Evening star. [volume], December 02, 1939, Page A-10, Image 10

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

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With Sunday Morotnn Edition
THEODORE W. NOYES, Editor,
WASHINGTON, D. C.
SATURDAY. December 2, 1939
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The Bear Runs Amuck
A great and abiding terror grips
the small nations of Europe from
northernmost Scandinavia to the
heart of Asia Minor. As they stand
helplessly by and watch the little
state of Finland reel under the
pounding blows of the Russian mili
tary machine it must be all too clear
that none of theln has any measure
of security now, that any one of
them may be the next victim of the
Bear that has run amuck.
Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Ru
mania, Turkey and Hungary are stir
ring with apprehension, witnessing
the destruction of the hapless Fin
nish nation, the shattering of its
towns and cities, the bombing of its
civilians, the seizure of its territory.
Thev are fearful because thev
know that Russia may well covet the
Atlantic ports of Norway, the iron
mines of Sweden, and definitely :
longs for Bessarabia and the Straits. :
They know that the Russian appe- 1
tite is insatiable, and no man can
foretell the next move of this colos
sus which already sprawls over a
sixth of the world's surface.
They know that when the terror
comes it will strike with relentless
fury and lightning speed. Russia’s
invasion of Finland w&s the nearest
thing to a true "blitzkrieg” the world
has yet witnessed, even outdoing the
Germans in the method and preci
sion of its steps.
In little more than three days after
the Soviet-concocted “incident” on
the Karelian isthmus. Russian troops
were marching into Finland, Finnish
civilians were being murderously
bombarded from the Gulf of Finland
to the Barents Sea, towns were echo
ing to the thunder of Red planes and
bombs, and Finnish islands were be
ing seized.
Within that space of three days
Russia moved from one ruthless act
to another with startling rapidity.
First the ultimatum to Helsinki, then
the denunciation of the non-aggres- j
sion pact, and, within a few hours
before the order Was given to strike,
severance of diplomatic relations.
And while Russia was thus moving to
the attack according to a pre-or
dained plan, it was maintaining with
consummate hypocrisy that Finnish
integrity and independence would be
respected.
In the scope of its initial strike, in
its viciousness, its cold calculating
Intent to kill and destroy, the Soviets
have outdone the Germans in Poland.
The faithlessness of the Soviet
Union is beyond cavil, and all those
who ever reposed confidence in Soviet
pledges of non-aggression—includ
ing Germany—must now appreciate
how cynically the Kremlin regards
them. At one time or another the
Soviet has signed non-aggression
Licanca wini .calumet, jLiuvia,
ania. Afghanistan, Iran, China,
France and Italy as well as Poland
and Germany. But they might never
have been signed for all the protec
tion they afford now to Russia’s
neighbors, for the Soviet is on a wild,
unrestrained orgy of conquest, the
end of which we are not yet per
mitted to know.
Bedtime stories used to be only ■
about fairies or about Peter Rabbit :
and his furred and feathered friends. !
Now we are wafted to slumber with
lurid tales of airplane sprays, mus
tard powder and chemical warfare
tanks. Sleep tight, all.
Amish Colony
It is reassuring to know that there
will be no blackout of tolerance for
the Amish colony that is settling in
Southern Maryland. The industrious
group that is transferring its cash
and-carry philosophy from Lancas
ter County, Pa,, to St. Marys County,
Md., merits a warm welcome in the
Free State. Residents who find the
customs of the strangers far differ
ent from their own should bear in
mind the importance of the rights
of the minorities.
Their record of thrift and industry
is a fine card of introduction for the
followers of Jacob Amen, who have
decided that they are too crowded in
Lancaster ■ County. Maryland has
every right to expect they will be an
asset to the State. The territory
they acquire may literally revert to
the horse-and-buggy era; modern
devices, including installment buying,
may be scorned there, and the courts
find time hanging heavy on their
hands because the Amish are said to
avoid litigation, yet who shall say
fs
the countryside will be the worse
for the newcomers?
