Evening star. [volume], April 02, 1940, Page A-10, Image 10

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

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With Sunday Morning Edition.
THEODORE W. NOYES, Editor.
WASHINGTON, D. C.
TUESDAY_April 2, 1940
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herein also are reserved.
Two Tax Possiblities
Representative Nichols of Okla
homa, chairman of the Tax Subcom
mittee of the House District Commit
tee, indicated his belief yesterday
that refusal by the House to consider
the combination sales tax-income tax
bill for the District resulted from a
failure by the House to understand
the bill or the situation which
prompted its introduction. If that is
correct, Mr. Nichols is justified in
his feeling that the refusal by the
House even to consider the legisla
tion is a reflection on the District
Committee. Certainly it is a reflec
tion on the House.
There should, however, be a fur
ther attempt by the House District
Committee to clarify the situation,
not merely for the information of
the members of the House, but be
cause of the importance of the mat
ter to the people of the District of
Columbia.
The local income tax, already am
biguous in defining those who must
pay the tax, has been so compli
cated by a court decision relating to
another form of taxation that it will
doubtless exempt a substantial ele
ment of the District’s population—
all of those, in fact, who are voting
or legal residents of the States.
If such an exemption holds, the
present income tax is so grossly dis
criminatory in its effect on the Dis
trict of Columbia that no fair
minded body of legislators would
permit it to remain on the books
without remedial amendment. The
proposed remedy is equitable, in so
far as principle is concerned, but
politically unattractive. The remedy
Is to tax all incomes earned within
the District—just as the States apply
the income tax to incomes earned
within the States—but by reciprocal
provision permit credits against the
State tax for taxes paid here.
This important amendment has
been referred to Mr. Nichols’ sub
committee. Mr. Nichols would per
form a service to the District by
pressing it vigorously in the House.
The local income tax is levied for
the purpose of supporting the Na
tional Capital. There should be no
exemptions for those who earn their
Incomes within the District and re
ceive the benefits of District resi
dence-regardless of their legal or
voting residence elsewhere.
Fairness to the District, the de
mands for additional revenue and
honest legislating therefore present
to the House the choice between two
possibilities:
First, amend the present income
tax to apply to all locally earned in
comes, without exemptions on the
basis of legal residence elsewhere, or,
second, repeal the dishonest, cum
bersome income tax now on the
books and enact in its place a com
bination sales and income tax.
It is the duty of the House Dis
trict Committee to explain these al
ternatives to the House and to have
them considered on their merits,
honestly and without the petty
selfishness and spite that have
marked the course of tax legislation
for the District.
Police Boys1 Club
President Grover Cleveland once
remarked that he was “rather par
tial to small boys,” and the sentiment
he expressed is so natural and, it may
be hoped, so common as to require
no explanation. Major Ernest W.
Brownr superintendent of the Metro
politan Police, is qualified to testify
to the satisfaction which such an in
stinct brings when it is generously
given opportunity to function. The
boys’ clubs which he established ex
perimentally in 1934 have proved
their efficiency beyond his most op
timistic hopes since that time. It is
their objective to “develop correct
speech, beneficial sports, clean hab
its; co-operate with recognized
agencies to develop good citizenship;
- teach boys the fundamentals of law
observance; lessen juvenile delin
quency through proper recreation;
create interest among Washingto
nians regarding their responsibilities
to youth.”
Five separate club centers in the
city and a summer camp in Maryland
provide facilities for leisure-hour ac
tivities under skilled supervision.
The boys are encouraged in their
normal desire to work and to play in
groups and to seek leadership which
they need in the transitional years
between six and eighteen. Instruc
tion, of course, is furnished, but,
even more important, careful guid
ance is supplied. All benefits, in
cluding medical and dental atten
tion, are gratis. It follows that the
boys are met upon an equal footing
at the start. There Is no “aristoc
racy” to be favored. Democracy pre
vails. Fourteen thousand youngsters
are members, and each of the num
ber is an independent, self-respect
ing citizen In the making.
