Evening Star Newspaper, September 7, 1935, Page 6

A—6 THE EVENING STAR ‘With Sunday Morning Edition, WASHINGTON, D. C. SATURDAY .......... September 7, 1935 THEODORE W. NOYES The Evening Star Newspaper Company. Business Office 11th St. anc Pennsyl 1 Chcreo. O o ke Mi hiss A Beiane, 1080 ce: e ichigan L Puropean Ofice: 14 Rexent St.. London. Engiand. Rate by Carrier Within the City. Regul tit The Evening Star _ The Evening and Sund (when 4 Sundays) Tie Evening and Sunday Star (when 5 8un The Sunday St 45c per month 60c per month 65¢ per month -5¢ per copy a1 and Sunday St 70c per month A Pl 33¢ per montn Collection made~at the end ‘of cach mon(h. Orders may be sent by mail or telephone Na- tional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily ard Sunday._.1 yr. $10.00; Daily only. Z1 yr, $6.00:0 1 Bunday 1 vr, $400; 1 1 mo.. 85¢ mo’. Blc mo.. 400 AW Other States and Canada. 1 inday__1 yr. $12.00; 1 mo. §1.00 Bally fomyounda?op 3en Pekon: 1 mo. - ise Bunday only__. $5.00; 1 mo. B0c Member of the 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. Al Tights of Dpublication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. Breathing Spell. The President’s letter to Publisher Roy Howard is well timed. A session of Congress which Mr. Roosevelt freely | admits “had the unavoidable effect of promoting some confusion in many people’s minds” has passed into history. The country welcomes a change from the turmoil of legislative battles to the more colorful and more easily under- stood maneuvers of politics. The assurance of a “breathing spell,” not only while the breath-taking Con- gress is in adjournment, but while the eountry awaits the effect of drastic measures already applied, will be wel- comed with all the satisfaction of the | patient who, after many trips to the | operating room, is told at last that the worst is over; the thing to do from now on is to rest and get well. And on his forthcoming trip across the country, as & prelude to the coming campaign, Dr. Roosevelt will be well received as the bearer of glad tidings. He has thrown off the surgeon's gown and discarded the rubber gloves. Instead of calling for his scalpel and yelling at the nurse he has adopted an attractive bedside man- ner, compliments the patient on his appearance and says it was the worst case he ever saw. In keeping with professional tradi- tions, the President has not brought up the unpleasant subject of bills later to be sent for services rendered, nor, be- yond allusions to technique, has he discussed the possible effect of the various operations already performed. | The mind of the patient is for the time | being to be freed of such matters in the sublime contemplation of recovery and the wonders of modern science. The prospect of getting well again makes the doctor’s bill a secondary consider#tion. But as recovery progresses the thoughts of the patient will naturally turn to other things. by a “breathing spell”? Could he have meant that after the patient is strong enough to stand it, back to the operating room again? Or does dismissal for the time being by the surgeon merely mean transfer to the care of expensive special- Ists who will supervise his diet, prescribe his exercises, penetrate various portions of his anatomy with hypodermics and accompany him in his goings and his comings in order duly to note his im- pulses, his reflexes and his reactions to red flags and swastikas? Actions speak stronger than words. The words of the President’s letter to Mr. Howard convey the hint of surcease from the bewildering rush of bills and laws injecting Government control into almost every conceivable form of Amer- fcan business, without much regard to consequences—and that, of course, is encouraging. Even greater confidence will result should the administration now bend its efforts toward bringing into orderly control the vast expendi- tures which, if continued, threaten far more damaging results than heavier tax- ation. And greater confidence on the part of business and everybody else will result when the administration itself places more confidence in the independ- ent, initiative and ability of citizens than it does in the wonders to be worked by fat Government bureaus and the large ideas of bright young men, N, Mussolini Yields a Point. 1t takes more than a swallow of con- ciliation to make a Summer of settle- ment, but Geneva these days must be thankful for small favors. Yesterday brought a slight change for the better in the Italo-Ethiopian atmosphere at the League Council and hope once more prevails where only blackest pessimism had ruled. Yielding to pressure and warnings from French Premier Laval, the Italian delegation withdrew its opposition to the creation of a five-power Council eommission to deal with the whole Ethi- opian controversy. The commission consists of representatives of Great Britain, France, Spain, Turkey and Poland, with Senor Madariaga, distin- guished Spanish statesman and one- time Ambassador to the United States, as chairman. He and his colleagues will proceed at once to