Evening star. [volume], September 17, 1932, Page A-6, Image 6

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

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
THE EVENING STAR
With Sunday Morning Edition.
WASHINGTON, D. C.
SATURDAY..September 17, 1932
THEODORE W. NOYES Editor
The Evening Star Newspaper Company
Business Office:
11th St and Pennsylvania Ave.
New York Office: 110 East 42nd 8t
Chicago Office: Lake Michigan Bulldlnt.
f Suriptfei Office 14 Regent St . London.
England.
Rate by Carrier Within the City.
The Evening Star 4Sc per month
The Evening and Sunday Star
ι when 4 Sundays) 60c per month
The Evening and Sunday Star
(when 5 Sundays) 65c Der taonth
The Sunday Star 5c per copy
Collection made it the end of each month
Orders may be sent In by mall or telephone
NAtional 5000.
Rate by Mall—Payable In Advance.
Maryland and Virginia.
Dally and Sunday .. .1 yr . 110.00: 1 mo . 85c
Dally only 1 yr.· ίβ.ΟΟ: 1 mo . 50c
Sunday only 1 yr . 14 00: 1 mo.. 40c
All Other States and Canada.
Dally and Sunday. 1 yr„ 112.00: 1 mo.. SI 00
Dally only 1 yr.. S8.00: 1 mo.. 75c
Sunday only 1 yr.. S5.00: 1 mo.. 60c
Men her of the Associated Près·.
The Associated Press Is exclusively entitled
to the use for republication of all news dis
patches credited to it or not otherwise cred
ited in this paper and also the local news
published herein All rights of publication of
special dispatches herein are also reserved
I Public Opinion and Bonus.
President Hoover performed a real
public service when he described in
straightforward, simple terms the real
nature of the obligation that the Amer
ican Legion and other organized veter
ans are demanding that the Federal
Treasury assume in immediate payment
of the bonus. Some of his statements, of
course, may be debated. But those who
take the other side must at the outset
champion inflation of the currency
through the printing press. The weight
of the evidence, as shown by tragic con
sequences wherever It has been tried,
Is against them.
But it is not believed that what the
Legion spokesmen describe as this
"peace-time fight for immediate casn
payment of the bonus" will be decided,
eventually, on purely economic grounds.
The question now is whether the Legion,
in asking for the bonus at this time,
has not placed itself in the position of
Aesop's dog, which, beguiled by its
image, dropped the m?at from its jaws
in order to get that which was so en
ticingly reflected from the water. This
was the line of attack chosen by those
lew courageous souls who braved the
hisses and the taunts of the Portland
convention to speak against the bonus
resolution. Samuel W. Reynolds of
Nebraska, who led the fight against the
bonus, said that the critical danger was
that the Legion's demand would pro
voke what he called an "anti-veteran
campaign" and cause the breakdown of
the legislation thus far built up to pro
tect the veterans, adding:
We have got to be able to say to the
people of America, "We, the able
bodied, ask nothing for ourselves, but
these, our disabled comrades, must and
should be cared for." How can we raise
our right hand in defense of the dis
abled man, while at the same time
sticking out our left, palm up, begging
for gratuities for ourselves?
And Col. Henry D. Lindsley of Wyo
ming, a paît national commander, as
serted that:
The real strength of the Legion lies
not in its million members, but in the
support of public opinion. Without that
support not a single piece of veteran
legislation would h' ve been enacted.
The coming year will see no important
veterans' legislation. Every unselfish
purpose of the Legion will be measured
by the self-centered selfishness of the
bonus resolution this convention will
pass.
Willie some men may ue cuu^cu uj
the golden dreams of inflation and the
erroneous beiief that the country is
suffering from an actual shortage of
cash, easily remedied by pressing the
button ar.d starting the printing presses,
the same men will also see the strength
of Senator Borah's argument:
When ten million men and women
face the Winter without work, when
homes are being lost and farms are
being abandoned because of taxes and
debts, when it is a very serious ques
tion of how the Government is going
to get through the Winter with its ter
rific load to carry, it would have been
far better for the standing and repu
tation of the Legion if it had post
poned action.
There Is no getting away from the
fact that hard times have turned Na
tional thought toward the heavy cost
of Government as never before, and
that this heavy cost of Government, re
flected in increasing tax burdens that
make it a personal matter with a large
section of the population, is throwing
new light on that part of the cost rep
resented by veterans' benefits.
The veterans may boo and hiss the
mention of the National Economy
League. But the league is representa
tive of a public opinion that is being
molded by the strongest of senti
ments—sad reflection over the depleted
condition of pocketbooks. The league
is quick to point out that the bonus
requiring immediate payment of about
$1,600,000,000 over the amount orig
inally voted by Congress—is only a
part of the "vast and increasing ex
pense of veterans' benefits," with more
than live billion already having been
paid to World War soldiers, and with
annual charges in their behalf now
reaching about $700,000,000, practically
a fourth of the yearly budget. About
half the amount now being appropri
ated for veterans can be cut, the league
points out, "if benefits are restricted
as they should be, to the 'dependent.·
of men who lost their lives in service
and to veterans who actually suffered
disability through the war.' "
It should be a matter of grave con
cern to the organized veterans whethei
their bonus challenge will assume the
hurtful aspects of a boomerang.
The veterans learned service disciplini
admirably, teaching them politica
economy is a different matter.
The Spiders and the Snake.
For a good many years the questior
whether a snake could be caught anc
held In a web had divided the spideri
Into two schools of thought. Those wh(
believed that it could be done wer<
more or less regarded as representini
the radical left wing of splderdom
holding, as they did, that it was noth
ing more nor less than silly traditloi
that kept snakes from being caught li
spiders' webs. Gradually, however
these attained a majority, due chief!;
to their demand that the business ο
snake catching should undergo a thor
ο ugh debunking. Those who still op
posed them were decrepit, old staedpat
ten And reactionaries, who, the y|mnge
generation said, were physically in
capable or spinning a snake-catching
web anyhow, and hid their impotence
behind antl-snake-catchlng "policies."
