Evening Star Newspaper, January 7, 1937, Page 10

With Sund: WASH . C. THURSDAY. January 7, 1937 THEODORE W. NOYES.. Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company. % Pennsylvania Ave, e Yotk Sice 110 East dond &t Chicago Office: 436 North Michigan Ave. Rate by Carrier—City and Suburban. Regular Edition, vening and Sunday Star The Evening and, B0 Onth or 180 per week The Evening Star month or 10c per wee The 8u 'day 8t 70c per month x ¢ per copy Risht Final 85 Sunca” £ 35¢ Der montn Collection made at the end of each month or each week. Orders may be sent by mail or tele- phone National 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Vireinia. E yr., $10.00; 1 mo., 85c yr. $6.00; 1 mo.. blc i 1 mo. 40c tly and Sunday. aily only___. junday only_ Member of the Associated Press. ‘The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in this Paper and also the local news published herein. I right ublication of special dispatches erein are also reserved. R A R — The President’s Message. After an important event, such as the delivery of the President’s message on the state of the Union, the exigencies of journalism demand that persons who can speak with or without authority be 4nterviewed for the purpose of record- ing their comments and interpretations for the guidance of their fellow men. One of those so interviewed yesterday ‘was Representative Nichols of Okla- homa, and he gave his interpretation of the President’s message as follows: The President pointed out that he ex- pected the Supreme Court to be more liberal in its interpretations of acts of Congress. He indicated he was not very well pleased with its decisions. He held that it had not co-operated properly to bring about recovery. A careful perusal of the President’s very readable address discloses no men- tion of the Supreme Court and a much more subtle shading of expression than might be indicated by Mr. Nichols’ con- ¢ise and candid summation. But the headlines indicate tha Mr. Nichols’ in- terpretatjon is rather widely held. The popular picture of the President, mounting the dais not long after of- ficial confirmation of the 523 electoral votes recorded in his favor by the recent election, shows him shaking an admon- ftory finger in the direction of the judi- ciary and suggesting that while the Con- stitution is all right, the manner of inter- preting it must be brought up to date. That, plainly enough, is the President’s attitude, reflected more vividly in that part of his address which argues that the accomplishment of certain desirable ends for the betterment of labor and agriculture can best come through “Fed- eral laws supplementing State laws” and that the vital need today is “not an -alteration of our fundamental law"—the Constitution—"but an increasingly en- lightened view with reference to it.” But what is an “enlightened” view and ‘how is it to be acquired by the judiciary? Was the N. R. A. decision of the nine Justices of the Supreme Court an un- enlightened view of the Constitution? ‘The President mentioned “the statute of N. R. A,” which “has been outlawed. The problems have not. They are still with us.” How is this enlightenment to be , brought about? By the selection, or the addition, of Supreme Court justices whose views of constitutional limitations do not impede the grant of “essential powers of free government” to be exer- ‘cised by Congress and the President? ‘The President is not clear on this point. eMeans must be found,” he says, “to adapt our legal forms and our judicial {interpretation to the actual present na- 'tional needs of the largest progressive democracy in the world.” The pursuit !of the means, in the next four years, promises to be an important chapter of {our history. . In view of the speculation over impor- itant items of the coming legislative pro- igram, the President’s address was re- vealing. Housing legislation, possibly ithe Wagner bfll, occupies high rank. +Tenant farming and its problems must ;recelve attention. Amendment, in the {direction of broadening its service, of the ;social security legislation may be ex- ipected. A relief policy and appropria- ‘tions for relief, together with govern- !mental reorganization, are reserved for {later discussion. Immediate attention is idirected to neutrality legislation, the ‘extension of emergency legislation ';lhomy to expire and a deficiency appro- Jpriation. And less specific, if even more ‘emphatic, mention of the problems rep- ‘resented by unemployment and the need jto obtain “decent conditions and ade- ;quate pay for labor” suggests the nature {of what many regard as the most im- {portant legislation of all. ' ] —_——————— The wisdom of Solomon is often ex- <tolled, but it scems hard to render it as influential on present taste as “Ziegfeld's {Folles.” ¥ L ——————— Scribner’s Jubilee. A fiftieth anniversary may not sig- ‘nify anything very notable in the life of .an individual, perhaps still less in the history of an institution. But a