grapple with the African dispute and eventually recom- mend a course of action to the Council and the League. Baron Aloisi, chief- Italian delegate, abandoneda his objections to a commis- sion after having realized that world opinion, both at Geneva and outside, has steadily and unmistakably crys- tallized against Mussolini’s plans to en- ‘force his will in Ethiopia through war. The Italians’ tactics at the Council this week signally failed to strengthen their position. Their “case” against Haile Belassie was not established with that annihilating conclusiveness with which 1t was heralded in advance. Even ad- mitting the soundness of many of-the Italian contentions with respect to internal conditions in Ethiopia, the con- sensus at Geneva is that Mussolini pro- L ‘What did the doctor mean | duced no evidence to justify the ruthless campaign of military subjugation and territorial conquest upon which he is bent. His spokesmen did not succeed in showing why Italy should be allowed to escape her obligatfons as a League mem- ber to submit her claims to arbitrament under the Covenant. Conscious that the tide of interna- tional sentiment is running against him, 11 Duce, for the moment at least, is ready to accept Geneva’s mediation. Cynics fear it may only be a time-gaining maneuver on his part and that his war program has in fact undergone no basic change. But for the first time, at any rate, League machinery is now at grips with the African conflict. Peace efforts hitherto have been outside of Geneva. It would be premature to calculate that success will crown this latest and formal attempt to avoid war, but the week ends with brighter prospects than it began, and, in the grave circumstances, that must be reckoned a distinct gain. N Mrs. Archibald Hopkins. 1t is good that Mrs. Archibald Hopkihs had the privilege of eighty-four years in the world she loved and in which she was 5o useful ahd helpful a citizen. She survived to see much of her dream come true, and her friends will have quiet joy in that circumstance. It is not per- mitted to every one to win in such more frequent. But Mrs. Hopkins deserved the blessing of success. She inherited from gifted forbears a certain active sympathy for the commonweal, and though she might have declined to heed the summons in her heart it was natural enough for her to prefer to listen to the call. There attempted it. The task, however, was arduous in the extreme, and a less con- fident spirit easily might have relin- quished it under the influence of re- peated disappointments. The complete story of the alley elim- ination movement, with which she was so closely identified, of course,"cannot be written until the last of Washington's alley hovels has been cleared away. And it probably will be several years at least before that ultimate goal has been ac- complished. Meanwhile, Mrs. Hopkins’ labors are finished and she may go to her rest content. Her monument will { be a Capital from which a hundred humble folk who may never have heard her name and yet are everlastingly in a community. But something particular should be said of Mrs. Hopkins as a personality. | Her countrymen should know her as she | was—a woman who had the genius to be an enthusiast without being a fanatic, | a reformer without being intolerably dogmatic. Possibly an inborn gentility, an innate chivalry of the soul was the explanation.” In any case, all who met her realized at once that in her char- acter high and noble qualities combined. | She was an aristocrat, not in the vulgas meaning of the word, but in that of being superior to littleness of any kind. Her manner, her carriage, her tone of voice, her unyielding loyalty, her unpre- tending devotion were memorable. She was, in sober truth, a grande dame. remember her always. e Before he retires from the position of Postmaster General in order to devote exclusive attention to his party's ma- tional chairmanship Mr. Farley will de- vote some time to research for a good lid sitter, ——or—: The President’s Desk. In the absence of President Roosevelt, guards at the White House are exercis- ing the privilege of showing visiting friends the room in which the Chief Executive works. His desk, especially, intrigues the interest and curiosity of the trespassers. Its top is covered with a collection of toys and gadgets pre- sented by admirers and preserved by Mr. Roosevelt out of gratitude and loyalty to the givers. The melange in- cludes no less than four donkeys, sym- bolizing & stubborn and militant Demo- cratic party; a small white rubber ele- phant, representing the donkey’s enemy —a tough and long-lived Republican party; a green stone rooster, half a dozen ash trays, a clock of maritime design, a changeable calendar, an elec- tric cigaret lighter, an inkstand with patent pens, scissors, a paper cutter, & water pitcher and glasses, a French-type telephone, numbers of pencils and enough Swedish matches to start a con- siderable blaze. The President’s immediate predecessor would have tolerated no such distrac- tions. Herbert Hoover's desk