Evening Star Newspaper, August 28, 1935, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 1935. ik , i .. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition, . WASHINGTON, D. C. WEDNESDAY ,....0000..August 28, 1935 B et THEODORE W. NOYES...........Editor —e The Evening Star Newspaper Company. Business Office: 11th St. and r_-nnn;um:z%vno.y n Building, ndon, Engiand. Rate by Carrier Within the City. Rerular Edition. vening Siar_ en 4" S -60¢ per month 65c per month <6 per copy Night Fin ght Pinsl and Sunaay ight Finai Sta Collection made at the Orders may be sent by mail or tonal 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. 1 yr. $10.00; 1 mo. !S¢ i '!fl.lm; mo.. boe yr., $4.00; 1 mo.. 408 each telephone Na- Sunday._.] yr.. $12 y yr. yra Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitied to the use for republication of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in this 3nd also the local news published hereln, ts of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. e Congress and the District. The past session of Congress served again to emphasize the marked differ- ence in attitude toward the local com- munity, as displayed, on the one hand, by the House District Committee and, on the other, by the subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee in charge of District appropriations. During an extraordinarily long and busy session of Congress, occupied with national affairs of great importance, the House District Committee, under the chairmanship of Mrs. Mary Norton, de- voted understanding and sympathetic consideration of local legislative matters and established & good record in the transaction of local business, not only in committee, but in some of the hectic tussles which followed on the floor of the House. The members of the legis- lative committee seemed to feel the real responsibility that devolves upon them in serving their voteless constituents in the District and for the most part made it effective in transacting the sometimes tedious and relatively matters before them. On the other hand, the Subcommittee on District Appropriations again held out for the niggardly lump sum that has onl: been established for the past few years | E ; | of the Union of Soviet Socialist Repub= without reasonable or fair consideration of the appropriation needs of the local community or the demands of National Capital maintenance and development. The attitude of some influential mem- bers of the subcommittee was one that savored more of bullying malice, at times, than of anything approaching a desire to view the fiscal relations issue on its merits or to strive toward its equitable solution. And the powerful in- fluence derived from & hand on the moneybags showed itself more than once as challenging the prerogatives of the legislative committee. This difference in attitude was more marked because it exists only in the House. In the Senate the District, in keeping with a well-established tradi- tion, is assured of sympathetic consid- eration by both the legislative and ap- propriations committees, which, in ad- dition to co-ordinating some of their activities, are both actuated by the de- sire to respect local sentiment and to work for the advancement of the Cap- ital. The District has firm friends in both committees. Of the thirty new acts affecting the District passed in the session just closed the soclal security laws undoubtedly take precedence in long-range impor- tance. The District, along with the rest of the country, is to experiment for many years with social legislation, high in purpose and deeply significant of changes in the hitherto accepted roles of government. The handling of this local legislation by both House and Sen- ate committees, and especially the vigor- ous leadership asserted by Senator King in insisting that it conform to local sentiment and suggestion, was typical of the relationship that in theory should exist between the exclusively-controlling Congress and the voteless, local dom- munity. It is pleasant to note that such was the relationship whith for the most part marked the past session in legislative, 1f not appropriative, matters. Childe Hassam. Childe Hassam will be remembered primarily for his power over color. In his day he was the outstanding master of painted sunshine. His palette was loaded with bright and vibrant hues and he managed to convey them to his canvases without losing any of their brilliancy, The trick, it seems, only partially is explained by the application of pigment in lumps. He used both a knife and a flat brush, but the manner of his work never was “thick” or “muddy.” The genius with which he was endowed was not turgidly mechan- fcal. Rather, his pictures are instinct with forceful movement altogether too free to be judged mathematical in char- acter. He seems to have mixed mercury with his oils. A much more interesting mystery, however, is that of the sources of his art, He was born in Boston and came of the same sober Puritan