davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1934-10-30
Girl Scouts Again.

Another Girl Scouts week began
yesterday, and the occasion Is worthy
of the attention of far larger public
than might be supposed. Parents
whose daughters are members Of the
organization, Of course, are familiar
with the purposes 1t serves, but in
terest in the work transcends that
natural boundary and engages the
minds and hearts Of thousands Of
people who do not classify in that
bracket. Teachers, for example, know
by experience the constructive influ-
ence which the Scout movement
exercises upon the younger generation.
Physicians see in 1t q force for the
promotion of human welfare in terms
of better health. Sociologists look to
1t as training school for citizenship
In the broadest, most inclusive and
most practical meaning Of the word
Even ordinary business executives
consider it q recommendation when
an applicant for employment can say
she has had the advantage Of Scout
training.
And yet this sisterhood which Is
helping to mold America Is merely
. volunteer association unpretend-
ingly modest in its claims for itself.
1t came into existence through the
genius of one woman-the late Mrs.
Jullette Gordon Low Of Savannah,
who organized the first troop in 1912.
and it has prospered through the de-
Evening star., 1934-10-30

votion Of an army Of followers who
have had the talent to share her
vision and to catch and to carry on
the ardent idealism Of her dedicated
spirit. But 1t also should be men,
toned that its progress has depended
upon the girls themselves. It Is not
In any way an institution arbitrarily
imposed upon them. On the contrary.
it Is . democracy in which co-opera-
ton is the predominant principle and
in which there are no limitations
upon any gift for leadership which .
girl or = group may possess. Its
growth, therefore, has been natural
in every respect, its gains in numbers
and In strength have been governed
by normal evolution-a mathematical
expansion dictated solely by the in
creasing spread Of knowledge of its
aims and methods and achievements
Small wonder Is it, then, that not
even an unprecedentedly serious de-
preston has retarded the Scout cause.
Since 1881 membership has doubled,
and the end Is not yet. In point Of
fact there Is no reason why any Amer
ican girl should be denied participa-
ton in the fellowship and fun, the
education and mutual aid which the
movement offers. The cost Of enrolling
is only fifty cents a year, a uniform
may be had for less than five dollars.
Expenses for excursions and in Sum-
mer vacation camps are held to the
minimum. But no yardstick ever has
been invented to measure the Dement'S
the investment yields. Mere casual &C
quaintance with the Girl Scouts Is
enough to prompt general gratitude
that they have their place In the
American scene.
Evening star., 1934-10-30
Crossing the Pacific by Air.

Triumphing over the torrential
rains Of suva, lodging through day
light storms which he could see and
boring blindly through q midnight
storm which heaved and pounded
him during what he laconically
described as q bad hour" Sir Charles
Kingsford- Smith l. more than two
thirds of the way back along the trail
which he blazed from Australia to the
United States six years ago.
In duplicating the flight which
many in aviation consider the greatest
ever made, the Australian pilot is at
tempting to impress upon the world
his conviction that trans-Pacinc air
transport service is coming Elm the
not too far distant future"
While the Australian Is back-traek-
ing his 7,365-mile course across some
Of the most untraveled Of all the
wastes of the Pacific, American air
craft designers and builders are
bringing to completion q series Of
great flying boats which are to be
used next year IN the frst organised
Evening star., 1934-10-30
Unemployed Must Be Given Buying
Power ThrOugh III Work and Not Relief