customarily was like the deck of a battleship, “cleared for action.” An inkstand, a calendar, a telephone set, his wife’s photograph and a pad of paper, on which it was his practice to sketch geometric designs as he talked, consti- | tuted all the impedimenta he needed. And Calvin Coolidge likewise expressed a puritanical simplicity of mind in his choice of desk furniture and ornaments. A bookrack was the most conspicuous feature of his writing table, but it may be doubted if he ever had time for any but official reading. Warren G. Harding, however, pos- se in this respect something of the tempegament of Mr. Roosevelt. When friends brought him souvenirs he con- sidered it a duty to appreciate them. He kept certain trinkets in an upper drawer and on occasion displayed them for the entertainment of juvenile, guests. In common with Woodrow ‘Wilson, he found amusement in mystery .stories and frequently carried one or more volumes of that type with him to the office in the somewhat vain expectation of having opportunity to indulge his predilection. Law books, on the other hand, were the choice of Willlam Howard Taft. Several shelves of heavy tomes on dif- ferent phases of jurisprudence stood " 12 battles as she fought; failure, rather, is | was work to do, she saw, and duty | would not let her rest until she had | within easy reach in his day at the ‘White House, and big piles of state papers covered his desk. He had a penchant for details and was forever “chasing down” facts to their origins— a habit which resulted in frequent calls for reference records and promoted the confusion of the room in which he toiled. Defense Highway. Several correspondénts whose letters appear on this page today suggest, in commenting on The Star’s articles showing the necessity for improvement of the Defense Highway, that adequate police enforcement of the traffic laws and more regard by drivers for the laws would do a8 much to prevent death and injury as improvement of the roadway. Of course, there should be enforce- ment of the laws and the highway should be adequately patrolled by police. That is fundamental, and Marylanders who criticlze the lack of traffic law en- forcement on that highway are on solid ground. A motor cycle policeman on Defense Highway is a rarity, except dur- ing the racing season at Bowie. But strict enforcement of the law on Defense Highway is not enough. The highway is dangerous and its hazards extend to the most cautious motorists. | Tt is narrow, full of deceptive curves and in parts is improperly maintained. It will not be safe until the improvements so much sought by Marylanders are made. Much concern is expressed about the further preservation of the mortal re- mains of Lenin. It should not cause anxiety. Any of his ideas worth pre- serving must immutably survive until the end of time, regardless of the artifices of political interpretation, i Psychoanalysis has played an im- portant part in some prominent pro- cedure! Possibly the European situation | might be helped by calling in old Dr. | Freud. ———— hideous eyesores have been banished, | new - homes constructed for poor and | her debt, and a new ideal established | | of what the Federal City should be as | ‘Washington is grateful for her and will | ‘The Blue Eagle was described in prophecy by old Omar when he provided inspiration for “the bird of time has but a little way to flutter and the bird is on | the wing.” ———————— Mussolini accuses Ethiopia of cruel | slavery. Any college professor could tell him that the glory of ancient Rome was largely founded on involuntary servitude, President Roosevelt is said to have welcomed the opportunity to veto a series of minor bills simply to keep in | practice. e The hurricene disaster overwhelms | thought of war. The normal human im- | pulse is to save fellow men and not to | destroy them. —————————— Taxation problems have at least dis- couraged get-rich-quick schemes and put | experts at work on get-poor-quick de- vices. e Standard Oil cannot acquire conces- sions in Ethiopia. Mussolini may dem- onstrate his power by proving able to | do s0 by conquest instead of barter. e ———————— Al Capone should not object to pay- | ing income taxes. Where he is now he cannot possibly find a legitimate use for extravagant sums, e When a picture star dies he is soon | forgotten. The reason may be that when an amusement star departs his press | agent satellites may go with him, Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Letters. Little Johnny's building blocks Are tumbled on the floor. As letters show in different flocks L3 Defense Highway Needs Effective Police Patrol To the Editor of The Star: I have been reading your paper and realize it is time for some one who really lives on the Defense Highway to speak. As the wife of the rector of Holy Trinity Church, at which curve so many accidents have happened, I bég to be allowed to say that fast and reckless driving on the part of one of the par- ties, and ofttimes both, is absolutely the full cause of all the accidents. The road is in need of