Evening Star Newspaper, December 12, 1935, Page 10

A—10 THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition, _ WASHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY .........December 12, 1935 — e e THEODORE W. NOYES...........Editor o sevatsmdbdRalaboumtla . Ll AT R The Evening Star Newspaper Company. Business Office: 1th St anc Pennsylvania Ave. crlley York omee; 110 East 4snd L, icago Office: Lake Buropean Office: 14 Regent St.. S don. Ensiand. Kate by Carrier Within the City. Regular Edith _45c per month 60c per month 5¢ per month -5¢ per copy (when 5 The Sunday S ight Pinal and Sund: ight Final St 5. Collection made a the end of each X Orders may be sent by mail or telephone Na- tional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. aryland and Virginia, All Other States and {ly and Sunday..l yr. $12.00; 1 mo.. aily only .. 1912 "g8.00: 1 me. = $5.00: 1 mo. Member of the Assocfated Press. The Assoclated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in this paper and also the local news published 1 of publication of special dis herein 50 reserved. Overriding the Court. ‘The Constitution may become an issue in the coming presidential campaign. That is to say, the methods and manner of its interpretation and its amemdment in enlargement of the powers of Congress and the Executive. The recent repeated adverse interpretations by the Supreme Court with reference to enzctments that have sought to carry out the New Deal have stimulated proposals for departures from the established methods, and these will doubtless provide ammunition for the contest. The latest proposition to this effect is one advanced by Justice Perdinand Pecora of the New York Su- preme Court, who figured conspicuously in investigations a few months ago. He was speaking at & luncheon meeting in New York, and in the course of his re- marks, which he acknowledged were ex- temporaneous and “without the benefit of the studied research which they war- rant,” he said: “My suggestion is that an amendment to the Constitution might be made to enable a Congress to repass a law passed by a previous Congress and set aside as unconstitutional, provided it was re- passed by the same two-thirds majority which is required to pass a law over the President’s veto.” Of course, such a change as Justice Pecora suggests would require, as he ad- mits, an amendment to the Constitution, itself proposed by a vote of two-thirds of the House and Senate and ratified by three-fourths of the States. Since the adoption of the Constifution numerous efforts have been made to amend it in this respect. None of them has received much consideration by Congress. In 1917 an amendment was proposed declaring that the Supreme Court should have no power to declare unconstitutional a law signed by the President. But where the court did so declare Congress had merely to pass it anew by a two-thirds vote. Other amendments have been offered to require unanimous judgment by the Supreme Court to modify an act of Congress. The power of the Supreme Court to declare laws unconstitutional is not specifically granted by the Constitution. Indeed, it is regarded as merely an im- plied power. So often and so effectively, however, has the court so expressed itself without causing any curtailment of its authority in this respect that the prin- ciple of Supreme Court's final jurisdic- tion over such questions been accepted as established. In explanation of his suggestion Jus- tice Pecora emphasized that an act over- riding the court must be voted by a two- thirds majority of each house of the succeeding Congress and not the same Congress which enacted the law in ques- tion. Thus in the interval the electorate would have had the opportunity to de- clare an opinion and the new Congress would have a direct mandate from the people. This would be in effect a Nation- wide referendum with the action of the Supreme Court as a direct issue before the people. But such an issue could not be clear-cut and distinct, with numerous other questions involved in the selection of national legislators. Only by a specific reference of the case to popular vote apart from all other questions could there be such a referendum on the constitu- tionality or the ultra-constitutional valid- ity of an act of Congress. Such a piecemeal and indirect refer- ence to popular vote of particular cases would be cumbersome and of doubtful efficiency. An amendment to the Con- gtitution granting Congress the power of overriding adverse rulings of the Su- preme Court, which would require & two- thirds vote in each house and a three- fourths vote by the States for ratifica- tion, would be a more direct and surely effective remedy—if & remedy is needed, which is decidedly doubtful. ——a——————— Sporting analyses cannot fail to sug- gest admiration for a new deal that does not overlpok any good bets. ——r———————— * Trial by His Peers. The House of Lords, for the first occasion in more than a third of a century, meets today to try one of its members. Edward Southwell Russell, twenty-sixth Baron De Clifford and scion of a line of nobles dating back to 1299, is being heard in answer to a charge of manslaughter resulting