Evening Star Newspaper, July 28, 1937, Page 12

THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, DEC WEDNESDAY, JULY 28, 1937. —— e THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WEDNESDAY __ —e-----July 28, 1837 THEODORE W. NOYES. The Evening Star Newspaper Company. 11th St and Pennsylvanis Ave. New York Office: 110 East 42nd 8t. Onicago Office: 435 North Michigan Ave. Rate by Carrier—City and Suburban. Regular Edition, e Evening and Sundav Star 8 8 f5c per month or 15¢ per week The Evening Star . 45¢ per month or 10c per week The Bunday Star ___ ___ —--5¢ Der copy Night Final Edition, tght Pinal and Sunday Star. 0c per month ight Final Star. 5c per month Collection made at fhe end of each month or each week, Orders may be sent by mall or tele- phone National 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Viretnia, {ly and Sunday.. aily “only Bunday only_ Balls » aily only. Bunday o Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press 1s exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in this Paper and also the local news published herein, il right publication of special dispatches erein are also reserved. — e aval Race Starts. ‘What history may record as the formal start of a new race in naval armaments took place at Trieste on July 25, when the new 35000-ton Italian battleship Vittorio Veneto was launched with spec- tacular pomp. She is the first of a pair of sister ships to cost $50,000.000 apiece. They typify Mussolini's plans for an “ocean-going navy,” to carry Italian sea power beyond the confines of the Medi- terranean, espe into the Red Sea, the Black Sea and the Indian Ocean. in exemplification of the Fascist program for Italian imperial expansion toward the East, and, as some authorities aver, in avowed deflance of vaunted British supremacy in those waters. The Vittorio Veneto ang the Littorio, which will leave the slips in October, will remain the last words in warship con- struction for about a year after they are commissioned, in 1939. They will carry nine 15-inch guns and catapults for seaplanes, accommodate war-time crews of 2,500 men and be equipped with turbine engines capable of developing a speed of 32 knots. Paramount stress is lald by the Italians on the armor of their new dreadnoughts. It is under- stood to be about ten inches thick and able to withstand direct torpedo, air- piane-bomb or shell hits. Il Duce's naval constructors believe they have achieved the desirable result of augmenting armor strength without unduly adding to weight, thus combining rival ideas—the one which would sacrifice speed by in- creasing armor protection, and the one which would accelerate speed and rely for defense on aid from cruisers, de- stroyers, submarines and aircraft. When the new ships are afloat, the Italian fleet expects to be in position to hold its own against any possible challenge, even that of Great Britain's mighty armada. Italy’'s sea monsters will soon be matched by supermodern 35,000-ton battleships which the other naval powers now have, or soon will have, on the stocks. France's Richelieu is two years along, the Jean Bart about a year be- hind. The British King George V and Prince of Wales were laid down January 1 and are shortly to be followed by two other vessels of similar type. Germany is sald to have begun work on one in 1936. To Japan is ascribed the inten- tion of building four battleships of that class and of mounting 18-inch guns on them. The United States has just ar- ranged to construct two 35,000-ton battle- ehips, Washington and North Carolina, and to arm them with main batteries of 16-inch caliber. Despite universal longing for interna- tional amity and coincident lip service in favor of disarmament, it is painfully sapparent that the nations have embarked upon another naval competition, the end and costs of which, unfortunately for overburdened taxpayers everywhere, no man can foresee. With those two enclent capitals, Madrid and Peiping, under fire, as rival armies clash for their possession, this weekis twenty-third anniversary of the World War's out- break dawns generally amid conditions that bring little solace to peace-craving mankind. —————— The question of big crops and the credit due for them continues to be dis- cussed just as they were when Joseph tried to do some quick thinking for Pharoah. Agricultural and political prob- lems continue to become more or less involved. e Kentucky s a good old State, but question may arise as to whether as home soil for some of the greatest race horses as well as some of the greatest politiclans she is not being asked to bear more than her share of prominence. —— Summer. John Drinkwater, who was a poet long before he ever dreamed of being 8 playwright, once wrote of England at the middle of the year these lines, which ought to be remembered: Cool where the clean winds travel Along the solemn hills, ‘We watch the flowing splendor ‘That Summer brews and spills From Malvern down to Bredon, Across the mellow plain, Transfiguring the lowlands Of shining leaves and grain. A Washington