Evening Star Newspaper, December 15, 1936, Page 12

[A~12 THE EVENING STAR ‘With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. PUESDAY. _.December 15, 1936 THEODORE W. ——————————————— The Evening Star Newspaper Company. 11th 8. and Pennsylvaniy Ave, © 110 East 42nd 8t %’%eflafinu)m ikan Buudibe. Rate by Carrier Within the City. -5¢ per copy 1 d Sunda: 7 th gkt Final 85 Sundey Ster-——-330 Ber month the end of each month. Colleetion made Grders may be sent by mail or wiephone Na- tional Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia, fty and Sun 1 yr. $10.0 1y ony 1 . 6.00; a3 o 1 yr., ;l.oo; All Other States and Canada. Sunday..1 yr. $12.00. 1 yr. $8.0 yr. $5. mo., gge mo., 80c mo., 40¢c 1y . 7" x5 Member of the Associated Press. The Assoclated Press is exclusively entitled to use for republication of all news dispatches eredited to it or not otherwise credited in this paper and also the local news nuhllshef herein. All rights of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. Child Labor. In the clamor for an amendment to the Constitution authorizing the Federal Government to deal with social and eco- nomic problems, the fact that a child labor amendment has been pending be- fore the States for a dozen years has almost been forgotten. Yet there it stands. Twenty-four States have al- ready given it approval. The fight bogged down for ratification when enough State Legislatures to prevent its adoption had declined to approve. ‘William Green, president of the Amer- {can Federation of Labor, fully alive to the implications of the recent election and enthusiastic for the adoption of the child labor amendment, is launch- ing a fight for its revival. He has writ- ten to heads of State and local labor fed- erations in each of the States which have =0 far failed to ratify, urging them to work for favorable action. The Legis- latures of nineteen of these States are to meet in regular session next month, and, as Mr. Green points out, the Legislatures of the five other States could meet in special sessions. A nice legal question is presented. Can a State which has once rejected & proposed constitutional amendment, reverse itself after more than one-fourth of the States have turned it down? The president of the American Federation of Labor holds the opinion that the States can reverse themselves. The American Bar Association has held otherwise. To become attached to the Constitu- tion an amendment must be ratified, under the terms of the Constitution itself, by three-fourths of the States, or thirty-six of them. The child labor amendment, therefore, still requires the approval of twelve States to become effective. If a new amendment to the Constitu- tion is to be submitted to the States, authorizing the Federal Government to deal with social and economic problems, it might well include the question of * ehild labor. If, on the other hand, no such amendment is to be submitted, then the proponents of the child labor amendment would be entirely correct in making their demand for further action on the original proposal. As pro- posed, the child labor amendment reads: The Congress shall have power to limit, regulate and prohibit the labor of persons under eighteen years of age. Bection 2. The power of the several BStates is unimpaired by this article ex- cept that the operation of State laws shall be suspended to the extent neces- sary to give effect to legislation, enacted by the Congress. The problem of child labor was at- tacked in the national industrial recov- ery act and the “codes” adopted sub- sequent thereto. This part of the N. R. A, at least, won widespread approval. When the law was held unconstitutional much of the advance which had been made in the matter of preventing child labor was lost. Some of the States have child labor laws of their own. Others have none, or laws which do not go far enough. ° How far Congress should go in the matter of prohibiting all labor for chil- dren under the age of eighteen is, per- haps, a debatable question. Even under the N. R. A. no such effort was made. Under the N. R. A. codes no children under sixteen could work in gainful employment and no child under eighteen in hazardous employment. These de- tails would be left to Congress under the child labor amendment, which gives the National Legislature a wide leeway in dealing with the question of the em- ployment of minors. The employment of little children in some industries has been a blot on « America which should be eradicated. —_——————— Mr. Farley brings from Ireland = handsome shillalah. Reprisals not being in order, the administration may carry & “big stick,” but will not brandish the spear that knows no brother. A Permanent C. C. C. “There is a broad field of opportunity for a permanent Civilian Conservation Corps,” writes Robert Fechner, director ©of the C. C. C. program, in his annual report to the President. And-it is a personal tribute to Mr. Fechner’s wise sdministration as well as to the funda- mental idea behind C. C. C. that his proposal for continuance of these train- ing camps for young men will be widely indorsed. None of the depression-fighting expe- . dients of the Roosevelt administration *-+ has come through the past three years + 80 free from criticism and so generally the demand for the sort of work could perform. It gave the young men healtliy labor, under the expert ad- ‘mummmu ' 1t brought tangible and lasting results in the form of conserving and improv- ing the Nation's natural assets. The whole program has been free from scan- dal and has given thousands of men, at the time in their lives when they needed it most, a new hope for the im- mediate present as well as sound prepa- ration, body and soul, for the jobs in private industry that many of them have found. v The demana from private employers for the type of young men enrolled in the C. C. C. camps is, happily, increasing with recovery. There may come a time in the near future when the services of able-bodied young men will be at a real premium. Under such conditions, con- siderable opposition would develop against continuation of C. C. C. on any- thing like the scale of its operations today. But there are and will continue to be many thousands of young men who would gladly sacrifice the higher compensation offered in private employ- ment for the opportunity of experience and health-giving work in the open pro- vided by the Civilian Conservation camps. There are thousands who would, as a matter of fact, pay for the privi- lege, or give their labor in return for board and keep. Whether the C. C. C. could ever be so changed in character as to permit that type eof enrollee is not known. But certainly a peace-time army of young men, sharing with the people the fruits of their labors in protection of national resources, has its appeal and its bid for continuation as a regular establishment of the Government, Mediation in Spain. ‘With her constitutional crisis promptly ended, Great Britain has found it con- venient to join France in action looking to international mediation for settle- ment of the Spanish war, now in its twenty-second sanguinary week. The London and Paris governments have addressed identical notes to Germany, Italy, Russia and Portugal, proposing a unified effort to end the strife which is turning the peninsula into a shambles. Their proposal calls for three steps—(1) establishment of a genuine embargo against all arms, foreign volunteers or other aid for either side; (2) mediation to bring about an armistice between the Madrid government and the rebel forces, and (3) an internationally regulated plebiscite to determine whether the Spanish people prefer the Republican government now fighting for its life or the Fascist regime which General Franco seeks to set up. e ‘While these proposals have not been flatly rejected in any quarter, their re- ception has been somewhat lukewarm, affording no assured prospect that they will be carried into effect. Germany and Italy, which have recognized Pranco’s rebel government, are ready to “discuss” mediation, but express frank skpeticism as to whether it can be brought about. The truth probably is that both Berlin and Rome are loath to approve a truce because it would be equivalent to an admission of Franco’s inability to press the rebellion to a victorious conclusion. Soviet Russia, as openly sympathetic with the Madrid government as Ger- many and Italy are with its enemies, accepts the mediation plan “in prin- ciple,” but demands absolute guarantees against further Fascist aid to the rebels. For a while, the League of Nations was considering mediation on its own ac- count, but the Council decided to leave the initiative with the British and the French. At Washington the State De- partment has expressed friendly interest in the Anglo-French proposal and “ear- nest hope” for its success. During the post-war period plebiscites have been held, with more or less satis- factory results, for the purpose of settling vexatious problems created by the treaty of Versailles. - The most notable of these referenda was thé poll in the Saar Basin in 1935, when its in- habitants voted to return to German rule. On this side of the Atlantic there was a South American plebiscite, under supervision of the United States, to settle the Tacna-Arica controversy. But on none of these occasions was civil war raging while the plebiscite was held. Passions ran high among all of the peoples involved, but they were not asked to exchange the arLitrament of the ballot for the bullet while hostilities were in devastating progress, as they are in Spain. It looks as if the mediation project might be wrecked