Evening Star Newspaper, July 26, 1935, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. FRIDAY .. . July 26, 1935 THEODORE W. NOYES. _Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Concpany. Business Offic 11th 8t. and Punnlil' Rfl York Ofllte 0 East 420 3 Eake Mich Buil e T4 Heent B Cndon. Ensiand. Rate by Carrier Within the City. Re Evening Star --45¢ per month e Eveaing and 8 'rhp !ven d _Sun hen B aunllln 'nn Sunday Star... Night Final E Jisht Final and Sunday St ight Pinal Star. Collection made at th Orders may be sent by mail or t!lenhone Na- tional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Virginia, .. $10.00; 8.00: 4.00; 1 60¢ per month 0 mo.. 40¢ Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dispatches eredited to it or not otherwise credited in this paper and also the local news published herein. All rights of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. = = Fact and Fancy. The tentative “soak-the-rich” tax schedule approved by the Democrats of the House Ways and Means Committee is interesting now chiefly in comparison | 3 4 | she had become accustomed. That, too, with the President’s recommendations which prompted it. The President alluded to the fact in his tax message that studies “have made it very.clear that we need to simplify and clarify our revenue law: efforts which the Ways and Means Com- mittee may have made in that direction are not yet apparent. The President suggests that “our rev- enue laws have operated in many ways to the unfair advantage of the few, and just concentration of wealth and eco- nomic power. * * * The ownership of such wealth or riches represents a great public interest and a great ability to pay.” The total yield from the tentative tax schedule now proposed is estimated at between $150,000,000 and $250,000,000— enough to support the Civilian Con- | servation Camps from five to nine months. The President asked for a higher levy on inheritances and gifts, and “because of the very sound public policy of en- couraging a wider distribution of wealth I strongly urge that the proceeds of this K S s fically segregated and | tax should/be fpee fos 7 etinm | effort to stave off the impending meet- applied, as they accrue, to the reduction of the national debt. By so doing, we shall progressively lighten the burden of the average taxpayer, and, in- cidentally, balanced budget.” The committee tax schedule on in- heritances and gifts is estimated to pro- duce about $121,000,000 additional rev- enue. The public debt now stands at $29,245,326,025.03. Mathematically - in- clined persons may find pleasant di- version in estimating the effect on public debt reduction and the “tax burden of the average individual” in permitting the annual accrual of $121,000,000 toward debt liquidation. There will be general agreement that the assistance of this sum toward budget balancing will be en- tirely “incidental.” The President stated that the “dis- turbing effects upon our national life” that come from great inheritances of wealth and power could be reduced in part by definitely increasing the taxes on “very great individual net incomes.” As an illustration, he pointed out that the graduated tax on incomes stops at $1,000,000. Above that amount the tax rate remains the same. The duty rests upon the Government “to restrict such Incomes by very high taxes.” The House committee found that if all Incomes over a million dollars in 1933 were confiscated outright, the increased yield to the Government would be about $55.000,000. In 1933 there were only forty-six incomes in excess of a million dollars; only one in excess of $5,000,000. So the committee had to go considerably below $1,000,000 to begin its higher levies. | It proposes higher surtaxes on incomes greater than $150,000, graduated up to seventy-five per cent of that portion of an income in excess of $10,000,000. And the estimated yield is $20,400,000 a year— less than half the amount set aside for the “youth movement” under the newly created National Youth Administration. The President suggested the applica- tion of the graduated tax to corporation Incomes in place of the existing flat tax of thirteen and three-quarters per cent, with the imposition of an additional tax on dividends received by corporations. The President suggested the range of the graduated tax might be between ten and three-quarters per cent and sixteen and three-quarters per cent. The committee rates would range be- tween thirteen and three-quarters and fourteen and three-quarters per cent; the yield would be approximately the gsame as it is now, and the committee has apparently decided against an in- . crease in the existing one-tenth of one per cent tax on intercorporate dividends, although a “moderate excess profits tax” may be imposed, with no estimate of the yield yet available. One difference between the House committee’s proposed tax bill and the President’s tax message is the difference betwaen fact and fancy; the difference between the abstract discussion of a political theory and