half- century birthday is important in the career of a literary periodical. The mor- tality rate, as it happens, is high for magazines dedicated to those arts whose particular appeal is to a miinority of readers. “Caviar to the general” is the character of the contents of such & monthly as Scribner’s. The more reason, then, for a gesture of appreciation on the occasion of the golden jubilee of a publication which has kept unbroken faith with an audience not numerous but discriminating. Six hundred successive issues have passed through editorial offices, printing shops and the mails into the hands of friends who have been competent to enjoy the best efforts of publishers, writers and il- lustrators pledged to the noblest ideals. President Roosevelt, congratulating the magazine on its survival of “the vicissi- A THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 1837. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL, tudes and transitions” of its time, com- mends it for its loyalty to standards which never change and which never can be effectively challenged. Roswell Smith and Dr. J. G. Holland were the original sponsors, Charles Scribner the business head of the nas- cent .enterprise, E. L. Burlingame the first editor. They set the pattern in 1887. It remains unviolated still, and the list of geniuses who have contrib- uted toward the maintenance of its in- tegrity is a roll of fame—Robert Louis Stevenson, Sarah Orne Jewett, Thomas Nelson Page, Andrew Lang, H. C. Bun- ner, Austin Dobson, Harold Frederic, William James and his brother Henry, Bret Harte, Henry M. Stanley, George Meredith, Sir James Matthew Barrie, Edith Wharton, John Galsworthy, Rich- ard Harding Davis, Rudyard Kipling, Howard Pyle, Frederic Remington, Max- fleld Parrish, A. B. Frost, Theodore Roosevelt, Stephen Crane, Mary Ray- mond Shipman Andrews and a thousand other men and women equally cele- brated and deserving. But what of the future? Will the next half-century witness prosperity for Scribner's? Or is the magazine fated to decline? Are hew contributors and new readers coming over the horizon to pre- serve its values, to expand its utility in a civilization plagued with mutation? The Star joins with Mr. Roosevelt in wishing it long continuance in its field of service. —— e Security of the Republic. One of the results of the Supreme Court’s decision in the Oregon syndical- ism case should be a clearer conception on the part of a section of the public, including some in official position, of the distinction between legitimate pro- tection against abuse of the constitution- al guarantees of freedom—of speech, of the press and of assembly—and the cur- tailment of such freedom by merely in- voking a plea of protection. In the nat- ural and widespread resentment in this country against detestable “isms,” espe- cially communism, there has been a tendency to confuse the two and to cur- tail fundamental liberties in attempting to prevent abuse of such liberties. The application of the Oregon law was a case in point. Protective laws, the court said, must strike at the abuse, not at the rights. The Oregon law makes advocacy of criminal syndicalism or sabotage a felony. A Communist, Dirk De Jonge, presided at and addressed a meeting held under auspices of the Communist party. He was arrested and subsequently sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment. It was not charged, nor was there any attempt by the State to prove, that De Jonge or other speakers at the meeting advo- cated criminal syndicalism or sabotage. The State made its case on the allega- tion that the Communist party had at times advocated such measures, along with other revolutionary tactics, and that De Jonge was a representative of that party. In other words, De Jonge was arrested and prosecuted because he was a Communist, not because of any specific violation of law on his part. The court’s unanimous opinion empha- sized the fact that while the people of the States may protect themselves against the abuse of the rights of free speech and assembly, the fact that such rights are subject to abuse does not mean that they can be clirtailed. De Jonge's rights as a citizen were curtailed, and such curtailment, in the opinion of the court, is a greater threat to our institutions than De Jonge's connection with a group of persons whose advertised design may be to destroy those institutions. The opinion by Chief Justice Hughes contained these striking lines: The greater the importance of safe- guarding the community from incitement to the overthrow of our institutions by force and violence, the more imperative is the need to preserve inviolate the con- stitutional rights of free speech, free press and free assembly in order to main- tain the opportunity for free political discussion, to the end that government may be responsive to the will of the people, and that changes, if desired, may be obtained by peaceful means. Therein lies the security of the Republic, the very