Evening star. [volume], May 01, 1937, 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__May 1, 1937
THEODORE W. NOYES_Editor
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herein are also reserved.
Legislative Procrastination.
With a potential legislative program
of great size and importance, the
Seventy-fifth Congress has been mark
ing time, most of the period, since it
opened its present session almost four
months ago. Take, for example, the
record of the Senate and its daily ses
sions. For while many measures must
end do originate in the House, it is the
upper house which often—more often
than not—has the final say. Since Con
gress met January 5 there have been
100 working days—days exclusive of
Sundays—and the Senate has been in
session 60 days and has held no session
on 40 days. Rarely, if ever, has such
a record been made in the past.
Regard the record month by month.
In January the Senate met on 14 days
only; in February it met on 15 days; in
March it met on 18 days, and in April on
13 days. Last month the record for doing
nothing outdoes the record for the other
three months. There has been a slow
ing down, if anything. And this is not
the whole story, for on many of the
days when the Senate was sitting it was
In session for only a few minutes, or
lor two or three hours.
What is the result and what is the
answer to this period of procrastination?
A number of the annual appropriation
bills are still to be acted upon—although
in the old days of the “short session,”
when Congress met only for three
months before adjournment, all these
measures were put through on time and
usually many other legislative bills in
addition. During the present Congress
only a few major pieces of legislation
have been enacted—among them the
permanent neutrality act, which was
given the final approval of both houses
day before yesterday. Several bills have
been put through extending the life and
operation of some of the so-called emer
gency agencies of Government. There
has been no major labor legislation, no
legislation for the farmers, nothing
has been done about amending the so
cial security act—although it cries out
for amendment. So much for the results.
The answer as to why all this pro
crastination is found in the partial
paralysis on Capitol Hill ever since Presi
dent Roosevelt startled the legislators
and the entire Nation with his proposal
tp increase the membership of the Su
preme Court so as to obtain more liberal
Interpretation of the Constitution and
to secure decisions from the court which
the New Dealers desire. This court bill
was sent to the Congress by the President
on February 5, just a month after Con
gress assembled. For three months it
has been discussed in Congress and out,
and the bill is still in the committee
itage in the Senate with little prospect
of reaching the Senate itself until after
May 18. The word has gone forth
that the President must have this legis
lation before anything else is done. In
the meantime all labor and farm legisla
tion must wait, and other measures
Which have been considered part of the
administration program are hanging fire,
euch as the Federal housing bill.
Either Congress is storing up for itself
« long Summer and Fall session, with
Work piled high, or this is to be a do
nothing session, with an adjournment
Boon after the court bill has been dis
posed of. The President has proposed
to Congress, with great fervor, a plan
tor the reorganization of the executive
departments and agencies of the Gov
ernment. This measure has been limp
ing along on three cylinders for months
and nothing has been done about it.
Perhaps this delay is a good thing
tor the country after all. At any rate,
there has been a turn toward economy
and a balanced budget, and possibly
some of the measures which have been
advanced in important quarters are to
be allowed to lie or die. However, the
legislators should not be surprised, if
they keep up their present rate of in
activity, when a demand is made that
they be paid on a per diem rate instead
Of a monthly and annual salary.
* ••• * —
Even a dictator must consider the pos
sibility of figuring inadvertently in
motion picture publicity.
fA Well-Deserved Tribute.
Student body, faculty, trustees, alumni
and a great host of others who have
been associated with the growth and
fine development of George Washington
University paid President Marvin an ex
traordinary personal tribute yesterday in
recognition of his leadership of the past
ten years. Such a tribute would be
©ratifying to any man and it is difficult
to believe that Dr. Marvin could desire
greater reward or a more touching ac
knowledgment of his efforts.
■r But in a larger sense the testimonials
Of yesterday represented more of hope
and promise for Dr. Marvin and the
university in the future than mere cele
bration of what has been accomplished
in the past. The achievements, spiritual
and physical, that have marked Dr.
Marvin’s first ten years as president of
the university are impressive. But these
achievements become even more impres
sive when conceived as the solid founda
tion on which to build the George Wash
ington University that Washington and
the Nation will some day know.