The bearded men, the women un
mindful of style, the healthy chil
dren who start to work on the farms
after they finish their grade school
education all give promise of being
citizens that Maryland will regard as
among her most worthy. Governor
O’Conor has fulfilled the Free State’s
tradition by pledging to give the
Amish hearty co-operation, “protec
tion, should any one seek to hinder
them,” and freedom “to till the soil
as their fine tradition dictates.”
Mr. Dewey's Candidacy
Thomas E. Dewey, whose cam
paign for the presidency has been
formally launched, is a newcomer in
the field of national politics. His
name, however, is known to millions
of Americans. First, as the nemesis
of the racketeers with whom the
metropolis has been infested. Sec
ond, as a fighting district attorney
of New York County. And third, as
the Republican candidate for Gover
nor of New York last year, who lost
only by a scant sixty thousand votes.
Discussion of Mr. Dewey’s pros
pects for the presidential nomina
tion in 1940 began more than a year
ago. Had he won the gubernatorial
race in New York, the likelihood is
that his nomination would have been
generally conceded. His failure to
win the governorship has not served
to take him out of the running by
any means, which indicates an in
herent political strength recognized
throughout the country.
Urged against Mr. Dewey’s availa
bility are his youth—he will be 38
years old in 1940—aqd his supposed
lack of knowledge of national af
fairs. In his thirty-eight years,
however, Mr. Dewey has acquired an
experience that seldom comes to a
man double his age. He has demon
strated that he has a great capacity
for hard work and a keen mind. He
has courage. Maturity has come to
him early.
It is said, too, that the country is
ignorant of Mr. Dewey’s attitude on
the problems of the day, both foreign
and domestic. That, however, is a
belief which Mr. Dewey can dispel,
if he will, in short order. Indeed, now
that his hat is openly in the ring, it
is expected he will do so. On Wed
nesday he will deliver his first speech
as an avowed candidate for the pres
idential nomination. He has chosen,
on invitation, to make this first
statement to the public in Minneap
olis. Other speeches are to follow.
When the framers of the Consti
tution wrote that document they
provided that to be elected Presi
dent a man must be at least thirty
five years old. They had no fear of
youth, apparently. Today is sup
posed to be the young man's day in
America, and the youth of America
is clamoring more and more to have
its place in the sun.
As a practical proposition, Mr.
Dewey must assure himself of the
support of the great majority—if not
all—of the big delegation which the
Empire State will send to the Repub
lican National Convention next year.
Already, it is said, he should be able
to count on eighty-five of the ninety
two members of the delegation. In
time, if his candidacy progresses fa
vorably in other parts of the coun
try, he may expect a solid delega
tion, although at least two promi
nent upstate leaders are antagonis
tic and inclined to favor the candi
dacy of Frank E. Gannett, Rochester
newspaper publisher.
Mr. Dewey’s ability as a campaign
er already has been demonstrated, in
his contest with Governor Lehman.
His youth was urged against him in
that campaign—but as an argument
it was not effective when Mr. Dew'ey
appeared on the stump.
Daladier's Victory
Premier Daladier of France now
holds, by vote of the French Cham
ber of Deputies and Senate, virtually
dictatorial power over France for
the duration of the war, providing
the Paris government with the mo
bility of decision and speed of action
which armed conflict demands and
which may yet be vitally needed be
fore the war with Germany is won.
But true to democratic principles
and with a careful regard for the
preservation of France's democracy,
the French Chamber of Deputies did
not take this noteworthy step ex
cept as the culmination of a long
tug-of-war between the Premier and
a large group of legislators, and in
the spirit of avoiding any breach in
the government at this time which
would provide the enemy with an
opportunity to strike.
The power to rule by decrees which
need not be ratified by Parliament
is the most dangerous authority a
constitutional democracy can bestow
upon one man. It is essentially
the power which is exercised by
Hitler, Mussolini, and, in a dif
ferent form, by Stalin. But in
France the purpose of its use is so
remote from that in totalitarian
countries that it does not carry the
same curse.
In this moment of conflict France’s
leaders refuse to permit anything,
even the establishment of a dictator
ship for the remainder of the war,
cause any rift in that united front
with which they have gone into the
war. M. Daladier's price was power
to rule without Parliament and they
paid it.