man, traveling in from the suburbs this morning, thought of the verse as having application to Mary- land and Virginia in July. Summer, it seemed to him, is prodigal. Even the torridity which distinguishes it in the neighborhood of the Capital adds to its riches. Nature appears to prosper in a blaze of light. The effect is that of a hothouse in which vegetation is “forced” ot & prodigious pace. Of course, rainfall is necessary. For- ests and fields require occasional soak- ing in the interest of growth and con- tinued verdancy. But in the latitude of - the District of Columbia there com- monly are showers enough to provide the imperative precipitation. Washing- ton, fortunately, does not lie in the Dust Bowl. Rather, the Federal City, wisely chosen, is reasonably near to the Atlantic. The Potomac, drawn to the ocean like a needle to a magnet, serves as an irrigation ditch; and the same observation may be made with regard to the arms of Chesapeake Bay. Perhaps the founding fathers of the Republic did not think of such things. It may be that accident largely deter- mined their choice of the seat of gov- ernment. Or, possibly, a beneficent Providence guided them. In any event, a pleasant Summer morning, blue and gold in glory, provides excuse for quot- ing Drinkwater’s rhythmical picture, with special reference to Washington's equiv- alent of Britain’s charms and graces. e Labor Boards. The Federal Labor Relations Board, designed to be an umpire, a referee, in controversies between employes and em- ployers, is charged by Senator Nye of North Dakota with being “biased” in favor of the C. I. O. Representative Ran- kin of Mississippi has attacked the board on the ground that it is “conspiring with communistic influences to destroy South- ern industries.” Neither Senator Nye nor Representative Rankin can properly be charged with favoring employers—cer- tainly of the economic royalist type. Nye is a progressive of progressives, and so is Rankin. The latter has been an ardent supporter of the Roosevelt New Deal. The value of the Federal Labor Rela- tions Board, if it is suspected of being biased, is distinctly less. True, under the labor relations act, the board may be considered an advocate of labor, set up to bring about collective bargaining. But, even so, its functioning should be quasi-judicial and therefore fair and im- partial. When liberal members of Con- gress find this to be not the case, some- thing must be wrong. A Government agency which allows itself to become known, as charged by Senator Nye, as an adjunct of the C. 1. O. or any other labor organization loses the confidence of the people. The operations of the board, as de- scribed by Nye and Rankin, indicate conclusively that the labor relations act should be amended drastically. The measure is lopsided. It makes no effort to give the employer an even break or even fair treatment. The law and the board have been accepted by the C. I. O. as its chief instruments with which to belabor industry. There is nothing in the law which gives the employers any protection whatever from unconscionable acts by the unions of the C. 1. O. or its organizers. These attacks upon the Labor Rela- tions Board come at a time when the administration is seeking to drive an- other measure through Congress—said to be in the interests of labor, although there is grave doubt that it will operate to its advantage—the so-called hours and wages bill. Certainly the attacks made on this Federal board should give pause to those who are considering setting up another board—the Federal Labor Standards Board. To the Labor Standards Board, a five- man board, it is proposed to give the power of fixing minimum wages and maximum hours. This is not all. It is proposed to permit the board to vary these wages and hours to fit conditions in different sections of the country. No such power has ever been lodged in any governmental agency. It is a power that could destroy or raise industries to great heights. The American workers doubtless will come to realize that such powers placed in the hands of a politically named board are not in the final analysis in the interests of free labor. This is no time for half-baked measures of such vast importance. —_— e Soviet flyers bring joyous assurances to this country that they appreciate our landing facilities, even when they are not prepared for formal use. The conquest of the air involves the question of safe landing in a manner that grows daily in importance. B ———— Europe has a problem on hand in persuading Spain that it is time to quit fighting and join in an intelligent consideration of the food supply. ——oe—s Planning Commissions. Already protected by zoning ordi- nances, Arlington County this week was placed under the guidance of a planning board. Need of such commissions in fast-growing communities has been dem- onstrated repeatedly in other sections. ‘Washington is famous as a planned city and its present Park and Planning Com- mission is regarded as indispensable. In the neighboring Maryland counties of Montgomery and Prince Georges a