actual dealing with hard realities. Household Hints. That darkly sinister ghreat of evils to come, expressed in the old saying, “Now you have made your bed, sleep in it,” was obviously of feminine origin. It must have come about in the fol- lowing manner: A wife, jealous of a skill at bed making which Providence ordained should be confined to woman- kind, was about to leave for Summer vacation and gave her temporarily-to- be-a-bachelor husband final instructions in housekeeping, including bed making. | with Ethiopia, | tentatively called for July 31. tax | if Addis Ababa agrees to the only | | ably, assist in our approach to a | She showed him how, then stood aside to watdh his own clumsy efforts. Fixing him with a steely eye, her voice trem- bling with triumphant emotion {ll-con- cealed, she said: “Now you have made your bed, sleep in it!” That is how it probably started. But men, resourceful creatures, will find a way. And one way to avoid the complications of making one's own bed and then sleeping in it is—do not make the bed. It is a surprisingly sirple thing, carsying with it its own rewards. There is a touch of ddventure, of daring about it that pleases a man’s vanity. Here he is, all alone in the house, while far away his wife chuckles to herself over his imagined struggles at making the bed—then sleeping in it. And here he is, refusing to make the bed, sharing his delicious secret only with the four walls. Who started all this bed making, anyhow? Why a woman, of course! And who started washing dishes? A woman was at the bottom of that, too. And who perpetuated the traditions that such things are neces- sary? Woman, of course! Triumph is sweet. And one of man’s triumphs is to make life simple. But caution is always advisable. And a simple precaution, as the dog days now beginning draw to an end, is to hire somebody to come into the house and set things—well, if not straight, fix it so that the returning wife will be able to resume life on a scale to which will make life more simple. . ——— A Peace Straw? With the Italo-Ethiopian conflict rapid- ly plunging to a climax, there comes suddenly a straw which suggests that the wind, after all, may be blowing in the direction of peace, just when all pros- pects of preventing war seemed blasted. Premier Mussolini has informed the | League of ions that Ital d; they have done little to prevent an un- | ow! SRS I sy to resume the “conciliation” discussions which broke down at Scheveningen, Holland, two weeks ago. Il Duce attaches a condition to his proffer. Future negotiations must steer clear of any questions pertaining to | delimitation of frontiers and the inter- pretation of border treaties. Earlier talks broke down in consequence of Ethiopia’s insistence upon including in them a settlement of the Ualual frontier incident of last December and the cor- related episodes which brought the dis- pute with Italy to a head. 1t is acknowledged in Rome that Mus- | solini's readiness to continue the parley with Haile Selassie is a last-minute ing of the League of Nations Council, terms upon which Rome is willing to resume “conciliation” the League for the time being will withhold action of its own. that the Council would tackle the Af- rican controversy only if direct settle- ment efforts by Italy and Ethiopia definitely failed. If Ethiopia rejects Mussolini's latest proposal, the Italians believe their hand will be strengthened | when the task of adjudication is finally transferred to Geneva. Many late events are designed to per- | suade the Fascists of the wisdom of mov- ing cautiously in their plans for con- | quest and glory in Africa. Chief among | them is the avowed determination of Great Britain, more or less with the sup- port of France, to see that the League does not evade its responsibility in the | crisis. Despite the bombast with which Mussolini pretends to scorn League in- tervention, he cannot be unaware that on the present occasion Geneva per- sonifies virtually the entire world's de- mand that peace not be broken. It speaks in that respect both for the United States, which is not a member of the League, and for Japan, which re- nounced its membership two years ago. If the Italians go to war with Ethiopia’ they are assured in advance that inter- national public opinion is unitedly hostile to their purposes. Demonstrations in Rome on Thursday Indicate that the Italian people have been lashed into a superpatriotic war frenzy, but there is no lack of evidence that II Duce is minded to watch his step. Hints that a British embargo on arms shipments to Ethiopia may be lifted if Italy defies the League's peace program are undoubtedly having a mollifying effect. In any event, War seems a trifle less certain than it did a few days ago, and that is a hopeful development. e 1t has frequently been stated that Con- gress ought to go home. This Summer Congress wishes it could do so. o History to Order. The writing of history is a sober obli- gation, yet men who essay the task too often color their chronicle with the re- actions