Evening Star Newspaper, November 20, 1935, Page 10

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C WEDNESDAY ........November 20, 1935 Pl THEODORE W. NOYES.. ..Editor Eaeeggeeees o et TSI B The Evening Star Newspaper Company. Business Office: 11th 8t and Pennsylvania Ave New York Office: 110 East 42nd St. Chicago Office: Lake Michigan Building, European Office: 14 Regent 8t.. London. Engiand. Rate by Carrier Within the City. Regular Edition. e Evening Star_ -45¢ per month -60c per month =05 per month The Suiday St -5 Der oDy Night Final ight Final and Sunday 70¢ per month 5c per month Collection made”at of_each month. Orders_may be sent by mail or telephone Na- tional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Dally and Sunday. .. §10.00; 1 aily only . 3G.00; 1 unday only. 4.00: 1 All Other States and Canada. .. $12.00; 1 mo,, $1.00 .. "$R.00i 1 mo. " The $5.00; 1 mo.. Rc mo.. 50¢ mo.. 40¢ 1 yra mo.. Member of the Assoclated Press. The Associated Prese is exclusively entitied 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. Il_rights of publication of special dispatches erein are also reserved —_—————— Starvation and Taxes. President Roosevelt has told American mayors, meeting here, starvation will not be permitted in this country. Federal aid to the jobless will be continued as long as necessary. In his address to the mayors he also men- tioned the question of taxation, some= times related to starvation. The Presi- dent, it is reported, gave assurance that there is to be no new Federal tax legis- lation at the coming session of Congress ~—not, indeed, until after the presidential election. Now here is something really reassuring, something that will fall pleasantly on the ears of those Demo- crats who, like Mr. Roosevelt, must run next year for re-election. In politics it has become almost axiomatic that legislation increasing taxes shall not come on the eve of elec- tions. The party in power, which con- trols legislation, sees to that. The re- puted statement by the President, how- ever, was that he did not want the pro- jected conference on taxation to bring forth a report until after the elections next Fall. He did not, he said, want the subject thought of in a partisan way. This is refreshing. The President was talking of a conference to revise taxes. He did not mention increasing the tax burden. of the Government calculated in billions of dollars, any revision of the taxes is likely to be upward, not downward—if | the Government intends to pay its debts. Furthermore. if the plans of tax changes | look to a downward revision of the tariff, and if such a thing were possible, | why put it off a year, until after elec- tion? For downward revision of taxes is as popular as the reverse is unpopular. | Perhaps taxes should not be thought of in a partisan way. The best Interests of the country should be considered in levy- ing taxes. The best interests of an indi- vidual may be served by a drastic opera- tion. But the operation is none the less painful because it is necessary. So 1t is with taxes when they fall upon the people. The New Deal spenders may believe, however, that the benefits of their national planning will far out-v weigh the burden of increased taxes. They may be wrong. They seem willing | to take a chance. In the end they will have a hard time keeping taxes out of politics. No one must be permitted to starve. Opponents of the Roosevelt administra- tion and the New Deal are as emphatic about that as the Chief Executive. There is much difference of opinion, however, as to the best methods of protecting the needy from starvation. ‘When the tax burden becomes exces- give starvation follows in its wake. It always has, whether the Government lay- ing the taxes be autocratic or democratic. The tax burden becomes excessive when a government spends and spends, and then spends more. It does not particu- larly matter for what the money has been spent after it is gone. If it is.not paid, then comes repudiation or inflation or both, with evils perhaps heavier than taxation itself, e Buried in mud and myth, Ethiopia has waited for a long time for Mussolini to put it factually on the map. Selassie is in no way related in fighting or phi- losophy to Dr. Johnson's “Rassilas, Prince of Abyssinia.” e A gun man on parole too often heads out for a night club instead of a Sunday school. N The Gas Rate Agreement. As a means of arriving at a working basis of agreement between the Public Utilities Commission of the District and the gas companies operating in the Cap- ital area, after four years of fruitless proceedings, the companies proposed in August that the matter be referred to a conference. This plan was adopted and three representatives of the cqmmission, the people’s counsel, the corporation counsel and the special assistant corpora- tion counsel for public utilities, were des-.. ignated for that purpose. These three, meeting with representatives of the gas companies, have now reached an agree- ment with the latter in respect to capital structure, rate reduction and terms for future extensions of capital. They have reported their findings and recommenda- tions to the commission, to which the companies assent. The commission will now consider the question, probably holding a public