Evening Star Newspaper, November 30, 1935, Page 8

*A-8 THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. SATURDAY ... ..November 30, 1935 THEODORE W. NOYES e rmeistepetb kb dreds o Gl e vl The Evenming sm Newspaper Company. iness ! Il'nnnn Rate by Carrier Within the Cily. Regular Edition. -~ ——=nu-45¢ Der month ar ==-60C per month 85¢ per month 70c per month 5¢ per month month, h each o’“ be" mn by mu or telephon. Nac Orders mu tional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland mo.. 40¢ All Other States Canata. lly lnd Sunday... iy only_ nday only. Member of the Assoclated Press. Paper and also t] (Il rishts of oublication of special dispatches erein are also reserved. France Stands By. Mussolini’s refusal either to halt hos- tilities in Ethiopia or listen to reason in the direction of a settlement has been based to a considerable degree on France's supposed reluctance to go the limit in backing League measures against Italy. Last January Rome and Paris entered into a quasi-military alliance of definite advantage to France. French business interests are not enthusiastic over sanctions which would destroy their lucrative Itallan trade. The Laval gov- ernment, despite current votes of con- fidence, atill faces a sea of political troubles. For all these reasons the Fascist lead- ers fancied they could rely at least upon Jukewarm French support of Great Britain in the event of an Anglo-Italian clash over the Mediterranean question, or, latterly, over an embargo on oil. 11 Duce has just had a rude awakening on this score. Premier Laval has in- formed the Italian Ambassador at Paris that any attack on the British fleet in the Mediterranean, alleged to be in the dictator’s mind as & first token of re- prisal against oil sanctions, would be con= sidered an act of war against all League states, including France. No doubt was left in the mind of Mussolini’s envoy that the full power of the French people, naval, military and economic, would be mobilized in loyal support of Britain should she be the object of Italian hos- tility. Anglo-French unity, in the spirit of the World War entente cordiale, thanks to Fascist imperialism, is again an accomplished fact. It should speedily become apparent whether this demonstration of solidarity between the two leading League powers is capable of bringing Mussolini to his senses. There is tacit acknowledgment at Rome that, with her oil supply cut off, Italy’s war-making capacity would be fatally crippled and her domestic plight no less severe. It is significant that the League Sanctions Committee, which is finally to decide on the embargo on oil and other key materials, has again set ahead the date of its meeting, this time until December 12. There can be little question but that the “sanctionist” powers desire to give Italy every oppor- tunity to make peace before imposing measures which eventually will compel her to do so. With Britain and France united on ‘sanctions and for common action against Mussolini in the event he has desperate recourse to war, he faces not only utter isolation but inevitable annihilation. Brave, patriotic and resourceful as the Ttalian people are, and apparently loyal in their approval of the course which Il Duce is pursuing, they must now know that it is along the road to ruin that he iz leading them. In that realization, probably, lies at the moment the strong- est hope of peace before, on either side, there is resort to extremes. ————————— Dictators find as much difficulty as old- fashioned monarchs in creating con- genial relations with taxpayers. Mark Twain. Perhaps the world does not understand Mark Twain. Like Shakespeare, he was 8 man of many aspects. There were in his soul both heights and depths which not all of his admirers can have reached. Even to himself he was a problem. Small wonder is it, then, that he is dif- ficult to comprehend, impossible as yet to analyze. Born only a century ago today, his career is too near to living men to be viewed with sufficient detachment to sllow for accurate appraisal. The great- grandchildren of the generation for which he wrote will be better able to estimate the values of his genius and §ts literary and philosophical fruits. Meanwhile, his immortality is assured by the love which thousands feel for him as well as by the books to which that af- fection traces back. He is enshrined in the heart of the American race, and, be the final verdict what it may, he still will prosper there in company with Lin- coln, Whitman and a few other rare characters deserving of such everlasting Jomage. Doubtless posterity will decide that Mark Twain the human being was & grander phenomenon than anything he laboriously created. Approaching him through the pages in which he pictured the people of his brain—that colorful eompany which includes the Innocents, *fom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Pudd'n- head Wilson, the Connecticut Yankee, Colonel Sellers, Captain Stormfield, the Prince and the Pauper, the Mysterious Stranger and Joan of Arc—the readers “of a distant tomorrow may see his glory. The aspiration and the struggle of his spirit should be clearer at that period than they can be at present. But the significance of his experience should not be lost to his younger con- THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER. 30, 1935.. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES . TRACEWELL, {ssues with which he wrestled are those with which they, too, must deal. His frustration is identic with that which millions share; his dream is of & piece with that of the whole Nation. The forces within him, the tools available to him and the methods with which he was familiar were not equal to the gigantic task to which he devoted him- self; and the same may be said of his immediate successors in the strife. Yet he battled to the end undaunted; and they, God helping, can do no less. For his centenary it probably will suffice to repeat that Mark Twain was no mere impressionist. Classifying him simply as a humorist may be convenient, but it is rankly unfair. His whole story contradicts that easy but insulting dis- position of him. Rather, he was a supreme journalist—an ardent and tire- less seeker for the truth and a skilled reporter and interpreter of such frag- ments of it as he discovered. His tragedy was that of Dante and Goethe and his victory, also, was like theirs. 5 The Next Great Thrill. ‘Whence will come the great thrills of another generation? What will be the phenomenal performances that will stir millions in awe and admiration of man’s achievements? Just now it would almost seem that there are “no more worlds to conquer,” no more sensational adven- tures to be undertaken. Yesterday the China Clipper made goal in a postal flight from San Francisco to Manila, made it within four minutes of the schedule that had been set for it, con- siderably within a week of elapsed time and in just a shade over sixty hours of flying time. It was a wonderful perform= ance, and yet there was but little stir in the world in consequence. In this coun= try some pride was felt and manifested, but doubtless elsewhere the matter was merely noted, if at all, as a passingly in- teresting but not an especially remark- able achievement. Not many days ago a balloon ascended to some seventy thousand feet above the surface of the earth, carrying two men who took notes and made records that will, it is expected, bring valuable new knowledge of the conditions surrounding this globule of the universe. The chief reaction on the part of most people was that this ascension had been successful whereas the two immediately preceding attempts had failed through mechanical faults of the gas bag. For some time an adventurous explorer of the sea has ‘been “diving” in his “bathysphere” and finding out some- thing of the marine life in the upper depths, a few fathoms below the sur- face. He has found some highly inter- esting forms of life and has seen some remarkable phenomena, that give prom- ise of more wonderful things in the greater depths. Maybe he or some one else will eventually be able to penetrate into those greater depths, possibly four or five times as far beneath the surface a8 he has already gone. But there will be little corresponding reaction on the part of the reading and listening world. The novelty of submarine observaution has given its thrill and the rest is but detail. ‘The recent performance of an English motor driver in making & new world rec- ord for land travel over & measured dis- tance in a Western desert tract caused but a brief and moderate sensation. Again it was merely a matter of degree. Every one expects records to be broken. That is why they are made, indeed—made to be broken. The fleetest ship has only a short period of supremacy. China Clip- per’s performance in mail service across the Pacific will doubtless soon be bettered. Stratosphere ascensions will reach to greater heights and there will be applause and a quick turn to the next novelty or accomplishment out of the ordinary. The truth is that modern man is be- coming just a bit bored with adventures against the forces and the supposed lim- itations of nature. It will indeed be diffi- cult to reproduce the thrill of the Lind- bergh flight or the first polar attainment. Men and women are still living who experienced the throb of emotion when the lruman voice was first carried over a wire, Now the telephone is, as it has been for many years, & commonplace. There are more now living who recognized the remarkable victory of man over nature in the device of the radio. Now it is & daily, nightly, hourly accomplish- ment of the reutine of