of their own personalities, the prejudices of their own minds and the emotions of their own hearts. Examples are numerous. Procopius, for instance, hated Justinian and Theodora, and built for them a monument of infamy which no modern reader can trust. Gibbon flavored the text of his “Decline and Fall” with an acid antipathy to organ- ized Christianity and thus ruined his work for critics like Dean Milman, Lord Macaulay reflected in his annals of Eng- land the Toryism which was the dis- tinguishing characteristic of his peculiar temperament. Buckle's unfinished “His- tory of Civilization in England” is spoiled by his anxiety for democracy and his distrust of individual genius. Col. Young whitewashed the Medici to their everlasting detriment, and Parson Weems claimed for George Washington virtues which the Father of His Country never dreamed of aspiring to attain— with the result that four or five genera- tions of schoolboys considered his hero an intolerable prig. A current case is that of a journalist with a flair for romance who is writing a made-to-order but theoretically ac- curate account of the last days of Nicholas II of Russia, his wife, son and daughters. The armature of m har- It has always been understood | THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON. . ©. FRIDAY, JULY %, 1935 rowing tale is supposed to be an inter~ view with “the man who killed the Czar,” one Ermakov—an erstwhile po- litical prisoner and Red Army leader. But the rogue “runs out” at the climax of his yarn. The actual “executioner,” he insists, was another soldier, a certain Yourovsky. He declares: “The bullet went right through his brain. The Czar spur: to the floor and never moved.” So circumstantial s statement, it would seem, ought to be sufficient for anybody. Perhaps it just happens to coincide with earlier, equally romantic accounts of the murder for which no such exalted au- thority as an actual participant was cited. But more convincing would be the re- port of the official investigation of the Soviet government or the still more re- liable report of the representatives of the British government who checked up on the facts. Perhaps even the files of the State Department here in Washing- ton contain papers bearing on the sub- ject. A cloud of mystery, admittedly, surrounds the entire matter, and it ‘goes without saying that it should be dis- pelled—if only to terminate the oppor- tunity which its present unsettled status affords for sensation hunters. Mean- while, thousands of people, it may be presumed, will accept fiction for solemn truth and the science of history will con- tinue to be handicapped by a conviction of skepticism like that entertained by Robert Walpole when he said: “Oh, do not read history, for that I know must be false.” A contributory factor in reckless driv- ing is the chauffeur who imagines his boss” is such a big man that the police will not dare to molest him. He repre- sents one of the most dangerous forms of delusions of grandeur. Small coinage is contemplated In aluminum. Mr. Mellon, generous in donating works of art, will be considered even more of a philanthropist if he will donate the aluminum. R A king of kings has a large title to defend. There will be no toleration of any impression that it relates only to the terminology of some obscure secret society. e Getting rid of slums is a difficult and necessary work. Preventing them in building plans for the future is a con- sideration entitled to its share of dis- cussion. fl o Letters are studied not only as initials | to denote special brain trusts. In this remarkable era economic power demands literature. e No man before Hitler has undertaken | on so large a scale the experiment of being loved for the enemies he has made. e Shooting Stars, BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Destination. To the ocean I hurried Where white is the foam. I soon became worried And wished to be home, Where a shower is soft as the spray on the sea And my own special rainbow is wait- ing for me. In the mountains I tarried, Still longing to ream. For each bird lightly carried A message from home. 80 I long for the tree which is-pleasant to see for me. The sun as I travel Lights up the blue dome And still I unravel The journey to home. Wherever I sail and wherever I ride, I fare for the spot where my heart doth abide. Preparing te Print. the talks that took place in the com- mittee room,” said Senator Sorghum. “Do they need explanation?” “No, expurgation.” Jud Tunkins says it's always easier to invent taxes than it is to think up new ways of paying them. The Ultimate Undeniable. We argue flercely with a will— ‘The atmosphere grows hotter still And everything we try to show Brings protest that it isn't so. If just one fact we can provide Which can't be finally denied. ‘We may be gay and simply say, That it is very warm today. e Balancing. “What did you decide on at your | political meeting?” asked Mr. Meekton. “A new form of purse to accommo- date the coinage of mills and half cents,” said