Evening Star Newspaper, October 5, 1935, Page 6

" A6 THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition, WASHINGTON, D. C. SATURDAY .... ...October 5, 1935 Sesmdenitle sAobavioiih remratin ey THEODORE W. NOYES...........Editor eIk Al SrE e S The Evening Star Newspaper Company. Business Omce: h St lvania Ave. Chicago Office: Lake Michigan ; Suropean Office: 14 Regent St.. London. England. Rate by Carrier Within the City. Resular Edition. 45¢ per month 60c per month 65c per month 8¢ per copy 1 and Sunday Star c per month Fieht B 86 c per month Collection made at the en ach month. Orders muy be sent by mail or telephone Na- tional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. glly and Sunday. gr.. $10.00; 1 mo., 85¢ ily only. s $6.00: 1 mo.. slc Sunday only. $4.00; 1 mo.. 40c fly and Su aily ouly unday onl: Member of the Associated Press. is exclusively entitled to tne e b e tlon of all news dispatches eredited to it or not otherwise credited in this paper and also the local news published herein. All rights of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. = — Mussolini’s Anxieties. As his marching legions and bombing pircraft make deadly headway in Ethi- opia, Mussolini is casting a diplomatic anchor to windward. He is filled with anxiety lest the fire he has started in East Africa spread into regions nearer home and involve all Europe in war. Il Duce has, therefore, adopted “localiza- tion” as his watchword, hoping that the “colonial conflict” can be confined to himself and Haile Selassie. The dictator has no stomach for the contingency that Italy might become embroiled in a life- and-death struggle with powers like Great Britain and France, now united for common action in the field of League sanctions. Concrete steps indicating Mussolini's nervousness were taken in London and Paris, on Friday, on the eve of today's action at Geneva, which will result in the definite branding of Italy as an aggressor. He renews an earlier offer to call off by mutual agreement the “pre- cautionary” measures taken by both Britain and Italy for maintenance of their security in the Mediterranean. Similar overtures have been submitted in Paris. Pleading that only defense considerations led him to order an advance of his army into Ethiopia, Mus- solini evinces an unmistakably ardent desire to prevent transformation of his adventure into a European conflagration. It is inconceivable that with economic sanctions about to be decreed against Italy either Britain or France would consent unconditionally to withdraw from the Mediterranean the naval forces upon which the League will mainly de- pend for enforcement of those meas- ures. Roman dictator craves for removal of the menace that hangs over him in the waters surrounding Italy is indicative of a chastened mood that may augur at least for curtailment of bloodshed in Ethiopia. It is intimated that Mussolini is not averse to “friendly discussions” with Britain and France that would duly safeguard their African interests while affording Italy the satisfaction she de- mands. The . British prime minister's speech yesterday to a Conservative party meet- ing is well timed to bring Il Duce to his senses. Mr. Baldwin affirmed British determination to rearm on an earnest scale in view not only of Italy’s present defiance, but because of the challenge which all dictatorships, including those in Germany and Russia, have thrown down to the free peoples of Europe. “History has taught,” the prime minister said, “that no matter how peaceful dic- tatorships may be in their early stages, they try, in the end, to divert the atten- tion of their people from domestic dif- ficulties to external adventures.” He had Italy, as well as Germany, in mind when he rapped the practice of dic- tators to reduce unemployment by put- ting thousands to work in munitiens factories. Both Mussolini and Hitler have been proceeding on such lines for . months. Ttaly is not suing for peace. But Mus- solini’s maneuvers reveal that he yearns for release from the danger he has courted—of a clash with a united Europe that could only end in his ignominious downfall. That is at least & promising straw. s By abolishing the United States Con- stitution and nullifying Supreme Court decisions an element of radicalism might invite a state of anarchy which would call for a sure enough new deal all around. Ttalian poets have written great tragedies. They are of no value when & modern militarist attempts to trans- late them into physical fact. L) Archives Murals. Barry Faulkner, engaged to design the murals of the Archives Building, will have an opportunity such as is granted to but few men. Under the direction of the Fine Arts Commission, he will deco- rate a monumental edifice, contribute his genius and skill to a sacred shrine of history and interpret for millions of his countrymen the patriotic annals of the United States. Automatically, he joins the company of Giotto, Fra Angelico, Correggio, Tintoretto, Tiepolo, Michel- angelo and Raphael—his completed work will be classified with theirs and must bear comparison with the