existence—to many a veritable nuisance. The field is wide open for speculation as to the next great thrill, what it will be, who will accomplish it and what it will mean to humanity. The olive branch has little standing at present. What warriors require is petroleum and not olive oil. Twenty-One Million a Day. The Associated Press reports that the Federal Government is spending twenty- one million dollars a day. Thus it may be estimated that total expenditures for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1936, will approximate $7,700,640,000, But to the average citizen such figures are incomprehensible. The ordinary mind cannot grasp the meaning of sums 80 astronomical in character. A million apples, for example, may be conceived only by imagining ten times ten times ten times ten times ten times ten times a single Baldwin—a thousand times s thousand of the fruit which got Adam and Eve, not to mention Venus, Minervs, Juno, Paris and all the other Homeric heroes and heroines, into trouble. Yet where is the brain competent to vision an assembly of orchard produce which, allowing nine square inches of space per unit, would cover about an acre and a half of floor or table surface? Even a poet would have difficulty picturing in his mind’s eye a harvest which, at the rate of one a day, he would require nearly two thousand seven hundred and forty years to eat. Indeed, it is only when the process of reasoning is reversed that the problem can be understood. Then it becomes ap-' parent that, ealculating a population of 135,000,000, the New Deal is disbursing public funds tq the tune of sixteen cents %, 4 per capita per diem or, roughly, $50 a year. That amount, it may be conceded, does not seem very large. ‘The real problem, however, is that of paying off the debt. Obviously, the obligation does exist, and no sophistry of argument can conceal it. Interest on it, anyway, will have to be met. The Government, like individuals, must suffer the penalty when it borrows. But the Federal state is only the ag- gregate of the masses it represents. Therefore, the issue actually is one which reaches into every home, every pocketbook. It may be summarized A Vain Effort to Bridle Intellectual Proceu‘e; To the Bditor of The Star: The unsound judgment lfl temperate statement which your issue to today over briefly in the question which President | &, Roosevelt himself postulated uvey.l months ago: “Are you better off?”~ The answer of the people will be de< livered at the polls next year.,” By that date, if not before, the voters will have decided whether or not it is a wise policy to try to defeat the depression by spend- ing. Some, certainly, will approve; others will not. And the differential registered in terms of ballots will have » fairly definite relation with that which is constituted by the gain of earnings over costs in the experience of each average person. — e ‘When Postmaster General Farley re- signs in order to run the Roosevelt cam= paign he will leave a hope of unemploy- ment relief in the minds of a number of worthy citizens who are looking for any kind of & new deal. The card index goes with the office furniture, but it may al- ways be revised. —_——————— Airplanes have shortened the time of travel so that for modern purposes the Pacific ocean will be no bigger than the Mediterranean used to be. In the mean- time knowledge is better distributed and there is less danger of its figuring as & scene of contest for wealth and glory. ————————— Tradition plays a powerful part in hu- man affairs. Many things are just as enjoyable to eat as turkey., But turkey is almost as necessary to Thanksgiving day as fireworks are to the Fourth of July. In both instances the sentiment may be overwhelmed by the celebration. —_——————————— It is the published desire of France and England to avert war. It is inti- mated elsewhere, in illustration of the serious results that may proceed from small causes, that war would not have to be considered if it were not for those irritating little Ethiopians. ——————— The President is quoted as intimating that work that cannot be carried out in 1936 will be taken up by him in 1937. Mr. Farley will naturally regard this as a suggestion of prophecy that is no idle straw vote. One of the things the underworld has done is to spoil old-fashioned romance by introducing the eternal triangle into all kinds of crude homicidal demonstra- tions. ———————— Diplomatic circles are mentioned, im- plying not only distinguished associa- tions, but the course in which the con- versation sometimes proceeds. Finland 1s not assertive, but it un- doubtedly has a system of finance well worth studying. The ship of state is still mentioned. A dictatorship of state is hardest of all to manage. Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Inevitable. Evolution proceeds to meet various needs. 