Dr. Marvin’s first ten years as president
have been marked by steady growth In
plant, endowment, student body, faculty
and many other items which taken to
gether constitute the well-being of a
university. Sueh progress has been writ
ten during a period of economic depres
sion which has been severe in its effects
upon educational institutions the country
over. The fact that the university not
only weathered the storm, but is stronger
today than at the outset of the past
decade speaks eloquently for the man at
the helm. And the loyal, affectionate
and enthusiastic sentiments of yesterday
come as further evidence of the new
spirit which has been bom at the uni
versity and which will carry it on to
greater accomplishment.
British Optimism.
In the midst of conditions in the Lon
don stock market so black that for a
day or two they suggested the imminence
of “another 1929,” Chancellor of the
Exchequer Chamberlain took occasion on
Thursday evening to paint a brightly en
couraging picture. Its optimistic tinge
was in striking contrast not only to the
anxiety oppressing the City, but was
drawn in colors notably more reassuring
than those which distinguished Mr.
Chamberlain’s recent introduction of the
staggering national defense budget, im
posing unparalleled peace-time burdens
on taxpayers. Despite the onerous re
sponsibilities which John Bull must
shoulder for an unstated number of
years to come, the chancellor points out
that Great Britain is already getting a
good return for her money. He means
that the mere disclosure of the deter
mination to rearm on a colossal scale
has visibly strengthened confidence in
maintenance of peace. He also indicates
that the vast sums being devoted to
manufacture of weapons and munitions
are playing a substantial role in promot
ing industrial recovery, especially in the
much-discussed “depressed areas," which,
instead of poverty, are now enjoying the
blessings of “a golden shower.”
Heavy as is the national security load
which the British must carry, Mr.
Chamberlain stresses that there are
other countries in which the weight of
armaments is pressing down on the
backs of people whose resources are by
no means so abundant and buoyant as
Britain’s. The chancellor admits that
while “the political knots,” especially
the mad race in armaments now in
world-wide progress, may momentarily
appear impossible to unravel, there is
solid ground for anticipating an easier
and more fruitful approach to these
problems through international economic
action like that which Belgian Premier
van Zeeland is initiating at Anglo
French behest and which he will seek
to promote in Washington next month.
Mr. Chamberlain’s latest utterance,
delivered before a company of London
bankers, reflects anew the iron resolve
of Great Britain to see things through,
as well as her capacity to do so. That
the cabinet retains popular confidence
in its program is evidenced by its vic
tories in two out of three parliamentary
by-elections in doubtful constituencies
this week. Special significance attaches
to the calm and assurance with which
Mr. Chamberlain envisions the situation,
because the stern-visaged watchdog of
the exchequer is himself scheduled to
inherit the leadership of the govern
ment as Prime Minister Baldwin’s suc
cessor, after the coronation. London's
serenity is likely to prove contagious
throughout Europe. It even deserves
notice over here, at this somewhat in
calculable moment of political contro
versy and economic unrest.
So many laughs have been raised in
the preliminary work of casting “Gone
With the Wind” that Hollywood author
ities may have to treat it as a jocose
production even if it is necessary to
provide sufficient pecuniary inducement
to interest Mr. Charles Chaplin in the
principal male role.
As a flyer Amelia Earhart goes her
way making records on her own ac
count without depending for fame on
the distinction of her fellow passengers.
Legends.
The world is full of legends, some
helpful and some quite definitely the
contrary in effect. But all may be said
to be interesting, as problems in human
psychology if nothing else. To try to
trace the genealogy of such an anec
dote as Parson Weems’ famous story of
the young George Washington and the
cherry tree is a fascinating pastime.
Somebody, surely, told the good clergy
man the tale in its original form. He
certainly did not invent it out of thin
air. The report must have been current
as folklore. It was reproduced without
being verified—carelessly, perhaps, yet
not maliciously.
Again, there is the traditional notion
that Scots in general are an over
thrifty race, too canny and “near" to
practice a neighborly unselfishness or a
patriotic philosophy of mutual fellow
ship. The name of Andrew Carnegie,
of course, should be sufficient answer to
the libel, since his philanthropies were
celebrated throughout the entire earth
and the form they took was universal in
character of application. But the legend
persists in the face of the reality, and
it seems that little can be done to cor
rect it.
So, too, personal myths enjoy a vast
popularity. Let the instance of a cer
tain anonymous street musician be
cited: The man was playing and sing
ing at the comer of two busy avenues,
and joining with him in the entertain
ment there was a strikingly handsome
young girl. A passerby, stopping to give
a coin, inquired: “Your aister?” The
answer was: “Yes, sir." Then, a moment
later, another pedestrian, pausing to
contribute, asked: “Your wife, I sup
pose?” And again the reply: “Yes, sir.”
