Evening Star Newspaper, August 11, 1937, Page 10

A—10 = THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11 1937, ] ; ; ; : : . THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. August 11, 1937 The Evening Star Newspaper Company. 11th 8¢ and Pennsyivania Ave, w Y 3 nd St Onits o ‘Oee, 435 Notth Michigan Ave, Rate by Carrier—City and Suburban. Regular Editlon. Even! Sunday Star 2 o8 :dfiac Sr month or 15¢ per week {he Mrening AT, Ler month o 10c per week The Sunday Star 8¢ per copy Night Final Edition, lsht Final and Sunday Star-.__70¢ per month ¢ per month ach month or gach meek, Orders ‘may be sent by mail of tele- hone Natlonal 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryiand and Vireinia, Datly and Su : 1 mo. 85¢ Daily only mo., 50c Sunday on §3:60; 1 mey 868 All Other States and Canada. u 200: 1 mo. $1.00 eredited to Daper unq s)m e G T 1l righ {cation of special dispatches erein &re aiso reserved -_ The Overhead Wire Peril. The circumstences of the latest air- plane catastrophe, in Florida, give point to the suggestion, indeed the demand, that in view of the frequency of aviation services, all electric power lines in the closely inhabited areas be placed under- ground, as they are in cities. That these high-tension conductors have become a dangerous menace to life has been re- peatedly demonstrated by accidents that have in the total cost many lives. And with aviation service steadily increasing these hazards will count more and more heavily in the record. Well within the recollection of those of middle age Washington was net- worked with high-current conductors, strung on poles. The Star conducted a campaign of protest which finally re- sulted in the elimination of overhead wires of this dangerous character, which were potential of death not alone through their own occasional breaking and falling into the s but through their contact crossing by other wires, of 'low-poten:‘al service, such as those strung by e telegraph and the tele- phone comp Finally all wires, of both high and 1 tension, were banned from the street, While the cities have been freed of this menace, the danger continues in the rural areas, and especially along the highways. In some instances high-ten- sion conduction lines have been laid across the fields, through specially pre- pared lanes. The technique of their construction has been greatly improved, resulting in a minimum of danger through breaks and crossings, yet in the neighborhood of cities they remain a factor of peril. With the development of air services the risk to life incident to these ex- posed deadly wires has increased. Reg- ulations have been established respect- ing such constructions in the vicinity of sirparts, and in large measure, as a rule, there is small risk of contact between plane and conductor. Yet that risk re- mains to some degree, and without further precautions, with the constant and rapid increase of air travel, that risk will grow gres talities will occ In this latest case, at Day the accide the plane of a erected du emergency havi establishment of a service supplying a small area which had been deprived of electric current through the failure of an underground line. Notice had not been given to the pilot, who therefore was unaware of this hazard. This constitutes occasion for inquiry and perhaps penalty for neglect of a necessary duty. The general situation with regard to the overhead high-current wires, in re- lation to the new traffic of the air, re- quires immediate consideration and study, with the view of the eventual burial of all high-current conductors, iking by pole that had been hastily I g night, a arisen to requ circuit | whether short or long lines, whether | near large centers of population or through the sparsely settled regions. The development of air service has reached the point where the wire carry- ing deadly current must go beneath the ground. o A parachute jumper in nearby sub- urban areas claims that he is a Maryland University sophomore and that he is Jumping for an education. He should be first of all instructed to read the news- paper and learn what is happening to misguided air prodigies. — et The Dionne children are reported to be taking care of a small epidemic in their immediate circle. They have head colds and while likely to recover are at least contributing a valuable reminder 8S 10 how serious a matter a cold may become. No “Popular Music.” In the judgment of Jose Iturbi “pop- ular music” is not music at all. Rather, 4t is “such stuff”—altogether unworthy of being played by the Philadelphia Orchestra. The conductor on Monday evening halted a benefit program ar- ranged for presentation at Robin Hood Dell, declaring that it was “a shame and an outrage” to expect his organ- Jzation of artists to “represent itself to a Nation-wide audience” on a parity with ordinary jazz bands. An announcer for the National Broadcasting Company ex- plained that the concert would be cut short by twenty-five minutes. But Mr. Iturbi did not lose his temper until after the orchestra had rendered an experimental composition entitled “Circus Days,” in which the roaring of lons, the trumpeting of elephants, the whistles of peanut machines and the shrieks of calliopes were included. The ordeal of imitating carnival noise simply was too much for him to endure. Melody was being violated, and the crime was { though they cause embarrassment. 