Evening Star Newspaper, July 14, 1936, Page 10

THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, TUESDAY, JULY 14, 1936. _A~—10 - THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. July 14, 1936 THEODORE W. NOYES..........Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company. Business Office: ylvania Ave. e "Eake Michigan Buildin reo Ofce: Lake Michigan Bullding. Burcpean Omee: 14 Rekent St. London Eng Rate by Carrier Within the City. Regular Edition e Evening Star _45c per month Night Final Edition. light Mnal and Sunday Star__.70c per month ight Pinal 5@!\‘,. A Collection made at the en Orders may be sent by mail or telephone Na- flona)” 8000 Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. $6.00; 1 $4.00; 1 mo.. 5 me: 8¢ All Other States and Canada. Dajly and Sunday._. 1 mo. $1.00 aily only___ 1 mo. 75c nday only-. 60¢c Member of the Associated Press. The Associated 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 herein Il rights of bublication of special dispatches erein are also reserved. —_— - The Dictators’ Deal. Speculation rages as to the actual mo- tives which inspire the epochal Austro- German treaty. While views vary widely, there is a consensus that the accord is essentially a dictators’ deal between Hit- ler and Mussolini, with the “inde- pendence” of Austria merely the pretext for a German-Italian program that ramifies far beyond her narrow borders. Indications multiply that the Fuehrer and Il Duce have in fact laid the foun- dations of an agreement comprehending their hegemony over territory spanning Europe from the Mediterranean to the Baltic. The implications of such a partnership are obvious and portentous. It would bring about a far-flung realignment of political and military power. It would establish a bloc of nations comprising Germany, Italy, Austria and Hungary, with a combined population of 120,000,000; Poland, with another 30.000,000, and pos- sibly even Yugoslavia, with an additional 13,000.000. Such a combination would create in the heart of the Old World a solidarity of nationalist dictatofships challenging Russian communism in the east and British, French and Belgian democracy in the west. Incidentally, it would seal the doom of French influence in Eastern Europe and sooner or later probably draw into the German-Italian orbit the Little and Balkan Ententes. Time only will tell whether this vast political remapping of Europe is designed to strengthen the foundations of peace or stabilize the perils of war. Hitler and Mussolini are profuse in protestations of desire to guarantee Europe against an- other conflagration. The Roman dicta- tor is said to favor a new Locarno non- aggression pact, but, along with Hitler, to insist upon exclusion of the Soviet Union. France, loyal to her new alliance with Russia, would have little enthusi- asm for that suggestion, particularly as l the Nazis notoriously yearn to smash the Franco-Soviet entente. While Europe ponders the true inward- ness of these developments and seeks to determine whether Hitler, having tem- porarily settled with Austria, will now feel free to promote Nazi territorial am- bitions at Danzig, in Czechoslovakia, or elsewhere, the impression deepens that German domination at Vienna is a simple question of time. London hears that in a secret annex of their accord, Hitler requires Austria to pledge itselt to create an army of 300,000, to main- tain its independence, particularly against the Little Entente. The same London version recounts that Hitler failed to persuade Chancellor Schusch- nigg to agree not to raise for ten years the question of a Hapsburg restoration. Meantime, General von Horstenau, prominent Austrian Nazi leader, has joined the Vienna cabinet as a minister without portfolio. With removal of all restrictions on entry of German Nazis and their newspapers into Austria, Hitler has every reason to expect that political nature henceforth will steadily take its course in his native land. He is justified in hoping that the conversion of the Austrian people, as a “professed German state,” to full-fledged Nazi doctrine will pursue the even tenor of its way, and that in due course the swastika will be accepted as the national flag of what Chancellor Schuschnigg in a message to Berlin significantly terms “the whole German people.” Haile Selassie is no more fortunate than Rasselas, the mythical Prince of Abyssinia about whom Dr. Samuel John- son wrote. A Revolt Recalled. William McK. Clayton’s reference, at the hearing on one-man street cars, to a statute of 1892 requiring two-man operation of horse cars, may by way of suggestion point to the source of the distrust with which Washington seems to view one-man street cars. For it was only a few years before enactment of that statute that the riders of the one-man horse cars of the old Columbia Street Railway, from Fourteenth and H streets northeast to Fifteenth and New York avenue, staged their famous re- bellion—and won a victory. In those days the driver of the horse sar was separated from his passengers by a partition. Passengers entered from the rear, were supposed to walk dutifully to the front, deposit