Such a step has not yet been con
sidered necessary in England, and
Parliament remains the final au
thority on the conduct of the war.
But Prime Minister Chamberlain's
hold upon the majority in the House
of Commons is so tight and English
politics are conducted in such dif
ferent fashion from those In France
*
that the same danger of cabinet fall
and division in the united front in
wartime leadership does not exist.
M. Daladier’s wise handling of this
vast authority at other times of
crisis, particularly in the fall of 1938
and during the last six months, is
the justification for Parliament’s
willingness to extend the authority
he hitherto has wielded.
"Moral Embargo"
The rising anger of America
against Russia is a natural reaction
to a crime which honorable men
and women have no choice but to
condemn. President Roosevelt was
well within the truth when he de
clared: “The news of the Soviet
naval and military bombings within
Finnish territory has come as a pro
found shock to the Government
and people of the United States. * * *
It is tragic to see the policy of force
spreading, and to realize that wan
ton disregard for law is still on the
march.”
Small wonder is it, then, that al
ready a Nation-wide demand for a
“moral embargo” has developed. Re
ports that Stalin’s agents are seek
ing to place orders for hundreds of
airplanes have prompted the sug
gestion that the Secretary of State
should ask manufacturers to refuse
all such business. Technically, Rus
sia may have the right to buy imple
ments of destruction; but the own
ers and operators of American air
craft factories also have the right to
decline to sell.
The proposed embargo, certainly,
need not be official to be effective.
When an entire nation is unified in
a conviction, agreed upon a single
sentiment, legislation hardly is re
quired. The people of a democracy
j are possessed of the power to make
their judgment felt.
Mrs. Roosevelt's Guests
The American Youth Congress and
the Dies Committee are on notori
ously unfriendly terms. Witnesses
called by the committee have de
scribed the youth congress as a Com
1 munist front organization, and the
| latter, denying any Communist con
nection has demanded that the
House group be disbanded on the
ground that it is a “witch hunting’’
agency.
Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt, an
active sponsor of the youth congress,
attended a session of the Dies Com
mittee on Thursday, at which
spokesmen for the congress were ex
pected to testify, and during the
midday recess she invited seven lead
ers of the group to the White House
as her luncheon guests.
It is only natural that this gesture
by Mrs. Roosevelt should be con
strued as indicating that her sympa
thies lie with the youth congress. As
a matter of fact, it is quite probable
that they do, and Mrs. Roosevelt is
not open to any criticism on that
score. But, in view of the position
Mrs. Roosevelt occupies, it would be
most unfortunate if the luncheon
invitation should also be construed
as implying that she tacitly indorses
the criticism of the Dies Committee
by the youth congress.
Feathered Reporters
To cut down the cost of telegrams
and telephone calls from outlying
correspondents, the Hornell (N. Y.)
Tribune has added to its reportorial
staff fifty homing pigeons, trained to
fly direct from the sticks to the edi
torial offices. As is customary, they
are picked from the ranks of the
messengers and given trial assign
ments.
Two things only are impressed
upon the amateur or squab re
porter—the meaning of the dead
line. and Euclid’s axiom to the effect
that the shortest distance between
two points is a straight line. If he
can absorb these ideas, his job on
the Tribune is assured. Among the
qualifications which help endear him
to the heart of his employers is his
habit of bringing in straight news
unadulterated with expense ac
counts.
T f <-U/« owncin rlo fr» A + nonorn
it will cause consternation to the
heirs and assigns of Samuel Morse
and Alexander Graham Bell, and
even greater sorrow to fiction writ
ers, playwrights and producers of
radio skits who make capital of the
picturesque qualities of the reporter
of fiction. When he is given the bird,
who is going to flit around from bar
to bar developing clues in the inter
ests of the dear old Chronicle, and
solve the murder mystery of the year,
which has completely baffled the in
competent and corrupt police? A
pigeon might conceivably wander
into the managing editor’s office and
put his feet on the desk, but he would
never be able to bawl him out and
then go stop the press for a murder
extra.
