Evening star. [volume], August 02, 1930, Page A-4, Image 4

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

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A-4
THE EVENING STAR
With Sunday Morning Edition.
WASHINGTON, D. C.
SATURDAY August 9, 1930
THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor
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Encouraging Home Ownership.
The papers say the President smiled
when he greeted newspaper men at
his conference yesterday with the an
nouncement that "I have appointed
another commission.” For this one is
the twenty-fourth since March 4, 1929.
But if the twenty-three preceding com
missions have followed the demand
that account* for the birth of No. 24,
no apologies are needed.
The White House Conference on
Home Building and Home Ownership is
to undertake a Nation-wide investiga
tion of the problems presented in home
©wnership and building, seeking to find
methods for “removal of Influence*
which seriously limit the spread of
home ownership, both in town and"
country.” The appointment of *uch a
body ha* been urged on President Hoo
ver by those who are awake to a rather
alarming falling off In home building
and home ownership. It represent* the
obvious first step In the solution of an
Important problem.
Last December the vice president of
the National Association of Real Estate
Boards, reporting to the National Busi
ness Survey Conference of the United
States Chamber of Commerce, named
the preceding October as the “worst
month that we have had In our business
in the last fifty years.” The condition he
attributed partly to the lack of money
for construction and to excessive tax on
real estate, pointing to New York City,
where ninety-two per cent of the tax
burden there is borne by real estate.
Similar conditions as to real estate taxes
are found, of course, in nearly every city
of the country. At the same time the
American Construction Council report
ed a decline o£ 3J> 3 per cent in dwelling
house construction under the previous
year's figures.
Meeting in Grand Rapids, Mich., last
month, the United States Building &
Loan League heard plans for the estab
lishment of short-term financing agen
cies for the benefit of home owners,
while the rising cost of small homes and
the necessity of radical steps to lower
It and provide convenient terms for pur
chasers of small means were emphasised
as pressing topics of the times.
Home ownership is decreasing. Apart
ment houses are becoming more popu
lar everywhere. Eighty-five per cent
©f the population in normal times de
pends upon an annual income of less
than *2,000. The initial cost of a home
Is high. The price of home-purchase
loans is high and these expenses, plus
money for taxes and upkeep, become
eloquent arguments for renting as op- ;
posed to home purchase.
The President’s new commission,
which, by the way. is being financed
by private contributions, will undertake
systematic survey and study of all the
factors that bear on home ownership—
financing, design. equipment, city
planning, transportation, etc. The goal
of such research is not remedial legis
lation, but an assembly of facts that
•will stimulate private enterprise in
answering the demand for home owner
ship by bringing the purchase of a
home within the means of the average
wage earner.
The horse-race called "The Withers”
has nothing to do with any part of the
horse, but is named in honor of an
American sportsman. "The hocks”
which often follow the race also have
nothing to do with equine anatomy.
China’* Three-Ring Circu*.
If the flippancy can be forgiven in
so grave a situation, the troubles in
China may be likened to a three-ring
circus in full action. Three forces are
at work simultaneously, all antagonustic.
Three groups of armies are in the field,
fighting, pillaging, destroying. One of
these army groups is that of the Nan
king government, the Nationalists, so
styled, fighting on two fronts—in the
North against the Shansi revolutionists
and in the South against the Com
munists. The Northern armies are those
of two war lords, who have combined
with the purpose of destroying the
Nationalist power in certain provinces
and the setting up of a new government
there. The Communists have a loose
organization, consisting of swarms of
armed bands, apparently with no spe
cific central leadership, but animated by
an impulse to destroy the Nationalist
government in the southern and central
provinces and to establish a rule of
w-hat Russia calls the proletariat.
For the purpose of weakening the Na
tionalist organization, the Northern
leaders have been favoring the Com
munists, though without maintaining
any contact with them. But it is now
reported that the late success of the red
bandits the Southern Communist
swarms are veritably no other than
bandits—has given the Northern “tu
chuns” concern. Too much headway in
that direction is not desirable from
their point of view. Furthermore, the
Communists in their advance upon
Hankow, which is at present the object
of their attack, are destroying the line
of the Pcklng-Hankow Railway, upon
which Feng Yu-hsieng, commander of
uhe principal Northern Army, relies for
his own eventual attack upon that same
center.
It has been the policy of Chiang Kai
shek, Nationalist chief, to fight chiefly
against the Northern forces, leaving the
A Southern Communists for later treat
* merit when he has subdued the rebel
in Shantunr. Chihli. Shansi and
Northern Honan. But his conquest of
the Northerners has not been easy of
- accomplishment. Indeed, it ha* been
quite definitely blocked, due largely to
0 defections on the part of some of his
. generals and their forces. At present
r the campaign in Shantung, the prin
cipal area of the Northern war, is at
r stalemate, with the trend somewhat
adverse to the Nationalists. Meanwhile
the Communist movement In the South
has gained headway and has, in the
catastrophe at Changsha, capital of
Hunan, and the advance upon Han
i> kow’, exposed the Nationalist govern
ti ment to a grave danger.
h A most keenly interested spectator of
f this tragic turmoil sits in a place of
e vantage at Mukden, watching closely.
Chang Hsueh-liang, marshal of Man
churia and virtual ruler of the three
I eastern provinces of China, has ob
s served neutrality as between the Na
: tionallsts and the Northerners. He
once tendered his good offices for set
} tlement, which were not accepted. He
: has consistently maintained the role
of an outsider, though technically he
,| is the representative of Nanking in
; command of the northeastern area. Yet
i nobody is deluded by his careful avoid
-1 ance of partisanship in this present sit
uation and he is not of late especially
particular about his camouflage. A re
cent report from Peking states that al
! though Chang Hsueh-liang is still strad
dling the fence by refusing to receive
delegates from Nanking or Peking, each
seeking his support, his representative
at Peking has Just formally called on
' Wang Ching-wei, leader of the Kuo
! mintang left wing, who has Just Te
j turned from exile and is co-operating
I with the Northern leaders in the or
! ganization of a new government at
Peking. Outside of the fighting in
the South, this gesture Is perhaps the
most significant development in the
Chinese situation for several weeks.
