Evening Star Newspaper, July 20, 1937, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. “July 20, 1937 THEODORE W. NOYES_......... --Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Compeny. 11th 8t and Pennsylvania Ave. New York Office: 110 East 42nd 8t. Onicago Office: 435 North Michigen Ave. Rate by Carrier—City and Suburban. Regular Edition. The Evening and Sunday 3t A er moath or 156 per week The Evening 8tal oy month or 10 per week o) el The Sunday 8tar _________ C Der copy Night Final Edition, Night Final and Sunday Star--_.70¢ per month Night Final Star_. 2 5¢ per month Collection made at the end of each month or each week. Orders may be sent by mail or tele- vhone National 6000, Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance, Marsiand and Virginia, Bally and sunday_. 1 yr. ] ily “only 1r Eunday only. i All Other States and Canada, iy ang Bunday. lly jonly i 1 mo., ®unday only. $5.00; 1 mo. 60c Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitied to hs use for republication of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in this Daper and also the local news published herein, All rights of publication of special dispatches berein are aiso reserved. —_— Gov. Lehman’s Letter. Gov. Lehman of New York, a stanch rupporter of President Roosevelt, has put the case of those opposing the Chief Executive's program to enlarge the Su- preme Court succinctly and clearly, In @ letter to Senator Wagner, urging him to oppose the court bill, Gov. Lehman tald: “T believe that the orderly and deliberate processes of government should not be sacrificed merely to meet an immediate situation.” Concluding his letter he warned that the liberties of the American people in the future might be placed in jeopardy. The views expressed by Gov. Lehman tome as no surprise to President Roose- velt, For Gov. Lehman several months 8go wrote to the President saying that he did not think the enactment of the eourt bill would be to the best interests of the people. The publication of the views of the New York Governor, how- ever, comes with dramatic suddenness, when the battle in the Senate over the court bill is to be renewed. Here is a New Dealer of New Dealers—the Gov- emor of New York, whom President Roosevelt and Postmaster General James A. Farley, chairman of the Demo- eratic National Committee, persuaded to stand for renomination last year. Gov. Lehman at that time desired to retire from public office. He was hailed, however, by the President and Mr. Far- lev—and by many others—as a great Wberal. His candidacy was to aid Pres dent Roosevelt to a second term in the White House. No one, it s presumed, will charge Gov. Lehman with going over to the Republican party in this contest over the court bill. No one will disparage him or his views on the ground that he {5 a reactionary. His whole record a3 Governor, his ardent support of the President's policies are sufficient an- #wer to charges made along those lines, 8 any are made. The fact 3s the New York Governor puts principle ahead of expediency. He admits frankly that he has been sap- pointed by some of the close decisions of the Bupreme Court, and by decisions holding tmportant legislation unconstitu- tional. But he is clear-headed. He sees fhere the President's proposal will lead. He is not blind to she fact that to make | the judiclary subservient to the execu- #tve or the legislative branches, or to both, would be an 1l thing for the people of America. One sentence in Gov. Lehman's letter %0 Senator Wagner is of peculiar inter- est. In it he sald that in the months that have intervened since he wrote President Roosevelt that he did not ap- prove of the court bill, “my convictions have become strengthened.” In this respect Gov. Lehman does not differ from many other Americans. Indeed, 86 the months have passed and the legislation has been debated all over the land, the opposition has grown by leaps and bounds, The Governar of New York has the eourage to stand by his honest convic- tion. Necessarily it is unpleasant for him o disagree with President Roose- velt, whose friend and supporter, he has been for years, It is just as unpleasant for Democratic Senators who have been close to the Chief Executive to resist him in his present demand. Blind adherence should not be demanded of them when their intelligence and their consciences tell them that proposed legislation is ———. American citizens are students of po- HNtical attitudes and quick to change an opinion. A “New Deal” should be, after 8l only an assurance that new condi- tions will be intelligently met as the eards shift. If this is not accomplished the deal passes. ——————— Russia has made some distinguished demonstrations in art and in literature, but she has always been more or less obscure in an effort to impress such demonstrations as a part of her world history. ———. Marconi. The whole world will mourn for Guglielmo Marconi. The great Italian physicist was a benefactor of humanity at large. His genius was of the highest and the spiritual character which mo- tivated it was