Major Brown does not boast of the
success he has achieved. Instead, he
is content to cite the fact that since
1933 juvenile arrests In the fifth pre
cinct have dropped seventy-nine per
cent. Upon that single figure he
rests his case. The committee of
local businessmen, police officers and
clergyman which indorses his enter
prise and advises with him in his ef
fort to expand it stresses the “health
ful, character-building athletic, vo
cational and social programs” of
fered. Eighty-six thousand dollars
will be wanted for the clubs during
1940. This money must be raised by
voluntary subscriptions. Surely it is
a pleasure as well as a privilege to
contribute.
The Bear's Claws
There are several conditions and
contingencies in the international
situation which justify a great power
like Soviet Russia in augmenting her
war machine. Yesterday the Su
preme Soviet, or what passes for a
national Parliament in the Stalin
autocracy, debated a government
proposal to increase the military
budget for 1940 to the record total of
57,000,000,000 rubles, which is a 38
per cent increase over 1939 outlay and
represents 31.7 per cent of expendi
ture for all government purposes.
In introducing the budget, Finance
Commissar Zvereff supplied no de
tailed reasons for asking peak mili
tary appropriations, but these are
the things which obviously Inspire
them:
1. Demonstrated shortcomings
of the Red Army in the Finnish
campaign and its heavy losses in
materiel.
2. Creation of the new Kare
lian - Finnish Socialist Republic
requiring a new garrison.
3. Acquisition of Eastern Po
land, necessitating an army of
occupation.
4. Possibility that Russia may
have to meet an Anglo-French
Turkish thrust in Southeastern
Europe, for the purpose of out
flanking Germany and cutting oft
her oil supplies from the Cau
casus.
5. An attempt to recover Bessa
rabia from Rumania by force, re
sulting in hostilities with the
western powers which have guar
anteed the integrity of the central
Balkan country on whose oil and
grain supplies Germany is casting
covetous eyes.
Addressing the Supreme Soviet
last week, Premier Molotoff strongly
indicated that while the Soviet
Union’s friendship for Germany is
firmly rooted, Russia intends to “pur
sue its own independent policy” and
not be embroiled in the war among
the “capitalistic” nations in Western
Europe. He particularly mentioned
the possibility of trouble in the
Southeast.
There may be yet another reason
why Stalin has determined to
strengthen his military machine.
His plans synchronize with the an
nouncement that the allies are de
termined to tighten the blockade
against Germany and extend con
traband control to the Pacific. While
trade between the United States and
Germany has declined since last
September, commerce with Russia
and neutrals bordering the Reich
has vastly increased. Russia, for ex
ample, has spent about $10,000,000 a
month here for armament rawstuffs
like copper, lead, tin, alljy steels
and metal-working machinery, most
of which is designed for manufac
ture of armaments and airplane
parts. Thousands of tons of copper
and brass have been shipped directly
from this country to Russia across
the Pacific to Vladivostok.
Still larger quantities of metal are
sold to Russian traders and shipped
from American ports to Mexican
harbors for reshipment aboard Rus
sian vessels. The British are con
vinced that the lion’s share of these
extraordinary Soviet purchases of
our raw materials eventually finds
its way to Germany. It was only last
Saturday that Mr. Churchill de
clared it is “ludicrous” for Britain to
permit the neutral neighbors of Ger
many to continue to supply her with
indispensable sinews of war.
Despite Molotoff's pacific assur
ances there cannot be left out of
account the possibility that the Hit
ler-Stalin deal comprehends a secret
military alliance and that Russia is
expanding the Red Army to meet
eventual Soviet obligations, to say
nothing of aggressive new ventures
which the Red imperialism may be
plotting in Northern Europe.
--
Light of Europe
Europe remains, to an extent
hardly appreciated by most Ameri
cans, the chief source of the most
valuable commodity in the world—
Ideas.
The capacity of the Old World for
developing and realizing them is
quite another matter. In the field of
science alone, as is stressed in a
statement just issued by Dr. Ray
mond B. Fosdick, president of the
Rockefeller Foundation, it is from
across the Atlantic that we have re
ceived during the past two or three
years such revolutionary develop
ments as sulfanilamide, the tapping
of atomic energy through the ura
nium fissure process, and a score of
others. Europe, up to the present,
at least, has been the cornerstone of
the intellectual life of the world.
