Evening Star Newspaper, January 16, 1937, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR { With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. BATURDAY January 16, 1937 NOYES THEODORE W. The FEvening Star Newmptr Company. 11t St. and Pen a Ave New York office; ©hicago Office: Rate by Carrier—City and Suburban, Regular Edi n. e Bvening and Sunday Star gy 6hc per month or 15¢ per week N e e bec month or 10¢ per week The Su Gay Sialceomemaaan - per copy Night Final Editi Wight Final and Sunday Star 70c per month Noehi Final Star - c per month Collection made at the end of each month or each week Orders may be sent by mail or tele- whone National 5000 Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Marviand and Vireinl wilv and Sunday...l yr., $10.00 ily only Eninaas onty rth Michigan Ave. Al Other Siates and Canads. aily and Sunagy-_1 yr. $1200: 1 mo. $1.00 aily only_ 1 yr, S$S£00; 1 mo., Sinday only $5.00; 1 mo. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to #he use for republication of ali news dispatches eredited 1o it or not otherwise credited in waper and also the local news published h ATl rights nllmnbl ation of special dispatches hereln The Commissioners. ©of Commissioners Hazen and Allen that their reappointment was taken as & mat- ter of course and vesterday’s announce- ment from the White House came merely #s official confirmation. That does not, of course, lessen the satisfaction of the community or its warmth of felicitation. Tt is highly gratifying to feel that both men, more effective champions of the community now than during their first terms, by reason of experience and knowledge of community affairs gained in office, will continue to serve. Their new terms begin at a most crit- fcal time for the local community. It f= not too much to sav that their ability | the defense | successfully to lead iIn mpainst the attack on the District, which takes the form of the fiscal report, will in large measure determine not only the future status of themselves and their #iccessors as Commissioners, but the very nature of the Capital City itself, If certain things recommended in the report became an accomplished fact, the mlready restricted authority of the Com- missioners would be further reduced; their already limited powers would ex- tend not much bevond the functions of pleasant after-dinner speakers. And as for the community, application of the theory of the fiscal report would burden it with taxation far bevond what it rea- gonably should be expected to pay, but not nearly as much as would be neces- sarv for a continuation of Capital de- velopment and maintenance as known fn the past. The Commissioners may in theorv be eredited with a double allegiance: per- haps triple allegiance if the President and Congress are included as well as the local community. But one prefers to believe that lovalty to one of these mas- ters represents, in truth, lovalty to all of them. They would render a dis- service to the President and to Congress, as well as to the local community, who mssumed & passive or neutral attitude toward such a threat to Capital welfare mc contained in the fiscal report. Their responsibility, to the President, to the Congress, to the local community de- mands that they faulty premises of that report as well Rs its illogical conclusions and poten- tially damaging recommendations. It is have shown every desire to move with the sentiment and for the best interests of the community, will be ready to oppose the report’'s recommendations with all the strength they can muster. e — Tn connection with local affairs it is hecessary to gather words of wisdom from all portions of the United States map. As has been wisely remarked, it is Necessary to go away from home to learn | the news. - A gentleman may be designated as a “whip” in Congress. A “whip” as it func- tions should not work heavily in the manner of a “big stick.” r—e— Aviation crashes are due to fog. Some- times the fog is over the earth and some- times over the mahogany table where councilors meet. o Anti-Communist Alliance ? Hitler and Mussolini now seem deter- | mined to exploit the Spanish civil war for the purpose of leaguing Western Eu- | rope into a phalanx against communism, Circumstantial reports of the Rome visit of General Goering, Hitler's chief lieu- tenant, indicate that this is the under- Jving purpose of pending negotiations. During the recent holidays the Fascist | dictatorships were requested by Great | | ness, the opium habit might be encour- Rritain and France to agree to stop the flow of German and Italian “volunteers” to the Spanish insurgent front. While subsecribing “in principle” to non-inter- vention, neither Berlin nor Rome in fact moved to give any practical effect to it. Before they do so, Germany and Italy would like to do some bargaining. Anglo- French participation in an anti-com- munism pact is the apparent price of German-Italian readiness to cease sup- port of General Franco's cause. There has, therefore, been revived the plan for | 8 four-power pact to safeguard Europe’s atatus quo, hatched by Mussolini in 1933 ~—the so-called Stresa froni—but which subsequent events, notably the rise of Hitlerism, doomed to collapse. Using the peril of a Communist regime in Spain as & pretext, the idea has been trotted out again, in the obvious expectation that existing conditions may persuade the British and French to join the Germans and Italians in establishing such a set-up. Neither London nor Paris evinces en- thusiasm for the Fascist scheme. The French denounce it as a transparent maneuver to force them to help Germany jsolate the Soviet Union, or, if this proves impossible, at least to win Great Fritain to the German-Italian bloc. In the latter event, the iuropeln balance oppose vigorously the | believed that both men, who | THE EVENING of power would be heavily swung against the Franco-Russian allies, whose com- bination is both odious and menacing to the Nazis. The British have consistently resisted overtures to draw them into the orbit of conflicting Fascist and Com- munist ideologies on the Continent. Britain is determined not only to steer clear of that controversy, but to continue basing her policy in Spain on close collaboration with France. Exactly what lies bebind these moves and machinations on the chaotic Euro- pean chessboard or will eventuate from them, it would be idle, at this mercurial stage, to speculate. So much seems fairly plain—that Hitler and Mussolini believe it timely and profitable to fish in troubled waters and have spread their nets for as rich a haul as they can bag. Their activities strongly suggest that certain elements in Europe are devoted to peace only if they can have it on their own terms, including such things, for instance, as an anti-Communist alliance or restoration of colonies. It | remains to be seen whether the guns can be kept permanently spiked on such conditions. As long as stalesmen con- | fine themselves to talk and wishful | thoughts, hope will persist that they will | continue to prefer conversation o con- 8o satisfactory have been the services | flict. T he A itomobile blrlke. The agreement of the General Motors Corporation and the United Automobile ‘Workers of America to go diligently about the business of settling the strike which has halted 114,000 workers in their jobs is a matter of congratulation. There remains, of course, much yet to be done. The agreement, however, is & rift in the cloud which was settling over one of | the great industries of the country. One demand of the General Motors Corporation as an essential to the open~ ing of negotiations with its employes was the termination of the “sit-down strikes in its various plants. The union has agreed that the strikers shall evacuate the plants by Monday. The corpora- tion, on the other hand, has agreed not to remove dies and other machinery from its plants nor to reopen the plants until the conferences have been held. Seemingly & better spirit prevails and both sides have given assurance that everything possible will be done to bring about & settlement, which it is hoped will be permanent. The “sit-down” ploves refuse to leave their places of emplovment and virtually take posses- sion of them., is not a legitimate instru- ment of industrial controversy. It is in fact a seizure of other people's prop- erty in defiance of the law. Should that kind of practice be condoned or sanctioned by government, a precedent | would be established that might go far to wreck this couniry. ov. Frank Murphy of Michigan, the State in which the heart of the auto- | mobile strike is located, has shown him- self effective in a situation filled with danger. He has taken prompt steps to | prevent violence and al the same time | he has been able to bring the employers and the workers to an understanding of the seriousness to the people as a whole of a continued deadlock. The way has been paved for a peaceable settle- ment of the difficulties which have arisen. Since the controversy began first taken by the union, protege of John L. Lewis' C. I. O, and also of that assumed by the corporation. The union at first demanded that it be | the sole agency of the workers in col- lective bargaining, a demand which smacked of the closed shop. The union ! has made it clear that a closed shop is | not one of its demands. and it is asking | that it be an agency of collective bar- gaining. The corporation, on the other hand, has retreated somewhat from its insistence that only would it confer with | its employes through individual plant managément. It is now prepared to deal through its national management with matters of general corporate policy. The automobile industry set the pace in this country toward recovery from the depression. standing between industrial employers and their workers, at a time when there is much labor unrest, it will have ac- complished much for the country. ——————— The eminent aviator, Clyde Pang- born, goes on record in a current mag- azine, to the effect that many acci- dents are caused by permitting people to fly who have not been adequately | and authoritatively instructed. An avi- ator may be a genius, but he should not be encouraged in impromptu attempts