the new situation in the Baltic has brought about and is in mood to act accord- ingly. It is an ironical circumstance that the region which is the birthplace of the Nobel Peace Prize idea has at length been drawn into the orbit of the international race in war machinery. Robert Fulton Bridge. A proposal has been made for a name for the new bridge across Rock Creek at P street, now approaching comple- tion. The fact has been recalled that Robert Fulton, inventor of the steam- boat, made his first experiments on those waters with a model that later developed into the Clermont, and his name is suggested for the viaduct span- ning the valley, There should be no question of its adoption. Fulton was a friend of Joel Barlow, American poet, philosopher and patriot. His home was Kalorama, an estate then bordering on Rock Creek. Fulton and Barlow col- laborated in the early researches in the application of steam to navigation, and it was while Fulton was a guest of Barlow at Kalorama that these early experiments were conducted. Rock Creek was then a considerable stream and afforded a suitable practice course for such a purpose. No memorial to Fulton exists in Wash- ington, although his name is identified with the early history of the Capital. It is doubly appropriate that it be now given to the structure spanning the creek, a replacement of one that has borne only the title of the thoroughfare of which it has been for many years a feature. To name this bridge for Fulton would definitely fix in the public mind for all time the fact that the waters which it spans were utilized by the great inventor, a man of exceptional genius, a native American, and a con- tributor beyond measure to the welfare of humanity through his discoveries and devices, and were the scene of the ex- periments which gave to this country the everlasting credit of steam navigation. While great calculations are discussed in billions, the figures that Joom large in political imagination are *“1936.” ——————r———— J. P. Morgan is selling pictures so cheap as to create a fear that art has struck a bear market. ———rat. Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. 'Way Down in Ethiopia. 'Way down in Ethiopia there comes & sigh forlorn, It does not tell of hardship in the cotton and the corn, But Lawyer Marks is busy as a diplo- matic bee And Mussolini seems just now as harsh as a Legree. They’ll send along some airplanes with an aim so swift and cool The Emperor will be puzzled ’'cause it's not an army mule. The palace will be wrecked as if it were a cabin small. The King of Kings, like Uncle Tom, will have no chance at all! No Yearn for the Past. “Don’t you wish you were a school- boy again?” “If I were,” said Senator Sorghum, “what difference would it make. I am worried by professors more than I ever was before.” Jud Tunkins says a man who knows what he is talking about may have to do so much studying that he hasn’t time to say much. Missing From the Calendar, Hazy days and blazy days! Now and then some crazy days! Still we sigh As time goes by For some good old lazy days. Polite Explanation. “I wonder what the secret of Solo- mon’s wisdom was,” said Mr. Meekton's wife. “Good advice,” replied Leonidas. had any number of wives.” “He Christmas Is Coming. It's weary, weary waiting till it's time for Santa Claus. The old thermom keeps rising quite indifferent to applause. Unrest is slowly rising all the way from coast to coast. You're tired of gangster bullets when you need a snowball most. ‘We must wait till roses wither and the harvest moon has set. We must wait until Thanksgiving day reproves us for regret. We must mind our campaign manners and keep shouting for the cause. It's weary, weary waiting till it's time for Santa Claus. “Dar ought to be some way of gittin’ rid of holdin’ companies,” said Uncle Eben, “dat consist of folks dat git to- gether for a purpose of holdin' & grudge.” b A A-10 THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 1935. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Beauty in the Mall Versus Parking Space To the Editor of The Star: The effort to make one-hour parking for the “tourist” is on a par with the effort to beautify the Agriculture grounds by placing a dirty, smoked trash can on its front lawn. Its counterpart is the “beautiful” brick wall at the new Internal Revenue Building, placed there to torment motorists—a fine principle of co-operation! They have cut down all the beautiful trees which formerly “marred” the beauty of the Agriculture grounds—and replaced them with beautiful (?) mud, to bring a desert look, beautiful (?) signs that look like miniature tomb- stones, some grass and the aforesaid trash can. Now they say there will be one-hour parking for the tourists. How generous! One whole hour for the tourists to see the new museum, the Medical Museum, the old museum, the aircraft building, the Smithsonian and Freer Art Gallery. -How very generous, especially as a goodly part of the space is illegally “reserved for Congressmen and holders of official permits only.” Methinks I hear the murmuring of a certain official who, when he took office, said that in five years he would have all the cars off the streets of Washington. Already many people are shopping out of town be- cause they can't