Evening Star Newspaper, October 16, 1935, Page 10

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. WEDNESDAY October 16, 1933 THEODORE W. NOYES. Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company. Bustness Office: th 8¢ Py ivania Ave. cago Ofice: Lake Mic dding, mmcp)e‘:n.fbmce: 14 Regent St.. London. England, Rate by Carrier Within the City. Regular Edition. ---45¢ per month ~=-60C per month -65¢ per month --5¢ per cony he Evening Siar he Eveniio and Sinday Sta ndays) the each month, Orders may be sent by mail or telephone Nas tional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. * Maryland and Virginia. ily and Sunday. ilv only . _ Sunday only-. afly and Sunday. aily ouly. 1 mol ——eeal ITo Bunday only. $5.00; 1 mo.. 0c Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dispatches —_— Peace Moves. Despite categorical affirmations and equally specific denials of moves to bring peace between, Italy and Ethiopia, the burden of evidence is that behind-the- scenes activities are actually in progress to that end. It is diplomacy’s habit to disavow such purposes in the initial stage, lest premature disclosure defeat them. In the present circumstances neither Mussolini nor Haile Selassie feels he can afford to convey the impression that he is suing for peace. It is Europe that longs for it. Therefore, as “sanctions day,” October 31, approaches, that being the date when League powers expect all preliminaries to have been completed by the fifty-odd governments involved, Great Britain and France are constrained to avoid extreme measures against Italy, if that is possible. In pursuance of such a desire Premier Laval has assumed the delicate task of persuading Great Britain to recall the imposing fleet she has concentrated in the Mediterranean. The theory is that with this threat to his military life- line to Africa removed, Mussolini might be in conciliatory mood. M. Laval is also actuated by the conviction that reduction of British naval strength to normal proportions would minimize the chance of an “incident” in Mediterranean waters resultant from a clash between British and Italian ships. The danger that such an episode would lead to Anglo- Italian war and general European con- flict is the nightmare that terrifies Old World statesmen and largely inspires current peace efforts. Pope Pius XI is understood to be seconding M. Laval's overtures. These may go to smash on the rock of British insistence that the case is before the League and must be settled there. Along with a Mediterranean truce, the tentative peace plan apparently calls for a halt of the Italian Army in its present positions in Ethiopia. The occupied Tigre region would thereupon be set up as an “autonomous” state, governed by “Emperor” Haile Selassie Gugsa, who recently came into the Italian camp. Ethiopia would cede to Italy territory linking Eritrea with Somaliland, and the remainder of the country would be placed under League mandate, with dom- inating Italian influence. Pre-essential to any such arrangements, the peace re- ports emphasize, is an Anglo-Italian accord. 11 Duce talks bravely of Italy’s ability to withstand sanctions, however rigorous, including financial strangulation. But as the shadow of these League meas- ures bears down ever more realistically there must be deep heart-searching at Rome and fervent wishes that extremes can be averted. Perhaps the olive branch just extended by Secretary Hull and Sir Samuel Hoare, indicating Anglo- American readiness to consider measures for a more equitable distribution of the world’s raw materials, may turn Musso- lini's thoughts peacewards. He has won material military successes in Ethiopia. Complete conquest of that country, de- spite its sorry show of armed resistance thus far, will entail gigantic sacrifices by Italy., The would-be war-enders have ample arguments in hand with which to convince the Fascist dictator that his interests all lie in the direction of an early and negotiated peace. R Anti-noise campaigning will be espe- cially welcome if it can reduce the necessary but painful din of ambulances hurrying to aid motor crash victims. Mahan, The Navy Department is well advised to keep alive the name of Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan. He was, per- haps, in some danger of being forgotten by the public in general, if not by his successors in the maritime services. Yet it would be difficult to cite any other character of his class or time so richly deserving of remembrance. Washington knew him well. He was the son of a soldier who taught at West Point for nearly half a century and wrote a series of approved textbooks on engineering, fortification and field prac- tice. One of his two brothers chose the Army, the other the Navy, and Mahan himself appears for a while to have had some trouble deciding which of several courses he should adopt. To the ever- lasting advantage of his country, he finally preferred the sea. Graduated at Annapolis in 1859, he went through the Civil War without attracting special at- tention. Then followed twenty years of routine duty, at the close of which he was a captain, “drifting