Evening Star Newspaper, November 11, 1936, Page 10

BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL, THE EVENING STAR | With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. O, November 11, 1936 P A THEODORE W. NOYES...........Editor sttt e — The Evening Star Newspaper Company. :mn.m-"g'namnm Ave Nengo Omce. Lok llleh 5 Buliding l\uannen'fimu T4 Rosen ) w Rate by Carrier Within the City. Resular Edition. o Evening s'"si: --4b¢ per month ewhen 4" Sunoa -==-600 per month - fivfm" ;‘;".fi‘,’ 65c per month The Sunday Star. ¢ per copy Night Final ght Pinsl and Sunday St lght ‘Final Sta c per month opSollection ma T"ihe end_of each month. Orders may be nm b: uml or telephons Na- tional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance, u yland lly an pe Sun ay onl! AR Other States and Canada. Bally and Sunday__{ yr. $12.00: 1 mo. SL 20 ally Only-eme- —o1 Bunday onl¥ecweme-l !u uom l m.. Wt Member of the Associated Press. ‘The Assoclated Press is exchul"ly entitled w the use for republication of ews dispatches credited to 1! or nult m{xernse crbel?x;‘cu n"l!fllrlll joca] news publis| paper, and 4180 8 an "of ‘snceial dispatches ereln are also reserved. [ e st o e Armistice Day. Each recurring anniversary of the nominal termination of the World War finds public observance of a different character. On the first Armistice day, November 11, 1918, the reaction of the people of all nations to the news from France was one of hysterical joy. Less than half the present population of the United States has any intimate or per- sonal memory of the occasion, yet those older men and women who do recall it will carry the remembrance to their graves. It was, probably, the climactic event of their lives. For sheer and com- pelling dramatic significance, it has no equal, no rival, in their experience. But for the younger generation today's eelebration must have divergent mean- ing. Individuals less than thirty years of age never can realize the poignancy with which their elders approach the perennial commemoration. Youth, nec- essarily, must rely upon report and upon imagination to understand its appeal. And gradually as the seasons pass the senior attitude inevitably must be re- placed by the theoretic junior attitude, detached and disengaged, almost com- pletely isolated from the authentic real- ity. It follows that the great struggle in which the Unknown Soldier died is being forgotten. The horror and the bitter sorrow of the cruelest of all con- flicts are being erased from the mind and the heart of humanity by the merci- ful hand of Time. Half a century hence there will remain only a corporal’s guard of veterans to tell the tale and point the moral of the universal tragedy. Meanwhile, mankind may have suf- fered again. The dearly purchased peace for which embattled democracy contended at Verdun and the Somme, the Marne and the Meuse—rivers that ran red with sacrifice—has been withheld and denied. Europe now, as in 1914, is an armed camp. The sole distinction is that currently more numerous bat- talions, more efficient machinery and more effective methods of destruction ' are available for the business of slaugh- ter. Authorities who spend their talents on the study of the problem appear to be agreed that the danger of a second cataclysm exists. The peril may be im- possible to avoid. Pessimism, however, will not help. In- deed, the hope of the race depends upon its capacity to cultivate a practical opti- mism, And that, certainly, is the key- note which should be struck in any utterance designed to express the aspira- tion of the human family at this moment in its progress. The first requirement of a world made safe for civilization is the element of faith, entertained, developed, maintained and protected by thoughtful and generous souls. Spokesmen for the masses will be false to their trust if they fail to employ their powers for the pro- motion of harmony and co-operation be- tween governments. By the establish- ment of durable peace throughout the earth and in no other way can the debt to the soldier known only to God be paid. e ‘There is no doubt about the splendor of the inaugural celebration. Mr. Roose- velt has demonstrated that he can be a whole pageant simply by riding up the Avenue in his own carriage. | Individual Conservation. The United States, although sup- posedly protected by conservation laws, is faced with the prospect of fish and game depletion through no fault of the Government. To be successful, the spirit and not the letter of laws of this nature must be enforced by the individual upon himself. The great majority of Americans are living in the past as regards how much fish and game they should take for themselves and the methods they em- ploy. A century ago it was considered perfectly legitimate to feed one’s family with the fat of the land if possible. There was game enough for all and the rivers and lakes teemed with