get parking here, rea- sonably. But to return to the tourist needs. Their trade should increase every year, so why not make the denuded Smith- sonian Mall into a huge parking place for tourists? One, at the very least, for two hours, would be a real help to the tourist. It has proven so at the Capitol ‘Then make at least two driveways north and south between Twelfth and Seventh streets, across this Mall for the tourist. As it is they must waste precious time and drive to Twelfth street, or Seventh street, to go north or south five blocks with no exit. Why not be practical and humane to both tourist and residents in this great motor problem, instead of concocting ways to make life harder for them? A great many motorists from the Gov- ernment buildings north of Constitu- tion avenue park on Independence ave- nue—thus adding greatly to the bedlam south of Constitution avenue at 4:30 If those buildings had reasonable park- ing spaces—and it could be done—their cars would be out of the way by the time the traffic from south of Constitu- tion avenue reaches there. It seems to me the country has gone made on beauty versus the practical. A huge parking place for tourists on the denuded Smithsonian Mall would be practical and hospitable and en- hance the beauty of the Mall—in the eyes of the motorists who have no “re- served spaces,” and would be a real comfort and pleasure to tourists. W. P. RIESECK. Investor in Utilities Protests Oppression To the Editor of The Star: I voted for President Roosevelt, but I regret it now as I am not in sym- pathy with his radical views toward the utility corporations. I have money in one of the big electric corporations and in my estimation millions in all walks of life will suffer serious loss from their investments in the utility corporations if Mr. Roosevelt is allowed to interfere in the expansion of these companies. Many women have most of their money invested in the utility cor- porations and if they become in any way crippled or curbed and the divi- dend rates cut some will suffer. The big utility corporations are a public necessity and they hire thousands of clerks and should be allowed to without interference. I think that Mr. Roosevelt instead of attacking so-called big business should encourage it. Does Mr. Roosevelt desire to add more people to those now on charity and to reduce to pauperism thousands by crippling the utility companies by in- terference? I have always been loyal to American institutions and am opposed to communism and all detrimental agencies seeking to destroy or to under- mine American institutions, because when my grandfather and his children became American citizens (on their arrival from Wales) my grandfather always stressed loyalty to the land of his adoption and opposed communism in all forms and taught his children and grandchildren to do likewise. I, how- ever, feel now that President Roosevelt's attitude toward the utility corporations is almost communistic in theory and if followed out will ruin the utility com- panies and also mean financial ruin to millions of investors. Pittsburgh. DOROTHY A. DAVIS. What Prohibition Did Accomplish To the Editor of The Star: Mr. Walter Walton seems to be of the opinion that perfection in the com- mercialization and consumption of alco- holic drinks has been reached. Calling himself a “dry,” though negatived by the sense of his remarks, he takes his fling at prohibition. Let us see what prohibition accom- plished. Practically all legal intoxicants, representing 75 per cent of preprohibi- tion alcohol, were completely barred. The 25 per cent of illegal liquors in the preprohibition era was doubled. Hence a 50 per cent, at least, reduction in the consumption of alcohol for bev- erage purposes. But the greatest accomplishment of prohibition, generally overlooked, was that there was no solicitation. If a man drank, he did so without solicita- tion; he was not induced by display, advertisement, personal or other solici- tation. Today every effort is being made to make men, women and children alco- holic conscious. And this self-alleged dry approves even to the extent of attempting to glorify same as ideal. If there was an increase in lawless- ness in a trade which never had been lawful the same was to be expected from a leadership at the greatest ebb in America. And prohibition will come back when the present stage of abuse lingers a while longer. And the greatest proof of the value of prohibition is that the distilleries have not found the mar- ket for their products whish they ex- . Mr. Walton may be fooled, but the distillers are not. They know that prohibtion broke a habit, and they are desperately attempting to return America to the stage of alcoholic con- sciousness as before prohibition. And then, Mr. Walton should know, there was the ulterior purpose known of all men. GEORGE W. JONES. ——e— Style From the Kansas City Times. One thing about style, as discovered by the Jackson Cash Book, is that women can carry a $10 pocketbook containing only a dime and look just as good. Grow Up! From the Toledo Blade. There is a new thought for young men in Senator Holt’s experience. Get your- self elected to the Senate early in life and grow up to the coumu}m. A striking instance of the vast need for oxygen by