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A-6 THE EVENING STAR With gmday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. SATURDAY. .. .January 25, 1930 THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company N»w York Office: 110 Ernst 4Jnd St. Chicago Office: Lake Michigan Building. European Office: 14 Regent St.. London. England. Kate by Carrier Within the City. JESS anV ijundaV "htar 4 * 6 W rnoßth AWte Star 800 B, ° nth ,P u ( l^* y Star 5c per ccpy at the end of rach month. NAtf&aHeoo* ,n by mail or ltlechone hy Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. RSiiJ *“?„ Sunday I yr- *10.00: 1 mo.. 85c 1 yr.. *6 00; 1 mo.. 50c Sunday only ......... ,i yr.. 14.00; l mo.. 40c _ „ AU Other States and Canada. ■jvssjsiiie'i Member of the Associated Press. Associated Pres* is rxclusitely entitled *be use for republication of all news dis patches credited to it or not otherwise cred- i h l D»P« r and also the local news r *« ht » ot publication of •neclal dispatches herein are also reserved. - ■ Back to the Free Lilt. The tariff duties proposed to be levied on hides, leather, boots and shoes mere whipsawed out of the tariff bill by a conflict of interests in the Senate yesterday. The duty on hides was designed to aid the American farmer, particularly the livestock men. The duty on leather, boots and shoes, which has been referred to many times as “compensatory” duty, placed in the bill as an offset to the increased prices which the manufacturers might have to pay for their raw material in the event of the duty on hides being ac cepted, met the opposition of Senators who hail from the agricultural States. They were unable to see how the farm ers would be benefited by an increase j in the prices they obtained for hides if at the same time they had to pay , *n increased price for shoes and leather goods. The effort of Western Senators was to increase the duty on hides, but this was defeated by a combination of Re publican Senators from the East and Democrats from the East and South. After the Oddie amendment, proposing the duties on the hides, had been re jected by such a combination, Senator Rorah of Idaho and other Senators from the West retaliated by voting for an amendment to cut out all duties on hides, leather, boots and shoes and to restore the language of the present law, which places hides and boots and shoes on the free list. And joining with these Senators from the West were the Democrats of the South. The debate in the Senate indicated that both the livestock producers and the manufacturers of shoes and leather were meeting competition from abroad. Hides from Argentina and shoes from Czechoslovakia and other countries are coming In increasing quantities into this country to disturb the producers here. Unfortunately for the producers, however, it was found impossible to agree upon a measure of protection for all that was acceptable. America has Jed for years in the production of boots and shoes. The shoe manufacturers have asked no duty in the past on their products, so long as they were able to purchase their raw materials in an un protected market. Foreign competition, however, has increased as foreign pro ducers have been able to obtain ma chinery similar to that developed and used in this country. The American farmer is entitled to greater protection from the tariff than he has had in the past. But if the theory of protection is to be maintained—and there are few who would now insist upon a policy of free trade or even for a tariff for revenue only—the manufac turers of this country must be given protection, too. It is particularly un fortunate that it was impossible in the Senate to agree upon a proposal that would be fair both to the farmers and to the manufacturers in the case of hides and boots and shoes. On the other hand, the American consumer, who is interested merely in pur chasing boots and shoes and leather goods at the lowest possible figure, may bs somewhat better off than if an agreement had been reached. The farmers and the men and women who make boots and shoes and leather hap pen to be consumers of these articles, too. In the House duties were levied on hides, leather, boots and shoes. The matter must still be thrashed out in conference between the two houses, and it may be possible yet to adjust the dif ferences on a fair basis. Every city is demanding extensive air fields. The fact that the sky Is its chief reliance does not prevent aviation from affording new promise to the realtor. * Down With Slenderness! Os all the sweet battles won by the Federal Trade Commission in that j agency's crusades to protect the public none is more impressive than the fact! that “Respondent, a corporation, en gaged in the manufacture of cigarettes and other tobacco products, entered into the following stipulation of facts and agreement to cease and desist for- 1 ever from the alleged unfair methods of competition as set forth therein.” Among the alleged practices from which the respondent agrees to cease and desist forever are the publication of testimonials and indorsements “pur porting to be that of certain actresses in a musical show who >vere credited with the statement to the effect that through the use of the respondent's cigarettes 'that's how we stay slender,’ ” when, as a matter of fact, the commis sion declares, “the said actresses were not cigarette smokers and did not stay slender through the smoking of re spondent’s products.” In another case the erring corporation gave publicity to a radio testimonial setting forth as a fact that a well known musical comedy star who, while engaged in making a talk • lng picture, "smoked that brand of cigarettes manufactured by respondent, and which because of the special treat ment employed in the manufacture of said cigarettes, had been freed from all irritants with the result that the smok ing of said cigarettes kept the alleged author in good shape and feeling peppy and his voice as clear as a bell in every scene, when in truth and in fact the aforesaid comedy star authorized the aforesaid testimonial and received a consideration for the above statement attributed to him, but which statement he did not prepare, see prior to its use or sign ” Other unfair methods of competition charged against the respondent were to the effect that the coloration caused various forms of “advertising matter to contain such statements as ‘Every wom an who fears overweight finds keen in terest in new-day and common-sense ways to keep a slender, fashionable figure,’ and ‘No longer need you face the rigid requirements of harsh dieting methods. Overweight is banished, etc.,’ when in truth and In fact health and vigor to