Evening star., 1925-04-05
Capital Sidelights


progress had been made after four or
Ave weeks because we have not hith-
erto once thought of humbly apply
ing to the Father Of Lights to illum-
Inc our understandings" is point
ed out by James NJ. Beck, Solicitor
General OF the United States. In his
recent book on 1.-THE Constitution of
.the United 8tates-Yesterday,T Today
and Tomorrow" He quotes Franklin
further as asking his colleagues in
the convention, DO we imagine that
we no longer need His assistance?''
And Franklin pronounced this convic-
tion-That God governs the affairs
OF men. And IL a sparrow cannot
fall to the ground without His notice.
is 1T probable that an empire can
rise without His aid?" Franklin
urged that "henceforth prayers i'm
ploring the assistance of Heaven and
Its blessings on our deliberations. be
held in this assembly every morning.
before we proceed to business"
An "impious" speech by Alexander
Hamilton is also referred to by Mr..
Beck. on the authority of Jonathan
Dayton. the youngest member of the
convention. He records that Hamil-
ton was confidently of opinion that
they were competent to transact
the business which had been intrust-
ed to their care-that they were equal
to every exigency which might oc-
cur; and concluded by saying that
therefore he did not see the necessity
OF calling in foreign aid" Washing
ton f1xed his eye on Hamilton with
a mixture of surprise and indignation
while he uttered this impertinent and
impious speech.
r r n
Representative r. WALTON Moore of
Virginia, when his attention was di-
rected by Mr.. Beck to Thackeray's
Characterization of Washington in
THE virginians," said ne never hears
the name of Thackeray mentioned
without smiling at tho recollection
or how that greatest of the Victorian
noyelists in writing Of the colonial
era is SO far or on his geography
that he places Williamsburg, Va, and
Mount Vernon - close together that
the Colonial danes rode over from
Williamsburg OF an afternoon to take
tea at Mount Vernon. This couldn't
be done even in these days of rapid
transit by motor cars.
Representative Moore. who is a
close student OF Virginia history and
particularly well informed on the
outstanding characters of the Co
lonial and Revolutionary period, in
jected an observation the other day
or how haste to make a political ap-
pointment often changes the whole
history OF the country. He had par
ticulariy In mind the appointment of
John Marshall to be Chief Justice of
the Supreme Court by John Adams
in the closing days of his admins
tration. Mr.. Moore called attention
that Spencer Roane. a member Of the
House of Delegates who later be-
~ m a 4trd ~
1877, was a stanch adherent OF JEFF
ferson and slated to be appointed by
Jefferson as Chief Justice OF the Su-
preme Court had not Adams made
haste to I'LL that of1ce by appoint
ment of Marshall
Representative Moore argues that
Roane held the view that the Su-
preme Court had no right to declare
unconstitutional any act of Congress,
and so the whole history of the coun-
try might have been changed had he
been given the Office instead of
Marshall.
Athletes are the rule. not the ex-
ception. at historic oxford Univer-
sity," where sports are truly gentle
manly and professionalism is abso-
lutely non-existent, according to
John J. Tigert, United States COM
missioner of education, who was a
Rhodes scholarship man at oxford
and q noted athlete in his day.
Reminiscing OF his Oxford days, DIR.
Tisert says: SIS
THE bookworm is rarely met at
oxford, and those who do not take
some part in the athletic life are
rarer still. I can remember days
when an actual ma jority of us were
engaged in intercollegiate contests OF
various kinds on the same afternoon.
But where athletes are the rule and
not the exception, tlBey cease to be
heroes and demigods. Measured by
this utilitarian principle of the great
est benef1t to the greatest number,
we are far behind old-fashioned Ok
ford. Again, no American who en-
cages in sport at oxford win fail to
be impressed by the gentlemanly and
equitable character of the contests. 1
played in my college six for the three
years of my stay at Oxford, and
have never known a disagreement,
though the players made all the de-
cisions themselves without an UNI
pire or other third party.
The most commendable thing,
however, is the complete absence of
professionalism. This germ, which
oftentimes has killed athletics in our
ford. and questions ever arise as
regards eligibility and amateur
standing"
There has been a lot of criticism
about red tape" in the Government
service and about pulling strings to
get good jobs''-but that mustn't be
confused with the sure enough sup
ply of some 5000. 900 pounds of twine
u
partment to- tie up packages of mail
matter Bids were called for a six
month supply during the past week by
Postmaster General New.
X n \
That all the world over graduates
Of American agricultural colleges are
in demand is the good news that
comes to thousands of students in
such institutions in practically all of
the States of the Union from the
United States Department of Agricul-
ture. Representative Tincher of
Kansas has called to the Federal de-
partment's attention the fact that,
exclusive of alumni in Alaska, 81
graduates of the Kansas State Agri-
cultural College are working outside
of continental United States. They
are in Hawaii and the Philippines,
China, Canada, India, South Africa,
the West Indies, Japan and Panama,
in Serbia, France. Poland, Rumania,
Korea, Turkey, Brazil and Belgium.
r
All school authorities throughout
the United States have had their at
tention called to a book on Elements
of Conservation" which they have
been urged by Representative Will
liam B. Oliver of Alabama to use as a
text book. He said that one eminent
educator complained that conserva-
tion could not be taught in the
schools because ito get the message
over to the children would REQUIRE
them to study about wheelbarrow