from an auto- mobile accident in which Douglas George Hopkins, a commoner, was killed. The indictment is serious because the issue of “dangerous driving” is involved—an is- sue about which, by the way, England is vastly concerned. But the trial will serve another pur- pose than that of deciding the guilt or innocence of Lord De Clifford. It will demonstrate to living Englishmen the meaning of the basic legal right of a man to be judged by his peers. No one knows when that great privilege was estab- lished. Some authorities believe it originated in the Saxon period of British history. It was definitely confirmed by [ THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGT the Magna Charta and has been preserved in the codes of all modern Englishe speaking nations. Yet its significance is not always comprehended. For example, Lord De Clifford might choose to be tried elsewhere if man- slaughter were not a felony. But he would be a traitor to his order in the event of any failure on his part to insist thgt he be heard by his equals in the present instence. It is expected of him that he will protect the class to which he belongs by refusing to submit himself to any other jury. Indeed, Geoffrey Ellis of the Inner Temple, joint editor of English Reports, says: “Several times the heirs ‘of those wrongly condemned recovered their rights and heritage on the ground that there had been no proper trial by peers.” Legal practice and procedure, then, recognize a class distinction. The rule, perhaps, may be disagreeable to those who prefer undiluted democracy on the theory that all men are born equal. But even those critics might indorse it if they could vision themselves on trial be- fore the very lords to whose prerogatives they object. Commoners, it seems, would rather submit to commoners. The problem merits consideration. With advancing civilization and the in- evitable development of better systems of Jjustice, it is indicated that the day may come when class will have a psycho- logical eonnotation and when a man au- tomatically will be guarded against the dangers of being tried by his intellectual inferiors. The contrary theory is in- equitable, and in America, if not in Eng- lang, it cries for correction. It should be mentioned, however, that the fault is that of educated citizens who shirk jury duty and thus leave members of their order of soclety to the mercy of their uneducated contemporaries. Austria Speaks Up. Adolt Hitler's arrogant plans for domi- nation of the Germanic nations through a greater Nazi Reich have encountered s sudden and dramatic setback. From his own native Austria comes a warning that it is that despised and decrepit remnant of the defunct Hapsburg monarchy which demands leadership of the German peoples in whose name the Fuehrer has assumed a dictatorial and exclusive right to speak. Prince Ernst Ruedige von Starhemberg, all-powerful vice chancellor at Vienna, is the bold spirit who has ventured to challenge Hitler's claims. In a startling speech to the patriotic “Fatherland Front” last night the Prince declared that “Austrian beliefs” must prevail in the future control of Central Europe. He did not specify what these are, but left no doubt that he intends that Vienna, and not Berlin, shall prevail in any coun- cils concerning the fate of the Germanic peoples, whose eventual union under Nazi rule is one of the fundamental tenets of Hitlerism. Of more immediate moment is Prince Starhemberg’s affirmation that the way is now open for restoration of the Haps- burg dynasty and return of Archduke Otto as king or emperor, provided he accepts the mational program of the late Chancellor Dollfuss. Dollfuss was s victim of his determined policy looking to a strong and sovereign Austria utterly devoid of any suggestion of anschluss (union) with Germany. Following the little chancellor’s assassination last year there were incessant German efforts to bring about a reconciliation with Austria, but they have come to naught. A re- constituted Hapsburg house, it is now indicated, would represent a firm bul- wark against Nazi pretensions to extend Berlin's sway to the southeast. Otto’s ascent to his ancestral throne, many authorities think, would be marked by early efforts to league Austria and Hun- gary into a new Central European power, based mainly on a military alliance be- tween the former partners in the dual monarchy. Such a development would raise up another barrier to Hitlerite pan- Germanic hegemony ambitions. Much water will flow beneath the bridges of Berlin and Vienna before Starhemberg's dieam of & German Europe ruled from the Danube comes true. In territory, population and wealth, Austria is fragmentary compared to the might of the Nazi Reich. Protected by friends and neighbors who, out of either altruistic or selfish motives, would resent the expansion of Germany, Austria is probably immune from attempts to force union upon her, but in a showdown for leadership of the Germanic minorities scattered through Europe—those “bleed- ing frontiers” which Hitler is so fond of acclaiming as future appendages of the Third Reich—predominant Nazi power could overwhelm any strength Austria eould