And this is not said in derogation
of America, which certainly has
eclipsed any other single country in
its contributions. «
The intellectual life of Europe is
threatened as never before In the
present war In which the whole en
ergies of the peoplei are of necessity
undergoing a process of regimenta
tion toward a single end unknown
In the world hitherto. Says Dr. Fos
dlck: “If, as a result of the present
cataclysm on the other side of the
Atlantic, Europe freezes into an
Arctic night, we shall not easily
keep the fires lit in the universities
and laboratories of America.”
They are still lit by the light of
Europe. It is a light which has
dimmed a little in the past few dec
ades, due to lack of resources, the
destruction wrought by .tfie first
World War, persecution and tyranny.
But it is still, probably, the brightest
light in the world.
The United States will suffer if
that light stops burning.
The Fire Hazard
The circumstances under which
three persons died and five others
were injured in an apartment house
fire early yesterday necessarily raise
very serious questions as to the ade
quacy of existing facilities for pro
tecting the public against the fire
hazard.
Eyewitnesses have said that the
interior of the building was virtually
consumed by the fire ten n\inutes
after it had been discovered. “The
place went up like a matchbox,” ac
cording to Acting Fire Marshal C. G.
Achstetter, who expressed the belief
that only good fortune prevented
greater loss of life.
In the light of these descriptions
of the rapidity with which the fire
gained headway, it is difficult to
understand the report of a deputy
building inspector, made six months
ago, to the effect that the stairs, cor
ridors and partitions of the apart
ment house were fireproof, on the
basis of standard tests. District
Building Inspector John W. Oeh
mann also indicated that remodeling
workjon the building in 1925 did not
follow in every detail the plans which
had been submitted and approved.
These two aspects of the fire present
Immediate problems — first, whether
the tests to determine the fire
resistant qualities of buildings are
adequate, and, second, why the al
leged failure to follow the building
plans in this instance was not dis
covered at the time of construction.
Still more important considera
tions are raised, however, by Colonel
Oehmann’s additional statement
that under existing regulations the
burned building could not have been
constructed at this time, but that
the new regulations are not applica
ble to apartments constructed prior
to the date of their adoption. This
apparently indicates that numerous
other apartment houses in Washing
ton may be as much of a menace to
the lives of their tenants as the
structure which burned yesterday.
The installation of such improved
safety devices as outside fire escapes,
which are not required now on apart
ments three stories high, undoubt
edly would tend to guard against
such tragedies as that of yesterday.
These devices could not be installed
without difficulty and the expense
would be considerable, but if the al
ternative is to Invite further needless
loss of life by fire there should be no
great difficulty in making the proper
choice.
It is of the utmost importance, in
answering the questions presented by
yesterday's fire, that the investiga
tion now being made by District offi
cials be pressed vigorously and fear
lessly. And, if it should be found that
more is needed, a congressional in
quiry, such as that proposed by Rep
resentative Bolles of Wisconsin, may
prove desirable.
Saving a Throne
Among the more shaky thrones of
the world is that of King Cotton.
The wobbly Southern monarch al
most lost his crown a hundred and
fifty years ago, when it used to take
about a week to pick seeds out of the
amount of cotton that could be har
vested in a day, but Eli Whitney’s
cotton gin saved the day. The next
assault on the dynasty came when
It was found that girls who wore
silk got the honey and milk and
those who wore cotton were quite
forgotten. In the nick of time it
was learned that it could be treated
with nitric acid and made explosive,
which made it highly popular with
certain statesmen who used it for
spreading civilization and corpses.
During an interlude of peace Sec
retary Wallace discovered a new use
for it. He found that if plowed
under, it would grow Government
checks and votes in the cotton belt,
and taxes and squawks everywhere
else. As the millennium, instead of
being Just around the corner, turned
out to be still far in the future, John
Smith in Wisconsin selfishly objected
to paying Joe Brown for not growing
cotton in Arkansas, and King Cotton
took another right hook on the
button.
