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THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Mamin* Edition. W A S H I N G T O N. D. C. SATURDAY.January I, 1»S7 THEODORE W. NOYES—.Editor Tho Even In* Star Newspaper Company. Jltn 8t and Pennsylvania Av* New York Office 110 Earn «‘.’nd 8t. Chicago Office: *35 North Michigan Ave. Bate by Carrier—City and Suburban. Regular Edition. Th» Evening and Sunday Star ase per month or 15e per week Tfc* Ktening Star^ ^ month ^ j k The 8u 'day Star--—6c per copy Night Final Edition. ffitt zil S“,r8l,.r::::SS^™:5 Collection made at the endof Mch montlior ♦ich week. Orders may be sent by mail or t«« Bbone National >5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. “g •»»*“'—! yr ! *18581 i mo.: » Snaty only""::::! h\ ** oo; 1 mo.. *oc All Olher Slatea and Canada. n-.i. .nri Sunday 1 yr.. $12.00: 1 mo.. $1.00 R! T ™iv „1 yr„ SH.nn: 1 mo.. Tfic Oay ouir:::—-1 rr„ la.oo; 1 mo.. sue Member of the Associated Press. •rt,. Associated Press is rxclugively entitled to the ii'e for republlcatlon of all n,*:'\<iis^alrth^ eVeriitert to It or not otherwise credited in this ~ner»nd also the local news published herein. W*rights or publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. __ Industrial Peace. The New Year begins with Americans clamoring for world peace. They might »dd another wish—industrial peace at home. Probably many of them do. The country is emerging from a depression that has tried the very heart and stamina of the people. Industrial strife, with threats of force and violence voiced by some of the leaders, is not calculated to Rid the process of recovery. The outlook for industrial peace Is not good. The marine workers’ strike and the consequent tie-up of American shipping, the growing strike in the auto mobile and allied industries and the threat of a coal strike give the He to rosy estimates of what may happen to the workers during the coming year. It is natural that labor should de mand Its share in the measure of recov ery and prosperity. It should have its share. On the other hand, the efforts of some of the leaders of organized labor to build for themselves a vast authority over industry, with the power in their hands to halt every wheel and machine in the country, is not for the sole benefit of the rank and file of the workers. The demagogue in the field of labor is no more admirable than the demagogue in the field of politics; the labor dictator is ns dangerous to freedom as is the gov ernmental dictator. The fault is not all on the side of labor nnd its leaders. There are dictatorial and demagogic employer* of labor, no more admirable than the selfish and unintelligent labor leader, perhaps less so. It will be a great loss to the country and to the people as a whole if the workers on the one side and employers on the other are pitted in conflict through efforts of unwise leaders of labor and of industry. The great mass of the workers and employers desire peace. Those who attack war frequently advance the argument that the peoples Of the nations involved do not wish war. Many of those who reason in this way are workers in industry, some of them leaders of unions. It is time that they gave some thought to the fact that the great mass of the American people would suffer terribly through an indus trial war, and, further, that the great mass of the American people want no tuch war. The demands of organized labor are tnainly for better pay, for fewer hours of work, and for the "closed shop.” The demands for better pay and for fewer hours of labor are in many cases justi fied. The "closed shop” is a principle that is dear to the hearts of organized labor leaders. Collective bargaining, with the employes on one side and the employers on the other, has come to be the ordinary and expected manner ol dealing between worker and employer. It has its elements of justice. The bar gaining, however, should be fair and equitable—and that goes for labor as well as for the employer. If the signs today are correct, trying days are ahead in the field of Industry, with peace threatened,.already broken on many fronts. The labor leader who love6 his country and the employer who does the same should do a little collec tive bargaining in the interest of the whole people. Pictorial imagination again amuses Itself by showing the New Year as an Infant who, in the short space of twelve months, will grow a flowing abundance of whiskers. Even the hair tonic ad writers refrain from trying to rival the poets. In a New Year celebration it is urged to turn over a new leaf and also to keep the automobile right side up. Inadequate Recognition. Because of his unique and distin guished services to the Government, ex tending over a period of more than half • century, the obviously inadequate re tirement pay of William H. Moran, for mer chief of the Secret Service, has attracted extraordinary attention. The Inadequate amount of his annuity was recognized last year in the introduc tion, and Senate passage, of a bill which would have given him *4,000, instead