Evening star. [volume], February 25, 1937, Page A-12, Image 12

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.
THURSDAY..February 25, 1937
THEODORE W. NOYES.... Editor
The Evening Star Newspaper Company.
lith St and Pennsylvania Ave
New York Office: 111) East 4Und St
Chicago Office: 435 North Michigan A»e.
lUte by Carrier—City and Suburban.
Regular Edition.
nt *7,mn' Wldefcnp,erTm££th or 13c per week
Hj* evening per montj1 or joe per week
The Sunday Star-5c per copy
Night Final Edition.
Wight final and Sunday Star-?nc per month
Night Final Star—-55c per month
Collection made at the end of each month or
•ach week. Orders may be sent by mall or tele
phone National 5000.
Bate by Mail—Payable in Advance.
Maryland and Virginia.
tally and Sunday.. 1 yr.. $10.00; 1 mo.. S5c
ally only _- 1 yr.. 5«.on; l mo.. 60c
inday only__1 yr. $4.00; 1 mo- 40c
All Other States and Canada.
Dally and Sunday. J yr., $12.00; 1 mo.. $1.00
Dailv only_1 yr- $*.00; 1 mo., ,5c
Sunday only__1 yr- $5.00; 1 mo.. 6uc
Member of the Associated Press.
The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to
the use for republicatiou of all news dispatches
credited to It or not otherwise credited in this
paper ana also the local news published herein.
All rights of publication o£ special dispatches
herein are also reserved.
Muddled Authority.
Ic statutory regulation of the practice
of beauty culture in the District of Co
lumbia in accord with the policies of
the President of the United States and
the Democratic administration? What
about the proposal to permit incorpora
tion of the National Association of State
Librarians? Should the National Rifle
Association of the United States be ex
empt from taxation under these policies?
Should capital punishment be abolished
in the District? Should changes be per
mitted in the streets to permit erection
of a new Pan-American Union Building,
or should the streets remain where they
are and the building be constructed on
■tilts or underground?
These are only a few' of the weighty
questions which have been referred to
the Budget Bureau by the District Com
missioners, who have bunched all the
local bills introduced at this session of
Congress and dutifully sent them to the
Budget Bureau for report. There they
will be studied and possibly referred to
the National Emergency Council for more
study. The Nation, of course, waits with
bated breath upon the decisions.
The Commissioners, meanwhile, must
under no condition permit their own
views regarding these and other measures
to become known until the pontifical
verdicts of the Budget Bureau have been
announced. Then they may speak. If
their views differ from those of the
Budget Bureau they may either withhold
them or place themselves in the position
of advocating something in opposition to
the President’s policy.
This laborious and nonsensical process
Is time-wasting and in itself enough to
destroy initiative in intelligent analysis
and advocacy of local legislation by Dis
trict officials. It is more than that. It is
confusing and bewildering, piling up
enough red tape to delight the busy
bureaucrats W'ho have devised the system,
but leaving the unhappy local taxpayers
In a hopeless “No Man’s Land" between
the Commissioners and the anonymous
individuals at the Budget Bureau who
reach their decisions behind locked doors.
An example of the confusion under this
system is found in the urgent plea trans
mitted to the Commissioners last October
for deficiency funds to care for a great
number of unfortunate individuals whose
part-time employment, not enough to
provide for their support, has at the same
time made them ineligible both for local
and W. P. A. relief. Under the Presi
dent’s policy of caring for the un
fortunate, so often and so eloquently
sounded by administration leaders, it
would seem that in the District of Co
lumbia, under the exclusive control of
the National Government, something
might be done for these people. But after
four months it is found that nothing
can be done.
An "informal” conference, it seems,
with Budget Bureau officials clearly
showed there was no chance of obtaining
Budget Bureau approval of further re
quests to Congress for funds. And ac
cording to one of those who took part
in an Informal conference, the social
workers asked for bread and were given
a stone in the form of a lecture revealing
the personal predilections of the bureau
official whose attitude toward public re
lief is so plainly contradictory to the an
nounced policies of this administration
that his unwilling audience is left com
pletely befuddled. The views of an offi
cial of the Budget Bureau on "social
workers” and the responsibility of the
churches are not important, but the fact
that an official at the Budget Bureau
has the authority to deliver such dicta
while passing on such questions is Im
portant.
It is idle to talk of improving the
functioning of the municipal government
until the Commissioners are given some
authority and the responsibility which
accompanies its exercise. With authority
now divided between the Commissioners
and the Budget Bureau, not to mention
Congress, there is hopelessly divided re
sponsibility which only encourages in
action and the passing of the buck.