But he is not out yet. The Na
tional Cotton Council has just an
nounced that ice cream can be made
out of cotton—an edible species, not
to be confused with the familiar va
riety that appears 'on April Fool’s
Day. It Is said to taste like maple
nut and malted milk, and will prob
ably be even better when the cotton
plant Is crossed with the hunjble
milkweed.
Members of Congress having sud
den and urgent need of a policeman
next year might ponder over the
twenty-five badly needed ones “wfyo
will not be there.”
The coat of driving a car In heavy
city traffic is said to be about as high
as if the motorist were driving
through mud. Probably—and not ao
much fun, either.
Of Stars, Men
And Atoms
Notebook of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study
By Thomas R. Henry.
A black moon encircled in a band cl
pearly gold will sweep over the Southern
United States Irom Texas to Florida
next Sunday afternoon, providing one
of the astronomical shows of the century.
Scientific instruments already are
being set up to observe this “ring eclipse”
of the sun. It will be attended by many
of the spectacular features of a total
eclipse and will be observable to some
degree over the whole continent except
Alaska. The light of the sun will be
reduced to that of a cloudy, gray win
ter afternoon.
Such a show occurs somewhere in the
world nearly every year, but often over
the oceans or in some obscure spot where
it is not feasible to send an expedition.
A joint expedition of the National Geo
graphic Society and the United States
Bureau of Standards is setting up a sta
tion near San Antonio at which scien
tists will play a game of bouncing radio
balls off the electric roof of the world.
This is the ionosphere, a region of radio
reflecting layers which lie from 50 to
250 miles above the earth’s surface.
Without these layers radio waves would
move in straight lines into space and
practically no reception would be possi
ble beyond the horizon.
These layers, experts of the two insti
tutions explain in announcing the expe
dition, “consist of concentrations of ions,
or wounded molecules of the gasses that
make up the air. The gas molecules
are torn and therefore electrified from
collisions with the billions of rays of sun
light that plough through on their way
to the earth. When night falls the
creation of ions stops. Very quickly the
lowest of the layers practically disap
pears. Gradually the higher layers be
come less densely ionized but radio sig
nals reflected from them are stronger
because they do not have to pass twice
through the electrified region of the
lowest daytime level, losing energy on
the way.
"it is certain that marked changes in
some of these layers can be noted, like
those that occur at night, at the moment
of greatest darkness when a narrow ring
of the sun will be visible entirely sur
rounding the dark disk of the moon. A
trailer-mounted equipment, operated by
storage batteries, will send upward radio
signals of steadily increasing frequency.
This frequency increase will take pla^e
in one minute and will be repeated over
and over again during the progress of the
eclipse. The time required for the echos
to return from the reflecting layers at
different stages of darkness will be re
ported photographically. These tracings
may throw light on the processes oc
curring on the sun which determine the
ionization of the earth's atmosphere"
One of the most ambitious programs
is that of the McDonald Observatory of
the University of Chicago, which is situ
ated within 50 miles of the center of the
eclipse. Astronomers there under the di
rection of Dr. Otto Struve are seizing
the opportunity to observe conditions on
the extreme edges of the disk of the sun.
The disk of the moon will eliminate
all the stronger radiation from the
center of the sun which, under normal
conditions, mingles with the radiation
from the edges. At the climax of the
eclipse this disk will cover 93 per cent of
the sun's diameter.
It is well known. Dr. Struve points
out, that the sun seems much brighter
at the center than near the rim, but it is
only during such a ring eclipse that the
surface brightness at the edge can be
measured. The measurements are ex
pected to shed considerable light on the
actual composition of the sun. A special
television apparatus has been devised
to record the small additional amount
of light emitted by the corona, or pearly
outer edge of the atmosphere of the sun,
when seen against the normal blue sky
of daylight.
With the aid of a red filter. Dr. Struve
said, amateur astronomers will be able
to observe prominences at the obscured
edge of the sun. The mountains at the
edge of the moon, which will appear as
tiny irregularities in the black disk, can
be photographed.
