Evening Star Newspaper, August 7, 1935, Page 8

A—8 THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. WEDNESDAY ............August 7, 1935 THEODORE W. NOYES...........Editor il s il M S The Evening Star Newspaper Company. Berincw Uflu 8t. s Ave, New Sork Sbe. TH0 East 4200 8t. Chicago Office: Lake L chisen mutidine. European Office: 14 Regent St.. London. England. Rate by Carrier Wlthln the City. --45¢ per month --60¢ per month wl 65¢_per month The Sunday Star__ 5c per copy Night Jisht Final apd Suna ight Finai Star S5¢ per month Qollection made at the end of each month. Orders may be sent by mail or televhonl Na- tional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland llll Virginia. tly and Sunday . $10.00: 1 mo. 88¢ ny $6.00 Sunday only. per month 1 Ir. 34.00; 1 mo. 40¢ Beily and sunday. } yr. lunlny 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 publish rein. Al Fights of “publication of special fiosithes herein are also reserved. - [00; 1 mo. 100 1 mo. Taxes and Reform. The interesting and thorough analysis of the Federal system of taxation pree sented before the Senate Finance Com- mittee by Robert H. Jackson, general counsel of the Bureau of Internal Rev- enue, concerned itself largely with dis- cussion of three topics: (1) The “un- sound” shift of the tax burden to con- sumers from ability to pay; (2) the in- creasing tendency toward the concen- tration of wealth, and (3) the ease with which the extremely wealthy escape their tax burdens. These are three subjects which are presumably proving of concern to the tax-collecting agency of the Treasury. Is it the purpose of the pending tax bill to correct what Mr. Jackson points out as inequities? Does the measure succeed in bringing about the reforms which Mr. Jackson deems desirable? As for the first subject—the shift of " the tax burden from ability to pay to consumers—Mr. Jackson illustrates the point by showing that in 1930 taxes levied on ability to pay contributed 682 per cent, while miscellaneous taxes levied on consumers brought 31.8 per cent. By 1933 the ratio had changed to 41.7 per cent and 583 per cent, respectively. Since then the trend has continued in the same direction, though the per- centage of change has been less. The explanation, of course, is the depression, with the resulting decrease in the num- ber of taxable incomes, with increasing nuisance and other levies, including the processing taxes, which are borne di- rectly by the consumer. The pending tax measure would do little, if anything, to change that trend. And it is doubtful that Congress, in ad- vance of an election, will do anything _ to try to reverse the trend. That trend . will not be reversed by “soaking the rich,” but by broadening the taxable in- come base and soaking & greatly in- creased number of voters. The number who paid income taxes in 1833 was 1,747,740. Said Mr. Jackson: “* * * The base for our income tax is now seriously narrow and results-in part from the fact that the number of people having in- comes above a generally accepted sub- sistence level is seriously small.” The pending tax bill levies an in- heritance tax which, in addition to the current estate tax, approaches the point of confiscation in the higher brackets. The yield in revenue, however, is small in comparison with the need for revenue. And the effect, not in breaking up the concentration of wealth in the hands of & few, but on industry as a whole, is & matter for serious conjecture on which Mr. Jackson does not shed much light. ‘Whether any beneficial reform would be accomplished depends entirely upon & point of view and is a matter of opinion. As for the methods of evading tax payments, through investment in tax- free Government securities or otherwise, the pending bill aims only at gifts as & protection against evasion of death taxes. While the figures on tax-free incomes flowing from investment in tax-free securities are interesting, are they par- ticulariy important? The National Government, along with the States and municipalities, will weigh the revenue lost through tax-free securities against the increased cost of marketing secur- ities which are taxed. And they have apparently concluded that the loss, in the long run, may not be so great. The tax bill is not essentially a rev- enue-raising measure. And if it is aimed at social reform, the reformatory meas- ures are negligible as concerns the cor- rection of existing inequities, while re- spected opinion frankly labels some of its provisions dangerous. The bill re- mains, in other words, chiefly political. Agriculture needs farm hands in order to bring crops which afford the relief in time of food scarcity. 