Evening star., 1923-09-11
CAPITAL KEYNOTEs
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS

at q speed 100 times swifter than any
earthly cannon balL-sometimes at
the rate of 500 miles per second.
y %*
Now here Is the moon. poRing itself
in between the earth and the sun.
How big Is the moon. that IT can shut
out all the sun from a band across
the earth shadowing all Central
america. Mexico. and part of Cali
fornia for several hours. and let only
half the sun remain visible for two
hours In Washington and vicinity7
II we take 1000 units as the size
of the earth, the moon, by the same
measure, is only twenty units. 1t
swings around the earth. every month,
In such tricky way that Ii always
presents the same side toward us;
we never see the back of the moon
There might be wonderful things on
oceans. rivers and everything imag-
Unable. II revolves about us as n
rubber balf on string swings around
boy--always the same part toward
the 7boy--or nearly the same.
. A year In the moon is only twelve
days long-a season is only three
days. Better a day in Europe than
cycle in Cathay." may be all right
for those, who like Europe. but what
about having a note In a Lunar bank.
falling due in ''three months?" That
would be only day after tomorrow!
The moon also has another kind of
years year of seasons" due to
chasing the earth around the sun,
while IL circles around the earth.
That year of seasons" is shorter
than our year-only 34s days. Ia hours
and % minutes.
The earth, too, has'a a long "year of
seasons" but that is 25,Ss8 years long.
1t is the kind of year on which to
base notes whose interest is not pay
able until maturity.
As for Venus. whom we also have
in our midst-within the suns corona
tho less said about her the better
She is a planet. as is also the earth.
but she is not quite furty-two times
as big as the moon, vet she runs
around her orbit without a chaperon.
Zee how she winked, all through the
eclipse!, The man in the moon saw
AlthOhBh chuS Is SO peIlles S0e
has an air about her which makes
her shine. when she parades herself
between US and the sun, upon the
great white way. No other planet
puts on the airs that Venus does,
which leads one TO ask whether she
has the wealth of the universe in
Inhabitants, like mankind. There has
been some speculation as to whether
Mars has an atmosphere, but scien-
lists claim that the clouds of Venus
and her atmosphere are indicated by
her sparkle and splendor just before
she parades across the face of the
, sun. in her transit--as bright as a
diamond.
Greece accepts the terms OF the ar
bitration of the ambassadors. and the
Italian-Greco war is averted. The
miners and operators of the anthra-
cite interests accept the terms of ar.
bitration laid down to them and the
pubic accepts its bill of $50, ,000. 900
a year extra, and so the coal strike
is over. Mexico is recognised. and
that's that. Secretary hooSer as com
ciaal loss due to the earthquake in
Japan was not so much, SO that is
consoling-eXcept to the millions OF
homeless. and bereayed
come smoothed in course of time!
H% II
Cholera threatens the devastated
region of the earthquake. A great
| er horror may follow than the quake
itself. Destruction OF $5,eee,ooo. 600
cannot be wiped out with breath
nor restored with cheer. 1t is
gone. Mann is poorer by all that
| which is destroyed. building that
| burns is lost to the world, though
| 1t be fully insured" Japan's loss
Is the worlds, loss, 1t is not re
stored" though all civilization rushes
| to the relief. Yet, out of the world
sympathy something more precious
/ "the tie that binds"-may bring into
closer union all nations. Matter is
| indestructable. Speed may be con-
| verted into power. Heat may be-
come light. Matter persists. Catas-
| trophe may become the light of the
| world.
! downright 1928 by p " Collinsl