Evening Star Newspaper, November 6, 1936, Page 10

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C.. FRIDAY. November 6, 1936 THEODORE W. NOYES. «.Editor e N The Evening Star Newspaper Company. t) ""‘n;.“ I?l?lev.lfull Ave. ical A e nu&'-n Gtnce: 14 Regent St.. London. England. Rate by Carrier Within the City. Regular Edition, ?u Lvening Star -45¢ per month ewben 4* 8tna Sta-=--60c per month T ehea 3" Sindare) - 65¢ per month ‘The Sunday Star. -be per copy Nigh Fisht Tinay ana Sun iznt Coll ai Orders may be sent tional 5000 70c per month ~~55¢ per month e of each month. by mail or telephone Na- Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. and Virginia. e yr. $10.00; 1 mo., I "$6.00; 1 mo.. bc 35 8400 1 mo: doe Member of the Associated Press. Associated Press 1s exclustvely entitled to mflk for republication of all news dispatches eredited to it or not otherwise credited in his nd also the local news publis 2 RIPTiehts of oublication of shecial dispatches erein are also reserved. Local Governmental Costs. The President’s committee studying fiscal relations is naturally turning its attention to one of the very important elements of such relationship—the cost of running the District government. This cost, in comparison with what eome other cities pay, is sometimes shown to be high. The logical explanation, which might be bolstered in infinite detail, is that the excessive cost of gov- ernment in the District is due to the fact that this is the Capital of the United States. Standards in the Capital City are relatively high. Standards of archi- tecture, standards of salaries for classi- fied positions, standards of streets, of police and fire protection, etc, do not conform to the standards which may be established in some other city by citi- gens anxious to keep down their own cost of municipal government. And the accomplishment of some pro- gressive citles in reducing municipal costs is not, necessarily, the test of whether the municipal government in the District is extravagant. Embattled citizens in other communities may take the bull by the horns and determine to reduce their cost of government and thereby keep money in their pockets. Here in the District the reduction of gev- ernmental cost depends upon Congress, Just as some of the elements which in- crease local governmental costs are de- termined by Congress without specific regard for local sentiment or wishes. If there is extravagance in local govern- ment, it exists despite the most rigid processes of pruning, by the Commis- sioners, the Bureau of the Budget, crit- ical committees and the membership of both houses of Congress. If there are methods by which local governmental costs may be reduced without sacrificing necessary services, the people of the District would naturally applaud their epplication. But the department heads who tes- tify before the President’s committee to- morrow, and the citizens of the District who can only gauge the justification of local government costs by what they receive in return, want to be shown that there is any extravagance at the District Building before they believe it. If there has been extravagance, the blame rests primarily on Congress just as the power of remedy lies in the hands of Congress. But has there been extravagance? If Congress has spent more for current maintenance in the District than some self-governing cities may choose to spend, every cent of the money so spent was needed. Analysis of the depart- mental estimates and expenditures— which presumably will be undertaken at the hearing tomorrow—will demonstrate that fact beyond question. There is always a list of real needs in current maintenance that are not met in the District bill and in recent years these needs have increased as the money avail- able to meet them has decreased. Par- ticularly has' there been skimping by Congress on funds for outlays, so that there now exists a large list of delayed improvements that will make the even- tual cost higher and more burdensome than if the improvements had been made under a systematic and orderly financial program. One primary explanation of the shortage of funds for outlays is that reductions in the lump sum have de- prived the District of revenues which ordinarily would have gone into such outlays. A skilled municipal executive, given czaristic powers over the District and its expenditures, and responsible only ‘to municipal taxpayers, doubtless would be able to reduse local governmental costs and perhaps give local taxpayers more for their money than they now receive. But the President’s committee will real- ize their problem concerns a condition and not a theory; a condition under which the District is governed exclu- sively by representatives of every citi- een in the United States except those who live in the District, and not a theory of what might be