Evening star. [volume], March 21, 1936, Page A-8, Image 8

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

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THE EVENING STAR
With Sunday Morning Edition.
WASHINGTON* D. C.
SATURDAY.March *1. 1»S«
THEODORE W. NOYES.editor
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. A New Peace Conference.
Having formally rebuked Germany for
Violating the Versailles and Locarno
treaties in remilitarizing the Rhineland
and temporarily averted war, Great,
Britain, France, Italy and Belgium have
taken a far-reaching step designed to
rebuild Europe's imperiled peace struc
ture. They propose to hold some time
this year another international confer
ence for discussion, within the frame
work of the League of Nations, of all the
problems—political, military, economic
and colonial—which lie at the root of
present-hour controversy and led to the
crisis which for a fortnight has threat
ened to plunge the world into another
devastating conflict. The United States
and other non-European states would be
invited to send observers. The confer
ence proposal requires official approval
of the five Locarno governments, notably
Germany, and is therefore not yet to be
regarded as a settled program. The ulti
mate objective, according to a French
version, is a “super-League-' operating
under a “modernized" covenant.
The Reich is called upon to make de
cisions that can easily wreck the plan.
Germany must consent to let the World
Court rule upon the interpretation of
the Locarno treaty. Hitler justified “re
occupation" of the Rhineland on the
ground that the Franco-Soviet pact of
mutual assistance did away with the
Locarno treaty. Another demand on
Germany is that pending a juridical de
cision and negotiation of a new Euro
pean settlement a portion of th$ for
merly demilitarized Rhine area shall be
policed by a joint international force of
troops, probably British and Italian.
The Germans reveal enthusiasm for
neither the court proposal nor the re
establishment of a temporarily demili
tarized zone under international sur
veillance. Berlin indicates that the
latter plan can only be considered if It
rests on a strict “parity" basis, whereby
the French would make a similar con
cession along their Rhine border. Any
euch corfdition imposed solely upon the
Germans Is branded as undebatable
from Hitler’s standpoint, because it runs
counter to the campaign pledges he is
now thundering to the German people
that there will be no further impair
ment of the Reich’s sovereignty.
Until after the March 29 election, with
its pre-ordained vote of confidence in
Nazi foreign policy, including the Rhine
land action, Germany’s attitude toward
the grandiose new peace project is un
likely to be proclaimed. Hitler cannot
afford in the interval to do anything
savoring of surrender. After the vindi
cation he has ordered the goose-stepped
German electorate to give him, progress
along projected lines should be possible.
If Hitler declines to consider proposals
to re-establish the security of Europe,
the four other Locarnc powers have
agreed to Join in a virtual military alli
ance. Under British guidance, vital com
promises were effected at London. The
French receded from the demand that
German troops evacuate the Rhineland
before negotiations with Hitler. Ger
many, even though branded guilty of
treaty infringement, was assured that
Hitler’s proposals will receive due con
sideration if he accepts certain prelim
inary conditions.
The path to peace is not yet cleared
of thorns, but developments foreshadow
their eventual removal. • No power in
Europe wants to fight. That seems the
safest guarantee that there will be no
jear, at least in the visible future.
A difference is noted between a strike
at sea and an actual mutiny. The dis
cussions to come before the United States
Supreme Court will become even more
Involved if the sea lawyers decide to
take a hand.
I
Innocent Victims.
It Is unfortunate that the innocent
victims of what appears to have been
• misunderstanding, certainly a mis
apprehension, over the availability of
certain local funds are children whose
disabilities demand extraordinary sym
pathy.
Some months ago Dr. Ballou reported
to the Board of Education that funds
for the transportation of physically
handicapped children to and from school
were not sufficient to pay such costs for
the remainder of the current fiscal year.
He presented two alternatives—curtail
ment of the service at that time in order
to make the money last, or continuation
of normal service with the prospect of
incurring a deficit, to be remedied • by
a deficiency or supplemental appropria
tion. The board decided upon the latter
course. Dr. Ballou having been given to
understand that the Budget Bureau
would authorize additional funds.
The bureau has declined the authori
zation, with the result that bus service
for these afflicted children will be dras
tically curtailed for the remainder of the
year. What does that mean? Children
suffering from tuberculosis will be fur
nished carfare. Those who are strong
enough wUl ride crowded street cars
and busses. Those not strong enough
must cut short their schooling. 8ome
twenty-six crippled children must be
taken by their parents to designated
points—which in some cases involves
relatively long journeys—where busses
will pick them up. Forty-three children
attending special sight-conservation
classes will be put to the same incon
venience. Either that or cut short the
schooling the community owes them.
