Evening Star Newspaper, October 17, 1936, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR, “’ASHINGTON D. C, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1936. A—6 2 A ) ; THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Mornthg Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. ¢ SATURDAY. THEODORE W. NOYES....ecs....Editor e e iy The kmh( Star Newspaper Company. Bustness 11th 8t and Peni New York Offce: < Lake M PR T t Rate by Carrier Within the City. Regular Editlon, 45¢ per month 80¢ per month 85¢ per month - py g‘fllt ;ml and Sunday light Final Sta: llection made at the end of eac! Orders may be sent by mail or telephon tional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virgtola. Batiy ang Sunday 0.00; ly only__ ... Sunday oniyZ: Member of the Assoclated Press. 1 1t e redited n this per and slso the local news published l“n. Ex rights of publication of special dispi tchei rein are also reserved. Child Care Problems. ! The Board of Public Welfare's re- gponse to the Budget Bureau's sugges- tion for consideration of the future of the National Training School for Girls and the whole program of delinquent and dependent child care in the District serves to bring proper focus upon the needs to be met before any radical change in present policies and systems can be brought about. The Budget Bureau's suggestion was made in connection with the execution of plans for new construction work and improvements at the National Training School for Girls, authorized and ap- propriated for by the past session of Congress. The plans are now being held up by a difference of opinion whether one or two cottages should be constructed. The difference should be resolved in the shortest possible time, and probably will be. But in the mean- time the Board of Fublic Welfare has shown the nature of the problem in- volved in a future change of system in care and commitment of juvenile de- Jdinquents or juvenile dependents. Last Spring the Budget Bureau's es- timates for needed work at the National ,Training School for Girls were forwarded “to Congress—after Senator King and Senator Copeland had deplored the “barbarous” conditions found at the echool—together with a discussion of other steps. One of these involved trans- fer of jurisdiction of the National Train- 4dng School for Boys from the Depart- ment of Justice to the Board of Public Welfare and another was the abandon- “ment of the Industrial Home School, on .Wisconsin avenue, which had been authorized by Congress in 1927. The Board of Public Welfare's report to the Commissioners shows its complete sympathy with such a program, as far as objectives are concerned, but points out that adequate foster home care for the so-called “problem” children or de- pendent children cannot be substituted for the institutional care of children at the Industrial Home School, nor can that school well be abandoned until there are sufficient funds for development of the home care program. In addition, transfer of the jurisdiction of the Na- tional Training School from the Depart- ment of Justice to the Board of Public ‘Welfare will require legislation, and ad- ditional legislation is necessary to per- mit the Board of Public Welfare, as well as the courts, to commit children to the national training schools, giving to these schools a flexibility in use by the Board of Public Welfare that does not now exist. # The whole trend throughout the coun- try is away from institutional care and *toward home care for dependent and s“problem” children, while emphasis in institutional care is placed on finding and removing the causes of juvenile de- :hnquency rather than mere incarcera- :tion or punishment under the concep- tions of the old “reform school” idea. But, like so many other things, the pres- ent system in the District has developed over a long period of years. Jurisdiction sand responsibility are divided. Com- “plete change of the system, in line with more modern ideas, means change of statutes and larger appropriations. Con- ‘gress has said the old Industrial Home 8chool can be closed, and the Board of Public Welfare is anxious to have it -closed. But before it can be closed pro- vision must be made for care of the “children now there. The Board of Pub- lic Welfare is willing to take over the JNational Training School for Boys. But ‘before it can do that the law must per- mit its use by the board, and other flrrlngements must be made for some of the boys now committed there by other Jurisdictions, In the meantime, it would seem that ‘s between the Budget Bureau and the Board of Public Welfare, the latter would be better able to judge the type ‘of equipment and building which can best serve the needs of the National Training School for Girls, s e . A Late Election Verdict. ++If the election for President should be tlose this year, with the result depending fipon the electoral vote of the State of New York, the decision may not be - known until a much later hour than usual. Heretofore the polls in that State bave closed at six o'clock and the re- turns have been sufficiently reported, as & rule, within a few hours of that time to indicate the State's decision. This year, however, it may be much later when the decision of the largest State in the Union, with its 47 electoral votes, is indi- cated. This is due to a call just issued by the Governor, after a consultation with leaders of both major parties, for an extra session of the Legislature to enact an emergency Jaw extending the balloting hours un o'clock in the evening. So heavy has been the regis- tration on both sides that'it is feared that the hours set under the present law will not suffice for the casting of .all the ballots. 