Evening Star Newspaper, December 23, 1936, Page 10

A—10 = - THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1936. . THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL, THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. WEDNESDAY __...-.__-December 23, 1936 THEODORE W. NOYES. ———————————————— The Evening Star Newspaper Company. 11th 8t. and Pennsylvania Ave. 110 East 42nd 8t. Cr\eako. Officc: Lake Michigan Bullding. Rate by Carrier Within the City. c per month 5c per copy Einal and Sunday St n: oY S o de at the sen Risht light Collection ma Orders may be tional 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance, Maryland and Virginia, s 0 Sunday only. glfl! and Sunda: aily only.... Bunday only. Member of the Associated Press. The Assoclated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dispatches .. $12.00; yr. $8.00 X 1 mo., $5.00; 1 mo. 80c Sportsmanship. All the world loves a good loser. Gov- ernor Alf M. Landon of Kansas, who went down to defeat in the presidential ’ election under an avalanche of votes, is endearing himself more and more to the American people as the days go by. He has shown that he can “take it” with & smile. No more generous and cour- teous gesture has been made by a defeated candidate than Governor Landon’s recent visit to Washington and to President Roosevelt. There was some- thing wholesomely American about the incident. The Kansas Governor is not retreat- ing from the principles he espoused during the campaign. At the same time he is anxious to see his country go for- ward, and under the leadership of the man selected by the people. That must be the hope of all Americans. There are difficult days ahead. There is much to be done. It can be done the better if there is a spirit of good sportsmanship and a lack of captious—and merely po- litical—criticism. Governor Landon remains the titular head of the Republican party. It is proper that he should. Whether he will ever be a candidate for the presidency again, or whether he wishes to be a candidate, makes no difference. He has sound common sense. He has a sense of humor and friendly spirit that should go far toward ironing out the differences which exist within the Republican party. He has the respect of his opponents as well as his supporters. During the cam- paign he fought hard. He can be relied upon to fight hard again for the prin- eiples of government in which he believes. It is a fortunate thing for the Amer-.| fcan people and for the Nation that the victors and the vanquished can forget their differences and sit down in good fellowship, as did President Roosevelt and Governor Landon at the dinner of the Gridiron Club Monday night. It sugurs well for the future. At the same #ime, a strong and fighting minority, ready to challenge the actions of an ad- ministration, is salutary no matter which political party happens to be in control at the time. Too great power, with too little opposition, too often leads to an #mproper use of that power. For many long years the Democratic party provided a fighting minority. How Jong the Republican party must serve in a similar capacity no one can say. That it will not come back—as the Democratic party frequently has after disastrous defeats—would be a hazardous prophecy. Governor Landon’s deport- ment in defeat can well be copied by the party as a whole. It is possible that an “era of good feeling” is at hand that sranscends politics. But even in an era of good feeling there should be and must be a constant watchfulness to see that the Government remains a Government fn the best interest of the whole people. _— Custom is 1n some respects immutable. Glee clubs will sing, “God rest you, merry gentlemen, may nothing you dismay,” before the most distinguished residences in London, as if nothing of a political and social nature had been happening. —_——— Christmas baskets filled with toys and sausages are being sent around by Hitler. Al Smith’s epigram, “You can’t shoot Santa Claus,” may have been translated into German. —_————— Experiences of war are forgotten in a strangely brief interval of time. Again there is a generation that believes it would be easler to go a-soldiering than to lead & thrifty work-a-day existence. Another Credit Brake. How the Treasury hopes to cut down the volume of excess reserves in the banks, thus guarding against what might become a dangerous inflation of credit, may be best explained by description of the former method of Treasury gold purchases and the new method. Gold that is newly mined or gold that s shipped into this country in settle- ment of international trade obligations or for other purposes is “purchased” by the Treasury. It is not, however, a purchase in the ordinary sense of the word, but a transaction by which the Treasury acquires gold, the private ownership of which is forbidden by law, snd gives dollars