1 more than he could tolerate. ferred to quit. Doubtless the incident is symptomatic of the spirit of resistance which grad- ually is developing among musicians. They understand the danger of com- promise with the so-called modernists. It is part of their esthetic philosophy that it is just as perilous to try to mix beauty and intentional ugliness as it is to attempt to combine pure air and carbon monoxide. The savage rhythm of the rhumba, for example, is a poison. Mr. Tturbi risked the wrath of a theoretical million to stop the mischief. It is to be hoped that other listeners will take the trouble to commend him for his courage. The followers of Tin Pan Alley are articulate and militant, and it is indicated that they will be loud in their criticism. For the benefit of the operators of the networks the public which deplores “popular music” should be equally prompt to take its pen in hand. He pre- Self-Restraint. Last night the Democratic members of the Senate gave a dinner of honor to Senator Barkley, the newly chosen leader of the majority in the Upper House. The President was invited to attend, but for certain reasons of suffi- cient potency declined. He contributed, however, to the felicity of the occasion by sending a letter to the Vice President, who presided at the dinner—whom he affectionately addressed “Dear Jack.” That letter, read at the dinner and later published in full, contained one para- graph which, apart from the interest in the immediate connection, deserves par- ticular attention. In the course of his eulogy of the newly named leader of the Senate the President sald: I know that every one present this evhning will agree with me that Alben Barkley is greatly distinguished for the things he does not say as well as for the things he does say. Whether he was born that way or has acquired this marvelous restraint through years of self-discipline, I do not know. But I do know that it is a great asset. The President certainly hit the nail on the head when he wrote that passage. The merit of silence is indeed a great one. How many a man in public life, in high office sometimes, has said or written that which has caused him trouble! How often has the word too muci made for confusion and disruption! And the value of self-discipline! What a blessing it is to those upon whom public attention is centered! History would perhaps be dull reading if it were not for the things that have been unwisely said or written. Verbal missteps have caused much stumbling on the part of those who have held high places in the world's affairs. It is now gratifying to read the President’'s words of commendation for the “marvelous restraint through years of self-discipline” maintained by the guest of honor at the Raleigh Hotel dinner. It may afford some comfort to those who have wished this precious trait were more widely possessed. 1876 and Not 1880. By a perversity of the types The Star in its editorial on “Third Terms” referred vesterday to the nomination of Rutherford B. Hayes for the presidency as having occurred in 1880. This was of course an error, by four years. Mr. Hayes was nominated in 1876 and he began his term ' | of office, to which the electoral commis- | sion declared he was entitled, March 4, 1877. Misprints do not change history, For the sake of accuracy of record. The Star hereby corrects the statement in yes- terday's editorial, for which it asks the forgiveness of its readers. B A 38-year-old Yale law professor named Douglas will replace James M. Landis as chairman of the Security and Exchange Commission on the 1st of next Septem- ber. This gives him & number of years before he approximates 65 and is eligible to really serious consideration. e Children who have parents working in Washington are to be eligible to schools in the District of Columbia although if all the suburban school plans are carried out this may not | seem, after all, so especial a privilege. R No one is surprised at the demand for Mr. Farley as an ace automobile salesman. He is a welcome figure at all the prize fights and at all the parties, too. T — Mysteries. A few years ago it generally was con- tended that there were only three major questions which science could not answer. Now, however, it is conceded that there really are a multitude of problems for which “organized common sense” has as yet no solution. The nature of matter, for example, remains a mystery. Nobody actually comprehends it any more definitely than the wit who declared that the cosmos is a myriad of holes tied together without string. How the universe was built, what maintains it and what generates the power by which it moves are riddles still unread. Similarly, the essence of the soul of man is merely guessed. The living spark which, burning, signifies sentient exist- ence and which, smothered, connotes death and dissolution, has not been de- tected in the human heart or brain. It