at futuristic flying. s China intends to eradicate the opium habit. If some of the hostile neighbors continue to show signs of hop-headed- aged as leading to a strategic advantage, _— vt No Lethal Toys. Innumerable are the reform move- ments which compete for public atten- tion in contemporary times. The press, radio and the movies are enlisted in the business of educating people in loftier standards of life, kindlier and friendlier social relations, healthier and happier individual development. President Roose- velt is only one of literally hundreds of leaders who are engaged in the task of creating a new intelligence and a new spiritual character in America. The entire Nation, as never perhaps before, is “going to school” to humane ideals. Plain men and women, it seems, are con- sciously and deliberately accepting the obligations of fellowship, mutuality and co-operation represented by the demo- cratic concept. A renaissance—sa re- birth of the soul—is forecast. Such, in any event, is the verdict of skilled observers. Right Rev. James E. Freeman, Bishop of Washington, at New Year declared: “It is my deep con- viction that there is more of practical or applied religion in the life of the world than formerly.” Similar appraisals come from like authorities. on every hand. To illusirate the trend, 3 eam- 4 strike, in which em- | there | has been modification of the position | which is a | It it can also set the | pace in the matter of better under- | paign for the demilitarisation of chil- dren’s toys may be mentioned. Rela- tively inconsequential as it may appear at first glance, the drive has & con- structive purpose. It aims (o resist the propensity of the manufacturers of play- things to commercialize the lmitative capacity of a younger generation unfor- tunately overfed on violence—the nega- tive aspect of an aspiring civilization struggling toward fulfiliment of its hopes. Of course, war and crime appeal to the juvenile Lmagination. 1t is nalural, then, for boys and even for lillle girls Lo waunl Lo uct the roles of soldier, gang- sler and G-man. And It is logical, too, for them lo wanl the stage pl'operligl required for the proper dramalization of what they read, hear and see. But few psychologists would favor encoursg- ing their make-believe misdemeanors and felonies. On the contrady, the dan- ger is evident to every parent and teacher who has paused to think about it. It follows that an organized efflort to correct conditions is in order. ‘The ancient axiom applies: “As the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined.” If a father desires his son lo emulale & Chinese bandit general, or his daugh- ter Lo serve s & “moll” for, some John Dillinger or Alvin Karpis of the future, let him supply the toys indicated for those vocations. Bul If he has less malevolent smbitions for his offspring, it will be well for him to indorse the movement designed Lo prevent the sale of lethal playthings, real or simulaled, Lo minors. e Efforts to complicate the discussion of pugilism with that of world politics are being made. Although as & former com- missioner of boxing Mr. James Farley might contribute enlightening comment, he has earned a rest and should be for- | given if he declines Lo offer any rewmarks, - D = More jewels have been discovered in | | Pompeii, just in ti v | BeEel me (0 be called on f0r | ;,u)y huy been that too much diagnosis patriotic purposes in Roman politics, amid expressions of satisfaction because they missed previous collections. Mili= | tary politics is a patient collector, | e Oue kidnuping case is more horrible Wisn wnolher und psychologists will | never succeed in reconciling the honest, average mentalily to the ides thal fiends must be tolerated simply because they happen to be born that way. oon — Political calculators are busily engaged | in computations o show whether the | changes contemplated in this country can be set up in perfecl working order in | four short years, ———— An American citizen is safe in any part of the world, provided he knows when to | leave because of trouble in which he has no hope of taking an influential part. ————— bhoulmg Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. “Good Morning, Judge:” We turn into the path of reminiscence | or prediction. Sometimes we think we deal with facts. They turn out to be fiction. But evervthing thal's done by persons or a nation Is very likely to come forward for adjudication. Whatever way Your course may budge, You'll have to say, “Good morning, Judge!” The law must be consulied as we seek | for a solution Of things that range from night elubs | | more apparent, but it takes such an out- to the U. 8. Constitution., And though we may show traces of re- sentment or derision, We always have (o show obedience to his decision. So don't get gay And cry, “Oh, fudge!” But bow and say, “Good morning, Judge!” Critical Development, “The people have become more highly educated,” remarked the natural-born unofficial observer. “No doubt of that,” mgreed Senator Sorghum. “Out home theyre getting s0 much literary culture that it keeps me $0 busy