men, slender figures to women and reduction of flesh in all cases will not necessarily result from the smoking of respondent's brand of cigarettes." It is not set down here as a fact, but one believes that it was this last dictum from the Federal Trade Com mission that led the respondent to give up and cease and desist forever. Imag ine the consternation that must have reigned in the office of “said respondent" when the wires carried the news that the Federal Trade Commission had for mally declared that “Vigor to men, slender figures to women and reduction of flesh In all cases will not necessarily result from the smoking of respondent's i brand of cigarettes." Large, salty tears must have rolled down the kind but stem faces of the cigarette barons when they read that statement. To have fought so hard for slender figures for women, to have striven so well for vigor in men, only to learn that such things do not necessarily come from “the smoking of respondent’s brand of cigarettes"—aye, that was the cut that hurt! Does any one blame the said re spondent from quitting and from ceas ing and desisting forever? Bail Bond Grafting. A Federal grand Jury in New York City hss just completed an investiga tion into the evil of bail bond graft In the magistrate’s courts in Manhattan and the Bronx, making a presentation that lays bare conditions that the United States attorney for that Juris diction characterizes as a disgrace. Ac cording to this report a veritable scale of fees prevails at the station houses and the courts. • Bond runners pay, as a rule, $5 to the desk lieutenant at the station house. $1 to the turnkey, $1 to the clerk at the bridge in the magis-, trate’s court and $1 or $2 to the court clerk who fills out the bail bond. All this money, of course, goes into the cost of the bond, which the prisoner pays. On small bonds this amounts to from $6 to $lO, but it is not infrequent to extort from the prisoner as high as SIOO on a SI,OOO bond. In some cases the bondsmen or their representatives are given sleeping accommodations in the station houses, for a consideration, of course. Professional bonding of person? ar rested for misdemeanors and crimes has been developed into a large business. It is a lucrative business, too, and con sequently there is much competition. The bondsmen or their runners infest the station houses and the courts and no time is lost in getting contact with the prisoners. Naturally, in such cir cumstances graft is likely to develop, especially in large cities where “busi ness” is good and profitable. It would be well to look into this matter here in the District to determine whether there it any unwholesome con nection between police station and bond agent. It has been s&ld in the past that professional bondsmen know of arrests even before they are made, es pecially in case of raids, where numbers of persons are ttfken into custody simultaneously. .Indeed, it has been said that the bondsmen were likely to be waiting at the station house when the patrol wagons, loaded with prison ers, reached there. This may not be true, or, if true, then it may be no longer the case. Certainly It would do no harm to Investigate the matter to see if there is any undesirable rela tionship. On the assumption that a person is innocent until proved to be guilty, the fact of arrest does not establish guilt and should never cause the imposition of unnecessary hardship. If the of fender is bailable under the law, he should be granted the earliest possible release upon the giving of a satisfactory bond for appearance in court. To this end expedition Is desirable, but in the expediting of this service there should be no graft, which the bailee pays. The “Panther” Hunt. This “panther” hunt is getting very exciting. At first only a few residents of the National Capital were interested in the maraudings of the beast, but now a steadily growing army is seek ing to track it to its lair. Citizens, police, big-game hunters and Federal operatives are working hand in hand in the great adventure. Recruits are being added dally, and It would not be at all surprising if the Boy Scouts and the National Guard joined the fray. It cannot help being exciting when such a large number of people are seeking the same end. Another thrilling phase of this great hunt is that probably none of the hunt ers knows what they are hunting for, and neighborhood dogs, cats and even the hunters themselves are liable to suffer from the overzealousness of one lof the shotgun brigade. The beast has been variously described as a large dog, coyote, panther, bobcat or mountain lion. A few days more of the hunt and it may well be a tiger, a rhinoceros or an elephant, depending on the im agination of those who allege that they have glimpsed it. Whatever It Is, it is not likely to hurt any of the hunters before it is dispatched. The important thing is for none of the hunters to hurt themselves before the animal is finally tracked down. —— I • - Intimation* continue to be made that the vast amounts of money handled by a few lobbyists are as imaginary as the services they pretend to render. The Ban on Parrots. President Hoover has seen fit to issue an executive order against further im portation of parrots until the psittacosis outbreak throughout the world is checked. Even extreme sentimentalists i on the subject of pets should not object to this sensible and timely move to protect the American people against a deadly and somewhat mysterious malady which unquestionably has gained a foot hold in the country. The President has acted upon sound medical advice. There is no disposition among medi cal authorities to exaggerate the dan gers of parrot fever. From the very THE EVENING STAR. WASHINGTON, p; C., SATURDAY. JANUARY 25, 1930. nature of the disease it never will de velop, there is reason to believe, into a great epidemic claiming hundreds of victims, it* outbreaks will remain localized around the nucleus of a sick parrot. The syndrome Is quite close to that of Influenza and very likely some cases have been wrongly diagnosed. But any disease of this kind is dan-' gerous. The phenomena of epidemics are still mysterious. For years there will be mild outbreaks of a malady, claiming a few victims here and there and not considered very seriously by the general public. Suddenly the dis ease will become extremely virulent, will sweep like a death-dealing wind over great areas of population, and will take its toll by the thousands. Then the disease will lose its extreme virulence and In a few years the status will be the same as before the epidemic. No body knows just what transformation is wrought in the causative agencies of the malady. Psittacosis