repair, but this is not the thing of the moment. Police patrol or the help of the police is what is needed at once. To widen and straighten the Defense Highway will make a speedway of the road and even more accidents will oc- cur. My husband and I have traveled this road for over four years and seen many accidents, and with only the in- terest of our clean people at heart beg to say stop the fast driving first, im- prove the road later. This can be done by halting the traffic at so-called dan- gerous curves, One only has to look at the front page of your Maryland news to realize so many accidents are happening, and they are not all on the Defense Highway either. However, my opinion is that of course th® road must be kept in repair, but careful driving is the thing of the moment to be insisted upon. I invite any one to come and sit on Holy Trinity Rectory porch for per- haps only a short time to realize that the people who travel this road drive entirely too fast for safety. This mes- sage comes from one who has only the interest of the people at heart so far as the numerous accidents are, concerned. EDITH G. COOK. Speeders Scored. To the Editor of The Star: regarding the Defense (death) Highway it is my opinion that the real cause and remedy would be protecting the highway by having patrolmen patrol the road and stop reckless driving. The road is wide enough for three cars, and I have traveled that road my- self in the past six years at least once or iwice a week. I do not drive over | 40 miles an hour, but going at 40 other cars pass that make me look like I am standing still. speeding at the rate of 50 miles or over. On one occasion I was passed by a car which was traveling close to 60 miles an hour, and before reaching Washington that particular car was wrecked. If instead of spending the money to station six or seven patrolmen to arrest reckless drivers, that would be the solu- tion of avoiding further accidents on the Defense Highway. After a series of arrests speeding and recklessness would soon be stopped and all accidents pre- vented. If you are spending money to widen highways, the Crane Highway, from the Pigeon House to Glenburnie—which is narrow and dangerous now—needs the improvement far more than the Defense Highway, J. A. WILLIAMS. Cut_the Speed. To the Editor of The Star: accidents and casualties. Soon it will be 50,000 a year slain and more thou- sands maimed. speed mania that will do any good—the public is speed crazed. There is no need of such speed—most of it is for pleasure and meaningless. I doubt country and over 20 miles in urban communities. That would stop the deatns and injuries. this kind is not done we should do | of death. . All other expedients to avoid casual- ties will prove merely palliatives and amelioratives. At high speed if there is a blowout you are gone. At such speed you cannot stop to avoid accidents. | People will and must walk on the high- ways and are being killed by the speedsters. Half the people haven't sense enough to drive an automobile | decently, and as long as you have young | people coming on we will have these | daring and senselegs drivers. I seé ab- solutely no way to stop the slaughter except by cutting down the speed and keeping it so all over the country. If that is not fast enough, get on the train or in an airplane. Widening and straightening the roads make matters worse. If T had my way I would make it a criminal offense to drive anywhere in the United States faster than the speeds here indicated. H. C. MIDDLETON. He tumbles them some more. He picked two or three and said: “These letters should be sent Unto some wise and willing head To aid the Government. “Each combination may be shown To have a meaning plain, And if enough I've not made known I'll shake ’em up again.” Collections. “How did you become a political boss?” “By the familiar procedure,” said Sen- ator Sorghum. “First I promised people what they wanted, and then took up collections to make ’em pay for my lec- tures explaining why they can’t have it.” Jud Tunkins gays you can't believe half you hear, and it’s an even bet that the half you don't believe is the real information. Social Snubbery! Diplomacy in distant lands ‘Was so polite, the world believes, That men who smiled while shaking hands Might still have daggers in their sleeves, Diplomacy now lets men balk When one denies and one affirms, And common sense refuse to talk Because they're not on speaking terms! Chicken Lore. “What has become of the old Blue Eagle?” *It is still in business,” said Farmer Corntossel. “What business?” “Sitting on the bld nest trying to hatch & china egg.” Shaking. As threats of war are hurried Across & stormy sea T try not to look worried ‘What e'er the news may be. 1 may explain hereafter ‘When peacé has been declared, You think I shake with laughter, I'm trembling 'cause I'm scared. “When & man tries to high hat me,” said Uncle Eben, “I suspect his motives and look him over to see whether he wearin’ gum shoes.” . r Negligence Hinted in Florida Deaths ‘To the Editor of The Star: Three days of storm warnings—36 hours of definite probable warned danger—only 846 miles from Miami, mainland, high ground, away from the water hazard—by auto road (A. A. A. map)—F. E. C. Railroad shorter. The tragic effects and devastation of two previous major storm disasters still fresh in memory (or should be)—one of which washed clear across and over | the few feet high small islands of the | keys, a wave of water taking houses | and all—these same keys—I saw it. An easy two hours’ run by train or auto—two hours to run back—telegraph (F. E. C. Railroad), telephones, many radio receivers available to warn and tell them they were to be evacuated and have them ready. Undoubtedly there were camp autos and trucks also available. The example of the radio- warned, knowing “wise” natives (pru- dent element) fleeing in their cars and on the earlier train. Didn't the F. E. C. Railroad stop its Key West trains, not hazarding the ferry passengers and equipment, in ample time for that alone to be a ‘warning? Flimsy Government buildings, yet allowed to be slaughtered and drowned like rats—veterans, civilians. Somebody is to blame—more than one. Investigate, explain, fix responsibility for this ghastly unnecessary delay, tragedy and torture. Can there be any decent explanation? I say no. Veterans—V. F. W. A. L.—citizens, news men, rise up and find out why a chance was taken with the lives of our brother citizens and saviors in arms of past wars. Was this the time, these the people, this the place, to gamble—to take a chance? ‘The hundreds of dead—they are gone —never to return. Somebody is to blame, somebody ought to be punished, by ublic. opinion if not legally possible, hall we be remiss in our duty to the dead? Shall we leave the future une protected for repetition so that others, officials in power—responsibility—au- thority—can gamble and murder with death holding the dice and no one caring? Or are those who saved us not worth our saving them? If so—what & grati- tude—what a love—what a memory— what a people—what a Nation? Let Them Suffer Not! Prom the Chester (Pa.) Times. Perhaps those Alaska will be 8 ! 5 In defense of the articles being printed | widen and improve the road you would | THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Be !n';hg!dnd in everything. ‘This prevent the wrong approach to many things. Consider the modern home aquarium hobby, for an example. Distinctly the wrong approach to this interesting avocation is that it is “kid stuff.” Because children are interested in wflshu doesn’t mean that fishes are mere yS. Children like food, too, but that doesn't make agriculture exactly a juvenile sport. This tendency to look down upon or belittle any occupation is one of the common wrong approaches. It reveals that one really isn’t inter- ested. Now, being not interested in any- thing is a loss, many will think, but that is not all. p It means that the wrong approach is born again. And when & number of these wrong approaches are put together we have the common spectacle of the averagé person interested only in a few things and steadfastly refusing to admit that anything else can interest him. If such persons condescend to unbend, even for a little, they can do so only on the belief on their part that they are not interested for themselves, but only for others. The children, for instance. * % % % Hence the position of these persons is really worse, as far as their own devel- opment is concerned, than if they had refused adamantly to become interested at all. One may feel sure that such a half- way interest is worse than none at all, because it means that the wrong ap- proach has been made. 1If it is so with fishes, for an example, it is so with everything. It is the sum of the negative ap- proaches which go to make a perfectly negative character, but it is the sum of the wrong approaches which permanent- ly keep one away from many interesting things, ‘There are more ways for a thing to be valuable in this world than are real- | ized in the philosophy of many persons. Value is not theory. Value, whatever its form, is eminently practical, since jt may be applied to everyday problems by everyday people. Money is the only value some persons know, but there are many more, each having its good side, and perhaps a bad side, too. * x * x Divine selfishness, it would seem, ought to prevent people from refusing to be interested in so many things. Everything ought to be interesting to everybody. 