Evening star. [volume], November 03, 1927, Page 8, Image 8

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

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8
[HlE KVKNINC ST A K
t With Sunday Morning Edition
WASHINGTON. 0 C.
THURSDAY. . .November 3. 1327
THEODORE W. NOYES Editoi
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Solve the Maze!
Washington is an easy city to find
and to one in tha least degree ac
quainted with its geography a fairly
easy city to traverse. But for a
stranger or an occasional visitor it is,
when once found, extremely hard to
negotiate. It is utterly lacking in di
rectional signs for the guidance of
motor touiists leading them on the
through routes or to notable objective
points. It needs most urgently a sys
tem of signboards that will tell the
story of its highways to ail who may
•nter its gates.
In another part of The Star today
will be found the first of a series of
articles that will set forth the needs of
the situation with comparative refer
ences to conditions in other cities,
which are far better equipped than
Washington for the direction of tlie
atranger. This article shows the sit
uation clearly. The facts are well
known to local authorities. The mat
ter has been agitated heretofore, but
without results. There is a disposi
tion in some quarters to avoid "disfig
uring" the streets with directional
signs. There is also a disposition to
wait for the devising of some form of
artistic highway marker. And there
is likewise also some indifference on
the subject.
On the score of the disfigurement
of the streets there is surely no valid
cround of objection to the placement
of route tokens that will tell the road
wise tourist how to trace his course,
which he may know' by number or
series of numbers. The streets are
now more or less “disfigured” by stop
signs and one-way aigns, all of which
are larger and more conspicuous than
are the street designations themselves.
On most of the streets of this city the
street names or numbers are almost
Indistinguishable from midroad. Even
.local residents have difficulty in plac
Ing themselves in certain areas. The
present system of street numbers and
names on the lamp-posts waa devised
long ago when traffic was not so rapid
•s it Is now. The figures and letters
are ae a rule only about an inch and a
half In height, and many of them are
very feebly illuminated at night. Some
of them, indeed, are not illuminated
at all by reason of shadows and the
improper placing of the signs with ref
erence to the street lamps. It is a
wise motorist, even a Washingtonian,
who can find an unfamiliar street after
dark.
If It is hard for Washingtonians
to find their way about in unfamiliar
sections how difficult it is soi r stran
gers, visitors and tourists! At the
least there should be a system of
street designation so plain, both day
and night, that all literate persons can
know' where they are and by deduc
tion determine their course. But there
should be more than this. The main
of travel connecting with the
liighway inlets should be blazed
with markers that can be seen at all
hours and that will lead as surely as
tha thread thaL solved the problem of
the labyrinth if the classic adventure.
Without that thread for guidance
Washington becomes a place of un
certainty and apprehension and delay
to all who come into the city seeking
either local objectives or straight
routes to other polr.ta.
Let this matter be taken up earnest
ly this Winter and provision mads for
a sensible and artistic system of street
and road markers that will inform all
coniers and save Washington from be
ing known aa the worst municipal
Biaze in tha country.
"Dictator’* is the new name for “po
litical boss." The man who gains the
title must wield all the power of the
jftard leader over an immensely ex
panded territory.
A Judicial Absurdity.
Two men have been sentenced to
**road duty" at Winston-Salem, N. C.,
they would not send their
children to school. On the face of the
sentence it appears to be Just. But
there is a background to the case that
gives It a different aspect. These
men. farmers, were quite willing to
send their children to school, as the
law requires, but they wished to have
the school bus stop for the youngsters
,at their roadside homes, and when this
was denied, they refused to require
the children to walk two hundred
yards to the regular bus stop. So they
were haled to court and punished.
It is. of course, reprehensible that
the children should be kept from
school. But Just why the bus driver
would not stop for them except at a
specified point is not clear. The school
hue is a facility provided to enable the
children to get to school. It surely
matters little or nothing Just whera it
may stop to take on Us passengers.
So long as it doe# not have to laave
its prescribed route to get them it
should he halted to taka them on
wherever they may be. Insistence
upon the prescribed stops is Just as
tfhreasonable as refusal to make the
children walk two hundred yards to
Ihe stopping point.
This is surely one of those absurd
ities of tha law that make enforce
• fh-iu so difficult, Reasonable inter-
is tha soumlsst basis of pro*
ceiluro In nil cases. A stubborn re
fusat to adjust, insistence upon the
precisely prescribed modes of pro
cedur», upon th? least fraction of
| ‘'light,” all make for the congestion ot
| tlie courts and the incidental suffering
I that comes from judicial harshness.
In this case the bus is provided to
take the children to school, not to
keep them from it. It is to save them
the necessity of walking. It can be
put to the best use when it lessens
their travel afoot, and it would seem
that the bus driver who declined to
halt his vehicle for the.ss little ones at
their gateiwtnight. with even more jus
tice than that displayed In the sen
tence of their fathers to road work, be
required to do a bit of roclt-breaking
himself.
llcNary Bill or Nothin-.
The old McNarv-Haugen farm-relief
bill, with its equalization fee principle,
is the demand of the Corn Belt and
.Southern Farm Conference, meeting
in St Louis. In resolutions adopted
yesterday it urged Congress to repass
the bill, which President Coolidge ve
j toed. The boom of former Gov. Frank
O. Lowilcn of Illinois for the Republi
can nomination for President took im
mediate form after the veto of the
! farm bill. Mr. Lowden was put for
ward as the protest candidate of the
farm organizations and some of the
disgruntled farm States of the Middle
West. His candidacy was directly in
opposition to tlie renomination of
President Coolidge.