The path of the most perfect phase of
the eclipse will cross the Mexican oorder
at Big Bend, Tex., about 3:38 pm. It
will move eastward along a 150-mile
wide path. At New Orleans it will last
4.7 minutes and 5.4 minutes in Talla
hassee, Fla. The partial phases, which
will vary In different latitudes, can be
observed all over the United States and
most of Canada. The ring aspect, how
ever, will be clearly visible only along
a line through Southern Texas, Louisi
ana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and
Florida.
A Southerner Wants to Know
"Where Are We Heading?”
To the Editor ot The Star:
As a 30-year resident of the District of
Columbia, originally hailing from North
Carolina, it seems to me that the time
has* come for every true American to
wake up and think for himself. We of
the South love and honor the name of
democracy, on the assumption that it
means what it implies. Yet we have
heard our President say in his first cam
paign that our Government must live on
its income or be doomed to bankruptcy.
He actually accused Mr. Hoover of ex
travagance.
Congress is now considering a labor
social security bill amounting to more
than a billion dollars. Does this sound
like economy? In the past few years we
have drained swamps, found it to be a
mistake, and then spent more money to
correct the error. Immediately after
assuming office our President took the
airmail service out of the hands of pri
vate companies and turned it over to
Army pilots, and the useless loss of life
is well remembered. At a time when
many were begging for food we killed
pigs Right now we are building expen
sive dams, that may be washed away In
floods, to produce power for which we
will have no need for a century. On
the one hand we are spending money for
irrigation to make land available for
cultivation, and on the other, at the very
same time and in the very next office,
we are paying farmers not to cultivate
land now in use. If you can give the
answer to that, it is more than I can do.
There is an old injunction against
changing horses ifl midstream, but I
suggest that if you are drowning, by all
means change horses—and at once.
BREVARD DAVIDSON 8TROHECKER.
IBfthR
~7 TH[S AND THAT I
By Charles E. Tracewell.
“CHEVY CHASE, Md.
"Dear sir:
"May I add a bit of experience to that
mooted question, ‘Does the cardinal
bathe?’
"I know of one that did last summer,
for I saw him in the bird bath in our
yard a number of times.
"He is not so ecstatic or rowdish in
the bath as the starlings, but sits in
the bath as if he were floating in the
water and splashes very little.
"I have thought his brilliant plumage
makes him such a target for his ene
mies that perhaps his protective in
stinct makes him wary of getting his
feathers wet.
"But I am quite sure this aristocrat
among birds is not ‘dirty,’ but necessarily
cautious, and knows of an old swimming
hole in some secluded spot.
“Mrs. Cardinal may have used the
yard bath also, but her less brilliant
plumage would not attract attention
among the many other birds that patro
nize the bath.
* * * *
“A member of my family has Just
said, ‘How do you know it is the same
bird that comes to the bath?’
really do not know, but a pair of
cardinals has been guests at my feed
ing tray winter and summer for at
least six years.
“In summer they raise two families,
three or four in each family, and are
most devoted parents, sharing equally
the responsibility of feeding the young
birds. They bring them to the tray
and macerate the sunflower seed as
they do other food.
“In every instance, as soon as the
fledglings are able to feed themselves,
father cardinal drives them away and
after a while they disappear from the
yard and only the older birds remain.
“Am I justified in thinking it is the
original pair?
* * * *
"Perhaps this absolutely authentic In
cident may be worth considering.
"As I havfe said, a pair of cardinals
have been with me for six years, with
a short intermission three winters ago
when the male bird came alone.
“One cold winter day in ’38 Mrs. Car
dinal came to the tray very lame.
"One leg was almost useless and al
though it was not broken I thought
possibly it was frozen. The poor bird
fluttered to the tray and later had diffi
culty in perching in a nearby tree.
“Soon she disappeared.
"Then one bright spring morning Mr.
Cardinal appeared with a very chic
mate, and we rejoiced, thinking our
little lame friend had recovered, but,
alas, a few days latter she came flutter
ing to the tray, timid and a bit dis
heveled.
* * * *
l "Like Sampson shorn of his strength,
| she had to bear the jibes and Insults of
I her tormentors—the pert little sparrows
whom she had never permitted on the
tray before without expressing her dis
| like of their quarrelsome ways.