One old spider, however, much ad
| mired by the younger generation for his
j intellect, as well as for the fact that he
: never seemed to forget that he, too, was
I once a youngster, proposed that the best
! way to end the controversy was to make
J an experiment. "Of course you can
catch a snake," he said. "Oo ahead
and do It. But you will find," he cau
tioned, "that there is something, after
ail, in tradition."
So the experiment was made. A snake
was caught, and, moreover, held. The
younger spiders were delighted. The
old fogeys retired and consumed their
fleas And flies In shamed silence. A
celebration was proposed, "the biggest
thing ever," wltn rree snake for all.
But the elder spider asked for delay.
"This thing is not ended yet," he
said, "and you must not taste your
snakes before they are eaten."
And sure enough, something snipped
into the web one day with a noise like
a pair of scissors, and the snake fell
free.
"What was that?" asked the young
spiders, in alarm. "Was our web, after
all, not strong enough?"
"That noise," said the old spider,
"was Public Opinion. It is about the
only thing that keeps us from doing
exactly what we want to do. But no
web was ever spun that could resist it.
You youngsters had to find it out for
yourselves. But never try to smash a
tradition until you have snared Pub
lic Opinion. It is stronger than any
' snake.'·
Germany Means Business.
Something bearing a close resem
blance to a blow in the solar plexus is
delivered to the cause of disarmament
in general, and to the Geneva Confer
ence in particular, by Germany's action
in declaring that she will have no further
part in that glittering futility's further
deliberations. Formal notice to that
effect was yesterday addressed to Mr.
Arthur Henderson, chairman of the
conference, by Baron Konstantin von
Neurath, German foreign secretary.
"Only one solution of the disarmament
problem can be considered," Baron von
Neurath says, "and that is that all
states must be subject to the same rules
and principles, and that for no state
shall a discriminating exceptional re
gime be provided."
The specific cause of Germany's de
cision Is the French government's reply
to her recent "aide mémoire," in which
Berlin sought to take up with Paris, in
the first instance, negotiations which
would eventually and with French
acquiescence lead to the concession of
the armament rights now denied the
Reich under the Versailles treaty.
France did not unequivocally reject
Germany's proposals. It was merely
pointed out that "unilateral" efforts to
abrogate the Versailles military clauses
could not be undertaken—that if Ger
many sought relief from them she must
deal with all the signatories of the peace
treaty. Berlin was told to take her
troubles to the League of Nations at
Geneva.
The Reich's action in reading herseli
out of the Disarmament Conference
brings before all the great powers the
controversy hitherto confined to Ger
many and France. They will have dif
ficulty in dodging it. The Steering
Committee of the Geneva Conference
is to meet next week. It will have to
devise some means of satisfying Ber
lin's equality demands or weigh the
wisdom of proceeding with the disarm
ament talkfest without German par
ticipation. The Reich will not be rep
resented in the committee session at
which this fateful proposition must be
confronted.
*— λ clrmoie Îη fanaihlp
fashion that she means business and
is disposed to carry out the recent
threat of War Minister General von
Schleicher. That strong man of the
Von Pa pen cabinet declared that, come
what may, the military restrictions im
posed by the Versailles treaty are
things of the dead past for the Reich,
and that she will henceforward mold
her own "defensive" and "security"
destinies. As a visible token of that
determination, Germany announces the
keel-laying of another 10,000-ton
! "pocket battleship." While the con
i struction of six such vessels is per
I mitted to Oermany, she has actually
ι gone ahead with only two of them.
! They coet her roundly $18,000,000
! apiece, and Germany can ill aSord
- such luxuries.
The Reich's determination to expand
it* sea power Is an ill omen for world
ί disarmament. It carries within It the
definite menace of a reopening of that
ruinous naval competition which the
nations for ten years have been bending
their every energy to abolish.
,,, !
Airplane journeys in all distances anc
directions are accomplished so securelj
as a rule that in a short time it will
soon be only the extraordinary crack
up that will be regarded as news.
Congédiés are said to be difficult tc
secure for film purposes. Considering
the tragic atmosphere of the Hollywooc
studios, this is not surprising.
Picture Postcards.
The word "postcard" signifies a mul
titude of artistic sins, but there is nc
particular reason why it should be so
Americans traveling in Europe invari
ably are Impressed by the superiority ol
the cards offered at public galleries, na
tional monuments, historic landmarks
and other focal centers of tourist In
terest. Returning home, they find th(
cards produced by domestic manufac
turers crude and commonplace. Tht
; difference is so striking as to be the
, cause of much comment.
In the Nation's Capital two kinds ol
i cards are to be had. The better typ<
are photographs. The others are wicked
chromos, vulgar In design and color
abominably printed. Visitors to Wash
ington must choose between the two
In Paris or London, Rome or Berllr
they could buy far more attractlvf
cards at half the price.
Possibly the basic difficulty Is tha
of the absence of sufficient lnstltu
tional competition. In England th
government takes a hand in the bust
1 ί ness. At the British Museum, the Na
1 ι tional GaUery, the Wallace Collection
■ ! the Victoria and Albert Museum ant
' ι elsewhere cards Issued under the su
■ ! pervlslon of the crown are for sale
! They are priced at cost and hundred
I of thousand's arc disposed of in a yeai
■ They constitute an educational enter
' prise on the part of theatate. Becau·
' of their dignity and beauty, they in
nuence the quality or tne caraa pri
vately printed. Even in the British
"three-and-slx" stores good cards are
to be had. Americans buy them In
quantities to send to their friends and
to serve as souvenirs of the sights and
scenes they have experienced on their
travels.
What can be done Is demonstrated by
three Washington Institutions. The
dean and chapter of Washington
Cathedral seven 1 years ago authorized
the printing of postcard views of the 1
church fabric and grounds, and a
varied assortment Is now available In
the curator's office. The trustees of the
Corcoran Gallery permit the sale of
i postcard reproductions of some of the
paintings in their care. And recently
the regents of the Smithsonian have
made the experiment of allowing the
sale of postcards representing a few
of the principal exhibits of the Insti
tution's several departments. A little
guidebook, also Issued under the
îegents' patent. Is reported to have had
a circulation of 90,000 copies to date.