has been known in the world for over sixty years. It has broken out here and there, taken a few victims, and then subsided. There have been long lapses between Its ap pearances and Its ravages have been closely circumscribed. The present outbreak has been reported from places as widely separated as the Argentine, Germany and five or six American cities. Possibly all have arisen from one lot of birds divided into several shipments. It is possible, however, that It may be prevalent among parrots everywhere. This is no time to take chances. The only safe measure Is to shut them out altogether. The value of these birds in the household is purely decorative and sentimental. They are useful in the scheme of nature only in their native forests, or in scientific labora tories. Many will feel that all the par rots in captivity are not worth a single human life, and the soundest senti mental reaction, so far as the birds themselves are concerned, would be to leave them in the trees where they are happy, Instead of forcing upon them a hothouse existence. A request is made by Prime Minister Macdonald that reporters will not send “wild stories." The public does not demand sensationalism when it is studying large diplomacies. The London conference will proceed with discreet deliberation and not at tempt to keep the radio busy at all hours with efforts to impart new and surprising information. Sovietism is after all only attempting on an exaggerated scale the very old experiment of making political promises do the work of statesmanship. The public easily adjusts Itself to new fashions. An old specimen of pager currency now looks oversized and queer. Conditions are at least consistent when an unusually hard Winter is re ported even from the Antarctic regions. Safety in aviation would be promoted if Lindbergh were able to teach others how to fly as safely as he does. SHOOTING STABS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. The Quail. (News note —Farmers are being re quested to feed the quail.) The memory of a pleasant song, A simple homely lay. Comes where the brown birds sped along Upon a Summer day. With vigilance her own to guard. Now bitter blows the gale. The snow is deep; the ground 1s hard. So let us feed the quail. A very little will enhance Hope for a needy friend, Who only asks a sporting chance To struggle to the end. The huntsman she will bravely meet; Her cunning may prevail. She has no chance in ice and aleet, So let us feed the quail. Deception Difficult, "I am afraid some of you politicians used to deceive the people." "That was years ago.” answered Sen ator Sorghum. “Radio and the tele graph make it possible to check up on everything that is said and done. A politician often manages to get away with something, but nobody Is really deceived." Jud Tunklns says there is a limit to the intelligence of animals. No matter how much you may love pets, it’s foolish to try to tame a bee. No Early Riser. The sunrise makes a glorious view; Each daybreak will renew it. I’m glad, I will confide to you, That I don’t have to view It. Better as a Secret. “I have a great tip on the market,” said the speculative person. "Don't talk about it,” answered Mr. Dustin Stax. “If it wins nobody will be grateful for your Information, and if It loses you will make a lot of enemies.” "Think carefully on what you teach a child,” said Hi Ho, the sage of China town, “lest he grow up to remember you as one who led him into saying what Is not true.” Serious Game. It’s very clear that whist may claim Rank as a matter serious, For every one who plays the game Looks solemn and mysterious. “Puttin’ things off," said Uncle Eben, “somehow mostly applies to duties instid of pleasures.” Probably Solves Problem. From the Butte Daily Po»t. The present cold snap, we under stand. Is an enterprising business scheme hatched by Fred Huotte, the coal baron, and Henry Coulam, the w. k. California excursion booster. Presents a Knotty Point. From the Akron Beacon Journal. It’s hard to tell whether great men read detective stories for relaxation or because they were licked for doing it as kids. And Typographical Mistakes. From th« Savannah Morning News. The annual Georgia newspaper insti tute Is to conduct clinics. It is sup posed that remedies for louf circulation will be sought. * 11 THIS AND THAT i I BV CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Just as all the living world loves a ,• lover, so all the reading world loves a love st<jry. 1 One of the best of these, and cer ' tainly one of the newest. Is "The Mid , night Bell," by Patrick Hamilton, a , young Londoner, who, according to no ’ less an authority than Hugh Walpole, was "intended by the Almighty to write novels." This story comes to America under , the Imprint of Little, Brown & Co., bringing with it a Dickensian flavor, so called largely because the writing world is going back to the master. The swing toward the literary style of Charles Dickens as yet is not pro nounced, but there has been enough of it recently to make it sure. Another outstanding instance is Priestley’s “The Good Companions.” issued last Autumn. So far the Dickens influence Is not I large and is shown rather in a decided and broad humorous twist to descrip tions. It is as if writers were begin ning to tire themselves of too much realism, naturalism, call it what one will. (Whatever it is. It may be seen to the full in Hemingway’s “A Farewell to Arms.”) More and more, writers are coming to see that mayb? Dickens was right, after all, when he managed to extract a bit of fun from almost everything he saw, from almost every person he de scribed. He knew that man Is a humor ous animal and wants to be amused even in his sadness. ** * * An example of the Dickensian touch is found in the following description of “The Midnight Bell,” a London public house of the sort which left America with the saloon. “Those entering the Saloon Bar of ‘The Midnight Bell’ from the street,” our author says, “came through a large door .with a fancifully frosted glass pane, a handle like a dumb-bell, a brass inscription ‘Saloon Bar and Lounge,’ and a brass ajjjuration to Pith. Any one temperamentally so wilful, careless or incredulous as to Ignore this friendly admonition was instantly snubbed, for this door actually would only succumb to Pushing. Nevertheless hundreds of temperamental people nightly argued with the door and got the worst of it. Given proper treatment, however, it swung back in the most accomplished way and announced you to the Saloon Bar with a welcoming creak.” That as every one will admit, is Dickensian. One cannot Imagine Sin clair Lewis writing that paragraph any more than Theodore