oppose to it. But the Hitlerites are now on stern notice that in a regalvanised Hapsburg state they will face a people as race- conscious as the “Ayrans” bossed by the Nasi autocrats and a people not minded to play second fiddle in the Germanic orchestra. The Fuehrer's response to this deflance from his original homeland will be inlfrestln! and may become important. ————————— Pelitical radiology affords relief to the popular ear by permitting hours of dis- course without an observation concerning tooth paste or shaving cream. P Opera Not Dead. Opera is neither dead nor dying. Rather, it is vigorously alive and exuberantly healthy. Evidence of its undiminished vitality may be found in the report that the individual seat sale for the opening night of the Metropoli~ tan's 1935-1936 season was & matter of only a few hours, Tickets were available Monday morning, but none remained at closing time that night. 8o much for the business side. At the opposite extreme the explanation is obvious. Eleven new singers and the new American ballet are scheduled to make their debut during the first week. The significance of their appearance is that of progress. If the opera were moribund, it would have no atiraction for youthful genius. But & compréhensive survey shows that numerous forces are involved. Music and drama are but two of the number. Duncln.uuprmnhdlnthu phase con- trolled by George Balanchine; painting in the beautiful new sets by Jonel Jorgulesco for “Traviata” and “Wal- kuere.” Nor is the complete story told by mention of the fact that all the txa- ditiofal arts combine to create the mag- netic power which opera still possesses. Credit also should be conceded to that department of literature which on occa- sion is unjustly regarded as mere “pub- licity.” The press of the Nation has sup- ported the efforts of talented expositors who have democratized opera by their wajtings, and the great radio networks have carried the name of the Metropoli- tan and the voices of its singers and their friends into millions of homes. Deems Taylor and Geraldine Farrar, especially, have taught the masses to appreciate the melodies which, by grace of broadcasting, they may hear for the turning of a dial. Perhaps it is true that no institution prospers except by the correfation of many facilities, the active support of many minds and hearts. But be that as it may, it seems clear that opera stirs & flame of love in people of every class and type. The blaze now and again may fade, yet it never perishes. Instead, it rises to greater heights in response to any encouragement, ‘Washingtonians may be forgiven if they envy New York in the circumstances. The Natlon’s Capital, many believe, should have an opera house and an opera organization of its own. ——————— Farmers happier than they ever were before, according to carefully com- piled statistics. This contradicts ancient observations to the effect that farmers never admit that they are happy unless city people are so prosperous as to buy up the old home for a subdivision, ——r—e——— ‘The United States Supreme Court has many different kinds of cases to handle, Its style of expression necessarily ranges from elaborate disquisition to & succinct brevity that is almost abrupt. e ‘The speech of the President had a note that could not have been more reassur- ing if it had been written on Thanks- giving day with a view to sending it out as a Christmas greeting. e If trade relations with Canada are not satisfactory they can always be re- adjusted. Peaceful bargaining is always & valued privilege of neighborly rela- tionship. ey It may be that Gugsa, who made the Italian cook tent, hopes to make up for his loss of patriotic prestige by his in- crease of reputation as a practical politician. e r————————— By getting Gugsa on the run, Italy managed to introduce the family quar- rel as a weakening influence in Ethi- opian defense, e ————— “The Star Spangled Banner” has been recited and sung. Patriotic taste that still accepts it from tenors will possibly resent its interpretation by a crooner. - Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Clothes and the Woman. In days of yore the clothes they wore, With elegance and grace, Let man feel not so much & bore, ‘While women set the pace. Of man’s assistance, more or less, She'd maybe feel n lack, Because she often wore a dress That buttoned up the back. She could not give some silks a toss And then step underneath, And so, without a moment’s loss, Look like a blossoming wreath. She wore a smile and not a frown— Friend husband had a knack Of helping to adjust the gown That buttoned up the back. No maid could quite as clever be As that old faithful friend Whom ever ready she would see, N A helping hand to lend. Though loveliness they now disclose, Like classic bric-a-brac, Gals needed men when they wore clothes That buttoned up the back. Myth Management. “Do you favor teaching children that there is no Santa Claus?” “No,” said Senator Sorghum. “I be- lieve in teaching them there is a Santa Claus, and that I'm the fellow.” Jud Tunkins says with bombing planes and submarines he can't see why hu- manity should worry so much about a few volcanoes. Band