best that they left. But Mr. Faulkner will have advan- tages which were denied to his great forerunners of the Renaissance. The walls assigned to him, it would seem, should be better built than were those which Leonardo da Vinci was allotted for the “Last Supper” at the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, and the chemical character of his colors should be superior to those which were available to William Morris, Ford Madox THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1935, Brown and Lord Leighton, the mural revivalists of the Victorian era in Eng- land. Science will aid him, and he will have in his mind the lessons of his predecessors, ancient and modern. The errors of contemporary radicals, surely, he will wish to avoid. For inspiration, rather, he will prefer the efforts of Puvis de Chavannes in the Sorbonne at Paris, Edwin Austin Abbey and John Singer Sargent in the Boston Public Library, John W. Alexander in the Carnegie Institute at Pittsburgh and Violet Oak= ley in the Pennsylvania State Capitol at Harrisburg. The proper note, he certainly will understand, should be at once conservative and romantic. It would be, in effect, a defiance of destiny to attempt anything speculative or bru- tally realistic—the abortive horrors which Diego Rivera inflicted upon the help- less plaster of Rockefeller Center could not survive the inevitable protest of an outraged public. However, the responsibility is Mr. Faulkner's and no one should presume to dictate to him. He must meet the requirements of the commission, but the governance of his own knowledge, ex- perience and natural desire to please should be a sufficient control. What numbers of friends will hope for is & composition so notable, so beautiful and so eternally interesting as to set a new standard for mural decoration in America. S Western Republicans. ‘The Republicans of eleven Western States opened yesterday a three-day convention in Oakland, Calif. The meet- ing has been arranged by the younger Republicans—the men and women who must carry on in the future, It is staged in a State which a year ago rose against the Sinclairs, the Townsends and the rest of the radicals who sought to con- trol the government there. Upton Sin- clair had won for himself the Democratic nomination for Governor. The situa- tion presented a problem for the Roose- velt administration. To indorse or not to indorse the Utopian Upton, with his E. P. L C. plan, was the question. Before the campaign was over the administra- tion had been charged both with taking Sinclair to its bosom and with rebufing him. In the election Sinclair was de- feated and the Republican candidate, | Governor Merriam, elected. President Roosevelt in his Los An- But the circumstance that the | geles address on Tuesday appealed to all progressives and liberals to unite. | The union, of course, is for the cam- fpaign of next year. The President’s appeal may be regarded as a pat on the | back for the radicals. At the same time “;the Chief Executive was undeniably | | seeking the support of the radicals for | the New Deal. Many of the young Re- | publicans of the Western States attend- ing the convention in Oakland are pro- E gressives. In fact, the progressives of | the West have sprung in the main from | the Republican party. There is, how- ever, a wide difference between pro- gressivism and the radicalism of the portunity for the little man and gov- ernmental regimentation of the people under an arbitrary bureaucracy to which the Roosevelt New Deal is inexorably leading. The progressives of the West must make up their minds whether they pre- fer to go ahead with the demand for Government control of business and agriculture under the New Deal. It has been sugar-coated for the farmer with Government funds, collected from the great consuming public. The issue should be made plain for all this great ‘Western territory during the Repub- lican convention. The trail is clear enough. Whether the Republicans will have the courage to attack the in- sidious program of the New Deal, down to the point where it pays the farmers for nct producing crops, is a question. This is an issue which the G. O. P. has been inclined to dodge in the agri- cultural States. Sooner or later, the farmers themselves will find the bitter kernel of this sugary nut, the A. A. A. Under it their markets, like their production, are becoming more and more restricted. Under it, importa- tions of foreign wheat, hogs, cattle, corn, pork and other grains have jumped enormously. The figures for the first six months of 1935 show that importa- tions of wheat have been 12,178,654 bushels, as compared to 5,605,523 bushels in a similar period of 1934. They show that 44,099,721 pounds of beef have been imported, as compared to 16,211,131 in the earlier period, and that more than 230,000 head of cattle have come into this country from abroad, as compared to 51,000 in the first six months of 1934. Notice to the world that America was curtailing its crops has been an invi- tation to the farmers of other nations to produce more. They are doing so. The