A Near-Tragedy.
Despite its speedy crossing of the At
lantic and its successful mooring at
Montreal less than eighty hours after it
had left Cardington, England, the R-100,
the newest and biggest dirigible, was in
grave danger of breaking up in the air,
according to the stories of those aboard
the big airship, who at first minimized
the accident which tore the fabric from
one of the stabilizing fins, but who now
appear Inclined to discuss It frankly.
With the Atlantic behind and all aboard
looking to a speedy culmination of a
history-making journey it appears that
the R-100 nosed into a storm of cyclonic
proportions, stood almost on its tall
and shot upward for a distance of
tw’enty-five hundred feet in less than
half a minute. It wms then that a
piece of fabric estimated to be thirty
five feet in length and six feet in
breadth was ripped off the fin and
the dirigible was almost out of control.
With the quick ascent upward the
balloonettes expanded almost to "pres
sure stage” and if the modern design
of the big ship had not included an au
tomatic valving system for Just such an
emergency it would have broken to
pieces with probably the loss of all on
board, as they were not furnished with
parachutes.
This is the second accident of its kind
to a dirigible, the Graf Zeppelin on one
of its trips across the ocean encounter
ing much the same kind of a storm and
suffering severe injury to one of its fins.
This damage, like that of the R-100, was
temporarily repaired in midair with
great peril to those who engaged in
the work. Even at that those aboard
the Graf Zeppelin and the R-100 have
cause to be thankful because it was in a
violent storm that the United States
dirigible, the Shenandoah, broke itself
in two over Ohio with the loss of many
lives.
Dirigible design has progressed won
derfully in the past decade. The Zep-
I pelin with its "blau gas," which is no
heavier than air and which produces
satisfactory results so far as fuel is
concerned, and the R-100 with its au
tomatic valving device and many other
improvements, are great advances over
the dirigibles of the past, but these
! big ships are still unwieldy, vulnerable
; and subject to the lo*6 of fabric when
i nature is encountered In an ugly mood.
■ The “bigger they are the harder they
i fall” seems aptly to apply to lighter
than-air craft, as the bigger they are
the less are they able to withstand the
tearing pressure of intense storms.
Airships will undoubtedly become the
accepted means of sky transportation
on long journeys of the future, but en
i gineers, if they would have public con-
I fidence in this method of travel, must
; work out some means to prevent accl
! dents of the nature that befell the Graf
Zeppelin and the R-100. Certainly,
there is enough hazard from fire in a
hydrogen-filled bag without adding to
>, it the peril of a flimsy covering that
i, will yield at the wind's first onslaught.
: j The Los Angeles, the biggest United
| States dirigible, carries helium and is
.! immune from fire, but her fabric Is
, probably Just as susceptible as that of
'. the other*. Two accidents, minor in
' their results, but major in their sig
i nificance, have now occurred. It is as
: | suredly time for a remedy before a
, tragedy comes.
Idaho Indians dance sixty-six hours
[ in honor of the Sun God. Such an
, I event staged here would be slimly at
,! tended, soon concluded, and with no
| encores requested.
What Would Solomon Do?
■ ; The Sultan of Djimma, in Southwest
r! Ethiopia, is being made an example of
: by the Department of Commerce. Until
I a short time ago the Sultan, whose
I people claim descent from King Sol
omon and the Queen of Sheba, had
. never seen an automobile. He had only
i five miles of road in his province and
. when he traveled he was borne by hi*
5 slaves in a sedan chair, Just like the
j chair that Solomon used. Then some
i body showed the Sultan a picture of an
t automobile and told him what it did.
i The Sultan's interest was aroused. He
- ordered an American automobile, sent
i an army of slaves to Addis Ababa, 150
i 1 miles away, and the slaves carried it
e back over the mountains and through
I I ravines. The Sultan took to the auto
t mobile like a duck to water. A cele
e bration was held. There were probably
n floats, one of which undoubtedly plc
f tured King Solomon in a sedan chair,
r appropriately labeled “The Old Way—
e Entered by the Chamber of Commerce
of Djiren.”
Now the Sultan, with only five miles
y of road, has small opportunity to ride
e in his car. So he has begun a road
- building program and granted a con
- cession for a highway through the
J mountains from Djiren to Addis Ababa.
THE EVENING STAR. WASHINGTON. D. C.. SATURDAY, AUGUST 2. 3930.
This will permit the Sultan's subjects
to use automobiles. It will open up
the country and is Interpreted by the
Department of Commerce as a sign of
progress.
It may be. One will not dispute the
progressiveness of the Sultan of DJlmma.
But one wonders whether he can longer
lay claim to at least on# of the attri
butes of his famed progenitor, who, in
hi* day, had a corner on the wisdom of
the world. In other words, is the Sul
tan of Djimma really a wise guy after
all?
In a few years the automobiles will
be killing more of the Sultan's slaves
than he would lose in a generation of
tribal warfare. In a few years he will
have to appoint a traffic director, and
while he has the undoubted advantage
of being able to behead the traffic di
rector if he pleases, he cannot know
now what he has let himself in for in
this one matter alone. In a few years
the fine scenery of Djimma will he
destroyed by gas stations, and the
space not taken up by gas stations will
be dotted with hot-dog stands, with en
ticing signs of “Roasted Missionary—
Ten Miles,” plastered on every tree. In
a few years the good citizens of Djimma
will be mortgaging their homes, their
farms and everything they own to buy
the next model, and those who have no
cars will be unhappy because they have
none, while those who have cars will be
unhappy because they do.
The Sultan of Djimma may be a
progressive. But one wonders whether
Solomon would not have called the
sword bearer and cut the automobile In
two!
A few years ago a Star reporter fried
an egg on the asphalt at Fifteenth and
F streets northwest in nine minutes.