watching my grammar that | I scarcely have time to think up any ideas. “A sunset,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “is more beautiful than any painting. And is it not the more beau- tiful because it seeks' to copy nothing that has often made life burdensome, such as people and their dwelling places?” According to Abilities. Though multimillionaires we see All willing to do good, No man as generous can be As he will wish he could. But hope is sure to shine anew For every mortal man, If each one of us will promptly do The very best he can. Jud Tunkins says & man should try to grow old gracefully, but he’ll never manage it by an effort to keep up with all the new dances. As Fate Varies. “What has become of the cattle thieves who used to frequent Crimson Guich?” “Since those days,” answered Cactus Joe, “meat has kept gettin’ so high from year to year that we're not sure which of those boys were executed in the old- fashioned way, and which of them are now multimillionaires.” * The Face on the Stamp. George Washington, whose face serene Upon the postage stamp is seen, Might sometimes lose his look of pride If he knew what was mailed inside, “Dar is boun’ to be dissatisfaction,” said Uncle Eben. “De rain dat makes de crops grow foh one set o' people is purty sure to spoil somebody else’s " plenie” o - STAR, WASHINGTO % Lherapy. | handicapped D, 76, General Practitioner And Family Physician To the Editor of The 8 Looked unen far oo often as “just & doctor,” the geuersl practitioner for years has been the prime guardian of indivdual heulth. Since the health of the individual is the basis of community and national health, the importance of the role of Lhe geueral practitioner im- mediately mukes itsell evident. I like 10 use Lhe term general practitioper snd fumily physicisn interchangeably be- cause no graduale of medicine can qual- Ay us w family physician unless he 1s a general practitioner. In spite of the birth snd robust growth of specialism, the family physician still remains the most valuable mun of medicine Lo the individual, the family, the community and the nation. It is most unfortunate thal so many physicians of this group have, fallen below the stundards of family physicians of past years. Formerly the general praclitioner was the sole counselor of the family on all matters-of health, but today many people are making the grave mistake of wandering away from ihis practice. It is sunest, sufest and best Lo let the family physician guide and in- struct in everylhing that pertains to tie health of ull of the members of the family. . Particularly, should he deler= miue the need for speciulisin, and in wost instances he Is best qualified Lo select the specialist. Recent graduates and muny older phy- siclans fail Lo give maximum service o the patient because they fail to study Lhe patient as well us the disease, und Lo lreal the patient first and the dis- case secondly. Specialists have s dan- gerous lendency Lo become lost in the disease al Lhe expense of the sufferer. The ideulily of the pualient is lost and he becomes just another case of Lhe disease of which he is a victim, as o public clinics. The most valuable assel Lo & physician I» that something which is not possible Lo teach or scquire. It manifests itsell only in those individuals born Lo be physicinns and is known as diagnostic intuition. This sixth sense is not found us [requently now as in decades past, because instrumental snd laboratory aids of recent introduction into the science of medicine have served “Loo well.” The is made in the laboratories instead of at the bedside. nud a serious type of lethargy has crept into the profession. Luabora- tories have their proper important place in the Neld of mediciue, of course, but should be used as mids in disgnosis, verification of bedside dingnosis, for di- rection of Ueatment and as check on progress of disesse and efficacy of Through public health agencies, mo- tion pictures, lectures wnd the like, the health consciousness of the American public has undergone sotne sort of reu- nissunce ‘Manufacturers of patent medicines have laken advanlage of this situgtion and are reaping » harvest) QuL of this lncreased interest und intelli- © gence in health matiers has grown an ap- precistion and demand for prophylactic ! or preventive medicine. Iu this particular phase of heulth education the general practitioner has falled, withi & consequent resull, he has lost much of his standing with and hold onu his patients. Every earnest and sincere practioner of medi- | cine includes in his work & program of educalion. 