President Coolidge, by liis Black
Hills statement that he did not choose
to run for President in 1928, cut
the ground from under llie feet of
the Lowden boomers and McNary
llaugenites. But they apparently have
rallied again. They will continue to
insist on their program of Lowden
for President and the McNary-Haugen
bill as the only remedy for agricul
tural depression.
The Lowden boomers at the St.
Louis meeting took a further step,
which may cause them trouble in the
near future. They attacked Senator
Borah of Idaho, one of the leaders of
the group of Progressive Republican
Senators which has banded together
to promote a program of legislation
for the West and which has put for
ward Senator Norris as the real West
ern candidate for the Republican pres-
IdentJv. gKrtiination. It is no secret
that this group of Republican Pro
gressives has little use for Mr. Low
den as a presidential nominee. It is
no secret that these Senators, who are
powerful politically in their own
States, will do all they can to under
mine the Lowden-for-President move
ment. The fight apparently is com
ing into the open. The result can
scarcely be expected to aid Mr. Low
den. , The farm organizations which
have been hacking the former Illinois
governor may find that they have put
their eggs in the wrong basket.
The row between the Western sup
porters of Mr. Lowden and the West
ern supporters of Mr. Norris may re
sult finally in the interest of some
other Western candidate for the Re
publication nomination for President.
Vice President Dawes and Senator
Charles Curtis of Kansas. Republican
leader of the Senate, may come more
Intimately into the picture. The di
vision among the Westerners, too,
may make for the nomination of an
Eastern candidate.
The attack on Mr. Lowden is ex
pected to be launched by the Progres
sive group at any moment. As at
tackers the Progressives are quite
thorough.
Charles Lindbergh has met more
people than any other American citi
zen. He could be a strangely potent
figure in political affairs. If Roosevelt
were alive today, he would no doubt
be an aviator as well as an explorer
and a lion hunter.
As an adaptable local statesman
Mayor Walker is now expected to show
that in his heart Coney Island is a
more dazzling resort than the Lido.
The tariff again asserts itself as a
proposition which reaches all the way
from primary elections to international
diplomacies.
An Alert Traffic Officer.
A refreshing example of alert traffic
direction was noted today at Eleventh
and F streets in the early morning
rush. With cars streaming down
Eleventh street two and three abreast,
this officer refused to follow the hide
bound dictates of archaic traffic con
trol which stipulate that all vehicles
must pass to the right of a semaphore
and not venture on to the car tracks,
but, sizing up the situation at a glance,
waved the oncoming outside line on to
the railway tracks and in front of a
semaphore. This action provided for
sn additional line of cars and quickly
cleared up what might have been a
block-long congestion.
If this officer’s example were followed
by other members of the traffic squad,
there would be fewer traffic jams. In
fact, wide-awake and vigorous traffic
direction can be carried a step further
to avert threatening congestion. On
narrow streets it is perfectly silly to
compel drivers of automobiles to circle
the officer standing in the middle of
the intersection. Far more to the point
would it be to direct all vehicles to
make the short turn in front of him.
This practice is followed in many of
the targe cities.
While the traffic control at Eleventh
and F streets today is cited as a splen
did example for the traffic squad to
emulate, an occurrence recently on
Twelfth street in the afternoon stands
as a glaring illustration of the tac
tics Indulged in by many Washington
policemen. Traffic was exceedingly
heavy Vhen, at the corner of Twelfth
street and New York avenue, a large
moving van hove into view. The crew
of the vehicle decided that they would
back it into the curb between two
closely parked cars. The van was left
unattended in the street while the not
overly intelligent laborers cogitated on
ways and means to get It into the
i parking space. After having moved
: two cars, they backed the huge van
i squarely across the street, blocking
i alt traffic, and then found that the
opening was too email. Rush-hour aft
ernoon traffic by this time wus piled
- up. for two blocks. The point of the
- whole thing is that a policeman in full
• uniform stood idQeby, apparently tak
THE EVEN INO STAR. WASHINGTON. TV. C.. THtIK!SI>AY. Nov K.Mlihß 3. jti-'T.
t
ng no note nf wlmt Was griing on.
This officer is the antithesis of a good
traffic policeman.
The Police Department should con i
lurt a careful survey or its traffic con j
trol squad. It should single out the
men who by their actions demonstrate
x superior fitness for the position, it
should then take some of these men
and have them act as teachers for
those who appear unable to grasp the
essentia la of traffic direction. When
this is done, there will tie less nicking
of fenders, fewer accidents and less
congestion on the busy streets of
Washington.
The Demand for Coolidge.
Coolidge-for-President talk will not
down. The New York World sought
to canvass the Republican national
committee in an effort to learn
whether those party leaders believed
the President could and should be
drafted. Replies from forty members
showed eighteen favorable to drafting
Mr. Coolidge. fourteen aeepted the
President's "I do not choose" state
ment as taking him out of the pic
ture and eight were non-committal.
Less than half of the total member
ship of the committee made reply to
the World's query. But it is clear
there is still strong sentiment for the
nomination of the President, and
there have been indications in
cent days that this sentiment is grow
ing stronger.
The Republican party has able men
other than President Coolidge. It has
men who could and would fill the
office of Chief Executive both honest
ly and efficiently. Their names have
been brought out for public inspec
tion. even though! with one excep
tion. those gentlemen have made no
announcement of their candidacy. To
date, however, none has captured the
imagination of the Republican voters,
generally speaking. Hughes, Hoover,
Dawes. Lowden, Curtis, Willis, Nor- j
ris. Longworth, all have their friends
and admirers. But none of them has
so far roused a wave of enthusiasm.
