Evening Star Newspaper, November 30, 1936, Page 10

A-10 THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WAIBINO‘!ON. D. C. November 30, 1936 THEODORE W, NOYES ot el i oot oo chbic o The Evening Star Newspaper Company. 'lllln}ll Office: i m‘”fi'&u&’um Rate by Carrier Within the City. Regular Mlllol. 5 -45¢ per month ( ening_an lund" star n 4 Sunday: b Y ! - 60¢ per month i ‘"5’ 'sfifiaui')" . 65¢ per month Night Final Edition. 1 1 Infl Sunday Sta: Hisht Finai & g lunday SVIP éb lection mad ers may be sent by malil or u)!flhnnl Na- Senai” 500 Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. and Virsin! 0; 1 mo., 85¢ 1 mo., blc 1 mo.. 40c 8t. vening Star. mo., $1.00 mo. 75¢ mo, B0c Member of the Associated Press, The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the !‘u for republication of all news dispatches eredited to 1t or not otherwise credited in this paper and also the local news published herein. All rights of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved —_— The Cycle. America is on the upgrade. The down- ward path, which led from the heights of prosperity to the depths of the de- pression, is a thing of the past. The path, upon which the Nation has its feet, leads back to the heights. And with this change another cycle is almost complete, a cycle which has its roots in the world of economics but which is also entirely human, ‘The problem today—as it has been in the past, when the turn of fortune has come in the affairs of the people— s to prevent a downward plunge in the future, to keep the path steady and level. Out of the distress, the failures and despondency something has per- haps been gained—although man’s memory is of the shortest. Out of the toil and courage of the American people, which have been responsible, as they always have been responsible, for the .Nation’s return to prosperity, something should have been learned. The depression that hit America in 1029 and the years immediately follow- ing was due to world conditions in part, and to the follies of the American people themselves. The latter acted as an ac- celerator. Americans had reached the conclusion that there was no end to the values of intangibles; they were gambling with the lid off. The world was paying for the folly of the World War, the most costly conflict of the centuries. Amer- {cans had reached the conclusion that they could escape payment. ‘The struggle out of the morass of de- pression is invariably longer and more difficult than the descent. What the American people do now, as they re- gain the higher ground, is vastly im- portant. During the years of the de- pression the people have been fed on many new ideas, some of them utterly unsound. One of the most unsound is that some one—perhaps the Govern- ment—owes them something. The Amer- fcan people have been strong in their own right. They have advanced on their own motive power. Individuals have been weak and have fallen, but the great mass of the people, by their own efforts, have made great strides. By their own efforts they must advance again. If the people, as a people, determine to rest upon the strength of any one else, the Government, for example, they will make no advance. What Americans will strive for is a build-up that will have elements of permanency, not for a build-up merely to go into another tailspin. President Roosevelt's position as leader in the Na- tion today is a position of great power. The people, having re-elected him by a huge vote, will look to him for direction. ‘What he does in the days of approaching prosperity will be of far-reaching importance. No union has restored the old system by which a worker saves up his money with the cordial encouragement of an employer in the hope of establishing a little shop on his own account. No old- age pension has included the modest pleasures of humble proprietorship among its inducements. Italy and Japan. Another of those “selfish coalitions” to which President Roosevelt referred at Rio de Janeiro has just been consum- mated. Italy and Japan have concluded an accord whereby Mussolini recognizes Manchukuo and Japan acknowledges the Fascist empire of Ethiopia. Mutual commercial concessions are also pro- vided for. What else is comprehended by the pact is not disclosed, but it is generally heralded as the forerunner of an Italo-Japanese anti-Communist agreement on lines of the German- Japanese understanding. As the Germans and Italians are already linked in such an arrangement, Il Duce’s deal with Japan completes a triangular combination bound together by a common hostility to the Soviet Union. Not since the old triple alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy, the Franco-Russian counterpoise and the later Anglo-Japanese alliance, has the world seen so formidable