Masterpiece of Strategy.
Dr. Townsend’s “masterpiece of strat
egy’’ in walking out on the House com
mittee last May during investigation
of his old-age pension plan may have
been even more masterful had there
been proper co-operation by those
charged with upholding the dignity of
the House. But politics also calls for
masterly strategy. As a result, Dr.
Townsend has been found guilty by a
Jury of his peers long after the end of
a campaign during which such a verdict
might have made of him much more
of a martyr than he is today.
The offense for which the doctor was
tried occurred last May 21. Members of
Congress found themselves holding a
bear by the tail. They shied away from
any move which in the eyes of an
emotional public might have been con
strued as persecution of the doctor. At
the same time they could not well permit
the dignity of the House to suffer
through Dr. Townsend’s contemptuous
act.
Instead of the immediate indictment
which the normal processes of justice
would have produced, the presentation
of the case to the gra/id jury was
delayed. The indictment was not re
ported until December 3 last, a month
after the election had demonstrated that
Dr. Townsend and the O. A. R. P, Inc,
did not figure very largely in the eyes
of the American electorate. The trial,
two and a half months after the indict
ment, required only two days. The Jury
deliberated only fifty minutes. Possibly
a year hence the Court of Appeals will
hand down its opinion. And by that time
people may look at the headlines and
pause a moment while recalling who Dr.
Townsend was, what he did and why.
Dr. Townsend’s strategy may have
been masterful. But all the strategists
are not confined to the ranks of the
O. A. R. P., Inc.
“Swing” Politics.
Senator Vandenberg of Michigan,
writing in the Saturday Evening Post,
undertakes to answer the question: “How
dead is the Republican party?” His con
clusion is that it is no more defunct
than was the Democratic party after its
disastrous defeats in 1920, 1924 and 1928;
that it is no deader than was the G. O. P.
itself after the election of 1912, when the
Republican candidate for President re
ceived exactly 8 electoral votes—as did
Governor Landon in 1936.
A rather soul-searching dissertation is
Senator Vandenberg's article on the
present status of the political party to
which he gives allegiance. He admits
that in the heyday of its power the
G. O. P. was “smug” and that it made
mistakes. But that does not mean that
the party cannot purge and purify itself;
that it cannot and will not gain much
from its very defeats.
The Senator does not undertake to
prophesy when or in what vein the Re
publican party will return to power. He
merely asserts that undoubtedly it can
and will. And certs inly the political
history of this country, particularly dur
ing the last quarter century, seems to
bear him out. The pendulum swings
invariably. And at times the swing is
very7 swift.
What is to be the ultimate political
effect upon the so-called Democratic
party of today—and upon its opposi
tion—of the present effort of the Roose
velt administration to rew7rite the Con
stitution of the United States without
going to the people for its amendment?
What ts to be the political effect of a
spending program that is heaping
heavier and heavier burdens upon the
tax-paying people—all of the people
despite efforts to make it appear that
the burden is falling and is to fall merely
upon the rich? What is to be the effect
of a failure on the part of an adminis
tration to insist that the laws for the
protection of property be enforced—as
in the case of the sit-down strikes which
now are springing up throughout the
country like mushrooms? And what is
to be the effect of the creation of a great
bureaucratic government which is in
terfering more and more with the ordi
nary activities of the people? It would
be a major prophet indeed who could
answer these questions in detail. How
ever, it is permitted even the layman
to guess.
One thing is certain. If the Repub
lican party will think first of the in
terests of the American people and
the country as a whole, it will progress.
If it will stick to the principles of the
constitutional form of government under
which America has grown great and the
people have enjoyed huge benefits, it
will have its definite place.
It would be both idle and unfair to
contend that nothing of good has been
done by the New Deal administration.
But it would be just as idle and cer
tainly incorrect to maintain that the
New Deal has not inflicted wounds upon
the people from which they will be many
years recovering.
The next four years are full of polit
ical portent. And yet, the main issue,
as always, is the greatest good for the
people. It is an issue that transcends
all parties and smashes all party lines.
When the time arrives, If it does, that the
country is convinced that the New Deal
maintains itself only by passing out
favors for which the people pay through
the nose in dollars and in loss of liberty,
it will turn to another leadership. It is for
such leadership that the G. O. P. should
prepare itself.
If an area free from fog, in the vi
cinity of the District of Columbia, is an
essential consideration in the selection
of an airport, the Weather Bureau should
be conscientiously consulted to ascertain
whether there Is any such place.
The Woes of Empire.
