Evening Star Newspaper, May 12, 1937, Page 10

A—10 THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Editien. WASHINGTON, D. C. ‘WEDNESDAY May 12, 1937 THEODORE W. ---Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company. and Pennsylvania Ave. ce: 110 Eagt 43nd 8t 5 North Michizan Ave, Pate by Carrier—City and Suburban, Regular lllu-u. The Bvening and Bundy Soath or 156 per week The Evening tar 450 per month or 100 per week ‘The Sunday Star - ... --5¢ per copy Night Final Edi Jleht Fnal and Sunday Star "700 per month ght Final Star. 55¢ per month Collection made at the end of each month or euch week, Orders may be sent by mail or tele- Shone Natlonal 5000 Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia, ml! apd Sunday.. 1 !r.. : 1 mo, 88¢ oo . "$6.00; 1 mo., B0o Sendry onr=oIIIT 1 7 4.00; 1 mo.. 40c ind Canada. Dally and 8t 1 yr, !1" fl(b l mo., $1.00 Daily ou! 1 yr. 00; 1 mo. 7bc Sunday onli 1 ¥r., $5 00; 1 mo., 50c Member of the Associated Press. ‘The Assoclated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dispatches credn.ed lz pon nm. otherwise credited in this Daper and he iocal news published herein. Al Fiehs of publicasn of special dispatches erein are also reserved. Coronation. ‘When King George VI and his gracious consort, Queen Elizabeth, were crowned in Westminster Abbey, London, today, the whole world attended the sacred ceremony. In the quarter century which hes passed since his beloved parents were the central figures in similar rites, the new sovereign has seen his feilow men enter a new period of human experience—an era of unprecedented ex- pansion of human dominion over cir- cumstance. The race has been drawn together by compelling forces of at- traction. Not even the most costly of wars and the most extravagant of revo- lutions have been competent to halt the processes whereby the entire popula- tion of the globe has been constituted a single neighborhood. The fact of this vast correlation of soclety is too self-evident to stand in need of argument. It is manifest in the press, in motion pictures, in radio— all the services of communication by which the multitudes are educated; in aviation, automotive transportation, land and water travel of every variety; in art and science, philosophy and religion; in the day-to-day toil of struggling mil- lions and in the rewards which, as never before since history began, those mil- lions receive for their labors. The most distant frontier settlements of the earth share the same patterns of mind and the same aspirations of the spirit. Unity =the hope for fellowship and peace—is the motif of the age. And King George VI is a personified symbol of the universal dream. He rose from his bed this morning just a man like other men; weary and heavy- burdened, he will seek repose tonight with a divinity about him. That is the significance of the ritual in which the imperial state and the national church combine to enthrone him. He will be set apart from the race to which he belongs. So long as he breathes he must be a living emblem of the social institutions which in their aggregate are the armature of civilization. But he will reign, not rule. His em- pire is a federation - of independent democracies; his subjects are free, pos- sessed of liberties which King George VI himself must protect, yet rarely share; defend, yet imperfectly enjoy. Few will envy him his royal role. It is a part in the drama of contemporary times which only a voluntary martyr would desire to play. Duty to which he has been disciplined since childhood—the obligation of unquestioning obedience— and courageous patriotism alone.explain his consent to accept the responsibilities to which fate has assigned him, He bows #0 the demand of a destiny he did not seek, accepts a challenge he did not solicit, ‘The debt of humanity to King George VI is, then, the more definite. It will be charged against every citizen of Christendom to support his effort for the common good. The coronation, so regarded, is a covenant between the Almighty Father and all His children. e G. O. P. Relief Plan. A concrete, definite and carefully thought out relief program has been introduced in both houses of Congress by Republicans, Senator Vandenberg in the Senate and Representative Robert Bacon in the House. As explained by its sponsors, the plan follows the theory of relief laid down in the Republican national platform of 1936. It must, therefore, be considered the Republican relief plan. However, the Republicans are not inclined to be hoggish. They would welcome with open arms Demo- cratic support for the measure, or they would turn the whole measure over to the Democratic majority with their bless- ing, provided the Democratic admin- istration would stand for it. This relief plan turns the administra- tion of relief back to the States, makes the States responsible for one-quarter of the relief money expended, continues to have the Federal Government provide the lion's share of relief funds and sets up a Federal relief board consisting of three members, not more than two of whom shall belong to the same political party. The advantages of this