Evening star., 1923-08-18

not yet got their winters supply of
coal. prepare to shiver. For Presi-
dent Coolidge is at Is all quiet
along the Potomac"
And that amt the worst OF it,"
as the soldier said, in James Whit
comb Riley's poem. about the buddy
he was carrying off the field. when
the cannon ball took Off his head
the buddy's. The climax comes when
it is reported that gasoline has gone
up in South Dakota and won't come
down in the District of Columbia.
It's just one - thing after another.
X X X
But the fool optimists" point to
the fact that "the government at
Washington still lives" that France
could no more afford to repudiate
it's debt than the United States
Treasury could open it's doors for
an l. W. w. looting: and that. when
ever the coal miners and operators
cease to dig. the government will
| find some means TO protect the pub
lie. For any country to destroy its
public credit by reputation would
be suicide, and the world has not
gone crazy yet.
Never despair.
The darkest day,
Live till tomorrow
VIII have passed away"
X X X
The American Philatelic Society,
meeting in Washington. has estab-
lished a precedent which will live to
make it's members blessed. 1t voted
down a motion requesting President
incidentally and inferentially. to
shake hands with all the members.
Not love. but vanity, sets love a
task like that"
If the American habit Of shaking
hands with Presidents and other
cele brities could be broken our great
men would live longer 1t is so per-
functory that IT serves no purpose but
to feed the vanity of the individual.
The visitor approaching In line with
hundreds of other individuals, with
no excuse whatever but his desire to
boast that he had shaken hands with
the President. cannot possibly leave
any impression of his personality
upon the President. The latter would
not know, minute later, IL the same
individual rejoined the line and again
marched by for another handshake.
In European countries it Is the
fashion for dignified men to kiss each
other on both cheeks to demonstrate e
their cordiality. To Americans. the
fashion seems ridiculous. Is il more
to crush the working hand of their
Chief Magistrate to prove their 10y
atty?
The dawn-to darkness flight across
the continent has not yet been sue
cessfully accomplished. but the Post
Office Department has instituted A
new mail schedule OF twenty-eight
hours The service will begin next
Tuesday. with a flight from New York
! 70 San Francisco. when planes Will
leave each end of the route stimuli
taneously at IL am.
The entire distance will be marke d
with electric lights AT five prin-
Wyoming there will be two lights,
each of 600.OO0,000 candlepower.
Beacon lights will mark every TWEEN
ty-five miles, while smaller lights
will mark every three miles.
There will be five-day test of the
service on this plan. after which ii
will be checked up and modified as
necessary.
Could there be anything more ap-
pealing to the imagination than the
contrast between such service and
the pioneer trek across the plains
within the memory and experience of
men still living? The weary months
of trudging afoot and guiding the
numbering OK teams. The dangers of
the plains--the Indian savages, the
wolves. bears and other wild beasts.
The great herds of buffalo, All these
are gone into history.
Copyright. 1923 by Paul V. Coliinsr