Evening Star Newspaper, February 3, 1942, Page 10

A-8 THEODORE W. NOYES, Editor. WASHINGTON, D. C. TUESDAY. February 3, 1942 ‘The Evening Star Newspaper Company. Main Office: '11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. New Ycrk Office: 110 East 42nd St. Chicago Office: 435 North Michigan Ave. Delivered by Carrier—City and Suburban. Regular Edition. Evening and Sunday 75c per mo. or 18¢ per week The Evening Star_. 45c per mo. or 10c per week The Bunday UL, | pia) Editi ght Final jon. Night Pinal and’ Sunday Star- - 8¢ per month Night Final Star 4 60c per month 85¢ per month 55¢ per month e Sunday Sta 10¢ per copy Collections made at the end of each month or ‘week. Orders may be sent by mail or tele- phone National 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. 8 .00: .. 81, y only 8.00; 1 mo. 5.00; 1 mo., Sunday only Entered as second-cla: Wash! er post office, ingt c. Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dispatches credited to :t Gr not otherwise credited in this Daper and also the local news published herein. All rights of publication of special dispatches herein also are reserved. L —— i Sunday Wage Rates From a procedural standpoint, the dispute between the spokesmen for the converted automobile industry and the C. I. O. United Automobile Workers concerning double pay for Sunday work on war contracts might well serve as a model for the rest of the country. Negotiations on this point have been under way for some two months but it has not been possible to reach an agreement. Yet there is no threat of a strike. Instead, the labor representatives have asked the War Labor Board to intervene, and have stated that they are willing to put a seven-day schedule into effect at once provided the manufacturers agree that any decision reached by the War Labor Board shall be retro- active in effect. The stand taken by the United Automobile Workers on these pro- cedural matters is adapted admir- ably to the country’s need for un- Interrupted production of war mate- rials. It recognizes that disputes of | this character should be submitted | to the War Labor Board and, by im- | plication at least, commits the union | to acceptance of the hoard’s find- ings. This is an attitude which | deserves fullest commendation. The merit of the demand for double time on Sundays, however, is quite another matter. It is true that in the normal functioning of the industry double time was paid for Sunday work. But that was purely a punitive arrangement. It was designed to discourage Sunday work and to penalize employers who insisted upon it. The present situation is a wholly different one. | The demand for a twenty-four hour | day, seven-day week is coming from the Government, not from the in- dustry, and is the direct result of the country’s imperative need for mili- tary weapons of all kinds. It is, in other words, an essential war meas- ure, and that being the case, it seems wholly unreasonable for the union to insist upon maintenance of a pro- vision intended to discourage that which has now become a vital neces- sity. It should be borne in mind that Sunday work in this connection is | not overtime work. The schedule | still calls for each man to work eight hours a day, five days a week, and the employers have made clear their | willingness to pay overtime for any | work in excess of forty hours a week. ‘ The full work week would be main- | tained by employment of more men working more shifts. In these circumstances, it seems clear that Sundays, for purposes of wage determinations, should be treated as a normal work day. No reason appears, nor has the C. I. O. advanced any, why a wage distinc- tion should be made, and it certainly is clear that payment of double wages could result only in further increasing to the public the already staggering cost of the war effort. Should the War Labor Board inter- vene in the dispute, it is to be hoped | that its decision will be based on these incontestable considerations. | New Alien Curb The Justice Department order ex- cluding Japanese, Germans and Italians from West Coast areas speci- fied by the War Department carries forward the restrictions progressively imposed on Axis nationals since De- cember 7. Strategic centers which include the San Francisco water front and the municipal airport at Los Angeles are covered by the latest order, which is being promulgated after careful study. More than a score of other areas in California and surrounding States which are important from a military standpoint are scheduled to | be added to the list shortly. This action is being taken coinci- dent with the application of the new regulations, effective Monday, under which enemy aliens must equip themselves with identification cards and obtain permission from the Immigration and Naturalization Service before changing either resi- dence or employment. The exclusion order will affect | perhaps as many as 10,000 indi- | viduals, and they will be given from two to four weeks in which to get | their affairs in order and leave | the areas in which they may neither | live nor work. Certain detalls re- | main to be adjusted before this mass shift can be put into effect. In | formulating the final program, the Justice Department will have the assistance of other Government agencies. In some instances, there will be a resettlement problem that must be attended to by the Government. Again, financial in- h | tion.” THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1942, THIS AND THAT volvements will arise, No doubt there will be instances also where the separation of familtes will create complications. With these and kindred problems, the Government must be ready to cope. It is not unlikely that the order will cause hardship in some cases despite the best efforts of the Justice Department to avoid it. That, how- ever, cannot be helped. The restric- tions are necessary in the interest of national security. Democracy Wins in Chile The long-awaited Chilean presi- dential election is over and has re- sulted in the choice of the popular candidate, Juan Antonio Rios, by a lead of nearly 60,000 votes out of & total of about 500,000 ballots. The climax to a hotly contested cam- paign was orderly and the defeated candidate, General Ibanez, has con- ceded defeat without protest. So the new administration seems assured of a peaceful assumption of power. This happy outcome ends the period of uncertainty precipitated by the sudden death of President Aguirre Cerda last November in the middle of his six-year term of office. His election in 1938 was a landmark in Chilean politics. For more than a decade, Chile had suffered from chronic political instability, compli- cated by economic depression. The traditional rule of a conservative oligarchy composed chiefly of great landowners had been weakening be- | fore the rise of a liberal middle class | and a radical labor element, but the balance of power was too narrow for either side to govern effectively. Aguirre Cerda was the first President to be elected with a clear majority by a liberal-radical coalition known as the Popular Front and pledged to sweeping economic and social reforms. In Chile, as in other Latin American nations, the outbreak of war in Europe sharpened political lines on foreign issues. President Cerda was frankly anti-Axis and in favor of Pan-American co-opera- tion. The same was true of Senor Rios when he became the candidate of the Popular Front coalition, now | Democratic bloc. Early in the campaign he an- nounced: “The realities of the moment demand full co-operation with the United States. No other course is possible for Chile.” And his party campaigned under such slogans as: “Death to Fascism!” and “Down With Hitler!” The opposition candidate, General Carlos Ibanez del Campo, repre- sented a coalition of elements rang- ing from old-line conservatives to reactionary and pro-Axis groups. The general himself denied pro- Axis 1eanings and certainly was known as the friendly toward the United States | during his presidential term from 1927 to 1931. A soldierly figure, de- voted to discipline and order, he distrusted the political program of the Popular Front and campaigned chiely on an “anti-Communist” platform. Nevertheless, he did not reject the support of pro-Axis groups and was decidedly vague on the issue of Pan-American co-operation against the Axis powers. His elec- tion at the head of a coalition so markedly conservative undoubtedly would have been a mandate for a foreign policy of isolation and rigid neutrality akin to | that of the present conservative gov- ernment of Argentina. This was the reason why the stop-gap government | of Chile, though itself drawn from the Popular Front, did not wish to commit Chile in advance of the elec- tions, and therefore declined to break with the Axis at the Rio con- ference. The result of the elections seem- ingly has decided that issue. One of the first pronouncements made by President-elect Rios was that his success at the polls constitutes “a triumph for the democratic ideal and an annihilation of totalitarian forces as well as a reaffirmation of the policy of continental collabora- When he takes office next month, his government is expected to break all relations with the Axis, thus leaving Argentina the only Latin American country which has not fallen in line with the recom- mendation passed by the Rio Con- ference. Both within and without, Chile thus aligns itself with the demo- cratic and progressive trend in the Western Hemisphere. In principle, Chile already had done so by the Popular Front election of 1938. The present special election thus has confirmed a stand temporarily com- promised by the tragic death of its former standard-bearer. ”Th; Listener When.the Roberts Commission re- port on the Japanese raid on Hawaii was released for publication Janu- ary 24, the public almost instantly began to inquire about the identity of one anonymous individual men- tioned in the text. This man, it was alleged, was “a noncommissioned officer who had been receiving train- ing” in the use of the aircraft detec- tion system operated from four to seven o’clock each morning. It was explained that he had “requested that he be allowed to remain at one of the stations and was granted leave to do so.” Hence it happened that “at about 7:02 a.m. he discovered what he thought was a large flight of planes slightly east of north of Oahu, at a distance of about 130 miles.” Voluntarily, he communi- cated his find to a lieutenant who, unfortunately, supposed that the approaching aircraft were American. Had he been more skeptical, the at- tukmight?veboen beaten off. As ) AN interpreted as | po was or what he did. it was, he “took no action” and on that slim chance the invaders un- wittingly gambled—and won. The “noncommissioned officer” who had stayed at his post and been efficlently suspicious, of course, was appreciated by his countrymen for having attempted to perform his duty. A Nation-wide demand for his name developed until at last yester- day the War Department disclosed it to Representative Harness of In- diana. He is Private Joseph L. Lockard, twenty, of Williamsport, Pennsylvania. President Roosevelt already has been asked to grant him a citation. Without regard to formal recognition, however, he should be afforded an opportunity to make the most of his powers of enthusiasm and loyalty in the work he desires to do. Prime Minister Quisling Time was when Major Vidkun Quisling was regarded as an honest man, esteemed a good and loyal soldier. For services rendered to a friendly government while stationed in Moscow in 1929 he regeived the Order of the British Empire. His sovereign, King Haakon VII in 1931 approved his appointment as Min- ister of Defense, charged with the administration of his country’s army and navy. Just why he should have turned Fascist is one of the mys- teries of the “age of confusion” which stiil unhappily prevails. What the world does know is that Quisling “has added a new word to the English language.” The London Times observes: “Aurally, it contrives to suggest something at once slippery and tortuous. Visually, it has the supreme merit of beginning with a Q, which (with one august exception) has long seemed to the British mind to be a crooked, uncertain and slightly disreputable letter, sugges- tive of the questionable, the queru- lous, the quavering of quaking quag- mires and quivering quicksands, of quibbles and quarrels, of queasiness, quackery, qualms and quilp.” But Quisling himself is nothing to jest about. Both Franklin D. Roose- velt and Winston Churchill have indicted him at the bar of history. The living symbol of treason, he is in the twentieth century a sordid equivalent of Benedict Arnold in the eighteenth. Yet his crime exceeds that of the disillusioned hero of Quebec and Crown Point, first, be- cause, especiaily on April 9, 1940, it succeeded, and second, because, as has been apparent ever since that tragic date, it has hurt the whole civilized world. Now Adolf Hitler has promoted his creature to be a puppet Prime Minister of Norway under Nazi occu- pation. A celebration of a sort has | been staged at Akershus Castle in Oslo, and Quisling hgs been invested with rominal rule of the captive Norwegian people. His lieutenants will be the governors or fylkesmann of twenty provinces. The appointees are drawn from the membership of the Nasjonal Samling, as the fifth- column movement is called. Legal authority, meanwhile, remains with the exiled government in London. Fate will determine Prime Min- ister Quisling’s personal future. But whatever happens to him now will be anti-climax. He already has made himself immortal. Years hence people will know the meaning of “a quisling” without knowing who Worth-While Experiment The introduction next week of a taxicab “pickup” service, authorized by the Public Utilities Commission, is frankly an experiment, and as such it should be given a fair trial. There is no reason to expect any notable results. The numbeny of par- ticipating cabs will be limited, they will operate in the downtown areas and only during rush hours, and the experiment will be limited to a thirty-day period. Yet even this limited trial should ‘furnish some basis for determining whether the proposal has any real possibilities. Objections to the experiment have been advanced, principally on the | ground that the pickup taxis might congest bus stops and clog downtown traffic. In advance of any showing to the contrary, however, it is diffi- cult to understand why four pas- sengers riding in one taxicab should cause more traffic congestion than four taxicabs hauling one passenger each. It may very well be that the com- mission, after the trial period, will conclude that a pickup service is not feasible in the District. Should that be the case, it is to be expected that the project will be abandoned. Meanwhile, there is no reason to condemn in advance of trial an ex- periment which can cause no harm and which may contribute some- thing toward a solution of the Capital’s increasingly serious traffic problems. Commissioner Young deplores the lack of defense assistance given this Capital City by the Federal Govern- ment, for whose benefit it is main- tained. Come peace, come war, in prosperity or in depression, Congress continues to play the elder sisters to our Cinderella. Gasoline goes to the heads of some people more quickly than does alco- hol to the noodles of others. When a citizen is unduly susceptible to both, it is too bad he cannot be utilized as a member of a suicide squad against the enemy. ” The suggestion is made that in case of an air raid all motorists turn on, their horns as volunteer sirens. It seems to most of us that down- town Washington, at least, has had that so long that it would be just another case of “Wolf, Wolf!" Of Stars, Men And Atoms Notebook of Science Progress In Laboratory, Field And Study By Thomas R. Henry. Millions of pounds of two essential war materials can be obtained from sugar cane. This has been determined in experi- ments just reported by Department of Agriculture chemists. Hitherto the two substances—wax and aconitic acid—have gone to waste. Most significant is wax. A considerable part of the normal American supply has been imported in the past and the sources now are closed. It is especially significant, the chemists say, for & variety of necessary naval materials and the search for a new source was undertaken at the Navy's request. . A fair quality of wax covers the surface of the sugar cane stalk. It has been a nuisance. It was largely dislodged and flushed off in milling operations and has to be remoyed from the cane juice. The Government chemists, they an- nounced, have found a way of extracting it cheaply and a pilot plant has been set up to determine costs under actual manu- facturing conditions. Several million pounds can be obtained annually from the sugar cane processed in the United States without turning to the Cuban or Puerto Rican crops, they say. Acotinic acid is essential in the manu- facture of many of the plastics vitally needed for war industries. It now is pro- duced by a chemical process from citric acid at a relatively high price. It is, the Department of Agriculture chemists say, the principal organic acid in both sugar cane and in the sorghum cane which is grown extensively in the South and Central Midwest. Here again it has been a nuisance. It comes out in the juices as an impurity which may cause considerable spoilage and must be eliminated. The best source they have found to date is molasses. Sometimes the recovery is as much as 6 per cent. The investi- gation also has shown that the acid occurs in relatively large quantitiés in the discarded tops of the cane, hitherto almost a complete waste. In both cases, however, acotinic acid occurs in combination with other sub- stances and the Government chemists now are at work on ways of separating it on a commercial basis. Again, they say, the available supply runs into mil- lions of pounds a year without sacrificing anything else in the sugar cane, * koK X A new type of diphtheria is rampant in the earth. Pirst discovered in Germany about 15 years ago, it recently gained its first foot- hold in the New World at Halifax, where it has been checked, at least temporarily, by 11 experts sent from the Harvard University medical school. One of its worst outbreaks has been in Ireland, where it is known as “black diphtheria.” It does not react well to diphtheria antitoxin and presumably a new and quite stable strain of the diph- theria bacillus is involved. For nearly 30 years medical science was confident that this malady, for centuries one of the worst killers of children, was essentially conquered. Now, says the Journal of the American Medical Association, “there is a growing pessimism and perplexity” and much of the work must be done all over again. The first sign that all was not well came in 1927, when two German doctors reported that the death rate from diph- theria in & large Berlin hospital, where all the instruments of modern medicine had been used skillfully, had risen from an expected 5 per cent to more than 25 per cent. In the next few years similar situations were reported from Czecho- Slovakia, France, Italy and Rumania. Then came a large outbreak in Ireland. Dublin experimenters are credited with the theory of the new disease now con- sidered most logical. Both the old and new maladies, they determined, produce two kinds of poisons—toxins A and B— which act together in a malignant part- nership. Neither is exceptionally fatal when it works alone. The old diphtheria bacillus produced lots of toxin A and very little of toxin B. The standardized diphtheria antitoxin which had saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of children acted chiefly to neutralize the former poison and had little effect on the second. The new diphtheria, the Irish doctors decided, pro- duced chiefly toxin B. An antitoxin con- taining two antibodies apparently is needed to overcome the combined effect. A notable finding was that diphtheria immunization to which most American schoolchildren are subjected, has little effect on susceptibility to the new disease. The black diphtheria bacillus has little effect in forming strangling membranes in the throat, as did the old one. Instead, it spreads rapidly through the body and attacks the kidneys, heart, adrenal glands and nervous system. The Harvard doctors at Halifax, how- ever, found that good effects were ob- tained by administering the sulfa drugs, chiefly sulfadiazine, together with routine antiserum. The sulfadiazine presumably did not specifically overcome the dreaded toxin B, as the antiserum neutralized toxin A, but prevented multiplication of the bacteria itself. Urges Reforms in Behalf Of “Victory for All Time.” To the Editor of The Star: Posing neither as preacher nor teach- er, being humble and with many faults, nevertheless, I behold numerous defects in our way to ultimate victory and sug- gest the following remedies: Pirst: For young men—Much less drinking (and smoking, preferably none). Second: For young women—Much less abominable, everlasting cigarette smok- ing (and drinking, preferably none). Third: For men and women—Mind your own business, avoid undue com- placency snd in lieu of senseless snob- bery adopt a much more kindly and considerate attitude toward fellow men. Fourth: For the Nation as & whole— Cut out selfishness and greed, abandon wastefulness completely and pull to- gether with a single purpose which calls for nothing short of an absolute mora- torjum for petty politics. Fifth: For everybody—Relearn the art of smiling and read the Bible oc- casionally, regardless of religion, with an open mind. Victory for all time is positively as- |- sured if these things are done; ques- Falling as well as leaping prowess of squirrels is discussed in s communica- tion from a local nature lover. “One day last summer,” he says, “s squirrel fell from a tall oak tree to the ground with an audible thump, but I could not see him nor where he hit the ground; I only heard the racket as he was on his way, and it was noise enough to make one think that, possibly, & chair had been thrown from the top of the tree. “The accompanying shower of leavas and twigs ocontinued long after Mr. Squirrel had finished his tumble. “His brethern round about seemed un- interested, and apparently thought nothing of it. * e “Again, when I was distributing peanuts, two squirrels got into a fight, with the usual dashing up and down and around and around some tree. Pinally they were out on a limb and tangled furiously, and down they came in a ball of fur and flying tails. “Fortunately, they had not far to fell and seemed none the worse for it, but it ended the fight. Each evidently considered it was enough for right then. “A good squirrel fight is about as fast action as any one could expect or hope ever to see. My! What great profes- sional hockey players they would be if they could skate! “I am convinced that my squirrels know me well. They will come to me for peanuts readily and some will eat them right at my feet, seemingly without the slightest fear, but if any stranger ap- proaches they scurry away to a nearby tree. * % ¥ % “Some seepn to have no fear if I lay my cane gently along their backs, and & few will even try to climb up my cane. “One I have coaxed to climb up my trouser leg to my knee to get a peanut. “It is interesting to observe how much individuality they have. A few will snatch at a peanut with every symptom of ‘nerves’ but my favorite smart ones will take a nut from my fingers as gently and as politely as though they were in the drawing room, first putting their front paws against my fingers without the slightest appearance of fear. And what beggars they are. At times they will follow me far from their im- mediate neighborhood still asking for peanuts, if only to bury them under the leaves when they are too full to eat any more at the moment. “I get & lot of pleasure out of feed- ing my squirrels and I have no doubt but what they do, too. Anyway, I know they are as fat as butter, every one of them, and I always have plenty of peanuts handy.” s e It is amazing, when you stop to think of it, how long one may watch squirrels without seeing even one of them fall to the ground. 1t is possible to be very much interested in the creetures, and watch them for years, without seeing a real tumble which results in a hard landing on earth or concrete. Yet no doubt many such tumbles re- | sult, for these are active animals, none more s0, with hundreds of- possibilities of bad falls ‘everyday. dweller has seen this, at some time or other. Often squirrels may be seen crossing busy thoroughfares by going over on electric cables and wires. If they should fall off, there would be Thothing to it except that they fall on concrete. . The animals, too, make desperate leaps in trees, from one slim end of a branch to another equally small many feet away. Often these branches go far down, as the animal leaps, but seldom fail to uphold him. This is because, evidently, squirrels seldom make a mistake in what they can do. While their jumps seem hazardous, from the human standpoint, from that of a squirrel they are easy. Just as they are fast in their move- ments, so are they speedy in their estimations, evidently. The whole process, mental as well as physical, is simply one of co-ordination, worked out by the squirrel tribe over the centuries. No thought is required, in a sense, and yet in another the thinking, as well as the timing, is perfect. LR Our correspondent’s ides of squirrels on skates is an appealing one. Perhaps some writer of children’s stories some day will give the world & squirrel “icecapades,” or “follies.” Cer- tainly no human skaters, however clever, could excell the squirrel family on ice. ‘This reminds us of Oliver Goldsmith’s account of the squirrels using their tails as sails, ip his “Natural History.” This legend (2nd it was nothing more) had the animals crossing a stream by biting off a neat piece of bark (which they might do), then seating themselves on it, and using the tail as a mariner might & sail. This entire ides was built on the cleverness of the animal, as something he might do, if he were human enough to think as we do. It probably was based on & neat idea of some ancient friend of squirrels, when he saw one of the animals fall into & stream, clutch a bit of bark floating by, and perch upon it. The fact that the tail would be upright, in characteristic fashion, and that the wind might catch it, would be enough to convince the creature’s friend that he did it purposely. Surely, squirrels are clever enough, after all. B Letters to Expresses Thanks for Help In Infantile Paralysis Drive. To the Bditor of The Star: On behalf of the general chairman and the Executive Committee of the ‘Washington's President’s Birthday Cele- bration, may I commend The Star for its liberal and valuable treatment of the event? While we realize that celebrities make | an occasion, all the planning and show- | meanship must be sustained by newspaper promotion. As in the past The Star has been foremost in assisting the com- mittee, and this letter is grateful acknowledgment of the aid you gave to & splendid humanitarian cause. ANDREW R. KELLEY, Executive Director Entertainment Committee. Says Temporary Defense Workers Need Not All Live in Washingten. To the Editor of The Star: Charles F. Palmer, co-ordinator of defense housing, is reported to have stated before the House Public Buildings and Grounds Committee on January 20 that if proposed defense housing fails to take care of Washington's growing population it may become necessary to order removal of all persons who are not directly participating in the Nation’s war effort. Before any such drastic orders are issued I would like to ask whether or not, in considering this apparent need for s0 many thousands of war workers, the fact has been taken into considera- tion that these new Government em- ployes are in the first place making & change of residence in coming to Wash- ington and are only to be employed temporarily or for the duration of the war and possibly for a few months thereafter. Therefore, if space must be found elsewhere to provide for workers now more or less permanent in order that they may make room for thousands of war workers who will be only tem- porary, why are not the efforts to take ~are of the war workers, who are chang- ing their residences anyhow, concen- trated on finding space for them some- where other than Washington? Cer- tainly it is not so extremely important that all of the war workers be assembled in Washington. It most assuredly seems unwise, if only from the standpoint of morale, that for every temporary worker coming to Washington a permanent worker and resident should have to give up his or her home here whether it be a house, apartment or even a room. Certainly the people of Washington are not going to take such removal orders lying down unless some more substantial reason is advanced than there has been to date. B. C. WALKER. W‘mrflfi"lm For Defense Against Japan. To the Editor of The Star: - The Roberts , appointed investigate mm“’nm affair, re- ported that our naval and military com- manders in Hawail had neglected to take adequate measures to prevent being sur- the Editor Letters to the Editor must bear the name and address of the writer, although the use of a pseudonym for publication is permissible. The Star reserves the right to edit all letters with a view to condensation. prised, and it cited evidence to support its findings. But the Roberts report also states that our military forces in Hawaii were in- adequate for the defense of the islands. And it is hardly necessary now to point out that the same situation existed in the Philippines. Yet, in the face of these facts, our Government tried to take a strong and uncompromising stand to- ward Japan and was even making de- mands upon that country. I do not ques- tion the justice of that stand or those demands. But if we wanted to take such a stand we should have been prepared to back it up. Now that we have been attacked and suffered a set back, we are rushing all possible aid to our outnumbered forces and their Allies. But it undoubtedly will take larger forces and greater sacrifices to regain the lost ground than would have been necessary to hold it in the first place. It is even possible that had we had adequate military and naval | forces in Hawaii and the Philippines, the attack might not have been made at all. Unpreparedness invites attack. Responsibility for having inadequate defending forces in our outlying Pacific bases rests, not on our naval and military commanders there, but upon the “higher ups” here in Washington, and, in the final analysis, on the President himself, The latter is not only commander in chief of the Army and Navy. He also directs relations with foreign countries. In all questions of general policy in the administrative fieid, he has the final de- cision; he therefore also must have the final responsibility. The Roberts report likewise discloses excessive solicitude on the part of our Government for the feelings of the Japa- nese and & fear that the latter might be offended by our defense measures in the Pacific. The “yellow aryans,” on the other hand, appear not to have consulted our wishes regarding their military move- ments, whether for defensive or offensive EDW. WOLESENSKY. Haskin's Answers To Questions By Frederic J. Haskin. A reader can get the answer to any question of fact by writing The Eve- ning Star Information Bureau, Fred- eric J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. In normal times, do the South ' American ccuntries trade mare with the United States than with Europe?—E. Napoleon of a winter base. Q. When was it customary for women to wear mourning during Lent?—D. Y. A. In England it was long the custom for women to wear mourning during Lent. Queen Elizabeth and her court observed this fashion which survived until well into the 19th century. Honey and Some of Its Uses— Honey is an almost perfect sub- stitute for sugar and also has unique physical and chemical properties. Because honey is com- posed so largely of simple sugars it can be assimilated by the body with ease. This booklet includes recipes for confections, cakes, quick breads, and tells ways of using un- cooked honey and how to cook with honey. The sugar rationing will not be a problem if you learn to use substitutes. To secure your copy of this publication inclose 5 cents in coin, wrapped in this clipping, and mail to The Star In- formation Bureau. Q. Do wild birds stand cold weather better when they are well fed?—W. H. A. Both game and song birds are forti= fled against severe weather by food. Systematic winter feeding is urged in order to save wild life. Q. How much blood must be used for & blood test?—S. L. k. A. All that is necessary is a small drop of blood taken from the lobe of & patient's ear or from his forearm. Q. Are all the cells in a honeycomb of equal size or do they vary?—N. I. H. A. The six-sided cells are constructed with mathematical accuracy in three sizes. The cells in which the drones are hatched are much larger than those of the ordinary workers. The royal eells are largest of all and oval in shape. Q. Who wrote the “Surprise Syme phony”?—L. A. A. This is the title of a composition by Joseph Haydn. Q. How long was Brazil ruled by an emperor?—C. S. E. A. In 1822 the country, by means of & peaceful revolution led by Dom Pedro, declared its independence of Portugal and established the Empire of Brazl with Dom Pedro I as its first emperor. He was succeeded in 1831 by his son Dom Pedro II, who reigned until the final establishment of the republic in 1889, Q. When and where did Andrew Car- negie die?—W. B. A. Andrew Carnegie died at Lenmox, Mass, on August 11, 1919. Q. What ig the literal meaning of “vox pox"?—C. R. A. It is an abbreviation of the Latin “vox populi,” meaning “the voice of the people.” The complete expression is “vox | populi vox Dei,” “the voice of the people is the voice of God.” Q. Did John and Priscilla Alden have children?—G. B. T. A. When Gov. Bradford wrote the his- tory of Plymouth Plantation, John Alden and his wife had 11 children. There are many living descendants. Q. What is the name of the pouch which is & part of a Scotsman’s cos- tume?—L. 8. O. A. The pouch which hangs from the belt in front of a Highlander’s kilt is called a “sporran.” It is used as & purse. Q. Where was Florence McGee born?— J.E W A. Florence McGee was born in Pre- toria, South Africa. She came to New York about 1931 and appeared as a grandniece of Otis Skinner in “A Hundred Years Old.” Q. What was the famous manuscript that was destroyed accidentally by s servant?—T. A. A. Thomas Carlyle lent the manuscript of the first volume of his French Revo- lution to John Stuart Mill. The latter’s servant girl, not realizing the value of the papers littering her employer’s desk, threw the manuscript into the fire, Carlyle rewrote the book. Q. How did the word “investigate” originate?—C. L. A. It comes from the Latin “ves- tigium,” a footprint. The word there- fore literally means to follow footprints, hence to inquire into carefully. Q. What is the average weight of & cubic foot of coal>—J. D. T. A. The Geological Survey says that bituminous coal- ranges in weight from 44 to 585 pounds per cubic foot and anthracite from 52 to 50.6 pounds per cubic foot. g Winter Oak My oak has lost its choirs Yo silence and the cold: Its drief autumnal fires Are flickering into mold: And, though the winds be bitter That smite the naked bough, Yet, thus berefit of summer, No frost can harm it now. And I, whose blithe, swift season Of youth is at an end, Would stand unscathed by treason Of lover or of friend; But, O the heart that suffers, . The heart that cannot be $o the bleak frosts of winter indifferent as a tree. MARY SINTON LETTON. i r