Evening star., 1923-09-17
TALKS and TALES
With and About
CAPITALS GUESTS

A bone-dry wogldA The mere
thought of such a condition will
probably send shivers Though thou
sands of wet brethern in these United
States, but. if credence is to be given
observations made by Judge William
S. Bennett of Chicago, just Neturned
from Copenhagen, Sweden, whittier
he went as special representative of
the late President Harding to pre-.
sent, a paper on smuggling Iiqnor
into American ports before tho
international congress-
against alcoholism, then such a thing;
is a possibility. with many European
countries fast drifting that way,
Maybe it won't come in your time,
my boy: but. Believe me, it is com
ing" laughed the former member Of
Congress, who represented the seven
eeehth New York district during the
Fifty ninth, Sixtieth, Sixty-trst and
Slxty-fonrth sessions. as he rocked in
his chair at the New Willard Hotel q
was amazed to learn Of the headWay
prohibition has made in Norway,
Sweden and Finland, most particu-
larly in the latter country. In fact.
the consumption of liquor has de-
creased rapidly throughout Europe
during the past five years"
Assured that it was absolutely i'm
material to the writer whether uni
versal-aridity BECAME effective tomor-
row, the noted lawyer continued,
England has sohered wonderfully
since the great war Today no public
house in London is reTmitted to open
DO longer are businaes and profess
sional deals consummAted over the
spirit that cheers, but in quaint little
coffee houses. with their products as
appetizers.' The old-tinA, Saturday
nights that made Edinburgh dis
grace to Scotland. have gonA, forever
Drinking places In all industrial dis
tFicts of that city are allowed Ap open
but two or three hours a day, and the
benefits resulting are pictured iIA the
faces of the people.
Judge Bennett was most enthusia6hic
over the cordial reception by the corh-
ference of the. plan outlined by SecA
retary Hughes governing restrictions
ports with liquor aboard, which in
cludes extension of the distance limit
from three to twelve. miles. and said
it was the general opinion Of dele
gates assembled that theentire pro-
gram of the Secretary of State. under
certain conditions. would be carried
out by reciprocal treaties entered into
by the countries affected.
Asked about European conditions
in general. the Chicago man, who
state has acted as general counsel
for the Edward Hines lumber. coal
and transportation interests. said
that materially conditions were
good on the surface, but that under
meath intense hatFedS prevailed that
threaten the peace of the world. "At
present Italy is unfriendly to France,
Belgium is against England, while
the sentiment In the British empire
is divided. All told"--and Judge Ben
he 7
investigated the more I thanked God
that America never entered the league
of nations. nor Signed the treaty OF
Versailles"
And while on matters. of state, IT
might be said here that the early
closing OF government departments
on Saturdays does not meet with the
unanimous approval of all citizens Of
the country, for so pertHrbed was DIR.
Josephine A. Pearson of Nashville,
FLHn., professor of philosophy and
dean Of the Southern Seminary of
Virginia, writer of note and famous
anti-suffragist. at finding the State
Eressional Library closed to visitors
last. Saturday afternoon that she
paced the lobby of the Hotel Raleigh
and talked of tnstituting agitation.
DR.. Pearson had arrived IN the city
after an extended trip through Can
ada and the north country, to make
inquiries of her cousin, DR. William
l. Pearson, who Is in Toxic. Japan.
and was greatly disappointed that
the big building at 18th and the
condition at the Executive Mansion,
whittier she had gone to pay her
respects to President Coolidge, the
learned lady decided to spend q few
hours at the Library, but once more
were her plans frustrated
This is certainly an issue TO be
agitated." exclaimed the intrepid
Nashville dfe-hard, who led the anti
ratification fight In Tennessee during
August, 1920. she having been se-
lected president of the southern anti
suffrage forces. as we'll as the
Tennessee Constitutional League and
the suffrage party opposed TO votes
being given women by any other
method than on "A states right basis.
The Library especially should b.
opened at all times for the benefit
of the laboring classes and those
professionals whose only opportunity
to use the great national outlay Of
government and federal resources
come after working hours and 6;e
holidays. The public should not &C.
denied, including week end exc~@
sionists to the city"
DR.. Pearson and her constituents lee
Tennessee in the election of 1920 -
vote for Harding against the demo-
ShdclS party cidlHlIlB Ihe latter nav
forsaken its tenets fer purposes G.
political eXpediency." As preside =
of the anniversary ceremonies of {.
Cumberland mountain divide OF -
Dixie highway, the educator was 29~s
pointed by the commissioners TO bS ~
Roads Association. Her address was!
widely published, and more than
loco copies foded Congress as propR-
ganda for good roads as an educa-
tfonal necessity in the south.
And speaking OF highways Dis
playing the same old optimism which
refuses to be dampeped. DR.. S. NJ,
Johnson, director general of the Lee
highway, rushed from the cashiers
window at the Hotel Washington to
make an early train for Memphis.
II. King. vice president of the asso-
citation, the two officials will travel
the great thoroughfare to III Paso.
Tex.
DIR. johnson, was most pleased over
the fact that Wilbarger county. Tex,
will have a bond election in Novem-
Der. when the good people of the
county will decide whether their com
munity will provide one-third of the
cost of an eighteen-foot concrete
road for the highway entirely across
the county limits. The state OF Texas
offers to stand expense of the re-
naming two-thtrds, TO be taken from
state and federal funds. There -ty
every reasoa to believe the issae wfff
be successful
Er johnson further announced that
Mississippi had provided funds 70
finish her part of the road, which
will probably make her the first state
to build her section of the highway,
California being q very close second,
New Mexico and Arizona will finish
their sections early next year" said
the director. ''and. owing to the good
national roads, remaining conditions
in Texas are In fine shape This
leaves only a comparatively snaaai
mileage in Oklahoma Arkansas. Ala
bnna, Tennessee and Virginia to COM