Evening Star Newspaper, October 3, 1935, Page 10

THE- EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C , THURSDAY, . OCTOBER 3, 1935. A—10 : B s THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition, WASHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY ............October 3, 1935 THEODORE W. NOYES...........Editor it p o SR e The Evening Star Newspaper Company. Business Office: u P Ivania Ave New York Offce. 110 Enst 42nd 8t Chicago Office: Lake Michigan Building, Suropean Office: 14 Regent St.. London. Englard. Rate by Carrier Within the City. Regular Edith he Evening St a e Evenine and 4 Sund; (when 5 The Sunday Star_. Night Final A45c¢ per month -60c per month 65¢ per month -5¢ per copy 70c per month \nal St 5c per month Collection made at the end of each month. Orders may be sent by mail on telephone Na- tional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia 1 yr., $12.00; 1 mo.. $1.00 . "$8.00: 1 mo,~ 75¢ $5.00; 1 mo. b Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press s 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 published herein. 1l rights of publication of special dispatches erein are also reserved. War! Despite feverish months of preventive effort by the League and its dominant members, Great Britain and France, the unbelievable has come to pass. War has broken out in Africa. According to credible reports, Italian troops have en- tered Ethiopia at three points, near Adowa in the northwestern sector of the Eritrean front, farther east close to the Jjunction between Eritrea and French Somaliland and in the south from Italian Somaliland. Fighting has taken place and casualties are reported, first indications of & furious conflict between the highly trained and well armed forces of Italy and the poorly armed but des- perately courageous masses of Ethi- opians. “A solemn hour is about to strike in the history of the country,” Il Duce thun- dered last night to millions of Italians assembled in a Fascist mass mobiliza- tion. “We have been patient with Ethi- opia for forty years. It is enough now!” he added, amid the frenzied cheers of his subjects in every nook and corner of the peninsula. Thus, a bare seventeen years after that November Armistice day which was to signalize the end of fratricidal strife among the nations, war raises its ugly head again. Civilized man- kind, dismayed and disillusioned, faces in consternation and anxiety the incal- culable consequences which may ensue, not only in Africa, but in Europe and throughout the world, from this tragic breakdown of international peace ma- chinery. If it turn out that Italy has un- provokedly resorted to military ac- tion which would automatically brand her as the aggressor, the League, in accordance with steps already taken, will presumably proceed to impose sanctions. Intensive diplomatic ne- gotiations between Great Britain and France appear at length to have brought about final agreement for joint economic and financial pressure against Italy once it is formally decreed. French reluctance to join in coersive measures seems to have yielded in the face of German assurances, obtained by London, that Hitler would neither make common cause with Italy nor exploit the situation as an opportunity for attacking France. The stage, therefore, is set for that collective resistance with which Il Duce has consistently been threatened if he renounced the agencies of peace in favor of the brute force of war. In the defiant outburst addressed to his adherents on Wednesday, Mussolini held out the prospect that economic sanctions would not necessarily lead to war. To them, he fulminated, “we shall enswer with our discipline, our spirit of sacrifice, our obedience. To military sanctions we shall reply with military measures. To acts of war we shall re- spond with acts of war.” By “military sanctions” and “acts of war,” the Roman dictator unquestionably means reprisals like the closing of the Suez Canal and a blockade of the Italian coasts by British and French fleets. Amid his bombast that “nothing can now stop the wheel of Fascist destiny”— a larger place in the colonial sun—Mus- solini does not conceal his fears of European complications. He refuses to believe that either Britain or France would permit blood to be spilled in Europe, and “sacredly pledges” himself to do everything in his power to prevent & “colonial conflict” from taking on the “aspect and weight of a European war.” 11 Duce only thinly veils his belief that such a catastrophe is a “possible devel- opment of tomorrow,” as, of course, it is, ‘The League, in the teeth of a situation over which it has obviously lost control, 1s sure to make a last desperate attempt to check the war, which is now in its first stage. Failing to do so, sance tions will be imperatively in order. Un- less they are enforced, all concerned must be aware that the last vestige of League prestige and authority will dis- appear beyond redemption. The pre- vailing temper in London and Paris, notably in the British capital, indicates that Italy is altogether likely to find herself subjected to sanctions. On the face of things, they should eventually