1If he fails 1o do this, he in- flicts & great injustice upon his patient and a grealer injustice upon himseif. { The failure of the public to grasp and | properly evaluate periodic health exam- inatiops has, in & very large measure, the general practitioner, I say this because al the time of exami- nation the patient is probably well and the question of maintsining that health and preventing disewse would follow as & natural sequence For centuries the general practitioner | has enslaved himself Lo the task of serv- ng his fellow man. He has given the | best and will continue Lo give the best that is in him in the years Lo come. C. HERBERT MARSHALL, Jr, M. D. - Urges l/se of City Parlu For Storage of Motor Cars To the Kditor of The Sinr How much longer can local citizenry afford to shake ils head at Washing- | ton's parking buguboo and remark, “Iis awful”? Daily this estinate becomes rage as the annual deluge of “emergency” no-parking signs intended to facilitate snow removal to bring the matter forc- ibly to our atteution. These signs have been posted the length and breadth of | the cily, causing untold incouvenience to thousands of motorists and inviung | flagrant violation, and how much snow has been removed? Maybe Lhe weather man is at fault. Washinglon must sooner or squarely fuce the fact that it has far oul- grown ils facilities for parklug and stor- ing cars. When hundreds of people live | in one sapartment house they cannol hope to park their cars in the small street froutage below. Garage spuce is usually out of the question: There is not enough of IL and it s consequently al & premium. To remedy such sn acute condition, it would seem » growing Capi- tal City might well cousider converting | some of its many parks into orderly, supervised and self-sustaining parking areas, localed where the demands are the greatest. A small parking fee would offset the cost of maintenance and the attendants’ wages, and sllow suitable ‘landscaping to beautify the plot. Such a plan would take thousands of cars off the streets, ease the traffic problem and in all probabilily save & few lives each year. CHARLES H. WILLIAMS. Percentage Favors a Fair Inaugural Day To the Editor of The Star Apropos of the weather on inaugura- tion day (January 20) I find upon con- sulting my diaries for the past 12 sea- sons the following records: January 20, 1925 to 1936. 1926—Very cold. . 1926—Warm, foggy, dismal, no life in the air. 1927—Remarkably mild, windows open. 1928—Bright, clear, frosty. 1929—Fine, not very cold. 1930—Bright, very cold. 1931—Mild and sunny (no snow yet in January). 1932—Lovely day, colder than yester- day. 1933—Lovely mild day. 1934—Fine, cold, snappy. 1935—Freezing, very cold with snow. 1936—Cold and sunny after yesterday's snow and ice. As 7 out of 12 days were fine and favor- able, may we not hope that the 20th will be fine again this year? It would be Interesting to know if my records agree with those of the Weather Bureau. JANET RICHARDS, A Possible Justification. Prom the Charleston (W. Va.) Mail. Maybe those striking automobile work- men are trying to help our traffic situ- ation. Semi-Permanent. Prom the Albuaueraue Journar. Anyhow, s permanent peace usually Jasts three weeks longer than a perma- nent wave. : v SATURDAY later | | tween JANUARY 16, 1987. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL, Returp of the sunshine, after several days’ absepce, not only brings back visi- ble cheer to the world, but also puts the mind of the home owner on the possibility of planting time. He knows, of, course, that many weeks musl elapse bdore that fine period be- gins again, but be is ever an optimist, uid s only too glad of the opportunily to turn his mind plantward. ‘The sun does that for him. 1t 18 impossible to look out the window, on the first sunny morning after several days of rain and bleakness, without feel- ing the comparative nearness of the first real Spring days. Sunshine does it. Even when he looks at the photo- graphs which enterprising publicity agents send northward from the South he gets the reflected sunnyness of those climes. Perhaps he knows a friend or two Just back from Florida, with wonderful tules of bathing, fishing and the like. Personal proof, in the form of a nice coul of tan, adds Lo the conviclion that sunshine, sl any thine and any place, is something both desirable and healthful. b oxox The wind runs back over Guy de Mau- pussaul’s bovk devoled Lo Lhe beuulies of sunshine; it recalls the unknown per= son who declured that life without sun- shine is worthless. Or was thal & proverb? 1L mukes no difference. Sun- shine is sunshine, wherever you find it. Especiully st this time of yeur it has a way of cheering the mind and helping put bad germs in their places. Cheering of 'the wind by the sun is a8 old s man and as old as the sun, per- haps. For who knows whal primitive crea- ture, practically without mind, as we know the latter. found something in- spiring snd uplifting, in & first crude way. when the sun shone upon it? There was a pull then, and there is & pull now. to sunshiue, which some per- sons undoubtedly experience more Lthan others, "L we call il nowadays. This 1ift of sunshine is menial and spiritual, as well as physical. We step out faster on a sunny day. We gel up earlier. Every one knows how that is. “What & day for sieeping!” every one savs when the rain is pour- ing down snd everything is still dark. On a sunny gay there is a certain Qualily tu the very light which exerts decides Lo shine. We kuow thaf this day s 1o be w great day, better than yesterda)-—how can it help being? The sun is alnumg' LI Those persons who still efliciency of artificial sunshine. from the so-called sunlamp, will do well to take u few baths under it. They will experience something of the same “IfL” which the real sun gives us. This is the very best proof that the best of such lamps are really what their makers claim them to be, for this uplift | of spirit is precisely the same as from if properly done, with a | the sun itself, good sccompanying dose of common | sense in the treatment. 