fish to be had for little or no trouble. It was inconceivable that the natural resources of the country along these lines could ever be in danger of depletion. Since, then, however, the number of sportsmen has increased in- versely with the amount of fish and game. Today there is not enough to go around. But ¢an the American people be called sportsmen? How many people are con- tent to shoot and fish for pure sport? How many can truthfully say that their real object in following the cult of the red gods is not be able to say, “I got my bag of ducks,” or “I caught my limit of trout.” Has any one ever stopped to think what would happen if every one got his bag and caught his limit? In addition to the sport who is piggish by legal methods and in legal quantities, there is the man who breaks the law, who shoots ducks with a repeating shot- [ gun, who catches small fish, who sets nets, shoots off dynamite, jacks deer. These are the men against whom public opinion is directed. However, are these the men who deplete our fish and game? ‘What of the millions of sportsmen who violate the rules of nature and still stay within the law? Six fishing nets were recently seized by police in the Potomac. A sportsman who reads of this will perhaps say to himself, “Aha! they got that guy! That's where all our fish are going.” Does he ask himself whether he, together with a thousand others like him, takes far more fish out of the river than he needs if he is fishing for the sport of the game? England and Scotland have been fished over and hunted over for hundreds of years by a reasonably large population. They still have fish and game, To be sure, this is chiefly the result of con- servation on large estates with woods, moors and streams well patrolled by game keepers and water bailiffs. To do this would be against the democratic prin- ciples of America. Every one who buys a license should be able to find a place to fish and hunt. However, the British method conserves fish and game and ours does not. The only feasible solution for this problem lies in the self-imposition of the rules of true sportsmanship, not in hav- ing the law of the land imposed upon the sportsman. Fishing and hunting entailing new lures and new and harder methods open an unlimited field to the true sportsman which he can substitute for the outworn attitude of going out to “bring home the bacon.” Russo-Japanese Armistice. Appropriately enough, on this eight- eenth anniversary of the “cease fire” on the western front, comes news of a political and economic armistice in the Far East, one of the chief breeding grounds for international conflict. Japan and the Soviet Union have concluded an eight-year renewal of a fisheries and ol agreement, which wipes out one of their oldest and bitterest controversies. Both in Tokio and Moscow the pact is therefore hailed as an event of prime importance not only for peace in Asia, but because of its far-reaching effect on world politics. The Japanese are now assured of the continued right to fish in Russian waters off Eastern Siberia. The great bulk of Japan's sea food, a vital national neces- sity, is derived from that region. Japan also obtains the privilege of prospecting for oll on Sakhalin Island for another five years. Both with respect to fish and oil, the Japanese are confirmed in possession of concessions held for many years, but which, because of strained relations with the U. S. S. R, have not been fully exploited. In consequence, tension ran high and more than once threatened to supply the spark which would kindle the fires of war, Having found it possible to compose these differences, Tokio and Moscow are hopeful that another outstanding cause of discord can be removed, viz, the Manchukuan-Soviet border dispute which periodically fills hotspurs on both sides with the temptation to magnify “incidents” into matters adjustable only by force. A boundary commission com- posed of representatives of Russia-domi- nated Outer Mongolia and Japan- dominated Manchukuo is negotiating a settlement on lines that promise early agreement, It would, of course, be rash to con- clude that the accord just achieved ex- tracts the gunpowder from Russo- Japanese relations, or that a border agreement will do so. Friction in plenty remains, born of rival ambitions and deep-seated suspicion. Especially does Japan fear the communization of China. Both nations continue elaborate military preparations, with little concealment that they have mutually in mind a struggle for mastery of East Asia. Mos- cow insists there can be no relaxation of Soviet “precautions” until Japan ac- cepts a Soviet proposal for a non- aggression pact. It happens that the two governments are preoccupied with concerns nearer home—Russia, with developments in Eu- rope, notably the Nazi menace, and Japan, with her program for domination of China. It may be that in order to concentrate on those major