hearing, and will there- after adopt the report of the conference or reject it. There is sound reason for hoping that it will be accepted. This question of gas rates and capital structure has been pending so long that a way to a settlement is to be welcomed. If the conference report is not accepted by the commission litigation is altogether likely, is, indeed, virtually assured, caus- ing a further prolongation of the ques- tion, involving expense to both sides and postponing the day oflndjustmem for However, with deficits | | overburdened taxpayers anywhere. THE EVENING the benefit of the gas consumers. No more equitable settlement or agreement could be expected from appeal to the courts than that which has been reached by direct and friendly dealings between the public representatives and the cor- poration executives. = This proposed adjustment, unanimous= 1y recommended by the conferees for the Utilities Commission, determines upon a capital of $21,000,000, whick is & com- promlg between the figures of the peo- ple’s representatives and those of the corporations. It adopts a rate of return of six and a half per cent upon thig base, an immediate annual reduction of rates of about $850,000, with a sliding scale srrangement hereafter which will be based upon capital, earnings and vol- ume of consumption. The unanimity of the conferees named by the Public Utilities Commission in respect to this agreement may be ac- cepted as clear evidence that the pro- posed settlement is equitable to the con- sumers. There are considerations which call for an early settlement. Certain financial obligations of the corporations have to be met within a year. A re- adjustment of capital structure is there- fore in the immediate prospect. The final adoption of this conference report by the Utilities Commission will permit | these transactions to be effected in the | that | season. R The London Conference. President Roosevelt announces the personnel of the delegation which will represent the United States at the Lon- don Naval Conference, opening on De- cember 6. It will consist of America’s battle-scarred disarmament specialist, Ambassador at Large Norman H. Davis, chairman; Admiral William H. 8tandley, chief of naval operations, and Undersec- retary of State William Phillips. It is an admirable group and, from both the naval and the diplomatic standpoints, well qualified to present and defend this coun- try's position in the field of problems to come under discussion. Mr. Roosevelt indicates that the United States will have no “program” at London except one of consistent opposition to creation of navies that Wwould cost more thaa they cost today. That is another way of saying that America would like to perpetuate the status quo, with mainte- nance of the 5-5-3 ratio as among Great Britain, oursglves and Japan and the | | instance, in not contradicting the other quantitative strength in various cate- gories of ships which it represents. It means that our “accepted policy,” as the | President described it on Armistice day, is parity with Britain and a margin of forty per cent superiority over the Jap- anese Navy. It means that America believes safety for all concerned can be stabilized on the limitation basis pro- vided by existing treaties. The people of the United States might as well prepare themselves to face the fact that there is no likelihood whatever of preserving the status quo. or even limitation, is in definite prospect. Japan has already abrogated the Wash- ington and London treaties expiring in | 1936. She insists on equality, respective- 1y, with the British and American fleets. Instead of a 5-5-3 ratio, Tokio demands a 5-5-5 ratio. Britain, on her part, is committed by the recent election victory of the Baldwin government on a strong national defense platform to an imme- diate and extensive expansion of her fleet. Germany is about to re-enter the ranks of first-class sea powers. France and Italy have large navy-building plans in view, to meet the widely disturbed con- ditions into which Europe during the past year has been plunged. “America cannot hide her head in the sand,” said President Roosevelt at Ar- lington. She must take cognizance of what is going on bevond her peace- loving shores in the realm of armaments. The measure of our own defense needs, Mr. Roosevelt adjures the American people, is the amount required to protect us from any possible aggression by others. ‘With nations on all hands preparing to strengthen their sea establishments, the United States is without any alternative except to match the pace they are bent upon setting. The London Conference unfortunately will hardly do much more than register the determination of the various naval powers to keep on building up their fleets. It is not a hopeful outlook for For America, unquestionably, adequate de- fense at sea is national life insurance. However costly, it must and will not be allowed to lapse. ———————— A method of photography might be systematized to provide ghost sitters as well as ghost writers. Many models might be found in the mere obscure walks of life who would know how to pose with the manner of a statesman even better than the statesmen themselves. Unnecessary Public Works. In his address to the Ohio Society for- mer President