Today a detective is caring for a baby
chick which emerged prematurely from
a crate of "absolutely fresh-laid eggs”
in the produce commission district, due
to the sun's concentrated rays. This
should vastly encourage seekers after
utilization of solar power, but it leaves
Washingtonians, paradoxically speaking,
“cold.”
■ ■ •©— -
Seven thousand liters of A-Number
one cognac are dumped into the river in
Czechoslovakia, not because of any
illegality, but because the names of
consignor and consignee could not be
ascertained and no one was willing to
come forward to take possession by the
simple process of paying the duty. That's
Bohemian Life for you!
Arthur W. Cutten of Chicago finally
“gets” the last of a group of nine
bandits who held up his family and
against whom he swore vengeance eight
years ago. If he should go to Canada
they would undoubtedly make him
brigadier general, commanding the
R. N. W. M. P.
A Chicago police magistrate fines a
woman for stretching her bare arm
and shoulder too far out of a curtained
automobile parked at a bathing beach.
He should scan the illustrated papers
occasionally or else head to Zion City.
The Pope may buy a yacht. If he
fishes from It, it will Indeed be a
turning back of the pages of history.
The opportunity of making a Jest about
the “cardinal points of the compass” is
scornfully disdained.
Could it have been Admiral Byrd's
speech on Boston Common that made
the English declare his expedition had
"vulgarized the Antarctic”?
“Pan-Europe Plan Puts Peace Key in
Polish Corridor” —headline. Under the
mat, of course.
SHOOTING STARS.
BY PHILANDER JOHNSON.
An Optimist.
Although they often cause me grief—
My wants unsatisfied —
I sometimes view them with relief
And even point with pride.
When bulls and bears are wildly tossed
And rumors strange confuse,
I mourn no fortune lost—
I have no wealth to lose.
Though vehicles moved by gasoline
May sadly malm and scar,
I view them with a mind serene—
I have no motor car.
We read of drownings swift and sad,
With sympathetic shock.
I’m sometimes genuinely glad
I have no boat to rock.
And ao this life is never glum.
I banish all distress,
Deriving satisfaction
From things I don’t possess.
Money’s Worth.
“It costs much more than it used to,”
said the pessimist, "for the average man
to live.”
“Yes,” answered the optimist, "but he
lives much better."
Clothed In Mystery.
"Father,” said the small boy, "what
is a scientist?”
“A scientist, my son, is a man who
tells you something you already knew
in such long words that you fall to
recognize it.”
Wisdom.
The lightning bug finds sorrow scant.
With economic skill
He runs a private lighting plant
And never gets a bill.
Slow to Anger.
"A man should be slow to anger."
"Yes.” answered Mi« Cayenne, “but
he shouldn’t Invariably postpone get
ting angry at the annoyances of the
day until he sits down at the supper
table.”
Exceptional Facilities.
“You don’t subscribe to the news
paper?” asked the visiting neighbor.
"No,” answered the hostess. "We
know more than the newspaper can
tell. My husband is a census taker.”
From Season to Season.
He talks about the weather,
And, be it cold or hot,
He always wishes that it was *
The kind that it is not.
“It’s curious,” said Uncle Eben, “to
hear tell 'bout how many geniuses has
been allowed to starve an’ how many
lazy folks manages to git a livin’ by
pretendin’ to be geniuses.”
■ . ■■ .1. > • ■■■
After That It Doesn’t Matter.
Prom the Port Wayne Nem»-sentinel.
We suppose the parachute manu
facturers also advertise their product as
"good to the last drop.”
r THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACETELL.
Emerson in his journal of 1845 wrote: |
"I observe that all the bookish men
have a tendency to believe that they
are unpopular. Parker gravely informs
' me by word and letter that he is pre
cisely the most unpopular of all men in
New England. Alcott believed the same
thing of himself, and I, no doubt, if
they had not anticipated me in claim
ing this distinction, should have claimed
it for myself.”
It would be interesting to know
whether the "bookish men” of today
, feel the same way about themselves.
Men who like books are given to intro
spection, and such peering into one's
own acts and motives, and hence into
the acts and motives of others, tends to
make one sensitive.
Put it another way: Only the sensi-;
tive love books, and they alone indulge
in psychological inward looks at them- ]
selves and others. So doing, they see*
beneath the surface of "bunk” which j
coats the worlds of deeds and words;
they come to have a clearer realization
than most of the strange things which
pass among men as great things.
Hence the typically bookish man, now,!
as then, knows the value of popularity \
from one standpoint and its utter j
worthlessness from another. He real-!
izes that unless he can be. in popular;
terminology, a “good sport” he cannot;
be popular.
Popularity means meeting the appro- \
bation of the many. In the year 1930
those are most popular, at least in the j
United States, w'ho succeed in sports, j
The most popular man in the world, i
Lindbergh, succeeded hugely in what
many call the greatest sport in the
world, flying.
It is precisely because the bookish
man know's that he is not a sportsman
that he feels his lack of popularity.
Perhaps It was always so. except during
certain eras, when the writing man
drew down the plaudits of the masses.
The craving for popularity, at least
a certain amount of It. is inherent in
the human race. No doubt more men
would choose the career of Napoleon if]
they had the chance than that of any;
one of the great moral saviors of the
race. Hero worship is in the blood, and
every man wants to be a hero, because
popularity Is his reward.
** * *
Not only bookish men have a tend
ency to believe they are unpopular;
the most popular persons at times tend
to believe much the same thing. But
the bookish person has more back
ground to resist the cravings for a thing
as fickle as popularity. He knows that
natural history of favor, and realizes
that it is a distinctly animal heritage,
one which survives because every man
is dependent upon every other man in
the last analysis. Consider the stock
market crash if you doubt this. Con
sider even more the psychological fac
tors which are working as a result of it.!
Against the craving for popularity j
the bookish one places the craving of!
every rightly constituted man to live \
his own life as he pleases, so long as I
he stays within the law and hurts no;
one. He had rather be able to mind
his own business than be popular and
be forced to let every one else mind it, I
or try to mind it, which is even worse.!