bring Mussolini to terms, but sanctions will not be applied for weeks to come. By that time, in light of fast-moving events, East Africa may be drenched in blooti and the Italian campaign in Ethi- opia well advanced toward its goal. No Potato Control. ‘When is a law not a law? There are various answers. One of them is when the Supreme Court rules that it is un- constitutional. Another is when the ad- ministration lacks the funds for its en- forcement. Still another is when the administration does not wish to en- force it. The potato-control law is not going to be enforced. That was definitely stated yesterday by the Secretary of Agriculture, There seems to be no doubt on the subject. Not only is there lack of enforcement funds, but the difficul- ties in the'way of enforcement, with & punitive tax against growers who at- tempt to sell more than their allotted quotas, are too great to be met. This potato-control item was added to one of the administrition-recom- mended measures in the course of its passage through Congress. It was not of itself an inspiration from “up the street.” It was, like that of the naughty little girl who misbehaved at s party, the “own idea” of one or & group of Jaw- makers, abetted by a sufficient support to get the amendment adopted. So large a part of the legislation enacted during the past two sessions of Congress has been conceived by the administration that in the public mind at present the process of law making has been altogether altered from that provided by the Constitution, which set up a legislative branch of the Govern- ment distinct from the law-enforcing branch. So it was quite natural that the notion spread that the potato-control law was proposed to Congress from somewhere else. This led to the im- pression, when the absurdities of the new law became evident, that the ad- ministration was glad to find a reason for non-enforcement in the lack of funds due to the failure of the third deficiency bill, killed by the Long fllibuster. Now it appears that that impression is in- correct. The administration does not like the law and does not want to en- force it, and will not try to enforce it. Still, it is an act of Congress. What would have been the case if there were no lack of funds? Would the law have been shelved just the same? . America’s Hope. In the most explicit terms possible President Roosevelt yesterday, at San Diego, expressed the intention of this country to keep aloof from any foreign conflict. He said: “As President of the United States I say to you most earnestly once more that the people of America and the Government of those people intend to remain at peace with all the world.” The United States has no “entangle- ment” that at this juncture of affairs overseas involves it in any obligation to participate in a war. It is not a member of the League of Nations, is not even an adherent of the World Court. It cannot be obligated by “sanctions” to engage in economic penalties upon a nation that violates the principles of interna- tional conduct laid down by the League. The President unquestionably speaks for virtually the entire Nation when he declares for absolute neutrality and for abstention from any manner or degree of participation in a foreign conflict. Sentimental partisanship as to the imme- dllbely_prospective contention there fis, undeniably, in this country. But that does not reach the point of advocacy of engagement in the contest, to any extent, by more than a very small minority. In case the war that now seems to have started with Italy's invasion is confined to the immediate antagon- ists, Italy and Ethiopia, within the African arena beyond which, in such circumstances, it cannot conceivably spread, there is little or no chance of any complication arising to in- volve the interests of this country. As far as those two antagonists are con- cerned American neutrality is positively assured. That was the case twenty-one years ago when war was declared between Austria and Serbia. It seemed to be the case even when Germany, Russia, France, Belgium, England, later Italy and eventually other countries overseas joined in the melee. It ceased to be the case when with virtually all of the Old World enlisted American interests were assailed, grievous injuries were in- flicted and participation by the United States became inevitable. ‘The assurance of strict neutrality and firm determination “to remain at peace with all the world” can go no further than the immediate and prospective con- ditions permit. A pledge of meutrality given now does not cover every possibil- ity of development. If the flames now crackling in Africa spread to Europe a situation will arise in which such a pledge could mnot be positively given. Just so it was in the Summer of 1914, though there was little thought then that the war would spread so rapidly and so far. American interests are more than likely to be exposed to injury if the conflict spreads and the war is waged upon the seas. The prayer of the American people to- day is that there will be no such de- velopment, that the strife will be con- fined to Africa, that there will be no alignment of