Evening Star Newspaper, December 5, 1936, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D, C. SATURDAY _December 5, 1936 THEODORE W. NOYES.. Editer The Evening Star Newspaper Company. 8t. and Pennsylvania Ave. New' York Office: 110 East 42nd 8t Chicago Office: Lake Michigan Buliding. Rate by Carrier Within the City. Regular Editi ‘The Evening Star_ The Evening and Sul (when 4 Sundays) e Evening and Su (when 5 Sundavs) The Sunday Star__ = Night Final Edit Night F"!\Il‘ gvnd Sunday Star Night ne. ar . A Jectior. made at the d_of el o on be sent by mail or teiephone Na- 5¢ per month 80c per month 65¢ per month 3¢ per copy ders may tional 5000 Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. and Vireir $6.00: 1 mo. 3be $4.00; 1 mo.. 40c All Other States and Canada. {7 and Sunday_1 yr. $12.00: 1 mo. $1.00 g:\.v only_ o _ 1 yr. " $R00: 1 mo., unday only _ Boc 5.00; 1 mo., Member of the The Associated Press i the use for republication 1 eredited 1o it or not otherwise credited in this paper and aiso the local news published herein, Al of publication of special dispatches also_reserved. Tugwell Interprets. Dr. Tugwell, late No. 1 member of the “brain trust,” writing on “The Future of National Planning” in the New Re- public, gives hix interpretation of the recent election. “‘Our leaders,” he writes, *have been told that their concern for the common man and Federal interven- tion is approved.” i= generally accepted. Dr. Tugwell, how- ever, goes further. He writes also: “The arguments for States’ rights and for the sacredness of certain other institutions, made certainly with extreme emphasis and with the directness of accusation, have been repudiated.” It ix true that opponents of the New Deal argued that if it were given con- tinued life, States’ rights would wane and become more and more attenuated, with absolute control reposing in Washington. It is also true that they resented in their ¢ampaign speeches attacks which have been made during the New Deal sway upon the Supreme Court and the courts in general. It is also a fact, how- ever, that the New Deal campaigners | were silent on both these subjects during the campaign. They apparently were un- willing during the campaign period to set themselves up as openly antagonistic to | States’ rights or to the Supreme Court. Had they adopted an out and out cam- paign, declaring against States’ rights and against the Supreme Court, strong feeling might have been aroused. No effort was made by the President, upon whose shoulders the whole of the New Deal campaign rested, to declare for a | constitutional amendment which would diminish the rights of the States eor limit the authority of the Supreme Court. The interpretation placed upon the election by the President and his admin- istration and by the Congress has yet to be disclosed. It does not seem probable that they will go as far as Dr. Tugwell in his assertion that the country has turned its back on the dual system of government set up by its founders, or that it will view with complacency attacks directed at “certain other institutions,” which, rightly or wrongly, are regarded as Dr. Tugwell's method of referring to the Supreme Court and other courts. Dr. Tugwell, who has gone into the business world, expresses a rather low opinion of the acumen of American business men generally. “Perhaps,” he suggests, “in time the demand for eco- nomic statesmanship will sink in” and the “die-hard industrialists” will co- operate. Much of the criticism directed ot Dr. Tugwell during his term in the Government service and in the “brain trust” came from business men. It is hot unnatural that he should retaliate. Tt is not beyond the bounds of possi- bility, however, now that He is entering the business world himself, that the doctor may revise some of his former opinions. e Magazine articles are of little help in outlining & course of conduct to meet a possible emergency. They are too much like trying to frame answers to the ques- tion, “What would you do in case of fire?” e " No form of censorship can permanently fuppress news. Many whimsical defini- tions of news have been given. One compares it to a firecracker. The tighter you wrap it, the louder it explodes. —— Democratizing Christmas. Christmas by its very nature should be & democratic occasion. The Savior whose birth it commemorates came into the world for all humanity. No living soul, then, should be debarred by accident from participation in the annual cele- bration of the central fact of human history. Certainly, no little child ever should be permitted to suffer a cheerless Yuletide. It is with some such thoughts as these that the sponsors of The Star-Warner Brothers-N. B. C. Christmas toy cam- paign and the sixteenth Metropolitan Police Christmas party approach their grateful task. Their aim is merely that of providing ways and means for the community spirit of Washington to manifest itself. Every resident of the District of Columbia, they have reason to believe, desires to contribute to the happiness of this year’s sacred holiday. ‘Through the co-operation of four prac- tical agencies the problem of when to give, what to give and how to -give is solved. It will help if the giving is prompt, and those who intend to send money are especially requested not to @elay. $ Food and clothing are wanted in quan- tities equal to the need of many hun- dreds of families, and Major Ernest W. Brown has asked that such offerings be delivered to the precinct houses of his department as soon as may be conven- fent. ‘Toys—please note that they should be new and have the pristine character which only playthings fresh from Santa Claus are apt to !