noble and generous. He earned for himself an active immortality which assures his fame forever, and his death furnishes occasion for the ex- presston of universal gratitude for his eontributions to human welfare. Pew of the millions who have been advantaged by his inventions will re- member his simple and unaffected an- nouncement in 1895: “I have discovered how to telegraph without wires.” But & vast majority of his younger con- temporaries can recall the thrill with which they first heard voices coming through the air. The heart-warming Joy which they felt 4p that marvelous THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. ., TUESDAY, JULY 20, 1937. moment is preserved in their experience | two hundred towers, reach heavenward | e, 50 long as they shall live, from behind the encircling barrier. The THE POLITICAL THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. And it is that word which should be stressed in any tribute to Marconi. He created facilities for the enrichment of the common life of the race; he pro- vided new powers for the development of culture, intermational amity, social progress, education in all the wonderful connotations of the phrase. Thus, he vitalized the age to which he belonged and the {llimitable future for which the “era of transition” is a necessary pro- logue. Probably, it may truthfully be said that he was one of the most useful and helpful individuals of his generation. But it must be repeated that he bore himself like a prince. His soul was gentle, his manner modest, his tem- perament altruistic. It was his privi- lege to be truly great as well as to do really great things. Mankind is proud to be related to him. Like Raphael, he was one of those persons who justify the species to God. R Disarmament Gains. In a world that seems determined to run amuck in the realm of naval arma- ments, even the slightest indications of readiness to call a halt must rank as blessings that are welcome, if not over- whelmingly important. Of such a de- scription are the pacts just signed in London by Germany and Soviet Russia, whereby they adhere to the Anglo- Franco-American treaty of 1936, placing a limitation of 35,000 tons on battleships, of 23,000 tons on aircraft carriers and of 16 inches on guns. Thus, Japan and Ttaly are the only sea powers of conse- quence that remain outside the agree- ment for qualitative limitation. At a time when any hope of further progress looking to reduction of naval armaments had almost taken wings, the Berlin and Moscow governments make a contribu- tion which revives confidence that, after all, the cause of keeping sea establish- ments within reasonable bounds may not be entirely lost. Just as London, Paris and Washington naval authorities are pledged by the tri- partite agreement not to take one an- other unawares in the form of tonnage or armament expansion, the Germans and the Russians also pledge themselves to those restrictions. This means that five powers, instead of three, are now under a common bond to inform co- signatories of their respective building programs several months before these are actually undertaken. “Mystery” ships and the surprise element are done away with, a development which makes for mutual trust and paves the way to wider understanding. Great Britain acted jointly for her- self, France and the United States in admitting the Reich and the U. 8. S. R. into the qualitative limitation partner- ship. Germany's adhesion is of primary interest to Great Britain, which has the most reason to fear sudden innova- tions in warship types in the North Sea, like the famous Nazi “pocket battle- ships,” which might suddenly render whole sections of the British fleet obso- lete at one stroke. The new agreements give Germany and Russia the right to bui'ld a small number of cruisers be- tween 8000 and 10,000 tons, although Britain, France and the United States declared a six-year holiday on such vessels. A special concession to Russia pefmits her to keep complete secrecy regarding ships under construction or in commis- sion in Far Eastern waters—a privilege which Moscow claimed because Japan is outside the qualitative arrangement, A significant feature of these various agreements is that Soviet naval power is recognized internation: first time and with the complete acquies- cence of the potential German enemy in the Baltic. While it is doubtful whether the Russians really plan naval expansion on any considerable scale, Soviet ship- vards already have laid down at least three 8000-ton cruisers carrying 7.1- inch guns, which makes them the most heavily armed new cruisers now under corfstruction anywhere, ————— Efforts are being made in China to introduce expressions of philosophy in serious rivalry to those of Confucius. The expressions carry out some old ideas and may be found as effective in appli- cation to airplanes as they were to Kites. s s ‘With two imposing sites for aviation in view it is proposed to co-ordinate them and recognize aviation as occupying a world of its own and capable of super- vising the special training