Evening Star Newspaper, March 27, 1937, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition, WASHINGTON, D. C. SATURDAY . _.March 27, 1937 THEODORE W. NOYES ________ Edltor The Evening Star Newspaper Company. 1ito Bt and Pennsylvania Ave New York Office: 110 East 42nd 8t Chicago Office: ¢35 North Michizan Ave. Rate py Carrier—City and Suburban. Regular Editlen. LY 1d_Sunday Star The Bvenine anc gundey Siath or 150 ver week ‘The Evening Star 45¢c per month or 10c per week The Sunday Star ___ be ver copy Night Finsl Edition, Nig.t Fnal and Sunday Star. Night Final Star—. . ____ Collection made ut the end of each ench week, Orders may be sent by mal) or tele- phone National 5000 Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryiand and Virginia, PBalls snd sunday.. 1 vr. $10.00; tdy oply _ 1y "gg00i Sunday oniy T 1 yr. $4.00: All Other States Daily ang Sunday. 1 yr., Daily only_.____0 1 Sunday only Member of the Associated Press. ‘The Assoclatod Press ia exclusively entitied t0 the use for republication of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in this Daper and also the local news published hersin. All rights of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved Capata, $12.00: 1 mo. $1,00 8R.00; 1 mo., 7be $5.00i 1 mo. 50c Visitors Welcome! If there be one circumstance more than another which pleases the old-time resident of Washington, it must be that of the growing interest of their fellow Americans in the Nation's Capital. Time was, not so very long ago, when the District of Columbia was a portion of the country commonly neglected by the traveling public. The Federal City was regarded by many as “merely an over- grown rural community.” Only for in- auguration ceremonies was it considered worthy of & visit. The majority of the people regarded it simply as a political center. Like the train announcer in “All Points West,” the average citizen never made the journey. But conditfons have changed in the past twenty years. The World War brought thousands of men and women to work in Government departments whose activity was stimulated by Amer- ican {participation in the great struggle. Over *hight, as it seemed, the population of the District doubled. And it has been natural that some of the “immigrants” should remain after the armistice and that still others should wish to return on occasion to see again & familiar scene for which they gradually cultivated a certain affection. Also, the expansion of the city under the influence of the progressive extension of the Government itself was a matter of national concern. The development of the physical equipment of Washing- ton, rendered imperative by the increased service which Federal institutions of every kind were called upon to under- take, appealed to the imagination of multitudes. Beautiful new buildings, publicized in the press and in the movies from coast to coast, attracted the atten- tion of crowds of tourists glad to respond to the appeal of noble architecture. Such structures as the Lincoln Memorial and | the Supreme Court Building were not raised in vain. ‘The lovely cherry blossoms of the Potomac shore likewise have justified their existence season after season. A gesture of good will from Japan, they probably are the most notably famous flowers in the Western Hemisphere. Not to have seen them is to have missed one of the indisputably grand spectacles of the contemporary period of history. And a like observation may be registered for the cultural establishments of Wash- ington—including magnificent edifices given by private philanthropy. The Yolger Shakespeare Library, for instance, s a magnet for scholars innumerable. But the future will be richer still. A decade hence the Mellon Gallery and the projected Smithsoniam Gallery, the Jefferson Memorial and perhaps Presi- dent Roosevelt’s Army and Navy Museums will have been added. Mean- while, Washington Cathedral and the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception will grow in loveliness as “witnesses to Christ”; the annex to the Library of Congress will be finished; the long- anticipated Municipal Center may be oconstructed; the new State Department Building may be erected; the Museum of American History may be authorized; other as yet unguessed monuments “dreamed true.” It i with these thoughts that the Capital welcomes this year's throng of visitors. Washington is their city, and they are assured of the cordial sincerity of the greeting which bids them to make themselves “at home.” — A fireside chat makes possible the use of a rocking chair in connection with | radio without involving any possible com- parisons to a sit-down strike. ——— e Two Helpful Moves. Movements are under way in the Benate this year to remove an inequality from which the District has been suf- fering, in comparison with the States, in two important respects. One is the effort Senators Walsh of Massachusetts and Reynolds of North Carolina are making to place Washing- ton on a parity with the smaller States of the Union in appointments to the United States Naval and Military Academies and the other is Senator