Henrietta. “As the market baskets grow smaller, we'll have to make the handbags larger.” “Most of my ancestors taught me to be patient and submissive,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “but I am in- debted for a remnant of fortune to & few of them who knew when to be ag- gressive and defiant.” Critical. Why should a war be lightly planned And threats be uttered madly, When history makes us understand We always do it badly. ‘When splendid walls are battered down And homes and hearts are broken Each honest face must wear a frown ‘Though splendid phrase be spoken. So let’s be critical a bit, And frankly—even sadly— Admit war never makes a hit; We always do it badly. “Freedom of speech is fine,” said Uncle Eben, “but itll never get far enough to make it safe to talk back to a policeman.” b A P .\sel{-expresslon, and all roads lead to | Where my own serenade is waiting | “We've got to get together and revise | Unnecessary Annoyance Of Motor Inspections To the Editor of The Star: In view of the opposition of the Key- stone Automobile Club—as expressed in formal resolutions adopted by the Ad- visory Board—to the compulsory me- chanical inspection measure which passed the House Tuesday, we were especially interested in the editorial in The Star of July 23 headed “Unneces- sary Annoyance.” One of the objections of the Keyrtone Automobile Club to the bill is the fact, as pointed out by The Star, that it saddles a new, costly bureau upon the already overtaxed motorists of the Dis- trict. The Star rightly poses the ques- tion: “Is it impossible for legislation to be enacted without creating more bu- reaus, more red tape, more job holders, more ways to annoy the hard-pressed taxpayer?” The Star suggests as an alternative that inspection be carried on by private service stations. The Keystone Auto- mobile Club begs to point out that this method is equally unsatisfactory, and tends to be even more costly. The Key- stone Club knows from long and inti- mate experience in several States, notably Pennsylvania, just how hard this commercialization of compulsory inspection hits the motorist in a pocket- book which already is regarded as legiti- mate prey by countless agencies of taxation. In point of fact, the Keystone Auto- mobile Club’s opposition to compulsory inspection is based upon a large volume of evidence which, unfortunately, the House of Representatives apparently saw fit to ignore. As The Star points out, the cost will be heavy. None would object to this cost if it would mean a substantial or even a justifiable advance in the in- terest of safety. But to subject more than 180,000 motorists to this semi- annual inconvenience, and the initial and continuing expenses involved, when over a seven-year period here but 252 per cent of the 53139 cars involved in accidents were in any way defective is palpably indefensible. It is note- worthy, too, that in Pennsylvania acci- dents actually have increased since en- actment of the compulu%ry inspection measure. nitely pertinent to a subject of para- mount local importance, and with full cognizance of the Keystone Automobile Club's three decades of effort in behalf of street and highway safety. GEORGE E. KENEIPP, Manager, The Objections to the Clark Amendment ‘To the Editor of The Star: In reference to the current discussion of the Clark amendment, if the ques- tion were one of exempting sound private pension plans in a manner that would not unbalance the Government plan, I doubt if there would be any serious controversy. If there is an | agreement in principle, then a way can be found to accomplish that object. However, owing to the provision for “un- earned” annuities in the Government plan. the manner of allowing the ex- emption may not be as simple as one | might desire. The chief objections to the Clark amendment are that it per- ment plan and that it exempts unsound private plans. For these and for other reasons it should be defeated. Most of the current controversy arises from the fact that many of the dis- putants are in unfamiliar territory and do not grasp all of the implications of any particular proposal. In some in- stances it may be that the motives are not entirely altruistic. My personal opinion is that very few employers would seek exemption if all of the facts were known and if there were no opportunity for rigging such as the Clark amendment offers. Would it not be an excellent idea to give the | whole matter a thorough airing? In the | meantime, is it necessary to delay the entire act? JOSEPH B. GLENN, Assistant and Acting Actuary Railroad Retirement Board. | Disgrace of Rock Creek Pollution To the Editor of The Star: I wish to thank H. 8. Haynes, who, in your issue of July 23, calis attention to the disgraceful fact that Rock Creek is badly polluted by sewage. It is a pathetic sight to see, as one may do almost any Summer’s day, dozens of children splash- ing, sometimes even swimming, in this polluted water. The health authorities must be well aware of this, yet year after year goes by without any