Wagon. The old band wagon comes along With music to delight the throng; The steam plano oft will prove The same steam roller on the move. Much like the Pied Piper's tune, Around the corner it will soon Lead us into a happier way; We follow it from day to day, ‘With eager watchimg to discern ‘What corner next it’s going to turn. Resourceful. “George Washington was a great man.” “He must have been,” said Mr. Dustin Stax, “to transact so much big political business with so few brass bands.” Identities. Nations are often much as men, ‘They work together now and then, * And next, forgetting man and brother, ‘They start in ganging one another. Nations from infancy must grow, And presently begin to show, ’Mid threats of social cataclysm, Rough signs of individualism. “When a man tells me things I can’t understand,” said Uncle Eben, “I don’t ask questions dat might be embarrassin’. Mebbe be doesn't understand ‘em either.” [ Ry D. €4 THE POLITICAL MILL By G. Gould Lincoln, The boom for the nomination for President of Gov. Alf M. Landon of Kansas is moving on apace. In fact, the storles of Republicans trouping to Topeka to call on Gov. Landon appear daily. Nor 1is the list of important guests con- fined to Republicans. Doubtless these visitors are making the pilgrimage to get first-hand information and first-hand impression of the Governor. The truth of the matter is that Gov. Landon 4s not widely known. To the great mass of Republicans, leaders and rank and file, he is only a name. It is true that much has been done to build up a Landon tradition already. He is spoken of con- stantly as the man who balanced, or kept in balance, the Kansas budget while the Roosevelt administration and® many of the State governments were running haywire in the matter of finances. An effort has been made to picture Landon as a kind of Calvin Coolidge of the Middle West, The truth of the matter is that a lot of Republicans have become more and more curious about the Kansas Governor, They want to be shown. * X kX For some reason or another, some of the Landon boosters for the presiden- tial nomination prefer to keep him in the shadow, for the time being at least. They do not want him to go about the country making speeches. They did not like the idea of his visiting Ohio a few weeks back to deliver an address. They want no more of it. But how on earth are the Republicans and the people gen- erally to learn anything about Gov. Landon if there is to be a cloistered atti- tude out in Kansas? After all, the voters are entitled to see the man and to hear him, if they are to nominate him for President. It may be, of course, that the Landonites are merely waiting and will put the Governor forward a few months later, although some of them in- sist that he should conduct a dignified, front-porch campaign, and travel little. The point is, however, that six months from now the Republican National Con- vention will make its nomination for President. And six months is little enough time for the Republicans from coast to coast to get to know what the Governor of Kansas is like, and what he has to offer. ok ox Rumor has had it that former President Herbert Hoover is coming out for Gov. Landon as his favorite candidate for the Republican presidential nomination; that he will make a statement to that effect shortly. This rumor, according to close friends of the former President, is in- correct. They do not say that Mr. Hoo- ver would not approve ultimately of the nomination of Gov. Landon. They mere- ly insist that Mr. Hoover is not at this time, or in the immediate future, com- ing out for any candidate for the Re- publican presidential nomination. Why should he. they ask. Mr. Hoover is the titular head of the Republican party. He has many friends in many parts of the country. But he also is the target of attack of those who look back to the early depression days and who are inclined to blame him and his administration—although that is un- fair. For him to come forward now with indorsement of a candidate for the pres- idential nomination would seem to be tantamount to announcing that he him- self had given up all idea of being a candidate. Furthermore, his indorse- ment might be regarded as a mixed blessing. Probably what the friends of Gov. Landon are hoping fer is a tacit understanding with Mr. Hoover and his | friends thaé¢ Landon is regarded in a friendly way, without having the Gov- ernor labeled at this time as the Hoover candidate. Mi. Hoover, meantime, is in- tent upon carrying the war to the Roose- velt New Dealers. He is to speak in 8t. Louis on Monday, December 16. This will be the third in a series of major ad- dresses by the former President attacking the New Deal. The first was delivered in California, the second in New York, and now the third is to be given in the | Middle West. former President will punch hard in his coming address, which is to be broad- cast over the radio at 10:30, Eastern standard time. £ xx * % % x Senator Tydings of Maryland, militant Democrat, takes another crack at the spending policies of the Roosevelt New Deal in New York in an address before the Southern Society. In the opinion of the Maryland Senator, the