Evening Star Newspaper, December 24, 1936, Page 8

A—8 THE EVENING STAR ~ With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. December 24, 1936 THEODORE W. NOYES —_—_—nmMm™m—m™mm The Evening Star Newspaper Company. 11th 8t. and Pennsylvania Ave. H t 42nd 8t. o oaro SheO Eaics Michigan Bulldibe. Rate by Carrier Within the City. Regular Edition. e Evening Star 450 per month 60c per month .- 65¢ per month -5¢ per copy t Final and Sunday Star.._.70c per month E!:Rt Final Star - o bbc g‘u‘ month Collection made at the end of each month. ‘Orders may be sent by mail or telephone Na- bonal 5000. * Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. . Maryland and Virsinia, . i 1 yr. $10.00; 1 mo, 85c iy 3 Sunday--} 5T SE6N 1 Mos B unday yr. $400; 1 mo. 40c* Al Other States and Canada. only_. o also_the Iocal news published herein il rights of publication of special dispatches erein are also reserved. —— e : Reorganization. ~For years there has been talk of the reorganization of the executive depart- ments of the Government. Occasionally ‘there has been a piecemeal reorganiza- tion. But always something has cropped up to block any general change in the framework, designed for greater effi- clency, the elimination of overlapping work and jurisdiction and economy. President Roosevelt, it now appears, is determined to tackle this job of reor- ganization and make it complete. There ‘§s room for it, particularly in view of $he many new and independent bureaus, eommissions and “administrations” that have sprung up like mushrooms during the past few years. ¢ Judging from the President’s discus- slon of the matter, it is his purpose to secommend grouping of many of the agencies under one head, to bring them all, or practically all, under the directing “eontrol of the cabinet officers who pre- side over the major departments of the Government. There are ten of these Pepartments. It has been suggested that a new office, the Department of Public Welfare, be created, which would take over all relief work, public works, ete. Such a department might well be- eome a catch-all. Its ramifications doubtless would be extensive. At the same time, its establishment would be interpreted as meaning that relief is to be a permanent institution. Tt would be possible, in all probability, ¢o fit the various new Government agen- eies into the existing major departments. he Department of the Interior, for ex- smple, should be able to handle public works, and probably relief and work re- lief. The Secretary of the Interior to- day is at the head of the Public Works ‘Administration and has made an effec- tive achievement. The Department of Labor and the Department of Commerce probably could absorb and handle effi- giently other agencies that have been set up dealing with public welfare particu- larly. The establishment of a brand-new major department with a cabinet officer at its head could only mean a still fur- Sher enlargement of the Government service and still greater expenditures. Those are things which the President plainly does not desire. -The President’s object in seeking re- organization, it is explained, is primarily greater efficiency and the elimination of overlapping. That is given precedence over economy. It is not his purpose to re- sluce the activities of the Government in the interest of the people. Such economy as may result from greater efficiency in Government service and the avoidance of duplication of effort and service mnaturally would be welcome. The President also has in mind doing something about those independent agencies, so called, which have quasi- Judicial and also executive functions. He takes the stand that all executive func- tions should come directly under the President, who, according to the Consti- tution, is the Chief Executive of the Nation, Congress has sought, in creat- Jng some of the independent agencies, ¢o keep them aloof from politics and the influences which naturally come, from direct control by the White louse. This is particularly true, for example, in connection with the General Accounting Office, the Interstate Com- merce Commission and the Federal Trade Commission. How far the President in- tends going in his recommendations re- garding these and other similar agencies Femains to be seen. ' ———— Communism is supported largely by men who are “willing to try anything once.” A man who has been decapitated or shot at sunrise is pretty sure not to Sry anything twice. —_——ee——— Yuletide Benefaction. On the eve of Christmas the British nation has received one of the most notable benefactions in the annals of benevolence—a princely gift of £2,000,~ 000, which is roundly the equivalent of $10,000,000, from Lord Nuffield, outstand- ing figure in the British motor industry. Described as a gesture of good will for the new King and as an expression of confldence in the Baldwin government, the fund is to be devoted to relief of localities within the United Kingdom which have been reduced to virtual economic ruin by protracted unemploy- ment. The money will create & trust, the proceeds of which will supplement gov- ernment