on the lines of simple respectability as aimlessly as one very well could.” It was the establishment of the War College at Newport that gave him the opportunity for which all his study and experience had been fitting him. He was invited to lecture on tactics and naval history, and the fruits of his school room sctivities came out in 1890—his cele- THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1935, THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. brated “Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783.” The volume cre- ated a sensation, especially abroad. Theoedore Roosevelt called it & “classic,” British and German strategists quoted it with indorsement and Japanese au- thorities specified it for use in govern- ment academies. Mahan confirmed the judgment of his admirers by publishing a companion work of equal merit, “In- fluence of Sea Power Upon the French Revolution and Empire, 1793-1812.” But credit for his labors was but re- luctantly accorded by his” superiors at home. While Europe was ringing with his praises and crowned monarchs were competing for the honor of his presence at dinner, he was informed by his chiefs that it was “not the business of a naval officer to write books.” Even when Ox- ford and Cambridge gave him honorary degrees and the American Historical So- ciety elected him its president, he still was more feared than appreciated in official circles where “expansionist poli- cies” were unpopular. He retired in 1906, but continued to write until his death, December 1, 1914—a few months after the beginning of the Great War he had foretold. Possibly he was too far in advance of his age. In any case, all parties now admit that his realism was justified. A man of war, just now christened for him, testifies to that fact. +eor—t The A. A. A, Cases. An early decision by the Supreme Court of the United States on the consti- tutionality of the A. A. A. and its proc- essing taxes is becoming increasingly im- perative. The administration, which re- lies on these taxes to pay the farmers for curtailing crops; the manufacturers who are compelled to pay the taxes; the farmers who are hopeful of receiving their Government checks for not pro- ducing foodstuffs, and the consumers who pay higher prices for many neces- sities because of the processing taxes, all are on tenterhooks. They will continue to be disturbed and uncertain until this question is determined. Section 9 of Title I of the agricultural adjustment act says: “To obtain revenue for extraordinary expenses incurred by reason of the national economic emer- gency there shall be levied processing taxes as hereinafter provided.” Whether the payments to the farmers by the Government could be made out of other Government funds may be questioned. At any rate, with a plethora of suits brought by the processors and injunc- tions granted against the collection of the processing taxes, the revenue from the taxes has dropped greatly. For ex- ample, the collections made in July, 1934, amounted to $43,013,496, as compared to collections in July of this year totaling only $15364,401. The amendments to the A. A. A, written into law by Con- gress just before it adjourned, and ap- proved by the President August 24, 1935, specifically appropriates funds equivalent to the proceeds of all processing taxes to make the payments to the farmers for compliance with the A. A. A. program. If the decision of the Supreme Court should be so sweeping in character as to declare that even the A. A. A. as amended in the act of August 24 last is not con- stitutional there will be nothing for the administration to do but to find money to pay the farmers for compliance in the program from other sources than the processing taxes. That may mean addi- tional general taxes, excise taxes, sales taxes or what not. The President has already said that such new taxes may become necessary. New taxes of that character are not likely to be popular. If no new taxes are levied, then the Government deficits will mount by hun- dreds of millions of dollars. Beyond the tax problem involved, how- ever, is the issue of the constitutionality of the New Deal. The agricultural ad- justment act was the twin of the N.R. A., creating the basis of the whole New Deal structure. The Supreme Court already has knocked the props from under the N. R. A. If it takes a similar view of the A. A. A. and halds it unconstitutional, the New Dealers will have to determine whether they wish to seek a constitu- tional amendment to legalize their plans, or abandon them, or seek to rewrite them within the terms of the Constitution as it now stands and is interpreted by the highest court. The issue may easily be precipitated into the national political canpaign next year. Indeed, it will be strange if such is not the case. Quite naturally, the supporters of the A. A. A. are hoping that the law, as amended in the last session of Congress, will be-upheld by the courts. The amend- ments were written in the light of the N. R. A. decision of the Supreme Court and were designed to cure the original act. It will require a longer time for the new act to