consequence is that foreign markets for American exports from the farms are becoming more and more restricted, and the American market for foreign im- portations is growing greater. It is not a nice situation for the American farmer to contemplate. It is one to which the Republicans of the West, as well as those of the East, may call attention, even in the face of the Government checks for not producing crops. The Umpire’s Lot. Umpire baiting at an ordinary base ball game is not only futile but dis- turbing to the dignity of the occasion, In a world series game, with an immense attendance and with partisanship keen- ly prevalent, it is a menace to the public peace. Yesterday at Chicago the pas- sions of the players of the eventually losing team were aroused by a ruling on a base runner who was called out at second in an effort to steal. When peace had been restored and the game was permitted to proceed, several of the members of the Chicago aggregation, including the manager, had been “tossed” out of the park—which means out of sight and not physically beyond the confines of the playing grounds, for the exiled manager continued his observa- tions of the contest through an im- D Sinclairs and the Townsends, between | greater freedom of action and of op- | provised peephole in the door of the dressing room. Charges flew back and forth after the game, the umpire being accused of engaging in unseemly lan- guage and the players with equally un- graceful expressions. The lord high executioner of the sport, Judge Kenesaw Landis, will sit in judgment upon these matters, and after the series is over— probably not until then, as it would hardly be discreet base ball to wreck a team by long-term suspensions in the . course of the classic—some dispensations of justice will occur. There is, after all, nothing quite so futile as to protest to an umpire about a ruling on a play. He cannot reverse himself. Right or wrong, he must stand by his spoken word or his deciding ges- ture. He may know the moment after he has waved his arm or barked his syllable of announcement that he has erred, but he cannot reverse himself. He may hope to equalize the scales of justice by later erring on the other side on a close play, but even that is highly dangerous. The umpire who tries to “even up” thus becomes the target of comments and the object of highly un- desirable attentions in later games. Truth is that the umpire’s lot is far from being & happy one. And by a strange perversity of human make- up the base ball public really enjoys his predicaments, however hot may be the anger of the partisans of the suf- ferers from his alleged or evident eriors of judgment. In a world series geme the size of the multitude in attendance gives a bit of umpire scrapping an ele- ment of danger which has happily never yet led to actual tragedy, and it is, of course, hoped never will. R A modern reproduction of “Midsum- mer Night's Dream” is planned at an expense of & million and a half. The production which made the original hit did not cost nearly that much. ——————e— Chief danger in the Ethiopian war is discovered in the possible participa- tion of those who might have remained innocent bystanders. ———— e Sudden changes in the stock market are causing a ticker-watcher to hold his breath as much as if business were not enjoying a breathing spell. —ee— Alphabetical precedence caused Abys- sinia to lead the roll call in the League of Natlons. It is also first to figure in the scrap-of-paper class. ———— e According to some social statisticians remuneration for unplowed acreage re- veals the most successful farmer as one who does as little farming as possible. - —— Ethiopia has been put on the map with more extravagant ceremonial than should seem necessary to the dedication of a new graveyard. e A base ball player is enthusiastically referred to as a hero. If it is a question of personal valor, so is your old umpire. ———— ‘Munitions maker: e people of philan- ; thropic instincts who now dwell in fear of having war profits thrust upon them, —_———— . Full possession of Ethiopia will leave Italy with a large job of relief and re- construction. —_——————— Even fishing takes on a tragic aspect with the discovery of submarine nets in the Mediterranean. ————————— Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. The Fair Deal. They told me of the uselessness Of energy and care; That life was full of strife and stress Which mostly was unfair, That honest merit could not claim The praise men should bestow. I went to see a foot ball game And found it isn't so! A mighty tumult soon arose In scenes of great unrest. The lads who got the cheers were those Who truly did their best. I thought that the rewards of fame Unworthily would go. 1 went to see a foot ball game And found it isn't so, Relief. “You seem to enjoy a foot ball game.” “I do,” answered Senator Sorghum. “I find relief in an occasion when men can get enthusiastic and cheer without being worried over how they are going to vote,” Jud Tunkins says if you tell a friend your trouble the friend will tell his and then