"They pointed out that IT Is I'M
perative that the work relief program
Of the Federal Government be con-
tinued and expanded If the welfare
and morale Of our people are to be
maintained In this connection it
was recommended that work relief
must be given Immediately to all un-
employed persons now on relief"
The following Is copied from q
speech Of Mr.. r. o. Bonnell, chairman
Of the Baltimore Community Fund, as
reported in the same issue of The
Sunday Star:
1T Is not within the scope Of my
assignment to philosophiZe. However,
it must be obvious that the practice of
supporting people who are producing
nothing and who are not creating
wealth in its broad sense Of contrib
uting in some way to the production
Of wealth Is . drain upon resources,
which, II long continued in large
volume, win lead to bankruptcy. Fur
thermore, it destroys the habit Of in
dustry and penalties thrift. A subsidy
Of laziness will eventually build up an
army Of charity seekers who will
undermine our civilization.
THAT there are thousands Of Mary
landers who are In dire need must be
recognized. That there are countless
others who, through fraud and misuse
Of relief funds, are making it difficult
to take care Of the deserving Is equally
true.
Those who secure public money
under false pretenses are committing
crime and should be treated accord
ingly. Every one Of US should pledge
himself to put an end to these abuses
by reporting evidence of them
promptly to those In authority. Fur
thermore, it would seem that some
feasible plan should be devised which
would require those receiving the
benefits Of relief to work for it-not
at high wage, but at . wage which
will create the constant urge to ind
something better"
I heartily agree with Mr.. BonnelI'a
remarks and to q portion Of the plan
Of the mayors. don't believe the
city politicians should saddle the
whole load on the Federal Govern
ment for some years to come.
I believe that emergency public
work, in 50 far as possible. should be
done by the Nations unemployed at
emergency wages and not at the pre-
vailing scale for like work.
None Of Us, Government officials
least Of all, wants to put the Govern
ment into business, other than gov
ernmental business. During this
emergency the Government Is forced
to take the lead. II Government and
labor Is to live, industry must survive.
Charity, to the halt, the lame and
the blind, perhaps, but to ablebodied
American citizens, never.
Why prolong the agony. when the
matter can be disposed Of in much
less than IL months?
T. GARRISON DALEY.
Evening star., 1934-10-30
Independent Voter Has
Merely Choice of Evils
To the Editor OF The Star:

To the Editor OF The Star:
What seems most worth worrying
about in politics is the misconstruction
of current events by leading COM
mentators. such as Nicholas Roosevelt
and Mark Sullivan In The Sunday
Star.
A financial statement Of the cost
of the New Deal seems of little sig
niflcance, in terms Of debt dollars,
under circumstances which make it
impossible to foretell what those dol
lars will be worth when collected In
taxes Gas Mr. Roosevelt assumes they
will be-, or even how much, If any,
of the debt will be paid with taxes.
The Coolidge economies" and debt
reduction were largely a matter Of
tax collectibility in a period Of infia-
ton with commercial bank loan
money. Tax rates were even reduced
under Secretary Mellon, and Senator
La Toilette has rightly attributed the
ensuing speculative era largely to that
reduction.
OF course. the present administra-
tion hopes to duplicate those condi-
tions by a prestidigitory shift from
the New Deal pyramiding of Govern
ment loans to the old deal pyramid
ing of commercial loans with its IN
determinate infiationary effect. As
suredly, nothing Is being done to
check such a return to the lending
of demand deposits Checking ac-
counts by private banks as an infia-
tionary development, the only CON
troll in sight being the theoretical
one of Government speculation in
Government bonds. In other words,
the Government Is counting on infia-
tion through pyramided commercial
bank loans which will so cheaper the
dollar as to make taxes collectible
with which to pay OF its debt by buy
ing its outstanding bonds; and, when
the debt is paid and tax burdens can
be lightened (again in the midst Of
infiationD. the managed-currency
mechanism. a la John Maynard
Keynes, will Immediately resell the
bonds Cat a discount, of coursea to
prevent inflationl Our old tabby cat
chasing her tail out in the COW barn
Is not any funnier. She Is only less
tragic.
So let's not suppose that disappro-
baton Of the New Deal presages .
return to another Republican new
era. The situation Is rather one in
which the independent voter, who
really does the electing, Is presented
with . choice, not Of ideals, but of
evils; and he can still consistently
vote, II he votes at all, simply. for
that Of which he disapproves least.
ALDEN A. POTTER,
Evening star., 1934-10-30
Charged Wires Proposed
Defense From Starlings
To the Editor of The Star:

To the Editor OF The Star:
Now that it has been decided to re-
duce the starting population, why mot
try the plan that legend says young
Thomas Edison used to rid his tele-
graph Office of the cockroaches that
worried him when working the night
shift. The reaches entered the room
through the cracks between the base
board and the floor, so young Edison
ran pair Of charged wires along these
openings, placed so close together that
roach could not cross them without
touching both. In the morning, 50
the story went when I was a boy, the
youthful wizard took the broom and
swept half a bushel of reaches out the
back door, then put on his hat and
coat and went home for breakfast.
II It was q true story, why wouldn't
the plan work against the starlings?
It would be a simple matter to string
the wires over some Of the roosting
places and turn on the current at dusk
when the birds are coming In. As the
dead birds fall from the cornice or
window sill, their places would be
taken by later arrivals:
II the plan Is practical, 1t might be
necessary to place saets, 80 as to pro-
tect the heads Of pedestrians.
Q. p. HOPKINS.
Evening star., 1934-10-30
Protests Patent Office
Change As Vandalism

