Evening star., 1935-08-02
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS

That the United States is interna-
tionally minded in many ways is at
tested by the fact that 1t is constantly
appointing delegates to congresses and
conferences of all sorts in all parts of
the world. These are technical, scien-
tific, economic, humanitarian and of
other character. Every few days an
nouncement is made that this Govern
ment has accepted the invitation OF
another government to be represented
at some international gathering and has
appointed delegates. as. for instance,
the Fifth International Congress on
Family Education, meeting at Brussels,
July 81 to August 4, and to which DR..
Thomas w. GoSling, director OF the
Junior Red Cross, and Miss Mary
Leeper, secretary of the Association of
Childhood Education, with headquarters
in Washington, were named. These
conferences cover a wide range of en-
deavor to better humanity through
study and application of scientific, edu-
cational and humanitarian principles.
They include congresses on education.
on industrial accidents and occupational
diseases; on navigation; Standardiza
ton of penal law; technicians and
chemists in the agricultural industries,
and so on. Last year American delega-
tionS attended fifty-one such gatherings,
and present indications are that the
record will be broken this year.
X
If, as and when the United States
Government starts to turn out from the
Mint coins of the minute value of one
mill, in response to the demand from
some of the States for one-tenth of a
cent pieces for sales tax payments, 1t
will be the smallest denomination of
money ever issued by the Federal Treas
ury. The smallest previous coin bear
ing the imprint of the United States
was the old copper half-cent, and If a
new edition" of this fractional currency
is to be joined to the mill for the accom-
modation of sales tax patrons, it will be
the first time since 1857 that anything
less in value than the humble and
useful copper" has been minted by the
Government. The last two-cent pieces
bore the date 1872, and the last three
cent pieces were made in 1889. A total
of only $39,92611 worth of half-cents
were coined from the time the first lot
was made in the year 1885 until
they were discontinued, with several in
tervening periods during which none
were turned out, shortly after the middle
of the past century.
- -
The origin of the swastika symbol is
lost in the miSts of antiquity. This black
"Hakencreuz"-hooked croSs-as it is
known in German, which on a white cir
Gle in red field is now known through
out the world as the emblem of Nazi
authority, and by decree must be flown
alongside the German flag in which the
same three colorS appear. The recent
incident In New York has focused the
eyes Of the nations upon it. The word
itself is of Sanskrit derivation, meaning
"well-being," and the sign is supposed
to be token of benediction, health or
good omen. It has been found in various
forms on ancient tombs, temples and
coins in all parts of the world from Troy
and GAIA to India, Sweden and Britain
and among, the aborigines in pre- -Colom-
bian America. In one of its ancient
forms it closely resembles a four-leaf
clover. What it was originally intended
to represent in its symbolic religious
meaning has been interpreted variously
by Psychologists and scholars, among
these being flame Of sacred FIRE, the
sun in its daily rotation, q fash Of light
ming and the four cardinal points OF
the compass.
Another flag incident" which has Just
come to light is connected with the visit
to Washington in August, 1888, of q
special mission sent by Emperor Halle
Selassie to repay the sending by the