by General Franco's deflant statement that nothing less than unconditional surrender of the Loyalists will satisfy the insurgents. Sudden outbreak of crisis in China is yet another factor which may retard the Anglo-French effort to stop the Spanish carnage, even though every day of its prolongation brings nearer the danger of a general European war. Base ball manages to get on finely in handling legal complications. This may be due perhaps to the fact that instead of calling in nine justices to argue, it is customary to accept the decision of Judge Landis as final. Chinese desiring to free Manchukuo from Japan are dallying with “Red" poli- ticians in & manner which may leave the Japanese appealing to agriculture experts for information as to how to get a hornet’s nest out of a cherry tree. Christmas enthusiasm is reported ex- ceptional this year. Commerce still recognizes Santa Claus as an ambassador of good will whose mission never fails Alley Clearance. The District Alley Dwelling Authority recently demonstrated one part of its task when it dedicated the spick-and-span homes of “Hopkins place,” marking the first of its undertakings in alley-home demolition and the construction of new low-rental housing for former alley occupants. It has just demonsirated another valusble work in connsction with alley elimination. Purchasing property in a “blind alley” on Twenty-third street be- tween G and H streets, tho Alley Dwell- b ing Authority found & purchaser in George Washington University, which held adjacent property. By persuading the Commissioners to close the alley, the Alley Dwelling Authority disposed of the alley dwellings and enabled the University to connect, by this new ac- quisition, the property it already held. The Alley Dwelling Authority is not engaged solely in low-rental construction work. A part of its job is to acquire alley property unfit for decent housing and convert it o other uses. Such a program, carried forward over & number of years, will eventually rid Washington of its sore spots, cut away whole areas that are blighted by slums and at the same time increase surrounding prop- erty values. It is a worthwhile job and is being handled under competent direction. “Of course, there is & Santa Claus!” The old New York Sun article will be reprinted according to time-honored cus- tom. He brings as gifts t0 humanity messages of sorrow as well as cheer and arouses the generous sympathy which makes it & joy to be a good neighbor, ‘The diplomat shows his highest skill in solving & dilemma, although a con- siderable degree of craft may occasion- ally be shown in producing one, with confident readiness to take chances on getting the best of the break. ——r————————— The dignity of the British government has been protected to a degree which still leaves & good natured background for the satires of W. 8. Gilbert which Arthur Sullivan’s music have rendered unforgettable. The pen which writes the signature on a momentous state document is always a coveted souvenir. It is not known who holds possession of the pen with which King Edward VIII signed his abdica- tion. It may become a priceless memento. — e The Mormon Church has succeeded in removing nearly all its members from the Federal relief rolls. The Mormon Church has always been successful in combining practical business sense with its forms of piety. —_— e Racketeers found a plan for getting possession of Christmas savings checks and forging signatures to them. The underworld often sends flowers, but knows no genuine sentiment., —_——————— Children still like to hear of Santa and his sleigh, but the appreciation of a real automobile is developed at an aston- ishingly early age. > —_————————— Bidding for base ball players carries a superficial suggestion of old slavery days. However, no slave ever felt as much joy at being bid in as does & promising bats- man or flelder. Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. They Did Not Know. Our ancestors, so kind and grave, You tried to teach us to behave, And viewed us with complacent pride ‘With your great work, well satisfied. You taught us to avoid rough speech. Costumes to ankle length must reach. ©Oh, what the future was to show You didn't know! You didn't know! You said that shooting foe or friend Was something that would have to end, Even with all the formal grace Distinguishing a dueling place. Though certain jests were rather queer, Such wit the ladies must not hear— 8o when to smoke elsewhere you'd go— You didn't know! You didn’t know! You thought that all would keep the peace And be goed friends with the police. You thought that proverbs wise would rule As shown in copybooks in school. My ancestors, you did your best To make us all avoid arrest. You meant well. But just how we'd grow You didn’t know! You didn't know! Importations. “I