Whereupon a spectator demanded the
facts: “Which is she?” The musician
smiled: “Neither, truly. We simply work
together because our voices harmonize.
People want to think they guess cor
rectly, and that is why we agree with
them no matter what they say.”
The theory thus expressed is not in
defensible. The world loves its legendary
dreams. Doubtless, they are part of its
pattern of evolution.
Americans in large numbers will visit
London in order to observe the corona
tion. Some may find time to take a
glimpse of the statue in Westminster
Abbey which honors the memory of
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who was
credited with writing the English
language as well as some of the most
distinguished British authors. Whatever
differences may arise in fiscal matters,
there should be no literary quarrel be
tween England and America.
Quibble concerning court costume is
an idle occupation. A Tammany brave
who has risen to political power should
not be held to silk stockings and satin
small clothes accompanied by ostrich
feathers. He should be permitted to wear
eagle plumage and moccasins if he
chooses.
Dazzling preparations are announced
for the coming national exposition in
New York. There is a growing impres
sion west of the Ohio Valley that the
Nation might be more serene if New
York would attend to show business and
quit dabbling in world politics.
Photography proceeds on the theory
that while names make news faces do
the same thing. Pictures do no harm
and every prominent patriot must ex
pect to serve his turn as “camera
fodder.”
“New blood” is suggested for the
judiciary system. As Government as
sumes more acquaintance with scientific
mysteries the physicians contemplate a
practice of amateur infusion with in
creasing hesitance.
America has steadily progressed since
the days when a Boss Tweed could dis
miss a challenge of good faith with the
cynical response: “What are you going to
do about it?”
Famous collections are still donated to
New York’s Metropolitan Museum. The
Mellon collection here will not constitute
competition such as to hinder J. p.
Morgan from doing philanthropy at the
old stand.
Shooling Stars.
BY PHILANDER JOHNSON.
To a School of Journalism.
A man whose hair was thin and white
And yet whose eyes flashed fire
Remarked, “Excuse me while I smite
A reminiscent lyre.
The poetry which now we see
In superabundant yield
Don’t measure up, it seems to me,
To two lines of 'Gene Field.
The heavy economic guff
Which now they bravely quote
Seems but a bluff compared to stuff
That Horace Greely wrote.
The satire that they now employ
Seems faint and insincere.
You should have had a taste my boy
Of Charles A. Dana's sneer.
Tis true we're getting all the news,
Yet these men stand alone.
Though other men may fill their shoes,
Their pens are still their own.
So, hit your old typewriter, son,
And piffiicate and spout.
Let the devouring presses run
Till the wood pulp gives out.
I don’t believe you'll hit the pace—
Although I hope you may—
The eloquence and simple grace
Of that departed day
When men sought honor and applause
And scorned their pay to scan—
When men wrote what they felt, because
They loved their fellow man.
Titles and Attainments.
"An official title is of Itself an evi
dence of superior knowledge,” said the
complimentary constituent.
"Not necessarily,” answered Senator
Sorghum. "You frequently find that a
man at a window labeled ‘Information’
has to look through a number of books
to find out what he is talking about.”
“Credulity,” said Hi Ho, the sage of
Chinatown, “should be tempered by
skepticism. To believe all doctors and
to believe none of them prove equally
fatal.”
The Art of Jollification.
A man may be sincere and strong,
Yet poor and melancholy,
While one less gifted gets along
By knowing how to jolly.
Jud Tunkins says every old bachelor
ought to accept invitations to dine with
young married people. Nothing stops
quarreling like a desire to make some
one envious of their perfect happiness.
Utilizing Talent.
“A man who doesn't know how to
bluff,” said the confidential friend,
“should not play poker.”
“Yes,” answered Mr. Dustin Stax, “and
a man who is really an artist in bluffing
shouldn’t limit himself to anything so
small as a card game.”
Misunderstood.
A man who says “I am misunderstood.”
Might find the truth a slight surprise
to him;
Disclosing that his words so fair have
not made good
And that the folks at last are getting
wise to him.
"Two things I gits found fault with,”
said Uncle Eben, “one is workin’ too
much an' do other Is not workin’ at all.”
Clinical Work of Eye,
Ear and Throat Hospital
To the Editor of The Star:
The Episcopal Eye, Ear and Throat
Hospital, due to the lack of funds, may
have to close its doors. I hope not. This
institution for a long time has been
doing wonderful work among the needy
and those of small means.