1t may often surprise us a lot. In spite of regret, you will take what you get, ‘Whether you like it or not. ‘Way up in the sky, where the stars flicker by, Or perhaps disappear in a blot; If they rise or they set, you will take what you get, ‘Whether you like it or not. ©On a beautiful life, free from sorrow and strife, Far up in some heavenly spot, ‘Your hopes may be set, but youll take what you get, ‘Whether you like it or not. Not Eager for the Fray. those who are willing to run for the *“What do you say to becoming one of presidency?” “I am naturally unfit,” said Senator Sorghum. “I have always had an aver- sion to & scrimmage.” Jud Tunkins says true patriotism thinks as much of the American eagle 88 it does of & Thanksgiving turkey. Intellectual Vanity. The little things you have to tell Sometimes depend on how you spell, A “profit motive” you may find Essential to the human grind. To think beyond our present day May send predictions far astray. ‘When flimsy theories we discuss The “prophet motive's” frivolous. Propriety. “A poet wrote, ‘The proper study of mankind is man'” "!mnotunevnhhlm,"nldmn Cayenne, “The police reports’ indicate that the study is becoming highly im- proper.” Art in Werld Drama. Through drama, quite refined and true, ‘This simple precept used to run: ‘Whatever else you have to do, It isn’t Art to pull a gun. Diplomacy’s & drama, too, And many a plot is well begun. But, speaking from a critic’s view, 1t isn't Art to pull a gun. But that is not the only philosophy nt among the people of this Nation, e of us have become very worldly, almost scavenging materialists; others cling to the divine right of kings, servility and superstition. And these are but the beginning of the list. Economics is taught and also the errors of those who hold to the latter. It's a rather strange thing that, coinci- dent with the spread of fascism in New England and in populous sections of the Nation, we find an attempt in Washing- ton to take the control of the schools out of the hands of those who have conducted them, or are successors to those who have conducted them for more than a century, But perhaps it isn't strange. Mr. Hillyer and others like him should know that this senseless attempt to bridle intellectual processes breeds the belief that they, and not Dr. Ballou and Mr. Prettyman, are the enemies of edu- cation of the masses, and that they have ulterior purposes to serve; perhaps a philosophy which ever has been the enemy of education. All honor to Dr. Ballou and Mr, Prettyman and to those who stand with them, GUY G. MOORE. Most Street and Highway Accidents Due to Speed To the Editor of The Star: Much action is being shown to pro- mote traffic safety, but it seems we avoid the real causes, possibly because we fear we may deprive ourselves of pleasures we now enjoy if the privileges are re- duced to obtain the objective. We do not place loaded guns in chil- dren’s hands, for we know they will be tempted to shoot them; nor do we put high-speed mechanical devices in our factories in charge of slow-thinking, slow-handed people to operate, for we know that if we do, bodily harm will come to the operator and damage to the machine, Automobiles can develop 70 miles an hour in a short distance, and at high speed represent a greater force than most of us realize. Yet this force we place in the hands of any one who asks for it. The average driver does not realize the power he has at his command and with the continually improved roads has become a menace, due to his reliance on the late type of brake, on which he depends to check his high speed. The minor faults of the driver should be curbed, such as running by stop signs, but speed is the cause of the great ma- Jority of accidents, and I see plenty. Every one knows a driver or two with whom he would not ride on a trip, but they drive cars that can develop 70 to 80 miles an hour, and we feel certain that they take chances on the least provoca- tion. Yet we hope that if they sign a pledge they will not speed. It is a waste of effort and the only remedy is me- chanicaly to prevent the development of speed faster than the highway laws allow. Drivers who speed along the high- way passing on either side, cutting in front of or crowding the preceding ma- chine off the road, or head-on into on- coming traffic, cause many accidents to other drivers using all precaution to drive safely. G. H. KISSINGER. New National Ideals Is the Need of War-Weary World To the Editor of The Star. It seems to me that Western civiliza- tion, or white man's civilization, which is a compound of Jewish theology and Greek philosophy, has proved to be a failure, partly because its lacks a posi- tive, motivating force, an incentive to virtue. From Japan we learn that a prominent man, educated in America, has inaugu- rated a