problems, the two great Far Eastern powers find it useful to patch up their minor diffi- culties. Even if the entente hardly con- stitutes a guarantee. that Japan and Russia will never go to war, it is & welcome harbinger of tranquillity in the midst of a world-wide orgy of rearma- ment which Prime Minister Baldwin has just branded as an abiding peril to peace, Madrid longs to get back to the bull fight as a comparatively polite and peaceful form of interest. Maryland Traffic Charges. As the investigation of police irregu- larities in nearby Prince Georges County, Md, gathers momentum, two important steps in the inquiry are expected to develop this week. One is the appoint- ment of an assistant by, State's Attorney Alan Bowie. The other is the start of analysis of court records, recently im- pounded by the grand jury, for checking against affidavits taken from 100 Wash- ington motorists by Keystone Automobile Club attorneys. Meanwhile, the Board of County Com- missioners, at first apathetic in its atti- tude toward the investigation, has an- nounced its intention to suspend any officers against whom specific charges of misfeasance may be madé and sub- stantiated, pending completion of the jury’s inquiry, Two constables have already been temporarily relleved of duty. Their suspension was based on mention of them as arresting policemen in a suit against a bondsman charged with accepting money for “fine and costs” after offering to “fix” & trafic case for a District drivew.- But the danger of & “Whitewash,” despite the charges of police-bonding collusion and graft contained in the 12 volume of affidavits, is ever present. Only vigorous prosecution by the State's attorney, supported by widespread public opinion, can throttle any attempts to kill the inquiry. If political pressure is applied to the investigators, that force must be defeated in the interests of good government and protection against further victimization of District autoists. In taking the affidavits Keystone has completed one step-in the inquiry. Only through a study of court records, show- ing disposition of each case cited by the Washingtonians, can the investigation be consummated. State’s Attorney Bowie has announced his intention to follow through every charge of police corruption. The grand jury will be recalled to hear the evi- dence. The Board of Commissioners promises administrative action against suspected constables, Keystone has taken the initiative, but county officials and the grand jurors must relentlessly pursue each lead if the threatened “whitewash,” with consequent failure of the inquiry, #s to be avoided. ————— v Opinion is expressed that the election was a mandate to proceed on New Deal lines. Mere words have become in- fluential and it might be tactful for a while to call it something else. ——— -t Efforts to make fun of the Supreme Court should be made only by persons prepaved to demonstrate that they al- ways know exactly what the court is talking about. Spots on the sun are mentioned as pos- sible influences on climate and tempera- ment. This theory is still too vague to be taken into account in relation to politics or agriculture. —————————— A Mississippi mule was presented to Postmaster General Farley as a political mascot, with the understanding that the small specimen of elephant contributed by Senator Norris was no hoodoo. — European citizens who have to wear gas masks at least avoid betraying ten- dency to political bias by their facial ex= pressions. ————————————e Old-age pensions can hardly be large. enough to be insurance against the temp- tation to risk a small stake in a bucket shop or a crap game. —_— e Diplomacy is the art of avoiding war. It has for some time been in its infancy. The world is beginning to hope for a healthful maturity. ——— Foes of bureaucracy are already ven- turing to suggest more initiative and fewer initials. Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOENSON, Year-"round Sport. I'm loyal to our literature In sportsmanlike expression. There's nothing like base ball to cure A sorrowful obsession. A deep emotion is revealed, In force that can't be reckoned, ‘When some one “flied” to center feld Or swiftly slid to' second. 