of *1.500, for life. Failure of the bill to pass the House was perhaps due to fear of expensive precedent. There are hundreds of others in the Govern ment service whose early retirement might bring similar, if not as well sus tained, demands for special legislation. The explanation of Mr. MOran's low retirement pay is the relatively recent date of enactment of the retirement law. The retirement law for the classified civil service was not enacted until 1920 and the Intervening interval has not been long enough to accumulate the reserves which would bring the annuities to a higher figure. Though Mr. Moran'a re tirement pay of *1,600 is low, in rela tion to the length and value of his •crvlce and to hi* active aalary. ft rapra « Bents about the maximum under the la,w at present and is much higher than the average annuity to be received by those retiring in the next few years. In discussing so frankly what he re gards as inadequate financial recogni tion by the Government of his services, Mr. Moran speaks of the hazardous na ture of his work during his more than half a century of service. This recalls the situation confronting the “G” men of the Department of Justice, who were brought within provisions of the retire ment act only within the past year by special act of Congress. A relatively new organization and composed for the most part of young men, statutory retirement of any of them in the next few years would be at a much lower figure than that which would apply in some other governmental agencies for the same length of service, unless the annuitant had been able to make up retirement contributions back to 1920. On the other hand, had Mr. Moran served as an officer of the Army pr Navy his retirement might have brought more than twice as much as the afnount of his present annuity. Without damaging or danger ous precedent, the Government should be able to recognize such service as that performed by Mr. Moran and to make an exception which would recognize it adequately and even generously. The “Lillie Worl.l War.” Because nationals of Germany, Italy, Russia, France,' Great Britain, Czecho slovakia and other countries are fighting in Spain, the bloody conflict there is now commonly referred to as “the little world war.” The new year dawns amid gravest misgivings as to whether the title thus lightly applied to the Span ish tragedy may not abruptly be trans lated Into terms denoting a real world war. The decision rests momentarily with Germany and Italy. On their willing ness to suppress the movement of thfcir so-called “volunteers” to the peninsula battlefields now hangs the issue of keep ing the desperate struggle localized or letting it develop into a dreaded Euro pean conflagration. General Franco is in confident expectation of strong foreign reinforcements by mid-January and making corresponding preparations for a “furious offensive.” Thus the in surgents tacitly confess that their cam paign has been checked and is doomed to collapse unless outside aid is speedily forthcoming. Conscious of the danger to peace in herent in such a development, Britain and France are now making urgent representations at Berlin. Chancellor Hitler is said to be withholding his reply for ten days. Recently it was reported that Italy, because of Mussolini's en tente with London, had decided to wash her hands of the Spanish imbroglio and advised Hitler to do likewise. The latest information is that the two dic tators are still hand in glove and, having jointly recognized the insurgents, will act together on the Anglo-French non intervention demand. Meantime the exodus of both German and Italian fighting men to the Spanish front continues. Germany, insisting that her sole in terest in Spain is to prevent its com munization, is strongly suspected of sparring for time, in order to extort British and French pledges of colonial territory or supplies and credits capable of relieving the Reich's economic plight. Unless the Western powers are ready by such means to induce Hitler to hold back his “volunteers,” he is thought to be able and willing to bargain with Franco for rich copper, iron and lead concessions in Spain and the military occupational privileges that would go with them. Thus peace in Europe seems to be on the auction block. Al ready Britain and France are weighing the contingency that a blockade of Spain by their joint naval forces may be the unavoidable consequence of German Italian refusal to restrain “volunteers.” The obvious way out of the menacing impasse is for "volunteers” from all countries to be withdrawn and no more allowed to reach Spain. But with certain powers unblushingly prepared to fish in troubled waters, the natural solution appears to be the impossible one. Scrooge has been submitted to his annual course of moral reclamation. A few more days will again reveal whether he can make his good resolution stick. “Dictionary” Completed. With the twentieth volume distributed to subscribers, the "Dictionary- of Amer ican Biography” is declared completed and finished. It was fathered by the American