effort to cor- rect this shameful condition. The casual observer sees mile after | mile of exquisite beauty along Rock Creek, with the most attractive picnic spots that one could find the world over in a city park. When one finally dis- covers, as, sooner or later he must, that the stream is noxious and unwholesome with sewage, it seems almost unbeliev- able that this is so. But your nose knows, and there you are! As a beautiful city Washington is a worthy model for the whole country. But, is it not reasonable to expect that from an. engineering point of view the Nation’s Capital should be a model as well? In fact, being a practical-minded people, we can generally be depended upon to attend to our sanitation before we begin to beautify our cities. As Mr. Haynes . suggests, now, when money is available for improvements, is the golden opportunity to get this disgrace removed from our super-beautiful Rock Creek Park. A. C. NASH. Legalized Liquor and Statistics of Arrests To the Editor of The 8tar: | The record for drunken driving in the District during the last year or so in general, and on last Sunday in par- ticular, is in itself an interesting com- mentary on the letter appearing in your paper on July 6 under the somewhat startling heading, “Tolerance Makes for Temperate Drinking,” and containing some surprising statements about how “we prohibitionists” are now fully recon- clled to public and private drinking under sanction of law. If legalizing & business is all that is necessary to re- move its iniquity, why not apply this simple device to other unsavory activi- ties? The nearly 5000 increase in arrests for intoxication in the District in 193¢ over the year previous, the more than 1,000 increase in arrests for dis- order-y conduct, generally the result of drinking, and the increase of more than 100 in the daily average of arrests in this city during the same year do not altogether bear out the assertion that under repeal “our drinking habits have become sane.” One of the “improve- ments” under the present system noted by the writer of the letter in question, is the fact that “a man would find it pretty difficult to find a drinking place not patronized by women,” which fact may have some connection with the nearly 1,500 women arrested during the past year for drunkenness. GERTRUDE E. MACKENZIE. We present these facts as being defi- | mits the unbalancing of the Govern- | | even under the best of management. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Hot-weather care of squarium fishes 4s much the same as good care at any time of year. There are certain features, however, which need to be accented. when the air is continually hoi and muggy, as it has been this month. No one need fear the effect of thunder on fishes, for there is no efiect, but any one who keeps either tropical speci- mens or goldfishes ought to pay par- ticular attention to the oxygen supply. It must be kept in mind that the warmer the water the less oxygen it holds. In tanks the slightest bit over- crowded the fishes often may be seen gasping for “air.” The usual way this is overcome is to change the water, but there is a right and wrong way of doing this. Even goldfishes do not thrive on an indiscriminate change at too close intervals. 80 long as the water supply is good there is no harm in siphoning off at least a third of the water once a week in hot weather. ‘This will hold for most tropical fishes. This siphoning also takes care of another thing to be kept in mind in Summer, the necessity for a cleaner bottom. various sorts, including excess and un- eaten food, is a breeding ground for inimical tank forces. These will include infusoria, minute animals which tend to give the water a milky or murky character. * ok X X There is & mean between pestering a tank and doing it good. Usually this can be found in a with- drawal of a third of the water and its replacement with fresh water of the same temperature. Sameness of tem- perature is essential, with either gold or tropical fishes, at any time of year. The habit of putting in fresh water without regard to its temperature is not good management, Often as much as half of the water | in a tank which has been going along all right may be withdrawn, but as a general thing it is just a little too much it the practice is to be a weekly one. One-fourth or one-third, once a week, is enough if done regularly this kind of weather. gen, some minerals. This is the only good way to add mineral matter. If the amount of oxygen is not great, added in this way, still it is large in comparison with the amount in water in which the creatures live under such circumstances. We are dealing here with a highly artificial proposition. No doubt this is one of the reasons why it has an irresistible appeal to certain natures. Nothing is sure in this game of keeping fishes. You may handle them for years It will freshen up the water, | dilute inimical forces, add a little oxy- | yet find some new problem cropping | up overnight. * o % % It is with an aquarium as