stock which brought forth Nathaniel Hawthorne. Yet even as a youngster he wanted to study de- sign—a longing which somewhat tardily was permitted gratification by brief resi- dence in Paris, But Hassam escaped from the influence of experimentalism in time to save his soul alive. He bowed, it is true, to Manet, but for the rest he was the most conservative of impres- sionists. Indeed, it was a favorite amusement of his latter years to pbke fun at the extravagances of the mod- ernist madness which has swept the planet in the wake of the “reformers” Cezanne, Van Gogh and Gauguin. For half a century he practiced his talents in New England, New York and Long Island. A steady worker, he pre- tended to labor only when he was in- I inconsequential | clined, but belied that doctrine by pro- ducing a multitude of compositions— water colors, etchings, pastels and litho- graphs by the hundred and creations in his favorite medium by the dozen. And he took pride in being concerned exclusively with American subjects. Europe, he said, never gave him a new idea. But he was fair-minded enough to be grateful when foreign critics ap- preciated his efforts. Hassam had a life notably happy and successful. He was granted five years moie than tbe prophei’s classic three- score and ten, and was active almost until the end. His place in history will be that of a great liberal. Such, in any case, was the effect of his contribution to the civilization of the land and the people he loved. e Russia’s Broken Pledge. November 16, 1933, occurred an ex= change of correspondence in Washington between President Roosevelt and Maxim Litvinoff, Soviet commissar for foreign affairs, which resulted in the establish- ment of diplomatic relations between the United States and Russia. Pledges were given by Russia to meet the re- quirements of this country in respect to the settlement of financial claims and the abstention by Russia from activities seeking the overthrow of the present American form of government. In one of the notes signed by M. Litvinoff, in the name of the government of Russia this pledge was given: “Not to permit the formation or resi- dence on its territory of any organiza- tion or group—and to prevent the ac- tivity on its territory of any organiza- tion or group, or of representatives or officials of any organization or group— which has as an aim the overthrow of, or the bringing about by force of & change in, the political or social order of the whole or any part of the United States, its territories or possessions.” On the strength of this pledge the United States recognized the government of Russia. Last Sunday the American Ambassador at Moscow handed to the acting Soviet commissar for foreign af- fairs of Russia a note which called at- tention to the activities, involving in- terference in the internal affairs of the United States, which recently took place in Russia in connection with the seventh all-world congress of the Communist In ternational and gave notice that the Government of the United States “would be lacking in candor if it failed to state frankly that it anticipates the most serious consequences if the government lics is unwilling or unable to take ap- propriate measures to prevent further acts in disregard of the solemn pledge given by it to the Government of the United States.” Yesterday M. Krestinsky, acting com- missar for foreign affairs at Moscow, replied to this note, disclaiming respon- sibility for the actions of the Third In- ternational and declining to accept the protest of this Government. He said: “It is certainly not unknown to the Government of the United States that the government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics cannot take upon itself obligations of any kind with re- gard to the Communist International.” On the contrary, it is certainly known to the Government of the United States that the Third International is, in the | language of M. Litvinoff’s note of No- vember 16, 1933, “an organization or group * * * which has as an aim the overthrow, or the preparation for the overthrow of, or the bringing about by force of a change in the political or social order” of the United States, along with other countries, The Russian reply to the American note is precisely such as was to have been expected, and was in fact expected, when the pledge of November 16, 1933, was given by Russia, and recognition was granted on the basis of that pledge. The government at Moscow must know that the United States knows that the Third International, the supreme body of the Communist organization, is in effect the Russian government, through the identity of its directing personnel with the administrative organization of the U. 8. 