the case if that fact were changed. Julius Garfinckel. The people of the Nation’s Capital have lost & great and a good friend in the passing of Julius Garfinckel. Few residents of the city could claim to know him personally, yet a multitude of his neighbors understood the significance of his name—it symbolized an endowment of the community's ideals of civic peace, prosperity and progress. By deliberate choice, he avoided celebrity; it pleased him to be a shadowy, legendary figure, concealing his labors for the welfare of the multutude. A bachclor, his only home was a hotel apartment; possessed of large means, his only extravagance ‘was his charity; enthusiastic for all man- ner of social improvement, his only de- mand upon his fellow creatures was that they should concede him the privilege of his self-selected seclusion. He lived to himself, but entirely for the advantage of others. Mr. Garfinckel's career, perhaps, may be cited as reminiscent of that of the medieval story of the unseen builder. Cathedral ‘masons, it was said, found their efforts aided and abetted by “one who came by night, the while they slept” Each morning they discovered new stones, perfectly set, added to the walls upon which they were toiling. ‘Their bishop advised them not to in- quire too closely into the mystery. “As you see,” he explained to them, “it is a master who does this. He probably would not wish to be disturbed at his work.” But there was nothing mythical about the efficiency of Mr. Garfinckel's in- numerable benefactions. He took pleas- ure in the management of his resources, applying to his philanthropies the same rational processes of constructive thought that he devoted to his business. Thus it happened that the money he gave was doubly useful. It pleased him to inspire generosity in his contemporaries by the force of a definite example. He chal- lenged a rivalry in giving. His country, his church, the youth of the land, the arts and sciences, music and drama, every creative interest of civilization are richer for both the character and the in- fluence of his life. A merchant prince in the best meaning of that phrase he was and as such he is assured of remem- brance. Thousands would have applaud- ed him had he permitted them. Now they salute him with a gratitude in no degree lessened by its necessary tardi- - ness, The World’s Approval. French Premier Blum strikes the note echoed virtually throughout the world respecting the result of the American presidential election. He says it will be interpreted everywhere as “a success for democracy.” A Hungarian newspaper, Az Est of Budapest, describes it as “a lesson to all advocates of Fascist au- thoritarian regimes.” In the Far East, Japanese and Chinese spokesmen, with- out reference to the partisan considera- tions involved in the late unpleasant- ness, rejoice in President Roosevelt's victory because his administration has so consistently upheld the principle of the good neighbor in foreign relations. It goes without saying that Latin Amer- ica welcomes the outcome of Tuesday’s test at the ballot box in the United States for the reason that the President is so resolute and constructive a devotee of inter-American amity and good will, as exemplified by his initiative in con- vening the peace conference about to meet in Argentina. It is the exhibition of how a nation of 128,000,000 people, represented By 45,000,000 voters, goes peaceably and freely about the business of molding its own destiny that carries the most impressive- ness overseas. The demonstration oc- curs at a moment when democratic ideals of government, as manifested in Germany, Italy and elsewhere, are at & discount and ruthlessly trodden under foot by dictatorships. The circumstances which accompanied Mr. Roosevelt's over- whelming re-election, in M. Blum's words, “prove to opinion abroad that a great flow of ideas in & free country can triumph over all obstacles” The result, he adds, “brings hope and en- couragement to international democracy because to the entire world President Roosevelt personifies with particular strength that ideal of justice at which all free peoples and democratic gov- ernments aim.” Naturally it is only to European coun- tries in which the press is controlled by autocratic governments that the New Deal’s victorious vote suggests a trend toward the single party system ordained by dictators. Thus the Berlin Tageblatt asks: “Is this a democratic election, or is it the eruption of the Fuehrer idea within the democratic systém—achieved by democratic methods?” The Hitlerite organ need indulge in no superfluous hopes or expectations on that score. 