a grouping as Berlin, Rome and Tokio have now effected. The vicious balance of power system supposedly demolished by the ‘World War is back again, as sinister in purpose and potentiality as its dis- credited predecessor. Hitler, Mussolini and the Japanese doubtless are pre- pared to argue that purely peaceful aspirations fire their hearts and hopes in bringing into a single bond of union #0 staggering an array of military and naval strength, but the world shudders over the possibilities of such striking force in the hands of the principal *have not” nations. It conjures up a terrifying specter of aggression. Soviet Russia would be recreant to fundamental dictates of self-defense if she did not take due \“0 of the powsr THE now allied against her. Evidently it was long anticipated, for it is just revealed that Russian naval, military and air strength since 1933 has been increased 1,700 per cent. The navy is being ex- panded to match the red army. The latter's capacity for' operations in the Far Fast is immensely augmented by completion of the railroad which double- tracks the trans-Siberian line. ' How pressure breeds counterpressure is aptly illustrated by plans for further increase of both the Japanese army and navy under a record-breaking budget of nearly $500,000,000. Mr. Litvinoff told the All-Soviet Con- gress on Saturday that the government has positive knowled'xe that the German- [talian-Japanese “anti-Communist” pacts are a mere mask for military action. There is no lack of circumstantial evi- dence in substantiation of Moscow's alarming information, or anything at all about it from which friends of peace can derive comfort. Government Checks. ‘The Social Security Board, in its pros- pectus sent out to industrial and busi- ness employes all over the country, an- nounces that “from the time you are 65 years old, or more, and stop working, you will get a Government check every month of your life.” It has an alluring sound. The board is preparing the 25,000,000 or more workers covered by the social insurance act for the opera- tion of the new law, with its pay roll tax and its tax upon employers, You may get a Government check. It is very much the same, however, as draw- ing your own check upon a bank in which you have deposited money over & long period of time. In other words, this is no Government largess. It is money paid to the workers out of com- pulsory savings of their own plus com- pulsory contributions made by their employers. Old-age pensions are not new In this country, except that this is the first compulsory plan, save in the case of the comparatively few employes of the Gov- ernment. Workers have paid out of their earnings for annuities, for insur- ance of various kinds, or they have amassed their own savings for their later years, holding them in banks or prop- erty of one kind or another. Now the Federal Government is undertaking to make the workers save for their old age, and to make the employers contribute to the old-age pension fund. The Social Security Board frankly says in the final part of its prospectus that the workers and their employers are to pay a Federal tax. “Your part will be taken out of your pay,” the board points out. The tax will operate as a perpetual pay cut, beginning at one per cent and finally reaching three per cent. The employer must put up a similar amount in taxa- tion to establish the old-age pension fund. The so-called Government checks which are to go to the workers when they have reached the age of 65 years will be graded according to the wages the worker has received and according to the length of time he has been at work, under the new law. If the worker is young enough when the system starts, on January 1, to work for forty years before retirement, and he receives $25 & week for 52 weeks in a year, the Gov- ernment check at age 65 and thereafter will be $53 a month. If the worker makes as much as $50 a week over that period of time, his Government check will be $74.50 a month. If the worker s | 55 years old now and has only ten years to reach pension age, and makes $15 a week, his Government check will be $19 & month; if he maRes $25 a week, his check will be $23 a month. There are many details in connection with this old-age pension plan. When all is said and done, however, 1t 1s found to be a compulsory saving plan, with a Federal tax imposed that no worker can dodge. It is simply taken out of his pay before he receives the pay. Its sup- porters insist that the social security law is an admirable thing; that it will solve many difficulties. It may. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Any idea, however, that the Govern- ment is giving the worker something for nothing; that the payments are “Government checks,” is incorrect. The Government does make the collections and the payments; it does compel the savings. Beyond that the burden falls upon the workers and their employers. The Government checks going out to the pensioners will be like other Gov- ermnment checks. They will be met by money raised from the people by taxation. ! ——e— ‘The Puritans went out and shot a wild turkey for a holiday feast with only Indians to fear. Those simple days gave no occasion for fear that gangmen would obtrude into the orderly fes- tivities. Mrs. Norton’s Headache. It is gratifying to Washington that Representative Mary Norton intends to take again the chairmanship of the Legislative Committee in the House handling District affairs, notwithstand- ing the fact that the post, in her opinion, carries with it a “headache.” Mrs. Norton has shown herself to be & good friend of the people of the District, willing to exert herself in the interest of their affairs. As for the hetdmhe business, a clinical examination: should be conducted by competent authorities to determine the cause and methods for its removal. Headaches, it is true, are sometimes Identified with District affairs in Con- gress. But hitherto the taxpaying and unrepresented members of the Wash- performance of a really important duty, ‘Too often such assignments have been regarded as thankless drudgery because of the lack of interest, on the part of members of Congress, in District affairs. Mrs. Norton's determination .not to permit local legislation to die a painful death as a result of subcommittee strangulation is regarded hopefully. It is better for the community that even such fundamentally conflicting legisla- tion as stronger gambling laws and legalized gambling on the races, both of which Mrs, Norton apparently favors, be given their fair tests and enacted or defeated on their merits than that indi- vidual members enjoy the power to re- port or to stifle measures on the basis of personal predilections. Mrs. Norton's program appeals to Washington and she will find co-opera~ tion, from the community at least, in making it effective. § ————————— Men assigned to great responsibilities must prepare to make sacrifices. The practical work on which President Roosevelt is engaged has compelled him to miss some of the most interesting foot ball in years. ——r—————— A plan to dig up more work for the Maryland Legislature does not include any such pay increases as to make it appear anything other than a call to duty. ——————————— As a republic develops it tends grad- ually toward the customs of older forms of government, one of which is to submit cabinet resignations whenever a reor- ganization seems desirable, ——— Munitions makers are said to have agreed not to destroy one another's plants. Such an arrangement would make the munitions game seem more like a “racket” than ever, ————e— Philosophers who insist that nothing is impossible will take pleasure in calling attention to the Navy's foot ball victory over the Army. War may yet be referred to by eth- nologists as & quaint survival of ancestral ideas related in principle if not in imme- diate practice to cannibalism. —— v There have been crimes committed in the name of “communism” calculated to make even a self-respecting theoretical Communist shudder. e American citizens are leaving Madrid, which has made itself conspicuously known as no place for a Thanksgiving dinner. —————————————— There are worse things than horse and buggy days; for instance, days of obso- lete wooden cars on elevated railways. Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. A Post Card Plaint. A postmaster sat all surrounded with malil; His eye was morose and his visage was pale. As he moistened his thumb, all regard- less of germs, Himself he expressed in these sorrow- ful terms: “Oh, the post cards today, they're ornate and refined, But sincerely I yearn for the old-fash- ioned kind. These show you a mountain, a lake or a dell, A castle, a farm or a lofty hotel; With comical drawings they seek to surprise. And their ready-made sayings are witty or wise. But so much of their space in this way they will use There is no room remaining for gossip or news. I'm tired of the pictures, I'm tired of the jokes; T'd much rather read of my friends and their folks, And know who is coming to visit their kin And learn how the quarrels start up or begin. This government job you can take it away— The pleasure is gone and there isn't much pay. These frivolous cards, with their pic- tures and rhyme, They just keep a postmaster wastin’ his time!” Liking for the Camera. ‘Don’t you get tired of being photo- graphed?” “No,” answered Senator Sorghum. “My moments with the camera are the happy occasions all too brief when I feel sure that my public expression is not going to get me into trouble.” Jud Tunkins says you may stop some people workin’ so hard, but he doesn’t believe you can ever do it with bill collectors. Abstruse Subject. My reasoning is quite misfit. I'm a sorely puzzled elf. But if I keep explaining it, Perhaps I'll understand myself. Always an Earnest Inquiry. “What a lot of needless questions are asked by children,” said the fatigued parent. “Yes,” replied Miss Cayenne. “And there are a few of us grown people who never seem to be seriously seeking in- formation excepting when they are ask- ing ‘What's trumps?’ ” “Patience is admirable,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “but it is of no value if while you walt you go to sleep.” Inventions, Inventions strange impressions give. We praise them and we scoff. Sometimes they help us while we live; Sometimes they kill us off. “Some songs” said Uncle Eben, *is beautiful but has foolish words, ssme a8 some folks das aings ‘em.” EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C. THE POLITICAL MILL BY G. GOULD LINCOLN, Into the discussion of political parties, and the rebuilding of the Republican party, is creeping from some quarters a belief that the country shouid not be allowed to go without & conservative party. This does not mean a reactionary party. Far from it. It means a party that will stand for conservative ideas in matters of concentration of power in Washington, in expenditures of Govern- ment funds, in the independence of tie Jjudiciary and the courts and in in- dividual liberty of action. It does not mean a party that is opposed to all “social” legislation, but rather a party that will favor such legislation where it is wise and not calculated to kill in- dividual initiative. The talk has been of building the Republican party again along more advanced lines—almost along the lines of the Roosevelt New Deal. How many of the 17,000,000 voters who supported Landon in the recent election such a move will please is a conundrum. Certainly not all of them by a wide margin, Furthermore, it is questionable 4hat the country will be benefited by having two major political parties think- ing along almost exactly similar lines. * ok K One thing that might, indeed, stimu- late the formation of a conservative party in this country would be the or- ganization of a strictly labor party, with radical leanings. If the dreams of John L. Lewis, head of the C. I. O.; Sidney Hillman and others in the labor move- ment, looking to a labor party, or per- haps a farmer-labor party, of national scope, come true, they are likely to give impetus to a party on the conservative side. In that event, organized labor might find itself in a minority position, politically. Many labor leaders in the past have visualized just such an out- come to the formation of & labor party in American politics, and some of them still do. There will be a tremendous drive to organize labor from top to bottom through the country during the next year. Primarily this drive will be di- rected to advance the economic inter- ests of labor, to obtain for the workers higher wages, shorter hours of work and better working conditions. A corollary, however, will be political unity, if the ideas of some of the leaders are car- ried out. John L. Lewis, president of the United Mire Workers of America and also head of the C. I. O, has never indicated that he is or will be a candi- date for President. But & number of persons have attributed such an ambition to him. He has shown himself a dynamic leader. If a labor party is formed he might well be its choice for the presi- dency. Mr. Lewis, however, has still to settle his differences with Willlam Green and the American Federation of Labor. If the forces of organized labor remain bitterly divided, any chance that Mr. Lewis might have for going to the White House appear decidedly slim. * * * ¥ Tn West Virginia Lewis’ power, po- litically as well as with labor, is great. The United Mine Workers there have proved themselves a force in politics. Lewis, because of his influence with labor and the backing he might receive from the State Federation of Labor as well as the United Mine Workers, might go to the Democratic National Conven- tion in 1940, it is said, with the West Virginia delegation in his pocket. If there is a national labor party he would surely have the West Virginia delega- tion with him, and probably the dele- gations from a number of other States. Lewis might find, however, that he is not available as a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. Charles Brooks Smith, Washington cor- respondent for the Wheeling Intelli- gencer, writing for his newspaper, sug- gests that Lewis, in that event, might throw his support to Senator Mathew Mansfield Neely, who has just been re- elected. Neely has always been a strong