Evening Star Newspaper, July 17, 1937, Page 6

ety THE EVENING STAR ‘With Sunday Morning Edition. . WASHINGTON, D. C. BATURDAY July 17, 1937 THEODORE W. NOYES The Evening Star Newspaper Company. 11th St and Pennsylvania Ave. Mew York Office: 110 East 42nd St ®nicago Office; ¢35 North Michigan t. Ave, Rate by Carrier—City and Suburban, Regular Edition, d Sunday Star Fhe Tvening and BunisY Sohth or 150 per week She el or 10c per week | Phe Sunday Star___ ~---8¢ per copy Night Final Editio ht Final and Sunday St —-70¢ per month Nght T "B ——_______55c per month Collection made at the end of each month or each week. Orders may be sent by mail or tele- Phone National 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance, Maryland and Virginia, Dailv and Sunday__ 1 yr. $10.00; 1 mo. 83c Daily only _ 1 $£6.00; 1 moa., 50c Bunday only_ 00; per month Member of the Associated Press. ‘The Associated Press is exclusively entitied to the nse for repnblication of all news dispatches eredited 10 it or not otherwise credited in this oaper and also the local news published herein, All rights of publication of special dispatches erein are also reserved. War to the End President Roosevelt has declared for war, and war until the end, in the fight to enlarge the Supreme Court. Perhaps, | after all, this is best, although such a war will bring much bitterness. The proposal advanced by the President is not one that should be allowed to lapse through inattention. It should be blown out of the water. Disguised as it may be, the underlying end, if not purpose, in the court en- largement program is to make it possi- ble for the Executive to obiain the kind of decisions he desires from the Supreme Court of she United States. This means & subservient judiciary. Tt seems incredible that the President | should believe a majority of the Ameri- ean people want any such thing—or that he should desire # himself. The Presi- dent, i a speech last March, pictured the branches of the Government as a shree-horse team—the legislative, the executive and the judiclal—all pulling | together; all co-operating. Co-operation, as the President saw it, however, meant pulling the way the Executive desired %o go. The opponents of the President's court program have indicated their willingness to fight the issue through to the end in the Senate—and in the House if it ever reaches that body. They are confident that the longer the President's proposal is discussed, the greater will be the &irength among the people and in the Congress against it. The President avers that & majority of the people back his objectives, which he plans to accomplish through a ehange in the Supreme Court. There has been no measure, no election, to prove { that to be so. In fact, there has been an uprising among the people against the proposal. If it were not for the im- pelling and compelling hand of the Chief | Executive, exerted in Congress as it is today, there would be only a small minor- 41y of the people's representatives favor- dng the court bill. This is no partisan political fight. The eourt bill and the eompromise for it are resisted on principle. That principle is | the independence of the judiciary. The | President and his advisers have sought in many ways to create the impression | that partisan politics is actuating the opposition. They have been unable to eonvince the people that such is the case. The fight to the end which the Presi- dent has now demanded, however, may result in disrupting his own party, in leaving behind it scars which cannot be healed. Already the Democratie Gov- ernor of Indiana, Townsend, eoming {rom an interview with the President, | has turned thumbs down on +he renomi- nation of Senator Van Nuys, an Indiana Democrat, who has resisied the President on the court bill. Here is an open breach. The compromise bill, in principle, is no better than the President’s original bill. It may be taken for granted that any other compromise which seeks by Jaw to change the size of the Supreme Court will be resisted at this time. The President has again turned his back upon a constitutional amendment to accomplish the ends he has in mind. His letter to Senator Barkley seems to have been aimed at the suggestion ad- vanced by many of the Senators that a constitutional amendment, providing for eompulsory retirement of justices of the Bupreme Court at seventy-five years, would meet all needs. And yet a consti- tutional amendment would be effectiye. The President reiterates his old argu- ment that a constitutional amendment was too uncertain and would take too tnuch time. Well, if the American people Bre really with the President in this court fight, the amendment could be ratified in & brief time. Why is he unwilling to put it to a test? —_— e As the usefulness of men is considered, sixty-five is t0oo young for a ‘man to re- linquish idess to which he devoted him- #elf as Senator Robinson had. Some men €0 not devote their best. thought to the great problems of a republic until they attain that age or go well beyond it. s Lee Boulevard. Forward-looking citizens. of Arlington . County are endeavoring to safeguard development