have observed,” remarked the pon- derous person, “that we usually regard anything imported as particularly fine.” “Human nature!” commented Senator Sorghum. “We often neglect the need in our neighborhood and devote our sympathy to people in distant lands. Even in selecting our troubles we prefer the imported varieties.” Jud Tunkins says the only trouble he sees with shortening working hours is that itll give a man more time to stand around and talk himself into new trouble. Power of the Unserious. Advice, however good and great, Is frequently neglected. A laugh will always “crash the gate” And be at least respected. Aggravated Hoarding. “Difficulty is caused,” said-the econ- omist, “by the many who try to hang onto every dollar.” “Especially,” agreed Mr. Dustin Stax, “the man who is always trying to get the other fellow’s dollar and hang on to it.” Back to the Dictionary. My Radio! My Radio! 'You soothe my soul completely, Especially when rhythms flow ‘With melody so sweetly. But when an orator is heard 1 have to search severely To ascertain about some word Which seems pronounced quite queerly. “I can't git used,” said Uncle Eben, “to hearin’ & man dat can’t keep his own family comfortable talkin' loud "bout runnin’ de business of all d¢ people in de world." y W R N Withdrawal of Billions a Means of Creating Panic ‘To the Editor of The Star: In The Sunday Star of December 13, under the caption of “Attitude of Doubt Among New Dealers,” is the following sentence: “We must be as prepared to adopt activity-depressing measures at certain times as we are to adopt activity- stimulating measures at others.” Germane to this statement I call at- tention to the fact that the Federal Reserve Bank Board, after the armistice of the World War, withdrew from cir- culation millions of dollars of Federal Reserve Bank notes, which was the first step toward a money-business panic that shortly afterward followed. Recently, it has been announced by a Federal Re- serve Bank Board authority, that “af- filiate” banks of the Federal Reserve banks have over $2,000,000,000 on de- posit over these banks’ legal reserve, Therefore it is announced that these “affiliate” banks shall increase their legal bank reserve by $1,000,000,000 in addi- tion to their present legal bank reserves. If that is done, then $1,000,000,000 will no longer be available in these “affliated” banks for loans to business. After the Civil ‘War's end, the United States Treasury withdrew out of circu- lation from among the people millions of dollars of greenbacks. That also led up to and eventuated in a panic. I do not have to have some one tell me of these money-minus panics, nor have I learned of them by reading of them, for T lived in their days, experienced their direful effects upon millions of United States citizens. There were in those days “malefactors of great wealth” as well as in “Teddy” Roosevelt's. Is the Federal Reserve Bank Board going to follow in the footsteps, virtually, of a preceding Reserve Board? Is there no constitutional power within—the President or Congress—to prohibit the Federal Reserve Bank Board from lock- ing up in “affiliate” banks, by increase of their legal bank reserves, $1,000,000,000? And taking it out of business require- ments now? “Congress shall coin money and regu- late the value thereof,” says our writ- ten Constitution. That mandatory pow- er cannot constitutionally be delegated. W. E. RYAN, Better Knowledge of N . Americanism Needed To the Editor of The Star: Communism is everywhere the avowed enemy of the church, and it is also the greatest enemy to society. It is a great and universal danger which threatens the entire world. The universality of the program of communism is un- veiledly proclaimed. invoked, procured and then promoted by propaganda. It thrives on disconteniment, unrest and dissatisfaction and if these elements are lacking, it provokes them through agitation by promoting bigotry, prej- udice, class hatred and jealousies. Its doctrines and principles are destructive to the highest and noblest virtues of man. It is in a direct contrast to the principles and ideals upon which our Government was founded. Through it one is denied freedom of speech, free- dom ef religion, freedom of peaceable assembly and property rights. Communism is endeavoring to organ- ize in all phases of American life—in the educational field, in the labor, in military organizations, legislation, etc. Do the average high school students know anything about communism? Yes, they do know something. They know that this word symbolizes danger to the true American principles of our Govern- ment. They know this word stands for the destruction of the form of Gov- ernment that our forefathers fought and gave their lives for. They know, also, that the teachers of these disin- tegrating doctrines are