(Ask Lindy.)
What pleases the bookish man in his
search for contentment is that he is
representative of every one. He may l
be called “strange” or "eccentric” by |
those who do not understand—or rather
do not want to understand—but he j
knows that through his methods of
research he is more representative of I
them than they are of him.
Popularity, he knows, is a surface
condition which may be swept away;
overnight. < Recall the history of popular i
base ball players.) It is pleasing while !
it lasts, but it may not last long. In- j
variably it is subject to the spleen of
envy and jealousy, tw s o corroding, bitter
ingredients found in far too many peo
ple for the world’s good.
** * *
What has a bookish man—or any
other man—wherewith to compensate
Briand’s Union May Develop,
But Slowly, Say Americans
Pessimism as to the success of Aris- ;
tide Briand's proposal for a federated '
Europe is balanced in the American ‘
mind by the thought that growing rec- |
ognition of the neec’. of co-operation :
among the nations on that continent
may force gradual recognition of the •
principle involved. Great Britain is '
believed unlikely to be involved, but the
willingness of Germany to discuss con
ditions is favorably received. There are :
predictions of a spirited discussion at
the September conference of nations.
“A certain amount of jealousy,” ac
cording to the Rochester Times-Union,
“lies behind the British reply. French
leadership on the Continent might be
strengthened by the success of M. I
Briand’s plans. The British would pre- 1
fer not to have this leadership too ab
solute. British policy almost automati
cally is moving back toward the old
principal of semi-isolation from conti- |
nental affairs and toward the maintain- !
ing of a kind of balance of power. But |
British opposition to European federa- |
tion is not so important as it might!
seem. The real key to the situation is
to be found in Germany. If the Ger- i
mans can be persuaded to move along
the lines laid down by M. Briand, re- j
suits may yet be achieved."
"Germany's reply,” in the opinion of
the Los Angeles Express, "makes cer
tain that the plan will be seriously de- j
bated before the League of Nations’
Assembly. * * * It is easy to trace
the splendid influence of the late Dr. |
Stresemann in the German reply. It
was for just such friendly binding to
gether of Europe that he labored: and,
It Is not too much to say, gave his life, j
for his death surely was hastened by
overwork in the effort to settle repara
tions and other disturbing problems, to
have them out of them so that friend
ship and confidence between nations
might be restored. The German gov- j
ernment in its note expresses full favor:
of the Briand proposal, but holds that
the union could succeed only if equality
and the same security is accorded all
participants. No discrimination should
be made In favor of members of the
League of Nations, but such countries
as Russia and Turkey in Europe should
be included.”
** * *
A somewhat different impression is
gained by the South Bend Tribune,
which stress • the German desire for
"political equality among the nations,”
and argues: “This is interpreted as a
demand that discussions of the United I
States of Europe be conditioned on re
vision of the treaty of Versailles. ’lt |
would be futile,’ Germany contends, ‘to
attempt to erect a new Europe on ft
foundation which would not support the
vital requirements of national develop
ment.’ European politics rests squarely
on the Versailles treaty. Foreign Min
ister Briand of France has not con
fessed discouragement. He scents ’ap
probation in principle’ in the German
reply. Other French statesmen and
politicians, however, may be more im
pressed by the political obstacles In the
way of an economic union.”
German and Italian reservations im
press the Des Moines Register as hold
ing a more Important place in the
thoughts of the French government j
than Great Britain’s coolness, and as
to those reservations the Register says: j
"The evidence is that Briand will go a
long way toward compromise. This is
no flare of imagination on his part: it
is a long planned and thoroughly
thought out Idea. He is not likely to;
let it go by the boards unless the par-.
tlclpants’ demands become exorbitant.
And the obstacles hinted thus far are
not looked upon as Insurmountable.”
Denying that the proposed union "Is
necessarily obnoxious to the spirit of
the covenant of the League of Nations,
the ‘Springfield Republican declares:
"Possibly the pressure of our ovm
| himself for the cheap popularity which
he sees lavished on the heroes of the
moment?
He will get no ticker tape thrown
upon him: his place in the world is not
to be measured in the ton homage paid
to returning heroes in the shape of torn
paper. Thus was the world presented
with the absurdity of 1.800 tons of
paper in honor of Lindbergh, 70 tons
for Admiral Byrd.
Those who fail of popularity—and
the very vast majority do —may console
themselves with the happy anonymity
in which they find themselves.
It has many compensations.
One receives no wholesale lots of
ticker tape, of course, but neither does
one get an excessive amount of boos.
I The "old raspberry” passes one by glee
i fully in full cry after some popular
son-of-a-gun whose popularity is on the
| downgrade.
I Unknown to fame, one is able to do
as he pleases in the best fashion. He
! is not hampered by the sad thought,
I "What will everybody think?” He only
has to please a few and to wonder
whether still fewer will disapprove.
| Had you ever thought to what extent
i the art of disapproving has grown In
j this country? There are whole maga-
I zines devoted to it, edited by intelligent
| men who are making a life business
I of it.
In all walks of society some men and
| women have got themselves heartily
; feared by no more harsh expedient than
I simply disapproving other people, what
! they wear, do, say, think. Such per
sons are cordially despised—and greeted
with a smile. Most people are afraid
of them. The popular person does not
have to fear them—while he is popular, i
It is only afterward, when his popu
larity begins to wear thin, that they
throw off their cloak of fawning and
reveal themselves to him for what they
always have been to others —wolves.
** * *
It used to be said that it is the woman
,i who pays—and pays—and pays. (Some
jhow they always got three pay days in
1 it.) But today it is the popular man
who forks up ultimately. Popularity Is
a state of mind, and a fftate of mind is
unstable enough when it is just one
mind—and one's own. But when it is
the state of mind of the multitude the
result is uncertain: uncertain, that is,
except for its uncertainty. A change
in it is sure. The greater the popu
larity the quicker it wears out, and the
bigger the hero the harder he falls.
