Evening Star Newspaper, July 29, 1937, Page 10

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Editien, WASHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY __ ceeeoo--July 29, 1937 THEODORE W. NOYES ___.___ - The Evening Star Newspaper Company. 11th 8t and Pennsylvanis Ave. New York Office: 110 East 42nd 8t, ©Onicago Ofce: 445 North Michigan Ave. Rate by Carrier—City and Suburbaa. Regular lfll“nn. The Evening and Sunday Sta: 5S¢ er month or 15¢ per week The Evening Star 450 per month of 10c per week The Sunday Sta-_ -bc per copy 70c per month 5¢ per month Orders may be sent by mal or tele- phone National 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance, Maryland and Virginia, {lv and Sunday_. aily “only Sunday 1 mo. £5¢ 1 mo.; b0c only’ ; 1 mo., 40c All Other States and Canada. Datly and Sunday. J yr. $12.00: 1 mo. 5100 Daily 1Yy mo., "~ 75c Sinday nniy-. 50¢ 500 1 mo., Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press 15 exclusively entitled to for republication of all news dispatches ited 10 it Or not otherwise credited in this aper and also the local news published herein, All rights of p: ion of special dispatches herein are also i = Ury Court Appointments. President Roosevelt has asked Attorney General Cummings whether he can law- 1 appoint a member of the Supreme t during a recess of Congress, when vacancy occurred while Congress was in session. He has not explained the reason for desiring to make a recess appointment. The Senate is now is ses- sion and could receive and act upon a nomination for the Supreme Court. Either the President wishes more time to make his selection of the Supreme Court appointee or he wishes to appoint the new justice without the immediate “advice and consent” of the Senate. The vacancy occurred on June 2 last, nearly two months ago. The President may have let his mind rove over the field of possible candidates for the office during the intervening weeks. Congress, it is il remain in session for fortnight. In that time the Chief Executive might reasonably be expected to pick his man for the court. Si1x months ago he proposed to Congress he should be given the power to appoint additional justices of the Supreme He would be more than human if in 2ll that time he had not considered the qu s of men whom he might put on the supreme bench. 1t e Senate adjourns before an appointment to the Supreme Court is made and the President then makes a recess appointment the new justice would take his place on the bench when the court reassembles in October. He would become a member of the highest court without the “advice and consent” of the Senate, which is specifically required by the Constitution. It is true that when the Senate meets again in January the nomination would then be submitted to it by the President for con- firmation. The appointment of the new Jjustice and his service on the bench, how= ever, would have become accomplished facts months before. The Senate would have the power to reject the nomination at that time, if it saw fit. Although the President has made no such statement, it has been suggested that he does not wish to submit his selec~ tion for the Supreme Court to the Senate for scrutiny and debate right on the heels of the fierce battle over his court bill. It does not appear credible that the President would take any such position. TUnder the Constitution appointments to the Supreme Court are to be made by the President. The language of the Consti- tution is: *and he (the President) shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court,” etc. The intent clearly is that the Sen- ate shall give its approval to the nom- inees before they are “appointed” and take office. That part of the Constitution relating to filling vacancies which “happen” dur- ing the recess of the Senate, it is true, has been construed in the past to give the President authority to appoint to the Supreme Cowt, and some Presidents have followed that construction. It says: “The President shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of the next session.” What does *“happen” mean? Does it mean vacancies that occur during a recess, or vacancies that exist during a recess? There seems no good reason at all why the Senate should not take under con- sideration the President’s nominee for the Supreme Court before he assumes office, if confirmed. To avoid that con- sideration by the Senate by a recess appointment would not only avoid the intent of the Constitution, but would also be tantamount to a declaration by the Executive that he, and he alone, is to decide this matter of who goes on the highest court. ————. New York has an exposition as well as a political situation to take care of. Metropolitan discretion was never more obviously in demand. ~a 1% Brave Collie. ' The Associated Press reports from Providence the story of a brave collie whose example might be cited for the encouragement of human contempo- raries. Going yachting with his master, the dog disappeared overboard in Nar- ragansett