Evening Star Newspaper, December 16, 1936, Page 12

A—12 THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. _December 16, 1936 THEODORE W. NOYES e——————————————— The Evening Star Newspaper Company. 11th fit. and Pennsylvania Ave, d Ec. evio SR Eake Michigan Butlaine. Rate by Carrier Within the City. Regular Editi 45¢ per month --60¢ per month 65¢ per month —_Bc per copy ne_an (when 5 Sundays) ‘The Sunday Star-. Night Final Edition. Pinal and Sunday Star....70c per month Night Final 8fy Sunde” § 55¢ per month oilection made at the end of each month. Orders mav be sent by mail or telephone Na- tional 5000, Payable in Advance. nd and Virginia. yr, §10.00: 1 mo. 8be $6.00: 1 mo.. 50c fly and Sunday ny $4.00; 1 mo., 40c ily on) Bunday only All Other States and Canada. aily and Sunday..l yr., $1 aily only.__ lunél! only Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dispatches eredited to it or not otherwise credited in this paper and a s < m. All rights of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. 1 mo., i 1 mo. The Forgotten Americans. Today marks the one hundred and sixty-third anniversary of an event destined never to lose its stimulating significance for the people of the United States. On December 16, 1773, nearly three years before the Declaration of Independence, the patriot-Colonists, in colorful protest against taxation im- posed without representation, dumped into the murky waters off the shore of Massachusetts a cargo of British tea. By that dramatic act, they established the Boston Tea Party for all time as a symbol of freemen's refusal to tolerate a fundamental species of political in- iquity. The anniversary is always an appropriate time to remind Americans that the disfranchised District of Co- lumbia is a continuing token of the self- same injustice—taxation without repre- sentation—against which the founding fathers so picturesquely rebelled off the bleak New England coast more than a century and a half ago. ‘The enfranchised section of the Ameri- ean people has just participated on the largest scale in history in a national election. Close to fifty million citizens endowed with the right of suffrage— embracing the whole Union outside of the Federal area on the Potomac—were enabled to express their preferences for President, Vice President and the Con- gress, and to register their choice of policies to be pursued for the general welfare. From that great and solemn quadrennial referendum only the six hundred thousand liberty-loving, tax- paying, law-abiding, patriotic residents of the District of Columbia were ex- cluded. Once again they were subjected to the humiliating necessity of standing by, mute and helpless, while the priv- {leged inhabitants of the States pro- ceeded to mold the Nation's destinies. ‘Washingtonians object to this un- righteously discriminatory denial of their elementary rights. They consider the deprivation as un-American as it is un- justified. They demand a voice in the enactment of laws they are required to respect and in the imposition of taxes they must pay. The perpetuation of the indignity under which they suffer is an enduring negation of the very essence of democracy. Much is heard in the United States in these days about “social justice,” about the *forgotten man.” The time has come to do political Jjustice to the Washingtonian, to relieve him of the stigma of the forgotten American. The Democratic National Convention at Philadelphia directed the National Committee to seek a congressional in- quiry into the matter of granting na- tional representation suffrage to the District of Columbia. It is fervently to be hoped that the necessary steps will be taken soon after the Seventy- fifth Congress assembles in January. According to present plans, the congres- sional joint resolution proposing the re- quired constitutional amendment will be introduced in the Senate by Senator Capper of Kansas and in the House by Representative Norton of New Jersey. ‘Washington expects that the moral of the Boston Tea Party will be in the mind of Congress when the proposal to re- member the forgotten Americans is for- mally presented. Taxation without rep- resentation is still tyranny. It has no logical place in any single sector of this land of the free—least of all here at the seat of Federal Government and demo- cratic power. s — The smile has been a potent influence in affairs. “Laugh and the world laughs with you.” Maybe John A. Joyce or Ella Wilcox or whoever wrote the line was right. Unemployment Insurance. Gradually, and under the leadership of the Federal Government, the States are writing on their statute books unemploy- ment insurance laws that may go down in history as lessons learned from Amer- fca’s mightiest depression. Maryland’s Legislature enacted such a law at a special session last week. Virginia's Gen- eral Assembly is holding an extra meet- ing this week for the same purpose. The spur which drove to action Wash- ington's neighboring States, along with about twenty others, was