The unpopular man. on the other
hand, is let alone, to do as he pleases.
He wears the wrist watch of his own
choice rather than the one the astute
advertising man gives him for signing
a few lines of approval. (Or. rather,
the one which the advertising man does
not give him but reserves for the hero.)
H? reads the books of his choice,
smokes such cigarettes as his taste likes,
i drives any motor car his fancy or his
! wife approves, goes to such plays as his
! experience tells him will be good.
He is the great unpopular man, the
only man in the world who can do as
he pleases, because no one else cares a
whoop what he does. He is the modern
1 “great unwashed.” The only cloud in
! his happy heaven is that of the re
! former who, seeing his unsullied happi
! ness, may try to make a hero out of
j him.
He shies from becoming a hero, how
; ever. He has seen them come and go,
! and while he has envied their popu
larity he has sorrowed over their
decline.
It must be a terrible thing to have
j been a hero and then to feel one's self
! a hero no longer. Far better is it always
to be a nonentity. The former tree
i sitter, after he has given up his asinine
performance, must be forever unhappy
I as he recalls the adulation which was
: his.
But the bookish man who never sat
in anything more risky than a chair
knows neither the happiness of heroism
nor the unhappiness of the inevitable
aftermath. He is Just one of the happy,
happy crowd of unpopular, non-heroic
persons.
| United States is forcing the states of
j Europe to unite. If the drift is that
| way, it cannot be prevented, and per
haps ought not to be resisted. The
! I-eague Assembly will have plenty of
1 opportunity to express itself on the
question, and probably no great harm
will be done if representative* of Euro
; pean countries in the meantime meet to
! talk over Briand's project.”
** * *
"There w’as never any prospect that
European nationalistic barriers would
suddenly be razed, but even lowering
or tunneling certain of them, especially
the barriers which prevent reasonable
i freedom in commerce and exchange,
; w'ould be something,” thinks the Erie
; Dispatch-Herald, w hile the Houston
1 Chronicle, in the course of an analysis
jof the situation, points out: “The ma
; jority of Europe's people are loyal to
the League. They fall to realize that
, the Geneva body cannot aid them eco
nomically. Only a united economic
j front can really help them maintain
their present positions. Briand seems
s to have failed, but perhaps in later
years his idea will bear fruit.”
“There will be no early union,” agrees
the Raleigh News and Observer, "but
j the suggestion will bear fruit in co-
I operation and in unity of sentiment.”
The Hartford Times also holds to the
| view that "history doubtless will accord
i Aristide Briand credit for constructive
I and prophetic genius. He has not and
| doubtless will not effect an epochal
: reformation of European polity, but that
he is leading an inauguration of it ap
| pears altogether credible,” concludes
; that paper.
I ess favorable opinions come from
several newspapers. The St. Louis
Times records that “a part of the
French people admit the objections are
so clear and sound that, the union, if
ever accomplished, could be nothing
more than a name.” Accepting the
Italian reply as unfavorable, the Albany
Knickerbocker Press concludes: "France
is accused of invoking the European
union scheme, tied into dominance by
: the League of Nations, as a camouflage
| to hide real intent of making irrevo
cable the present territorial status,
j Manifestly, Italy and France are far
j from being in accord.”
Nevertheless, the Omaha World-Her
: aid is convinced that "it is distinctly
encouraging to all who hope war may
be avoided in the future that the former
| enemies of Europe are considering alli
ances, however tenuous, and planning
; united action, however hesitant.” The
! Charleston Daily Mail suggests that “it
| may require many years of preliminary
work before all the difficulties and ob
stacles can be removed.” The Chicago
Daily News feels sure that "only a small
beginning at best can be hoped for,
even by the most sanguine advocate of
federation.”
At the Rate They Work.
From the Beattle Daily Times.
An eminent authority says it would
take all the dentists in the country 112
years to catch up on the work necessary
to pul America's teeth in good condi
tion, No unemployment in that line,
j apparently.
He May Me on (lood Behavior.
From the Ashland Kentucky Dally Inde
pendent.
The man who put over “Behaviorism”
now has a job in an advertising agency,
: which shows genius is recognized by
I genius.
Neither Are Deep, Though.
From the Little J*Fk Arkamai Democrat.
Ftrange howUfe broadest statements
generally originate in the narrow'est
minds!
THE LIBRARY TABLE
By th» Bonklortr
"The Man Who Lout Himself,” by
Osbert Sitwell, one of the clever trio
of Sitwell brothers and sister, is called
a novel, but might equally well or better
be read as a book of travel In Spain.
For many pages Mr. Sitwell apparently
forgets that he has begun a story and
loses himself in descriptions of scenes
and life in Granada. This is not ad
verse criticism. Few descriptions of
Granada are comparable in vividness to
his, and the plot woven about the char
acter of Tristram Orlander is not so
absorbing as to make one impatient of
interruption. Tristram Orlander. after
a nervous breakdown caused by the re
fusal of Ursula Rypton to marry him.
because she preferred a rich to a pool
husband, went to Spain to recuperate,
accompanied by his friend Osbert.
There the two became enthralled by the
severe charm of Granada and lingered
until Tristram's health seemed almost
entirely restored and Osbert was obliged
to return to England on account of
income considerations. They entered
Spain byway of Gibraltar and Algeciras,
and "that Andalusian Spring was an
enchanted one, with never a cloud,
never a whip of rain.” They made
their way slowly to Seville, visiting
Ronda. Cordoba and Cadiz. Seville held
them for some weeks, with "its cloistered
women sitting round a fountain in a
patio ... its serpentine pink, blood-red
and lime-green alleys . . . the narrow
streets, full of wine shops that are
within like white-washed caves . . .
the orchards of orange trees at this
season studded with ivory rosettes and
buds as much as with their usual hang
ing golden lamps, and giving forth a
fragrance that, wafted over painted
walls into the street, can even combat
the pungent Oriental smell of Spanish
' cookery.”