—are the price of admission &t the it different movie That interpretation- | were -and budget balancing. THE EVENING entertainments of BSaturday morning, December 19. The sixty-seven local or- ganisations of the Parent-Teacher Asso- ciation, with headquarters at 1201 Six- teenth street northwest, are compiling the names of boys and girls who should be remembered and, with the police, will be in general charge of the distribuiion. But readers of The Star and listeners- in to the National Broadcasting Com- pany programs already are familiar with arrangements now perfected for the campaign. All that requires to be added is an appeal to share in the privilege of joining in.the work. Yet what could any one say that would serve to quicken the zeal of a public famous for its altru- ism and its fellow-feeling? In seasons past Christmas has been joysome in the Nation's Capital, and 1936 bids fair to break the existing record. Let everybody do his part for the fun and the heart- warming satisfaction which will be the glad result. The reward will be a smile on the face of every boy and girl in ‘Washington. e Belated Measures. Friday's proceedings in the London In- ternational Committee for Non-Inter- vention in 8pain savor strongly of lock- ing the stable door after the horse is stolen. The meeting was convened at the behest of twenty-six anxious neutral nations which are bent upon preventing outbreak of a general European conflict. The immediate purpose is to evolve an eleventh-hour plan to embargo shipment of war materials to the embattled penin- sula. The neutral states also desire an investigation of the soldiers from many lands now fighting with both loyalist and insurgent forces. These belated moves to grapple with the crisis coincide with British advices that between five and six thousand Germans recently joined Gen. Franco's armies, with their govern- ment’s tacit consent. While Nazi au- thorities deny that these men are in any sense to be regarded as organised “troops” or proceeded to Cadiz, their re- ported landing place, with either official knowledge or consent, it is conceded that certain numbers of Germans may of their own voliticn have gone to Spain to fight. Their status is thus defined purely as that of “volunteers,” over whose move- ments the government cannot exercise any control “in detail.” They must be inspired, Berlin pleads, by an idealistic and irresistible urge to combat com- munism—an impulse which Nazi leaders are in no wise disposed to curb. During the past few weeks, especially throughout the rebel siege of Madrid, there were circumstantial reports that Franco's depleted armies have been re- plenished by Fascist recruits from both Germany and Italy. Simultaneous rumors of French and Russian reinforce- ments for the government defenders aiso | current. That insurgents and | loyalists alike have long been in receipi of foreign aid in both man-power and munitions is an open European secret. Prolongation of the civil war into the sixth month and its prosecution with | ever increasing ferocity would obviously be impossible except for outside help. | The commonest belief is that the stub- born resistance Pranco has encountered at Madrid convinced his dictator friends in Berlin and Rome that if the Fascist cause in Spain is to triumph, the insur- gents require quick and substantial as- sistance. There is no lack of proof that they are getiing it. At this desperate stage of the fratri- cidal Spanish strife, it remains 1o be seen whether the tardy measures now con- templated by the feeble non-intervention committee, as well as proposed stop-the- war efforts by the League Council at | Geneva, will avail either to arrest blood- shed and pillage in Spain or preserve Europe from embroilment in the Fascist- Communist duel raging beyond the Pyr- enees. It is painfully apparent that no time is to be lost if there is to be averted by international action that “impending catastrophe” of which Pres- ident Roosevelt gave warning at Buenos Alres, — e Reports that Herbert Hoover intends to live abroad are emphatically denied. He has cultivated a radio technique that his present audience enjoys and it would be unreasonable for him to seek to develop something new to meet foreign fancy. ———e—s. A Cut That Hurts. The action of the United States Con- ference of Mayors in petitioning the President