in return, Under the previously followed method, an exporter, “for instance, received gold from abroad for payment of goods he had sold. He took it to a bank—theoretically, if not actually—and obtained dollars in pay- .ment for the gold. The bank then -turned the gold over to the Treasury, # which supplied the bank with new gold certificates which the Treasury had printed to reimburse the Government ‘swell the reserves of banks, creating funds that are available but unused for investment. Under the new method the individual— miner, exporter, bank or whoever has the gold—will exchange it, as usual, for money. The bank, as usual, will turn the gold over to the Treasury. But instead of creating new money to re- imburse itself for the purchase of the gold, the Treasury will borrow money from the public by selling short-term Treasury discount bills, or securities. While the actual physical transaction is probably expressed more accurately in terms of “deposit credit” than by the actual exchange of cash, the effect of the new process is to cut down the crea- tion of new reserves represented in the past through Treasury gold purchases. Should gold begin to flow out of the country, the Treasury presumably in- tends to reverse the process and to buy back its own securities instead of selling them. The net result is to sterilize the gold bought henceforth instead of adding new credit. The large amount of excess bank reserves now, it is understood, is due almost entirely to the gold purchase program. In addition to putting the brake on accumulations of more reserves, the Treasury, by isolating gold received from now on, guards against the deleteri- ous effect on the credit structure that would result from a sudden withdrawal of foreign gold. The Army’s Needs. Considering that the United States Army’s enlisted strength is smaller than the armies meintained by Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Japan, Poland and Rumania, although our population is vastly larger than that of any of those nations except the Soviet Union, it is impossible to charge this country with “militarism.” Secretary of ‘War Woodring, in the department’s an- nual report, has just outlined the Army’s immediate needs. He advocates contin- uance of a permanent establishment of 165,000 men and 14,000 officers, and an increase of the National Guard from 189,000 to 210,000. Because of the neces- sity of providing & permanent source of trained supply for both officers and men, Mr. Woodring urges that at least 30,000 Reserve officers be called to active duty for two weeks annually, instead of the present limit of 20,000, and that funds be made available for 50,000 youths at Summertime Citizens’ Military Training Camps, instead of the 30,000 to which the complement is restricted by current appropriations. As an entirely novel proposal, the Secretary ot War projects a Reserve of about 150,000 “enlisted spe- cialists,” whose exact status and duties would be prescribed by Congress. With respect to equipment, the head of the War Department advocates promptest possible execution of the building pro- gram providing for 2,320 serviceable mili- tary airplanes and speeding the mech- anization of the entire Army. Congress is not likely to find any of these proposals unreasonable. Expendi- ture for purely military purposes has substantially increased in recent years, due to additional personnel, new equip- ment and the generally rising price level. Critics of Army costs have to remember that the American military establish- ment is necessarily more expensive than in countries which maintain conscription and which have standards of living in- ferior to our own. Secretary Woodring strikes the keynote for his various recom- mendations when he points out that “in the light of present world conditions we cannot afford to neglect measures for- our own national safety. A secure de- fense is our most dependable guarantee against aggression by others.” It will be for Congress to determine after customary hearings whether the proposed expenditures in every detail are justifiable or desirakle, but there is no question about the fundamental sound- ness of the proposition of maintaining our land defense establishment at a maximum of efficiency. The contem- plated measures menace nobody. They are solely for protection. If they are to be effective, the small Regular Army must remain well-trained and equipped, so that in the hour of emergency it may serve as the nucleus of the citizen forces which, in the last analysis, constitute that great body of manpower upon which national defense mainly rests. The lessons of the World War remind us of the penny wise, pound foolish sys- tem of postponing military preparedness until the eleventh hour, when danger is at the door. It is for that reason that the recommendation of expanded facili- ties for Reserve officers