King's proposal to include the District in the Pederal-aid highway system. ith Hawaii and Puerto Rico already included. the District is the only po- litical subdivision discriminated against in this law. The Senale District Com- mittee has ordered a favorable report on the measure and under the present authorization of $125,000,000 a year for the entire country, the District's share would be $619,000, which the municipality would match. The Military and Naval Affairs Com- mittees went on record in favor of in- treasing Washington’s quota of cadets and midshipmen after a group of local organizations had directed attention to the fact that ten States with smaller populations than the District have a much larger number of appointments to the two academies. I\faamngton at pres- I THE EVENING ent is allowed a flat quota of five at West Point and four at Annapolis—nine in all. In the States, however, the number is based on congressional repre- sentation, each member of Congress being allowed four at Annapolis and three at West Point. Thus, a State with two Senators and one Representative (the smallest degree of representation) is entitled to send twelve boys to An- napolis and nine to West Point—or twenty-one in all. A State with suffi- cient population for two Representa- tives has a total of twenty-eight ap- pointments. The committees have decided to raise ‘Washington to the level of the States having two Senators and one Repre- sentative, which will raise its quotas from four to twelve at Annapolis and from five to nine at West Point. Sub- stantive law actually authorizes five for each Congressman at Annapolis and the District bill s similarly worded, but the present policy of the Appropriations Committee is to provide funds for only four. each, which will give the District twelve for the time being. The only amendment the Senate committees have added is that the local appointments be spread out so that there will be an op- portunity for some boys to enter the academies each year, instead of having a large bloc of vacancies occur in one year. With the steady diminution of the lump-sum payment, equity demands that the District be included in the distribution of bounties and subsidies to the States, from which it has for so long been excluded. It is highly gratify- ing to the District to note the moves in that direction. o e New Danger in Spain. By dint of great good luck, rather than as the result of enlightened states- manship, Europe has thus far contrived to “localize” the Spanish civil war and prevent its extension into an interna- tional conflict. It is true that many foreign nationals, even including Amer- ican citizens, have taken part in the fighting. Because of that circumstance, the sanguinary contest has been called “the little World War.” Nevertheless, operations have been confined to Spain, thus permitting maintenance of the fiction that the strife is purely a do- mestic affair. > Events of the past few days threaten more menacingly than at any time since the outbreak of hostilities last July to convert the struggle into a European war. What suddenly conjures up this fateful possibility is the crushing defeat suffered by General Franco's Italian “volunteers” at Guadalajara in the desperate insurgent drive on Madrid. The reverse is an undeniable blow to Italian military presi.lge, whether the divisions that underwent “another Capo- retto” were Fascist army units or merely soldiers of fortune. The fact that as many as 30,000 Italians are said to have been engaged has revived demands in the London Non-Intervention Commit- tee for tighter restrictions against em- ployment of foreign troops in Spain. There also arose the fear that in order to remove the stain from his martial escutcheon, Mussolini might be tempted to send Italian regulars to the war zone in force. France took the lead in call- ing for sterner restrictive measures. If international control proved ineffective, Paris intimated that France and Great Britain might resort to joint methods of their own in the form of a naval block- ade of the peninsula. Meanwhile, developments in London added fuel to the flame of anxiety, con- troversy and suspicion. Ambassador Grandi stormed, in Il Duce’s name, that not a single Italian would be withdrawn from Spain until Franco is victorious. In the House of Commons Mr. Lileyd George accused the Baldwin government of supineness toward Italy, demanding that Britain “stand up to Mussolini” and no longer meekly tolerate his pretension te dominate the empire's life-line through the Mediterranean. Conscious that the rearmament program is not sufficiently advanced to permit showing British teeth to Italy any more effec- tually than was possible during the humiliating Ethiopian crisis, the gov- ernment is preserving an attitude of calm, which it evidently hopes will ease the critical situation that has arisen. Eastertide finds the Old World once again in the throes of terror and alarm born of conditions alike perilous and incalculable. e e A trip to Europe may be a relief to Al Smith ‘in giving him an opportunity to observe at first-hand