Dreiser. Those gentlemen take their art too seriously Even as young men their faces have the same look which that of Dickens wore after he became a Success. Young Patrick Hamilton, with the world before him, looks upon the sordid side or his London with a humorous eye, and the reader finds that this same humor, while not obscuring the harsh ness, makes it easier for him to bear. We wish more novelists would think about their readers. No matter how fond a seeker of vicarious experiences a novel reader may be, ordinarily he does not care for an excess. He would like Zola s “L’Assommoir" better if the scene in which little Lala is beaten were left out. It would be Just es good a story. Mr. Hemingway’s “A Farewell to Arms’’ would be better, one Is inclined to think, if the last sad scenes were not quite so sad. We pre dict that Olive Schreiner's “Story of An African Farm," in which the hero ine similarly dies in childbirth, will live countless years after “A Farewell to Arms” is forgotten, solely because it possesses a touch of sentiment which is lacking in Hemingway's admittedly best work. Kindliness, good humor—if an author .can hold these below the point of mawkishness, he has something which the novelist without them would give his literary life for. Consider Mr. Hamilton’s description Senate’s Reduced Sugar Tariff Meets With General Approval Few tears were-shed over the defeat of the sugar tariff measure in the Sen ate. While some warnings are sounded against smothering an infant industry, the majority feel that the move was sound economics. "The margin by which the Harrison amendment providing against any in crease in duties on raw sugar was car ried in the Senate,” according to the New York Sun, “leaves the sugar raid ers little hope of anything to be gained by means of conference. Instead of the expected seven Democratic votes for in crease from the present duties to 2.20 and 2.75 cents a pound, there were only four. Instead of the expected dozen Republican votes for the Harrison amendment, there were 18. The House bill, providing duties of 2.40 cents on Cuban sugar and 3 rents on sugar from other countries, will be unacceptable to conferees chosen by a Senate that voted 48 to 38 for the existing duties of 1.76 cents on Cuban sugar and 2.20 cents on world sugar. * • * The answer of the Senate is so firm a negative that it ought to be accepted as final by those who have made the unavailing raid ajainst the consumers of sugar." ** * * Recognizing in the Senate’s action “a notable victory for sound economics and for consumers’ rights,” the At lanta Journal calls it “the most em phatic and the most meaningful repulse that special privilege has met with in the present session of Congress,” and loafcs upon the proposed taxation as "more unjust than that which stirred the founders of the Nation to revolt against a stupid British King.” Observing that "Senator Smoot an nounces that he will endeavor to get a small advance in rates for the sugar growers before the traiff bill is finally enacted into law,” the Memphis Com mercial-Appeal remarks that “this is interesting in its revelation of the fact that the tariff autocrats are not as au tocratic as they once were.” The Provi dence Journal points out that "how ever much tariff protection they might be granted or however large a- bounty for sugar might be, the American peo ple doubtless would have to rely chiefly upon foreign growers for their supply.” The Kansas City Star asserts that “the country cannot afford to pay heavily for developing an industry with such scant possibilities as that of sugar pro duction.” * ** * * "The original House duties,” as viewed by the Richmond News-Leader, "would have added $150,000,000 yearly to the country’s sugar bill, whereas the gain to the producers would have been only $26,000,000, and that would have gone exclusively to the 3 per cent of the farmers who grow sugar. The pres ent tariff yields $43,000,000 to the grow ers, but costs the farming population of the country $64,000,000—a net loss of $21,000,000 a year.” On the subject of bounty, the Detroit News comments: "It worked in the early nineties, when paying bounties to the cane-sugar peo ple of Louisiana and to a few sugar beet producers. With beet sugar being made on a much larger scale, the Gov ernment overhead with a bounty plan today would be a large item. The dan ger of frauds also would be widespread and grave.” ft defense of sugar demands, the Butte Montana Standard says: "The Senate might have done worse. Per haps many of its members realize that. Still, there will be disappointment that some workable scheme could not have been evolved which would encourage American farmers to raise more sugar. Taken by and large, there is probably no land in the world better suited to the production of beet sugar than cer tain vast areas of the United States, including large districts of Montana. And yet the United States raises only I of one of the frequenters of "The Mid i night Bell”: "He had been to Oxford University, and was a man of letters—mostly to . the papers. He wrote articles and i short stories for the press, which were t very occasionally accepted. He called , thl* Turning Out Little Things from . Time to Time. An enormous Thing perpetually in progress was postulated . but left in the dark." The use of capitals, as here exempli ' fled, is made an art. ** * * “The Midnight Bell” is the sort of ! thing most men would WTlte if they • could write a novel at all—and most of i them rather think they can, of course. • Most men have an enormous Thing > perpetually in progress, in their own minds, at the least, which they hope ; to spring upon an astonished world [ some day or other. Delve Into the se . cret compartments of most desks, and . the chances are at least 50-50 that i you would bring out a manuscript, the , secret treasure of some sad heart. , Most men, granted that most men could write a novel, would be forced to do It in the style of Patrick Hamilton, , 9-t once the easiest, from one stand ' point, and at the same time the most ■ difficult, from another. He has two main characters, three at the most, and these he follows through ■ from meeting to meeting, from conver sation to conversation. His waiter Bob, and his girl of the streets, Jenny Maple, meet to part and part to meet. The reader finds himself rather surprised, when about two-thirds through, to ; realize that this book is but a chroni cling of meetings, partings and talkings. Well, it«takes skill to make so little much, to make chitchat Interesting. , The author here does it because he pic tures a dramatic contrast, that of true love, as exemplified in his Bob, against 1 that of indifference, as