foundation of constitutional government, —————— When the Governor received the Na- tional Guard on New Year day the luncheon concluded with mints. The fact that the mints were a form of dainty confectionery should not persuade local optionists that Maryland mint has lost its influence, —_——e——— It may be only a superficial question of propriety, but it is hard to understand why munitions factories should name a war plane after so unpleasant a bird as the condor. It Beats the Dutch. Despite its recurrent international “triumphs” in deflance of the treaty of Versailles and in other fields, Nazi “di- plomacy” continues to distinguish itself for clumsiness. Among her few Euro- pean neighbors whom Hitlerite Germany has not hitherto contrived either to of- fend or alarm is the Netherlands. It was suspected that the Dutch might have been spared, because for now nearly @ score of years they have offered asylum to the former Kaiser and thus won a certain claim on German gratitude. Now Holland must be added to the list of countries with grievances against the Reich, as the result of an incredible ex- hibition of Nazi tactlessness. The Hague government has found it neces- sary to treat it as a breach of friendly relations and to protest against what is officially designated as an “insult” to Queen Wilhelmina. ‘The episode anticipated today’s wed- ding of Crown Princess Juliana of the Netherlands to Prince Bernhard zu Lippe-Biesterfeld, scion of & former minor German ruling family. Berlin authorities, in a series of inspired press attacks, fumed that the Dutch were showing “disrespect” to Germany by failing to display the swastika or play German national anthems in pre-wed- ding festivities. Thereupon, as a typ- fcally mailed-fist reprisal for this alleged affront to Nazi honor, the government ordered passports withheld from three German princesses who were to be bridesmaids of Princess Juliana. Only after Prince Bernhard's personal appeal to Hitler were the passports issued. But the Dutch authorities were not dis- suaded from submitting & formal remon- strance against Germany’s gratuitous action. Tension was not lessened by the royal bridegroom’s blunt announcement that, in consequence of assuming Dutch citizenship, he now feels himself to be @ Hollander and that it is therefore in- appropriate either to blare foreign an- thems or fly alien flags in his honor. Matters were apparently adjusted at a pre-nuptial celebration in The Hague on Tuesday, when, to soothe German resentment, “Deutschland Ueber Alles”’| and the Nazi marching song, the “Horst ‘Wessel,” were placed on the program. Even then, as a rebuke to German arro- gance, a famous Dutch orchestra con- ductor flatly refused to direct the per- formance, and the Nazi music had to be played under the baton of an army band leader drafted for the emergency. Certain Dutch elements look upon the whole tragi-comedy as & not unwelcome | opportunity to convince the world that their future Queen’s marriage to a Ger- man prince in no wise denotes that the Netherlands is going Nazi. The Germans are pleased to consider the incident closed. But the Dutch are bitterly incensed over Nazi zeal to make a political mountain out of a molehill. Intensely devoted to their royal house, the Netherlanders are not likely soon to forget a piece of bungling which proves afresh that as & master of the gentle art of making enemies Der Puehrer is in a class by himself. - (el ‘There is a sly disposition to be jocose because Dr. Tugwell has gone into the molasses business. If he hopes to in- fluence general affairs by his personal gesture his choice is surely preferable to the vinegar business. Maryland motorists will have until April to buy motor license tags for 1937. It is also encouraging to know that the Legislature at Annapolis is thinking up a number of things to make life better and more beautiful. o If every dark cloud has a silver lining it may be discovered that scarcity of automobiles caused by strikes is serving to give the little old used car a sub- stantial trade-in value at last. — Senatorial investigations are useful sources of information showing how many things people object to that no- body can help. ————— e It is complained that John L. Lewis has constituted himself a sort of traffic cop competent to give the entire auto- mobile industry a ticket at will, —_— rate———— ‘Texas used to be called the Lone Star State. It is now providing a congres- sional constellation. Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Human Speech. The man who talketh night and day But little will reveal. For one who hath too much to say Hath something to conceal. But he who seldom doth express His mind in public phrase— Look out for him! He's more or less Inclined to truthful ways. Insomnia. “Politics makes strange bedfellows.” “Not always,” replied Senator Sor- ghum. “Politics is liable to get us all so worried that nobody can sleep.” Jud Tunkins says the pirplane gets you where youre goin’ at tremendous speed, even if it happens to be the next world. The Dream Songs. Poor child—to me it very clearly seems That it is living in “a world of dreams,” Apart from Earth such as all human kind In struggling with life'’s dull routine must find. To such fixations it, I see, will add A love of simple music, good or bad, Which prompts the repetition of some phrase And, plainly, “echolalia” displays. Sadly I turned to seek surcease of care And heard the babbling music in the air. The singers all announced—some were admired— To live in Dreams was all that they desired! And memory caught the words, echoing the sound half - meaning phrases would Until I thought that Dreams were only child- . hood’s right That brought escape from care by fancy’s flight. ‘When ‘jasz imaginings thus leave us sad, I'm asking, does this world risk going mad? “Envy,” said Hi Ho, the sage of China- town, “is often a work of the imagination, which sees happiness where there is none.” A Discovery, “She does not appear to admire him 30 much since they were married,” said the observant neighbor. “Yes,” replied Miss Cayenne. “She has made the discovery that an ideal beau is not necessarily & beau ideal.” Relief. All haj] the frosty season That brings such varied glee! ‘When men may say with reason, “There are no flies on me!” “De chicken,” said Uncle Eben, “is trustful bird. Ev'ytime I looks in \ . de coop I sees dat another one has been makin’ friends with strangers an’ get- tin’ took foh & ride.” THE POLITICAL MILL BY G. GOULD LINCOLN. President Roosevelt’s address to the Congress yesterday seems to settle one disputed question, at least. The admin- istration, judging from the President’s remarks, is not going to propose or to get back of a constitutional amendment at this time to validate New Deal laws which have been declared unconstitu- tional by the Supreme Court of the United States. The President’s theory is that the judiciary should get in step with the other two branches of the Government, the legislative and exece utive, in order to give the people what they want. What the people want, the President and others believe, was demonstrated at the last election. In other words, the election becomes not only a mandate to the President and to Congress, but also to the courts. * kxR The President made it clear that he believes the framers of the Constitution had in mind liberal interpretations of that document to meet changing condi- tions. His emphasis upon the preamble of the Constitution and Article I is both interesting and significant. The pre- amble of the Constitution reads as fol- lows: “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic -tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and to our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the Unitel States of America.” The first section of Article I says: “All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives.” A rereading of these parts of the Constitution, plus a re- reading of the debates which preceded the adoption of the Constitution, he de- clares, should be worth while in coming to a conclusion. x X % % ‘The Supreme Court has been under attack recently—and at times in the past—because it ventures to declare acts of Congress, legislative acts such as the N. R. A. and the A, A. A, unconstitu- tional. There have been frequent de- mands that laws be passed to take away from the court all right to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional, on the theory that the court exercises a legisla- tive function in so doing that, under the Constitution, is reserved to the Congress. Another proposal has been to make it impossible for the court to declare an act unconstitutional unless two-thirds or greater majority of the court should render in the opinion. * x % % ‘The President’s address yesterday seems to pull the carpet from under the feet of Senator Robinson, Democratic leader of the Upper House, who, on Sat- urday, expressed the opinion that the better and more practical way of meet- ing the situation was to adopt an amend- ment to the Constitution giving Congress the power to legislate on the question of wages and hours of labor. "If the President’s theory is adopted, and there is to be effective legislation dealing with wages and hours of labor and control of production, either the personnel of the court must change or the present mem- bers of the court must alter their pre- viously expressed interpretation of the Constitution. s *x % % The President’s address covered a wide fleld in general terms. He limited his actual recommendations for legislation to a comparatively few matters. How- ever, he certainly got quick action on one of his recommendations—that asking for power to halt shipments of arms to the warring factions in Spain’s civil war. Before the Senate and House adjourned Vesterday afternoon they had adopted a joint resolution giving the President the | desired power. The vote in the Senate was 80 to 0 in favor of the