'I'h'e election results in the United States are merely the traditional voice of the Amer- ican people, speaking, it is true, in un- precidenwdly stentorian tone, but defi- nitely and exclusively in the ancient accents of unshackled democracy. Some day that voice may speak again in a language no less positive than it thun- dered this week and reverse policies which the electorate has just approved. But nothing has happened jere to jus- tify any semblance of assumption that such processes ever will be anything but those of constitutional democracy. The American people, accepting the verdict of the polls, carry on in that unshatter- able confidence. ———————————— Postmaster General Farley takes occa- sion to hope for patriotic co-operation and convey the assurance that, meta- phorically speaking, nobody is going to be shot at sunrise. Photographers are now permitted to observe smiles that pass for their face value without suspicion of counterfeiting. The Voice of the People. No one seems to know when or where or by whom it first was suggested that the voice of the people is, in effect, the voice of God. A phrase of the same meaning is quoted as being “of ancient origin” by William of Malmesbury, his- torian of early Britain, who died about 1143, But, far more remotely than even the English chronicler could have guessed, the idea is represented in the “Works and Days” of Hesiod, who lived in the eighth century before Christ. Men, it seems, began to have faith in'the judg- ment of the public long before there was any annalist to record the fact. Democ- racy is older than the ari of writing; perhaps, indeed, it may be as old as the art of speaking. Yet there were skeptics from the be- ginning. Cicero may be cited as an example of a whole school of thought. He was elected to the aedileship in 70 B.C. by a majority of the voters of every Roman tribe and to the office of prin- eipal praetor urbanus by the.suffrages of all the centuries in 67 B.C., as well as consul by the centuries in 64 B.C., but he wrote: “He who hangs on the errors of the ignorant multitude must not be counted among great men,” and “The rabble estimate few things according to their real value, most things according to their prejudices.” And his position as a critic was supported by Horace, Juvenal and many other gifted and ordinarily clear-sighted commentators of his period. Ovid was alone in his warning: “Do not lay on’the many the blame that is due to a few.” The thinkers of the Middle Ages like- wise habitually distrusted the masses. Alcuin, founder of the famous school of CTharlemagne, wrote to his patron: “We would not listen to those who were wont to say that the voice of the people is the voice of God, for the voice of the mob is near akin to madness.” But the tide had turned by the date of Queen Elizabeth’s reign. Shakespeare was conservative, certainly, and a similar attitude was maintained by Sir Philip Sidney. Bacon, however, foreshadowed modern opinion in his confidence that: “The voice of the people has about it something divine; for how otherwise can so many heads agree together as one?” For the contemporary point of view, it is necessary to go back no further than Edmund Burke. He conceded that: “The tyranny of the multitude is a multiplied tyranny,” but he just as forcefully de- clared: “The individual is foolish; the multitude, for the moment, is foolish when they act without deliberation; but the species is wise, and, when time is given to it, as a species it always acts right.” Possibly Abraham Lincoln may have had his philosophy in mind when he demanded: “Why should there not be a patient confidence in the ultimate Justice of the people? Is there any better or equal hope in the world?” Welcome! Although denied any participation in the election, Washington today gave rec- ognition of the extraordinary indorse- ment of the administration of President Roosevelt at the polls on Tuesday. Its citizens assembled in great numbers to welcome him upon his return to the Cap- ital and cheered him as he progressed from the railroad station to the White House. It was a spontaneous and sincere tribute to him. No other President, save George Washington, has bgen so honored, The President is officially a Washing- tonian during his term of office. His fel- low citizens of the Capital today accord- ed to him the honor of a reception that will stand as unique in history. They cast their votes for him with their cheers as he progressed to the White House, where he will preside for another term. e European tourists are returning to America to find, with grateful surprise, that this United States is one of the few countries able to conduct a-peaceable yet absolutely authoritative election. ———————————— Maryland has again reminded the world that an election is not to be re- garded as any quiet incident of suburban life. A neighborly spirit is admirable, but cannot always guarantee a candidate against seeming a little shy on votes in his own home town. —_——————— Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Post-Campaign