1t is probably true that not even sun- shine will take the place of common | sense! Common sense, a§ the expression is universally used, really means what? Why, caution. of course. If we say we lUse common sense in any situation we reallv mean that we do not go at the probiem hammer and STARS, MEN | sunlight plays in mental health. # pull out of bed long before the sun | doubt the | | Waich and see! | not altogether a mystical thing, partly physical thing, too, as has been ' long known, depending upon such fac- | tongs, but with a certain amount of prudence, feeling the way cautiously, in order to make a3 few mistakes as possible. % k¥ The tendency to laugh at what is strange is ong of mgn’'s surest reactions. Considering this, it is wonderful that he has ever got anywhere. But perhaps this tendency has its good side, too, when it makes him cautipus in regard to new things. Artificial sunshine is still laughed at by some people, who prafess to believe that nothing which is not natural can be good. Science has advanced far enough, however, to enable it to make artificial, a8 we say, sunshine, which really is not artificial, except in the sense of being made, or manufactured, by man, the in- ventor, who has determined the different components of what seems lo the eye simple undivided sunshine, discovered the different wave lengths in it and manufactured & light which contains Lhe good rauys and leaves out the harm- ful ones. Comimon sense, or caution, in the han- dling and utilization of such rays is the very first consideration. Even the mild- est of lights from suniamps will give & very bud burn if left on too long at a streich. 1In this, too, is it eminently natural, the burn being caused by over- exposure, us with real sunshine. There uare many persons, of course. who refuse Lo learn their own natural lmit under the unadulterated ravs of the real sun, the greal orb of day, as the poet put it. Poels are cautious fellows, too. They use common sense. or prudence. even in some of their most frenzied fights, The | poet wants the reader to be sure he associales daylight with the sun. hence he uses the phrase “orb of day’ to make quite sure we will not confuse it with the moon. £ x ‘There can be little doubt any more that sunshine exerts an uplifting effect | on both the physical and mental man. Since the discovery of the vitamins and the part they play we know more about the effects of sunshine on the physical being, for sunshine, in some form, has a part to play in the utiliza- iion of these extra-bodies of good health. The fulure will prove no less surely, one may believe, the important role the As we have said, certain persons are more sub- Ject to this power than others. No doubt there are people whom no smount of | | using?— sun could elevate, but, fortunately, most of us are extremely suspectible to the suggestibility of the rays. and feel better the moment the sun comes out. While this may seem (o some a pure suggestion, the probability is. and future scientists probably will show it. and why, | that there is & real physical connection disposition and the | between a happy | rays of the sun. For the present ull we can say is that some persons have a sort of latent hap- piness. which is brought to the surface under the stimulus of sunshine, and kept on parade as long as the sun shines. Happiness of spirit is but a tors as sunshine for its release. As with all good gifts, the attitude of the re- ceiver has a great deal to do with how | well it works; if we love sunshine, and want it 10 help us. it will do a better Job for us. because we believe in it and have faith in it. AND ATOMS Notebook of Science Progress in Field, Laboratory and Study. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. A notable link tree—connecting the earliest true horses with their North American ancestors who lived just before the last ice ages— has been reconstructed by C. Lewis Gazin, Smithsonian Institution paleon- | wlogist. | Gazin worked with the fossilized skulls of 130 animals, together with a great deal of other skeletal material, obtained by four Smithsonian expeditions to the | Snake River basin near Hagerman, Idaho. It was probably the most ex- tensive collection ever made of the bones of a long extinct animal. The creature is known scientifically as | Plesippus shoshoniensis. Geological evi- dence indicates that it lived, probably in enormous numbers, during the late Plio- cene period of the geologists. This was more Lhan 20,000 years ago and just pre- ceded the spread southward of great ice sheels which made & large part of the continent s refrigerator for sev- eral millenniums, the