American Church Is
Thriving in Berlin
Berlin. -Christinas was cele
brated by the American Church In
Berlin with a pageant and festivi
ties in which the Sunday school,
the American Ladles union and the
American Students union partici
pated under the leadership of Dr.
Lemuel Herbert Murlin of Boston,
who assumed the pastorate here
ihree months ago.
Americans are beginning to take
increased interest in their own
jhurch off the Nollendorf Platz.
rhe World war scattered the Amer
ican colony in Berlin. The church
lervice and its activities were
nbandoned, and the church was
slosed during that period.
It still is only about one third of
Its prewar size, but under the lead
ership of Dr. Murlin and his wife,
Mrs. Ermina Fallass Murlin, church
activities are taking on a new lease
otf life.
First ground for the American
church in Berlin was broken No
vember 9, 1901, by Miss Mary Ban
nister Willard, the Rev. J. F.
Dickie, D. D., of Detroit, officiating,
years before Miss Willard, as a
child, had given the first dollar she
possessed to a fund to give the
American community in Berlin its
own place of worship.
Dr. Murlin formerly was a col
lege president, having served for
34 years at Baker university, Kan
sas, and Boston university. His
alma mater is De Pauw university,
Indiana. He serves as pastor here
in a voluntary capacity.
Different Christian religious af
filiations are represented among
the church's congregation. Dr.
Murlin is a Methodist. Mrs. Rich
ard Crooks, wife of the American
singer. Is in charge of the primary
Sunday school.
Army Promotions
Prom Washington Post.
Two measures affecting the im
portant matter of army promotions
are before congress. Each seeks to
provide a remedy for the socailed
hump that stands in the way of the
promotion of many able officers.
Although there is some sentiment
in the army against changing the
existing status of the promotion
list, justice to a large group of of
ficers and maintenance of morale
demand that this legislation be en
acted.
Only officers of the company
grade—lieutenants to captains—are
affected by the legislation. Follow
ing the World war examinations
were held to fill vacancies created
by the national defense act, as a
result of which former emergency
officers were appointed to ail
grades from colonel to second lieu
tenant. Those appointed colonel,
lieutenant colonel and major were
placed among regular army officers
of corresponding grades, but cap
tains. first lieutenants and second
lieutenant, by an arbitrary inter
pretation of an act of congress,
were listed in accordance with
length of service. Thus a man
found qualified by examination for
a grade no higher than second lieu
tenant, if he served one day longer
than a man found qualified to be
a captain was jumped from second
lieutenant to captain, and will be a
major before the captain. As a re
sult, at the present time every reg
ular army officer has a chance to
become a colonel before he is retir
ed, but relatively few of the young
er emergency World war officers
who elected to folliw army careers
have similiar opportunities.
The legislation before congress
proposes that the army promotion
list be arranged as it should have
been in 1920, with captains placed
among captains, first lieutenants
among first lieutenants, and second
lieutenans among second lieuten
ants as originally appointed. In
general older men will be placed
above younger men, but those who
profited by the war department in
terpretation will not be deprived of
the grade and pay benefits thus
obtained. The list will be so arrang
ed that former emergency officers
will have equal opportunity with
regular army officers to reach the
rank of colonel before they are re
tired. .. .
For eight years the question of
army promotions has been dragging
along. Congress now has an oppor
tunity to right the wrong. It should
enact the bill clarifying the promo
tion situation.
Entitled to Larger Share.
Prom Des Moines Tribune.
The Dayton. Ohio. News taict-o
Secretary Jardine’s figures for the
gross income of farmers of the
United States and measures it
against the gross total income of
the country, making the showing
that anyone who has followed the
farm debate with any open mind
edness at all wrould of course ex
pect. ,
The farmers’ gross income for the
year is estimated at $12,253,000,000.
That is the department of agricul
ture’s figure, and of course it is a
huge figure. . „ .
The gross income of all Amer
ican industry, farmers included, is
figured to be in the neighborhood
of $75,000,000,000. That is another
enormous figure. The w’orld has
not seen things like that before.
From the farm standpoint the
Interesting thing is the proportion.
Gross farm income is seen to be
approximately one-sixth of the to
tal Yet the farm population is
about one-third of the whole pop
ulation. So the per capita income
of the agriculturist is approximate
ly half the per capita income of
the country as a whole.
That gets to exactly the heart
of the intelligent farm campaign.
But what the farmer legitimately
wants for the future—not only in
this country but wherever he has
begun to think seriously and
shrewdly with his fellows—is to
have the disproportion in the dis
tribution of wealth corrected.
So's He Now
From Tit-Bits.
The prodigal returned earlv the
next morning.
“Where have vou been?’ asked
his indignant wife.
After a moment's reflection he
ventured. “The cemetery.”
“Good gracious!’ cried ms wife.
“Who’s dead?” . . , „
"The whole bally lot of em.” re
plied her husband, cheerfully.