plan over the present political and bureau- cratic rellef set-up are manifest. In the first place, the States, not the Federal Government, are the proper agency for the distribution of relief. ‘They know their own problems far better than does the Government at Washing- ton. In the second place, the estab- lishment of a Federal bipartisan board to administer relief—with bipartisan boards in the States actually to pass out relief—would be a tremendous gain. Re- Hef in politics is as bad as rum in politics. ‘The Republicans sponsoring the new relief plan have followed President Roosevelt'’s recommendation for relief appropriation with what they consider ~ & reasonable modification. They ask for $1,250,000,000 for the fiscal year 1938, whereas the President recommended $1,500,000,000. The Republicans main- tain that the smaller sum, under their plan, will give just as much relief to those who need it as will the larger sum asked by the President and handled by the present method. They admit that their recommendation for an appropria- tion is mere guesswork—just as is the recommendation of the President—for they have no accurate information to Judge the relief needs, and the Chief Executive has turned his back on & census of the unemployed. Unfortunately, it does not appear that the Republican relief plan has a chance —unfortunately for those who need relief and unfortunately for those who must foot the bill. The New Dealers are committed to the theory of Federal aid and Federal control; they are endeavor- ing to concentrate more and more power, more and more control in Washington over the affairs of the people. Unless they are willing—and they have shown no signs of such willingness—to abandon their attitude that the Federal Govern- ment alone is capable of handling re- lief and other problems that confront the people, it may be expected that the existing system will be continued. The Republicans, however, have been constructive in offering this relief plan. It may set the people to thinking. It will at least offer an alternative for the present expensive political handling of relief. The Republicans have not been niggardly in the amount they propose to appropriate for the needy; they have not shown themselves to be against re- lief. They have merely pointed the way to better relief. Who Is the Billionaire? Stationed as he is in Berlin, Ambassa- dor Dodd should be able to speak with some authority on the subject of dicta- torships and how to avoid them. He evidently feels that way about it him- self. There must be something stronger than a passing urge which leads an American Ambassador in a foreign land to take his pen in hand and address United States Senators on how to avoid a dictatorship. His plan, by the way, is very simple: Support the President— “even if we wish to amend some of his reform measures.” The alternative, ap- parently, is & dictatorship by a Huey Long proletariat or by some scheming billionaire. But in the first place, who is the billionaire? When Dr. Wirt began see- ing a Kerensky in the White House he was summoned to Washington and be- fore a committee of Senators made to tell all. Should not Dr. Dodd now be brought to Washington to reveal the name of the billionaire who is ready to support “and, of course, control” an American dictatorship? Can we afford to have billionaires running around loose in this country, poisoning the minds of mere millionaires and United States Senators into opposition to the Presi- dent in order to put into effect their nefarious schemes of dictatorship? To protect his country the Ambassador should name the billionaire, let chips fall where they may, so that justice may be done. Senator Borah, who wears the toga of a rugged individualist, apparently finds an inconsistency between Dr. Dodd's support of the President in the court-packing plan and his fear of a dictatorship. Not so other Senators, who are beginning to look longingly about for a strong and handsome peg on which to hang their support of the President in the court plan. To them the Ambas- sador’s letter fills the bill. Packing the Supreme Court to avoid a dictatorship has a novel sound to it, at least. It may be the very argument they have sought in vain, Now that our Ambassador to Ger- many has advised Senators on avoiding dictatorship by supporting the Presi- dent, would it not be well to obtain the views of Ambassador Phillips in Rome and Ambassador Davies in Moscow? There would doubtless be unanimity of opinion among these gentlemen on at least one phase of dictatorship, and that is that support of the dictator is the established custom. As for opposition, there just “ain’t no such animal.” —————— Today the coronation will be spoken of as belonging to the past tense; at the same time deserving new influence in measuring effects on the future. Only the gentlest of lessons can be drawn from the approach to supreme power which gives this day vital significance through- out the world. Coronation Honors. King George VI runs true to tradition by bestowing coronation “honors.” His additions to the peerage and nobility comprise one of the largest and most varied