seeking to lure the ignorant of our country into assist- ing them in robbing us of our holy heri- tage—our Government. It is true that high school students do not understand everything about the principles of this monster; it is true that they are not as well versed in the prin- ciples of upholding our form of Govern- ment as they should be. But in their veins flows that same liberty-loving blood which is responsible for making true American idealism, and that same determination to make America safe for themselves and their descendants. If any one preach to you a doctrine otherwise than that taught you by the founders of our Government, let him be anathema. For there shall rise false teachers and false doctrines. Who, when asking for bread, would want a stone; when asking for fish, a serpent? The Communists would give you a stone instead of bread, a serpent in- stead of a fish. GEORGE P. RATTE. Simon Bolivar’s Dream of Inter-American Solidarity Prom the Sioux City Tribune. It has been 110 years since Simon Bolivar. the great South American lib- erator, first voiced his dream of inter- American solidarity. He was the moving spirit in a conference called at Panama in 1826 to consider ways and means. Nothing came of that attempt because the Congress of the United States re- fused to send delegates, suspecting the Latin Americans wished to force a uni- fied policy concerning the future of Cuba and Puerto Rico. Succeeding efforts came to naught be- cause there always was a skeleton of some sort in the closet and because Latins everywhere below the Rio Grande had private suspicions of the motives of the “Colossus of the North.” President Cleveland figured prom- inently in the first Pan-American con- ference in 1889, but that conference merely laid the groundwork for s little better relation than previously had ex- isted. It did not remove the old fears and suspicions. Nor could the Latin Americans be blamed for their attitude toward Uncle Sam. For more than a century we have indulged in unwarranted meddling and interference with their affairs. Our dollar diplomacy policies, based on greed, frequently led to military action. And the spirit of militarism that devel- oped out of the Spanish-American War did nothing to allay the fears of our neighbors. The Buenos Aires conference is held in a different atmosphere, to which three have contributed: 1, our treat- [emisphe velt's “good neighbor” policy. Thus Roosevelt at Buenos Aires may be able to achieve what Bolivar started at Panama 110 years ago. If he suc- . THE EVENING ‘STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 19836. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. One of the higher reaches of everyday wisdom, seldom achieved before middle life, is the refusal to defend one’s self unnecessarily. Young persons are forever putting themselves into the first shoes of the an- clent proverb, “The ungodly flee when no man Kmufl.h, but the righteous are bold as a lion.” Every one knows that to be true in many ways, even young people, but often the younger man or woman falls down in its application. It is one thing to know a maxim to be a good one and quite another to apply it successfully to one's self. If this were not true s good book of proverbs would be all an honest man would need to get along well in a com- plex world. All nations love the proverbial saying. Our Bible is not the only book which contains proverbs; many excellent col- lections have been made, based upon the common everydsy wisdom of the com- mon everyday man. Holy George Herbert, poet and divine, made & most interesting handbook of them. Some of the older collections of his works, usually elaborately bound in leather, contain sayings redolent with the common wisdom of the earth. Each one of those sayings is a little poem in itself, in a sense; usually some astute bit of observation is sagely en-- shrined in as few words as possible. That is why the reading of such collections usually is a bore; one saying at & time is enough, and is all that is necessary—in any given case. Each such saying, provided it is true and aptly put, is a jewel in itself. Ampli- fication oft spoils the application. * X X ¥ ‘The good saying is one thing. Personal application at the right time is distinctly another. Many have found that out to their pleasure—and sometimes sorrow. 