reach the court, probably more time than would permit of a final decision prior to the presidential cam- paign of 1936. e Ethiopians claim an ancient aris- tocracy which, as sometimes happens, gives no great service in time of peril. The Naval Medical Center. Progress toward the consummation of a project greatly to be desired is indi- cated by the recommendation to the Bureau of the Budget for the approval of the spending of some $3,200,000 for the construction of a new naval hospital in this city. If this approval is given—and of that there should be no question—the item will be included in the naval appropriation bill for the com- ing fiscal year and this work can then be undertaken. The development of the Naval Medical Center, which now replaces the naval hospital and medical school administra- tion, has long been pending. From time to time for a considerable period of years addition$ have been made to the initial equipment, which consisted of the estab- lishment of the Naval Observatory. These additions have been veritable makeshifts, not designed as part of a broad plan, undertaken with occasional appropriations to meet urgent, immedi- ate necessities. A few years ago the proposal was made A for the transfer of the hospital establish- ment to another site, with correlation to the Army Hospital. This was not favored. It was decided, wisely, to maintain the Navy's institution upon its present site, with such extensions as should be re- quired. The enlargement of the area conforms to the general plan of public building emplacement west of the White House group, which has been in process of development. It is now contemplated to provide at the western end of the rectangle, flanking the river boulevard, a site for the new home of the Navy Department. Should that be done, as now appears likely, the development of the Naval Medical Center on an adjacent area, now in part occupied by the pres- ent equipment, would be altogether ap- propriate. ‘There is an element of urgency in the immediate proposal for construction. ‘The quarters now in use are not suitable. They are indeed in some respects haz- ardous. They have been characterized as fire-traps. It is unthinkable that the wards of the Nation, under medical care and treatment, should continue indefi- nitely to be exposed to peril through mis- taken economy and procrastination. ————— There was a time, it is said, when natives of Central America dwelt in peacc and security. Various present citizens would like some wizardry of time and manners that would enable them to celebrate a few Centuries of Retrogress. —————— Having decided to give the District of Columbia a great art center, home building will be supervised with care to prevent the pathos of a Latin quarter from developing incidentally. raor—s A display of financial ability is ex- pected from Mussolini in order to show that the Ethiopian war can at this stage be worth two hundred millions of any- body’s money. —_ R Trade has become so conspicuous & consideration that every Government department may be called on for a con- tribution to tariff discussion. s Radio is rapidly expanding its facil- ities so that old-time arguments may be heard abundantly along with the old- time songs. ———— e So great has become the international excitement that nobody has time for any but the most casual inquiry as to how the Dionne Quints are getting on. e Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Danger of Exaggeration. Contentment is a blessing rare, As often has been stated. But if we do not have a care, It gets exaggerated. ‘The oyster lives inside his shell, No social pleasures seeking. His house is strong and bolted well, The roof is never leaking. In indolence from day to day, He dwells without resentment, Until a dredger comes his way And shatters his contentment. Contentment is a blessing rare— But sloth is not improving. He might have dodged that bill of fare If he could just keep moving. Proceeding With Caution. “Think before you speak,” said the prudent person. “I always do so” replied Senator Sorghum. “I have never given an inter- view without having a repudiation ready in case it should prove unsatisfactory.” A Contributor of Merriment. “Have you done your share toward making life more cheerful for anybody?” asked the genially serious person. “I have. Igave a crowd of people the time of their lives this morning. My hat blew off and I chased it two blocks.” The Egoistic Blunder. He made mistakes. All men do so. His might have drifted out of sight If he would not contend to show That his mistakes are always right. The Neglected Negative. “A young man,” said the readymade philosopher, “should learn to say ‘no.’”