8o it is that the result in New York, which may determine the election, can- not become known until eleven o'clock at the earliest, and probably will not be Znown in the Eastern States until after midnight, Eastern standard time, In the nine presidential” elections held during the present century the votes of New York have been cast for all of the win- ners save one. That exception was in the election of 1916, when Woodrow Wilson was re-elected though New York's votes were cast for Hughes. That result was due to a wholly unexpected overturn in California, which gave its electoral votes to Wilson by a margin of 3,806 ballots, the decision being in doubt for nearly forty-eight hours after the clos- ing of the polls in the East. If the result in the country at large depends upon New York's electoral vote and the balloting in that State is close, with the counting delayed until nine o'clock and not completed for several hours after the close of the polls, there may be a period of indecision lasting until well along into Wednesday. It is even possible that the result may not be known for several days, as in 1884, when Grover Cleveland carried the Empire State—and in consequence the national election—by a. popular vote of 563,154 to 562,005 cast for James G. Blaine—a margin of only 1,149—and the country waited for three days for the decision. Belgium’s Neutrality. Belgium’s decision, proclaimed by young King Leopold, to revert to pre- World War neutrality status and aban- don . entangling alliances of all kinds, especially the pact with France, is a development of incalculable magnitude. It denotes the little kingdom's withdrawal not only from France's far-flung mili- tary defense system, but also from the Locarno treaty for collective European security. Belgium even seems to re- pudiate her obligations under the cov- enant of the League of Nations. On all these scores France, frankly alarmed by the sudden pronouncement, is calling upon the Beigian government for eluci- dation of its motives and purposes. French politico-military policy, it is al- ready indicated, may be extensively re- cast as & result of the defection of the country which, as in 1914, was relied upon once again to serve as left flank protection for France against a German attack. King Leopold does not mince words in Jjustifying Belgium’s attitude. He points out that her geographical position “com- pels us to maintain a military machine that will dissuade any of our neighbors from using our territory to attack an< other state.” A defensive alliance with a single ration, the King asserts, would weaken Belgium's foreign policy and ex- pose her soil to invasion. The nation's purpose is & “resolute aim to place our- selves beyond the conflicts of our neigh- bors.” To give effect to this defensive new deal, the King projects develop- ment of the Belgian military establish- ment on a scale that will discourage any power from venturing to make the country a cockpit in a war of no direct concern to the Belgian people. King Leopold and his subjects, despite the commendable resolve to do every- thing in their power to avoid interna- tional complications, are, of course, con- scious that it is one thing to wish for such salvation and quite another to be assured it will be vouchsafed them. Craving to remain neutral on the pre- vious occasion did not preserve the Belgians from attack. It is their un- fortunate lot to be placed in a corner of the continent which is virtually doomed to become involved in & major European struggle. Whether she remains neutral or not, Belgium’s location makes it inevitable that if Germany should aim an attack across her territory at France or Great Britain, either or both of those countries would, in self-interest, be compelled to rush to Belgium’s as- sistance and fight there. Of immediate and ominous significance in the Brussels program is the further blow {t deals at the European collective system and the likelihood that it will embolden Germany to’pursue her aggres- sive purposes in the east because of the weakening of France in the west. The fear that a Russo-German clash em- broiling France would involve Belgium plainly contributes to King Leopold’s determination to renounce commit- ments capable of once mare plunging his people into the maelstrom of European carnage, It also may well be that the Belgians are loosening the ties with France because they fear things are trending too far to the left at Paris, with uncomfortable danger of contagion in a northeasterly direction. ————— Immigrants used to come to America expecting to pick up gold in the street. ‘When they arrive with the expectation of being placed immediately on relief the situation presents an old idea in a slightly novel form, e ‘Without meamng to introduce base ball into politics, the Literary Digest has persuaded innumerable citizens to sit up nights with a score card, Marlen Pew. In newspaper offices all over the world the news of the death of Marlen Pew will be received with a sense of personal loss. For