Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-10-19
Capital Sidelights

Mabel messed around the shop. and
with all the persistency of an active
4-year old got daubed up with sticky
printers ink. She used to get quite
kick" out of assuring the family
that she was going to be news
paper woman.
Hanging conspicuously on the wall
in one of the finest Offices in the
heart OF official Washington Is
framed commission which announces:
Warren GamalieI Harding. Presi-
dent Of the United States of America
To all whom shall see these pres
ents. Greeting: Know ye, That. re-
posing special trust and confidence
In the integrity, ability and learning
of Mabel Walker Willebrandt," etc,
etc
That refers to, the same Mabel who
used to put printers ink where other
girls nowadays apply rouge and the
lipstick. She takes special pride in
the fact that the words Integrity,
ability and learning" in her commits
sion are written in in ink--which
lends an emphasis to them.
You see, instead of becoming a
newspaper woman she has become
Assistant Attorney General, the high
est position achieved by any woman
in Uncle Sans service. In the mean.
time she had worked her way through
college, taught school while learning
to teach better in a normal course,
got married at 10. was principal of
high school days and attended law
school nights. and continued teach
ing night school while she built up
her law practice.
And she-out OF wide personal
experience and position calling for
extraordinary judgment-hasa notion
that girls nowadays might profit from
stricter discipline in home and
school, such as she herself was SUBJ
ject to, for her own good.
Another Washington correspondent
has achieved the ambition to write
a book. This time it's Theodore A.
Huntley, who finally found the time"
Recently We have had quite a batch
of books by Washington correspond
ents-several of them "reminiscences
and anecdotal like those by Louis A.
Ludlow and David S. Barry; others
Geographic, including some half dozen
with Calvin Coolidge as the hero.
Huntley has elected to write the
first biography OF John W. Davis.
Democratic contender for the presi-
dency. and here is d sample of what
he writes:
"Fiva daughters had been born.
On the evening of April 13. 1879, the
mother of this brood. she who was
Anna Kennedy. sat reading in the
little house on Mechanic street. In her
hands she held the last volume of
Gibbons monument tai work, 20 years
in the writing. The Decline and Fall
of the Roman Empire She was rush
ing to reach the end, having reason
for her haste. But the chapter was
never finished. Closing the book with
a smile she called her husband. That
night the word went round:
They've got boy at John Jeemes.'
They named him John William
Davis for the John on the Davis side
and the William on the Kennedy.
Having carefully chosen his parents
he had likewise elected to be born
on Thomas Jeffersons birthday.
1T Was her sister who swaddIed
him. and presenting the babe to his
mother announced on behalf of the
family:
He is A noble Roman
Thus Clarksburg set on the road
to its present fame"
Poetry and romance. the hail to the
conqueror, wierd ceremonials and
impressive rituals throb and reverbe-
rate even in the staid, prosaic and
uncolorfuI atmosphere of the sepul-
chre-like Patent Office-if one has his
ears atuned and his mental vision
keen. AS witness-Weilington B.
Johnson, first assistant examiner of
patents, discusses what is now a
lost art" in this country, save for
the amateurish attempts OF moon
sinners and bootleggers.
After quoting some verses from the
ancient hymn book OF the mother
Aryan race, written in Sanscrit, re-
ferring to a religious ceremonial
feast in which the fermented juice
OF the soma plant. grown in the
mountains, was imbibed by the
plains that the exhilarating effects
were attributed to inspiration by a
supernatural being. who was there
fore lauded and adored."
In ancient Babylonia, Assyria,
Egypt and China religious cere-
monials were always accompanied
by the drinking of fermented beyer-
ages. and many were the oracular de-
liveries Of priests, SYPHILIS and sooth-
sayers, given by favor of the soma"
inspiration.
These fermented beverages were
made of the most accessible ferment-
able substances. Where the grape
thrived, grape wine was made; where
the palm tossed it's fronds on high,
palm wine or date wine was used
If fruits containing fermentable
sugars were wanting in sufficient
amount, the starch in cereals was
saccharified and fermented into
drinks of the beer class, or honey
was diluted and fermented.
An essential part of the reception
of the heroes into the Eordic Valhalla
was the presentation of cup of
q n he feo re
of the gods in Wodin's Hall Egir
busted himself in brewing the beer on
which they RECALLED, while the heroes
drank the mead given by the She
goat Heidrum. which fed on the
leaves of the tree Laerad.
In the Hebrew ritual wine had it's
place and is used today in the most
solemn and sacred rite of the Chris
tian Church, though it plays there an
entirely different role from any men
toned above.
Therefore, Mr.. johnson finds that
"Class 195-Alcohol," as it is known
in the United States Patent Office,
deals with one of the oldest known
arts-now fast becoming lost" in
this country. This class. he points
out. contains patents for all processes
necessary to the production of any
alcohol by fermentation, including
the preparation of the malt and the
liquids to be fermented, and the de-
velopment of yeast and other organ
lied ferments useful in the art, and
also patents for the newer low-alco-
holic beverages and their methods of
preparation, and of denatured alco-
hol.
A mans work will be dry and drab,
IL he allows it; but when a man looks
for what is behind the grind of his
daily work he can usually find col
orful background-even as Mr.. john
son did without himself sampling the