resolution and in the House 403 to 1. No more speedy action was ever attained in the first and second Congresses of the Roosevelt ad- ministration. The measure was re- garded as an emergency matter, de- signed to keep the United States from becoming involved in war abroad. Party lines were disregarded absolutely. sole member of the House who voted against it was Representative Bernard of Minnesota, a Farmer-Laborite. LR It is reported from New York that the Union League Club, long regarded as & citadel of Republicanism, is about ready to let down the bars and admit Demo- crats to membership. If the reports be correct, however, the doors may still be closed to New Deal Democrats, and the action of the club is not to be re- garded as an olive branch to the present administration. It is suggested that such Democrats as Al Smith, John W. Davis, both former Democratic candi- dates for the presidency; Lewis W. Doug- las, former director of the budget, and Newton D. Baker, Secretary of War in the Wilson administration, would be welcomed. These are all considered “Jeffersonian Democrats,” and most of them were actively opposed to the re- election of President Roosevelt. The Union League, apparently, is not be- coming radical in its latest move, but is rather seeking to draw within it more conservatives. % k% The latest move toward & third party is taking place in the House of Repre- sentatives. Thirteen Farmer-Laborites and Progressives, from Minnesota and Wisconsin, have banded together as & second minority party and will contest with the Republicans for minority rec- ognition in the House in the committes of the House. The progressives are hope- ful that in the next congressional elec- tions in 1938 their numbers in the House will be still further augmented, and perhaps in the Senate. In any event, their hope is that they will be- come a powerful political factor when 1940 rolls around and a national election takes place. The group put forward as its candidate for Speaker of the House Representative Schneider of Wisconsin. He received 10 votes. They have ap- pointed Representative Boileau of Wis- consin as their “floor leader” in the House. 5 * kK% The row among the Democrats of the House over the choice of floor leader may have many repercussions. Representa- tive Sam Rayburn of Texas was success- ful in winning the leadership from Rep- resentative John O'Connor of New York by a considerable margin. The fight, however, left some scars. One of the first results was the defeat, it is said, of Representative Frank J. Dorsey of Penn- sylvania for membership in the Ways and Means Committee, which handles all tax and tariff and other revenue leg- islation. Senator Guffey of Pennsyl- vania, the Democratic boss of the Key- stone State, intervened in the contest for ‘The | ‘Watching men’s faces and wondering how they looked as small boys is an always open amusement in a public place. It is possible to while away many pleasant minutes in this occupation, dur- ing those otherwise tedious periods when a certain amount of time must be “killed,” for one reason or another. See the round-faced man, with the benign luncheon club look—did he always have precisely that appearance, or is it a growth, an acquirement, an attain- ment? And just how did he look as & lad? ‘Would it have been possible, there long 2go, to predict this roundish head, this peculiarly snubbed nose? ‘Would it now be possible to read from these features the youngster of 12 years of age? *x %% ‘There can be no definite answer, of course. Such changes are subtle. They occur little by little, so that no one ever catches himself at them. Even five-year periods, or longer, often fail to show much change. Look at some old photograph, and every one in it will be much the same as now, perhaps, with one vital excep- tion— Youth. And youth itself is shown more by a certain slimness of feature than any- thing else. Unless a cynical person, now and then, is brave enough to declare that youth often displays a certain .air of kindness not to be found in the older article. * x % % A row of faces, strangers all, offers an interesting proving ground, wherever found, and under whatever circum- stances. A long ride proves short, if the ob- server occupies himself with speculation as to each of these faces; what its owner does in life, and especially how his fea- tures have changed over the years. It will be pure speculation, of course. Probably that is one of the reasons it is interesting. Sometimes one may believe that too much surety, in certain matters, is what helps take some of the zest out of life for many persons as they go along. They become too sure of some matters, and not sure enough of others! * % % % Looking over a row of faces, then, is a species of speculation, and not much eise, for we cannot ever be sure of anything. Often the face we instinctively dislike in time might become the one which we would like best of all. It is seldom, if ever, that anything much