Ethiopia has turned up again, like
Banquo’s ghost, to torment Italy’s least
of empire. Not only has it been neces
sary to destroy a formidable rebel army
and execute a thousand-odd tribesmen
implicated in an attempted assassina
tion of Viceroy General Graziani, but
Great Britain has mortally aspersed
Fascism’s newly Incubated imperial
honor. II Duce’s blood is boiling.
The former Eihperor Haile Selassie,
now exiled in the English provinces, was
invited to send a representative to the
coronation of King George VI. The ex
Negus has not only accepted the bid,
but added insult to injury by naming
as his envoy Ras Desta Demtu, the
chieftain now leading the forlorn hope
of resistance to the Roman conqueror.
Italy is undecided whether to vent its
wrath upon perfidious Albion, with
which she only recently sealed a bond
of Mediterranean amity, or upon the
throneless fugitive who dares still to
comport himself as an emperor.
The Fascists resent the coronation in
vitation because it denotes that Britain
does not yet acknowledge King Victor
Emmanuel’s sovereignty over Ethiopia.
Rome is In a state of high dudgeon.
Doubt has already arisen whether the
house of Savoy will consent to be repre
sented at London In May. A ticklish
matter of protocol Is involved. If Halle
Selassie was simply addressed as “his
majesty,” that may be overlooked, as
deposed monarchs do not shed that
appellation. But It will be a horse of
more serious color if the pasteboard was
sent to "Halle Selassie, Emperor of
Ethiopia.” The royal occupant of the
Quirlnal Palace claims the sole right
to that distinction now. If King
George has Invited the late ruler of
Addis Ababa as "Emperor,” the rival
potentate in Rome, unable to tolerate
a competitor’s presence in Westminster
Abbey, will probably send regrets.
Of greater gravity than this tragi
comic situation is the insurrection which
culminated in last week’s effort to kill
General Graziani. Ras Desta Demtu at
the head of 3,000 men planned to attack
Addis Ababa following the expected
assassination of the viceroy. The force
was cut to pieces before coming within
striking distance of the capital. With a
remnant of his warriors, Desta Demtu
eluded capture. A merciless fate awaits
him if he falls Into the Italians’ hands.
Rebellious operations, in progress since
January, will eventually be suppressed.
But Mussolini is discovering, like other
colonial conquerors before him, that the
price of empire is high and must be
paid in blood.
Franklin D. Roosevelt has never had
a chance to make an appointment to the
Supreme Court. An equal distribution
of privilege may seem only fair, but the
appointment of six at one time must
be contemplated in fear of overbalanc
ing the budget of presidential preroga
tive.
On the radio a certain amount of time
is allotted. Former President Hoover took
all that was coming to him, but man
aged to concentrate the big meaning of
his remarks In a brief epilogue, “hands
off the Supreme Court!”
The factory manager who conducted a
sit-down strike on his own account gave
a logical demonstration of the fact that
providing a pay roll regularly is a Job
which may require alert effort and some
clock punching.
George Washington is one patriot who
is honored too deeply to allow the public
to be content with placing a wreath on
his tomb on his birthday. His deeds were
memorable. His ideals can never be
forgotten.
Psychiatrists have been brought into
the controversy concerning State police
in Maryland. Johns Hopkins' medical
staff may yet be called upon to act with
authority as a brain trust.
Collegiate journalism endeavors to
contribute to the gajety of nations, but
in compiling its jokes does not hesitate to
accept the literary assistance occasionally
of some unregenerate sexagenarian.
Shooting Stars.
BY PHILANDER JOHNSON.
Easy Program.
Wisht I was a weather man.
With nothin’ much to do
Excep' to sit around and scan
The skies of gray or blue.
My little bulletin I'd frame
In letters large an’ clear,
An’ always cause it to proclaim
A word of timely cheer.
On Winter warmth an’ Summer chill
My comments I’d pursue,
An’ leave them hangin’ ’round until
Each one of them came true.
In AU HomiUty.
“You sometimes discuss subjects you
don’t understand,” remarked the cen
sorious friend.
“Yes,” replied Senator Sorghum, “but
in all humility. I’m perfectly willing to
keep the conversation going so that the
other feliow will have a chance to explain
’em to me.”
The Road to Learning.
“Did the learned professor explain the
matter on which you were in doubt?”
“Yes. But he used such unfamiliar
language that 111 have to- go around
tomorrow and get him to explain the
explanation.”
Machinery.
The Government is a machine,
An Intricate affair:
Sometimes it rides along serene,
Sometimes it calls for care.
A few skilled workmen must be found
To tend the running gear,
While thoughtless people stand around
And try to Interfere.