“She came to the tray shyly and timid
ly and at a time when most of the birds
were feeding on the ground.
“One morning when she was feeding
on the tray alone her handsome ex
mate appeared.
"He stood on the edge of the tray,
raised his crown and gave the little
lame lady a 'dirty’ look and in unmis
takable bird language said, ‘I am sur
prised to see you here. I told you to
stay away from the royal table.’
“She flew away, but returned at in
tervals until a few weeks ago, when
I fear the intense cold and the unequal
struggle for existence proved too much
for her.
“We will welcome her if she returns,
but I would not prolong her unhappy
fate.
“Does this add any weight to the
theory that the original birds have been
with me through the years?
“A handsome pair of purple finches
came to the tray two weeks ago, but have
vanished.
“This morning we saw our first robin
of 1940 taking a bath, quite chilly, I
think.
“Very cordially yours, E. A. T.”
* * * *
It seems agreed, by the almost unani
mous vote of our readers, that cardinals
do bathe.
Perhaps, as many of them suggest,
these fine birds are just more chary
about doing it in public, and fly away
to natural bathing places, particularly
in woods.
There can be no question of cardinals
being dirty, in any sense; surely, they
are among the finest and cleanest of
birds, as many correspondents have said.
The question Just was, “Had you
actually seen one taking a bath?’’ and
some readers coftld not recall that they
they had, whereas many said most em
phatically that they had.
Some observers point to the fact that
the cardinal may be seen taking a bath
in muddy pools after a rain, especially
along deserted ways. Others say that
they bathe very early in the morning,
and for that reason late risers may not
see them bathe.
That they do bathe, perhaps as much
as other birds, seems unquestioned.
They evidently do not make as much
fuss about it.
Our correspondent's pair of cardinals
turns out to be a pair and a half!
Nature has little use for the crippled
creature. They must get along the best
they can, which is not always very good.
Still, some of them manage to do all
right, at least for a considerable term.
We had a crippled dove for three
years. It could scarcely walk, but once
in the air flew as well as any bird.
This dove was extremely wary, of
course, and took few chances. Experi-'
ence had taught it a great deal. Let
us hope that crippled birds, if able to
get to food, manage to live well enough
for all practical purposes. But we
imagine that the other of a pair never
fails to take another mate, in all such
cases.
Letters to the Editor
Effort to Collect War I
Debts Wins Praise.
To th» Editor of The Stsr:
As time goes on, it Is apparent that
there is less and less inclination on the
part of people generally to take seriously
the claim that the bloodshed across the
sea is another “war for democracy," and
that we should go to the rescue of the
allies. Much of the sympathy at first
felt for England has disappeared as the
result of the arrogant attitude of the
British with regard to American mails,
trade, etc.
It seems to me that the “Make Europe
Pay War Debts" movement, which is re
ceiving so much attention in Congress
and in the press is one of the best forms
of insurance against being tricked into
another war. Giving full credit for the
good work being done by the various
peace organizations, I am, nevertheless,
satisfied that the war debts collection
movement is accomplishing as much as
or more than any other movement in the
Interest of keeping the United States out
of the present conflict.
This is excellent strategy, to call atten
tion to the unpaid debts of the previous
war, and it awakens a lot of people who
were half asleep at the post. Not very
many sensible persons are likely to favor
entrance into a second world war when
the participants still owe us over $14,
000,000,000 that they borrowed for con
ducting the first war. Until the “Make
Europe Pay War Debts” agitation started,
a lot of people had forgotten the exist
ence of these huge financial obligations.
Reminded of the fact, the suggestion of
involving ourselves in further fracases
to please the kings and financiers of
Europe will not be very attractive.
The insolence of these alien imperial
ists, who, after getting us to win their
other fight for them and after borrowing
these billions that the American people
now need so badly, hope to obtain addi
tional money and help from us, is dis
gusting, to say the least. If an individ
ual debtor treated his creditor that way
the reaction would not be a pleasant one.
I congratulate the advocates of war
debts collections on doing an excellent
job and hope they continue their efforts.
March 28. HARRY ORME.