'There is no value to a cash payment with nothing to buy with it. Washington’s- Loss. Announcement of the designation of the Most Reverend James Hugh Ryan to be Bishop of Omaha signifies a def- inite loss to Washington. As rector of Catholic University he had won a place in the Capital's religious and educational life which cannot easily be filled by any successor. Thousands of men and women who were not related to his church or his school appreciated him for his fine gifts of enthusiasm, courtesy, tolerance and liberal social spirit. He was ac- cepted as 4 sincere and generous leader both wide and deep. ably would be fair to say that not since the time of Cardinal Gibbons has there been & more popular or constructively effective Catholic career than that of the man who now is to labor in the Nebraska fleld. But Washington will not permit a final or complete parting with Bishop Ryan. The university into which he has > ) Cramton legislation were halted. THE EVENING built himself during the past seven years will keep in touch with him, and the community at large will reserve the right to summon him back on occasion for such special service as it has learned he can render. Meanwhile, Omaha de- serves congratulation. No diocese, it soon will discover, could have a gentler or kindlier shepherd. To the Bishop himself the Capital again expresses its affection, respect and good will. Wher- ever he may go and whatever he may do, he can be sure that he still has friends in Washington—people of every class and creed who are grateful for his example of Christian fellowship and love. Needed Park Funds. ‘The $800,000 fund for District park purchase under terms of the Capper- Cramton act, now agreed upon by con=- ferees on the pending deficiency meas- ure, was needed largely to protect an already heavy investment in land par- tially acquired for park and other recreational uses. The decision to ap- propriate the money is eminently wise and represents sound economy. At the very outset of the depression further advances under the Capper- Al- though the legislation had authorized a total of $16,000,000, only about a fourth of that amount had become available and some unspent balances were im- pounded for a time by the Budget Bureau. The park officials, meanwhile, had gone about their park purchases with the long-range idea of carrying out a carefully considered program. When the supply of money was shut® off, some of the projects were left hanging in the air, as it were, and incomplete. In a few years real estate development would undoubtedly have taken up where the park officials left off, and the value of much of the money already spent would have been lost. With the $800,000 soon to be available the park purchase program will be completed as far as the money will allow. No new undertakings will be begun. Of prime importance, now that the city’s various recreational agencies have been brought under the temporary di- rection of a unified body, is the com- pletion of recreational centers and play- grounds. That, according to John Nolen, jr, in charge of planning for the Na- tional Capital Park and Planning Com- mission, is the objective now, and the result will be to furnish a “well bal- anced program, giving new facilities all over the city.” Together with the greatly needed grant of a million dollars to the Na- tional Park Service, for improvement of Washington’s small parks and for other development of land already acquired, the coming year promises to witness valuable strides in city beauti- fication after too many years of neglect. The Rhede Island Straw. ‘While a single by-election in a small State like Rhode Island is not a con- clusive indication of national sentiment, the result of the balloting in the first district of that State yesterday to fill a vacancy in the House of Representatives has its sinister implications for the New Deal. The Republican candidate won by a margin of 13,000 votes, as against a majority of 21,000 for the Democratic candidate nine months ago, an overturn of 34,000 votes in a total of 83,000 cast yesterday. Coupled with this was the defeat of twelve proposals for bond issues in part to finance relief and work proj- ects. And finally, to complete the pic- ture of Democratic disappointment, New- port elected a Republican mayor for the first time in twenty-one years. This was not merely a parochial hap- pening. The contest in the first district was directly based upon the New Deal issues, the Republican candidate oppos- ing the administration’s program of legislation and the Democratic candidate supporting it. The Republicans chose this issue and their opponents were com- pelled to meet it. Which gives the out- come a particular significance as a straw to indicate the trend of the wind. The old adage about Maine as an index to the political course of the Union is recalled by this possible portent of re- action. Rhode Island merely happens to be the weather vane—if it is that— by reason of the resignation of the Rep- resentative to accept a judicial appoint- ment. Were the election of yesterday confined to that one contest the result might be attributable to personal popu- larity