simi- lar commission has been functioning for years, supervising orderly development and co-ordinating growth with the Nation's Capital. Aims of the new Arlington body, as outlined at its initial meeting, include the drafting of a master plan indicating the trend of future growth and needs for schools, roads, sanitary facilities and other civic projects. After the plan is drawn and approved at public hearings it must be followed in earrying out future improvements. Proper planning is the basis on which all progressive communities should be built. In the suburbs of Washington 1t has become an essential function of government. More and more territory is destined to come under the jurisdic- tion of planning boards. A parkway all the way from Washington to Baltimore already is envisioned by the planners and the time may not be distant when the entire stretch between the two cities will be controlled by co-ordinating planning groups. Across the Potomac establishment of the Arlington Planning Commission ape pears to be the commendable first step in the application of the principle of orderly and efficient community growth on a large scale. Fairfax County and the city of Alexandria are considering the creation of similar boards and soon may follow Arlington’s example. The sooner they do the sooner benefits will accrue not only to the immediate sec- tions Involved but to the entire Wash- ington area. ———or—s. Fall River Line Probably “The Old Fall River Line” belonged to the dreadful horse-and- buggy age. The youngest and most notably articulate generation doubtless thinks of it, if it considers it at all, as being outmoded. But the fathers and mothers, not to mention the grand- fathers and grandmothers, of the present majority of the population will dissent from such a critical opinion. They looked upon the steamers as institutions of their kind and regarded them as a near approach to a marine paradise, especially for honeymooners, actual and potential. News of the disappearance of the line’s once famous flag will bring tears into a number of eyes no longer notably youthful. Yet tragedy is inevitable when, In the language of the moment, “the country is being turned upside down.” At least a few people are certain to “get hurt” in the business of giving the multitude its theoretical “life more abundant.” The C. I. O. is the instrument for the de- struction of the Fall River system. A sit-down strike prompted the owners to give up their struggle to continue operations. Fate had been unfriendly recently. The margin of profit finally became so small that, in view of radical labor's attitude, suspension of service Was compulsory. Ninety years of coastwise shipping therefore terminates with the announce- ment that the line is defunct. Maybe it will resume when the Nation returns to what President Harding called “nor- malcy.” Meanwhile, its patrons mourn their loss. A certain element of color has faded from the picture of Long Island Sound. a certain note of music has been lost in the dissonance of the “swing” period of New York and New England history. ——oe—. China {s said to be exercising with the prospect of taking another whipping from Japan. If China can take enough defeats, she may after all make the suc- cess of an enemy 50 expensive as to re- quire expert accounting. ————— Base ball heroes still secure honorable mention. They are occasionally un- pleasant in manner, but thanks to a satisfactory system of rules, they do no real damage. ————————_ Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Precaution. I longed to fly across the sky And gravitation there defy— Perhaps I should have done it. And then there came the solemn thought, “When I an aeroplane have bought I won't know how to run ft!* Oh, friend! If you in joy serene Seek to acquire some big machine, ‘When you at last have won ft, If you would travel all secure, Before you start from earth be sure That you know how to run it. Hard to Locate. “It seems difficult for our friend to keep his attention on the subject in hand.” “It 1s,” agreed Senator Sorghum. “He's the sort of man who when on the golf links wants to talk politics and when he's in a political conference wants to talk golf.” Jud Tunkins says the only form of transportation he knows of that is in- expensive and rellable is the merry-go- round. Disproportionate Comment. The Congressman looked through his mail And sald, “The kickers never fail To send me letters scarce polite, But those whom I have pleased don't write.” Intellectual Arrogance. “Do you want your boy Josh to study the classics?” “I'm not particular,” answered Farmer Corntossel. “Maybe it'd be a little more cheerful for the family if there was a few things left that Josh couldn't pre- tend he knew all about.” “All we should ask is enough for our needs,” said Hi Ho, the sage of China- town, “but whatever our fortune may be we discover that there is no such thing.” The Plain Citizen. Every day has problems. Some are great and some are small; Never yet has been a day presenting none at all. It's & problem to awaken at a proper early hour. The breakfast is a problem built on eggs and flour. The dinner is a problem; so quite fre- quently is lunch As you pick a frugal menu or get liberal with the bunch. There’s a little problem hanging ‘round each dollar that is spent. There are problems in the car fare, there are problems in the rent. So now and then I have to be excused from further care About the billions that are saved or wasted here and there. As I view the big transactions I protest in humble tone I ean't be of much assistance. problems of my own. I have “De man dat has lost all his friends,” said Uncle Eben, “has one consolation. He don't git no more tips on hoss races.” 