set forth in the 1 vulgar, pretty Jenny. For all Its humor this is a sad book. It is relieved by the genuine love which the man shows for the girl whom he could have pur i chased, but refused to. And the girl, without one sigh of appreciation, calmly ■ takes his money, and deceives him even i more calmly, because she Is by nature utterly incapable of appreciating any i thing in which aspiration has a part. This is a real love story, one which shows man as the romantic dreamer which he is. It is a good story largely for that reason. A few doubting read ers may be inclined to laugh at it be . cause they will not have had enough ’ experience to realize that love Is a ’ state of mind and that It lasts as long as that state of mind exists, and no longer. ♦* * * The perturbation of being In love, with all that it Implies, is sketched In "The Midnight Bell,” with a young but sure hand. The third main char acter. Ella, the barmaid vta the house where Bob is waitei 1 ), is as good a portrait, in her way, as the main two, if perhaps not just a bit better. She loves Bob, but knows that he doesn’t care for her, yet continues to love him just the same. Ella’s part in the story consists of flitting in and out of the scene, with lightninglike remarks concerning the growing, blind romance of Bob for the blue-eyed Jenny. As deft a scene as recent fiction has known is that in which the love-lorn Bob goes to his room on Christmas eve, after his precious Jenny has accepted another "loan,” without a word of thanks, and finds there a gift handkerchief left bv the faithful Ella. This Is the sort of thing life is made of; it helps make "The Midnight Bell” a good story, although a slender one. The author steps into his plot but once, in an extraordinary paren thetical sentence, on page 94, which might not meet with the approval of Senator Smoot and other legislators interested in spotless literature, but svpely will win the suffrage of all but the most squeamish readers. about one-fifth of the sugar it con . sumes.” ** * * Predicting that, if the Senate action ' stands, "the beet-sugar business will i be destroyed,” the Detroit Free Press declares that “If the Cuban sugar in terests run true to form, the amount of mercy they extend to a victimized people will be just about what a Chi cago gangster extends to his prey. The American consumer will long for the day when a protective tariff which made possible a competitive industry kept the price within some sort of bounds.” The Grand Rapids Press calls the torHT dU u, y u ab °. U l the ollly rate 111 the tariff which might be described as a price-restraining, anti-monopoly duty instead of a price-boosting and mo nopolistic one.” The Bay City Times holds that "the history of the bounty experiments tends to prove that it not only was an aid to the domestic sugar grower, but that it was a big factor in starting the beet-sugar Industry on a sound basis in its infancy.” "Louisiana is just coming back in the raising of sugar,” argues the New Orleans Item. "The business is not y ery profitable here, and the business m the beet-sugar sections of the coun “7,,“ not very prosperous. A slight additional increase in the sugar tariff, ?nd the protection of the industry in the United States from both Cuban preferential competition and from the competition of the Philippine Islands should result in the raising of sub stantially larger amounts of domestic sugar. There is a difference in the wage scale in our country and in the tropical countries of the world. The old question comes up, ’Why raise sugar in the United States?’ There are several sound reasons for it. The first f that sugar is a war necessity America found this out during her last war when we first starved for sugar prices*’** 1 * aW sugar g 0 fan tastlc "The conference committee.” in the of the Chicago Daily News, .5“ 1 J>‘ ve to do what it can to settle the differences between the Senate’s proposal to leave the present sugar duties unchanged and the action of the Lower House in increasing the duty on Cuban sugar to 2.40 cents a pound, it may succeed or it may not. There *I e .« bservers who stlll think no new tariff measure will be enacted this year. .. result is another demonstra tion. concludes the Louisville Courier- Journak "that the Old Guard high tariff Orundyites, who started out to ride roughshod over the President’s recommendation of limited tariff re ur?L bave been unhorsed.” The be lief that this defeat is a setback for the high protectionists in general is voiced by the Santa Barbara Daily News, the New Bedford Evening Stand ar<J and the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. ™ next step,” states the Fort Worth Record-Telegram, “will be that of reconciling the two actions (by Senate and House). The House, on the face of existing conditions, will have to come to the Senate rate, for the toes appear fixedly drawn in the latter instance.” Not Included in List. Prom the Bpring!Uld (Mo.) Leader. The Washington fire reveals that many old papers were burned and some hope the eighteenth amendment may be among the number. Apparently a Wisecrack. Prom the Florence, Ala., Herald. Forty volumes of missing laws have been found in 81am. It seems that the Orient has mqge than Its share of national disaste^. THE LIBRARY TABLE By the Booklover Many biographers of Byron see him so admiringly as-a poet that they ex tenuate or dismiss as accompaniments of the poetic temperament his domestic delinquencies during the year of his married life. In doing so they have often slurred Lady Byron, representing her as the commonplace wife of a great man, incapable of understanding him. The fact is that before the year was over she understood much about him which, had she known it earlier, would have prevented her marrying him, in spite of his fame and personal charm. Ethel Colburn Mayne has written one of the fairest of the lives of Byron. She is also fair to Lady Byron and has re cently written ‘‘The Life of Lady Byron.” As interpreted by Miss Mayne, with thorough knowledge of the Byron documents. Annabella Mllbanke, Lady Byron, was before her marriage at the age of 22 an attractive, though not beautiful, girl of unusual character, with a love for poetry and a tendency to moralize. Byron, who was just then trying to free himself from an afTalr with Lady Caroline Lamb, was attracted to Annabella Milbanke and perhaps hoped she might furnish a means to a more peaceful and regular life. She at first refused him, because his reputa tion was known to her, but afterward reconsidered and tacitly invited Byron back. After the engagement Byron showed many signs of wishing himself free, but they were married, and on the