** * *
At last, tired of Seville, they "trundled
through the darkness toward Granada.”
Arriving there, they determined to find
exactly the place for lodgings which
would have Spanish atmosphere, but
not too much of it. and would also be
cheap. So they left their luggage at
the station and tramped through the
town and up the Alhambra Hill. "The
lion-colored domes and towers sank
behind us as we began to climb a steep
hill. Indeed, the ascent is quite abrupt,
though It lies in a long cleft that runs
up to the top between two hills. Now
passing under the arch of a robust
Moorish tower, we found ourselves on a
broad road, leading through a wood.
Along by our side a stream ran down,
and everywhere in the deep thickets
and fastnesses into which led a number
of box-edged paths could be heard the
sound of water leaping down the hill.”
They were to become very familiar with
this w-ood, full of the sound of rushing,
murmuring waters, as they walked
through it many times on their way to
and from the town. They found lodg
ings just at the back of the Alhambra
in a small, red-painted Spanish hotel.
"Above it rose very bare and golden
hills, and beyond these again the whole
range of the Sierra Nevada stood ex
posed, their planes of snow flashing
under the sun like the wings of angry
swans.” The wood assumed for them
something sinister, because there they
almost always met a poorly but re
spectfully dressed French woman, with
a face which expressed emotions of
"violent fear combined with a thwarted
cunning that cannot be too strongly
drawn.” The woman led by the hand
an emaciated boy of six or seven, whose
face "pictured only a dumb despair that
was at once weak and ferocious.” This
woman of the villainous but pitiful ap
pearance always begged from them and
muttered dark sayings about "the hard
and brutal” country of Spain and the
"old, dead city” of Granada. These
almost daily encounters in the wood, in
which they never dared ask the woman’s
trouble for fear of hearing something
too horrible, finally began to unsettle
the nerves of Osbert, though Tristram
seemed to be unaffected by them.
** * *
Every characteristic sight of Granada
became familiar to the two friends—
the loads of American and German
tourists which tumbled out at the Al
hambra every day, just after the siesta,
with their guides, and began to operate
their motion picture machines; the
operatic gypsies who swarmed in and
out of electrically lighted caves under
the hills, now paid to stay in the neigh
borhood instead of being driven out,
in order to furnish local color and
thrills for wealthy Americans; the
troops of drawling, whimpering beggars
clustered about the porticoes of the
churches and pressing even to the
greasy, padded entrance curtain, dis
playing their sores, maimed limbs, and
blindness; the fat Spanish ladles and
lean American and English ones, posing
for their photographs in harem cos
tumes in little shops whose traplike
doors were adorned with Oriental
brasses and embroideries. There were
moments of real beauty when they lis
tened to a blind singer sing Spanish
songs to his guitar, the old Flamenco
music, or claimed sanctuary from the
tourists in the "empty, roofless palace
of the Emperor Charles V. There we were
safe, for tourists were at that time for
bidden by their guides to admire any
building on these heights erected after
the expulsion of the Moors.” Their
greatest Joy in Granada was just after
the sunset hour. "The light was dying.
Every city has its own beauties of
light and darkness, but when the sun
has set and its last dragon's breath of
fire has been extinguished, there comes
to Granada a moment that no other
city knows. From the farther parapet,
upon which we leant, it was passible to
see almost the entire town, swinging
and curving over its rounded hills. For
about seven or eight minutes a deep
blueness, a blueness the transparency
of which is scarcely believable, lingers
over and inclases the world. All else,
hills, houses and town, irradiate a light
golden or primrose tone that is yet flat
but is heightened by the lights that in
mimicry of the stars above them are
fluttering out In all directions below.
The very ground Itself appears to share
in the illumination, for each gypsy
cave opposite winks an electric eye.”
** * *
Dr. David Fairchild, famous botan
ist, knows a great deal about many
other things in addition to botany. This
knowledge and an enthusiastic, vital
style make his book, "Exploring for
Plants,” very pleasant reading. After
a round of social visits to the best
botanic gardens of the world. Dr. Fair
child and his companions toured North
Africa in a motor car. Ceylon, Java!
and Sumatra also were explored so
their vegetable mysteries. Birds, wild'
animals and natives interested the
party, but only secondarily; for the
object of the explorations was to collect
seeds or shoots of fruit trees, vegetables*
and flowers which may be made to grow
within the boundaries of the United
States. The treasures brought back
will be nursed in selected environments '
by the United States Department of
Agriculture until they either die or be
come naturalized American citizens.
** * *
Anne W. Armstrong tells a little story
which reveals the psychology of the
Southern mountaineer. When she w-as
a child her father took one grim old
mountaineer from Yancey County, N. C.,
to visit the man who owned the finest
house in town. The mountaineer gazed
at everything without comment, but as;
they came away he remarked, "Won't j
no man where lives in a house as finei
as that there ever go to Heaven!” Mrs.
Armstrong's novel of Southern moun- j
tain life, entitled "This Day and Time,"
will shortly be published.
** * *
Winston Churchill has recently been (
dividing his time between speechmak- i
ing (naturally), painting (at which he 1
is an accomplished amateur), laying 1
bricks for a wall around his estate, and
writing his memoirs, which as yet have 1
no title, but will be published in the \
Fall. 1
Pan-American Idea. \
Prom the Oakland Tribune.
There are still solne who think that <
the Pan-American idea is to pan a
America. t
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIIS.
What do you need to know? Is there
some point about your business or per
sonal life that puzzles you? Is there
something you want to know without
delay? Submit your question to Frederic
J. Haskin, director of our Washington
Information Bureau. He is employed
to help you. Address your inquiry to
The Evening Star Information Bureau,
Frederic J. Haskin. director, Washing
ton; D. C., and inclose 2 cents in coin
or stamps for return postage.
Q. Please tell something of the career
of Gene Arnold.—S. E. H.
A. He was born at Newton, Jasper j
County, 111. He studied music at the |
Chicago Musical College and went I
into musical comedy, being for four j
years a stage director for Montgomery |
and Stone: four years with Henry W.