the Federal law levying & one per cent tax on pay rolls, and providing that 90 per cent of the tax be remitted to those States which have unemployment insurance laws of their own by December 31, 1936. This rather unusual provision of the Federal act apparently was adopted for two purposes, to make the individual States take an interest in social security, and to give them an opportunity to pass local laws which may stand even if the na- tional law is declared unconstitutional. It is estimated that the Federal tax will amount to about $3,000000 a year in Maryland and $6,000000 in Virginia, Rather than see fihu& sums go en- THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1936. tirely into the Federal Treasury, the Legislatures moved to retain their “legal” 90 per cent. In the past both Governor Nice of Maryland and Governor Peery of Vir- ginia have urged adoption of unem- ployment insurance acts, only to have their recommendations along those lines ignored by Assemblymen. Three things, apparently, caused the Ilegislators to change their minds: The new Federal tax, results of the November presidential election, which many interpreted as a mandate in favor of social security legis- lation; enactment of job surety laws in other States and the District of Colum- bia, eliminating the argument that in- dustries in a State with such a law are in disadvantageous competitive positions. Typical of the new viewpoint was the reaction of Maryland's Senators and Delegates. In 1935 they overwhelmingly opposed unemployment insurance. In 1936 they had to be held in check to prevent enactment of a law so broad in scope that it would have applied to work- ers in small industries who do not come under the Federal law. The best interest of the national law undoubtedly will be served if all States pass local unemployment insurance laws and, like Maryland, endeavor to follow as closely as possible the lines of the Federal act. ————— Political Reprisal? The long-standing feud between Gov- ernor Phil La Follette and Dr. Glenn Frank, president of the University of Wisconsin, is unique in that it has at- tained such wide notoriety with so little information regarding the real elements creating it. Dr. Frank's friends have raised the issue of academic freedom from political interference, picturing the Governor as being actuated primarily by political considerations. The Governor's friends, on the other hand, have claimed that Dr. Prank is a poor administrator and that a poor administrator has no business being the head of the State university, with its budget of about $7,000,000 a year. And if the Governor denied that politics had anything to do with the attempt to get rid of Dr. Frank —a critic of the New Deal—Dr. Frank could reply that as far as the people of Wisconsin know, no formal charges have been presented to show wherein he is deficient in his administration. The attempt to get rid of Dr. Frank took form last January when Governor La Follette appointed five new members of the Board of Regents, all of them political adherents. Dr. Frank might have sat tight and waited for the board, now composed almost exclusively of La Follette Progressives, to speak. But he took the initiative himself and when the new board assembled for its first meet- ing last March he said he had been in- formed that he was to be removed and entered a spirited defense of his admin- istration. The board was taken by sur- prise, the story reached the newspapers and Dr. Frank received immediate prom- ises of help and support from all sec- tions of the country. Those familiar with the Governor's methods predicted that he would bring the Frank issue to a head before the elections and get rid of him, for he could not ignore the Frank challenge without loss of prestige. But the issue was permitted to lie dormant and played no important part in the campaign. The Governor’s re-election, of course, put him in a stronger position. And if Dr. Frank, a Republican, had any political ambitions of his own last Spring, he must now feel that he must travel a longer road to realize them. If Dr. Prank is removed, the La Fol- lette machine in Wisconsin will be wise to accompany such removal by a candid statement of reasons and a carefully drawn bill of particulars. Dr. Frank is well liked in Wisconsin and enjoys a good reputation among educators. The picture of political reprisal against a university president, unless the presi- dent’s own political activities have made his position untenable, is a sinister one, in Wisconsin or anywhere else, —_—————————— Lawrence of Arabia's writings are priced at $500,000 a volume, with no per- mission to authorize a special sale at $499,999.98. —_————— Surrealism. Doubtless it was inevitable that the theories of Sigmund Freud should inspire an art movement. They had a mo- mentary effect upon literature. It therefore is not remarkable that they have asserted an influence upon painting and sculpture. Made popular by the psychological depression inherent in world