wedding journey Byron was savage and insulting. He did not speak until they reached Durham, where the bells rang in their honor, because the bride's father had once been a member of Parliament for the district. Then he remarked with a sneer, “Ringing for our happiness, I suppose?” And later, on the journey, he told the humiliated Annabella, “It must come to a separa tion ! You should have married me when I first proposed.” Almost imme diately Augusta Leigh. Byron’s half sister, appeared in their home, and gradually, all the while fighting her growing suspicions, Lady Byron came to know what were the relations of the two. Once her knowledge was certain, she could no longer remain with Byron, and after the birth of her daughter, Ada, she left him and returned to her parents. ** * * Os Celtic simplicity and primitiveness similar to that of Synge are the tales of Liam O’Flaherty in "The Mountain Tavern.” They are concerned with birth and death and work. His characters, like those of Synge, often gain their livelihood at sea and suffer the treach eries of the sea. The wives wait anxiously during a storm to know whether or not they are to be widows. There are quarrels over the possession of small pieces of land, over women, over catches of fish, over farm animals. Some of the stories are about animals. There is a small boy who frightens an enraged bull with a little white dog; two men watch at night for the birth of a calf; there is the tragedy of a pair of blackbirds when the mother and the eggs are frozen on the nest and the father goes off wailing into the wind. Altogether, these stories are equal in power and variety to those in the earlier volume of O’Flaherty, “Spring Sowing.” ** * * William Dean Howells was always kindly and helpful to younger and less successful writers than himself. This is evidenced by many of his letters, pub lished in the two volumes “Life and Letters of William Dean Howells,” edited by Mildred Howells. On one occasion he wrote to Sarah Ome Jewett: “You have a precious gift and you must know it, and can be none the worse for your knowledge. We all have a tender pleasure in your work, which there is no other name for but love. I think no one has shown finer art in away than you, and something which is so much better than art besides. Your voice is like a thrush’s in the din of all the literary noises that stun us so.” Howells’ courtesy and friendly spirit were quite different from what appears to have been the selfish rudeness of Anthony Trollope. Introduced by Henry James, Howells once spent a night at the home of Trollope, but Trollope barely spoke to him during his stay. ** * * Mary Webb, who died not long ago, just after her unusual novel, “Precious Bane,” had met with so much ap preciation, was Mr 6. H. B. L. Webb, formerly Mary Meredith. She was born and lived most of her life in Shropshire, whose atmosphere, geog raphy and legendary history are woven into all her stories. She loved every rugged hill, desolate heath, lonely tarn, and ancient legend of her native Shropshire and makes all her readers love them in "Precious Bane,” her most mature and strongest novel of the soil. In this her background is so inti mately blended with her story that the harsh advice of Gideon Sarn seems the Inevitable accompaniment of her sur roundings—the difficult soil and the dark, sinister lake. The poetic love story of his sister Prue reflects equally the lighter side of the Shropshire land- i scape, the blossoming hedges in the Spring, the waving masses of grain at the time of reaping, the full moon floating over the downs. In addition to "Precious Bane," other books by Mary Webb which have been published are “Seven for a Secret," "Gone to Earth,” “The House in Dormer Forest,” “Armour Wherein He Trusted,” "Poems and the Spring of Joy” and “The Golden Arrow.” The novel left un finished at her death, "Armour Where in He Trusted,” is an experiment in the Gothic. Sir Gilbert Polrebec leaves his beloved and goes on a crusade in the cause of Christ. The style of this fragment is as poetic as the song in the knight’s heart as he rides away, "God bless the thorn!” ** * * Lord Haldane, one of the most dis tinguished of British statesmen, was not too proud to acknowledge in his autobiography that he once failed to win or hold, the love of a woman to whom he was devoted and that his own unreturned love enriched his life. He says: "But there was no moment in which I either blamed her or pitied myself. My feeling was that somehow I had failed. * * * To this hour I treas ure the memory of these five weeks, and bless her name for the return she made on them to my devotion to her. * * * I came to realize afterward, when the pain was past, that my love for her, though it failed * * * enlarged the meaning and content of life for me.” ** * * Some of the lectures of Count Her mann Keyserling have been published In two volumes, "Creative Understand ing” and "The Recovery of Truth.” The essays of both volumes are re statements of the now familiar philo sophical ideas of the founder of the Darmstadt School of Wisdom: the Oriental ideal of quietism, the impend ing fate of our Western civilization, * the Logos as the principle of initiative, the supreme influence of the superior minority. The last chapter of "The Recovery of Truth,” entitled "My Own Belief,” is interesting as are all per sonal expressions of conviction from one who has thought. Os his philo sophic mission Count Keyserling says: "For all my philsophy springs from a source which my consciousness does not as yet fathom. Still, I am steadilv progressing. I know it. And this is the proof for me that I am steering the right course.” ** * * _ Alfred Neumann, author of “The oc'il. a historical romance of Louis XI or France and his famous barber confident nicknamed "the Devil,” has written another historical romance, re- c * n »] y i translated, "The Rebels,” a story of Italy in the 1830 s, the time of the Carbonari. Human relationships of a personal kind share the author’s at tention with the political events of the i Carbonari movement. There are more i characters than in "The Devil”; per haps this is why none of them makes as vivid an Impression as Louis XI, i Oliver Necker, and his wife Anne. : However, the intrigues and emotional < reactions of the princess, Madda, ] Checca, Guerra, and the grand duke ! are sufficiently interesting. ] | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS - BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. This is a special department, devoted j solely to the handling of queries. This > paper puts at your disposal the services ; of an extensive organization in Wash . ington to serve you in any capacity that relates to information. This service is : free. Failure to make use of it deprives you of benefits to which you are en i titled. Your obligation is only 2 cents i in coin or stamps, inclosed with your 1 I inquiry, for direct reply. Address The , Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washing \ ton, D. C. Q. Please give a biography of Cagle, ‘ the foot ball star, telling where he played foot ball —C. D. M. A. Christian K. Cagle was bom May! ! 