necessary to secure competent management. S e Amelia Earhart enjoyed the honor of flying with some of the most distin- guished people in the country. Her en- Joyment of the distinction was all too brief, ——e—. Cremona. Scattered all over Europe there are little towns that never will perish so long as human memory survives. They live and prosper because their names are associated with those of men and women who cannot be forgotten. Con- sider Cremona for example: Just now it is gay with flags in celebration of one of its children who has been dust these two long centuries. Tourists by the thousands are' making pilgrimage to the spot this Summer. It is their pleas- ure to pay homage to Antonio Stradivari —the genuis who “brought the violin to its highest perfection” and left his birthplace an imperishable endowment in his fame as the greatest of all masters of his difficult craft. Cremona itself is interesting. It rises from the slope above the north bank of the historic Po, looks to the south over the Plain of Lombardy, possesses legends and traditions dating back to the hour when imperial Rome first felt the need to build frontier fortresses against the “barbarians.” The ancient walls still exist, oval in shape, battered in condition, yet somehow reassuring in 8 world from which danger of sudden attack has not yet been banished, Seventy churcies, boasting no less than Cathedral is & notably beautiful speci- men of Romanesque, and the Torrazzo, nearby, is the tallest structure of its kind in all Italy. Gothic palaces, me- dieval houses and shops, quaint and wandering streets add to the attraction of the scene. But nothing else matters quite so much as the fact that Stradivari labored under the Cremona sky. He was Amati’s pupil, yet more courageous, possibly equipped with a more active talent for invention. His “long” model violins were “a complete innovation” and his “soft texture” varnish was a secret which modern disciples cannot read with satis- faction. Two sons carried on his busi- ness until 1743, six years after his own demise at ninety-three. No one, how- ever, has ever surpassed him. He was unique. Like Shakespeare and Beethoven, he is alone in the annals of human enterprise. Washington shares Cremona’s joy in the marvelous achievement of Stradi- vari’s soul. It happens that the Library of Congress owns, by generous courtesy of Mrs. Matthew Whittall, “the lordliest Stradivarius” extant. The instrument is known as the “Betts” and may be seen by any visitor desiring to inspect it. - After a quest involving great hard- ship it has been decided to discontinue the search for Amelia Earhart and her pilot. As usual there is an abundance of advice as to how she should have flown that comes when it is all too late. e Tammany has had its historic mo- ments. It embarks on another era when it proposes to promote good men instead of handling bad boys. The indorse- ment of Senator Copeland is a signifi- cant announcement of policy. B S — No matter what disappointments arise in the course of Maryland office holding, there are always men to be found who feel that they can tell an old story and discover entertaifting points that were previously overlooked. — ) A man of active mentality, Mr. Farley can turn swiftly from one representative of party leadership to another, but it is Just possible that he would like a little more delay in connection with the cere- monies, oo You finally get down to the algebraic custom of reckoning the values of things by the letters that represent them. It is now proposed to make C. I. O. stand for as much as A. F. of L. once did. - It is mildly and properly requested that if both the Asiatic and European forces decide on clashes, they will at least consent to leave the Western Hemi- sphere undisturbed for a time, o Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. A Human Necessity. The world must have conventions to discuss each social movement, And then adjourn with plans to hold some more, For the conversation is what represents the true improvement Of people here or on a distant shore. In addition to the wonderful inventions whose employment Places accurate results beyond a doubt, The world must have its share of in- tellectual enjovment. It needs a lot of things to talk about. So let us have the theories which call for erudition Which ordinary mortals cannot reach. For each must do the part tn life that falls to his position, If it is only just a part of speech. The purpose of existence is the constant interchanging Of thoughts which come in vogue and then go out. So let us not grow weary of the fancies widely ranging. We need a lot of things to talk about. A Sarcasm. “You must admit that your political antagonist uses good English.” “He ought to,” replied Senator Sorg- hum, “His ideas are so slight that he doesn’t have to think about anything but the grammar.” Jud Tunkins says an owl gets a repu- tation for wisdom by saying nothing, while a parrot discloses his ignorance by being needlessly conversational, Never Prepared. Each year the Summer days are hot, As