Evening Star Newspaper, April 17, 1942, Page 14

The Foening Star With Sandar Merning Edition, THEODORE W. NOYES, Editor. WASHINGTON, D. C. FRIDAY April 17, 1942 The Evening Star Newspaper Company. Main Office: 11th 8t and Pvnnly'h-;né, Ave New York Office 110 East 42y Chicago Office. 435 North Michigan Ave. Delivered by Carrier—City and Suburban. Reguiar Edition Be per mo. or 1 K¢ per week 45¢ per mo. or 10¢ per week 10¢ per copy Erenine and Sunday pe Evenine B he Sunday Hieht Pinai Night Pins ‘oilectjons sach week Or. phone Nationa t Final Edition. unday Btar Kbe per month Alc per month t the end of eash month or may be sent by mail or tele- Rates by Mail—Payable in Advance. B Entered as meeond-class matter post office. Washington, D. ¢ Member of the Associated Press. The Associateq Pre the use f@r republica eredited 18 it or not Daper and also the local news published herein i riehia of publication of ‘special disoatches erein also are reserved Newbold Noyes More than twelve months ago Newbold Noyes was told by his physicians that he could not expect to live much longer the verdict with a graceful courage which was an index to his charac- | ter. Instead of resigning himself to a fate which medical science fore- ! mast, he determined to fight for his | existence. This he did. without bit- terness or self-pity but rather with casual gallantry and cheerfulness | By | preme effort to crush Anglo-Chinese that now add a peculiar poignancy to his {ll-timed death. To his friends and to his devoted assoclates on The Star his departure is a tragedy softened only by the | memory of a striking and lovable personality. To The Star as an insti- tution and to the city in which he was born and to which he was par- ticularly devoted, his passing is a grievous loss. He goes at a moment when there is sore need for the qualities he so abundantly pos- sessed—the qualities of courage, of love and reverence for truth and of effective leadership. Mr. Noyes was passionately en- thuslastic about newspaper work. The ever-changing drama of current events was meat and drink to him. He enjoyed the tension and excite- ment of news-gathering, and while he took a deep professional pride in a well-done feat of journalism, regardless of by whom it was accom- | plished or where, he was even more concerned over sham or pretense or insincerity in journalism than he would have been over the same faults in any other field. The func- tions and responsibilities of jour- nalism he respected; those abused them he despised. If his forthright candor and blunt, direct speech occasionally lacked the finesse and tact of more diplomatic utter- ances, they left nothing lacking in regard to his honesty in plainly stating the facts as he saw them. fts righteousness or wisdom found him a forceful and unfaltering ad- vocate. Many enterprises of high soclal significance in Washington engaged his active heln. He was a leader in the formation of Council of Social Agencies and, later, the Community Chest. His interest In such activities was not merely the professional interest of an editor but the warmly human interest of one deeply and genuinely sympa- thetic to the purposes to be achieved. | His generosity reflected the same traits wh y | 3 raits which made him a loyal friend | way to Chungking, over which all of every movement which had as its object the alleviation of hardship or suffering The past few years had brought Mr. Noves challenges which stirred him to the depth of his soul Tyranny was an evil which he resisted with unquenchable zeal. As he had fought | ignorance and poverty at an earlier | S | rightly stresses the importance of period of his life, so he campaigned against the foes of democracy at the close. His final efforts were pro- tests against the architects of the world’s prevailing misery and sor- row. Even when he was desperately i1, he lifted his pen to indict them. It truly might be said that at the last he offered to liberty and peace | | ingly is prepared to pay the price. It is hard to think of him as cone, | the final measure of devotion for he had a zestful love of living But in the hearts of his friends he has left a memory that will continue to carry forward some of the inspira- tion of his life seventeen years of age, and a student at Westminster School, he wrote these lines, which were published in the Westminster Review, and for which he said he would be glad to be remembered “Fight a good fight Play a square game, Despise a lie, Make a clean name “Be glad of life, Stick to your friends Pray to your God So the game ends.” Rail Embargo The railroads wisely are proceeding on the “ounce of prevention” theory in refusing