3 Then from this vast amount of in- | terest would flow a vast amount of good. The thing would be mathematical— but what actually occurs now? It seems a waste of ink to keep writ- | ing all over the land about automobile | It is only checking the | whether any car should be allowed to go | faster than 35 miles per hour in the | If something of | away with the automobile—abolish it, | prohibit it—it is too great an implement | Every one can see how uninterested SO many persons are in so many things. | Each has a few interests—outside those he apparently knows nothing, nor | wants to know anything. If by any chance he unbends just & | little, makes a movement toward some- thing strange to him, he does so un- | graciously, as if he had to “save his face” by keeping up a great pretense of non- interest. Now, why Is this necessary? And why is it thought necessary? If you could answer those gquestions in a way that would definitely show STARS, MEN Grotesque Pithecanthropus erectus— | the tree-climbing ape man of Java long considered by the majority of anthro- pologists as the most ancient and primi- tive branch of the human family tree | of which any traces have been found— | was not a man but a superior type of gibbon. This is the final admission of Prof. 45 years of intensive study. Tige an- nouncement, just received by American anthropologists, promises to be one of the landmarks in the science of man's ancestry, For a generation nearly all canthropus was the “first man.” It was in 1891 that Prof. Dubois, then & Dutch Army surgeon in Java, made the astounding discovery of these bones near the Trinil River in a geological denosit estimated to be about 2,000,000 years old. The Darwinian hypothesis of the descent of man from some apelike ancestor still was “news.” " Biologists were demanding & “missing link,” and the Java bones, unique among all mam- malian remains, seemed to fill part of the specifications. These remains con- sisted only of a skull cap and a'thigh bone, but from them could be recon- structed a tentative picture of the crea- ture as it had appeared during life. It must have been an animal far closer to man than any of the living great apes. This was evidenced particularly by the skull cap from which consider able detail concerning the brain itself— the outstanding criterion of humanity— could be deduced. It was a brain midway in size belween those of man and such an animal as the gorilla. The cranial capacity - of Pithecanthropus, it was deduced, must have been slightly more than 900 cubic centimeters. This represents about 75 per cent of the capacity of the average human brain and is about 50 per cent greater than the average capacity of a gorilla brain. The contour and pattern of the cerebral cortex, as deduced from the skull eap, also were strikingly hu- man. The thigh bone showed strikingly human characteristics. It was even de- duced that Pithecanthropus had at least the rudiments of speech. Experts even speculated that the remains were those of & primitive old woman—the anthropologist's Eve instead of Adam. Prof. Dubois himself retained posses- sion of the bones. They could not be seen by the general public, but the dis- coverer published very complete de- scriptions of them and permitted their study by competent physical anthropolo- gists. Only a few doubting voices were raised now and then among scientists. Although the bones were strikingly “hu- man,” these pointed out, they also were strikingly gibbonish, and it was at least possible that they were those of & highly abnormal specimen of these most primi- ed the creature as well on the human side of the line. This view became almost & dictum of anthro- pology. Meanwhile, other remains of ancient members of the human family were be- ing discovered all over the Old World. These, however, all were bones of men and women, however crude and primi- tive the owners may have been in life. They were man-beasts with somewhat abberant brains well within the human capacity range. And all came from than did the bones = tive of the an id apes. Dr. Dubois of the thropold ape: Eugene Dubois of Haarlem, Holland, the | discoverer and custodian of the bones | of this remarkable creature, after nearly | students have been taught that Pithe- | every one wherein he errs, and especially in a way to convince him that he ought to mend his ways in this matter, then the famous millennium would be at hand. * x o x Lack of interest deprives, but the half- hearted acceptance of an interest, in the belief that it is all right for some- body else, but not exactly the thing for one's self, hurts in many ways. If we see how it works out in one way we see how it will work out in a thou- sand ways. The facts may be different, and as- suredly will be for every case, but in the main the background and the truths will be the same. Consider the person who accepts & smqll square aquarium and a few tropical fishes. He is honestly not interested, and that is all right. He has every right not to be interested in and for himself. But—and this is the point—if he ac- cepts them from some one who is in- terested he ought to accept them for himself, as he does by himself, not with the mental reservation that they are “kid stuff,” scarcely fit for a grown man. Let him look around; he will find many very grown men very. much interested in the home aquarium. He would find » Big business built up over the entire country in their handling and sale. He would discover that books and magazines devoted to fish keepjng are published, and that out of the perfectly amateur researches of hundreds of men equally as sensible as himself—perhaps more so=-have come, and