'Tis not alone when skies are blue And little birds are singing The base ball muse, with rhythm true, Keeps many a baton swinging. When Winter nights are long and drear And owls are serenading We'll gayly hear the auctioneer Conduct the base ball trading. Straw, “You were expanding your chest when that straw vote was being taken.” “True,” said Senator Sorghum. “I sus- pect the straw they were using was the kind employed to lend contour to stuffed shirts.” Beginning Anew. Some folks declare that war must come ‘To aid munitions making. We hear the rumble of the drum A peaceful quiet breakimg. Unto eugenics we may turn To help this dire condition Till in each mortal we discern A lovely disposition, Formal Announcement, “Who is boss in your household?” “I am,” said Mr. Meekton. “Is that a fact?” “I'm not verifying my remarks. I am simply repeating what Henrietta told me to say in case anybody inquired.” “All men make mistakes,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “but a reputation for superior wisdom permits reference to them as miscalculations.” . Basis of Procedure. We ask for jobs of any sort, And then in language strong We say the pay is much too short, The hours are much too long. Some other little things annoy, And yet a job we like, Since it is needful for the joy Of going out on strike. “I envy a fine education,” said Uncle Eben, “even if it doesn't do much foh some people, ‘cept to give ’em mo’ things to fight about.” Florida, From the South Bend Tribune, Governments in Florida are trying to discousage a Winter rush of the unem- ployed to that State. They are not, however, relying on a hurricane to make it a thorough job. Mum’s the Word. From the Watertown (N. Y) Times. Mrs. Roosevelt says that the best way that a woman can keep out of politics is to stop talking. Surely, though, there must be some less trying way. Overlooked. NEW BOOKS AT RANDOM MARGARET GERMOND. THE SOUTHERN GATES OF ARABIA. By Freya Btark. New York: E. P, Dutton & Co. Arab salling ships, as ancient in form as the buried ruins of the forgotten port of Cana, “pass unwittingly by the market of ghosts, hugging the .twisted volcanic shore when the monsoon drops to Win- ter quiet, on their way to the wharves of Aden. Here, in sheds dim with aromatic dust and impalpable splcy perfume, where pale bars of sunlight lie on the half-transparent gums, women bend their veiled heads over the shallow baskets, and with small, hennaed fingers sort out the various grades.” Poetry, frankincense and the lure of & caravan route lost in the sands of the desert and of time, as embodied in these sentences, is the essence of an enthrall- ing book by a gifted writer who has brought back from the mysterious depths of an uncharted world the story of one of the oldest trades known to man. Be- fore the dawn of history fragrant gums drawn from the incense trees of Arabia were being transported in a lively trade over well-worn trails to gratify the fastidious desire of ancient civilizations fdr exotic perfumes, frankincense and myrrh. A lessening of the demand in recent times for the fragrant gums of the Arablan trees has caused a shrinkage of the western frontier of the incense region from the ancient trading posts from which “relays of bedouin and camels took the baies through defiles of the hills, over the plateau steppe to inland valleys and the eastern lands of Yemen, till they reached their markets through the deserts north of Mekka, and the Arabian incense smoked on altars of Damascus, Jerusalem, Thebes, Ninevah or Rome.” The trees still grow, however, and are harvested regularly in the Hadhramaut valleys, though the privilege of reaping is not restricted as in the time of Pliny, whose description, quoted by Miss Stark, sets forth that “not over three thousand families have a right to that privilege by hereditary succession, For this reason these per- sons are called sacred, and are not allowed, while pruning the trees or gathering the harvest, to receive any poliution, either by intercourse with women or contact with the dead; by these religious observances it is that the price of the commodity is so enhanced.” * x % % Miss Stark has a passion for exploring rivers and roads. Imagination stalls at the hope of finding any road in all the world more fascinating than the famous incense route of Arabia. In yielding to the temptation to try to reach Shabwa by way of the Hadhramaut, two routes were considered. One would take her through the four Arabian empires which grew rich-in the ancient days on their respective portions of the great highway, or, if that plan proved impossible, she would return from the region of Shabwa to the dead port of Cana along what must “once have been the main thor- oughfare through the hills.” From the point of view of the author it may seem unfortunate that neither of these plans materialized. Overtaken by illness at a point from which Shabwa was only three days distant, she was obliged to forego the main objective of her journey and return by plane to Aden for medical care. But from the point of view of those who remember “Valleys of the Assassins” and who are now to enjey this exquisite descriptive narrative of travel and the warm human record of associations and friendships among the various tribes along the journey from Makalla to Tarim, there is the hope that Miss Stark will again vield to the same temptation and carry out either or both of her original plans and that another delightful book will be forthcoming. * Kk kX Sailing from Aden, Miss Stark landed at Makalla, and from there started northward and eastward into the hills with bedouin