lists of titles ever distributed at a single time by a British sovereign. It displays a broad catholicity of selection. All classes, creeds and political groups, with the single exception of communism, are represented. Democratic as our British cousins are, they retain an in- veterate reverence for titular rewards which, since time immemorial, have been coveted as badges of merit for service either to the state or in the arts and sciences, and, in modern times, for achievement in the more material realm of commerce. Coronation distinctions descend upon men and women who have lent fresh luster to the British name in many contemporary walks of life. Several are of special interest to the United States. Conspicuous in that category is Sir Herbert Samuel, former leader of the Liberal party, who becomes & viscount. The former occupant of various important cabinet portfolios, Sir Herbert is best known here through the fact that he was the first British high commissioner in Palestine. In that post he had many contacts with American Jewry, which holds him in grateful respect for his administration of affairs in the days when the Holy lLand was almost prophetically being prepared as £ THE EVENING & haven for Jews now fleeing from op- pression in many lands. Hugh Walpole, novelist, claims & wide American friend- ship because of his books, lectures and screen scenarios. His knighthood is in pursuance of the ancient practice of honoring those who adorn the profes- slon of letters. Sir John Cadman, chaire man of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, who is raised to the peerage, has close affiliations with leaders of that industry in America. Viscountess Astor is given the notable rank of Companion of Honor, & worthy tribute to the public services of Virginia's gifted daughter, who was the first woman to enter Parliament. Baron Baden-Powell, venerated chief of the Boy Scouts, joins the highly ex- clusive company comprising the Order of Merit. Perhaps the outstanding Georgian honor, from the political viewpoint, is the barony presented to Julius Elias, self-made publisher of the Labor party’s 2,000,000-circulation newspaper, the Lon- don Daily Herald. Sport-loving Britons acclaim the knighting of Pelham Warner, famous cricketer of a previous genera- tion. The stage is again recognized by appointment of the beloved Marie Tem- pest as & Dame Commander of the Em- pire. Symbolical of a democratic mon- archy, George VI's “honors” list adds to the Order of the British Empire a Lon- don bus conductor, the head gardener of British war graves in France, the boatswain of a New Zealand ship and & consulate clerk in Ethiopia. Missing are the names of Prime Min- ister Baldwin and his predecessor, Ram= say MacDonald, now lord president of the Council. In their cases it is merely honors deferred. Both are to be made peers when they retire from office at the end of May. —_————— Something interesting remains to be said by the master of the airship, Hugo Eckener, on the destruction of the Hindenburg at Lakehurst. If the ship was sailed without proper fuel the fact should be made known and the reasons for such a procedure made plain to the public mind. ——————— The painter of the famous picture “September Morn” died the other day. His name, Chabas, is forgotten, but his painting shares the audacity of the skilled press agent in elaiming world attention. “September Morn” was great as art and greater as a publicity achievement. e — Some of the publicity experts in Holly- wood cannot allow even a coronation to pass without seeking to share the glories of pictorial splendor with names of recog- nized potency. A few days of deference might have been a means of holding busi- ness to its old security. —_————— One of the agreeable pictures of the time is that of Admiral Cary T. Grayson holding in his arms a small girl whose father is secretary to the Czechoslovakian Minister, It carries a thought of agree- able significance into relationships of the future. Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Detraction. It's useless to set out to please The universal throng. Though plaudits are attained with ease, Some censure goes along. Although some work is finely done, ‘We’'ll hear in accents grim The words of some disgruntled one— “I don't think much of him.” The favorite author of the day Evokes a critic’s ire. The actor, struggle as he may, Finds folks who won't admire. Even the bridegroom who draws near, So tremulous, though trim, ‘Whispers on either hand will hear, “I don’t think much of him.” Taxes and Oratory. “What kind of & tax do you prefer?” “So far as political speaking is con- cerned,” answered Senator Sorghum, “I haven't much preference. One kind is about as easy to find fault with as an- other.” Endless Investigation. They tell us naught is made in vain, And maybe this is so. The heat, the cold, the wind, the rain Each has its use we know, But why are whiskers waving light And why are mice and rats. Why does a sax band howl by night And why are funny hats. And why are books nobody reads, And why are earthquake shocks, And why aye fields of noxious weeds, And why are