Conversation. Once more you'll hear & common phrase, Which sounded all disdainful, It had a sting in other days Intended to be painful. When fierce resentments were aflame, ‘Which kindness could not smother, Folks harshly joined in the acclaim And hollered, “You're another!” Says Jack to Jim, “Our fight was grim; You are a gallant fighter. You are a hero fit and trim Than whom none is politer. You are a man who scorns to stack The cards against a brother.” And quickly Jack will answer back And say, “Jim, you're another!” The Utilitarian Smile, “Will you be heard on the radio soon?” “No,” answered Senator Sorghum. “Couldn’t you tell a few funny stories?” “What's the use? All the real big laughs have been used up by the pho- tographers for campaign purposes.” Next. Thanksgiving day will soon be " And as in days of yore. A bounteous table will be'set From an abundant store. - ‘With cares life called us to endure We may at last be through; ‘We'll ask a blessing feeling sure It's going to come true. Agreement. G, “How did you vote?” asked the neigh- ey p “Ask Henrietta,” said Mr. Meekton. “Did you allow your wife to govern your opinion?” “No. But I named over the candidates until she said ‘0. k.’ and then I knew that our little household was again destined to be in perfect agreement.” “I have given much excellent advice,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown. *I have asked no thanks for it for fear I might make an enemy by seeming to doubt & friend’s superior wisdom.” House Cleaning. ‘When celebrations great are gone Next day we start anew. ‘We have to face the cold gray dawn, With further work to do. Through clouds the sun will shine on high,’ Effacing care and doubt. We'll sweep-the cobwebs from the sky And shake the rainbows out. _— “In order to be & good citizen,” sald Uncle Eben, “an election may call on you to show.dat you kin also be & good loser.” . A B | Influence of Liquor on Morale of the Nation ‘To the Editor of The Star: Allow me to offer hearty approval of all that Dr. Harris said about the order of Mr. Woodring concerning the granting of a liquor license for a location near ‘Walter Reed Hospital. We used to have & law that set a definite limit to the distance from hospitals, schools, churches and military reservations within which liquor could be sold. But since repeal the saloons are established over protests, and often petitions for their removal are ignored. We are defi- nitely and deplorably lowering our moral standards. This has been increasingly 80 since the World War. Our men and ‘women came home from overseas with a vocabulary and an attitude toward the decencies of life wholly foreign to the U. S. A. and this has been growing worse ever since. Repeal and conditions that have resulted from it are features of the general slump in morals. Language, lit- erature, art, fashions in dress, the in- crease in the use of tobacco and al- coholic drinks are all demonstrations of our lowered standards which began to sag when our boys went “over there.” Our present-day moderns believe they have achieved a freedom hitherto un- known. The fact is their practices be- long to & time generations ago. Not so long ago we considered it disgraceful to countenance prize fights and cities barred them from their limits. Now men and women travel miles and pay ex- orbitant prices for a ringside seat. We are almost back to the “thumbs down” era of Rome. We had reached the plane where getting intoxicated was a disgrace. Now we hear of the president of a great university asking the guests at the games to not drink as it demoralized the game and then of another president of an- other university saying they had to hire four additional matrons to care for the drunken girls, We are now on & par with those men who some generations ago drank until they slumped under the table and their valets pulled them out and helped them to bed. Oh, no. We are not modern. We are going back to the Dark Ages. All over again we must learn the meaning of such words as modesty, self-control, de- cency, dignity, reverance, respect. A. M. GARDNER. Inequities in Handling Relief in Washington ‘To the Editor of The Star: In a letter. which appeared in your column of October 23, Mr. George W. Watson asks “if the relief problem of the District is being administered in such a way as to put a premium on mendicancy.” On reflection, and from a wide ac- quaintance with the local relief and W. P. A. set-ups, I am inclined to answer Mr. Watson's question in the affirma- tive, but I want to go further and say that the wave of petty crimes now being committed daily in the District are due to the relief situation. The present situation is such that no matter how well deserving a man may be, regdrdless of the number of de- pendents he may have, so long as he is employable—that is, able to work, were it possible for