their nickels or their tickets in the box, over which the driver presided, and then take their seats. What started the uprising against this practice Is difficult now to recall. It may have been the first, faint rumblings of the New Deal. Some passenger may have been reading the Declaration of Inde- pendence and was struck for the first time by the thought that all men are born equal. At any rate, there was a riders’ strike. Astonished driver-conductors of the old Columbia line were confronted one morning with rebellious passengers who stalked into the cars and sat stubbornly in their seats, with their nickels and their tickets held in their hands—a ges- ture which may, for all one knows, have been the inspiration of Ghandi's “passive resistance.” “Put your fare in the box!"” thun- dered the driver-conductors. “Come and get it!" the passengers replied. And they stuck to their mutton. Business on the Columbia line was tied in a knot. The progress of the rapid transit horse cars was stricken with paralysis. The sitting passengers were in the end victorious when the car line announced that thenceforth two men— at an added cost of $20,000, including the cost of new and larger cars—would be placed on their line, and fares would be collected from the rebellious public. Today many things have changed. But the objection to one-man cars still seems to linger with some persons, much to the surprise of street car executives in other cities where this type of vehicle is in general use. The chief questions for the Public Utilities Commission to answer, in ruling on the proposed in- crease of one-man cars here, are whether they are safe, whether they are efficient and meet the demands of passenger convenience, whether their savings to the company will permit the expendi- ture of other funds—now lacking—for the desirable betterment of service. Pennsylvania Relief. Governor Earle and the Republican State Senate of Pennsylvania have com- promised their contest over new taxes and relief funds, demanded by the Gov- ernor. The Governor, when the Legisla- ture met on May 4, recommended new taxes estimated to bring in more than $80,000,000 revenue, of which he proposed that $71,000,000 should be used for “emer- gency relief.” The Senate took the view that not more than $35000,000 should be appropriated for this purpose. More recently Governor Earle has scaled down his original demand to $55,000,000, still a score of millions more than the Senate was willing to appropriate. At a session of the Senate last night it was agreed to make the sum $45,000,000. If the dead- lock had continued the result might have been to throw relief back upon the coun- ties and cities, just as has been the case in New Jersey, where a similar contest between the Governor and the Legisla- ture resulted in no State appropriation. Many charges have been made to the effect that relief money has been and is being expended in Pennsylvania for po- litical purposes. Former Governor Gifford Pinchot laid such charges before the President long ago. Nothing has been done about them. When the Republican State Senate declined to go along with Governor Earle, who is an ardent New Dealer, in his plans for new taxes and relief appropriations, it launched an in- quiry into the uses which the Guffey- Earle organization was making of relief funds, to the great indignation of those handling relief. Pennsylvania, it is claimed, has a half million unemployed. They have been on relief in very large numbers. How many of the relief cases are unworthy and how many of them should be weeded out is not definitely known. In New Jersey, since relief has been re- stored to the counties and cities to handle, many chiselers and grafters have been removed from the relief rolls, and the taxpayers have been saved a very considerable amount of money. The New York Board of Trade, looking into the matter of relief in New Jersey, re- ports that there is no acute suffering, much less starvation, under the new system of relief there. In fact, the New York Board considers that Jersey has done a very good thing, which might be emulated by other States. If relief money is to be spread around so as to make votes for the New Deal ticket in Pennsylvania next November, then the $45,000,000, which the State Senate apparently is willing to appro- priate, is too much, not to mention the $55,000,000 which Governor Earle was in- sisting upon. It might be a real solu- tion of the relief problems to turn them over to county and city governments to handle. That is where they belong primarily. ———————— Men'’s attire is becoming a considera- tion of prominent importance in fashion magazines. A man will be tolerated in a boardwalk bathing suit and yet there is an impression of great indelicacy if he adjusts his galluses to a high state of visibility. Not only morals but the super- ficial proprieties of life may depend on the place in which we live and the time. Paternalism. It may be that the American people desire a paternalistic state. Some ob- servers insist that that is tHe major issue of the current campaign. Others are not so dogmatic. In any case, it would seem that the changes