Evening star., 1929-12-01
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

ception on Tuesday, December 10, for
election of officers, says that the very
encouraging attendance thus far re-
minds him Of the story of a great Per-
sian prince who, on making his first
visit to the Occident, was taken to a
symphony concert at Paris. After COM
pletion of the first part of the program
consisting of the usual selections OF
classical music, the prince was asked
what piece he enjoyed the most. GIe
asked the questioner to hum bar or
two from each and he would then
answer. The host did this, but the
prince was strangely unable to identify
his favorite. At the end of the inter-
mission, the musicians came trooping
back on the stage and Immediately d.
voted themselves to the usual process
OF tuning up, whereupon the prince ex-
CANNED with great excitement. That's
VIle piece liked the BEST"
Washington is a great center of in
formation and dissemination OF infor-
nation. Members of Congress and
other leaders in business as well as
political life like to raise their voice in
w allN oCAAu ACNNASOA obAAAS "
the rest of the country praise of their
home community, its crops and record
in public service. It's good practice
too. Thus the country learns many in
teresting facts about their neighbor
communities that are never writ In
books.
One such herald is Frank E. Davis
an outstanding business man in Repre-
sentative A. Piatt Andrews home town
He tells us that "'way back in 1923 a
small group of Pilgrims gathered in
their small huts 10 name that place
Gloucester. They were hardy lot OF
folks, living mostly on game and salt
water fish. They built small boats and
braved the treacherous waters of
Gloucester OF get mackerel and other
fish for their families. In those times
womenfolk helped. for every hand
meant more food for the cold Winter
months to come.
"I remember as a boy" Mr.. Davi:
told Representative Andrew and grOuL
of friends, when only 10 years old
lashing myself to the mainmast in q
stiff blow, when my fathers schooner
was half buried in the plunging sea
It was hard life. But. still, Gloucester
boys follow it year after year. 1t is ir
our blood. It's our way of living. Ma
mas lOCdOcU ClOSC W ILlC
waters there are"
At the request of the Representative
he explained why Gloucester is the
greatest mackerel port in the world,
thus: You see, these mackerel spawr
down South in the Gulf Stream waters
After spawning they are weak and thin
They slowly make their way northward
feeding as they go. BY the time they
are off the Gloucester coast they are ir
prime condition, full and round anC
plump and juicy"
Representative Andrew emphasize.
that this isn't fish story" but rather
a romance Of industry.
\ 4 4 +
The country was recently much in
terested in the story of the young low
ers, the cadet who married the colonel'S
daughter at West Point and that termi-
mated his career as a prospective Army
officer. The sequel comes with the no.
tification by the War Department oi
Representative A. Piatt Andrew oi
Massachusetts, that due to the reSigna.
ton of this young cadet, Paul Capron
jr, q vacancy exists at the Military
Academy. Representative Andrew ha:
Service Commission to hold an oper
competitive examination for this ap.
pointment in the tower of the Boston
Customs House on January II. The
successful competitor is to take the
regular entrance examination on the
first Tuesday in March, and II found
qualified will be admitted to the acade-
my on July /, 1880. .... -..
In commemoration of the thirty-thirc
anniversary of the founding of the
Massachusetts, Bay Colony, Congress
early in the session about to open, will
approve a bill introduced by Senator
David I. Walsh of Massachusetts, author
izing the coinage. at mints of the United
States. of 100000 silver 50-cent pieces OF
such design as the director of the mint
with the approval of the Secretary OF
the Treasury may select. The cost OF
coinage, dies. ETC., will be paid by the
Massachusetts, Bay Tercentenary, In
corporated, to which corporation these
memorial half-dollars will be turned
over on payment Of their face value.
All laws now in force relating to the
subsidiary silver coins of the United
States, and the coming and striking OF
the same, regulating and guarding the
process OF coinage, providing for the
purchase of material, for the tranSpor-
tation, distribution and redemption Of
the coins, for the prevention of debaSe-
ment or counterfeiting, for security OF
the coin and for other purposes are all
made applicable to such memorial coins
Thus does Uncle Sam through careful
enactment safeguard the in
tegrity of his currency.
4 y
An exact comparison of household ex-
penseS today with those Of 100 years
ago has been made by the Bureau OF
Home Economics of the Federal Depart
ment of Agriculture, through accurate
records of the Standards of living" OF
two families at professional level
similar in makeup and general social
position in which both husbands were
employed in Washington in similar
types of Government work. The flrst
record, kept in 1S16-17, totaled 81 ,98665;
the other, for l926-27, amounted to
4.853.83.
without doubt the professional family
of today is better supplied with COM
forts, conveniences and luxuries than
its counterpart of 100 years ago. To
get these part of the income today is
spent on items not easily obtained or
actually unknown in 1816-17-including
canned goods, prepared breakfast foods
and oranges, which do not appear on
the earlier record, and telephone. auto
mobile, commercial laundry, daily ice,
children's equipment and life insurance
The modern family has better cloth
ing, better housing, better medical and
dental care; 1t uses electric light, gas
and coal instead of candles and fire.
wood. 1t spends money for vocational
recreations, reading matter
and other items not thought of 11O
years ago.
Wages for services were, Of course,
less in 1916, but food was slightly higher
than in 1925. Although both families
spent almost Identical amounts for food,
the earlier one used this money for
quite different articles. The modern
food bill, with increased allotment for
fruits, vegetables and milk, shows the
great advance in scientific knowledge
of diet and the improvement of trans
portation and marketing facilities dur