to countermand the order for reduction of W. P. A. costs in December indicates the nature of the coming battle between budget balancing and relief spending. The President has ordered a reduction of seven per cent in the De- cember relief costs as against the Novem- ber total. The Mayors inform the President that any suggestion of “whole- sale dismissals or substantial reduction at this time is simply out of the ques- tion.” As an alternative they suggest that reduction be postponed until Jan- uary 15. Congress will then be in session, more inclined, the Mayors doubtless be- Teve, to regard sympathetically the plight of the cities than is the Executive, busy now with plans for curtailment ‘The Mayors’ problem, of course, is pretty generally understood. Unless re- ductions in the relief rolls are the result of increasing private employment, so that the relief worker steps directly into private employment, the cities are des- tined to feel the full brunt of the cur- tailment. As it is, reductions in total expenditures to a desired level can be made only by arbitrary action of the relief authorities, without reference to the particular demand that may . exist, For one of the demonstrations of public | relief expenditures has been that the “demand” for relief is always equal to the amount of money avyailable to for reliel. Most of the substantial reductions in relief expenditures have been brought about by ah arbitrary cut in quotas. And there is good reason ‘to believe that_the only way to cut the relie{ expendi in future is to cut them, let the fall where they may. Should the President yield to the re- quest of the Mayors for a postponement of the reductions ordered for December, thus placing responsibility on Congress alone, the prospects for any substantial reduction are considerably diminished. And the serious problem of curtailing expenditures in an effort toward budget balancing becomes more complex. D Valuation First. The traction company voluniarily adopted the one-dollar weekly street car pass as an experiment designed to in- crease the number of street car riders. The number of riders has increased, but the dollar pass has long since lost favor with the company as a revenue pro- ducer and will be discontinued in favor of the dollar-and-a-quarter pass, inter- changeably used on streel cars and busses. That leaves the Public Ulilities Com- mission to decide on the company’s peti- tion for increasing the token rate of fare. The commission holds that the company may drop the dollar pass—as it was adopted—in its discretion, but other changes in the rate structure must re- ceive commission approval. Before any action is taken on the token rate increase the commission proposes 1o complete its work on valuation of the traction com- pany properties, & work which was in- terrupted and held in abeyance pending final merger of the lines. As no constructive decisions on rates can be made without an agreed-upon valuation for rate-making purposes, the commission’s decision is wise. Gas and electric rates are now adjusted amicebly on the basis of sliding scale formulas, which, in turn, are coupled with agreed- upon rate-making valuations. Is it too much to hope that some similarly work- able plan for the traction company will result from the forthcoming valuation proceedings? — B American opinion has ssserted pow- erful influence jn British affairs, even in matters of literary entertainment. It was American appreciation that made Kipling financially independent despite his failure to win the patronage of the crown which he so frankly coveted. s Canterbury remains & somewhat cheerless spot in history despite Chaucer’s distinguished efforts to em- bellish it with a series of humorous fancies. —————— Pennsylvania is now a Democratic State, but it still holds a eonsiderable populace that thinks more of Boise Pen- rose than it does of Thomas Jeflerson. b wt—a In friendly conversations with neigh- boring America, the alphabet again asserts itself with the reminder that A stands for Argentine. HE I T L e 1 Old songs are being revived. Bachelor | diplomats abroad will be expected to | | tune in on “The Girl I Left Behind Me.” — e Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. A Genial Pause. We're obliged to face the blowing Of the cruel Winter gale. We must travel through the snowing, With no biossoms on the trail. Through contentions we are straying, But it's all & friendly game, And we'll pretty soon be saying “Happy New Year,” just the same. There are harsh recriminations, Like the icy shafts that fly, But the old-time salutations Will be given by and by. And though Maytime is delaying, In advance good cheer well claim, And we'll pretty soon be saying “Happy New Year,” just the same. Inquisitiveness. “Why do so many people want to go to the United States Senate?” “Curiosity is & natural trait of human nature,” answered Senator Sorghum. “The Senate is the place where every- thing on earth is sooner or later in- vestigated.” Jud Tunkins says