partisans such as has been indicated in the speculations arising from the negetiations for a pacific ad- justment. They hope that reason and the most enlightened self-interest of the European powers will at least effect the restriction of the war to the arena of provocation, This hope is inspired not altogether by fear of the possible em- broilment of America. It arises quite as definitely from the dread of the ghastly spectacle of a general European war, even though that might not menace America with involvement. Truly, indeed, the “people of America and the Government of those people intend to remain at peace with all the world.” They hope that that intention will be maintained even though the sparks now flying in Africa spread a general conflagration in Europe, The First Game. An old base ball truism runs, “One game does not make a series,” Detroit's partisans in the world championship contest which began yesterday in that city are getting some consolation out of that undeniable reflection. The ulti- mate honors will go to the team that wins four out of the seven possible games, and the one game won yesterday by the rampageous Cubs—who took their league pennant by winning twene ty-one games straight—is only one- fourth of the required string of victories, Nevertheless, that first game, so tidily takeén by the National Leagus repre- sentatives, against Detroit’s best pitcher, has thrown a heavy cloud upon the pros- pect from the Detroit viewpoint. But base ball is notoriously unguess- able. Games have a strange way of suddenly going screwy and upsetting all the logic. Players of losing teams sometimes snap out of their doldrums and get fighting mad and win against all the odds that previous failure has piled up against them. Pitchers have regained their cunning, batsmen have found their “eyes” and teams have come from behind in apparently lost games and in seemingly lost series. So that may happen somewhere within the range of this year's battle. It may happen even when Chicago has taken three games to none, if that should occur. That would be a sensation, indeed, The old, old adage that “the game is not over until the last man is out in the last inning” applies to a lirhited series of games as well as to a series of games, The financially disin- terested patrons of the sport, who have no concern in the “gate” and nothing at stake in wagers, would like to see & seven-game series, with the teams fight- ing to the final putout of the final game. That is base ball at its best. And a world series should always be base ball at its best. _—r—————— Artists of all kind are to be provided for from public relief funds. Big money has often gone into art. A million may finance & show, but & billion will not serve to create a comfortable im- presario. Many a Western farmer is enthusias- tic over & system which enables him to collect cash for food destruction. But the farmer himself may find the income insufcient to buy pork chops and pota- toes for his own family. A reckless spirit of bravery is being promoted. Even motorists are being re- minded that an Army tank is not always more dangerous than the family auto- mobile, e ‘Three men died in the test of a new explosive in a stone quarry near Balti- more. The strictly impersonal scientific mind may at least find gratification in proof that the explosive works. e Wagner's poetry and music should have more encouragement in the hope | of persuading nations to sing about the Rhine instead of fighting over it. ——r—e——————— Real peace cannot be assured until the war craft in the Mediterranean can be dispersed to make room once more for the private yachts. ————————— The old Republican elephant has no relation with parlor socialism. There will be an elephant in the campaign parade and it will not be a pink elephant. The task of stamping potatoes might | cause further complications. Too much | energy would produce a mashed potato, thereby calling for a processing tax. —_——————— Base ball maintains a strictly Ameri- can status. No team ever crosses the | ocean to compete in a world series. e New York is rebelling against disturb- ing noises. It has not yet undertaken to conquer radio. ———r———————— There may be a feeling that days were happier in Italy when Caruso was better known than Mussolini. e Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Human Sympathy. The chieftain of the winged men And of the iron fish Invaded sea and sky again When “glory” was his wish. When victory came in sky or sea His folk were overjoyed, But in defeat they scowled, since he Was visibly annoyed. THE POLITICAL MILL By C. Gould Liggoln. Northern California is to be the scene of a Republican rally and drive this week, with former President Herbert Hoover, titular leader of the G. O. P. as the principal speaker. The Republican gathering comes on the heels of Presi- dent Roosevelt'’s Democratic drive in Southern California, Los Angeles and San Diego, where he spoke strongly for the New Deal and pleaded to the liberals of all faiths to “unite.” The “Western States Republican Convention,” which opens in Oakland tomorrow and runs through Saturday and Sunday, is being