The postcard Is an humble Instru
ment of education, but it has Its func
tion nevertheless. It Is a means of
democratizing cultural values. Walt
Whitman had the postcard habit.
Gladstone and Roosevelt felt Its at
traction. Frederic Harrison, the prag
matist; James Gibbons Huneker, Sir
Gilbert Parker and many another busy
writing man found It convenient. Even
Mahatma Gandhi, rejecting modernism
in all its other forms, sends postcards
to his friends.
By becoming an editor Instead of an j
orator, Ex-Gov. Al. Smith will have the
privilege of blaming the patient com
positor for slight deviations from usage
in matters of language, should there be
any inadvertance on that score. If
nowever he spells "radio" with two d'»
he will doubtless be unhesitating in de
claring that he thought that one up
for himself. The obliging dictionary
makers, always alert in listing variants
in spelling or pronunciation, will doubt
less afford him the orthographic au
thority which his achievements in pub
lic life and his position In popular es
teem so abundantly warrant.
Vice President Curtis is mentioned as
being disappointed with the result in
Maine. This is naturally the case. The
outcome might have been different If
he had taken as strong a part in the
procedlngs as he did In Kansas.
Oratorical occasions are, aj a rule, un
accompanied by violent demonstrations.
It has become a general custom oi
American audiences to listen to a
speech, read it over in the newspapers
and then form their own-conclusions.
One of the remarkable features of the
current campaign is the fact that it
should have proceeded so far without
. causing anybody In particular to change
I his mind.
Statesmen are coming to the rescue
of the magazines by demonstrating that
in order to be Interesting it is not neces
sary to limit the table of contents to
mystery stories.
In considering the superabundance oi
production and scarcity of supply to the
consumer some Interesting data might
be furnished by so-called middle men.
Any speaker who does not get through
without a few "booe" at present must
be recognized as a spellbinder superior
to Marc Antony himself.
SHOOTING STARS.
BY PHILANDER JOHNSON,
The Detractor.
I envied him the interest
Which life held for his kind
When he set out with youthful zest
Some great success to find.
I envied him the passing word
Of praise and e'en of blame
When first the public voice was stirred
At mention of his name.
I recked not of the loneliness
And smart of wounded pride,
But joined the cynic cTowda that press
To hinder and deride.
And when his little day was past
I still made bold to laugh.
For I was envious to the last,
E'en of his epitaph.
Enmity Utilized.
"You have made many enemies," said
the friend.
"Of course," replied Senator Sorghum.
"But if I can convince the public that
my enemies are In the wrong they're
all good press agents for me."
The Preface to Trade.
"I had a curious experience yester
day," said Parmer Corntossel.
"What was It?"
"A stranger came along and told me
^ funny story and didn't try to sell me
anything "
No Telling.
Oh, ye who seek to change the drift
Of things, this warning hear:
A landslide travels mighty swift—
But it is hard to steer.
Seeking Variety.
"I think," said the mild-mannered
man, "that I will go into politics."
"Ambitious?"
"No. I'm tired of being told my
faults by cant'id friends whom I really
esteem. I'd lite to read about them In
the newspaper for a change."
The Oracle.
! When Willie gets into a fight,
Or Jimmy stubs his toe,
Or father stays out late at night,
Or sister has a beau,
Ma looks as worried as can be,
And when the day U through
She reads a magazine to see
Just what she ought to do.
If there is naught to ease her mind
In picture or In text,
She knows full well that she will find
An answer in the next.
So when the postman, grave and stern,
Comes 'round, we block his way
To get the magasine and learn
What ma is going to say.
"De quarrelsome man," said Uncle
Eben, "is likely to make slow progress.
You doesn' git forward by deaUn' In
' back talk."
Gas and Gin.
From the New York Sun.
Quebec reports that in its last fiscal
■ year the liquor commission's receipts
I were $7,500,000, while the revenue from
the gasoline tax amounted to $5,390,
000. However, it may be assumed that
! some motorists bought mdrt gas than
■ they did liquor.
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.
Just u there are no more ugly
women, go there are few beiutlee, in
the old sense.
Is this BO because there really aren't
any, or simply because In the old days
the level of homelinese was higher?
A woman had to be loveliness Itself
to shine under a pompadour.
She had to posses the features of an
angel, In order to strike the beholder
ω beautiful, in the days of the silly
unnatural waist*. *
Today all the girls look so much alike
that few of them have any chance of
standing out from the crowd.
Even In the musical comedies the
only way the audience can tell the
principals from the chorus Is by the
Physical fact that they step forward
out of the group.
,.1' „the leading lady stayed back In
the line, most of the gawlcers would
select, Instead, the fourth from the
right in the front row.
* * * *
If any one doubts the terrible unl
rormity of the modern female face, let
mm look at a row of magazines hang
ing on the newsstand line
There was a time when the proprietor
had much the best of it.
He had the backs of all the maga
zines to him, while the customers faced
the gleaming array of Hollywood teeth.
Now all that is changed.
raJ.he cigarette ads have substituted
real colored photographs of the very
fame girls, so that whether one looks
at a<modern magazine from the front
or_!?a he sees the same old charmer.
.λ tLmî?i! queen vogue has grown
lovely lady actually is
'ne ideal of America as to "looks."
From 8. distance of 10 feet, however
one may successfully defy the sharpest
eye to tell one from t'other.
* * * »
And these women. It must be held in
mind, represent a careful search made
for appearance's sake.
They no doubt come to their star
dom, at least nartlv. because they pos
sess the certain sleek "looks" which
modern America prefers.
»v,?.Ut.iihlnBS,have come to such a pass
1ni, ί distinction among them
is based almost solely upon what used
glory" "® woman's crowning
A » blond. Miss Β is a "red
raven locks. ° * thC possessor oi
When the screen appeal of Miss A
begins to wane, the directorate sends
« :«J s u ?ir dyer· and she becomes
., .ad· whatever that means.
Mostly it s nothing but henna, anyway.
* * * *
If it wasn't for these periodic heady
overthrows, not even the most devoted
J1 Lcould tel1 'em apart.