he calls a lady by her first name in some cases, not be- cause he wants to act familiar, but be- cause he’s not sure what the name of her latest husband may happen to be. ’ Self-Reliance. As for knowledge we are seeking ‘We have heard & lot of speaking By present company or radio. ‘We admire the erudition As one man takes a position And another says his teachings are not so. We may sometimes grow regretful And perhaps a little fretful As they read and offer wisdom at a glance. Mere advice in an oration ‘Will not solve your situation. You must use your common sense and take your chance. “He who speaks nothing but the truth,” said Hi Ho, the sage of China- town, “must live long in silent contem- plation in order to discover it.” Safety in Romance. “I am told you have fallen in love with a motion picture star.” “It's the truth,” answered Cactus Joe. “I go to see every film she’s in and sit in worshipful silence—knowin’, of course, I'll never havg, a chance to meet her personally—which, after all, is the safest way of fallin’ in love I know of,” Prehistoric Associations. ‘The monsters I have seen restored In museums that I've explored. Andthis I'll say with faith unmoyed; Society is much improved. A lmmht_:yllhelhmme what Tm thinkin’ about,” said Uncle mnfln‘mmmm STAR, WASHINGTON, 'D. C, SATURDAY, DECEMBER Constructive Observations On the Spirit of Giving To the dilor of The Bulr, To give to the child st Christmas is & fine thing to do; yet I wonder if the spirit of giving is not lacking. Do we give at Christmas because the child ex- pects something. or do we give because we want the child Lo have a gift. The it of giving, whether it be &t Christ- mas for the child, & birthday for your wife or husband, ,an soniversary re- membrance or a special occasion in one's life, should be the growing up in the heart of the individual of a ieeling of of recognition for the coming occasion. The entire family set-up is based on self-expression of all that goes to make the individual of that family an integral part of his home, L us ask ourselves this question, “Am 1 ving Johnny a. present because Johnny is looking forward to it,” or, “am I giving him the present because with- in me is a desive Lo.make him happy?” A gift truly to be a gift must be & “drop from the soul of the giver.,” Without this spirit & gift loses its true aspect and becomes a passing of an article for a reciprocation in future monetary return or fulure emotional acquiescence in the being of the giver. When you give ask yourself, “Is this really & gift, or is it a bribe?” The art of making one happy is not an art that might be accomplished by occasional evidences of good-will. 1t is better to be “thought good of” all year round than to be “shéwn good to” when the consclence of the “good gracer” re- lenis to a warning that he has been thoughtless. Guaze into your magic glass aL a few of the families you know. Do You nuot see that thosé that are sounder in character and stabjlity of reputation a&re those who believe in the art of gliving not only on occasion but through- out the year. Is it mot true that the unbeliever in giving has failed to meas- ure up in many of the other traits of character that picture a wholesomeness in family life. Remember, give for the spirit of giving, not for your own emotional satistaction and not for the recipient’s expectation, and, as the glving spirit overtakes you your judgment of life's problems will take on a sounder hue, 30 that & spirit of happiness will always pervade vour household. BENJAMIN MOSS. LT, Effectiveness of Swedish ¢ Industrial Organizations “To the Edilor of The Siar: The Swedes, s0 I note, are a God-fear- ing and a law-abiding peeple. They re- spect their King and their religion (Lutheran), “The pure evangelical faith.” “the ma jesty of the Swedish king- dom and the church of God which rests | soul” is No Mr., therein.” And so “Sweden’s safe in the arms of Jesus, Hoover is called for. But in matters of the body these two | poweis have no say. The people rule. Organized as “business,” “labor,” farmers and even consumers, they advise with each other in Parliament (Riksdag) and | out. There is none of this “nothing to arbitrate” business. The big industrials, of course, are conservative, but they always find the middle ground with labor. Msany of the country's enter- prises are operated by the nation—rail- ways, in part, telegraphs, telephones and, of course, the liquor traffic. Every time that & Swede takes a snifter he takes it pro bono publico, for King and coun- try. The land abounds with co-operative stores. A Mr. Alvin Johannson is in supreme charge. He draws $5.000 a year and does an excellent job. Here some captains of industry would ask and get about $100,000 a year plus a block of stock, plus a bonus, plus § Christmas tree and a paper cap for New Year eve. And so what? After all the cream is lapped up by those in front, then the milk can is passed on to those behind. FRED VETTER. Transit Services Growing Worse Instead of