supporter of labor during his long serv- ice in Congress, both as member of the House and, in recent years, as a member of the Senate. Neely and Lewis ran roughshod over Senator Rush D. Holt in the recent political campaign. Holt, who a couple of years ago was a -protege of Neely and the United Mine Workers, turned on the Roosevelt New Deal ad- ministration and was a bitter critic of the W. P. A. He sought to bring about the defeat of Neely for re-election, but failed utterly. * K kX The next four years hold many pos- sibilities, politically. It is early to be talking of a successor to President Roosevelt. There are plenty of ambitious Democrats who would like a shot at the presidential nomination in 1940, among them the Governors of Indiana and Pennsylvania. Gov. McNutt of Indiana, who was once national commander of the American Legion, has built up a power- ful organization in his State. He suc- ceeded in having his candidate for Gov- ernor nominated and elected on the Democratic ticket. It is expected that he will remain the power behind the throne in Indiana, and that he will keep his grasp on the organization. Gov. Earle of Pennsylvania was widely publicized as a playboy when he was a candidate for election in 1934. Since he became Governor, however, he has been an ardent supporter of the New Deal and has advanced himself as the friend of labor and the less privileged classes. He goes out of office in 1938, and whether he will be able to keep himself in the national picture so as to make a bid for the presidential nomination in 1940 remains to be seen. * k% % ‘When it comes to considering Repub- lican presidential possibilities four years hence it is clear that much will depend upon the line the Republican party takes. If it is to become more and more liberal, the choice of a candidate will be entirely different from such a choice if the party becomes the conservative party of the country. During the last two years much was heard of Senator Van- denberg of Michigan as a possible presi- dential nominee. The Michigan Senator declined flatly to become & candidate. an avowed candidate, for the nomination the Republican nomination for Vice President, a nomination he might have had easily if he had been willing to go along. * ok k% Vandenberg is a comparatively young is recognized as one of the nomination this year. It is not likely he will be a candidate four years hence. Vandenberg will be constantly in the public eye as the senior Senal Michigan, one of the great Central MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1936. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES B. TRACEWELL, ‘The loquacious fellow has his draw- backs, but what about the man who never says anything at all? Is he trying to emulate Carlyle's great silent man, or has he just nothing to say? And it not, then why not? Such silent folk wili be the biggest mystery of all to the person who fondly regards himself as normal, in this respect, who talks when he has something to say, and refrains from speaking when he has nothing. The silent man seems so at odds with his world. Whatever may be said about these times, for or against, at least they are interesting. Not only are the surface manifestations around the world worth picturing, in words and photographs, but the deep implications thereof are absorbing. ‘Which way is the civilized world going? This is worth talking about, if any- thing is, but the silent man never talks about it, or anything else. * ok ow He remains silent. ‘Talkative people will admire him, in & way, since he is able to achieve some- thing they scarce can achieve. They will continue to think, however, that he is making a big mistake. The world is too full of wonder to remain still about it. The human tongue is too given to wagging for any such instrument to remain still forever, except it be done by malice aforethought. Hence the silent man must ever have attributed to him deep laid plans of _grand strategy, which, by the way, he doesn’t deserve at all. One may come to the conclusion, after watching & few of these natural speci- mens for a considerable time, that they simply are afraid, both of themselves and of life. k%% That, of course, is strictly their own business, No doubt such an attitude saves a lot of wear and tear, too. A great silent man haS no worries about being misunderstood. He need never fear deliberate misin- terpretations of what he has said. He is forever sure that no one can misquote him. How coud it be otherwise? He never says anything' Even the wildest fellow given to mis- quoting others would find it difficult to misquote the man who seldom makes & remark at all. * %% Silent men must be, in essence, bits of frauds. Picture one in his home, f you can, and see a man who talks and laughs the