you've got twice as much on your mind. Brain Space. These metal things With spreading wings As bombing planes are known. Deep sorrow clings ‘Where’er one brings A cruel strident tone. A mortal small 1t has to call To guide it once again. How can it crawl Or fiy or fall, ‘With such a tiny brain? Out and In. “Do you regard the outcome of this investigation as uncertain?” “No,” answered Mr. Dustin Stax, “but my income is.” ¢ ‘The Argument. | Wise men will gather round and guess In every time and land. The more they talk to us the less We seem to understand. Our honest efforts never cease The world is impolite And every time we talk of peace We start another fight. “De man wifout friends,” said Uncle Eben, “has one advantage. He don't @it no tips on hoss races.” Traffic Responsibility Rests Upon the Drivers To the Bditor of The Star: I see by the paper that another safety campaign is being inaugurated with the view of lessening the appalling loss of life in traffic, in which I wish to heartily Join. Or city fathers are now preparing to reduce the colossal blunders in the initial fundamental approach to the trafic problem to a further absurdity by proposing to arrest and fine the citi- zens a dollar to make them walk safely when they are not qualified or will not do 50 to save their lives. This proposal, by the way, is not new, but has been tried here before and abandoned after its futility was demonstrated. Surely the application of a modicum of common sense should bring a reali- zation that to allow potentially irrespon- sible persons to operate a dangerous in- strument of death like an automobile under regulations which have the effect of providing that after holding out his hand he may turn and crash into an- other machine, or after blowing his horn proceed to snuff out the life of any child or aged person in the way, could have no other result in the natural course of things than the present tremendaus loss of life which has now become larger than that caused by war. The entire benefit derived from the motor industry, including employment, the profits of manufacturers and dealers, use of materials, convenience of the pub- lic, Government collection of taxes, etc., in the sum total, is not worth the lives that are being taken unnecessarily largely through the lack of proper regu- lation. The right of the citizen funda- mentally and guaranteed by the Consti- tution to his life and safety is superior to any right of a minority to indulge their vanity, comfort and convenience by driving potential instruments of death in, about and around the places where the citizen must walk. When this fundamental fact is fully realized it is apparent that the solution of the trafic injury problem lies in definitely placing the responsibility for personal injuries caused by automobiles where it belongs, upon the automobile and those responsible for its opération. This would in large part automatically result in stricter requirements in the qualifications for driving. If the man- agement of a railroad company per- mitted its engines to be operated by immature, unqualified and unreliable persons, that management would soon be changed, or the railroad would go into bankruptcy paying damages. To become a railroad engineer—and the railroad engine is inherently less dangerous in its operation than the automobile—one must serve apprenticeship for a long period and thoroughly demonstrate fit- ness before being allowed to assume the responsibility. If this common sense procedure of holding the automobiles responsible under competent and responsible driv- ing were adopted, and we could have less of the multitudinous and unnecessary regulations and the constant present harassment and bulldozing of perfectly safe and competent drivers for every- thing from a perfectly safe speed to irregularly parking, many lives would be saved and much annoyance avoided. F. D. DAVIDSON, Blames Mishaps on New Styles of Motors To the Editor of The Star: I read with great interest all that you publish on the subject of safe driv- ing, and it is good of you to throw open your columns to the various excellent letters from your readers. There is one point, however, that seems not to have been stressed, namely, the character of the cars themselves. All these new cars and latest models have their visibility diminished by about 50 per cent. I am driving the latest model of one of the three cheap makes, and from the seat it is impossible to see either the right or the left fender, while the rear window is virtually a skylight. Passing another car—drawing up to the curb, to say noth- ing of avoiding a pedestrian—is purely a matter of guess and gamble. The more experienced drivers guess better than others, but in any case it is just guess work—it is impossible to see and to judge accurately. These new cars are hung low so that one can round a curve at 70 without upsetting. They are equipped with steel turret tops, so that one can roll over and over with impunity, if they do upset. A curious ideal for the motor manufac- turers to set themselves, and for which they sacrifice the