Bay and was given up for lost. Yet, fifteen hours later, he reached shore, landing seven miles from the point at which he went into the water. Of course, the collie cannot tell of his experience. The detailed account of the ordeal through which he passed must be surmised by an appreciative public. But there can be no question mbout the fortitude of the dog in his struggle toward safety. He needed sompthing more than mere physical strength for the attainment of his goal. A certain desperate determination and a certain unwavering optimistic confl- . dence were required. The poor brute had to believe in his ability to win. A moment's skepticism might have cost him his life, Men and women on occasion are obliged to face similar problems. S8hake- speare puts into the mouth of Hamlet a remark about “a sea of troubles” and, changing the metaphor but not the intent of his philosophy. mentions the natural instinct to “end them” by “cp- posing” them. Even a collle is possessed of the normal psychologic reaction to the challenge of death. Indeed, all sen- tient creatures are endowed with the wish to survive. It follows that they generate within themselves the power to battle for continued existence. Such is the character of animate creation. ‘It does not surrender willingly. Rather, it fights for even the last breath, the ulti- mate gasp for immortality. Egypt’s New King. Despite the fact that “the King busi- ness” is not what it used to be, Egypt today is the scene of a coronation which marks the ascent of seventeen-year-old Farouk I to the ancient throne of the Pharaohs at Cairo. Called to the purple by the premature death of his father, King Fuad, last year, the boy monarch becomes the first of his historic line in 400 years to rule over a completely inde- pendent realm in the Valley of the Nile. King Farouk's advent, therefore, is hailed with comprehensible joy by his people, who envision for him a reign destined to bring to Egyptians some of the glories and material prosperity that were theirs in the long ago. As a recently admitted member of the League of Nations &nd the ally, instead of the vassal, of Great Britain, Egypt now proudly takes its place as a sovereign power in fulfillment of the dream that 50 long seemed doomed to remain an illusion, Internationally, because of the coun- try's strategic situation athwart the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, midway between Europe and Asia, and adjacent to Italian Libya, King Farouk's succession has a special personal significance. The late King Fuad, because of long residence in Ttaly and resultant pro-Italian pre- dilections, was inclined to orientate Egyptian policy in a direction which might have proved a fateful influence upon Anglo-Italian rivalries in Africa. Farouk's succession presages a more Ang- lophile trend. His latter-day education having taken place in England, he rates as English in bearing and upbringing, though thoroughly Egyptian in outlook. Assuming power under a liberal consti- tution, it is generally expected that Farouk will identify himself with those democratic ideals amid which he spent his formative years. There is the more reason to anticipate such a course because of the permanent defensive alliance sealed by Egypt and Great Britain in August, 1936. Consum- mated within the frame of the League covenant and the Kellogg pact, it sup- plants British military occupation. Brit- ish troops and aircraft will be stationed in the Suez Canal zone, which is recog- nized as an integral part of Egypt, but an essential link between the components of the British Empire. If, after twenty years, Egyptian capacity to defend the Canal is a matter of disagreement, the issue shall be submitted to the League. But any treaty revision must provide for continuance of the alliance. Joint ad- ministration of the Sudan will be main- tained. The detested “capitulations” are abolished as the final step in making Egyptians master in their own house. With the wounds of national self- respect healed, Egypt, under Farouk I, enters, in a commensurate spirit of rejuvenation, upon an era bright with hope and promise. Long sympathetic with her aspirations for independence, the American people send Nileward on this auspicious day cordial greetings and felicitations. —_——— China and Japan have been formally requested by personages of world influ- ence to avoid war. It is rather startling to be expected to observe what has already taken place in North China as a mere incidental -iemonstration. - China’s View of Neutrality. An amusing feature of the Sino-Jap- anese situation—if anything can pos- sibly be amusing with reference to war- fare—is a statement by a foreign office spokesman at Nanking regarding the position of the United States in respect to the present state of belligerence. He declared that China is apprehensive about the neutrality policy of this coun- try, while appreciating the American desire to remain a neutral and impartial power. He continued: * “China fears an indiscriminate