Roosevelt ad- ministration must stop borrowing money to meet deficits and that it must stop spending so as not to have to borrow. With an election coming on in which the spending of Government funds for all kinds of relief, for checks to the farm- ers for not growing crops, and for work projects all over the country, is expected to have a favorable effect on the re- election of President Roosevelt, the Marylander's speech probably has a sour note for bandwagon Democrats. Calling attention to the fact that when the ad- ministration’s program has been carried out the public debt will reach the huge sum of $34,000,000,000—it is within strik- ing distance of that now—Tydings said that it might be well for Americans to realize that the Federal Government today has an average $1,000 first mort- gage on every home and farm in the country. The Government’s claim always comes first. It will get its money through the tax route. Tydings’ way of putting the situation to the American people is novel, at least. * %k % x If there is no other way to halt the spending of the Roosevelt administra- tion, aided and abetted by a willing Con- gress, Senator Tydings would have a law passed to clip the wings of both the President and the Congress. This may be difficult, since the law has to pass Congress and be signed by the Presi- dent. However, his proposal is to have & law under which the President would submit a budget to the Congress with an estimate of revenue and with a proviso that no increase could be made by Congress in the appropriations unless accompanied by tax provisions to raise the additional money needed. To meet an emergency, sums might be subtracted from the amounts appropriated from any department or Government agency and turned over to another during any fiscal year. Any unexpected deficit would be- come & first lien on the Government budget for the following fiscal year. Tydings would have this proposed law inactive during war and for one year after any war in which this country was engaged. * x %% President Roosevelt went out to Chi- cago to address the American Farm Bu- reau Federation. He apparently did not come away empty handed. In the reso- lutions adopted by the federation finally was one dealing with the Canadian re- ciprocal trade agreement, entered into by the Roosevelt administration. The agreement has been under fire from farmers, particularly from those along the ‘The resolution of the its members feel the matter. Indeed, the resolution by the federation declares in favor of the purpose of reciprocal agreements. It urges that in o trade reciprocal It is understood that the | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1935, THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL, Circulation is a good thing, whether of the blood or mouey. Something may be said for the “cir- culation” of a human being among the floors of sn office building. This sometires is looked upon askance, but it has its good poinia. ‘The man who “eases” around a build- ing, visiting various offices from time to time, may do so with the best intentions in the world and often accomplishes a great deal of good. Let us see what he does. In the first place, he keeps his con- tacts, helps his own flow of language and eases nervous tension. In the second, he brings a new view- point to those he visits. * * ¥ % A great many office workers would be better off if they “visited around” during office hours. The truth is that many do just this, under one guise or another. It is an amazing thing how willing many a worker is to do messenger duty. Msny an executive finds it expedient to call on some one himself, to explain something or other, he says. The fact is that, mostly, he wants to move around. Office workers of nervous disposition find such motion not lost at all, but very much worth while. This motion keeps one in contact with many persons. There is & real danger, in this world, of losing elemental, human contacts. Many a sedentary worker is so placed that it is possible to remgin firmly fixed in one chair all day long. Yet experience proves that this is not a good thing to do. With exceptions, more work can be ac- complished by moving around a bit. This is so well recognized in school work, where the pupils are sedentary, that stated periods of recess are offered to relleve tension. Automobile driving is a sedentary oc- cupation, as is riding on a railroad train or even in an airplane. These are all occupations carried on while seated, despite the fact that great activity is manifested. One may wonder how many traffic accidents are caused by the fact that drivers have been seated too long. It would be interesting to require all drivers of cars to stop every 10 minutes and walk around for a minute. & K X % The office worker who “circulates” in his building may be doing the very best thing possible not only for himself, but also for his job and his employer. Such activity can be carried to ex- tremes, of course, and, like most things so carried, is not good. But we are not talking here of extremes, but of the sim- ple action of moving around during the day, although to some such action may not seem to have much