2 = NEW BOOKS AT RANDOM BY MARGARET GERMOND. CARNIVAL ON QUICKSAND. By Valerie S8avage. New York: Double- day, Doran & Co. The story of Lamson Pike is an enter- taining new version of the old theme of an attractive girl and a famous artist plunging into matrimony on the simple assumption that the glamour of romance is eternal and that love is an armor which the disrupting influences of civil- ization cannot penetrate. Both premises, in theory, constitute the ideal of perfect harmony. Exposure to the commonplace demands of everyday life, however, too frequently dissipates the ephemeral sub- stance of which both theories are fabricated. Lamson is ten years old when Nicholas Lavrin, world-famed violinist, appears as a concert artist in Westford, Ohio, and is entertained overnight as the guest of her father and mother. Such occasions are common in the Ohio town, for Mrs. Pike never misses an opportunity to bring a concert artist to Westford, and, of course, holds a monopoly on the privilege of opening her home to them. Lamson hates all artists, and particular- ly the celebrities which overrun the house on every concert occasion. Nicholas Lavrin's arrival coincides with Lamson's belated homecoming as the result of a skating accident. Noting her crippled condition, he carries her into the house, and in the few moments that he thus holds her in his arms she falls in love with him. His departure the next day is a blow to her ardent youth- ful emotions. But she knows that when she grows up she is going to marry a playmate to whom she has already pro- posed, and this knowledge helps to ease the pain of her futile love for the handsome virtuoso. Seven years later Lamson again meets Nicholas, this time in Switzerland, where she is in school. When announcement is made that the famous Lavrin is to appear in concert she boasts of her Intimate acquaintance with him, then in a fit of terror writes to ask him please to pretend that he remembers her so that her school friends will not know that her boast is without foundation. Nick plays the game with her and again their paths separate. A few years later they meet again, when Lamson is a beautiful, self-possessed young woman. The old flame that has dimmed but never died flares brightly again under the influence of Nick's compelling charm, and this time he falls in love with her— despite the fact that each is engaged to some one else. They are married immediately and flee to Nick's villa in sunny, romantic Italy. A few hours after their marriage Nick exacts a promise from Lamson that no matter what he may do or how he may behave she will never forget that he loves her. Which is a romantic if not fair method of gaining approval of a declaration of independence of conduct for one member of a new partnership. Lamson promises. but she does not know that she is married to a genius and not to a man to whom the rules of normal living can be applied. Up to this point the story has the freshness of a delightful comedy as it relates the unconventional situations created by the entirely guileless actions of impulsive youth. Then comes the serious matter of a man and a woman, undoubtedly in love, yet unable to reach a, common ground of understanding until heart-breaking experiences grind into their consciousness the knowledge that the strength of love as an armor against the disrupting forces of life is maintained only by the capacity of the individual for sympathetic companion- ship. As a whole it is a lively and enter- taining novel, embracing both comedy and drama, and generously peopled with specifically typical, wholly engaging characters. * o % THE PEACOCK FEATHER MURDERS. By Carter Dickson. New York: Wil- liam Morrow & Co. An upper room in & deserted house is the scene of an elaborate setting for the commission of an advance-notice murder. The police, in fact, receive the following invitation to attend the part “There will be ten teacups at Number 4. Berwick Terrace, W. 8, on Wednesday, July 31, at 5 p.m. precisely. The presence of the metropolitan police is respectfully requested.” The house is unfurnished save for the room in which the crime is enacted. In that room is a table spread with a hand- some cloth of gold bearing an elaborate peacock feather design. Ten black tea- cups are spaced at regular intervals around the table. A heavy carpet covers the floor and a few pieces of furniture give the room an appearance of