and local politics. But the Demo- cratic loss of the mayoralty of Newport and the defeat of the bond issues con- tribute to the interpretation of this out- come as a symptom of a changing pub- lic feeling not merely in Rhode Island but elsewhere. ————— The League of Nations is still discussed as a valuable piece of economic ma- chinery needing a little more expert management to produce results. Be Careful. Each season of the year, it seems, has its own particular quota of perils; but the Summer months are the most notably dangerous of all the divisions of the calendar. The motor accident charts show an upward curve for June, July, August and September. Similarly, the number of drownings increases, and the same observation may be made with regard to mishaps on playing flelds, air- plane crashes and misadventures with fireworks. But it happens also that holiday time has more than its share of illnesses of different kinds. Pepple “catch cold” easily when overheated or overtired. They likewise appear to be especially susceptible to contagions like measles, scarlet fever, infantile paralysis and meningitis—scourges which work havoc with children, but which also attack adults on occasion. Perhaps the explanation is obvious. Summer is a time when the ordinary routine of life is interrupted, when hu- manity “takes - chances,” and when, under the influence of congenial weather, i unusual circumstances prevail with regard to meals, hours of sleep, condi- tions of shelter, habits of dress and degrees of intensity in physical activity. To defend the multitudes against the seasonal risks there are policemen, beach guards, physicians and nurses. But unfortunately there are a large number of cases each year when such professional help is summoned too late. To cut the tragic toll, therefore, it is necessary that every individual should practice vigilance and caution. The philosophy of the problem may be sum- marized in the slogan: “Be careful!” And in education toward that end adults and children alike may be teachers. A special word, possibly, should be added with respect to diet. Just now there are entirely too mary people ill with stomach and intestinal complaints, It is self-evident that a good rule is to eat wisely, moderately and not adven- turously. Doctors also stress the advisability of rest after meals. - ———— The New York comic paper whose cartooning offended the Japanese gov- ernment has distinguished historic com- pany in its embarrassment. London Punch, which gave England some of her most brilliant authors, has had its political troubles, both pictorial and poetic. —_—————— There is interest in a movement to restore to quaint old villages the whip- ping post. The stocks and the ducking stool might follow in picturesque remi- niscence of “horse and buggy days.” They are at least more humane than shooting and decapitation, as practiced abroad. —————————— « Study of initials in connection with Government affairs has become some- thing of a form of mental relaxation, like cross-word puzzles. Even when the right words are found, there is no obli- gation to arrange them into intelligible sentences. —r————————— Detroit housewives in addition to the right to vote and hold office claim the right to strike. The purse has claimed an enormous part in economic discus- sion. The market basket has a claim to be considered. —— e One of the difficulties that arise when a diplomatic incident is in evidence is the stampede to settle all kinds of neighborhood disputes at once. ————.———— ‘Tax legislation will provide more em- ployment. New credit managers and bill collectors will inevitably be needed. - oo Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOMNSON. ‘Togs. ‘When to a party forth you go You deck yourself with care In clothes that are cut out to show Your shirt front's glossy glare. Your yachting clothes you gayly don Because you seem to think ‘That if you did not have them on The boat would surely sink. You cannot camp among the trees Till you are fitted out To give you all the graceful ease Of a mature Boy Scout. Man’s cares of costume never end As through the world he jogs; His happiness seems to depend On always changing togs. Sardonic Definition. “What is a party platform?” “Something,” replied Senator Spr- ghum, “that a candidate had to stand on, whether he feels like standing for it or not.” Practice. “I shouldn't wonder,” said Mrs. Corn- tossel, “if our boy Josh were training himself to be a soldier.” “What makes you think s0?” “Those new cigarettes he smokes ought to render anybody immune to noxious gases.” Official Ease. When Uncle Jim was landed Into an office high His luck, 'mongst us, commanded Of envy many a sigh. We pictured him, all free from care, Reclining in an easy chair, With servitors drawn up in line To tempt him with cigars and wine. Yet when we rushed in gladness To visit Uncle Jim His smile was full of sadness; His tone was rather