Why is It that the District milst so
frequently be subjected to the penalties
of official misunderstandings and that
few orderly programs of any sort can be
carried out without being halted or
radically changed through the decision
of some Federal official or bureau, not
responsive to community needs? The
divided authority over expenditure of
funds derived from local taxation is a
constant source of difficulties, depriving
local officials of the small authority they
possess in administration of municipal
functions.
Do Your Part!
For those still alive, the menace of sud
den death and destruction has receded
with the flood waters. It is followed by
the less terrifying but even more wide
spread menace of suffering, stark pri
vation, hunger and disease. To meet
this new emergency the American Red
Cross has appealed to the citizens for aid
in the form of cash donations. That
aid must be sent swiftly, surely, in a
race with death itself.
The task confronting the Red Cross
is enormous. One of the most destruc
tive floods in history has left a broad
path of desolation, difficult for the for
tunate who escaped to picture. Thou
sands have lost everything—their homes,
their possessions and even their ability
to rely on community assistance. In
some localities water service, sewer serv
ice, all the taken-for-granted protec
tions against disease, have been de
stroyed. Men and women and children
are homeless, without food or clothing
or even adequate shelter against the
cold.
The Red Cross is charged with prac
tically exclusive responsibility in dealing
with this immediate emergency. It is
rushing food, medicine, clothing into
the devastated districts, organizing the
work of finding shelter for the homeless.
It is the organization set up and main
tained by the American people to act in
such emergencies. Its plans have been
made in advance, like those of an army
prepared for sudden attack. Once under
way, its forces will move with precision
under the direction of those skilled in
the business of emergency relief.
But to function the Red Cross de
pends, as always, upon the sympathetic
generosity of the people. The Red Cross
is merely the agent of the people, put
ting into helpful, skilled action the
otherwise unorganized impulse common
to mankind to help the unfortunate,
alleviate the suffering and rescue those
in danger. No appeal of the American
Red Cross has ever been made in vain.
No appeal of the American Red Cross
ever deserved more immediate response.
Congress and the Legislatures of the
afflicted States are to deal with the more
complex question of reconstruction.
But the immediate question is the pro
vision of quick relief in an emergency.
The Red Cross, with your help, will
attend to that. Do your part!
Federated Churches.
The Scriptures show that there Is
Divine injunction to the end that the
faithful should be united in service.
Christ in His own ministry taught the
righteousness, the power and the sacred
efficiency of co-operative effort. The
sole commandment that He personally
laid upon His followers, it is said, was:
"That ye love one another.”
But the point need not be overstressed.
The fact that religious fellowship should
be integrated and correlated requires no
argument at this late day. In the cur
rent era of confusion and distress no one
would presume to agitate for separation
or disunion. An emergency exists, and
the challenge of it is widely recognized.
Hence the trend toward mutual tolerance
and charity and a pragmatic brother
hood. Those who have eyes willing to
see find the symptoms of a new idealism
everywhere.
Yet probably there are Individuals who
have not realized that they may help.
The annual campaign to raise modest
funds to sustain the Washington Fed
eration of Churches, then, supplies an
opportunity which ought not to be missed.
Firstly, it provides an occasion for re
viewing the enterprises sponsored by the
association to which one hundred and
twenty-seven congregations belong—
educational, missionary, social service,
prison, Juvenile Court, hospital and re
lief efforts of notable variety and high
utility.
And secondly, the drive affords a
demonstration of the basic democracy
of corporate striving toward ldekl pur
pose. None of the children of God are
shut out from His cause. All are equally
blessed in the privilege of giving of ma
terial means, labor of mind or body as
circumstances permit. Some can spare
much; some but little. The wish to
participate, not merely the gift itself, is
what signifies.
The Nation’s Capital, surely, will not
fall to prove its Christian character, pro
gressively and with ever-increasing dedi
cation, this year and throughout the
years to come. For the moment it should
only be added that the harvest will de
pend upon the sowing, the fruits of the
future upon the planting of the present
season.
The Sinister Celery Scandal.
Something sinister is taking place or
about to take place that ought to make
the Senate Lobby Investigating Commit
tee sit up and take notice and round up
all telegrams and letters passing between
Washington and the State of Florida. .It
concerns celery—celery by the crate—and
the proposed Florida ship canal. Ac
cording to a document received by The
C
Star from Sanford, Fla., the Central and
South Florida Water Conservation Com
mittee Is sending “forty crates of the
finest Florida celery” as a “token of ap
preciation to the thirty-nine Senators
whose votes Tuesday killed the proposed
appropriation for the cross-State canal.”