involved in such.a suggestion should be studied with care. Government control of every detail of life is a handicap which ought not to be assumed without thought about its connotations. For example, the voters of the United States should know something of the effects of paternalism in Europe. Cer- tain of its phenomena are likely to be repeated on this side of the Atlantic if present trends continue unchecked. Hilaire Belloc a few years ago devoted the genius of his pen to the description of one of them. His theme was a survey made in England. Social statistics, he explained, were what was wanted. An army of inquirers was organized for the purpose. It moved out of London into the countryside like an invading host. Every home was its objective. When it had done its work, every family had become a card in a filing cabinet. So- ciological science then reduced every individual to the status of a dehuman- ized digit—a mere numeral to be added or subtracted. The findings were chart- ed for the guidance of Parliament. Mr. Belloc concedes that no physical injury was inflicted upon any citizen. On the contrary, a theoretical advantage was intended for each man, woman and child. But the business did not stop at that. Instead, it affected the psychology of the people. Their poor rags of A privacy had been stripped from their minds. Little secrets which they had preférred to hide were dragged out for the records of the intruding state. No element of reticence was permitted them. They had been wrung dry of the curious spiritual element called “per- sonality.” The experience was painful while it was proceeding, and it left a scar. But also it created an expectant hope. The public, dissected, analyzed, comput- ed, appraised and evaluated, looked to the government to justify its prying by the performance of acts of social phil- anthropy sorely needed. Statistics so compiled, it scemed, should yield helpful relief for the masses. A vast bubble of anticipation rose against the mental landscape of the nation. The golden age, undoubtedly, was dawning. The hope, however, died a-borning. Gradually, through long months of wait- ing, the bubble was deflated. And in the end the index cards survived their usefulness, supposititious at best. The generation represented in them died out. Government officials scrapped them. Their final appearance was in the role of a scrap basket monument to paternal- ism. Mr. Belloc, still a confirmed believer in democracy, warns against its negative aspects. The state, he insists, should be resisted when it seeks to take pos- sesslon of the soul of mankind. Nicknames are often misleading. No person entitled to claim even semi-sanity will try to explain how Gangster Luciano could, at any stage of his career, have been called “Lucky.” There are depths of degradation that compel a realization of misfortune that only drugs of delirium can mitigate. ———————— ‘When the King of England goes on parade he wears a large fur hat which is not especially becoming. This might not hargen if he had a wife who would in- tereo, herself firmly in the selection of his wardrcbe. e Some time ago Vice President Garner declared that he came to the Capital ex- pecting to devote himself to hard work. He probably did not realize how much hard work there was ahead of him. There are faults in our economic sys- tem, but in every campaign Senator for the best, but to take off his coat and work for it. ———aee. Scientific sympathy is expressed for the ultimate consumer, whom many economists continue to mention as the ultimate taxpayer. A libel suit in New Jersey, when it gets into politics, may be expected to show a more serious foundation than Summer hotel gossip. e Touring is not a pleasure in drought- stricken areas. In the spirit of good neighborliness it becomes a duty. Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Mechanistic Age. 1t is the mechanistic age. We sneer at old philosophies | Who have deplored on history’'s page Some various atrocities; At strange conclusions we will jump And seek our brain material From the inexorable thump Of facts cash-registerial. The mechanistic age is here. The radio sings merrily And politicians we will hear By wireless say “Yea, verily.” For trouble, too, in spirit meek We turn to a comptometer Who has recorded, week by week, The state of the thermometer. Situations and Jobs. “Why don’t you tell the people exactly what you think?” “About what?” asked Senator Sor- ghum. “About the political situation?” “That would be only theory. I have been reminded that at present I'm sup- posed to consider not only a political situation, but my own political job.” The Argument Goes Round. If we can learn a little truth ‘Midst human discontent, While passing on to age from youth Your time has been well spent! And so with argument we go ‘With courage day and night. Though oft we may be wrong, we know Sometimes we must be right. Disapproval. “Why do you attend prizefights?” “Because I disapprove of pugilism,” said Miss Cayenne. “Whenever & fighter is battered into insensibility, I rejoice and say it served him right.”