war, they reached out into every field of creative or interpretative enter- prise. Of course, they never dominated the entire scene. Their power was too slight to have any effect save that of making the deep running and normally clean waters of genius momentarily muddy. But they should be recognized for what they are. New York just now is being educated to the ‘latest esthetic craze—the fantastic extravagance called surrealism and explained as “an attempt to explore the subconscious mind and to evoke emotional reactions through the illogical juxtaposition of objects.” Members of the school have an instinct for theatrical titles for their composi- tions. They send their works for ex- hibition at the Museum of Modern Art with such engaging labels as “Bewitched in the Zoo,” “The King and Queen Traversed by Swift Nudes,” “The Little Tear Gland That Says Tic Tac” and “Mama, Papa Is Wounded!” Thus pro- claimed, their monstrous nightmares sheuld. be magnetically attractive. In- stead, they are monumental bores. The surrealists advertise that they “do not disdain the art of the frankly insane”— a sentiment which is reminiscent of the ancient adage which holds that birds of a feather flock together. Among the leaders of the experimen- talists is Salvador Dali, a Spaniard, born near Barcelona in 1904, who, “as a child developed a strong persecution mania” and, m\m. “was quickly ex- pelled for insubordination” from the academy in Madrid. “Surrealism suited his extraordinary technical facility as s draughtsman, his morbid nature.” He also wrote surrealist poems and assisted in the production of surrealist movies. In one of his films the denouement is symbolized “by & vieW of a bed room window through which are thrown a blazing pine tree, an enormous plow, an archbishop, a giraffe and a cloud of feathers.” Asked to lecture on his philosophy in London, the artist “stomped down the aisle to the dais wearing a deep-sea diving suit, a jeweled dagger at his belt.” He carried a billiard cue in one hand and led a pair of Russian wolfhounds with the other. His methods may be estimated from this quotation from an interview granted to the press on the occasion of his first visit to the United States: “I used to balance two broiled chops on my wife’s shoulders, and then by observing the movement of tiny shadows produced by the accident of the meat on the flesh of the woman I love while the sun was setting, I finally was able to attain images sufficiently lucid and appetizing for exhibition.” All of which may pro- vide illumination for the surrealist aspi- ration for “plunging deeply into the human mind.” It probably is invidious to say so, but it seems natural that Dali has been “taken up” by “swank New York social- ites.” The same faddists gave the Freudian nonsense its original vogue in America. —_————————— One fact that renders poetry influential is its continual revelation of some eternal truth in meter, or rhythm or even “swing.” Ella Wheeler Wilcox, who has been partially restored to admiring at- tention, is the undisputed author of “a question is never settled until it is settled right.” Henry VIII did not have a chance to read this profound observa- tion and if he had it would not have im- pressed him in his agitated career of mixing business with pleasure. —r—e——— ‘The eminent Dr. Eckener is looking for a landing field for dirigibles in the vi- cinity of Washington, D. C. The quest may involve a decision as to whether the doctor is as clever a realtor as he is an aeronaut. —— e Social life is important in diplomatic circles. Formal restraints are necessary in order to permit conversational rela- tions and it would be obviously impos- sible to mention debts at a party, ——— vt - ‘Trotzky disavowed any trace of human regard for Stalin, but that fact does not give him any claim to favor in the sight of Hitler. —————————— Keynoters are now expected to har- monize in a manner that will avert the threat of “sweet bells jangled harshly out of tune.” Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Sentimental Publicity. “Oh, gentle rhymster,” said a friend, Why do you not your measures lend Unto a sentimental theme Concerning love's entrancing dream? ‘Why rhyme of folks, and homes that are commodious Instead of phrasing ecstasies melodious? “Oh, honored friend,” there came the sad reply, “In deep affection’s accents I would sigh And utter thoughts above all others dear 1f I were not restrained by haunting fear “That some musician chap would set a tune to it And leave the world at liberty to croon to it!” Costly. “Talk is cheap,” remarked the ready- made philosopher. “I have heard s0,” rejoined Senator Sorghum. “It's just another of those things people have gotten to believing as a matter of habit.” “You don't regard talk as cheap!