to accept treight for export unless consignors can show that ship space is avail- able for prompt dispatch course serves preventing congestion either at the ports or out on the line and corre- spondingly will facilitate the move- ment of Army and Navy and lease- lend freight, which is not affected by the embargo. In applying this restriction to com- mercial shipments bound for all ports, the rallroads are carrying s | large-scale ted | el | mated by the Chinese military intel- who | | drive from Thailand. Whatever cause convinced him of | the | When Mr. Noyes was | | formed meritoriously many commercial | This | the dual purpose of | step forward a plan inaugurated some time ago when scarcity of bot- toms caused similar action at several ports on both coasts. ‘The embargo, promulgated through the Association of American Rail- roads, is effective immediately. The fact that it can be applied universally without delay is a further demon- stration of the careful preparations which the carriers have made to | cope with emergencies arising out of | the record-breaking freight move- ment—preparations which have been | | reflected in highly efficient handling of the tremendous volume of busi- ness which contrasts sharply with conditions at the time of the First | World War. That the railroads have found it | | necessary to widen the restrictions on commercial shipments, however, indicates that the ship shortage is being felt with increasing severity. | Burma Front Sensational happenings elsewhere should not distract attention from the campaign in Burma. Everything indicates that the Japanese high | command regards this as their chief immediate objective Chungking | dispatches tell of big new Japanese | troop concentrations landed at Ran- goon and massing in Thailand for a flank attack. Those Japanese reinforcements are esti- ligence to aggregate at least 100,000. Added to the Japanese forces already in Burma, this presumably gives the invaders a dangerous preponderance of man power, with air superiority already attained. That is an omi- nous combination, suggesting a su- resistance beneath impossible odds, similar to that which broke Ameri- | can-Filipino resistance on Bataan. The two-pronged Japanese offen- sive northward from Rangoon con- tinues to drive the British Imperials up the Irrawaddy River and the Chinese up the parallel Sittang River valley. The defenders are now more than halfway to their joint base at Mandalay, the capital of Upper Burma, already devastated by Japa- nese air bombings. As they retreat northward, their joint flanks lose the protection of the Pegu Yoma mountain ridge, which descends to rolling jungle-clad hills. Through these, Japanese light troops aided by Burmese guerillas are infiltrating. The southern edge of the Irrawaddy oil flelds is already in Japanese hands, and the main field will prob- ably soon fall, as the British do not seem to be able to do more than fight delaying actions. Chungking complains that the British retire- ment is so fast that it exposes the Chinese connecting flank. But the British Imperials on the Irrawaddy have the harder job, since they are operating on a broader front in open country. Yet, whatever the reason, the result is no less unfortunate, While the Anglo-Chinese forces in Central Burma are thus under heavy pressure, their joint rear may soon be threatened by the new Japanese Ever since Japan occupied that buffer state, four months ago, Japanese forces have been massing at Chiengmai, a railhead not far from the Burmese | border where it juts eastward through the Shan country. This is a wild and mountainous region, but the ‘Japanese have been busy building roads through the jungle, and now seem able to deliver an attack on a broad front. That attack, if suc- cessful, would cut off the main Anglo- Chinese forces from their line of communication with China at Lashio, the Burmese terminus of the high- troops from China must come. The Chinese have strong defending forces in the Shan region, but lack of air | power may be as great a handicap | here as it 's further south. Along the entire Burmese front the situation thus is becoming erit- ical in the extreme Chungking Burma to the United Nations. It says that Tokio has three vital ob- jectives in its present drive: oil, India and the isolation of China. Those are ample reasons why Japan is driving ahead with all possible speed. The stakes warrant sacrifices on a large scale. And Japan seem- Women Sailors The Navy's plan to enlist women for special noncombatant service differs in one important respect from the Army's proposal for a Women's Auxiliary Corps. Whereas the Army auxiliaries would