grim. He' never rests nor drinks nor smokes Lest he offend us voting folks, And those who stand in line are found Just ordering Uncle Jim around. Jud Tunkins says the radio orator is liable to find himself in the position of a persuasive salesman and get orders for more goods than he could deliver in a lifetime. Diminution. A man has brain throbs which, no doubt, He thinks great wisdom's depths will touch. But when at last he speaks them out They frequently don’t sound so much. “Education,” said Uncle Eben, “enables many a man to express hisself in a way dat prevents him fum concealin’ his foolishness.” The Iowa Idea. Prom the Burlington (Iowa) Hawkeye Gazette. Folks who've been saving up for a rainy day have had plenty of oppor- tunity to spend this season. Expert Ad!iee. E From the Wichita Easle lulep Sl king bly telling STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, NEW BOOKS AT RANDOM Margaret Germond. ILLYRIAN SPRING. By Ann Bridge. Boston: Little, Brown & Co. Romancing through Illyria with Ann Bridge is something more than a pleas- ure. It is an experience, fraught with that particularly delightful serenity of spirit that is born of full acquiescence of the sénses to the spell of beauty. Speed and din, twin enemies against raan in the day’s battle for survival, fade from memory in the cloisters and the villages and on the hills and the mountain heights of the sun-bleached Coast Lands along the eastern shore of the Adriatic. Torcello and Venice, scenes of the budding of a second Spring for the run- away wife of a famous English econ- omist, become more poignantly enchant- ing in these pages than from any other descriptions save those of d’Annunzio. Spalato and the famous walls of Dio- cletian that inclose the city, Trau, Clissa, Ragusa, Gruz, Ombla, Komolac, long walks up mountain slopes and sails on the fascinating rivers infiltrate into the consciousness a sense of being there, of participating in a leisurely, inspiring ex- ploration of picturesque Dalmatia, of storing up beauty against the inevitable return to daily routine and turmoil. Amid these exquisite word pictures of ancient architecture, quaint customs and nature’s own resplendent handiwork is woven the story of an Illyrian Spring that budded and flowered for a woman who would not have sought in this wise to solve the complex problems of her life, but to whom the experience brought enlightenment in full and lasting meas- ure, *x x % Lady Grace Kilmichael runs away from her husband and her children, not because she does not love them, but be- cause she loves them too much. She knows that she has been a good wife and a good mother, but gradually the substantial affectionate relationships have slipped into the background. She is a painter of considerable renown and her pictures are acclaimed by critics in Europe and America as well as in Lon- don. Her husband and her three chil- dren, however, are too much engrossed in their own aflau? to take her work seriously and their incessant teasing has hurt unbearably. It is characteristic of English husbands that they permit their wives no share in the interests which occupy them out- side of the home. It is also character- istic of an Englishman to make an awkward business of atoning for the heartaches that his thoughtlessness may inflict upon his wife. A Frenchman will apologize, beg forgiveness and pay homage until he is restored in good grace. An American will not apologize if he can possibly contrive by an over- display of tender attentions to avoid it. But an Englishman neither apologizes nor surrenders to an impulse of affec- tion. He buys his wife a fine present. Perhaps a woman does become stupid after so many years of catering to the tastes and disposition of a husband, run- ning a house and rearing children. It would be rather odd if she did not lose a good part of the lively charm of her young Womanhood. But husbands are not good at remembering that they are responsible for the change. At thirty- eight Lady Kilmichael is beautiful, gift- ed, attractive and far from stupid, but to her husband and her children she is | | are most friendly company. dull and uninteresting. More and more she is being left out of their lives. So she runs away, to be free to think about her shortcomings and to learn how to overcome them. Her departure from London causes no stir in her family and they make no particular effort to find her. In a round- about way they hear that she is bound for Greece, but in reality her journey ends in Iliyria, a paradise for painters, & garden fashioned by nature for ro- mance. * ok x % At Torcello a yellow-headed young man with a camera asks Lady Kil- michael to move her easel so that he may take a picture. She obliges him and excuses his bad manners when she dis- covers thaf he possesses a most unhappy face. On the ship from Venice to the Dalmatian coast he appears again and they become friends. Together they