the various methods by which political power may be mis- managed. = - ——— Some of the most serious complications arise from the literary urge which causes people to write letters when they should have used the telephone. et Innocents in Town. Refrain from cracking down on that horn button, brother! Swallow those loud cuss words and restrain yourself from giving that semi-gentle nudge to the rear bumper. He may be driving a bit like a moron or a souse, but before you decide on any hard-boiled technique, take a quick peek at his license plate. If it reads New Mexico or Ontario, Maine or Arkansas, or, in fact, bears any legend other than “D. C.” “Md.” or “Va.” give the guy a break. He is up against a tough, tough proposition. In other words, the town is full of strangers, and will so continue to be for months and months to come. 1f local motorists get jittery at times from their own efforts to live up to local turning, stopping, going, passing and parking regulations, consider sympa- thetically the plight of one who has probably never been here before; who wants to get around as much as he can; is uncertain at tricky intersections and is almost entirely unable to stop and ask questions. He just has to do a cer- tain amount of “coasting.” Remember the time you were in Skowhegan, or Painted Post, or Oklahatchee and were § STAR, WASHINGTON, 8. G SATURDAY, MARCH 27, “gone over” by a hick cop for failure almost instantly to solve a comparatively simple problem—not to mention larger centers which you traversed with ears red from embarrassment. Cops are kind to out-of-town drivers; surely you will not let a policeman outdo you in politeness. Let the visitor get safely out of town with the impression that Washington drivers, whatever their faults, are at least tolerant of his ig- norance and his errors. He has probably heard we kill and main a number of people here each year. Unfortunately, we do. But we will not knock off so many if we go a little easy with him. Maryland is experiencing some anxiety about road funds. It may be inferred from some of the social news that members of the Legislature who favor occasional evenings of relaxation will at least see to it that travel between Annapolis and Baltimore is as free from peril as possible. . e R Rapid transit must have its experi- ences in politics. Aviation may have to go through a course of lobby agitation similar to that which railroads en- countered and with which they are not yet entirely through. ——e—s—— The Post Office Department has spe- cialized in artistic stamps to a degree that may in time establish a collection combining beauty with patriotism in a way that may almost rival a Mellon gallery. SR One of the evidences of wisdom in the United States Supreme Court is the occasional dissenting opinion which does not permit it to be mistaken for a self- constituted brain trust. ———ree In Madrid there are still citizens who yearn for bull fights. Many an un- pleasant experience succeeds in finding toleration under the name of sport. ———— Every child hopes for unlimited wealth and unrestricted authority. Oc- casionally a politician indulges in an attempt to realize the old day dream. ————, Appearances are still deceptive. The bigger and heavier an airplane is, the more safe and substantial it may ap- pear to the inexperienced eye. —— e—— The extraordinary power attained by Mr. John Lewis cannot be fully admired until events have shown precisely what he means to do with it. oo Base ball fans are privileged to point with pride to evidences of national pros- perity in Hon. Jake Ruppert's pay roll. ———ree Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Music of the Day. In days of old such songs we heard As “Listen to the Mocking Bird.” Light melodies their magic lent To grace some tender sentiment. And when they sought a lively key They warbled “Dixie” with great glee. Alas! Their tastes were very slow Back in the days of long ago. But now such dizzy rhymes they sing That grandma to her chair will cling And say in accents far from bland She hopes she does not understand! Some day, when fashion brings once more The customs of those days of yore, She may revive the simple charm Of songs that pleased and meant no harm. Balance. “You are concerned about having the | budget properly balanced?” “I am,” answered Senator Sorghum. “I'm as nervous about it as if the budget were an artist walking a high wire. A lack of proper balance may lead to 'most any kind of a crash.” Magnified Experience. “Is the life of a great financier a happy one?” “It all depends,” answered Mr. Dustin Stax, “on his luck. A great financier has his disappointments like other people. The difference is that they cost him more money.” Practice and Theory. Our cares in honest work we sink And are but little fussed. We sit around and try to think And get our minds all mussed! Jud Tunkins says some folks use such long words that they naturally have the best of an argument. All you can say to them is, “Oh, well, have it your way!” “What you call ‘worry’,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “is but an aggra- vated