1t is one thing to know a proverb, or maxim, quite another to put it to good use. There is many a slip twixt the cup and the lip; all that glitters is not gold; you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink. The youngster in his little personal world diplomacy finds himself ready to see an attack in every generalization made before him. He is inclined to be restive, when all the time the person who seems to be making the attack means nothing per- sonal at all. Even if a little personal dig is suspect- ed it is often very good policy not to let on. One way to handle this is to join in the attack. It may be realized, of course, that most such proverbs work both ways; the unrighteous man can pretend to be righteous and steadfastly pretend to re- fuse to flee, thus “proving his righteous- ness. The perfectly righteous man some- times flees, either because he knows no better or is stampeded into it. It may be realized that even our proverbs are not perfect, since they never give a guide by which their application may be judged. It is up to each individual to choose his own wise sayings in life, and espe- cially to apply them to himself and others. Almost every person has and uses such proverbial sayings, although sometimes he may not be aware of it, since so many of these maxims are so inground in hu- man nature that even the unlettered man may have the application perfect, if not the letter. % x Many occasions will arise in daily con- versation when words can be construed as hidden attacks. STARS, MEN to accept such an attack, if way to meet it. If course of action, bu the plainest thing in world is that younger people often must grow considerably older before they use this wisdom. ‘What upsets them, it is easy to see, is anger. Anger is a part of life. Let moralists flay it as they will (and no man ever did it any better than Plutarch, more famous for his “lives”) it still remains a protective instinct with many uses. Bound up as it is with the functioning of various glands moralists thought. Just as they imagined the heart the seat of the emotional na- ture, so they thought of anger as a crass brutality without which man would be better off, and which he must steel him- self to resist at all times. As if he could. No, anger is necessary, often vital, to the human species. Those persons who have succumbed to the humanitarian aspects of the race with too great a success in the main often lament their inability to join in the common angers of mankind, such as just resentment against physical hurt. ‘There is many a person alive today who is not able to fight back simply because anger has been held in check perhaps a little too well. They are the opposite of exemplifications of “biting the hand that feeds you”; they cannot bite the hand that bites them! One may think én calmer moments that civilization achieves its purpose too completely in these cases, % %% ‘The highest reach of earthly wisdom, in some circumstances, is to refuse to de- fend one’s self at all. Only a few per- sons, at any given time, are capable of this abnegation. Mostly these persons are the world's spiritual heroes. Yet from their example the commonest, person, although he realizes his inability to equal them, can take heart. He will diseover that in the everyday life, too, exist many opportunities for refusing to flee when no man pursueth. For a timid person, no matter how righteous he may be, to refrain from giving in to these temptations is to be a hero in little and one deserving of much praise. Often this laudation is self-given, since no one else knows about it. Many a person has come through trial and tribulations merely while sitting at a luncheon table. No shot has been fired, no warfare declared, but loud and long has been the inner conflict and sweet the victory. Most such victors are older people, who have learned how to take the world as they face it, not as they would lik® i perhaps, and certainly not as the cop; books said it would be, but just as it Then the whole list of one’s acquaint- ances is catalogued, and the good and bad qualities of each set down in a fair hand, where the light of the inner eye may shine upon it. The wise oldster (and occasionally a youngster) knows that more trouble is likely to arise from saying too much than from saying too little. That this sort of trouble is most often entirely unnecessary in every sense adds to the halo which some would place around the brow of the silent man. Cer- tainly it is true that silence, at the prop- er time, is both expediency of the highest order and the greatest means of defense in the entire gallery of intellectual weap- ons. It is possible for any man near, at or beyond middle age, to test his own capacity for higher things by the success with wHich he refuses to wear shoes which might seem at first glance to fit him. AND ATOMS Notebook of Science Progress in’ Field, Laboratory and Study. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. A strange new oil—very close in chem- ical structure to the sperm oil of the whale, yet obtained from the seed of a shrub related to the boxwood of old gardens—has been discovered by chem- ists of the Bureau of Chemistry and Soils. The shrub grows quite plentifully in Arizona, Lower California and Northern Mexico, where it is known as the wild hazlenut, or goat nut. It long has been a favorite browsing plant for sheep, since it remains green all Winter on the desert fringes. For centuries the egg- shaped nut has been known. It has been eaten by the Indian tribes in- habiting the area and the oil even has been used as a hair tonic, but without any clear idea of its constitution. ‘When the oil was extracted here from s sample of seeds gathered in Sonora, Mex., it was found that they yielded more than 50 per cent of a light yellow oil which was really a liquid wax, com- posed of unsaturated acids agd alcohols. ‘When this oil was treated by Drs. G. S. Jamieson and R. 8. McKinney of the Bureau of Chemistry and Soils they found that it yielded about 50 per cent of soap and about 50 per cent of a yellow oll. Gadoleic acid, the principle acid present in this soap, never had ‘been found before, except in very minute amounts, in any vegetable oil. Vegetable oils are composed of fatty acids combined with glycerin, an al- cohol of low molecular weight. This oil has the glycerin in its molecules re- placed by higher molecular weight al- cohols which are insoluble in an alka- line solution and tend to separate as yellow oll. Dr. McKinney summarizes his findings as follows: “This oil is unique. It is not a glyc- eride but & liquid wax. It is composed almost entirely of esters of high mole- cular weight, monoethylenic acids’ and alcohols. The composition indicates that it is similar to the sperm oil of whales. “The oil s _unusually stable. When heated to about 572 degrees Fahrenheit no effects were noticeable other than a loss of color from light yellow to clear water-white. For several months two chemists in the department have used it in place of sulphuric acid in their melting point apparatus.” k% % Pusel oil, bugaboo of bathtub gin and moonshine whisky days, never deserved its bad reputation. ‘Whatever may have been the reason for the alleged frightful morning-after headaches, sclerotic livers, etc., of pro- hibition days, this “oil” comes off with a clean slite, according to & report just made to the American Chemical Society ‘They are produced in fermentation by i the same yeast which produces the com- mon grain alcohol and are formed in the latter stages of this fermentation when the sugar which forms the food supply of the yeast has been largely ex- hausted and the micro-organism is forced to feed on nitrogenous matter in the mash. Now these higher alcohols constitute fusel oil, & rather vague term at the best. It is highly improbable that even in bootleg whisky the amount ever ran higher than a few tenths of 1 per cent. But it certainly is present in all whisky. The Baltimore chemists point to an English case in which a purchaser sued an Irish distilling firm on the ground that their whisky contained so much fusel oil that it serfously injured his health. Alfred H. Allen, a celebrated English chemist, actually found only .07 of a per cent. But he maintained that even if i# had been more than a hundredfold as plentiful it would not have injured the customer. To prove his point he deliberately added fusel oil to whiskey in amounts so that it constituted 2 per cent of the whole. Then he drank it himself over a period of two weeks. Everybody thought it would kill him. It did not hurt at all The Baltimore chemists don't claim that whisky isn’t bad for the health and that some kinds are much worse than others. But they do insist that it isn't the fusel oil that makes the difference. Result of Experiment in Cure-All for Economic Ills From the New York Sun. Alberta, the Canadian Province which <has so ardently sought through “social credit” a cure-all for economic ills, has now learned that such experimentation brings an embarrassment no statistieian discloses to his graphs. The news that a political unit is seeking new means to make life easier for its people travels fast and far, and the response is im- mediate. The Edmonton Bulletin says that at the end of a recent week—the date is not given—11,731 persons were registered as unemployed in the Prov- ince, this being more than have been recorded since 1933. The Bulletin adds that “these figures carry an obviously discouraging significance,” for they seem to show that, so far as unemployment goes, Alberta is not sharing in propor- tion to its resources in the generally improved condition in Canada. The number of unemployed in the 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. Huskin, Director, Washington, D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. On which side of the chamber do the Democrats sit in the House of Rep- resentatives in Washington?—E. R. A. The Democrats occupy the seats on the right side of the chamber as one gu at the Speaker's desk facing the ouse. Q. What is the average length of 2n automobile trailer?