8. R. The pretense of lack of responsibility for the assemblage at Mos- cow of that body, with delegates from this country who are known to be seek- ing the overthrow of the American Gov- ernment by sabotage, the incitation of armed strife and the perversion of the political ideals of the American people is a distinct and deliberate breach of the pledge given November 16, 1933. The case comes now to the point of the definition of those “most -serious consequences” which the Anierican Gov- ernment, through its Ambassador at Moscow, sald would result from failure on the part of Russla to redeem its pledge. A Lost Continent is scientifically dis- cussed. The loss is not to be deplored. Another continent could only mean an additional phase of international com- plication. s e e The Red Sea has been a point of water strategy since early times." It was not far from Suez that the Israelites marched through expertly managed walers in defiance of Pharach. ———— This is a good time for opticians at the seaside. All bathing beauties look alike to 2 near-sighted person. Political Equity Advanced. The cause of political equity for the District of Columbia has been materially advanced through the adoption by the Young Democrats of America at their recent national convention of resolu- tions indorsing national representation | for the District. The District of Colum- bia division of this organization won a distinct victory in securing the adoption of their resolution, which had been pre- pared with care before the delegation left for Milwaukee. The resolutions indorse the proposed constitutional amendment which empow- ers Congress to grant voting representa- tion to the District in the Senate, the House of Representatives and theelectoral LN college, and the same rights to sue and be sued in the courts of the United States as are possessed by the citizensofa State. Continuing, the resolutions state, “And that we affirm that these voteless and unrepresented fellow-Americans are entitled to a new deal, and therefore pledge the active and continued support of the Young Democrats of America to accomplish this purpose. And be it fur- ther resolved, That it is the desire of young democracy that this principle be incorporated in the national Democratic platform in the forthcoming election.” The Young Democrats have the dis- tinction of being the fitst national polit- ical group to enlist in this movement. The declaration in favor of the inclu- sion of the principle of District of Columbia national representation in the national platform may be the means of accomplishing what has been attempted by the District delegations to the party conventions with the assistance of the Citizens’ Joint Committee on National Representation. This broad indorsement by the na- tional body arms the local Young Demo- crats with the power and authority to call on the State bodies for definite assistance in pushing this legislation before Congress. Success at the na- tional convention has encouraged these vigorous young men and women to press on for further victories. —_—e—————— A senatorial opinion is expressed that the question of more liberal leave of absence for Government workers will require more study. It must be admitted that the recent moments in Congress have shown no encouragement to studious concentration. - —_———- It might have been less difficult to lengthen the Summer session of Con- gress if so many statesmen had not been afraid to go home and try to tell constituents what is going to happen next.’ ————t In spite of the magnificent Govern- ment buildings here, some of the most important economic business is con- ducted in a modest hotel suite. The same thing has happened at several nominating conventions, —_—raee————— Whenever an important bill is signed somebody receives the pen as a sou- venir. The pen remains an article of sentiment, but in this mechanistic era it is the plain plodding typewriter that does the real work. ————————— Common humanity refuses to be ignored. Even the most prominent poli- tician has to stop work now and then and talk about his operation. —_— e Ambassador Bullitt said he was going to learn to speak Russian. His idea was to have Russia be fair and learn “to talk United States.” The King of Kings is probably wonder- ing whether he is to be the starting point of a European contest to decide who shall be Dictator of Dictators. —r———————— Ethiopians claim ability to pick a town up and move it over night. The Italian campaign will need not only bombers, but fast-working explorers, —— e Some of Hitler’s enterprises sound like wild fairy stories, with no chance of anybody’s living happily ever after. .- Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON, Fight Promotion. Said Uncle Jim, “I never seem to get it figured right ‘Why some folks can't be happy if they can't get up a fight. They have their families and friends and yet they will get rude Discussing fences or great parallels of latitude, “It cannot be for gold, which we have learned to do without; The singin’ school is sweeter far than any battle shout. Yet we keep on pickin’ quarrels, and the reason sure is sad If it's just because our disposition’s naturally bad.” Doing His Best. “Haven't you made promises that you can't fulfill?” “Maybe,” said Senator Sorghum. “But the home folks are restless and I've got to go the limit in showing that my heart’s in the right place.” Jud Tunkins says music speaks all languages, but so does a gas bomb, True Blue, $ Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn, For honor and courage our boys were born. S0 learn your lessons and be polite And choose for yourself what course is right. Little Boy Blue, as thé years go by Be ever true unto yonder sky, And never let it by men be said You were Little Boy Yellow or Little Boy Red. . Swift Money. “George Washington threw a silver dollar across the Potomac.” “Maybe,” said Mr. Dustin Stax. “But I don’t believe the thrifty Ben Franklin would ever have allowed George to throw a dollar away like that.” Crushing a Foe. A little mosquito buzzed along. I slapped at it with a purpose strong; I smashed my glasses and mussed my hair And broke my promises not to swear; I waved my hat through the atmosphere And shattered a crystal chandelier; I sat, exhausted, and sadly found That same mosquito still buzzing 'round. “One thing I like about a parade,” said Uncle Eben, “is dat everybody knows his place and no one is nervy wwmmwym procession.” #y 3 _\‘ NEW BOOKS 'AT RANDOM Margaret Germond. THE OXEN OF THE SUN. By Irving i Bacheller, New York: Frederick A. Stokes Co. “The magic power of money” is the corner stone upon which an imposing structural romance in the building of an empire has been erected by the gentle analyst and philosopher whose wisdom has for many years been an in- spiragion to millions of people. Mr. Bachéller's life has spanned the era of the most stupendous development in the history of the world. From the “com- manding tower of journalism” he has witnessed the evolution of the most powerful nation on earth. It has been his privilege to number among his in- timate friends the mighty builders whose brains and labors wrought from nature’s raw materials the miracle oxen that day serve mankind the commonplace necessities and conveniences of civiliza- tion. Oil is the first of these oxen of the sun in the dramatic pageant of America’s fantastic ride to world leadership and of the effect upon the American people of the phenomenal wealth that poured into their laps while the empire was in the making. More and better railroads, sound banks, electricity, telephones and many other oxen of the sun pass in the procession of history-making events, with descriptive word-pictures and in- timate human interest stories of the men who created and developed them. It is the Honorable Socrates Potter who sketches the men and women who rode to fame and fortune on the oxen of their time, and who relates in simple, pungent narrative the social, political and economic changes of thought that accompanied the rapid growth of the Nation, But these are not stories of the multimillionaires of later days. They are the stories of “Jim” Hill in shirt- sleeves and muddy boots amid a gang of laborers laying railroad tracks across a lonely stretch of prairie; of “Tony” Brady acquiring within a few minutes a handsome tea store in order that the father of the girl he sought to marry would not find him tending bar; of “Tom” Edison lying awake all night try- ing to muster enough courage to follow his wife's advice to name twenty thou- sand dollars as the price of an invention for which he was offered a hundred thousand before he could mumble the fabulous figure proposed by his wife; of Maria Scott, chambermaid, whose wealth and grammar never matched; of Alexander Graham Bell being denied a hundred thousand dollars for patents that two years later the sane people would gladly have paid him twenty-five mil- lions; of A. Barton Hepburn, who turned the complexions of New York's corrupt politicians a greenish, seasick hue; of Grover Cleveland, who accomplished the same effect in the Democratic party; of John D. Rockefeller earning twenty-five dollars & month as bookkeeper in a wholesale produce commission house; of Andrew Carnegie, uninterested in the sons of millionaires, but seeking always the “undeveloped riches under the skulls of & lot of country boys.” All these and a host of other giants of Americanism are woven into this romance of the oxen of the sun and the love story of Bill Barrett and Irene Purcell. And, in contrast to that glorious age when America was making men and through them building en empire, the Honorable Socrates Potter presents a clear and concise analysis of the money-mad era which followed it and from which the Nation is still suffering. This latest novel of one of America’s foremost journalists, authors and philos- ophers is one that contains rich material for thoughtful citizens to meditate upon and to profit by. It is big in its moral and spiritual significance. * x % % VEIN OF IRON. By Ellen Glasgow. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Co. The tiny village of Ironside, tucked away in the hill country between the Blue Ridge and the Alleghenies is the scene of this new story by Virginia's most prolific woman novelist. The set- ting is picturesque and the characters are true types of the hardy generations of men and women in whose veins flows the ancestral blood of conquerors of the wilderness—stalwart defenders of home and of faith against the forces of nature and the evil deeds of man. In the life of Ada Fincastle is retold the story of the ages, worn threadbare and made trite by the would-be realists of ultra modernism, yet one that is always new when it comes from the finely balanced pen of a romanticist with sympathetic understanding of the vagaries of human nature and a fair sense of proportion in judging its frail- ties. All of these qualities are success- fully blended in this warm-hearted nar- rative of family and community life among the almost isolated people of the hill and mountain regions of Virginia, where the clan spirit is tantamount to a religion and where the poor can always provide food for a poorer neighbor. Rock-ribbed Presbyterianism and & false concept of honor are the snags which, rip and splinter the craft that dogma has rendered too frail for success- ful navigation with its cargo of human souls in quest of happiness, John Fin- castle, a brilliant young preacher whose sergnons have won the praise of two con- tinents, has returned to the home of his ancestors in disgrace, unfrocked and convicted of heresy because his vision of a better and cleaner world penetrated beyond the boundaries of orthodoxy. By an equally corrupt definition of righteousness it is an honorable and not a sinful act for the elders of two Iron- side families to separate Ada Fincastle and Ralph McBride and force the young man to marry the village liar and cheat, who has tricked him for the sole selfish purpose of preventing his marriage to Ada. It is of these two lives in their struggle toward happiness, and of Grandmother Fincastle; impregnable against time and hardship; of Aunt Meggie, of the scholar- ly John Fincastle and other noble char- acters in the village of Ironside that the story deals as it unfolds an intimate pattern of life among the hill people of Virginia from the of the century to the present era of economic wreckage and stress, Rural Perils, & From the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Of the Nation’s 16,000 “industrial fa- talities” last year, 4,400 occurred on farms. And this doesn’t include.the fa- talities caused by farm cows on rural highways. Wants to Know. From the Worcester (Mass.) Evening Gazette. Missouri now wants to be shown why she, rather than Kentweky, shouldn’t be known as the Blue Grass State. Mis- souri, it seems, is from Missouri. . The Flying Duce. Prom the Saginaw (Mich.) Dally dews. The thing that casts the most doubt. 11 Duce's reported plans to fly to the front in Ethiopia is the difficulty the 4 good Cut it short! By short, one doesn't mean shave, but the grass ought to be mowed with & machine set to give the effect of pretty close. This will mean that about 9 out’of 10 persons keep the mower set too Ligh. The aim should be to leave the blades not more than an inch off the ground, even at this time of year. We have seen some very good author- ity for higher cutting in late August and September, but believe the same close trim which is good for a lawn in early Summer is best for it now. After all, the proof of the pudding comes in the eating. If you happen to have the best lawn this year of any in the past six, if it is the same lawn, and you find that you are doing only one thing differently,, you may feel pretty sure that the answer has been found. xx x % If that one thing happens to be cut- ting the grass much closer, you may be willing to admit, at least to yourself, that the neighbor who has been doing that for all these years is right. 1t is quite difficult to admit that a neighbor is right about anything. There is old Sam Jones, for instance, who heard Bill Green declare that only an idiot would cut his grass right after a rain, Just to show Green that he is wrong, Jones has been getting out after each and every rain for several years and getting his feet wet regularly. 1t is a terrific strain on the mower, of course, as well as upon the disposition of the owner; it is tough on the grass, pulling and tugging it; it is inimical to shoe leather. But what else can Sam Jones do un- der the circumstances? If he had not heard Bill Green make that statement, he, too, would have been willing to wait until his lawn dried out a bit. As it is, he must roll the cutter out directly after each rain. Why, he even went out in the dark, the other night, and cut away for a long time, despite the fact that he could push the machine only a few feet at a stroke. It was hard work, but Jones would not have given it up for a fortune. He could see the light in Bill Green's window, and he hoped the old duffer was listenin’, 2% e The pick-up of a mediocre lawn, once close mowing is instituted, is nothing short of amazing. The secret of it probably is the added light and air