staged by the younger Republicans of 11 Western States—California, Oregon, ‘Washington, Arizona, New Mexico, Ne- vada, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. The California Repub- lican assembly is the host of the con- vention, * % ¥ % The address by Mr. Hoover will be a campaign speech, aimed at the Roosevelt New Deal. The former President, it is .clear, intends to take an active part in the fight to defeat Roosevelt in the coming national campaign. He is 'still the titular head of the Republican party and as such he believes he should be in the front line of the battle against the New Deal, which he has charged breaks down the American system of Government. This will be the attitude of Mr. Hoover from now on, it is said by his friends. He is not offering himself as a candidate for the presidency, but he is bent on carrying the war to the New Dealers, they say. Moreover, it is clear that Mr. Hoover will use whatever influence he may have in the coming Republican National Convention to make the G. O. P. platform a condemnation of the Roosevelt New Deal from stem to stern. * Xk X % Because Mr. Hoover was badly beaten in the national election of 1932, some of the Republicans look askance at his political activity. They fear that the people will come to believe that the Re- publican campaign is for a return to Hoover, and they do not believe that a Republican campaign so labeled will aid the G. O. P. They would like to see Mr. Hoover retire from public view, say nothing about policies or candidates, and issue a statement to the effect that he will under no circumstances accept the presidential nomination. These Repub- licans may yet come to the view that the issue in the 1936 campaign will not be Mr. Hoover, but President Roosevelt and the things he has stood for. That such will be the issue, despite the very | desperate efforts of the Roosevelt Demo- crats to make it otherwise and to drag the depression of 1929 on across the trail, with Mr. Hoover as their particular target, is becoming clearer and clearer. What Roosevelt has done or not done in the last three years will be the real subjects of interest to the voters—not what Mr. Hoover did in the earlier four years, * ok ok X More and more it looks as though the Democrats were looking to the “solid South” and the Midwest and the West, with the border States thrown in, to re- elect President Roosevelt next year. The play to the farmers by the President on his present trip, his assurance that Government checks will be paid to them for complying with the A. A. A. crop curtailment program, whether the Su- preme Court turns down the present processing taxes or not, is indicative of the desire to hold the West. Incidentally, the President’s statement regarding the payment of the farmers for complying with the A. A. A. program was an alibi for any new tax legislation that may be necessary at the coming session of Con- gress. And if new taxes are put through to take the place of the processing taxes they will be no light affair. For the | processing taxes at present bring into the Government hundreds of millions of dollars annually, to be distributed to the farmers. * ok ox The Roosevelt Democrats are by no means letting up in their desire to carry the States of New England and the East. But the anti-Roosevelt sentiment is more rampant in those sections. It may be difficult to persuade the people of Mas- sachusetts and of Pennsylvania, of New Jersey and New York and Maryland to back the New Deal in the coming elec- tion. For that reason the Democrats, if they lay out a sound campaign, will make tremendous efforts to win again in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, for example. So far as New England is concerned, Democratic leaders informally say they can get along without those six While one crowd came in ruthless rage Another crowd to slay A cruel line on history’s page ‘Was traced from day to day. His heart beneath a uniform ‘This line must surely touch, The chieftain in his palace warm Was worrled very much. New Drive. “What about this news of another drive for war in the Eastern Hemi- spfierz?" “We are still talking about the horrors of a previous war,” said Senator Sor- ghum. “All I can do is to regret that warnings against reckless driving are not more carefully heeded.” Jud Tunkins says he understands that they are trying to define what “Zut” means. He always thought it was a French abbreviation for “Helen Maria.” Spare Time. “If T get paid,” the farmer said, “For work I haven't done, 11 leave the toilsome life I've led And tread the paths of fun. Of course, myself I must amuse As idle hours depart. I shall enthuse o'er those whe choose ‘Works of boondoggle art.” Social Repression. “It isn’t customary to talk about money in good society.” “No,” answered Miss Cayenne, “but it’s very unusual to quit thinking about i Noise. My radio! My radio! . You tell me of the boys Who discipline must undergo Because of too much noise. Your static—your statistics, too, T hear each day with pride; I should be greatly grieved if you Attempted suicide. “Geography,” said Uncle Eben, “was hard to learn when I