fancy socks? So many things come drifting by Which deeply we deplore We pause, and with another sigh Investigate some more. Jud Tunkins says if profanity all by itself helped any, & poll parrot would Dbe one of our most influential debaters. “I do not assume too much responsi- bility,” said Hi Ho, the sage of China- town. “I know the sun will rise on time and am not tempted to smash all the clocks which do not agree with my own.” Salutation to Dear Teacher. Keep your eye on the Professor, He's & very canny lad And is often the possessor ©Of ideas not so bad. He will teach us economics, He will tell us of finance And assist in drawing comics That may cheer the passing glance. Keep your eye on the Professor, ‘With his comprehensive style. As a jovial aggressor, He may teach us how to smile. “I once knew a plitical gemman,” said Uncle Eben, “dat started by tryin’ to set everybody right an’ finished by- goin’ wrong hisselt.” - ) STAR, WASHINGTON D. C, NEW BOOKS AT RANDOM BY MARGARET GERMOND. CANDLE IN THE SUN. By Edith Roberts. Indianapolis: The Bobbs- Merrill Co. On a beautiful, sunny Saturday morn=- ing in June five people directly and a whole island full of people indirectly begin the new day in various degrees of stress induced by the more or less violent reactions resulting from severe shock. And the cause of all the mental and emotional upheaval that reaches from New England to the tropics is an Amer- ican girl not yet out of college. Dr. and Mrs. Charles Carpenter, the former an eminent archeologist, while making plans to attend the graduation from Wellesley of their only child, receive a telegram announcing her marriage to a Spaniard. With typical New England calm and dignity the Carpenters bear the deep hurt inflicted by their daugh- ter's rash act. But quite a different scene takes place on the island in the West Indies when the cablegram bear- ing the news that the son of Don Sancho has married an American reaches Dona Concepcion, mother of the newly married young man. That highly emotional per- sonage—and personage she is—thrives upon occasions that warrant a display of hysteria, and when Dona Concepcion has an “ataque” the entire population of the island gathers near the big old house to enjoy the spectacle. Doubt, fear and happiness mingle in the mind of Avery Carpenter. She is about to graduate. She knows that she has wounded her parents. She wonders about this handsome, ardent young man whose family is so prominently identified with political affairs in the island. She is in love. She is thrilled with her new title of Senora Hernan de Colon and it has not occurred to her that life in a strange land among strange people may not prove to be a paradise of eternal romance. Hernan knows that his marriage to an American girl is dangerous to his pro- fessional and political welfare when he returns to his people, but he is tem- porarily concerned only with his own happiness in winning for himself a radiant blond whose beauty and vivacity have overwhelmed him. * kX X On the island Don Sancho is the local cacique. For years he has headed the party in opposition to American rule, the party dedicated to the destruction of American governors. A new governor, Jjust appointed by the President of the United States, sails for the island on the same ship with Avery and Hernan, and it is a shock to Avery to learn that her husband and his family intend to destroy Dr. Sargent even before they know whether or not he would make a good governor if given whole-hearted support. Instead of the warm welcome and kindly courtesy which Avery -expects, she is received with hostility, jealousy and mistrust into a family to which the command of Dona Concepcion is law. Ignorance, poverty, disease and po- litical turmoil prevail throughout the island to a degree that shocks and dis- tresses the cultured sensibilities and practical knowledge of the American girl. Her sense of justice and honor prompts her to seek to support Governor Sargent’s program for improvement of the social condition of the islanders, but religious superstition and the political principles of Don Sancho’s party are mightier than reason and the simple rules of health. Religion and mother- hood are the sole creeds of the woman- hood of the island, and to those creeds Avery must conform as the wife of Hernan, Disappointed in the domestic and po- litical behavior of her husband and dis- heartened by the futility of hope for the poorer classes, for the success of the governor and for a home of her own, Avery is after a few months entirely disillusioned and is ready to pack up and return to the States. But her decision is reached a bit too late to be carried into effect. Within a year & child will be born. Rebellion against the futility of her life and its ultimate course takes its toll from her beauty and her health as dur- ing that first year on the island she realizes that she can never cease to struggle against the multiple problems she adopted when she married a man of an alien race. Always she must battle the contempt of her husband’s family for Americans. Constantly she is aware of the quickly fanned jealousies