Senator Vandenberg, the announcement
boldly declares, “for his outstanding op
position got two crates.”
Now, is that lobbying or Is it not
lobbying? Is the Black committee sure
that the Senators were not promised in
advance that if they voted against the
Florida canal project they would be re
warded by a crate of celery? Is there a
single Senator, weighing his vote against
a crate of celery, who would not be in
fluenced in favor o< celery? The fact
that the celery has been sent after, and
not before, the vote is not important.
If a Senator is rewarded once he will
know where to expect rewards later.
If he has earned a crate of celery is
there anything to make him believe that
next time he may not receive a crate
of lettuce, or even spinach, by “voting
right"?
Something should be done to stop this
ex post facto lobbying. The thirty-nine
Senators should be ordered to the stand
and grilled. Their mail should be looked
into. And Senator Vandenberg is on a
very hot spot indeed. He is to get two
crates of celery, when one should be
enough to convict any man. The people
of this country must be protected against
the celery interests. The Government,
as a matter of fact, should take over
the celery business.
An indefatigable author, Trotsky finds
his book sales easily surpassed by many
other writers. The former associate of
Lenin may not have been thriftily dis
criminating in selecting a publisher.
The first installment of the 1936 in
come tax has been paid as an example
of endurance that may be shown by
something at first regarded as a tem
porary expedient.
Germany resents being blamed for
what has happened in the past, but
wants to be recognized for a full share
of responsibility for what may happen
in the future.
It is possible to keep out of war. A
dozen homicides a day will enable the
police records to satisfy even the most
sadistic desire for carnage.
— ■■ ■■
Audacious efforts are made now and
then to convince even an eminent edu
cator that he may have something to
learn.
' 1 *
In campaign oratory an effort will be
made to avoid a confusion of expressions
of personal dislike with patriotic elo
quence.
So long as gambling is discussed na
tions might save a considerable per
centage by making their own bets in
stead of insuring with Lloyd's.
Shooting Stars.
BY PHILANDER JOHNSON.
Slumber Song.
When you h&ve trouble* that involve
some calculation deep
And make you fear that soon you may
be walking In your sleep,
Go tell ’em to your Congressman. En
lighten him until
He shows his sympathy and says hell
Introduce a bill.
And when the bill is introduced it makes
a little bow.
Then gets acquainted with the crowd of
others, which till now
Have vainly waited, while the months
went drifting on their way,
To get an opportunity to have their
little say.
What you have told your Congressman,
you fear has been forgot,
You call again and feel that you would
like to say a lot.
But he takes it from the pigeonhole and
puts it on display.
It joins the chorus with the other bills
that sing “Some Day."
' One Definite Idea.
“Have you any definite ideas about
taxes?"
“One," answered 8enator Sorghum.
"Whatever kind of taxes you have, the
only way to get rid of the annoyance
is to pay ’em."
Partnership Dissolved.
“You and your wife are partners In
everything?”
“With one exception,” answered Mr.
Meekton. “When it conies to cards each
of us thinks the other plays a terrible
game.’*
Indecision.
When a great orator steps out
With phrases well selected
We say, "This man beyond a doubt
Will run and be elected.”
And when another one draws near,
Attentively we listen,
Exclaiming, as we lift a cheer,
“Our favorite is thus *un.”
So frequently opinions change.
Amid the vast elation
Our choice of idols shows a strange
Lack of determination.
“Money,” said HI Ho, the sage of
Chinatown, “is like a man, whose work
for good or 111 depends much on the
associations he has chanced to form.”
Too Mach for One Person.
“This world Is a stage,” said the bard
long ago.
Some men get bewildered because
They’re anxious not only to be the whole
show,
But to lead and create the applause I
“Chillun," said Uncle Eben, “de real
day of punishment ain’ cornin’ till you
has to talk to yoh own chillun de same
way as us old folks has to talk to you.”
'
Horrors of War Should
Mold Minds for Peace
To th» Sdttor of The Star:
At a time when the clouds of war
hover menacingly above certain promi
nent nations of the world; when war
lords begin the ostentatious assembling
of armament of combat and the rat
tling of swords and the beating of drums
arouse strange and fiery emotions in the
hearts of humanity, it is well to present
a word portrayal of war as It actually
appears from the viewpoint of one who
has experienced war from every possible
angle. It is not a pretty picture.