Herbert Hoover condemned ‘“unnecessary public works.” It was his intention, apparently, to stigmatize cer- in specific projects—construction oper- ions of little immediate value to the people. But he did not cite any illustra- tive example, and his hearers perhaps may have wondered where he would draw the line between ““good” and “bad” under- takings. Public works, as such, Mr. Hoover surely would not condemn simply because they were public. He may have particular respect for private enterprise, yet it is unlikely that he would oppose govern- mental management of the postal serv- ice—“the largest business in the world.” The Panama Canal, he knows, was built and is maintained and controlled by the Government, and it would be a fair ques- tion to ask if he would have it otherwise. His answer, of course, would be: No! Indeed, Mr. Hoover’s record is full of evidence of his belief in national effort. As far back as 1912 he argued ‘against the “imperfect co-ordination” of industry. When Secretary of Commerce he devel- oped the better homes movement, the simplified practice movement and sim- | lated by one radio announcer | another. World- | | wide rearmament, rather than reduction aviation enterprises of the country, started the Mississippi Valley flood con« trol scheme, founded a new Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce for the benefit of trade—all public works of a kind. Moreover, in his most recent book, “The Challenge to Liberty,” Mr. Hoover reaffirms his faith in social processes. “No civilization,” he declares, “could be built to endure solely upon a ground- work of greed or even upon the en- lightened self-interest of the individual. It is out of the altruistic and construc- tive_impulses that the standards and the ideals of the Nation are molded and sustained.” The difficulty, in the former President’s mind, then, would seem to be that which any individual might experience in deciding upon a policy of investment. Some proposals merit acceptance, some deserve rejection. Each must be judged for and by its own innate and authentic worth., And Mr. Hoover qualified his objection to “public works” by the adjective “unnecessary,” signifying there- by no quarrel with those which are not open to that restricting qualification. His complaint, the language he chose to use indicates, was aimed at E. W. A. rather than P. W. A, Doubtless the matter will be debated exhaustively during the mnext twelve months. It already has been discussed for several years, and the people at large have been making the distinction which Mr. Hoover stipulated. Toward necessary public works the masses are friendly; toward the other varlety— lboondosgl\nx—f.he,\' are hostile, —aor So long as literary publications are being commended along with references to astronomical calculations a word of free publicity may be due to the Hagers- town Almanac, which appears as usual | with intimate revelations as to crops, climate and celestial phenomena, free from any trace of political bias. The H. A. has scored a distinguished success in attending to feed and planting and allowing the inevitable affairs of the uni- verse to proceed without attempt at arbi- trary interference. R A more thorough method of civilizing | | Ethiopia might have been to start out with a few printing presses instead of armored tanks. They might have worked wonders if managed with something of the care shown, by Great Britain for fellow's favorite set of hereditary opinions. .- ——o—t——————— Al Smith was ridiculed because he said “raddio.” Being a man of large ideas, he ! has disdained an effort to catalogue the circu- after mispronunciations subsequently e It is no reflection on anybody's integ- rity to suggest that a desire to get out of politics is not always heartfelt. As a matter of fact, every citizen and taxpayer | is in politics, whether he likes the fact or not. e s Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON Numbers. Every day’'s a number As the years roll on: As you wake or slumber Luck is here or gone One may be a winner; One a loss may show. Time, the patient spinner, Bids them come and go. You cannot be a chooser Of the fortunes you may meet, But the only certain loser Is the one who tries to cheat. The Final Once. “Do you think we ought to be willing to try anything once?” “No,” answered Senator Sorghum. “Some things, like arsenic or bichloride of mercury, you're not likely to have a chance to try a second time.” Jud Tunkins says two men arguing about politics may get fightin’ mad, al- though each thinks he’s tryin’ to do the other an intellectual favor. Up and Down. Cracking down on foemen In the jungle dark— Cracking down on showmen Or the dollar mark— Cracking down on fellow men, In country and in town— How can we keep “uplifting” when We're always cracking down? TImaginary Vengeance. “Are you interested in pugilism?” “Yes,” answered Miss Cayenne. “When one man beats another up I rejoice. He is usually of the type that might easily have become a wife beater.” Breathing Spell. Going to take a breathing spell And pause a while to think, And bring the budget out to tell The items in red ink. Fortune's never quite & wreck And seldom chokes to death, 8o, if I cannot draw a check, At least I'll draw & breath. “Our camp meetin’,” said