sense of curiosity concerning an ever-mysterious future.” A Statue in the Park. A man of goodness far from small, The world could never doubt him. They put him on a pedestal And then forgot about him. “I hope we's gimter work around to mo’ liberal farm plantin’,” said Uncle Eben, “an’ dat a specially big percentage of it will be watermelons.” R An Unsuspected Successor. Prom the Bouth Bend Tribune. Did anybody suspect that sitedown striking would succeed knock-knock as the national game? Zsop or Not Asop? Prom the Kalamazoo Gazette. Zsop’s fables were not written, we are now told, by Zsop. Which makes ZEsop the greatest of his fables. Reminder. Prom the Charleston (W. Va.) Mail. Miss Sonja Henie, the skating star, was caught in a Detroit hotel sit-down strike. Did it remind her of her earliest skating days? § A Disputes Evans’ Figures on Average Government Pay To the Editor of The Star: Several days ago I read an article on your editorial page signed by Edwin Evans. His first two paragraphs con- tained a discussion of section 213 of the economy act, popularly known as the marriage clause. These opening para- graphs contained many true statements with which I do not care to take issue. On the other hand, there is much to be said against a childless couple drawing two generous salaries when there are insufficient jobs to enable married men to support themselves and families and single women and men to earn a decent living for themselves and possible de- pendents. I do take issue with Mr. Evans on his statement concerning the high average salary rate in civil service of $2,400. This does not happen to be the average salary of the Government employes. It is $1,560 and three-fourths of the employes get less than $2200. A survey of six leading industrial cities in the United States disclosed the fact that for the first four grades of classified civil serv- jce, persons doing comparable work in the business world were paid slightly less, whereas from the fourth grade up- ward Government employes received considerably less than business concerns paid their employes for similar work. For the past five or six years Mr. Evans has been reiterating his same theme, namely, that a salary of $1,800 is ample for a childless married couple and half that, or $900, is sufficient for a single person to live on. The main trouble is Mr. Evans should use the word “exist” not live. He also states that “civil service employes render less service today than they did in 1917 when the average salary was a little over half what it is today.” Upon what does he base this conclusion? I understand that some 20 years or so ago Mr. Evans occu- pied some minor clerical position in the Government and felt himself overpaid. Possibly he was. But I should like to assure him that those of us who do difficult technical work that requires careful preparation and training and who work in offices where hundreds of employes render accurate, efficient and courteous service to the general public, are giving better service than was even known about in 1917. And this, I am sure, holds good in many other efficiently run Government bureaus. He refers, as do many others, to Gov- ernment employes being supported at “the taxpayers’'” expense. Pray who is the taxpayer, if not the Government em- ploye himself? He pays every sort of concelvable tax that is levied on any other citizen of the United States, and therefore he helps pay his or her own salary by paying just as large a per cent of his income in taxes as does any other citizen regardless of where he works or lives. And, he is not a social parasite living off other men’s earnings, but is efficiently rendering a needed public service for a relatively small salary. INEZ JUSTUS. ——e—. Labor Union Responsibility Legislation Up to Congress To the Editor of The Star: You had, recently, an editorial touch- ing on the matter of responsibility of labor unions. I liked and agreed with the thoughts expressed there. Your editorial of March 17 on the same subject is even better, and I feel that our people would do well to give some serious thought to just what will hap- pen if and when all labor is unionized. We have, in Michigan alone, a fair example of the attitude of labor, and it is generally conceded that only a fair or small percentage of the workers are actually members of the organization causing the tie-up of our largest in- dustry. A lot of people in high places in Gov- ernment prate about giving labor a “break” and enforcing collective bar- gaining. I wonder if these people have any idea that there would be any bar- gaining if the unions had a majority of the workers lined up. There would not be. That is apparent to the most casual observer. If the unions attain their objective then what of the worker who does not wish to pay tribute—will he rate any consideration? He will not. He will either pay an enormous initiation fee and regular dues or he will be denied the right to work in industry. Talk about slavery, we haven't seen anything vet. I should like for some of these social-minded persons to look at the picture from this