make the acquaintance of an Austrian philosopher, and eventually all three find themselves together in Komolac, where they share experiences that draw them into a relationship of de- votion, the outcome of which only the phuocopher possesses the wisdom to foresee. Nicholas Humphries is only twenty- two, and the cause of his discontent and unhappiness is the determination of his parents to make an architect of him when he wants to be an artist. The mother in Lady Kilmichael responds to his need for help and comfort, and she discovers that through him she may reach a better understanding of the at- titude of her own children toward the older generation. On condition that the young man write his mother of his adventure, Lady Kilmichael lends him her equipment and advises him to try himself at paint- ing as a pastime. Under her guidance he accomplishes some remarkably good work, and the companionship deepens into a bond of sincere affection. But it is evident all too soon that the young man is falling in love. This is some- thing that she must not allow to happen. ‘They must separate before he realizes that he loves her. Experience should have taught humans centuries ago that love flowers more often than dies under the stress of sep- aration, but that knowledge has not yet borne in its wisdom upon the minds of the parent generation. And what of herself? 1Is it possible that a woman of her age can fall in love with a young man not very much older than her own children? By all of the rules and con- ventions that govern an Englishwoman it cannot happen. It does happen never= theless. And through this Illyrian Spring she learns that freedom is not a thing to be gained by attempting to alter the cir- cumstances of life, but by understanding and accepting one’s own limitations and ability to meet the conditions of life as they exist. “Illyrian Spring” is more than a novel. It is also an idyl. And beyond this com- bination of human interest and the pic- tuxeflqwe uemng of nature, it is a volume , administered in the plualng reflecuom of a very wlse man. Panhandling. From the Toledo Blade. Intuitively you know when the pan- handler is gof ask you for a dime, but you are ‘smart enough to bea him to it. Simply Snappy. Prom the Cincinnati Times-Star. . nmgoingtobetlhofllndmm session of Congress, but wotks out as merely a snappy one. RO Esperanto. Prom the Charleston (8.C.) Post. Esperanto, artificial language, has been thrown out of Germany. It has ! WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 1935. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Dry weather in this vicinity has de- creased the bird population considerably. Are we to think that they have flown farther North, or have they begun their migrations already? Although Washington and nearby Maryland and Virginia have been en- during a real drought, though few have realized it, excessive rains have occurred in Pennsylvania, not so far from the National Capital. It may be that the birds, with that mysterious instinct which is their herit- age, have sensed the plentitude of mois- ture farther afield. Just how they do this is unknown. Do they smell it or feel it? We are inclined to the latter theory, considering “feel” in the sense of “genge ™ Instinct, after all, is a pretty good word. It explains all, while it really explains nothing! What more can a word do? * ok ok If we consider the perennial mystery of bird migration, we cannot help but admit that the sensing of better water supplies at a distance would be no task at all for your average bird. It is true that they can get along on very little water. Although they like their baths and undoubtedly must drink, as all air- breathing creatures, it also is a fact that life may exist for many days without drink. Birds, being small, do not need very much internal moisture. Perhaps it is possible for them to go a great deal longer than a human being with neither food nor water. Birds which fresuent city and sub- urban gardens must find nearby wooded areas a great help in continued dry weather. Our belief is that a bird can go for at least a month with such water as he may find in small depressions, espe- cially those made by the garden hose. After that length of time he finds food difficult to secure, in very dry areas, so he migrates to nearby groves and small forests where the leaves of trees have kept the earth more moist. There he finds more nourishment, as well as a better supply of drinking water. X AR We are thinking, of course, of that | bird sanctuary, Rock Creek Park. Then there are nearer areas such as may be found on Western avenue about a mile north of Chevy Chase Circle. To such localities the birds may re- tire when dry weather affects their ordinary habitats. This brings us again to the strange- ness, or at least so it always seems to us, of the birds’ selection of Summer homes so close to the houses of mankind. As long as they