movement to “rekindle the Sa- murai spirit of his people” in Japan. To those who are sincere in their desire to see wars outlawed we wish to recommend a little study of the ethical system which, contrary,to our own idea of economy and hoarding of money, teaches even the chil- dren to disregard money. Thus this aim of the Japanese to develop the spirit of chivalry and self-control, even in the children, is about to become the active principle again. They consider the art of making money a hindrance to the cultivation of wisdom, benevolence and courage. This Far Eastern attitude to- ward money seems to be quite the op- posite of that of our own. Thus we see that the real battle ground is on the more metaphysical plane of national ethics, There is a wide divergence of opinions, especially in Democratic countries, as to ethics or ideals in politics and social or- der. Hence the divided kingdoms within each nation, beginning from the smallest to the largest nation, like the United States. Of course, it is evident that to pool together internationally the several virtues of several nations is hardly con- ceived to be practical at this time, but we can at least make an effort to appreciate each other’s past and present achieve- .ments in the direction of creating and adopting national ideals high enough to draw the populace around such stand- ard. C. PHILIPS. District Should Have no Privileged Motor Drivers To the Editor of The Btar: ‘The traffic director in his article in ‘The Evening Star of yesterday, relative to granting of special license numbers, calls attention to the fact that the users of these special license numbers show especially good police records. He also attests to the fact that most of these “favored” users prefer low license plate numbers. It apparently does not occur to Mr. Van Duzer, as it does to me, that these low numbers to “favored” users show fewer warrants because it is & tuct that the pnlice are expected to lay + &mn low-numbered license Pl In this well-governed city of ours, where : graft is hardly known, it would seem that there is distinct favoritism, and therefore an undue one, shown to certain citizens of possible influence in granting them, year after year, low license numbers. . Also perhaps Mr. Van Duzer, if he investigates the facts, would not find that these “favored” ones using low license numbers were such goody |- goodies. JOHN P. STORY. —mtea i B An Impossibility. . Prom the Battle M (Mich.) -qlh-)'m The controversy over wmnm pedes- a8 near-sighted should be particularly care- ful in this ‘The thing to watch mt for is placing the feeding station too far away Xrem lncltun.hou\nm t“ mmmofmuflmu notm here in numbers, wil}’kéep many from guumlflntmmbndmtotho ‘While the rear of the garden is perhaps the very best position, in so far as the birds are concerned, it tends to make it hard for human eyes. LR R Nature’s camoufiage—her bird colora- tions—as well as the intense activity of the birds makes watching them difficult, even under the best circumstances. In the enthusiasm of installing a feeder and keeping it in operation the lover of birds may forget his eyes—until he is reminded of them. ‘Theré will be a position, according to the set of eyes doing the watching, where | best results may be obtained from a spec- tator viewpoint. Constant activity of the songsters, com- bined with their softly blending colors, makes for incessant eyestrain, unless the feeder is at a place which adapts it easily to watching. The feathered rascals come and go; first their soft backs are to the spectator, then their sharp bills; at one time they present the well-known bird profile, at the next what might be called the “head- on” view. The soft colors of most of our birds, and especially of the smaller ones win- tering in this vicinity, compel very close watching to distinguish them from the bark of trees and leaves on the ground. There are exceptions, of course. That most popular of birds, the cardi- nal, or redbird, as many call it, can be seen against any background. No difficulty at all in watching his movements! But his plainly though lovely colored mate is another bird entirely, when it comes to watching her actions at 50 to 100 feet or more. Although she is large, in comparison with many another bird which hangs around this time of year, her soft colors make her difficult to “spot” against shrubs. Only her crest is visible at times. ‘The bluejay, cursed by some, loved by other observers, stands out plainly at any distance. * x % x It will be realized that an observer's main attempt is to watch the birds actually eat. This close attention to a comparatively small bill and even smaller seeds in the feeder makes a different type of eye- strain from anything the average be- holder is likely to encounter. The fact that he is looking through window glass