Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-30
Capital Sidelights

Ordinarily on receiving Develop
ment of Governmental Forest Control
in the United States" just issued by
the Institute for Government Research.
members of Congress are apt to lay it
aside as dry and prosaic document.
1t is nothing of the sort. 1t is unusu-
ally we'll written in style that hap
PLY combines Carlyle and Ring Lard
merit Sits the fancy and awakens
new thoughts 1t is a literary treat.
Here is aH excerpt:
Forest influences in American his
tory? They are everywhere from be-
fore the time the Pied Cove sailed to
New Hampshire down to this very hour.
Out of Americas forests came not only
I Americas wealth and power. but Amer
! icaS genius and spirit. Let Americans
never forgot that that true king OF men
whose genius and character made
America an independent Nation was
eSt-bred-Washingto the Forester"
Quoting from the famous historian,
Parkman, in writing of Montcalm and
Wolfe, the writer points out that lust
| after sunset on the 18th of December
! l753) a tall youth on horseback came
out of the forest" and he impreSSes
upon us this summary:
There was a dramatic symbolization
in that circumstance, but it was not
for mortal eyes to see. The French,
watching from their rough-hewn ram
parts, saw but the youth and the horse
! and the myriad black arms Of the for
est, gaunt and cold against the after
glow. The flaming splendor that strobe
at the youths saddle bow they did not
TIov com GonrUo WacINinUtOr hIt
their eyes were blind to the mighty
spirit of nation to be that came with
him--out of the forest"
! X X y
Representative Clifton A. Woodrum
of Virginia, valiant champion of the
/ Government clerks, known familiarly
/ by his colleagues as Judge" because
before coming to Congress he served
three years on the bench of the Hus-
tings Court of the city of Roanoke, is
proud Of an innovation made by one
/ of the counties in his district which Is
| in the interests of economy and eff
cfencJ which is the slogan Representa-
| tive Woodrum has adopted for his con-
gressional service. The United States
Bureau of Education Is much interested
in this novel feature.
A general utility man is employed for
his full time by the Campbell County
| (Va). School Board. He visits regu-
larly the 80 schools of the county and
makes necessary repairs to buildings
and equipment. Many old buildings
have been remodeled by the utility
man since his employment in June
1926, and sanitary conditions have been
improved in number of other schools
In addition he has constructed two
| "a n
repairs defective dues, sets up and re-
builds desks, and twice a year he oils
the floors of the buildings which have
no janitor The school board has pur-
chased a truck, and this enables the
utility man to deliver school supplies
which are bought in quantities, result
ing in a substantial saving. Coal for
some of the smaller schools Is deliv-
cred by him. He is paid 40 cents per
hour, and he has received an average
of $3.50 per month. Additional help
required by him is paid for at the rate
Of 80 cents per hour. Operation and
maintenance of the truck costs an av-
erage of 1925 per month. The work
of this man has resulted not only in
the saving of time and money in the
conduct of schools in Campbell County
but has notably increased the efficiency
Of the school system. The division
superintendent of schools directs the
| work and arrangeS the program for his
visits to the schools.
| x x x
A strong plea to moneyed Americans
to preserve for posterity the decaying
temples and Shrines of bygone ages in
China is made by Representative Ross
A. Collins of Mississippi, who was i'm
pressed with the need for preserving
the art and architecture of the ancientS
upon a recent visit to China. He calls
attention that these old monuments,
whose exceeding beauty "has enthralled
dignitaries and scholarly travellers, are
going fast into decay, and if left alone
these manifestations of Chinese civili-
cation will follow into dust those of
the Aztecs and Incas.
Beautiful shrineS and temples on the
approach to the Ming tombs are nearly
naked. Others at the Summer Palace
and Yellow Temple and at all the sa-
cred spots in that untouched country
and blue walls and the three-tiered
roofs of superb yellow tiles that char
acteTize so many of the historic places
in China are falling apart and will soon
be gone Many u these buildings are
of frame construction, except their tiled
roofs, and they will go more rapidly
than the others.
Money is needed to restore them all.
The Chinese are without the means to
do it. Poverty is almost the rule with
them. Their spending capacity is al
most mill, and, added to this, political
chaos exists throughout their land. If
these monuments and temples are to be
saved, the time to do it is now and
| delay will mean their ruin and loss.
: Forward-looking citizens Of our own
country, trust, will rise to the oppor-
tunity and save these beautiful build
ings that speak so fully of the artistic
struggles of bygone Orientals.
| 1T is only fair to those that come
after us for us to preserve intact for
them not only our own art and archi-
lecture, but as we'll the art and archi-
lecture Of the aEcientS. We do not do
our full duty raerely by passing on to
them our own works. 1t is our equal
i duty to pass on to them the art of the
ancients and other expressions of their
creative genius"