A sea lion belonging to Britain has
been shipped over here for safe
keeping and will be placed in'with
two of our own. Along the line of
“hands across the sea,” this might
be termed a case of “flippers across
the tank.”
A New Yorker advocates a new
cabinet post, a Secretary of Peace
to offset the Secretary of War. If
this goes through, there might well
be on his official flag, instead of stars
or anchors, the simple phrase, “It’s
wonderful.”
See all the lovely white buildings
on Pennsylvania avenue and else
where in our proud city? Most of
them belong, for the time being, at
least, to a speedy young gentleman
named Andrew Farkas.
The Soviet Union is “interested
only in peace.” No less an authority
than Bari Browder tayi ao.
I,
/>
Of Stars, Men
And Atoms
Notebook of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study
By Thomas R. Henry.
The Bureau of Standards Is soon to
have the highest voltage X-ray tube in
the world, built to operate at 1,400,000
volts.
At the same time one of the most
powerful constant voltage, direct cur
rent generators ever made will be put
into service.
Both are now being constructed by the
General Electric Co. at its Schenectady
plant.
The new equipment will be used for
research work in the high-voltage field
—especially in the measurement of X
ray voltage. This will be of value to the
medical profession, which for several
yeafs has been using 200,000-volt X-rays
in the treatment of cancer and has re
cently been extending this to higher and
higher voltages.
The same high-voltage generator,
with another multisection tube dupli
cating the X-ray tube in many respects,
can be used for production of neutrons
and artificial radioactivity. This tube
is composed of 10 sections of 140.000
volts each. It is mounted vertically and
the envelope, consisting of 10 glass cyl
inders placed end to end, will be me
chanically shielded against breakage
. for its entire length wdth a string en
velope of insulating material. The elec
tron beam which will travel 24 feet from
the cathode at the top of the tube to
the target at the bottom must be accu
rately aimed to strike the target and
must be of the proper size.
For the satisfactory operation of the
X-ray tube it is essential that all the
electrons leaving the cathode should
reach the anode—that none of them
should strike either the glass walls of the
tube or the various metal electrodes. This
necessitates not only starting out all the
electrons in the right direction, but
guarding them from the deflecting action
of magnetic fields. It also necessitates
the attainment throughout the length
of the tube of a high degree of symmetry
hoouo us axis.
The construction of the tube, accord
ing to the General Electric Co. an
nouncement, permits a unique method
of applying energy to the electron beam
after it leaves its anode. Starting at
zero velocity, the beam is accelerated
through the first section of the tube to
140,000 electron volts velocity. As it
enters the second section it receives an
additional voltage kick of 140.000. This
process is repeated through each section
of the tube so that when the electron
beam finally reaches its target its speed
is about 180.000 miles a second, very
nearly the velocity of light. The tube,
however, may be operated at any lower
voltage down to 300.000.
The high-voltage generator furnishing
power to the tube is also an unusual
piece of equipment. It is composed of
step-up transformers, capacitors and
rectifier tubes. There are 10 sections,
each rated at 140.000 volts, connected
individually to the 10 sections of the tube
and producing a total of 1,400,000 volts.
The generator forms a stack 32 feet high
and 5 feet in diameter. It provides a
very constant potential supply to the
X-ray tube.
The equipment will be housed in a spe
cial building now being constructed.
* * * *
Silicosis, lung malady aping tubercu
losis, which is suffered by miners, stone
workers and others exposed to dusty
atmospheres, may be prevented by mak
ing the air they breath still more dusty,
it is revealed by experiments conducted
by Drs. L. H. Germer and K. H. Storks
of the Bell Telephone Laboratories
These have just been reported to the
American Chemical Society. The experi
menters found that they could cause sili
cosis rapidly in rabbits by exposing them
to air containing moderate concentrations
of quartz dust, in the form of particles
finer than a two-thousandth of a centi
meter in diameter.
The animals did not develop the mal
ady, however, if there was also present
in the air they breathed aluminum pow
der to the extent of 1 per cent of the
silica particles. When both are breathed
into the lungs together, the two chemists
found, the aluminum forms a protective
film on the surface of the silica particles
which prevents them from dissolving,
and this prevents the toxic effect.