angle for just a little while. I am told that at this time it costs $150 initiation fee to become a member of a painters’ union here in Washing- ton. If this is true, that is, of course, merely to become a member, and nat- urally regular payment of dues must follow. For a man working intermit- tently, even at high wages, this is a rather heavy tax on income merely for the privilege of working, or being told not to work. Labor as a whole is not and cannot be cubject to the orders of any one industrial leader or yet any group of industrialists, but we must believe, in the light of recent happenings, that labor can be and will be subservient to the absolute rule of one labor leader. The only thing, apparently, that can prevent it is to have our people brought to a full realization of what is happening to the forces of law and order in some parts of the country today. Possibly an aroused citizenry will bring sufficient pressure to bear on Congress to deter- mine the responsibility of labor unions. N. G. SHEROUSE. ——————————— Adequate Enforcement Agency Is Traffic Need ‘To the Editor of The Star: No appreciable reduction can be made in the number of automobile traffic acci- dents occurring in the District until Congress comes to the realization that what is needed is additional appropria- tions to provide a more adequate traffic enforcement agency here. Major Brown should have at least 100 more policemen in the Metropolitan Police Department, to be used in foot or mobile traffic duty. The appearance of uniformed police- men, especially on motor cycles, is a preventive measure against careless driv- ing. No automobile driver will take a chance when a uniformed policeman is aboard a motor cycle, able and ready to give chase. Once Major Brown secures additional trafic police he should teack all men chosen for traffic work that the pedes- trians must be protected when they have the right of way at all crossings. Under present District traffic regula- tions regarding turns on red stop lights, pedestrians have little or no chance to reach walks in safety. Careful drivers, who as a rule are in the majority, do give the pedestrian time to walk across a street; others who are in the minority blow their horns, step on the gas and narrowly miss running persons down just because the pedestrian doesn’t jump or run fast enough to get out of the way. There’s another angle to this local traffic situation, and one which it is hoped Major Brown, Traffic Director Van Duzer et al. will correct. It is the traffic policeman’s present attitude toward careful pedestrians—that little 1937. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Sparrows and mice are uninvited but welcomed guests at the National Zoo- logical Park. They act as unofficial scavengers, help- ing clean up bits of grains and whisps of hay and other fodder. English sparrows hop around beneath the feet of the rhinoceros. Mice share the food with the ugly warthog. There are literally thousands upon thousands of sparrows in the park grounds, so tame that they fly in and out of doors, and through ventilators, at will. The Zoo quietly tolerates these in- truders, not only for the good they do, but also because they help the at- mosphere of the park. Many visitors little stop to realize that the universal tameness of the birds is one of the real charms of the place. * ok ok % This is Conservation, with a capital “C,” a good example of tolerance in an intolerant world. English sparrows, much despised lit{le birds, in many quarters, and mice, also despised and even feared, here find themselves welcome, and proceed to make the most of it. Thus they are exceedingly tame. The sparrows, particularly, will fairly fly beneath your feet as you go around. This is in direct contrast with their ac- tions in many home yards, where, de- spite the fact that feeding stations are put out for them as well as any, they are very “jittery,” flying away each time a door is opened. At the Zoo all is different. The whole atmosphere of the place is protection, and it does not take long for the welcomed interlopers—not all creatures are welcomed, of course—to get onto the fact. Shortly they come to look upon the grounds as for their special benefit. * Kk ok X One who watches the wild birds there for a time comes to the conclusion that the Zoo must be the special sleep- ing place of uncounted thousands of birds. Surely it must be national head- quarters for the sparrow family. They are there every day by the tens of thousands. Not all are English sparrows, by any means. Many are song sparrows, white- throated sparrews, fox sparrows; and many others of this great family not usually seen in home gardens. Only the ornithologist is able to “spot” the different members of the far- flung sparrow family. Beginners at bird study always are amazed at the number of species, and how much one resembles the other, at least to the un- trained eye. No doubt thousands of persons have song sparrows in their yards, but think them merely English sparrows, not being acquainted with the difference in mark- ings and habits. * k¥ % No one need