also offers a difficulty, for not all the glass used in panes is perfect, by any means. Often & pane has such slight imperfec- tions that they are not ordinarily noticed, even by the observing, but such distor- tions increase according to the distante STARS, MEN otfimobjoctntwhld:m@- looking, the dificulty of obeerving -the llb].fl-.ll!d light conditions. If the feeder is placed on a tree trunk increased difficulty is experienced on ac- count of the perfect blending of many birds with the bark. There can be little doubt that scores of birds are present in average yards which are never once noticed by the home owners. “Oh, there are no birds around our way.” Every one has heard that remark, but the chances are ten to one that the speaker is honestly mistaken. Many little birds are so softly colored that they blend with dry leaves and.faded flowers and branches, making them all but invisible except to eyes trained to see them. It is here as with fry just hatched out in an aquarium. Point them out to the average beholder, he or she will not see them at all because not trained to “look small” enough. Although most fry are very large, in comparison with truly microscopic creatures, they still are so. tiny, in comparison with the average per- son’s ides of “a fish,” that they escape detection by his untrained eye, although there may be hundreds of them in & tank. %% x Before setting up the bird feeder for the Winter—especially if- one has never placed one before—real pains should be gone to in order to find out the position at which it will offer the least eyestrain to those who are going to watch it. Usually in the enthusiasm attending its installation the feeder is placed at any point which first suggests itself. Properly enough, the amateur ornithol- ogist thinks first of the birds—as he should do—but he also owes something to himself, too, and he might as well combine the two thoughts—wAich is the subject of this warning today. Old hands at bird lore will have found this out long ago, but the beginning enthusiast, who discovers for himself that a bird feeder is a great deal of fun, will need some help along a line which often escapes discovery in the first flush of feeding. Many who yearly put out seeds, suet and crumbs for their feathered friends nevertheless have not done so through the medium of a formal feeding device. And while no doubt the rear of a prop- erty, especially when well shrubbed and with trees, is the very best place of all as far as the birds are concerned, some medium point between the rear windows and the rear of the yard will be better for human eyes and almost as good from the viewpoint of the birds. Placing the feeder too close to the house wall will invite squirrels and starlings too near for comfort. Mice and ants, too, would be attracted, and none of these is a really desirable guest. If the feeder is placed farther out the birds will like it better and the eyes of onlookers will be conserved at the same time, provided the station is riof too far away. Finding this mean or medium point is worth while and is easily done by actually testing the looking from the favorite armchair. Be careful that this is done' with the so-called naked eye and not with field glasses. There are many times when binoculars come in handy for bird observation, but watching the feeding station is not one of them, in our opinion. So be extra care- ful in placing the feeder to prevent eye inflammation. Keep in mind that birds are like no other living creatures in their powers ‘of hopping, flitting and’ jumping around and that these quick movements cause unusual eye activity to the watcher. AND ATOMS Notebook of Science Progress in Field, Laboratory and Study. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. Uncle Sam—protector of .oysters. A 8100000 project—calculated, it should be stressed, to save millions—to study the life habits of the enemies of the bivalved mollusk has been started by the United States Bureau of Pisheries under the direction of Dr. Paul B. Galtsoff. In the Summer of 1932 more than a thousand acres of oyster beds in Apa- lachicola Bly. m. were destroyed by the rav: tiny worm which hitherto had ll acted no attention. Biologists could offer no aid in the fight against this so-called “oyster leech” be- cause its characteristic behavior was un- known to science. The oyster farmers could only stand by helplessly. ‘This costly experience led directly to the present program, which is divided into five major projects. ‘One laboratory has been set up at Indian Bay, Fla, under the direction of Dr. A. 8. Pearse -of Duke University. Here four biologists are studying the life history of the leech, & borer and a boring clam which are the chief enemies of the oyster in the Gulf of Mexico region. In the South Atlantic and Middle At- lantic States studies