will come, many sidelights of science, as well as thou- sands of happy, interested hours. * X * x Not knowing these things, however, self off from value and interest by ex- cusing what he is about to do. He is just doing it because— So by thinking the matter of utterly no consequence he begins in the wrong way, and continues in the wrong way. ‘What he might do correctly, if he dig- nified the occupation by believing it took a little brains, he does incorrectly from the start. One cannot belittle anything, even in one’s own mind, and get much from it. Belittling is a national vice, one which ordinarily is not recognized as such. It is amazing how many mistakes one can make in fish keeping if one believes from the beginning that there is “noth- ing to it.” ‘Then acts, and the lack thereof, which are not realized at all, turn out to be { the wrong thing to do under the cir- cumstances. That is why the beginner with fishes kept in tanks can make every mistake realizing that he is making any. It is so with anything in the world | one can tackle, or attempt to tackle, because a deprecatory attitude invariably well as compels one to make many mis- of its best interests and true values. So be interested in whatever you see, simply because that is the best way to be happy and get the most out of life. Interest gives one the correct approach to anything and everything. It prevents boredom. It makes happiness grow where too often misery would prevail. “Except ye become as a little child—" | What is the answer to that, except in- | terest, enthusiasm? AND ATOMS Notebook of Science Progress in Field, Laboratory and Study. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. of Pithecanthropus. Many believe that their blood is represented in the human stock today through direct ancestry. They were not quite true men, but beyvond much doubt belonged to the same family, *x ko Tt was not until 1932 that any more Pithecanthropus bones were These also came to Prof. Dubois’ labora- tory, and the first announcement con- cerning them was made last Summer. They were found within less than 50 yards from the site of the first discov- ery, and undoubtedly belonged to the same deposit. They comprised large portions of four other thigh bones. The whole collection now included remains of four individuals from which it was possible to make a much more accurate reconstruction of the type. From them Prof. Dubois has built up & picture of a decidedly apelike animal, The thigh bones were such as must have belonged to an animal whose habitual farm* of locomotion was walking along the branches of large trees or on the uneven ground of mountainous regions. In all probability he was a tree dweller, | like the gibbons of today., who are its | closest extant relatives. He must have walked at times, Prof. Dubois concludes, on all fours, and the need of the hand in locomotion must have prevented the finer differentiation of this organ and the corresponding differentiation of the brain found in human beings. In any event, Pithecanthropus was not a crea- ture that walked like a man. Neither did he think!like a man. ‘The intgnsive study of these new bones has led Prof. Dubois to classify the ani- mal as most probably one of the great apes belonging to the least manlike fam- ily—that of the siamang and the gib- bons. True, it was an extraordinary gibbon. It was a far larger animal than any existing members of the family and with by far the largest brain of any anthropoid ape known to mammalogists. Presumably Prof. Dubois would consider the generalized gibbon stock as ancestral to man, with Pithecanthropus as an off- shoot in the human direction. The gorillas, chimpanzees and. orang-utans may have branched off earlier, becom- ing highly advanced and specialized creatures in their own ways, which were different from the ways of human evolution. Few anthropologists in recent years have considered Pithecanthropus actu- ally as ancestral to modern man. He has been considered rather as a species of man. Dr. Dubois’ conclusion is that he is a species of gibbon instead—how- ever far removed from any of his living close relatives. The discoverer now con- cludes that the animal did not have the power of speech, one character which, probably above all others, differentiates the human being from the rest of mam- mal creation. With this elimination of the Java man from the human family, the honor of being the Adam of the anthropolo- gists—in respect to remains thus far discovered—goes to a grotesque creature living in Germany more than 1,000,000 years ago—the so-called Heidelberg man. This creature is known only from & single bone—a lower jaw. The only other claimant for the honor is the Eoanthropus, or dawn man, of Eng- land, whose remains are such a mix- ture of human and chimpanzeelike char- acters that anthropologists never have agreed as to whether they could pos- sibly have existed in the same animal. A not even suspecting them, he cuts him- | in the piscatorial calendar without once | cuts one off from the best returns, as | takes, which in turn deprive the thing | found. | v THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1935. 