Council of Learned Societies and financed by the late Adolph S. Ochs, publisher of the New York Times until his death, April 8, 1935. The editors were Dr. Alien Johnson, killed In a traffic accident January 18,1931, and Dr. Dumas Malone, now returned to the faculty of Harvard University with new and well deserved honors attached to his name. Beginning with the proposition that “the lack of an authoritative dictionary of national biography lias been often de plored by American scholars.” the enter prise terminates with the declaration: "Those who have been charged with the management * • • have tried to make the Dictionary in the broadest sense a national institution, identified with no one locality and no single group, except the associated scholars who have spon sored it, but comprehending all sects and sections, races, classes and parties. It is hoped not only that this large collec tion of biographies will contribute to a better understanding of the chief actors on the stage of American history, but also that this vast common undertaking has furthered, and will continue to further, the spirit of scholarly co-operation throughout the land.” The aspiration of the workmen, then. Is largely, if not entirely, satisfied by the monument they have raised to the American race. It has been their priv ilege to demonstrate the fundamental contribution which the. people of the United Stetta h*n ate* te Madam A civilisation. Yet, perhaps even more im portant. they have developed a measur ing stick for national achievement. Six hundred and fifty-three writers prepared the text of twenty-nine thousand one hundred and twenty notices and twenty seven thousand one hundred and ninety five substantive articles. In each In stance the biographer sat In Judgment over his subject. The style of the sketches naturally varies, but the tone is sober throughout—there is nothing hysterical, blatant or vulgar to which a discriminating critic might object; rather, the prevailing characteristic Is a curious dignity which may be discerned even in the discussion of personalities of highly provocative temperament. Possibly, Dr. Malone ought to write something about the discoveries he made during the eight years of his labors. For example, it would be interesting to hear what he thinks about a practical pattern for biographical science. Again, the public might be concerned to know his verdict on the background against which the Dictionary stands: what is his opinion of the human pageant in Amer ica as lie has seen it passing over his desk? And what suggestions has he for the expansion of the type and the technique of scholarship represented in the Dictionary but still conspicuously absent elsewhere in American letters? Also, there must be added to any gesture of appreciation offered at this moment the hope that Dr. Malone may be permitted to bring out the supple mental volumes which are indicated by the fact that many eminent men and women are not included in the Dictionary because they happened to be living when the sections in which they would have appeared were issued. Many actors attempt to come back to legitimate drama after a career in motion pictures. A similar tendency has never been shown by Will Hays, who, after becoming czar of Hollywood, has not shown the slightest inclination to resume heavy legitimate roles in politics. A traffic in reconditioned airplanes is attracting certain types of brokerage. Aviation is in its infancy and every effort should be made to prevent it from drift ing under the influence of reckless com pany. Suburban police want more pay and are perfectly willing to submit a record of indispensable and humane service on New Year day alone as a reason for de serving it. A five-day week will be beneficial in proportion to the ability of workers to utilize the two other days in the pursuit of higher and more unselfish ideals. Shooting Stars. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Self-Sacrifice. There was a philosopher, long, long ago, Who felt it his duty the public to show Just how it should manage its various cares In home life as well as in public affairs. He told what to eat And what we should drink; Just how we should speak And what we should think; Just how we should spell And how we should sing; Just how we should vote t That's the principal thing); Just when we should smile And when we should frown; Just what we should read Mongst the prints of the town; Just w hen we should work And when we should sleep; How much we should spend And how much we should keep. Such numberless duties before him arose That he found he had never an hour for repose, Nor eating, nor singing, nor thinking, nor play, Nor sleeping, except in the hastiest way. And we hailed him a great man Indeed when ’twas known What generous goodness of heart he had shown In attending to every one's needs save his own. The Purpose. "You don’t remember what was In your party platform?” "Not exactly,” replied Senator Sor ghum. "A party platform Is made to be listened to, not remembered." Slight Misapprehension. “The