defies analysis and diagnosis. Yet it is the imperative reality, the definitive fact in every philosophy proposed by human genius. The mechanism of inheritance, also, has not been mapped or charted. No Darwin has found the key to the trans- mission of psychological traits; no Men- del has discovered the magic word to open the infinity out of which such physical characteristics as hereditary deafness emerge. The Bourbon nose and the Hapsburg jaw are celebrated; but who can demonstrate by what process they persist? A poet, looking upon the world and its people, is amazed by the marvel of \ i the scene. Sunset, the architecture of an elm, the economy of a morning glory vine in blossom, the music of gentle rain on a grateful roof, the miracle of the wings of & humming bird, the noiseless tread of a tiger's foot, the coloration of a rabbit’s coat—brown in Summer and white in Winter; such wonders leave him puzzled though not dismayed. He is glad to think that he is not expected to understand every- thing, happy to be ignorant of the “causa natura” of beauty and harmony which he appreciates all the more deeply because he cannot glimpse the machine which, by whatever name, is re- sponsible for the changing yet ever- fascinating picture. —————— Perhaps the Russian aviator is wise in regarding it as better to be caught in an Arctic snow drift than to risk the perils which able-bodied men so frequently have to face at home, ot Congress is seriously considering night sessions although there are members who seem reconciled to the idea of staying over until September and ob- serving Labor day. s Chinese and Japanese report mutual attacks with the Japanese confident because of experience and their enemies reliant on greater numbers, s An ex-convict attacked a child. The incident has become so frequent in the news that mention of details of the crime becomes a dull monotony. ——o— Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Every Year. Every year the snowflakes flutter, then the violets appear; Roses later on, and beans and cabbage will draw near; Hot waves and mosquitoes till the frosty nights are clear— Every year, Every yvear the gentle promise of new happiness we hear, Then a threat of discontent will hover in the atmosphere; Sometimes the world is hopeful sometimes it stops to sneer. Every year, and We talk about the taxes and about base ball and beer, And the way that women dress we vow is getting still more queer; We declare that what we buy is most unreasonably dear. Every year. We sing the same old tunes with vary- ing words to charm the ear; The same old stories move us to a smile or to a tear; Yes, we like this old world with its sor- Towing or cheer. Every year. Personal Testimonial. “You say you are proud of your con- stituents?” “I am,” replied Senator Sorghum. *I am proud of their perspicacity and cour- age. When they see & good man like myself, they are not afraid to elect him to office.” Jud Tunkins says that by the time a man can afford to be in politics he’s liable to be so rich everybody will be down on him for a plutocrat. As We Have Always Done. These strike threats make us hold our breath, And fill us with misgiving. Although they scare us 'most to death We'll smile and keep on living. Limitations. “Do you think she will succeed in get- ting a divorce?” “I don't know,” answered Miss Cay- enne. “She didn't marry a man rich enough to enable her to hire a very good lawyer.” “To appeal to reason is a long task,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “but an appeal to fear is futile. We may avail something by the teaching of a saint, but a thousand devils Jose all terror and become only amusing.” Wild Imagination. New Jersey has the big hotels Where lavish board is paid, In old New York the brokers dwell Where wealth is lost or made. And if the Stock Exchange should be Across the river sent, In Wall Street windows will we see The notice, “Rooms for Rent.” “Times is allus hard,” said Uncle Eben, “foh de kind of person dat won't work unless he kin pick out a soft job.” Protests the Handling of William A. Maxwell Case To the Editor of The Star: I call your attention to the article in The Star concerning the arrest and treat- ment of William A. Maxwell. It does not follow that the transgressor of a law, be that a United States Senate gallery law or the taking of human life, is & psychopath. Yet, said party was ar- rested, convicted and sentenced to what I understand is a psychopathic jail. This without a hearing in open court, without legal or medical advice, without evidences, documentary or personal. ‘What becomes of the bill of rights of the Constitution of the United States of America, of which we have been reading and hearing so much of late, under that procedure? ° That has all the earmarks of persecu- tion, the acts of cowards, and not of prosecution, fhe acts of free men. I'm requesting you give consideration to seeing that thre findings of facts ap- pertaining thereto are presented via the press, so that, if necessary, we, the peo- ple, may carry on from there in seeing that the bill of rights of the Constitu- tion is as applicable to the so-called un- derdog as to the President of the United States. He, the underdog, asks no more, noth- ing less should be granted. THOMAS E. M'GRATH. A NEW BOOKS AT RANDOM BY MARGARET GERMOND. ALL CATS ARE GRAY. By Charles G. Givens. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill Co. “Once there was a race of lawyers in East Tennessee * * * Jed Turner, silver-tongued defender of Jjustice, who for more than half a cen- tury had successfully tied juries into knots or twined them around his little finger to save the hide or the property of some poor devil caught in the meshes of criminal or civil law, has just won a bet. The scene is in Jed’s old office, where he and Judge Don Huller, General Andy Holmes and Squire Dode Byrd have gathered for drinks and an argument after listening to Steve Clark plead a criminal case. “Jed Turner, the good God is apt to smack you down any minute now, you've got to be such a braggart. I never saw a man hurry into his dotage as fast as you have in the past few years. You're positively senile, I'm damned if it ain't so.” “I'm bettin’ Jed's right,” said Squire Byrd. “I'm bettin’ Jed can make a finer speech with his mouth full of marbles than any of these-here young lawyers. “I wasn't bragging. I made the simple statement that I could make a better speech, by George, with five agate marbles in my mouth than any of these young fellers with their tongues free and unincumbered. And I'm backing it up. T've got five agate marbles in my mouth. You saw me plt them in and I didn't palm any. Now you be the judge. What do you want me to say?” “Give us Alf Taylor's tribute to his dead brother, Fiddling Bob,” suggested General Andy. “You know that, don't you, Jed?” The younger lawyer lingered with the street crowd which always gathered be- neath the window when an argument was in progress in Jed's office and listened until Jed had finished his speech, spat out his marbies, taken a drink and begun his discourse upon Tennessee's race of lawyers. In Mr. Given's story, Jed Turner rep- resents the last of a vanishing race of legal giants whose hardihood, courage and genius for oratory places them in the forefront of unique great men whose fame seldom spread beyond the limited boundaries of the regions they served. Countless other small communities have loved and appreciated the stalwart men of action who made local history in an era that only now is being recognized by the more closely knit modern world as one of the most colorful in the whole drama of nation building. The South was particularly blessed with native tal- ent for the reason that nature for some reason elects to concentrate upon locale in the distribution of phenomenal gifts to mankind. Out of the East have come the world’s greatest philosophers. In the United States the Southland has pro- duced the majority of the country's great statesmen, lawyers and orators, while other sections have been notable for their able politicians, their industrial- ists, their writers and other gifted per- sonages. Survivors of that extraordinary era in the South remember with pride the valor- ous, unsung heroes who would in larger communities have become national fig- ures. And they regret, with Mr. Givens, the passing of a race of men who left no tangible record upon which to base an authentic factual history. In a letter to his father he writes: “I had hoped that some day before it was eternally too late some East Ten- nesseean with a flair for words and color would get around to writing a story about the great Tennessee Valley. And I hoped that a good part of his book would be devoted to the legal giants who roamed the valley in the old days. that needs telling—and now I am afrai the time is gone when it could be told. “The old ones—the great orators, the fiery jt pleaders, the tempestuous, hot-headed fighters, the passionate preachers—the showmen—of the old Tennessee Valley are gone, most of them. And they've left no proper record be- hind them.” It is perhaps “eternally too late” for some contemporary to write the story which Mr. Givens has himself produced. But it is doubtful whether a contempo- rary could have made into vitally living characters a group of men more con- vincingly real than Jed Turner and his cronies. Mr. Givens is on home territory in Tennessee and it will be remembered that he made a notable record as & newspaper man covering the Scopes trial in Dayton. Cloud Valley is an imaginary com- munity created by the author as a suit- able locale in which to revive representa- tive types of the vanishing race of natural-born oratorical lawyers who de- manded justice and knew how to get it. When Jed Turner was admitted to the bar there was no State law requiring education at an accredited school and the passing of a rigid examination. He simply went up to the county court and asked permission to practice in the county. The questions he was required to answer were: “What's your religion, son? Can you hold your likker? Have you ever been in any kind of trouble?” Religion, law and liquor are important in Cloud Valley. God, justice and whisky are elementally and inseparably a part of every man's daily life. Adherence