Alexandria Taxpayer
Seeks Advice.
To the Editor of The 8t»r:
As an Alexandria taxpayer, I am seek
ing a bit of information. Why is there
such a holdup in proper legislation re
garding two-family houses in Alexandria?
On January 3, 1940, notices were sent
out to a few property owners stating that
any apartment located in so-called “one
family” homes would have to be discon
tinued. A few of the owners who
received these notices acted and at some
expense had the fixtures removed and
ousted the tenants. Then several cases
came to court and the court decided in
favor of the property owners. . Those
parties have the privilege of renting
their apartment in their homes, as do
those 75 or more owners who had not
received notices at the time of the
decisions.
This leaves those few who took out the
apartments in an unfair situation. They
are unable to replace the fixtures or the
apartments in safety until new ordi
nances are acted upon by the city Coun
ad. 2ft tha mean time they an lodng
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!
all revenue from their homes upon which
they are definitely dependent and, there
fore, their obligations are growing every
week.
Surely such lack of action places this
small minority at a distinct disadvan
tage, which is not fair. Some definite
action should be taken and taken at once
so the citizens of Alexandria could know
if they are living under the shadow of the
law or within the law, whichever the
case may be. A TAXPAYER.
March 30.
Opposes Advertising Section
Of Dentistry Bill.
To the Editor ot The Stir:
Little known and less publicized is the
bill (H. R. 78651 now before the Commit
tee for the District of Columbia “for the
regulation of the practice of dentistry
in the District of Columbia.”
I, with all the conscientious members
of my profession, approve most heartily
of any bill that protects the public from
unscrupulous practices.
However, I strongly protest that part
of section 12 of this proposed bill which
puts into the hands of a minority* a
power that might be used for personal
aversions. I also protest that part of
section 12 which applies to honest ad
vertising. I do not defend advertising;
I advocate it. The public has a right to
know about dentistry and this bill de
prives them of it.
The essence of the bill is not designed
in the Interest of the public but rather
for the interest and benefits of demists
who would not want the public to know
the cost of dentistry.
In my 40 years of dental practice here
in the District I have always lived up
to the advertising claims which I made.
And I fully realize that advertising
dentistry has made the public tooth
conseious and has also benefited the
non-advertising dentists. By advertising
prices and guaranteeing work, the ad
vertising dentist is held to a higher de
gree of efficiency than is the non
advertising dentist.
The proposed law does not do one
thing more for the safety and welfare
of the public than the present law does.
The safety and welfare of the puolic is
more concerned with what the dentist
does after he gets the patient in the
chair than how he gets him there.
DR. JOHN K. PREIOT.
March 27.
Senator Vandenberg Praised
For Restraint.
To the Editor of The Star:
I see that one prominent writer,
commenting on Senator Vandenberg’s
speech of Monday night, says the Senator
criticized the “New Deal" in its adminis
tration but suggested nothing to take its
place.
Senator Arthur H. Vandenberg is a
Republican candidate for the presidency
and I, for one, think him wise in not
making suggestions at this time. We
know that if he is elected President we
will get the good old reliable Republican
doctrine that, with the aid of Democrats,
built this country from little to greatness.
MlNh ST. A DEMOCRAT.
Answers . \
To Questions
By Frederic J. Hasktn.
A reader can get the answer to any
question of fact by writing The Eve
ning Star Information Bureau, Fred
eric J. Haskin, director, Washington,
D. C. Please inclose stamp for reply.
Q. What famous poem was written as
the result of an opium dream?—W. H. S.
A According to Coleridge's own ac
count, "Kubla Khan” came to him as an
opium dream, after he had been reading
an account of Kubla Khan in Purchas’
"Pilgrimages.”
Q. When did Congress pass the first
act pertaining to workmen’s compensa
tion?—W. J. W.
A. The first official recognition of the
principle of workmen’s compensation by
Congress was the Federal Act of 1908
providing limited benefits for designated
classes of employes of the United States.
Q. For whom is Dubuque, Iowa,
named?—W. J. K.