* “Yes,” replied Farmer Corntossel, “I feel that my boy Josh ought to take at least that much trouble. When I ask him to help around the place he simply gives me a haughty stare.” A City's Allurement. “Mrs. Chatterly thinks of moving to Reno.” “So I hear,” replied Miss Cayenne. “But she doesn't need any divorce.” “No. But she is so fond of gossip she has probably decided to move to head- quarters.” Ego. Oh, let the People Rule, say I! ‘Their will must be supreme. They'll build for us as years go by A perfect social scheme. No doubt they’ll need ere they have done Suggestions not a few. I only ask to be the one Who tells them what to do. The rocks of Truth they'll stoutly raise, ‘With Wisdom for cement, Till wonder-stricken nations gaze ‘With knees in homage bent. A little share will do for me ‘While patriot bosoms throb; T ask no more than just to be The man to boss thé job. “M de world jedged a man by what he starts,” said Uncle Eben, “instid o’ by what he finishes, every page in de city directory would be full o’ great mén.” Glass. From the Hartford Courant. With beer and wine being offered in tin cans and milk in cardboard contain=- ers, the glassmakers would be well ad- vised to stimulate the construction of glass houses and to agitate for the re- moval from text books of the adage against throwing stones. b 4 NEW BOOKS AT RANDOM Margaret Germond. MURDER ON THE APHRODITE. By Ruth Burr Sanborn. New York: The Macmillan Co. A disabled houseboat, beached on an isolated New England shore, makes an ideal setting for a tale of murder that really challenges the deductive ability of mystery devotees who long for some- thing difficult on which to test the keen- ness of their analytical powers. The foundation on which the plot is laid is not new, nor is the circumstantial occa- sion that affords the opportunity for murder #ltogether original. But the accuracy with which .the stage is set, the cleverness of characterization and the skillful performance rendered by the actors are qualifications of ingenuity that command approval and admiration. The Aphrodite is a floating palace of luxury and comfort. Christine Van Wycke, her owner, is a woman about whom little is known except that she is reputed to be wealthy and that she has a passion for collecting rare gems. On board the houseboat when a.damaged propeller blade forced the sailing master to nose in to shore until repairs can be made are Mrs. Van Wycke, Jane Bridge, her secretary; Beulah Mullins, @ de- pendent cousin; Angeline Tredennick, housekeeper; Professor Dante Gabriel Burge, an eminent psychologist; Ewell Choate, an attractive young Virginian; Max Varro, a foreigner of doubtful pro- fession; a corps of servants, the crew and a dog named Telemachus. Mystery number one: Young Bill Gal- leon, employe of an insurance firm, de- liberately sinks his boat within two hun- dred yards of the Aphrodite and swims the distance to Bowsprit Island, thus forcing himself upon the hospitality of the owner of the houseboat. His only possessions are a handkerchief belonging to the girl he loves and a gun, carried in a waterproof case. Mystery number two: He finds on board the Aphrodite, work- ing under another name for Mrs. Van Wycke, the girl whose handkerchief he treasures. Mystery number three: It is plainly evident that Beulah Mullins is cowed and terrified by her beautiful and wealthy cousin. There are other minor mysteries that puzzle Bill greatly, but now for the major mystery. Mrs. Van Wycke, Jane, Angeline, Beu- lah and the four guests are seated at dinner when conversation turns upon the unreliability of human observation and evidence. The professor proposes a test, is granted permission to carry it out, and leaves the room to make his plans. He returns, gives instructions for the test and begins his experiment. He does a few inconsequential things in sight of them all and then plunges the room into darkness. Events take a rapid turn, with an electric storm adding to the eerieness of the performance. Pistol shots and screams are a part of the game, but a groan too real to be mistaken for acting brings the stunt to an abrupt end. When the lights are turned on Mrs. Van Wycke is dead, a bullet hole instead of an almost priceless ruby decorating her breast. Murder and theft in a few moments of darkness, and every one except Ange- line eligible for accusation of one or both crimes! TRhe status of only one person is registered after the crime. Bill is an investigator, and in a moment of anger Jane exposes his profession, but not the purpose of his self-managed presence on the houseboat. Except for Ewell Choate, the others on board are as strange to Jane as they are to Bill, and as they are to each other. Why were 80 many queer people on the Aphrodite and how did they happen to be invited? Why did Jane vanish from her place of employ- ment after Bill had evaded the issue of complete confidence in his missions of investigation? Why is she on the Aph- rodite under an assumed name and why have her affections switched from Bill to young Choate? Who is Varro, anyway, and why is he so anxious to buy a bed- spread? A typical small-town New England constable appears on the scene and does some good work, but it is Bill who even- tually solves the murder mystery, and the story reaches its climax in what might be called a sudden and smashing victory. The strong, clean romance run- ning along with the mystery is as essen- tial to the completeness of the story as is the main plot. For several hours of genuine enter- tainment this book is recommended. i e MURDER AT THE PIANO. By George