wherever newspapers are pub- lished, and that means in almost every corner of the world, the name of Marlen Pew was closely identified with the finest fending newspapers in their right to print the news and all the news and belaboring those he held to be remiss in a public responsibility. He put some- thing of the fire of religious zeal into his work. Newspapers and their place in the scheme of things were part of his religion and he never missed an opportunity to preach it with an elo- quence shared only by the true believers. Returning to the United States last January after a tour of the world, ill health led to his resignation from active editorship of Editor and Publisher. But he continued his weekly “Shop Talk at Thirty,” a page of critical comment and observations, until the last. The final chapter appears today, which. is very much as Marlen Pew would have had it. The fact that a man was a newspaper man made him a friend of Marlen Pew. Thousands of newspaper men today Jfeel the personal loss of a good friend, a charming companion and a - gallant fighter for thé right. —_—————————— When Theodore Roosevelt mentioned “malefactors of great wealth” he showed his deftness in tactful circumlocution. A man of less facile mentality might have used the plain monosyllable “crooks.” A New Jersey tramp got six months in jail for turning a cow out of her stall and sleeping in it himself. The court dealt summarily with a basic problem in Home Owning. A remarkable political phenomenon took place when a speech by Herbert Hoover was interrupted by prolonged cheers at mention of Al Smith. It is a sociable sort of campaign, after all. o e o Spain may look wistfully back to Don Quixote who, professing valorous inten- tions, managed to make a display of him- self without hurting anybody else. e Persons who insist that gas masks may have to be worn the world over suggest the desirability of enjoying the beauty pageants while we may. o Some of the European nations may hesitate, like the hero of the minstrel song who said, “I'm so bad, I'm a-skyart of myself, A devalued dollar is as good as any other kind. So is a counterfeit dollar until the public becomes inquisitive and suspicious. ——rat— Radio has liberalized ideas of language. A political campaign is recognized as an open season for mispronunciation. ————— . Fear of conflict has not yet gone far enough to turn the beauty contest into a gas mask drill. —————r————— Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. ‘The Unhappy Farmer. The farmer once set out so gay ‘To gather in his crop of hay. And, talking to his son, called “Josh,” Occasionally said “By Gosh!" While cutting com or grubbing roots He wore his pants tucked in his boots. He tried to keep his cattle sleek And read his Bible once a week. But now he uses words profane, A mild “By Gosh!” would serve in vain. Pants in his boots he cannot tuck, With neither boots nor pants—worse luck! He once had hayseed in his hair, But now he combs his locks with care. To gather seed, should some remain. In church, he simply prays for rain. The gentle farmer still we see. Life isn't what it used to be. To keep Up hope he bravely tries; To keep his taxes Down, likewise, The Wind-up. “Did your speech bring you to a logical conclusion?” “A logical conclusion means nothing to me,” said Senator Sorghum. “What I'm trying to avoid is my political finish.” The Great Half Journey. Columbus was a sailor bold Who sailed an unknown sea: He journeyed half way round, we're told, To where he thought he'd be. But just the same he rose to fame, As proudly we recall, For better get half way, we claim, Than make no start at all.. . Equipment. “Do you think the police are.as good as they used to be?” asked Mr. Rafferty. “I do not,” answered Mr. Dolan, “In my day all a policeman needed was his two feet and a club. Now he needs a motor cycle and a machine gun.” ° “Our music has sounded strange,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “since a powerful Emperor decided to compose and had all critics beheaded.” Overestimation, If I as smart could only be As Mother Love once thought, How easily I would set free A world in error caught. But I must own in sad surprise, As disappointment wakes, Even a Mother fond and wise May sometimes make mistakes. “Many a lecture would be kind o dismal,” said Uncle Eben, “excet foh de understandin’ dat dar would be ice cream and cake at de finish." A Cooper Survivor. From the Boston Daily Globe, Chief Tantaquidgeon, last survivor of the Mohican tribe, is in Boston. Seems that Uncas pulled a fast one on James Penimore Cooper and left descendants. Scuhhflnlll. Prom the Wyom! State Tribune. Tt seems strange that the Madrid bulls have run Amuck, since we have ale by, e District Law Proposals Should Go to Congress To the Editor of The Star: Serious deliberations should precede action® on a purported announcement of the new corporation counsel—that the District Commissioners are anxious and willing at all times to receive the suggestions of citizens as to needed legislation. To some that might appear to be an interference with the right of District people to petition Congress for legis- lative action, or it might be construed as an opportunity for censorship of local legislation by the administrative triumvirate of the District. What will the Commissioners do if they receive a legislative suggestion