And what applies to the motion pic
ture 'stars," of course, applies with
mo" force to the millions of
women who ape them.
The crowds along Ρ street any after
9525 Ji'' lo°k Mke one girl, mysteriously
abided and subdivided.
* St a green dress· and another
Λη dress and «ill another a white
outfit, but exactly the same sort of
iace appears under every hat.
The tilt of the brim over one eye
1ntn Γ*7 ioo] one· at fi"*·
t."8 seeing a different
girl each time.
wJiî.JkP1 1(î?^ c,0SeIy· however, he
ρη^?ιϋ«ι ï sort· but one woman
endlessly repeated, block after block.
* * * *
■Πιβ theory end practice of being
aune is a gigantic program undertaken
-rîÎîf Z?iT.e woum,nh'»d oi America.
DhTTlcni * four ,acet£· three
pnjsical and one mental
The four factors in this startling
merging of types, so that most women
are «"ÎouS'w,:10 l0°k amaZlngly aIlke·
1. Bobbed hair.
2. The exact uniformity of dress
j ~ oi individuality in teeth.
4. The mental desire to look alike.
This quartet demands a few words of
explanation, and the honest reader ihall
nave them.
, J? °bv'°u« to κ tyro In such mat
îïï?_ that bobbed hair has done more
than any other one lactor, perhape, to
J"®** homely women passable. In the
beauty sense, and, on the other hand,
to dwindle really beautiful women to
the same pawing grade.
The net result Is that whether a girl
ie rising from ugliness to a passing
markby the bobbed hair route, or fall
ing slightly from a sheer beauty emi
nence through the same device, at the
exact point of passage no one but a
?ρΐηΓ θί ceremonles can tell them
The gain from cropped hair has been
much larger than the loss. There tre
m°re homely girls, anyway, and few
will gainsay that the average woman
becomes better looking when she bobs
her hair.
, ™L Î8 -made 8Urer by the certain
fact that few women, in the old days
ev*r went to the trouble to find out
which was the best sort of "halrdresi"
for them.
They Just "wadded" it on the top of
their heads, and let It go at that. And,
unfortunately, as many women would
admit in private, their long hair never
ov Tuc,h washing as It needed.
Short hair Is easier to shampoo, and
so it gets It oftener. "Interesting, if
true, as the Republicans said about
the reports of the Maine elections
* * * *
second big factor In the passing
of the exceptional beauty from the stage
, AmeriCan ]|fe js the crass uniformity
of clothing adopted by the ladies.
For decades men wore what might
be described as uniforms of a sort.
I Their bus ness suits, their so-called sack
I suits their dress suits, put them into
; standardized clothing, so that all easily
ι attained the universal desire to look
! as alike as possible.
! AH during the years the womenfolk
secretly wanted to dress like men. at
least to enjoy an approach to the uni
formity of costume which the men
clung to so fervivdly year after year.
The growth of "spectator sports," as
bleacher and grandstand sitting has
caU££· 8®νβ the women their
! "sports costume" came
l^»°i ow2· wlth the result that soon
afternoon dresses and evening gowns
fell into line.
the «Ingle exception of dress
ί ^ ' JÎOTnen now wear similar
I uniforms. This similarity is attained
! by the silhouette," dear to every wom
fv?.S riïf4- °ηβ silhouette may be a
thin silhouette, and the next one a
(rather plump silhouette, but they are
explâSÎÎ nt0 ** "sllhouéUei·" and that
* * ♦ *
! What may be good for the health,
I and good for the dentist, is not neees
i ^on»neXC>riient ',rom 1116 standpoint of
beauty. The uniformly wide smiles of
I our motion picture actresses, while thev
j reveal excellent sets of teeth, give their
ι possessors a vapid look which spoils the
j individuality of mouths.
', ®.roa,d: for!£? grlns make a11 mouths
I look alike. The truth is that there is
j ik> individuality, as such, in teeth. The
m H\ey are' *= teeth, the less
I individuality they possess. Any flrst
class dental surgeon can duplicate them
; *ith absolute fidelity.
The fourth and last factor Is the
idesire of women to be alike. Fashion
has Its best hold on them here. To be
JSuSll , 13 've7thlng to them, even
with the least stylish. The mind holds
"P.a mirage forever and a dav, and
I just as most men never give up dream
j mg that they will some day attain the
> success they crave m business so
women always picture themselves. In
some dress and hat of the future, as
Sflîîfi -i111*?' ,But their °wn habits,
mental and physical, are against them.
As long as they insist on bobbing their
hair, dressing uniformly, smiling per
petually, and actually wanting to look
alike, they will achieve these desires
and reduce themselves to a level uni
formity. in which no man can find
either a really homely woman or a
really pretty one.
Highlights on the Wide World
Excerpts From Newspapers of Other Lands
Ν EUES WIENER TAGBLATT. Vi
enna.—A new national traffic
ordinance has just been pro- I
mulgated in Czechoslovakia
whereby, among other provi- 1
sions, all motor cycle riders will be re- !
quired to carry with them their own (
first-aid kits. This is the tardy result j
of recommendations made at the Inter
national Highway Conference in 1926.
which have already been followed in
some respects by other countries. Offi
cials at Prague have decided that this
protection to motor cyclists Is no longer
to be a matter of personal option, but
that each one must carry a portable
medicine chest with standard supplies 1
of drugs, splints and Instruments, ready
to be used in case of any accident or
emergency.
* « * *
Composer Continues
Study of Folk Song*.
Moscow Dally News.—Alexander Za
taievick, an authority on Kazak folk I
music and a composer. Is about to start 1
for a prolonged stay in Kazakstan for
the purpose of new researches in the
music, of this Soviet republic. Za
taievich has published already two vol
umes containing a collection of Kazak
folk tunes, amounting to 1,500 songs and
Instrumental pieces. Some of these1
have already been separately arranged
for pianoforte.
* * * *
Water Famine
Scored In Jerusalem.
Palestine Bulletin. Jerusalem.—An1
open letter to the high comissioner of
water supplies:
Your excellency: On behalf of a num
ber of my rMghbors I beg to address
the following observations to you on
the water problem.