every one of us must know, Fach year we all complain a lot And are surprised to find them so. , Human Dissatisfaction. “The neighbor next door annoys me incessantly by the racket he makes with the lawn mower.” “How about the neighbor on the other side of you?” “The way he lets his Jawn go without attention is a disgrace to the street.” “Fame is not easily cheated,” said Hi Ho, the sage of China. “History is read with respect when the flattering biographer is forgotten.” Imaginative Eye. The poet’s lines recur anew Our conscience to uplift. To see ourselves as others do Is not a common gift. It is not strange a gangster should When he is going some Imagine he's & Robin Hood, When he is just a bum. “Keep on tryin',” said Uncle Eben. “It's better to be a perpetual beginner dan a quitter.” Laws and Lawyers. Prom the Troy (N. Y.) Record. . A contemporary has said that “the only tection & poor man has is the law.” %n and a good lawyer. J MILL BY G. GOULD LINCOLN. President Roosevelt's court bill goes into its final battle in the Senate today, with the return of that body to business after the “truce” growing out of the death of the late Senator Robinson of Arkansas, Democratic leader. How long the battle will last is still uncertain. But the administration program looking to enlargement of the Supreme Court has received some crushing blows in recent days. None more so than the letter written by Gov. Lehman of New York to Senator Wagner urging him to oppose the measure. * ok ko o If the anti-court bill Senators needed encouragement this letter of the New York Governor. made public on the eve of the resumption of hostilities, was calculated to give them that encourage- ment! It was a considered judgment which Gov. Lehman expressed when he wrote to Senator Wagner. For he had expressed similar views to President Roosevelt himself “months ago.” There had been no inkling of the break be- tween the President and the New York Governor over this measure, however. Gov. Lehman has been credited with being very close to the President and with supporting all New Deal measur One New York Senator, Copeland, has strongly denounced the court bill and the compromise which has been put forward by administration forces. Sena- tor Wagner, who formerly was a judge, maintained silence with regard to his own stand on the court bill. No man has been more effective or more hard working in the interest of liberal legisla- tion than Wagner. There seemed no good reason for his remaining silent upon the court bill if he really ap- proved it. x ok ok Gradually the President and his po- litical adviser, Postmaster General James A. Farley, have withdrawn from their first advanced position in support of the original court bill. The tory of the measure, since it was sent to Con- gress by the President last February 5, has been rather remarkable. Earlv pro- nouncements by Mr. Farley, chaimman of the Democratic National Committee, were to the effect that the votes to put the bill through the Senate and House were “in the bag at they had only to call the roll. The first break came when President Roosevelt several weeks ago told a press conference that the mistake being made was that too manv people had been looking at trees instead of at the forest This was his way of saving that he would insi: upon the passage of the t change. Then came e administration leaders to work out a compromise. In the end they settled upon the Robi Hatch-Logan substitute. The ori bill was dead; it had been abandoned. Again there were eager predictions from the administration leaders that victory was at hand; th the votes to through the compromise were “in bag. the * ¥ ok ok A few davs of debate revealed t that the opposition to the compromise was tremendously strong—and grow- ing stronger. And then Representative Sumners of Texas, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, delivered a bl n the House that shook political Washington. He denounced the com- e fact warned the President that if he sisted in forcing this issue he | split the House from top to bottom. He said, too, that the bill would never be reported out of the House Judiciary Committee. Apparentlv he knew what he was talking about in that connection. The bill could only reach the floor, if it succeeded in passing the Senate, by being ordered out of committee by a petition bearing the signitures of a majority of the House members. Followed the death of Senator Robin- son, the majority leader of the Senate and the President’s right-hand man in the court bill fight. Immediately disintegration of the administr forces backing the court bill was threat- ened. To bolster the defense of the bill, the President sent his now famous let- ter to Senator Barkley of Kentucky, insisting that the fight should go on. His strictures against opponents of the bill on the ground that they had been indecent in their political activities and had not observed a proper attitude of mourning for Senator Robinson made some of them see red. x ok % x Finally, on the very eve of the reopen- ing of the contest, Gov. Lehman