same as the rest of us. He cannot fool us, can he? At home, in the bosom of his family, he says his say, without a doubt. This must be true, because he is human, and has the same problems and trials and tribulations, the same triumphs and much the same sorrows. Literally, he must say something, some time. He cannot possibly be as self-contained at home as he is in the great world at large. * % % % ‘The wonder is, ther, that he does not open up, and say something, now and then, for the goad of his own soul, and possibly that of others. Alt" least he might say, “Good morn- The elements of common politeness have been worked out over the centuries, by men of good-will, men of medium good-will, and men of no good-will at all. One and all, they agree on the neces- sity for a cordial greeting to those with whom one daily comes in contact. ‘This is such an elementary proposi- tion that it would seem to be self- evident, but as evidently, the great silent man, whoever he is, and whatever his name, does not know it. Does not know it? Of course, he knows it! He cannot fool us. Doesn’t he smoke his pipe, like other men, eat his breakfast and rud his newspaper? * * * ‘Then why doesn’t he talk? All the pleasant things of the daily life call for proclamation. If any one does not believe this, let him take a look at pet dog or cat. These animals, so human in so many ways, yet miss being human in the most human of all ways—the power of talking. This is to be human, to talk over with dear ones, with friends and acquaint- unces, the interesting things of the daily life, as reflections from that life. ‘The gift of tongues is the most per- fect gift, next to that of sight. The latter the animals share with us; their sight, in fact, is more perfect. But they have only the most ele- mentary way of telling each other what they have seen. Man, alone, of all living creatures, has the power of living all over again every- thing he sees, by the power of speech. * ok % X He should not, then, hide this perfect light of his under a bushel, but make use of it as often as may be necessary. Just how much speech is necessary is no problem at all. It depends upon the temperament, but the disposition which says to itself, “No speech is necessary,” is doing a wrong to others. Others need your speech. No man has a moral right, it may be believed, to go through the world mute unless he has to. There may be times and occasions when no speech at all is essential, and desirable, but in the main the exercise of this glory of mankind, this sharing and making new the many interests of life, is a need and a duty which few ought to shirk. Many persons would hesitate to recom- mend to the great silent man as much trivial conversation as they themselves indulge in. Proverbs are full of admonitions to the ready tongue. But there is a mean, a dividing line, between talking too much and talking not at all. Often the average man and woman hits this line of good talking, of helpful talking, of inspirational talking more than he or she is given credit for. And if there is error, on the talkative side, at least it is on the side of humanity. “WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Both in Berlin and Tokio there are coy suggestions that the United States might not be averse to teaming up in some form or other with the German-Japa- nese drive to form a league of nations to combat communism. These fancy hopes are apparently based on the pro- test submitted at Moscow last year fol- lowing references to this country during the Congress of the Third International. ‘There is, of course, not a Chinaman’s chance that Uncle Sam would ever en- tangle himself in any anti-red alliance. ‘When Litvinoff secured Soviet recogni- tion in Washington three years ago, the U. 8. 8. R. entered into a specific stipu- lation to refrain from subversive propa- ganda on American soil in any way, shape or form. It was a condition for establishment of diplomatic relations, on which President Roosevelt laid as much stress as he did on debts and trade. Itis undoubtedly Washington's purpose, as far as the Communist peril is concerned, to rest on this formal agreement with Stalin’s government and let it go at that. In any event, nothing is more fantastic than the thought that we would ever be coaxed, browbeaten or horn- swoggled into co-operation in so-called “defense measures,” military or other- wise, of the sort which the Nazis and the Japanese now plan for the purpose of rolling back the crimson tide which they pretend is about to engulf the world. * x ok % “Photographic Register of the Amer- fean Foreign Service” is the title of an uncommonly interesting 171-page publi- cation just off the press. In it are not only individual photographs of the men and women who conduct our