of the Arlington Bridge end of the Lee Boulevard. Citing park-bor- dered Mount Vernon Memorial Highway a5 their ideal, civic leaders and many Jocal officials are urging that their coun- ty's western approach to the National Capital present an equally pleasing ap- pearance and be as easy to drive upon, 8ix tracts along the route now zoned ax “local business” or “lght industrial” appear as bars to the ideal. Efforts have been Jaunched to have them reclassified to residential “A,” as is the remainder of the thoroughfare. Reasonable as the fdea appears there has been some oppo- sition, and & hearing is slated for later in this month. Advocates of the zones permitting business eflfluhmmu point out that unless their pleas are granted there will not even be any service ata- #ions along the new section of the boule- vard. But there has been no widespread complaint of lack of service stations along the sixteen miles of the Mount ‘Vernon boulevard, a much longer stretch. Apartment houses along Lee Boulevard also are held undesirable because they bring congestion. ‘Washington has numerous entrances that leave much to be asked from the standpoint of beauty and ease of traffic movement. The eyesores, in most in- stances, developed before auto travel became prevalent and trafic jams frequent. Once established it is almost impos- sible to eliminate ugly roadside struc- tures and very costly to widen inade- quate roads in congested areas. But when a new boulevard consisting of two twenty-foot one-way traffic lanes with a twenty-foot parkway between is about to be opened, as is the case of the Lee Boulevard sector, there _seems little rea- son for failing to reserve adjacent land for attractive homes. Arli‘ngxon authorities should leave no stone unturned to make the new route conform as far as possible to the ideals of orderly beauty which the name “Lee” always will signify in Virginia. o — Our Gold at Work. Two agreements just sealed in Wash- ington manifest the United States’ inten- tion to utilize feasible opportunities to | put the Government's somewhat embar- rassing hoard of riches—its $1,200000,000 of “sterilized” work for useful purposes. round gold—to As the result | of negotiations with Dr. Kung, vice pre- mier and finance minister of the Nan- king government, the Treasury com- pleted arrangements whereby the | United States will trade gold, of which we have a surplus, for silver, with which China is overburdened, as a means of sabilizing the Chinese monetary sys- tem. A day or two later Secretary Mor- genthau entered into an agreement with Brazilian Finance Minister de Souza Costa which is designed to stabilize the currency situation at Rio de Janeiro by minimizing the danger of exchange fluctuation. The deal with Brazil will make Amer- ican gold available to her in an amount up to $60,000,000. On their part, the Brarilians pledge themselves to protect their market for United States goods. The undertaking calls in particular for measures to check expansion of German trade there, which has recently been outbalancing that of the United States under a subsidy agreement effected two years ago, involving the use of “blocked” German marks. In addition, Brazil promises to remove from her tariff laws | provisions which operate against Amer- ican imports. Not the least important feature of this tangible act of pan- | American good neighborliness is that it contemplates the establishment of a Brazilian central reserve bank, for which purpose the services of United States Treasury technical assistanis will be supplied. In connection with the gold transfer, this country will put at Brazil's disposal a sufficient amount of dollar exchange to facilitate exchange equi- librium. From every standpoint, the Washing- ton-Rio de Janeiro monetary pact is & significant, welcome and wholesome development. It constitutes another step in the United States’ program to foster international currency stability and promote reciprocal trade. Latin America is certain to discern in the agreement a fresh token of Uncle Sam's willingness to beat words into deeds in the realm of cordial relations with the sister republics of the Western Hemi- sphere. Germany is not specifically mentioned in the joint announcement that the United States and Brazl “undertake to protect mutual principles and benefits against outside competition directly subsidized by governments.” But it is well known that American business men trading with Brazil were experienc- ing difficulty in meeting competition systematically pushed by subventions from Berlin—a form of aid not available to American exporters. The Morgen- thau-de Souza Costa agreement puts an end to such discrimination, in that it provides for full most-favored Nation advantages for our trade in Brazil, as well as, of course, for Brazil's trade here, ———y By Senator Barclay of Kentucky the death of Senator Robinson was referred to as “a calamity beyond words,” though much of a flippant nature has been said in discussing public characters and pub- lic events. The fact cannot be disguised that it is in the relentless warmth of Summer that some of the Nation's most important