fires his broadside into the court bill. The court bill is now before the Senate after having received an adverse re- port and a recommendation that it do not pass from the Judiciary Committee of the Senate. The compromise could not receive majority approval of the committee—although the committee might split evenly on it. It is under these conditions that the President is urgimg his followers into the breach again. He has been warned repeatedly that he would disrupt the Democratic party if he continued this fight. Reports from the train bearing back to Washington those Senators who at- tended Senator Robinson's funeral have indicated that the administration is gambling desperately for any kind of a compromise. According to reports, the administration has been willing to ac- cept an amendment which would exclude from the operation of the bill any of the sitting justices of the United States. It seems incredible that this should be s0. The President has repeatedly stated that immediate action is needed to put “new blood” on the supreme bench. It was because immediate action is needed that he has turned his back on a con- stitutional amendment. He said it would be too slow and too uncertain. He said it again in his letter to Senator Barkley the other day. * ok K X ‘The administration leaders have ap- parently misjudged sentiment in this country badly in this particular fight. How long will they continue in their present course? Even if they should have a bare majority im support of the court bill—and there is reason to be- lieve they have not—is there any real need for dividing the country against itself? In the first place, the court has rendered decisions upholding liberal laws whel the laws were properly drawn and properly presented for argument. In the second place, the President now has it in his power to infuse “new blood” into the court because, of the retirement of Assotiate Justice Van Devanter. It has been predicted, too, that if the court bill were dropped, other members of the Supreme Court would soon avail themselves of the privilege of retirement after seventy, as provided in the new Sumners act. It looks as though the court bill battle was being fought simply for the purpose of saving the administration’s face. The objectives—the infusion of mew blood and more liberal opinions—have already been obtained. * o K X The political ramifications of the court bill are already suggesting them- selves. Gov. Townsend of Indgna, sups porting the President, says Senator promise, said it should be laid aside and I The morning chorus of the birds is quieting down, the English sparrows are returning to the feeding stations, all along the line the great Midsummer wind-up of activities is beginning. Many days and weeks will go by, now, before the birds begin their migrations, but one by one they will drop out, leav- ing this scene of great activities behind them. Already this movement is heralded by the diminution in the vigor of the chorus at dawn, so beautiful to the ear tuned to it. The abandon of early Spring mornings has given way to a more sedate tone, in which may be heard a peculiar but pleasing change, not only of pace, but of notes. Little, half-accented grace notes come into the music. Nature’s plans have been completed, in great degree; the next step is a journey South. oK Kk Such songs as the birds have left for us are quieter, milder, without the wild vigor of the Springtime In the plant world the old favorite althea bush is busy putting forth the round blossoms which bees and people love ‘They, too, are signs that the gardening is in a waning, rather than waxing, mood. Many glorious blossoms are yet to come, but, all in all, the flush of the season is over, and from now on it will be a dwindling, rather than a gaining, garden. Xk k This is true, whether one likes the statement or not. Many persons, unfortunately, resent the truth and proeclaim what they do not want to know as false, but the wiser wayfarer knows that to be a poor, as well as unintelligent, way of taking things. Whatever is he must accept, provided it is inevitable Subtle change of Spring into Summer and Summer into Fall is one of these. There ere positions at intervals along the weeks where it is impossible to say whether Spring, Summer or Fall e S, save by reference to the calendar. Many observers are extremely sensi- tive to these changes, much better able to note them, and to sense them, than are these people who constantly prefer to overlook what they do not like, Yet, really, there is no need for any one to blink the facts of the parade of these days. There are many interest- ing. necessary changes from now on, among the most beautiful in Nature's parade. They are, too, among the most nec- essary. It is essential. for instance, that most of the birds now in our trees go back where it is warmer. They cannot live here the vear around. Even the ches robin, the picture of health, will find a Washington Winter too much is this difference in the birds. e of them, such as the he bluejay, stay keeps the titmouse