A Reasonable Doubt.
“You seem to have lost your faith in a
rabbit’s foot.”
"Well," replied Mr. Erastus Pinkley, "I
done thought it over. An’ de more I
thought, de more I couldn’t Agger dat de
rabbit wot furnished de foot had been
lucky foh his ownse’f.”
Knowing Him Like a Book.
"He has a title?” remarked Miss
Cayenne Inquiringly.
"Yes,” replied the young woman.
"Have you learned all about his per
sonal history?"
"I don't think I have.”
“Well, I should advise you to do so.
In my reading I have found that a very
charming title may go with a highly un
satisfactory story.”
Resignation.
Sometimes a man with words profuse
Will shout and misbehave
Till people mutter, "What’s the use!
Well simply let him rave!”
"De man dat’s afraid to take his share
of de risk,” said Uncle Eben, "takes
bigger chances dan de man dat plays
fair. I learned dat watchin’ what hap
pened to a feller dat got hisse’f ketched
cheatin’ in a crap game.”
Election to Office Is No
Mandate to Violate Pledge
To the Editor of The Star:
In a recent letter to The Star Mr.
M. R. Pollitt begins with an abjurgation
of all the “hue and cry of dictator
ship” and ends with the following state
ment: “No one can doubt that the dic
tate of the electorate In November de
mands an adoption of the policies of
President Roosevelt and a release from
the domination of a deciding vote In a
decision of the Supreme Court.”
The only logical deduction from these
two opinions is that the recent election
l gave a mandate to Roosevelt to dictate
its decisions to the Supreme Court. Any
one having intelligence enough to read
the editorial pages of the newspapers is
not so naive as to be taken in by such
arguments. What's the use talking
about Congress representing the people
when everybody who can read knows
that Congress does exactly as the Presi
dent wants it to do? When Congress
passes bills of the greatest importance
without debate, and without even read
ing the bills, .why talk about its repre
senting the people? Such talk is an
insult to common intelligence.
And this talk about “mandates” Is
equally nauseating. The only mandates
that the pople give to elected officials
are to carry out the specific declarations
of the party platform. The New Deal
platform declared it to be the purpose of
the party to carry out its policies by
laws "within the Constitution,” or by
“clarifying amendments.” Roosevelt and
his campaign speakers studiously avoided
any suggestion that he intended to
tamper with the court. Demands by the
Republicans that he declare himself on
this issue met with complete silence.
Who is so innocent of practical politics
as not to know that Roosevelt carefully
avoided this issue because he knew that
a large number of voters still retain a
higher regard for the Constitution than
for any political party, and that their
votes might be enough to defeat him?
This is called “political strategy." That
the people well understand such polit
ical strategy is convincingly shown by
the instant and loud protests that rang
out when Roosevelt sprung his surprise.
Stripped of all its sophistry and mere
“sound and fury,” the present question
of the Supreme Court comes down to
this: Roosevelt, having Congress com
pletely under his thumb, now wants to
put the Supreme Court in the same posi
tion. If that would not result In prac
tical dictatorship then the English lan
guage has lost its meaning.
E. L. ELLIOTT.
Election Gave President
Right to Change Court
To the Editor of The Star:
It is interesting to hear people talk
about the changes advocated by our
President on the question of the ‘‘re
organization of the judiciary.” Some
of the people who did everything they
could to defeat Mr. Roosevelts re
election are at it again, saying this
time that he is trying to be a dictator.
The people who supported him have no
such idea that he is trying to become a.
Hitler or a Stalin. His friends are fight
ing for him. and they can be assured
that Mr. Roosevelt will win out in this
fight with the courts. Some of our
Federal and State courts are out of step
with the wishes and demands of the
people. If the judges do not carry out
the demands of the people through our
President they should be retired from
the bench. There are just as many in
telligent lawyers in Congress today who
understand the Constitution and what
it stands for as any judge or any Fed
eral bench in this land.
Lowell once said: “New times demand
new measures and new men; the world
advances and in time outgrows the laws
that in our fathers’ days were best.”
These words are full of wisdom and
make sense. Federal Judges would do
well to get in step with the New Deal,
and carry out the wishes of the people
through their representatives in Con
gress. H. V. HUDGINS.
Killing of Fox Run to
Earth Unsportsmanlike
To the Editor of The Stir:
May I commend the sentiments of
your correspondent, Mr. John Eliot, in
a recent issue of The Star regarding the
sport of fox hunting.