- “When there is but little rice in the home,” said Hi Ho, the sage of China- town, “wits may grow keener while con- sciences grow dull.” ‘Where the Good News Waits. The first page is telling of terrors That threaten our honest police, The next page will tell of the errors Of great men that seem to increase. But Cupid’s an influence gentle And weddings our thought will engage As we strive in & mood sentimental To make the society page. “I has took . lot of advice,” said Uncle Eben, “which worked like medi- cine. Some of it makes one feel better and some of it only makes me feel Built for Repose. Anot! ‘?.:'fi%i T3 retards the prog- ress of man is the fact that his anatem= jcal design so aptly fits him for sitting down. Peace Terms. ‘ negfer,mum's radicals are offering peace to Prench industry—on terms of unconditional llll'lm . ¥ A ! ' Borah is depended on not only to hope | wife and children survived him. -martyr Biblical Forecasts of Present Calamities To the Editor of The Star: The two comprehensive editorials that appeared in your issue of Friday, July 10, entitled, “Catastrophies Not New” and “The American Blight,” command profound reflection on the part of think- ing people, as they very definitely in- dicate which way the wind is blowing in both the physical and moral world. There is biblical significance to the subjects considered in both publications. Your declarations that droughts and floods are increasing in intensity and that the physical aspect of our planet has been altering for centuries have the support of biblical prophecies. With storms, earthquakes, whirlwinds, fire and the sword spreading desolation everywhere, surely men’s hearts in every section are actually failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are coming upon the earth. Never has the word “fear” been used so frequently as it is today, and the tremendous dis- turbances in Nature and the constant increase of lawlessness are just causes for fear. The prophet Isaiah was shown thut “the earth shall wax old like a garment,” that it “shall reel to and fro like a drunkard,” that it shall be turned “upside down,” that it “mourneth and fadeth away” because “the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.” Not only are all of these things doomed to occur, but the duststorms that are growing in fre- quency and destructiveness also have biblical significance. In asserting the woes that would come upon the people of old because of their dischedience, God said that He weuld send upon them “cursing, vexation, re- buke,” and that cities and country alike would be cursed, as woul ! be their basket and store, the fruit of their bodies, the fruit of their cattle, sheep and other herds, and the fruit of their lands. He also said that pestilence would destroy men, and others would be afflicted with fevers, inflammation, extreme burning and mildew, and destroyed with sword and blasting, and then it was declared that “the Lord shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust—from heaven shall it come upon thee until thou be destroyed.” See Deut. 28. It is distressingly paradoxical to know that in spite of all the wonderful in- ventive genius of man, the discoveries of science and the praiseworthy efforts that are constantly being put forth to bring eternal peace and happiness upon the earth, the elements are constantly going on uncontrollable rampages, and crim- inals are becoming more despicable in their depredations. WALTER L. BURGAN. ———e—————— Coal Miner Asks Some Pertinent Questions To the Editor of The 8t Why have John L. Lewis and Lieut. Gov. Kennedy not called the anthracite convention in Hazelton? They are afraid. Why does Mr. Lewis spend the money of coal miners to organize the steel industry when the coal miners are starving? Where did Mr. Lewis get the right to spend $1,000 for a box at the Democratic_convention? Why, if Lewis and Kennedy are the head of the mine union, do they not spend their time and energy in taking care of the miners and seeing that they are put to work—and not let them starve? Why does Mr. Lewis not realize that the opposition of the present admin- istration to business enterprises which use coal is the reason for miners not working? Now a steel strike would cut heavier into the coal sales and cause men of whom he is supposed to be the leader to be thrown out of work. Some one should warn the people throughout the country that Mr. Lewis has demoralized the United Mine Work- ers of America, has left them without work and in a few years there will not be any union of mine workers. do the same to any other union. a union so he is trying to get a soft position with another union. Why did Grady leave the labor fed- eration? Why, on the N. R. A. Board, were the representatives of the coal operators all former U. M. of A. officers? The answer to this question is that Mr. Lewis and his immediate group, past and present, are interested in their own welfare and not the people whom they represent. Why should I write this? Well, the answer is that I have been a coal miner and all my folks have been coal miners and union men, but union men of the type that were led by Mr. John Mitchell and not by personal seekers. JOHN