old year is said to have been pretty wet around here.” “Must have been,” answered Uncle Bill Bottletop. ”1 heard a lot of folks talk about wringing out the old and wringing in the new.” Never Down and Out We have read on history's pages Of misfortunes in all ages And the comment would agree: “Nothing worse than this could be!” We have seen some repetition Of a similar dire condition; But this old Earth, stanch and game, Comes up smiling Just the same. Jud Tunklns says he never argues with his wife. He listens respectfully to everything she says; but “you can’t call that arguing.” “Festival days,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “bring great happiness until feasting renders us too dull to enjoy them.” Good Cheer Conservation. The New Year day has gone Its way. But let us still be wary. We ll need gtsxl cheer throughout the year As well as January. "If* glntrr be a long time befo' an other New Yarnr," aald tJnele Eben, "but dar aln’ mueh uae o’ thlnkln* up new | resolutions. Ds same old specimen* Traffic and Pedestrian Control in Other Cities To the Editor of Tile SUr: It Is interesting to observe to what extent other cities have gone to make their streets safe for both careful motor ist and careful pedestrian, and to note that these cities are making a sincere effort to reduce accidents caused gen erally by the careless operation of an automobile or the arrogant jaywalking ot one or more of its citizens. Por example: Los Angeles has established pedestrian control. Jaywalker and careless pedes trian alike are handed summonses. Upon appearance in City Court they are severely reprimanded and a fine is im posed, with a warning of stiffer penalty for second offenses. The ordinance for bids motorists lrom running their cars when the' traffic light gives pedestrians the signal to walk across the street. The motorist is not permitted to proceed on the green light until the pedestrian caught by the change of light has readied the opposite curb. In Des Moines the ordinance prohibit ing Jaywalking lias been very success ful. As in Los Angeles, summonses are handed to violators, ordering them to appear in Traffic Court, where the pro cedure Is quite similar. Pontiac. Mich., not only forbids jay walking and imposes fines for violations, but also forbids right turas oil red lights. Botli phases provide safety for all con cerned. Evanston, HI., plays no favorites. City authorities enforce the traffic laws to the letter without regard to political of busi ness influences and pressure. Perhaps that is the reason that city lias the lowest auto accident rate in the country. New York City's new traffic code baas right-hand hums on red lights and a new and Inclusive offense known as "dangerous driving" is severely dealt with, nuisance drivers being hailed to court and fined heavily. Biloxi. Mi.is.. has an ordinance that calls for regular reporting by all drivers of automobiles and trucks to have brakes tested. Portland. Oreg., has a $100 bounty on reckless driving. Speeding there is termed “reckless.” The ordinance also provides the granting of a $100 reward to any citizen who furnishes informa tion which leads to the arrest and con viction of a reckless driver. The city also conducts a school where this type of driver is taught safe driving methods Chicago and Pittsburgh ordinances deal well with drunken or intoxicated drivers. Violations have been so preva lent in those cities that officials found it necessary to invoke stiff penalties. Both drunken or intoxicated drivers and also reckless drivers are sentenced to Jail—no bail or fine being acceptable to me court. Detroit is seriously considering invok ing an amendment to its present ordi nance, patterned after the Los Angeles ordinance, on pedestrian control and control of motorists when pedestrians are crossing the street or are caught half way when the lights change. At the present time about 2,600 Detroit motorists with guilty consciences are listed in 200 mimeographed books dis tributed to police and scout car drivers for special attention. Drivers who fail to appear in court in response to mis demeanors are picked up and taken there for immediate action. Toledo uses the short-wave radio broadcast In a successful effort to cut down drunken and reckless driving ac cidents. Upon receipt of calls from persons reporting license plate numbers of automobiles whose drivers are under influence of liquor the Toledo police retail this information over the short wave system to all scout cars and urge them to be on the lookout lor such cars. As one can judge, favoritism is taboo in most accident cases heard out of town. Authorities in these municipali ties know; from past experiences that where favoritism has been shown cer tain motor vehicle violators, the whole of the enforcement structure is en dangered, and has in most instances broken down as a result. It is undue in fluence that has discouraged many policemen from making traffic arrests. A iittle less favoritism and a little more law enforcement would help the more-rcluctanl-to-deal-with-traffic-vio