and chickadee, now farther North. perfectly satisfied with as much “South” as they find here- abouts? Part of the mystery of migration, no one has explained these facts. The STARS, MEN | ognizing with us | health of the robin seems fully as good as that of the cardinal; examination no doubt would reveal the temperature of their blood to be exactly the same. Yet one can stand it here in the cold: the other cannot. The robins will begin their migrations from this point about September Scores of them, now in the North, will come through about the same time and will join up with those already here. Robins like to migrate in flocks, both in going South and in re- turning North. Reports have been given in this column of flocks of robins vary- ing from 50 to 100 birds at these times. All persons interested in bird life should watch for these flights in the Fail. A flock will appear suddenly, settle down on a lawn, and be gone within 20 minutes to half an hour. They do not stay long, but while present spread out in skir- mishing array and practically cover the lawn in their search for worms. It is an interesting sight and well worth watching for. The thing to do, if you see a robin late in the Fall, is to look for more robins. That way the flock is not missed, whereas if one thinks, “Oh, Jjust a robin.” the fact that 40 more are to be seen keeping it company will not be comprehended at the time, and pretty soon it will be too late. x ok ok K Keeping track of the birds, to some degree, is only part of the interesting Nature observations possible. Fortunately, the observer have to be an expert, in the ordinary sense. No requirement is made that he write books or give lectures, Some harm has been done by the subtle idea planted in certain places that no one but an “expert” has any right to see. Every one has to begin somewhere, and in one’s own back yard is just as good as any place, often better because it is so handy The smallest garden is filled with in- teresting things, provided one is free from the carping, sneering state of mind which confines one entirely to ones own little circle. Even the smallest garden is not a little circle—it is a slice of all Nature, and must be viewed as such. In it some of the mightiest changes in the uni- verse take place. The weather, for one thing Weather is so “common” that many obser®ers tend to feel it unworthy of notic e ‘“not g can be donhe about as they say. To the contrary, something may be done about the weather some time: it is not bevond the scope of possibility; but until that hap- pens there is nothing that the average man or woman should be interested in more, for life depends upon weather. Wherefore, it always strikes us as absurd, the protestations of one of these persons who refuses to discuss the weather. If he had a proper respect for Creation he would realize that air and water, wind and weather are all indubitable signs of God, put down in every quarter for our interest. They are there; we show good sense by rec- them and treating them with respect. Overlooking them is impos- sible; pretending to overlook them is absurd. Nature now begins the annual change from full-blown Summer to Autumn. Look sharp and you may catch her at it. The birds know, and the althea bushes. AND ATOMS does not Notebook of Science Progress in Field, Laboratory and Study. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. When Millard Filmore installed a bathtub in the White House in 1851 it was & national scandal Red-blooded Americans everywhere protested that the President was a sissy. He had introduced from Europe an abominable “monarchial luxury.” felt he must take baths—an un-American practice. anywav—the White House washtub was good enough for any man. Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson hadn't had bathtubs. Who did this guy Filmore think he was, anyway? This is one of the striking examples of the conservatism of the public mind and its resistance to technological im- provements which makes the future of any new idea unpredictable, cited by the National Resources Committee in its recent report on technological trends. Less than ten vears before, according to Bernhard J. Stern of the National Resources Committee, the Philadelphia Common Council had come within two votes of passing an ordinance against bathing of any sort between November 1 and March 15. The allegedly growing practice was sapping the vitality of the citizenry. It was denounced as a menace to public health and decency. At about the same time the degrading habit was getting a foothold in Virginia. Several Old Dominion towns imposed & tax of $30 on every bathtub in an effort to discourage the vile things. In those days everything from Europe was regarded by good Americans as effeminate, The bathtub, Dr. Stern was “denounced as designed to corrupt the democratic simplicity of the Republic.” The doctors went haywire over it and the medical journals sizzled with their denunciations. It produced, they said, rheumatic fevers and in- flammations of the lungs. Even in degraded Europe