which is given to the earth in which the plants grow. All lawns, of course, are merely aggre- gations, or colonies, of grass plants. It is because we tend to forget this, and come to look upon & lawn as a sort of carpet, or integral stretch of material, that we may forget the necessity for such laws as guard other plants from i1l health. Every one has seen an evergreen, for instance, planted too close to a house. Lack of sunshine and air then results in lessened growth on the inner, or house, side, with final killing of the evergreen on that side. Lack of air, even among such sturdy plants as zinnias, often causes poor growth and mildew. TS Every one knows that small plants, WASHINGTON Stocktaking and a careful appraise- ment of the work of the session of Con- gress just ended will now be made. This was not possible while the “tumult and the shouting” lasted. But with the mills on.Capitol Hill having ceased their legis- lative grind, a studied survey can be made as to the resultseof that labor and as to its probable effect on the eco- nomic and financial life of the Nation. The various departments of the Gov- ernment whose activities have been af- fected by new legislation can now get down to the serious task of putting the mandates of Congress into operation. Politics as viewed from the Washington angle will constitute an increasing source of interest and speculation. Even during the recess of Congress a number of mem- bers of that body will be “dropping in” on Washington from time to time, as well as others who occupy prominent political positions, and their Views, both as to the situation throughout the coun- try generally and in particular localities, will be eagerly sought. * x x % One of the immedfate effects of the adjournment of Congress will be the turning of a considerable amount of at- tention from affairs of a purely domestic concern to those of foreign character. While there will be no oversight of those departments of the Government whose business it is to deal almost exclusively in matters relating solely to the United States and affecting its citizens directly, the State Department, through which the Government handles its relations with foreign countries, will attract more and ‘more attention. With the present Soviet situation, neutrality observation, conditions in Europe, particularly as to the Italo-Ethioplan war threat; the probabilities as to another naval confer- ence, a number of commercial reciprocity treaties in process of negotiation, and many other matters of foreign policy to be watched closely, the State Depart- ment will assume sdded importance. * x * x Foreign correspondents in the United States are making Washington more and more their headquarters. Until recently most of them remained in New York and “observed” the United States from that metropolis. But with the growing importance of this city as a world center they have been coming here in increas- ing numbers. Furthermore, they are de- sirous of studying the country at first hand. Within less than 24 hours afier Congress adjourned Monday night, Jean- Pierre Benard, Washington correspond- ent of the Havas News Agency, with correspondents and connections in all of the world, set out on an auto- ile trip which will take him to the Pacific Coast. Similar trips have been made through the country within the past year by several other foreign corre- spondents here, including Kurt Sell of the German News Bureau and Viadimir Romm, representative of Izvestia, Moscow. * x o % e Students and research workers all parts of the world are coming to ‘Washington in steadily increasing num- bers to make use of the abounding facil- ities of the Library of Congress. This year all records have been broken in this respect and the accommodations of the Library have been taxed to their utmost to take care of them. From the Belgian Kongo, Java, Korea, Ethiopla they come. During the year 72 investigators from 24 foreign countries have been studying in the Library. Ethiopia sent an expert to study educational with the purpose of improving its schools. Many embassies and gether, filling in all spaces, so it is mani- fest that the only way they can get light and air and all the wholesomeness of the sun’s vitamins is from the top. Hence, close cutting is the thing. This will not mean less cutting, as one might think. E The stimulus of sun and air is such that the grass undoubtedly grows faster than when it is covered with a layer of old clippings and the plants themselves not trimmed sufficiently. Then there is the invigoration of the close cutting itself, which evidently im- pels the plant consciousness to say to itself, in its queer vegetative way, “Here, I am much too short; I must hurry up and grow quickly, or my place in the sun is past.” % %% If plants have a physiology, they also have a psychology, for there seems to be mind, or intelligence, in everything. If we say a plant—even a tiny grass plant—is talking to itself, we are saying no more, after all, than if