treat- ment of China and Japan would react favorably to the aggressor, who is su- perior in material strength. Alleged impartiality by America would be parti- ality in reality of the most disastrous kind. China would be constrained to view application of the American neu- trality legislation to the Sino-Japanese hostilities as a distinctly unfriendly act.” In other words, if America remains neutral it will in fact be unneutral. If it does not favor China in the matter of arms supplies and in other ways it will not be neutral, but partisan. This is a somewhat characteristic bit of Far Eastern reasoning. It is one of those things that bafles Western understand- ing of the Asiatic mentality. It is said that in China it is not good form to discharge a servant. If he is unfaithful or too liberal to himself with “squeeze” in handling of domestic ac- counts he must not be fired. For that would cause him to lose “face,” or re- pute. So the proper method of separat- ing him from the domestic establishment is to inform him that his father, or his mother, is ill and requires his at- tendance. He is therefore given indefi- nite leave of absence and he departs, grateful for this consideration, which he broadcasts to his fellows, thereby saving “tace.” ‘The present view of the Nanking for- eign office that American neutrality y THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C THUR DAY, JULY must not be applied to both sides of this conflict because of the disparity in strength between the two combatants will of course not affect the policy of this Government. However mueh the United States may deplore Japan's maneuvers, however grievously unwar- ranted they may appear to be to the State Department, there is, according to the Nanking argument, no honorable way for the United States to avoid participation in the struggle, on the side of China, save by scrapping the neu- trality law by executive order, which would be tantamount to a declaration of war against Japan. And that, of course, will not be done. A neutrality policy that takes no ac- count of the relative strength of contending powers may be incom- prehensible to the Chinese under- standing, but it remains the pclicy of the United States, whatever may b2 the repinings and the protests of a bellig- erent who feels the shock of attack by & superior force. o It remains for nations concerned in the triumph of the Davis Cup team to find something pleasant to be talked about in world demonstration. The U. 8. A. tennis players demonsirated for ten years that a patient loser may make a good winner, e S Retroactive water rates for the Dis- trict of Columbia are proposed. It is perhaps a cheering relief to find the Nation'’s Capital concerned with the expense of simple aqua pura. - = The country cheerfully voted for a new deal, but was evidently not pre- pared for so many novelty plays in rapid succession. e One of the alarming features of the labor situation is a fear that Mr. John L. Lewis has found in the conditions that present themselves a temptation to assume that old material has devel- oped a new political situation. ————— Other States have been looking on and wondering, perhaps, whether Ken- tucky, even though honored by memo- ries of several great men, is not sud- denly claiming too much of the historic spotlight. R Vice President Garner ventures to of- fer some political suggestions without dwelling unduly on the fact that Texas is as big as three or even four ordina Y States, e One of the bothersome characicristics of the United States Supreme Court is the manner in which its members take their usual Sunimer vacations and leave personal anxiety to the professional poli=+ ticians, ——ee—. New voices are to be influentia! over radio, including that of Mr. Charles Michelson, whose fame as a Democratic national committeeman is world wide, Al Smith will continue to regard the air as a foreign influence and possibly continue to refer to “the raddio.” e Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Overdoing It. Bill Smithers had a holiday, He took the train in humor gay; He played base ball, he had a swim And ate all that was handed him, He drank most every kind of drink From foamy brown to placid pink; 'Round on the flving horse he flew; He got upset from a canoe. He said the sunburn did him good; He looks like poor Red Riding Hood, And when he started home once more He was all sorrowful and sore. Bill Smithers says that he will need Recuperation long, indeed— Six months of plain old work, at best— To cure him of that one day’s rest. Trouble Enough. *“Some of your friends think you ought to write your reminiscences.” “No,” replied Senator Sorghum, “I have trouble enough with the political reporters without taking on the book reviewers.” Jud Tunkins says he never hesitates to lend an umbrella, because it's worth the loss of the umbrella to get rid of a false friend. e Non-Production. The man who strives for no result Save personal enjoyment Presents a problem difficult Concerning unemployment, A