of the dark-skinned Spanish beauties aroused by her blond loveliness. Religious perse- cution and the serious complication of racial mixture as it patterns her own existence, the infidelities of Hernan and the political crises into which his family is periodically plunged create plenty of trouble, but do not make for very much happiness or romance. * ok ok X ‘The story has its comedy as well as its tragedy to recommend it. There is Jerry Monahan, master of entertain- ment and promoter of good fellowship among passengers on the steamer bound for the island, whose cheerful com- panionship belies his incurable love for the girl who should have known better than to marry an island Spaniard. Tomas, one of the countless descendants of Christopher Columbus, is also one of those rare souls who sense trouble long before it arrives and seeks to pave the* way for the innocent and trusting Avery. And then there is the inevitable Amer- ican colony of bridge players for whom life anywhere in the world is a bore unless it is accompanied by four chairs placed around a card table. For Maria, one of her numerous sisters-in-law, and for Rafael, the only worth while brother-in-law in the huge homestead, Avery develops warm friend- ships. Maria, whose abnormal size is due to a slight physical affliction that can be corrected by proper medical at- tention, is compelled by Dona Concep- cion to make a “promesa” instead. Ra- fael, who has studied medicine and wants to go as far as possible into the rapidly advancing fleld of medical science, is thwarted by Dona Concepcion’s emphatic pronouncement that already he knows enough. Avery wins the love of both, and through her de- votion to Maria converts her to the common sense of medical treatment. And to Rafael she gives the full strength of her will to force him to defy the family and go to America. And then there is Curt Baring, a charming, easy-going American who has been caught in the same trap that en- snared Avery. Mutual sympathy and understanding brings these two together, and through their problems and their disillusionments and their efforts to wrest happiness from their rather hope- less plight is unfolded an interesting, colorful and impressive story of how an American girl, whose quest for romance results in an unfortunate marriage, faces her enemies, suffers their unkindness and cruelty and triumphs eventually through sheer determination to protect and cherish her own against a world more given to prejudice than to understand- ing and justice. The Safe Way From the Indianspolis Star. An excellent way to observe Hospital day s to drive ecautiously enough to avold the imstitution, WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 1037, THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. This is the month of garden shows everywhere. And no wonder! This is the month when gardens are their prettiest. This is the month of lilacs, spireas, tulips, iris, peonies. The smallest yard puts on a show all its own during May, as even the least sensitive person recalls the old rhyme: “April showers Bring May flowers.” There will be many other wonderful things blooming in small and large gar- dens later, but no single month shows quite such a glory, even though the gladioluses and the bush roses are to come. Climbing roses also must be added to the credit of May. * ok K % This is the month, too, which sees lawns take shape in good fashion. And that is something the average householder always is glad to behold. Nothing pleases him more than good grass, in all the gardening line; roses in wonderful tints, single and two-toned, often take a back seat when it comes to the lawn. This attitude is accentuated by the fact that so many ardent amateur gar- deners have poor or medium lawns. Perhaps their failure is due to one fact more than to any other: They fail to fertilize enough. “Enough” explains a great deal. Many persons sprinkle the new chem- ical fertilizers upon their lawns, but in almost every case they fail to use enough. Poor grass, grass which still shows bare spots in late May, is grass which is starving. Lack of well-: spaccd rainfalls shows up these places as nothing else will. ‘The surface dirt dries out, turns light colored, even white, in some instances. Grass with plenty of food at the roots spreads out more rapidly than this. It is able to cover over, whereas starving plants cannot do so. They are fortunate to be alive. They have all they can do to remain in the land of the living. * X X X This Spring has been one of the best for lilacs in a long time. ‘Which plain fact rejoices thousands of souls who find in the appearance and scent of these blossoms something which makes a mighty appeal. The whole bush, in truth, is a won- derful one. The heart-shaped leaves of deep green are almost as beloved as the flowers, whose pannicles delight both the senses of sight and smell. Good lilacs, like good grasses, are not easy to get. Those who think they are simply have been fortunate. Or, let us say, they have fertilized more. After one has seen a really fine lilac bush, round and plump, with plenty of fine leaves and plenty of