have Rock Creek, why would they want to come to our block and your block? Yet they do, for which we are all very thankful. R Many home owners sincerely miss the birds when they begin to dwindle in numbers. From the chatter of the wrens and their friendly boldness, to the arrogant scream of the blue jay and his colors, the creatures of the air—nor let us for- get the ruby-throated humamingbird— Especially in the suburban areas many a man and woman has found something especially pleasing in the daily bird life. One is never lonely where there are birds. “The One remains, the many change and pass; Heaven's light forever shines, earth's shadows fly; Life, like a dome of many-colored glass, Stains the white radiance of Eternity.” ‘That's music; the birds also are poets in their way; they make similar poems all day long, but they have no words, It is just as well. * x % % The home gardener who misses the birds during August should keep in mind that many of them can be lured back, even in a dry season. Food and drink will do it. If it is possible to guarantee a crowd at any human meeting, by the simple expedient of announcing in advance, “Free buffet supper after the meeting,” it is no wonder that the actual sup- plying of the “eats” to the simple cre- atures of the air will lure them from their park retreats. Perhaps it cannot be done in a day. Even Nature, through her rains, let us hope, must co-operate. But a good sprinkling every evening, for two hours or more, will do a great deal toward bringing the nrt.hworms to the surface. Somehow the birds know this. Call it instinct, or what one wants, the birds know and in time come back. There is a natural swelling of the bird popularity toward the latter part of the month, just for a brief space, before 80 many of them leave for the South. * ¥ x ¥ In the category of creatures of the air we must include, uu::gch they are not birds, the butterflies the moths. Especially the sphinx moth, or so- called hummingbird moth. This large, fearless, seemingly feath- ered insect often is mistaken for a hummingbird. It may be identified easily by its preference for garden phlox and by its absolute indifference to the presence of a human. Its soft downy body seems covered with tiny green feathers. As it hovers motionless over the phlox heads, sustained by the rapid beating of its wings, it is very hummingbirdlike, to be sure, 50 much so that many new- comers to the garden are quite certain that they have seen the daintiest of all birds. Some years ago the writer here first made the acquaintance of this creature :‘x;’d has had a great liking for it ever ce. Since {its visits at that time were invariably on Sunday, we called it the “Sunday bug,” but later changed this name, privately, to “phlox bug,” & more appropriate designation. Later specimens did not adhere to the first day of the week, but invariably have chosen the phlox, in any of its col- | ors, as its favorite feeding station. If you want the sphinx moth, plant perennial phlox. If you want hummingbirds, plant gladiolus, especially in red varieties. It is sald they prefer red in any of the | bell-like blossoms they visit. We would not trade hummingbirds, however, for the robins, the wrens, the | thrushes, the blue jays, thecatbirds, | 1 the mockingbirds and all the songsters which make such a stir and such pleas- ant company for so long. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS When Mrs. John G. Citizen goes to market these days and orders a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables it seldom enters her pretty head how much she owes to modern science and invention for this privilege. If it were not for iced refrigeration, which rushes the select | growth of distant orchard and truck patch to market, she would not have | the unending pleasure of placing tempt- | | ingly before her. family and guests a constantly changing menu. In develop- ing this system of rapid food transporta- | tion the United States Bureau of Plant Industry has made valuable contribu- tions. Some of its most recent investi- gations, according to D. F. Pisher and C. W. Mann, two of its experts, have helped to improve transit-refrigeration methods. It has been found, for in- stance, that oranges need reicing only once during transit, instead of every twenty-four hours, as formerly, if they are “cold” at the start. This discovery alone saves the industry $30 to $40 a car, or about $1,000,000 annually—a sav- ing, it is pointed out, which may well mean the difference between profit and loss in fruit growing. * x x ¥ With the setting forth by the Ambas- sador of Brazil, Oswaldo Aranha, on an extended automobile “ramble” which will take him into the Far West and on in- spection visits to a number of agricul- tural experiment stations and public work projects and into the cattle country of the Southwest, officials have pointed to the advantage which this “go-as-you- please” method