One of them may later. Most of the j
talk of presidential candidates is still
confined to the politicians. The poli
ticians have their favorites. They 1
have their aversions. They all want ,
a winner. They have seen Mr. Cool
idge carry the country by an enor
mous vote. They believe he can do it
again. .
The interest of that Democratic
organ, the Nexv York World, in the 1
candidacy of President Coolidge may 1
be open to suspicion. “Beware the
Greeks bearing gifts.” But the World,
in common with other observers of i
politics, has sensed the demand for ,
the renomination of Mr. Coolidge, .
which continues in many quarters.
An examination of the replies re
ceived from the members of the Re
publican national committee, in an
swer to the World’s query, indicates
that the sentiment for the renomina- ,
tion of the President is more prevalent
in the East and the South, and that in
the West the Republican committee
men and women are more inclined to
accept as final the announcement of
the President that he does not choose
to run.
This demand for the renomination
of Mr ; Coolidge is scarcely calculated
to give heart to other potential can
didates. It leaves the President still
dominating the situatidn/ Unless he
makes a further statement taking
himself finally out <.f the race, this
uncertainty which now prevails may
continue until the opening of the Re
publican national convention next
June. On the other hand. If he makes
no further statement, the demand for
his renomination may so increase in
volume that when the convention
meets no other name will be seriously
considered.
In mentioning “Gentlemen of the
jury" there may be some few who are
not even entitled to be referred to as
"gents.”
Teapot Dome has had so much pub
licity that realtors may yet consider
the possibility of exploiting it.
The {deal juror, content to."stop,
look and listen," is becoming each i
year more difficult to locate.
Statistics show that Americans live
wonderfully well—unless they die as
bootleg victims.
Detectives may often be found work- '
ing on both sides of a case.
SHOOTING STABS.
BY PHILANDER JOHNSON.
Dreams Come True,
Long ago, in a far-off land,
I hoped through the dreaming day
For speeding cars to hold full com
mand
Os the long, mysterious way.
The air waa filled with the winged
ships
That sped, as we gazed anew—
And we're living now, as time swiftly
slips, '
In the land where those dreams
come true.
Hats in the Ring.
“Why don’t you throw your hat Into
the ring?" {
"I have done so," answered Senator
Sorghum. “It’s buried somewhere in
the Heap."
Feet as Well as Hands.
I danced and dined one night, until
The dawn arrived anew—
So Satan finds some mischief still
For idle feet to do.
Jud Tunkins says an unhappy man
usually has hlmaelf to blame; which
makes him still more unhappy.
Explanation.
"How did you happen to lose In the
beauty contest?"
"There wasn’t room enough In my
bathing suit for my make-up box."
"In an appeal to the multitude,"
said Hi Ho. the sage of Chinatown,
"a large voice may do wonders with
a small thought."
Hardships.
Life proffers us a bitter cup,
Which spoils our simple glee.
We often lock the jurors up
While prisoners go free.
“Some folks sfeems light-hearted,"
said Uncle Kben, "when dey- T §A only
htfWttindsd."
I THIS AND THAT T ~|
'
/IV CHARLES E. TRAC EWELL.
What, after a’i. is literature but the
saying in unforgetable words of a
real thought? , .
The truth does not make something
written notable, any more than clever
ness does, or any one of a dozen other
qualities that might be.named.
The dictionary is truthful, but it is
not literature. The poems of Rabin
dranath Tagore, as contained in The
Crescent Moon," “Gitanjali and the
Gardener.” are literature.
There is that much difference.
Looking over some old hooks the
other day. we came across these three
slender volumes, issued just before
and at the beginning of the World
War bv the Macmillan Co.
These contain the English prose
translations which the author made
of his own poems, and which won for
him the Nobel prize.
As we read here and there in “The
Crescent Moon,” memories came,
whispers of word music and word
odors, word colors and word winds,
which, heard and seen and appreciated
10 years ago. have never been lost
since.
How could one ever forget the fol
lowing:
"Bless this little heart, this white
soul, that has won th® kiss of heaven
for our earth.
'"He loves the light of the sun, he
loves the sight of his mother's face.
“He has not learned to despise the
dust and to hanker after gold.
"Clast> him to your heart and bless
him.
“He has come into this land of an
hundred crossroads.
“I know not how he chose you from
the crowd, came to your door, and
grasped your hand to ask his way.
“lie will follow you, laughing and
talking, and not a doubt in his heart.
“Keep his trust, lead him straight
and bless him.
“Lay your hand on his head, and
pray that though the waves under
neath grow threatening, yet the
breath from above may come and fill
his sails and waft him to the haven
of peace.
“Forget him not in your hurry, let
him come to your' heart and bless
him.”
** * *
Childhood’s flowers bloom in one's
mind forever after reading:
“Ah, these jasmines, these white
jasmines!
"I seem to remember the first day
when I filled my hands with these
jasmines, these white jasmines.
"I have loved the sunlight, the sky
and the green earth;
“I have heard the liquid murmur of
the river through the darkness of
midnight;
“Autumn sunsets have come to me
at the bend of a road In the lonely
waste, like a bride raising her veil to
accept her lover.
"Yet my memory is still sweet with
the first white jasmines that I held in
my hand when I was a child.
“Many a glad day has come in my
life, and I have laughed with merry
makers on festival nights.