and donkeys. She had heard a great deal about the hostility of some of the tribes and also about the dangers to which any traveler, and especially a woman accompanied only by bedouin, would be subjected. But undiscouraged and determined, she or- ganized her outfit to suit herseif, truste ing in the belief that all human beings possess an inate quality which responds generously to sincere friendliness. In this trust she was not disappointed. Through the Wadi Himen and across the naked desolation of the Jol plateau and along the Wadi Hadhramaut from one town to another she was received cor- dially and hospitably and made welcome in the homes of the people. She has a formula for making friends, which failed her only once along her route through Arabia. In only one community —one which is notoriously hostile to strangers—was she refused hospitality. It was an experience calculated to strike fear into a less courageous heart. But fear is an experience with which she has little acquaintance. “I felt,” she says, “as I have often felt before, that to sit over the fire with one’s fellows in the evening, when the day’s work is over and the talking begins, is the only sure way of keeping harmony and friendship. I never had any difficulties with my bedouin and found nothing dbut friendliness and an anxiety to serve in every way, and I attribute this chiefly to the fact that we had our meals together and that, except for the outraged soldier, I had no other servant of my own.” The out- raged soldier, by the way, is one who was assigned by the Sultan of Makalla to escort her at least a part of the way, and who proved to be a well-meaning nuisance with dictatorial ambitions. It was in the homes and among the families that Miss Stark grounded her faith in her ability to discover the Arabia which few travelers know how to find. Mysterious Arabia, hidden with- in the walls of its ancient mud sky- scrapers; traditional Arabia, steeped in legends older than history; modern Arabia, aloof and yet a part of the reel- ing civilization which knows no boun- daries in its ceaseless quest for com- merce and trade—all were found by Miss Stark and are here brought together in a modern classic of travel and ad- venture. It is a scholarly work, poetic in its descriptions, written by & woman whose wisdom, humor and capacity for good fellowship served as a key to the treasures of hidden Arabia. The book is profusely illustrated with photographs and is attractively bound in blue with gold lettering and decoration. ‘The photographs contain a genuine sur- prise for many prideful Americans who have always believed that the skyscraper Miss Stark is the only woman who has been awarded the Burton Medal by A tree packs an awful wallop. Even a smallish looking branch can deliver a blow to fell the proverbial ox, to say nothing of a man. We never see men prowling around in trees, like squirrels, but what we fer- vently admire them at their work. Monkeylike proclivities of the human soul tell us, perhaps, that all men should be able to climb trees and waft them- selves through the branches without fear. The best most of us can do is stand on the ground and proffer advice, most of which is wrong. * k% % Taking down a big tree, for instance, is a thing of stresses and strains, rather than sheer brute force. Some old fellow who has handled trees all his life knows just where to tie the ropes and where to cut to have the tree fall & certain way. Often to the spectator, this fall will seem to be going in exactly the opposite direction. That is where the advice so given is often wrong. The best thing the spectator can do, in such cases, is to remove himself to a very safe distance. Usually this distance is about four times as far away from the juncture of e-r:: and trunk as he thinks it ought to be. Real tree men are never deceived in this respect. They are accustomed to regarding trees as things, rather than just so much beauty. They look upon them as forces, not just maple, oak, mul- berry, etc. * k% % If the tree man tells you yonder speci- men across the street is mulberry, be- lieve him, even if the tree has never borne {fruit. Last Spring one of these fellows pointed out a fine specimen across the street and called it mulberry. Although we said nothing, we doubted his perspicacity, never having seen a sign of a single mulberry upon said tree. It was the Spring of the 17-year lo- custs, however, when Nature did many unusual things: She brought forth plenty of mulberries, for one thing, so that berry-eating birds would let her cicadas alone. e She proved, too, that the tree man knew his trees. - * x % One need not go back as far as the apes to find a good reason for the uni- versal interest in trees in this country. It will explain, too, why of all the gov- ernmental schemes of the past four years the C. C. C. and reforestation receive such widespread approval. It is because America