not bear military rank nor be considered as actually part of the Army, the Navy women, under a bill adopted by the House, would be sailors in fact—subject to naval rules and regulations but limited to a certain sphere of activity. The Navy program is patterned in general after the World War I “yeo- manette” idea, which proved highly suceessful. The women yeomen per- jobs formerly assigned to men, thus mak- ing additional man power available for combat duty. Similarly, the | Women's Naval Auxiliary would take over sundry office work now requiring the services of men of various grades. For example, they would serve as | secretarial aides, as telephone and telegraph operators, as code special- ists and as clerks of sundry classifica- tion. Like the Army auxiliaries, they | would be volunteers, enlisted for the duration of the war. It would seem, ofthand, that the Navy would have an advantage over the Army in gaining recruits for auxiliary service, for, as Representa- tive Maas, sponsor of the Navy bill, remarked, the Navy plan offers cer- tain benefits of pay and allowances ‘ THE EVENING STAR, not permitted under the Army bill. Moreover, the opportunity to serve as a bona fide member of the armed forces, rather than as a civilian adjunct as contemplated in the Army arrangement, would have a special appeal to many women. The wiser course would be to bring the two | auxiliary plans into closer harmony, | so as to avoid destructive competi- tion that might hamper the Army in carrying out its auxiliary program. The ‘Flying Tiger’ The announcement that Colonel Claire L. Chennault, commander of the famous “Flying Tigers” of the Burma road, has been promoted to brigadier general and recalled to active duty with the United States Army is good news. be regarded as something of a mira- cle worker because of the amazingly successful results his American Vol- unteer Group has achieved in com- bat with the Japanese. But there is nothing miraculous about it. as in the case of virtually all success- ful military operations, success is the product of intelligent and careful preparation. There is no reason to suppose that the pilots in the volunteer group are inherently better than other Ameri- can and British pilots, nor is their equipment from either a quantita- tive or qualitative standpoint any better, if as'good. But they have had the great advantage of specialized training in Japanese combat tactics from one who is probably the best informed white man in the world on Japanese air technique. In 1937—then Captain—Chennault was retired from the Army Air Corps. He intended to spend his retirement perlod leisurely down in Louisiana, but it was not long until he was in- duced to go to China to train the Chinese Air Force. It was, at that time that he began the study of Japanese tactics which was put to such good use when the American volunteer unit was formed from pllots who had been permitted to resign from the United States Army and Navy air forces to undertake the guarding of the Burma road. Under the tutelage of Colonel Chennault, the “Flying Tigers” were taught to forget how to fly “by the book.” The Japanese had sacrificed armor and armament, with the re- sult that their pursuit planes were fast and extremely maneuverable, The outnumbered A. V. G. pilots could not afford to use conventional tactics against them, for the Japs were prepared for these. But they did not do so well against the seem- ingly unorthodox flying methods in which Colonel Chennault’s pupils had been so carefully schooled; in fact, the Japanese lost about ten planes to each one that they shot down. One A. V. G. squadron leader has summed it up this way: “The Japs don't know what the devil to make of our tactics. The old boy (Colonel Chennault) was absolutely right and that is why we have bumped off so many of them.” It seems that the experience which Colonel Chennault has used to such good advantage in Burma might well be given a larger field of employment in training the pilots of our own air forces. If that is the significance of his recall, it is indeed a welcome move. 0.C.D. Reorgon;ied There is evidently no room for “frills” in the Office of Civilian De- fense under the reorganization plan just announced by the White House. The executive order directing crea- tion of an inter-agency board to integrate civillan defense activities more closely with the war program omits any mention of morale build- ing or other social service work of the type which brought so much criticism of the original setup. The new O. C. D. is to be stripped for action as a wartime administrator and co-ordinator of essential com- munity home defense preparations, such