I am referring to the clinic (dispen
sary) in particular. That place is always
crowded to capacity. Two out of every
three "customers” are colored. For
years there has been a nominal charge
of 25 cents per visit. About two years
ago this was raised to 50 cents. Sizing
up the “patrons” I would say that quite
a number can hardly spare even that
small amount, But even for these there
is balm in Gilead. If the patient can
convince the welfare worker of his in
ability to pay, why then he gets fixed
up free, gratis: God knows there are
some mighty convincing orators among
these applicants. Doctors and nurses
are overworked. And yet they are giv
ing of their best. I am speaking from
personal experience.
This writer is a sufferer with chronic
sinus trouble. Going to a specialist’s
private office a treatment will cost you
at least $3. Some may do it for two.
My circumstances being "not so good,”
I found a high-class and humane doctor
who agreed to treat me at the rate of
$1 after I explained matters to him. He
gave me the best of attention and I am
under a great obligation to him. This
arrangement enabled me to stay away
from the clinic. But there are any
number who haven't the dollar. And
these simply must "patronize” these dis
pensaries. The “Episcopal Eye, Ear and
Throat” and such are necessities.
Or else what? “Socialized medicine”
whenever the President gets around to
it. Mr. Commissioner Allen some time
ago came out for a "medical center,” but
“organized medicine” vetoed this excel
lent idea. Otherwise let all enjoy such
salaries, wages and pensions so that
everybody may afford to employ a prac
ticing physician and to pay him his reg
ular fees. Swell chance!
FRED VETTER.
Auditorium Plan Favored
For Jefferson Memorial
To the Editor of The Star:
Since the Democrats want to honor
Thomas Jefferson by erecting a beautiful
monument to his name and since Wash
ington needs a large auditorium, seat
ing at least 12,000 people, for inaugurals
and since the Government also needs
badly to conserve the money to help to
balance the budget, I suggest combining
all three by the erection of a beautiful
Thomas Jefferson Memorial auditorium.
This auditorium should be centrally
located and away from the danger of
floods. It should be constructed with
different kinds of removable floors for
use on different occasions and subdivided
into medium-sized convention rooms to
accommodate meetings of various sizes.
But the partitions should be made re
movable so as to throw the hall into one
huge room for inaugurals, auto and
flower shows, concerts and also for use
as a much-needed armory.
Kansas City, Mo., built such a hall
away back in the early ’90s. Washington,
being the Capital of the Nation, with
people coming here continually for vari
ous conventions, should have had such
a place for their accommodation long
ago. The rent from such a place should
cover its upkeep and make it self
supporting.
Instead of spending a huge amount of
money in an empty pile of marble, let
us be practical, economical and idealistic
at the same time and erect a beautiful
Thomas Jefferson Memorial auditorium.
F. W. KINCAID.
- - -a i
Fishermen W arrant Same
Protection as Travelers
To the Editor of The Star:
In common with other nations sharing
the expenses, we maintain an “ice
patrol.” The sinking of the Titanic made
this imperative. Canada, the United
States and maybe France yearly send
out trawlers to the Grand Banks. The
catch principally consists of cod and
haddock. Outside of the food values of
these fish, iodine and certain essential
oils are extracted from them. The value
of the catch is about one hundred mil
lion dollars a year. The habits of the
fish frequently force these fishing boats
to trawl or fish in shipping lanes. Me
terological conditions cause frequent
fogs, with resultant loss of life by trawl
ers being sunk by steamers.
Human lives are valuable, no matter
where. Why not give the fisherman as
much protection as those in ocean liners?
Why not have a fog patrol to warn
trawlers and steamships? Certainly our
Government and Canada and France
should protect these "toilers of the sea,”
whose work is essential, as much as they
do the pleasure tourists and. in some
cases, necessary business ocean travelers.
MARK S. WILLING.
Mount Holly, Va.
Endowed Hospital Idea
Merits Consideration
To the Editor of The Star:
I agree with Agnes Taylor Miller,
whose letter appeared in The Evening
Star on April 22. It seems to me that
if it is necessary at this particular time
to erect a monument to Thomas Jeffer
son, a modern, fully equipped hospital,
with endowment enough to cover its
budget, is the most crying need of our
Capital City today.