history is written. S Last of the Daltons. Forty-five years ago everybody knew— and talked about—the Dalton gang. The family was notorious for crimes it did commit and likewise celebrated for crimes’ it was imagined to have been responsible for. Father, mother, daugh- ter ahd seven sons—they constituted an actual as well as a theoretical menace to all that portion of the United States which lies west of the Mississippi. They were horse thieves and train robbers, op- erating in Kansas at first, in California, Oklahoma and agein in Kansas later. Wherever they appeared they created panic, and they also were a terror in ter- ritories through which they were merely supposed to be traveling. It was thelr habit to “look the part.” They dressed for their work, affecting big hats, big boots and big revolvers. Yet they never merely pretended. On the contrary, they generally were in deadly earnest when they rode out to battie. No bystander presumed to doubt that they were ready to shoot at sight. Kin to the Younger and.Jesse James combinations, they dollhe’nuly aspired to excel those desperadoes in wicked achievement. Indeed, it was through taking too venturesome a ehance that they eame to . Pive members of the gang attempted to, “clean out” two banks simultaneously. 'The plot failed, the townspeople of Coffeyville killed four of the party and put twenty-three Bullets into the body of the fifth. But the wounded relic of the gang survived his injuries. Emmet Dalton by name, he served almost fifteen years of s life sentence and then—marvelously enough—emerged from prison to marry his childhood sweetheart, settle down as & real estate dealer and scenario | writer at Los Angeles and behave him- self like any other respectable and de- servedly reapected citizen. He died at’ sixty-five the other day, “a tall, hand- some, soft-spoken mhan who did not capitalize oh his past but never lost an’ opportunity to lecture sgainst crime.” Few rascals reform. The last of the Daltons was an encouraging exception to the rule. His example is one which might be cited to ex-convicts who think “it can't be done.” S M S There is an obligation which requires this country to believe in the better side of human nature and to listen to argu- ments which it does not fully believe merely because that is the r..ethod which gives everybody a chance. The rule is respected to such a degree that it may sometimes carry debate into unseason- able weather. —— s etes. Taxes have to be studied and met by those who have to undertake their pay- ment in actual cash, with formal regard extended now, as always, to those citi- zens who think they know & shorter way for a long transaction. We now have the sirplane and the share it is to assume | in meeting public burdens becomes one of the most interesting of modern studies, ——— - Japanese cherry blooms will continue o be regarded !vilh admiring eyes by{ this country even if the national policies | of the land that bred them becomes more warlike than we can approve. It may be necessary to allow some time to elapse until we are all in thorough agreement on all points, R — Midsummer sessions of Congress will be regarded as calling naturally for the kind of rest that the average citizen demands, even when in the midst of business. It is at least pleasant to hear from the motion picture players of the agreeable conditions under which their work is conducted. = r—e——— As the District of Columbia becomes a larger community the work of regulat- ing its populace mayv eventually have to include precise methods of controlling gamblers and other small-time offend- ers. As a community grows, responsi- bility for its well-being increases. e e As citizens of the District of Columbia | require more territory, better judgment is needed in making such land available, | There can be no toleration of unseemly | arrangements which imply a disregard for the development that must come in the near future. Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Constructive Criticism. It's only human nature to be kicking now and then. The secret of the trick is knowing how and where and when— I everything is going smooth and joy knows no restraint, You need for contrast something in the way of mild complaint. But in a time of stress, when shere is | work for all to do, The “sunzhine-smiler” often frowns and says that he is through, For he and trouble have been total strangers for so long That he can't endure a discord as it : interrupts the song. The kicker, on the other hand, when life | has grown perplexed, Says, “Let’s get through with this hard luck and ready for the next.” A man that's always happy is unlike his fellow men. It’s only human nature to be kicking now and then. All Manner of Men. “Some men,” remarked the admirer of poetry, “go into politics with the idea of leaving footprints on the sands of time.” | “Some do,” replied Senator Sorghum. “And others are lucky if they get out without having their fingerprints taken.” Jud Tunkins says that after hearin’ his daughter make a commencement speech on the higher responsibilities of life, all he asks is that she’ll stand pat on them sentiments