finer flowers, one will never be satisfled with any- thing less. * ok % % Yet the lilac, sometimes written lilas, is a capricious thing. It is well known that some years are “good lilac years,” others are “poor lilac years.” The year 1924, for instance, was one of the best of all time in Washington. Those who recall those giant bushes along Pennsylvania avenue west of 17th street, running over to George- town, will never forget them as they appeared that year. Whether it blooms well or not, the average lilac bush is a mighty fine shrub. * ok ok % The Spirea van Houttei already is in bloom, along with the tulips and the iris. The garden world awaits now the glory of the last days of May, the peony, in its many varieties. As the result of observation of the last four years’ growth, one is able to say that evidently these wonderful plants do better after a cold Winter with plenty of snow. Since last Winter was not severe, and there was little snow, it comes about that this Spring the peonies do not seem up to last year. This probably is true, in the main, although no doubt by Memorial day there will be thousands upon thousands of finest flowers. It must be kept in mind that an amateur’s observations are based on a limited number of plants. Most often these specimens remain in the same place year after year. If they are reasonably close together, any disease which strikes the roots of one plant will spread easily to another. There is another factor, often over- looked: It may be that a certain lo- cation is not good for peonies, but that the roots had enough vigor packed in them by the grower to withstand the ill effects for a number of years. Hence the plant may do well for two, three, or even four seasons. After that it may decline, because the amount of sun is not to its real liking, or the drainage is poor. The easy assumption that most peony troubles are caused because the roots need to be “divided” will not stand up in all cases. There are many things which may happen to individual roots, and unles these are located and reme- died, the bush will never be at maxi- mum, or even half maximum. * Kk X X Many of the wild flowers and rock garden plants are at their best in May. Not only are they in flower, adding their humble beauty to that of the major plants, but also their leaves are a far greater part of their charm than many persons believe. These wildings, as they often are called, should be used more, because they are fill-in plants for places which ordinarily show nothing at all. Many home gardeners would be amazed at the number of fine things they can add to their holdings simply by placing wild flowers here and there around their grounds. The term “wild flower” is not exact. Many cultivated flowers are wild flowers, many wild flowers—even the wild- !—show to great advantage in the cultivated tract. A great advantage, seldom mentioned, of the wildings is that they bridge the gap between the herb garden and the cultivated flower garden. And some- times the grower finds the “bridge” the most interesting of all his work with flowers. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Washington is due to snap out of its Rip Van Winkle trance with President Roosevelt’s return. Ever since he left town, especially as far as Congress is concerned, things have been more or less in a state of coma. Little or no progress has been recorded in either of the two matters on which interest is centered— economy-relief and the Supreme Court plan. F. D. R. holds the key to both situations. House and Senate leaders profess eagerness to come to grips with the tangled legislative mass that has piled up, but their hands are tied until the President’s intentions are revealed. A conference designed to break the log jam will take place immediately Mr. Roosevelt is back. If his lieutenants talk candidly, helll learn that Capitol Hill seethes with revolt over budgetary and Jjudiciary affairs and that stubborn op- position is certain in the absence of compromise. The demand for a $500,- 000,000 cut in the Roosevelt-Hopkins $1,500,000,000 relief proposal has grown while the President’s been away. No- body but a New Deal superoptimist any longer pretends that the scheme to create six new Supreme Court justices has a Chinaman'’s chance. * ok % X It is not only a tale of bitter congres- sional strife that will be dinned into the President’s ears. He will hear plenty about the peril to Democratic party unity now rising on all sides. Politicians are impressed by some plain speaking in the current Collier’s Weekly by George Creel. The war-time chairman of the Committee on Public Information, who occasionally writes with what smacks of White House authority, has this to say about conditions on the perturbed Potomac: “As far as Democratic party leadership is concerned, already a chasm yawns that makes the Grand Canyon look like a crack in the floor. The mo- ment the President put forward his Federal judiciary reorganization plan, harmony gave one horrified squawk and went sailing out of the window of the council chamber. Today 30 or more Democratic Senators are off the reserva- tion, slopping on