Uncle Eben, “saved several sinners who is likely to backslide durin’ de Winter because of de way Satan advertises free heat for- ever.” The Law of the Road. Prom the Austin (Tex.) American. Unavoidable accident: A ruling that drivers aren't to blame if silly pedestrians persist in using the streets. No S. C. L. for Johlm‘g; Prom the Eureks (Calif.) Humboldt Times, Little Johnny has kept his ears wide open, so far with disappointment, for some word of a spinach control law. Obsolete. From the Battle Creek (Mich.) Enquirer-News. We might lift ourselves out by our tstraps, says a New Deal critic, but boo! ilar campaigns, 'orgamzed the radio and | who weaps bootstraps any more? ~ STAR, WASHINGTON, | succeeded, and from these D. C. NEW BOOKS AT RANDOM Margaret Germond. THROUGH FORBIDDEN TIBET. By Harrison Forman. New York: Long- mans, Green & Co. In the story of his seventh treasure- hunting expedition into the “lost” world of northern South America Willlam La Varre tells of a conversation on one of his earlier trips with an older man who had for years been penetrating the jungles and bringing forth diamonds, gold and other valuable products from nature’s rich storehouse. La Varre was talking as would one explorer to another, but the older man denied the distinction as applying to himself, When La Varre insisted that the man was an explorer, the reply was to the effect that explorers were men about whom the world sang praises, and he was sure that few people had ever heard of him. He saild he had never been asked for but one interview and that when it was printed the writer had not been able to rise above a description of him as a soldier of fortune. Is there really any difference between the two? Is not an intelligent man seeking adventure in the unknown cor- ners of the earth in his own fashion just as much of an explorer as the man who eagerly grasps the opportunity to accom- pany an efficiently equipped, financially backed expedition? The pages of history sparkle with thrilling accounts of great discoveries made by lone vagabonds in search of adventure and knowledge. Some of them have had money, while others have had nothing. Some have been educated, cultured intellectuals and others have been lacking in mental equip- ment. Explorers they all have been. The young man who has just com- pleted the story of his adventure into the only remaining corner of the globe that has persistently defied exploration might be called a vagabond, a soldier of fortune and an explorer, and all three would be correct. Yet he made his way through the only “closed” country in the world entirely upon his own initiative and courage. Harrison Forman went to China in 1929 to sell military airplanes to the Chinese government. During the several years of this assignment he acquired a working knowledge of the dialects, as his travels carried him to many of the remote and little-known provinces of the once great empire. When at the close of the Shanghai War the government was too impoverished to invest in airplanes, Mr. Forman organized an expedition for the purpose of opening a motor trade route to Chinese Eastern Turkestan, along the ancient Marco Polo trail. Chinese ban- dit bullets promptly ended the enter- prise at Lanchow. A chance meeting there with William E. Simpson, an Amer- ican miss! ry, furnished the inspira- tion to “crash” Tibet. And this volume is the whole story of how a lone American made his way across the ferbidden border into the most mysterious land in the world, where he spent months among its many tribes, making friends of the great and the lowly, studving their customs and wit- nessing their rituals, taking countless photographs and gathering tribal lore. Only a few of the many who have sought to penetrate forbidden Tibet have t little has been learned about this one area that is to mankind the most fascinating coun- try on the face of the earth. Perhaps no one else has brought so much of authoritative enlightenment from the alluring land of magic and mystery as has the writer of this book. With mind, eves, ears and nerves alert. and with camera ready, knowledge, impressions were absorbed with all of the eagerness of a man who knows that he may never again be so favored by fate, and that one slip or error of judg- ment may bring not only his great ad- venture, but his life, to an abrupt end. A few months ago one of the episodes in this volume appeared in Harper's Magazine under the title “I Saw the King of Hell.” Ever since there has been an ardent hope in the hearts of its read- ers that there would be more. And here it is in full. well written, profusely il- lustrated with photographs, handsomely bound with a decorative map on the in- side front cover and packed with stirring adventure and authentic facts. It is fascinating to the last word, but with all its completeness it fosters the hope that mavbe its author absorbed even more than he has told and that before long there will be another volume as en- chanting as this one. ® x kX = A TREASURY OF THE THEATRE. New York: Simon & Schuster. One of the most extraordinary—in size as well as in content—literary offerings of the Fall season is this anthology of the great plays of all ages, from Aeschy- lus to Eugene O'Neill. It has been edited by Burns Mantle, whose