and training camps especially deserves favorable con- sideration. The cost of the Army and Navy is the premium Uncle S8am pays for national life insurance. The policy should not be allowed to lapse, —_————— A mere glance at the map serves as & reminder of Stalin’s power. Nobody could control that much real estate without acquiring social and financial authority. Neutrality Legislation. Principles underlying neutrality legis- lation now on the books are so nearly alike those supporting the special legis- lation applying to previous embargoes on arms and ammunition to Bolivia and Paraguay during the Chaco War that the Supreme Court’s decision affirming the validity of the latter is generally interpreted as supporting the former. The decision, at least, has gore far toward removing reasonable doubts as to the constitutionality of the temporary neutrality legislation which expires au- tomatically—except for one section— next May. The coming session of Con- gress is expected to witness a new effort, not only to make the neutrality legislation permanent but to strengthen its provisions. And one of the chief points of discussion is apt to be the amount of discretion that Congress will delegate to the President in proclaiming embargoes ' against arms, ammunition and implements of war, and the amount of authority in such respects that Con- gress will seek to retain for itself. The lwnm.m decision of Mon- 45 day pointed to the discretionary powers vested in the President in his conduct of foreign relations that could not be delegated in the case of purely domestic affairs. Significant parts of the decision explained that: 4 It is quite apparent that if, in the maintenance of our international rela- tions, embarrassment—perhaps serious embarrassment—is to be avoided and success for our aims achieved, congres- sional legislation which is to be made effective through negotiation and in- Guiry withip the international field must often accord to the President a degree of discretion and freedom from statutory restriction which would not be ad- missible were domestic affairs alone involved. * * * The President, not Congress, has the better opportunity of knowing the conditions which prevail in foreign coun- tries, and especially is this true in time of war. *** This consideration, in connection with what we have already said on the subject, discloses the unwis- dom of requiring Congress in this field of governmental power to lay down nar- rowly definite standards by which the President is to be governed. ‘The country has become pretty well convinced that neutrality legislation is a helpful, if not a sure, way of prevent- ing embroilment in disputes abroad which might lead to war. But neutrality legis- lation which goes too far in its attempt to dictate a course of action for the President in time of war or threatened war may also have the effect of tying his hands. The very reasons which the Supreme Court mentions as upholding the delegation of wide discretionary powers to the President under our form of government argue against a danger- ously narrow restriction written into permanent legislation. ————r—e——. President Roosevelt and Governor Landon think so well of each other as to break bread together. While their ideas as to method have differed, there can be no doubt of a tacit agreement as to the general results that are desirable. ————————— If Edward retires with as large a fortune as reported, a Rothschild friend- ship should be most valuable in assisting him to take care of it. “Cuba Free!!” was once & battle cry. Having attained freedom, Cuba seems a little puzzled, as other liberated coun- tries have been, to know exactly what to do with it. Adages are subject to reversal. Not only do names make news, but news is liable to grind out a supply of names over night. R All showmen know that an elephant may become & problem; too valuable to kill and too expensive to feed. —_——r—e— Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Christmas Usefulness. Mebbe you ain't numbered e With the lucky few That come home incumbered With their gifts so new; Mebbe you have faltered, Haven't made your pile— But the fact ain't altered; You kin always smile. If you can't spend money Helpin' cheer along; If you can't be funny, Play ner sing a song: You kin still be heeded Fur your happy style. Folks are always needed That know how to smile. Apprehensive Frame of Mind. “What are you going to tell your constituents when you get home?” “Too soon to think about that,” re- plied Senator Sorghum; “if some of the harsh criticism going on in my district keeps up, mebbe I ain’t going home.” ‘The Ascetic. He mourned the Yesterday with hope- less grief And then for solace to the Morrow turned And sought the happiness and calm relief Which may by toil and sacrifice be earned. - Intent upon the penance or the task, He bent his