lation city to regain its popularity with its citizenry. FREDERIC G. FROST. Civil Service Weakness Menace to Civil Justice To the Editor of The Slur: Having read the many discussions about the civil service's apparent in equalities, I would call attention, as a mere onlooker, taxpayer and retired business man, to the following: An acquaintance of mine, for many years an active producer and mine op erator, after losing all his holdings, ob tained two years ago a position in one of the new Government agencies. In spite of his 67 years of age, he is rated by his chiefs as a highly capable and efficient worker. If his department comes under civil service lie will be automatically thrown out next year at 70 years of age. In the rather luxurious local hotel where I stopped are several young girls. They have civil service. By sharing their expenses they live cheaply amid luxurious surroundings on the taxpayers’ money because civil serv ice guarantees them good pay, and later a pension, which is security of the highest kind. The kind of work they are doing brings them pay far in excess of what my or any other industry would pay them. Yet these girls, no matter how capable, cannot contribute one iota to our country's economic wealth production. The old gentleman, who has created wealth by his own efforts and work for hundreds of people, will have no chance whatever to use his talents or make a living under civil service Civil service ought to imply also civil justice. x nave never nearci mat we, tax ana income tax payers, have objected to i capable judges, Representatives or Sena tors because they were 70 years old. Why not protect the more humble United Stales jobs? I also heard of many striking incongruities of pay to many deserving and capable but older widows supporting children. Cast iron, inelastic rules removing authority from actual chiefs seems to be the great weak ness of this civil service system. FREDERICK W. ARBY. The Constant Lure. From the OienCule (Calif.) Nrws-Prese. It might even be said that Roosevelt always is willing to. go more than half way, especially if there is fishing en route. Dissenters. From the Charleston IW. Va.l Mail. Christmas took an awful jolt last No vember 3. Sixteen million people Indicated they didn't believe in Santa Claus. Two' llu/jinln to Avoid. From llir Mimkeeoti iMIch.i Chronicle A Japanese doctor says any one ran live to he 130, Providing, of course, he avoids jaywalking and Spain. ——i mtm i-■„ Would Br Approprintr. Prrtv* lh* W«Uflh»h tN V • Tim#* This Mr* Mary Chrialmat, In RariM, WUm might la m**a to Santa Olaua. mi. k THIS AND THAT I BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Suet, as a bird food, is probably the most over-rated of the article* put out for the songsters which Winter here. Starlings will eat it. but one does not particularly wish to attract starlings. A few of our other friends are fond of it. but only by snatches. We are always reminded of Gilbert and Sullivan's tune, “A Wandering Minstrel, I, a thing of shreds and patches.” Such, indeed, is the suet basket in the garden-w hose owners like to feed the birds in Winter. One would not say that suet is not ac ceptable, at times, but merely that, as a bird food, it scarcely rates with seeds and grains, or even bread and doughnuts. Most persons know that good beef suet is the thing to use, not hog suet. Good suet is of a clear white, with & tinge of yellow or cream in it. Birds which will eat it do so. usually, by pecking off a bit and hearing it away to eat it elsewhere. Starlings excel at this, of course, owing to their large, stout bills and general vigor, which enables a dozen of them to tear a large hunk of suet to bits in literal ly no time at all. * * * * Other birds which like suet, or at least are reputed to do so. are the titmouse, the chickadee and the various wood peckers. Since these are charming additions to any feeding station, any newcomer to this sport might wonder why suet is not so desirable. The secret'lies in the word "reputed." Suet has the reputation as an attractor—no doubt of that—but actual ly it seems often to be a drug on the market, not only during warm, open weather, such as we enjoyed during Christmas week, but even in the bitter cold sometimes. utmice sample It a great deal more freely than the chickadees. Various members of the woodpecker family will eat it, but these are. after all, among the rarer of our true Winter visitors. Last year, for instance, we had half a dozen, mostly the red-bellied and the so-called hairy woodpeckers, but this season only one of the former, and then only for a few days. * * * * So one may be forgiven for feeling that suet is not all it is "cracked up to be,” which saying, by the way, seems particu larly appropriate wdien speaking of birds and their seed-craVing bills and general food-taking proclivities. Dogs seem to be the chief "birds” which like suet! The old meat smell, undoubtedly. A dog can smell a suet basket for blocks, and find his way unerringly to it. A truly amusing sight in the garden is