1, 1905; attended and finished Merry , ville High School (1922), Southwestern College, Lafayette, both in Louisiana ‘ (1922 to 1926), and entered West Point in July, 1926. He expects to linlsh his course at West Point this June. He ; played foot ball at all three schools. Q. Why does Japan have so many 1 earthquakes?—L. A. A. There are certain definite earth ; quake zones on the earth. Japan lies ; in one of these zones. Lines of struc -1 tural weakness, high mountains, in -1 equalities between land surface and ad [ jacent sea bottom, as well as the pres ence of fault scraps, furnish the neces sary conditions. Q. In using the Doyle scale are logs : measured with the bark?—H. W. A. The Forest Service says that the proper method of measuring logs by the : Doyle scale is from the inside of the 1 bark to the outside of the bark. Q. What letters are used as aerial letters on the various money now in cir i culation as currency?—D. E. H. A. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing says that all of the letters of the alphabet except “o” and “i" are used as serial letters on the .various bills now in circulation. Q. When was technological education j first emphasized?—N. O. A. The beginning of technological education may be traced back to an cient times, as is evidenced by the con struction of the pyramids of Egypt, the aqueducts, military roads and fortiflea ; tions of the ancient Romans. During 1 the Middle Ages there was a general 1 lack of interest in learning of all kinds. 1 It was principally conducted by the ; monks and similar religious organiza tions, whose interest was more In the ! arts than in the sciences. Technologi ; cal schools were founded in the eight eenth century. In the United States the work of Dr. Jacob Bigelow did 1 much ito further interest in technologi cal studies. He published his “Ele ments in Technology” in 1829. Q. How long has William Howard Taft been on the Supreme Court bench? —G. W, A. He was appointed Chief Justice of 1 the United States Supreme Court in 1921. Q. Who was Cincinnatus?—F. B. R. A. Cincinnatus was a Roman legen dary hero, bom about 519 B.C. He distinguished himself as an opponent , of the plebeians in the struggle with ' the patricians, 462-54. He was named dictator in 458. He gained a victory over Aequinas, who had surrounded the Roman army, but he gave up the dicta torship after only 16 days. He was again appointed to the office in 439 B.C. to oppose the traitor Spurius Me lius, who was defeated and slain. Q. Is the old Nelson home of York town, Va., where Thomas Nelson or William Nelson lived, or did they both live there?—M. E. J. 1,1 Highlights on the Wide World * ~ " " " * ;; 1 1 Excerpts From Newspapers of Other Lands El UNIVERSAL, Mexico City—The Board of Public Education has just devised a radical improve ment in caring for scholars In the public schools between the ages of 17 and 20, who are still attend ing elementary or secondary schools. Hereafter all these older scholars will be placed in a school (or schools) of their own. Included in this grouping will be those who for reasons began their education at much later ages than the majority of children, or those who either from failure to apply themselves or from individualities of mental reac tion, were unable to keep up with their CIfISSPS. This will make it easier to instruct normal and studious children and will at the same time remove the backward pupils from embarrassing surroundings occasioned by their greater age and stature, with an accompanying knowl- I edge of the subjects treated generally ! in inverse ratio to their size. ** * * Sorrow Enough Without Hanging Crepe. Le Matin. Paris.—The heavy qrepe mourning veil, worn in Prance for gen erations, is in danger. It is no longer proper to wear the insignia of grief, any more than it is proper to advertise our religion or our politics. Emotions belong in the heart, not in our external garments. There is sorrow enough in the world without reminding people of it by the somber vestments of death. ** * * “Tree of Death” Adds to Great Toll. Le Soir, Brussels.—Another accident occurred at Florenville recently at the dangerous turn in the Pierrard district on the road to Orval. A limousine coming from Villers-de vant-Orval, and containing M. Bastin, a shopkeeper at Mcnt-St. Martin, Prance, and four members of his family, left the road at the fatal turn and crashed into a tree close to the pavement, which has already accounted for a score or more in dead and injured motorists. Four of the five occupants of M. Bastln’s car were seriously in jured, one or two perhaps mortally. Only one emerged from the wreck un hurt. The auto was completely de molished. As for the tree, it is as robust as ever. Why is it that this tree, aptly apostrophized as the “tree of death," has not long since been felled by the official forester? That is the question which all local motorists are asking. ** * * Short Circuit Nearly Starts Panic. La Presena, Buenos Aires.—Recent ly a short circuit in the electrical system of the subway Anglo-Argen tina tied up all the lines of the com pany and also put out of service all the I electrical installations at the stations Peru and Pledras. The tie-up affected innumerable persons who were await ing the trains at the stations in the Plaza del Mayo, as well as at the other two stations mentioned. Most of these, however, abandoned the waiting rooms with precipitation when abnormal phe nomena in the lighting apd ignition system began to manifest themselves. The greater number not only lost their serenity but departed through the doors so hastily that several were knocked down and trampled. The trouble was finally found to be in the cables carrying the current for the motive power coming in contact with an auxiliary cable carrying 1,000 volts. ** * * English Potato Market Is Staggering. Daily Mail, London.