name has been prominently identified with the theater since the beginning of the century, and John Gassner, who is at present play reader for the Theatre Guild in charge of the American play department. Mr. Mantle is also well known through his institution of the “Ten Best Plays” series in 1919, which has now grown into an annual year book, and Mr. Gassner is a recognized authority and translator as well as a lecturer and writer. The book contains thirty-four of the world’s most famous dramas, represent- ing the theaters of America, England, Ireland, Italy, Austria, France, Russia, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Japan, India, Greece and the ancient Hebrews. Its compilation was inspired by a realization on the part of the publishers that there was no means by which the demand for a representative collection of plays could be met. Consuitation with libraries throughout the country revealed ghat there are many collections of the classics, of Elizabethan drama, of the best foreign plays, of American and other classifica- tions, but no anthology of the whole range of the known theatre. The best of effort and of authority, therefore, went into the compilation of a volume that is certain to be invaluable to all who know and appreciate this branch of the fine arts as well as to students and collectors of theatre lore. Each play is prefaced by a biographical sketch of its author and an introduction to the play selected as the most out- standing product of its writer, or, in some cases, as & second choice rather than the obvious, where better judgment dictated the latter course. The book contains 1,640 pages, and in- cludes a general introduction, the cus- tomary acknowledgments, a representa- tive list of the world’s plays, a mote on translations and a bibliography of books obtainable in English. The work has been planned and designed for quick ref- erence, and though it is printed on thin paper, it is strong and clean of type. It is substantially bound in red cloth with a gold trim and is not too heavy for com- fortable handling. It is the sort of book that merits the hearty gratitude of those who have felt the need for this particu- lar kind of publication. ————————— Peace and War. Prom The Chicago Tribune. * And peace is more horrible than war because soldiers get medals for being wounded while fighting for their coun- try. But in peace people just look at us and say, “Bet the damn fool was driving on the wrong side of the road.” - | when he has done it neatly. | there is no gain in it, scenes and | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1935. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL, A bus driver, in handling one of these new silver beauties, can give us all a lesson. He doesn’t worry about what's behind him, but just lets the big bus come along as best it can. One of these vehicles is almost as long as a street car. The man at the wheel steers in and out of traffic, and seldom if ever scrapes anything with the back or sides of the bus. If he once stopped to worry about the rest of his vehicle, he would be in a stew all the time. " That is the way many people attempt to steer their lives. Instead of permitting all behind them to be behind them, where it belongs, they incessantly worry over the guid- ance of the past. The wheels of life will bring the re- mainder along with it, without our con- cerning ourself with it all, but so often we keep peerln;nlmund. worrying about scraping into something. The driver gets his big bus through the traffic by concentrating on what is ahead of him and letting the hind end come right along. He looks, now and then, into his mir- ror, of course, but mostly that is to see if any passenger wants to alight by the famous treadle at the rear door. * ok % It is much better driving, in this journey of life, to be looking ahead than to be looking behind. Some glances to the rear, for we are but human, after all, but, in the main, eves glued to the road. That is the best way. Like Little Bo Peep's famous sheep, the rest will come behind, automatically. So there is no need to worry about it, or to keep turning face around. How many of us do it, and how human it is, after all! * x Kk x Tt will be said. and correctly. that not all need this advice. The bulk of hu- manity operate their lives on exactly this plan by instinct. There are many who worry, however, because they think too much. The liabilities of ordinary daily think- ing are seldom discussed. Let us make it plain that whether thought is profitable or not. from any standpoint, has nothing to do with the exercise thereof. One may do very poor thinking, or ! very good thinking, but in each instance it is very much thinking. Ordinary worry, over a thousand mat- ters, is thinking as much as any. It may be in a circle, it may be fruit- less, bootless and totally unneces- sary, as it so often is, but in any analysis it is a sort of mental game. Often the chronic worrier does some very good intellectual work. He or she plavs a game of chess, with probabilities as the men. The pawns. the kings and queens of thought. the knights and bishops, and the rooks, too, are deployed here and there, The worrier, by nature, will not admit he has checkmated his adversary, even He goes back over