Evening star., 1929-06-10

organization lay strength and possibly
safety. So the call for a meeting was
sent forth.
The meeting was peaceful and effec-
tive. George S. Johns, editor of the st.
Louis Post Dispatch, was unanimously
elected chairman and William Philip
SimIns, foreign editor of the Scripps-
Howard newspapers. and Francis w.
Clark, managing editor of the Atlanta
Constitution, we're named as members OF
the executive committee. Those three
will attend to details of our representa-
tion and will select such speakers for
the formal occasions as may be neceS-
sary. They will act as buffers against
undue pressure upon. our time and
strength. And the meeting unani-
mously adopted a resolution that we
should not accept invitations to more
than one luncheon and one dinner a
day.
All this may sound as though we
were unduly alarmed on the score of
our welcome in the Orient. But there
are archives in F1nch'S room that abun-
dainty Justify the expectation OF much
formality and entertainment 1t is just
as we'll to be ready, in any case. So
Chairman Johns, who has had previous
experience on a Carnegie Endowment
Journalistic tour, is named as our pro-
tector.
In Waste of Waters.
This letter is dated "Still in the Pa
cific." It may be interesting to some
readers to know that according to Fred
Hogue of Los Angeles-who bobs up
every now and then with veritable
nifty" of priceless information-we are
now in the widest waters on the globe.
We are, he says, fartheSt from land
hot Se fn
the planet. That may sound like a
paradox, inasmuch as the trip from
Honolulu to Japan takes several days
longer than that from San Francisco
to Honolulu. But the fact Is that only
in these particular waters are we far
thest from any islands. West of Hawaii
there are several groups, particularly
the Midway Islands, but in this stretch
from the Western coast of the United
States to the Hawaiian Islands, there
are no upcroppings Of land in any form.
I believe that in point of fact we do
not reach the midway point OF this
waste of waters until tomorrow.
Yet, withal, we have not been with
out company since leaving San Fran
CISCO A steamer has been constantly
in sight since Wednesday noon. At first
she was forward on the port bow, and
later, owing to change Of course on
her part or on our own, she swung
over to our starboard. We have been
steadily, though slowly, overtaking her,
but she seems to be drifting of some
what to the northward and Is getting
hull down on the horizon. 1t is a
bit uncanny thus to have a ship con-
tinually in sight. Yesterday we passed
a sister ship of the N. Y. K, the Tenyo
Maru, going east The two steamers
swung over mutually to bring them
within half mile of one another and
saluted in passing. The Tenyo will
follow us westward shortly.
What Does "Maru" Mean?
BY the way, that word "maru," which
has worried g good many people, was
the subject of an extended discussion
in San Francisco, after the delightful
dinner that was given to us by the
officers of the N. Y. K. organization.
Some one asked what it meant and
Mr.. James King Steele, representative
of the line, replied that it had several
different explanations. He has, he
went on to say, written good deal
on the subject and still the mystery
is not completely resolved. So he re-
ferred the question to one Of the steam
ship officials, Japanese, who said that
prODaDly UIle WOTO InaTu -1ledIlC OTlBl-
nally castle, and that it was at first
applied to ship as fortress at sea.
1t later came to be the equivalent of
ship"
Mr.. Steele, however said that "maru"
had an earlier significance than that
of castle" which, he believed. had
gained usage only at the time of Perrg'S
visit to Japan, when the appearance
of the American ships of war suggested
floating forts to the Japanese people. 1t
was believed by some, he went on, that
the word originally meant something
especially precious, something highly
cherished, being applied to beloved
son, or to parent, or to some richly
rated possession.
I hope to get at the bottom of this
before leaving Japan. 1t would mean
while seem to be quite all right to re-
fer to the steamship Taiyo Maru,"
even though 1t may mean steamship
Taiyo Ship" BY the way, I believe
that the Japanese regard this word
with considerable affection, If not rever-