point to it. One of the dangers, of course, is too much talk. One may, with the best will in the world, find himself saying too many words to too many persons. This is easily corrected at any time by the person who values his freedom of action. Not even a jealous associate can “spot” the overdoing as well as the one who actually overdoes and, as in so many such conditions, the abuse naturally car- ries its own remedy. STARS, MEN AND ATOMS . Contacts are good. The necessity for them is very well known to business men. They go out of their way to keep their contacts. Men in office need another sort of con- tact—one which freshens their daily work. Often they find this in the society of some one in the establishment who may not be in their “line” of work at all, but who, through seeing the particular “line” from a purely spectator viewpoint, is able ":‘;fler quite fresh suggestions and opin- Such a contact is good for any one. ‘Through it many a good idea has come to light, without fanfare or praise of any sort. Often an idea unrelated to the subject, by the magic of what it does to another’s thinking is transmuted into something wholly different. Ideas are wonderful things and many & man finds them by seeking out another human being who possesses for him the power of putting familiar things in a new light. It will be found, in most cases, that this person need not be—seldom is—of exceptional mental caliber. What is good about him is his fresh slant on life. He possesses the power of seeing things dif- ferently. He may be wrong—often is— but that makes no difference. Even in his errors he is refreshing. Thus many & human being has, often unknown to himself, been largely helped by such a person without once realizing to whom he owes a debt. * % & & Keeping alive one’s flow of language is another increment of the good circula- tion discussed here. ‘There is nothing like casual contacts, with different viewpoints, to increase one’s own use of words and their appre- ciation. ~ Often the unexpected in word usage is just what the individual needs to keep his vocabulary alive and sparkling. ‘This unexpectedness need not be clev- erness, in any sense, The clever in mod- ern life is often the misusage of words in some unexpected way. This is very near to the pun, which is very old. It is not the sort of unexpectedness we have in mind. This is something spring- ing solely out of the character of the | person speaking. He has a viewpoint which enables him to see different sides of a matter in a way which never oc- curred at all to the other. In this way the other is helped, often in ways in which he knows not, but which operate just as effectively as if he did. * % % ¥ ‘This good “circulation” of a human being, who otherwise might remain too | much clamped down in chairs, is very | helpful to all. All come to look for him, expect him | and to miss him if he does not show up. Thus he helps others, in a world where help is necessary. This type of person, without becoming egotistic about it, may feel that he does his “bit” when he calls upon others. He in his turn brings quite fresh view- points, even if his actual outlook is very rigid. He does his part to keep the language flexible and in motion. If occasionally he seems to talk too freely, it is only what may be expected in a world where much talk is a natural order of things. Notebook of Science Progress in Field, Laboratory and Study. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. A human race walking on four feet some day may inhabit the earth. This is one of the three possibilities suggested by Prof. Donald A. Laird of Colgate University for mankind of the future when the problems of life have become more complicated and better brains are needed to cope with them. A human brain in the body of a quadruped would be an almost un- beatable combination. Perhaps the su- perior size of the cerebrum of homo sapiens today came to him as a com- pensation for walking on two legs. Prof. Laird’s deductions arose from a simple experiment in office efficiency. It long has been noted that work lags after a heavy noon meal. Tests showed that the customary drowsiness and gen- eral let-down of energy did not follow a light lunch. The reason, it was con- cluded, was that the process of di- gesting & heavy meal required the shift- ing of blood to the digestive organs and away from the brain, with the result that there was a sort of cerebral anemia. Following up this clue, tests were made in which the blood flow to the brain was modified in another way. For two weeks six young men performed a series of successive and cumulative additions under two conditions—lying on a mat- tress so that the head was a foot higher than the feet, and lying on the same mattress with the head a foot lower than the feet. In the head-down position blood was drained, by gravity, from the intestinal regions to the brain regions. This was evidenced by redder faces, par- ticularly ears. The subjects were given a number with which to start their additions, then told the figure to add to this, then the increment to add to the total, and s0 on for 100 additions. Each test was made individually, and all