Better To the Editor of The Star. For the past two vears whenever people began to criticize the transportation sys- tem in this city I have always tried ¢ | defend it on the grounds that it had a huge problem with a fast-growing popu- lation and that the merging of the two | systems would make it much better. However, I have been forced to come to the conclusion that the transit company is more dividend-conscious than service- conscious. Winter is here and the public is to be made to suffer for inefficiency. It is bad enough to have to wait for 20 to 30 min- utes in good weather for a bus, but to | have to wait in cold rain, sleet and snow is detrimental to the genera] health of the community. unreasonably wait in the cold and then have them cough and sneeze out germs | in a suffocatingly packed bus is any- thing but a public service. According to the press reports, the transit system is not paying and will have teo increase its fares. If the trans- portation company is justified in de- manding more money for its “services,” the public is more than justified in de- manding a decent amount of service. If the system cannot give proper serv- ice and make money. let it get out and allow the Government at least to give to the voteless citizens of this community dependable and more pleasurable trans- portation. ADRIAN PINSINCE, JR. - — Simple Ritual Affords’ Warmth to Chilly-Natured Prom the Providence Bulletin. The Journal of the American Medical Association, which does its level best to cheer us mortals up in the face of a bad situation, offers a word of en- couragement to those who suffer unduly from cold weather. The journal not only suggests & rem- edy for the acute suffering of those too, too sensitive people whose flesh shrinks from the icy fang of Winter, but it presents their case to an unsympathetic world in a very sympathetic way indeed. They'’re to be pitied rather than scoffed at when they draw the anti- macassar more closely about their shoul- ,ders and sit first upon one leg and then the other. They're even to be con- siderately dealt with (this we add upon our own initiative) when they’ complain of drafts from doors carelessly left ajar. For their infirmities are deep-seated and cannot be banished = by :taking thought, as more robust and full-blooded members of the family would have them think. It appears that a disagreeable chemical is released from the:offended tissues and carried in the blood to the very seats of misery. You caw see at & glance how serious this is. So wretched do these people become Hete | interested in. Even on the floors of Con- | source of so many of Lhe needless flin, To make the public | 5, 1936. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. “My fellow workers down at the office,” writes a correspondent, “care little abous bird or animal life. “They move in an entirely different atmosphere, wholly unaware of the in- teresting things Nature has put before them. “They never hear a robin sing, they cannot tell the difference between a starling and a sparrow.” And, let it be said in justice to them, they do not care a whoop! Most of them have found other in- terests in life which satisfy them more. 1t is, as some one said long ago, all & niatter of taste. A few of those honest persons who have no interest whatsoever in what are termed, vaguely, the Lhings of Nature, yet may find themselves interested, and, in time, become as enthusiastic as any. Soine, born to apartment houses, find after & season or 50 as lord and master of a small plot of ground, that a whole new world of interest opens up for them. A chance visit to the home of a friend who keeps tropical fishes in small tanks may get them interested in this fine recreation and hobby. The sight of & vase of flowers in & florist’'s window has powers beyond com- prehension; one local flower culturist got his start in that way. Just the sight of pink roses and gladioli in a vase— nothing more, but enough. D In the meaniime, let all persons who have a natural and innate love of Nature cling tenaciously to their likes and their admirations and not be swayed now or ever by the petty sneerings of those who have no such interests. ‘This is a large world, and an even larger universe, which is very fortunate for all of us, after all, since the mere fact means so much of interest. so endless and 50 boundless, that surely there is enough room for our interests, whatever they may be, without any one quarreling with any one else about them. Such quarreling as is indulged in, let it ‘be kept in mind. is not out-and-out quarreling, and is. therefore. all the more dangerous. since the sensitive person, the tvpe more likely to be intrigued by many of the sights, schemes and happenings of the natural scene around us, often will nol recognize an atlack against him when 1t oceurs. Pelty joking sbout his interesis, as if they were not worthy of the cultivation of an adult person, unless he is able to make money out of them, is the com- monest form of this attack. It