To the Editor Of The Star:
Apropos the proposal TO remove the
portico and steps Of the Patent once
Building on its F street side to widen
the street ut that point I feel impelled
to enter an earnest protest. There Ii
no real necessity to do this, as the
street at that point will be wide
enough for trafhc II the street car
platforms are removed farther east
and west. Conceding, however, there
is some congestion and impediment to
trafic at the point in question, are We
to sacrifice this old historic and beau
tiful landmark for the mere purpose
Of facilitating the breakneck speed OF
automobilists through the streets Of
our city, and thereby promote the
manning and killing Of pedestrians?
Man does not live by bread alone, for
II he did we weuld still be in the jun
gle state. 1t Is the beauty Of art in
sculpture, painting, music and archi-
lecture, originating with the Greeks
and transmitted from generation to
generation, that has raised men from
odfuBCly w klFhlLatloAs WA wiz
ing this communication am listening
to . beautiful symphony over the
radio, and am impressed with the fact
that "the song that serves a nations
heart Is in itself Q deed" and that he
was right who said: IF can write q
nations songs I care not who may
make its laws" It is, indeed, the glory
and good of art that art remains the
one way possible Of speaking the
truth.
To return to our subject. The Patent
Office Is not only one of our Oldest
public buildings, but is conceded to be
one of the most beautiful from an
architectural standpoint. 1t stands as
beacon light in the darkest night
amidst the architectural monstrosiiies
scattered over our city, which have so
often been the objects of severe crit
icism by foreign visitors.
Its principal glory, which is indis-
pensable to It's architectural beauty,
Is its southern portico, with its mas
sive Doric pillars and impressive
flight of steps. Take these away and
its beauty will be totally destroyed.
Far better remove the entire building
than leave 1t thus mutilated. Such an
act would be worthy of Hottentot
and . mortal affront to every man
and woman in Washington who has
the slightest cultural instinct and love
Of the beautiful. 1t would be on a par
with decapitating the statue of the
Venus de Milo, or plucking the gor-
geous tail feathers of a beuatiful pea
cock.
The approval Of this desecration by
the Fine Arts Commission, in connec-
ton with other things they have ap-
proved suggest they are more utili-
tarians than artists, and are willing to
destroy the beauty of our city to serve
the convenience of automobilists
rather than to preserve and promote
its beauty
If this be the policy of the commits
sion the sooner 1t is abolished the
better.
ALEXANDER SIDNEY LANIER.
Evening star., 1934-10-30

blanket" but . blanket has body,
heft, to 1t, whereas this influence Of
which we speak Is light as air. impal-
pable. but efncient.
This efficient influence, unseen and
unheard, without effort or even in
tent, wings its way, like Longfeliows
arrow and song, into the heart Of .
friend or acquaintance.
1t blights every effort to speak, for
what Is the use?
The curious thing is that most often
the person who discharges this deadly
frost Of the mind and spirit Is ut
terly unaware Of 1t.
II you were to charge him with the
odense, he would say you were too
sensitive, or seeing things" or ut
terly misinterpreting o noble soul.
And the very fact that he would be-
lieve no wrong Of himself shows that
something Of the same cold has crept
into his own veins.
Now q further question Is in order:
Is this fellow the same to all men?
The answer Is mol"
His salvation lies in the fact that
some other human being may find in
him excitement to do his best.
So 1t may be seen that some Of the
blame attaches to the person who finds
him q human frost.
II one Is susceptible to chill, then he
lacks Q certain warmth, does he not?
Inner fire Is necessary, in this world,
In order that one may resist the ef-
fects of chilling.
He who possesses 1t not Is likely to
md himself being frozen very easily,
SO the entire blame for this state Of
things cannot, In all fairness, rest en-
tirely on the other. Yet the latter is
the active principle Of this evil. He
could. II he desired, draw this other
out, In order to find Just what is in
MIN. In this interesting process he
might be amazed, at time, at what he
found.
BY operating on the opposite belief.
however, that there Is no discovery
10 be made, he freezes q human mind
at the very beginning, and actually
stultifies 1t, rendering 1t helpless. Then
There is no wonder that the man
seems stupid.
A single piece Of stupidity should
never be taken as an indication that
the entire man Is stupid.
Often the wisest human beings do
or say silly things one moment, and
they should not be judged the rest
OF the time on q few slips,
Yet nothing Is more pleasing. ap-
parently, to certain natures than to
thus penalize some one because the
latter has made q mistake once in
their presence.
One may be woefully in error In
one thing, only to be tremendously
right in others. and no one has any
real right to judge him the second
time on the basis Of the first.
What is said in conversation ought
TO weigh more than the manner Of the
saying, but every one knows that the
acquaintance who freezes you up puts
great stock in delivery. He listens to
nothing, usually, unless it is put to
him with vim and vigor, indicating
great conviction. You see, he recog-
nizes his own tricks. He is impressed.
in other words. by himself, coming
from another. His one good feature is
the vast contrast he offers to the
happy person who makes you do your
best, who draws you out and entices
you on to say the good that is in YOU
Evening star., 1934-10-30