The protective film is hydrated oxide
of aluminum, so thin that no way exists
of making it visible. Its identity was
discovered by electron diffraction analy
sis in which a beam of electrons was
passed through the film specimen and
the resulting diffraction pattern record
ed on a photographic plate.
“The seriousness of silicosis in the
mining and foundry industries indicates
the importance of identification of this
film,” they say in their report. “The
smallness of the silica particles and the
very small amount of aluminum which
is sufficient to cover them with a protec
tive film make it evident that this film
is extremely thin. It is estimated that a
film of one-forty-thousandth of a milli
meter thick will certainly prevent solu
tion of the silica and its toxic effects.
The minimum thickness of film which
will prevent solution is probably many
times less than this figure.
I “There are reasons for believing that
j the film is probably a highly hydrated
gelatinous oxide which becomes crys
talline only upon drying. These experi
ments have shown that the aluminum
hydrate is precipitated rapidly upon
silica, under chemical conditions which
exist within the body fluids of men and
of animals.”
Thanksgiving Spirit
Found Lacking.
To the Editor of The Star:
Listening to Edward C. Hill talk this
evening about the Thanksgiving Day of
our childhood, the old-fashioned feast
day, a day of thanksgiving in its truest
sense, made me feel sad. Has it gone
forever?
This year was not the same. We went
to a turkey dinner for 12, but never
thought of going to church. We talked
war and politics.
Why does Franklin D. Roosevelt give
us so much trouble and constant anxiety
about taxes, national debt, production
for recovery, etc., etc.
Changing Thanksgiving Day won't
help much with “recovery.”
MARION McKENNAN.
KovNnber SO.
1
i >
THIS AND THAT
By Charles E. Tracewell.
Flower borders become "birders” If we
feed the songsters there.
Thus at one stroke we Invent a new
word and a new use for an established
garden feature.
All you have to do to make a birder
out of a'border is to throw a couple of
handfuls of mixed seeds and grains on
the ground.
Where the perennials bloomed now be
comes alive with feathered folk.
If the majority of these singers are
English sparrows, well, what of it?
Sparrows are as interesting as any,
provided the watcher thinks they are.
Nothing, as Hamlet said, is either good
or bad, but thinking makes it so.
* * * *
The way to begin bird feeding is to
begin.
Newcomers to this combined indoor
outdoor sport think they must have elab
orate feeding devices.
Nothing j:ould be less true. Houses
and stands and swings and the like are
interesting to the human element in
volved. Even the birds seem to get a
"kick” out of them. But they are by no
i^eans necessary.
Just fling that handful of food in the
flower border, or birder, and watch the
fun.
Dead leaves shortly rustle with live
birds.
* * * *
Once in the birder, the wintering song
sters come back every day, provided
there is food there every day.
Bird feeding is that simple.
There is nothing complicated or eso
teric about it, nothing particular to think
about, nothing to worry about, pro
vided—
The provider refuses to worry.
Many small things will happen, at
which points the worrying mind can
worry.
What is the situation in which this
Wpe of mind cannot worry?
^Who has the cure?
Every one carries the cure in his own
mind, if he knows how to apply it. There
are books and books on “how not to
worry,” but there isn't but one real an
swer, and that is simply not to do it.
Some attain this end by will power,
others by contemplation, still others by
indifference. Indifferency, as a cult, has
both good and bad points. It is possible
to be indifferent to the small worries
! attend most good things, and at
the same time not lose touch with human
kindness. It will mean, however, a real
struggle until time comes in to aid one.
Time brings all things, it is said, and a
i good indifferency is one of them. Then
i the thousand and one things about
! which one worried in the old days sud
denly seem things of no particular mo
; ment.
* * * *
| In the small but likable endeavor of
! feeding the birds this good indifferency
j may be attained at a jump, provided the
j keeper of the garden also keeps his own
mind.