The Incident he referred, to, which
was reported in the column “In the
Hunt Country," was particularly un
sportsmanlike, inasmuch as a fox run
to earth has won immunity from the
hunters and is regarded as inviolate. To
have harried the fox from his sanc
tuary and allowed the dogs to tear him
to pieces is as revolting as other prac
tices of the hunt from which England
is slowly emerging under pressure of
such organizations as the League for the
Prohibition of Cruel .Sports supported
by such members as Viscount Morley,
Air Commodore L. E. O. Charlton, the
late John Galsworthy, Dame Sybil
Thorndike and a host of others.
As England throws off the shackles of
blood sports forged link by link of hunt
ing the otter, coursing the timid hare,
pursuing the carted stag, throwing the
fox to the dogs and “blooding" the faces
of young children with the brush it is a
pity this country is taking it up.
We saw some time ago an Episcopal
prelate of Washington enter into this
"sport” by blessing the hounds in the
name of the Compassionate One. And
we like to call ourselves civilized!
M. S. BRECK.
Packing Box Architecture
And the Mellon Gallery
To the Editor of The Star:
I was grstifled at your reference yes
terday to the packing box style of archi
tecture which some of our public build
ings exemplify. It has been rumored
that the State, War and Navy Building
will have to be remodeled, which per
haps means that it will be covered over
with a packing box exterior. I am
afraid that even the District Building
beautiful though it is, will be found too
unique, too non-uniform, in style, to be
considered good taste by the Fine Arts
Commission.
It is much to be hoped that the Mellon
gallery will be set off by itself some
where, instead of being arranged with
uniform binding to add to the congested
condition of Pennsylvania avenue, and,
further, that it will not be built so as
to cut off more of the routes of access to
the south side of the city. Other build
ings. beautiful though they are when
considered singly, have had a bad effect
on looks and utility by being set right
across some streets that are needed for
streets, and too close to the center line
of others.
Why could not Mr. Mellon’s splendid
gift be placed in some other part of the
city; for instance, on Capitol Hill? There
it will be in the neighborhood of other
art works, the Capitol and Congressional
Library. WILLIAM C. LEE.
Fifty Years Too High.
Prom th. Wllllamiport Sun.
A Russian scientist says that man Is
at his prime at 20 and that thereafter
general dissolution sets. In. Maybe the
suggested age limit of TO years of Su
preme Court justices is BO pears too high.
THIS AND THAT
t
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.
Reference to the failure of some juncos
to come to a feeding station has brought
upon the devoted head of a friend of
birds an avalanche of letters.
Juncos, or snowbirds, do come to feed
ers, their friends declare, and in no un
certain terms. A few samples:
‘‘Dear Sir: I note from This and That
a statement that the favorite little Juncos
seldom patronize a feeding station.
“This I must correct, as I’ve had for
the past three years all-day visits from
this little beauty, not one, but any num-*
ber, from morning until about 3 p.m.
“They have their choice of feeders;*
one I love best because it hangs from the
roof edge directly in front of my bed room
window, within 6 inches of reaching dis
tance; this brings them in clear view.
“Often they remain on swinging feeder,
pounding away at sunflower seeds until
a full meal is enjoyed, then away. Other
small birds such as nuthatches fly
straight from near tree, dozens of times,
carrying seed to baric, wedging it tightly,
so he can tap, tap, tap until one end
opens, removing meat or heart of seed.
“Then I've the purple finch, another
sweet singer. He, too, loves this box and
has no fear of my watching him. They're
really not purple, more deep rose.
“About the bluejays—such wonderful
big fellows I have every Winter, so well
fed they seem unusually large. They eat
sunflower seed from yard feeder, but
their special meal Is taken from roof of
side porch, directly in view of window.
“This treat is the jays’ delight—
roasted peanuts In the shell. They call
continuously each morning from 7 o’clock,
and the minute I throw them a handful
as many as eight at a time dive grace
fully from a tree, land directly on food,
taking shell and all up on a branch,
open, take out nut, hold this until all is
eaten, then back for more.
“My cardinals, too, are indeed un
usually large and beautiful. They also
like sunflower seed and fresh roasted pea
nuts. I feed bread to starlings, and they
love it only fresh.
“If the correspondent would try a large
feeder about 5 feet from the ground, then
with this a few small feeders as I’ve de
scribed. one at each window (I have four
attractive ones, all weather protected),
I'm sure they’d have plenty of callers to
feed. Indeed, they are a pleasure to look
after; every evening while bright you
must put out fresh seed, as the daybreak
brings many more birds than one can
ever name unless knowing feathered
creatures. Sincerely, A. B. L.”