Dr. Johnson | said about the dancing bear. Not that | it could do it well, but that it could do It is a living | it at all was the wonder. wonder, the average aquarium in which | fishes are kept on dried foods. When we contrast their limited swim- ming area, undersupplied with life-giv- ing oxygen, and the piling up of un- wanted chemical elements, as the result the clean sweeps of enormous size in Nature, where winds ruffie the water the old fetich of the tropical fish en- thusiast, “old water,” must be disre- garded. Many old-time keepers saved every bit of water, filtered it, put it back in the tank, This was absurd, to put it mildly. It is not realized by many pis- catorial enthusiasts that the urinary functions of fishes are even more con- stant and hearty than the digestive. ‘The difference is that one cannot see the former waste products. Many old-timers kept tanks which, though clear, were practically clear urine. It could be noted by the yellow color and camphorish odor. While fishes, amazingly enough, can live in this type of water, being gifted by Nature with great adaptability, it was and cannot be good for them. When such a tank was made over, all at once, usually half the fishes died as a result of the too sudden change. Additions of fresh water, therefore, mun be the first measure in Summer because all the life processes of flshu especially food consumption and elimination, are at a peak point. The need for some sort of artificial aeration is evident in many cases. This is best supplied electrically, but | | a hand bulb and stone will do in a pinch Sand soiled by too much debris of if the user is not afraid to apply a little elbow grease. This will supplement the regular addi- tions of water, for nothing but move- ment in the water can budge the heavy gases and induce them to come to the surface, there to be dissipated. Even | fresh water won't do that. * % ¥ x ‘The next step in hot-weather care is feeding. The swimmers should be fed oftener and more if they will take it, and usually they will. Fishes live at an increased rate when it is warmer. They slow down the colder their water becomes. More than usual care must be taken, however, to see that no surplus is left and that such dried foods as are used do not easily shower down from the | surface and do not dissolve too readily in water. removed before feeding. Contrary to some old beliefs, we hold for plenty of plants in Summer. Espe- cially anacharis. This must be com- bined, though, with a lessening of the number of fishes in each tank. “Do not overcrowd” is a golden maxim in Summer. More tank troubles are caused by its violation than anything else. * * % % The fine line between fussing over a tank and taking adequate care of it must be drawn carefully at this time of year. While the fishes should not be wor- | ried by too much intrusion into their | element, they should have such care as they need as outlined above. It is fortunate that amateur keepers have two instruments, the dip tube, so-called, and the siphon. One supplements the other in the care of the tank bottom. Where waste matter | is concentrated the dip tube is best used, and no water need be added. When the waste material is more or less | over the entire bottom the siphon will The wonder is that all do not die, | da, a better job and remove water up to one-third of the total. Fresh water of the same temperature as that in the | tank may then be added to bring the water level to the proper height. We | prefer about an inch from the top of of excess elimination of all types, with | and currents bring up carbon dioxide | and other heavy gases, we readily realize | that the aquarium, any aquarium, holds | life under a handicap. It is for this reason, above all, that WASHINGTON the tank. Use of a glass cover on tropical aquaria should not be discon- tinued in hot weather. It is preferably elevated about a quarter of an inch at each corner. medium and prevents the water from going too high. Tanks should be shielded from _too much afternoon sun. OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. ‘Without & doubt President Roosevelt has acquired a new Nation-wide and influential crop of foes in combating | proposals to permit corporations to de- duct charitable contributions from in- come tax bases. The hostility hasn't been created among the corporations, in which plenty of New Deal enmity existed already, but within the far-flung ranks of adherents of Community Chests and others interested in organized phil- anthropic activities. Among these ele- ments the President’s announcement is bound to spread indignation and dis- may. If the proposed exemption for corporation contributions is killed, the whole system of private charity in the | United States will be undermined. Not only may $20,000,000 of annual income | of 400-odd Community Chests be heav- ily diminished, if not entirely wiped out, | but revenue derived from corporation | quarters by a host of individual private charities may be seriously depleted. There are prompt indications