was literally hewed out of trees. Man blazed his way with the ax as much as with the musket. Cabins arose surrounded by forest giants towering as high over them as modern skyscrapers loom over little one- storied buildings today. Men and women lived and died to the tune of the rustle of leaves in the wind. Often this sound resembles rain. There is no other sound in Nature exactly like i Surely those of today who live out of ear-shot of trees miss a * % ¥ % Trees are the uncomplaining ele- phants of the plant world. Seldom does an average tree ever re- ceive any extra rations, except those given by Mother Nature. Or when a householder decides his trees do not look so well, and hires & tree man to do the thing right. Even poor trees are worth care, if one is fortunate enough to have any. The expert is able to tell by looking at them which specimens need it, and which do not, and just what to do and what to leave alone, which, in some cases, is even more important. Sometimes bleeding places, near the base of such trees as the common locust, are better left for Nature to heal. Amateur attempts to right such wrongs are worse than useless; the owner might be surprised, upon occasion, to find the tree man advising against doing any- thing at all. It is overdoing it to watch trees with an eagle eye for every slight fault in the bark, This is being hypochondriacal for one’s trees. Nature has a way of knowing what she is doing. Sometimes & curving branch will seem, to the inex- perienced eye, to need bracing from an- other. The tree man may advise against it, feeling rightly that to tie the two together in any way would be to sub- Ject the smaller to strain unnecessarily. Time shows the wisdom of his advice, for the curved branch spills its beauty of foliage over the yard for years. Brac- ing is shown to have been unnecessary. * X ¥ x Home owners should leave alone such experimental trees as the Chinese elm, sometimes afflicted with a most dis- gusting worm, and the Normandy poplar, which does not seem able to stand our severe Winters. Instead, they should stick to the maples, notably the Norway and the red, and the smaller members of the oak family. ‘We would put in a plea for the locust, As unsatisfactory as it is, in some re- spect, it yet grows quickly and often pic- turesquely. Above all, it can be topped with suc- cess. As a general procedure, topping is not to be recommended, but with the locusts it works well, Often these trees become so tall, with branches dying and dead except at the very top, that they rather resemble masts than trees. In such a state they become the victims of any severe Sum- mer windstorm, owing to their compara- tively shallow roots. They may be topped with success, be- coming in a few years a nice, compact tree again, without the previous threat attached to them in falling. This is unorthodox advice—probably the experts would not agree to it—but we have seen it worked out in practice with this tree. It is a fascinating sight to watch a real tree man prowl around through the branches. Usually he is a blond, with blue eyes. Now why is that? He knows Just where to put his feet, when to swing, how to get down easily. Above all, he is not afraid. Above all, he takes no chances. Unafraid, yet careful—such is his motto. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS _DY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. If the Roosevelt landslide proves one thing in particular, it shows that the country doesn't want any shooting of Santa Claus—not right away, anyhow. Voters plainly indicated that they wish no premature shutting off of the opulent source from which recovery blessings have so generously flowed. Republican ‘campaign charges of New Deal extrava- gance, as election returns reveal, made little or no dent. Authorities now hazard the guess that until taxes begin to make people feel the pinch of Federal bounty for relief, farm benefits and other purposes, there will be no very vocal protest against continuance of New Deal spending policies. Nevertheless and notwithstanding, President Roosevelt is proceeding earnestly in the direction of “trying to balance the budget.” To what extent he is able to beat intentions into deeds will not be disclosed until his fiscal message reaches Congress. During the campaign F. D. R. intimated that he expects two primary factors to pro- mote budget balancing—(1) decrease of work-relief needs through steady im- provement in business and absorption of the unemployment slack by private in- dustry, and (2) increased Treasury re- ceipts from private and corporate in- come taxes and other revenue sources. Figures just issued by the Alexander Hamilton Institute show that the na- tional income in September reached a recovery high with $5,383,000,000, which is some 30 per cent below the pre- depression peak of $7,786,000,000 in Oc- tober, 1929, ** x % Four Republican House veterans, who