It should have many very moderately
priced rooms and small wards. This
would be a monument which, I am sure,
would nJease any one, especially Thomas
Jefferson. A study of his character cer
tainly is conclusive evidence of this.
Such monuments, in my judgment, are
much more satisfying than mere marble
shrines and would not interfere with
the beautiful cherry trees around the
Tidal Basin, which to destroy would not
only be a crime and an insult to Japan,
but would take from Washington hotels
and business men a tremendously large
yearly income.
MRS. HENRY ALVAH STRONG.
- ■ ■ . — ■ > «
New Chain Bridge Would
Be Suitable Memorial
To the Editor of The Star:
I most heartily agree with Mrs. Clark
and the many others who have expressed
themselves so, “that we have enough
stone and marble memorials in Wash
ington without adding another and
marring the beauty of one of the love
liest and best loved spots in the whole
country.” If only the wishes of the
people of Washington were considered
in the least, there would be no fear of
this outrage and insult to Thomas Jeffer
son being committed. But also we have
no vote, but can be taxed for what we
loathe.
Among the many suggestions as to
what would be better, more useful—if
memorial we must have—I would men
tion the pressing need for a new Chain
Bridge. Let us build a fine bridge, link
ing Jefferson’s own State, Virginia,.with
the Capital City of Washington, and
naming it for him. I’m sure nothing
would honor his memory more or please
the Nation at large better.
MRS. RALPH BALDWIN.
| THIS AND THAT ~|
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.
The “crystal clear” aquarium so envied
in a friend’s home is really not pure, in
the ordinary meaning, but is a culture
of various microscopic animals, as well
as Invisible bacteria and minute forms
of algae.
There are forms of three sorts of life,
to say nothing of fishes and snails, in
even the clearest appearing tank.
It is only when any one of these
smaller forms increases too rapidly that
trouble is caused.
A hand magnifying glass will reveal
some wonderful plant forms, the so
called algae and occasionally some of
the smaller animalcules, invisible to the
naked eye.
All of these forms are necessary to the
welfare of the larger inmates. Fishes
in distilled water would suffer severely,
since the minerals in their bodies would
be leached out into the water.
The various forms of life enumerated
above help keep water from being too
“pure” for the fishes’ good. They create
and put into the water various minerals,
some part of which are absorbed by the
fishes, through osmosis, or the transfer
of materials from one medium to another
through the skin.
* * * *
Water from a tank may be so clear
that it absolutely shows nothing float
ing in it when held up in a tumbler.
Yet analysis would show all the forms
of life listed above, together with tiny
bits from plant leaf and stem.
In every healthy tank there is a cer
tain amount of deposit, composed not
only of the excrement of the animals,
but of plant materials, in particular.
These materials, being heavy, do not
float, but normally lie on the bottom, un
less kicked up by a current in the water
created by the fins or tail of the fishes.
All the water above this layer, general
ly referred to as mulm, will be perfectly
clear in the aquarium of the type in
stanced, but the clearness is deceptive,
since the water also has in it the forms
of life referred to above.
Why these forms, in such water, do
not increase to the point where they
cause trouble, either to the fishes, or
their owners, is a matter for discussion.
In most cases of a "crystal clear” tank,
in which the fish life appears in good
health, it will be found that the aquar
ium is not overcrowded with fishes.
This is the crux of the matter, and if
more aquarium enthusiasts would take
it to heart and act on it there would
be fewer tanks with pea-soupy water,
with black or green formations on the
sand, with cloudy, milky water, with a
greasy scum on the surface.
These are merely some of the inimical
things which may happen to the tank in
which there is an excess of animal life.
* * * *
The question mostly asked by amateurs
and beginners is:
"How many fishes can I keep in five
gallons of water?”
Or 10 gallons, or 2 gallons, or 2 quarts,
or 20 gallons, etc.
There is, unfortunately, no real rule
of thumb by which the number of fishes
of any variety—we speak here of the
exotic, or tropical, specimens—can be
determined for a given body of water,
because the other factors involved, not
ably the plant life and the food used,
are so variable.
Perhaps more trouble is caused in
aquarium management by an excess of
food than from any other one faulty fea
ture.
Not only may the fishes be harmed,
if the food does not contain the proper
mineral and vitamin content, but the
water, in which they live and move and
breathe and have their entire being, is
provided with a fine culture medium for
an excess of minute plant life, an ex
cess of bacteria and an excess of animal
cules of the microscopic variety.