went to school. But it's harder since dey been raisin’ armies te fight about it.” States. The Republicans are really becoming active at last. Every time President Roosevelt opens his mouth Republican leaders hurl back criticisms at him. They are planning to use the radio in a big way. Chester C. Bolton, Representative from Ohio, chairman of the Congres- sional Campaign Committee, in a speech delivered over the Columbia Broadcast- ing System last night, charged that “President Roosevelt once more is mak= ing promises to the American people in the hope of reviving a lost confidence in the New Deal.” The Ohio Representa= tive referred to the New Deal Congresses as entirely subservient to the Chief Ex- ecutive and insisted that what the country really needed to check the dic- tatorship of Roosevelt was a return to “legislative responsibility.” *x ok ok X The Republican leaders continue to insist that there must be no talk of candidates. If they keep that kind of thing up long enough the people may come to believe that there are no Re- publican candidates worthy of the name, The sooner strong Republican contest- ants for the presidential nomination be- come widely known to the people the better chances of success for the party. There is a theory now advanced by some of the older leaders in the G. O. P. organization that the thing to do is to send a lot of favorite-son candidates to the next national convention, so that no candidate may stand in a dominant position. Their theory is that then the Republican delegates to the convention may get together and, after full and free consideration, nominatethebestman. The chances are, however, that if the con- vention opens with a plethora of favor. ite-son candidates to make it possible to tie up the convention, deadlock it, on the question of the presidential nom- ination. And when such a deadlock comes it is not the general mass of the delegates to the convention which makes the selection of the compromise candi- date, but a small group of dominant leaders. That group gets the man it believes will stand for policies in which the group believes. When a small group has nominated a candidate it can also look to him for favors. From that angle this favorite-son candidate idea for the next Republican national convention does not look so attractive. It might easily lead to another 1920 convention, where the late President Harding emerged as the party’s choice after a group of the leaders had come to their own conclusions in & smoke-filled hotel zoom in the early hours of the moraing. ./\ However it may be about “sealing wax and kings,” there can be no doubt about the former. The use of wax with a seal is still a pleasant amenity in letter writing. | Unfortunately, it seems to have suf- fered an eclipse, at least temporarily. No doubt it will come back again, and then every letter will be adorned on the back with a red splotch of wax. Red, of course, has been the favorite color for centuries, not only on letters, but in all sorts of sealing. Court seals were and still are done in bright red wax. Old seals on college diplomas are bright red, though the men who earned them are gone. ok ok ok We were reminded of seals by the receipt of a letter on which one had been used. It was of & coat of arms, bearing a horseshoe, with a crown above. The signet had been pressed down on the melted wax, leaving these impres- sions very clearly. In the midst of & busy day it was pleasant to receive a letter so carefully prepared. Surely, when a letter writer goes to that extra trouble it shows that the missive has some thought put on it. ‘While family seals are perhaps best for such usage, there is no reason in the world why the entire gamut of life’s occupa- tions, and especially life’s enthusiasms, might not be run in seals. Nor is there any need of sticking to deep red. If one were a victim of the aquatic hobby and fancied the use of the angel fish on his seal, he ought to make use of pale blue or green wax. * * ok % ‘What could make a better letter seal for a tropical fish enthusiast than the angel? That royal creature, with its unbe- lievably odd shape, its extended dorsal fin and its queer “feelers,” would strike a note of distinction on any letter. No doubt it could be idealized a bit and simplified for seal usage without losing any of its distinction. * * x x One of the fine things about the letter | seal, it has always seemed to us, is the distinctiveness of it. Despite the fact that sealing letters is as old as the hills, literally, and equally open to any one with the price, few per- sons indulge in it. Surely it is a great deal of bother, or | trouble, in the vernacular. Sometimes it seems as if everything worth while is a trouble to some one. One is reminded of the old story of the mountain boy who watched the visitor to the cabin make his morning toilet. “You are a great deal o’ trouble to yer- self, ain't ye, mister?” he finally said. Life is that way at certain times for all of us. ‘The mere evervday usages at times | strike us all, even with the best of inten- tions, as something tiresome and bore- some, to be got over and finished as soon as