“On gray mornings of rain I have
crooned many an idle song.
“I have worn round my neck the
evening wreath of bakulas woven by
the hand of love.
“Yet my heart is sweet with the
memory of the first fresh jasmines
that filled my hands when I waa a
child.”
To the reader it may not have been
~ BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
P -
> BY PAIL V. COLLINS.
A Tennessee manufacturer of woolen
goods who has been president of the
Association of Manufacturers for six
yejjrs denounces the United States
Shipping Board for not having sold
all. Government-owned ships. Presi
dent Edgerton speaks as one having
authority—perhaps of the Association
of Manufacturers—when he declares
with vehemence:
"One of the first things it (the Gov
ernment) should be forced to get out
of is the shipping business, which
already during the past 10 years has
cost the taxpayers $3,571,000,000, and
is operating now at an annual loss
of over $20,000,000. • • * The
Shipping Board itself, however, is not
to be condemned considering the fact
that in 10 years it has had 30 mem
bers with an average individual
tenure of less than 2 years, that it
has had 11 presidents and has op
erated under the pestiferous seamen’s
act; it has not made a bigger failure
than could have been expected.”
As President Edgerton, in the same
speech, alleged that the “United States
has little to boast of, as long as we
stand out as the most lawless Nation
the world has ever known," it is not
out of his tone to discover his superla
tives in connection with the Shipping
Board and its “failure.”
He neglects to explain that the
deficit of $3,571,000,000 includes the
"waste” due to the war unprepared
ness, caused largely by our not hav
ing ships to carry troops and supplies
in national defense. The war crisis
required sudden efforts to build ships,
regardless of cost, hence the extrava
gant capital charges. The last two
administrations (now chiefly under
Mr. Edgerton’s criticism) had nothing
to do with the war administration, but
that is not cited by the critic.
He declares the Government-owned
ships are "operating now at an annual
loss of over $20,000,000,” but the Ship
ping Board’s official report shows that
the annual deficit now is less than
$13,000,000. Possibly the $20,000,000
may be the average, inclusive of war
years. Furthermore, the recent vote
?,L“ four *° three” members of the
Shipping Board upon the proposition
in connection with the sale of the re
maining three lines in the Pacific
Ocean, that would require the pur
chasers to bond themselves to operate
the lines for 10 years, instead of 5
years, which has been the requirement
in all previous sales, is carried by the
action of the member who was presi
dent of the board in its war-time ex
perience and whose faith lies in per
manent Government-ownership rather
than in carrying out the edict of the
present law requiring the early sale
of all ships, to the end that the Gov
ernment shall get out of business.
The law provides, not primarily for
the immediate sale of all ships, re
gardless of conditions, but its “pri
mary end” is to "develop and encour
age the maintenance of a merchant
marine,” and it stipulates “that it is
necessary for the national defense and
so. the proper growth of its foreign
and domestic commerce that the
United States shall have a merchant
marine of the best equipped and most
suitable types of vessels sufficient to
carry the greater portion of its com
merce and serve as a naval or mili
tary auxiliary in time of war or na
tional emergency.”
The law, section 1, says:
“And it is hereby declared to be the
policy of the United States to do what
ever may be necessary to develop and
encourage maintenance of such a mer
chant marine, and, in so far as may
not be inconsistent with the express
provisions of this act, the United
States Shipping Board shall, in the dis
position of vessels and property here
inafter provided, in the making of
rules and regulations, nnd in the ad
ministration of the shipping laws,
keep always in view this purpose and
object as the primary end to be ob
tained”—viz., to maintain a permanent
marine. *
** * *
The contention of the Tennessee
jasmines, but lilacs, fresh In some
long-ago Spring, or hollyhocks, stately
in the vivid pictures of childhood.
It makes no difference; Tagore
brings them back again in freshness
and light, and forever brings them
back, upon reading.
** * *
No parent or other person who loves
children but has paused to wonder,
at times, over the play of the little
ones.
"Supervised play" may he left to
educators. Tagore gets to the heart
of playtime—and something more.
“On the seashore of endless worlds
children meet.
“The infinite sky is motionless over
head and the restless water is bois
terous. On the seashore of endless
worlds the children meet with shouts
and dances.
“They build their houses with sand,
and they play with empty shells.
With withered leaves they weave their
boats and smilingly float them on the
vast deep. Children have their play
on the seashore of worlds.
“They know not how to swim, they
know not how to cast nets. Pearl
fishers dive for pearls, merchants sail
in their ships, while children gather
pebbles and scatter them again. They
seek not for hidden treasure, they
know not how to cast nets.
“The sea surges up with laughter,
and pale gleams the smile of the sea
beach. Death-dealing waves sing
meaningless ballads to the children,
even like a mother while rocking her
baby’s cradle. The sea plays with
children, and pale gleams the smile of
the sea-beach.
“On the seashore of endless worlds
children meet. Tempest roams in the
pathless sky, ships are wrecked in the
trackless water, death is abroad and
children play. On the seashore of
endless worlds is the great meeting
of children.”
** * *
The uncompromising simplicity of
Tagore is no better illustrated than in
the following, with its repetitions and
reiterations taking the place of rhyme
and meter:
“When I bring you colored toys, my
child, I understand why there is such
a play of colors in clouds, on water,
and why flowers are painted in tints—
when I give colored toys to you, my
child.
“When I sing to make you dance,
I truly know why there is music in
leaves, and why waves send their
chorus of voices to the heart of the
listening earth—when I sing to make
you dance.