™ “It may be fearfully expensive. A few remarks I recently made are liable to cost me my position in public life.” Fashion’s Change. “Why do fashions for women change 80 often?” said the inquisitive man. “As s matter of hopeful persistence,” answered Miss Cayenne., “If a girl can't be sufficiently attractive in one costume to win an engagement ring, she is at liberty to try others as often as she can afford them.” Prospectus. A joyous world will make its way 'Neath skies forever blue % If all that the press agents say Comes absolutely true. We'll never see a show that’s bad, Nor read a book that's poor; No speculation will prove sad. Successes will be sure, So let us bid him persevere And piy his skill anew, This earth may be & better sphere When all he says comes true. Jud Tunkins says s radio is good moral discipline, compelling you to be patient no matter how much your taste and opinions are contradicted. “A leader gains power,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “because he loves the people. Then he feels the need of more and more power as he becomes afraid of them.” . The World Plays Bough. Hostilities are bringing doubts That bid us hasten to our prayers. Perhaps we should rear more Boy Scouts And not so many foot ball players. “Whut comes natural,” said Uncle Eben, “sin't appreciated. An ostrich- ain’ got sense enough to know de value NEW BOOKS AT RANDOM MARGARET GERMOND. YANG AND YIN. By Alice Teasdale Hobart. Indianapolis: The Bobbs- Merrill Co. For the third novel in a series of four which Mrs. Hobart has designed to show the pattern of Chinese civilization under the influence of the revolutionary ideas of Western invaders, the ancient symbol, yin and yang, has been adopted as in- dicative of the forces within that vast and sorely troubled cradle of culture and philosophy with which her story deals. The theme follows in natural sequence the subjects of the earlier novels, the first one dealing with the introduction of machinery and the second with the invasions by big business corporations. Reversal of the Chinese phrase in giv- ing the book its title is explained by the following from the author’s foreword: “‘Yang and Yin' deals with Western and Eastern thought, the beauties and excesses of each, the impact of one upon the other. For its title I have used the Eastern phrase, yang and yin, difficult of literal translation, but meaning, in its general sense, the two forces which create life. It is indicative of the West that I have reversed these terms, placing the active principle, yang, first. The Chinese place first the passive principle, yin.” Within the octagon of the ancient symbol with its groups of lines, some broken and some unbroken, is signified warmth and cold, thunder and gentle- ness, heaven and earth, the comple- mentary forces of all creation, light and darkness, energy and inertia, motion and repose, man and woman, spiritual and material, and in the center yin and yang locked together, inseparable opposites, yet symbols of harmony. And it is from the ponderous depths of these dominant elements that Mrs, Hobart undertakes to draw the distinction between West and East and to present a picture of the result of the impact of the former against the latter, The subject is one which has stumped many scholars, and many more novelists, But Mrs. Hobart avoids the most dan- gerous of the pitfalls by presenting her exposition through the experiences of & young American physician whose en- thusiasm for medical missionary work soon changes to despair when pitted against that unshakable ideal of har- mony which frustrates him at every turn, Peter Fraser, in common with the ma- jority of enthusiasts who are confident that their mission in life is to change the living conditions, the thoughts and the religious philosophies of peoples in those benighted lands where caste defines the cultural, material and physical status of the human being, has more ardor than useful knowledge. Impatience, bull- headedness, disgust, antagonism and, most important of all, lack of under- standing, soon combine to cause trouble. Centuries of culture, tradition and philosophy cannot be thrown overboard by the good will of any alien reformer in any land, and this fact is one that causes much of Peter's trouble with those who oppose his endeavors to con- vert Chinese thought into Western be- liefs in medicine and health and in the betterment of the race through the application of scientific knowledge. ‘The story of Peter is a familiar one in many respects. His hard work, his ambitions, his discouragements, his mar- riage, the loss of his two children, his difficulties in establishing research work, his personal problem of sacrifice and his determination not to lose the little gains he has made are all major items in the unfolding of the story, vet they are but the framework around which Mrs. Hobart attempts to present the larger aspects of two inharmonious civili- zations, two opposites which can never unite as a creative force because the elements of which each is comprised are positive. Perhaps in a future too far distant for the imagination to reach, one of these forces may evolve into a nega- tive. Until so unlikely a change occurs, hope and effort will continue to drive onward, * & x % THE WHISPERING WINDOW. By Cortland Fitzsimmons. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Co. Miss Ethel Thomas, wealthy spinster and social leader, is driven downtown by her liveried chauffeur to attend an early meeting of the governing body of a large department store. She is attending the meeting only because Charlie Doane recognizes her right to be a party to the deliberations. Having inherited a business about which he knew very little and in which he was not interested, he had some years previously entered into a deal with Miss Thomas whereby the controlling interest in the Doane de- partment store had been exchanged for a sum of money large enough to enable him to forget the business and live as he pleased. As the story opens he is just back from a long sojourn in the South Seas, and is surprised to learn that the famous establishment which he supposed to be as stable as the Rock of Gibralta is tottering on the brink of ruin. Sales have fallen off, thieving on a large scale is taking place almost daily and the house is in the red. The meeting is scheduled for a few minutes past the opening hour, and Miss Thomas arrives before the doors are opened to admit a milling crowd of bar- gain seekers. Sales day at Doane’s is an event, and to Miss Thomas the sight is an experience, for she has never before ventured into a department store on bargain day. The doors swing open to the accompanying notes of a blaring band and the stampede of the shoppers begins. Miss Thomas follows the tag end of the crowd and lingers for a few moments at the book counter. A scream cuts across the hubbub of the store and Miss clerk to the side room from which the scream came to find herself being introduced to a first-rate case of murder, Mrs. Briggs, long-time employe of the store, has been strangled to death while sitting at the desk in her office. Miss Oliver, her assistant, is lying unconscious on the floor. Unaware of the tragedy, busy shoppers throng the aisles. The police arrive, and heading the group is Peter Conkling, one-time traffic officer with whom Miss pleads the privilege of helping to find the criminal and he grants it. Question- ing of certain employes is barely begun when a second murder occurs right be- fore the eyes of the investigators. A third and finally a fourth murder is accomplished and two more attempted before the long day, and an even longer night, comes to an end and the criminal walks into the trap set by Peter and Thomas hurries along with a | THIS AND THAT . BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. What's'in the attic? Here is a list of the things found in one Washington attic recently: 1. Console table. 2. Two coffee tables (used for aqua- rium stands). 3. One typewritew table, 4. One book stand. 5. Dinner chimes. 6. Old seat. 7. Odd curtain rods. 8. Green awnings, 9. Old footstool. 10. Suit case full of old clothes, scraps of materials, etc. 11. Another console table. 12. Black iron andirons. 13. Two very ancient pairs of trousers. 14. Yellow china cat made in Japan. 15. Ten-cent-store squirrel. 16. Bust of Napoleon, 17. A ship lamp. 18. Yellow-cat lamp. 19. Two glass candlesticks. 20. Red desk clock. 21, Lamp. 22. Card table. 23. Two mouse traps. 24. Two old rugs. * %k % 25. One aquarium, 10 gallons. 26. Three pans. 27. One bucket. 28. Small artificial Christmas tree. 29. Christmas tree ornaments. 30. Rowing machine. 31. Another exerciser. 32. Two files of letters. 33. Shutters for attic windows (they wouldn't work). 34. Curtain stretchers. 35. Metal stand for aquarium. 36. Blue book rack full of books. 37. Green magazine rack filled with “mags” and pamphlets. 38. Three sections of bookcases full of books. 39. Old hinges. . Hat box (containing two old hats). . Door of linen closet. . Electric stove. . Empty cardboard boxes. . Several old window shades. . Large box of sheet music and piano scores (grand and light operas). 46. Box of house plans and garden magazines. 47. Microscope. 48. Another hat box. 49. Large box full of small empty boxes. 50. Box of miscellaneous magazines. 51. Discarded overflow tank. * % % X Such a list as this may be duplicated, with variations, in almost any attic worthy of the name. We speak, of course, of a real attic, not nne of these heated, plastered third stories in which people live. One Washington family, since child- hood, has called the attic the “mouse’s house,” which is descriptive enough. Yes, mice are very fond of such places. Their little feet resound like drums. People like attics, too. Attics are loved so much that they have become legendary, Acutally, many attics fail to live up to tradition. They are cold in Winter and hot in Summer. Only a few days in the year do they yield just the proper temperature which would enable one to browse over the contents of old trunks, read old magazines, dip between the covers of forgotten books. Not everything in an attic is worth- less by any means. The bust of Napoleon, for instance, may be a