is based, of course, upon the plain common sense of the people, always put to it to mske a living. Just as men in some lines always put up “a poor mouth,” as the saying is. no matter how much mouney they may be making. so there are thousands of persons who find it expedi- ent to “run Gown” anything they are not gress many flings have been flung, over the vears, at devoted scien.ists who write of the animal world. It seems that ignorance is not only the mother of all evil, but certainly the at those who happen, through tempera- ment and devotion, to be in possession of facts which the great herd of mankind does not know about. On this basis the extremely ignorant, the envious, and often the sophisticated, strangely enough, join hands, or minds, perhaps. would be better, for it is the mind, after all, which sneers. STARS, MEN TRACEWELL. In one extremely sophisticated maga- zine several years ago there was an article poking fun at the aquarium enthusiast who had written, in an aquarium maga- sine, rticle on white worms. These sre small forms of life useful in giving aquarium fishes live food during the Winter season, when other forms of wriggling life, such as angle worms, are hard to come by. There is nothing at all comichl about the matter. but to the writer in the sophisticated magazine, who was just looking for something to poke fun at, the idea was howlingly funny —Just becauss he had never heard of it! Ignorance, then, is usually at the base of much which passes as “fun.” = % Persons interested in Nature, in the average walks of life, will have much to contend with, unless they can show & monetary balance in their favor. 8ince most often they cannot, they will discover that occasionally it pays to keep their favorite interests t¢ them- selves, sure always of a few sympathizers. ‘To expect interest and sympathy from the great masq 18 to expect something which seldom comes to pass. Keep, then, these natural interests, for the chosen few, or even for one's self, and feel certain that by this attitude nothing will be missed in the favorite recreation but much good gained. ‘The desire to talk about one’s favorites in Nature is one which should be resisted in public. Silence is golden, it has been said. and nowhere more so., perhaps. than in re- gard to one's pet fancies among the things of Nature. Office mates, with rare exceptions. have no interest whatsoever in the precious old stones you find so intriguing. If by natural bent you do not find it expedient to join some club composed of geologists. then keep your old rocks to yourself and be sure they will be ap- preciated. * % %% ‘The great average man has a neat set of opinions, handed to him by others. but | which he nevertheless swears by, believ- ing them to be his own. One of these is that there is something feminine in bird study. ‘To show an interest in wild birds. be- fore a mixed group of average males, is to invite the derision of the group. Unless, of course, you are an accredited ornithologist, who, by earning money through such pursuits, endows the calling with a respectability of a sort. The same applies all down a long line of special interests. The amateur specialist must never forget that life is real life is earnest, as the poet said: it calls for real labor and work, and in public the conception of real labor and work is slways restricted by the work and labor of the group of the moment. A favorite conception of the average man is that another average man has no right at all to have a liking different from his. So, if you work among a group of poker plavers, don't talk about birds. Talk poker and be known as a good sport. It 18 much easier than trying to ham- mer home your own enthusiasm. But, if | you can't talk about something you are not interested in, do not talk about something others are not interested in. Just keep still. Be a great silent man and be happy. AND ATOMS Notebook of Science Progress in Field, Laboratory and Study. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. Chemist-detectives, armed with some , of the most precise instruments of mod- | ern science, protect the stomachs of the | | American people. | Development of methods by which un- | believably minute guantities of adulter- | ants and poisons can be determined has just been announced by the Food and | Drug Administration of the Department | of Agricuture. The spectromer, the { photo-electric photometer and the elec- | tron counter—instruments used by astronomers to determine the constitu- tion of distant stars—are being used to track down the food criminals. A notable instance is reported by Direc- | tor W. G. Campbell of the development | at the Massachusetts Institute of Tech- nology of an instrument that will detect as little as three-billionths of an ounce of radium in & drug preparation in less | than five minutes. It counts the elec- trons resulting from the impact of the gamma rays of the radium on the molecules of the preparation and records the counting rate on a dial. Still