Military leaders and soldiers have time
and again experienced the futility of
conveying to the lay mind a true descrip
tion of war at close quarters. It Is im
possible, It seems, for one who has not
taken active part in military conflict to
quite comprehend the true significance
of war. Ordinary verbiage falls short
when employed in an attempt to de
scribe scenes of military combat and the
unbelievable horror and grotesqueness
displayed on battlefields.
Historians speak of war In glorified
terms; bards find in gory battles the in
spiration and the material from which
to construct illustrious odes and poems
and songs. Many philosophers and sages
eulogize war as an efficacious purge of
human life upon this earth. The major
ity of ordinary citizens condone war only
when It is resorted to as a defensive or
protective measure, and their sense of
patriotism naturally predominates when
war is engaged in under those condi
tions; otherwise military conflict is
viewed witli indifference and the mini
mum of enthusiasm.
viiiiuivuiiHvi juuhi, biic puummi
basic foundation of all modern armies,
visualizes war in absolute ignorance of
the fundamental significance thereof.
Youth's knowledge of war Is based solely
upon historical data. Prom the record
ings of history, both ancient and mod
ern. it is possible that youth has gath
ered to a great extent the impression
that war is glamorous: that the clash of
arms is symbolic of heroism, of great
ness, of splendor. The record of hu
man progress through the ages leads
modem young people to believe that the
superior, the conspicuous, men of the
world, such as Caesar, Alexander, Na
poleon. Hannibal, Sherman, Grant, Lee
military leaders all—gained their great
ness and their historical supremacy
through military strategy alone. But
this is not true in any sense of the word.
These great military leaders were born
of a period that marked a critical turn
ing point in the social and economic
scheme of their Individual fatherlands,
but historians, thoughtlessly, it seems,
have placed greater stress upon the man
and his activities, blending his achieve
ments with glory and heroism and valor,
allowing national gain or any better
ment of the social and economic condi
tions realized through their efforts to
merit secondary consideration in their
subsequent recordings.
There are two sides to the game of
war. Only one of these is familiar to
humanity as a whole. That one is the
spectacular, glorified side—the ostenta
tious display of armament upon land
and upon sea. the blowing of bugles, the
marching of soldiers in review; the
laughing, joking, carefree potential “can
non fodder” on parade: the flying of
banners, the martial music, skirmishes,
maneuvers; the military drills, the ro
mantic camp life. The other side—the
grim, terrifying scene of actual combat—
is faced by the soldier alone, and no
person except a soldier can possibly un
derstand the immensity, the spiritual
reaction, experienced in one moment of
slaughtering warfare.
A few weeks in the trenches and back
to a lice-ridden “rest” camp: a few weeks
there, then back to the trenches to kill
or be killed; to maim, to destroy, to lan
guish in the mud. the filth and the ob
scenity of a front-line fortification while
exalted military leaders and national au
thorities, in comparative comfort and
security far behind the lines, consider
plans and formulate strategies for the
further exploitation of the soldier—the
unfortunate pawn in the game of war.
War is unnecessary in this modern age.
No international dispute or situation
could possibly arise that could not be
satisfactorily adjusted without resorting
to arms.
The social and economic distress that
has visited the world over a period of
years has brought much misery and
wretchedness and loss of courage to the
human breast. Unemployment has, in
a great measure, destroyed the morale
of thousands; ambition has become
stunted in the hearts of youth, but while
there is yet life in the individual and in
the Nation as a whole there is cause for
hope for a brighter day to supplant the
one of gloom that enshrouds like a pall
the present economic and social life.
But if our political leaders should, at
such a critical time, permit this country
to become entangled in foreign alliances
eventually leading to war. absolute eco
nomic chaos and ruin could not be
avoided. RAYMOND B. HUDSON.
■ ■ -■ — i < ■" -■■■— —^
EiMnusiastic ana ixenerous
Response to Relief Plea
To the Editor of The Star:
The deluge which overwhelmed many
parts of our beloved land carries with
it an important lesson. Amidst these
catastrophic events one must discern not
only the deplorable loss of life and the
terrible plight which engulfed so many
of our countrymen, but it is also the
readiness of our faithful and compassion
ate citizenry stretching out an immedi
ate helpful hand to the unfortunate
victims of the flood that is noteworthy to
record. I understand that in this serious
emergency the appeal of the Red Cross
—that great humanitarian institution—
is being enthusiastically and generously
met. If only in normal times each one
of us should say, “Yes, I am my brother s
keeper” most of the evils prevailing in
modern maladjusted society would grad
ually but surely disappear.