“When I bring sweet things to your
greedy hands I know why there is
honey in the cup of the flower, and
why fruits are secretly filled with
sweet juice—when I bring sweet
things to your greedy hands.
"When I kiss your face to make
you smile, my darling, I surely under
stand what pleasure streams from the
sky in morning light, and what delight
the Summer breeze brings to my body
—when I kiss you to make you smile."
Philosophers and scientists may la
bor endlessly to explain life—Rabin
dranath Tagore, a man of another
land, yet brother to mankind, found a
better explanation in a little child.
president that the Government should
dispose of its vessels and get out of
business, regardless of other consid
erations, djes not tally with the act of
Congress, according to members of the
board, in reference to the national in
terest in national defense, as well as
commerce. Nevertheless it would be
difficult to find any advocate of perma
nent Government ownership, if it is
possible to maintain the merchant ma
rine under private ownership and man
agement.
** * *
There is no law more generally crit
icized for what it does not require
than is the so-called La Follette “pes
tiferous seamen’s act.” Both in the
Department of Commerce and in the
Shipping Board, it is conceded that it
is not that act which is responsible
for the higher wages and subsistence
cost of American vessels: that excess
cost is attributed by all to the higher
standards of living in America and
the resultant competition of American
shipping with other American indus
tries, in the matter of wages. A de
tailed investigation shows that Amer
ican pay rolls on ships of the same ton
nage, as compared with wages paid
by foreign competitors, are nbout 100
to 300 per cent higher for America. To
operate an American vessel of 10,000
tons costs for sailor wage three' - times
as much as a similar Italian or Jap
anese vessel pays in wages, and near
ly double what Italian and fully double
what Japanese subsistence costs.
Besides, there is not a competing
vessel of European nations which is
not subsidized either by mail contracts
or other special concessions. Our pres
ent deficit of approximately a million
dollars a month may be called a “sub
sidy,” Just as a rose may be called by
another name and retain its sweet
odor. Yet shipowners cannot entice
men away from shops unless they pay
shop wages. .
** * *
Experts point out that the merchant
marine concerns not merely ship
owners, but is vital to producers of
crops and manufactured goods. In
the fiscal year 1926, our shipments to
Europe alone amounted to $2,310,000 -
000, and Imports, $1,286,000,000. About
half was carried in our own vessels.
Without the balance wheel of competi
tion, it is undisputed that foreign ves
sels holding a monopoly would lie in a
position not only to raise freight rates,
but to discriminate against American
freights, and when their own nationals
had competing goods, they wpuld leave
our surplus piled on our docks, with
consequent ruinous loss of markets
and of values. This is a record of re
cent history.
The Shipping Board has sold many
lines of ships, with the requirement
that the buyers shall operate them
6 years or more. Now, the conten
tion is that it is unfair require a
10-year guaranty of the buyers of the
three .ines remainlhg in the Pacific
The reply is that those are the last
remaining lines In the Taciflc under
Governbent control, and 5 years 1 is
too short a period to risk On that ac
count. The risk of failure, where
there would remain no Government
lines to hold against competition of
foreign shipping, they contend, is too
great a risk, although it is recognized
that private management makes many
economies, w'hich are Impossible under
Government control.
(Coorrlcht. 1027. by Paul V. Collin*.)
Official Concord in Macedonia.
In last Tuesday’s issue, under Back
ground of Events, appeared the fol
lowing sentence: “The Macedonians
who are making border troubles are
Bulgarian ‘gunmen,’ bent on,personal
robbery and general unrest.” In
other words, they are not authorized
by the government of Bulgaria to
commit their deeds of violence.
The Greek Minister expresses the
belief that the troubles reported In the
section commonly referred to as
Macedonia were not so serious as Indi
cated in newspaper reports, and that*
11
PHILOSOPHIES
lIY
GLENN FRANK
I give you here the self-painted
portrait of a great mind.
Lord Bacon, the sagacity and sweep
of whosa mind remain unmatched
even in this time of swiftly mounting
knowledge, is speaking:
"For myself I found that I was
fitted for nothing so well as for the
study of Truth: as having a mind
nimble and versatile enough to catch
thj resemblance of things, and at the
same time steady enough to fix and
distinguish their subtler differences:
as being gifted by nature with desire
to seek, patience to doubt, fondness
to meditate, slowness to assert, readi
ness to reconsider, carefulness to set
in order; and as being a man that
neither affects what is new nor ad
mires what is old. and that hates
every kind of imposture. So I thought
my nature had a kind of familiarity
with Truth.”
If every American would paste this
paragraph over his desk or work
bench and, for 15 minutes each day,
cross-examine himself in the light of
its phrases, he would find a benefit
far beyond the proverbial benefit ad
vertised as a sure result of 15 minutes
a day with the great classics.
As my eye fell upon this paragraph
I found myself asking these questions:
Do I'have this Baconian "desire to
seek” or am I smugly satisfied with
what. I already know?
Am I prodded by curiosity or
poisoned by contentment?
Do I have this Baconian ‘‘patience
to doubt” or are my doubts merely
quick flippancies?
Are my doubts of old dogmas merely
new dogmas in which my mind rests
or are they adventures in a patient
search for reality back of the rhetoric
of ancient assertions?
Do I have this Baconian ‘‘fondness
to meditate” or do I merely pile into
my mind as so much extra goods the
things I see and hear and read?
Am I capable of sitting down and
thinking about things, without book
or play to titillate my attention?
Do I have this Buconian "slowness
to assert” or am I overquick in the
crystallization of my opinions?