the bathtub had made slow progress toward re- spectability. It still is rare, according to the accounts of recent explorers of our acquaintance. One had been placed in the palace at Versailles. It proved superfluous, however, and was removed. It was put into the garden for a foun- tain. There is no conclusive evidence that either Louis the Fourteenth or Madame de Maintenon ever took a bath. It was considered immoral. There were depths of depravity to which no decent Christian would descend—and bathing was one of them. The Moors—heathen dogs that they were—had introduced the practice into Spain. They even had built public baths where the lowliest citizen might risk his immortal soul. When the Mos- lems were driven out these baths were destroyed. Washing the body, said King Philip, was a “heathen custom danger- ous to believers.” Part of this attitude very likely was a holdover from the contempt for the Romans held by the sturdy tribesmen of Northern Europe. Baths, public and private, had been scattered all over the city in the days of the empire. The more corrupt, degraded and effeminate the population became, the more it bathed. It was a clear case of cause and Van Nuys, opposing the court bill, can- not be renominated next year. There's a pretty kettle of fish. If Van Nuys is not renominated, the Republican nominee’s chances will be bright. Up in New York Senator Copeland has been flirting with the idea of running for Mayor. There is talk of making the con- test a court and anti-court fight. Now Gov. Lehman joins the opposition to the court bill. What will that mean in Greater New York's politics? The Gove ernor has & big followlhg there. If he | effect to the rude warriors from the northern forests who swept down upon the doomed city Somehow bathtubs have conquered and America has survived—but how it has managed to preserve its moral and physical life against the typewriter is a real miracle. from the point of view of the pessimistic prophets of the seventies. This foul invention struck at the heart of American womanhood to pro- duce a feeble, neurotic, disobedient race. In 1881 the Y. W. C. A. in New York City offered a course in typing for girls. There were vigorous protests. The fe- male constitution, it was declared. would break down completely under the six months of strenuous training required. Moreover, it would be encouraging wom- en to earn their own livings and be independent. The instrument was attacked severely on the grounds of etiquette. To receive & wpewritten letter, it was held, was little short of an ins Tt indicated that vyour correspondent thought you were barely able to read and had to have things made easy for you. Those who used typewriters were accused of being obnoxiously swell-headed. It still is considered bad form in very high society to send typewritten personal let- ters—doubtless a holdover from this old attitude. There was some justification for the hostility at first, Dr. Stern points out. The machine cost about $125. One could buy a pen that would do the same work for one cent. It didn't seem like common sense. The early typewriters had double kevboards and the “hard touch.” Fingers and arms quickly be- came tired. The machine made about as much noise as a riveting machine, It was too heavy to move around. A traveling correspondent might as well have thought of lugging the family piano around with him., Neither baths nor tvpewriters, how- ever, were denounced quite so strenuously as was the earliest use of coal for fuel. So far as known nobody was hanged for taking a bath or writing a letter on a tvpewriter. A tolerant public bes lieved that such persons would be pun- ished sufficiently in hell. In 1306, how- ever, “a citizen of London was tried, condemned and executed for burning ‘sea cole’,” according to a citation in the National Resources Committee report. The practice had been denounced as a “public nuisance corrupting the air with its stink and smoke to the great detri- ment of health"—and & law passed pro- hibiting it, which was ignored by the luckless scoundrel. Somehow or other the intolerable custom gained ground in England. In 1580 Queen Elizabeth prohibited the use of coal in London while Parliament was in session because “the health of the knights of the shires might suffer during their abode in the metropolis.” Almost a hundred years later Charles the Sec- ond imposed a tax om fireplaces as a menace to public health. R A Motoring Ideal. From the Winston-Salem Journal. What a happy world this would be it all motorists turned the way they sig- naled, or even did the reverse often enough to be consistent! An Ancient Authority. From the New Haven Journal-Courier. Solomon could have told the British in that Palestine matter that a partition of the thing disputed is not always the easy way out. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. A reader can get the answer to any question of fact by writing The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederie J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D, C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. How did the health of the 25000 boys attending the jamboree in Wash- ington compare with the health of a city of 25000?