war paint with both hands and searching their souls for louder battle cries. Optimists regard it as the usual party squabble that can be left safely to the healing processes of time, but political wheelhorses make no such mistake. As they view it, the quarrel is as deep and lasting as that which tore the Democratic party wide open in 1896. Bitter things have been said that can never be swallowed even by candidates with the gullets of ostriches, and nothing is more certain than that the 1938 campaign will wit- ness a battle to the death between what, purely for the purpose of distinction, may be termed the right and left wings of the Democratic party.” * Kk ok X Despite its feud with John L. Lewis and the C. I. O, the American Federa- tion of Labor has just issued figures showing substantial growth in its mem- bership. The total enrollment in April, 1937, was 3,867,577, an increase of 1,740,- 781 since August 31, 1933. The affiliated unions, including local trade and Fed- eral labor unions, and not including the 10 national and international unions that stand automatically suspended since September 5, 1936, show an increase since then of 445,179 paid and reported mem- bers over the average enroliment for the fiscal year ended August 31, 1936. * k x % Former Postmaster General Harry S. New, who has just passed away, had two hobbies in addition to politics. One was his interest in military affairs, in- herited from early association with the Indiana National Guard. The other was his fondness for talking shop with news- paper men. New was & member of the ~ ) old Indianapolis Light Infantry, a crack outfit which walked away with most competition drills in its day. The late Hoosier statesman got his newspaper and political training as a reporter on his father's Indianapolis Journal. He never tired of recalling cub days and scoops. Throughout his Washington offi- cial life he maintained numerous com- radeships in the press gallery and was a prolific source of news. One of New's claims to fame was the pioneer use of radio for political campaigning in 1922, when he was defeated for senatorial renomination by Albert J. Beveridge in a contest which left bitter political scars. * ox *x X American apostles of lighter-than-air craft will be grievously disappointed if the Hindenburg's destruction impels Un- cle Sam to abandon big dirigibles. They rejoice that the Germans aren't throw- ing up the sponge, as manifested by orders to proceed at full speed with completion of the Hindenburg's bigger sister, L-130. Our naval airship authori- ties point out that a war-time factor that cannot be overlooked is the rate of re- placement of vessels and weapons, Dur- ing the World War the Zeppelin works attained a rate of delivery of one air- ship every six weeks. The fastest time that any one will estimate for the build- ing of a surface cruiser, even in war- time, is said to be two years. * ok ok X Dixie is to the front with the claim that disproportionate numbers of her brilliant sons and daughters are help- ing to develop other sections of the country. Dr. Wilsou Gee, professor of rural economics at the University of Virginia, has been X-raying “Who's Who in America.” Of 6,015 native Southerners enrolled there, he finds that only 3,786 still live below Mason and Dixon's line. The rest—2,229—are contributing their talents to making the North a better place to live in. As an offset to this export of Southern ability, Dr. Gee notes that 1,416 “Who's Who” denizens are natives of other sections who have thrown in their lot with the South, * X %k X One of the headaches ahead for the New Deal high command is what to do about the impending New York may- oralty campaign. Jim Farley is hob- nobbing with Tammany respecting the choice of the wigwam's new leader, but he’s not in position to pledge Roosevelt administration support for any Demo- cratic candidate who may oppose Mayor La Guardia for re-election. * oK ko Big business thinks the President and Attorney General Cummings should get down to cases and. specify monopolies liable to anti-trust prosecution. As the Magazine of Wall Street puts it: “Vague and blanket indictment must necessarily constitute another blow to badly needed business confidence. Outside of the utilities and railroads, which have a territorial monopoly and which are regulated, the area ¢f American business subjected to monopolistic production and price policies is a relatively small one. The public will not tolerate unregulated monopolies that exact excessive prices. Name them, Mr. President!” (Copyright, 1937.) Overlooked. Prom the Byracuse Herald. “Moscow scientists find gold mines 3,000 years old.” “Gold Diggers of 1063 B. C.” is one we missed. Just the Same Old Story. Prom the Geneva (N. Y.) Times. The change in college life ‘is merely nominal. Dates used to be historical and now they're co-educational. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. A reader can get the answer to any question oj fact by writing The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D, C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. In which direction should a tennis court be laid out?