The tenants of the houses In my
neighborhood pay an average of 750
mils per month In water rates. Yet
they receive water only once in every
five or six days, and the amount of
water then received Is a trickle, little
more than sufficient to clean out the
dirt which has settled In the tanks
during the interim since the last sup
ply. None of the houses in our vicinity
has a well upon which It Is possible to
draw for additional supply.
We are, therefore, not so happily
situated as the various members of the
water board, who either reside In quar
ters where there is a more generous
supply of water or are able to draw
water from private wells. And we are
much better off than hundreds of poor
people who reside within a few hundred
yards of us and clamor at our doors
every morning for the gift of a kettle
ful of water.
The members of the water board do
not suffer as we do, and we, therefore,
find it difficult to believe that your ex
cellency can be fully acquainted with
the true facts of the situation. The
menace to the health of the city and the
risk of a terrible epidemic is a real and
most serious one. As I have said, we
are better off than some of our neigh
bors, yet our plight is a miserable one.
At a time when it is difficult to squeeze
sufficient water out of the tap to pro
vide a man with his dally shave, we
have In one house a woman daily ex
pecting to be confined for childbirth. In
another house a baby down vith dys
entery, and in another an old man lying
at death's door. In our misery, neither
the water supply department nor the
public health department appears to be
able to give us relief.
A^d we are now told that the various
springs are running dry, and that we
shall shortly be supplied only once a
week and perhaps even leas frequently!
Surely, the time has arrived when
your excellency and the directors of
health should cry "stop," and we feel
sure that it la not necessary for us to
Indicate what steps ought to be taken
in order to provide sufficient water and
safeguard the health of the community.
MAX SELIGMAN.
* * * *
Natives Quit Farms
In South Africa.
Cape Argus, Cape Town —The drift
of natives to towns was one of the Im
portant problems investigated by the
Native Economic Commission, whose re
port was presented to Parliament re
cently.
A comprehensive section of the report
deals with the growing urbanization of
the native population. The drift of
young natives to towns, particularly, is
described as one of the outstanding ml*
grational movements in the union.
The general view Is that the prob
lem must be tackled in the reserves.
Mr. Lucas holds that the remedy lies
in recasting the whole system of na
tive taxation.
"On the European-owned farms," he
states in a special addendum to the
report, "the effect of the general tax
is definitely to drive the natives to the
towns. Their cash wages being cften
either nothing .or so small as to be
insufficient to meet their simple needs,
they must, to obtain tne money to pay
their tax, go to the towns to earn it."
The general report remarks that
young natives frequently abscond from
their homes, leaving their work un
finished. leaving the cattle untcnded
and giving no notice to their parents
of their intention.
"As against the monotony of the
farm they have heard from their com
rades of the glitter, the movement, the
excitement of town life. In the eyes
of a young native, a visit to Johannes
burg frequently ranks as a necessarv
preliminary toward the attainment of
manhood. A large number of incen
tives, from the lowest to the highest,
draws the young native to town—
potent drink, amours, fine clothes, bet
ter opportunities of civilization, con
tact with civilization.*
A comment which will find favor
with the supporters of the native serv
ice contract bill emphasizes how this
lure of the towns estranges the rela
tions between farmer and labor tenant:
"The farmer takes on a labor tenant
in order to obtain the labor of his
children; the children abscond or do
not come back when it is their turn
to put in their period of labor; the
farmer, finding that he does not get
the labor which he requires, ejects
the head of the family and this causes
ill feeling."
Messages of Hope.
From the Oklahoma City Dally Oklahoman.
Fourteen cotton mille In Oeorgia and
the Carolinas have resumed full-time
operation, thus furnishing full-time em
ployment to several thousand workers.
Eight of those mills have granted vol
untarily an Increase in wages to their
employes. Chicago wholesalers report
the best business in two years through
out their extensive trade areas. The
dry goods trade, particularly In cotton
and silk, Is far more active than it was.
Thus symptoms of financial recovery
multiply and bring their messages of
hope and confidence to a long distracted
people. While the country Is still very
far from a healthy condition, no one
can deny that many signs of improve
ment are on the horizon.
A Tammany Plank.
Prom the Sprlncfleld (Mass.) Daily Re
publican.
An appropriate Tammany plank for
a Democratic State campaign would be:
"We are unalterably ttmoeed to asking
Tammany city ofBclalethe embarrassing
quecCoc 'Where did you gçi It?' "
. -
THE LIBRARY TABLE
BY SARAH G. BOW ARM AN.
The salamander, lizard fabled to live
"1 «re, waa the symbol of Francis I
of France. Carved In stone, It formed
part of the ornamental sculptures of
nls chateaux and was used In the
wnriis uP?trle». «liver and bras*
n°nwu , u °°ί., Cftrvln»». Jehanne
pIw , .uher btoP»P,iy. "Prancls I:
f™" °f the Renaissance," translated
m.,5 Abbott, sees in the sala
mander a symbol or the character of
^"rtjavagant kln* who tHrove only
idulationeryi atmosShfre of excitement,
'ove, affairs and warfare.
Certainly Francis waa not cool, calcu
lai11! ftnd Pattent Hke hla great rival,
^ ®mPer°r Charles V. He did not
eauaifm1tavdVh^'fityh .Ti,th philosophical
equanimity, but haatlly sought a way
rtmÎri»îhrowlng ^ resP°ngibUlties and
ο ^ Λ τ^ί1 other»· Taken prisoner
fn q Battle of Pa via and shut up
i" a fortress by Charles V, he chafed
and pined. "Hie exuberant vitality
collapses with all its weight upon him
HU one real enemy is tedium" Be
™e. J°nK he arranged to have his two
eons given as hostages in hla place and
P*^Cr08S^ κ boundary and reached
French soil he exclaimed, exultantly:
, m?ue La? a kln* " Considera
tion for the rights or feelings of oth
ers was not one of his weaknesses If
he wanted estates which belonged to
; . t00k them·' he grew
#a "I? he discarded her and
asked for his gifts back. Perhaps in
"E" he was n°t different from
yû' peraonages of his time, and
before and after. Absolute power is not
likely to make any one Juft. History
records him as one of the "great"
Kings of France and Jehanne D'Orliac
says of him: "His vivid life was to
leave on the face of France a line of
beauty that would never be erased:
for the impulse which he gave to arts
letters and thought had all the force
°l hl.s ο»" energy." Yet as we read
the story of hla life we feel that he was
as entirely selfish and unscrupulous as
his "great" contemporary, Henry VIII.