the game, plays it all over again, as it might have come out if his opponent had made a different move. *ox ox % Worry, then. usually. This paradox may be explained in many is not all loss. despite | ways, but perhaps the best is to say the gains of worrying are there if one wants to catch them. But they must be snared. They consist mainly of real- fzing that thought 1s thought, and, as such, is, or at least ought to be, good, if 1t leads on to dropping out of the mental game the bad thoughts, the harassing thoughts, the useless thoughts. ‘The great bulk of humanity steer their barks of life without one thought as to the consequences, and perhaps they are the better off for it, and no one who is otherwise would wish them to be differ- ent. The latter, the worriers, will keep on thinking about everything, will con- tinue to wonder if the rear end of the bus is actually going to come around the corner properly. They will see it rid- ing up over the curb, or catching some poor dog unawares, or smashing into yonder sedan. He or she who worries over such mat- ters will find it profitable, now and then, as most of them do, to call a decided halt in such thinking. Perhaps caution is the biggest gain out of it. One has but to watch scores of people in the everyday to see how little they gain by being unnecessarily reckless, espe- cially in traffic. If one-tenth of the motorists were as bad as some people say 85 per cent of them are, all the care- less and indifferent pedestrians would have been run over long ago. By taking thought as to which part of average worrying has some good in it, and which part has not, it will be possible for all such persons to weed out bad and really inimical thoughts, much as they would weed the garden. But in this sort of discrimination, as in that, eternal vigilance is the price one must pay to get anywhere. One ought to remind one's self ceaselessly— just another part of the game—that this portion or that portion of the daily wor- rying is distinctly not good. Then, by concentrating on the better part, some gain may be realized out of worrying. after all, especially if one be- longs to the noble tribe of those who are not afraid of thought. How many per- sons there are, to be sure—well-meaning people, too—who are afraid of thought! Especially in things governmental, and the like, they are afraid to think about something else were adopted. the personal affairs of life they are even its head in the sand. (Many animals operate on a theory that if they cannot see something, no one else can, either.) Those who admire thinking, abstract, are never afraid of anything that can be phrased in words. Their | standards will not permit the admira- tion of certain phases of thought. at least they tolerate it. in the honest belief that it is good thinking of and to others, if not to themselves. Hence these persons in time come to be tolerant, in the best sense. They worry a great deal, according to their friends and rela- | tives, but that is because they think more, having minds more open to every- thing that is thought and more alert to catch the millionfold tones of the uni- versal symphony. It is especially good for all such people. whoever they are, or whatever their | work may be, to realize that they have a tual way. too. from the daily es of those who steer straight ahead in the | journey of life, letting the rest come along ! behind them as it will. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. All signs foreshadow that the political welkin will ring indefinitely and loudly with the pros and cons of the Canadian treaty. Sharpshooting has already begun in Republican quarters and among disaf- fected farm, dairy and lumber groups. Congress is sure to reverberate with at- tacks on various counts, including con- stitutional grounds. and the pact is bound to ramify into the presidential campaign. Rooseveltians are serenely confident that the agreement Wwill so effectually redound to the benefit of American business as a whole that com- plaint and criticism will be drowned out. By the time the 1936 contest is in full blast administrationists predict the bar- gain with the Dominion will be recog- nized as a New Deal achievement of the first magnitude. Provision of quotas for competitive Canadian live stock. dairy products and lumber materially takes the sting out of tariff concessions which might otherwise have inflicted injury on the domestic industries in question. Re- publicans indfeate that they see first- class issue material in the treaty. Tariff, that proverbial bone of American polit- jcal contention, seems to be in for a new lease of life. x* k X % In consequence of shis New York speech, talk of Herbert Hoover's presi- dential candidacy has reached the zenith. That he is in receptive mood is no longer doubted. While he has authorized no preconvention campaign, certain Hooverites, including two for- mer cabinet officers, are said to be work- ing in the direction of uninstructed State delegations which would turn to the Californian at a psychological mo- ment. Anything savoring of a “call” for Hoover's nomination will unquestionably find him ready to accept it. For the mo- ment he insists he’s interested exclusive- ly in “inducing his party to adopt certain principles. He is