When the squirrels come, and seem to
be chasing the birds away
When the pigeons arrive, and strike
the observer as keeping smaller birds
out of the food
When English sparrows appear in
numbers, plainly making the feeding
place less desirable for more desirable
birds
When a lone hawk appears upon the
scene, driving all other birds away as if
by the most evil magic
When cats come
Well, the mind of the watcher may be
tranquilized, if he keeps firmly to the
truth of the centuries, that all of these
things have been happening for cen
turies, without him knowing or worrying
about them—why should he overworry
now?
Squirrels have been playfully chasing
birds through the ages, and few birds
have ever suffered at their paws.
Pigeons, big fat fellows, have been fly
ing down among feeding birds, and get
ting the lion's share, sure enough.
English sparrows have been usurping
the places of chickadees and titmice, but
the titmice and chickadees still come
around, making the brief glimpses of
them more cherishable than ever.
Hawks have been attracted to sites
where small birds gather, over the cen
turies, but still there are plenty of small
birds. The cruel rigors of migration and
the sad toll of great ice storms, have
killed countless millions of birds to every
one gathered in by hawks.
Cats have been stalking birds, lo, these
many ages, but bird life is not appreci
ably diminished thereby. The hunter
instinct in man is far fiercer, and far
better equipped for destruction. Man's
many inventions have been, in many in
stance?, destructive of bird life.
* * * *
Scatter seed in the birder, or converted
border, during the cold months, and
watch the birds come to enjoy them
selves.
Not only will they enjoy themselves,
as all living creatures do when eating
good food, but they will provide a pic
ture which gives animation and interest
where before was only quietude and
decay.
Every one has seen things moving in
store windows. It makes no difference
what moves, just so that it does move—
thereby it attracts the human eye as
nothing else can.
Crowds stand in front of the window
where small mechanical figures go ’round
and ’round. It is all very silly, but it is
the power of movement, which means
life.
Nothing moves faster than a bird.
They make a real motion picture, in
any garden, especially when snow lies on
the ground.
It always comes as news to many peo
ple, but they can have more birds in
winter than in summer, by feeding them.
Try it!
It is fun. and you are doing a good
deed in a naughty world, as that true
prophet. Shakespeare, put it better than
he knew.
Letters to the Editor
Visiting Lecturers Called
Foreign Propagandists.
To the Editor ol The Star:
The propagandists’ registry at the
State Department of late has not been
very active toward issuing to the press
the usual lists of names of new propa
gandists who have arrived in the United
States and who are now spreading their
illicit but subtle propaganda. I refer
particularly to that group of foreign
statesmen who have arrived in the
United States in the guise of lecturers,
but who are, in reality, field representa
tives for foreign offices and propaganda
ministries. These statesmen are trying
to convince the American people from
the lecture platforms and through the
American press that America would
have lost "her own self-respect and
honor had she stayed out of the
first World War.’’ The subtle implica
tion is that the same condition is in
volved today. These foreigners ignore
the fact that the United States tax
payer is still paying for the last war.
November 30. F. F.
Pleads for Education
Of Handicapped Children.
To the Editorof The Star:
In an article published in Sunday's
Star November 26. 1939, Mary Jane
Moore wrote of kindly Uncle Sam help
ing to win back the handicapped child
to health and a normal way of life.
It is a very fine story and explains
many things that the general public do
not know. But there is one thing
which the public should know about
the handicapped children in Washing
ton. That is that Uncle Sam does not
appropriate funds to educate the handi
capped children in their homes and in
hospitals.
Prior to the year 1938 and 1939 the
handicapped child, who was unable to
attend school, was just forgotten. No
public education was possible as a cer
tificate was issued to them stating that
the Health Department deemed it best
to excuse him or her from attending
school and that ended it.
If the child was crippled and was
fortunate enough to live near a point
where a school bus could pick him up,
he would be transported to the Langdon
School for Crippled Children. As there
was no other school for the handicapped
children the other afflicted children were
without gny means of education.
Thanks to the W. P. A. a project was
worked out in 1938 for visiting teachers
to be sent into the homes and hospitals
for the children who could not attend
school.
This project, was granted, and 16
teachers and (Vo supervisors were em
ployed for a year as an experiment. It
has proved one of the most successful
undertakings ever to be granted to the
District of Columbia.