“'Dear Sir: I always enjoy your bird \
articles, and after reading one in yes
terdays paper, I am wondering whether
the juncos and song sparrows that come
in large numbers to my feeding station
are of a different temperament than
those you and your correspondent write
about.
‘ Not only do they feed at the station,
but enter, apparently without any fear,
into a large outdoor cage where the
canaries are kept during the Summer.
' The cardinals also enter this cage for
feed, as also do the chickadees, titmice
and nuthatches.
‘ The various other birds, woodpeckers,
bluebirds, mockingbirds, prefer the feed
ing station. The pestiferous English
sparrow—and I cannot agree as to his
beauty and desirability—will feed any
where.
"Very truly yours, R. D. M."
* * * *
"Dear Sir: We live opposite the grove
of the Country Club, so each morning
have a host of birds for breakfast.
“I wish you could have seen the yard
this morning, a wonderful sight. Some
days we have as many as 20 redbirds.
"As for the sparrows, we do not count
them, their number is so large.
“We put out suet for the starlings and
all day long they are eating and fighting.
“Today has been a flhe day to watch
them. I always read your articles with
a great deal of interest.
“Yours, C. A. W.”
* * * *
One of the great pleasures of bird
watching is that there will always be
differences of opinion, based on different
observations.
Although we always have four feeders
going, using about 10 pounds of seed per
day, with scores of birds present, the
juncos, or snowbirds, which come to our
garden mostly prefer to stay in the grass.
Occasionally they come beneath the
feeders, where the tracks of hundreds
of birds, over the days, have worn circles
as much as 6 feet ill diameter to bare
ground.
We have yet to see a Junco on the plat
form of any of these feeders.
One must be very sure that one’s junco,
when on a feeder, does not turn out to be
a chickadee! Chickadees invariably
wedge seeds in bark to crack them.
There is little resemblance, in a way,
and yet a very great one, in another.
But happily the various species, in dif
ferent yards, may act in different ways.
That is one of the very finest points of
bird watching. While the same birds
have great basic characters alike, in the
same family, the individual members,
like goldfish in an aquarium, may have
very different habits.
The easiest way to get a laugh from
persons not interested in aquarium man
agement is to call individual goldfishes
by name.
“What! You have names for them?”
It is sure-fire.
The truth is, however, that to the per
son who knows them the inmates of the
tank may be as different as A, B, C, and
well deserve their different names, be
cause they are really different.
It is much the same with birds.
Note, in the above correspondence, how
each person, naturally enough, thinks the
birds in his or her garden the very largest
and most handsome of all.
Surely few persons have really looked
at bluejays, for instance, without being
mildly amazed at just how large and
beautiful they are.
Especially when a jay is perched on
a feeder, its tail hangs down so very
long, and its crest sticks up so very high,
that one instinctively says, “Why I never
realized before just exactly what a large,
handsome fellow the blue jay is!"
There is one member of the family we
hope to see some time, and that is the
Canada jay, or Whiskey Jack, as it is
called.
It is said that the Whiskey Jack will
enter a tent and fly away with whatever
happens to attract its attention.
After watching the bluejays in our
garden we can well believe this tale. The
Canadian woodsmen have a special place
in their rough but sturdy hearts for the
cheeky Whiskey Jack, as they call him.
STARS, MEN AND ATOMS
Notebook of Science Progress in Field,
Laboratory and Study.
BY THOMAS R. HENRY.
The machine age is passed.
Even while economists and politicians
during the depression were shaking fists
over its blessings and curses it was giving
way to a new era in history—the chemi
cal age.
Such was the conclusion of Dr.
C. M. A. Stine, Dupont rice president,
speaking before the University of Cin
cinnati Friday night. The passing has
been almost imperceptible, dating essen
tially from the World War, but gathering
its greatest momentum during the past
six years.
At the best. Dr. Stine stressed, the
machine had one great limitation. It
could produce in great quantities all
sorts of goods. It could reduce prices
and improve quality so as to give the
poorest products which the richest could
not have afforded before. Despite the
criticisms of machine production—the
decline of individual craftsmanship, the
concentration of wealth, the displace
ment of labor—it probably justified itself
a hundred times over in the increase it
brought about in the wealth of man
kind which was. in some manner, shared
by all. But the machinp could work
only with existing materials. It could
create nothing new. It could turn out
rubber boots by the millions. It could
make them better than they could be
made by hand. It could reduce the cost
of making them so that every man could
afford a pair—provided he had a Job and
could afford anything. But it could only
make them of rubber. Their quality
was circumscribed by the qualities of
rubber. The same was true of all other
products, from locomotives to safety
pins.