visibility and safety that the ordinary driver would like. Let us assume that 75 per cent of the drivers do not wish to smash themselves and their cars, to say nothing of smash- ing other people and other cars. Nor do they deliberately intend to run down pedestrians. But what chance have they, when the big manufacturers sink them so low on the seats that they can't see where they are going or what they are doing? These new cars are dangerous— extremely so. And getting worse year by year. Therefore, in contemplating the vast increase in motor accidents, let us place the blame where it belongs—on the big manufacturers who turn out these dan- gerous types of cars. Also upon the municipalities which license them and permit them on the streets. If one avoids hitting a pedestrian it is more by the grace of God than by any assistance on the part of Messrs, Ford, Chrysler and Sloane. E. N. LA MOTTE. Urges Reading of Thomas Jefferson To the Editor of The Star: Am writing to thank you for giving me both the pleasure and the privilege of reading the splendid radio address, delivered on the National Radio Forum and published in your valuable paper on Tuesday, October 1. The writer does not possess a radio, but does subscribe to The Evening Star, through which medium he had the opportunity to read the truly American address, delivered by the able Senator King of Utah, an address that merits the appreciation of every true American. It is a call to arms, which should be heeded by every lover of our glorious country, a warning against those spec- tacular-sophists who are trying to lead us in their quest for strange, unknown and apparently false gods, who would Tob us of the priceless inheritance left to us by those grand old patriots who gave their time and shed their blood that we might enjoy the best form of Government ever devised by man. 1 would suggest that our President and his members of Congress take sufficient time off, during their present vacation, to read both the first and especially the second inaugural address of Thomas Jefferson, also his letter to William B. Bibbs as of July 28, 1808, on “Public Ownership.” { Claiming him as they do, their patron saint, it will probably prove edifying to many of those gentlemen to learn some- thing concerning the tenets of Mr. Jeffer- son’s politics. He was one of the true statesmen of the morning of this Re- public, & class that is rapidly becoming extinct, that is, if we are to measure statesmanship by the acts l(:(;i?ur Tulers during the past two and a years. ' THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Inference causes a great deal of trouble. Putting one and one together doesn’t necessarily make two. Especially in reading and listening it is dangerous to jump to conclusions. Every one knows these things, of course, but what's the harm of mentioning them? Heh! Heh! as the young folks say, what's the harm of mentioning ‘em? Maybe by stopping in the rush of life to consider them we will be able to avoid future trouble. No matter how plainly a thing may be written, or stated in conversation, others are likely to misinterpret it, with the best will in the world. Perhaps they do not know as much about it, and therefore make a natural mistake, or maybe they give certain words a different meaning. * ko % A case in a small matter will {llustrate the thing. Suppose one says, in speaking of the home aquarium, that he never had a bad tank with anacharis (a plant) in it, and never had a good one without it. A listener, bothered with “green water” in his own aquarium, jumps to the con- clusion that anacharis will prevent this condition, caused by the growth of microscopic algae under the stimulation of too much light. The fact was that the speaker who had clear tanks meant only water free from other obnoxious influences, with no intention of including green algae. { He did not include “green water” as a condition remediable by the use of plants and honestly did not suppose any one else could. Yet a listener, hearing the conversa= tion, went away with the definite idea that the term “clear water” included freedom from the “pea soup” which often obscures fishes and plants from view. * kX % The fact was that the other had been fortunate in having no algae of this type while using anacharis. Anacharis undoubtedly tends to keep water clear, principally by holding on its stalks and leaves the fine sediment which will collect in water inhabited by much life, If planted in the average tank, under average conditions, it exerts this good influence, so that many enthusiasts, no matter how many other types of aquatic plants they include, always have some anacharis for this purpose. ‘They do not use it, however, in any attempt to keep down green algae. Three things alone, they believe, will do that: Good fortune in getting no cultures of green algae in water added to the tank; no food for these plants in the form of dust sizes of fish foods, and modified light. Now here is where the joke comes in. The man who spoke so positively of | never having a bad tank, so long as he had anacharis planted