Bagby. New York: Covici-Friede. Inspector Schmidt, whose solicitude for his unceasingly painful feet might give the impression that his brain is never far from his pedal extremities, is ordered to investigate the report of a murder in the home of a once famous social leader. Gregor Wilchenski, famous pianist and composer, has been reported shot to death at a piano in the home of his estranged wife. The inspector arrives to find not only Wilchenski, but also an- other man, a notorious dope peddler, dead on the studio floor. Several possibilities, even probabilities, point to justification for the tempera- mental artist's murder, but his evident association with Jake Cortino raises more than reasonable doubts against logical theories. Wilchenski’s secretary con- fesses to Cortino’s murder on the basis of having gone into the room and finding his employer dead and shooting the man he believed to have killed him. The in- spector is not convinced, for there is too much evidence of lying to protect some one else on the part of each member of the household. Aching, hurting feet may be a handicap to some men, but it seems that this afflic- tion only stimulates the mental faculties of Inspector Schmidt. He knows nothing of music, but he takes a keen interest in manuscripts and published music stowed in the pianist’s trunk. He isn't very well informed on social customs, but knows that Jake Cortino does not fit into either the professional or private life of the Wilchenski family. He is not familiar with pianos, but he makes it his business to find out why three handsome instru- ments were delivered to Wilchenski in an effort to please his exact requirements. These and other less picturesque details receive his astute consideration during the coggparatively few hours it takes him to getvo the bottom of the mystery and capture his unsuspecting quarry in a dramatic exhibition of appreciation of concert music. The inspector and the narrator travel together and they are an'interesting and entertaining pair. * Kk K X OBELISTS FLY HIGH. By C. Daly King. New York: Harrison Smith and Robert Haas. An “obelist,” to save you the trouble of a trip to the dictionary, is one who views with suspicion. The air is literally filled with such oddly designated indi- viduals on the occasion of the trans- continental air journey of a man marked for death. He has received a note in- forming him that on April 13 at noon, Central time, he will be murdered. The trip cannot be canceled because the man is a surgeon, going to a Western city to perform a delicate operation. He asks for protection and is surrounded by so many safeguards that it would seem im- possible for death to strike from any quarter. But at the appointed hour he collapses in his seat on the platie and ’ A human being is the best plot, John Galsworthy once said, and he knew, for he was a great writer. So the people one meets in the daily life are plots, then? Surely. Every man has his own novel, if only hedcould get it out of him, it has been said. Every human being is a story, if one could read him aright. These hurrying figures in the streets, these persons jamming one another in. busses and street cars, these impatient automobile drivers— All plots! And each such “plot” in- tent on something, evidently, from the scowl on brows, the staring eyes, the insensibility to the mass. * X X X It is the “ruling passion,” as a great poet called it, which makes the plot. Modern psychology has ruled out such indefinite terms, but there was a great deal of good in them, after all. They came before the age of science, but better than science, some may think, they had human nature in them. Let us stick, then, to the ruling passion. One man is covetous, another generous. One man hankers for power, another for money. The ruling “passion” of the next is kindness, Of the next, cruelty. Here is one man who values comfort mere than anything else in the world. Probably he doesn't realize it himself, but it is very plain to all who know him. * ok X X It is interesting to realize that Gals- worthy thought Charles Dickens the greatest English novelist. It was because both were preoccupied with human beings. Otherwise their methods were entirely different. The modern writer, whose death a few years ago was a great loss, did not think of “plot” in the sense of “plotted.” His novels, in the best modern manner (one made familiar in this country by the works of Sinclair Lewis, particularly) seldom make one character pop out of a door just as another pops in. He deals, rather, with the uneventful life of everyday, but shows the reader the eventful character of it. Galsworthy’s work as novelist, dram- atist and short-story writer made him a three-facet man. Any average good writer would have won fame in one branch and thought himself pretty clever. Nothing shows the amplitude of John Galsworthy more than the fact that, although a great playwright, he seldom used stage methods in his novels. The O. Henry “kick” is seldom found in his short stories. Both Charles Dickens and Alexandre Dumas, the elder, had definite stage as- pirations, and probably each would have