It will be realized that though these
forms are either invisible or almost so,
to the unaided eye, when they increase
by the thousands and tens of thousands,
they may be seen easily.
By that time the water either has the
scum referred to above, is so green (pea
soupy) that often the fishes cannot be
seen, or has so many animalcules in it
that it appears milky.
* * * *
These factors make it impossible for
any one to predict in advance just how
many fishes of any given variety could
be kept well in a given body of water.
Were it not for these possibilities, some
more or less successful rating might be
drawn up for all fishes, but since there
is no knowing just how these factors
will work out, the thing is impossible,
except with the humble goldfish. Two
gallons of water, per each goldfish not
over 2 inches long, excluding the tail—
that is a successful rule-of-thumb, but
one seldom followed, since most persons
seem to desire ‘‘a whole lot of fish.”
One thing may be said. It is that fish
keeping would be a comparatively easy
proposition if fanciers, especially begin
ners, would be satisfied with two or three
fishes in a tank, rather than insist on
trying to keep a dozen, two dozen, even
three or four dozen in four or five gal
lons.
▼ w w w
Since the crystal clear aquarium is
both best for the fishes and looks the
prettiest, at one and the same time, it
may be assumed that the keeper who
secures it, in any given tank, will cherish
it to the best of his ability.
Let him let well enough alone, but if
that fails, and the water becomes cloudy,
or green, or filled with specks of floating
matter, let him assume that he is feeding
his charges too heavily.
Some of the food, in other words, is
not being eaten. Sometimes prepared
foods contain too much fine or dusty
material. Larger fishes will not eat this.
It is too small to suit them. It is almost
ideal, however, for almost invisible crea
tures, such as the famous “slipper ani
malcule.” When it dissolves in the
water, it helps create them, not exactly
out of “thin air,” but out of the clear
water.
Cutting down on the amount of food
put into tank is the one best thing to
do, in almost any untoward event which
seems to be spoiling the water. Some
authorities advise feeding nothing at
all for two or three weeks, but this seems
severe.
Perhaps a reduction to one meal a day,
with care taken to shake out all the dust,
or very fine food, will go a long way
toward helping the aquarium water right
itself. Lessened light, too, is helpful in
most cases.
The great point, however, is to have
as few fishes as possible, in any one
aquarium, not as many as possible.
STARS, MEN AND ATOMS
Notebook of Science Progress in Field,
Laboratory and Study.
BY THOMAS R. HENRY.
Man can't make weather.
The futility of all rain-making the
ories was exposed before the American
Meteorological Society, meeting here
Wednesday, by Joseph B. Kincer. chief
of the Climatology Division of the
Weather Bureau.
Wet years and dry years follow each
other in unpredictable cycles, Mr. Kin
cer said, and are as inevitable as death
or taxes. Man can only aggravate their
effects.
The most respectable rain-making
theories, he said, deal with means of
getting more moisture into the air, by
evaporation or otherwise, which will
come down on the parched land as rain.
Actually it makes no difference, he
stressed. For example, the City of Keo
kuk, Iowa, had only a hundredth of an
inch of rain last July. During Septem
ber it had nearly eight inches. Yet rec
ords of the Weather Bureau show that
there was more water in the air in July
than in September. In Southern Cali
fornia in July, the records show, there
is as much moisture in the air as in New
England, yet it rarely has a trace of rain,
while in the Northeast precipitation is
a hundred times greater.
Minnesota is dotted with small lakes,
while nearby Iowa, with very few lakes,
has an annual average of a fourth more
rainfall. Tire recent downward trend in
the rainfall curve has been greater in
Minnesota than in any other State. Also,
Mr. Kincer pointed out, Michigan is
nearly surrounded by large bodies of
water, while adjoining Indiana, with less
than one per cent as much total surface
water, has an average of 30 per cent more
precipitation.
The vital factor, he pointed out, is not
how much water is in the atmosphere,
but what forces happened to be present
to get it out in the form of rainfall.
Some of the dryest areas on earth are
within a few miles of the seas, where
there is constant evaporation of water
into the air. Even if the amount of
moisture in the atmosphere were im
portant, he stressed, man would not be
able to increase it sufficiently to make
much difference.
Said Mr. Kincer: “In discussing
drought we speak glibly of certain defi
ciencies in rainfall, with reference to the
normal, but seldom do we grasp the
enormous quantities of water represent
ed in such shortages, which should be
a matter of study for all who contend
that men can make it rain or who ad
vocate constructing ponds to change
natural conditions. One inch of rain
fall represents for a half acre of land
113 tons of water. Last year North Da
kota had only half its normal rainfall.