him to obtain work—wel- fare authorities will not accept him for relief nor certify him as being in need of work (to the Works Progress Ad- ministration). ‘The obvious result of this policy has been not only an increase in the number of panhandlers on the streets, but like- wise an increase in the number of petty crimes committed in the District. While the blame for this tragic state of affairs must be put upon the last Congress, which refused to appropriate any funds to continue relief to employ- ables, still the Welfare Board, by its refusal to certify those who have become unemployed within the past six months, has contributed to the misery and hard- ship these people are being forced to ‘undergo. The Welfare Board maintains that it has not sufficient personnel to investi- gate whether these people are in need; yet apparently, it has sufficient per- sonnel to conduct a study of its former relief clients, who, incidentally, number in the thousands, as to what they are now doing—a study which could have been delayed until a later date, in view of the present distressing situation. WILLIAM GEORGE. ——————— Protests Y. M. C. A. Plan For Employment Agency To the Editor of The Star: The ¥. M. C. A, is reported to be conducting, or taking part in a plan to secure employment for young men. This revives the current myth that the Y. M. C. A. is a sort of big brother to young men who are in need of any kind. But if they treat the unemployed young men in this present movement as they have during their whole career, many young men will not be able to meet the cost of the jobs they may secure, or the cost of the inte:views for such jobs. A man seeking employment through the Y. M. C. A. in such centers as Kansas City, Mo., and other large cities will not even be told where a job is located until he has paid a fee, which is gen- erally $3 or more. '‘Such methods are actually being employed at the present time in dealing with young men after over six years of widespread unemploy- ment and suffering. If the Y. M. C. A. wishes to conduct employment agencies along with their other commercial enter- prises, that is their business; but they should not pose as charitable or “char- acter building” organizations and there- by secure money from the Community Chest. ‘WILLIAM A. BROWN, Rules of Courtesy to Flag When Carried at Night To the Editor of The Star: In the Halloween parade last Satur- day a great numiber of uniformed or- ganizations carried at their' head an American flag. It seems to. me that any organization that carries a flag should be familiar with the rules of courtesy to the flag, one of which is that the flag must be cased— i. e, rolled on its staff and .covered— THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Just & year ago this column carried an article on getting dust in the eye, and what to do when this occurred. ‘The windy season is here #Bain, and with it the fatal flight of insects, at- tracted by the bright appearance of the “windows of the soul.” Nothing is more disconcerting, in the ordinary walks of life, than this un- wanted tenant in the aqueous humor, It has no business there, and no doubt wishes, once immersed, that it had kept out! Persons who have scanty eyelashes must be on the watch continually for this accident. It is a curious thing, but such persons almost always possess a highly strung nervous system, which makes the inclu- sion of a “bug” in the eye a mental as well as physical catastrophe. Insensitive folks, with eyelids densely equipped with lashes, seldom understand this nervous spasm which the unwanted insect creates in certain persons. The spasm is far heavier than the circumstances might seem to warrant, but the point is that the eye is one of the most delicate of human organizations and tissues, and has far reaches when 1t comes to the nervous system. o ox % ‘The first precaution which the nervous person can take to protect himself from the last flyers among the insect popula- tion for the season is to think about the possibility of such an invasion all the time he is in the open air. This may seem a nuisance, and so it is, but it gets results—that is, it will result in far fewer bugs in the eye! If one feels on going into the air, especially when the wind is blowing, that there is a possibility of getting something in the eye, he will be on the watch and take all pains to watch out for eddies of dust, etc. The second thing to keep in mind is ‘that the eyes consclously held partly shut have just that much less shining surface exposed. It undoubtedly is this shine which attracts the insects indulging in their last flights of the season. All persons with wide eyes ought to take particular care to keep them some- what narrowed when outdoors. The next thing to keep in mind is perhaps the most essential of all, if one wishes to avoid the fast-flying insect