head through many a weary hour, Eager to give and yet too proud to ask The simple kindness of & passing flower. Sun-gold and blossoms and the song 50 free fie heeded not, but in his narrow way For shadows past and dreams of things to be Spurned the o'erflowing bounty of Today. Jud Tunkins says a lot of foiks would be happier if they didn’t put in so much time worrying about whether they are as happy as they might be. “Words of good advice,” sald Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “are easily spoken and give great comfort to the speaker, if he finds spod listener.” A Dodger. “What makes you hang around the club? Don't you love your home any NEW BOOKS AT RANDOM MARGARET GERMOND. THE MURDER OF SIR EDMUND GODFREY. By John Dickson Carr. New York: Harper & Bros. Who murdered Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey? More than two centuries and & half have passed into history since that question rose to the lips of the small group of men who, on the dark, cold, tempestuous -evening of October 17, 1678, hauled & battered human body out of a ditch at the foot of Primrose Hill and carried it to John Rawson’s tavern, where it was identified as that of Lon- don’s most staunch and upright Prot- estant magistrate. Historians and stu- dents of the reign of Charles II and of the famous “Popish plot,” seeking to unravel the mystery, have suggested a number of solutions, yet the question remains unanswered. John Dickson Carr is a successful writer of modern mystery fiction. The murder of Sir Edmund Godfrey is, he says, “a very nearly perfect detective story.” And on the theory that the case of 8ir Edmund is one of the few actual mysteries that can truthfully be classed as more fascinating than the most baffling of mystery fiction, he has plunged into the deep waters usually reserved for more profound writers and come up with a new and intensely inter- esting recital of historic facts, aided and abetted by the methods of a technician skilled in the art of creating modern popular thrillers. Out of the chaos and turmoil .of seventeenth century England that heid a fear-ridden people in its grip Mr. Carr has assembled the historic facts, the statements and testimony of infamous liars, honest men and torture-weakened innocents and presented them in orderly procession. He takes up the various theories concerning the reasons for the murder and the agencies through which it may have been committed and proves them erroneous. He gives adequate preparation to the uninformed reader in a preface which outlines the political conditions and identifies those who were prominently associated with the opposing factions of church and state. It also introduces the reader to the idea of combining historic fact with the pleasure of indulging in the same sort of enter- tainment in deductive ability that at- taches to a fictional mystery thriller. A dozen possible solutions evolve from the case as presented by Mr. Carr. His own theory is by no means improbable. And though the answer lies buried be- neath nearly three centuries of civiliza- tion, the novel commands and holds the reader’s attention to the last word. It is a two-fold story, rich in historic re- cital and compelling as a fantastic tale of crime in an unbelieveably ruthless era of intrigue and injustice. ‘Washingtonians have a special interest in John Dickson Carr, for many of them remember him as the small boy who preferred the companionship of Uncle Joe Cannon to school, and who developed a genius for getting “lost” if opportunity offered the prospect of a game of craps with a group of newspaper boys. He was expected to carry on the family tradition and study law, but colleges were no more inviting than school. He went abroad, roamed about with all sorts of people, including a detective, and finally turned to writing. “It Walks By Night” was an immediate success, and this pres- ent volume is the twelfth bearing his name. He has for several years been living in England, where he has gathered from authentic original sources the facts from which he has reconstructed the crime which in the seventeenth century threatened the British crown. * % ok ok JOHN DAWN. By Robert P. Tristram Coffin. New York: The Macmillan Co. Four generations of hardy, seagoing Dawns march through the pages of this genuinely American story of love and life on the Maine coast. Stalwart men were these Dawns, haughty, selfish, cruel, courageous and irresistible to the women they sought for wives. John Dawn, ship- builder and shipmaster of the small com- munity of Merrymeeting, is the cefftral figure—the handsome, ruthless descend- ant of an earlier John who participated in the struggles of the small settlement in defense of home and property against Indian raids, made love to women, in- sulted his friends, hated those who had more of werldly goods than he and willed that the