very nice bust of Napoleon. Once upon a time it fitted very well over the mantel in the living room. That was in another house, of a different era. The Little Corporal looked very well on the swamp-oak mantel of long ago. Now he simply does not “go.” Hence the attic for him. In the meantime, sacrilegious hands have penciled a full moustache on his all- white face. Growing older made some person, once an admirer, feel that this man, after all, was heedless of others, that he was a politician, in his way, with- out a genuine regard for life and all that it means. A great man, yes, as men go, but not the kind of a fellow to make life easier or better for anybody, except at long remove. His laws, perhaps, helped; his efforts toward art still bear fruit; his tremendous surge toward achieve- ment, in his own life, have inspired countless little men; but in total result, as one life impinging on many lives— and still impinging—he does not loom larger as time goes on. ° * % % ok What a wonderful old attic that was, in the old downtown house, with the swamp-oak. woodwork! The windows were rounded at the top, with leaded glass panes, small, in the manner of European interiors of story. The sills were at least 2 feet wide, an embrasure of a sort, in which a small boy could sit, even recline, at ease. The windows were small enough so that the light was not very good except by them. What greater treasure in such an attic than several old books, left by some former occupant as worthless, or having served their time. One of these books was a Materia Medica, famous list of botanical remedies from the world's fields and forests. Here was a fascinating compilation for the small mind attuned to the wonder of all that is, and here one such mind found many a happy hour in going over the drugs unfolded there. It is difficult, in later life, to put a mental finger squarely on the one book, out of a long succession of them, which did or did not give the mind a bi toward a certain subject. % It was probably this old tome, how- ever, without covers, which struck a spark which was to remain forever. It was not sufficient to direct that mind along a medical career, but it was in- tense enough to give the reader a great interest in all such matters thereafter. Since those days of long ago, many of the vegetable and botanical drugs therein discussed have been dropped from the official books. Is there anything more sure than that, in the course of the years, many of those dropped will be put back again? Let the spirit of the attic speak, for no one else can answer. It is certain that every good attic has its spirit. It is up to us to find it. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. No man in or out of public office ever returned from a vacation to tackle so mountainous a pile of urgent business as confronts President Roosevelt. To cope with it he will need all the additional strength and energy he is reported to have stored up during his trip into southern climes. Completion of his sec- ond inaugural address, along with the regulation report to Congress on the state of the Union and the annual budget message, are F. D. R.’s chief and immediate concerns. He's supposed to have found time during the homeward voyage of the Indianapolis to frame the fundamentals of these portentous state papers. Licking things into shape, after that preliminary chore is done, never gives the President much trouble. Re- construction of his official family is probably causing Mr. Roosevelt less heart-searching than popular report has hitherto alleged. The best guess now is that the existing cabinet will be found intact on January 20, when the New Deal embarks upon its second lease of life, though shifts and changes in cer- iain cabinet portfolios may be in order before 1937 is very old. The President is proverbially loyal to his right-hand men. Barring imperative reasons of their own for quitting his service, he's not accustomed to drop aides who desire to stay. * ok k% One of the real struggles scheduled to rage around the presidential head before many moons, though public indications of it may not be discernible, relates to the general trend of future New Deal policy. The broad bone of contention is whether it's to be full steam ahead with social and economic reforms born of the depression emergency, or & slow- ing up of tempo in the pursuit of the more abundant life. It looks like a battle royal between Democratic stal- warts, who believe conditions call for moderated liberalism, and starry-eyed young New Dealers potent since 1933, who would like to keep things moving at the same dizzy pace. Mr. Roosevelt, of course, will be the supreme arbiter between these diverse fountains of wis- dom. Bulwarked by his colossal re-elec- tion vote, the President is in the happy position of being able to detour in which- ever direction he pleases, assured that Congress and the country will support almost any program he espouses. PR According to Labor, influential organ of the railroad