A. The city of Dubuque was named
in honor of Julien Dubuque, a French
Canadian trader who got permission
from the Indians to dig lead there and
elsewhere on a tract of 140,000 acres
of land which the Indians gave him.
The grant was confirmed by Baron
Carondelet, and a title by the French
King was issued.
Q. Please give the weight and height
of Seabiscuit and War Admiral.—N. K. M.
A. Both horses weigh 1,040 pounds.
Seabiscuit is 15 hands 1% inches in
height and War Admiral is 15 hands
2’s inches.
Q. Is it true that a newspaper cor
respondent in reporting the Gettysburg
Address said that it would live forever?
—W. A. C.
A. A correspondent of the Chicago
Tribune wired from Gettysburg ona
sentence to his paper after Lincoln'*
address: “The dedicatory remarks by
President Lincoln will live among the
annals of man."
Q. What is the religious affiliation of
Arthur H. Vandenberg?—L. A.
A. Senator Vandenberg is a Con
gregationalism
Q. Did the Chicago & North Western
Railroad sell air lots above the Mer
chandise Mart in Chicago?—O. J. R.
A. The Merchandise Mart was erected
upon and over certain switch tracks of
the Chicago & North Western Railway.
Approximately 458 small plots of ground
were purchased from the railway com
pany into which the caissons were sunk.
In addition, the air rights over the
entire railway property bounded by the
exterior walls and supplementary’ drive
ways of the building were purchased.
Q. Is there any estimate of the
amount of money that is spent in the
United States to spread Communism?
—J. R. W.
A. In September. 1939, the Dies com
mittee produced information to the
effect that the Communists in the
United States were spending about $2,
000,000 annually. The claim was sup
ported in part by documentary evidence.
Q. What song has been the most
popular on the Hit Parade in 1940?
—G. M.
A. The four songs that have achieved
first place are “Careless.” “Scatterbrain,"
“All the Things You Are" and “Indian
Summer."
Q. When were frozen fruits and
vegetables first sold?—J. E. S.
A. The first frozen fruits and vege
tables to be put on the market were
introduced in a test campaign in Spring
field, Mass., in the spring of 1930.
Q. Is Baby Doe Tabor still living?—
P. M. D.
A. Mrs. Elizabeth Tabor was found
frozen to death in her shack at the
Matchless Mine, near Leadville, Colo,
on March 7, 1935. She was 73 years old.
Q What is the size of the largest
telephone cable?—I. M. B.
A. The largest telephone cable in
service in the United States carries
4,242 wires and is 25g inches in diameter.
Q. Is it essential to wear black to a
funera; of a close friend?—W. H.
A. Emily Post says that it is no longer
considered necessary to wear black unless
you sit with the family, but you should
choose clothes that are dark and in
conspicuous.
Q. Please give the oath used in the
Olympic Games.—J. L.
A. The following oath is taken by the
athletes in the Olympic Games: "We
swear that we will take part in the
Olympic Games in loyal competition, re
specting the regulations which govern
them and desirous of participating in
them in the true spirit of sportsmanship
for the honor of our country and for
the glory of sport.”
Q. What is the longest road in the
United States?—E. C. D.
A. The longest highway route is
United States No. 60, which begins at
Virginia Beach, Va., and extends to Los
Angeles, a distance of 3.122 miles.
Q. What is the value of land and
buildings in this country?—A. H. S.
A. Land and buildings in the United
States are now valued at approximately
$170,890,000,000 or 54.4 per cent of the
total national wealth.
While Children Sleep
While children sleep, beneath the moon’s
thin bow,
Which halos tree and roof, where after
glow
Of lately sinking sun wrought maglo
spell
Of sheltering warmth, a silver
throated bell
Sounds forth the coming night—swings
high, swings low.
The darkling evening hours will gently
throw
A mantle, dipped In silence, soft as
snow,
Over the fairies’ talk, the things they
tell
While children sleep.
O Ood of rest, hold back harsh winds
that blow
Into the sleep of little ones: bestow
A luminescent light to pierce the shell
Of any terror-stricken dreams. All’s
well,
If Thy hands rest on heads of tangled
tow,
While children sleep.
HER KDfSr *