KEANE. N How Far is Freedom of Speech Constitutional ? To the Editor of The Star: Nobody is likely to quarrel with Mr. Boake Carter’s eloquent defense of free- dom of speech. Its extinction abroad and recent sinister bureaucratic activi- ties at home have made us rather jittery about it. But Mr. Carter has, of course, presented only one side of the case. Freedom of speech is only one of our cherished liberties and may, if abused, render quite futile the supreme aim of all liberty, the pursuit of happiness. Even a politician has a right to some degree of immunity. Theodore Roose- velt made that perfectly clear. It is well, from time to time, to have the no man’s land between fact and fiction, truth and libel, more clearly defined. If Gov. Hoffman has indeed been tra- duced, it is his right, perhaps even his duty, to accept the newscaster’s chal- lenge and seek redress in the courts of Pennsylvania. We have been promised a dirty polit- ical campaign. Let us therefore know, as speedily as possible, just how much dirt is constitutional. R. D. MILLER. Ottmar Mergenthaler Inventor of Linotype He will | His | pay will stop in a few years for lack of | To the Editor of The Star: The linotype has recently been the subject of an editorial. The article, while referring to the great value of the inven- tion, has not one word to say concerning the man who invented, patented and perfected this epoch-making machine. He was, of course, Ottmar Mergen- thaler (1854-1899). Born in Germany, he landed, 1872, in Baltimore and worked as a maker of instruments, clocks and watches. He then came on to Washing- ton, D. C., and went to work for his former employer in the old country, one August Hahl. Coming into contact with James O. Clephane, he was commissioned to build a “writing machine.” No success. Going back to Baltimore he conceived the idea of a “mechanical printer.” Getting in touch with Clephane and associates once more, he was told to go ahead (1883). By 1884 Mergenthaler applied for his first patent. By 1886 the “lino- type” was a success. Afterward Mer- genthaler took out over 50 more patents, some covering further improvements. He died of tuberculosis in Baltimore in 1899 at the early age of 45. Worry and close applisation had hastened his end. A e of science!” Hot weather care of the birds and small animals of the garden rests almost solely in the provision of water. There is little else that can be done for them, but this is often forgotten in the general effects of heat on humans. ‘The latter are so anxious to escape the heat themselves that all too often they overlook the necessity for seeing that the bird baths and water pans are full of fresh water and are kept full day and night. Hot days deplete these vessels quickly. Often a small pan of water is brought to a very high temperature in a few hours, so that the birds do not enjoy it. It is easy to overlook these matters. Even the ardent friend of birds, who may have kept several feeding stations going all Winter, much to the delight of scores, even hundreds, of songsters, tends to overlook the water supply of his feathered friends. * % % % A garden hose with the nozzle off, the water permitted to flow out turned down somewhat at the source, will pro- vide sport and health for the birds. Especially the robins. ‘These faithful fellows enjoy their bath perhaps just a little bit more than most birds. ‘They are large, full of “pep,” always on the go, hence seem to require more water. . There are few garden sights better than half a dozen robins, including a couple of young ones, frolicking in the water around a hose laid out in the fashion indicated. They flutter their wings, hop around, even rest quictly in the very soppy place all around the open end where the water is flowing out. One really “kills two birds with one stone,” to make an unusual use of an old saying. The water does the lawn a world of good, at the same time the birds love it, and profit accordingly. * % ¥ ¥ Forgetting to keep the bird bath filled is an old garden vice. Too often the bath is regarded solely as an ornament, which it is, all right, but it is more, it is a distinct utility, above everything else. If properly located, near shrubbery, which practically all birds love, the bath will be sought by scores of songsters, | especially in hot weather. What a shame, then, for them to find it empty, or filled with stale, hot water! It will not be too much to ask of any bird lover, that he give the bird bath daily attention, even to the point of cleaning it and refilling it at least once a day. It is a good thing, in very hot weather, to gather up several old pans from the kitchen and place them full of water at strategic points about the yard. Cake and pie pans of enamelware, or of glass, are especially good for this pur- pose. They will require constant re- filling, however, owing to their shallow- ness. A good way to use them is to dig a hole and sink them in the earth just to the level of the grass. This makes them more natural, of course, but they are acceptable to the birds even when just placed on the ground. It must be kept in mind that birds prefer a shallow