be “snooty,” however, in regard to the English sparrows. They have many friends among bird lovelfs. despite the heroic propaganda carried on against them. This ill will has been carried to such an extent, indeed, that an inevitable reaction has set in around the world. STARS, MEN “Underdogs” of birds, they find many human friends rush to their defense, where before they found enemies only. It is fortunate, perhaps, for many crea- tures that the ill will against them. is overdone, and brings this inevitable re- action. The cat has suffered from it through the centuries, to a greater ex- tent than perhaps any other animal, yet today stands stronger in the world's estimation than ever before. The English sparrows, among birds, as the house cat among animals, have many good points, in their own right, above and beyond their appeal as per- secuted creatures. The English sparrow, viewed fairly, is not only a handsome bird, but a very interesting one as well. Its duties along the lines of scavenger are often overlooked. No matter how dirty a city becomes, it is not quite as dirty as it would be without the spar- rows. The downtown specimens see to it that few crusts of bread or other foodstuffs, including banana skins, apple cores and the like, escape their eager bills. *x %% A trip through the Zoo ought to in- clude a look-out for the wild birds which gather there. These are birds as well as any of the larger and rarer specimens which sre confined in the great cages. Practically every wild bird which comes to Washington and environs finds its way to the Zoo and contiguous Rock Creek Park at some time or other. Just why they all do not stay there we have never been able to figure out; for- tunately for home bird lovers, they are content to come to our gardens, and many to remain the year around, if we will feed thém. Just a little general information is all that is needed to enjoy bird study in Zoo and park. Watching these flyers is good for the eyes, if one does not concentrate too long on any one bird. * ok ok Fighting its own kind and other birds is one of the sins of English sparrows, if one may judge from the attacks of their enemies. Many & person who has been intrigued to watch these sparrows closely for some length of time has been amazed to find them no more pugnacious than most birds. Led to expect constant battle from these fellows, the spectator discovers them to be simply full of energy, an admirable trait. They are “peppy,” in other words, hence constantly jostle each other, and flutter their wings for place at the feeding table. While more pugnacious than blue- birds, for instance, they do not carry the trait to the extreme by any means. Nor is it possible to discover that they really mistreat other species. As far as we can see they are willing to live and let live. If, in this process, they manage to get the lion’s share, it is only what is to be expected, since there are sO many of them. We earnestly hope that all visitors to our great Zoological Park will give some time and thought to the sparrows to be seen there, and will regard them as part of the exhibits, which they really are. AND ATOMS Notebook of Science Progress in Field, Laboratory and Study. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. “In the dim past, in the very begin- ning of things, before heaven was, when Ndu and Sse were about to appear, and the trees were on their way, the rocks contemplated to come upon the scene and the earth was about to be born, there were three shadows which were to become heaven, and three shadows to become the earth. The sun and moon were not vet, but the three shadows of each existed. The stars and the planets were as yet not, but the three shadows of each were. The mountains and val- leys, the trees and rocks, the water and the creeks were as yet not, yet the three shadows of each existed. From three things there appeared nine things and from the latter there came forth a mother. There came forth something brilliant and from that something came forth something brilliantly white. From the latter came forth a being able to call. And after that there came forth something blue and black and from the latter came forth a being with a bad voice.” Thus, as translated by Dr. Joseph F. Rock, begins the creation epic of the Na-khi—a non-Chinese people of Tibetan origin living in Southwest China, whose unique pictograph litera- ture is now preserved in more than 1,200 volumes collected by Dr. Rock for the Library of Congress. This is the Na-khi equivalent to the Hebrew Genesis with its account of the origin of all material things and of the qualities of good and evil, symbolized by black and white in the Na-khi cos- mology. Dr. Rock’s translation has just appeared in the Journal of the West China Border Research Society. The epic goes on to describe a great flood which wiped out all living things except one lone survivor who was warned in time. The Na-khi Noah had the tongue- twisting name of Ts'o dze llu ghugh. Like his biblical counterpart, he was a good man in an evil world. So, in the words of the mountain epic, N'du