in the years to come. The Great Uselessness. The useless citizen is he— In sorrow oft we know it— ‘Who rocks the boat with careless glee And mocks at those who row it. No Novelty to Him. “Hiram.” said Mrs. Corntossel, “the Summer boarders are complainin’ about | a lot o' things.” “I heard 'em, but I soon quit listenin’. None of 'em said anything original.” “Many listen to wise words,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “but derive 1o benefit, since they devote themselves to envying the ability to utter them.” Dealing in Futures. ‘When money that we had before We find has somehow all been spent, It’s better to reach out for more Than sit in solemn discontent. For as the world goes on its way 1t leaves behind the old Tegret And bids us heed, from day to day, The money that we're going to ge! “Lots o' people offer advice” said Uncle Eben, “which gets to be like medi- eine, rous if you tries to tdke kinds 1% | If new powers were found necessary. | aware of the popular belief that if they | tion of their careers in order to cham- | anvthing but a happy lot. Sad Situation of the Court Bill Defenders ¥o the Editor of The Star: In the sultry air of Washington a goodly band of 8enators, exalting per- sonal loyalty to the President as the first duty of & politician, are fighting a political battle with political weapons for political purposes. The occasion of the battle is a bill designed to give the President power to control the Supreme Court and thereby change the Constitu- tion without consent of the people. But these Senators do not mention the terms of the,bill. So far as discussion of its proyisions is concerned, it might just as well be a bill to authorize construction of a ten-million-dollar post office in the rock-ribbed Democratic community of Poduck Crossroads. For the Senators in question the real issue is not any particular bill, but the higher and broader principle of party and personal loyalty in the realm of politics. Hence we hear much of “political grati- tude” and “political ingratitude,” and strong support of the thesis that those who ride into Congress on the Presi- dent’s coat-tails should keep themselves under his feet while there. “Political independence” and “political ingrati- tude” are shown to be synonymous terms. 1f- questions about the court- packing compromise are irrelevantly and irreverently raised by the opposition, the Senator interrogated coldly refuses to discuss detalls, or hotly yields the floor rather than respond. It is & most interesting exhibition of parliamentary procedure. But those tempted to criticize the Senators respon- sible for it should give thought to the circumstances in which the Senators find themselves. Consider for a mo- ment the heavy and thankless task which has devolved on' loyal adminis- tration supporters. The court-packing scheme is not of their creation. Sup- | posedly the Nation's lawmakers, they were not even consulted about this most revolutionary of all proposed laws. Their sole responsibility has been to revamp, under administration pressure, the pro- posal killed by an aroused public opin- Neither now nor in the past has | the court measure been in any proper | Sense a party measure; for their party Specifically pledged itself to submit to the people a constitutional amendment Party loyalty, as well as everv considera- tion of honesty and public decency, com- mands them to oppose the bill. For its dangerous provisions they have no love. Some of them publicly, and many more privately, early denounced the court-packing idea. They are fully were guided solely by conscience the administration could not count a respec- able handful of favorable votes. They know Mr. Farley has insolently boasted that their votes will be delivered at the proper time; and this adds neither com- fort nor dignity to their position before an aroused public. They realize that the arguments which defeated the original court bill were un- answerable, and that they lie with equal force against the so-called “compromise.” Lacking arguments to support the com- promise on its merits, they find them- selves forced to avoid all discussions of the terms of the bill. The sole ground on which support for the measure can be based is personal loyalty to the President. who impulsively adopted and sponsored the all too clever scheme concocied by | his youthful lieutenants. The doctrine | of personal lovalty they accept, making a political virtue of what they doubtless | deem a political necessity. But they do %o with secret misgivings. since theyv cannot uphold the theory that Senators i should blindly follow the bidding of the | President. be he right or wrong, with- | out destroving the last possible excuse for their own existence as legislators. The sole strategy available to them | I= o attack the dislovalty of those who | oppose the court measure, and they know | full well their disadvantage in a battle in which those who are “disloyal” have the courage to risk political reprisals, loss of patronage and even the destruc- pion traditional principles of American free government, while they themselves must face the charge that