Are my judgments manufactured or
grown?
Do I have this Baconian ‘‘readiness
to reconsider” or do I feel a vested
interest in my opinions, once I have
stated them?
Am I the slave of a merely pride
supported consistency?
I submit this as a helpful exercise
in creative self-examination.
(Copyright. McClure Newspaper Syndicate).
Annexation Plan
In Arlington Viewed
To the Editor of The Star:
I am prompted to commend The
Star for the full and fair accounts it
has printed of the proposed annexa
tion of part of Arlington County by
thd City of Alexandria. Circulating as
It does throughout the county to a
greater extent than any other news
paper. it may be said that, generally
speaking, the people of the county look
to The Star for unbiased information
on the subject.
In my opinion, it is unfortunate
that territory can be annexed to a
city without the consent, by a referen
’ dura vote of the people interested.
But- such is the law in the Common
; wealth of Virginia. Against the will
and wishes of a large majority of the
residents, not long ago Alexandria suc
ceeded in grabbing a good slice of
territory from the southern end of
Arlington County, and the city is now
reaching out for more.
While small in area, the assessed
valuation of Arlington is-imposing and
attractive. For the most part the
county is composed of small, progres
sive and strictly residential communi
ties. The percentage of home owner
ship is unusually large. Abutting on
the District «*f Columbia, where many
of its residents are employed, they re
gard themselves as part and parcel
; of the Capital rathen» than of Alexan
dria. They' want to preserve their
; homes and gardens; they want to man
age their schools, parks and play
-1 grounds without interference by out
siders or those who would force on
1 them a centralized, sinister govern
-1 ment.
Arlington is rich in natural beauty
1 and mass intellectualism. So far as
• material wealth is concerned, it can
well afford to provide for its residents
all the desired attractions and advan
tages of rural homestead life. Under
its present form of government it is
doing so. Its county institutions are
! in keeping with their environment. It
• is because Arlington is so favored that
! envious eyes are cast in its direction,
‘ and its residents appeal to the fair
minded people of the State generally
to prevent it from being gobbled up
i by Alexandria.
i I believe I express the general sen
timent of those who have the county’s
welfare at heart when I say we do not
i choose to be annexed.
D. MAUCHLIN NIVEN.
Pardon and Parole
Important Problem
To the Editor of The Star: #
Many of America’s foremost penol
ogists are now convinced that the most
important problem confronting crime
organizations at the present time is
the subject of parole. I noticed this
particularly at the convention of the
American Prison Association, held last
August in Tacoma, Wash. A day was
given over to pardon and parole ques
tions, the most important address be
ing delivered by John Philip Bramer,
New York parole custodian and chair
man of the committee on pardon and
parole for three terms, and considered
by many to be the foremost authority
on the subject in the United States.
Mr. Bramer’s address, which was in
the form of the yearly report of his
committee, was modeled closely to the
general outline followed in his book,
“Parole,” published by the Irving
Press, in New’ York City. Mr. Bramer
is the first person to write a complete
treatise on the subject, and his labors
cannot bo too highly recommended.
He contends that the mass treat
ment of the offenders of yesterday
should at this time be supplanted by a
system w'hose chief concern is the sal
vaging of the individual. He believes
that a scientific parole system is the
best means to this end. and that the
most essential prerequisite for success
is an efficient administration, coupled
with recognized methods of modern
social case work.
"No State will long tolerate a parole
system in which public confidence is
lacking because of its organization and
administration,” Mr. Bramer asserts.
but every State faces a tremendous
opportunity in the field of social sal
vage and crime prevention through an
efficient parole organisation and ad
ministration. The results of such a
system represent savings, not only in
human beings but in public money*.’’
It will be interesting to note the
sessions of the National Prime Com
mission in the development of pardon
and parole theories, especially Thurs
day morning, when the chief discus
sion of this subject will take place. 1
anticipate greatly hearing Mr. Bramer
give the National Prime Commission
delegates the splendid exposition on
the latest parole and pardon thought,
which I was fortunate enough to hear
at the Tacoma meeting of the Ameri- ;
can Prison Association.
* T. W. DWIGHT.
ns the governments concerned were
trying their best to piaintuln order,
the recent incidents which were
the work of irregular bands of undis
ciplined marauders had little signifi
cance. As far as Greek Macedonia
was concerned, the situation, he said,
was absolutely quiet and normal.
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS •
**>
BY FREDERIC J. HASKFN. ' r
Q. In what year was the world
series last played in four games?—R. i
G. H.
A. The world series of 1914 was
played In four games, the Boston Na
tionals winning four consecutive vie- 1
lories from the Philadelphia Ameri
cans.
Q. How did the average size of
artillery ammunition used in the
World War compare with that used in
the Civil War?—T. L.
A. The estimated average size used
in the Civil War was 12 pounds; of
that used in the World War. 25
pounds.
Q. When were Jack Dempsey and
Estelle Taylor married?—F. A. W.
A. They were married February 9,
1925.
Q. When was the Alliance Fran
caise organized?—C. E. T.
A. It was founded in 1902 for the
purpose of encouraging in the United
States and Canada the study and cul
tivation of the language, literature,
art and history of France.
Q. Where is the oldest college li
brary building in the United States?—
D. R. M.
A. The University of South Caro
lina, at Columbia, claims to have the
oldest separate college library building
in America.
Q. What is ecology?—B. T.
A. It is a comparatively new branch
of hotany which deals with the rela
tion of the plant to its environment,
plant associations and plant distribu
tion.