That means that the State was short of
moisture some 960 tons of water for
every acre of land on the average, or
about 43,000,000,000 tons for the State.
When we consider the enormous energy
that is required to extract that much
additional energy from the air for a
single State for one year, it is difficult
to understand how any one could serious
ly consider the proposition of man-made
changes in climate.
“While duststorms in the plains are
due primarily to droughty conditions,
and are of little concern during the rela
tively wet phases of climate, it is a tragic
fact that the dryer sections have been
extensively ploughed and cultivated
where crop farming should never have
been attempted. Man is not responsible
for drought or dust as sent by Nature,
but he has made the results more devas
tating to human homes and fortunes by
removing, the vegetative protection that
Nature provided. Much of this one
time grass land is now under cultivation
and haa become an aggravator of duat
storms. The basic remedy, of course, is
rain. Man cannot make it rain, but he
can restore the original natural condi
tions.
"But we should not get the idea that
Midwest duststorms are something en
tirely new. While we have encouraged
them in recent years by unwise agricul
tural practises, they have always been
bad in the dryer sections where droughty
conditions prevailed. For example! in
Dodge City. Kans., according to official
records, in April 1880 ‘the dust in the air
was So dense that objects could not be
distinguished 100 yards off. In August,
1892, the wind raised such a cloud of dust
that it was impossible to see over 150
feet ahead. And in April, 1893, the dust
was deposited so thickly on office fur
niture that everything looked as though
it were covered by a layer of dirt pre
pared for a hot bed.' ”
Records for a century, Mr. Kincer said,
show that there have been recurrent
“families of droughts” interspersed with
periods of abnormal rainfall. The last
great drought was between 1886 and
1895, with the latter year one of the
dryest on record. The latest dry phase,
he said, began in 1930. Out of six years
there have been three with extremely
dry Summers. Scattered records indi
cate that there was another series of
very dry years approximately a century
ago.
The outstanding wet phase in the cli
mate of the United States was from
about 1865 to 1885. with a secondary
maximum during the first two decades
of the present century. Tree ring rec
ords also indicate that there was an ab
normally wet period about the begin
ning of the nineteenth century. In
variably, Mr. Kincer pointed out, a dry
phase of climate is followed by a wet
phase, when all the lessons which should
have been learned are forgotten.
Flood Proves Memorial
Site Wholly Unsuitable
To the Editor of The Star:
This is one of the mast opportune
times to show the folly of using the
Tidal Basin site for the proposed Thomas
Jefferson Memorial.
With flood waters receding from the
projected area, the only advantage that
can be said of the site is that it would
make an excellent place for a $3,000,000
sinking fund. Surely the Planning Com
mission must have had in mind the
disastrous flood of March, 1936, when
this location was considered, but it
seems as if a second warning is needed.
With property damage increasing every
year from more frequent floods, it takes
very little reasoning to see what folly
It Is to construct such a memorial
on the river bank. As for the land
scaping, it would seem a trifle out of
place to have to place sandbags over
the terraces every year to keep It from
being washed away.
If the Planning Commissioh has just
got to spend the $3,000,000, why not put
the memorial on higher ground where it
can be enjoyed.
W. M. BOSWORTH, Jr.
A Memory of 1893.
Prom the Port Wayne News Sentinel.
The first really great foreign agitator
in this country was Little Egypt.
Unreasonable.
From the Milwaukee Sentinel.
Sit-downs broke out too early In the
season to be associated with Spring
fever.
ANSWERS TO
QUESTIONS
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.
A reader can got 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. Is Case Ace the only horse entered
In the Kentucky Derby bv Mrs. Ethel
V. Mars, owner of Milky Way Farm?—
W. H.
A. Mrs. Mars has four other entrants—
Reaping Reward, Murph, Military and
Jaw Breaker.
Q How many divorced persons in the
United States marry again?—P. D.
A. Records cited by the American Bar
Association show that out of the 400,000
persons divorced in a year about one
third marry again.
Q. Who are some of the highest paid
base ball players?—E. F.
A. Some of the highest salaried players
are Gehrig, $36,000; Cronin, $25,000;
Dean, $25,000; Grove, $22,500; Hubbell,
$22,500, and Foxx, $22,000.
Q. What popular magazine is given
free to inmates of State and Federal
prisons?—W. J.