to Methodism, respect for the rights of the poor man and the ability to hold liquor are the essential qualities of a gentle- man. Jed, a club-footed giant of a man with reddish gray hair, fiery red mus- tache, huge hands covered with sandy bristles, red face and red neck, is a gentleman. So are Judge Huller, General Andy, Squire Byrd and Jed's other friends. And God is as realistic a person- age as any citizen of Cloud Valley. They argue about God as though He were present, just as they argue about good likker and justice. For instance, Jed and Judge Huller, returning from Chat- tanooga, both a little drunk, hold forth in this fashion: “God is a Democrat. been a Democrat.” “We weren't talking about politics and Democrats. We were talking about re- incarnation. There just ain't no such thing. You, Jed, when you die will go as straight to hell as a martin to its gourd. And stay there and burn and burn and burn.” “You're changing the subject. We were talking about the chances of Earl Mid- way being elected to the Legislature. I said he was a snake and came from snakes and, besides, he was a stinking Republican and you started talking about reincarnation.” The two had gone to Chattanooga to defend a fellow citizen. “We went to Chattanooga,” says Judge Don Huller, “in a holy cause. No Crusaders had a better one. Toby Jenkins makes the best whisky this valley ever tasted. The Federal law come up here and rooted Toby out, took him from his holy work. So me and old Jed Turner rose up in arms and went to Chattanooga to free him. He's as free as the wind, son— free as the wind. And to that state- ment Jed adds: “And besides, Toby wasn't guilty. He never made that likker they charged him with making. I tasted ) He has always It is a story L. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. In the trees were many birds, at the front of the driveway two rabbits, at the rear two bantams, in the yard a cat and nearby a couple of squirrels. The cat did not bother the rabbits, the chickens did not worry the squlrrels. several fat robins, with unusually red breasts hopped around after worms. It was a satisfying picture, one to be seen a great deal more often than those think who never see a cat without feeling that the whole bird population is lost. Nature has a way with her, a way which is very old and very capable, and which surprisingly often results in scenes such as we have described. Her way, in plain words, is toleration. She does not say, “Cats, get out!” She does not maintain one province for chickens, another for rabbits, a third for squirrels, but mixes them all up in the world together. This is her way. * K Kk It is true that upon occasions there will be loss, pain, death and sorrow from any such procedure. Yet who is man that he dare criti- cize it? Man dare not berate Nature as to loss, pain, death, sorrow. He causes enough of them himself. He has been doing it as long as he has had a history. He killed yesterday, he kills today, he will kill tomorrow. He has killed more birds by a million- fold than all the cats will be able to kill in another million years. He totally exterminated the beautiful passenger pigeon, which once blackened the heavens for hours in its migratory flights. Cats didn't do it. Even the great Audubon, who did so much for the birds of America, was a merciless killer, according to the undis-. puted verdicts of the latest biographies. He lived in a rough time. As a mass, and in individual cases, man has been the arch-killer of the ages, The terrible man whose murder brought on the World War is said to have killed endlessly “just for the fun of it.” He had seven gun bearers, and fired one after the other as fast as he could all day long. In a day he slew thousands of animals and birds. And this went on for years. It was only retribution that he died a violent death at last, and that his dying brought on the terrible slaughter of millions of his fellow humans. * ok oK % ‘The deaths of birds alone, in that gi- gantic conflict, must have been beyond all computation. For four long years, season after sea- son, man blackened the heavens with acrid smoke and even more acrid death in the form of lead, steel and awful gas. All the cats that ever lived, and all the cats that ever will live, never caught or killed a tenth of the poor birds which died as a mere incidental of the World War. As if the destruction of wild birds was | not enough, the combatants took hun- WASHINGTON OBSERVATIO! Old-timers around the Capitol, offi- cials and employes who have seen many Congresses come and go, cannot recall a time when there was such a keen desire on the part of the solons to get away from Washington and, at the same time, so much uncertainty as to just how much legislation would have to be “jammed through” before adjournment could become an accomplished fact. Al- though various tentative dates have been roposed for the final “getaway,” the situation has been changing from day to day, almost from hour to hour. New factors have been injecting themselves into the legislative program with pro- vocative persistence; unforeseen objec- tions or obstacles arising which so