they do not like? Will they disapprove it, throw it in the waste basket, ignore it, or suppress it? *When the organic act of 1878 was under consideration it was said by one great Senator that Congress is the Iggislative authority for the District and that the people may go to its mem- bers in their homes, in their offices and in the Capitol building itself to make known their wishes and desires. Section 12 of the act of June 11, 1878, says: “That it shall be the duty of the said Commissioners to report to Con- gress at the next session succeeding their appointment a draft of such ad- ditional laws or amendments to existing laws as in their opinion are necessary for the harmonious working of the sys- tem herein adopted, and for the ef- fectual and proper government of the District of Columbia.” Any one familiar with the temper of Congress at the time can well understand the purpose of Congress in limiting legislative recom- mendations of the District Commission- ers to that one session of Congress fol- lowing their appointment. No law has been produced that extends such au- thority beyond the time specified. The natural presumption is that the Commissioners would refer legislative proposals to the corporation counsel’s office. Yet it seems evident that the corporation counsel has no more au- thority to pass upon District legisla- tion—to change it, to amplify it, to per- fect it or to attempt to make its mean. ing clear—than the Attorney Generrh of the United States has to pass upon national legislation proposed by citizens. It would be much better for these Dis- trict officials to confine themselves to their duties as well as the Attorney General does in this respect. All District legislative proposals should go from the people directly to Congress. If somebody does not like them, another can be found to introduce meritorious bills by request and thus preserve in- violate the people’s right to petition Congress whenever and as to whatever they please. JOSEPH W. CHEYNEY, ————————— Americans Should Rally to Preserve the Constitution To the Editor of The Star: Not since the Civil War has the Con- stitution of the United States been more in the spotlight and the subject of discussion. There are those who, through ignor- ance of its historical background and of the struggles, sufferings and sacri- fices of mankind to obtain and make secure individual liberty, which inspired our forefathers in their conception and drafting of the Constitution, are dis- posed to sneer at it, and speak of it as outmeded and obsolete. They should be reminded of the fact, “lest we forget, lest we forget,” that it contains the fundamental principles of human lib- erty and provisions for the protection thereof that are eternal and unchang- ing, and that the American Government, r the Constitution, which is not perfect, being the product of men to whom infallibility was not vouchsafed by the Creator, is nevertheless the most precious heritage ever possessed by any people in the whole history of the hu- man race. Our Constitution is the pal- ladium, the shield and buckler of our liberties, and stands as a model for all the world. Paraphrasing the eulogy of it by Mr. Gladstone: It is in its concept, and the fundamental principles it embodies, and provisions for its orderly amendment to meet the needs of an ever-changing civilization, the most wonderful instru- ment ever struck off in a given time by the brain and purpose of man. Every true American should be ever ready to preserve and defend it at all hazards, and those who would evade, mar or destroy it should be regarded as public enemies. ALEXANDER SIDNEY LANIER., ———— ¢“0ld Folk” Definition of Indian Summer Season To the Editor of The Star: At this time of the year there is much said and printed about Indian Summer, 90 per cent of which is wrong. For more than 40 years this writer has had oppor- tunity to get the facts and laws that govern this short and charming episode in the annual procession of the seasons. These facts and laws, I find, are hid- den from scientists, especially astron- omers and meteorologists, and revealed to the old and reliable men and women who are almost illiterate and who have descended from the pioneers and early settlers of our country. Only those of them who love Nature and tradition know these facts. A few of them may yet be found in the quiet, secluded rural sections of the Middle, Central and Southern States past four score years of existence. Here are the simple facts of when, how and why Indian Sum- mer comes, as noted by these rural sages: After the sun “crosses the line,” about September 23, there must come three different frosts and two rains, then “Squaw Winter,” which is a great threat of the north wind, bringing usually a little snow and‘ice and acting as though Big Winter is upon us. The events vary much in their intensity and in the intervals between them; only their num- ber and order are certain. When Summer, who has started south, learns of the threats of Squaw Winter, she returns, riding the south wfnd for a period of from 5 to 15 days, to caress her darling children of Nature with “Vienna, Va. “Dear Sir: Some time ago I read an article written by you to the effect that peaches and cream—with nothing else— was a good meal, a well-balanced meal. Perhaps these were not your words, but this was the thought it conveyed to me, and I rejoiced because some one agreed with me along this line. “I find any fruit eaten without bread or any accompaniment is much better for the stomach. I know an invalid who insists she must have her bread or some starchy food to eat along with all foods; any suggestion from others are offensive to her. “Her stomach troubles her a great deal. She always takes her glass of tomato Juice for breakfast and sometimes at other meals, and instead of drinking it right down, she eats bread and sips the Jjuice. I have suggested to her to try the juice alone, but she replies, ‘That might do for you, but not for me.’ “Is it not strange that any one who is ill would not know that doing wrong has made them ill, generally speaking; would not be willing to turn from the things they are doing and go right the other way—but they always think there must be some kind of medicine that would cure them, when just the simple living would bring the desired results. “You have written many things that I have enjoyed, but this one about peaches and cream I felt I must not let go unthanked, Gratefully yours, “M. C. B” * * % % Dietary habits are the most difficult in the world to change. ‘They are formed in childhood and made into habits over the years, and this whether they are right or wrong. But who is to decide right and wrong in this matter? Every one eats and every one thinks he knows what is “good for him.” Every cook thinks himself or herself a dietician; every ultimate con- sumer believes that he eats the “right thing.” “Too many cooks spoil the broth.” So went the old saying. It is equally true that too many diet schemes tend to make the average person too food-conscious. In the old days the mother said to the children, “Eat your victuals and say no more about it.” The finicky child was not held in much esteem then; the pernickety adult was regarded as an even worse nuisance. Surely something of these old attitudes has come down today, so that all too many persons honestly believe that any attention to what one eats, or how, is a lamentable weakness, not only of the physical, but of the mental, and even spiritual, man. * % k% It is the most difficult thing in the world, a really formidable undertaking, to talk any one into changing eating habits of any kind. Let us say you have run onto some- thing in the dietetic line which is “good” for you, and you think, in a sort of cru- sading zeal, it may be equally beneficial for friends. Feel sure that the least word from you in its favor will set them against it forever. If you honestly desire them to adopt the new regimen, whatever it is, treat them as mothers often do their children, by opposites. Tell them not to do it, or even laugh at it. Then, contrary-wise, they may look into the thing. Try to argue them into it, they freeze up. set themselves dead against it for- ever, determine to retain their indiges- STARS, MEN tion rather than give the new plan a trial * k¥ X To the person who has been “con- verted,” in a dietetic way, it will seem strange, indeed, that the other will not even give the thing a little trial. But perhaps it is just as well. “You can’'t teach an old dog new tricks,” goes the saying, to which a wag once added, “He knows 'em already.” The best way to gain a new knowledge is to find it for one’s self. In the mean- time, those who think they have made real discoveries must sit on the sidelines and watch the other continue in error? That, too, is life. ‘There is not much to be done about it, unless one wishes to use force or to con- tinue in spasms of argumentation. The first is unthinkable, in dietetics, and the second is unpleasant. Nor does example seem convincing, alas. Eat never so perfectly, as you think, before one who needs a different wisdom, he will persist in saying that 2}:“ could be no possible application to case. Maybe he will be right, too, that is the strange part of it. The human body is such a queer thing, so much the creature of custom and habit, to which is added the effect of the mind, that what is one person’s meat is another’s poison, as has been stated so often, and so correctly. * x x o= “The proof of the pudding is in the eating,” and the same holds for any diet. If a short trial does not prove it bene- ficial, give it up, but if it does, stick to it, and do not be scared away by the cries of treason. < Many cries, even howls, have been sent up against diet “fads,” as some call them, but the best of these newer diet systems are nothing but common sense, after all, and can be proved or disproved for and by the individual. It they come across with benefit, for you, they are worthwhile, for you. Often they are sound at the very points where the common universal habits of eating are unsound. 