interna- tional relations at home and abroad, from President Roosevelt and Secretary Hull down to the humblest Vice Consul, but also pictures of all United States diplomatic and Consular premises throughout the world. The book tells a graphic statistical story about the for- eign service. Established in 1776, with the declaration of American indepen- dence, it now consists of 57 embassies and legations, 259 Consular offices, 17 Ambassadors, 37 Ministers, 683 foreign service officers assigned abroad or on duty in the State Department, 1,619 clerks and 1,291 miscellaneous employes —a total personnel, as of July 1, 1936, of 3,647. Other details narrate that there are more than 1,200 treaties, conventions and agreements to which the United States is a party and 26 permanent in- ternational bodies in which this coun- try maintains membership, including its share in the cost of their operation. As Spanish events are proving, protection of American citi2ens living abroad is a primary function of the foreign service. On January 1, 1935, they numbered 409,- 306. The net cost of conducting our foreign relations is around $8,000,000 a year. * ok k * Apropos current discussion of foreign funds, or “hot money,” invested in Amer- ican securities, estimated at a round $7,000,000,000, it is noteworthy that our own stake abroad on Jsnuary 1, 1931— which was about the time our dollars quit rolling so merrily into overseas ventures—aggregated $15,170,028,000 in long-term investments, or more than double the amount which foreigners have tied up in stocks and bonds over here. ‘That figure does not inciude the $12,000,000,000-odd of European war debts, which are about to be semi- annually ignored again when due date, December 15, comes around. Theoreti- ington as to whether one of the concrete steps to be taken at Buenos Aires will be the adoption of a neutrality program which would include an embargo on supplying war materials to belligerent powers outside of the Western Hemi- sphere. A highly placed observer who hopes for action to that end says Presi- dent Roosevelt would be “immortal” if he were to secure a resolution reading simply that “the Americas will not participate in a non-American war either by men or materials.” This would prevent shipments from North, South or Central America of cotton, oil, copper, wheat, meat, sugar, coffee, iron prod- ucts and tin. “Without them.” opines the authority in question, “w: be a fist fight, especially if Ru which controls the rest of those neces- sities, adhered to the inter-American program.” * % X ¥ Among those who greeted President Roosevelt at Rio de Janeiro last week were the heads of the United States naval and military missions, which are assisting Brazil to modernize her na- tional defense establishment —:espec- tively, Capt. C. C. Gill, U. 8. N, and Gen. Rodney H. Smith, U. S. A. An agreement has just been signed to continue the military mission for an- other two years. It consists of four officers, who are supevintending the de- velopment of the Brazilian cecast artil- lery service. K& ‘William Green, just elected to his thir- teenth annual term as president of the American Federation of Labor, is rapicly | approaching the record tenure so long held by the late Samuel Gompers. Frank Morrison, re-elected A. F. of L. secretary, is also accumulating a proud array of service stripes. He was elected secre- tary in 1897, antedating Green's presi- dency by 27 years. Mr. Green is a native Ohioan and miner by trade. Mr. Mor- rison was born in Canada and carries a Typographical Union card. President Green’s triumphant re-election at this embattled juncture of the labor move- ment is thought to strengthen his hands in the bitter strife with John L. Lewis in the craft vs. industrial union im- broglio. The United Mine Workers' chieftain is the only labor leader who has ever been held capable of dethron- ing Green in the federation high com- mand. * ok k¥ Miss Agnes MacPhail, last night’s Washington Town Hall speaker, who discussed Canadian-American relations, was first elected to the Dominion House of Commons in 1921. She remains the only woman ever to win a seat in ihe Ottawa Parliament, although it was once expected she would blaze a trail for extensive participation of her sex in that body. Country school teacher bty origin, Miss MacPhail has consistently refused to align herself with any political party, winning re-election successive occasions as an uncompi inde- pendent. In 1929 she was appointed one of Canada’s three delegates to the League of Nations and was eventually assigned to the Geneva Disarmament Commis- sion. In Canada Miss MacPhail has 'been active in prison reform, the peace movement and in the fleld of old-age (Copyright, 1936.) Blameless. the Indianapolis News. d now a scientist has discovered that 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 colder is it in Washing- :c;n,‘l')’ C., on January 20 than on March A, Jlnulry 20 averages 6 degrees lower in temperature than March 4. Q. What is the nssocmlon called the Blue Birds?