* * * #
With the salamander as his symbol
Francis I should have had as motto
Cherchez le Femme." From his birth
he was surrounded by women and liked
t- His mother, Louise of Savoy, was
tne unenthusiastlc young wife of the
cultured Count d'Angouleme, 17 years
her senior and before his marriage well
■satisfied with the domestic life pro
vided by his mistress. Jeanne de Polie
nac, and their daughters. Louise felt
no Jealousy and became the friend of
Jeanne, with whom she continued to
live after her husband's death. Not
long after the marriage of Louise "the
blessed Francois de Paule." at Plessts
les-Tours, prophesied that she would
have a son who would be King of
Prance. When Francis was born, his
mother waa 17. His cradle was sur
L^ group of adoring women
and little girls. He was the only male,
and to his mother at least he was the
prospective King of Fiance, though at
that time two others stood between him
and the throne, and the Queen. Anne
of Brittany, might have many sons. A
comforting fact for Louise of Angouleme
was that Anne* sons had the habit of
dying soon after birth. When the
Count d'Angouleme died, Francis was
a year old and was alreadv noticing
and appreciating the feminine admira
tion and coddling by which he was
encompassed. He was "the constant
object of devotion and caressing" not
only to his mother, but to his father's
mistress, Jeanne: to his own older sis
ter. Marguerite, and to his three bastard
sisters. Throughout the years while
Francis was waiting for the throne, he
waa leading a life of pleasure, riding,
hunting, feasting, tilting, on rainv davs
tata?^L« a^Teadlng «rnantic
Ï Année children continued to
d?e. Francis was Proclaimed Dauphin
or France and became a favorite of the
King, Louis XII. His mother grew in
importance and arrogance and wor
shiped him the more. His sister Mar
guerite. afterward Duchess d'AJencon
and later still Queen of Navarre, author
of "The Heptameron." that collection of
amorous tales supposed to be based on
the exploits of her brother, idolized him
throughout her life and put his inter
ests before all others. Court ladies flat
tered him and sought his favor. Onlv
Anne of Brittany hated him and his
scheming mother.
* * * *
The only women who did not In
terest Francis I greatly seem to have
been his two wives. Claude of France,
daughter of Anne of Brittany, and
Eleonora of Portugal, sister of Charles
V. His two, chief favorites, or "titular
mistresses," exerted much influence over
him during the période of their su
premacy, but did not interfere with
numerous minor amours. Both aroused
the Jealousy of Louise d'Angouleme,
who brought about the downfall of the
first, but died before she could wreck
the second. The Countess de Chateau
briant was the beautiful wife of a
nobleman of Brittany, who refused to
bring her to the lax court of Francis I,
but she wm lured there by a trick dur
ing her husband's absence and quickly
became the King's favorite. When she
was displaced by a newer beauty, she
went back to her husband and sought
forgiveness. He had her murdered.
Francis I expressed regret. Her place
had already been taken by Anne de
Pisseleu. whom the King made a
duchess by creating her husband Duke
dEtampes. "Jvist the reverse of the
Count de Chateaubriant, · /* · he
knew how to use his wife's favor to ad
vantage." WTien Francis I died, an
old man at 52. the Duchess d'Etampes
"became hysterical." Was it grief for
her royal lover or because she knew
that her star had set and a new one
was about to rise, Diane de Poitiers,
mistress of Henry II?
* * * *
In his story "Barton's Mills" A. Hyatt
Verrill has told of the pioneer attack
upon the Maine forest wilderness.
Enough of that wilderness remains to
day to show what the task of the pre
Revolutionary settlers must have been.
The events of the story are taken from
the history of Mr. VerrlU's own family,
whose early members came from Fal
mouth and cut their path through the
Maine forest, fighting Indians and wild
animals. Their first home was of rough
logs, surrounded by a stockade. A saw
mill and a flour mill followed and soon
Barton's Mills became a successful
trading post.
* * * #
In spite -of the antipathy of most
American students preparing for col
lege, Edmund Burke was a statesman
and his famous speech "On Concili
ation With America" is a masterpiece
of argument and oratory. It is per
haps a pity that It has been spoiled
for so many young people by the ne
cessity of diagramming and otherwise
analysing It, but they might not volun
tarily have read it. The biography
"Edmund Burke." by the Rev. Robert
H. Murray, draws upon letters and
other source material never before used.
The author is Irish and appreciates
the Irishness of Burke Poverty and
changing occupations marked the period
of Burke'i life following his graduation
from Trinity College, Dublin. He en
tered the Middle Temple, London, and
spent most of his time over literature
and politics. In 1759 toe published the
"Account of the European Settlements
in America." which led to his being
made agent for the New York'Colony
In London. During the next decade he
became well known In London as a
writer, orator, and friend of prominent
literary men. With his oratorical gifts,
his power of logical thought, hie liberal
outlook on colonial affairs, it was a loss
to the British government that Burke
bever held important office.
# # ♦ *
Those who live through a revolution
of a major type find their lives divided
into two parts so distinct as almost to
create an illusion of death and resur
rection. This feeling runs through the
two book· by ïrlna Skarlatina (Mrs.
Victor Blakeslee). "A World Can End"
and "A World Begins." The first is
an account of the author's early happy
life In Russia under the Csarlst regime
and the coming of the revolution;
which ended that life. The second tells
———
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
BY fMDERlC I. HASKIN.
This Is · special department devoted
solely to the handling of queries. This
paper put* at your disposal the services
of an extensive organization in Wash
ington to serve you in any capacity that
relates to information. This service is
free. Failure to make use of it deprives
you of benefits to which your are en
titled. Your obligation is only 3 cents
in coin or stampe Inclosed with your In
quiry for direct reply. Address The
evening Star Information Bureau.