another method makes it possible to detect as little as & two-thousandth of a milligram of the poisonous element mercury in foods. Recent discovery that the element selenium, closely related to sulphur and which is absorbed from the soil by grow- ing plants, is extremely poisonous has led to the development of chemical methods by which the most minute amounts can be detected. Another ele- ment which sometimes is found in foods and which is very poisonous in any con- siderable quantities is fluorine which produces spotting of the enamel of the teeth. It is now possible to make a 100 per cent recovery of fluorine in a sample of food. Of wider application is & new method perfected for determining very precisely the lead content of & food sample. By this method it is possible to estimate one one-thousandth of a milligram of lead with a two per cent error. As little as one five-thousandth of a milligram may be detected. The method has been used successfully in determining the lead content of food colors and of single sticks of chewing gum. The presence of actually poisonous elements in foods is seldom intentional on the part of the makers, Mr. Campbell’s report points out. It is quite different, with cases of adulteration resulting in & product which may not be harmful, per se. There has been an increase in such cases—so much 30, he believes, that the bootleggers who acquired techniques of adulterating liquor and who were thrown out of employment by the repeal of pro- hibition are applying their talents to the food field. Sometimes their methods are very -difficult to detect, even with the precise scientific instruments available to the Department of Agriculture chemists. A mnotable case cleared up during the year was the “tea-seed oil racket.” This turned out, was being used on a large scale to adulterate olive oil sold in the grocery stores at the regular price. There | i= nothing particularlv harmful about tea-seed oil. Perhaps it is just as good as olive oil itself—but that doesn't justify charging the same price for it. As long ago as 1912 warnings were issued against the addition of water to canned tomatoes. A common practice, it was found, was to heat the tomato Juice with live steam which resulted in & water adulteration when it condensed. During the past season several canmers were found who were making a direct application of steam to tomatoes, result- ing in a material dilution of the tomato Juice with water. So far as known the practice was not particularly harmful— but customers were buving water at tomato juice prices. “If people want their tomato juice diluted,” says Mr. Campbell’s report, “they are quite capable of diluting it themselves.” Detection of adulteration often depends on very slight clues. For example, the adulteration of honey with cane sugar is very difficult to determine, but when a sample of honey was found to contain minute amounts of tartaric acid the deduction was clear. Pure honev doesn’t contain this acid but a little of it is used in the sugar-making process. Observations on European War Making Situations To the Editor of The Star: Certain students of modern trends have ventured the opinion that there is really no possibility of another conflict of world-wide proportions because the means now available for conducting war- fare are potentially so devastating that no responsible parties would dare to invoke them, We shall see what we shall see. Meanwhile, I should like to offer these observations. There can be no rules for future war- fare because the thing itself is devoid of reason, and where there is no sanity there can be no respect for rules. Mod- ern inventive genius has certainly pro- vided mankind with the means of ex- termination, and the question at issue 1s whether it can be trusted with such powerful weapons. Because of these very means some of the savagery the world has been witnessing recently is unpre- cedented. Mankind, always expert at fashioning engines of destruction, has surpassed itself, and now only awaits the day when it car put them into action. After all, what are guns for but to shoot with? What are bombs for but to devas- tate? Why an array of machines of war and a show of military strength by any nation? The production of implements of slaughter is a production for use. Peo- ple everywhere, particularly in warlike nations, should appreciate that it is for use on one another. The philosophy of most of the leader- ship of Europe today seems to be that the best way to keep cool is to sit on a keg of dynamite and fan yourself with a blowtorch. The way to preserve peace is to keep sticking your fist in the other fellow’s face. It's better to have chips than a level head on your shoulders. And 50 on, ad infinitum, ad nauseam. The continent of Europe pleads pov: | industries of civilization. | States. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. A reader can get the answer to any Question of fact by writing The Evening Star Injormation Bureau, Fredsric J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. Are ax many as half of the auto mobiles sold in this country sold on th: deferred pavment plan?