as air-raid precautionary meas- ures and recruiting of civilians for participation in various phases of the war effort. In anticipation of this reorganiza- tion, O. C. D. already had transferred to the Federal Security Administra- tion the much-publicized physical fitness division. Federal Security Administrator McNutt promptly per- formed a major operation on the division, as a result of which only nine of its remaining thirty-six em- ployes will be retained after May 1. This group will be merged with the F. S. A. Office of Defense Health and Welfare Services. The old physical fitness division had been duplicat- ing much of the program of Mr. Mc- Nutt’s agency. The establishment of an O. C. D. advisory board composed of the Secretaries of War and Navy, Attor- ney General Biddle, Mr. McNutt, Mayor Morris J. Tobin of Boston, Gov. Harold Stassen of Minnesota, Red Cross Chairman Norman H. Davis and Execntive Director Earl D. Mallery of the American Munici- palities Association has the twofold effect of providing O. C. D. with an effective balance wheel and of tying the agency directly to Federal, State and municjpal groups concerned with community war problems. The reorganization should greatly assist Civilian Defense Director Landis in developing O. C. D. into an emergency agency capable of making an important contribution to the Nation’s war effort behind the lines. As an interesting item for the So What department, it happens that Christianity was first introduced into Japan in 1542, just 400 years ago. A » WASHINGTON, D. C., Hitler Enthrones Another Quisling Sees Elevation of Laval As Completing Nazi Experiment By Blair Bolles. Pierre Laval's political reincarnation brings to a close a German experiment | in oppressive statesmanship as cunning as anything cunning Adolf has framed The French settlement of 1940 divided all Gaul into two parts. The French people and the Prench govérnment were turned into schizophrenes. ruled in fact by Germany. The other half was governed in fiction by a French regime. The popular Prench loathing for the German was balanced by the pop- | ular French liking for Marshal Petain Colonel Chennault—his promotion | awalts confirmation—has come to | ‘The people oppressed by the Germans which in its turn was most subtly op- pressed by the Germans. Half of France hoped that it was free even when it knew very well it was not free. Anti-Axis he was a helpless German tool ran the danger of outraging those many PFrench men and women who still regarded Petain as a great French hero. By making it impossible for all France to realize that the country had lost its in- dependence, Hitler made it impossible for France to concentrate its antipathies on the Germans. The time has come now when France knows who its enemies are: Hitler in Berlin and Laval in Vichy. The French love for Petain is matched by the loathing for Laval. If we Amer- icans have lost the useless friendship of a weak government, we have gained the | valuable friendship of a strong people, Only a later day will let us know why it was that Hitler chose the middle of April to destroy the madhouse govern- ment he had established in July two years ago. How was it Petain could be so easily overturned? The past two months have indicated that so far as Petain was concerned, the United States had greater authority in Vichy than Ger- many did. This is scarcely a pleasing prospect for a German conqueror at war with the United States. Only a later day, too, will let us know the world consequences of the elevation of Laval. What the change permits us to do at this moment is to inquire into the various systems Hitler has used for governing the different parts of Europe! From the North Cape to the Gulf of Lyon, from the North Sea to the Black. the countries which only three years ago were honest republics and kingdoms now are misruled by a host of despots in the Axis interest—generals, policemen and puppets. . Octupied France itself is subdivided into several administrative regions. The military governor of Paris is Gen. von Stulpenhagel. The military governor of the provinces north of the Somme is Gen. von Falkenhausen, whose jurisdiction also includes the wiole of Belgium. The provinces of Alsace and Lorraine have been submitted to an intensive German- ization which obviously is aimed at the annexation of those territories to the German Reich. This step cannot be taken, under the terms of the armistice of Compiegne, without Vichy acquies- cence, but the Germans have been pre- paring against the future by evacuating all the French-speaking inhabitants of Alsace and Lorraine and all the German- speaking inhabitants who, after