bath. That is why the average pool, although a wonderful thing in any garden, is not quite to the liking of the bird population. Some of the bird baths one sees around town are really too deep. Most birds prefer a bath shallow enough so that they can stand in it with not more STARS, MEN than an inch, or at most 2 inches, above their claws. ‘This permits them to flop their wings, and in this way splash water over the rest of them, without at the same time frightening them, * K k% ‘These small pans of water will do double duty for small animals, which in- clude dogs, cats, rabbits and squirrels. ‘There may be others, from time to time, but these are the mein garden animals. The last two are found in suburban gardens, in the main. ‘Water is often hard for them to find. Small turtles, more properly tortoises, live for years in small gardens. These are to be found in city as well as suburban gardens, and they also re- quire water. Did you know that turtles have claws on their feet? They do. They are rather blunt claws, but ones which doubtless serve them well in getting a purchase on a difficult terrain, as well as help them in han- dling their food. ‘We have never seen one of these lawn tortoises take a bath, but have not the slightest doubt that they do, from time to time. Wild rabbits, which live in most sub- urban territories, making themselves freely at home in the gardens, large and small, do most of their water drink- ing at night, when life is generally safer for them. We have never seen a squirrel take a drink, either, but are sure that the bird baths or water pans are used by them, too. Certainly for drinking. Whether squirrels take baths, in any sense, is another question. Probably not. They spend a great deal of time washing themselves with their paws, like house cats. How they, who are rodents, ac- quired this typical feline habit, is a mystery. Surely they hate cats enough to give it over, if they knew that Tabby invented this sport among the animal kind. * % % % As every one knows, dogs are great water drinkers, especially in hot weather. Cats, as a class, do not like water much. They will drink it, but do not need it in hot weather as dogs do. If more pans of fresh water were placed | out so that wandering dogs could get them easily, there would be a great les- sening of canine troubles due to the heat. If it is done, however, it must be done daily, as old, stale water is not relished, and may be a source of trouble, instead of help. Such drinking vessels must be kept clean, and replenished frequently, else there is not much use in putting them out. Pool builders who wish to keep the birds in mind will do well to build a shallow edge all around the pond, so that not more than a couple of inches of water stands there over the sand in which small bog plants are grown. ‘This bog area is beloved of the birds, which quickly make it their particular | spot for happiness and replenishment. The garden hose should never be for- gotten. Even if the gardener does not believe in too free use of it, except for | the annuals, and for bare patches in the | lawn as these arise, still he must co sider that it gives the birds food, by bringing earthworms to the surface. ‘What is more delightful, in the small backyard, than the happy robin family | seeking its dinner under the spray of the hose? Instead of killing two birds with one stone, this is making two birds grow where only one grew before! Water for the birds, as well as for the plants, and be twice repaid. AND ATOMS Notebook of Science Progress in Field, Laboratory and Study. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. In the wild mountains of Kurdistan, submerged in a maze of peoples and re- ligions, dwells a race of primitive herds- men. They are conservatives of conserva- tives. Extreme conservatism has been essential, in the face of hostile pressure on all sides, to maintain their identity. Their way of life has not changed for 2,000 years. They speak still the same language as did their ancestors in the days of the Hebrew prophets. ‘They are Christians, with Scriptures written in their own tongue. This survival, says Dr. John P. Har- rington, noted Washington ethnologist, is the “miracle of miracles.” Hardly anything reported in the S_cnptures themselves, he holds, is more miraculous. For 20 centuries the world has forgotten about these people. They become sig- nificant today for two reasons: First, in 722 BC., at the time of the Babylonian captivity, a small colony of them was planted on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, which had been depopu- lated. They remained uqdisturbed, although looked down upon socially, after the restoration. From them arose all but one of the 12 disciples. Second, their speech is northern Ara- maic. They are still, alone in the world, speaking the tongue of the Segmon on the Mount. More significant still, they are ing the tongue of the household of Mary and Joseph, the tongue of Jesus in his everyday conversations with his associates. gt After 2,000 years these primitive herds- men have sent forth a scholgr—Dr. George M. Lamsa. He is a linguist and a theologian, and