thickly, finally had one. The tank went green! It was a greatly overcrowded aquarium, with far too many and too large fishes in it. This made necessary a rather heavy feeding. The more dry or pre- pared food put in the more chance for some of it being left to contaminate the water, The net result often is food on which STARS, MEN the green algae thrive luxuriantly, acts as fertilize:, * k% As soon as the water began to get hazy the fishes began to go on a ram- page and rooted up all the anacharis, This then floated on the surface of the water, making a messy looking tank. The owner had often heard that some persons advocated floating the stalks of anacharis on the surface, but he had never used them so, because he regarded them as too heavy for the purpose. Such minjature floating plants as salvinia and duckweed and a few others seem naturally to belong to the surface, but the rather heavy and coarse stalks of anacharis look better planted as if they had roots. ‘While anacharis seldom has roots, as purchased, it often develops them when planted. They are not used to feed the plants, but mostly as a sort of anchor. Some specimens will develop these rudi- mentary roots, others will not, and it makes no difference, except without them the stalks are more easily rooted up by hungry fishes. Certain types of fishes will do this more than others. Well, our fish enthusiast found all his plants floating on the surface. The water was “turning green” and It the fishes were having a fine time, be- | cause “green water” is good for them, after all. It simply obscures them from view and is not liked by the owner. ‘The owner meant to reset the plants, but did not get around to it for several days. He then discovered that his water was clearing up. * kX X % The reason, of codrse, was plain. The floating plants acted as a sort of shield from the light and had effectively | | moved to the United States and carried cut down on its strength. Hence the green algae were being | | and early State institutions were founded stunted and killed by lack of light. Leaving the anacharis on the surface of the water, the aquarium enthusiast watched his tank slowly become crystal clear. The question then was: Would a tank beginning to “go green” always clear up if anacharis were purchased and placed all over the water surface? That was and is the question. All those interested in the home aqua- rium are urged to experiment along this line. While paper shields may be used, it may be realized that they are not natural additions, whereas plants are perfectly | natural. Surely, there must be some virtue, known or unknown, in all natural things. The ancients did not have that idea for nothing. many things, is being proved again and again by science. Plant life, wherever found, is natural | life and goes perfectly with other life. Man surrrounds himself with trees and plants of all kinds. It is possible to change our aphorism and say that anacharis, in a fish tank, may even clear up green water—if | floated on the surface. So the listener who misinterpreted the former statement was not so wrong after all, eh? He put one and one together— and got two! Sometimes it works out s0. Still the danger of inference stands. Mostly it doesn't work out so nicely. AND ATOMS Notebook of Science Progress in Field, Laboratory and Study. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. Mystery galaxies in the far reaches of space are being investigated by astron- omers at the Mount Wilson Observatory of the Carnegie Institution of Wash- ington. These are the “elliptical nebulae” luminous patches appearing in the most powerful telescopes, some of the nearest of which are so distant that their light, moving at the rate of about 180,000 miles a second, requires approximately 800,000 years to reach the earth. They obviously are quite different from their companions in space—the spiral nebulae and the globular nebulae. The former now are universally admitted to be “island universes.” The Milky Way system, of which the earth is a part, consisting of billions of stars, itself is an island universe. It would appear like a spiral nebulae to an astronomer stationed & few million light years outside of it in space. Some of the others—there are millions of them—may be about the size of this galaxy. Others probably are much smaller, The nature of the spirals has been determined by the discovery within some of the nearest of them of variable stars, which reveals their constitution. They are made up of millions, or billions, of such stars—probably of all stellar classes and sizes. The nature of the globular nebulae also is understood by astron- omers. They presumably are of the same nature as the great star clusters, such as the clouds of Magellan, which are found about the edges of the Milky Way galaxy. But the ellipitcal nebulae fit into neither classification. They have not the spiral form which an aggregation of stars comparable in size and evolution to this galaxy would assume. They are bigger than the globular clusters. It has been impossible to distinguish any stars in them. Their