far have prevented agreement upon a defi- nite program of objectives and a fixed date for final completion of this work. One official advanced the idea that Con- gress might follow the hope reported to have been broadcast by one of the Span- ish rebel leaders that “the Loyalists would be considerate enough not to attack until it is cooler.” He added that such a course might result not only in a modera- tion of the weather but also in the tempers of some of the members. %o % One feature connected with the ad- Jjournment of Congress is the air condi- tioning of the Capitol. During the pres- ent session the legislators have been obliged to content themselves with a part- 1y cooled building; and the plan to com- plete the system and extend it to include the Senate and House Office Buildings cannot be finished until after the various committees and members have vacated their rooms. David Lynn, architect of the Capitol, is proceeding with as much of the work as possible and will rush the entire plant to completion as soon as the Congressmen pack their bags and leave Washington, so that it may be comfortably cooled for them during the next heated session. An appropriation of $2550,000 was made by the previous Congress for this purpose, with small additional appropriations for certain minor changes and alterations necessi- tated by the installation of the air-con- ditioning system. * K % K Preparations are being made for a flight across the Atlantic next month by the largest French flying boat, the Lieu- tenant de Vaisseau Paris. This pride of the French aviation service, which would have visited the northern part of the United States last year, was wrecked in a storm at Pensacola while en route to New York from French Guiana, where it participated in ceremonies incident to the centenary of the founding of that colony. The battered airship has been repaired and a new engine is now being installed, it is reported, preparatory to the proposed journey. It will be piloted by Capt. Bonnot, who flew it across the Atlantic via the South American route it. It had a raw, bitter taste. likker Toby makes is never raw.” Steve Clark, who tells the story, is a waif grown to manhood under Jed's fatherly wing. Twenty years earlier Steve had been treed by a pair of blood- hounds trailing his criminal uncle and had been rescued by Jed and carted home for Jed's beautiful widowed sister-in-law to bring up. The romantic side of the story relates a brief and tragic love affair for Jed and a less tempestuous Jjourney for Steve and Sue. : In bringing to life these colorful, sin- cere and truly righteous characters of a vanishing race Mr. Givens has ad- hered faithfully to the traditions, the beliefs and the full-bodied stature of the men and women of the valley where “all cats are gray.” It was not his purpose to write a great novel, but to tell the story of a magnificent race of lawyers, orators and unaffected show- men who left no proper records behind them because they did not themselves know that they were great. The book is as splendid as the sentiment which prompted its writing. } The | the laws are aimed at, dreds of little canaries, and used them as gas detectors. The idea was that this inoffensive creature was “particularly susceptible” to gas, and would keel over at the first touch, long before human ncstrils had been able to detect it. The canaries were said ¢ “do their bit” for humanity—but it was pretty tough on the birds. Thousands of homing pigeons were used. Hundreds of them lost their lives. Horses and mules were slaughtered by the thousands, dying in the most horrible agony. * K K Kk No human has ever been bold enough to compute the number of so-called “meat animals” slain and eaten by man during a single year. The way we get along is not to think about it. When we hurry to the wharves, in a typical Ameriean city, we pass hundreds of chickens in cages. We are so intent on our vacation that we refuse to sully it with the idea that these creatures are to have their necks wrung in our behalf. * X Kk The yearly slaughter of birds by man still passes all computation. A beautiful bird, in some sections of our great land, is still just a target. Despite all the wonderful work done in bird conservation, the land still teems with rifles and air guns, freely used on the songsters. Only a few years ago our friend. the robin, was listed as a “game bird” in one of our great States. * xR % When we thus review briefly the scene of man as a killer (charitably we have left out all mention of the thousands of game birds killed each year as sport) we believe that only the most obdurate souls would dare mention the little house cat in the same breath with the paragon of the ages. Cats do kill birds, but they do it in response to Nature; and the total is far short of that encompassed by man. As bird killers, house cats are rather in the nature of “controls.” Nature has worked out a system of keeping down the population all her own; it is mixed up with her plan for providing food for her wild children. Where all the creatures come and go as they please, there always will be a certain loss of each species from