at one time was a stu- dent at the Episcopal Theological Semi- nary near Alexandria, Va. He has made a deep impression on American and lish linguists. nltll;ow Dr. Lamsa as a baby was sung to sleep with northern Aramaic lullabies. When he was scolded for pranks in school he was scolded in exactly the same language as was used in the huts of the Galilean fishermen from which came the disciples. He was taught almost from the cradle to read the four gospels in his mother tongue. He has turned the light of his early training on the gospels, which came down, through the Greek, to the Western world. Some of the results, if his interpretations are accepted, are remarkable. Tt is quite evident, Dr. Lamsa says, that ‘the first accounts of the life and teach- ings of Jesus were written in northern Aramaic. The disciples knew no other language. They hardly could have been expected to be Greek scholars. They were simple men, who wrote as they spoke. When Christianity began to arouse a wider interest the gospels wefe rewritten in the “dignified” lan- guage of the period—a divergent form of Greek. The writers must have gone back to the original northern Aramaic docu- ments—or perhaps to word-of-mouth accounts—for their data. They were confronted with the difficulty of trans- lating the idioms of one language into the scholarly forms of another. Such a process, Dr. Lamsa says, often leads to strange results. Take, for ex- ample, such a relatively simple transition as that between French and English. Supposing French should disappear com- L pletely from the world and knowledge of twentieth century French life should depend on some literal translations of guidebooks made by men who did not | know the idioms. A thousand years hence one might wonder about a great “road of iron” stretching between Paris and Bordeaux. Or supposing, Dr. Lamsa says, all knowledge of an American base ball game should disappear from the world except a single account in some section. Let us say a Russian, knowing nothing of American idioms, should try to reconstruct the game from this. He might solemnly record that it was a very bloody affair, since in this single game no less than 10 men were shot dead while running the bases. It would be there in black-and-white: “The runner died on second base.” The sports writer would tell of a pitcher being “cannonaded.” Scholars of the future might have bitter quarrels as to whether the opposing team actually used a cannon to mow down the unfortunate moundsman or whether they did it more handily with machine guns. Dr. Lamsa has combed the New Testa- ment for just such incongruities as this. He reads about a “camel” passing through a needle’s eys. He heard the same lan- guage from his mother when he was a little boy. In northern Aramaic the word for “camel” and the word for “heavy thread” are identical. The Greek trans- lator, he believes, simply didn't compre- hend this, with the result that many rich men probably have despaired un- necessarily of geting into the kingdom of Heaven. As Dr. Lamsa reads the passage it's a rather mild warning for the rich man to watch his step. John the Baptist prophesied that there was one coming after him “whose shoes I am unworthy to remove.” This is a per- fectly natural remark to one brought up in the environment of Dr. Lamsa. It is considered today the greatest possible insult for a man to keep on his shoes in a house. Ordinarily he takes them off himself. If he is a very distinguished person the master of the house kneels and takes them off for him. The Galileans who listehed to John the Baptist under- stood perfectly what he was talking about. The Messiah is quoted as saying: “But ‘whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.” Offhand this seems a rather severe penalty for a mild offense. But, says Dr. Lamsa, the word “fool” and the word “nursemaid” are very similar and doubtless were confused when the translation was made from northern Aramaic to Greek. It makes the significance of the passage very difficult, for in his own country when one wishes to express the extreme of contempt he calls the other a “nursemaid.” It is a fighting word which may well end in a fatal quarrel—in which case the speaker might logically be “in danger of hell fire.” Dr. Lamsa makes short work of Jonah and the whale. Among his own people to say that one is “in a whale” is merely an idiom meaning that one is in trouble. It is equivalent to the American “in a hole.” Yet an Aramaic-: person, reading an account of an American base ball game, might easily come to the con- clusion that the pitcher somehow slipped into a deep hole when the bases were ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. A reader can get the answer to any question of fact by writing The Evening Star Information Buregu, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, L. C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. Has the term, weasel words, been used in a political campaign befcre this one?—A. J. A. In 1916, Theodore Roosevelt ap- plied this expression to President Wil« son’s speeches. Weasel words are those which suck the meat from words ahead of them; the analogy comes from the weasel’s habit of sucking eggs. Q. How many adjusted service certifi- cates were printed?