we declare that it begins to grow. There can be little doubt that the total stimulation of a colony of grass plants, secured through close cutting, is some- what akin to the same thing done on the human head. Close cutting of the hair has been rec- ognized for centuries as one of the best aids, not only because it permits better sanitation,.but also because it “stimu- lates” the growth. It was a curious quirk Samson got, to think that his long hair had something to do with his strength, yet several com- paratively modern “strong men” have felt the same way about it. Any one who views the behemoths of the wrestling ring, however, will know that few of the modern strong men go in for long hair. They keep it cut close for many reasons. PR The close-cut lawn is best from every standpoint. It looks better, in the first place. Then it grows bgtter. Lateral roots go along under the ground, sending up shoots to fill in bare spots. 1t is surprising to watch the old lawn, which may have been given its regular cutting once a week, but not very close, suddenly blossom out on all sides, once the blades are set closer to the earth. Is this, then, the secret of a good lawn? The wielder of the lawn mower will be tempted to think that it is. All'these years he has been cutting it long, like the famous little dog’s tail, with only a mediocre lawn to show for it. Then, suddenly, after a few weeks of close cutting, he finds himself possessed at last of a true sward, emulating the “green carpet” one reads about. He is enthusiastic, and has a right to be. If there is any secret, this is it. Even the clippings, which he formerly let lie, with no results he could see, now are just right to protect the roots from too much sun and too much air. Nature is an eternal balance. but often it is hard to find out just what the balance is. tween 30 and 40 books recently pub- lished as a result of study by scholars and writers there. * ok X X Only on rare occasions is the diplo- matic gallery of the Senate occupied by any members of the diplomatic corps. One of them was observed there when the neutrality bill came up. Nevertheless it is held open, as a rule, for their use. This rule was broken, however, on the evening of the adjournment of Con- gress, when this small gallery, seating about seventy people, and located im- mediately opposite the dais of the Vice President, was made available to a por- tion of the large crowd of visitors who | sought admission. * kX % Recent transfers in the foreign service of the United States have shown the purpose of the administration to give the members of that service as wide training and experience as possible. In order to attain this desired result there is & constant shift from consular posts to positions as secretaries of embassies and legations, and vice versa. In this way, officials here believe, they will obtain a steady improvement of per- sonnel and fit the members of the foreign service better for whatever future duties may devolve on them. * ok X X As a result of one phase of the work being conducted in the Civilian Con- servation Corps camps, the country will have an increase in the number of per- sons able to guard and help save others from drowning. Life-saving schools have been established in the different areas, and reports just received by Col. Robert Fechner, director of emergency conservation work, show that 3,200 men have successfully passed the course in these schools. Of this number,. 1218 have qualified as examiners and 1982 as senior live-saving graduates. * % % x One of the most valuable publications recently issued by the Government is the “World Economic Review, 1934 compiled by the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce of the Department of Commerce. This 350-page volume contains a review of economic condi- tions in the United States during the year past and similar material regarding all major foreign countries with ref- erence both to its general importance and its bearing on the economic inter- ests of the United States. (Copyright. 1935.) ——t—s— Alphabetical Slip. Prom the Miam! (Fla.) Herald. Ethel says that A. A. A. sounds as though somebody could not think of the second letter. A Rhyme at Twilight * Gertrude Brooke Hamilton ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS By Frederic ]. 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, Washing- ton, D.C. Please inclose stamp for reply, Q. How much has the price of helium declined since it was discovered?—L. R, A. Wher. it was first obtainable, it cost, $2,500 a cubic foot, It is now 1 cent a cubic foot or less. Q. What ‘was the cost of the new Los Angeles Times Building and how much floor space has it?—G. B. K. A. The new plant cost $4,000,000 and contains 4,582,620 cubic feet of space and 259,454 square feet of floor space. Q. What is the title of the Queen of Persia?