—W. 8. A. The average among the new models is 17 feet. Q. How many people in the United States are hard of hearing?—W. H. A. It is estimated that there are about 90,000 deaf people in the United States and that about 10,000,000 have some de- gree of hearing loss. Q. How early were pins brought to this country?—T. K. A. The women who came over in the Mayflower brought some pins with them. Probably the settlers at Jamestown also had pins. Q. How much money will be spent on preparation of the New York World's Fair of 1939?—M. D. A. A total of $125,000,000 is estimated. This includes sum spent by the State and city on the site and nearby improve- ments; by Federal and other govern- ments; by exhibitors and concessionaires and by the Fair Corp. Q. How were the skins which Theodore Roosevelt brought back from Africa pre- served for the trip?—J. A. J. A. The Smithsonian Institution says that the "hides brought back by Theo- dore Roosevelt and other African ex- plorers for their collections were prepared simply by skinning the animal and salt- ing the fresh hide thoroughly, especially around the edges. After all traces of blood are gone the hide is packed in salt in a tight barrel. It is then ready for shipment. While no liquid is put into the barrel, enough juices will be withdrawn from the hide by the salt to make more or less liquid in the barrel. No vermin of any kind will attack & hide so prepared. Q. Were there two famous singers named De Reszke?—E. M. A. The singers were brothers. Edouard de Reszke was a bass singer and won his most conspicuous success in Wagnerian roles. Jean de Reszke ranked as one of the foremost tenors of the world. Q. What is the architectural term for building with glass building bricks? —E. J. A. This is known as translucent ma- sonry. . Q. How many Jews have won the Nobel Prize>—H. K. G. A. With the award of the 1936 Nobel Prize in physiology and medicine to Dr. Otto Loewi, the number of Jewish Nobel prize winners is increased to 21, 15 Jews and six half-Jews. Q. Is there a world organization against hatred?—W. J. s A. The World Organization Against Hatred and Human Misery was organ- ized and is headed by Mme. Irene Harand of Vienna. It is said to have 36,000 members in Austria and 6,000 in other European countries. Q. Is the United States Geograp! ¢ Board still in existence?>—C. E. D. G A. This board was abolished by execu- tive order in 1934, but its functions were transferred to the Department of the Interior. Secretary Ickes has created in the department the Division of Geo- graphic Names and an Advisory Com- mittee on Geographic Names. ‘These two units functioning together are desig- nated the United States Board on Geo= graphical Names. Q. How many copies of the “Pirst Folio Shakespeare of 1923” are in the Folger collection?>—H. M. A. Of the 150 or so copies known to exist, 79 were acquired by Henry E. Folger. Q. How long did it take to go by canal boat from Albany to Buffalo in the early days?—G. B. A. In 1825 the canal was completed. It was about 350 miles from Albany to Buffalo. Light packet boats drawn by frequent relays of horses driven at a trot made the trip in three and a half days. Q. Why is calico so called?—H. F. A. The name comes from Calicut, a city of India, whence the process of decorating cloth by means of a hand stamp moistened with dyes was introe duced from Europe. ?, When was the Terra Cotta wreck? -T. C. A. Rushing out of a bank of fog into the glare of the clay furnaces at Terra Cotta, the biggest engine in the B. & O. service tore through the length of a local Jjust pulling out of the station. Between 50 and 60 persons were killed and over 60 injured. It was the worst railroad wreck that had ever occurred around Washington. The local was No. 66 from Frederick, and was just be g to move out of the station when the dead- head equipment train (empty) was upon it. Rear cars of the local were in splinters. The engineer of the dead-head being late crowded on the steam. He said the signal showed clear track. With . down grade the train had gathered speed of over 50 miles per hour. When the engineer saw the rear lights of the local, it was too late—the rails were slippery and the fog blurred everything. The wreck occurred December 30, 1906. A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Braaks Hamilton Slumber Song. ‘The Bandman is making his rounds once more. (Sing high, baby mine, sing low.) Don't you hear him creep thru the nursery door? (8ing high, baby mine, sing low.) Fine stardust from out of his bag he flings, And the eyelids droop like a birdie's wings; ‘Then over his shoulder his bag he swings. (8ing high, baby mine, sing low.) Now off on his toes he will softly creep. (8ing high, baby mine, sing low.) There are many children to put to sleep. (8ing high, baby miné sing low.) peep out thru the twilight .