Q. Who painted the portrait of the
late President Harding for the U. S. S.
Leviathan?—T. B.
A. Howard Chandler Christy.
Q. Is the spring of a phonograph
motor fully wound, but with brake ap
plied. subject to any wear; or would
its life be prolonged if permitted to
run down when performing no serv
ice?— R. A. W.
A. The Bureau of Standards says
that the spring of a phonograph mo
tor will last longer if allowed to run
down. ,
Q. Is Eugene V. Debs dead?—F. M.
A. He died October 20, 1926.
Q. What are the English equiva
lents for the perfumes called Fleurs
de Mai and Chevre-Feuille?—E. R.
A. Fleurs-de-Mai is “lilies of the
valley," while Chevre-Feuille is “hon
eysuckle."
Q. When was the first periscope
made?—W. E. L.
A. The earliest record of its use
was on the Federal monitor Osage dur
ing the Red River expedition in 1864.
The instrument was devised by
Thomas Daughty, acting chief of en
gineers of the United States Navy.
Q. When was Cumberland Gap dis
covered?—C. D.
A. Daniel Boone discovered this
passageway through the mountains in
1769 while on a hunting trip. Six
years .later he and his companions
blazed a trail through the gap, which
was afterward known as the Wilder*
ness road, and played an important
part in the Civil War.
Q. How many similes are in Beo
wulf?—N. P.
A. There are but five.
Q. W’ho is called the "architeci’’ of
modern Italy?—C. E.
A. Camlle de Cavour, born 1810,
died 1861, is so called, because as
Prime Minister of Italy under King
Press Comment on Magruder
Reveals Contrast of Opinion
*
Many and differing opinions are dis
closed in newspaper comment on the
case of Rear Admiral Magruder, who
was relieved of his post at Philadel
phia and attached to the Navy Depart
ment at Washington as a result of the
controversy growing out of his pub
lished articles criticizing the depart
ment’s organization and methods. Some
observers sharply condemn the de
partment;' others feel that naval dis
cipline made wh&t happened to the
admiral inevitable. Views differ also
on the propriety of Admiral Magru
der’s appeal direct to President Cool
idge and as to the President’s action
in promptly declining to act in the
matter.
Typical of the division among vari
ous representative papers are the ex
pressions of the Dayton Daily News
(independent Democratic) and the De
troit News (independent). As the Day
ton News sees it, the question is:
"Can they (such men as Admiral
Magruder) serve their country when
service of their country in their own
minds calls for facts and opinions not
otherwise available only at the cost of
their own martyrdom?” ;
Says the Detroit News: "When high
officers of the services are able to
inject themselves into politics by air
ing their view's for hire in the public
prints a much more objectionable and
dangerous condition of affairs has
arisen than any which can grow out
of the evils which Admiral Magruder
attributes to the Navy.”
The St. Paul Dispatch (independent)
feels that "a disposition to give sym
pathetic attention to ideas so sub
mitted and to act on those ideas that
are approved alone will prevent more
of this unfortunate and unseemly kick
ing over the traces of discipline.”
'** * *
"The administration rather than the
admiral is right as regards the proper
method for a naval officer to use in
making criticisms of the service, even
If President Coolidge may have seemed
a trifle brusque in refusing the ad
miral a personal audience,” in the
judgment of the Providence Journal
(independent), but that paper con
cludes that “citizens who are a bit
skeptical as to whether the Navy De
partment is wholly right and Admiral
Magruder entirely wrong will welcome
a congressional inquiry.”
** * *
The Terre Haute Star (Independent
Republican) feels that the American
people "are not so impressed by the
majesty of departmental discipline as
to condone a slap to a tried and capa
ble officer who criticized conditions
which most people believe were not
exaggerated.”
Conceding that "the President was
quite right, as a matter of principle.
In not interfering,” the Ann Arbor
Times-News (independent) expresses
regret that "a man like Magruder.
with a good service record, can find
no way to defend himself w-hen his
head has been lopped off.” And the
Portland (Oreg.) Journal (independent)
asks: “Why not correct the evils
whch he brought to public atten
tion?” The New York Evening World
(Independent) expresses doubt that
"the offense of the admiral deserves
such humiliation as he has received.”
The Birmingham News (Democratic)
advises that the admiral “should be
willing to take his medicine • • •
without wdneing or even attempting
to evade it by dodging the order of
the Secr*tyy of the Navy.”
To the Hartford Times (Independent
Democratic) It seems that "the Presi
dent properly refused to Intervene,”,
and the Nashville Banner (independ
ent) suggests that discipline "may be
set down aa essential In theory and <
perhnps In practice. It may amount i
In certain Instances to suppression of i
facts.” adds that paper, "but ita I
greater worth is supposed to He In its •
cutting off presumptuous criticism by i
the unruly who would abuse their <
privileges.” '
President Coolidge'* course, accord- i
Ing to the Manchester Union (Indepcn- i
'dent Republican), "puts an effective i
quietus on attempt to i
Vicfor Emmanuel he was largely re*
sponsible in bringing about the unifi
cation of the Italian states.
Q. What modern notables are in
cluded in the new TuSiaud wax
works?—D. G.
A. Valentino, H. G. Wells and Ra
fael Sabatlni are among those repre
sented.
Q. How does one pyramid in a deal
on the stock exchange?—C. V.
A. Pyramiding is the speculative
process of using the profits on stocks
bought on margin In a rising market
to buy more stock also on margin, and
a similar process in selling on a de
clining market. *
Q. Is it true that American women
prefer imported shoes to those of
American make? Does not the United
States lead in the manufacture of
women's shoes?—T. W.