efforts to rehabilitate stricken industrial regions. Although formally stated that the endowment is a tribute to George VI and a token of hope for the success of his reign, it does not escape British notice that Lord Nuffield desires the fund to be utilized for relief of those “depressed areas,” in connection with which former King Edward’s visit to Wales, shortly before his abdication, provoked such widespread interest and controversy. Many authorities attrib- A Tk EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., THURSDAY DECEMBER» 24, 1936. uted the instigation of the late constitutional crisis partially to the gov- ernment’s resentment of Edward’s courageous initiative in promising the Welsh miners the relief which a “do nothing” cabinet had failed to provide, Thus, while the Nuffield gift is officially heralded as a mark of approbation of Mr. Baldwin’s steersmanship during the storm that rocked the empire, there is discernible, in the specific purpose which the fund wiil serve, an implied commen- dation of King Edward’s now historic interest in the humanitarian field in question. \ Lord Nuffield’s benefactions during the past eleven years aggregate more than $37,500,000. Only last month he created 2 $10,000,000 trust for the employes of his automobile factories. A few days pre- viously he increased to $10,000,000 his $6,000,000 endowment of the Postgrad- uate School of Medical Research at Oxford. His name is assured indelible renown among the world's truly great philanthropists. It belongs in that galaxy of generous givers whom Amer- icans have so long honored—the Rocke- fellers, Carnegies, Sages, Milbanks, Rosenwalds, and others whose open- handedness through the years has helped to make not only their own country, but many climes far beyond these shores, happier and healthier places in which to live. Night Before Christmas. Probably it is true, as some observers have supposed, that Washington never has engaged with more whole-hearted enthusiasm in Christmas preparation than this year. Returning prosperity, theoretical or soundly real as it may be, appears to be the explanation of the fever with which the city has approached the Yuletide season. Business has been prosperous in every line, so authorities on the subject say. And it is a matter of history that stores and shops as late as last evening were crowded with cus- tomers seemingly equipped with inex- haustible purses. But now the preliminary arrange- ments generally have been completed. The lists that the children sent to Santa Claus are tattered scraps of paper, their scribbled specifications checked by the good saint’s anonymous agents. Trees from the North woods stand ready to be decorated, wreaths of evergreen hang in the windows, the most capacious stock- ings are available to be attached to an uncounted number of parlor mantels and chimneypieces, turkeys and other good things to eat are waiting in the pantry, millions of yards of tissue paper and ribbon have been wrapped around se- lected gifts for family and friends, the Jjunior contingent for once is anxious to be early to bed and their seniors are engaged in the usual furtive enterprises designed to justify or even to exceed the most ardent expectations of the children. Of course, the occasion is patently un- reasonable. A stray pragmatic philoso- pher, viewing the spectacle from the vantage point of frigid isolation, might wonder why the community should be willing to go to so much bother over anything not directly related to the com- monplace routine of life. Christmas, in the judgment of such a pedant, must appear to be a fantastic extravagance. The Puritans of three centuries ago deemed it deplorably foolish and waste- ful, and, considering the conditions of their time, they may have been right. But both time and circumstance have changed. The world is rich just now as it never has been since history began. War and revolution, economic disloca- tion everywhere, have impoverished millions, yet have failed to halt the production of wealth widely socialized. Incredible as it may seem to skeptics, the most costly of depressions has itself served merely to speed up production and to democratize the fruits of labor—money and the luxuries which money will buy. Is it not logical, then, that plain people— average men, women and little children —shall want this Christmas to be madly merry? The answer to such a question may be found in every home in Wash- ington tonight. The brilliant Mrs. Belmont thinks lot- teries should be available to the Amer- ican public without contributing to for- eign enterprise. A foreign lottery is a precarious sort of investment, but none has been known to haggle over a defi- nitely established obligation. A pedagogic system of government im- poses a heavy burden on the intellectual resources of the Nation. No matter how wise a nation may become, a superman is always expected who will be 6omp0- tent to instruct the instructors. —_————— . There might be a still larger prize for a new and satisfactory system of guess- ing how the Nobel prize ought to be awarded. State of Mind. Relief