nature has been the subject of much speculation. Some have maintained that they are giant “stars”—enormous aggregations of very fine particles held together in a system. If so, all the known giants of creation would be dwarfs in comparison with them. One reason for this assump- tion has been their clearly defined out- lines. If they were clouds of stars, it has been maintained, their borders would not be clear-cut, but would continue indefinitely into space, the stars becoming thinner and thinner the farther away from the center. This, in fact, is just ‘what happens, the Carnegie astronomers claim. The sharp outlines have been illusions due to too short exposures. Another theory has been that they consist of highly luminous centers com- posed of all sorts of stars surrounded by a dense cloud of dust, through which the light has difficulty in penetrating. If this dust-mask theory were true, of course, it would be impossible ever to find any individual objects within the nebulae. Still another theory has been that they are enormous aggregations of very dense dwarf stars such as exist in large num- bers throughout the Milky Way galaxy. The luminosity of a star decreases with its density. This would account for the :hx\‘.nmely feeble light obtained from em. If the latter theory were true it would have far-reaching effects on theories re- specting the structure of the universe. These elliptical nebulae, it could be cal- culated, might contain by far the great- est part of the whole mass of creation. Such a thinly distributed aggregation as the Milky Way galaxy, or any of the island galaxies, would weigh little in comparison to one of them, * k¥ The work at the Camegie Obeervge tory, which is reported in the current issue of the Astrophysical Journal by Sinclair Smith of the Carnegie staff, has been to build up a hypothesis of the prob- able nature of these nebulae through refined, and very complicated astro- physical methods. The picture obtained is by no means complete and it presents the nebulae as very curious objects indeed. In the first place, Smith reports, they seem actually to be vast aggregations of stars, probably of the nature of mammoth globular clus- ters. They would fall somewhere be- tween the spiral galaxy and the star cloud. He studied one of the nearest and most conveniently located of them— Messier 32. He deduces that the nebulae contains approximately two million separate stars with a very peculiar dis- tribution. Three per cent of all these stars are located in the nucleus of the cluster. There the stellar density is approximately 90,000 per cubic parsec— by far the greatest star thickness ever encountered. Actually, of course, the individual stars are very far apart in this nucleus. A parsec is approximately 19 billion miles. It is vastly greater, how- ever, than the density at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. From the nucleus the stars thin out rapidly. At about 250 parsecs from the center, Smith calculates, the density is only about one star per 10 cubic parsecs. That is, the stars in the center are about 900,000 times more closely packed than at the edges. This condition, according to the most recent hypotheses regarding the evolution of the universe, may be somewhat similar to the state of the Milky Way galaxy in its earliest days, when it is believed the stars were packed together much more densely than is the case today so that the collisions neces- sary for the creation of planetary sys- tems may have been fairly common. —_— e Proposes Gold Medal For Champion Cella To the Editor of The Star: My hat is off to Mr. Mumford for his recent letter bringing to the attention of the large membership of The Star editorial page reading fraternity the feat of the redoubtable Mr. Cella of the Eastern Democratic Club of Baltimore and the modest and becoming part Representative Palinisano played. Appreciating the mentality of the congressional majority, I would like to head a petition asking to present a suitable medal to the beer- guzzling Mr. Cella, for the dainty wrist watch presented to him by his admir- ers of the Eastern Democratic Club is far too inadequate. I think we would find the next session of Congress (provided it is made up in the majority of men of the same caliber as the majority of the late-departed sessior) quite in the mood to present a nice gold medal as suggested. And why stop (considering the generosity of the said late-depart- ed session in appropriating other people’s money for boondoggling, etc.) in pre- senting a medal to Mr. Cella? Why not present one to each member of the Eastern Democratic Club and to Mr. Palmisano, too? If it had not been for the Eastern Democratic Club and Mr. Palmisano who would have ever heard of Mr. Cella and his capacity? While they are in the mood, why-not include that hero of Messrs. Palmisano and Cella—Mussolini. I understand he in- spired Mr. Cella for his great feat. JOHN DENNIS ODEA. A Their natural intuition, in | | Byington. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS By Frederic J. Haskin. A reader cin 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. Were the drivers who were killed in the Indianapolis Speedway race last May covered by insurance?—N. A. A. There was complete coverage during the practice period and the race. One man was killed in the race and three men were killed in the practice run. Q. Are special precautions taken to prevent a collision of the train on which President Roosevelt rides?—J. H. A. A pllot train precedes the special bearing the President and a dummy train follows to prevent collisions. Q. How much did Andrew Carnegie give away during his lifetime?—H. M. A. Tt is estimated that the great philan- thropist distributed nearly $330,000,000 in his lifetime, giving most of it in Scotland and the United States. Q. How tall is Joe Louis and what is his weight?—E. M. A. The fighter is about 6 feet 112 inches tall and weighs nearly 200 pounds. Q. During the Civil War, who was “Lin- | coln’s mouthpiece” in the Senate?—W. L. A. Orville H. Browning of Quincy, Ill, Q. Who first used reformed methods in the treatment of the feeble-minded? —L. M. T. A. The modern treatment and care of the feeble-minded was initiated by Dr. Edouard Sequin who founded a private school in Paris in 1837. 1In 1848 he on his work there. The movement spread in Massachusetts, New York, Ohio and Connecticut, Q. How many extras are registered at the Central Casting Bureau in Hollywood?—D. M. A. There are 12,416 registered extras and 11,500 bit players who often take work as extras. Hollywood's annual average pay to an extra is $8.97 a week. Q. From what language is the word cosmetics derived?—W. A. A. It is from the Greek, meaning ornamental. Q. Who introduced the study of gram- mar?—J. H. A. Crates of Mallus (second century B.C.), a Cicilian Greek grammarian, editor of Homer and librarian at Per- gamus, is said to have first introduced * grammatical study at Rome where he was a lecturer. Q. Please give a biography of Homer M. Byington, new American consul general at Montreal, Canada—W. A. C. A. Homer M. Byington was born at Washington, D. C., September 19, 1879, the son of George R. and Emma M. He was educated at a pre- paratory school and under a tutor. He married on June 2, 1903, Jeannette L, Gregory of Norwalk, Conn., where he now has a home. They have six chil« dren. Mr. Byington’s first foreign serv- ice appointment came in 1897 after two years of experience as & newspaper cors respondent. He has been a career con= sular officer since 1907, before which time he was a consular clerk, Q. How long and wide is the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris?—M. 8. A. It is 139 yards in length and 532 yards in breadth. Q. Is Andre Maurois a Jew?—T. T. A. He is a Jew, although he says he is not “a pure non-Aryan.” He did not receive formal Jewish training and sele dom attends the synagogue. He does, however, subscribe to the Jewish religion. Q. How many of the cruisers and battleships now in our Navy were in commission during the World War?— M.F.P. A. All of the cruisers in the United States Navy at the present time have been built since the World War. The U. S. 8. Arizona, Arkansas, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and New Mexico were in commission at the time the United States entered the World War. Q. Who founded Lehigh University at Bethlehem, Pa.?—W. R. P. A. It was founded in 1865 by Judge Asa Packer of Mauch Chunk, who gave a tract of land and $500,000 for its establishment. Q. How is a terrarium made?—F. H. B. A. A terrarium is simply an aquarium without water, an enclosure for keeping dry land animals. Its construction de- pends on the exact type of animal to be confined. For small reptiles or mammals a box with walls of close wire mesh is usually suitable, if & pan of water is placed in one corner and some soft mate- rial provided at the other end. This is a very simple type and more elaborate terraria can be made if means are available, Q. Who succeeded Joseph H. Choate, jr., as head of the Federal Alcohol Con- trol Administration?—H. C. M. A. Franklin Chase Hoyt, retired New York jurist, has been appointed to that position. Q. Does a person's resistance to an electric current vary?—W. A. B. A. It is subject to considerable amount of variation. If the skin is dry, the re- sistance is from 5 to 20 times as great as when it is wet. - Q. What is the fountain in Rome in which visitors drop pennies to insure their return to the city?—A. B. A. The fountain about which this superstition exists is the Fountain of Trevi, completed in 1762. A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton Sixty Seconds Within the space of a minute Three human beings died, One in a plane, one in a bed, One on a lone roadside. For one the news of his Radioed 'round the world, With people stunned that he should be To eternity hurled. One with a handful of mourners ‘Weeping beside his bier, Stricken with personal sorrow, ‘Though nations shed no tear. One found dead by a roadside, His face turned to the sod— ‘The mystery of his going Known only to his God. Sensation. Heartbreak. Solitude. Three men less in the multitude. A i