Subtle Charm. “What is there about golf that gives a man such a sense of freedom and exhilaration?” “I don't know,” replied Mr. Growcher, “unless it's the privilege of promenading over the landscape without being warned to keep off the grass.” “Strife is not worthy of pursuit,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown. “Even our hopes of happiness in a future life are based on the happiness we can bring into this one.” Genuine Applause. “I don't pretend to criticize,” Said Hezekiah Bings, “The words of men accounted wise . Concerning numerous things; But when I hear a talk that's fair And clearly understood, The fruit of conscientious care, I say that’s mighty good! “When something goes beyond my mind And reaches for my heart, And makes me want to help mankind To get & better start, I do not yearn for the display That rippling rhetoric brings. ‘That’s mighty good,’ is all I say,” Said Hezekiah Bings. “A man ought to make de most of his talents,” said Uncle Eben, “ceppin’ when his talents happen to run to sumpin’ like erap shootin’ or rasor swingin'.” Statements of Economic Adviser Grossly Erroneous To the Editor of The Star: Dr. Mordecai Ezekiel, economic ad- viser to Secretary Wallace, is quoted in your issue of July 22 as saying that those leaders of industry who refuse to rec- ognize labor unions “do not believe in democratic processe: and that such employers are “outlaws in a democracy”; that the principle of collective bnrgamA ing has been indorsed by a mandate from the people and by the Supreme Court. Every one of these statements is ab- solutely untrue or grossly misleading. These pronouncements and others like them coming from high places are fully sufficient to cause the militant at- titude on the part of labor, and if they believe them no one can blame labor. Even as I like sugar in coffee and de- test it on raw oysters, I approve demo- cratic procedure one hundred per cent in all matters in which every one con- cerned has an equal interest and which demand a decision one way or the other, and I consider it a crime against the Declaration of Independence to employ democratic procedure to destroy life, liberty or the pursuit of happine: The right to work, the right to hire, the right to quit, the right to “fire” are inalicnable rights which have never before been suc- cessfully attacked in ¢hese United States. If democratic processes can fairly be used to take away these rights, why can they not be used to take away religious lib- erty? Under the so-called democratic processes which the Wagner act sets up, the first ballot would be on the question: Religion or no religion. Whichever side won would then have the power to make further decisions applicable to the whole population, If the religion side won. the question would be, what religion? If the no-religion side won, the question would be what to do with the opposition, ban- ish 'em or kill ’em The principle of collective bargaining needs no mandate from the people nor indorsement by the Supreme Court any more than the fact that two and two make four does. It is a principle that has always been used and which cannot be either downed nor augmented. The original thirteen Colonies first used it in this country, the allies in the last war were the last ones that used it in a big way, and thousands of partnerships use it everv day now. In other words. col- lective bargaining has never been denied labor and could not be. The Wagner act did not deliver anything new to them €xcept a new co-ordination of general welfare and interstate commerce author- ity, in a way to allow them to use collec- tive bargaining against a man whose hands are tied behind him by this act. Certain component parts of the act have been brought before the Supreme urt and have passed muster, but this court does not pass on points not raised, and I believe the act would fall if it were tried on the point of being consiste r Inconsistent with itself, and this is wh In the last analysis, the only penalty possible to invoke for violating the act is the prohib: n of interstate commerce, whereas the promotion of interstate commerce is the only grounds upon which the act claims for itself the right to exist Laws made by Congress absolutely pro- ibit the misbra g of merchandise. hall Congress be allowed to make a mis- branded law? This one is branded *to eliminate the causes of certain substan- tial obstructions to the free flow of com- merce” and yet all the various, circuitous, expensive and irritating processes pre- scribed by the law culminate in just one thing—the absolute prohibition of this flow of commerce for the specific purpose of loading i ith an additional burden at 1ts starting pont in the shape of higher costs of production for those things which are supposed to flow. It is not possible to assume that. under this act. commerce may be halted for he purpose of making it flow more freely, because the only purpose for which it might be stopped is the demands of workers, which must inevitably result, if granted. in placing an additional bur- den on commerce. whereas the avowed purpose of the act is to remove obstruc- tions and lessen the burden on the flow of commerce. W. STANLEY FREEMAN, e South Will Not Benefit By Wages and Hours Bill To the Editor of The Star: Southern Democrats who imperil pas- sage of the wages-and-hours bill in the House on the ground it would ruin indu: tries in that territory may be bitterly criticized by their party leaders. It is claimed many industries are moving into Dixie because of lower wages. Yet lower wages happens to be only one among many reasons. In our town the City Council met and called for a publc vote on a bond issue to erect a cigar factory. The vote car- ried. Not only was the land purchased beside a railroad side track, but a hand- some brick building was presented to company officials, tax exempt, for a 10- vear period. And just for good measure the city-owned water and light plants donated their services free of charge as a further inducement. At the end of the 10-year period, of course, the cigar com- pany pulled up stakes rather than pay taxes, for doubtless a great many other communities were eager to land the plant and its pay roll. At the present time a shirt factory is operating under like con- ditions there. It is idle to say paper industries are migrating to the Gulf Coast areas solely because of lower wages. There is a gen- erous supply of slash pine, and if taxes are lower, whose fault is that? Much is said about lower wages, but never a word about lower living costs. True, there are those in poverty, but the same can be found all over the world. In my home paper a large chain store offers beeksteak at 19 cents, in comparison to local prices of 49 cents a pound. If these local butchers could get Kansas City beef it would scare them to death—they wouldn't know what it was. The nearest I ever came to seeing Kansas City beef here was when a local chain obtained some choice beef from the Chicago Fair 3 vears ago. Most all beef you get in Florida is Kansas City beef, the reason being that the hotels are always demand- ing the best for their tourists and the packing companies must be able to pro- duce. Rather than take chances of losing the Florida trade, all of them send their best. The beef we get here wouldn’t be acceptable to the trade elsewhere, and, worse, you can't pay for better—they just don't have it. So it is not because food is inferior that living costs are lower in that terri- tory. Rather, our food here is inferior, and the prices higher. The two regions, although under the same flag, are in fact as different as nations ever could be. To attempt to foist off on the Northern States any traditions peculiar to that part of the country would be folly. And by the same token, any attempt. to have traditions of the Northern States foisted off on the Southern States would be equally as disturbing. The Southern States are not in a position to benefit by the wages-and-hours bill. If politicians of the North persist in gobbling up all available tax money and still cry for more it is their own funeral, and they should not blame industrialists for walk- ing out on them. That is precisely what is happening in the migration of indus- try toward the Gulf Coast. E. H. ALEXANDER, f 193 THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Men, as a rule, do not like house plants. ‘There is one specimen, however, which seems to appeal to most of them. This is the African violet, to be se- cured at florists’. There is a secret to growing ft. Many persons have purchased a speci- men, to have it die out, its leaves turn=- ing brown or mildewing, the plant simply refusing to bloom. Properly handled, it will bloom for four or five months, being covered with the fine violetlike flowers day after day. * ok % % The secret of growing this plant lies in the method of watering. Watering from the top spells its doom. Since that is the old-fashioned method of watering house plants, it is most often used, with the results aforementioned. The real way to water this plant is from the bottom. The ordinary flower pot, of porous material, in which it is sold. is placed in a larger and better looking jar of non-porous composition. This outer jar is the receptacle for the water, which is kept about an inch high in the bottom. There is no hard and fast rule about this; the only thing to be sure of is that there always is water in this outer Jar. The moisture soaks through the walls of the inner pot, and the plant roots take up all they need, and no more, 4 * o ox % Under this treatment the leaves grow larger and larger, the color is an intense soft green, covered with down, and the whole plant has an air of thriftiness it seldom attains by any other method. The plant will live for vears. The fine little flowers, of course, are the main reasons for having the plant around; under the system of handling explained here these are put forth in great numbers day after day. It is nothing unusual to have a good plant start blooming about March 15 and keep it up for months. As many as 15 to 20 of these typically violet flowers, with soft yellow centers, are on the plant constantly. We are acquainted with one plant which is about a foot in diameter. It started blooming March 15 and at this writing is still gmng strong. o The African \ml(', is & versatile plant. While most of the time it should have good. strong light, but not too much sunshine, it will do nicely for days at a time in a fairly dark position. It may be placed any time on a table as a centerpiece, a usage always at- tractive to women. Flowers on the table, especially st luncheon, always make a great hit with the ladies. Under the method of watering advised here the entire outfit may be lifted easily and placed on the table, to be removed later. Strong sunlight during Summer {s somewhat dangerous to the plant, not so much from the light as from the heat rays Therefore, care must be taken to pro- tect it from them. If the jar, is at a southern or western window, puli down the blind. Plenty of light will come through. FEven then too much heat may be given it. This is an African variety, sull it does not like too much heat, ‘R Watering this plant from the top is the big mistake. STARS, MEN Even a light spraying of the leaves is not necessary. They are of a meaty character, so that, water tends to rot them. If the method suggested here is followed it will so quickly show results that no one will think top water is necessary. A great deal depends, of course, upon the size of plant and pot secured in the first place. It is better to get a strung, sturdy plant of good growth to begin with than to try to bring up very small ones to good flowering size. The larger specimens do not cost very much more and are worth the differ- ence. The pot will be plenty big enough, in most cases, to provide for future leaf and root growth. * K x x This plant, being African, likes strong light. No mistake should be made about this. In an effort to keep it from getting too much light, or too much neat, the mistake is sometimes made of not giving it enough. Good, strong light is essential. Those who have had the pleasure of running an aquarium for any lencth of time will understand best what is meant by good, strong light. Most of the aquatic plants used in the average aquarium, containing either tropical fishes or goldfish, need plenty of light. If the tank is in a dark place, the finest fresh aquatic plants, straight from Florida sunshine, will turn brown within a week. Too dark a situation not only fades and finally kills the plants, it also bulds up what is known as brown algae in the tank. These are unpleasant growihs of microscopic plants, inimical both to the water and the fishes which swim in it. * ok k% Day by dav the five-petaled flowers fall off the African violet, but day by day new ones open, so that the plant, when n good shape, seems to be much the same week after week. This plant may be secured with light flowers or with dark. The two top petals are slightlv joined at their base; the three bottom ones are similarly Joined. It is a curious feature of the Africen violet that the fallen flowers, dropping from their stems, remain perfectly fresh and unwilted for several days Fallen flowers may be placed on dry wood and will stay fresh for a long time that, w The older lower leaves of the plant tend in time to become vellow and should be removed. It is said that this plant may be pro- pagated by remo fresh. vigorous new leaves and sticking them, stem down, in good, sandy soil. In time they rooi and form new plants, * ox o ox Around the home one specimen of African violet will be enough, perhaps. It is a plant liked not only by women, but also by men. who ordinarily profess to regard typical house plants as too fussy. The African violet, however. makes its appeal not only because of its fresh little blooms, but also because of the curious leaves, more like those of a succulent than a violet. The method of watering outlined seems sure-fire. One may wonder why the sel of these plants do not pro- vide this information at the time of sale and thus prevent failure with a plant which, properly treated. thrives mightily and pleases all who behold it. AND ATOMS Notebook of Science Progress in Field, Laboratory and Study. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. ns of a new, manmade car- e age, such as the period of dense vegetation which the earth passed through about 200.000.000 years ago when the great coal beds were laid down. are without foundation, according to an an- nouncement just issued by the American Chemical Society. The air normally contains about three- hundredths of 1 per cent of this gas, poisonous to animal life in any consider- able concentration but essential to plant growth. Any substantial increase prob- ably would result in a great spurt of plant growth, other things being equal. Through the process of photosynthesis plants are able to extract the carbon out of their air in the presence of sunlight and create out of it the various carbohy- drates which serve as food for animal life. Coal is such a carbohydrate. It is & fair assumption that in the distant past of the carboniferous era the earth must have been very thickly blanketed with vegetation, compared to the present, and this would have called for more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, It was locked up in the coal deposits. Now when coal is burned this carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere again. During the past fifty years more than 180,000.000.000 tons of the gas have been thus freed. according to the calcu- lations of Dr. Robert E. Wilson in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Indmmal and Engineering Chemistry. amount, if not dlssxpatsd in some Dr. Wilson says, “sounds like enough to snuff out most of the animal life in the world, or in any case to make a very substantial change in the normal carbon dioxide aoncentration of the air. Calculation indicates, however, that if all this extra carbon dioxide had been dumped into the atmosphere and none removed during this fifty-year period it would only raise the content from 0.03 to 0.032 per cent. “But this overlooks a very important factor—the function of the ocean in sta- bilizing and regulating the carbon dioxide content of the air. Available data indi- cate that there is thirty or forty times as much carbon dioxide dissolved in the ocean as is present in the atmosphere, and the average partial vapor pressure of this gas is probably what determines largely the average atmospheric content. Well over 90 per cent of any excess car- bon dioxide introduced into the atmo- sphere eventually finds its way into the ocean, leaving the composition of the former virtually unaffected. “Incidentally it appears that the tem- perature of the ocean, which is consid- erably influenced by glacial conditions and polar ice caps, has been and prob- ably will continue to be the most signifi- cant factor in determining the carbon dioxide of the air. It also appears that if the small increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide should occur another factor would tend to restore the present balance—namely, a small increase in the rate of growth of part of the world’s vegetation. The tremendous quantity of carbon dioxide consumed every year by growing vegetation, and practically all returned by its eventual combustion or decay, is more than a thousand times the total amount produced by all the coal and petroleum burned in a year of high industrial activity.” During the past half century, Dr. Wil- son points out, the world has probably consumed about 7 per cent of fits total deposits, including eoal, 4 lignite, crude petroleum and natural gas. The consumption has been at the rate of about 50,000.000.000 tons a yvear. “The combined result of all our mining and chemical activities to date.” he savs, “had made but an infinitesimal alt er- ation in the composition of the ear: crust. or in sea water. It is well for the chemist to be reminded from time to time tMat the forces and quantities which he controls are rather puny compared with tl‘e might and vast resources of nature.’ Dr. Wilson's studv was inspired by the thought that the enormous quantity of carbon dioxide produced by the combus- tion of fuels might in time have an appreciable effect on the tiny percentages of carbon dioxide present in as tenuous a substance as the atmosphere. Such a change, he theorized. might in time pro- mote to some degree the growth,of vege- tation. Before making his calculations, he says, “It seemed conceivable that we might eventually begin to reverse what took place during the carboniferous era when a combination of climatic condi- tions, probably including a high carbon dioxide content of the air, resulted in the fixing and locking up in the earth most of our tremendous stores of coal.” After his study, however. Dr. Wilson was convinced that there was nothing the chemist could do to change the course of nature. Japan a Menace To World Peace To the Editor of The Star: The objectives of Japan are to con- trol China and the entire Far East in her own interests, and to the commercial exclusion of the Occidental powers. If and when these objectives are achieved it is her purpose—and she is conceited enough to believe she is equal to the task—to dictate to the Occidental powers world policies. England and the United States are the special objects of her hatred, because she believes they stand in the way of her ambitions. Her people are so drunk with power, and their heads have been so completely turned by their successes which have been made possible by the fact that the Occidental powers have been so absorbed with their domestic problems that they have been unable to take any action against the aggressions of Japan, that they think they can exclude these powers from all commercial intercourse with the Far East, except upon such”terms as Japan may dictate, and that if these powers resist, she can