work or the receipt of public relief apparently develops a unique state of mind of which evidence is growing apace. Various recipients of public reliet have engaged in recent “sit-down” strikes in protest against reductions in relief expenditures. The latest to make such demonstrations are the investiga- tors, clerks and other administrative offi- cials and employes of New York City's Emergency Relief Bureau. Their com- plaint, which they aired by remaining in their offices overnight in various forms of “sit down,” is over the fact that they can hold their jobs after July 1, next, only after competitive examination ac~ companying & statutory transfer to the department of public welfare. The relief business, in other words, seems to develop in those concerned with |- it an attitude that regards relief as a right or & privilege in which they have a vested interest. Such an attitude brooks no muflemee'lmnnymmlndwv- vokes the action so well typified In the “sit-down” strikes. + The difficulty in undertaking the cur- of Congress may prove more amenable to A i & interests” than to the public at large. In addition to the members who represent the farmers, and are especially watchful for the protection of the farmer’s relief demsands, & great many members from the cities feel under special obligation to those who endorsed their declarations for more generous relief policies. The mayors who under Mr. La Guardia were mar- shaled in a recent protest against relief cuts were probably correct in feeling that their petition would be received sym- pathetically by Congress. In this period of rapidly returning prosperity, the votes of the relief interests carry far more weight than academic argument over the need for budget balancing. Final decision on the amount to be appropriated for relief in the next session of Congress rests, of course, with Con- gress. But the responsibility will be " pinned, in reality, on the President. Any failure on his part to demand a retrench- ment policy in relief will doubtless find Congress taking the sky as the limit for relief appropriations. The only hope for retrenchment lies in a vigorous recom- mendation for such a policy by the President. An extraordinary demand for seats is reported by the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. Good singers come and go, but they are all dependent on the old poets who tell the tragic stories that inspire the song. Opera is still the same when patrons arrive in motor cars instead of horse-drawn vehicles. ——— Nations are rapidly preparing for én- largement of war equipment, and Uncle Sam may as' well get ready for more unkind references to Uncle Shylock be- cause he resolutely refuses to appreciate the fireworks which endanger his insur- ance policies. ———— There are moments when President Roosevelt and Governor Landon are permitted to shake hands as if each regarded the other as a valued constitu- ent with possible influence on future events, ——e—. Holiday salesmen who organize strikes are the first citizens to offer a negative opinion on the old New York Sun ques- tion, “Is there a Santa Claus?” — e Hitler's Christmas generosities may cause even Santa Claus to give the Nazi salute. Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Christmas Tragedy. "Twas the night before Christmas, Old Santa drew near. To & lamppost he carefully Httched up his deer. He looked for a chimney down which he might crawl, But the kind that they tuild nowadays are too small. The blazing old fireplace s0 wide and 30 warm Has quite disappeared. It's considered bad form. Old Santy exclaimed with a scowl and & nudge, “I thought it was wood. It's a gas log! Oh, fudge!” And the children who once sang & gay Christmas song ‘Were dancing the tango and going it strong; And the toys that he brought, once so welcome to all, Looked merely like trifies pathetic and small. For the times have grown rapid and tastes they reveal Content with naught less than an auto- mobile. Poor Santy, discouraged, drove on round the block, Suspicions abound which would give you a shock. The worthy policeman spoke gravely that night Of a pleasant old gent who had whiskers of white. The tracks of a sleigh that was bound for the pole ‘Were wabbly as if the machine lacked control. And Santy, the gossips in confidence sy, Had a headache next morning that lasted all day. Precaution. “I hear that your audience applauded you wildly and long.” “Yes,” replied Senator Sorghum; “there’s nothing like selecting an au- dience whose opinions you have studied beforehand.” After & man has built & few Christ- mas trees for children of his own he begins to realize what heroes his father and mother were. Animal Myths. And now, as Santa Claus declares For the grest annual meeting, Forget about the bulls and bears And give the reindeer greeting. “Our close friends” said Hi Ho, the sage nf Chinatown, “have so much op- portunity to observe our faults that they generously cease to be interested in them.” : The Real Spirit. Oh, Christmas, come an sing & song. It soun’ so gay and sweet Dat evrything dat once went wrong Seems fixed up all