particularly. This is to avoid looking sideways as much as possible. It seems that every bug which gets in the eye flies in at an angle, seldom straight on. By keeping one’s head straight for- ward and avoiding sideward glances, which necessitate opening of the eyes a bit wider, there will be far less oppor- tunity for the high fiyer to lodge squarely on the white, * ok ok X The moment an insect hits the eye it instantly seems drawn in. It is aided by the involuntary “batting” of the eye which the sudden impact of the foreign substance sets up. This is a spontaneous and practically irresistible movement of the eyelids. The moment something hits them, pop! they go shut, instinctively, in order to prevent the insect, dust, bit of metal, wood or other substance from getting lodged under the lid. It is here again that the person with steady nerves is happlly able to get rid of the new resident without much worry to_himself. He simply holds pokes a folded offender. ‘The nervous person is not able to do it. Often he is not able to let any person do it, eitner. He closes his eye convulsively the moment a hand approaches it. Perhaps this is just as well, as it saves him from the unskilled approach of persons who mean well, but often have no idéa of the delicate nature of the eye structures. Poking & handkerchief or other sub- stance after an insect is not as unwise as a similar action with intent to retrieve a smaller object, especially such as a sliver of metal, which imbeds itself in the eyeball. It is practically impossible for the amateur to retrieve such objects. Only the skilled medical hand should at- tempt it. Fortunately the insect, owing to its size, is easier to dislodge. Even the nervous person, after the first shock is over, can do a great deal toward helping himself if he will spread the eyelids as far apart as possible and carefully inspect the eye with a view toward making an exact location of the offender. - Almost always the insect, if such it be, is killed by the bath it has taken, Usually it lodges in the inside corner of the eye next the nose. Often it tends to “work” itself out in the eye and higher, so that it often is reached easily enough by a bit of ab- sorbent cotton moistened with water and carefully folded over the blunt end of a toothpick, forming a swab. Extreme care must be taken to cover completely the end of the wood, and also to see that there are no loose ends of cotton. The swab is carefully approached to the bug. The idea is not to poke him out, but to touch him merely, with the hope that he will adhere to the wet cotton. ‘This form of approach is used only if the insect is in the corner of the eye or down in the bottom of the lower lid. If elsewhere go to the optician or doctor. The nervous person, above all, must not permit himself to become unduly excited gy he cannot catch his insect at the first open the eye and handkerchief at the Nor should he continue to try, try again; this is not one of the times when the old admonition works well. The thing to do is to try a bit, then give over the attempt for a time, not only in order that the insect may work itself closer to the edge of the lid, but also that the nerves of the operator may calm down. Often such a “foreign object” will work itself entirely out in half an hour’s sleep inr:ld be found entirely outside on awaken- 2. The best remedy, however, is certainly that of not getting anything in the eye, if possible. One can never be sure, but by keeping the eyes slightly closed, by realizing that to open them widely is to run a risk, by not looking sideways, and by noting particularly whether in- sects are on the wing—as they often are during warmer days in the Fall—the sus- ceptible person may do a great deal to protect himself. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. No comment on President Roosevelt's - staggering landslide victory is more con- spicuous than speculation as to whether he will eventually turn to the right or the left during the second cycle of the New Deal. Opinion on the subject is widely divided and in some cases is merely wishful thinking. Agreement is encountered on only one score—that, with the mighty mandate just given him, F. D. R. can proceed in almost any di- rection he pleases, assured alike of con- gressional support and popular approval, Those who believe the President will beat no retreat from the liberalism of the past, and even go farther in that direction, base their convictions mainly on the Madison Square Garden speech, in which Mr. Roosevelt signaled continu- ance of his policies and breathed de- flance of his detractors, especially the moneyed classes. The school of thought that foreshadows a rightest Roosevelt trend considers that the President, hav- ing achieved re-election, can now be ex- pected to concentrate on making a rec- ord for