—H. P. A. Tt is impossible to make a fair com= parison between the health of the bovs at the jamboree and that of a city of 25,000 for these reasons: The bovs were physically fit when they went to Wash- ington, they had received immunization against smallpox and typhoid fever, they were at the age most likely to be free from disease, they had an abundant food supply of the best quality, they were living in the open air, s ation was correctly handled, all boys were isolated at the first sign of illness, and no boyv was kept in camp more than twenty= four hours if he was ill. Q. T notice that a base ball writer in speaking of a certain pitcher savs that he is nearly always ahead of the batter, What does he mean by this?—T. K A. A pitcher is said to be ahead of the batter when he has the best of the count, sav two strikes and one ball. Likewise the batter is ahead of the pitcher when he has the advantage, like three balls and one strike, Q. Is there an estimate of how many people listen on the radio to the con- certs given by the Ford Motor Come pany?—P. H. A. A radio survey indicates that thera are from nine to fifteen million auditors each week. The requests for copies nf the brief talks by Mr. W. J. Cameron were S0 numerous that 130000 copies were printed weekly. The largest nu ber of requests were sent in for the talk on “Opportunity” which was given on December 13. Q. What fs the Ttalian program for road building in Ethiopia?—M. § A. The initial program calls for 2,500 miles of modern highways by the middls of 1938, Q. Can the President order Congress to adjourn?—J. F. D. A. Congress determines when urn- ment will take place. If the President wishes, he can again call the Congress into special session, but he cannot com- pel adjournment. ‘ § - : k Q. When King Edward VIIT broadcast his abdication, who introduced him to the radio audience?>—C. R A. Sir John Reith, director general of the British Broadcasting Company. Q. Which State stands first in value of sea fish taken?—W. J. A. In amount and value of fish. Massa« chusetts ranks as the leading State, Q. Who settled St. Augustine, Fla.? —S. C. A. In 1513 Ponce de Leon, in search of the Fountain of Youth, seems to have visited the site of St. Augustine. In 1564 a company of French Huguenots passed there and settled a few miles to the north on the St. Johns River. Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles was sent by Philip II of Spain to expel the intruders and erected a fort at St. Augustine, in August, 15 Upon his return from the St. Johns settlement, he established a settlement at St. Augustine, Q. What is tung oil>—W. F. V, A. Tung oil is the product of a nut {from a tree grown largely in China, but now being cultivated in Florida. It {a used in the manufacture of paint. Q. What is mispickel?—E. R. A. Tt is the chief ore of arsenic, a compound of iron, arsenic, and sulphur, sometimes called arsenopyrite. The color is silver white to steel gray and it is found massive and as rhombohedral crystals, usually associated with ores of silver, tin, copper and lead. Q. Has the W. P. A. through {ts edu- cational projects taught many people to read and write?—T. L. A. During the past three years in- structors of the Works Progress Admin- istration have taught 700,000 men and women how to read and write, Q. Where was Burgess Meredith, the actor, born? Was his father a doctor? —J. W. L A. Mr. Meredith was born in Cleve- land, Ohio, where his father, Dr. William George Meredith, practiced medicine, Q. What disposition hat been mada of the Pocono Mountain estate of the late Eugene Mitten of Philadelphia? —W. R. A. The estate has been purchased by Moses L. Annenberg, the publisher, 4 Q. Please give some information about Abbe de I'Epee—E. G A. Charles Michel, Abbe de 'Epee, was a philanthropic priest, born at Ver= sailles, France, in 1712. In 1765 he began to occupy himself with the edu- cation of two deaf and dumb girls. Meeting with success with his own sys- tem of manual signs, he founded at his own expense an institution for the deaf and dumb which achieved international fame, He died in 1789, Read Your Paper With a World Map! If you want to understand the daily dispatches send for your copy of this handy map of the entire world. It shows geographical and political divisions, areas and populations by continents and countries, principal cities, military es- tablishments. It includes exhaustive data on foreign trade, agricultural and mineral production, merchant marine, monetary systems, statistics on religions, water-power resources. It is a con- densed atlas of the entire warld. It i3 18 by 28 inches in size, and is printed in five colors. Order your copy now. In- close ten cents to cover cost and handling charge. se This Order Blank The Washington Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. T inclose herewith TEN CENTS in coin (carefully wrapped) for a copy of the WORLD MAP,