—The explana tion of the big potato slump in England is, in brief, one of overproduction and reduced demand, with the ever-present menace of foreign competition. Pota toes are the one agricultural crop of which we produce rather more than , are needed for home consumption. This season farmers through the country, driven desperate by the ruinous pros- < pects of corn growing, have planted j 30,000 acra»ipf potatoes in excess ofr i last year’s agpa. Last year over 100,000 i A. The Nelson house at Yorktown was built by William Nelson when Thomas Nelson was a small child. It was Intended for the future residence of Thomas. William and Thomas both lived there. Q. How did Clcmcnceau come toy the I sobriquet. "The Tiger”?—D. N. A. Emile Bure, editor of L’Avenor, a Paris daily, is quoted as saying that he is probably responsible for it. Clemen ceau had been attacked in a political article and called as “fierce as a tiger.” Bure adopted the term in amusement, but it grew into a nickname that was in general use. Q. What is the story connected with the song “The Spanish Cavalier”?— C. H. T. A. The song was composed by a youth of San Francisco who shipped as a cabin boy on board the flagship of the Pacific Squadron about 1875. The vessel lay for some time at Panama, where he deserted and enlisted in the Panama army as a drummer boy. Th ing of this, he worked his way back to San Francisco, where he was arrested as a deserter from the United States Navy. Through a daughter of a mem ber of Congress, who was an old sweet heart, he was released. In her honor he composed two songs, based upon music which he had heard in Panama. To his bitter disappointment, she had later refused to recognize him. He then cast aside the songs. Later he sang one, “The Spanish Cavalier," before a San Francisco actress, who appreciated it. Shortly afterward it was produced in public. It was not published until 1880. The publisher paid SSO for the song. Q. What President vetoed the great est number of bills during his term of office?—E. S. M. A. President Cleveland vetoed 496 bills during his terms as President. | During his first term he vetoed 301 bills, nearly twice as many as had all I his predecessors combined. The ma- I jorlty of these were private pension bills, and only two of them were passed over his veto. No President since Cleveland has vetoed any considerable number of bills. Q. Who was the first person to pose for a motion picture under contract?— H. A. S. A. It is believed that James J. Cor bett, former heavyweight champion of the world, was the first motion picture actor under contract. In the early days of the industry it was recognized that action was the most important element needed to catch the popular interest. Q. How many musicians are there in the Ohio Penitentiary Band?—P. W. A. The warden says that there are three bands—a regular band of 54 pieces, a concert band of 14 pieces, and a 10-piece jazz band. Q. What causes fading on a radio?— C. R. IC. - A. Weather conditions and electrical current are two causes for fading. Q. After patents are issued, is the fact published by the Patent Office?— L. R. A. The Patent Office publishes an official gazette, in which are listed the patents as they are granted. Q. How many ships ply from Ameri can ports?—S. H. A. The Shipping Board says that ships are divided into three classes— passenger, combination passenger and cargo, and cargo, arc 206 pas senger and combination ships, 1,304 dry cargo ships and 361 tankers (cargo) in ure at the present time. tons of potatoes were left to rot in tho clamps (piled in heaps) owing to there being no market for them, a fact that makes it easy to realize the present state of the industry, when a market ?l,ust be found for a further excess of 200,000 tons produced by the increased acreage. As regards the reduced demand for potatoes, the consumption of this cheap and most valuable food has fallen off by something like 50 p*r cent. The fallacy that potatoes are fat tening is no doubt the chief cause of this reduction. Cooked without fat, their consumption is highly beneficial even for people who may be too stout. ?°® d f° r s jf amed - th£ y are even in the diet at German “slimming" spas. ** * * Cat Is Cause Os Serious Accident. Le Matin, Paris.—M. Vital, chauffeur for sh ™ pkfeper at Paris, while driving on the Pterville-les-Tares road with his wife, encountered a cat which sat down leisurely in the midst of traffic to wash *i Ce ' M . Vltal altered the direction ca r, but was going too fast for perfect control and co*lidcd with an electric light pole in his effort to avoid tilo sat’«5 at ’« Ime J , Vit * l w as thrown from L? 6 » dl *fh and seriously hurt. M. Vital suffered a broken jaw and many contusions, it is hoped the cat appreciates all this consideration. ** * * "Joy-Ride” Pilots Take Merchants’ Profits. Sydney Bulletin.—The advance of avl hnt > thw gratifying enou gh in its way, but the frequent visits to country towna of almlane owners offering a “joy? 22r.i St J? lgh r for 10 shillings and » spiral dive for 30 shillings are unwel come to shopkeepers. Our local fruiterer ft eert the , next tlme he hears of “aoini ifn” o n^ Standinß debtor of his going up it 11 mean murder. Nearlv of e £w!T ny the pUot takcs go « <S ** * * Mexicans to Study American Business Methods. El Universal, Mexico City.—There is being organized in Mexico City a group of prominent business men who are g^? tinttls th f prlnclpal cities of the n ted ®*ates to study American busi ,ethod? and thf “ Possible advan tages of applying them to Mexican en- The Natlona l Mexican Cham ber of Commerce is taking a vital in terest in this project, which is expected business in Mexico by the adoption of Innovations, especially in have re £ln Sh t o rud of *** rapital ' w hioh North America!** ° Ut BUccessfully ’ ln ** * * Milkman’s Horse Found Relief From Din. Daily Herald, London.—The sound of n'cVnrt 6 ? ln the qu,et street at 4 o clock in the morning is food for the 'rush of er tv, the ln / ernal da S dS'aS ftmilH HI, th ? mo *° r trafllC We - too. rnoH J*!f e to , see more horses on the road, but we fear that the day of the horse traffic is over. rea Jly cruel to expect the old nag back again, amid surroundings B,it en^ r : y , out ? f « eplnK wlth his taste* with< s a , traffi , c hold-up compared with the Joy of seeing something actu ally alive in a London street? lndeed - be a long, long time tu i, the musical “click-click" of the o« r v milkman's horse is heard no more by the wakgful city dweller 1 ** * a Police Warned Against Torture System. North China Standard, Peiping.—No torture of any kind should be inflicted upon any alleged culprits with the view to making them confess their guilt, is the latest order Issued by Oen. Li-Fu- Yin. commandant of the Peiping emer fency police, to his subordinates. Gen. 1 points out that the infliction of tor ture is not only inhuman, but is also a violation of the national law. Warning is given that severe punishment will be statute ° Ut *° V,otaltors ot the ord « a hd: