Evening star. [volume], July 19, 1930, Page A-6, Image 6

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A-6
THE EVENING STAR
With Sunday Morning Edition.
WASHINGTON, D. C.
SATURDAY July 10, 1930
THEODORE W. NOYES Editor
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A New Economy Program.
Last Summer the President called for
economy in expenditures and proposed
expenditures in order to help make pos
sible the reduction in taxes later ap
proved by Congress.
Yesterday the President appealed to
the heads of the Government depart
ments to inaugurate a carefully planned,
if drastic, program of ecommy directed
toward cutting down their expenditures
of money, already appropriated, to a j
figure approximating their last year’s
expenditures. This should be done with
out affecting the various projects con
templated by the Government to re
lieve unemployment, the President said.
The difference between the expenditures
in the last fiscal year and the appro
priations for th“ current fiscal year,
including the postal deficit, but not
including all post office appropriations,
amounts to about $209,000,000. That
figure represents the desirable saving
to be effected this year, and the pur
pose of the reduction is to prevent a
possible increase in taxes that would be
necessitated by a possible reduction in
revenue “arising from slack times.”
If the man in the street has been
left cold and apathetic over the politi
cal charges and counter charges relat
ing the extent of the economy practiced
by the Hoover administration, the
President now has given him a clear
cut picture and a candid statement of
the Nation's finances and the objectives
of practical economy that will win his
sympathetic support. It is one thing
merely to pare estimates of expendi
tures and eliminate paper projects from
the budget, thereby saving millions
of dollars that were never available for
expenditure in the first place. But it
is an altogether different thing to save
money that Congress has already ap
propriated by not spending it, allowing
it to remain in the Treasury. The lat
ter task is difficult and demands the
exercise not only of economy but of
rare judgment. 1
The comparisons of expenditures and
appropriations last year and this have
been presented recently in varying, and
confusing, light, depending upon who
was presenting them. Representative
Byrns of Tennessee, the Democratic
Congressional Campaign Committee
chairman, pointed to the Congress re
cently adjourned as a “five-billion-dol
lar session” and charged a “riot of ex
travagance” that has driven away even
the “myth” of Coolidge economy. Mr.
Hoover, as against Mr. Byrn’s estimated
appropriations of $4,924,929,233, shows
that the real outlay appropriated by the
last Congress reached $4,203,254,457. In
his estimate Mr. Hoover eliminates
postal outlays, with the exception of
the postal deficit, explaining that the
elimination is customary for the pur
poses of comparison. Otherwise the
variations in > post office operations
would destroy actual comparisons. De
spite the “riot of extravagance,” the
last Congress appropriated only five per
cent more than was spent in the last
- fiscal year. Reducing expenditures by
five per cent should not be impossible.
Aside from spending all it can afford
to spend on public work projects that
increase employment and the circula
tion of money in the industries affected,
the Government’s greatest contribution,
during'the depression, will be to pre
vent further drains on pocketbooks
through increased Federal taxes.
Farmers are tough and used to super
dry weather, but when prolonged drouth
interferes with moonshiners, as it has
been doing in some Southern States,
then it is time to send for the rain
maker.
Copper was mans earliest known
metal. And he used it for other things
than to take "flyers” in it.
Germany’s “Dictatorship.”
Wnat a grand and glorious thing it
might be, on occasion, for harassed
Presidents of the United States if there
were an Article 48, German model, in
the American Constitution! Function
ing under that provision of the* Weimar
constitution. President Hindenburg has
co-operated with the Reich cabinet to
declare the government's Aew finance
program a law r .
The program was hotly opposed by a
Reichstag coalition of Nationalists,
Communists and Fascists. The Social
Democrats, the largest single party in
the Reichstag, abstained from the con
troversy. Lacking a majority to put
through the finance measure on its own
lines, the Bruening government deter
mined to invoke the "dictatorial" para
graph of the constitution.
It clothes the President with the au
thority, “whenever public security and
order in the German nation is con
siderably disturbed or endangered, to
take all necessary measures to re-estab
lish such public security and order, and,
if required, to intervene with the aid of
armed power.” The Social Democrats
forthwith served notice that they would
move to declare Article 48 inopera
tive. To prevail, such a notice would
need a two-thirds majority of those
present at the given session, and such
majority, in turn, must constitute two
thirds of the entire Reichstag.
The expectation at' Berlin that the
Bruening cabinet would dissolve the
Reichstag if it voted down President
Hindenburg’s application of the “dicta
torship" has been promptly verified.
Article 48 contains a clause which
on its face seems very effectually
. - \t i
9
to limit the executive’s powers under it.
"The President,” it says, “must imme
diately give notice to the Reichstag of
all measures decreed under the provi
l sions of this article. The measures
must be revoked if the Reichstag so
desires."
Here is a situation not unlike that
created under our political system when
the President, in exercise of his “dic
tatorial" authority, vetoes an act of
Congress. If Congress can muster a
requisite two-thirds majority in each
house, it can override the veto. As the
veterans’ legislation issue recently j
demonstrated, this is not always
possible. Th° prestige of ‘the President
was an imponderable which induced
Congress to rescind its previous action :
Berlin appears to believe that President
Hindenburg's instant readiness to in
voke his veto power over parliamentary
i opposition will in the end result in
vindication of the government's position.
The venerable soldier-statesman has
throughout his five years' occupancy of
the presidential palace in the Wilhelm
strasse given continuous evidence of his
unyielding fealty to his duties under
the constitution. But now the German
people know he does not shrink from
taking advantage of his prerogatives as
well. His act of “dictatorship" con
cerns a matter of vital national welfare,
enactment of $125,000,000 new taxation
for budget-balancing purposes.
Filibuster.
Opponents of the London naval treaty
in the Senate are treating the country
to the latest “filibuster” in that bedy.
Exercising the right of unlimited de
bate accorded Senators under the rules
of that body, this minority, a bare
j handful of Senators, is seeking to pre
vent action on the treaty through ihe
mere holding of the floor. At the fi’rst
night session of the Senate last night
on the naval treaty Senator Hale of
Maine lead to the Senate an Armistice
day speech of former President Cool
idge, occupying about an hour of the
Senate's time. An admirable address,
but its reading last night was clearly
for time killing purposes. Other mem- I
bers -es the band of treaty opponents
regale the Senate by reading page after
page of testimony taken before the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee, all
of which has been public for weeks and
has been printed and placed in the
hands of individual Senators.
It has been clear ever since the open
ing of the special session of the Senate
to deal with the treaty two weeks ago
that the opposition in the end must
rely on obstructionist tactics, and to
those tactics they have now come. It
has been known to the obstructionists,
to the whole Senate and to the country
from the start that the treaty will
be overwhelmingly ratified once a vote
is reached. All that the obstructionists
hoped for was to be able to tire out the
Senate, break a quorum and compel an
adjournment. The response of Senators
to the call for attendance upon the
dally sessions of the Senate dealing
with the treaty, however, has been
greater than the opposition had ex
pected. The end of the fight appears
to be in sight.
The supporters of the treaty have
sought to obtain from the opponents
an agreement to close debate after
a reasonable time for discussion of the
treaty. But the. opponents have de
clined to make any such agreement.
There remains, therefore, an avenue for
the supporters of the treaty to win to
a close of debate. That is to keep the
Senate in session long hours daily and
nightly and thus finally to wear the
opposition out. If this seems cruel; if
the obstructionists complain of the
rough treatment accorded them by
compelling them to talk and talk some
more, the answer is that the obstruc
tionists have merely brought their dis
tress upon themselves and can be re
lieved of it as soon as they are willing
to permit a vote to be taken.
The Senate is know-n as a deliberative
body. The contest now under way over
the naval treaty, however, robs it of
that title and makes it a mere talking
marathon race. The minority is en
titled to a full hearing on the treaty.
It has had it. The majority is now
entitled to act on the pact.
Senate has a rule under which
cloture may be invoked by a two-thirds
vote of Those present and voting. The
supporters of the treaty have been
loath to adopt the cloture rule, while
the obstructionists have sought to
taunt them into doing so, hoping then
to proclaim to the country that the
minority has been “gagged.” Under
the plan adopted by the leaders sup
porting the treaty, no one can complain
that the minority has been prevented
from talking, and the clear intention
of the obstructionists becomes revealed
to the country,
“Thieves Sought to Avert Blast of
Stolen Pipes,” ran a recent headline.
Perusal of the story disclosed that
lead pipes impregnated with nitro
glycerin were meant, not Highland
pipes impregnated with pibrochs.
Scientists have discovered and classi
fied -a bug with 194 legs. Why could
not Nature have been a sport and given
him an even 200?
Mustapha Kemal Pasha’s blood must
be pretty thoroughly Kurdled by now.
Hoover in ’32.
Senator Royal S. Copeland, Democrat,
of New York, If he is quoted correctly
in the New York Times, places a desire
for returning prosperity in this coun
try above politics. Furthermore, the
New York Senator has proclaimed his
faith in an early return of prosperity.
He said, addressing a meeting in New
York of representatives of the gar
ment trade:
“For as sure as fate the chimneys
will be smoking and the crops will be
good and will bring good prices in
1932 and Hoover will be re-elected.”
Soma of his audience, perhaps con
sidering the Democratic source of this
remark, laughed. But Senator Cope
land added, “That’s serious.”
Senator Copeland 16 quite right in
saying that If the mills begin working
full time again and the crops are good,
along with prices, there is little doubt
the Republican administration will bt
continued In power. Economic condi
tions in this country today have more
to do with political elections, generally
speaking, than any other factor. A flat
pocketbook inclines the voter to seek
a change in government, even though the
change cannot possibly remedy the situ
ates. But Senator Copeland’s predic
tion of better times and a re-election
of President Hoover is another thing.
It might well have been expected from
THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, P. C., SATURDAY, JFLY IP,
a Republican Senator. Indeed, it is the
kind of prediction that has been made
by leading Republicans for several
months. The Democrats, on the other
hand, have pictured a gloomy prospect.
The optimism of the New York Sena
tor strikes a happier note. Many
man has been made to believe him
self ill merely because he and others
have constantly repeated the asser
tion that he is unwell. An anvil chorus
of knockers in this country, decrying
the business situation, cannot fail to
■ have its effect on the more timid
j who are engaged in business, in manu
facturing and in production generally.
Senator Copeland, addressing the |
garment makers supported the six- J
: hour day and the five-day week. The
work hours of men and women in many i
industries have been shortened In re- I
cent years. What the situation might I
be so far as production la concerned j
if the old ten and twelve hoyr day for i
the workers was still in effect is prob
lematical. The tendency has been
throughout industry to lessen the hours
of work, increase efficiency and so not
lose in the matter of production. Dr.
Copeland criticized big corporations,
including the railroads, for laying off
men at this time, claiming they were
merely adding to the distressed condi
tions in this country. In this the Dem- 1
ocratic Senator is correct. It was to
prevent the laying off of workers that
President Hoover called his conferences
with industrial and agricultural leaders
last Fall after the stock market crash.
The coming congressional campaign
is near at hand. Opponents of the ad
ministration doubtless will seek to show
the voters just how bad conditions are,
in the hope that the Republicans will
be turned out. This may be good poli
tics, but it is bad psychology for the
country at large. Senator Copeland’s
brand is better.
Minoa’s Hard Luck.
Was there ever a sadder' story than
that which comes from Minoa, N. Y„
telling of the bitter experience of the
Fire Department of that community?
Five years ago Minoa blew itself to a)
regular fire-fighting organization, with
a pumper, uniforms and all the ap
purtenances. The firemen were what
might be called part-timers, putting in
most of their time in business and the
rest of It sitting around the fire house
waiting for an alarm. But no alarm
came. For five years Minoa went with
out a single blaze, hardly a smudge. It
was one of the most fireless 'towns in
America. Then the other day the
Minoa department, apparatus and all,
went to East Syracuse, which is the
nearest metropolis, to take part In a
parade. While it was gone a regular
fire started in Minoa and before the
department could get back from East
Syracuse the post office, the grocery
store and the restaurant w r ere destroyed.
It is a fair bet that Minoa’s Fire De
partment will go on no more picnics
and excursions. Meanwhile the town
wants to know whether there was some
thing more than just a coincidence in
the happening of a fire while the de
partment was off parading.
A New York waitress bought a small
airplane with her tips. A trifle! Waiters
buy apartment houses, and as for hat
check boys, they come to work In high
powered yachts.
Os all card games likely to prove
popular with Zeppelin travelers it is
thought that “Spit in the Ocean” will
win and hold the palm.
*■■■ ■ » -iff t- ,
SCOOTING STARS.
BY PHILANDER JOHNSON.
An Ideal Pastime.
How we disdained the simple joys
Life offered us of yore!
Now, when the mercury annoys,
Regrets afflict us sore.
The blessings of this earthly lot
Seem brighter as they go.
We most esteem what we have not—
I’d like to shovel snow.
Golf never tempts my fancy much.
I never learned to play.
The finer points I cannot touch
In tennis or croquet.
There’s Just one sport which I’d admire
When earth is all aglow;
A simple yet a vain desire—
I’d like to shovel snow.
A Cheerless Prediction.
“Do you think that our country will
ever succeed in getting rid of grafters?”
"Yes,” answered Senator Sorghum.
“There will be a time when grafters are
unheard of. But it will be due to the
change that is constantly going on in
our vocabulary. There will be a new
word that means the same thing.”
Shifting the Blame.
“That tenor is one of those people
who manage to shift the blame when
ever anything goes wrong."
“Yes,” answered Miss Cayenne. “I
observe that he always has to be coaxed
to sing.”
Fate’* Differences.
In life some fearful contrasts lurk.
Each has its own position.
Some men are born to go to work
And some to go a-fishin'.
A Distinction.
“What is the difference between a
practical and a theoretical farmer?"
“A theoretical farmer,” answered
Farmer Comtossel, “is one that insists
on tryin’ to make a livin’ off the farm,
an’ a practical one jes’ faces the in
evitable an’ turns the plage over to
Summer boarders.”
Practical Preference.
“You studied French while you were
abroad?”
“I did,” answered Mr. Cumrox. “I
prefer the FYench language to the
English.”
“Indeed?"
“Yes. It makes It harder for mather
and the girls to find fault with my
grammar.”
—— f
Peace.
Men speak of peace
In gentle phrase;
They say that it
Should rule our ways.
Yet, while they talk
In terms polite,
They often plan
Another fight.
“Once in a while,” said Uncle Eben,
“a man think* he is showin’ his inde
pendence when he is simply puttin’ an
unreasonable strain on somebody** pa
, tieneV* %
I THIS AND THAT
BY CnARLES E. TRACEWELL.
Don’t be a one-topic person.
Or an Invariable greeter.
Perhaps these phrases require ex
planation. There is only one phrase
which can be repeated endlessly, and
that Is “Good morning.”
Any other unvarying brand of greet
ing, or topic, will leave the recipient
wishing he were some place else.
The man who always greets you with
I the same remark, or who can talk about
j only one thing, whatever it may be. is
j a variant of the gentleman we wrote
! about here the other day. who aspires
j to a cleverness which he docs not pos
i sess.
He mav call you “old been,” or some
I such foolery, which may have been eun
i ning when it first came into circulation
in Great Britain some time ago.
Yet here he comes, tire in his eye, in
tending to call you an “old bean,” al
though you may be as young as the
fresh grass and as unlike a bean as
anv other vegetable.
Yet he Is going to call you “old bean
just the same. , |
He always does, and there is no help
for it. Somehow he has got the idea
fixed in his head that there is no other |
way to greet one.
You are “old bean” now. and you will j
be “old bean” 20 years from now.
*** * I
Or perhaps he has a variation of j
your name which he likes, having made ,
it up himself out of clear air, a veri- ,
table stroke of genius.
He calls you “Johnny Lowbrow, say. j
“Hello. Johnny Lowbrow,” he calls.
It makes no difference to this wag
whether you are in the company of the
president of the firm or the manager
of some huge international exposition.
“Hello, Johnny Lowbrow!”
Although you had been hearing that
monstrosity for many years, it always j
left a bad taste in your mouth. Once, j
in a moment of carelessness, you had i
remonstrated mildly with him upon the
ineptitude of such a name.
You had carefully explained to him
that you were, in all honesty and truth,
neither a “lowbrow'’’ nor a “Johnny.”
You had recalled the many illustrious
men who had been in full possession of
the name John. You had pictured the
Inalienable right* which they possessed
to that name.
You had shown, by repeated refer
ences to the best and most standard
dictionaries, that the term “lowbrow”
could have no reference to such a
studious chap as yourself.
All this had been worse than useless.
It merely had impressed him with the
desirability of calling you “Johnny Low
brow.” Henceforth nothing else would
do at all.
** * *
One may resent, too, the implication
of such persons that one invariably
must mean just one thing in the world.
No matter how broad one may aspire
to be, or how many interests one
assumes, with such a person one means
just one thing.
He knows you have a dog. let us say.
Henceforth, though the heavens fall,
that pup will be the sole topic of con
versation every time you meet.
Now you like the dog. It is a fine
pup, worthy of any man s conversation.
You like him as well as any man likes
a dog, but when this specimen comes
down the street you hear, long before
he arrives in hailing distance, the oft
Anti-Noise Recruits Won
When New York Sets Pace
“Eardrum protective associations”
throughout the country are demanded
as a result of the report of the Noise'
Abatement Commission in New York,
showing that health is seriously af
fected by unrestrained activities and in
difference in modern communities. It
is proposed that every city or town
have such a commission for permanent
service, and that horn honking and
such sounds as are produced by ma
chinery and offical motor vehicles be
subdued.
"Against many noises,” concludes the
Cleveland Plain Dealer, "the only es- ;
fectlve weapon is public opinion and
the slow process of improving public
taste and manners. All can uielp in
this campaign. They can avoid mis
use ot auto horns, for one thing, re
membering that all the honks from
here to the moon won't dissolve a traf
fic jam. They can turn the loud
speaker down when the windows are
open these July evenings. If they
stand well with their dogs they may
be able to induce them to" bark less
frequently. So let all help, forming a
great mutual eardrum protective as
sociation. There’s no initiation fee
and the dues are payable in good
deeds.”
"Scientific tests conducted at Bel
levue Hospital,” which are made a
part of the New York report, are cited
bv the Richmond News Leader, and
especially the fact that "the sudden
■popping’ of a paper bag increased
brain pressure fourfold.” That paper
commends: “It is altogether ppssible
that urban noise constitutes a large
factor in putting recurring high pres
sure on the brain and thereby con
tributes to the hemorrhages that so
often bring down men in later middle
life. Industrial efficiency is certainly
reduced by noise.”
** * *
An explanation of the fact that
"Americans who dwell in the country
live on the average longer than their
city brthren” is seen by the Newark
Evening News, which points out that
the indictment "is not peculiar to
Gotham,” and adds that "all cities
merit it in a degree, and all city
dwellers suffer more or less from the
effects. These were recognized before
this commission undertook the research
which has demonstrated how noise
acts upon the human organism. * * *
When noise is widely recognijed as a
part of urban health administration,
the strident shriek of the average busy
community will be toned down,” as
serts the News.
"Desipte an accumulation of evi
dence,” avers the Chicago Daily Tri
bune, "vast numbers of city dwellers
seem to think that noise, like smoke.
1s an Inevitable accompaniment of
modern industrialism and that preven
tion is a blow at economic progress.
The Tribune advises: "Noise is costly j
to society because it diminishes pro- .
ductlon, both of commodities and ideas ;
The expense of noise abatement, on the
other hand, is frequently not great. !
* • * The trouble does not lie as much
in lack of knowledge as in Indifference.”
“While they await further word from
the capital oi noise,” suggests the New
Orleans Morning Tribune, “smaller
cities will be justified in clamping lids |
or whatever is handy upon the mid- :
night radio and phonograph.” The
Tribune remarks: “New York may not
get excited about fts health. But its
•efficiency’ may interest it. If the com
mission can persuade business men that
’the continual pressure of strident sound
tends to produce Impairment of hear
ing, to introduce harmful strain upon
the nervous system leading to loss of
efficiency of workers and thinkers,' then
the cause will be won."
** * *
Finding in the report evidence that j
"the daily pandemonius” is not "repre- j
hensible for the sole reason that it dis- j
turbs the equanimity of a certain num
ber of nervous people,” the Syracuse
Herald thinks “it is the prevalence of
that nice theory that accounts more
than any other single influence for the
public toleration of city noises, even
though many of them are wanton and
mischievous and, in short, avoidable.”
The Herald feels that "the problem
must be tackled everywhere.”
“There ought to be general sympathy
with the movement to establish an anti
noise club,” declares the Chattanooga
Times of efforts in its own city, recog
nizing that “raucous, sudden, rasping,
sharp and continuous noises have much
to do with nervous and heart disorders,
; . ;U... . ; v .; , . ;•* , ... .J ; r< < f ,
repeated greeting, “Well, how’s the
pup?”
Well, how’s the pup indeed! You
are a mere pup costodian. evidently, as
far as he is concerned. The important
happenings of the week, national, inter
national and personal, have no standing
with him.
The major problems of Europe give
way to the Interrogation .as to the j
health of a pup. What makes it- worse j
Is that you know the fellow has no real;
interest in the dog. It is just something
| to say, and he always says the same
I tiling.'
In such a mood, you sometimes wish
he would say nothing at all. but just
leave you alone. But. no. “pup” is shin
ing in his eyes. He will inquire about
that pup or burst.
** * *
The standard topic for each person
we know' Is. another queer phase of hu
man nature.
Most men and women seem to think
that such is necessary, as a sort of
mental springing board for what they
i want to say.
Human beings are “touchy.” They
! resent—oh, anything—all too easily.
1 (As we are doing in this article, per-
I haps.) Every one know's this and
| wants to lead up to something—any
i thing—as painless as possible,
j Instead of blurt'ng right into the
! topic of the Washington ball club and
I its chances for the pennant, he seeks
! to placate you by talking first about an
1 old subject which has been received
j with consideration.
Maybe the subject Is Japanese bectlek.
In an unguarded moment last Summer
I you spoke of having found one of these
pests in your garden.
No sooner was the word out of your
mouth than you regretted it, for you
knew that henceforth yofi would be. to
him. simply a Japanese beetle.
“Found any-more beetles?” he asks.
If he meets you one time a day or ten
: tidies, it is always the same. “Found
any more beetles?”
** * *
Thus every human being becomes to
every other human being a topic, a
theme, a standard subject for a con
versation.
One man is an automobile, another
a dog, another a Japanese beetle, an
other a book, another the theater, an
other the theory and practice of
politics.
This man is real estate, and that
man is coal.
Many insist on identifying others
solelv with their businesses, as if in
capable of being interested in any
thing else. «
It W'ould perhaps be nearer to the
truth if luncheon clubs or business
men. instead of requiring each member
to place his name on a tag or button
on his coat, would insist on members
identifying themselves as to work.
One would become “Furniture.” an
other “Gas.” another “Stationery” and
a great many would turn into “Golf.”
But the theory and practice of this
would be all wrong, from the stand
point of the complete human being.
Even the most self-centered person 1s
interested in a great many things, and
no one should attempt to circumscribe
him by invariably talking to him as if
he were incapable of anything else.
If another Is worth greeting at all,
he merits being regarded as one worth
the slight trouble of a differentiated
conversational approach. «
which in late years have added so enor
mously to the ill health of this coun
try.” The Times records that in its
community the Fire Department has
"ordered a reform in the use of siren
alarms in cases of fire” and expresses
the hope that it will “put an end to
the continued screeching of apparatus.”
The Charleston Daily Mail is convinced
that “the most useless noise of all, and
the worst, is honking loudly when there
is obstruction to motor traffic.”
"Many \ioises that are peculiarly try
ing are absolutely needless and repre
-1 sent only indifference to the comfort of
the public. Every community needs a
competent apd active noise-abatement
commission/’ in the opinion of the Chi
cago Daily News. The Albany Evening
News concedes that "it may be that the
race can accustom itself to the noise
of modern life,” but argues that “every
effort to reduce the evil ought to be
made.” The Fort Wayne News-Sentinel
finds confirmation of "the old conten
tion of experts that any city can have
just about whatever degree of quiet its
citizens demand,” and the Roanoke
Times states that "many cities are
working on the problem, and reduction
in preventable noises may b<? expected
confidently.”
"The country smiled tolerantly when
New York started the campaign, for it
seemed like another metropolitan I
whim,” says the Battle Creek Moon-
Journal, noting, however, that “appar
ently the metropolis is serious about it,”
and it voices the enepuragement: "Let
the good work go on. It would be a
fine thing if the big cities became
havens of silence, so that people from
small towns and villages would have
somewhere to go to ease their eardrums
and rest their nerves.”
Enforcing the argument with the fact
that "seemingly there is no low de
scending sun but sets upon some new
auditory torment, while old ones grow'
in violence,” the Asbury Park Press as
serts: “Man’s inventive genius, ever re
sponsive to demand, has been working
far into tire night, devising ways and
means of shattering peace and driving
sleep from our couches. Motorists beat
a path to the door of the creator of
the loudest automobile horn. Radio en
thusiasts regard volume and penetration
as the sine qua non of musical satisfac
tion. Traffic policemen were made to
blow' traffic whistles, and there had to
be a crim’e wave to give the newsboys
something to cry into the passerby’s car.
When bigger and worse noises are made,
people will make them.”
Supports Ownership
Os Foul Into Stands
From the Louisville Courier-Journal.
A wild ball batted into the bleachers
; belongs to the recipient. This was the
| solemn adjudication of a Chicago Mu
i nicipal Court. The issue before the
judge, to be sure, was one of disorderly
conduct, but he bestowed the property
rights on a 17-year-old boy who had
kept the ball and the decision is not
likely to be controverted. The boy
i caught the foul and he and his com
! panions battled ushers valiantly until
! they were removed by police and slated
i for misdemeanor. The defendants were
discharged.
Strictly speaking, no doubt, the de
cision establishes no legal precedent.
This was not a civil procedure. Never
theless, it gives substantial support to
a custom prevailing when the catcher
of a wild ball insists upon the privilege
of retaining it as a souvenir. Prudence
j has encouraged the custom. Base ball
management, conscious of possible per
| sonal injury damage suits, cautions em
ployes against violence in recovering
$1.50 worth of property. Ushers at
I the Cub park will need no further
; cautioning. They will yield the tenth
point of the law when the bleacherite
has the other nine in his pocket and
appears determined to keep them.
There is, of course, no consideration
hi the purchase price of a bleacher
ticket for the transfer of a proprietary
interest in the paraphernalia used in
the game, including the balls, The
purpose for which the balls were pur
chased was to be knocked about. Yet
when a spectator is compelled to shield
himself from one of them with his
hands and holds on to the ball, it is
the part of discretion to humor him.
The ancient game law seems to apply—
a wild foul is the property of any one
who takes it in flight.
THE LIBRARY TABLE
By th* Booklot rr
James Truslpw Adams Is not a mem
ber of the famous Adams family of
Massachusetts, s 6 he cannot be accused
of self-glorification in his book, "The
Adams Family," in which he traces the
fortunes of four generations of Adamses
and their services to the United States.
Os this family he says: "In America
• th?re is one family, and only one. that
j generation after generation has con
j slstently and without interruption made
1 contributions of the highest order to
our history and civilisation.” The first
of the family in America was Henry
Adams, a young farmer of Barton St.
David, in Somersetshire, England, who
emigrated to Massachusetts with his
family in 1636 and settled in the town
which was afterward called Braintree.
For four generations the men of the
family were "simple but public-spirited
yeomen” and "had not displayed the
slightest element of greatness or dis
tinction of either mind or achievement.
They had been hard-working, pious, re
liable, public-spirited village folk. A
few miles away in Boston counting
rooms or State House, fortunes were
being built up. reputations gained and
history made.” Then was born John
Adams, who was to become President
of the United States, son of another
John and Susanna Boylston Adams.