brotherhoods, “something must be done about the Supreme Court.” It asserts that the November election “was an overwhelming mandate to Con- gress to safeguard the New Deal from slaughter,” and adds: “With a popular indorsement of his policies back of him, it must be expected that the President will give early attention to the problem of placing these policies on an assured constitutional basis.” The brotherhoods spokesman says that “outstanding law- yers declare a constitutional amendment is not necessary, as they contend that the fundamental law is sufficiently elastic to meet the situation.” Labor then quotes Dr. Edward S. Corwin, pro- fessor of jurisprudence at Princeton, as holding that the ideal solution would be for the Court to announce that ‘hereafter it will invalidate no acts of Congress except by unanimous vote. * x % % 1t seems now as if President Roosevelt and Secretary Hull, after disposing of the inter-American issues considered at Buenos Aires, might have to turn their major sttention in the international realm to the troubled Far East. Wash- ington authorities fear the new crisis in China is loaded with dynamite and capable of causing the long-feared ‘Western powers with vital problems of their own, it is a mere question of time when Nippon's banners will be planted all over Central Asia, unless Russia blocks the way. * % % % Jim Farley believes in taking time by the forelock. He's already begun to plan for the 1938 campaign. Having rugged faith in the political virtue and value of contacts, especially through letters, the Democratic chairman has been de- voting most of his time, since his recent return from Europe, to signing individual missives to 30,000 campaign workers throughout the country, many in humble station. Letters to those whom he knows personally are signed “Jim.” The laurel-crowned New Deal field mar- shal says his principal interest at the moment is to keep the Demecratic party the majority party. Senators, Governors and Representatives will be elected two years hence and now is the time, Farley contends, to get ready for that. The Postmaster General's most diverting ex- perience in Ireland was when President de Valera asked him if the prediction that Roosevelt would lose only Maine and Vermont was based on definite in- formation or was merely a lucky guess. Explaining that it rested on carefully assembled facts and figures, Mr, Farley displayed the original record of some 50 pages, bound in leather, disclosing the State-by-State, chapter-and-verse evi- dence on which his uncannily accurate landslide prophecy was founded. * kX % Those twin English-speaking democra- cies, the United States and Great Britain, have both shown within the period of roundly the same month that they can weather a political revolution witheut batting an eye. Over here one of the two great political parties suffered an almost annihilating defeat, but the ver- dict was accepted without a murmur and Uncle Sam proceeded to do business at the old stand as if nothing had hap- pened. In Great Britain a titanic strug- gle between crown and Parliament, destined to thunder down the ages, was fought to a finish, leaving John Bull sitting tight and carrying on as un- ruffied as he was before Mrs. Simpson was ever heard of. That's the Anglo- Saxon of it, say our envious neighbors of other extractions. LEER] In the fight for the Democratic House leadership, Representative John J. O’Connor’s friends might make a point of the claim that the Empire State is entitled to that post of vantage in the revenue law originating branch of Con- gress because O'Connor’s home town of little old New York pays 13 per cent of all taxes collected in the United States, though its population is less than 6 per cent of the entire country. * x X ¥ p ‘Washington's Town Hall audience this week, when addressed by President Rob- ert Maynard Hutchins of the University of Chicago, had a look at a man con- sidered as rating high among future Democratic presidential possibilities—in 1940 or later. President Roosevelt ad- mires the 38-year-old collegiate execu- tive, now prominently mentioned for the presidency of Yale, his own alma mater. There was once talk of his being drafted into the New Deal. (Copyright, 1836.) New Line in Silhouette. Prom the South Bend Tribune, American scientists will go to the ocean's bottom to study the shape of the earth. Columbus, it seems, did not set- tle that precisely. That Will Be the End. . Prom the Grand Island Independent. As a final horror it is said that the Japanese are preparing to introduce con- tract bridge E China, ’ 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. Is the result of counting the votes of the electoral college transmitted to the successful candidate for the presi- dency of the United States?