Savage's “Merry Widow" and “Girl of ]
the Golden West" companies: two years i
with the New Era Producing Co., with
the show “Adele." He is married and
has been in radio since February, 1928.
He is 8 feet 11 Inches tall, has dark
hair and weighs 175 pounds.
Q. What is the time limit for soldiers
applying for adjusted compensation?—
T. P H.
A. Congress has extended the time
for making application for the adjusted
compensation up until January 1, 1935.
Q. How much does it cost to bring
up a child? —B. A.
A. Dublin and Lotka's “Money Value
of a Man” calculates that the aver
age cost of a child up to the age of
18 is $7,400. This includes cost of
being born, food, clothing and shelter,
education, care of health, Tecreatlon
and insurance, leaving about SSOO for
other and sundry expenditures.
Q. Who opens the President's mail,
especially registered letters? —M. M. i
A. Certain employes in the Presi
dent’s office are designated to open
certain classes of mail matter. A spe
cific secretary can sign for and open
mail addressed to the President of the
United States.
Q. How much damage is done by
hailstorms annually? How big do hail
stones come and with what force do
they strike the ground?—L. A. L.
A. It is estimated that throughout
the world hail extracts from the human
race a toll of something like $200,000,-
000. Hailstones are sometimes bigger
than oranges. A case has been de
scribed in which hailstones buried
themselves to a depth of more than
half a yard in the soil of a meadow.
Q. How long has Amelia Earhart
been flying?—S. C.
A. She has been flying since 1918. In
1920 she established the woman's alti
tude record. She holds the first inter
national pilot's license Issued to a
woman.
Q. Why don't architects include
the pantry in the building of new
homes? —H. T.
A. It usually requires too many
steps, as the homemaker pas to pass
to and from the sink or worktable to
get utensils and supplies. It also was
generally a catch-all for dust and for
many things which did not belong in
the pantry Generally it is a poor in
vestment since the cost of the aver
age pantry would pay for all the
needed built-in equipment of the aver
age kitchen.
Q. What is the name of the book
dealing with evolution that entered
into the Scopes trial in Tennessee?—
H S
A. It was Hunter's ‘‘New Essentials
of Biology.’’ I
Highlights on the Wide World
Excerpts From Newspapers of Other Lands
THE Transpacific, Tokio. —At pres
ent there are about 3,000,000
business women in Japan—that
is, women who have acquired
skill in various occupations
above the grade of domestic service or
common labor. One million are factory
machine operatives, 90,591 are clerks, j
78,006 are teachers, 200 are evangelists,
41,017 are shop girls. 39,515 are mid
wives, 38,136 are nurses, 1,210 are doc
tors, 1,011 are journalists, 5,017 are tele
graph operators, 3,708 are housekeepers,
1,028 are actresses, about 20,000 are typ
ists, and 70 are stenographers.
However, the average woman’s salary,
compared with that of a man, is very
low, and it is difficult for Japanese bus
iness women to support themselves.
Therefore most of them stop working
when they get married. The stores and
offices, on the other hand, prefer mar
ried women, as they think they are not
as likely to be dishonest as single girls,
the former not being entirely dependent
on their wages for their existence. Large
department stores, for instance, an
nounce that they will not employ women
who need to support themselves, or
their dependents. They are afraid they
might do some unjust thing on account
of their want of money.
For the different reasons cited, low
wages, need to work, and the like, most
Japanese girls stop working as soon as
they can—that is, as soon as they
marry. Statistics show that 63 per cent
of those employed are from 16 to 20
years of age, 25 per cent from 21 to 25,
and only 7 per cent of women who are
employed in commercial, industrial or
professional pursuits are 26 years of
age or over.
Woman’s independence is still de
spised in Japanese society. It was in
1900 that women were employed in bus
iness pursuits for the first time in Ja
pan, and the public has not got entirely
reconciled to the idea even yet.
** * *
Cold Asphalt
Adds to Plata Dignity.
El Nuevo Diario. Caracas.—With their
new pavements of cold asphalt, the
streets radiating from the Plaza Boli
var present, at first glance, the aspects
of modernity and neatness. Likewise,
the Plaza itself, in the center of which
towers the great statue of the Liberator,
has acquired a new dignity and comeli
ness through its new pavement of the
same description, if only these streets
and pavements could be kept as fresh
and clean as they appear today, adding
to the brilliant beauty of our city. The
smooth, white expanses form a most
harmonious setting for the lawns, and
for the gardens, filled with plants and
shrubbery. More than ever, since their
rehabilitation, have these precincts be
come a mecca both for young and old,
who have unlimited leisure at their dis
posal. Some of those more juvenile,
while the pavements were in their fresh
est newness, used the even surface for
a dancing floor, especially during the
evening, and in the cooling nocturnal
breezes. The bars and the terpsicho
rean palaces surrounding the Plaza have
been, for a period at least, deprived of
much of their patronage.
** * *
South American 1
Fruit Shipments Menaced. i
El Telegrafo, Guayaquil—The min- 1
ister of agriculture has sent to the edl- I
tor of this paper a letter he recently re- ,
ceived from the consul of Ecuador In
New Orleans, D. Banda. We are prone
to publish the contents of this commu- i
nication. which is to the effect that the j
fruit business between Porto Rico and ,
the United States is increasing to an '
extent which will make serious reduc- 1
tions in the shipments of similar fruits 1
from South American countries, includ- 1
ing the littoral regions of Ecuador. s
In the years of 1926, 1927 and 1928, i
Porto Rico shipped fresh fruits to the \
value of 26,000.000 sucres ($13,000,000) i
to the United States, and, In addition to (
this, shipped many boatloads of fruit r
»o Canada and Europe, the value of t
which has not been officially given out. f
Exports ref bananas, pineapples. 1
oranges andUUie like, for 1929 and 1930, p
are expected to exceed these figures, as c
the United States rtia«—ignt is as- i
Q. Why is the twilight longer the
farther from the Equator an observer
is?—S. N. C.