possible. * % * X Perhaps most of us tackle our corre- spondence in such a spirit. Instead of making our letters, especially STARS, MEN small personal notes, the joyous task they seemed to have been to men and women of the older days, we usually put letter writing off as long as possible, with the hope that maybe no answer will be nec- essary. Then when we no longer can get out of it something of shame over- cnomes us and we write in a cramped hand and as little as possible. How can a letter reflect much hurry under such circumstances. It is no wonder that modern letter writing as an art does not amount to anything. It seems to have been different in the old days. They did not have as much to occupy them, undoubtedly. Their amusements did not come slithering into their homes invisibly. They did not have the clamor of modern publicity to make for dissatis- faction with the simple things. Therefore it must have been a real treat to sit down at a neat desk, with plenty of good paper and ink and sealing wax, and indite in a fair hand the thoughts which came to 2 mind untram- meled except by the good repressions of those times. qupt * k% % ‘The very spirit of the seal and sealing wax no doubt makes it a leisurely occu- pation. Those of us today who rattle thoughts off on typewriters have only to go back for a time to pen and ink to see shortly that the slower the physical writing, as such, the more complete the mental action between the lines. That is why a great many persons still insist on outlining what they want to say in pencil before they touch typewriter. Speed is not confined to the highway, but makes its way even to the quietest desk. Sealing a letter, fortunately, is not a job to be undertaken lightly nor in a hurry. Usually nowadays it is confined to let- ters which are to be sent to those the sender thinks would appreciate the little extra courtesy. Because a letter seal is indeed a cour- tesy to the receiver. It means that he or she was held to be one who under- stands the amenities. A seal on a letter to a person who does not even notice it is throwing pearls before swine. Seals should be kept, and almost always are, for those correspondents who natu- rally have an instinct for the best, who | receive pleasure out of good paper and penmanship and especially from the thoughts contained in the writing. * o ok ¥ The very formality of a seal says prep- | aration. It will be held “too much trouble” by many, and no one would quarrel with them. Those who have the time and the in- 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. What is the record for amphil planes?—G. F. S. pran A. A world record of 230.03 miles an hour was set at Detroit on September 15 by Maj. Alexander P. De Seversky, Q. Who was the first person to give his blood for Senator Long?—R. W. A. Lieut. Gov. James A. Noe was the first to give blood for a transfusion. Q. How many McGuffey Readers have been sold?—J. J. F. A. Their sales are estimated at 122,« 000,000 copies. Q. What is an oil scout?—R. J. A. He is a petroleum geologist who is sent into the fleld by oil companies to prospect. Q. How many dentists are there in the United States?—H. W. F. A. There are about 71,000. Q. How old are the box hedges in the garden at Mount Vernon?—H. D. A. They were planted in 1798 or earlier. Q. Who was the Young Chevalier?— F.M A. This title was given to Charles Edward Stuart, son of the Old Pretender. Q. Of what materials is soil made? —P.R. T. | A. Soil is the surface layer of earth | on which the land plants grow. It is derived from and therefore is made of the same constituents as the rocks, bug it has been subject to the action of air and water, which have altered and re- | moved some of the original components s0 that the proportions of the various substances in the soil are not the same as in the parent rock. The mineral par- | ticles constitute the basis or foundation of the soil, but not the whole of it. In any region where rainfall and tempera« ture conditions are favorable, vegetation rapidly springs up, obtaining its mineral | nutrients and its nitrogen from the soil. The plants build up complex organic | matter from the carbon dioxide of the air, using for this purpose the energy of sunlight, and when they die and their dead remains fall back on the soil there is introduced a new group of constituents, organic substances containing nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, etc., and | also stored-up energy. These two com=- ponents, the mineral substances derived from the rock and the organic substances derived from previous generations of plants, constitute soil. clination—and the seal—will do well to | continue to use it, at least upon occasion. | It bespeaks the mind filled with more than just the fulfillment of a duty, as important as that is. ¥ The seal ties ancient times to the very latest moment in a pleasant, courteous way, without ostentation, but at the same time with a very firm reminder that the user knows a thing or two. AND ATOMS Notebook of Science Progress in Field, g Laboratory and Study. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. A sky-rocket universe is postulated by Dr. Ross Gunn, physicist of the Naval Research Laboratory, here. The picture of stars and galaxies of billions of stars flying into space like so many exploding rockets, pushed by the recoils of their own radiation, results from the Navy physicist's effort to pro- vide » mathematical solution for the riddle of the expanding universe, one of the weirdest conceptions of the new astronomy. The so-called “island universes” aggregations of stars comparable in size to the Milky Way galaxy itself, but separated from it by millions of light years of empty space, appear to be mov- ing outward at terriffic speeds which increase with a regular progression the greater their distance. So well has this movement been established during the past few years by astronomers of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, sta- tioned at the Mount Wilson Observatory, that it now is generally accepted and the distance of the galaxy itself calcu- lated from the speed of its recession. But this is against all the logic of classical astronomy with its universally acting chains of gravity tying creation together. The tendency should be for the great aggregations of stars te pull each other inward toward a common center. At the best, through their orbital speed, they would be able to do no more than retain their positions. Yet the fact remains that they are mov- ing outward, apparently compelled by some opposite force even greater than gravity itself. Various efforts have been made to explain the strange phenomenon, most of which have postulated some spe- cial property of space. Nobody has been able to explain it in terms of the familiar Euclidian space of three dimensions. In one notable theory an actual hypothetical force acting opposite to gravity—the “cosmic force” of Le Maitre, is postu= lated. It is the force of outward move- ment imparted by the explosion of the original extraordinary atom which was the parent of the universe. * x ok The Washington physicist finds an ex- planation that fits the observed rate of expansion in the kick-back of radiation. Every luminous body, such as a star, is constantly emitting vast quantities of radiation into space. There is a kick- back, like the kick of & gun against the shoulder when it is fired. Propulsion by this means is the fundamental prin- ciple behind all proposed rocket ships for the conquest of space. They would be propelled by & constant series of explo- sions directed in the opposite direction to the desired line of flight. Now if a star were emitting radiation equally from all points on its surface, the kick-back would be neutralized in every direction and there would be no effect on its movement. This usually has been assumed to be the case. Consequently astronomers have not taken rocket pro- pulsion into consideration in celestial mechanics. It was supposed that a star was equally hot all over. But, says Dr. Gunn in explaining his novel hypothesis in the Journal of the Franklin Institute, there is no valid reason for this supposition. Some parts of the surface of a star, he believes, are hotter than others. Consequently they are emitting more radiation and there is a disbalance of the kick-back tending to push the star in the direction of its cooler surface. ‘This follows, says the Navy physicist, from the supposed history of a celestial body. It is calculated that once in ap- proximately a billion years every. star in the galaxy goes through the process of | becoming a “nova"—flaring up with ex- traordinary brilliance for a few months and then declining. What actually hap- pens, he says, is that the star through | the violence of the internal forces which caused the explosion, splits into two or more parts. A double star may result, or even a planetary system such as that of the sun. Now the surface of such a new star which has been broken off from the Q. How many telephone calls are made annually in the United States?—J. L. | A. Telephone users in this country made 24,000,000,000 local and long-dis- tance calls during 1933, Q. To what denomination did Bee- thoven belong?—W. C. A. Apparently, the great musician had no formal religion. He was, however, deeply religious. Just before his death he received the sacraments of the church, Q. Please give some information about the Hare Indians—S. F. A. They are a tribe of Athapascan stock, living in the extreme northwest of | Canada. They rely greatly upon the Arctic hare for food and clothing, henca their name, but also fish, and hunt the caribou. There are about 700 of them. | Q. What is the superstition about the elder?