comfort. Chief Inspector Masters places a guard around the house, seeks the assistance of Sir Henry Merrivale, places Sergeant Pol- lard inside the house and later adds his own presence to the group of watchers. ‘The reason for so much concern over the invitation is that a similar note to which the police paid only casual attention turned out to be a notification that murder was to be committed, and the Dartley case, much to the chagrin of Scotland Yard, has for two years re- mained in the criminal mystery records as unsolved. Despite all the precautions, and with positive knowledge that Vance Keating is the only human being in the house— except Sergeant Pollard—two shots blast the silence of the neighborhood, and when Pollard rushes into the room Keat- ing is lying dead on the floor with a bullet in his spine and another in the back of his head. Every inch of the house is searched but no one is found. Fixtures are examined and search for trick devices are systematically con- ducted. but no mechanical set-up comes to light. In the Dartley case the teacups were rare antiques with peacock feather decorations. Peacock feathers and tea both figure in ancient mystic rites, and there is occasion for considering the pos- sibility of a secret society exacting re- venge. This is especially significant when a third invitation to be present in another house where teacups for ten will be laid is received. Some of the people who were friends or associates of Dartley are also members of the circle in which young Keating moved. 8ir Henry Merrivale and Inspector Masters work on the theory that the solving of one mystery will give the answer to the other. With dogged de- termination they pursue their investiga- tion until they bring matters to a dra- matic climax in the house to which they were directed for the third display of ten teacups. Mr. Dickson is an exceptionally clever creator of crime stories, and this is one of his best. The 1940 Test. Prom the Boston Herald. The first real indication of what will happen in 1940 will be the results of the congressional election next year. Until then, party rows of the kind which have brought the democracy around the fish chowder pots on Jefferson Island will not count for much. Watching & yourg goldfish get its color is one of the most fascinating things in amateur fish keeping. Yet it is seldom seen, even by experi- enced enthusiasts who have bred scores of the tropical fishes, including the famous bubble-nest builders. A four-gallon tank is large enough for the feat. The often written injunc- tion that nothing less than a twenty- flve or forty gallon aquarium is neces- sary is all nonsel what is essential, of course, is simply a pair of goldfishes. Only a few babies will escape the egg- eating instincts of the parents, if the set-up is not changed. The way to change it is to remove the spawners to another tank, or to take out the plants in which the eggs have been deposited and place them in an- other aquarium. If all this is too much trouble, rest assured that one or maybe two or three fishes will manage to survive. When they are first noticed, they will be about one-fourth of an inch long, all eyes, so tiny that sharp vision, indeed, is needed to see them at all. ok % % In an aquarium they will require about 5 to & months to begin to change color. In Nature the time is shorter, some- times not half as long. It must be remembered that in a pool the young fishes not only get a far greater and finer assortment of invisible animalcules in the water as food, but also shortly grow to be able to eat mosquito larvae, among the finest of fish In the small tank the young goldfish will color up very slowly, owing to lack of sufficient oxygen and the proper foods. If the owner is persistent, how- ever, he will be able to bring them to maturity with the amount of water and the sorts of food available. These latter will be artificial, in finely powdered form. Too much of them will spoil the water, unless some of the small red snails available at pet stores are used. They will not harm the fishlets, but will consume the excess food. At first certain forms of minute white worms will be found in such an aquarium, owing to the small excess of food still left even after the snails have done their work. These will be consumed by the young fish, however, as they grow up. Often it is possible to see the fishes nibble at these little worms even before their mouths are large enough to engulf them. * ok ox % ‘The young goldfish is silvery in color, without any trace whatever of the gold or red or black or other color which may be found in maturity. They very much resemble baby guppies. In larger bodies of water they often develop a bronze color, of a rather du- bious hue, which is a throw-back to the ancestral coloration of the goldfish s sald that in Nature the goldfish tends to revert to this color and becomes finally & rather dull bronze. Escaped goldfish from Maryland fish farms are to be found in numbers in the Potomac, and many of these are dark olive- bronze. Some retain their