are being made of the tropisms and methods of propaga- tion of two varieties of snails which de- stroy oysters by drilling small holes in the shell and sucking the meat. Six- teen persons now are engaged in this work under the direction of Dr. H. F. Prytherch with headquarters at Beaufort, N. C. They have discovered that both these snails have the curious behavior characteristic of negative geomorphism. ‘Whenever they meet an obstruction they try to climb over it—contrary to the tendency of most animals to turn aside from it. There is in these little creatures & deep-seated drive to climb. It is natural for them to go up rather than down. Consequently a trap has been devised which promises to protect the oysters. ‘These traps are wire bags filled with oyster shells over the beds. More than 100 laborers, paid by the F. E. R. A, have been assigned to set out these traps and more than 750,000 of the snails have been captured for large scale field study. A similar project is being carried out in Delaware Bay. * x x x The work in the Northern States is being conducted by Dr. Galtsoff from the Bureau of Fisheries station at Woods Hole, Mass., and at & field laborstory at Milford, Conn. Eighteen scientists have ‘been engaged during the past few months in studying the life history, behavior, tropisms, development and migrations of the starfish, especially in their relation- These have yielded much biological data eonoemlu the concentrations of this animal in certain regions and its move- ments in relation to changes of environ- | of the experiments it has been observed that the creatures moved as much as 25 feet a day. Although designed for the protection of the oysters, the large-scale experiments are expected to yield valuable data on the whole field of marine biology. In the past the annual loss to oyster growers from marine pests has amounted to millions and brought distress to thou- sands whose livellhood is entirely de- pendent on the oyster fisheries. * x ok x Bones of the giant bird dinosaur of 120,000,000 years ago, which may repre- sent an almost complete specimen, are included in the 2% tons of fossil ma- terial obtained this Summer in the Cretaceous deposits on the Blackfoot Indian Reservation in Montana by Charles W. Gilmore, curator of vertebrate paleontology of the Smithsonian Insti- tution. This creature, which must have weighed about three-quarters of a ton, was oné of the most curious of the giant reptiles known to paleontologists. Its three-toed hind feet were quite similar to those of a giant bird and the foot- prints might easily be mistaken. The animal apparently was quite scarce, even in its heydey, and consequently most of the specimens that have been recon- structed are composed of parts of several individuals. Unfortunately, the bones obtained by Mr. Gilmore had weathered out of the rock in which they had been preserved for so many centuries and were 8o broken up that as yet it is impossible to tell how many parts are missing. The bird-footed dinosaur, Mr. Gilmore explains, existed during a period when the giant reptiles which had dominated the world so long already had started their decline and ‘were taking on various wierd forms in a futile effort to meet changing con- ditions. The older dinosaurs were five-toed. The change to three long, clawlike toes, represented by this creature, was a step in the direction of swifter movement. ‘There was more competition in the world. The creatures, in order to survive were obliged to attack and get away faster. In the same geologic formation Mr. Gilmore found remains of the strange duck-billed dinosaurs, representing a birdlike development in another direc- tion; horned dinosaurs and armored dinosaurs. There were also fossil bones of nomo ancient turtles and crocodiles. xpedition this Summer resulted m L] comldenble addition to the so-called Two Medecine Cretaceous fauns, which has been explored by the Smithsonian Institution in three expeditions. It was a reptilian fauns that existed in a low- lying land of meandering streams and stagnant pool possibly with quicksands in 'h the heavy, creatures became entrapped. A Losing Kypodxenl. Prom the Salina Journal. ‘The stratosphere nnn said they went h that they could see, with their eyes, t the earth is curved and round. More and more we seem to beé getting out of step with Wilbur Glenn Voliva, A Jolt for Johnson. - 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 Injormation Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washing- ton, D.C. Pilsaseinclose stamp for reply. Q. What are the names of the rein- deer in the poem beginning “ "Twas the night before Christmas”?—E. R. A. In the poem entitled “A Visit From St. Nicholas,” by Clement C. Moore, Banta Claus' reindeer are named Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder and Blitzen. Q. Are 1) httnlmlonmnwthl !ormefly'l-:fl‘ i A.In 1922 thc lverm freight train consisted of 38 cars; in 1934 this figure had been increased to 46 cars, Q. What is Porefathers’ day?