Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-27
GETS LUTHER LETTER
Valuable Relic Given to Ger
many by J. P. Morgan.
COST FINANCIER $4,000
In Return, He Is Rewarded With
the Order Of the Red Eagle.
COPY AMERICAN BUILDING
Crown Prince and Others Follow
Boat Building Lines as Laid
Down in America.

famous letter of explanation to Charles
V, saved to Germany by the generosity Of
j. Pferpont Morgan, is to find a place in
the Luther Hall at Wittenberg upon a
pedestal presented by the emperor The
commission to make this pedestal has
just been given TO the sculptor Paul Juck-
off. 1t is to be of light limestone in late
Gothic style. Mr.. Morgan's representa-
tive bought the letter for trif1e more
than 5000 at Leipzig autograph sale
last May, and the financier promptly pre-
sented il 10 the German emperor His
reward was the order of the Red Eagle
first class. one of the highest decorations
in the gift of the emperor. The letter
which Emperor William valued so highly
was written by Luther on his return from
tho diet of Worms in 1921. IT describes
the proceedings of the diet and defends
the writer's course there. Charles v
never saw the letter, according to a note
written thereon by that monarch's arch
twist, setting forth that nobody had dared
show 1t to the emperor.
The sweeping victory of the American
yachts in the international "sonder-class''
races at the kiel regatta last year is rev.
o'utioniZing conditions i'm the German
sonder-class fleet. Among the yachtsmen
who are having new yachts built on the
admittedly superior lines of the American
boats. with which the American designers
beat the German constructors in their
own waters. the German imperial fam
lily is we'll represented. The crown prince.
the most enterprising sailor of the fam
lily, who had allowed his interest in the
sport to wane for year or two. is hav-
ing yacht built In Hamburg, which will
soon be. ready for it's trial trips. Prince
Henry OF Prussia, brother of the emper-
or, is again co-owner of this years
whose Predecessor IF he,
German representatives last year, and
Prince Eitel Fritz, younger brother of
the crown prince, is also having a yacht
built.
Germany May Tax Cats.
The government sees no objection to
the introduction of a tax on cats" is
the SERIOUS beginning of a seriously
meant ministerial decree just addressed
to the municipalities of Greater Berlin.
which for several years have been anxi-
ously searching for new sources of rev.
enue to meet the constantly growing
cost of municipal activities. The min
lister of the interior and the minister of
hnance -gravely continue that the cost
of cat licenses must be in proper pro-
portion to the license tax now imposed
on dogs. and that not all the regulations
of the latter should be copied in any
cat tax ordinance, the identification of
+. licensed cats by collar and tag being
particularly impracticable since : many
eats. owing to their habits. would inevi-
taoiy get banged by their collars and
perish painfully. 81. So. !.
Five Years ago there were no makers
OF aeroplanes in Germany, and until two
years ago none that had achieved any
tion hall in Berlin's Geological Garden
is filled with an exhibit of German fiy-
ing machines, German motors and other
Tying accessories which is hardly less
taan astounding. The comparison is
emphasized by the presence of the orig
NAL biplane with which Orlvile Wright.
early In September. 1900, made on the
Tempelhof field, south of Berlin, the
first successful flights ever made I'm Ger
many. This biplane, now the property
CT the German Museum at Munich.
stands beside a Wright machine just
made for the German army. The COM
parison Is striking. The old machine
has two light propellers and its equip
ment comprises only the indispensable
things. The new military machine has
but enc propeller and 1t is equipped with
wireless telegraph apparatus. With it's
JO-O horsepower motor the military
Wright weighs but TO pounds.
: Princes Biplane Attracts.
One of the exhibits that attracts gen.
eral attention is the Euler biplane in
which Prince Henry gained his aviator's
license. Beside the princes machine
stands the military Euler. the "aeroplane
destroyer" Upon 1t Is mounted ma
chine gun, or, rather, a machine gun was
mounted upon 1t once. The mounting is
still there. but the war department has
evidently not cared to have the gun
publicly exhibited.
One monoplane exhibited has three
propellers. and another presents some
thing new-two propellers moved indie
pendently Of each other by two motors.
This would seem to insure against the
calamity of dead motor in midair
Prince F-ca. .fita Sigismund of Prussia
exhibits lug monoplane which. he
proudly dec. -. was built entirely by
me, without tie assistance of an engineer
or any mech lie" Prince Frederick is a
millionaire l--any times over, belonging
to the rich branch OF the Hohenzollern
family He expects to reach at least
seventy-two miles an hour with his new
machine.
tendency to protect the aviator is
manifest In most Of the new models the
majority Of them providing a covered or
partially covered seat for the pilot and
his passenger, within which they sit
much as one might sit in the nose of a
great torpedo.