a big dog trying to make off with a small basket of it. The suet basket, in case one hasn't seen one, is nothing but a wire soap-dish af fair, usually made with a hinge, so that the mass of fat can be pushed in and clamped securely. It is hung on a fence, or to the limb of a tree. If on the fence it will be found most readily by Fido on one of his rounds. This is a curious instinct in dogs, to make the same rounds, day after day. If you have ever watched a dog going his rounds in the early morning, say just as light comes on, you will have noted his faith fulness to certain yards, and his com plete ignoring of others. Watch him ever to often, you will discover that he never varies his program. He carries his faithfulness, you see, into everything he does. * * * * One popular use of suet among bird lovers is to stuff It into hollowed-out cocoanut shells. This is accomplished as follows: The shell is cleaned out, and an opening, cut in it about the size of the door of a bluebird house. This is about one and one-quarter inches in diameter. Now the suet is fried out, as the ladies say, in a skillet, the liquid being poured off. and various nuts, raisins and seeds mixed with it, Just as one puts nuts in fudfje. The stuffing is now poured into the hollowed-out shell and permitted to so lidify again, which it does readily enough in cool weather outdoors. This shell is now hung to a tree limb, or at a window, but so secured that it will not bump into the pane. This is said to be an excellent little feeder all by itself, particularly attrac tive to the smaller gems of the Winter garden. These include the titmouse and the chickadee. Truly there are no finer birds Wintering hereabouts One’s ad miration grows with acquaintance. Clean, sleek, beautiful, the titmouse and chickadee win the hearts of all. They are full of ' pep,” but never tiresomely so; they are sedate, but still have plenty of vigor. Any way you put it. and any way one looks at them, they are mighty fine little creatures of the feathered world. * * * * Our advice, then, to the anxious new comer to bird feeding, who invariably wants to make a mystery out of the process, is that suet, all things taken into consideration, is not so "hot.” You and the birds can get along very well without It. but if you deem It es sential, by all means try it in very cold weather. Remember that it is a concentrated fat, of a type which, in certain aspects, is utterly strange to bird life. In their natural haunts they eat very little, if any, beef suet. Its use is merely an attempt to supply them with an equivalent for the fat grubs and other forms of Insect life which they eat naturally. That it is better than nothing cannot be gainsaid. But even at its best it will be eaten by few birds, except those fore mentioned, and sometimes not even by them. Rely mostly on grains and seeds for the Winter rations of the bir-is which honor us with their presence. The tendency is to put too large a pro portion of cracked corn in average bird seed mixtures, or to use such things as rape seed, which few wild birds really like, and Canadian peas, which only quail and similar large birds will eat. Even the English sparrows, those eternal feeders, grow tired of a mixture containing too much corn, and will be only too glad to fly to the woods at the least touch of warmer weather. They will come back again, however, with the return of cold, since they need the carbonaceous foods when snow and ice are on the ground, even more than they need fat. STARS, MEN AND ATOMS Notebook of Science Progress in Field, Laboratory and Study. BY THOMAS R. HENRY. _ _ ^__._.__ ATLANTIC CITY, December 29.—The appalling toll of human life, property and crops exacted from the Nation by the elements—windstorms, hail, floods, drought and other weather vagaries—was described by J. B. Kincer of the United States Weather Bureau, before the Amer ican Meteorological Society. From tornadoes alone recent compila tions show that, for a period of 20 years from 1916 to 1925, 5.2g4 persons lost their lives and an aggregate property loss of $230,000,000 was incurred, Kincer stated, while windstorms other than tornadoes, for the same period, cost the Nation $395,970,000. or an annual average of nearly $20.000,000. From floods, for a 34-year period. 1903-1935. approximately 3,000 persons in the United States lost their lives and property was damaged to an extent of $1,685,000,000, or an annual average of nearly $50.000,000—exclusive of the in calculable loss through soil erosion by flood rains, he said. Estimates of losses from drought—ex clusive of disastrous droughts of the past few years—place the annual loss to wheat at 135 million bushels; oats, 200 million, and corn, 534 million. Frost an nually destroys 50 million bushels of wheat, 22 million bushe's of oats and 127 million bushels of corn. And hail yearly costs the Nation 14 million bushels of wheat, 15 million bushels of oats and 23 million bushels of corn. “When we add to these figures the many less imposing losses by weather vagaries, such as that by fire