—H. C. P. A. The Shah of Iran (formerly Persia), according to Mohammedan custom, has several wives. None of them is a queen in the European sense. The head wife, as the mother of the crown prince, is granted the courtesy title of Queen Pahlevi. The latter is the formal name of the present dynasty. Q. How many children take dancing lessons?—T. L. A. In the United States more than a million children are in classes during the year. Q. Please give some information about Cora Urquhart Potter —E. R. A. She was born in New Orleans about 1872 and first appeared on the amateur stage in New York where she was a society favorite. Her professional debut was made at the Haymarket, London, as Anne Sylvester in “Man and Wife,” in 1887. Later she played in New York. During the Boer War she assisted in raising funds for the comfort and nurs- ing of British troops. Q. Do the advocates of Esperanto hope to supplant existing language with this artificial one?>—E. P. A. Their aim is to supply an auxiliary idiom. There are but 16 rules of gram- mar, and its vocabulary for ordinary purposes is easily mastered. Q. When were parachutes first car- ried in an airplane?—M. P. A. In 1912 Capt. Berry made the first descent from an airplane in St. Louis, Mo. He used a medium sized parachute, folded and stuffed into a conical cylin- der, tied under the front end of the airplane skid. During the last days of the World War in 1918, German aviators frequently used them, but after the war little was done to complete the use of parachutes until the year 1921. At this time British and American aviators began working upon a parachute which could be carried conveniently by a pilot. Q. What is the meaning of Plato? —L. R. A. It means kyoad. Plato was given this name by Ariston, a teacher in ath- letics, who probably referred to his broad shoulders. Q. How many people are killed in the United States by carbon monoxide gen- erated by automobile engines?—G. M. A. Between 500 and 700 persons meet death from this cause yearly. A few of these are suicide cases, the rest result from. carelessness and lack of knowl- edge regarding this gas. Q. Are there any colored cadets in the United States Military Academy at the present time?—A. F. A. There are tw Q. How many people carry life in- surance?—H. F. A. At the end of 1934 the number of policyholders was about 65,000,000. The amount of life insurance in force was about $98,000,000,000. Q. How long ago was the Pirst Church of England service held in New Jersey? -T. W. A. On May 7, 1935, there was ob- served at Trenton the 250th anniversary of the First Church of England service in the State. Q. What hotel formerly stood on the site now occupied by the Princess Anne Hotel at Fredericksburg, Va.?>—M. T. A. This hotel was built on the site of the Old Barton House. Among the distinguished visitors who have been entertained there are Daniel Webster, Robert E. Lee and Lloyd George. Q. Please give some information about the World League Against Alcoholism. —E.R. . A. This organization was established in 1919 for the total suppression of alcoholism. The membership in 1934 comprised 60 national temperance or- ganizations in 34 countries. The gen- eral secretary is Ernest H. Cherrington. Q. Is the Flemish language dying out?>—B. C. * A, It has been threatened with extinc- tion, but last year Flemish was placed on a parity with French through most of Belgium and recognized as the offi- cial language of two Belgian universities. Q. Do many persons attend the In- stitute of Public Affairs at the Uni- versity of Virginia?—L. F. A. The attendance at the 1934 ses- sion, July 1-14, consisted of 2019 reg- istered members and visitors, represent- ing 34 States and 14 foreign countries, Q. How much cloth will a pound of cotton make?—H. F. . A. It depends upon the material. It will make 3% yards of muslin, 53 yards of gingham or 9'z yards of lawn, Q. What is the name of the fear of cats?—W. D. A. It is aelurophobia. Q. Please give the history of the Congressional Cemetery in Washing- ton, D. C.—A. 8. A..On March 30, 1812, Henry Ingle deeded to the Christ Church vestry & square of ground known as square 1115 and the name of Washington Parish Burial Grounds was given to it. On May 30, 1849, the vestry changed the name to Washington Cemetery, yet it is popularly known as the Congressional Cemetery. On April 15, 1816, the vestry assigned 100 sites for the interment of the deceased members of Congress. On December 15, 1823, 300 sites were do- nated for the same purpose, Congress afterward bought more land and erected small freestone cenotaphs, which form a conspicuous feature; made sundry appropriations for improvement, and began to add its name to the cemetery. Many Congressmen and Government officials are buried in this cemetery, including Tobias Lear, secretary to George Washington; William Thornton, who drew the original plans of the Capitol; George Hadfleld, assistant architect of the Capitol; Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts, Vice President of the United States. Some Congressmen are still buried in the Congressional Ceme- tery; others are taken home for burial, A :