executive pressure and political rewards have dic- tated their “loyalty” in following a ! President who has committed the fatal error of trying to secure by devious | methods what he feared he could not secure by direct consent of the people. Assuredly, then, administration sup- porters of the iniquitous court bill have | Let due al- | lowance accordingly be made for the strange air of unreality that surrounds their tactics. When Senator Hatch signs his name to a report vigorously condemning the President's proposal be- cause it “applies force to the judiciary * * * undermines the independence of the courts * * * permits alteration of the Constitution without the people's consent or approval * * * undermines the protection our constitutional system gives to minorities and is subversive of the rights of individuals,” and then, promptly facing in the opposite direc- tion offers a ‘“compromise” which ac- complishes every one of these things quite as effectively as the original bill although somewhat more slowly, he should not be condemned too severely. It is no simple matter to oppose court- packing to please the people and favor court-packing to please the President. When Senator Logan declares that the court proposal carries out pledges of the Democratic platform, it would be | ungracious to remind him that the platform said not one word about chang- ing the court, but did specifically pledge the Democratic party to submit a con- stitutional amendment if new powers were needed. When Senator Guffey yields the floor rather than reply to searching questions respecting his rea- sons for supporting the court bill, that sorely harassed Senator should be pitied. The task of defending an indefensible measure, and of answering unanswerable arguments, is a difficult and thankless task. Perhaps as the days pass and the cohorts of personal loyalty begin to realize that the swelling wave of public indignation will either defeat the vicious compromise measure or sweep them out of office, they will revise their definition of loyalty. They may decide that loy- alty to their oaths of office, and to that Constitution they swore to uphold and protect, takes precedence over loyalty to any party or any man; that loyalty to one's conscience is of higher order than loyalty to any political creed, and that loyalty to their country and its ipstitutions of free government should be the supreme loyalty in the code of honor of every public servant. They may. perchance, realize that the op- position Senators have chosen the better part, and, showing courage ‘equal to theirs, take stand with them till the people’s fight be won. DOUGLAS JOMNSON. % New York City. ——oe—s. A Required Stat Prom the Jacksenville Journal. Now if some gatherer of statistics will tell us how many big jobs are heid by former cheer leaders. - C. Industrial “Peace.” Prom the Austin (Tex.) Ameriean. B0 this is the industrial pesce we eotfidn’s have while the eous d wp the Wagner aet. | becoming extinct. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Say goodnight to Mr. Hyte, Whose crow is loud and funny; He will wake us in the dawn, When it's bright and sunny. Mr. Hyte also will wake us on a cloudy morning. No alarm clock goes off more promptly than & bantam rooster. Exactly at 3:45 am. this red-combed, yellow-necked, bronze-backed, black- tailed fellow hops off his perch and lets go. Far over the housetops his call flies, calling all the little birds to wake up. One by one the thrushes and the robins and the catbirds and the sparrows join in, but high above all soar the strains of cock-a-doodle-doe. Something smalltownish wakes in us at that piércing crow, far louder than that of roosters twice or even thrice his size. Bantams, of course, are famous for it, * % ¥ & Mr. Hyte has plenty of brains. He makes s beeline for the one place where the folks are up, where there is a feeding station, and where he will find a ready weicome. How does Mr. Hyte know? It is true that he was properly intro- duced. But that first morning after the rain, when he had perched in a tree all night, he walked directly across the street and up the driveway, straight to the small feeder set out for the songbirds. Mr. Hyte must think he is a singer, * ok ow Something smalltownish in the blood awakes with the bantam blast, Keepin’ chickens, is it? No doubt of it. There is nothing more thoroughly American than keeping chickens Wha are, and how they have twined them- selves into the lives of the myriads who inhabit America! Even persons who never kept them, who never handled them. or fed them, still manage to wake 1o a far-flung crow. - %o “Nothing to crow over,” goes the old | phrase. We get it from the fowl family. “Counting one's chickens before they are hatched,” and “chicken-hearted”’—— The latter phrase does not seem to apply io Mr. Hyte. While he gives a cat a respectful at- tention, he seems in no wise afraid of one. He gives a terrific flap of those strong wings, Tigey, meowing at him, flees around the other side of the garage. * *x x ¥ Mr. Hyte would not willingly let it be known that he is in any haste to get to the mixed grain and seed put out for the songbirds. He waiks leisurely up the drivewdy, | stopping every now and then for a Justy crow, which says as plainly as anything, “Watth out for me! I am on my way!