comes of this observation. No doubt, some might even call it wasted, but certainly it will not be for others, if their minds run that way. Sometimes among the faces on display the observer will see one which makes a particular appeal. Long experience has taught him not to put too much trust in his own observations! He, along with the remainder of man- kind, often makes mistakes in character selection. That is, he finds that he often is fooled. Who has not had the ex- perience? Surely the only man who has never been fooled is the same worthy who knows everybody. Do you know him? Truly, an interesting fellow. Mention any famous person—the more famous the better—he at once answers, “Oh, yes, John is an old friend of mine.” And so on. Try him on half a dozen famous per- sonages, the world around, selected for their diversity of fame as well as for their geographic locations. Sure, he knows ‘em all! He always does. * % * % Probably a: least one such specimen is in any possible row of male faces. It is interesting to feel that in the group, discovered any time and any place, waiting to get somewhere, or wait- dng to get in to see some one, or waiting for something to happen, there will be at least one of almost every possible character combination, And the saddest part of it is that all too often the most important character- istics scarcely show on the surface. Except two, and these always show. The kind man and the mean man, these are always distinguishable. The latter may simply have & sharper mouth, with lips more firmly compressed. Or a long nose. Or eyes which give him away, little and piglike, and that is a slander on the hog family. * X % % English sparrows often are lumped off in the bird books as “fighters and bullies,” with no second ground given them. ‘This is not possible with men. There is no bully who has not some streak of tenderness in him at times. His eyes may shine with a different light at the sight of his little girl, or he may have & chord touched by memory of his mother. It is because of these unexpected streaks in all human beings that it is impossible for any observer to wholly and truthfully judge another just on appearances. ‘The fun comes in trying, that is all. ‘The honest observer of a group of men will be intrigued by the utter impossi- bility of making a true judgment in most cases. He will realize that char- acter is too deep, too overlald with too many unknown factors, to permit any outsider to unravel it all. Only a few traits come clean, make themselves felt above all else. These were the famous dominant traits of that earliest of psychologists, Alexander Pope, the poet. Pope specialized in trying to assess character at its face value. He believed that most men had some dominant trait which always outweighed all others. Thus one specimen would be covetous, another cruel, another overfond of the ladies, and so on. *x x x Modern analysis shows, perhaps, that human character is not that easily cat- alogued. It is because so many dominant traits meet in most persons, and fight their battles there, either secretly or openly, that character study remains the joy of many. A good beginning is made with persons the observer does not know, for these must be weighed solely on such traits as have managed to carve their outlines in the features, A world of dispute looms here, but surely there is enough certainty in it all to enable the cautious person with some fairness and a certain amount of hon- esty to fix character values to a certain extent, at least. Only after one is able to make good guesses as to strangers is he in a posi- tion to make the most of what he knows in regard to those persons whose char- acters he knows by word and action, or at léast thinks he knows. STARS, MEN AND ATOMS Notebook of Science Progress in Field, Laboratory and Study. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. ‘The United States is experiencing a “family of droughts.” Such is the Weather Bureau interpre- tation of the condition since 1930, with its three extremely dry years interspersed with years of moderate precipitation. Examination of the rainfall records, according to the annual report of Dr. Willis R. Gregg, chief of the Weather Bureau, shows that American droughts can be divided into two general classes. In one class are those of a transitory nature, usually affecting a comparatively small area and of relatively short dura- tion. They usually last only a single year. ‘The other class is that of the families of droughts. Says Dr. Gregg: “Smoothed weather records show long-time trends in pre- cipitation covering a good many years, alternately above and below normal. The short-period droughts usually are not definitely related to these general long- time trends. But when a minimum phase of precipitation obtains, such as is now being experienced, there occur at short intervals what might be called families of droughts, in contradistinction to the transitory, or short period, ones. “Prior to