—P. L. A.In order to make payments of amounts due on adjusted service certifi- cates through the issuance of bonds, 37, 000,000 adjusted service bonds have been printed. Q. What is Representative Zioncheck's autobiography as recorded in the Con- gressional directory?—C. K. A. Although most of the members of Congress give the salient points in their careers, this Representative is listed as follows: Marion A. Zioncheck, Democrat, of Seattle, Wash. Q. Do colds outrank other diseases in frequency in this country?>—A. C. A. Records are not kept on colds, but it is an accepted fact that they are more numerous than cases of any other disease. Q. How far does & bee travel to gather a pound of honey?—G. T. R. A. It is estimated that a bee travels 43,776 miles to gather enough nectar to make one pound of honey. Q. When the capitol was restored at Williamsburg, Va., was it modeled after the first or second capitol?>—H. B. A. The original capitol was completed in 1705. It burned in 1747. It is this building which has been reconstructed from original records. Q. How many bound books can a mod- ern bindery turn out in a day?—H. L. A. The Kingsport Press, at Kingsport, Tenn., has approximately 700 workers, exclusive of executives, who work in three shifts a day. From sunset to sun- set they can produce more than 75.000 completed books. This firm states that its pay roll is in excess of $4.50 a min- ute for each 24 hours. Q. What is the average tax rate on gasoline in the United States?—M. C. A. The average tax rate for 1935 was 3.8 cents per gallon. Q. Do all Russians speak the same dialect?>—H. N. A. At present there are three distinct dialects spoken: Great Russian, Ukrain- ian or Little Russian, and White Rus- sian. Over 70,000,000 people speak Great Russian; 30,000,000 speak Ukrainian, and about 8,000,000 speak White Russian. Q. How many acres of land are under the jurisdiction of the Grazing Division | of the Government?—E. M. A. With the additional 62,000,000 acres | of public lands authorized in a recent | amendment to the Taylor grazing act, the acreage of the Grazing Division is increased to 142,000,000 Q. How is glycerin used to test linen? —ACF.B. A. A drop of glycerin may be placed on the material. If it is linen the spot will be translucent, but if the material is cotton when it is held to the light the spot will look opaque. Q. Please give the attendance, gate receipts and fighters’ share of the Louis- | Schmeling bout. o B A. The crowd was estimated at 60,000, with an actual paid attendance of 39,878. | The gross gate was $547,531; net gate, $464,945; Louis’ share wa. $139,48350, | while Schmeling received $150,000. Q. What place is known as the Clay City?—J. B. A. From its large pottery production, Zanesville, Ohio, is sometimes so called. Q. Please give the names of the men who drew the first draft numbers in | 1917—W. H. B. A. Mark Sullivan in “Our Times” says: Then at Washington on the morning of | July 20, 1917, a distinguished group of officials, Senators, Representatives and high Army officers gathered in the public | hearing room of the Senate Office Build- ing around a large glass bowl containing 10,500 black capsules with numbered slips inside. * * * Secretary of War Baker was to draw out the first capsule. Sena- tor George Chamberlain of Oregon, next in hierarchical order, was to draw the second; Representative S. Hubert Dent of Alabama the third, Senator Warren of Wyoming the fourth and so on through a long list of minor gods. Q. Is there a transparent metal?— W. A B A. The National Bureau of Standards says that there is no transparent metal. Very thin gold leaf is translucent but not transparent. A film of silver can be deposited on glass that will be so thin | that with a proper arrangement of lights objects can be seen through it. In this case the glass supports the silver, which could not exist in a self-support- ing film of the required thinness. Q. Why did King Edward shorten the period of mourning for his father?— F.L.C. A. The period of mourning was re- duced by the King in order to minimize its interference with trade. A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton A Forest Rill. A little streamlet in the wood Bang with the birds the whole day long, And when they slept with folded wings The rill still sang its happy song. It sang of fish with silver fins, Of golden dawns and sunset glow, Of fairies dancing in moonlight, Of dreams that only children know. I sat beside the brook And listened thru the long night time . That I might catch the melody And weave such song into my rhyme. filled. When Jesus spoke of Jonah being “in the belly of a whale for three days,” says Dr. Lamsa, he hadn't the slightest idea anybody would take the expression literally. He merely meant that Jonah was in a bad mess for three days. Some of the most outstanding ex- amples of what Dr. Lamsa believes to be mistaken translations of Aramaic idioms have just been published with an intro- duction by Dr. Harrington on the signifi- cance of the language survival. iy ]