been gladder to have gone down to pos- terity as a dramatist than as a novelist. It is significant that Galsworthy, who, as a playwright, was far superior to either or both put together, never tried to make his novels simply plays in writ- ten form. He did not use the old trick of making characters expediently appear and dis- appear, as through stage doors. Exits and entrances, in “The Forsyte Saga,” as in all his other triple novels, do not come conveniently to suit the plot, for there is no “plot,” in the older sense, the dramatic sense of scenes and episodes. No doubt that was why Galsworthy admired Dickens, who saw human be- ings first and above all. In this Dickens was one with his admirer. Their meth- ods coincided at no other point. * x % x The plot which is a human being is one we all know. ‘Wherever we work, however little given to observation, this is something that is ‘unescapable. We are like the character in Moliere who expressed surprise that he had been speaking prose all his life. Here all of us have been meeting plots, seeing plots, hearing plots, living with plots, and never once suspected it! Or do we? No doubt many a person has an un- realized ambition to write a novel, whose essence, however one puts it, is plot, either in the old sense or the new, either as character manipulation or simply as human beings. ‘The essence of real life is that things seldom happen as they do in the old- time plotted novels. We all know they do not, and yet we read and enjoy—at least some still do—the works of Dickens lvmd others who rely on surprise and the ike. . Why? Because, above all, and first of all, they knew their human nature. If such a master of the new school as Galsworthy read and loved and respected the work of Charles Dickens, the rest of us must. X Kk % Reviewers unconsciously copy each other, and you scarce can pick up a re- view of a novel today without finding in it the phrase “come alive.” It is applied to both characters and entire books. This character does not quite come alive; this novel does not, either, according to a reviewer. What does this mean but that the “plot” who or which is each human being has not been entirely visioned? It has not been glimpsed closely enough to be understood by the reader (reviewer), hence he says, and probably justly, that the character or the book seems wooden to him. The great gulf between the great novel and the mediocre one lies right here. If it could be explained, so that others might understand it fully, every novel might be a masterpiece. Since it can never be fully unraveled, there is no such danger. Some books will continue to delight and amaze the world and be- come a light to future ages. The vast majority will have their little day in the bookstores, and then fade from human sight, except now and then, and here and there, forever. But the plot who is each human being goes on. Each of us is a living story for somebody, whether we realize it or not, and always for ourself. The title of this masterpiece is “I,” and it has a long life or & short life, as the fates decree. Its pages are days, and its characters not one but many. We are all stories, WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Col. Theodore Roosevelt's refusal to hark to Senator Borah's siren call to make monopoly the paramount G. O. P. issue supports the view that the Repub- licans are bent upon nominating an out- right conservative for President as their sole salvation in 1936. More and more of them apparently are coming to be- lieve that the party must offer the coun- try the strongest possible contrast to the policles that Franklin D. Roose- velt typifies. Unless that is done, with respect to both candidate and platform, some Republicans feel their chances of smashing the New Deal will be hopelessly handicapped. As things are now shaping, conserva- tism, symbolized by twin slogans like “Stand by the Constitution” and “Turn the spendthrifts out” is the program on which the elephant will pin its hopes. Col. Roosevelt's allegation of “scan- dalous waste” and his emphasis on that issue and constitutionalism, rather than on monopoly, echo Herbert's Hoover's recent onslaught against the administration. Current indications all point to a standard bearer who will personify enlightened conservatism as the antidote to Rooseveltism. Such tend- encies presage the nomination of & Hoover type of Republican rather than one of the Borah stripe. * ok %k Reports from the Middle West allege that the Committee for the Nation is strong for Borah for President. At any rate prominent spokesmen of the com- mittee, now engaged in selling their “managed-money” program to the coun- try, express enthusiasm for the Idahoan’s candidacy, presumably because they think he shares their currency views. Committee leaders are addressing meet- ings of bankers and picturing how “man- aged money” has operated in other coun- tries which have gone off the gold standard. * ok kX Secretary Hull's appeal to business not to jeopardize the cause of peace by en- gaging in “risky and temporary trade” is destined, Washington international authorities believe, to impress