posterity. The holders of this theory are confident that, while eon- solidating all New Deal objectives at- tained during the past four years, Mr. Roosevelt's future actions and programs will reflect the more conservative ideals that are inborn in him. * X k% Another lively field of post-election discussion reveals regret that Capitol Hill for the next two years will be de- void effective political opposition. Even exuberant Democrats voice the view that more formidable Republican minorities in House and Senate would be a wholesome thing for Mr. Roosevelt, on the ground that intelligent, potent criticism is an invaluable condition in a democracy. A sizable minority not dnly acts as a check on & wiliful majority, but is capable itself of projecting construc- tive measures, besides serving as a stim- ulant to public opinion respecting the programs of & dominant government., With G. O. P. strength in Congress re- duced to a shadow, opposition at the legislative end of Pennsylvania avenue becomes & mere term, without sub- stance or influence. There is no indi- cation that the Democrats are to ride roughshod, but their ability to do §0 is beyond question. This almost un- paralleled state of affairs may turn out to be the Republicans’ best talking point when they enter the congressional. lists again in 1938. Many of Mr. Roosevelt's friends are persuaded he would not hesi- ut:iw apply the brakes on headstrong tactics. x ¥ Xk % Young Senator-elect Henry Cabot Lodge, jr., of Massachusetts, sole ray of cheer in the otherwise universally deso- late Republican picture, already looms Lodge’s eligibility, much will depend on the extent to which he a) When New Deal cards are reshuffled, with advent of the second Roosevelt ad- ministration, young Dr. Stanley High, who organized and conducted the Good Neighbor League, is likely to be found well up in the councils of the executive supreme command. Now and then High's name is mentioned as a likely addition to the White House secretariat. Some authorities attribute the vast swelling of the Roosevelt popular vote largely to the quiet, but persistent and comprehensive missionary efforts put forth in town and country under aus- pices of the Good Neighbor League, * X X X Judge William H. Smathers, Demo- cratic Semator-elest from New Jersey, comes to Washington with the reputa- tion of a man who specialized in fight- ing rackets and other forms of under- world crime throughout the Jersey shore resort region. Judge Smathers hails from the Atlantic City residential sec- tion in which former Senator Walter E. Edge, Republican, once lived. Both on the bench and in the Senate at Trenton, and later as first assistant of Attorney General Wilentz, = Judge Smathers was conspicuous for his bel- ligerency in the field of public welfare. His friends predict that the crusading spirit will mark his career in Congress from the moment he takes office. Smathers is a native North Carolinian, but has lived in New Jersey since 1910. He is 45 years old. B Republican Representative Florence P. Kahn's failure to secure re-election in San Francisco evokes general and bi- partisan regret in Washington, where her late husband, Representative Julius Kahn, and she herself as his successor were popular figures for so many years. Speaker Nicholas Longworth once said that the gentlewoman from the Golden Gate was in his opinion far and away the ablest Representative of her sex ever elected to Congress. She was in- defatigability itself in all affairs affect- ing California, and her defeat came as a surprise to Capital friends ?nd'pou- ticians. Mrs. Kahn's successful oppo- nent, Franck Havenner, who ran as a Democrat-Progressive, was formerly as- sociated with Senator Hiram Johnson and latterly has been president of the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco. *x % kX Gov. Landon has been so terrifically smashed, and forfeited so much pres- tige through failure to carry even his own State, that it would seem worse than premature to discuss his political future. Nevertheless it has been under- stood that in case of defeat for the presidency, Landon would seek the junior United States senatorship from Kansas in 1938, as an opponent of in- cumbent Democratic Senator George McGill. Much depends presumably on whether Landon henceforth seeks to exercise any rights as titular leader of the defeated and de?onlind G. 0. P. * ok x X While nothing official is intimated there on the subject, the State Depart- ment wouldn’t be surprised if, during his Southern Atlantic cruise, President Roosevelt decided to drop in on the im- 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. What are the most dangerous sports?—H. J. A. Coach Mal Stevens of New York University says that foot ball is by far the most hazardous of games, pro- ducing many more injuries than polo, wrestling, lacrosse, soccer, crew and box- ing, which follow in that order. Q. How many people visit the Dionne quintuplets?