are completing 41 terms and 22 succes- sive years of service in Congress, all fell by the wayside on November 3. They are Representatives Bacharach of New Jersey, Cooper of Ohio, Darrow of Penn- sylvania and Lehlbach of New Jersey. All of them entered the House on March 4, 1915, along with their brother Re- publicans, Representatives Snell of New York and Tinkham of Massachusetts, who escaped the recent holocaust. With popular Ike Bacharach’s disappearance from the scene, Vice President Garner becomes the sole survivor at the Capitol of the famous quartet of Nick Long- worth's congressional inseparables—the late Speaker, Garner, Bacharach and Judge Finis Garrett of the Court of Customs and Patent Appeals. * * % % Not since the Fifty-second C which took office after the dethronement of “Czar” Tom Reed, has the Republican estate in the House fallen so low as it will be after next January. During the former depression there were only 88 Republicans in a body of 333 members, as against the 89 who will sit in the next House of 435. The G. O. P.’s per- centage in the incoming Congress there- fore works out at a fractionally smaller figure than its strength in the Fifty- second Congress. On the latter occa- sion, the minority was so attenuated that it could caucus comfortably in the room of the Judiciary Committee. Re- publican leaders believe they have at last reached an irreducible minimum in the House, but after what happened to their recent rosy hopes of i their strength there, you never can tell, *x * X X Despite a current impression that Father Coughlin’s exit from the political turn of events. Well-informed quarters in Washington think it will be a long time before apy other clergyman wear- ing the cloth of Rome will take it upon himself to plunge into the American political picture as militantly as the silver-tongued broadcasting pastor did. * x x ¥ Somebody with a genuis for keeping tab on such things deposes and points out that America is at last “on all fours” —it being 444 years since Christopher Columbus discovered this more or less placid continent. That number happens also to mean something to Herbert Hoover. It was his victorious total in the 1928 electoral college. o i New elections to the Senate amplify the color scheme in its nomenclature. The roll call henceforth will include two Browns (the members from New Hamp- shire and Michigan), Black of Alabama, White of Maine and Green of Rhode Island. * x k% By common consent, nobody has a better claim on a Democratic distin- guished service medal, or some other New Deal plum, than Charles Michelson, the donkey's veteran and triumphant publicity ace, who shares,with Chair- man Farley chief organization credit for the second Roosevelt landslide. What Michelson wants, his friends are con- vinced, is exactly nothing at If in a moment of weakness he should ever be prevailed upon to take a job, it would have to be in some isolated elysium where the fishing is good, crowds con- spicuous by their absence and the at- mosphere restfully conducive to chess, bridge and golf. It's an open secret that if the battle-scarred Roosevelt pub- licity director ever cares to quit politics, he can write his own ticket as a “public relations counsel” in private business. What Michelson probably hankers for is to return some day to his first and only true love—journalism. There, t00, a cozy niche is his for the asking. * ok x ¥ Dr. Alfred Sze, retiring Chinese Am- bassador to the United States, expects to leave Washington and return to China some time early in the new year. His successor has been appointed, but has not yet indicated when he will assume his duties here. Dr. Sze, Cornell-edu- cated and with a brilliant record of 22 years of diplomatic service in the United States and Great Britain, says he is going home to “report” to his govern- ment. At present he has no idea just what his future activities will be. * X %x x Vandenberg of Michigan looms as the real Republican battle-ax in the new Senate, although McNary of Oregon is not likely to be displaced as official minority leader. Vandenberg has a considerably more belligerent anti-New Deal record, especially in the late cam- paign, than the mild-mannered coast statesman. Friends credited Vanden- berg with dodging the 1936 presidential ofilnlflm’l because of his belief that his White House chances would be bet- ter in 1940. As things now stand, the Michigan Senator is slated to be the principal opposition figure on the Hill during the lecn Republican months and years just ahead. * kK Kk Latest landslide yarn is to the effect that lonesome Maine and Vermont may apply for annexation to Canada. (Copyright, 1936.) 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. How much money was taken in at the Olympic Games in Berlin?