the rest, but it will be found that this is a working out of the laws of survival, and that the fittest usually pass the test The kind-hearted human will shrink from death of any animal, but he w realize at the same time that it seems to be Nature's plan, and that in its working out there is none of the planned cruelty of man himself. A cat in a garden may not be guilt- less, but he is not the one against whom bird laws and regulations have been drawn up. The real enemy of birds is your brother, Man, and it is this killer even when they miss him. as they too often do. We re- fuse to get excited about cats, as long as this arch-killer is still loose in the \\'o{ld. S last year; and he will be accompanied by six other men. * ok % ok Us Sam has set up a new “law firm,” composed entirely of Government attorneys, to take care of the congestion of war risk insurance suits pending in the District of Columbia courts. Other United States district courts have juris- diction in these cases only of plaintiffs residing within the district, but, regard- less of residence, any case may be filed in the Supreme Court of the District of Co- lumbia. On this account the docket here has more pending cases than any other single district in the country. This has resulted in serious court congestion, with many cases remaining untried for years. Realizing this situation, the Bureau of War Risk Litigation of the Department of Justice, by agreement with United States Attorney Leslie C. Garnett, has organized this new “law firm” to care for the preparation and defense of these suits. Col. Allen Crenshaw, attorney in the Department of Justice, himself a World War veteran, with eight years’ ex- perience devoted exclusively to this spe- cialized litigation, has been placed in charge of the new organization. Four attorneys of the Department of Justice have been assigned to assist him in this work, and space in the Justice Building has been allotted to them. * X % x An important contribution to the sub- ject of international law has just been made by Miss Marjorie M. Whiteman, assistant to the legal adviser of the De- partment of State. This consists of two large volumes of 1,549 pages, published by the Government Printing Office, en- titled “Damages in International Law.” A third volume, in course of preparation, will go to press shortly. One of the offi- cials of the department, in commenting on the work, said that, “while giving due consideration to the mass of theory evolved on this subject, Miss Whiteman has been eminently successful in present- ing the material in a practical manner.” A graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, then taking her law degree at Yale in 1927, Miss Whiteman has been connected with the State Department for eight years past, having been appointed an assistant to the solicitor and when that office was superseded in 1931 by the legal adviser remaining there in the same capacity. She was research assistant in 1930 to the conference at The Hague on the codification of international law. * ok oK % With farm legislation to the fore and now receiving a degree of attention which it has seldom attained in the past. one matter that will be of great interest to farmers is covered in a report received here from Gordon P. Boals. assistant ag- ricultural attache to the United States Embassy in Berlin. He says that “long- range weather forecasting has reached a practical state in Germany, particularly with reference to agriculture. This is true,” he adds, “with respect not only to the apparent accuracy of the present forecasts, but also to the periodicity and timeliness of their issuance.” He re- ports that one group of forecasts now issued for 10-day periods during the Summer months, when they are of spe- cial value to farmers, has achieved a de- gree of accuracy, according to local ob- servers, comparable with the one and two day forecasts in most other coun- tries. With increasing experience and technical facilities, he states, the long- range weather forecasting activities of the German Weather Bureau are ex- pected to be further extended, not only over a longer period but in their scope and type. * ok K % Progress being made by the railroads of the United States in improving their equipment and in bettering conditions for the traveling public is evidenced by a new step which has just been taken by the Association of American Railroads. This is the establishment of a Division of Engineering Research, the purpose of which is to expand and co-ordinate such ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASK A reader can get the answer to any quertion of fact by writing The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. Please inc'ose stamp for reply. Q. What city has the most telephones in proportion to its population?—C. B. A. Washington, D. C. San Francisco is second. In this respect, considering the cities of the world, Chicago ranks ninth and New York City fifteenth. Q. What is the most expensive sporte ing event?—J. H. A. It is the Amrn(as Cup races, Q. How does the amount of money spent at the discretion of President Franklin D. Roosevelt compare with the sum thus spent before his term?