the World War, became naturalized French citizens. The schools of Alsace and Lor- raine now teach only German. The Italians occupy a few acres of France—half -the town of Menton, be- tween Monaco and the French-Italian border. The relations of Vichy and Ber- lin have been wholly regularized, with Paris designated as the meeting place of the agents of both capitals. Fernand de Brinon is the Vichy Ambassador to Paris. Otto Abetz is the Nazi Ambassador to Paris. Northern France and Belgium are sub- ject to a military governor because they are considered likely points at which the Allies might strike if they should invade the European continent. Luxembourg, contrariwise, is governed by a civil gauleiter, Gustav Simon, as is the Neth- erlands, whose Reichskommisar is Seyss- Inquart. The military representative of | Germany in the Netherlands is in con- trol only of the German troops of occu- pation. The Netherlands government is primarily a civil rather than a military question. ‘The Germans intrust the administra- tive supervision of Denmark to their minister plenipotentiary in Copenhagen, Cecil von Renthe-Fink. The adminis- tration of Norway is nominally in the hands of Premier Vidkun Quisling, the president of the Fascist Nasjonal Sam- lings party, but Riechskommisar Josef Terboven sits in a special office in the Parliament buildings in Oslo and guides Quisling along the proper path of co- operation. There is a small Fascist group in Denmark, but the Germans are said to distrust its leader, Clausen. In Poland the Germans sought a Quisling-like puppet but they could not find him. Last August they offered the job of premier to the Lwow professor, Casimir Bartel, who had been three times Premier of Poland during the days of the republic. Bartel refused. On August 21 he was shot. Now Dr. Hans Frank, formerly a German judge, is governor general of the Central and Eastern provinces of Poland, and Arthur G. Reiser, former president of the Dan- zig Senate, is gauleiter for the Western Polish provinces which have been in- corporated into the German Reich— Poznan, Gdynia and Silesia. Heinrich Lohse is the kommissar for the three Baltic countries, Estonia, Lith- uania and Latvia, which, with some of the occupied Russian territory, have been designated Ostland. In Lithuania the Germans found a sort of minor Quisling, Gen. Kubiliunas, who acts as political adviser to the German au- thorities. He had been jailed and de- prived of his rank by the last free Lith- uanian government. Czechoslovakia is divided. The so- called republic of Slovakia has for its President the priest, Father Josef Tiso, and for Prime Minister an active collaborationist, Vojta Belatuka. He co- operates with the chief German agent’ in Slovakia, Julius Karmasin, who is the kommisar in Bratislava for the German minorities of Slovakia. Bo- hemia and Moravia are under a Reichs- protektor, now Reinhart Heydrich, who succeeded Baron von Neurath. Greece has produced a Qlisling, Gen. Stefan Psotolglou, who organized a government in Athens dedicated to co- operation with the Italian and German FRIDAY, Half of France was | | and nothing else. but unless the observer | hoped for protection in a government | governments which dealt | | with Petain from the point of view that Here, | | of 11 officers and men of the American APRIL 17, 1942, THIS AND THAT By Charles E. Tracewell. Spring is here. 1If you don't believe it, watch a male cardinal feed his mate a choice seed. Some other species do this, but none } with such daintiness and charm. The male cardinal shells a sunflower seed, then flies up to the female, and | lovingly places it in her bill She, in her turn, receives this atten- | tion as if she had a full understanding of what it is all about, as undoubtedly 1 she has. | L N S | It is this habit of the cardinals which | has given rise to the legend that they kiss. This “kissing” is, in reality, feeding, is close at hand he will not see the seed in the bill of the male. At some little distance, with the food unseen, they do look as if they were kissing. Males of other species feed the female | as she sits on the nest. * %o Often this courtship of the cardinals | is begun as early as February. | Then, if a householder has a bird feed- ing station close by a window, he will be able to witness this charming little act. At times it has a very Hollywood-ish appearance. From this the spectator may deduce, not that the birds are aping movie actors, but that the latter do, in truth, show us nature as it is. L A i April, of course, is the nesting month | of the cardinal. The bluebird nests in April, too. Other songbirds which nest during the month are