infant, born on the night the story opens should be a boy and that it should not be born until the chimes of the clock died away on the hour of mid- night and the first day of a new year had begun. Ill-luck fell upon this particular John Dawn and upon later John Dawns, who somehow had a habit of arriving on New Year day when the sun shone brilliantly upon a snow-covered world. And into far ports do these handsome, reckless, self-willed men sail, living life to the full, fighting the redcoats, taking up arms in two wars with Great Britain, building America, conquering the ses, holding to tradition and believing always in their superiority over their neighbors, their friends and all others who crossed their paths. Not altogether lovable men do they seem when pictured against the broader companionship and freedom of interests that husbands of this generation accord their wives and the women who com- prise the friendly circle of the home, but they are interesting and compelling in the things that they do, in the beliefs that they express and in the force of character which drove them through those yea:s in America’s history when life was hard, comforts were few and the call of the sea was a deep-rooted heritage fostered by pride and honored before all else except the call to the country’s defense. Mr. Coffin has a knowledge of the people of the New England about which he writes that gives his stories a quality genuineness and sincerity. Those who are familiar with his other novels will not be disappointed in this story of a clan that marched through fortune and il fortune along with the changing years on the rock-bound coast of Maine. Still a Dream. Prom the Bangor (Me.) News. We are told on the 400th anniversary of the death of Erasmus that this great man dreamed of a united Europe. For- tunately, he is not in a position to com- pare the dream with the current night- mare. It All Depends. From the Omaha World-Herald. The President wants industry to hire men over 40. The movies, however, stub- bornly cling to stars under 10. Landon Looks for Luck. Prom the Kansas City Star. Gov. Landon is off for Florida waters, confident he will have better luck fishing than he had campaigning. This seems likely, as the fellow in the other boat won't have all the bait this time. Wise Prom the Omahs W ‘When we have must lie in suggests Jooking Precaution. ox)d-Herald. made our beds we know them, but eaution still under them first. “Dear sir: Let me tell you that I en- joyed and concur with you in your dis- sertation (or shall I call it homily) on the desirability of restraining the im- pulse to make retort. “The righteous are bold when boldness is required, but it is no sign of righteous- ness to answer one sting with another, “Let us have more of these philosoph- jcal disquisitions rather than these fish you now and then hold up to us. “Admiringly, H. F.” * % % % Poor fish! People who don't like 'em, simply don’t like ’em, and that is that. It is the same with cats. There is no use trying to convert the confirmed cat hater. So, undoubtedly, & philosophical piece, every so often, helps smooth the way. Every one loves the contemplation of how and why the human mind ticks. Character, as we all meet it every day, in our friends, acquaintances, in stran< gers one runs into everywhere, is per- petually new, vet ever old. The child in his first year in school, or even in pre-school days, becomes a student of human nature, sometimes against his will. The retired business man is never wholly free from this study. Even the hermit has himself. * K ok * Our greatest and more revered and loved book, the Bible, is so filled with character study that at times one may be forgiven for thinking it wholly de- voted to it. Character is not something one either has or has not, like a watch, but is & growing thing. The trouble is that it can grow either way, backward or forward. This also is its power and happiness. The opportunity is offered every one to grow forward as well as backward. But the world is seeing a little bit more surely today that it is not quite that simple. One who seems to have an equal chance, really may not have it, be- cause of something unseen inside him, an obscure miss in some physical piece of machinery, or mental make-up, even more unseen. A The mills of the gods grind slowly, to be sure, but observers are more and more coming to the conclusion that the surety of the grinding is not as absolute as they used to think. * X Xk X The enheartening thing is that as long as men think upon the subject there is some hope. It is only when character, as a subject and discussion, passes out of any given picture that the members of that so- ciety cease to be men and women striv- ing for the higher reaches of civilization. It is possible, then, for ny of us to regard ourselves as still on tne high road toward civilization