® STARS, MEN curious, interesting birds they | ‘The sight of the smail trough feeder evidently becomes too much for him. Half way up the driveway he breaks into & trot, then fairly runs the rest of the way. It is all very undignified of Mr. Hyte, but dignity must be thrown to the winds when it conies to breakfast. Every one understands that. * X X % At the feeder half a dozen English sparrows fly up at his approach. They do not fear him, however. 8hortly they are down on the ground, chummily eating away, as if a rooster was the most natural thing in the world, as it is. Folks who recall old days will remem- ber the flocks of sparrows in the chicken park. Wherever there is food, & dozen Eng- lish sparrows are likely to be. Mr. Hyte weicomed them to the feast. At first he was a bit timid about sticking his neck out (there, by the way, is an- other chicken phrase which has made good), but at last he pokes his bill into the trough. He makes & number of assorted gur- gles and throaty sounds, with every now and then a good crow to accent his suc- | cess. ook oW Bocrates first defined a man as an animal with two legs, but when reminded | that a rooster might come within the | definition, had to modify it. Mankind has alwavs heard something | essentially human Jn the crow of the rooster. He is pretty well satisfied with him- self, and wanis the whole world to know it. & not unknown type. He is the original “go-getier,” a red- faced. self-satisfied, boastful fellow whom we all see through, but who, neverthe- less, is amusing and highly edifying, if | we take him in the right way. Mr. Hyte is not afraid of the squirrel | | which suddenly comes down the trunk of the tree. Ax a matter of fact, he does not see the rodent until the bushy tailed one is within & few feet of him. Mr. Hyte gurgles slightly. shakee his wings, step back a few inches. The squirrel retreats. Hyte goes back to feeding. * ok o % By this time Tigey, the eat, is back | on the driveway. Mr. Hyte, his hunger satisfied—for five | minutes—thinks he had better go home. As he sees the cat, he pretends not to | be wanting to go down the drivew He saunters over to one side, he inv tigates the fence long and thoroughly. He pretends it is the fence he is inter- | ested in, but in time sidles along at a | good distance from the cat, and rapidly | trudges down the driveway. | Over at home, the cat outwitted. Mr. Hyte stands in his own driveway, raises his head and vells defiance. “If you come over here” Mr. Hvte vells, as plain as can be. “you had better watch out for yourself!™ AND ATOMS Notebaok of Science Progress in Field, Laboratory and Study. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. Fossils of some of the earth's earliest mammals, remote ancestors of the pres- ent mammalian fauna of the earth, in- | cluding man, have been added to the collections of the Smithsonian Institu- tion. Last Summer specimens represent- ative of more than 50 species were ob- tained from the so-called Puerco and Torrejon areas in New Mexico by Dr. C. Lewis Gazin, Smithsonian paleontol- ogist. Respectively, these formations date bmck approximately 60,000,000 and 50,000.000 vears. They represent the period when mammals first appear as | the dominant creatures on earth. These were not the first mammals. There were mammals and mammal-like forms during the preceding Mesozoic period, when the great dinosaurs were Bui these earlier warm-blooded creatures were of little importance in the mesozoic life pattern. At the beginning of the Paleocene period the race came into its rich inheritance from the great reptiles of mastery over the planet, which it has heid ever since. ‘When they appeared the dinosaurs were gone. About the only formidable rem- nants of the old line were crocodilelike saurians, superficially hardly distin- guishable from crocodiles of today. These paleocene mammals were, an awkward, stupid lot, but they had” ca- pacities for development and adjustment which their predecessors apparently lacked. Somewhere among them, al- though direct lines cannot be traced, were probably the ancestral strains of all the mammal types known today. These mammals were already differ- entiated inlo two broad groups—the herbivores 2nd the carnivores. The terror of these ancient millenniums was probably the triisodon, a flesh-eating creature about the size of a collie dog which presumably preyed upon the weaker, herbage-eating animais. 