—T. P. A. The elder and the spirit of the elder appear frequently in the mythology of the peoples of Northern Europe. The Danes believed it bad luck to use the wood for furniture. The Russians believed tha elder drove away evil spirits. There was also a medieval tradition that Judas hanged himself on an elder. interior will be very much hotter than | | the other face which was part of the exterior. Supposing the surface tem- perature of a star was 6000 C. The | interior temperature probably would run | | as high as 10,000,000 degrees. Conse- quently there would be about this differ- | ence in the radiation of the two faces of stars resulting from a split. One side would be causing enormously | greater radiation repulsion than the other. would be pushed with enormous energy in the direction of the cooler side. This, says Dr. Gunn, accounts well enough for | some of the observed velocities of va- rious types of stars within the Milky Way galaxy itself. A lesser degree of radiation asymetry, he believes, accounts well enough for starting the stars in their | original rotations. * K ok x Now, Dr. Gunn says, it can be calcu- lated from the present rate of recession that all the millions of galaxies in cre- ation must have been very close together about ten billion years ago. They may | very well have been combined into a single, rather closely packed, super- nebulae. In some way or other—perhaps because of some slight radiation asymetry on its surface, this nebulae started ro- tating. The rotation became so rapid that it flew asunder into millions of fragments—themselves aggregations of stars approaching in magnitude the pres- ent Milky Way galaxy. Now the original super-nebula, like any individual star, was most closely packed and hottest at its center. Con- sequently the edges of the galaxies re- sulting from the smash-up which were torn from the interior were hotter than the surfaces which were closer to the edge of the parent system. Consequently there would be an enormous radiation propulsion outward, overcoming the forces of gravity which were tending to pull the fragments together. The closer they were to each other the greater the gravitational pull. The farther apart they were pushed the less resistance the rocket effect had to overcome. Conse- quently the farther away they were the faster they moved outward. That, says’ Dr. Gunn, is precisely what the astron- omers are observing today. ‘There is no need, he says, of any assumption of hyper-dimensional space structure of an Einsteinian sort to ex- plain it. It may be a movement out- ward in three-dimensional, Euclidian space—the movement resulting from the repulsion being along straight lines. Eventually this asymetry between the different edges of a galaxy will tend to disappear as more and more heat is radiated until finally it will not be suffi- cient to overcome gravity and there will be a condensation—possibly to some such state as may have existed at the begin- ing. He says the final state of the uni- verse is “a condensed system of rela- tively cold bodies describing gravitational orbits about a common center of gravity with a velocity nearly that of light.” By applying this hypothesis, says Dr. Gunn, it is possible to calculate the age of the universe. It turns out to be about ten billion years, which is in general conformity with the age reached by other calculations. Consequently the stellar body | Q. How is the corn removed from the cob at the large canning factories? ¥ TN A. The National Canners’ Association | says that commercial canneries use a series of cutters forming a circle and the corn is cut as it passes these sharp | circles. Q. Where J.H. M. A. It is a college for Negro men at | Atlanta, Ga With it is affiliated Spel- man Seminary, a training school for Negro women, teachers and nurses, many of whom have gone as missionarieg to Africa. is Morehouse College?— Q. When was Cadiz | city?—P. L. F. A. Throughout its long. history this city of Spain has maintained its promi- nence in the world since its earliest founding by the Phoenicians, about 1100 B.C. It has been occupied by many races: In 501 B.C. by the Carthaginians; in 49 B.C. by Rome, when it was known as the Joyous City, its cooking and danc- ing girls being famous throughout tha civilized world. After the discovery of America it became the headquarters of the Spanish treasure fleet and wag known as the wealthiest port of West- | ern Europe. It was burned and sacked by Sir Francis Drake, by the Earl of Essex and by Lord Charles Howard, but | each time recovered to a greater splen- | dor. About 1765 its wealth was said to be greater than that of London. an important Q What was the date of the assas- sination of Gov. Steunenberg of Idaho? —M. P. A. It was on December 30, 1905. Q. Please describe the depository which is to be built to hold the gold stock of the Treasury—K. G. F. A. A bullion depository will be con= structed at Fort Knox, Ky. Fort Knox is a military reservation. The building will cost approximately $524,000. A giant steel and concrete vault capable of hold- ing $19,000,000,000 in gold, or twice the Treasury’s stock, will be suspended, its four sides open to continual inspection. The roof of the Kentucky stronghold is to be of granite, and will therefore be bombproof. A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton The Stretch Ahead Here where the barbecue is spread With roasting pig and apple red, Tankards of ale, hot gingerbread, Our toast tonight—the stretch ahead! To games we stake! To thirsts we slake! To lucky brake In goals we make! When Autumn stars are overhead And man from leisure’s clover bed Must step out with a forward tread— Clink glasses to the stretch ahead!