—P. M. A. The attendance records at the games held in Berlin this year dwarfed all former records. Approximately 4,500,000 tickets of admission were sold for the various spectacles at a cash return of about $2,800,000. Q. I noticed a statement in the news- paper that there were more than 15 miles of tiny tubes in the kidneys of each human being. Is this true?— ETS A. The Manual of General, Descriptive and Pathological Anatomy says that each tortuous canal is about one-sixtieth of a line in diameter. The total length of all these passages collectively is, ace cording to Ferrein's estimate, about 12 miles. There is a considerable variation in each individual. Q. Is Wesley Ruggles, motion picture director, related to Charles Ruggles, the actor?—T. N. A. The men are brothers. Q. How do Ringling Brothers & Bare num & Bailey care for their sick eme ployes?—W. H. A. The circus has an up-to-date hose pital car, the Florence Nightingale, No. 99, which travels with the rest of the train. It is divided into wards and has the most modern hospital equipment. A medical director, orderly and trained nurses are in constant attendance, Q. What is the policy at Alcatraz Prison?—E. B. A. Its policy includes four main points: A maximum of security, a minimum of privileges, complete isolation of its cone victs from the outside world and 100 per cent humanity, Q. How long have musicians used batons?—G. W. A. The baton is probably the evolution of a cane or a piece of music rolled into a wand. The baton came into general use in England over one hundred years ago. Mendelssohn was among the first to use it consistently. Q. How long does it take to make raw cotton into thread?—E. V. A. It takes about six weeks to trans- form cotton as it arrives at the mill into finished thread. Q. What city in Prance is next to Paris in size?—C. S. A. Marseille. Paris has a population of about 2,900,000, Marsedlle, the second city, has 802,000. Q. What are some of the earliest Bibles to be printed in America?—J. K. A. The Eliot Indian Bible, printed at Cambridge, 1663, by Marmaduke John- son; the edition produced in German- town in 1743 by Christopher Sauer, and the Aitkin Bible, Philadelphia, 1782, are among the earliest. Q. Where is the model colony of the School of Living Colonists?—E. W. A. The community is located about a mile from Suffern, N. Y., on the Haver= straw road. Originated by Ralph Bore sodi, economist, and sponsored by a group of educators and scientists, the project is for the purpose of returning to self-sustaining country Americans of the white-collar class who have jobs and in= comes generally, but not necessarily, of between $1,500 and $4,500. Q. What is the derivation of the word Scaramouch?—E. W. A. The term is derived from Scara- muccia, a_famous Italian buffoon, who acted in England in 1673, and died in Paris in 1694. It is also applied to one of the grotesque characters of the Italian stage who was dressed in black, wore a mask and represented the swaggerer and poltroon. In France the scaramouch was used for a greater variety of parts. Q. How early did George Washington have trouble with his teeth?—J, W. A. He was only 22 when he began having his teeth extracted. Q. What is the origin of the claw and ball foot in furniture?—M. F. L. A. This type of foot originated from the Oriental design of a dragon's claw holding a ball or pearl which was fre- quently found on early Chinese bronzes. It succeeded the club foot as a terminal in English furniture, its greatest deco- rative use being in what was called the Transition period of the early Georgian era, which continued through the early work of Chippendale to the beginning of the reign of George III. Q. Can wine be made from citrus Juices?—W. R. K. A. Both citrus wine and citrus ecor- dials made of orange, grapefruit or tan- gerine juice are now on the market. They were developed by Department of Agrie culture scientists at Winter Haven, Fla., and are said to have delicious and dis- tinctive flavors. Q. When was the Bank of Italy in San Francisco founded?—E. H. A. It was founded by Amadeo P. Gian- nini in 1904. Q. What is the wing spread of a bald eagle?—E. P. A. It is ordinarily from 6 to 7 feet, One specimen taken in New York State had a wing spread of 8 feet 6 inches, and a weight of 18 pounds. This is very unusual. - e Q. Is it correct to use neither and either with reference to more than two things?—W. P. A. The best standard of usage re- stricts either and neither to two objects. Uneasiness. Prom the Glendale (Calif.) News-Press. Also, uneasy lies the head that wears & frown—habitually. A Rhyme at Twilight B Gertrude Brooke Hamilton An Idle Fancy. A Negro pushed a flower cart along; Gu’ vivid blooms commingling in wild The vnrled tints arranged in clustered throng ‘With all the love of color in his race. The brilliant hues somehow reminded me That the gay kerchief of a gypsy lad Knotted about his neck so carelessly The same proclivity to color had. Half wondering if some far, archaic age While smiling at the mind’s tomfoolery. v