if we are willing to stop and think, now and then, about the plain everyday wisdom which is en- shrined in the word “philosophy.” We suppose no one knows wholly what that word means, or just how much it contains. We have our philosophical so- cieties, at whose meetings the average man would be very ill at ease, but nevertheless such meetings represent one aspect of philosophy. We have our books, ranging from Plato to Durant. x k X ¥ But there is another aspect of phil- osophy which is of even more importance to the average person, and that is the everyday discussion of what he under- stands as character study. Mostly this is morality, and it is well that this is so, for morality is something any one can understand, despite its changing bases. We may not be altogether at ease in the presence of Socrates. We may re- gard the moral teachings of Bitle and church as set apart for special days and places. ‘The more humble morals of the every- day life deal with a multitude of subjects which come home to the hearts and bosoms of us all. We are enabled to understand that, even if we do not admire small fishes in the home aquarium, many other persons, as sensible and appreciative as our pre- cious selves, do admire them. We are able to understand how others may like the house cat, how famous men and women of Nistory, literature and art have found something keenly to be admired in Tom and Tabby. B Our strivings to understand what we do not naturally appreciate is the good beginning of a study which will take us as far, perhaps, as loyalty. We dimly perceive, in time, if we really try to understand, that loyalty is one of the most precious things in the world of human beings. We read about people who live in misery, but -as long as some sense of loyalty to each other is left them they are not altogether possessionless, not poor in the worst sense. The core and heart of any institution is the loyalty of its members. A flood of recollections comes over us. The far reaches of time and history, and of the human race, sweep into the thinking mind as man in the process of civiliza- tion tries to grope his way forward through the everyday consideration of problems whose means and end are loyalty and more loyalty and still more loyalty. * x x* It is difficult to think what life would be without this precious quality of mind, hand and heart, and yet every day one sees people who are disloyal to others, to their institutions and especially to themselves. They need more small philosophy in the everyday life we all lead, whether our path is high or low, whether on wheels or at a desk, whether we make much or little money. The executive has a chance to be loyal to those under him. The “hands” have an opportunity to be loyal to those in charge. But, most of all, every one has the chance to be loyal to himself in the better way. ‘What this way is he must decide for himself—and that is where the trouble comes in! If his decision isn't a good one, his loyalty will not amount to much. But who is to tell him which is “good” for him and which “bad” for him? That is the second barrel of the trou- ble and no more easily solved than the first. A thousand, thousand helpers are willing to leap into the breach, but there is only one guide, after all. It is cease- less effort. It is perpetual trying. We cannot forgive our enemy until we real- ize that he, poor fellow, has tried—and failed. His fate will humble us and give us power to resolve to find what he could not. Our light along the path is an old friend. Its name is Loyally, and at this season it shines everywhere, WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. With everybody whom he met in ‘Washington this week Gov. Landon left the impression of being a cheerful loser and of bearing without a tinge of malice or remorse the crushing defeat he suf- fered on November 3. Many Capital residents had the opportunity of making the Kansan's acquaintance at close range for the first time. They found him to be everything his admirers and intimate friends have always said about him—a man of conspicuous modesty, transparent sinceritv and personal charm. Politics was almost entirely taboo, as far as the Governor himself was concerned, though he, of course, took occasion to evince abiding interest in Republican develop- ments. One of the contacts Mr. Landon enjoyed most during his brief stay was a meeting with District of Columbia party workers under the auspices of Nationai Committee Members Edward F. Colladay and Mrs. Virginia White Speel. Beaming one of his characteristic smiles upon them, Gov. Landon said: “I want to thank you for everything you did. You were in my corner in the first round.” * % %k % ‘While John L. Lewis’ Committee for Industrial Organization is battling for unionism in the steel and motor in- dustries, the International Association of Machinists appears