Along came the chemist. Before tne
war he has been a rather humble figure.
In 1914 all the American universities
conferred only 71 doctorates in chem
istry. The chemical industry was largely
concentrated in Germany. The machine
was in its heyday of power. The master
of the machine was master of the world
—at least economically.
Now, says Dr. Stine, this mastery has
passed from the man who could make
the most of nature's products to the
man who can create products not known
in nature. Nature, after all, was not
essentially concerned with man’s needs.
She has not labored through the ages
to meet his critical approval. She
created latex, the raw substance of rub
ber, to protect rubber trees from insects—
not to keep man's feet from getting wet.
She created the raw material of silk to
make cocoons for silk worms, not to
make hose for milady. She created wool
to keep sheep warm, not to keep men
warn. It so happened that man could
utilize these products, but It was none
of Nature’s concern whether he could or
not.
The machine had to take them as it
found them and make the best of them.
No machine could make better wool than
a sheep or better wood than a tree. It
could only facilitate their utilization,
with all their defects from man’s point of
view. The vast possibilities of improve
ment on nature were hardly dreamed
of 20 years ago.
"I do not mean,” Dr. Stine said, "that
the machine has declined in importance.
It is, perhaps, even more important than
it was. But we have moved up to a
higher plane of progress into a higher
air of economic development, that begins
where the plane of the machine age
stopped. The machine is simply a means
of doing better and at less cost what
was once done by hand and foot power.
.It is essentially a labor-saving device, a
term which I use in the broad sense of
lightening labor. Science is concerned
with labor saving, too. but it is far more
vitally concerned with creation—the
creation of new knowledge, of new ma
terials and new products, of new in
dustries and new employment, and of
improved health and material welfare
for all of us, from the proudest to the
humblest.
“The awakening of the chemical In
dustry was the birth of a new viewpoint
and of a new idea of responsibility in
finitely more daring than man had yet
conceived. On the one hand it recog
nized the imperfections in our progress,
while on the other it challenged the
complacency which held imperfection
to be an inevitable characteristic of
human effort, about which little or
nothing could be done. Under the old
viewpoint we believed that man could
not possibly Improve on Nature's ma
terials and deemed successful imitation
of them the height of human achieve
ment. Under the new viewpoint we
threw attempted imitation to the winds
and set out boldly to become creators
in our own right of wholly new ma
terials that Nature had failed to supply.
“Do not misunderstand me. Nature
still is omnipotent in her own vast
sphere. The chemist is seeking neither
to paint the lily nor to perfume the
rose. He is seeking and finding colors,
perfumes and drugs that are far more
satisfactory for man's purposes than
any nature has provided in flowers and
plants. He is taking such common
things as air, water, coal, salt, lime and
the like and compounding them or their
components into a great new category
of materials capable of serving us better
than any of the natural substitutes to
the use of which we have been limited
for centuries.
“This new ability of man to create
and the new vision it has given us in
turn is creating a new economy—an
economy that is putting wealth in the
true sense of greater enjoyment of life
within the reach of millions who never
before knew it. It is creating new op
portunities for work, new leisure, new
health. Above all. it is creating new
knowledge in the light of which almost
nothing stands as impossible.”
Do People of U. S. Want to
Surrender Bill of Rights?
To the Editor of The Star:
It has occurred to me that to deprive
the Supreme Court of the power to de
clare an act of Congress unconstitutional
would be in effect to wipe out the Amer
ican Bill of Rights, the first 10 amend
ments to the Constitution. Are the
people of the United States ready to see
their rights made the foot ball of con
tending political parties?
I cannot believe that we are as yet
ready for such a change. So far the
first 10 amendments have served us well.
Why not leave well enough alone?
C. P. BOLLMAN.
Britain Brightening Up.
From the Y.ktm* Republic*.
Over 200 members of the British Par
liament are bachelors, but, nevertheless,
it was proposed in that body to investi
gate the causes of the declining birth
rate in England. The sense of humor
appears to be developing in the tight
Uttte isle.
ANSWERS TO
QUESTIONS
BY FREDERIC J. HA SKIN.
A reader eon 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. Who is president of the Society for
the Prevention of Calling Sleeping Car
Porters George?—E. M.
A. Senator Walter P. George of
Georgia.
Q What makes soap float?—H. W.
A. Floating soaps are produced by in
corporating a large amount of air in the
soap, thus making it slightly lighter
than water.
Q How many loaves of bread can be
made from a barrel of flour?—L. W. K.
A. One barrel of flour is considered
sufficient for an average of 370 one
pound loaves of bread.