the minimum phase of pre- cipitation responsible for the present family of droughts the last general con- dition of this kind occurred in the latter part of the eighties and the early nineties of the last century. At that time, follow- ing a series of years of rather abundant rainfall, widespread scanty moisture began in 1886. While it was interrupted in 1802 by fairly abundant moisture, there was a marked tendency generally for subnormal rainfall from 1886 up to 1895, culminating in the severe droughts of 1894 and 1895, the dryest years of that minimum phase. The year 1896 had fairly good precipitation, but 1897 was deficient between the Mississippi River and the Rockies. “Following this general long-time drought there were several belonging to the transitory class, short-lived and often seriously affecting only compara- tively small areas. Among these may be mentioned that of 1901 in the interior valleys and the Southwest. The follow- ing year had plenty of moisture in most States. Another occurred in 1910, princi- pally in the Central and Northern States, but this again was largely a one-year affair. Another one in 1017 affected principally the Southeast and northern plains, and still another in 1925 was severe in the South and Southeast. Thus for some 60 years up to 1930 there were a number of short-period droughts and only one persistently and markedly dry phase of United States climate, lasting activities of Senator Guffey in the House leadership fight. * % One of the first acts of Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, jr., in his new office was the introduction in the Senate of a bill calling for a Nation-wide census of the unemployed. Senator Lodge was chair- man of the Labor Committee in the House of Representstives in Massachu- setts, snd is reported to have made & good record in that position. Appar- ently Mr. has reached the conclu- sion that if the Federal Government is to deal adequately with the unemployment situation and relief it should have full data regarding the extent of unemploy- ment, which has so far been largely & matter or gussswork. It sounds ssnsible. 4 in general about 10 years. but some years being better than others.” The present dry phase, the report points out, began in 1930. There have been some fairly moist years. especially 1935, but there have been three extremely dry years—1930, 1934 and 1936. If history repeats itself the present dry interlude can hardly be expected to be complete, but there is no evidence that these family droughts do repeat themselves with any regularity, as to length and severity. They seem to recur at intervals of about 50 years. The few available rain- fall records covering a century or more indicate that there was a comparable dry phase in the thirties of the last century, or about 100 years ago. Tree- ring records of the Far Northwest indicate that there was a drought phase in that area soon after the middle of the eight- eenth century, with a succeeding period of abundant rainfall, culminating about the beginning of the nineteenth century. The outstanding wet phase of the United States climate in the last century, the records show, was from about 1865 to 1885, with a secondary maximum dur- ing the first two decades of the present century, although several transitory droughts were interposed. Says Dr. Gregg: “While study of the long weather records has not yet disclosed a law suffi- cient to justify a forecast of future droughts, such a study does warn us that droughts in the future may be expected, just as severe as those of the past. For example, the records show that in the early nineties there was a drought in the Dust Bowl just as severe as that recently experienced. Doubtless when the present drought definitely comes to an end there will be a period of years with comparatively heavy rainfall, and little will be heard about duststorms and the like. But in the planning of a per- manent farm program for such areas the basic consideration should include the practical certainty that dry climatic phases, just as severe as in the past, will Tecur in the future.” Home Banks. Prom the Montreal Star. An educational authority thinks that savings bank boxes in the home are apt to make a child miserly. Further ob- servation tends to suggest they also teach parents to become bank robbers. Feminine Consistency. Prom the Worcester Gasette. An Indians man testified at a diverce hearing that every pay day for 26 years his wife has come to the shop ‘where he works to collect his pay enve- lope. Try and tell him woman is fickle. Pity the Poor ’Gator! Prom the Roanoke Times. According to a writer, an alligator sometimes lives to be 80 years old, but he has no soul and death ends all. That's a long time to stick around with nowhere to go. Erosion on the Links. Prom the Tilinois State Journal, Why worry over the waste of soil ero- sion? More than two million ns are digging at the sod, playing the great internationsl gams of golf. 