foreign countries as well as our own. It is in line with present efforts of the League to induce reluctant member nations, as well as outsiders like Germany and Japan, to refrain from profitable deal- ings with Italy. Secretary Hull's argu- ment that the sooner war in Africa is terminated the quicker will business be stabilized all over the world—and that this is “infinitely more important than trade with belligerents"—is expected to carry weight abroad, too. A For years tens of millions of dollars annually have flowed into Italy from Italian quarters in the United States. The total of these “immigrant remit- tances” always bulked conspicuously in Italy’s financial and economic calcula- tions and has been an important item in her national wealth. That is one of the reasons why Mussolini resented the enactment of our quota laws, which drastically cut down the number of Italians eligible to enter this country. Should the League’s attempted financial strangulation of Italy tend to curtail export of funds to that country from the United States, the effect would be seri- ous. It is a question whether President Roosevelt’s warning to American citizens is pronounced dead of poison admin- istered in a glass bulb supposed to con- tain & gas to prevent air sickness. Captain Lord of the New York police, appointed to guard the famous surgeon, has laid his plans with the utmost care, but they go awry and the mystery of Dr. Cutter’s death grows deeper, and seven of the plane’s passengers are under suspicion. The thrill of skilled piloting through storm and darkness adds to the excitement of the hunt for the murderer. " o against engaging in “any sort of trans- actions” with the present belligerents, except at citizens’ own risk, applies to “immigrant remittances” to Italy. ok X X Senator Carter Glass of Virginia, who played a major part in formulation of the 1935 banking act, will address the American Bankers' Association in New | Orleans on November 12 on “Banking Legislation.” When signing the law at the White House last Summer, Presi- dent Roosevelt joked that he doubted whether anybody in the room, including Treasury and congressional notables present. knew exactly what was in the act except the veteran Virginian. Other Federal officials who will address the bankers are Controller of the Currency O'Connor, F. D. I. C. Chairman Crow- ley, Reserve Board Governor Eccles and R. F. C. Chairman Jones, * Xk X ¥ Ever since Negroes began flocking into Northern States in recent years, the Democratic party has made systematic efforts to annex the colored vote, especi- ally in metropolitan centers like New York and Chicago. For the first time two Negroes have just been chosen as Tammany assembly district leaders. One of them is Ferdinand Q. Morton, Harvard graduate and Manhattan civil service commissioner. The other is Herbert L. Bruce, described as a West Indian by origin and a former “red cap” at the Pennsylvania Terminal. He is now a Harlem restaurant proprietor. The election of Messrs. Morton and Bruce to Tammary posts is the termina- tion of a long fight by colored Demo- crats to obtain recognition in the Tiger's hign command. * x kX As diplomatic plums in Canada gen- eraily go to party faithful, just as in the United States, the expectation is that Col. William D. Herridge, Canadian Minister at Washington since 1931, will eventually make way for a Liberal supporter of Prime Minister-to-be Mackenzie King. Col. Herridge is a brother-in-law and political adherent of Prime Minister Bennett, whose Con- servative forces were overwhelmed in this week’s parliamentary elections. There has been some suggestions that Vincent Massey, a constituent of Mac- kenzie King, might be reappointed to Washington. He was the Dominion’s first envoy to this country, serving from 1926 until the Liberals were ousted from power in 1930. * ok oK % Gen. Hugh S. Johnson inaugurates his Nation-wide speaking tour at Brook- lyn this week. During the next few weeks he will be heard at Cleveland, Detroit and at various points in Texas, Louisiana and Georgia. He is billed for Philadelphia and Grand Rapids in No- vember, and during the early Winter will talk in Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin and Pacific Coast States. In January the general will appear on platforms in the East, beginning at Wilmington, Del. After quitting his W. P. A. job in New York the other day the former Blue Eagle boss indicated that his addresses will dwell largely on the Government’s power to deal with industrial and labor problems within the present framework of the Constitution and argue that there is no need to amend it. He evidently intends hammering home the theory that despite the Supreme Court de- cision in the “sick-chicken” case there is plenty of existing Federal authority to regulate business as N. R. A. essayed to do. (Copyright. 1935.) No Telling. From the Kansas City Star. A diary marked “Columbus 1492" has been found in Russia. On the other hand, it may be some Greenwich Village revolutionist’s number, 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, Washi: ton, D.C. Please inclose stamp for repiy. Q. For whom is Hickam Field, which is to be constructed in Hawaii, named?