"Was it due to some mysterious result
from the combination of Adams and
Boylston blood far beyond the ken of
science even today, or to some un
fathomable synchronism between tne
peculiar qualities of the Adamses and
the whole social atmosphere of the next
lew generations, a subtle interplay of
unknown forces, or to mere chance in
n universe in which atoms rush and
collide chaotically? Fascinating as the
problem is, it is insoluble." . James
Truslow Adams divides his book into
four parts: "The First Generation —
John Adams,” “The Second Genera
tion —John Quincy Adams,” “The Third
Generation—Charles Francis Adams.”
and "The Fourth Generation —John
Quincy. Charles Francis, Henry and
Brooks Adams.”
** * *
There is also an epilogue to “The
Adams Family,” which Introduces the
fifth generation and is so dramatic
that it is worth quoting. "On Septem
ber 20, 1824, John Quincy Adams wan
dered among the tombstones of the
family burial plot at Quincy musing on
the past and future of his line. ‘Four
generations, of whom very little more
is known,’ he wrote in his 'Diary',’ ‘than
is recorded upon these stones. There
are three succeeding generation*. of us
now living Pass another century and
we shall all be mouldering in the same
dust, or resolved into the same ele
ments. Who then of our posterity shall
visit this yard? And what shall be
read engraved upon the stones? This
is known only to the Creator of all.
The record may be longer. May it be
of blameless lives!’ The century has
passed. We have seen the generations
and today a third Charles Francis, a
son of Quincy’s grandson. John
Quincy, is head of the family. A Har
vard graduate, like all his family since
John: for 30 years treasurer of the
university: a lawyer, like all his family;
a famous yachtsman who defended the
America’s Cup against the British, a
man true to the family tradition and
honored in his community, he sits in
the cabinet at Washington as Secretary
of that Navy which was founded by
John. John Quincy's wistful hope has
been fulfilled, ‘The record may be
longer.’ ’*
♦* * #
James Truslow Adams finds in his
study of the Adams family certain
characteristics occurring in all genera- 1
tions and in most members of the
family. They were all thinkers, indi
vidualists, and did not follow the psy
chology of the mob. Their thinking
tended to generalization and there was
a “strong bent of the Adams mind away
from facts and phenomena toward pri
mary laws and principles.” This does
not mean that they were not practi
cal men; their achievements show that
they were. But they were incapable
of playing the political game. This
perhaps accounted for the single terms
of both John and John Quincy Adams.
The members of the family were always
at the disposal of their country for
public office or missions, but would
never seek office or use the generally
practiced methods to attain it. So,
.when toward the end of his term as
President, he was confronted by’ the
bitter opposition of the adherents of
Jackson, John Quincy confided to his
diary: “I know the disadvantages on
which I now stand, and am conscious
of my inability to make interest by ca
balling, bargaining, place-giving or
tampering with members of Congress
* * * To one thing, however, I had
made up my mind: I would take no
one step to advance or promote preten
sions to the presidency." The Adams
have all been writers and diaries, letters
and autobiographies, as well as less per
sonal works, have flowed from their
I pens. The “Letters” of Abigail Adams,
wife of John Adams, are famous.
Charles Francis Adams, Ambassador to
England during the Civil War, with
devotion to family tradition, edited and
published the “Letters” of his grand
mother, Abigail, and; the “Works” of
his grandfather, John Adams. Henry
Adams of the fourth generation, long
a resident of Washington, is reckoned
as one of the most original and cul
tured of American writers. His “Mont
Saint Michel and Chartres” and his
“Education of Henry Adams” are
unique. Reserve has marked all the
family. Though devoted to family and
friends, they were not demonstrative.
In some of her letters Abigail com
plained of the “appearance of inatten
tion” in John's letters. In dealing with
their children, Adams’ parents almost
invariably showed complete respect for
the liberty of the younger generation.
On the other hand, the children have
usually “given great consideration 'to
the opinions, when they have known
them, of the parents.” Familiarity with
European life has been part of the cul
tural equipment of all the family from
the time when John went to France in
1778 to help win France to aid the
cause of the new American Nation, tak
ing with him his 10-year-old son, John
Quincy. Comparing father and son by
the touchstone of Europe, J. T. Adams
says: “Europe had far more attraction
for John Quincy in the second genera
tion of the family than it had had for
John in thp first. He appreciated to
the full the varied advantages of that
European society in which he had
moved easily from his earliest boyhood,
and he had also acquired tastes that
his father had not • • • John had made
the family International politically;
John Quincy had become international
impressionably. In balanced judgment,
probably the little Charles Francis, a
less than 2-year-old baby (when his
father. John Quincy Adams, went to
Russia as Ambassador), was to become
in time the most notable of the family
line, but that distinction must be given
to John Quincy when we are consider
ing the balance between the moral.
Intellectual and esthetic in character.”
** * *
The appointment of John Masefield
as poet laureate of England seems to
have won the approval of at least a
large number of the literary men of
the country, though there are doubtless
those who are disappointed that Kipling
or Alfred Noyes was not the choice of
the King (or prime minister). George
Bernard Shaw. Galsworthy, Chesterton
and Drinkwater are all delighted. Many
approving comments emphasize the
point that Masefield has written of an
(unusually large number of aspects of
English life and that he possesses in
tense love for the English soil and a
truly English love of the sea.
** * *
A beautifully Illustrated ’children’s
book by Andre Maurois, known in
French as ”Le Pays des Trente-Six Mille
Volontes.” will appear in the Fall as
"The Land of Do as You Please.” The
translation will be done by Pauline S.
Fairbanks, and the original pictures by
Adrienne Segur will be retained in the
English, edition,
■
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
UT FREDERIC J. H.4SKIX.
Washington is the world’s greatest j
storehouse of all kinds of knowledge.
You can draw on it free of charge
through our bureau here. Any ques
tion of fact you may ask will be an
swered promptly in a personal letter
to you,. Be careful to write clearly,
give your full name and address, and
inclose 2-cent stamp for reply post
age. S»nd your inquiry to The Wash
ington Star. Information Bureau, Fred
eric J. Haskin, director, Washington.