anxious to have it steer clear of Borahism, especially on monetary matters. Hoover will remain on the firing line and be heard from periodically in the new fighting form revealed in the Oakland and New York speeches—the epigrammatic, wise-cracking, hard-hit- ting, ironical Hoover, who has suddenly come to life. e Y President Roosevelt's indefatigability while on the wing will be demonstrated afresh during his impending absence from the White House. Within the same 24 hours he will preside over am_mal Thanksgiving festivities at Warm Springs and deliver a keynote political address in Atlanta. On the same day, December 9, while en route to Washington, F. D. R. will speak in the morning before the American Farm Bureau Federation in Chicago, and two or three hours later take part in ceremonies at Notre Dame connected with his acceptance of an LL. D. degree. Next May, when the Pre§- ident visits the Southwest, he will, in the course of two successive days, at- tend centennial celebrations in Texas and Arkapsas, speaking on each occa- sion. *x % * % Marshal Pietro Badoglio, successor of Gen. Emilio de Bono as commander in chief of the Italian forces in East Africa, has been on duty on this side of the Atlantic on two different occa- sions. In 1921 he visited the United States with a diplomatic mission. In 1924-25 he was Italian Ambassador to Brazil. Although Badoglio has reached the age of 64, at which our military of- ficers are retired, Washington profes= sional observers of the Ethiopian came paign believe 11 Duce’s new generalissimo will infuse a fllm#pu-fl. into the operations and that from now on they will seem more like a war. * % x % Spruille Braden, New York financier. has just arrived at Buenos Aires. to rep- resent the United States at the con- ference which is drawing up a peace treaty between Bolivia and Paraguay in an effort to bring the Chaco conflict to a belated close. Some authorities think Mr. Braden has been clothed with the Uncle Sam’s relations with the other | American republics. He replaces Am- | bassador Gibson, from Rio de Janeiro. as our Chaco conference delegate. Mr. | & miner. | in the South American oil and copper fields and in Latin American financial affairs. He was attached to Secretary Hull's delegation at the Pan-American In 1915 Mr. Braden married Senorita del Solar, a member of one of Chile’s dis- tinguished families. He took his Ph. B. it mining engineering at Yale in 1914. * %k k% % More is likely to be heard of the Van- denberg-for-President boom from now on. Some prominent Eastern admirers have taken it upon themselves to boost the Wolverine Senator as logical Repub- lican timber for 1936. The Grand Rapids editor-statesman made a big hit with business leaders in his Senate speech last Summer when “soak-the-rich” taxes were under discussion. His plea for a sound fiscal policy, especially retrench- ment and budget balancing, convinced many authorities that Vandenberg is ideally equipped to carry that paramount issue to the country. The Michigan man’s dark-horse chances are bolstered by the fact that he commands the friendly interest of both Hoover and Borah. Politicians think he is playing his cards more shrewdly than any Repub- fican now in the running, with corre- spondingly strong prospects of bringing home the bacon. o Under auspices of the National Con- ference of State Liquor Administrators a Nation-wide survey of social conditions resulting from existing methods of liquor control is about to be made. President Roosevelt will be asked to designate an appropriate Federal agency to take part in it. Belleving that dry sentiment is by no means extinct, the promoters of the survey sense that unscrupulous ele- ments within the liquor trade have so overplayed their hand since-repeal that a demand for return of prohibition is beginning to be apparent. Unless cer- tain flagrant evils can be eradicated it is contended that the trend toward the water wagon ean and will rise again. I Maj. George L. Berry, co-ordinator for industrial co-operation, looks forward cheerfully to the conference he has called in Washington for December 9 to discuss current employer-labor problems. Addressing the American Arbitration Association in New York the other day, he said: “Seventy-four per cent of those invited to our conference have accepted. No program has been formulated. We offer no regimentation. We hope for a better understanding—a better technique. At present industry has 57 varieties of voices. We need industrial statesman- ship.” (Copyright, 1935.) ———— Needed. From the Wichita Eagle. That walloping majority for the corn= hog program also gives the A. A. A. & breathing lp;ll. alternatives, and what might happen if | But in | 3 Sunday, Gypsy Smith and John Wesley more determined to live on slogans and | the like, and to emulate the ostrich. with | but | great deal to learn, and in an intellec- | dignity of a roving “good neighbor” am- | bassador for the purpose of cementing | Braden, native Montanan, began life as | He has had long experience | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS By Frederic ]. Huskin, A reader can get the answer to any question of fact by writing The Washing ton Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, WMhmp: ton, D.C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. What is the speed, or time, method of handicapping horses?