1t seems impossible to make many per- sons realize that there can be any rela- tion whatsoever between health and food. ‘They seem to think of themselves simply as bags to be stuffed daily, re- gardless of the articles used to do the stuffing. Carefully they choose the gas and oil to feed their motor, but seldom, if ever, give a thought to the food with which they feed themselves. Those who dare do 50 are termed “cranks” and worse, * ¥ ¥ % Tt is only {ll health, in some form or other, which ever seems to turn any one’s thoughts to the possibility that there may be some relation, after all, between what we eat, when and how, and the way we feel. Not only do most persons 40 years old or over eat from two to four times as much food as they need daily, but their selections are seldom rational, in any sense, but mostly are built solely on chance, whim and established habits. Even ill health, in many instances, has no effect whatever in this regard, but the sick person continues to eat, to the best of his ability, in exactly the same way as he did before he became ill, and, what is more important, while he was becoming {ll. One extreme is that food is a sort of cure-all. The other is that there is no relation at all between the food we eat and the diseases from which we suffer. Probably the truth is somewhere in between, as it so often is; if we cannot cure ourselves wholly, by the food route, at least we may be able to help ourselves, at least free ourselves from indigestion, which is a great gain. i AND ATOMS Notebook of Science Progress in Field, Laboratory and Study. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. A new kind of heavy water has been produced by chemists at the Bureau of Standards. The molecule of ordinary water has the familiar chemical formula of H20— that is, it is composed of two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen. Most of the water in the world has existed in the form of water or water vapor for an inestimably long time, ever since the cooling of & molten earth permitted such an atomic combination. Natural water, rid of its impurities, presumably has the same density everywhere. Now, the Bureau of Standards chem- ists find, when water is made in the laboratory by combining commercial hydrogen with oxygen from the air they get a liquid material which is super- ficially indistinguishable from natural water, but which weighs more. The difference in density is almost nine parts in a milllon—that is, the laboratory made water in the same volume as a million pounds of natural water would weigh a million and nine pounds. It has been known for several years that there are at least three kinds of oxygen—oxygens 16, 17 and 18. The first is by far the most common and the existence of any other kinds was not sus- pected until very recently. The differ- ence is in atomic weight. The heavier water atom has one or two extra pro- tons and extra electrons, bound together to form a neutron, or two neutrons, in its nucleus while it retains 16 outer elec- trons. Thus it remains water with all the qualities of water, except that it weighs a trifle more. The heavy water produced at the Bureau of Standards by using atmos- pheric oxygen has more of the heavy oxygen atoms, or isotopes, in its compo- sition than does natural water. This means that there is a greater proportion of such isotopes in the air. Volume for volume, oxygen in H20 is lighter than oxygen in the air. For some reason, it is the belief of Dr. Edgar R. Smith, who conducted the experiments, it was easler when the molten earth cooled for the lighter and topes of oxygen is so rare and so gen- diftused throughout nature that of Columbia, recipient of the Nobel prize as the first man who actually isolated the double weight hydrogen, now is trying to obtain some of the double weight oxygen by the same means. At present the task seems hopeless. The two oxygen isotopes are so rare in water that it probably would require the fractional distillation of all the water in the world to get a thimbleful of them. The possibility of making a water much richer in the iso- topes may prove a step toward their eventual isolation. The isolation of the more abundant hydrogen isotope was a revolutionary event for both physics and chemistry. Hydrogen is the mother element. It may have opened the way for the pro- duction of.- countless new substances hitherto unknown on earth. Already deuterium has become the long-sought tool for successful transmutation of the elements. Significant biological effects are being demonstrated for it and science stands barely on the threshold of its possibilities. The actual isolation of heavy oxygen might be an event of almost paramount importance, especially since oxygen is such a fundamental element in all bio- logical processes. The formula H20 no longer has the specific meaning it did a few years ago. There can be about 20 kinds of water, made up of combinations of the three known kinds of hydrogen and the three known kinds of oxygen, but they will be indistinguishable except by extremfely precise laboratory methods. ‘The first observation that water pro- duced with, atmospheric oxygen was slightly heavier than natural water was made about a year ago by two Japanese physicists, Dr. Smith says, and was later observed in the physics laboratory of Northwestern University. The Bureau of Standards work was a precise check- up on these observations and establishes the phenomenon as a fact beyond all question. The new heavy water would be much harder to identify than the old heavy water resulting from the double weight hydrogen. Since the heavier oxygen iso- topes enter into_so few of its molecules it probably would be biologically indis- tinguishable from natural water. Diplomats Represent Governments’ Interests To the Editor of The Star: Evidently Mr. R. E. Mason, whose let- ter appeared recently in The Star, wants us to forget our self-interest in favor of the narrower view of holding aloof from any diplomatic relations with the Vatican should such a question arise. Representatives of governments are not sent abroad to flatter other govern. ments, but to look after their own gov- ernments’ interests. Evidently some- thing dark has beclouded this elemental fact from Mr. Mason's vision. Up to the present, nothing narrow has interfered with the recognition of any principality, and should the Jew- Palestine ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. A reader can get the answer to any question of fact by writing The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. May the King of England marry & commoner?