subjects were tested simultaneously, but in separate, sound-proof rooms. Each afternoon each subject made 100 successive additions in the head-up position, and 100, with a different starting number and different increment, in the head-down position. On half the days they started in the head-down position and on the alternate days in the head-up position. Each test was equally difficult. In the case of the head-down position, where gravity increased the blood supply to the brain regions and presumably produced = slight cerebral anemia, the subjects were put in the required posture for three minutes before the numbers for adding were given to them. This was done to insure that the blood supply of the head had increased and prob- ably reached stability. The results, as reported by Prof. Laird, were remarkable. The speed of adding was increased 7.4 per cent with the head down and accuracy was im ed more than 14 per cent. The brains functioned much better with the head lower than the feet. “This demonstrates,” says Prof. Laird, “the importance of the amount of blood cot through the brain at any mo- ment for the speed and accuracy of a mental operation at the same moment, confirming under rather drastic condi- tions the improvement in mental per- formance previously reported when a light meal had been eaten in contrast to & heavy meal. The erect position of human beings appsrently gives them a moderate but perpetual handicap of —— trade agreements the United States Gov- ernment act to extend the markets of American farmers abroad. There was no militant declaration against the Cana« dian agreement. This may be accounted cerebral anemia, a handicap which many probably accentuate by unwise eating at times when mental work is to be done.” “We cannot refrain,” he continues, “from calling attention to some of the profound implications of this data ofi body inversion. In the assumption of an upright position through centuries of evolution mafikind has undergone many structural and functional changes in consequence of being erect rather than on all fours. Man has gained advantages | and suffered losses from that position. The data demonstrates that one loss has been a slowing and inaccuracy in mental functions. If mankind went around on all fours the blood supply of the brain would be better, for the characteristic upright position forces blood to accumu- late in the splanchnic pool and produced what might be called a continuous par- tial anemia of the brain. “The superior size and structure of the human brain may be ah evolutionary compensation for this slowing and in- accuracy the upright position brought in its wake. Sieep itself may be more important for men than for the higher animals because the horizontal position taken in sleep permits an increased blood flow through the brain. “Thus it is interesting to conjecture whether the further evolution of human beings will be first back into a stooped position and then later into the condition of & quadruped walking on all fours, or whether through a survival of the fittest we will become a race which eats lightly but frequently, or whether the survival will come to the narrow-waisted with a small splanchnic reservoir for shunting blood away from their brains. At all events the erect position and heavy meals alike impair the working of man’s brain, and probably for the same reason— cerebral anemia of a moderate degree.” Of course, unless man had started somehow to walk on two feet instead of four, man wouldn’'t have had any brain to boast about anyway. It was the freeing of the hands for skilled tasks that made it possible for the brain to develop so far beyond the level of most quadrupeds. But this erect position, after countless generations of | quadruped life, required various bodily | adjustments which_the race has not yet had time to make. The change was attended with great gain, but also with some losses. Prof. Laird seems to have hit upon one of the least suspected of these. A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton By Candlelight. Lady, lady, under the chandeliers 8lim as an ieicle, prismatic, bright; Stepping to fashion's tune, no one to * rival you, Drifting like snow in the gay, sparkling night. Lady, lady, out on the avenues, Delicate thoroughbred, at season's height ‘Walking or motoring, poised in the public eye, Pride of the town in the brilliant sun- light. ¥ Lady, lady, where our soft tapers gleam You're Zut & Dryad shy caught in flight; Prisoned within my arms all the light lure of you; 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 Bureawu, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washing- ton, D.C.. Please inclose stamp for reply. & Q. When did “Tobacco Road” open and oW many actors have played the role?—R. 8. L. ° ) i A. “Tobacco Road” opened on the night of December 4, 1933, at the Masque Theater in New York. It has continued, at a succession of theaters, without miss= ing a performance. Four actors have played the role of Jeeter Lester. Henry Hull created the part and was followed by James Barton, who in turn was fol- lowed by James Bell. In the Summer of 1935 Barton returned to the role as Bell left the cast to appear in another play. James Kirkwood is the fourth actor to play the part and heads a road company. Q. What has become of the daughter of Ramsay MacDonald who accompanied her father to the United States?