—H. G. A. It is celebrated in New England on December 21 in commemoration of the landing of the Pilgrims, The day was first observed in 1760. Q. Was Edward Fitzgerald's transla- tion of the “Rubaiyat” favorably received by eritics?—B. G. A. At first the “Rubaiyat” was un- noticed. Rossetti, who had received a copy from Whitley Stokes, made it famous, Q. What was the epitaph which Will Rogers chose for himself?—M. G. A. Five years before his death he wrote, “When I die my epitaph, or whatever you call those signs on grave stones, is going to read: ‘I joke about every promi- nent man of my time, but I never met a man I didn't like."” Q. When was work on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad started?—T. O'S. A. Construction was started on July 4, 1828, Charles Carroll turning the first spadeful of earth in an elaborate cere- mony. Q. How many students are enrolled at Notre Dame College?—V. K. A. The University of Notre Dame says that 2,751 students were enrolled for the first semester of the school year 1935-6, Q. Who was the first blind deaf mute to be successfully educated?—C. G. A. Laura Bridgman (1829-1889), whose parents placed her in Perkins Institute, Boston. There she learned to read, write and to sew so well that eventually she became a teacher in the institute. Q. Where did the idea of “travelers’ aid” start in this country?—E. C. A. The first recorded work in the United States that at all parallels the modern conception of travelers' aid grew out of the gold rush to the West in the 50s. Bryan Mullanphy of St. Louls, who died in 1851, left approximately one-third of his fortune of more than $1,000,000 in a trust fund, to be administered by the City Council for the purpose of assisting, while in St. Louis, those who were “travel- ing to the West.” Q. What is a chapbook?—E. M. A. It was one of the pamphlets foy- merly sold in Europe and America by itinerant agents or chapmen. The price of & chapbook was low—in England often a penny. Like the broadsize, the chap- book was usually anonymous and une dated. The text commonly was -ad= dressed to such readers as those who purchase tabloid newspapers. Q. Which is larger, a sea lion or walrus?—E. M. A. The adult male sea lion is about 11 to 12 feet long and weighs from 1200 to 1,500 pounds. The walrus attains a length of about 10 feet, but a much greater weight, 13 tons, Q. How was Charles Wesley inspired to write “Jesus, Lover of My Soul"?— E. G. B. A. “Modern Messages From Great Music” says: “Mr. Wesley stood at an open window. As he watched, a bird approached, pursued by a hawk. The bird flew to Wesley and nestled in his bosom. The great hymn writer was him« self passing through a severe trial. The experience with the bird suggested his writing, “Jesus, Lover of My Soul.” Q. Does the Irish Free State have an old-age pension?—H. T. 8. A. It has government-operated old-age pension for citizens who have reached the age of 70. The maximum pension paid per year is $130. An applicant may not have an annual income in excess of $196.25. Q. Please give some information about Poets’ Corner, in Westminster Abbey.— K.L. M. A. The southern end of the south transept of Westminster Abbey is said to have been first so called by Oliver Gold- smith because it contained the tomb of Chaucer. Addison had previously alluded to it as the poetical quarter. Besides Chaucer’s tomb it includes that of Spen- ser and either the tombs of or monu- ments to Drayton, Ben Johnson, Shakes- peare, Milton, 3amuel Butler, Davenant, Cowley, Prior, Gay, Addison, Thomson, Goldsmith, Dryden, Dr. Johnson, Sheri- dan, Burns, Southey, Coleridge, Camp- bell, Macaulay, Longfellow, Dickens, Thackeray, Tennyson and Browning. Q. How many qualities of wool are con= tained in a single fleece?—J. Y. A, Each fleece contains from six te eight different qualities of wool, which are sorted at the factory. Q. For which Louis was Louisville, Ky., named?—F. C. A. Louisville was named for Louis XVI of France because of the aid which he rendered to the Colonies during the Reve olutionary War. A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton . Liege Lord. I hold within the hollow of my hand Not only my own fate, but those I chaose Ton:normr:whnunbutwluef lose to the way I shiff the grist ©Of human lives within my quiet fist. 'rhm!h for the hand that governs divers ates I have scant love and even less esteem, l'a'tho-e'uhlnlumlphn lnd 1 lose m.v rut that they may know res pose; I weld their friendships and I rout their -foes. } And so I close my fingers—a liege lord, Tempered by human holdings; in my Master of marionettes; my tithe of power Often s burden, oft & cursed care— - N,