—B. V. 8. A. Credit agencies state that at leas 15,000,000 of the 25,000,000 motor vehicle on the streets and highways of thi United States were sold through sales: financing plans. Q. What is the latest population figurt for Russia?—I. D. A. It is estimated, unofficially, that the new Russian census, which iz to be made as a one-day job on January € 1937, will show a population of at leas 175,000,000. Q. What is a Gold Star Mother?—H. J A. The Gold Star Mothers' Associatior defines such a mother as one whose sor was killed overseas during the Worle War or who was killed on the sea whilt serving in the war. Q. With what actress did Thelma Tod¢ often play?—O. 8. A. It was Patsy Kelly with whom the late Thelma Todd played a number of comedies. Q. Upon what basis does the Nobel Poundation award the prize for litera- ture>—L. B. A. It is always based on the whol¢ range of an author’s work, rather thax on any one book or play. Q. Why aren't combat airplanes arm- ored?—T. W. M. A. Airplanes are not armored becanse if they were the additional weight would interfere with the speed and maneuver- ability of the plane. They are equippes with armament in the form of guns and bombs which they carry and thev de. pend for safety on speed and maneuver- ability. Q. How many Angora goats are raised in the United States?—C. D. A. Goat raising is one of the oldest Two different types of goats have been especially de. veloped—the milk goat and the Angora developed for its mohair. In 1900 thers were 329.300 Angora goats in the Unitec In 1933 there were 3,937,000, and the crop of unscoured mohair amounted to 15.895.000 pounds. About 85 per cent of the goats in the United States are produced in the Edwards Plateau region of Southwestern Texas. Q. How many Bibles have been given away by the Gideon Society?—T. § A. It has distributed 1,300,000 Bibles Q. What were the names of the In- dians that once lived on Long Island? —F.D. 8. A. Montauks, narsies. Rockaways and Car- Q. Was “The Importance of Being | Earnest” written before or after Wilde'a imprisonment >—E. W. A. The play was written shortly before the author’s imprisonment. that he wrote. in 1895, trial and It was the last play Q. What is the purpose of the Lizette Woodworth Reese Foundation?—A. R A. The monument represented by thi: organization was initiated by the Wom- an’s Literary Club of Baltimore, of which the poet was a charter member. The purpose is to make live the works of this famed poet. The foundation is growing rapidly. Q. Have astrologers predicted war and drought for next year?—D. C. E. A. Astrology predictions for 1937 do not include a disastrous drought for this country or a general war in Europe. Q. Does Helen Hayes' daughter go to school?>—E. M. A. Mary H: 6 years old, attends the Dwight School in Englewood, N. J. are some of the marks on English silver?—H. K. L. A. On every silver article of English make subsequent to 1300 (except some very small objects), there should be one of the following marks: The leopard's head, the worker's or maker's mark, the annual letter, the lion passant, the lion's head erased and the figure of Britannia or the sovereign's head. Q. What does the word, Christmas, mean?—T. F. A. It is formed from the two words, Christ’'s mass. It is of extreme antiquity and undoubtedly referred to practices which still exist in the Christian church of holding a service in which the sacra- ment of the Lord's Supper is observed immediately after the stroke of midnight on the 24th of December. Q. When was the first Gilbert and Sullivan opera produced in the United States?>—H. J. A. On the night of December 1, 1879, the D'Oyly Opera Co. produced “H. M. 8. Pinafore” at Ford's Fifth Avenue The- ater with Gilbert as stage director and Sullivan conducting the orchestra. Q. Please give some information about, Jones Beach, the Long Island State Park—E. W. A. Jones Beach State Park, consisting of 2413 acres, is 33 miles from New York City. It is one of the finest bath- ing resorts on the Atlantic seaboard. There are almost 2 miles of ocean bathing beach, a still water swimming area of about one mile in Zachs Bay, and a salt water swimming and wading pool in the west bath house. Well-trained life guards are on duty at all times, Q. How many fraternal benefit socie~ ties are there in the United States? —C. M. A. On January 1, 1935, there were 384 fraternal benefit socigties numbering 98,836 lodges, with a total membership of 7,601,297, o A Rhyme at Twilight B Gertrude Brooyke Hamilton Forest Cathedral. . Bare boughs, frost incrusted, form tur- rets and peaks, Pine cones and red berries the altars adorn, ‘The whispering wind a low-toned sermon speaks Of peace and redemption for spirits world-torn; The music is inward, inspiring, divine;- A reverent silence prevails everywhere; Incense is poured out in the balsam of soothes all who come to thh se of prayer.