It is profoundly interesting to observe
that the ancients used to look upon such
calamities as the present flood as a visi
tation by the Deity upon the people for
their transgressions and inhuman con
duct toward one another. So were the
deluge in Noah’s days and the earth
quakes of Sodom and Gomorrah, in Abra
ham’s times, interpreted.
Let us accept the horrors of the past
few day# as merely the result of natural
phenomena, but let us also stop and
deeply reflect upon the finer qualities
which live within us, to the end that we
may really and truly, in an American
way, whether in prosperous or distress
ing periods, at all times, extend a friendly
hand to our fellow men, and say "Yes, I
am my brother’s keeper.”
vrAwnAnirr s RNEAn
An Old Joke.
From the Atlanta Journal.
Some one is trying to determine what
is the oldest Joke in the world. We
don’t know, but “Elect me and 111 reduce
taxes^’ dates a long way back.
Holding Fast.
From the Miami Dally Newe.
One thing the critics of Jim Parley
can’t accuse him of is resigning under
fire.
Too Nearly Strapped.
From the Nashville Tennesseean.
Pact is those European nations aren’t
too proud, but Just too poor, to fight.
£
THIS AND THAT *
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.
Letters are always Interesting. Here
are a few:
“Dear Sir: I liked your today's article
a lot. It Is provocative <of thought)
and constructive.
“To my mind the ipajor difference be
tween man and the other animals Is
this: He is endowed with those qualities
of brain which make it possible for him
to make his past experiments serve his
future interests.
“Other animals can’t do that. The
beaver can build a house—an extraor
dinarily good Job he does, too—but his
house today is what it was a thousand
years ago.
“Whether it’s a house or a bridge, or
a wheel or a plane, man Improves what
he builds. Looking at his work of today
he is given the faculty of visioning im
Improvements thereon.
“That’s the difference.
“Man does this in the matter of houses
and- bridges and wheels and planes.
Sometimes it seems that he can’t do it
in more urgent matters, such as his rela
tions with his fellow men. Certainly he
moves slower there. But if we decline
to lose faith in the quality which does
lift him above the brute, I think we
can see that he does move, and that in
the tomorrows he will make his past
experiments, even in wars, serve his real
future interests. Yours. N. N.”
* * * *
“Dear Sir: Yesterday I read your arti
cle in The Star. I cut it out of the
paper, laid it aside, and this evening I
read it carefully again. I am glad you
wrote it. I have for a long time known
that it is much better to make people
happy by praising them, especially when
they deserve praise, than it is to criticize
them when a fault is displayed.
"The easiest thing in the world to do
is to criticize some one else. I have
heard a great deal about ‘constructive
criticism.’ I have tried to analyze it and
learn Just what it means. Evidently it
means this: ‘You have made a mistake.
I could have done it much better. Let
me show you, or tell you.’ However, the
party who is doing the showing or telling
might have made a worse mess of the
matter than the one who made the mis
take.
“ ‘It Is hard to place ourselves In an
other person's shoes.’ We do not know,
We cannot always tell just what motive
animates them, or perhaps just what set
of circumstances governed their actions,
I am referring now to the larger things
of life. In the smaller things, such as
the criticism we hear on all sides about
everything and everybody, thoughtless
ness is the mainspring and lack of con
sideration and courtesy are the other
elements of which criticism is composed.
"The latter part of your article, about
making people happy, was especially fine,
It is much better to give than to receive
happiness, and a peculiar thing about
It is that when we give someone else
happiness we are doing ourselves more
good than we are the other fellow. ‘He
who would be the greatest among you,
let him minister unto you,’ is very, very
true.
“I did not intend writing all this when
I started. One thought led on to an
other. I am not trying to preach. I de
test that, but I do like truth and sim
plicity.
"I want to thank you for writing that
article. It did me good. It made me
think, which is something I do some
times. Sincerely yours, J. T. C."
* * * *
"Maryland-National Capital
Park and Planning Commission.
"Dear Sir: In one of your recent arti
cles you speak of birds that you have
noticed feeding this Winter. At the end
of your article you mention the fact that
a good book of colored bird pictures is
essential.