—V. R. A. In horse racing, time is determined by the stop-watch method and the han- dicapper tries to adjust the weight so as to make an even race. Q. What is the war age in Great Brit- ain and in some other foreign coun- tries?—M. V. H. A. Conscription was enforced in Great Britain during the period of the World War, at which time the draft age was from 18 to 40. A number of continental European countries still have conscrip- tion. In France, liability to service be- gins at 21; in Czechoslovakia, 17; Den= mark, 20; Greece, 21; Italy, 21; Japan, 17; the Netherlands, 19; Norway, 18; Poland, 21; Portugal, 17; U. 8. 8. R,, 19. Q. Where is the headquarters for the fund being collected for the Will Rogers Memorial?—M. C. A. The Will Rogers Memorial Fund has headquarters at 571 Lexington ave- nue, New York City. Q. Does it take more electricity to run a refrigerator in the Summer than in the Winter?—E. V. S. A. The National Bureau of Standards says that if the box were perfectly in- sulated and all other conditions re- mained the same it would take no more electricity in Summer than in Winter, As no insulation is perfect, more elec- tricity will be consumed in hot weather. This answer is, of course. based on the assumption that the air surrounding the box is hotter in Summer than in Winter. In a heated house there may be conditions when this is not true. Q. Are there any fresh-water oysters? —C.F A. Fresh-water relatives of the oyster are not called by that name.. They are known as mussels, or fresh-water clams. Q. Into what churches were Billy baptized?—C. D. P. A. Billy Sunday was baptized in the Presbyterian Church; Gypsy Smith in the Wesleyvan Methodist. and John Wesley in the Church of England. in the | Q. Will a gun shoot a greater dise tance when shooting over land than when shooting over water?—K. McC. A. The distance is the same in either case. Q. How much of her does Japan use herself?— A. Only 20 per cent. supply of silk Q. What people dri fee?—L. J. V. A. The Danes, Swedes and Norwe=- gians drink the most coffee. People in the United States come next. while Bel= the most cof- | glum. Finland and Cuba follow in close succession. The per capita consumption of coffee in the Scandinavian countries is more than 15 pounds. as compared to 12 a}nd 13 pounds in this country, an- nually. Q. What became of the Hessians who were in this country at the close of the | American Revolution?—H. G. A. Many of tfe Hessians who had ired or interned were returned to their native country, but a large num- | ber preferred to remain in America. and did so. their descendants being among | some of the most prominent citizens. Q. Where does the Liberty Bell hang? —M. O. A. It now hangs in the hallway of Independence Hall. in Philadelphia. Q. What is the principal Ethiopian coin?—W. P. A. Tt is the Maria Theresa dollar, or thalera, which is minted in Austria and imported as a commodity. It is worth about 20 cents in American money. Q. How much milk does the average | person consume in a year?—W. L. D. A. The per capita consumption of milk | last year was 796.6 peunds in the United States. Q. What was the doublet which was worn in early times?—H. D. A. A doublet was a close-fitting outer garment something of the nature of a conference in Uruguay two years ago. | Jacket, with sleeves, and sometimes with short skirts, belted at the waist. It came into use toward the close of the fifteenth century and was worn by men until the middle of the seventeenth century, Q. What is Dadaism?—A. J. A. The name is said to have been in- | vented by the founders of the art move- ment which had its inception at the time of the World War in a Zurich cafe in a group of artists led by Tristan Tzara. The first organized meeting was held in Paris in 1920. Its principle was the utter abandonment of all accepted forms and traditions. Among the ex- ponents of the short-lived school were Francis Picabia, Paul Borand, Andre (B}reton. Adolphe Knoblanch and George T0Z. Q. How did the expression bearer” originate?—J. H. H. A. A pallbearer is so called from the fact that originally he was required to hold up the cerners and edges of the pall covering the cofin. The word “pall” is derived from the Latin “pallium* meaning a coverlet. It occurs in the English language as early as about 1440, “pall- Q. Has the Salvation Army a special recognition for its members for distin- guished service?—D. T. A. Its order of merit is called Order of the Founder. It was instituted in 1917, with a view of marking distin- guished or memorable service such as would, in spirit or achievement, have specially recommended itself to the army'’s founder. A Rhyme at Twilight B - y Gertrude Brooke Hamilton Immortal Fragrance. Rare portrait of a poetess A century ago: Soft curls against a tender cheek, Cultured profile aglow. Translucent pearls on graceful throat, Curved waist in amber band, Lavender lines of loveliness— A tapering, ringless hand. The thought she penned in lyric form ‘Were but a sigh, a breath— Mere fragments. Epics from her soul Were stilled by early death. Her pastel Ioveliness is dust. ‘To some bard living now Her portrait may round out the meed Of genius 'neath her brow. A