The Board of Education for the past
four years has asked for appropriations
for this cause, but has been unsuccessful.
When Congress considered permanently
establishing this undertaking as a
normal function of the Board of Educa
tion, Uncle Sam was not so kind to our
"Washington’s Handicapped Children."
Congress has denied this group of chil
dren an education by not appropriating
funds for such an urgent need.
Every State in the Union has some
A
Letters to the Editor must
bear the name and address of
the writer, although the use of
a pseudonym for publication is
permissible. Please be brief!
form of education for the afflicted, but
our Nation's Capital does not.
Through the strenuous efforts of the
Association for the Education of Handi
capped Children the W. P. A. authorized
the project again for one more vear,
1939-40.
The medical profession, nurses, social
workers, hospitals, etc., do all that is
humanly possible to better the physical
condition of these children but until
Congress gives them a real chance to be
Instructed by trained teachers, these
forgotten, afflicted children will be
denied opportunity to receive the educa
tion that they most certainly deserve.
These children are asking the co
operation of every one to try to rectify
this deplorable neglect by urging Con
gress to provide funds for permanent
visiting teachers to their homes and hos
pitals. MRS. FLORENCE E. WELCH.
November 27.
Reforms Suggested In
Washington Shops.
To the Editor of The Star:
It's a good thing Mrs. Roosevelt
doesn't do her shopping in Washington.
It would be a greater strain on her
superabundant energy than all her
other activities combined. In all the
big and little towns I have lived in all
over the United States, Washington is
the most maddening to shop in. Only
on rare occasions have I gone into a
store here and gotten what I asked for
the first time, no matter how ordinary
the purchase was. Being a mother of a
rather large family this works a great
hardship, as endless hours and energy
are wasted trying to buy the everyday
necessities. Even when I get something
approximately what I want, every pur
chase is a sheer gamble as styles and
trademarks, which could be used as a
guide to quality, are so transitory that
it is very difficult to go back to the same
place (or better still, order by phone.)
and get the same article that proved
satisfactory with use. The whole con
sumer setup is so wasteful and ineffi
cient that it is an excellent field for
further endeavor by civic betterment
groups, to say nothing of the profession
al groups which are trying to do some
thing about it.
Some badly needed reforms are:
Uniform sizes with complete disregard
for age, which is wholly unreliable.
More dependence on trademarks for
quality, satisfaction and size.
Instead of trying to carry a needless
variety of stocks, stores should try to
carry two or three that are sure to give
satisfaction, and keep them on hand.
Definite information as to quality,
weight, thread count, etc., should be
given so a customer would have some
guide as to what she is getting for her
money.
More accuracy should be observed in
the advertising of sales. If all mer
chants would do this, it wouldn't be
necessary for any one to feel he had
to engage in cutthroat competition.
HELPLESS CONSUMER.
Novamber 28.
r
Answers
To Questions
By Frederic J. Haskin.
A reader can get the answer to any
question of fact by writing The Eve
ning Star Information Bureau, Fred
eric J. Baskin, director, Washington,
D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply.
Q. How much does it cost a day to
feed the sailors in the United States
Navy?—H. J. M.
A. The average cost of the Navy ra
tion per man per day was 47.584 cents
for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1939.
Q. What was the first newspaper pub
lished in Maine?—J. G. H.
A. The first newspaper in the State
was the Falmouth Gazette and Weekly
Advertiser which made its initial ap
pearance on January 1, 1785.
Q. Who were the leading members of
the cast in the original production of
‘•The Firefly”?—C. J. D.
A. Emma Trentini took the part of
Nina. Others in the cast were Roy At
well. Audrey Maple, Vera de Rosa and
Craig Campbell.
Q How did Col. Bradley happen to
call his champion 2-year-old horse
Bimelech?—J. C. H.
A. Bimelech is derived from a bime
lech, a biblical term to be found in the
Book of Judges. The name was sug
gested to Col. Bradley by one of his
friends whose nickname was Bimelech
in his college days.