“My connection with the Maryland
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission is that of landscape archi
tect. At the present time the commis
sion is endeavoring to work up a list ol
birds that are native to this part of the
country, and a list of plant materials
that furnish fruit for birds, also nativfe
to this section of the country. We plan
to distribute these lists to the Boy Scout
and Girl Scout organizations and school
children In an effort to create Interest
In these things In our parks.
"I am anxious to acquire a book such
as you mentioned and I wonder if you
would suggest what'book I should get.
If/ there is any other information that
you would care to give us we would be
only too glad to receive that. Yours
very truly, E. M. H.”
* * * *
“Dear Sir: My mother called my at
tention to your word for marigolds, be
cause of my great fondness for them.
I agree with you that they are one of
the Joys of Autumn.
“But do you know the climbing vari
ety, which reach four or five feet tall
before they begin to ‘sprawl’? And also
have several varieties of color on one
plant. Mother's favorite seedman intro
duced her to them through a compli
mentary package, and they have been a
Joy each year since, a thrilling bit of
color in doors and out. Sincerely, S.
C. 8."
“Dear Sir: The letters appearing in
your column from people who see that
our feathered friends are fed interested
us, for we belong to the ranks of those
who provide for the birds in Winter.
We have had a regular Visitor to our
feeding board, a mockingbird. Evident
ly he regards our board as his private
property, for he stands guard for an
hour or two at a time, chasing starlings,
sparrows, cardinals and bluejays that
venture near the tray. In Spring and
Summer we are rewarded for our trou
ble with some very fine concerts.
“Of particular interest was the feline
defense. While we have no desire to
inflict any punishment on our neighbor’s
pets, we do object to rising at 5 o’clock
or earlier during the nesting season to
rescue a robin family from destruction
at the hands, or rather the claws and
jaws, of Neighbor Jones’ mother cat or
even his well-fed tomcat. There are few
cats that won’t leave a tltsty meal for a
tastier fledgling. That is cat nature,
so it may be well to keep an eye on the
situation along late Spring and early
Summer. If cats could be penned, at
least part of the time, during that sea
son many a young bird would be saved.
It is true that other birds often are
guilty of such depredations, but at least
we could do something by keeping an
eye on our pets. Sincerely, W. M.”
w +
"Dear Sir: I have just been reading
your article in The Star about cats and
music. This is the first thing I’ve ever
seen on the subject, and I was much
interested, for several years ago I had
a friend in Denver whose pet cat almost
had a fit every time a member of the
family played ‘The Rosary,’ running
around the room, jumping on everybody
and scratching. As soon as the music
stopped the cat quieted down. No other
tune affected it. We often wondered if
the minor notes upset the cat. The
family of young girls invariably played
•The Rosary’ when they had guests just
to show how the cat performed.' Very
truly, M. C. B.”
‘Dear Sir: This communication is for
the purpose of expressing to you my
praise of your writings in The Evening
Star under the heading This and That
daily. I do not read nearly all these
articles, and in some of them I find no
particular interest for myself. But I
find them all to be quite masterly or
skillful in the art of expression. It is a
great delight to find so full and exact
an understanding of so many themes
and such presentation in pleasing vein.
When I have time to read that feature
at all I turn to it with keen expectation.
I extend my compliments to one in pos
session of such a gift. The feature adds
to the tone and worth of the paper.
‘‘I have made no achievement what*
ever in this line and am not a person
of eminence; hence this requires no an
swer. Very truly, J. S. G.”
STARS, MEN AND ATOMS
Notebook of Science Proprens in Field,
Laboratory and Study.
By THOMAS R. HEiSRY.
One of the most potent of war ex
plosives promises to be a noteworthy
agent in checking the spread of such
epidemic maladies as encephalitis and
infantile paralysis.
Experiments on checking Infections
with the viruses of these dreaded dis
eases with picric acid have just been re
ported by Dr. Charles Armstrong and
Dr. W. T. Harrison of the United States
Public Health Service.
In war this intensely bitter yellow
powder, when mixed with other ingredi
ents and placed in shells, was a terrible
agent of death. The Public Health Serv
ice doctors simply spray a minute
amount of it in the nose. They used
mice and monkeys to test its efficacy in
preventing virus infection, but they also
sprayed it in their own nostrils to de
termine whether it had any harmful
effect on human beings. They found
none.