—M. M. A. It is an ornnlufion of girls too young to belong to the Camp Fire Girls. It is under the jurisdiction of the Camp Fire Girls. Q. In what decade did the railroad mileage of the United States show the greatest increase?—M. C. A. From 1880 to 1890 when the mile- age increased from 93,267 to 167,191, Q. How many men were fighting at the battle of Gettysburg?—B. J. A. Gen. Lee commanded a Confederate !urr,e of 75,000 men, while the Union Army under Gen. Meade numbered more than 85,000 Q. Is Ecuador represented by a Min- LsteEr or an Ambassador in Washington?— . A. A. Being a small republic Ecuador is ordinarily represented by a Minister. The present Minister, Senor Capitan Colon Eloy Alfaro, has the rank of Am- bassador E. and P. for the duration of the boundary negotiations between the governments of Ecuador and Peru. The latter nation normally exchanges Am- bassadors with the United States. Q. Is it true that Lawrence of Arahin lost the original manuscript of *7 Seven Pillars of Wisdom"?—J. W. H A. Lawrence’s original work, begun 1919, was known as “Seven ‘rrmple was four times longer than the “Sec- Pillars of Wisdom.” While chang trains at Reading Station. near Lond- he lost the manuscript. Within a fe months he rewrote a second draft, b was not satisfied with his work ar burned it. The third and present te was composed with great care, rename and upon his death last year, the un- expurgated version was given to the world. Q. How many of the needy-aged, blir- and children have been aided by pro- visions for them under the social security act?—M. G. A. The Federal Government 18 now co-operating with States which have conformed to the act in caring for 1,400,- 000 people distress. Q. Where was Mme. Alla Nazimova born?—H. F. A. The actress was born in the Crimea, Russia. ' Q. When will Mercury transit the sun face next year?—N. S. A. A partial transit of Mercury ovc the sun’s disk occurs May 11, 1937. It i= invisible at Washington, D. C. The gress and egress are visible generali over Southern Asia, the Philippine Islands, Western Australla, the Indian Ocean and Central and Southern Africa. Q. What is the derivation of the word “Bible"?>—C. P. A. It comes originally from the Greek byblus or papyrus, the name of the mate- rial upon which ancient books were written. Q. Before the coming of the white man did Indians smoke tobacco for personal enjoyment?—D. D. A. Students of the subject believe that Indians did not smoke for pleasure. Tobacco smoking was a -ceremonial cus- tom associated with councils, treaty- making, public functions, religion and medical practice. does “Sahara” mean?— is a variant of the Arabic "sahlu. which means deserts, wastes or wilds. Q. Who was given the nickname “the dumb ox?"—A. T. A. St. Thomag Aquinas. His fellow students at Cologne gave him the name because of his taciturnity and dreami- ness. His tutor said of him: “The dumb ox will one day fill the world with his lowing.” Q Where is the Wateree River?— A It rises in the Blue Ridge. Nort Carolina, its upper course being known r s the Catawba. Flowing south into o' 1 Carolina, it unites with the Congaree Lo form the Santee River. Q. Is there such a word as “zenana"? —E. H. A. The word refers to the apartments in which Indian women are secluded. The term corresponds with the Moham= medan harem. Q. What is included in the industry classified as Photographic Apparatus and _l:alt;n-la and Projection Apparatus?— A. This industry, as classified for census purposes, embraces those estah- lishments engaged primarily in tii> man- ufacture of cameras (inclucnz motion picture cameras), motion p.il. 2 pro- Jjection machines, photc- = unes, blue-printing machines, paratus and materials, holders, film rewinde's end r veloping tanks, sensil cloth, dry plates and filnzg lanter stereopticon slides and sheet gelatin. Q. Is solid furniture better than veneered furniture?—N. C. T. A. The furniture industry does not classify as to quality on this basis. In ordinary practice, chairs and the frame- work of case goods are made of solid lumber, while large surfaces are made of built-up plywood. A Rhyme at Twilight B y Gertrude Brooke Hamilton Frosty Weather. I like to drive far out on a cold night, Out and away beyond the city light; ‘Where the stars blaze above the dark fir trees, Their conic tops rime-polished by the Ireeze; Shadowy half-tones, b;oken here and By the light, silvery frosting everywhere; ‘The skies like burnished steel; the cold intense; The stiliness and the solitude immense. A A