>—G. R. 8. A. Approximately 500,000 Americans have visited the children so far this year. Q. Whom did Queen Victoria follow as ruler of England?—A. K. A. Queen Victoria inherited the throne from her uncle, King William IV. Her father, the King’s next younger brother, had previously died and Queen Victoria was therefore next in line of succession. Queen Victoria had no brothers and she was the only child of her father. Q. How old is Prof. Einstein?—T. N. A. Dr. Albert Einstein was born March 14, 1879, so is 57 years old. He is now an American citizen and appears in “Who's Who in America” for the first time, Q. What are the five largest cities in Indiana?—R. P. A. Indianapolis, 365,000; Fort Wayne, 115,000; South Bend, 105,000; Evansville, 103,000; Gary, 101,000. Q. How did President Ulysses 8. Grant lose his fortune?—H. M. A. He lost his fortune in 1884 in the failure of Grant & Ward, New York City bankers. Q. What is the name of the famous bridge on which men spend their entire lives painting?—E. W. A. The Firth of Forth Railroad Bridge in Scotland has a permanent staff of 30 painters. When these men die their sons take their places. It requires three years to paint the bridge from end to end and 50 tons of iron paint are used. The work is continuous. Q. How did the father of Liszt spell the family surname?—S. K. A. List. The entry noting the christen« ing of Franz Liszt is thus spelled. Q. How many tourists visit the Statue of Liberty?—C. H. W. A. Within the last year 258,000 persons have visited the statue. Q. When is the Book Fair to be held in New York City?—T. F. A. The New York Times National Book Fair, sponsored jointly by the National Association of Book Publishers and the Times, will be held at Rockefeller Cen- ter from November 5 to 19, inclusive. Q. How old is Marie Tempest?— G. W.S. A. The actress is 71 years old. 3 v?'Ihen was hookworm first known? A. An American Doctor’s Odyssey says that hookworm first came into promie- nence with the building of the &t. Gothard Tunnel in 1880. The Italian laborers fell sick in such numbers that the work came to a standstill. ‘The calamitous illnesses were ascribed to the :u;untain's anger at being bored full of oles, Q. Is there a ghetto in Florence, Italy?—D. S. A. There was for a long time. In 1849 Jews were no longer required to live in this quarter, and it is now being de- molished. Q. How far from the coast of New York is the Gulf Stream?—R. P. A. About 450 miles. Q. How far does a bee travel in its search for nectar?—M. S. A. It usually stays within a radius of three miles of the hive. Q. Was Hercules rewarded for clean= ing the Augean stables?>—A. W. B. A. The legend of the Augean stables is that Augeas, Greek King of Elis, had & stable of 3,000 oxen which had not been cleaned for 30 years. Hercules was given the task of clearing the stables in one day with the promise of one-tenth of the cattle, if he succeeded. The god ace cepted the challenge and turned the River Alpheus through the stable, which immediately carried away the dung and filth. On the refusal of Augeas to keep his word a war ensued. Hercules con= quered and put Augeas to death. Q. Is there any protection against the mislabeling of furniture as genuine wale nut, mahogany, etc.?—F. L. W. A. As a result of the Name the Woods campaign supported by the United States Forest Service, the lumber industry, the furniture industry, the Federal Trade Commission, and the national and local Better Business Bureaus, much progress has been made in eliminating misrepre- sentation. By general agreement as well as by legal sanction, the use of trade names which might have been mislead- ing has been abandoned and common names have been restricted so as to apply to wood produced by various species of a single genus or, at the most, to wood pro= duced by several species of closely ree lated genera. Nearing an Old Ideal. From the Williamsport Sun. A German scientist has succeeded in manufacturing a cloth fabric through chemical treatment of meat. Maybe the making ‘of silk purses from sows’ ears will some day be proved to be less fane tastic than it onte sounded. Traffic Perils. From the Indianapolis News. Another danger is that police who are nting white crosses on the street, to low where lives have been lost in trafe fic, will be run over. A Rhyme at Twilight Gertrude Brlzke Hanmilton Buried Blooms. To know the dandelion with its gold Is buriéd safe beneath the garden mold, That every Summer flower sleepeth there To come forth in the Springtime just as fair, Gives me a sense of such security, Such firm belief in immortality, And even faith that in this world of SOrTrow Life’s flowers of joy will bloom again tom 0rrow, ‘That I can face the present, howe'er cold, _ xnw:mnmnhnmmm A