A. Twilight ends when the sun is 1$
degrees below the horizon. In low lati
tudes, because of the quickness with
which the sun traverses the 18 degrees
below the horizon and because of the
transparency of the atmosphere, there
is little twilight. However, the higher
the latitude the smaller the angle at
which the sun's path meets the horizon,
and hence the longer it takes the sun
| to sink to the required distance.
Q. What is the meaning of the ‘motto
I “Saie et doe”? —C. O. R.
A. It is from the Fairfax crest. It Is
; old English, and means "Say and Do."
Q. What Negro colleges in New Or
j leans are being combined? —W. A. B.
| A. It has been announced that
Straight University and New Orleans
University, both Negro colleges in New
Orleans, will merge and be known as
Dellard University.
Q. Who commanded the Penobscot
expedition?—B. G.
A. It was commanded by Col. West
brock. Its purpose was the capture of
Father Rasle. Ridpath says: “In order
to prevent Father Rasle’s flight to
French territory, Westbrook in March,
1723, led his party up the Penobscot.”
On March 9 they arrived at Old Town,
above the present site of Bangor.
Westbrook s party attacked the Indian
fort. “When morning came nothing
remained of the settlement except ashes
and embers of the ruined building.”
Q. Is the orchestra now playing with
Rudy Vallee the same that he had all
Winter?—L. E. P.
A. With the exception of two boys,
they are the original Connecticut Yan
kees. Cliff Burwell <pianist) and Man
! nie Lowry (first violin) expect to return
in the Fall, fully recovered from illness.
In the meantime their places have been
taken by Walter Gross and Phil
Boudoin.
Q. Can you give me a suggestion for
something different in the way of a pear
salad?—R. G.
A. To two cupfuls of sliced ripe pears
take one cupful sliced red plums. Mix
lightly together and serve with a sweet
boiled dressing lightened with a little
whipped cream.
Q. How is the sturgeon caught?—
B R
A. The Bureau of Fisheries says that
the sturgeon is caught by snagging. It
will not take any bait. Snagging is
done with a hook and line. A very
heavy linen thread is used for the line
about one-eighth inch in diameter.
The hook should be very stout and
from 3 to 4 inches in length.
Q. Is the statue on top of the dome,
of the Rhode Island State House sym
bolic? —H. C.
A. It has no particular significance.
It has been called the “Independence,
Man,” and was placed at that location
by the architect as a flnial point.
Q. On what date did Queen Victoria
first sign herself V. R. and I.?—D. P. A.
A. The diary kept by the Queen
records that this first occurred on Jan
uary 1, 1877.
Q. When is it correct to use the
word “farther,” and when should it be
“further”?—E. P.
A. The word “farther” is used to ex
press physical distance. The word "fur
ther” is employed when mental pro
gression is indicated. It is therefore
correct to say, “I will walk farther
along the road than you will,” and “Let
1 us discuss this no further.”
sisting agriculture and fruit-growing In
the island, in every way possible.
The proximity of the island to the
United States, and the fact that ship
ments require so little time in transit,
thus dispensing with refrigerated ves
sels. gives Porto Rican cultivators a
distinct advantage. It is likely that in
a few’ years, exports of fresh and con
served fruits will exceed the exports of
sugar, coffee and tobacco. Vegetables,
also, are being produced and shipped in
aiuch larger quantities.
** * *
Silk Gowns
Smuggled in Lifeboats.
La Nacion. Buenos Aires. —Due to
| the frequent attempts made to intro
duce dutiable merchandise Into the
country, that have been discovered
lately hy the customs officers, it is ap
parent that this modus vivendi (man
ner of living) has a large appeal to
members of the crews of the various
boats calling at this port, and that port
officials must exercise continually the
utmost vigilance and rigor to obviate
the defrauding of the Government.
Following this rule of action, customs
officials located a valuable assortment
of silks recently on the Italian steamer
Belvedere, which had just arrived in
port. As the agents are getting better
acquainted with the methods of the
smugglers all the time, they were not
discouraged when a careful search of
all the state rooms failed to reveal any
hidden merchandise. The officers then
proceeded to examine the lifeboats,
and in the sixth air chamber of one of
them was discovered a large canvas
bag similar to those used for the trans
portation of mall. In this bag were
carefully packed no fewer than 120
beautiful silk gowns, all different and
of the latest Parisian styles. The cus
toms employes were unable to find out
to whom the surreptitious consignment
belonged.
** * *
French Floods
Destroy Life and Property.
Le Matin, France. —The official report
of the governments Investigation Into
the losses caused by the recent floods
in the southwest of France show that
more than 200 persons were drowned
and 2,689 dwelling houses, farm build
ings and shops destroyed. Total prop
erty loss is estimated at 125,000,000
francs. Relief funds to date total 25,-
000,000 francs.
Mexico Threatens
Fruit Fly Epidemic
From the Houston Post-Dispatch.
Now the threat of an invasion of
the fruit fly from another direction
arises. Last year, It was Florida that
was the center of Infestation. This
year. Mexico appears to have an infes
tation. Rigid quarantine against Flor
ida fruits was instituted to prevent the
pest coming from that quarter Into
this State. It is to be presumed that
extraordinary precautions will be taken
at border points now by Federal offi
cials to enforce regulations against
bringing in of fruit from Mexico that
does not have a clean bill of health.
These quarantine measures to some
may seem extreme, but they have been
found most effective in checking the
spread of crop pests. The end justi
fies the means. In the case of the
fruit fly, the ban cannot be too rigid,'
for this insect is perhaps the most de
structive enemy that attacks fruit. It
is an old scourge. It has appeared in
various parts of the world in the past,
and wherever it has struck, it has
devastated the fruit industry. In
modern times, scientific methods have
been discovered to prevent its spread, a
and its toll is not nearly so great
formerly. But co-operatlau on the*
part of the public with Government
officials Is essential to repelling a fly
invasion.