A. The United States does lead In
the manufacture of women's shoes,
but the Department of Commerce rg‘
ports that during the first half of the
present year 492,897 pairs of womens
leather shoes were imported! The
principal countries sending them wens
Czechoslovakia, Switzerland. United
Kingdom and France, in the order
named.
Q. What is the acreage of Cen
tral Park. New York City?—E. E.
A. It contains 840 acres.
Q. How many home runs has Babe
Ruth made?—W. E. R.‘
A. Babe Ruth had made 856 home
runs prior to the 1927 season. Tie
made 60 home runs during the 1927
season and 2 home runs during the
world series.
Q. How is the word "conduit" pro
nounced?—E. H.
A. It is pronounced as if spelled
"condit."
Q. Is it possible that jewelry and
coins were marked in Portuguese
more than 1,000 years ago?—M. S. F.
A. The records show that there was
a mint for making coins at Ementa
in Portugal established by the Suevic
Goths between the years 430 and 457.
It Is, therefore, quite possible that
Jewelry and coins of Portugal are
marked with dates of more than 1,000
years ago.
Q. How old is Sherwood Ander
son?—D. L.
A. He was born in 1876. His firat
book was published in 1916.
Q. When was Christianitv intro
duced into Russia? A. G. N.
A. It was introduced under Vladi
mir about the end of the tenth cen
tury.
Q. Do greyhounds follow' their prey
bjr scent or by sight?—W. D.
A. They are remarkable for their
swiftness and keen sight, upon which,
instead of smell, they depend in hunt
ing. They are one of the oldest varie
ties known, being found depicted on
ancient Egyptian monuments.
Stop a minute to think about this
fact. You can ask The Evening Star
Information Bureau any question of
fact and get the answer back in a per
sonal letter. It is a great educational
idea introduced into the lives of tha
most intelligent people in the world—
American newspaper readers. It is •
part of that purpose of a newspaper
service. There is no charge, except
t cents in stamps for return postage.
Get the habit of asking questions. Ad
dress your letter to The Evening /?far
Information Bureau, Frederic J. Has
kin director, Washington, D. C.
‘go over the head’ of his official supe
rior,” and the Union states that “the
only Issue, in the official view* is re
spect for naval regulations ” That
the admiral was in error is also main
tained by the Bluefleld Daily, Tele
graph (independent Republican)' and
the Waterloo Tribune (independent
Progressive).
The appeal to the President seems to
the Indianapolis News (Independent)
to have been warranted. “Consider
ing the nature of the controversy pre
cipitated by his criticism of the Navy
and the manner in which he was re
lieved of his command without warn
ing,” says the News, “it appears that
Magruder had no choice but to appeal
to the President or to Congress.” The
Charlotte Observer (independent Dem
ocratic) remarks that "It would prove
interesting if it should turn out that
the admiral la vindicated on any one
of the many points involved,” and the
Kansas City Post (independent) recalls
that "Admiral Sims and Fighting Bob
Evans often shook up the dry bones,
but both knew what they were about
and won public sympathy.” The Post
adds that "even they were prepared to
take the full consequences; the stuff
of which Magruder is made is still to
be tested.”
“It may be for the good of the serv
ice, but it is not for the good of public
confidence to have eminent admirals
and generals repeatedly recalled and
reprimanded,” declares the San Fran
cisco Bulletin (Republican), and the
St. Louis Times (Republican) states:
“Washington, in the candid judgment
of the Intelligent average citizen, fell
down woefully in its effort to discredit
Mitchell. We apprehend that the
Magruder case may have a like re
sult.” The Flint Daily Journal (inde
pendent) insists that "popular demand
will condemn the Government for any
attempt to muzzle or punish honest
critics of military or naval policy
merely because they wear the uniform
of the United States.”
"Our belief is that his remarks
about too many swivel-chair officers
hanging around Washington hurt
most.” avers the Little Rock (Ark.)
Democrat (Democratic), and the Mil
waukee Journal (Independent) con
cludes: "It was the President who
took Summerall by the coat collar and
yanked him back from the Pacific
Coast. The policy of the administra
tion is to instill the ‘Yes, yes.’ idea In
the Army and Navy. It is hecause he
(Its so admirably into that scheme of
things that Mr. Wilbur is still Secre
tary.”
UNITED STATES
IN WORLD WAR
Ten v *g Ago Today
German war office announces the
capture of American soldiers by Ger
man patrols. Washington accepts re
port ns one of the inevitable incidenta
of war and awaits confirmation by
Gen. Pershing. • • • Men in the va
rious branches of the L ? nited States
Army have subscribed a total of $89.-
273,850 for Liberty bonds, according
to final figures,. • * • A delegation of
11 American Congressmen leave Paria
for a visit to the French and Ameri
can battle .fronts, • • • More than
1,120 officers and men, removed fror*
German steamships seized last April,
are sent South to be interned until tha
war ends. • • • Official Washington
is cheered by cables from the Ameri
can Ambassador at Rome to the’effect
that the German advance in Italy ha*
l»een checked. The allies are pouring
(n troops and the movement of French
aqd British artillery by rail is uninter
rupted. • • • Carefully laid plan to
blow up a United Stares transport la
frustrated by arrest of man carrying
& powerful bomb. • • • Y. M. C. A.
announces a drive for 13R.000.0Q0 to
carry on ' war wo>k W tbjjf ebuhtry
and ovtrataa.