>—M. V. A. It should be laid out with the ends north and south. Q. Do the Japanese have sound plc- tures?—J. W, A. In 1936 of the 496 feature pictures made in Japan, 369 were with sound. Q. Please give some examples of old men famous for their achievements.— B.O.R. A. In the World War some of the great commanders were Hindenburg, who was 67 in 1914; Von Bulow, 68; Foch, 63. J. P. Morgan was 70 when Wall Street in an hour of need turned to him as its leader. Commodore Vanderbilt did most of his railroad building between his 70th and 83d year, adding a hundred million to his fortune. Gladstone was made prime minister for the fourth time at 83 years of age. John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay were great political leaders at 80. Oliver Wendell Holmes was writing liberal opinions at the age of 80. Q. Where is the Isle of Pines?—J. J. L. A. The Isle of Pines, or Isla de Pinos, in the West Indies, is about thirty miles south of Cuba, of which it forms a part, belonging to Habana Province. The island, discovered by Columbus in 1494, has an area of 1,200 square miles and a population of about 3,200. Nueva Gerona and Santa Fe are the largest towns, Q. Please give an equivalent for vil- lage meadows in some Indian language. —W.A. C. A. There was no aboriginal term for village meadows, as the Indians had no cattle in prehistoric time, and therefore bhad no lands set apart for grazing. The town fields in which corn was raised would be called osapa in the Choctaw language. Q. Do soldiers break step when cross- ing a bridge?—J. P. A. They are ordered to do so, to re lieve the pressure on the bridge. Q. What had Libby Prison been used for before the war?—R. J. J. A. Tt was a large brick structure named for its owner, who used the building as a ship chandlery and also as a tobacco warehouse. The Confederate government early secured it as a military prison for Federal soldiers, and many thousands were confined there. Q. Who wrote the verse beginning, “There was a little girl, she had a little curl right in the middle of her fore- head"?—H. G. A. Tt is by Henry W. Longfellow. Q. What was the real name of Rachel, the French actress? Was she ever in the United States?>—C. H. A. The famous French-Jewish tra- gedienne was named Elizabeth Felix. She came to America in 1855 on an extensive tour. The trip exhausted her physically and on her return to France she was compelled to retire from the stage. She died of consumption in 1858 at the age of 37. Q. Is it correct to have celery, olives, jelly or chocolates on the table at a formal dinner?—E. W. A. Mrs. Post says: “Menus on fash- ionable tables never include obvious ac- cessories such as celery, olives, rolls, pep- permints, radishes, jelly, chocolates, fruit, any more than they include ice water, or butter, or sugar for coffee.” Q. What is the name of the 28-month- old child who has a vocabulary of 3,600 words?—E. H. A. Mary Christine Dunn, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Dunn of Bonne Terre, Mo., is the child prodigy. She was given a series of mental tests by Prof. John P. Nafe of Washin University which proved that the child had the intelligence of a 5-year-old. Q. Who wrote, “But war's a game which, were their subjects wise, King's would not play at”?—O. T. A. William Cowper. It is found in “The Task.” Q. How much less will it cost to pro- duce newsprint paper in the South than the present cost?—W. J. A. Dr. Charles A. Herty of Savannah, Ga., an expert in methods of using Southern pine for paper, has estimated that the cost of making paper in the South will be $27 a ton, as compared 1o $47 a ton in the principal producing areas at present. Q. What is the name of the major in New York City who is known as a financial prophet?—H. W. A. Maj. Lawrence Lee Bazley Angas of New York City is an economist wh conducts a financial service. Q. Pease give the dimensions and appearance of the Stone of Scone whicii is under the English coronation chair. —L. T. A. It is a block of red sandstone in the shape of an irregular oblong, 26 inches long, 16% inches in breadth and 10% inches thick. Q. Is there any military school in the East that offers a music scholarship to talented boys?—E. F. G. A. The New York Military Academy, Cornwall-on-Hudson, N. Y. offers to young musicians a scholarship valued at $700 for 1937-8. Q. Of what material is the dome in Marshall Field's, Chicago?—R. M. A. The Tiffany mosaic dome is one of the largest glass mosaics ever constructed. It contains 1,600,000 pieces and is said to be the first dome ever built of iri- descent glass. A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton. Afloat. We sailed along & narrow stream Lined with o'erhanging trees; Drifting, as in a fairy dream, Above tree-shadowed leas. The lucent current gave effect Of foliage sweeping by Under our skiff; while deeps reflect The glowing sun on high. Beside the stream grew flags, tall, blue, Lily-pads white and green; And fish of every known hue ‘Went darting in between. Around, above, below, no dearth In nature’s fulfilled plan— And, oh, how beautiful this earth That God has given man!