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, Weshington, D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. Is most of the money extorted by kidnapers eventually recovered?—S. A. C. A. In the widely known cases, only about one-third of the ransom money paid to kidnapers has been recovered. Q. Are women better looking than men?—F. T. A. That is a matter of opinion, but in the judgment of many artists men are on the whole better looking than women. although the kind and uniformity « their clothing may make them seem lew" 50. In large families of boys and it is said, there are always more hana- some brothers than sisters. Q. How does the number of passenger cars compare with the number of trucks and busses?—C. H. A. Of 28,000,000 vehicles registered in 1936, 24459,940 are passenger cars and the balance trucks and busses, Q. How old is Wilbur Cohen, assistant to Arthur J. Altmeyer, acting Social Se- curity Board chairman?—F. M. A. He is but 23 years old, and is already considered an expert in the theory and practice of social security. Q. What is the “Bible belt” in this country?—N. Y. T. A. The States lying south of a line drawn from Pennsylvania to Nebraska ‘| are known to the publishers as the Bible belt. These States absorb 60 per cent of the Bibles sold each year. Q. How far back does written history date?—M. N. V. A. To 4241 B.C., when Egyptian priests started their calendar, marking the earliest recorded date. Q. When was the old Shipping Board abolished?—W. H. K. A. The executive order abolishing the old Shipping Board was issued by Presi- dent Roosevelt on June 10, 1933, Q. Does a telephone message ever take the place of a call?>—H. F. R. A. Not unless one is {ll and wishes to apologize for not calling. Even then the call is still owing when one recovers. Q. How long has Izaak Walton's “The Cor;plen Angler” been published?— J. W. A. It was first published in 1653 and is said to have been issued in a new edition on an average of every two and a half years since. Q. How many Indians are there in this country?—C. H. A.In the United States and Alaska there are nearly 360,000 Indians. Q. What were the 10 biggest news stories of 1936?—E. H. A. A list made up of a consensus of Associated Press editors is as follows: (1) The British Empire crisis over the King Edward-Mrs. Simpson romance, (2) United States political campaign, 1936; (3) the Spanish civil war, (4) Italy’s conquest of Ethiopia, (5) civil war in labor’s ranks. (6) United States business recovery, (7) remilitarization of the Rhineland, (8) United States droughts— floods, (9) Hauptmann's execution, (10) development of Dr. Charles G. Abbot's solar steam engine. Q. How many States will present bills to their Legislatures this Winter to put in civil service in State positions?—P. M. A. Fourteen States will have such bills introduced this Winter. Q. What is the name of the association devoted to combating heart disease?— L. F. A. The American Heart Association, with headquarters at 50 West Fiftieth street, New York OCity. Q. What is the name of the town in ©Ohio that holds an annual coon derby?— J.W. A. Kenton, Ohio, holds a coon-chaser derby every Labor day. More than 200 dogs compete for a purse of $1,000 and heat purses of $50. Q. On what date did the famous edi- torial beginning, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus,” first appear?—E. J. A. Frank Church's editorial was orige inally printed in the New York Sun on September 21, 1897. . Q. How many logs are there in the cabin in which Abraham Lincoln was born?—C. P. A. There are 143. The outside dimen~ sions of the cabin are 12 feet by 17 feet. Q. What is an Angstrom unit?—R. K. A. It is a measurement for light waves. It is 250-millionths of an inch and was named for a Swedish physicist. Q. In mythology, what god first uttered oracles?—G. D. A. It was a goddess, Themis. She was the goddess of justice. Q. What is the temperature of a light- ning flash?>—G. F. D. A. No actual measurements have been made of the temperature in lightning flashes, but the temperature is obviously high, as evidenced by the fact that cb- jects are often set on fire when struck by lightning. Q. Who designed the flaming sword monument in Washington which is a memorial to the 2d Division?—W. T. K. A. The designer and architect is John Russell Pope. Q. When was Rasputin killed? Who was the man who later testified that he killed him?—H. L. W. A. Gregory Rasputin, the Mad Monk, was killed at Petrograd in December, 1916. Prince Felix Youssoupoff testified at London in February, 1934, that it was he who killed Rasputin by clubbing him to death. A Rhyme at Twilight " Gertrude Br::ka Hamilton The Edge O’ Dark. Between the light and darkness, Bounded by day and night, Lies the region of dim glory We humans term twilight. A place of recollection, Where angels, bending low, Breathe Heaven's benediction In sunset’s afterglow. And man, a moment kneeling In deep humility, Knows in his soul a fleeting Taste of eternity. f_