spoke to him and said: “Go and kill nine vak and from their skin make a large drum. Tie the drum to a juniper tree on one side, to a fir tree on the other, to heaven above and to the earth below. Put into the drum nine kinds of grains, goats, dogs, chick- ens and all useful things.” Ts'o did as he was told. Then he sat down in the center of the drum. “After three days the mountains, valleys, rocks and trees screamed like the howling of the wind, rain descended with thun- group that waits at the curb until the light signals for them to move. Moving with the light, these pedestrians must take the risk of being sideswiped, or pushed, or hurried by the car turning on the red light, and the policeman, stand- ing in the center of the street, looks on immobile, as though he had swallowed his tongue! Ignore the right of the pedestrian to walk with safety over a street and you create the jaywalker. Perhaps the traf- fic policeman is not to blame for the situation. Perhaps his superior officers have received orders from their superiors to keep auto.nobile traffic moving as rapidly as possible through the city. All these angles could be completed if the traffic policeman were to keep auto- mobiles in check a minute or two longer to allow a group of pedestrians to walk across the intersection safely. Drivers can make up the loss of a minute or two, but they cannot bring back the dead, or give new limbs to the accldent victim. FREDERIC G. FROST. I der, the ground opened with the sound of an explosion and caused the waters to gush forth and flood the land.” For seven months the good man sat in his drum before he ripped a hole in the hide with his sword and looked forth on a desolate world. “He looked to the left and saw no grass that any horse might eat, he looked to the right and saw not any place where one could plough fields. He looked up to the mountain and found it very high, and looked down into the valley and saw that it was very deep. The goat called and said: ‘When I was small I drank milk and later I ate grass, but now there is neither grass nor milk.’ The dog barked under the fir tree and asked for milk. The chicken crowed and asked for white rice, but there was none. On the land there was no human being, but flies flew about everywhere.” Alone on the desolate earth, Ts'o petitioned the celestial ruler for his d_aughter in marriage. Finally he was given as his bride a heavenly maiden with the equally tongue-twisting name of Ts'a-khu-bu-bu-mi, who took with her from heaven the nine domestic animals which ever since have served man. She also took, surreptitiously, a cat, which was not approved by her celestial father. Ts'o was given gold and silver cups, horses and oxen, priests of two classes and the seed of 100 cere- als. The happy pair then descended from the desolate summit of Ngyu- nashu-lo, the sacred mountain of Tibet, first by a silver ladder and then by a golden ladder. When they arrived on earth Ts'o built a House and Ts'a set up 16 hearthstones in it and burned incense before them. The young couple then prayed to heaven: “Give us plenty of sons and daughters, give us riches, keep us from illness, let us hear only good tidings.” Thus the human race came into ex- istence. This flood story, Dr. Rock ex- plains in his translation, appears in numerous forms in the various Na-khi ceremonies, but always is substantially the same in content. —~—e— Nepotism in Federal and District Governments To the Editor of The Star: Permit me space to express my opposi- tion to the practice now in vogue relative to the employment of husbands and wives and relatives in the various branches of both the Federal and District Gov- ernments. It's an unfair, unjust and inequitable condition that now exists. I think a great many ot such em- ployes as mentioned above should be separated from the Government. Such practice as related above certainly works a hardship and injustice. In fact, I think it is responsible for the vast amount of unemployment and idleness. I would suggest that Comgress pass legislation prohibiting husbands and wives to be employed under the Govern- ment, Federal or District, in any capacity whatsoever. I appeal to the Congress now in session to pass legislation that will prohibit future appointments in such cases where husbands and wives are at stake. A number of cases where husbands and wives are employed, ob- taining salaries in excess of five, six and seven thousand dollars per annum exist in the Post Office Department, Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Police Depart- ment, Fire Department, public schools and several other departments of the Federal and District Governments. HENRY F. ASH. A ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. A reader can get the answer to any question pf fact by writing The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. Is Pauline Frederick still on the stage?—R. H. A. She is"playing in New York in Maxwell Anderson’s “The Masque of Kings.” Q. What is the name of the man in Prance who developed so many varieties of lilacs?