to be making an intensive drive to organize workers in America’s growing aircraft industry. Substantial results in that direction are reperted to have been achieved in the big Pratt & Whitney plant at East Hart- ford, Conn., where approximately 50 per cent of 2,500 employes is said already to have been unionized. Presumably or- ganization - efforts will be extended to other aviation manufacturing centers throughout the country. Leaders of the campaign declare thai sentiment for or- ganization is growing more favorable from day to day, owing to realization among aircraft workers that only through unionization can wages be in- creased and labor standards improved. It is claimed that as a result of a union agreement with one of the most impor- tant aircraft companies on the Pacific Coast an extra $100,000 a year was recently added to the pay roll, and the highest average rate of wage in any aircraft manufacturing plant thereby established. * % k% This is the season of the year when many life insurance companies pay an- nual dividends to policyholders. In sev- eral cases the distribution reflects the effect of steadily falling interest rates on investments of fiduciary institutions, Typical of current conditions is the public announcement of the New York Life Insurance Co., which “has deemed it prudent to make some reduction in 1936 dividends.” The company quotes the following statement by Louis H. Pink, New York State superintendent of in- surance: “No one knows how long the “present low rates of interest on invest- ments will prevail, but while they are in force it is certainly the duty of those intrusted with the people’s funds and savings to aet in a conservative manner to distribute dividends on a scale which higher dividends than are warranted, on the assumption that the interest rates vl.llshnrflvinfleue.". * * * Robert V. Fleming, president of the Riggs National Bank of Washington, who recently retired from the presidency of American Bankers' Association, of speech-makers known as the District of Columbia. During his year's term ot office Mr. Fleming delivered about 30 set addresses in different parts of the country, besides innumerable informal speeches, but never employed a ghost writer. Every one of his delivered papers was exclusively of his own composition and preparation, barring occasional re- search assistance. More than once the ‘Washington financier put in a matter of 20 hours’ concentrated labor on a single address, including the original manuscript, redrafting, etc. Mr. Flem- ing's leadership of the A. B. A. coincided with the 1935-36 pre-presidential cam- paign and the major part of the election campaign, embracing an era in which the banking industry was under un- precedentedly close public scrutiny and monetary conditions were generally in the melting pot. That meant that the A. B. A. chief had to watch his oratorical step with scrupulous care. His friends are not sure that Mr, Fleming ‘would have acquitted himself with such flying colors if he had depended on a ghost. * % % X One of the most interesting proposi- tions likely soon to be submitted to the new Congress will be a memorial from the Andrew W. Mellon trust, formally presenting to the Nation the great national gallery of art which the former Secretary of the Treasury has arranged to establish at Washington. By or be- fore the time Congress considers the project, the Fine Arts Commission and the National Capital Park and Planning Commission are expected to reach a decision regarding a site for the gallery. John Russell Pope, famous New York architect, who was commissioned to de- sign the $10,000,000 building, has com- pleted his plans. Those who have had a peep at them say they provide for what is destined to be Washington’s su- preme architectural gem, and in every respect werthy of conmtaining the $30,- 000,000 collection of pictures which Mr. Mellon will place in it. Mr. Pope, archi- tect of the Archives Building in Wash- ington, was recently chosen to design the new wing for the British- Museum at London, which will house the world- famous collection of Elgin marbles pre- sented by Lord Duveen. It is the first time that John Bull ever selected a non- British architect for so dist{nguished a commission. 7 * k¥ ¥ Senator Peter Norbeck, “Theodore Roosevelt Republican,” as the late South Dakotan continually described himself in his one-line autobiography in the onal Directory, was one of the most unobtrusive but effective members of the Senate during his more tian 15 years in Congress. He was proud of his occupation of an oil well driller and specialized at the Capitol in matters af- ecting conservation of natural resources. the old progressive movement. Though officially catalogued as a Republican, the Senator consistently enacted the role of an independent and was a factor in the t bloc which was so long a thorn in the G. O. P. side. ‘Governor, terms, from 1917 to 1921. He would have completed his third successive term in the Senate ME‘ lived until 1939, *® % John Edgar Hoover, ‘G-man Ne. 1, was & New Year day baby, having been 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. Are most people out of work or on relief in the middle-aged class?