It now is generally recognized that the
nerve tracts of the nose constitute one
of the routes—perhaps the principal one
—by which the extraordinary minute
organisms responsible for these diseases
make their way into the human nervous
system. For a year or more Dr. Arm
strong and Dr. Harrison have been
searching for some substance which
would serve as an effective bar to this
unprotected portal, wide open for any
disease germs which might be in the
atmosphere. Earlier experiments indi
cated that alum had a notable effect in
increasing resistance, perhaps because of
its well-known “puckering” effect which
made it more difficult for the organisms
to get a foothold. First the nostrils of
mice would be sprayed with an alum
solution and then drops of a solution
containing one of the viruses would be
given. It was found that fewer animals
developed the disease than in cases
whpr# no slum was uspH
They then set to work to test other
substances—among them cobra venom,
salt water, plain distilled water, formalin,
sine and ammonium chlorides, tannic
acid, lead acetate, sea water, thymol and
quinine hydrochloride. Some showed no
effect at all. Others were effective, but
extremely irritating to the nostrils. 8ome
of them, in fact, killed the animals used
in the experiments.
The best effects were obtained with
picric acid, either pure or mixed with
alum. Prom 80 to 100 per cent of the
mice and monkeys so treated did not
develop the disease. Nearly all developed
it without such protection.
The effect of the picric acid instilla
tion in the nose, Drs. Armstrong and
Harrison report, is not confined to pro
tection against the ultra-viruses which
get into the body directly through this
portal and thence, by way of the olefac
tory nerve tract, to th# tissues of the
brain. They tried the protection afforded
In eases whan the poliomyelitis vinU
3 '
was injected directly into the blood
stream.
Of nine monkeys so treated, only two
developed the fatal disease. Of nine
subjected to intravenous injection with
out the picric acid instillation in the
nose, six died of poliomyelitis. This
leads to the tentative hypothesis that
the disease does not reach the brain
through the blood stream unless the
virus passes from the blood to the ole
factory tract. The picric acid did not
afford a complete protection.
“This,” reports Dr. Armstrong, “is
possibly to be explained by the assump
tion that certain portions of the nasal
membranes inaccessible to intranasally
instilled picric acid are likewise inacces
sible to virus by the same route, but
accessible to virus from the blood stream.
It is conceivable, however, that infec
tion from the blood stream into the
central nervous system may occasionally
take place, either at levels of the mem
'brane too deep to be influenced by picric
acid applied to the surface, or even by
a more direct escape of virus from the
blood vessels, especially following severe
shock.”
The only cases in which the picric
acid protection failed were those in
which the virus was injected directly
into the brain.
The time interval over which a single
picric acid instillation afforded protec
tion was tested. In most cases monkeys
inoculated with the virus seven day*
after the instillation did not develop the
disease, but the results were quite un
certain. The protection seemed to hold
perfectly for a four-day Interval.
Says the report: “Picric acid appar
ently produced no general ill-effect in
mice or monkeys, nor did it produce
changes detectable by ordinary patho
logical methods in the nasal mucous
membranes. That it exerts its protec
tion through a local action is indicated
by the fact that picric acid Intranasally
administered to mice apparently affords
no protection against intracerebrally
inoculated virus. This local action may
consist in some alteration in the nasal
membranes which render them less
permeable to the virus, although it is
conceivable that the drug, either free
or united with the cells of these struc
tures, may exert a direct effect on the
vims ItMilf.”
While various poliomyelitis vaccine*
have been introduced in the past few
years, their protective value has been
debatable. No protective vaccine oi
serum has been developed against en
cephalitis. Practically every Summer for
the past five years there have been epi
demics of one or the other of these dis
eases in some part of the country. Med
ical science has had little to offer against
them.
The picric acid InstUlation developed
by, the Public Health Service doc ton
appears to be the most effective pre
gentlve measure yet devised.
ANSWERS TO I
QUESTIONS
By Frederic J. Haskin. !
A reader can pet the answer to any
question of fact by writing The Eve
ning Star Information Bureau, Fred- j
eric J. Haskin, director, Washington,
D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply.
11 *
Q. When were the first six-day bicy
cle races held In New York?—W. 8.
A. The first of the international six
day bicycle races was run in Madison
Square Garden, New York City, In 1891.
Q. What is the most popular musical
composition?—E. L. G.
A. The Etude says: The most popu
lar musical composition published in
America today is undoubtedly "The Stars
and Stripes Forever,” by John Philip
Sousa. Certain pieces flare out with the
great light of a meteor, and then dis- •
appear just as quickly, but, if we are to
take the number of public performances
of Mr. Sousa s work during a decade and
compare this with the hearings of any
other work during the same period it
will be found that this marvelous pa
triotic march Is heard more than any
other composition. *
Q. How many grapes does it require
to make a ton of dried raisins?—?. C. K.