brightness. The young goldfish in the home tank is all eyes, at first. followed by a bit of silvery matter, scarcely to be thought of as a body. In two or three weeks the backbone and stomach of the creature have grown enough to be visible. They darken up and are plainly stomach and backbone. After this the creature seems to be a fish. Before, he has been heaven knows what, at least in appearance. Now he is fish, and as such begins to make strides. * ok ok x The coloring, however, is very slow in a small aquarium. Even these tiny things gasp. for breath in a four or five gallon tank and must be given artificial aeration if even an approach to maximum growth is de- sired. This is the real “air conditioning,” this use of either electrical or hand pump to blow air through water, thus chasing out carbon monoxide and other heavy gases which collect in the still water of the tank. The water, in other words, actually is conditioned by air. Air conditioning of our homes is simply a treatment of the air itself, but the real “air conditioning” of water for fishes is a sweeping of water by air bubbles, clearing it of noxious substances. Two or three bits of life, so small as scarce to be seen by the famous nude eye, might not seem enough in five gallons to demand such conditioning. but it will be found by closer inspection that in the morning, particularly, the gills of these minute fishes are opening and closing widely. Ten minutes of gently blowing air through the water, by means of an elec- tric or hand operated pump, and the gills close comfortably, opening gently, in- stead of hurriedly, and the mouths re- main shut, in no more effort to wrest the last bit of oxygen from water con- taining very little of that precious ele- ment. S * oK ok K After the young goldfish gets to be about an inch long its coloration will begin, in most cases. At first there will be no apparent dif- ference, but the hopeful watcher will sense, rather than notice, that some- thing has changed about his fish. It is not so much real color as a brightening of the scales all over the animal. And then one morning the observer will be willing to swear to him- self that there is just a small red glow at the root of the tail and a darkening of the back of the creature. A few days later and there can be no doubt of the fact—the color change has beflun. “he fish will eat more food now, and this should be given it, because from the food the color comes. This will be achieved, however, cording to laws of inheritance. The glow at the tail will increase, the back will grow darker and darker, along with increasing pink tints in the sides. Every day the watcher looks at his fish he will see increasing evidences of coloration, until the process becomes slower, so that he is not able to catch it as dramatically as before. He will stop watching so intentlyv— and then one morning he will notice that the old silvery touches are gone completely and he has a real goldfish in his tank, a nice little specimen about an inch long, with enough color in him to catch the eye of any stranger. This is one change that the aquarium ac- enthusiast may watch closely, and note | every variation, a thing that cannot be done with the goldfishes in the lily pool. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Democratic party harmony is not be- ing promoted by any of the legislative controversies which comprise the hang- over of the Supreme Court contest. Ad- ministration insistence upon pre-ad- journment enactment of a wages and hours law, portions of the Government reorganization plan, housing and other pending business finds the Democratic majority almost as bitterly divided as it was on the late judiciary measure. President Roosevelt could hardly do any- thing more likely to unify discordant New Deal ranks than to invite House and Senate to stack arms, either recess- ing until October or calling it quits until the regular session in January. There's abundant opposition to all the bills in question, no matter whether they're taken up now or later. If, under White House lash, immediate action is de- manded. resentment over prolongation of the session would undoubtedly manifest itself in intensified antagonism. From more than one friendly quarter it is being dinned into F. D. R.’s ear that it would be advisable and strategic from every standpoint to let jaded Representa- tives and Senators call it a day, return at once to their more or less loving constitutents and come back to Capitol Hill like giants refreshed, in less em- bittered and embattled times. * ok K % There must be at least a couple of dozen barrels of unexploded senatorial oratory that was ready to be touched off if the court debate hadn't abruptly petered out. Eloquent big guns like Borah, Johnson, Vandenberg and Glass, to name only some of the highest caliber pieces, had speeches in preparation that would have taken honored place among congressional forensics. Now they belong to the ages without ever having spent their intended force. On the House side, too, some powerful spellbinding was in