—A. C. R. A. When the House of Representatives and Senate meet and officially count the electoral vote, a note is prepared by the two bodies and sent to the successful candidate to inform him of his election. Q.1 was 63 years old last June. Bhould I pay the social security tax? —C. H. J. A. The tax must be paid. The em- ploye who because of reaching the age of 65 years before January 1, 1942, can- not be qualified to receive a monthly in- come under the social security act, will, however, receive a lump-sum payment equal to 3'2 per cent of his total wages between December 31, 1936, and the age of 65. However, no wages in excess of $3,000 a year from any one employed are counted in the computation of the lump- sum payment. If an employe who reaches the age of 65 continues to work, he does not receive any monthly benefit during the time he works, but no de- duction is made from any future pay- ments. Q. What women have lectured at the United States Naval Academy?—T. H. A. Amelia Earhart is the only woman who has done s0. On November 6, 1936, she gave a talk on her solo flight from Honolulu to Oakland, Calif, for the senior class at the academy. Q. How many bicycles were sold in the United States last year>—M. G. V. A. In 1935 about 639,000 were sold. Q. Are ordinary civilians treated at the United States Narcotic Farm at Lex- ington, Ky.?—A. L. C. A. A few persons who voluntarily sub- mit themselves under special regulations, which include the posting of a bond to insure that they comply with the rules of the institution, may now be treated at Lexington. A request of this kind must be submitted in writing to the surgeon general, United States Public Health Service, Washington, D. C. Q. Has the Union of South Africa two capitals?—B. D. A. It has. The seat of government, that is the residence of the governor gen- eral, is Pretoria, and the seat of the Leg= islature is Cape Town. Q. How can a person tell whether an avocado is ready to eat?—E. L. A. It should not be bruised ar too soft. When shaken it should be possible to feel the movement of the seed. The ripe avocado will yield easily to a slight pres- sure of the finger tips. Q. How many plays has Noel Coward written?—C. G. A. Since 1920 he has written 26 plays and musical comedies. Q. What are the seven gifts of the spirit>—M. 8. A. They are wisdom, understanding, counsel. power, knowledge, righteousness and godly fear. Q. 1s a dictionary printed in Braille for blind students?—T. D. A. Webster's Secondary Schoo! Dic- tionary in Braille is now being prepared, It was necessary to create a code of diacritical marks before the dictionary could be printed. Q. Was John Ringling interested in the construction of Madison Square Garden? —E. W. A. The late circus magnate joined with Tex Rickard in 1925 in constructing the present Madison Square Garden. Q. When was the court house at Cine cinnati, Ohio, burned by rioters?—W. R, A. After several slayers had been con« victed of manslaughter instead of mure der, mobs stormed and burned the court house in several days of rioting, begine ning on March 28, 1834. Q. Has Grace George retired? old is she?>—E. H. A. The actress, who is now 56 years old, is playing in “Matrimony Pfd.” at the Playhouse, New York City. How Q. Is it true that the Nazis destroyed the statue of Felix Mendelssohn-Bar- tholdy?—A. R. A. The statue of the famous composer, which stood before the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, was torn down by the Nazi gov- ernment. The monument was unveiled in 1892, Q. When did Jimmy Walker resign as mayor of New York?—W. H. A. Mayor James J. Walker resigned his office on September 1, 1932, Q. What is the origin of Mazda, the name of the light?>—E. H. A. The name was chosen in a compe- tition in which common English words were barred. Franklin P. Fish, former president of the American Telephone Co.. suggested it. The name is taken from Ahura-Mazda, the supreme deity of the Zorastrian religion. Q. Who won the 1936 prize offered by the Poetry Society of America?—H. G. A. Leonora Speyer won the award for her poem, “Swans Sleeping.” The sec- ond prize was awarded to Faith Vilas for “The Swing.” Q. In what year was Reelfoot Lake ' formed by an earthquake?—W., P, A. Beginning on December 16, 1811, earthquakes in the bed of the Missis- sippi River, south of the mouth of the ©Ohio, destroyed small towns and created Reelfoot Lake. A Rhyme at Twilight By. Gertrude Brooke Hamilton A Farm in Winter. ‘There is an upland farm I know Where oftentimes I like to go ‘When grain is stored, fruit gathered in, O'erbrimming every well-stocked bin; Cattle are tethered in the barn, Thirst quenched no more at rill or tarn; Snow carpets all the pasture grass, Dented by fox tracks from some pass; Beyond are fragrant, snow-flecked pines Thru whose dark boughs the noon sun shines, Pringed by the glossy laurel’s gleam, Sunshine enhancing its rich green, A rabbit hops across the mead, At sight of man doubling his speed; While to bare oak and chestnut trees A scurrying squirrel gayly flees. Inside the house pine fires glow; And when the Western sun dips low The children, a voracious horde, Troop in to gather 'round the board. Fresh baking rolls the nostrils greet Mdore-lp!cedhmmdun'nuu <