>—R. T. A. AW, P. A, study of workers on relief in 79 cities in 1934 showed that persons who had been out of work a long time were largely past 45 and 50. The ones who had been unemployed only a year or two were generally in the class under 40 years. The same conditions coniinue to be shown in cities where the survey has been maintained. Q. How many tourists visit Hawaii in a year?>—P. D. A, Last year about 20,000 tourists vis- ited Hawail. Q. Who is head of the Roycrofters, an organization devoted to printing and “arts and crafts?—F. B. A. Elbert Hubbard II is president of the Roycrofters. Q. How many children are enrolled in the Junior Red Cross in Japan?—E. M. A. There are 7,300 units with a total of 2,000,000 members enrolled. Q. How many radio broadcasting sta- tions are there?—G. R. A. The latest estimate shows that there are now 675 stations in the country. Q. Does Lady Astor drink or smoke? —F. R. W. A. She has described herself as a tee- totaler and non-smoker. Q. Where was the first carpet factory in the United States?>—K. G. H. A. The first carpet factory to be estab- lished in America began operation in 1791 at Philadelphia, where now more carpets are produced than in any other city in the world. Q. Who wrote the poem beginning: “What does it take to make a rose, mother-mine”?—E. F. A. The poem is by Alfred Noyes. Q. At what age are children safest— from a health standpoint?—E. R. A. According to the Statistical Bulletin of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.: “The eleventh year, or thereabouts, is the optimum point at which the high hazards of infancy and earliest child- hood are past, and the new and grad- ually mounting risks of adolescence, ma- turity and old age have not yet begun to exert their influences.” Q. What are the most important fur- bearing animals?—H. W. A. The muskrat and the skunk. Q. Is it ever correct to point a spoon toward the mouth in eating?—H. W. A. Regardless of the kind of food which is being eaten, the spoon should always be used with its side parallel to the lips. Q. Who discovered Lillian Russell? —H, X. A. Tony Pastor discovered the actress singing in the chorus of the Brooklyn Park Theater. He changed her name from Helen Louise Leonard and gave her her first chance on Broadway at $40 a week in a burlesque of “Pinafore." Q. Please give a biography of Moon, the philanthropist, who did so much for the blind—C. H. W. A. William Moon (1818-1894) was born at Horsemonden, Kent. He gave up his studies for the church when he became totally blind at 22. His energies were devoted thereafter to the care of the blind. Moon invented an embossed type to make reading easy. devised pictures and maps for the blind and established libraries and schools. Q. What caused the death of Lord Kitchener?—W. H. A. While en route to Russia, in 1916, he was drowned by the sinking of the cruiser Hampshire. Q. When was nitroglycerin discove ered?—H. J. A. It was discovered by Sobrero in 1846. Q. What is the religion of Mrs. Wallis Warfleld Simpson?—C. H. A. Mrs. Simpson was baptized in the Episcopalian Church. Q. What foot ball player received the Heisman Memorial Trophy this year? —C. R. A. The trophy was awarded to Law- rence Morgan Kelley of Yale University, Q. How long did it take the cowboy who rode a horse from Long Beach, Calif, to New York, to make the trip? * —C. F. A. Dan Stewart, a retired cattleman of 71, covered the 3,166 miles in 126 days on his horse, Diamond. The horse wore out 13 sets of horseshoes. Q. Who first used the word psycho- analysis?—E. W. A. This name was first applied by Sigmund Freud to a method of treating nervous disorders. . When was the water supply in Death Valley discovered?—L. W. A. An underground water supply was found and developed in 1935. A Rhyme at Twilight Gertrude B:zke Hamilton Thru the Needle’s Eye. A rich man died the other day Of whom they'd often said: “What will he have to take away ‘When numbered with the dead?” He took the thanks of those bereft ‘That he had helped to ease; of ones to whom he'd left Lifetime annuities; The gratitude of girls alone For homes his wealth will rear, Enabling them to hold their own And face life without fear. And when he lay beneath the sod His will they paraphrased— Pronouncing it the Hand of God In benediction raised. born in Washington on January 1, 1885, He is completing his seventeenth succes- sive year in the Department of J and his fifteenth in the Bureau of In- vestigation, of which he became assistant director in 1921 at the outset of the