—J. W, H. A. There is no restriction with regard to the King's marriage except that he is prohibited by law from marrying a Roman Catholic. Q. How much water should be left in dried apples?—C. W. A. According to Federal food stand- ards, dried apples should not contain more than 24 per cent water. Q. Who is known as the patron saint of American poets?—M. C. A. Miss Harriet Monroe, who died on September 26 at the age of 76, was so called. She was the founder and editor of Poetry Magazine. Q. Does Jesse Owens smoke or drink? —E. H. A. The Negro athlete neither smokes nor drinks, Q. What is the origin of the word teton?—T. 8. T. A. The word teton is a contraction of the Indian word titonwan meaning “dwellers on the prairie.” Q. Why did Will Rogers refuse to plav in the screen production of “Ah, Wilder- ness"?—E. G. A. The late actor played the part of the father in a legitimate production of the drama. While enacting that role in Pasadena, he received a letter from a minister objecting to the scene in which the father lectures his son on relations with loose women. Rogers quit the show and refused to appear in its scheduled screen production. Q. How many of the people emploved in Washington, D. C., are on the Gov= ernment pay roll?—E. K. A. Of the more than 300,000 people em« ployed in Washington, 117,000 are on ths payroll of the Federal Government while 14,000 are employed by the mu- nicipal government. Q. Where were the O. Henry manu- scripts discovered recently?—E. H. A. Forty-two O. Henry articles, poems and short stories, unpublished, except in long-forgotten newspaper columns, were found a short time ago by Miss Mary Harrell in old files of the Houston (Texas) Post. Q. How many cigarettes will a pound of tobacco make?—J., McG. A. About 350. Q. Is Shirley Temple in “Who's Who in America”?—K. L. A. The young actress’ name appears in the latest volume. Q. Who wrote the words of “Nearer, My God, to Thee"?—J. W. A. They were written by Sarah Flower Adams. Q. Please give the particulars of the death of Ernie Schaaf, fighter—L. B. P. A. Ernie Schaaf, heavyweight cham- pionship contender, died as a result of a bout fought with Champion Primo Carnera in Madison Square Garden, Fri- day, February 10, 1933. The 24-year-old contender was apparently knocked out on his feet. He lasted until the thir- teenth round, when a left jab to the head sent him to the canvas. The imme- diate cause of death was an operation for intra-cranial hemorrhage. Schaaf did not rally from the operation, and died at 4 oclock in the morning Tuesday, February 14. The commission decided that death was accidental. Q. Does balsa wood absorb much mois- ture?—C. G. A. It is very absorbent and, when placed under water, light pieces may absorb as high as 500 to 600 per cent moisture. Q. Is it correct to wear patent leather slippers when in mourning?—E. G. A. Patent leather is not used during that period. Dull leather is appropriate. Q. Is it against the law to sell whisky to Indians?—C. W. N. 3 A. Tt is illegal to sell or give whisky to Indians and liquor cannot be bought on an Indian reservation. Q. When was the exposition at James= town, Va.?—J. H. A. It opened on April 26, 1907, Q. How many co-operatives has Min- nesota?—F. M. A. The State has a total of 2,866 con- sumer co-operatives with a membership of 531,180. Q. Who discovered appendicitis?— M. L. W. A. The appendix was recognized by Berengarius Carpus, an Italian anatom- ist, in 1552. Two hundred years later, a British surgeon, Claudius Amyaud, performed the first appendectomy. In 1886 Dr. Reginald Fitz of Boston proved that the disease is produced by an affected appendix and coined the word, appendicitis. Q. Is Glen Gray the musician’s real name?—E. W. A. The full name of the leader of the Casa Loma Orchestra is Glen Gray Knoblauch. Q. How many people attend Sunday school?—J. V. A. According to the latest statistical report, the total membership of Sunday schools of the world is now 37,285,519. Of this total more than 22,000,000 are en- rolled in North America. Q. What is the value of raw fur pro- duction in Canada? How much of this is in silver fox pelts?—W. B. value of raw fur production A. The for the year ending June 30, 1035, was $12,843341. Silver fox production had a total value of $4,343,823. A Rhyme at Twilight Gertrude Br::kc Hamilton A Restful Hour. Driving along an unfrequented road ‘Where quiet seems to hold the world In check, And I appear the only thing abroad. I follow a new trail—fording a beck ‘With stony bed that might a tire wreck. I drive at leisure thru the clear, keen The mauve clouds spreading like & " And blending Autumn colors everywhere, CGarnet and gold in sunset's panoply, Merging into the dusk uncannily. this o drive at end sotme Uke solitary, unknown