Frederic J. Haskln, Director, Washing
ton, E>. C.
Q. Are Roosevelt And Hoover Masons?
—r. w.
A. President Hoover is not a Mason.
Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt Is a
Mason.
Q. What Is the origin of the expres
sion, "hell-bent for election"?—W. M.
A. According to a study made by
Claude E. Robinson of Columbia Uni
versity, the phrase originated in Maine
in 1840. Before that time Maine was
a Democratic State. The panic of 1837
turned Maine over to the Whigs, and to
the surprise of every one, Kent, the
Whig candidate for Governor, was
elected In the September election. One
of the campaign slogans was "Maine
I went hell-bent for Gov. Kent."
Q. Does the heat of the sun produce
sunburn?—W. M.
[ A. It Is not the heat of the sun, but
I the ultra-violet rays which produce sun
burn.
Q. What is the hymn played at the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier In Eng
land at the service held on November
11?—K. L.
A. The hymn played at the cenotaph
service is "O God Our Help in Ages
Past."
Q. How many persons are born each
day and how many die?—W. T. H.
A. It has been estimated that 150,000
persons are born every day and 100,000
die each day.
Q. Are flowers used at the wedding
of a lieutenant in the Chapel at West
Point?—D. V.
A. The chapain of the United States
Military Academy says: "Flowers are
always placed on the altar by this of
fice for any wedding that takes place.
It la believed that the idea that flowers
are not permitted originated In the mis
ι taken Interpretation of the advice I al
ways give to the young officers who are
to be married here. The chapel being
exceptionally beautiful, elaborate deco
ration seems an unnecessary expense,
considering the meager salaries of of
ficers. This is not a regulation and
every party to a wedding in this chapel
has been assured that they may deco
rate the chapel for their wedding in
any way consistent with reverence and
good taste."
Q. Please give ranka of the British
police force —T. F. D.
A. At the head of the British police
force is a commissioner or superinten
dent. with an advising committee. The
ranks under the commissioner are:
Chief of police, captains, lieutenants,
sergeants, roundsmen and patrolmen.
Q. Who was the greatest flute maker
j of the latter part of the eighteenth
ι century?—H. B. S.
A. Theobald Bohm was perhaps the
orlp rator end outstanding flute maker
I of ν hat Is known as the modern flute.
He manufactured flutes In the late
I eighteenth and early nineteenth cen
1 turles. They originally were made of
metal, but later were made out o* cocoa
; wood.
Q. How large a shark has been
caught?—N. J.
A. The largest shark of which we
have any record was a «hale shark,
ι Rhinodon typus which weighed ap
ι proximately 26.600 pounds, having a
I length of 38 ieet and a girth of 18
feet. It was harpooned at Knights
1 Key. Fla, June 1. 1912, by Capt.
Charles Thompson.
Q. Where can I find the quotation
which starts, "Yet each man kills the
thing he loves"?—D. Κ
A. It Is In "The Ballad of Reading
Gaol" by Oscar Wilde.
Q. What Is the word for trailing
branches or runners, as of the straw
berry plant, which will take root at
the tips?—L. T.
A. They are called stolons.
Q. What can be done for sticky
leather seats?—S. O.
A. They may be carefully cleaned
with benzine or gasoline and, when per
fectly dry, varnished with a good grade
of varnish.
Q. How many Presidents of countries
are there in the world?—H. W.
A. Thirty-nine countries have Presi
dents.
Q. What difference is there between
the Catholic and Protestant Bibles?—
L. G
A. The principal differences between
the Protestant and Catholic versions of
the Bible are a slight difference in
the division of the verses containing
the Ten Commandments and the fact
that the Roman Catholic Church rec
ognizes as canonical the 14 books of
Apocrypha, which are not regarded as
canonical, but of literary or his
torical interest only by the Protestant
churches. Both are founded upon the
Hebrew records and writings and the
works of the Apostles.
Q. What color was used In writing
the decrees of the Byzantine Em
perors?—A. H.
A. The royal decrees are said to
have been written with purple ink.
Q In the eighteenth century was
there a school of medicine in New
York?—C. T.
A. In 1769 there was a school of
medicine, recognized as entitled to give
degrees.
Q. What is the greatest known depth
of Lake Tahoe?—M R.
A. This lake, at the base of the
! Sierra Nevadas, on the border of Cali
fornia and Nevada, is about 20 miles
long. 8 to 12 miles wide, having an
altitude of 6.275 feet above sea level
and an extreme depth of 1,650 feet.
Q. How many circulating or rental
libraries are there in the United
States?—T. S.
j Λ. It is estimated that there are
1 about 35,000. It may be assumed that
at least 4.500.000 borrowers are served
and 8.000.000 books in circulation.
Probably $5.030.000 is invested in booka
by rental libraries each year.
Coolidge Support of Hoover
Launches Partisan Debate
From former President Coolidge
cornea an indorsement of the official
acts of President Hoover, with the
result that a wide national debate on ι
the chief issues of the presidential
campaign is launched. Republican
arguments are based on the assump
; tion that Mr. Coolidge speaks as one
ι who has had to face the problems of
1 the White House, while Democrats, as
a rule, assume that the two Repub
lican leaders have a common Interest.
"Mr. Coolidge, with his usual cool
moderation, setting forth the common
sense view of the situation," according
to the Milwaukee Sentinel (independ
ent), "does much to set the American
people to thinking straight about the
whole business." Tributes to the
earnestness and sincerity of the former
President are paid by the Lincoln
State Journal (independent Repub
lican), the Santa Monica Evening Out- i
look (Republican) and the Rockfcrd
Register-Republic (Republican), while
the Youngstown Vindicator (independ
ent Democratic) states that those who
have been reading the "radical week
lies" must be "surprised at the frank
ηβκ of Mr. Coolidge's defense of the
two political parties."