caused by lightning, amounting on the average to some $12,000,000 a year, and many others, the total national loss from weather vagaries is found to be very great in deed.” Kincer stated. Referring to the tornadic disaster at Gainesville, Ga., last Spring, in which, in ■ the space of a few minutes, more than 200 people were killed and property destroyed to the value of some $13,000, 000, Kincer said that results give a good deal of assurance In favor of heavy masonry and buildings with strong steel framework to withstand such forces. “Heretofore it has been generally believed that nothing could withstand the force of a well developed tornado.” he declared. Outstanding tornadoes in the United States include five that killed more than 100 people each, he reported. These were: Erie, Pa., July 26,1875, 134 deaths; Louisville. Ky„ March 27, 1890. 106 deatns; st. Louis, mo., May 27, ib»o, juo deaths; the tri-State tornado (Missouri, Illinois and Indiana), March 18, 1925, 889 deaths, and Gainesville, Ga„ April 6, 1936. 203 deaths. Of these the St. Louis, the tri-State and Gainesville, Ga„ tornadoes, as well as the Loraln-Sandus ky, Ohio, tornado in 1924, caused property loss of morr-than $10,000,000 each. Outstanding sterms other than tor nadoes include two in Florida—Septem ber 17-18, 1926, and September 16-17, 1928. In the former 243 lives were lost, with property damage amounting to more than $76,000,000, while in the latter more than 2.000 persons were killed and property loss was some $25,000,000. Another noted storm Kincer recalled oc curred in Galveston. Tex, September 8, 1900, when some 6,000 persons perished and $30,000,000 worth of property was damaged. The greatest losses from individual windstorms other than tornadoes occur In connection with troplcnl hurricanes, which sometimes cause violent gales along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, he stated. Montana and Iowa auffer severely from hall. Insurance records for Montana show that in bad hall year* tha average )M» to the wheat crop may run aa high aa 16 ta || par amt M tha total for tha State, while a 12-year record for Iowa shows that State had an aggregate loss of more than $43,000,000. * * * * A black ogre out of an ancient night mans was described before a section of the association today by Dr. Grace A. Pickford of Yale University. This animal is the vampyromorpha. It is closely allied to the octopuses and the cuttlefish. It is jet black and the surface of its body is studded with lumin ous organs. It lives at great depths in the sea. The creature has weakly de veloped muscles, compared with better known members of the octopus family and its tissues are of gelatinous con sistency. It is small. If it had the same size as the giant cuttlefish- it would be. in appearance, the most fearsome creature of the seas. Dr. Pickford described It as a new species on the basis of two specimens in the Bingham Oceonographic Laboratory at Yale. While it is a relative of the octopus and the squid, she said, its anatomy leads to the conclusion that It belongs to neither family, but Is a sur vivor of some very ancient group of molluscs ancestral to both. These creatures were once the domi nant order of life on earth. For un known reasons rpost of them became extinct millions .of years ago, but this gruesome “vampire” apparently has found a safe refuge through the aeons in the darkest abysses of the seas. Turkeys. Prom the Cincinnati Tunea-Star. The Christmas turkey is always a month older than the Thanksgiving bird; if he is wiser, also, he will roost higher. » * 1 ••• 1 Located. Prom the Saginaw Neva. We've at last located the boy who used to scare little children with goblin tales. He's grown up and gets his name in the papers predicting extra severe Winters. Parental Interest. Prom the Baltimore Evening Bun. As a father, we are deeply concerned over the charge that, in Oklahoma City, a school teacher sealed the lips of talka tive children with clothes-pins. What we want to know is, Did it work? Home Lot Talents. Prom tbe Paltrwn (N. J.) New*. In Detroit, a Ford car derailed a freight train at a grade crossing. It has been said for generations that a dog is mighty hard to whip in his own back yard. A Trailer Trade Handicap. Prom th# Joplin (Mo.) Qlobt. The trailer business is remarkably good considering it can scarcely be practical to sell them on the Installment plan. Col lecting might become so terribly expen sive. Tactful. Prom th* Btttlr Creek Enquirer-News. The Madrid government still seems to have a sense of humor in the face of trouble. Officials have appealed to the League of Nations to intervene in the Spanish dispute because of ‘ threatened war." The Deer Differs. Prnm th* Wilh.m.port Sun. "Deer Kill Waa Pair,” aa.v* a headline. T*a dear mar hare a different opinion. n ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HA SKIN. A reader ran get the answer to any question of fact by writing The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply. Q. Isn't all gambling illegal?