of seeing America offers to the visiting diplomat. Senhor Aranha, who came to Washington less than a year ago, has manifested a keen desire to become better acquainted with the people and resources of the United States as a means of furthering the already good relations and the commerce which exists between the two republics. * k * x ‘Washington, which during the month of August will house a stamp exhibit of unusual interest in honor of the Golden Jubilee Convention of the American Philatelic Society, is a “mecca” for the collector. This includes all classes of philatelists from the President down to the small boy who is just starting this fascinating hobby. “Mail days” at the embassies and legations have long since been marked on the calendars of youngsters eager to secure new speci- mens, and on these days the frequent query is made at chancery doors: “Mister, have you any stamps today?” And the boys are usually rewarded with a few current issues, because the head of the mission—sometimes & collector himself— or his secretaries save incoming stamps for this purpose, as well as for friends who seek these small pieces of govern- ment paper. The State Department, too, is another fruitful source of rmn stamps. In addition, Washington has the regular philatelic office, and the Philippine Trade Commission does a thriving business in new stamps from the Philippines, * * x % President Roosevelt’s practice of tak- ing with on fishing trips officials with whom he wishes to discuss matters of state “far from the madding crowd” is a reminder of similar methods pur~ sued by former Chief Executives in get- ting out into the “wide open Taft alternated between the two. Theo- dore Roosevelt met them on the tennis court, as well as taking many of them on rough “hikes” through Rock Creek Park, or where you will. * X ¥ x As one international incident after another “breaks” into the news, maps are sought and studied by officials in Washington, as well as by people through- out the country, in order to acquaint themselves with the particular terrain of the world in which the new situation has developed. The Italo-Ethiopian con- troversy, for the nonce, has focused the eyes of the Nation on a part of Africa formerly little known except as a name. From a geographic standpoint it is en- lightening, for many new and strange names, never before heard—Ualual, Adowa, Tigre, Gondar Wells, Adigrat, Harrar and others—flash over the horizon from this “new world” in Africa. * % x x In no other country, it is safe to assert, does the United States take a greater interest than in Panama. Through this flows the water highway connecting the world’s two big oceans; and not only commercially, but from a defense point of view, is the canal of inestimable value and importance to the United States. It is natural, therefore, that many ques- tions of difference have arisen in the past between the Republic of Panama | and the United States as to their re- spective rights and the extent of their sovereignty and authority in the Canal” Zone and adjacent territory. After many months of negotiation over these delicate points, with Sumner Welles, Assistant Secretary of State, acting as chief spokesman for the United States, and Dr. Ricardo J. Alfaro, Minister of Panama, as head of a commission from his country, all differences have been about “ironed out” and a new treaty covering the relations between the two countries made ready for signature. * ok ox % One Washingtonian, or “near-Washing- tonian.” who “commutes by airplane” from the Nation’s Capital to his ranch home in New Mexico, where he spends much of his time, is Arthur Newton Pack, president of the American Nature Asso- ciation. The organization has its head- quarters here, in close affiliation with the American Tree Association, of which Mr. Pack is also an officer, and he flies back and forth as occasion requires. N . be exact—passed a vision for the remote oonungency dawn | million. through the then existing cabinet, of succession to the presidency in event of the “removal, death, resignation or in- ability of the President or the Vice Presi- dent.” The order runs: State, Treasury, ‘War, Attorney General, Postmaster Gen- eral, Navy, Interior. No law has since been adopted covering the then non- existent Secretaries of Agriculture, Com- merce and Labor; but it is assumed they would succeed in the order of their creation. (Copyright. 1938.) Recruits. Prom the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Navy recruiting is said to go much better than that for the Army. Perhaps the new ships are to have more and bigger portholes through which to see the world. . The Great Depth. Prom the Graud Island (Nebr.) Independent. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS By Frederic J. Haskin, A reader can get tie 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. What was the woman's name who was killed while making bread during the battle of Getlysburg?