A. One ton of dried raisins is equiva
lent to four tons of fresh grapes.
Q. Where is Corpl. Gresham, one of
the first American soldiers killed in the
World War, buried?—E. R.
A. Corpl. James Gresham is buried In
’Locust Hill Cemetery, Evansville, Ind.
At first he was buried in France, but his
remains were later moved to his home
town.
Q. Are frost and frozen dew the same?
—W. H. L.
A. They are not. Frozen dew con
sists of small pieces of clear ice, usually
globular in form, found on vegetation
and other exposed surfaces under certain
atmospheric conditions. Frozen dew is
found only when the temperature of the
dew point is above freezing in the early
part of the night, so that liquid dew
forms when that temperature is reached,
and later the temperature falls below
the freezing point, so that the dew la
frozen.
Q. How many sinuses are there?—
N. F.
A. There are eight. All of these cavi
ties in the head communicate through
small openings with the interior of the ,
nose. The four pairs of sinuses are the
antrums. the frontals, the ethmoid and
the sphenoid sinuses.
Q. Why was Shelley expelled from
college?—S. J.
A. While at Oxford the poet decried
the tyranny of the church over freedom
of thought, and was expelled for his
pamphlet "The Necessity of Atheism.”
Q. What are the noble metals?—E. H.
A. This is a name given to those
metals which do not tarnish or corrode
in the air, such as gold, silver, platinum,
rhodium, mercury and palladium. Some
times, however, the term is applied only
to the first three; again, it is made to
include copper and other metals which
are fairly resistant to oxidation.
Q. Who was called the father of gym
nastics?—J. F.
A. Friedrich Ludwig Jahn was so
called. In 1811 he started the first
gymnasium in Berlin. His system, which
was designed to revive patriotism, at
tracted the Prussian youth, and the
training and inspiration thus obtained
contributed in no small degree to the
subsequent victories of Germany over
the Napoleonic armies.
Q. How many carpenters are there
in the United States?—D. H. H.
A. There are about 930.000 carpenters
and about 4,000 carpenter apprentices.
Q. Please give a biography of Charles
Goodyear.—F. K. R.
A. Charles Goodyear, inventor, was
bom in New Haven, Conn, in 1800. In
1844, after 10 years’ labor, under every
disadvantage of poverty and privation,
he completed his invention of vulcanizing
rubber. He became involved in a series
of troubles consequent to the infringe
ment of his patents. Because of this he
remained poor while others were en
riched by his inventions. He died in
New York in 1860.
Q. Was Zane Grey, the writer, ever A
dentist?—J. R.
A. He was graduated as a dental sur
geon at the University of Pennsylvania
and practiced for six years in New tforlc
City.
Q. Is there a town in Maryland named
Hurry?—T. F.
A. There is a town in St. Marys Coun
ty with this name. It has a population
of about 100.
Q. Where is the French Broad River?
—F. M.
A. This is one of the sources of the
Tennessee River, about 250 miles long.
It rises in the Blue Ridge Mountains
in Southwest North Carolina, flows north
past Asheville and west to join the Hol
ston River above Knoxville. The united
streams enter the Tennessee near Lenoir
City.
Q. Was Mrs. Lincoln at the side of
the President when he died?—M. B.
A. A Washington newspaper published
April 18, 1865, says that Mrs. Lincoln
was sitting in an adjoining room when
her husband died.
Q. Is the President, according to
punctuation, Constitution, article II, sec
tion 2, powers of the President, the com
mander in chief of the Army and Navy
in time of peace?—T. C. C.
A. The President of the United Statea
Is always commander in chief of the
Army and Navy, both in time of peace
and in time of war.
* .— •
Germany's Worries. ,
From the Hartford Courant.
Germany is reported to be worried by
a declining birth rate, but its recent
actions would seem to Indicate that it
has set out to remedy a declining death
rate instead.
A Rhyme at Twilight
By
Gertrude Brooke Hamilton
Earth’s Shifts.
Beyond the dawn the glory of high noon;
Beyond the noon the respite of the even.
Beyond the dusk the splendor of the
moon, f
Beyond the moon the lure of midnight
heaven.
Beyond bright childhood the gay span
of youth,
Beyond glad youth maturity’s grim
fight,
Beyond maturity old age and truth.
Beyond old age the One Unchanging
Light. . 3
£ *
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