| Hons Of separate individual deposi-
tors.
q. What has become Of the coun.
try which was once known a. Bo-
hesnia?-K. A.
A. It is now part Of csechoslo.
vakia.
@. How much of . cigarette n
usually thrown away by Q smoker7-
F. B.
A. Most cigarette smokers throw
away q cigarette when 1t Is 1H inches
long. This, OF course, Is almost half
the length Of the ordinary cigarette.
Q. What sort of marriage ceremony
was used in ancient Rome?-J. @.
A. Social Life at Rome in the Age
Of Cicero" says: THE sacramental
ceremony called confarreatio (be-
cause Of sacred cake, made OF the
old Italian grain called far and
offered to Jupiter Farreus) was par
taken Of by bride and groom in the
presence Of the Pontifer Maximis, the
Flamen Dialis and 10 other witnesses.
At such q ceremony the allspice had,
Of course, been taken and apparently
victim was also slain and probably
offered to Ceres, the skin Of which
was stretched over two seats (sellae)
on which the bride and BRIDEGROOM
had to sit"
@. Is 1t possible to 20 by automobile
from Laredo, Tex, to Mexico City,
Mp.
A. The American Automobile Asso-
citation says that the road from
Laredo, Tex, to Mexico City Ii now
closed due to the rainy season, which
makes passage along it absolutely i'm
possible. 1t is expected that the road
to Mexico City will be completed in
December.
@. In the Parent Teacher Associa-
ton membership, what proportion are
| fathers?-S. r.
| A. Accurate analysis Of the member.
ship as to the number Of fathers,
mothers and teachers has been i'm
possible, although estimates received
from 9,195 units in AZ States indicate
that approximately 10 per cent Of the
PIT. A. members Of the country are
mothers, 16 per cent are fathers, and
II per cent teachers, the remaining Z
per cent being unclaSsifed aunts,
uncles, grandparents and other inter.
ested adults.
@. Does Afghanistan belong TO the
League Of Nations?-R. B.
A. This country was recently ad-
mitted into the League of Nations As
the f1fty-ninth member.
@. What is ascorbic acid?-C. L. L.
A. The Bureau of Chemistry says
that. ascorbic acid Is the chemical
| name which has recently been ascribed
to pure vitamin c. Chemical science
has been attempting for years to iso-
late the vitamins, and 1t happens
that vitamin G Is the first Of the sub
stances to be thoroughly understood.
| Contrary to expectation, 1t Is the first
vitamin not merely to have assigned
TO 1t definite molecular formula,
out actually to be synthesized by purely
chemical means.
@. Why does salt become so damp
in rainy weather?-T. s. K.
A. Salt possesses the power TO abb
sorb water and actually go into solu.
tion-in chemistry it is called deli.
quescence. Some salts absorb more
| water than others.
Evening star., 1934-10-30
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN,

A reader can get the ansioer TO
any question OF fact by iDriting The
Washington Evening Star Information
Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director,
Washington, d. c. Please tnclose
stamp for reply.
@. How much booty did John Dill
linger COLLECTIVE. e. v.
A. According to newspaper articles,
Dillinger's total loot was nearly q
quarter Of q million dollars. The best
figure of oficials Is $241,7Q1.
@. When will the cleaning Of the
Washington Monument be finished?
How much will 1t cost?-D. c. B.
A. The work being done on the
Washington Monument will cost $50.
900. According to the progress now
being made, the work will be COM
pleted by January /.
@. How long was paper money the
size 1t was before the smaller currency
was introduced?-J. B. B.
A. Currency was of one size between
1851 and July 10, 1929. The first issue
Of fractional currency in denomina-
tions Of five, ten, twenty-five and fifty
cents was August l, 1862. Fractional
currency was used until May 27, 1868
@. What kind of time Is indicated
by the letters @. M. T.?-A. M. O.
A. Greenwich mean time.
@. In the last fiscal year, how much
did employment rise in this country?-
F. T.
A. Donald Richberg, executive Sec
retary OF the Executive Council, in his
report says: Reliable figures indicate
that 40, 180 900 persons were employed
in the United States in June, 1884
an increase Of 4,l20,000 over the low
figure of March, 1888, and an increase
of 2,320,000 over June, 1888. The lat
ter increase is mainly due to shorten
ing Of hours under N. r. A. codes"
@. How many fires do Chicago and
New York have in year?-L. B.
A. According to 1882 statistics, the
city of Chicago had 18,205 fires in that
year and New York City 3d. ,223 fires
@. What was the weight Of the
projectiles thrown by the Big Bertha
during the World War?-H. H.
A. They weighed 1,765 pounds.
@. How long have people replaced
lost limbs with artificial ones?-WS.
A. The art of replacing lost limbs
by artificial ones made Of some ap-
propriate material is very old. In
the museum Of the Royal College Of
Surgeons in London, there Is an artl-
fetal leg of bronze, wood and iron,
exhumed from a tomb at Capua,
Italy, in which, together with the
skeleton of the wearer, were found
three vases assigned to the year
800 BIC.
@. What per cent of the popula-
ton of Hawaii Is native born?-S.C.
A. In 1880, the population was
368, ,336, Of which 81.4 per cent was
native born.
@. How many people in the United
States have bank accounts?-F. F.
A. 1t Is estimated that there are
some $4,000 600 deposit accounts In
the banks Of the United States. This
includes all kinds Of accounts-per-
sonal checking accounts, business ac-
counts and various forms of thrift,
time and savings accounts. Allow
ing for Implications among these ac-
counts. they still represent many mil
Evening star., 1934-10-30
Points to Some of the
Crimes of Capitalism
To the Editor Of The Star:


Kindly permit reply to some extrava-
CANT statements by Mr.. G. w. Butt as
to the meritorious Accomplishments
which he attributes to the operation
Of our present social system, commonly
known as capitalism, as found in re-
cent issue of The Star.
Apparently he does not know that
many Of our near-indispenSable ad-
juncts of society today were discovered
or invented hundreds Of years before
the inception Of capitalism. Some OF
these include our calendar. the alpha
bet, specific gravity, the Archimedean
screw, the law Of vibrations, our nh-
merical system, the cross-section map
Euclid's principles, the law of perspec-
tive, our religion and language and
many others. without most Of which
We would be unable to carry on
Shakespeare, for example. lived before
the era Of capitalism. Each epoch has
produced persons of exceptional ability
but the particular social systems under
which they lived were by no means
the sole factors in determining their
discoveries or inventions.
Mr.. Butt ascribeS all our social vir-
tues to capitalism. However, I will
mention some of its vices. 1t is re-
sponsible for the public expenditure
of millions Of dollars to teach the
farmer how to raise two shocks OF
wheat where one previously grew, and
then paying him millions more to
destroy 1t, Notwithstanding countless
humans crave bread. 1t is responsible
for . financial set-up under which
one deposited 500 and was reimbursed
to the extent Of $50. 1t is responsible
for an economic condition where, in
1929, its boom" year, go per cent OF
our population had incomes insufi-
cient to supply basic necessities"
where $4,000 families had a combined
income equal to 1l,650,000 families
one-tenth Of ! per cent receiving as
much income at AZ per cent. 1t is re-
sponsible for the present millions oi
unemployed, with the consequent ma.
jor assault on the public treasury In
order to frustrate wholesale starva-
ton. It Is responsible for the near
breakdown of our educational system
1t is responsible for the most devastat-
Ing war in history, as result OF which
millions Of lives were lost and billions
Of dollars of property destroyed. And
1t is responsible for other sins Of omis-
sion and commission, which lack Of
space prohibits mentioning.
Capitalism exemplifles laissez faire
q doctrine which teaches that a fool
can put his shirt on better than a
wise man can put it on for him.
The politicians have tried to spend
u into prosperity. With the repeal OF
prohibition they said we would drink
ourselves back to the halcyon days;
now comes the suggestion Of a ma
tional lottery, whereby they hope we
may gamble the Nation into a land
Of plenty.
Perhaps Mr.. Butt can suggest some
thing more effective-without the
ultimate resort to the alleged bugbear
Of Socialism. s. F. LA BORNE.