— E.R.T. A. It was named in honor of Lieut. Col. Horace M. Hickam, Air Corps, who was killed in an airplane accident at Fort Crockett, Tex., November 5, 1934¢. It will take two and a half years to complete the field, which will have an area of more than 2,500 acres and cost more than $5,000,000. Aside from the aviation equip- ment, it will have quarters for about 180 officers, 175 non-commisioned officers and barracks for 1,600 enlisted men. Q. How many ministers are there in the United States?—E. H. A. There are 244,201 ministers in the United States, including priests and rabbis. Q. Who invented the Gatling gun?— L. A. Richard Jordan Gatling, whose earlier inventions were chiefly connected with agricultural machinery. The Civil War turned his attention to firearms, and he developed the revolving machine gun, afterward known as the Gatling gun. He improved this until it fired 1,200 times a minute. Q. Was Mahatma Gandhi ever a law- yer?—W.T. A. He practiced law in Bombay, Kae thiawar and in South Africa, where he labored to correct injustices against his fellow countrymen. Q. What is the Stimson Doctrine?— E.G. A. American non-recognition of Mane chukuo is sometimes known as the Stim= son Doctrine, because of Secretary Henry L. Stimson’s active leadership in oppose ing any acknowledgment of Japaness pretensions to that area which violated the pact of Paris. Q. How tall was Ann Rutledge, Abra« ham Lincoln’s early sweetheart?—D. S. A. About 5 feet 2 inches. Q. Who invented the automat?—T. C. A. It was invented by Max Sielaff and exhibited in Germany in 1896. A similar inventipn appeared in Sweden about the same time. The first restaurant of this kind in the United States was opened in Philadelphia in 1902, Q. In some colleges, students who do not belong to Greek letter societies are called barbs. Why is this?>—C. F. A. Barbs is the abbreviation for bare barians. The allusion is to the fact that among the Greeks, as early as the time of Homer, those who could not speak the Greek language were known as barbarians. Q. Who was Deadwood Dick?—E. R. A. His real name was Richard W, Clarke (1845-1930) and he was a frone tiersman of the Black Hills district. Joining a party bound for gold digging in that region, he became a noted char= acter, taking part in the Sioux wars, acting as express guard on stage coaches and aiding United States marshals in suppressing lawlessness. His alliterative name was popularized by dime-novel writers. Q. Can tempered glass be bought?— & B T A. Tempered glass can be supplied only on special order, as after it is made it cannot be cut to size. Q. Please give the origin of the exe pression, “a square meal."—A. B. H. A. It has been in use in the English language for many centuries. It occurs in English literature as early as 1611 and was used by Beaumont and Fletcher in 1616. While the exact origin of the term is not known, it is believed to be based on the thought that anye thing square is solid or steady. Q. Is it true that no one species of flower will produce blossoms that are true blue, vellow and red?>—W. D. T. A. The Bureau of Plant Industry says that the only common flower producing true red, yellow and blue in the same species is the hyacinth. Q. How did the damson get its name? —A. R. A. It is named for Damascus in Syria, where the plum was cultivated in ane cient times. Q. In what play did William Crane make his first appearance?—E. H. A. He first appeared in opera in 1863, but his first signal success was as Vanalstyne, a Wall Street magnate, in “The Henrietta,” written for him and for Stuart Robson by Bronson Howard in 1887. Q. When was the Appian Way built? A. It was built in 312 B.C. The original road was no doubt only graveled, but some years later the whole was paved with silex. The modern high road fole lows the line of the ancient road. Q. How are the stock averages com- piled by the Associated Press arrived at?—C. P. T. A. The Associated Press says that it uses a list of 60 stock issues in compiling daily stock averages. These are straight arithmetical averages. That is, the aver= age is obtained by adding together the prices of the 60 stocks and dividing by 60. This average was compiled only last January, and it has not yet been neces sary to adjust for stock split-ups, or other changes in capitalization, or to make substitutions. In carrying the tabulation back to 1927, however, ad- justments were made for changes in capitalizations. In the future, adjuste ments will be made as the need arises. A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton Glory That Is Ours Long ago in London tewn In a fruitful age Sculptor, player, sage, Poet of highways, Singer of sweet lays, Molded many golden days. And the nights they gathered 'round Banquet boards, gay, did resound Philosophy in London town Long ago. Art has sculptured our fair town; Beauty in the Mall, Cathedral spires tall, Stately marble hall. There may yet befall Days of golden craft for all. And the nights we gather ‘round Banquet boards may yet resound As they did in London town Long sgo. f