that the | millions of citizens directly or indirectly affected by the issue which the Presi- dent has suddenly raised will not accept his viewpoint without vigorous protest. * % ¥x x It wouldn't surprise some people in ‘Washington if President Roosevelt finds occasion, before Italian guns go off in Africa to make one last impressive effort to avert war. The incident in the House of Commons at London this week, when the British foreign secre- tary, Sir Samuel Hoare, expressed satis- faction over Secretary Hull's recent statement on the Kellogg pact, sug- gests that certain Anglo-American moves may be taking place behind the scenes looking to mobilization of world opinion on behalf of peace. The administration awaits hopefully the outcome of the League of Nations’ eleventh-hour effort to prevent hostilities. Next week's meeting of the Council should show whether Geneva is capable of restrain- ing Mussolini. If it is not, diplomats think that one more international at- tempt in the field of diplomatic suasion may be ventured, with the United States, as the chief disinterested power, taking the lead in bringing it about. * * X X One of the well-known reasons why there are members of Congress who view without concern the prospect of an indefinitely prolonged session is that it constitutes a forum in which théy can continue to command the Nation's ear. Radio affords statesmen a country- wide audience, but to do their stuff beneath the dome of the Capitol gives it an official smack, affects the course of legislation and at the same time assures wide publicity for their views. Once back home, even the most nhlmu lights of Congress are in danger of shrinking into unwelcome obscurity. That is why some of them habitually look upon an adjournment of Congress as a blight rather than a blessing. ok kX In light of the Soviet Union's plan to buy more goods in the United States, interest attaches to a recent statement greal in illiteracy. In Czarist times, according to Mr. Troyanovsky, 70 per cent of the Russian were illiterate. Today there is only 8 per cent of illiteracy. requirements of these new literate mil- lions are expanding steadily and are augmented by the fact that the rapid | expansion of the Soviet's own industry has wiped out joblessness. “The vacuum of purchasing power represented by mass unemployment no longer exists in Rus- | sia,” the Ambassadar®claims. * % * x Dr. Paul M. Pearson, who goes to the Housing Administration from the gov- ernorship of the Virgin Islands, knows living conditions in the average Amer- ican community about as well as any man in the United States. For the better part of 15 years, as president of the Swarthmore Chautauqua Associa- tion, he maintained personal contact | with hundreds of medium-sized towns throughout the Atlantic seaboard. Later, | as president of the Lyceum and Cha tauqua Managers of America, he had | | occasion to extend his acquaintance with | Mormon monument in New York?—F. G knowledge and experience he acquired | Main street all over the country. The in the days before movies and radio put the big brown tents of Chautauqua out | of business ideally equip Dr. Pearson, in President Roosevelt’s estimation, for welfare work in the housing field, to which he will now devote his energies. Aok N . If the conservative Democrats proceed seriously with the idea of putting presi- dential candidates in the field next year, you are going to hear more of Senator Harry F. Byrd of Virginia as the logical man to head the ticket. He has youth in his favor, has taken an impressive stand for constitutionalism during the past two years, makes a special appeal to agriculture, has to his credit a.notable economy record as Governor of Vir- ginia, and is held capable of carrying the Old Dominion into the electoral | college. Senator Byrd has given no in- dications of his readiness to lead an independent movement, but he is being increasingly mentioned as the most promising timber in the conservative Democratic woods, * % X % Secretary Frances Perkins has mas- tered the Washington art of dealing with embarrassing questions. When asked at one of her recent press con- ferences “if a general strike is ever justified,” the Department of Labor chief smilingly observed that it would be necessary to write a book on the philoso- phy of strikes to answer that one. DR After many delays, squabbles and dis- appointments, work-relief dollars should shortly be rolling in a big \vnhy" It is 4 officials held off, thinking projects would be undertaken without community con- tributions. They know now that they under proper conditions. With every man on the relief roll classified, a whole- Fine dust particles should be i fish | Glass is a good insulating | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS By Frederic J. Haskin, A reader can get the answer to any question of fact by writing The Washing= ton Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Waghing- ton, D.C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. Is the total newspaper circulation InI.l this country gaining or losing? —H. A. A. Edtlor and Publisher, the authority on all matters of journalism, says that newspaper circulation is increasing, especially that of the Sunday issues. Sunday newspapers have increased nearly 3,000,000 in less than two years, the total of each week's sale being in excess of 26,000,000 copies. Q. Do automobile tires last twice as long now as they did 10 or 12 years ago?