goldfishes is to be seen in a local aquarium. Nine fishes still gasp for breath in a 40-gallon tank, supplied with three aerators worked by electricity, and a constant drip of running water across the top of their aquarium. Probably as many as 500 guppies might be kept in that tank without any arti- ficial aeration of any sort, and certainly 'I“M:I l’udrelm‘llk water. e 0 hundred or more ave! fishes could enjoy life wmu;kgm in such a “swell tank,” plentifully sup- plied with good plants, growing well as the result of plenty of light. Those who have kept two or more in a small bowl will wonder how they did it, then. ‘The answer is easy: ‘They permitted the creatures to gasp. *x %% Thousands of keepers of goldfishes ought to bear in mind this picture of the nine fishes in 40 gallons of water, supplied with all the latest gadgets for their care—and yet still gasping for oxygen. If they will breathe uneasily after such provisions, what must they not do in the 1 or 2 gallon bowl? Changing the water, the time-honored remedy, is not enough. ‘While the ordinary common goldfish may stand this treatment for a long time, it can only be said to be better than nothing. leal, in the care of these or other fishes, is to furnish them with as near an approach to natural conditions as_possible. Even the most careless person will realize that very few keepers ever begin to duplicate such conditions. ‘Then how do they do as well as they do by their charges? DI There are just two answers: 1. Hardy fishes. 2. Keeping just a few. The real answer is the second. This is the best way to make up to the ani- mals for deficiences of water content and food. If only a few fishes are kept, they will adjust themselves to the condi- tions under which they must live, if these are not too severe upon them. Hence it is perfectly possible for the average person to handle these bright fellows with some success. gasping for air. It was not enough even when air was blown by an electric pump through porous stones. It was not suffi- clent even when there was a constant drip of water. If this tank were fo be taken as a standard, we might well believe that the keeping of goldfishes in the average STARS, MEN ‘The harm may not show for weeks, and even then it will not be traceable to the sudden change, but that will be the real cause of the trouble. Hence it is important to measure the temperature of the water in the bucket they are in, and also of the water they are to be placed in, before any transfer however, are not recommended. e best solution is a window where air low over the surface of the water, where not much direct sunlight will little length of time. * % x % ‘The more intense light of the Summer is responsible for most of this inimical condition, which colors the water and gradually hides the fishes from view. So far no real remedy has been evolved. Chemical means for clearing are to be viewed with suspicion. Cover- ing the tanks with colored papers of various sorts is mostly hokum. While now and then a tank may clear up, under such treatment, the owner will have the deep-seated was mostly good fortune, and that some other unknown factor really did the work. One thing is sure, whether one deals with a tank containing tropical fishes or goldfishes, there is no need for some of the light which strikes the water, either from the top or through the sides. The clear water aquarium must re- ideal, whether one’s object the inmates properly . There is little if any- for “green water,” even to be healthy. Clear er and much better look- ng. y fancy the fishes prefer it, too, especially those species which in nature enjoy crystal clear habitats. *x % % ‘There can be little doubt, whether one deals with tropicals or goldfishes, that one of the best solutions of many prob- lems, including both clear water and healthy fishes, is to cut down the num- ber of animals kept in any given body of water. This will mean that bits of waste food will not have a chance to do harm, mals, in combination with left-over food, cannot get in its bad work. This will mean that the water will be clearer, and, all things taken into con- sideraf more filled with oxygen, with dioxide and other harmful lucts of organic life. we wish more oxygen in water, one of getting it, in effect, is to see that less carbon dioxide is in it. Then the amount of oxygen is relatively higher, whether actually more or not. It is as simple as that, and no doubt many a tank has failed for no greater reason. Sometimes one sees fewer plants advo- cated for Summer, but we do not believe in that, and do not believe the fishes do, either, whether gold or others. The more plants, within reason, the better. But this, only, if the number of animals has been cut down. It is better to have two fishes in good health, and enjoying life, than half a dozen swimming slug- gishly and unhappily. AND ATOMS Notebook of Science Progress in Field, Laboratory and Study. BY THOMAS R. HENRY., ‘When the first white men came to the New World they encountered people with cultures superior, in some respects, to their own. ‘The Indian doctor compared favorably with his white contemporary. Neither of them were much good, from the view- point of modern medicine, but both had a vast accumulation of impirical meth- ods and