—A. F. D. A. Jennie Wade was instantly killed during the battle of Gettysburg, July 2, 1863, while she was kneading dough for bread. Q. Have the Florida racing dates been fixed for next Winter?--M. T. A. There will be 95 days of racing at the two Miami tracks next Winter, 45 days at Hialeah Park and 50 days at ‘Tropical Park. The season will open December 16 extend to April 4. The $20,000 Florida Derby will be run on Bat- urday, March 7, at Hialeah Park, Q. Who is the author of the poem including the line, “But they couldn't copy my mind”?—T. M. H. A. The line is from the “Ballad of the Mary Gloster,” by Rudyard Kipling. Q. What is the motion picture at- tendance in the United States?—E. R. A. It is now estimated at 75,000,000 weekly. Q. What is a coffin spoon?—E. J. A. It was called a funeral spoon in England made in the shape of a coffin lid. It was the custom to give two to the friends helping at the time of burial. Hence they are usually found in pairs. Q. How many children Nancy Astor?—S. G. A. She has five—four sons and a daughter. hias Lady Q. What is the amount of cigarette production this year?—H. L. W. A. Production of popular sized cigar- ettes for the first six months of this year is over sixty-five and a quarter This is the highest ever attained. Q. How many Jews are there in Ethiopia?—A. D. R. A. There are between 40,000 50,000. and Q. What is a verse choir?—F. M. B. A. It is a choir made up of solo voices. Verse is a term used in church music to signify a passage sung by one or more solo voices. ’ Q. What caused the Astor place riots in New York City?—J. F. A. The outbreak which took place May 10, 1849, against Macready, an Eng- lish actor, was in retaliation for the treatment of Edwin Forrest, American actor, at London in 1845, Q. When did Lenin die?—H. M. A. He died January 21, 1924. Q. What is gesso?—N. R. A. A fine plaster which becomes hard when set and which is used for modeling | upon wood as a base for painting or gilding. Q. Is there a statue of Peter Stuy- vesant in a New York Cathedral?—C. B. A. A statue of Stuyvesant is in an apsidal recess in the baptistry, Ca- thedral of St. John the Divine, Q. How are hot house lambs raised? —J. T. 8B, A. Hot house lambs are produced under the most favorable conditions and represent unusual effort, care and at- tention on the part of the producers. In the first place, in order for the lambs to be born in December the ewes must breed in August, which is an off season for breeding and a difficult time for the ewes to catch. The lambs are milk-fed and taken from their mothers to be | slaughtered. The favorable conditions | under which they are produced are re- flected in the uniform finish and quality, only grades one and two being found. These lambs weigh only 40 pounds or a little more and the carcasses from 15 to 30 pounds. They are marketed with pelt on, the belly shaved, the throat cut and only the entrails removed; that is to say, they are “poultry dressed.” Q. Is the man who invented the Bertillon system of identification still living?—S. B. A. Alphonse Bertillon, a French anthropologist, was born in 1853 and died in 1914. Q. Flease give some information about the Shut-in Society —8. W. A. It has a membership of approxi- mately 7,500, covering the United States and including a few in Canada and England. The purpose of the organiza- tion is to give cheer and comfort to chronic invalids, cripples and the blind. Q. How is the metropolitan area of a city determined?—M. F. A. The metropolitan districts for the census of 1930 include, in addition to the central city or cities, all adjacent and contiguous civil divisions having a density of not less than 150 inhabitants per square mile and also, as a rule, those civil divisions of less density that are directly contiguous to the central cities, or are entirely or nearly sur- rounded by minor civil divisions that have the required density. This is essentially the same principle as was applied in determining the metropolitan districts for cities of over 200,000 in- habitants et the censuses of 1910 and 1920, except that the area which might be included within the metropolitan dis- trict was then limited to the territory within 10 miles of the city boundary. At the last census no such limit was applied. Q. What price was paid for the manu- fin;;; I?‘ “Alice in Wonderland”?— A. Beventy-five thousand dollars was paid for the manuscript of “Alice in Wonderland.” A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton Bed of Clover Born to life’s rich bed of clover Not so long ago, Wealth to roam the whole world over, Every port to know. Yet the pleasure scenes so bright Were the same each gala night, And the roses in their blooming Each year had the same perfuming, And the music of the minute Just the of a linnet, And the girls that cut a caper Like so many dolls of paper. Then he found a bed of clover