D. C.
Q. How does the distance that a
golf ball can be driven compare'W ith
that of a base ball?—D. E. V.
A. A golf ball has been driven more
than three times as far as the record
base ball.
Q. Why does it take so many more
muscles to frown than to smile? —W.
W.
A. The human face has a large num
ber of small muscles under the sur
face of the skin. The art of frown
ing requires the use of muscles of the
forehead and scalp. It is thus pos
sible to produce many wrinkles in that
area. Smiling calks only for the use
«f several muscles located in the
vicinity of the mouth, nose and eyes.
Q. How many gallons of water does
it take to produce a ton of ice? —R.
C K
A. About 240 gallons.
Q. What hotel was the first to in
stall an elevator? —S. M.
A. The Fifth Avenue Hotel in New
York City installed the first in 1859.
This figured in selecting it as a hostelry
at which the Prince of Wales was
entertained in 1860.
Q. What is the most valuable fur?—
O. E F.
A. The sable is the mast valuable
of all furs. It is soft and silken, deep
brown, often slightly silvered. It is
found only in Siberia. Japanese and j
Chinese sable, local varieties of less
value, are usually dyed or topped.
Q. What was the first educational
endowment in America? —D. T. m
A.' The bequeathing of 250 #res of
land, an adjacent salt marsh, and
eight milk cows comprised the first
educational endowment in America.
It was left by Benjamin Symmes to
found a free school in Elizabeth
County, Va. Mr. Symmes died in 1634.
Q. Does a small electric fan cotw
sume more electricity than a large
one during the space of an hour?—
J. A. H.
A. "Wltlj the same motor and voltage
and setting, the current used with a
small electric fan is the same as used
in the large one. The speeds are not
equal.
Q. Why does a gold prospector in
Alaska wear a net over his face? —
L. G.
A. Gold prospectors in Alaska wear
netting over their faces to protect them
from mosquitoes.
Q. Who first used gas for the extrac
tion of teeth?—H. W. J.
A. In 1840, Horace Wells, American
dental surgeon, expressed the idea that
teeth might be extracted painlessly by
the application of nitrous oxide gas. He
tested the efficacy of the gas in this
operation on his own person in 1844
and afterwards frequently used it in
his practice.
Q. Was Jean de Reszke a baritone or
a tenor?—C. W. K.
A. He began his operatic career as
a baritone. After a few years, he be
came convinced that his voice was a
tenor, left the stage for further study,
and returned as a tenor. His brother,
i
Highlights on the Wide World
Excerpts From Newspapers of Other Lands
y E MATIN, Paris.—The street
sweepers fold their arms and
rest from their fatigues when
i J they see a lady arrayed in the
latest mode passing majestically
along the asphalt of the crossing or
sidewalk. We noticed one recently.
Her train was cloth of silver, and made
an excellent broom —a little rough, but
for that reason better for sweeping
than birch twigs. The lady proceeded
on her way to the party, the taxi
chauffeurs disappointed in a fare, and
soon she disappeared in the dusk of
twilight, all unconsciously performing,
with the aid of her dressmaker, this
work of the municipal street cleaners,
with a skirt so long that it served as
a dust collector.
Yes, the long skirt is again in fash
ion. and our masculine hearts rejoice
at seeing women return again to more
feminine habiliments; to the dignified
and gracefully devised costumes of old.
*4 * *
Encouraging
News for Tourists?
Falastin, Jaffa.—Under “Notes for
Tourists.” a writer gives a sketch of
Nablus in a recent issue of the Pales- j
tine Bulletin. In the first few lines
wc rcftd i
"The people of Nablus (ancient
Shechem) will not be pleased to see
you (the tourist! and you are likely
to have stones thrown at your head
In order that a pious Moslem may
have the joy of having beaten a Chris
tian.”
This is certainly very encouraging
propaganda for Palestine tours.
** * *
Cotton or Linen
Shirt Is Preferable.
El Nuevo Diario, Caracas.—Nothing
is so essential for the daily garb as
a good shirt. In these days of enervat
ing heat there is no alternative but
that a man must work in his shirt
sleeves, even when he is employed at i
a desk or counter, and though we may j
not be able to afford European novel- i
ties of silk or flannel, we can still feel
that nothing is more appropriate or
more sensible than a good shirt of
linen or cotton goods, if it is fabri
cated to perfection in its fit and style.
In such a shirt a man is arrayed in
clothing that conforms to all the re
quirements of the weather, the fash
ion and the conventions.
** * *
Sunday More a Day
of Tragedy Than of Rest.
El Tiempo, Bogota.—The tradition of
Sunday in Bogota is becoming more
and more that of a day of tragedy,
rather than a day of tranquillity and
restfulness. Recently there were so
many traffic accidents and other
calamities that we have the spue to
allude only to a few of them. Pohce
ambulances during the day several
times exhausted their supply of gaso
line, so many more or less severely in
jured people had to be conducted to
the hospitals. Automobiles, howevef,
were not to blame for most of the
casualties recently. One man was
mortally hurt by a stone hurled by a
companion after they had had some
libations together, and a more serious
alcohol excess in the Club Escandon.
in the Las Cruces quarter, terminated
in a general altercation in which 30
were hurt, some of them gravely. The
increase in the aocidents and disturb
ances occurring in Bogota on Sundays
is alarming. Instead of holidays that
are welcomed and enjoyed, as in for
mer times, they actually are Becoming
days that are dreaded for the sorrows
and disasters that so often mark them.
* * * *,
Paint of Car More i
Valuable Than Human Life.
Irish Independent, Dublin. —James
Fitzpatrick, 8 Chelmsford road, Rane- ;
lagh, complained to police that a motor
car came up behind him on a public ;
footpath at Leeson Park, Dublin, with
out warning, at 35 miles per hour. To . 1
save himself, he had to jump against; i
che railing. Defendant’s excuse was • i
'Edouard, was a famous bass. Jean de
Reszke died in 1925, Edouard, in 1917.