defeat them in war. The present offers an opportunity that may never come again for Great Britain and the United States to defeat perma- nently the plans of Japan and destroy her as a menace to world peace. All they have to do to that end is to en- courage China to resist the demands of Japan with force of arms and supply China with the necessary financial and material assistance. If this is done China can win in the long run by attrition, and bankrupt Japan, from which she perhaps would never recover. The interest of the United States lies in the fact that if this should be accomplished all danger of a conflict between the United States and Japan would be eliminated. Now is the great opportunity. Now is the time to act. As & matter of fact, it would be to the 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. Who was the first President of the United States to toss out the first ball of the season in Washington's first bi g league base ball game?—C. T. . A. The National Press Club's Goldfish Bowl says that the custom started with President McKinley. Q. Do any of the radio comedians write their own lines?—-E. W, A. Among those who use original ma- terial are W. C. Fields, Bob Burns, Stoopnagle and Bud. Fred Allen, Doc Rockwell and Edgar Bergen. Q. How much more than gold is ra- dium worth?—L. W. A. Radium is worth 25000 times as much as gold. Q. What became of Emmett of the robber gang?—H. W. A. Emmett Dalton, the only survi member of the gang, died recentl had served a prison term, reformed and after release worked for improved prison conditions. alton P Q. What is the musical phrase ealled which recurs whenever a certain person or idea is presented in opera?—T. H, A. It is known as a leitmotif, . Q. How many golf year?—J. W. H. A.In 1936 approximately dozen golf balls were sold in the Unit States. bfius are sold in a 1600.000 ed Q. Why isn't a Pulitzer P for the best movie?— Dean Carl W. Graduate School of Journaiism a lumbia University is establishment of such a recent article in Cinema Al out that when Joseph Pu lished the prizes films w dominant factor in education that they are today. He believes that motion tures now are an influence on thought vast en official recognition. fast does a college student J. S the av words a mint ize given Q. How read?—C. erage, college students e highest summit in Mas- situated in the Berkshire e western border of the t 5 miles southwest of North of about 8600 acres on of the mountain has by the State for a per= sachusetts Hills, been purch: manent pa burgh’s sist struction?- A. The LZ- ‘30 is being rebu. helium may be used and will not launched until Spring. be r,:mcopnnn was favorite subject, which he painted 15 times. Q. How should the width of the human ear compare with its length?—G. T. A. An gar should be twice as long as it is wide. Operations to reshape ears should be done after the third or fourth year. Q How much monev ‘< h“‘n! -p@n on of t novement. the S. R Q. What does cribbage count? A. It counts & three fives should hold four he scores 2 poin ing a jack and c the hand, which reall of 30. makes & total | -, is the W. C. z to spend in adver tising against liquor?—D. T A. One million dollars. Of th 000 will be devoted to motion advertising, $100,000 $140,000 by radio. $80.00f and posters and $300.000 research and library w Q. How much money T. U. planni Q. \\‘7"n was the n"lf‘< English epic, ' first printed?>—W. T L A. There is a manuscript copy extant which dates back to about 1000 AD, but it was not produced in print until the dawn of the nineteenth century. first performance Crook” in New York Q. When was the given of “Black City?—W. C. M. A. It opened in Niblo's Garden The= ater on September 25, 1866, ——— A Rhyme at Twilight Gertrude Brnalze Hamilton. 4 Utah’s Glass Mountain. How unpoetic human life will be When mountains are erected from glass jars, landscaped with Dame Nature's shrubs and flowers! in time, we’ll gaze up at glass All And ponder, in their motivated light, On God's creation being put to flight. We'll sit, perhaps, beside a stream Compounded from our melted silver= ware; Cooled in the zenith of a Summer noon By a fresh breeze of artificial air; ‘With knowledge new of therapeutic ways Take a sun bath in ultra-violet rays. sparkling interest of the United States for the reason above stated, and to the interests of Great Britain, France, the Netherlands and Russia, because of their large and scattered holdings and other interests in the Far East, to co-operate in the sug- gested undertaking, because their hold- ings and interests are in serious jeopardy. It is recognized, however, that the difficulty in the way of the execution of this suggestion is a want of unity among the Chinese themselves and that when such a purpose of the powers be- came known Japan would immediately declare war on China, and with her pow- erful navy could so completely blockade China that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to get war materials into China. - ALEXANDER SIDNEY LANTER. /