1t might be compared to a very clumsy bear in general appearance and would cut a sorry figure in the world of today. | Among the commonest creatures was the ectoconus, somewhat smaller than the triisodon and a herbage eater. An- other was the psittacotherium, the size of a small pig with an enormous piglike head, which some believe to have been in the ancesiral line of the ground sloths, which became extinct in North America only with the end of the ice age. All this fauna disappeared millions of years ago, and there is nothing alive today which even looks like them, ex- cept in a very general way. They would bear about the same resemblance to the mammals of today as the crude, fan- tastic automobiles of the nineties to the iatest streamlined models. All their structures were very generalized. They had not developed the anatomical spe- cializations, such as hoofs for swift run- ning, by which various extant mammal families have adapted themselves to meet competition. The majority of these creatures, ac- cording to & recent monograph on the beginnings of the age of mammals by George Gaylord Simpson of the Amer- ican Museum of Natural History, repre- sent an invasion of North America from some unknown evolutionary center. It is no longer, he holds, tenable to assume that they were the descendants of the ‘very primitive mammals which were con- temporaries of the great reptiles in the upper Cretaceous. Somewhere on earth, he says, must be assumed a great land mass separated for millions of years from North America— bly by an unpassable ocean. Then his land mass became joined with North America and she animals could pass freely trom ene io the other. This un- known land mass, of continental pro- portions, was the eradle of the mallalian races of today. Conditions must have been extremely favorable for their de- ‘velopment. While the old North Amer- fosn forms, eompeting for existence and tionary, their contemporaries were pros- pering and branching forth in all sorts of new forms. The most important of these were the placentals, or bearers of | almost fullv developed live voung. Thev were better equipped to cope Wwith conditéens in the new land to which they migrated. Gradually the old forms disappeared and the new “inherited the earth.” At present, Dr. Simpson says, any effort to locate this “cradle of mammals” is idle speculation. It might be Asia. It might be Europe. Both these continents, it is likely, have been separated and joined to North America for long periods. In Asia only one small deposit of Paleocene mammal fossils has been found, however, and in Europe those discovered have been of relatively late date. These “ancestors” were not mearly so | specialized as the mammals of the pres- ent. As far as known, Dr. Simpson says, the skulls of nearly all paleocene mam- mals have long, narrow brain cases and the brain itself is small; with few con- volutions. All were four-legged, with fore and hind limbs of nearly equal length. All had rather long trunks and | long, heavy tails. They were flat-footed. | | The early forms, even of those lines that later developed hoofs, have typical car- nivorelike claws. Perplexed by Russell Expose of Uncle Sam To the Editor of The Star: As a patriotic young American, I was first shocked, then indignant, alarmed, and finally perplexed when read the article, “Uncle Sam Exposed, by Charles Edward Russell, in the edi- torial section of The Sunday Star. I cannot resist voicing a protest against the devastating remarks American history which appear in that article, although I have not vet decided whether it is a serious exposition, a breezy satire, or & humorous writing to | be taken lightly. The theme of the article, it would seem, is found in the statement that a “new wisdom” is ascending to show the un- worthiness of America and Americans. Whether or not such a philosophy is aris- | ing, this humble writer does not pretend to know. However, the composition mentioned is se ironical as to be indeed disconcerting to one who has been taught the value of historical and biographical reading and who has developed a deep appreciation of those national heroes who have played leading parts in mak- ing the United States the great country that it is today, flourishing under a gov- emment which has stood the test for one hundred and fifty years, and whose history, although it has numerous black marks, is a glorious example of human progress. As a high school graduate of the year 1937, T depend on this teaching as a source of inspiration to carry me for- ward toward worthy achievement in life. It i3 not meant that we should smugly congratulate ourselves on our excellence, but rather that, using tradition as a guid- ing light, we should look always toward the ideal of service, good citizenship. and right character. IRA BROWN, Poor Lo 10 be Rich. Prom the Pergus Palls (Minn.) Journal. John Herrick, assistant Indian com- missioner, in an address in Minneapolis, predicted that the time was coming when the Indians would be an eco- nomically independent race, with ne need of Government support. He did not venture to predict any such bright future for the whites. Real Crops. Prom the Omahs World-Herald. Nebraska this vear is happily looking forward to ehecks for growing grain in- stead of ehecks for not growing it. the largest in the United States? | acter of a Negro giant worker. | entitled “John Henry.” then | concerning | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. A reader can get the answer in any question of fact by writing The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederir .J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. €, Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. If a foreigner wins the world heavy- ‘weight championship, can he compel tha challenger to come to his country to fight for the title, or must a title bout be staged in the United 8tates?