—A. P, A. In a recent article, David Lawrence said: “From 1789-1933 the most money that all Presidents of the United States had to spend in ways in which they could exercise their own discretion amounted to a total over all the years of only $1687,000,000. One man in the White House since 1923 has had $15,« 428,000,000 placed at his discretion.” Q. What food commodities are traded in in futures on the Chicago Exchange? —R.D. C A. Food commodities admitted to fu- tures trading on that exchange are wheat, corn, oats, rye, barley, soybeans and hog products. Q. Do the tides ever stand still?—J. G. A. The Coast and Geodetic Survey says the tide begins to fall immediately after reaching its highest point, but the ver- tical motion is so slow at the time of both high and low tides that the change of elevation is usually not perceptible until some minutes later. The smaller the range of the tide, the longer is the apparent stand at the times of high and low waters. Q. What does epizootic mean?—W. R. A. It means an outbreak of disease among animals, just as epidemic means an outbreak of disease among people, Q. What is the name of the New York firm that is sending out a trailer to investigate old and wortifless securities? —E. W. A. The R. M. Smythe Company, 79 Wall Street, New York City, is sending out a traveling financial library in a trailer to appraise and sometimes to purchase inactive and extinct securities. The trailer is equipped with reference books on obsolete issues and the com- pany charges a small fee for appraising securities, Q. How far can a bird migrate?—E. J. A. Among the more remarkable flights are those of the golden plover, which travels some 8,000 miles south from the Hudson Bay region, crossing about 2,000 miles over the sea from Nova Scotia to the Caribbean countries and Winters in Argentina. It returns to Arctic America by way of Central America and the Mis= sissippi Valley. The Arctic tern migrates almost from the North Pole to the South Pole and back again each year, Q. How many pounds of bread will fifteen pounds of dough make?—L. J. F. A. Fifteen pounds of dough would ap- proximately produce thirteen pounds of baked bread. Tests conducted were mads one hour after bread was removed from oven, Q. What is the purpose of the National Twin Convention?—C. B. S. A. The purpose of the organization and its convention is to create fellowship among twins. Q. How has the percentage of church members kept pace with the population in the past hundred years in the United States?>—B. C. D. A. In 1830 church members were about 13 per cent of the population. In 1933 they were about 48 per cent of the population. Q. How large a city is Bogota?—8& E. A. Bogota, the capital of Colombia, has a population of 350,000. It is situ=- ated at an altitude of 8,560 feet. Q. How many times have attempts been made to assassinate Mussolini?>—M. B. H. A. There have been five or six at- tempts to assassinate Mussolini. The principal ones seem to have been: In 1931, Schirru confessed a plot to kill Mussolini and he was put to death; on June 17, 1932, A..Sbardellotto was sen- tenced to death because of a confession of a plan whereby he was chosen by lot to hurl bombs at Mussolini’s car; in March, 1934, Professor G. Salevmini and six others were charged with conspiring to assassinate Mussolini—four were acquitted. Q. Why do eggs beat more readily at some times than at others?—P. T. A. Temperature has a great influence, At room temperature they beat more rapidly and to a greater bulk than when they are chilled. Q. Who designed the Stephen Foster Memorial at the University of Pitts- burgh?—M. F. A. The designer of the memorial build- ing was the famous Philadelphia archi- tect, Charles Z. Klauder, who also plan- ned the Cathedral of Learning for the university. Q. What is the origin of the name Labrador?—J. H. A. The name is said to be derived from the Portuguese, “lavradores,” laborers. an early navigator having brought fifty- seven natives to Lisbon as laborers. Q. Who first used the expression, laugh and grow fat?—L. C. A. The quotation is “laugh and be fat” and is the title of a tract by John Taylor, published in 1615. e Grasshopper Diet. From the Yakima Republic. In some countries grasshoppers are a staple article of diet. Maybe if the dust bowlers would eat their hoppers instead of pursuing them with poison they could save time and money. work now being carried on independently by the various railroads in so far as it affects the physical properties. It will not duplicate or replace the activities of the individual roads in this direction, but will be supplementary thereto. One sub- ject with which the new division will deal will be the adaptability and use of * gnter materials, and it will study prekiems con- nected with paints, fuel and other ma- terials and supplies. Such correlation of effort, it is pointed out by officials of the organization here, is necessary because of the ultimate relationship between the design and operation of cars and loco- motives, and the construction and main« tenance of the roadbeds over which they operate. Copyright, 1087.)