—H. M. A. Victor Lemoine of Nancy. France, was the pioneer in lilac development. Starting with the vulgaris variety, Lemoine began about fifty years ago to make careful selections of the finest specimens and cross them. He succeeded in developing some 200 varieties. Since his death his son Emile has carried on his work. Q. How many people have applied for work with the 1939 New York World's Fair? Are all the positions fllled?—E. W. A. Between 18,000 and 20,000 men and women have applied at the World's Fair personnel department for positions. At present all available office positions are filled. Manual workers are engaged by the construction companies at the fair grounds. Q. What are the principal causes of accidents on airlines?—J. W. A. Causes of accidents on domestic and foreign extension airlines in 1936 were as follows: Personmnel errors, 37.50 per cent; power plant failures, 3.57 per cent; airplane failures, 25 per cent; weather, 10.71 per cent; airport and terrain, 14.29 per cent; other causes, 3.57 per cent; undetermined and doubtful, 5.36 per cent. Q. In what place is the largest number of lepers gathered together?—P. N. A. The American Leprosy Foundation says that Culion in the Philippines is the home of more lepers than any other place on earth. Q. What is the national debt of the United States and the interest charge and what ame the figures per capita? ~W. M. A. The gross national debt as of Feb= ruary 28, the latest Treasury statement, was $34,600,780,711. On a small part of the debt interept has ceased. The interest-bearing debt is $33,926,254,187. This amounts to about $265 per capita on a basis of 128,000,000 population. In= terest on the public debt last year was $749,396,802, or nearly as much as the principal of the public debt just before the World War. This amounts to about $5.85 per capita. The amount paid each day is $2,053,141. Q. What is the seating capacity of the open air theater in Forest Park, St. Louis?—W. H. A. The Open Air Municipal Theater seats 9,500. Q. Are there any countries in Europe where passports are not necessary?— M. D. A. Andorra, a small country between Spain and France, is the only European country which does not require a pass- port for entry. & Q. Is electricity feasible for house heating?—T. E. A. While experiments are constantly being made, it is not yet possible to heat with electricity at a cost that could compete with other kinds of fuel. Q. Please give a biography of Edith Cavell—W. H. A. Edith Cavell was born in Norfolk- shire, England, in 1866, the daughter of a clergyman. In 1907 she was appointed matron of a training school for nurses in Brussels, which, in 1914, became a Red Cross hospital. In August, 1915, under the German occupancy of the city, she was arrested, charged with fa- cilitating the escape of Belgian and British men of military age. She ad- mitted the charge and was sentenced to be shot along with a Belgian named Baucq. In spite of the earnest repre- sentations of Brand Whitlack, American Minister to Belgium, the sentence was carried out. Q. Which of William Randolph Hearst’s sons are on his newspapers? —E. F. A. All five of Mr. Hearst's sons are engaged in newspaper work. The three eldest sons, George, William Randolph, jr., and John Randolph, have executive posts and the twins, David W. and Randolph Apperson are reporters. Q. What proportion of the lynchings in the United States in the past fifty years were of white men?—C. D. A. In 4,681 lynchings which have oc- curred since 1885, it is estimated that one-third of the victims were white. Q. How many times has Mrs. Roosevelt been heard on the radio?—J. W. A. Since the Roosevelt inauguration in 1933, Mrs. Roosevelt has broadcast over the National Broadcasting System seventy-two times and over the Columbia Broadcasting System twenty-nine. Q. Please give some information about the Heinz Memorial Chapel of the Uni- versity of Pittsburgh—W. H. A. The chapel, a memorial to the late H. J. Heingz, is the gift of his children, Howard and Clifford Heinz of Pittsburgh and Mrs. John L. Given of New York. Bullt of limestone inside and out, it will be adorned with quartered oak and Guastavino tile vaults, with a floor of crab orchard stone. The floor of the chancel will be of Vermont green slate, The stained glass windows, five of which represent Faith, Hope, Charity, Justice and Wisdom are of extremely beautiful workmanship. The architectural style of the building is similar to that of the Sainte Chapelle of Paris. The chapel will be dedicated in June. ———— The Third Horse. From the Cleveland News. If the President really wants a third horse for that team he talks about, maybe he could arrange to borrow the electrical one Cal Coolidge used to have, A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton. Hearts of Men. God, looking into human hearts, Sees more than evil there; He sees the deep, fine, hidden things Of which we're scarce aware— To bring them out into the light Is His especial care. If men but let Him work His willy Developing the fine, The devils would ‘go out of them Into & herd of swine— For in each’ human heart there lurks A vein somehow divine, A M