An answer to the "cynical slur in the
plea for the 'forgotten man" " is seen
by the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin
(independent Republican), which as
serts that "the program of recovery
and relief, planned and directed bv
President Hoover, with the aid of the
ablest counsel he could summon, has
been mindful of the man who works, to
an extent never paralleled in the his
tory of the Nation." The Pasadena
Star-News (Republican) avers (hat I
"constructive achievement, on ths one j
hand, prevention of ill-advised, ruinous.
action on the other hand." represent '
the Hoover record "which Mr. Coolidge
presents to his countrymen." The
Cleveland News (Republican) advises
that "in pointing out that the causes
of the depression, witn the exception
of early speculation, were outside of
control of the United States, the for
mer President appeals to the average
citizen's sense of fairness."
* * * *
"Mr. Hoover ought to feel particu
larly grateful to his predecessor in of- ;
flee," thinks the Boston Globe (Demo
cratic). "Not only has Mr. Coolidge :
stilled the anecdotal undercurrent im-1
plying that the relations between the
two were far from cordial, but he has
offered Mr. Hoover poutical support of
a kind rare in American political his
tory. Seldom, indeed, has a retired
President backed the efforts of h'.s suc
cessor. On the contrary, a former j
President usually has been a thorn in :
the side of the man holding the office.
Not even George Washington was an
exception and at the crisis In the ad
ministration of John Adams he sided
with the severest critics of his suc
cessor."
"What Mr. Coolidge has written
should be of great aid and comfort to
President Hoover," In the judgment of
the Oshkosh Daily Northwestern (Re
publican), while the San Francisco
Chronicle (independent Republican),
noting that he "knows Mr. Hoover as
one who sat with him In the councils :
of state for six years," concludes that \
he "speaks the common thought of the 1
American people." The Toledo Blade
(independent Republican) says that he I
"offers no half-hearted approval of his
successor, but makes a thorough Job
of it." The Buffalo Evening News (in
dependent Republican) declares that
"no more understandable review of the
Hoover administration has been writ
ten," and that it is "the product of a
mind fully informed on facts."
"Mr. Coolidge's views carry great
weight, and not alone among partisan
Republicans," states the Chicago Daily
News (independent). "He affirms that
the only leadership in the economic
crisis of the last three years has been
furnished by President Hoover, who has
manifested patience, courage and prac
tical wisdom in dealing with the unpre
cedented depression. Mr. Hoover de
serves re-election, his predecessor con
tinues, both for what he has done and
I for what he has prevented others from
I of her leaving Russia, through the lnter
I vention of tha American Relief Admin
istration, her stay In London, and her
final refuge In the United States, where
tfie finally married an American.
————
doing He has proved himself safe and
sound, and at the same time c°nst™;
tive and resourceful. Mr. Coolidge is in
full sympathy with the pTesi^l
handling of prohibition, which, as he
says, is not a partisan issue."
* * * *
Observing that Mr. Coolidge "goes all
the way in indorsing the administra
tion " the Rochester Times-Union ι in
dependent) remarks: "The praise be
stowed on the Republican party and all
its acts and policies equals the best ef
forts of the writers of platforms,
though the former President uses a less
florid stvle than is customary in such
documents." The Charleston. S. C„
Evening Post (Democratic), observing
that the indorsement emphasizes the
fact that the President "has shown high
qualities of leadership, if anj body ha^.
suggests that "maybe he means to say
that nobody has shown any sort oi
leadership, and there he would be more
ner.£ is an earnest plea and should be
given carcful and open-minded consid
eration," advises the Omaha Wom
Herald (independent Democrat^), but
that paper maintains that "Mr. Coolidge
shares responsibility with Mr. Hoover
for the record and policies." and asks
"What are the fruits of the· 12 years
of leadership that Mr. Hoover now pnn
ciDallv represents? The World-Herala
concludes : "Mr. Hoover s administra
tion is on trial. It is on trial on its
record. It is on trial for the results of
its policies. The people must decide
whether they want these policies con
tinued without essential change. They
will listen to what Mr. Cool-dge and
President Hoover have to say in their
own behalf. But they will Usten also
to other voices and arguments, voices
and arguments that come from thei
own homes and firesides, from the seats
of their own activities, from friends and
neighbors in distress, from conditions as
they see and know them. and. most of
all, from their own judgment and con
science."
* * * *
"The Coolidge statement." observes
the Roanoke World-News (Democratic),
"glasses over the immense injur} done
to the working people and to busings
generally by the passage of the Haw ley -
Smoot tariff act signed by President
Hoover, and announces, despite present
day conditions, adherence of the Repub
lican party to outworn and discredited
theories of protection. The most in
teresting part of the Coolidge article is
not his defense of Mr. Hoover, or his
prediction of what a continuance
the Hoover regime will mean to the
country. The article is in reality a de
fense of Calvin Coolidge "
"Mr. Coolidge reflects the same unim
aginative absence of ideas as other Re
publicans of recent years, charges the
Baltimore Sun independent Demo
cratic) and that paper continues. He
chants the administration story about
our troubles orlginatiiig abroad, ignor
ing the fact that he, Mr. Hoover and
the whole Republican choir have re
peatedly told us how effectively the
protective tariff Insulated us against
all the pernicious influences of the
•pauper labor' of other countries.
"The President has the satisfaction
of knowing that Mr. Coolidge Wnks
almost as well of the Hoover adminis
tration as he does of his own. .^ug
gests the Birmingham Age-Herald
(Democratic), with the further com
ment: "It cannot be said that the sage
of Northampton has found anything
new. or that he states his warmed-over
stuff with any effectiveness. Here is
the stale plea of confession and avoid
ance done in the oracular manner· with
which we are well acquainted. But Mr
Coolidge surprises in one respect. He
could be expected to speak warai]y
about the party, but now he goes far
ther and actually applauds Mr. Hoover
and his administration."
Linking the previous silenceof Mr.
Coolidge with that of former Gov
Smith on the Democratic side, the
ïÏÏcn Beacon-Journal ^'independent
Republican) declares: It is not yet
clear why the country has been ex
hibited as hanging upon the wordsof
either of these halting and inactive
chieftains as If they were Delphic or
acles. holding lto fate in charge. The
election is going to be settled at tne
ballot box by some 40,000,000 venters
who should come to their own judg
ment upon its issues and candidacies
without much help from admitted mas
ter mind*."