—G. T. O. A. Not all. There is legalized betting on horse races in various States and on dog races in a lesser number of States. In at least one State, Florida, slot machines are not banned by law. and there are legalized gambling house* in Nevada. Q. Where is the gigantic statue of Mussolini being erected?—M. S. A. It is in the Foro Mussolini in Rome. It will be about 240 feet tall. Q. How big is a person's stomach? —N. M. J. A. Fully distended the human stomach is about the size of a foot ball. Empty, it shrivels to about finger size. Q. Who afe the directors of the American Academy of Arts and Letters? —H. G. A. They are as follows: Herbert Adams. N. M. Butler, Royal Cortissoz, W. L. Cross, Charles Dana Gibson, William Lyon Phelps, Robert Grant. A. M. Huntington and Robert Underwood Johnson. Q. Is Hiawatha a real Indian name? —C. J. P. A. Hiawatha is a name and a title of a chieftainship hereditary in the Tortoise clan of the Mohawk tribe; it is the second on the roll of federal chieftainships of the Iroquois confedera tion. The first known person to bear the name was a noted reformer, states man, legislator and magician. Justly celebrated as one of the founders of the League of the Iroquois, the Confed eration of Five Nations. Tradition makes him a prophet also. Q. What is the seating capacity of Carnegie Hall in New York Citv?—C. J. A. It has a seating capacity of 2.760. Q. Was John Howard Payne at one time an actor?—W. R. A. The author of “Home, Sweet Home," made his debut as an actor in New York City in 1809 and was successful for 30 years. He also wrote several plays, of which “Brutus,” “Charles II” and “Clari" are the best known. The song, “Home, Sweet Home,” was introduced in “Clari” which was produced as an opera in London. Q. Is it known who first made dough nuts with holes in them?—C. S. A. The hole in the doughnut is said to have been invented by a New Eng land mariner, a Capt. Gregory, when he was a lad of 15 in 1847, aboard a ship out of Boston, f Q. What is the story of how Columbus made an egg stand on end?—A. D. Y. A. The story rests on the authority of the Italian historian Benzoni. It Is recorded that while Columbus was at Barcelona, just before his second voyage, Pedro Gongales de Mendoza, the grand cardinal of Spain, holding the highest rank of any subject in the land, in vited the navigator to a banquet, at which he was assigned the most hon orable seat. One of the courtiers, who was jealous of the honor, asked Co lumbus whether he thought any one els# could have discovered the Indies. Co lumbus made no reply, but invited each of the guests to see whether he could make an egg stand on one end. All tried in vain. Columbus then struck the egg gently on the table to break th# shell, leaving it standing on the broken part. In this way, he illustrated the fact that it would be very simple for others to follow the path to the New World now that he had pointed the way. Q. How much does a Shetland pony weigh?—R. V. K. A. The average Shetland pony weighs 300 to 375 pounds. Q. What was the first “third party” in American politics?—D. S. A. The Quids was first. It was' so called from tertium quid, a third thing, because its members supported neither the administration forces nor their Fed eral opposition. John Randolph of Vir ginia was its leader in Congress. Q. What is the leading flour city of the world?—P. B. A. The Bureau of Agricultural Eco nomics says that Buffalo has recently come to the front, and now leads the world in total output of flour, while Minneapolis is second. Q. When was the Universal Postal Union organized?—M. A. A. In 1878. It followed an earlier union formed in 1874. It includes prac tically all nations on the globe. These countries are declared to be a single postal territory for the reciprocal ex change of correspondence. Q. When was the first concert or chestra formed in America?—D. R. A. The Philharmonic, founded by Gottlieb Graupner In 1799, was the first. Q. When did Finland become an In* dependent country?—Ki 8. A. Finland, which had been part of the Russian Empire, declared its inde pendence in December,; 1917, after the Bolshevik revolution. It became a re public a year later, and was recognised in May, 1919, by the nations, including the United States, assembled at the Peace Conference. Q. What is the shortest distance across the United States—C. C. A. The shortest, a straight line drawn from a point near Charleston, 8. C., to a point near San Diego, Calif., measures 2,152 miles. A Rhyme at Twilight By Gertrude Brooke Hamilton Wintry Dusk. Clouds hung like a gray curtain ever the city. By twilight the snowfall was swirling; High winds blew the downy flakes hither and thither, Against my closed window-panes whirling; Now they soared up aloft like swift chimney swallows. Then piled up high drifts in the deep ruts and hollows. In the white snow-mist all the street lamps were starry. And the automobiles in passing Seemed comets traversing a void leading i nownere, Or meteors thru the sky flashing. I turned to my fire, and in eaeh hrigh » ember J to tracing a face 1 toe* to ramambl