prospect. While the bulk of opinion is that none of these unfinished sym- phonies will ever be withdrawn from cold storage, not a few authorities think the day is coming when Congress will have to fight again for the cause in which it was recently victorious. Those who hold this view argue that it is inconsistent with Mr. Roosevelt's Dutch tenacity to take things lying down. * ok K % Stanley F. Reed, solicitor general of the United States, is Dame Rumor's latest favorite for the Supreme Court vacancy. His name is trotted out on the heels of reports that Bob La Follette has pranced into the lead for Justice Van Devanter's place. Some think the La Follette story got its names mixed—that the Senator's brother, Governor Phil, is the member of the Wisconsin dynasty really in the running, he being the lawyer of the brilliant fraternal twain. Stanley Reed, who has always been a logical possibility for the high bench, won new favor in exalted quarters after the Supreme Court, as the President recently claimed, reversed itself on varfous New Deal Reed marshaled the Govern- legal forces on the occasions in stion. The Kentuckian was offered a district judgeship just before being drafted for the solicitor generalship. Un- ending speculation over Supreme Court appointments now includes the name of Cordell Hull. Besides the fact that the State Department chief will be 66 in October, his friends doubt whether, be- cause of his absorption in the reciprocal trade program, the Tennesseean could be persuaded to swap jobs. * kK % Reports that Brain Truster Tom Cor- coran may quit the New Deal recall the not generally known fact that President Roosevelt’s favorite legal luminary came into the Capital picture under Repub- lican auspices. Once upon a time, while Eugene Mever was chairman of the orig- inal R. F. C, back in the Hoover admin- istration he needed a legal assistant. Cor- coran is understood to have been brought to Mr. Meyer's attention by a law part- ner of the late Joseph P. Cotton. then Undersecretary of State. though popular report ascribes Corcoran’s debut in Washington to the influence of Harvard's Dr. Felix Frankfurter. Corcoran is now being quoted as having told Senator ‘Wheeler early in the Supreme Court imbroglio that one of the reasons the administration was going to win was that the Montanan had taught him some things in the utility fight, “and they'll be used against you.” As recent history disclosed, the master. not the pupil. came out on top. The story reminds this ob- server of a Boies Penrose anecdote. Somebody once told the Pennsylvania boss that a certain man claimed Penrose taught him all the politics the former knew. Quoth the G. O. P. potentate: “I may have taught him all he knows, but not all I know.” ok ok ok Joseph C. Grew, Ambassador to Japan. qualifies as head of the prize “career family” of the United States foreign service. All three of his daughters are married to diplomatic officers. They are Jay Pierrepont Moffat, newly appointed chief of the European division of the State Department; Cecil B. Lyon, third secretary of embassy at Peiping. and Robert M. English, third secretary of legation at Ottawa. Like their dis- tinguished father-in-law, all the sons- in-law are Harvard men. The Moffats wedded in Washington, the Lyons in Japan and the Englishes in Turkey. * K K * ‘Washington politicians wonder whether Mayor La Guardia's reported preference to run for re-election in New York this Fall as the candidate of the American Labor party signals the appearance in the 1938 congressional or 1940 presiden- tial campaign of a third national po- litical organization, with that label. in- cluding C. I. O. and other labor, farm and progressive affiliations. * ok % % White House anxiety over warlike events in the Far East is reflected by the President’s disinclination to make any vacation plans pending Sino-Japa- nese developments, with the attendant danger of international complications. Callers who periodically discuss Asiatic affairs with Mr. Roosevelt are unfailingly struck by his intimate knowledge of them and his concern over their vital importance from America’s standpoint. P Two wholly disconnected bits of news add their quota to the story of recovery and mounting prosperity. At this week’s annual convention of the music in- dustries in New York it was announced that, despite radio, the piano has been restored to popularity and that business is booming to such an extent that 1937 will probably show total sales of 130.000 instruments, peak figure since 1930. The Air Transport Association of America reports an all-time boom on the Nation's airlines, with 41,180.337 passenger miles flown last month. Traffic for the first half of 1937 amounted to 174,820,643 revenue passenger miles, an increase of 46 per cent over the same period of 1935. (Copyright, 1937.) ———s Three More C’s. From the Lowell Evening Leader. The life of the Civilian Conservation Corps has been extended for three years. l One yesr for each C. - ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN, A reader can get the answer to any question of fact by triting The Evening Star Information Burean, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D, C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. Are all the children of President and Mrs. Roosevelt living?