Q. What memorial has the most
wreaths placed upon it?—G. L. L.
A. It is believed that the Tomb of
the Unknown Soldier in Arlington
Cemetery’ has been decorated more
often than any monument or memorial,
taking into consideration the length of
time that it has been built. Scarcely
a day passes that a wreath is not
placed upon the tomb in tribute, and /
often two or three are laid tncre upOu
the same day.
Q. What is the voltage of lightning
strokes?—B. P. ,
A. There are estimates only. Thee*
range from a few hundred thausand to
several billion volts, depending upon the
ideas of the persons making the esti
mates. No measurements have been
made.
Q. Are Indian reservations placed In
the natural habitat of the Indians v ho
aft assigned to them? —K. C.
A. Indian reservations quite fre
quently are some of the old Indian
lands on which the Indians have al
ways lived. ,
Q What was .the maiden name of
the princess who met her death in a
transatlantic flight?—T. H. '
A. Princess Ludwig Lowcnsteln
-1 Wertheim was the Uady Ann Saville,
! daughter of the Fourth Earl of Mex
! borough. She married a German
prince.
Q Why are church weddings in
movies always in Catholic or Episcopal
churches?—T. F. B.
A. It is because the services of these
two denominations make more effective
pictures than would be the services of
some of the other denominations.
Q. Is there a ruling as to the relative
size of a yacht club's pennant and a
private owner’s pennant?—R. W.
A. The Bureau of Navigation. Com-
I merce Department, says that there is
no law’ regarding this. There might,
however, be a club rule.
Q. Does cover charge ever include
the food served?—A. E.
A. A cover charge is an assessment
for the privilege of having a seat In a
restaurant. It includes no article of
food.
Q. Who was the youngest American
to see active service in the World War?
—T. L.
A. Stephen William Harvey, who at
the age of 13 served in the front-line
trenches, has been officially recognized
as the youngest soldier of the allied
armies. He was born in Seattle, Wash.,
November 19. 1901. He enlisted in
Canada in 1914 and served with the
Canadian forces until 1919. He then
went to Archangel with the American
Army.
Q. Please give the base principles
and methods of handling of the United
States mail. —P. R.
A. The Post Office Department says
that mail is dropped in the box, picked
up by the collector, and placed on the
facing table in the Post Office. It is
then picked up with all the stamps
arranged according to the size of the
envelope and run through the cancel
ing machine. The mail is then taken
to a primary distribution case ahd
there assorted into various boxes: thlen
taken to a State case where it is dis
tributed according to offices in the State
and tied out in bundles according to
train schedules. When it reaches the
office jto w'hich it is addressed it is dis
tributed by clerks to routes in the city
by numbers, each number representing
a city carrier. The city carrier on his
next trip delivers the mail to the street
address of the party addressed.
that he could not reverse "because the
branches of the trees would damage tire
back of the car!”
** * *
New Zealand
Immigrants Not Criminals.
Evening Post, Wellington.—A state
ment has been published in Christ
church, purporting to come fro* well
informed sources, that “quite a large
proportion of New Zealand's criminal*
have come to this country as assisted
immigrants. The home police are
glad to get rid of them,” the informant
is reported to have said, 'so they come
to us unheralded, and we have to stand
the brunt.”
The high commissioner’s office In
London denies emphatically, however,
that a large proportion of the crim
inals in New Zealand are immigrants
from England, assisted to their new
habitat by the government. The offi
cials point out that the utmost pre
cautions have been observed in the
selection of immigrants, in order to
insure that the best type was sent to
New Zealand, which had a reputation
for setting a higher standard in the
I selection of its immigrants than any
other part of the empire.
Urges Art Travels
So All Might See
From the Chicago Daily News.
In presenting a valuable collection of
early American art to Yale University
Francis P. Garvan and his wife lately
expressed the wish that artistic treas
ures possessed now or at any future
time by American universities or art
institutes might be taken from city to
city, educational institution to educa
tional institute, and thus brought within
ifeach of millions who too seldom see
, meritorious works of the sort.
Pictures and other objects of art, ac
cording to Mr. Garvan. are dead* and
v»ai ed when , they rej nain shut in for
jears, never leaving the museum that is
' w ,J ortun ! lte as to own them. What
public and semi-public libraries are do
' ing lor books and musical literature,
according to Mr. Garvan’s view, art in
stitutes and museums should do on a
systematic and extensive scale for
paintings and sculpture, cut gems, china
and other objects of art.
The loan collection is a familiar and
established feature of the Summer sea
son, when private collectors are away
from home. But it is well known that
many treasures never leave the gal
leries which they adorn, and even their
owners glance at them only occasionally.
Why should great art be dead? Mr.
Garvan asks the question. Beauty is
a wonderfully refining influence, and It
is a mistake to imagine that only a
superior few appreciate beauty. The
many simply do not have sufficient op
portunities to view noble and elevating
works of art.
It costs money to put art on wheel*.
Insurance, transportation and expert
handling of delicate and costly objects
are expensive. But endowments and
other gifts for such purposes would be
forthcoming. Mr. Garvan thinks, if an
appeal were made in the right demo
cratic spirit. He, at any rate, has set
an inspiring example by advocating
vigorously and underwriting what ha
calls "universality in art.”
. ••• t
Just One Triai.
From the Columbus Ohio State Journal.
Wouldn’t this be a wonderful old i
world if the taste of rousting ears lin
gered with one as long as that of
onions?
Seasonal Meanness.
From the South Bend Tribunte.
Seme people send "sleeping under
blankets every .night” messages from
Summer resorts and others are ornery V
all the year around. 4