the purple grackle, blue jay, mockingbird, white-breasted nuthatch, robin, song sparrow, tufted titmouse and red-bellied and hairy woodpeckers. These, in the main, are birds which come to local feeders all winter long. May is the great initial nesting month of scores of species. Practically all the birds which frequent the District of Columbia and outlying suburban areas, both in Maryland and Virginia, have at least two nesting pe- riods, the second in the summer, English sparrows began their nesting in Pebruary, in some cases. Often these birds have four or five layings, and raise from 20 to 35 offspring & season, so it is no wonder that there are a great many English sparrows, or house sparrows, as they should more properly be called. Trying to feed such batches of young put a severe strain on the parents, and perhaps it is not surprising that one so often sees sickly young sparrows, espe- cially in the hot months. The towhee, or chewink, or ground robin, has been noticeably absent from | our own yard In the past we have had one all winter. It was a male. The female evidently | does not remain North. Last summer a pair of them came, accompanied.by three young. They had an interesting habit of lying on one side in the sun and stretching out the top wing and leg. This gave them the appearance of being either dead or dying. We know of no other bird which has this precise habit in this exact way. Several species of birds fake a wounded wing, in order to draw predatory ani- mals away from the nest or the young. They will flutter down to the ground, and trail & wing, hoping to distract the | attention of the maurauder. And the trick often works. * . .0 The wood thrush ought to be coming in almost any day, now This is the best of all possible birds, we think. In appearance, manners and song It tops the list as far as we are concerned. This column has often sald, and still belleves, that no other bird has such courtly manners, in the real sense of the word. Just how a bird got the idea of grace of conduct, as a thing In itself, we do not know, but it seems to have it, all right. If you live in the suburbs, watch out for this. Seeing is believing, indeed, when it comes to the birds. Here is one bird about which hearing also is believing, in a sense, for, com- bined with its fine manncrs, its genu- inély gentlemanly bearing, ahd its beau- tiful appearance and song the thrush stands as “tops” in the local bird world. Usually this species arrives in the oaks along our street on or about April 28. Some seasons it is two weeks or a week earlier. Always it shows up in the block to the west a few days before it appears in our block. Already we have received one report of & wood thrush arrival. Sometimes watch- ers mistake brown thrashers for thryshes. The thrasher is twice as large. It might be possible that a solitary wood thrush would arrive in some com- munity long before its comrades would put in appearance. Sometimes storms down South force the birds to leave early, and they appear here in isolated instances ahead of their schedule. It would be a good thing to keep watch for them from April 17 onward. Letters to Says National Anthem Author ‘Was Not “a Prisoner” of the British. To the Bditor of The Star: Solicited by friends of Dr. William Beanes, whom the British had taken prisoner upon retreating to their ships in the Patuxent River after capturing and burning Washington, Francis Scott Key secured the authority of the Gov- ernment for visiting the British fleet to secure the old doctor's release. ‘This authority was contained in three letters written by Brig. Gen. John Mason®y then Provost Marshal for the District of Columbia, and were dated September 2, 1814. One was a joint letter written to both John S. Skinner, the Govern- ment agent for the exchange of prison- ers, and PFrancis Scott Key, and in- structed them, “to proceed to the quar- ters of Maj. Gen. Ross, commanding the British Army which lately invested the City of Washington, to deliver him the letter herewith handed * * * and endeavor by all possible means to bring off Dr. Willlam Beanes, etc.” The ac- companing letter addressed to Mr. Skin- ner recommended: “That you embark in Baltimore and proceed down the bay,” and advised that Francis Scott Key was Joined with him in the mission. The letter to Gen. Ross, carried by Key, advised Ross that “John 8. Skinner, agent and flag officer, and 'Francis S. Key, esq.” had been authorized to wait upon him and request the release of Dr. Beanes, and lengthily relates, “the | substance of the case.” Under date of September 5, 1814, and heading, “Patapsco River” Mr. Skinner wrote Gen. Mason, “Mr. Key reached here yesterday morning and handed me your instructions and dispatches for Admiral Cochrane and Gen. Ross. We are now on our way and expect to find them in the Patuxent and be back Wed- nesday night.” The originals of these letters now are on file in the library of the Navy Depart- ment, Official copies of the original log entries of the British vessels, courteously furnished the writer by the Public Rec- ord Office, London, England, some years since, disclose that on September 7, 1814, two days after Skinner's letter to Gen. Mason, written aboard an Amer- ican boat in the “Patapsco River,” they reached the British fleet as this entry which appears in the log of the British flag ship, “Tonnant,” discloses: “Sent & boat on board of & flag of truce from Baltimore,” and upon the morning of the next day, September 8, as an entry in the log of the Brifish frigate “Sur- prise,” shows their boat was taken in tow: “At 7 am. sent a mate and four marines to take charge of & sloop with a flag of truce and at 7:30 a.m. took her in tow.” An entry in the muster book of the frigate “Suprise” recites that: “The crew sloop bearing a flag of truce were taken aboard as supernumeraries borne for victuals only, on the 8th day of Septem- ber, 1814 and, were discharged to their conquerors. Yugoslavia, too, has been rich in Quislings, reactionary pro-Fas- cists who would have been submerged in & free Yugoslavia. The problem of Yugoslavia has been serious, however, for the Itallans and Germans. Forces of Gen. Mihailovic have reconquered a third of Serbia. The attempt to create a puppet state of Croatia has been un- successful. Killings of foreign agents have been so numerous that Hungarian and Bulgarian troops put to work as an army of occupation have protested. The genius in charge of the adminis- trative organization of the conquered territories is Dr. Alfred Rosenberg, Hit- ler's racial theorist, the man who “ad- ministers” the Nazi doctrine of Aryanism. 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. own ship on the 11th of September, 1814." This last entry confirms the state- ment of Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, Key's brother-in-law, who wrote in 1857: “Upon reaching the Patapsco Mr. Key and Mr. Skinner were sent on board their own vessel, with a guard of sailors or marines to prevent them from land- ing. They were permitted to take Dr. Beanes with them and they thought themselves fortunate in being anchored in a position which enabled them to see distinctly the flag of Fort McHenry from the deck of their vessel.” The attack upon the fort occurred on the afternoon of September 13, two days after the fleet reached the Patapsco, and they were returned to their own boat. Notwithstanding Chief Justice Taney’s statement is borne out by the logs of the British vessels, there always have been those who have insisted that Key was a prisoner aboard a British man-of-war when he wrote the National Anthem. Such persons seem to believe that plac- ing Key a prisoner on a British vessel in some way glorifies his memorable achievement and the occasion when such falsifying of the record necessarily de- | tracts from the glory of both FRANCIS 8, KEY-SMITH. Pleads for Consideration Of “Forgotten Classes.” To the Editor of The Star: Another forgotten class is the many older people and widows who had saved a few thousand dollars thinking they would give them enough income tqylive on if they were very careful and lived simply. But new oppressive laws have swept away these hopes of security for many of us. Money in banks brings too little interest now to count. Dividends on stocks keep getting smaller and with taxes, labor unions’ increasing demands, eic, we do not know how long we will get anything at all. Some people are putting their little savings in houses as safe means of sure income, but that seems too risky now with the high cost of labor to keep them up. And since rents are not allowed to be raised along with the high cost of everything else, there would be no rent money left after payment of taxes, in- surance and high upkeep costs, Why doesn't the Government think of us in all of these fancy plans for spend- ing money? Even if we own our own homes we have to have money to eat and pay taxes and insurance. I wish the papers could print something to in- duce the Government to consider these forgotten classes. MRS. WILLIAM MARSHALL. Pittsburgh, Pa. Praises Editorials In Lighter Vein. To the Bditor of The Star: T see by the paper that your are praising this, that and the other article or writer in The Star, and so. Now, may this delighted read Haskin’s Answers To Questions By Frederic J. Haskin. A reader can get the answer o 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. What is the national flower of Russia?—A. F. 8§ A.The U. 8. 8 R has no flower chosen as the national flower, but the red carnation is very popular. Q. How much did sugar ocost during the last war?—L. H. L. A. During the World War sugar in the United States sold as high as 28 cents & pound, and 20 cents was often quoted as a falr price. Seventeen cents was set as the price by the Attorney General at the end of 1919, Q. Is the Indian population of this country increasing or decreasing?—D. D.J A. Indians are increasing rapidly. Population studies indicate that if pres- ent trends continue Indians may number 700,000 or more within the next 40 years. This is the number conservatively esti- mated to have been here in the time of Columbus. PARLIAMENTARY L A W— This handy 32-page booklet cov- ers in simple terms every phase of the subject—how to organize a new assoclation; how to pre- side; how to conduct elections and reorganizations. A model constitution and by-laws are pro- vided to gulde the formation of new societies. A handbook on the rules of order is indispensable to the citizen who takes part in community affairs. To secure your copy of this publication in- close 10 cents in coin, wrapped in this clipping. and mail to The Star Information Bureau, Q. When and where was the navy of a nation surrounded by an army and forced to surrender?—T, Y. A. During the reign of terror, the French armies were sent to protect the threatened frontiers of the country. Gen. Pichegru led an army into Amster- dam in 1794. At that time the Dutch fleet was ice-bound in the Zuider Zee near the harbor of Amsterdam. Pichegru surrounded the fleet with his cavalry and compelled it to surrender. The result was that the government of the country collapsed and Holland was forcibly allied to Prance in 1795. Q. How many different colors of human eyes are there?—A. N. T. A. Seven different colors of human eyes have been listed: Blue, brown, black, gray, hazel, green and, in albinos, pink. Q. Which is the most popular paint- ing in the National Gallery of Art?— TT.0 A. The “Alba Madonna,” by Raphael, is the favorite, judging by the number of reproductions sold. Q. How does it happen that on tife map Greenland looks &s large as Aus- tralia, yet it is actually much smaller in area?-J, H. D. A. This is due to the fact that many atlases show Mercator maps of the world. Though the directions and shapes are correct in the Mercator projection, the sizes are not. The Arctic and Antarctic regions appear too large. The only really correct representation of the earth’s surface is by mears of a globe. Q. Does Ascension Day always come on a Thursday?—M. A. . A. Ascension Day comes 40 days after Easter, hence it always falls on a Thursday. It is sometimes called Holy Thursday. Q. To what extent are civil service employes eligible for the draft?—A. L. K. A. Civil service employes eligible for the draft and do not receive special preference because of their past service with the Federal Government. Q. In how many different shapes do snowflakes form?—8. R. 8. A. 1t is an accepted fact that one snowflake never duplicates another. Ac- cording to the laws by which it is formed, a snowflake may assume any one of & number of possible forms run- ning into billions of billions, Q. Why did not President Grant use his correct name?—A. V. D. A. The Congressman who appointed him to West Point had always heard him called Ulysses, or by his nickname, Use- less, and did not know that his first name was Hiram. He felt that he should have a middle name and, knowing that his mother's middle name was Simpson, wrote the appointment in the name of Ulysses Simpson Grant, which was the name always used thereafter by President Grant. Q. By whom was cold cream invented? —B.R. T. A. Cold cream was invented by Galen, ancient Greek physician. His formula is essentially the same as used today. Q. How far does the average person walk in a day?—G. B. A. The average person walks aboué 18,000 steps or 7% miles in & day. Q. In which States are the most auto- mobiles?—F. 8. A. In 1941 California led in the nume ber of passenger automobiles registered, followed by New York, Pennsylvania and | Tllinois. Victor The earth is a healer, Rivaled by none. When mankind’s mad bombing And blasting are done, The earth will start weaving A Paisley shawl To cover the scar-marks, Bomb-shelters, and all. Intricate stitches And delicate laces In soft green will dorder The shell-shattered places. The earth will be victor (And not fire a volley!) The winner once more Over man’s latest folly. NANCY RICHEY RANSON. B