Q. Who was Virginia Dare?—N. F. C.
A. Virginia Dare is the name of the
first white child bom in America. Her
mother was the daughter of John White,
the Governor of Virginia, sent over by
Sir Walter Raleigh in 1587. Her father
was one of the court of assistants. When
White returned to England, the Dares
remained in this country. Virginia either
perished with them or was adopted by
Indians.
Q. What material is used in making
the cigarette paper that is manufac
tured at Brevard, N. C ?—C. G. M.
A. The paper is made from flax fiber
grown in California and Minnesota.
Q. How large is the Caruso Memorial
Candle?—L. G.
A. The candle is 16 feet high, 5 feet in
circumference at the base and weighs
one ton. It is burned only on All Saints’
Day each year and at this rate is expect
ed to last 18 centuries.
Q. Why is the street in Memphis,
Tenn.. named November Sixth?—M. T. H.
A. November Sixth street was so
named because on November 6, 1934, the
citizens of that city indorsed the bond
issue for the municipal Tennessee Valley
^ Authority electric system.
| Q. Who is Dennis Day's mother on the
j Jack Benny radio program?—W. H. G.
A. The part of the singer's mother is
played by Verna Felton.
Q. What stories won the prizes in the
O. Henry Memorial Award of 1939?—
W. B. S.
A. The first prize was awarded to Wil
liam Faulkner for “Barn Burning,’’ pub
lished in Harper's. Second prize went to
James Still, who wrote “Bat Flight," in
the Saturday Evening Post. The third
prize was won by David Cornel de Jong's
“Calves,” from Esquire.
Q. Is the Government defraying any
of the expenses of Admiral Byrd's Ant
arctic expedition?—J. G. P.
A. The expedition is being financed in
I part by a Government appropriation of
| $350,000.
; Q. Please give the source of the line
I “Spend all you have for loveliness, buy
| it and never count the cost"?—S. H.
A. It is from the poem “Barter,” by
Sara Teasdale.
Q. What is the largest family of
plants?—N. N.
A. The largest family of plants, con
taining about one-tenth of all flowering
plants, is the thistle family. To this
belong the asters, goldenrod, daisy and
thousands of others.
Q. Who originated the March of Dimes
in the infantile paralysis campaign?—
J. W. C.
A. Eddie Cantor originated the March
of Dimes idea two years ago. He is the
national chairman of the March of
Dimes of the Air Committee in the 1940
Fight Infantile Paralysis Campaign.
Q. At what racketeer's funeral was
there a floral design of a clock with
hands pointing to the hour of his death?
—R. G. W.
A. Joe the Boss, leader of the Unione
Siciliana, whose real name was Joe Mas
seria. was killed on April 15, 1931. Among
the floral designs at his funeral w-as a
clock of roses and lilies with hands point
ing to 3:20, the time of his death.
y. how iar can an albatross fly?—M.
T. H.
A. Nature Magazine says that there
are good reasons to believe that the
average albatross goes around the world
many times during its life. An alumi
num band was once fixed to the leg of
a bird on the breeding grounds at Ker
guelen Islands. Three years later it was
captured on the other side of the globe,
some 6,083 statute miles away.
Q. Why are rats so often used for med
ical experiments?—J. C. H.
A. Rats most nearly approximate the
human race in their eating habits and
their ability to live in all climates.
Q. Please name the world’s most
beautiful cities.—T. R.
A. There is a great diversity of
opinion in such a selection, but one
travel authority has listed the following
as the most beautiful cities in the world:
Rome, Venice, Paris, Edinburgh, Stock
holm, Naples, New York, Dresden, Istan
bul, Nice, Florence, Vienna, The Hague,
Nuremberg, Budapest, Rio de Janeiro,
Prague, Brussels, Geneva and Washing
ton.
Q. Who invented the harmonica?—
J. K. B.
A. The instrument was invented by
Benjamin Franklin in 1762.
Q. What was the religious affiliation
of Huey Long's assassin?—R. E. W.
A. Dr. Carl A. Weiss, Senator Long’s
assassin, was a Catholic.
It's Still True
From the South Bend Tribune.
The axiom that "mankind learns noth
ing from history” is not hing mvaS
caxM umm days.
* ;