complete. It's singin’ whar de stars is bright, An’ ‘mongst de trees down here It keeps a-soundin’ day and night— Dat Christmas song so clear. Soms folks sing sof’ an’ some sing loud An’ some jes’ toots a horn; An’ some is meek an’ some is proud, But dey’s happy, sho’s yoh born. Oh, de singin’ ain’t all done in style, THE POLITICAL MILL BY G. GOULD LINCOLN. M. Landon, the defeated the Republican party for the made & good impression on he came to Wash- of the week, called on Roosevell and later at the Club dinner was the only other speaker on the program with the Presi- dent. The Governor is not the kind to ‘The Kansas Governor was not on a po- litical trip to Washington. He did not talk politics. He did not say anything about his future plans. It has been reported that he is not going to be a candidate again for the presidency or for Senator from Kansas or for any other office. President Roosevelt is not to be a candidate to suc- ceed himself a second time. There may be a great deal of pressure brought to bear on him three and a half years hence to run for a third term, depending largely upon how things go in this country. He has had four years in which he has been tremendously popular. He has had four years in which he has launched his New Deal. He has four years more in which to make it operate. He may be as popu- lar gt the end of his second term as he is at the beginning of it. Even so, he might be tempting providence or fate if he chose to run for a third term. Calvin Coolidge, after more than six years in the ‘White House—almost seven—once told a visitor who was urging him to run for another term that he did not believe any President would be likely to hold on to his popularity and the people for more than eight years. Coolidge had years of success and prosperity in the White House. Had he run again, and been elected, he would probably have retired finally, as things turned out, a disap- pointed man. ** % It looks today as though the field would be wide open when it comes to the pre- convention campaign for presidential nominations in the Spring of 1940. Al- ready some of the Democrats have their lightning rods up. The Republicans are more backward. They are not anxious to make a move at this time, particularly when the G. O. P. is still trying to make up its mind which way to leap. * % % % The recent overwhelming defeat of the Republican party may have one effect. It may draw the remnants of the mi- nority party in Congress more closely to- gether in a fight against the democracy. The individual Republican Senators and members of the House probably realize that the situation for them is anything but rosy unless the party can stage a comeback. They must make a record not only for the party, but for themselves. If they fail to make a record for the party, they probably will fail to be re- elected. Few of them look forward to their personal defeat with relish. If they do not hang together in the coming Congress, they may very well hang sepa- rately in the next election. There is rea- son to believe that some of these Re- publicans are thinking seriously along these lines, nothwithstanding the fre- quent reports that the various Re- publican groups are widely separated by political differences. * x % % ‘The Republicans have a big job on their hands—the payment of the deficit of the Republican National Committee, growing out of the last campaign. It amounts to more than $900,000. It is going to be a task of considerable magnitude to raise this money, and also to keep raising money enough to maintain their national headquarters. Already there is & demand in some quarters that the con- tributions be limited in size and that care be used to discriminate against contribu- tions from big business men. The Re- publicans who make such demands in- sist that the party must dissociate it- self from men of wealth and become a people’s party. * X X % Raising nearly a million dollars to pay off a debt is no light task. The Demo- cratic National Committee was at it for nearly eight years, after the defeat of Al Smith in 1928. The Democrats did not scruple to accept contributions from men of wealth—and they got some of them, particularly from John J. Raskob, connected with the du Ponts in business, and even from some of the du Ponts. The Democrats also had some sizable con- tributions from men of wealth during the last campaign. It would seem a bit silly for the Republican National Committee now to refuse to accept contributions of considerable size to help pay its debts— provided it can get them. * * % % The death yesterday of former Senator Simeon D. Fess of Ohio removes a Re- publican of the old school. Senator Fess ‘was a strong partisan. No one ever had the slightest doubt where he stood on a political question. He was a “regular” Republican, as regular as a clock. He was & good fighter in the Senate and on the stump. His last campaign was in 1934, when he went down to defeat in a strong- ly Democratic year. He never com- promised with the New Deal. In fact, Senator Fess was never one to compro- mise. He did not believe in the New Deal THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. A word of thosé persons w bird feeding stations Do not be disappoint do not fly to the feeder immediately. Sometimes it takes as much as a week or even longer for the Wintering song- sters to “get onto” a new source of supply. Birds are cautious by their very nature. ‘Then, too, during the holiday seasons there will be a great deal more stirring around by human beings Even the slam of a car door gives a wild bird the jitters. No matter how well protected the new feeder is by shrubbery, sharp sounds carry far. WA, * The closer to a house, under ordinary circumstances, the longer the birds will be in finding the feeder. This must be kept in mind. ‘While the windowsill station has many good points, one of which is that it is easier on the eyes of the bird observers, it also has some drawbacks. Never will the birds frequent it in such numbers as they will the station placed in the flower border, or on a tree at the rear of the yard. ‘These two points must be kept in mind. The closer to the house, the fewer the birds. But most often this fact is made up for by the better quality, if one may put it so, of the frequenters. The bird enthusiast dislikes making discrimina- tions between the guests. Even he, how- ever, must admit that, ali things taken into consideration, the chickadee is just a little betfer bird than the English spar- row. A titmouse is to be preferred to a starling. Not only will the chickadee and the titmouse strike the average watcher as prettier, as bird beauty goes, but they will appeal especially as guests at the feeding station, and particularly at the windowsill feeder, where their beauty and interesting actions can be watched at close range. It must be confessed that these small gems of the birds which winter here- abouts are more or less lost in the huddle of English sparrows at the feeders at a greater distance in the garden. It is only when they come close that the observer is able to see them in their true beauty and interest. RN Another fact the person new to bird feeding must keep in mind is that he has to accustom the birds of his neighbor- hood to his location. Even in a yard where intensive feeding has been carried on for many months the birds will seldom visit a newly in- stalled device under three or four days at the shortest. Sometimes a full week goes by before the birds generally accept the new feeder. Several of the more choice songsters may visit it, but not the general crowd. ‘They continue placidly at the old stands. At times their snubbing of the newer source of supply will strike the observer as being in a class with the intentional cold shoulder of humanity. Yet it may be believed that it is only caution which prevents the birds from taking too quickly to the new place. * k% % Any really smart bird. the watcher may think, would avail himself of the new feeder at once and thus have an exclu- sive feeding place for several days. Join their fellows. This is especially true if the daring bird happens to be an English sparrow. The newcomer to bird feeding and watching in the home garden must keep in mind that these intelligent little fellows will make up the mass of birds in any garden, city or suburban. * x % % Anog\et point is this: Go easy on fill- ing the' feeders at first. Especially if the device is very close to the house. ‘What one desires to do is to gauge the amount of seed and grain necessary each day. After this amount has been determined accurately, it will be found to be ama2- ingly the same, day after day, but until it is determined it is best to underfeed rather than overfeed. Even the so-called “automatic” feeder, which is really nothing but a hopper, with platform and roof, will not com- pletely protect from inclement weather every last grain of food. Rains and snows which blow in from an angle have a penetrating way with them. And then there are always the squirrels, which insist on shoveling a great part of the seed onto the ground, where more rain can get to it. * X X X By filling the feeder lightly at first the attendant is better able to determine what a day’s supply means. There are, of course, several ways to handle one or more feeding stations. One method is to put out enough for & breakfast or for an afternoon tea. In time the birds will get “hep” to the times and come around on the minute. i Another method, preferred by some, is to keep the feeders filléd at all times, so that the birds may eat constantly all day long. Either of these methods is good, but the all-day feeding ought to be indulged in during bitter cold, especially when snow and ice are on the ground. Raw, rainy days, too, make a constant demand on the heat supply of the songsters which live with us all Winter and frequent our own gardens if we feed them. * ¥ ¥ * The newcomer to bird feeding should make a particular point of watching for the following: English sparrows, starlings, cardinals, bluejays. chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, mockingbirds and two or three species of woodpeckers. These are the most frequent Winter visitors to gardens hereabouts, especially in the suburbs. Opinions will differ as to the desirability of attracting such mockingbirds as remain here, but if one wants them, doughnuts will do it. If one doesn’t, refrain from putting out the humble doughnut. STARS, MEN AND ATOMS Notebook of Science Progress in Field, Laboratory and Study. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. Preparation in pure form and de- termination of the physical properties of a liquid that may be a basic substance of vegetable life is reported by the Bureau of Standards. The material is isoprene. It is one of the simplest of all the known combina- tions of carbon and hydrogen, its mole- cule consisting of five carbon atoms and eight hydrogen atoms with the former extended in the form of a chain. So far as known, it does not occur uncom- bined in nature. The isoprene on which Norman Bekkedahl, Lawrence A. Wood and Mieczyslaw Wojciechowski, Bureau of Standards chemists, are working is obtained by “cracking” the more com- plex molecules of terpenes obtained from terpentine, More than 50 years ago it was first noted that rubber, heated to about 300 degrees centigrade, gave off various vapors, one of which was isoprene. A few years later it was recorded that when isoprene was allowed to stand around in a laboratory at room temperature for a month or more it changed from a liquid with less viscosity than water to a more and more viscous substance and finally transformed itself to a soft, sticky mess almost indistinguishable from nat- ural rubber. It was long considered one of the outstanding possibilities for the making of synthetic rubber, but the cost of obtaining it is so great that such a process never could be economically sound. The great significance of isoprene lies in the fact that many of the hydrocar- bons whish make up plant cells have molecules which are exact multiples of the isoprene molecule. They might have been built up of “bricks” of isoprene which, it seems, may be one of the first products of the universal process of photosynthesis by which carbon dioxide and water are converted into hydrosar- bons in the living plant under the influ- ence of sunlight—a process upon which all life and earth depends. It is significant that isoprene should be so notable a constituent of latex, or natural rubber. Latex, it is explained at the Bureau of Standards, is not, as generally supposed, the sap of the rub- ber tree, although it is obtained by tap- ping, much as maple trees are tapped. organism can build up new cells of all sorts in times of emergency. Thus it has been found that latex is sity. Under other circumstances, it is probable, they may combine into other sorts of bricks for the use of other kinds of plant life. The Bureau of Standards chemists stress that their work with isoprene is intended primarily to obtain a better understanding of the internal structure of rubber itself. By determining pre- cisely the changes between pure isoprene and the rubberlike substance into which it converts itself —such as weight, boil- ing point, condensation temperature and refractive index—they will be able to throw light on some of the curious be- havior of a material which has become basic in modern industry. They do not contend, they stress, that the rubber molecule is only an enormous polymer of isoprene molecules. But since isoprene itself spontaneously changes into something which is very like rubber it seems probable that such a polymer constitutes its most impor- tant constituent. Isoprene would be the most logical base from which to start on a synthesis of actual rubber with precisely the same qualities as those of rubber obtained by tapping the latex tree. Other synthetic “rubbers” are com- mercially feasible because they have qualities different from those of actual rubber. A complete report of the work of the Bureau of Standards chemists is to be made at the meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science at Atlantic City next week. Wisdom Dictates Caution on Social Security Procedure Prom the Kansas Oty Star. It is the opinion of the State attorney general that Missouri would need to make several changes in its constitution in order to participate fully in the Fed- eral social security benefits. The attor- ney general states that possibly four amendments will be required for the pur- pose. No doubt such a condition prevails in various other States. . This tends only to accentuate the need of more time for the States to work out their own social security programs. It further shows the injujstice of the Pederal legislation requirement that the States shall have enacted unemployment insurance laws before the end of this month in order to share in the allotment of funds collected from employers. If two amendments will be necessary for this participation alone, as the attorney general now says, the required law could not be passed by the Legislature even at its approaching regular session. Social security as envisaged in the congressional legisiation is a most com- prehensive reform for the Nation, as for the several States. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. A reader can get the answer to any Qquestion of fact by writing The Evening Star Information Bureau. Frederic J, Haskin, Director, Washington, D, C, Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. How many theaters, dance halls -n!dl cawbnret.s are there in New York City? A. The total number of theaters, in- cluding movie houses, in Greater New York is 4,445. Licensed dance halls num- ber 442 and cabarets 348, Q. Who is credited with having proved that when a horse trots there is a moment when all his feet are off the ground?—L. R. A. Eadweard Muybridge, an American photographer — English born — demon- strated this in 1870, thereby settling an old controversy. Q. Does President Franklin Roosevelt speak French and Spanish?—F. A. 8. A. He speaks French fluently. He speaks German, and although he rea Spanish he does not speak it. Q. When were cameos most popular in the United States?—E. W. A. The demand for cameos reached its-height between 1870 and 1880. Q. If a surface is clean and a person's hand is clean, will a fingerprint be left? —M. R. A. Even if the surface on which fin- gerprints are placed and the fingers are absolutely clean, a print will be left. Its clearness depends on several technical things. Q. What is a muskeg?—W. R. A. This name, derived from the In- dian, is widely used in Canada for the tussocky peat bogs which cover large areas north of latitude 55 degrees. The vegetation consists of peat moss, rushes and various aquatic plants, often inter- spersed with trees and shrubs. In Sum- mer the muskeg is mostly impassable, but in Winter it remains frozen for months, during which it is traversed by hunters and trappers. Q. When will the world's fair in Cali- fornia be held?—H. W. A. The Golden Gate International Exposition will open on February 18 and ctlose on December 2, 1939. Q. What is meant by modulation as a musical term?—G. T. A. Tt refers to a change of key in the course of a work, the original being altered by a new sharp or flat. g. xWhfit caused the death of Aesop? A. The famous writer of fables was sent by Croesus upon an embassy to Delphi. He offended the inhabitants by his sarcasms and they are said to have hurled him from a rock into the sea about 560 B.C. Q. When was the first Alpine club formed?—L. R. A. It was formed in London in 1857. More than 150,000 persons now belong to these mountain-climbing clubs. Q. What State in the South has the lowest death rate? The highest birth rate>—H. W. A. Mississippi has the lowest death rate and the highest birth rate in the South. Q. When was Mary Baker Eddy, the Christian Science leader, decorated by the French government?—J. R. A. Mrs. Eddy was decorated by the Prench government as an officier d'acad- emie in 1907, Q. Is the home of Sam Davis, Confed- erate hero, still standing?—H. W. A. By act of the Tennessee Legisla- ture, Davis’ home was purchased by the State and will be preserved just as he left it, with a Confederate museum and a val- uable collection of paintings, letters, wearing apparel and firearms used by the boy hero. The home is located 20 miles from Nashville, near Smyrna. Q. What is the origin of the word meerschaum?—W. H. A. The word is German and means sea foam. Q. What is spirits of hartshorn?— . W. A. This is a solution of ammonia in water for household use. Q. Is there a Mickey Mouse magazine, and, if so, where is it published?—E. H. A. The Mickey Mouse Magazine, a monthly, is published by Kay Kamen, Ltd., RKO Building, New York City. Q. Is it true that the remains of Christopher Columbus wil! be interred at Trujillo City, Dominican Republic?-+ J.W. A. The remains of the discoverer will rest in the $5,000,000 light house memo- rial which is being erected at Trujillo City. The memorial symbolizes the cross erected by Columbus on the first land he discovered on this continent. Q. Why was March 4 originally chosen #s Inauguration day?—C. F. A. The date was not material. The time was the first Wednesday in March, ‘which happened to fall on the 4th. Elec- tors were to be chosen on the first Wed- nesday in Jaruary: they were to meet and choose President and Vice President on the first Wednesday in February and the Government installed on the first ‘Wednesday in March. Q. Is Banfl, in the Canadian Rockies, & Summer or a Winter resort?—W, H, A. It is a year-around resort. Skiing, skating, curling and hockey are the prin- cipal Winter attractions. A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton Motherhocd. A little child lay on his mother’s breast, And she thought, as she rocked her babe to rest, Of the pondering mother and holy child ‘Who never might be by sin defiled. And she sang to her baby, “Oh, little son, Would you might stay like that holy one.” Yet, as she sang came the thought, Of how dearly that sinlessness was o Of the lmfmnng mother, pondering still, As she stood by the cross on Calvary's hill, harrowing Then into his cradle this mother laid Her sleeping child. And beside him “Oh, fi“i‘é“’ sorrowing mother, hear— S S o o i o Like you I pon e 5 Yet keep him pure as the Christmas snow.” I.'