—F. R. F. A. The world champion heavyweight, may fight wherever he chooses to defend his title in his own or any other country, Q. At what season of the vear do most, people visit Mount. Vernon?—D. T. A. The six months beginning in April account, for about 80 per eent of the visitors. Q. How does a ventriloquisi, manage his voice?—M. B. A. The essential mechanism of ven- triloquism consists in taking a full breath, then keeping the muscles of the chest, and neck fixed, and speaking with the mouth almost closed, and the lips and lower jaw as motionless as possible | while air is very slowly expired throngh a narrow glottis. through the nose. No air must escape Q. 1= moonshine liquor still being made in Kentucky?—H. W. A. During the last fiscal vear 681 xtill | outfits were confiscated in Kentucky by the Government. The law enforcement, officers also seized more than a quarter of a million gallons of mash. Q. Do crickets eat anything except grass?—F. C. A. They eat many other things sich as dead grass, rotten wood, dead insects, shell fish, seaweed, and partially de- cayed rags. Q. Ts the arsenal at Rock Island, T, A R. A. Tt may be considered 1he laraest of the manufacturing arsenals in point of war production and storage capacity. The Picatinny Arsenal, Dover, N. J, has the largest acreage, and Frankford Ar- senal, Philadelphia, Pa., has, at present, the largest personnel. Q. Who was John Henry?—T. K A. John Henry is a legendary char- Some vears ago Roark Bradford wrote a book This book was an account of the legends in connection with his iife. Q. Could a woman serve as President, of the United States if elected?>—H. 8. B. A. There is no provision in the Con- stitution in regard to the sex of the President of the United States. In so far as that document is concerned a woman would be eligible to the office. Q. Were California’s citrus fruit trees | permanently damaged by last Winters freeze?—G. N A. Late advices are to the effect that ! the trees are making a remarkable come- back, and that the coming season will bring quite a plentiful erop. Q. I= the statute mile or nautical mile | used in aviation>—A. P remained conservative and almost sta- | A. The statute mile is nsed. Q. How early were experiments in air- conditioning trains tried?—FE. H A. Air-conditioning was tried az early as 1884 on a railway passenger ear in this country. Q. Are the bones of Shakespeare where they were originally placed in Stratford- on-Avon?—M. J. A. The body of William Shakespeare has not been disturbed since it was buried in the little church at 8tratford. Q. Do the Japanese fence according to the Western method?—V. T A. Western-style fencing was intro- duced into Japan a few years ago, and competitive contests now take place. Q. How much do bank clearings | amount to in the United States in a ! year?—M_ E. E. A. They run about $500.000.000,000 in | & year, Q. What is the National Council of ‘Women of the United States?—G. V. S. A. It is composed of twenty national organizations. Its object is to serve as a clearing house for the dissemination of information concerning the actiyities and | methods of organized womanhood, and 10 initiate and promote national projects which are in harmony with the general purpose and programs of member or- ganizations. Q. How many taxis are there in Lon- don?—W. H. A. The city has over 8,000 taxis. Q. What is th oldest painting in the Mellon art collection?—W. R. A. It is a Byzantine “Madonna." painted by an artist of Constantinopie about 1200. The painting was discovered in recent years at Calahorra, Spain, Q. What is the extent of the world's fishing industry?—E. W. A. The fisheries of the world engage the activities of more than 2,000.000 per- sons on about 800.000 craft. The total value of the output is $683,000,000. Q. How-far does & man with a two- horse plow have to walk to plow an acre field?>—H. W. A. Plowing with a two-horse walking plow, a farmer would walk abont seven and one-half miles in plowing an acre. Q. Has Olivia de Haviland & sister in the movies?—W. R. A. Her sister is Joan Fontaine. who is playing in “You Can't Beat Love.” Q. Which of Longfellow's poems has been used most frequently in musical zettings?—H. J. A. “The Song of Hiawatha" has ap- peared in more musical arrangements than any of his poems. N S— Pelf and Pockets. Prom the Batrle Creek Bnauirer-News An optimist claims: “The richest. man in the world was born without. a cent in his pocket.” As for that, the poorest. man in the world was born without a pocket. oo A Discouragement. Prom the South Bend Tribune. ‘The United States mint announces that the $12,143.000000 in goid held hy the Government weighs 11888 tona. ‘This, we trust, will discourage pick- pockets with designs on Unele Sam. S Cantaloupe Rules. Prom the #hreveport Journal. “There are three ways to tell when a cantaloupe isn't ripe.” savs a houszehold note. jVeah. But how about nne wav mA tell when it is.