—J. M. A. Ishbel MacDonald is planning to enter business. She is negotiating for the Old Plow Inn at Speen, Buckingham- shire, which she expects to run. \ g }};ow many service bands are there? A. In the three branches of the service there are 145 bands. Q. Please give a description of the tower of the First Baptist Church in Boston—R. D. F. A. The tower of the present building is 176 feet high. The four groups of sculptured figures on its frieze represent baptism, communion, marriage and death. At the corner are four angels of judgment, with trumpets summoning the world to the grand assize. On the frieze are likenesses of famous men- Charles Sumner, Longfellow, Emerson, Hawthorne, Lincoln and Garibaldi. The sculpture was from designs by Bartholdi and was carved by Italian artists after the stone was set in place. Q. What language is spoken in Hyder- abad?—L. B. A. Urdu is the official language Hyderabad. Three other languages, Mah- rati, Telugu and Kanarese, are spoken locally. Q. What is the center of the turkey- raising industry in Texas?—-T. H. A. De Witt County is the center of Texas' vast turkey pastures. Q. How much Has the death rate of tuberculosis declined?—J. P. R. A. The tuberculosis death rate has de- | clined in the United States from 202 per | 108,000 persons in 1900 to 60 per 100,000 in 1933, Q. What was the funeral march or dirge played at the funeral of William Jennings Bryan?—T. C. A. It was “Lamentation,” by Guilmant. Q. Is there a street anywhere that is called Hello street?—T. F. B. A. Suriwongse road, in Bangkok, is known as Hello street by the English colony there, as that is the greeting whi the women who live in the street call out to every male passerby. Q. Who were the Latitudinarians? —J. G. A. This organization was a school within the English Church in the latter half of the seventeenth century. Th school was represented by Cambridge University divines, of whom the chief were Wichcote, Smith, Cudworth and More. These divines sought to wed phi- losophy to religion on a basis of reason. Q. How many boys are now in C. C. C. camps?—S8. L. A. The total number of boys and men enrolled at the present time is about 480.000. There are at this time about 2,500 camps. Q. Why is the best literature or best author called classic?>—D. A. R. A. The Romans were divided into five classes by Servius. Any citizen belonging to the highest class was called classicus. From this the best authors were called classici auctores. Today classics are works of authors of renown in Latin and Greek, and of the modern schools it is usual to use a descriptive adjective. such as English, Spanish or French classics. Q. What was the Fabian Society? —B. R. A. It was an English socialistic so- ciety organized by Frank Podmore and Edward R. Pease in London in 1883. George Bernard Shaw joined the year | after and Sidney Webb the following vear. The society first became famous after “Fabian Essays,” to which Shaw, Webb, Annie Besant and Graham Wallas con- tributed, was published in 1889. The socialism of the society was opposed to that of Marx, holding that the working- man’'s economic position was improving and that social reforms would bring about a natural evolution into socialism without violent revolution. Q. What were the gate receipts at the Tunney-Demsey fight in Chicago?—R. E. A. $2,650,000. Q. What was the Holland Land Co.? —M. P. A. This was a company under the aus- pices of which much of Western New York and some of Northwest Pennsyl- vania was settled. The company, com- prised of Dutch bankers, secured the lands through foreclosure on Robert Morris, who had assembled them as part of a gigantic land speculation. The or- ganization decided to build roads, lay out town sites and sell the land to settlers on liberal terms. Its first land office was opened in Batavia in 1801, Q. Who invented the camera?—B. W. A. It is believed that it was invented by Gilovanni Battista della Porta in the sixteenth century, though the principle was actually known before. Q. What is the chief agricultural ex- port of Palestine?—O. S. B. A. Oranges. More than four million boxes of fruit were exported in 1933. Q. Where do the West Indian hurri- canes start?—J. L. F. A. Most of the so-called West Indian hurricanes come into existence over the warm seas between the West Indies and the coast of Africa. They probably start as small eddies of air, gather momentum owing to differences in temperature and air pressure, until they become gigantic whirls. The routes followed by West Indian hurricanes in general are similar, but the storms differ much in their de- tailed paths. They originate in the region of the trade winds and all move west-" ward first, most of them turning north~ ward later. Q. How large is the Electra, the Presi- dent’s yacht?—M. M. A. The Electra is built of steel and 165 feet long, with a beam of 25 feet 3 Captured the charm of you, for my’| inches and displacement of 300 tons. It 18 & Coast Guard cutter. . s J