formulae which contained much of real value. The white medicine was suitable to the conditions of Europe, where it had been developed through the centuries. The Indian medicine was adapted to the conditions of life in America and when the Pilgrim fathers settled at Plymouth they owed much to the red medicine men. A photostatic copy of what is believed to be the first medical treatise written in the New World has just been ob- tained by the Smithsonian Institution from the Vatican Library. Hitherto its existence has been known only to a few scholars. It was found by Dr. Charles U. Clark while in search of early American texts in European libraries. The treatise—an herbal describing the various plants and other materials used in Aztec medical prescri] was the work of two Aztecs who were educated at the College of Santa Cruz, founded by the Spanish in 1535. Composed originally in Aztec, it was immediately translated into Latin. The chief author appears to have been a certain Martin de la Cruz. The date was 1552. This college was the first institution of higher learning established in Mexico by the Spanish for the education of “sons of gentlemen of the principal towns and larger provinces. The authors probably were students there. A description of the manuscript, with a resume of the contents by Dr. Emily W. Emmart of Johns Hopkins Univer- sity, has just been issued. The materia medica of the Aztecs was highly developed at the time of the con- quest. It compared favorably with that of Europe, where physicians were still practising astrology, imitative magic and witcheraft in addition to the scanty medical science of the age. For the peculiar needs of a people living at a high altitude in a semi-tropical country, the Indian medicine probably was su- perior to the European. This was recog- nized by the Franciscan friars of the College of Santa Cruz. There the native curative arts were taught in preference to those of the white men. The works of many of the great European herbalists of the sixteenth century bear witness to the fact that Astec medical teachings had considerable influence over the practise of healing in Europe. Aztec medicine, as is shown by this herbal, was practical and relatively free from superstition. A few healing charms are described, but such were common to all medicine at the time. For the most part this materia medica is made up of time-tested remedies which were used because of their demonstrated efficacy. The demonstra- tions might not satisfy the modern prac- titioner, but this was the sixteenth century. This medical sclence was not the of the Astecs alone. It was all, the medicine of the peoplesuncon- taminated with the rationalizations of the priest-doctors. Centuries before the Spanish con- quest the Aztecs had collected flowers and herbs from the lowlands and de- veloped a true botanical garden. The early historian, Torquemada, wrote: “Montezuma kept a garden of medi- cinal herbs and the court physicians experimented with them and attended the nobility. But the common people came rarely to these doctors for medic- inal aid, not only because a fee was charged for their services, but also be- cause the medical value of herbs was common knowledge and they could con- coct remedies from their own gardens.” The first chapter deals with head ail- ments, such as colds, abscesses, falling hair and skull fractures. The second describes treatment for sore eyes, fever, blood-shot eyes, cataract, insomnia and drowsiness. The third is devoted to ear infections. The authors describe in detail treatments for headache and for nose-bleeding. Two of the most interesting plants described as cures for pain are the “tolo- hauxihuitl” and the “nexehuac,” both members of the datura family, whose plants are used the world over for their narcotic properties, the effect being due to the fact that they contain the drug atropine. Remedies are described for such varied ailments as dysentery, skin diseases, gout, pain in the joints, burns, wounds, cracks in the soles of the Teet, etc. Long before the days of modern psy- chiatry these Indians considered fear, fatigue and feeblemindedness as diseases and prescribed medical treatment for them. Besides the use of plants, ani- mals, stones, various kinds of earth, salts and carbon were used in the con- coction of the Aztec medical formulae. There are numerous references to the use of bezoar stones, which were ob- tained from different species of birds. Salt, obtained in cakes from the salt lake of Taxcoco, was one of the chief articles of trade during the Aztec empire period. Animal charcoal was used in the preparation of bitter principles for infusions and tinctures. It is used for the same purpose today, although in purer form. —_— e ————— Fast or Slow? From the Ann Arbor Daily News. A speed limit of 45 miles per hour has been decreed for three State highways near Kalamazoo and Saginaw, but news stories so far fail to state whether it is the maximum or minimum. No Beetle Code. Prom the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. Japanese beetle may be a little late, but on arrival, in default of N. R. A. code, he will work overtime to make up his work quota. Penalty of Equality From the Flint (Mich.) Journal. All this talk about a woman for Vice President proves that women would some day learn that equality mrt.he‘ sexes has is penalties. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS By Frederic . Haskin. A reader con 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. Has a horse ever won the English Derby twice?—S. F. D. A. That would be impossible, since it is a race for 3 year olds. Q. How many homes in the country are in disrepair and lacking proper sani- tary equipment?—A. R. A. Thirty-six per cent of homes are substandard. Five million of these are farm homes and six million non-farm. Q. How can rust be kept from gun barrels when they are not in use?— W.H. 8. A. The barrel of a gun should be closed up when stored by filling it with a good gun grease. This automatically closes it and prevents rust, Q. Who invented the seismograph for recording earthquakes?—M. 8. e A. The first instrument of the kind was the seismoscope of Chang Heng, a Chinese scholar, made in AD. 132, Q. Of what is the secretion that comes from the fingertips composed?—E. J. A. From 985 to 995 per cent water and 05 to 1.5 solid material comes from the sweat pores on the fingertips. One- third of the solid material is composed of inorganic matter, usually salt, and there are minute quantities of fat. Q. How many Marines are stationed at Quantico, Va.?—G. A. W. A. As of June 21, 1935, there were 2918 Marines stationed at Quantico, Va. Q. What is the land in Ontario be- tween Lakes Ontario and Erie called? —S. B. A. That portion of the Province of Ontario situated directly between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario comprising Well- and and Lincoln Counties, is known locally as the Niagara Peninsula, Q. Why was Schubert buried clad as & hermit?—W. C. A. It was in his day the custom for one of his class to be buried as a hermit. This was the dress of the great Schubert. His brow was crowned with laurel. Q. How old was Daniel Defoe when he started writing fiction?—A. R. A. Although he was a prolific writer in other lines for many years, Defoe did not begin to write fiction until he was nearly 60. Q. Why was the Cut dug from Palm Beach to Lake Trail?—E. A. A. The Cut in Palm Beach, Fla, lo- cated immediately south of the Palm Beach Country Club and running from County road (Palm Beach avenue) to Lake Trail, was dug in 1914 by the Florida East Coast Hotel Co. This Cut was made by a channeling machine which is really a huge circular saw used extensively in cutting this type of rock on the Florida Keys. The pur- pose of the Cut was two-fold: To provide a wheel chair path connecting County road with Lake Trail. To pro- vide a run-off for water from the hy- draulic dredge used in filling the land which is now the golf course of the Palm Beach Country Club. With the passing of the years, the Cut has grown more beautiful from year to year be- cause of the vines and tropical foliage which has been developed. It is still used extensively for wheel chair traffic particularly as there is now a separate wheel chair path on County road which extends from the Cut south to Wells road. It is, of course, also used by bicycle riders, who have greatly increased in number in the last two years. Q. Was John D. Rockefeller a soldier during the Civil War?—R. E. G. A. He did not serve. Q. For how long a period has Benares been celebrated “in song and story?"— E. 8. A. Since about 1200 B.C. Q. How many legions were stationed in the Roman provinces in Augustus’ day? —H. P. A. Tacitus says twenty-five. Q. For how long have the flags flown day and night over the United States Capitol?—C. A. B. A. The Office of the Architect of the Capitol says that the custom of flying a United States flag night and day at all times from the east and west porti- coes of the United States Capitol orig- inated during the World War. It was felt for patriotic reasons that there should be one building over which the flag never ceased to fly. The Capitol was selected as being typical of the United States, and as being outside of military regulations, which, of course, demand the furling of the flag at sun- set. Q. Where is Drake Well Memorial Park?—A. J. A. It is situated on Ofl Creek, Ven- ango County, Pa., and marks the spot where Col. Edwin L. Drake drilled the first successful oil well in the world. The 1931 Legislature accepted a gift of land by the American Petroleum Insti- tute and placed the reservation under the care of the State Historical Com- mission. Q. Please give a list of the so-called universal languages—A. R. A. A partial list is as follows: Vola- puk, Esperanto, Spelin, Mondolingue, Universala, Kosmos, Novilatin, Idiom Neutral, Ro, Spatari-Radio-Code, Ido and Anglic. Q. How many heavyweight champions had the first name James and the mid- dle initial J.?—B. D. A. Four. They were Corbett, Jeffries, Tunney and Braddock. Q. How many calories are there in a pound of pineapple?—M. D. A. Only 20. A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton They Only Last a Summer Would y?!u pin a butterfly up against a ‘wal Watch its rainbow colors go, watch it fade and fall? Would you pin a light-winged soul to a dry routine, Watch it lose its gayety in the mundane scheme? Dancing souls and butterflies are their best at play— Following in the wind and sun the pris- ‘ matic day. \ !