—M. 8. A. The average tire of today lasts about two and a half years. Ten or 12 years ago tires lasted about one and a half years. Tires are much less ex- pensive now than they were at that time. Q. Is the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers in favor of Government own- ership of railroads?—A. C. A. The policy of this brotherhood for | many years has been against Govern- ment ownership of railroads and this policy will continue unless changed by convention action. Q. How should a player stand when playing quoits?—R. R. A. To deliver a quoit correctly it is necessary to stand erect, with feet close together, the quoit firmly clusched and brought up almost to the level with the eyes. After gauging the point to be reached, the arm should be thrown well back and after getting the full swing, stepping out with the left foot, the “iron” should be sent to its destination. Q. Does Sir Wilfred Grenfell still go to Labrador to carry on his work there? —K. L. A. The doctors have forbidden him to g0 this year. With the exception of two years when he was in England, Sir | Wilfred Grenfell has gone to Labrador evefy Summer since 1892. The work at the medical mission is carried on by | a staff of 60 doctors and nurses, assisted by about 100 young volunteers from 19 to 21 years of age. Q. Of what religion are the Abys- sinians?—D. R. A. Since the fourth century they have been Christians in connection with the | Alexandrian Coptic Church. Q. Is any man living whose father fought in the American Revolution? —S. P. A. The Sons of the American Revo- lution know of one. He is William Constant Stores Wheeler, aged 87, of Marshfield, Vt. His father, Comfort ‘Wheeler, fought in the Revolutionary War. The son was the child of a third wife. His father was 81 when William Constant was born. Q. How many Indians have voted to come under the Wheeler-Howard act? —J. M. A. So far 134 reservations containing 128468 Indians have voted to come under the act. Fifty-four reservations containing 85,179 Indians have excluded themselves. Q. What was the first movie with a plot?>—G. B. A. “The Great American Train Rob- bery,” produced in 1903. Q. Is the aurora borealis seen in the Southern Hemisphere?—N. S. A. Aurora borealis is,the name given to the Northern Light. It is not visible | in the Southern Hemisphere, The aurora | australis or Southern Light is seen there | Aurora polaris is a name given to both Q. How long after being bitten bv | & rabid dog do signs of rabies appear? The Moscow envoy declares that the | —C. McE. A. The period of incubation for the rabies germ varies widely from three weeks to three months. Q. What kind of a beverage is bishop? —E. W, A. It is composed of red wine such .| as claret or Burgundy, poured warm or cold upon ripe, bitter oranges, sugared and spiced to taste. Q. Has the road to Mexico City from the Texas border been finished?— M. B. N. A. The road from Laredo, Tex. to Mexico City was opened about eight weeks ago. Gasoline, oil and water can be had every few miles along the route, and hotel accommodations are available in four towns between Laredo and | Mexico City. Q. What is the significance of the new A. The Angel Moroni Monument is a memorial to the birthplace of Mor- monism. It is located on the summit of Cumorah Hill near Palmyra, N. Y. Here, according to tradition, an angel appeared before Joseph Smith present- ing him with the golden leaves from which he translated .1.he “Book of Mormon.” Q. Please give a biography of Thomas Wolfe, author of “Of Time and the River."—R. K. A. Born in Asheville, N. C., October 3, 1900, Mr. Wolfe is the son of William Oliver and Elizabeth Westall Wolfe. He received his A. B. at the University of North Carolina in 1920; A. M., Harvard, 1922; Guggenheim fellowship for study abroad, 1930-1. From 1924-1930 he was instructor in English at Washington Square College, New York University. He is unmarried. Q. How many bombs can the new Army Air Corps mystery bomber carry? A nudeslcnedmum six tons of bombs for 6,000 miles without refueling and to have a top speed of 230 miles an hour. A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton Life at High Noon In a group at noontime, passing thru a big hotel, His the step to music, his the head held high and well, His the shoulders squared for living, His the glance that never fell— “So I've lost,” he said, and turned away in laughter. In the same assembly, in the high noon passing by, Moved a man with contemplation in his quiet eye, His the slowed and weighted footfall, His the deep, unvarnished sigh— “8o I've won,” he said, and stood & mo- - ment silent.