glaciations, remains Lhere fossil show, diflerent from the horses of today and representing only ditferent species of the horse family. They survived. Mr. Gazin believes, ulmost into historic times. They were extinct before the coming of the Spaniards, bul » few may have lingered on ulmost up Lo that time. This animal, however, was not actually | & horse, but represented & distinct genus of the equine family no member of which still is extant. Superficially, Mr. Gazin points out, its bones are almost indistin- guishable from those of the large African zebra of the present day—a near rela- tive of the horses. Probably a herd of these “plesippi” would have looked very much like & herd of zebra so far as body form is concerned. They may, or may not, have had the zebra's stripes. Mr. Gazin does not believe that these creatures were actual ancestors of pres- ent-day horses, but that both were de- rived from a common ancestor of the early Pliocene period. The reconstruction adds another link to what is already one of the best known and most complete fossil records fur- nished by any group of mammals, Mr. Gazin says. The development of the horse throughout the Tertiary time pre- ceding the ice ages was nearly con- tinuous on the North American conti- nent, with only ou:l.uonll hiatuses in the sequence. The great bulk of the materials ob- tained by the Smithsonian expeditions came from a lens of reddish, bog-iron stained sand near Hagerman. This sug- gests boggy conditions during the accu- mulation of the bones. The creatures may have come to their ends near s« water hole, or may have become trapped in & bog eor in quicksand. There is every reason to believe, Mr. Gazin. says, that they died near where the fossil bones were found, since there is no evidence that they were transported for any dis- tance. Further evidence of the swamp condi- tions of the country in late Pliocene time is afforded by the other- animals represented by the fossils collected there, ‘They are mostly of creatures having an aquatic habit. Pish and frog remains are of common occurrence, The bird - bones, though rare, are all of creatures which would be flnen}d to frequent 2 in the equine family , During intervals be- i ronumed over the Great ‘ | Plalns herds of hoofed creatures hardly | $25.000 for water. By far the most numerous mam- mailan remains are those of water- loving types, such as beaver, muskrat, otter and otterlike mustelids. There are also rare bones of camel and elephant- | like animals and & considerable number | of peccary bones. But, Mr. Gazin says, shoniensis hardly could have been a “swamp horse.” It was a truly hoofed animal, adapted for running on hard ground. How it came to find a common grave with such an aquatic company is an unsolved mystery. That the animals died before the Pleistocene, or ice age period, Mr. Gazin | says, is confirmed by the fact that there is no representation of the typically ice age fauna of North America—the great sloth. the bison. the mammoth, the musk- | ox, the bear and the beaver, the | —_— s Fiscal Survey Fails to Provide Safety Program To the Bditor of The Most unfortunate is the fact that the Jacobs fiscal relations survey neglects to recommend adequate Federal appropria- tions to the Disurict Committee for use in originating a more thorough program to reduce traffic falalities and injuries here. Coustructive are the provisions of the | | in the nineteenth century. budget relating to sn appropriation of the installation of traffic lights, and to appropriations for the starting of a new Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge, $325,000, with authorized limit of $1,250,000, and $100.000 for the com- pletion of the new Chain Bridge. Traffic lights and vehicular spans are necessities, But traffic lights and vehicular bridges alone will not eliminate the hazards which have taken a toll of 1,305 lives in 13 years in the District of Columbia! Think of 1t—1,305 precious lives snuffed out by automobiles in thic city, the Na- tional Cepital of the United States, the city that should be setting an example in public safety for other cities to follow. An increase in the membership of the traffic police force, as was suggested several times by Maj. Brown, superin- tendent of the Metropolitan Police De- partment, is imperative if some measure of improvement in trafic conditions 1s to be made here. Although still insufficient for the local need, the addition of at least 100 police- men for duty at the most strategic inter- sections of the city, would go a long way toward reducing congestion, and would check the “chiseler” and careless oper- ator of bus and truck and passenger vehicle. Had the members of the Jacobs Sur- vey Committee taken more than an academic interest in Washington's in- creasingly grave automobile traffic prob- lem, perhaps something constructive would now be under way in Congress to reduce to & minimum accidents to life and machinery. However, the inability of the survey committee to attack this problem sensibly, places the whole miaiter before Congress anyway. The lives of the people of the District of Columbia are in their hands. May they be guided wisely and judiciously in making their deliberations lnd decle stons in this respect. ., FREDFRIC 6. Pl(!'l' 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 Haskin, Director, Washington, D. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. How many people witnessed the in- augural parade in 1933?—W. J A. Tt is estimated that 500,000 people saw the parade. Q. What proportion of Florida's grape- fruit crop is canned?—H. M. B. A. Of last year's record crop of 16.- 000000 boxes of grapefruit, 7.800.000 boxes were used bv canneries. This is almost half of the crop. Q. How many people are emploved by the Government Printing Office? N. R. A. At the close of the fiscal vear 1936 there were 5.532 emploves. The year's pay roll was $12,051,708. Q. Do mystery novels have large sales?—L. H. A. So large is the output of these books that few sell more than 2000 copies. Q. Who is dean of the House of Representatives?—R. W A. Representative Adolph J. Sabati of Chicago, Ill,, who is 70 years old. Q. Isa Negro now attending the Na* | Academy at Annapolis?—C. J. A. There is one Negro midshipmz at Annapolis at the present time. Th is the first Negro to attend the Unite States Naval Academy for more tha 50 years, Q. How manyv dancing schools »° there in the United States? In Ne: York City?—K. G. A. There are more than 16,000 danc ing schools in this country. over 120 ¢ which are in New York City. Q. Did John Sevier attend the fir< | Constitutional Convention in Tennesse | in 1796-—I. M. G A. He was not a member of the con- vention. He doubtless atiended some o’ its sessions. John Sevier was unani- mously elected the first Governor of Tennessee. This must have been pre- viously agreed upon. and it may have been thought advisable for him not I« be a member of the convention. Q. Should skis be oiled or waxed after A Skn should be oiled to keep thr wood from becoming dry and waxed fo make them adequate for varving snow ! conditions. Q. What are some of the new flower< that won awards from the All-America Committee?—J. K. A. New flowers for this year that have won All-America awards are the Star Dust zinnia, the Crown of Gold odorless marigold, the verbena Flordale Beauty. the Jubilee Gem cornflower and ‘the dwarf Royal Scot marigold. Q. What was the Swedish decoration recently awarded Greta Garbo?—-R. F A. The film star was awarded the Litteris et Artibus decoration by King Gustaf for literary and artistic merit. Q. Is the new inn in historie Wil- liamsburg built in the Colonial style of the “restoration”?—W. B. A. It is somewhat later in period. It resembles the inns at the varlous Virginia springs of the early nineteenth century. It harmonizes with the earlier | architecture. Q. How long has the United States had a Tariff Commission?>—T. H A. It has celebrated its 20th anni- versary. The stafl now consists of about 300 persons. Q. Are concerts now being given at the Bok Singing Tower?—S. P. A. The season’s program is now under way. All notable holidays will be marked by recitals until the close of the concert | season, on April 15. Plesippus sho- | Q. Please give some information about Caedmon —H. F. A. Caedmon, the father of Englsh song, was the first Anglo-Saxon whe composed in his own language works that are extant. Born in the early seventh century, he was originally & cowherd attached to the monastery of Whitby. According to legend, he was commanded in a dream to sing the be- ginning of created things. He accord- ingly produced metrical paraphrases of Genesis and other parts of the Bible He died about 680. Q. What is the color of the humsn biood before it is exposed to the air? —E. B A. The liquid part of the blood is almost colorless. The color of the blood as a whole depends on the proportion | of liquid to red cells. Q. What nation was the last to ha: | an autocratic form of government? L. M. A. Autocracy generally disappearec Among the great European powers, Russia was the last to adhere to it and the title of Auto- crat of All the Russias was held by the Cszar until the abdication of 1917, Q. What are the names of some of the well-known plastics?>—B. L. 8. A. Some of the important ones are pontalite. pyralin, ameroid, durez. plas- kon, catalin, beetle, vinylite, bakelite and celluloid. o In the Bag. From the Grand Rapids Press A Toronto court has been asked to rule if & bagpipe is & musical instru- ment. All we know is that if it is, the music is still in the bag. S Qomelhmg Stronger. Prom the Atlanta Journal. Geologists are at a loss to explain wha! is causing a Colorado mountain to move. In this day and time, it couldn't be faith, A Rhyme at Twilight o Gertrude Brooke Hamilton No Throwbacks. Stumbling back on the pathway of life Looking for turnings missed, Finding the long trail with errors rife, Is a pastime to resist. For what avail is it now to know We once failed to see the light?— And that we might have done so and.s0 If only we'd judged aright? If we keep s lookout or lights today, With eyves and brain alert now, And not a thought-of a past roadway. wa’,l take the right turn, I vow.