A. The editors of the Reader's Digest
have offered a free one year's subscrip
tion to 1.000 inmates of State and Fed
eral prisons.
Q Is there a bureau where hiking
trips are planned? If so, what is the ad
dress?—W. H.
A. The Hiking Trips Bureau is spon
sored by the American Nature Associa
tion with Ernest A. Dench as director.
Between May and October the organiza
tion has arranged a series of Eastern
week-end and vacation hiking trips, with
opportunities for informal nature study.
Mr. Dench may be addressed at Hohokus,
N. J.
Q. Why is vicuna cloth so expensive?
—L. F.
A. The vicuna is a Peruvian animal
about the size of a mountain goat. There
are now comparatively few small herds.
The fleece resembles wool, but is much
finer. The supply is quite limited, which
accounts for its high price.
Q. What kind of an organization is
Fossils, Inc.?—G. F.
A. The Fossils, Inc., is an organiza
tion composed of over 200 men and wom
en who published, edited, printed or
contributed to amateur publications
prior to 1907. Edward A. Oldham of New
York City is president of the group.
Q. What famous lawyer said that there
had never been an impartial judge?—
H. K.
A. Clarence Darrow is quoted as say
ing, "There never was an impartial judge,
except one who's dead.”
Q. Has an annex to Westminster Ab
bey been built for the coronation?—W. H
A. An annex to Westminster Abbey
has been constructed just outside the
west door through which the King and
Queen will enter the church. It is to
be used as a robing room for members
of the royal family and the peers and
peeresses. Made of wood and plaster
and painted to harmonize with the
ancient stones of the abbey, it will be
demolished after the coronation.
Q. Who was the first naval officer to
receive the thanks of Congress?—R. B. B,
A. John Paul Jones.
Q. Is Thomas Mann. Nobel Prize win
ner. in this country now?—C. H.
A. The writer is in New York, where
he will deliver a series of lectures at
the New School.
Q. Who said, "What this country needs
is a good 5-cent cigar"?—J. A. H.
A. The remark was made by the late
Vice President Marshall.
Q. How many shoes are made in the
United States in a year?—R. M. B.
A. Last year. 415.000.000 pairs were
made. In 1932. there were 313,000,000
pairs manufactured.
Q. What kind of a charm is the Hand
of Fatima?—O. W.
A. It is made in simulation of a hand
and worn or suspended in the dwellings
of some Mohammedans to ward off the
Evil Eye, despite the laws of the Koran.
Q. What is the largest frog in the
world?—W. H.
A. Nature Magazine says that the larg
est frog is the Goliath frog of tho
Cameroons, Africa.
Q. Where is the largest moss her
barium in this country?—C. H.
A. One of the largest and most valu
able collections of its kind in the world
is the Sullivant Moss Herbarium at Duke
University, Durham, N. C.
Q. What was the first number drawn
in the United States in the World War
draft?—L. G.
A. It was 258 In the various local
boards, 4,474 held the number.
Q. What is the name of the largest
company manufacturing full-fashioned
silk stockings?—E. W.
A. The Berkshire Knitting Mills at
Reading. Pa., is said to be the largest
manufacturer of full-fashioned silk hose
in the world.
Q. Who first used the word rough
neck?—,!. W.
A. It was used by David Crockett in
1836 in “Col. Crockett in Texas.”
Q. How many Negroes were there in
this country at the beginning of the Civil
War?—D. H.
A. According to the census of I860,
there were 4.441.830 Negroes in the coun
try. Ninety-two and eight-tenths per
cent were in the Southern States,
amounting to 4.122.018.
Oul-of-Date Diplomat.
Trom the Ashtabula (Ohio) Star-Beacon.
Britain's new Ambassador to Japan,
Sir Robert Leslie Craigie, is spoken of
as an authority on disarmament prob
lems. He must feel pretty lonely in an
age given up almost wholly to armament
racing.
A Rhyme at Twilight
By
Gertrude Brooke Hamilton.
Wild Roses and Blue Water
Wild roses trailing a stone wall,
A blue, blue lake beyond.
Over the blooms a song-bird's call—
List to the mate respond!
Wild roses trailing thru a heart,
Water blue as the sky;
Mem'ries that cause hot tears to start;
Love murmuring, “Good-by!”
Blue water and the wild-rose scent,
Birds mating in the Spring;
And under God's wide firmament •
You and I sorrowing.