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, Washing- ton, D.C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. Do any countries examine the blood of a person accused of intoxica- tion?—G. 8. ' A. A scientific test for intoxication has been adopted in Norway and in Germany, whereby the alcoholic con- tent of the blood determines the ques- tion rather than the testimony of wit- nesses. Q. What was the loss by fire in the United States last year?—F. L. A. The estimated fire loss was $275,- 652,060. There were 34 fires involving a loss of $250,000 or more. Q. When was Bruno Hauptmann ar- rested for the murder of the Lindbergh baby?—C. D. A. He was arrested September 19, 1934. He was indicted by the Hunter- don County grand jury at Flemington, N. J,, on October 8. Q. In reckoning a child’s !‘;lrthdny in Summertime, should daylight saving or standard time be used?—G. R. A. Standard time. - Q. Is the Beaux-Arts School in Paris or in New York City?—J. R. A. Ecole des Beaux-Arts is in Paris. The Beaux-Arts Institute of Design is in New York City. It was planned after the famous French school. Q. Are city people or small town peo- ple more regular in church attendance? —B. R. A. A survey showed that in villages under 2,500 population attendance aver- aged 71 per cent. Cities of 10,000 to 50,000, the average was 42 per cent, while in cities of more than 50,000 the average was 30 per cent. Q. How dense are clouds?—L. H. A. The densest are about one part water to 30,000 air. Q. How did chicken a la king gets its name?—W. T. A. It is claimed that it was named for Edward VII of England, who had it prepared after a recipe of his own. Q. When did a shell from the Biz Be.:thfi first fall in the streets of Paris’ A. On March 23, 1918] at 7:20 am No one was killed, but some damage wa: done. Twenty minutes later another shell exploded on a very busy street. Nine people were killed, thirteen wound- ed and considerable damage wrought. Q. What is the source of the quota- tion: “Life is but a little holding, lent to do a mighty labor”?—W. H. F. A. These words are from George Meredith's novel, “Vittoria." They arc engraved on the writer's tombstone. Q. When did Ira Sankey, the Evangel- ist, die?>—T. T. A. Ira D. Sankey died August 13, 1908. Q. Can a watermelon be treated so that it can be kept until Christmas? —B. M. A. By coating a watermelon with par- affin it may be kept well until Christ- mas, although the quality will be in- ferior, Q. How many pounds of tobaccq does it take to make 1,000 cigarnws?&. F. A. About 2.85 pounds. Q. Why did Mark Twain publish “Personal Recollections-of Joan of Arc” anonymously?—C. T. A. The author stated that he had spent 14 years of preparation on this work and that it would never be ac- cepted seriously over his own signature. Q. How many members has the Amer- ican Federation of Labor?—J. G. A. It has a membership of 2,600,000. Q. What do the Chinese use to make the strings for their native musical in- struments?—J. N. A. They use the bark of a native lhgb called maqui. Q. How did Indians manage to move from place to place without leaving foot- prints to mark their passage?—B. L. A. When going on an expedition they walked “Indian file"—that is, single file— each stepping in the footprints of the one before. The last man was supposed to obliterate the footprints. At any rate. the number of invaders would be con- cealed. Q. Why is a duffel bag so called?—T. F A. It takes its name from the ma- terial from which it is made. The ma- terial was named for the town, Duffel. in Brabant, where it was first made. Q. What is the “odor of sanctity"? -~T.N. A. In the middle ages it was believed that a sweet and delightful odor was given off by the bodies of saintly per- sons at their death; hence the expre: sion he died in the odor of sanctit: means he died a saint. Q. Who was Noah Claypole?—C. B. .A, He is the cowardly apprentice in Dickens’ “Oliver Twist,” who robs his master’s till, joins Fagin in London, and by turning state’s evidence insures the conviction of Bill Sykes for the murder of Nancy. Q. Who are the four noted men whose likenesses are to be carved on Mount Rushmore?—A. W. A. Thomas Jefferson, George Wash- ington, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. ———— Misused Members, Prom the Grand Rapids (Mich.) Press. A number of those who are getting a hand these days should be getting a foot. 3 A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton Remembrance On every birthday in his latter years His desk wis piled with flowen., And the tears That mingled with the tributes when he died Mixed grief with reference and civic pride. Today, the anniversary of his death, Recalls his record as a clean, strong breath Blown from some meadow of long verdancy. And on his office desk, in memory, A loyal hand with unobtrusive grace Has lald across the polished, empty space ¥ v A sheaf of grass’ and mellowed golden- rod— Symhol of ons skin to man and God. [ [