Q. How many amateur performances
has Maj. Bowes held and how many
have appeared on his program?—T. W.
A. On February 11 Maj. Bowes cele
brated the 100th consecutive perform
ance of his amateurs. Since March,
1935, more than 2,500 amateurs have
appeared on the program and 21
theatrical units have played in 1.963
cities.
Q How often is a religious census
taken in the United States?—S. M
A. The division of religious statistics
of the Bureau of the Census takes a
census of religious bodies every 10 years.
Q How much timber is lost in forest
fires?—E. M R.
A. Forest fires consume annually an
average of $50,000 worth of timber.
Q Which are the first of the perma
nent teeth to appear in a child's mouth?
—M L
A. The six-year molars are the first.
There are eight molars which are tempo
rary. and back of these are the four
molars which are cut when a child is
about 6 years old, forming the keystone
of the dental arch for the permanent
teeth.
Q What was the cost of the Lincoln
Memorial at Washington, D. C.?—E. J.
A. It was erected at a cost of $3,000,000.
Q. WTiat is the organization called
Repeal Associates?—W. J. H.
A. Repeal Associates is a citizens’
council for liquor control. It was or
ganized early in 1934. upon the dissolu
tion of the Association Against the Pro
hibition Amendment and by resolution
of the national board of directors of the
old association. The organization has
headquarters in the Otis Building,
Washington, D. C.
Q Who was known as the Napoleon
of music?—H. W.
A. The gypsy violinist, Janos Behari,
was so-called in Europe. He was bom
the same year as Napoleon.
Q What is Ben Bernie's real name?—
A. D.
A. The orchestra leader was named
Benjamin Anselvitz.
Q. Who wrote the poem containing
the lines: "A boy’s will is the wind’s will,
and the thoughts of youth are long, long
thoughts”?—C. G. H.
A. The lines are from “My Lost
Youth,” by Longfellow.
Q: What was Edmund Burke's attitude
toward the British Constitution?—B. H.
A. Of Burke it has been said: “He
always looked on any meddling with the
Constitution as a dangerous matter, and
this reverence for the established order
sometimes led him to speak and write
as though its preservation were of
greater moment than the liberty which
was the very reason of its existence. * * *"
Q Where did Dwight L. Moody, the
evangelist, die and what were his last
words?—C. L. 8.
A Dr. Moody died at Northfield,
Mass . on December 22, 1899. His last
words were: "Earth is receding. Heaven
approaching: God is calling me.”
Q. Please give some information about
the early life of Homer Martin, president
of the international Union, Automobile
Workers of America.—W. R.
A. Born on August 16, 1902, son of a
teacher, Mr. Martin's early childhood
was spent near Marlon. 111. At 19 he
entered the ministry of the Baptist
church. Later he matriculated at Wil
liam Jewell College, Liberty, Mo., from
which he was graduated in 1928. In
college he distinguished himself in track
events. After graduation he became the
pastor of a Baptist church in Leeds, Mo,
Q What Federal Theater play has had
the longest run?—E. J.
A. The longest continuous run was
that of “It Can’t Happen Here,” which
has been played nearly 100 times.
Q. What was the first color advertise
ment to appear in a magazine?—E. J. H.
A. Printers’ Ink says: "According to
Frank Presbrey’s ’History and Develop
ment of Advertising': ‘In Perrault's "The
Awakening of Cupid.” a Paris Salon pic
ture of 1891, the alert advertising de
partment of Youth's Companion saw an
opportunity for some one to do the new
and unusual. Mellin’s Food was selected
to fit the picture to—and this advertiser
accepted the idea. The result was a back
cover of the painting, lithographed in
full color, in the World Fair edition of
Youth’s Companion 'May 4,1893), which
had a circulation of 650.000. The $14,000
paid for this first color advertisement in
I an American periodical was. as men
tioned elsewhere, the highest for a
single insertion up to that time.’"
Marriage a la Holland.
Pram the Sacramento Bee
In Holland's recent royal wedding the
Crown Princess is reported to have pro
vided her entire trousseau. A Dutch
treat, as it were.
A Rhyme at Twilight
By
Gertrude Brooke Hamilton
Shelter.
A wild, gusty day and a wet wind blowing;
A wind-fretted brook under willows flow
ing;
A little brown bird worn with too lonj
flying
Drops down to a stone by the streamlet
lying.
Wet gales blow it on; It struggles ti
follow
The course of the brook to a willowj
hollow.
Close in the warm roots, and safe in theii
keeping.
Head under brown wing the tired blrd'i
■ - - - - *
Bleeping.
>