—B. A, A. The first Franklin, jr, the third child, died in infancy. Q. How old was the famous bucking horse, Midnight, at his death?—R. H. A. He was 23 years old. He was born in Calgary, Canada, and is buried in Johnstown, Colo. Midnight was a gentle saddle horse and was being ridden by a voung girl, when a tumbleweed blew in front of him. It frightened him and he threw the rider. From fhen on he seemed to take particular delight in bucking and throwing his rider, Q. When the railroad retirement pene sions begin under the new act, how many will receive them?—P. T. D, A. When the applvaunns‘ for railroad retirement now on' hand have been passed on, the boartl estimates it w have over one hundred thousand raile road pensions on the rolls, and there- after retirements will total about 15,000 a year. The 100,000 referred to includes about 40,000 pensioners taken over from the railroad pension rolls and 10,000 pen- sions paid under the old act. Q. Is the average person capable of reading well2—W. H. A. According to a survey completed by Dr. Julius F. Neumueller, the average person in the United States belongs in the sixth grade of elementary school in reading ability. Dr. Neumueller is di- rector of visual science of the American Optical Co, Q. Is the flag flown at half-staff on the White House when a member of Congress dies?—A. H. A. This is not done, Q. How muich revenue does the United States derive from mineral production? —C. H. A. Preliminary figures compiled by tha Bureau of Mines indicate that the total production of minerals in 1936 amounted to $4.582.000.000. Production in 1935 amounted to $3.650.000.000, Q. How tall is Tommv plays the part of Tom Saws Adventures of Tom Sawver M. P A. He is 4 feet 9 inc tall, weighs 85 pounds, has light brown hair and blue eyes. He is 12 years old. Kellv who r in “The Q. How much food does the averags person eat in a lifetime?—F. W A. It has been estimated at 30 tons. Q. What is the name of the famous Swiss philatelist>—E. H A. Bela Sekula is an international au- thority on stamps. Q. Which is the tallest of the grasees? A. The giant bamboo is doubtless the largest of the grasses. The arundinacea grows to 100 feet high and the variety Tulda to 70 feet high. There are other very high varieties. Q. Is airmail forwarded to a second address free just as ordinary first-class mail {s?—J. F. A. The Post Office Department says that airmail is supposed to be forwarded free just the same as first-class mall, If a hotel puts on an advertising sticker, then sometimes this ecalls for extra postage. Q. How much whisky is there now in bonded warehouses?—A. N. A. About 440,000,000 gallons. Q. Do New Yorkers often use tele- grams to communicate with each other? —C. R A. Telegrams are often used to con- vey messages, and it is now considered proper to issue invitations to parties by telegraph. Q. Does the King of England ever enter the House of Commons?—W. D. M A. The King of England does not enter the House of Commons. When the King opens Parliament in person, the Com- mons, as many as possible, are called in to the House of Lords, where the throne is. Q. Why does cause slightly scorched places appear’—R. E. R. A. The bleaching of cloth by the sun's rays is produced mostly by the ultra- violet, violet and blue radiation. The action is considerably greater when ma- terial is exposed in a moist condition. The principle is the same as that which fades colored goods. exposure to the sun to dis- Q. What is Bruno Lessing’s real name? A. The columnist’s real name is Ru- dolph Block. Q. How many life preservers must a ship carry?—S. T. A. All ships are required to carry a life preserver for each person on board. Q. How old is Nova Scotia?—H. J A. Tt was discovered by Cabot in 1437, In 1604 the country was settled by the French, who called it Acadia. It became British in 1713. Q. What became of the wreckage of the Hindenburg?—J. H. A. It was purchased as scrap. Q. What is the per capita consumption of manufactured dairy products?—W. H. A. The consumption of manufactured dairy products is approximately 472 pounds per person. Q. What has become of the Duke of Windsor's airplane in which he flew as King Edward VIII?—S8. R. A. It has been purchased by an Eng- lish company and converted into an eight-passenger transport plane. A Rhyme at Twilight y Gertrude Brooke Hamilton. A Fine Fellow. He has a mop of curly hair As yellow as the sun's bright glare; It blows in wild confusion where The wind plays; but he doesn't care, My neighbor's boy. A merry laugh, a pretty smile, His blue eyes dancing all the while, Dancing with fun, never with guile; With anger if you chance to rile My neighbor’s boy. I've never heard him cry or whine! But nights I've seen his arms entwine His mother with caress divine— And, oh, I wish that he were mine, My neighbor’s boy!