How long have we had the sale of
Christmas seals? D. L.
A. In the fall of 1907, Miss Emily
p Bissell of Wilmington, Delaware,
launched the first Christmas seal
Ka.it», lycra which '•« realized $3,000.
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Benevolent Business Oligarchy Being Developed
Through Easy Money from Inflations of Capital
From the New York World.
Rarely does a week pass without bringing news
jf some new business merger. New combinations
are constantly forming and old ones are growing
larger by a process of absorption. Intensive com
petition, excess production capacity, and the econ
omies of quantity production and of systematized
distribution are proving potent influences for cen
tralization. The movement is by no means new’. It
appeared among the railroads about the middle of
the l»th century, when small and Independent
units began to be linked into trunk lines, and these
in turn have since been merged into still larger
aystems. In the ’80s of the last century the move
ment began to make headway in the industrial
field, and it has since spread to public utilities,
merchandising and even into the theatrical and
moving picture businesses. There is now some
talk of agricultural mergers as the solution of the
farm problem.
Much has been written on this trend toward
combination. Some of it has been polemical and
same coldly scientific; but surprisingly little atten
tion has been given to one of its most important
human aspects—its effect upon the individual bus
iness man who willy-nilly has become a part or
member of the new order. For him, in the great
majority of cases, the change means a passing of
his one time Independence. Just as the industrial
revolution of the 18th century changed the inde
pendent master craftsman, working in his own
shop and with his own tools, into a wage earner
supplying nothing but his labor, so this later rev
olution is changing the man at the head of a small
business enterprise into the salaried employe of a
huge corporation.
On the whole, this probably means less worry
and more ease and comfort for those affected, but
whether this is a sufficient offset for the loss of
Independence is a moot question. At least one fact,
however, seems well established: this loss of indus
trial freedom does not mean also the closing of the
door of opportunity for advancement, as is some
times asserted. It would be nearer the truth to
say that the opportunities are multiplied, but with
in a much narrower range. The big corporation
usually keeps a keen lookout for signs of talent
among its personnel, and is ready to reward this
talent substantially, because it has learned that
such a policy yields good returns. Prompt promo
tion for merit explains why every big business to
day is so well served by its staff.
Occasionally we do hear of some ambitious cor
poration official with a promising career ahead of
him rebelling at the discipline essential in a large
organization, or at the lack of personal contact
with anything more than a tiny fraction of the
whole work, and going into business on his own
account, hoping that, while pecuniary rewards may
come more slowly, the personal satisfaction will be
greater. But these exceptional cases only confirm
the conclusion that for most business men the yoke
of the new system is apparently not galling.
Nevertheless, the ease with which the transi
tion has been achieved can not blind us to its far
reaching social effects. It means that the oppor
tunities to advance are to be found along only one
path. Men must obey the strict rules of the sys
tem—rules which they have had no voice in mak
ing. Independence exists, but only at the top.
However conducive such a scheme may be to in
dustrial efficiency, it has little of the democracy
of the system which it is supplanting.
Individualism is thus yielding to something
closely akin to institutionalism. Ability to forge
ahead has become less dependent on personal in
itiative and more on one’s ability to fit into a cer
tain place in an elaborate machine. The machine
itself sometimes helps to do the fitting. A person
nel staff devotes its time to putting the round pegs
and the better square pegs into the proper holes.
This pays better than throwing away the pegs
which do not fit wrhere they are first placed.
Even provision for a "rainy day” is becoming
among the employes of great business establish
ments less and less a matter of personal initiative.
Foresight and self control were once much more
Indispensable to getting ahead than they are in
these days when so many organizations are provid
ing sick benefits, Insurance and old age annuities.
The "tightwad" in the big office today probably
has poorer prospects of success than the free
spender who spends with an eye on the main
chance.
The changes which are now going on have led
some observers to predict that with high wages,
high salaries and a benevolently oligarchic control
of business America will lose many of those traits
which have so profoundly affected its development
in the past; that a nation of hard working indi
vidualists is gradually becoming one of pampered
employes who spend as fast as they receive.
Happily, there are many things which chal
lenge such a pessimistic forecast. Out of their
larger incomes the people continue to save, as the
growing business of life insurance companies and
of savings banks continually attests. And while
the management of our basic industries is being
concentrated in the hands of a few, the actual
ownership of these industries is becoming more
and more widely diffused through the development
among the people of the habit of investment. This
diffusion of ownership is, in fact, one of the most
comforting features of a transformation which is
bound to bring in its train many new social and
I economic problems.
12 Wives Convinced.
Prom Arkansas City Traveler.
Yesterday we printed a para
graph containing this unfortunate
sentence: “There is one man in
the Traveler office who makes it
his business to go the rounds every
morning and rumple the bobs of
all the girls in the office.” This
morning we found on our desk a
letter signed by the 12 married
men in the Traveler job depart
ment. press room and mechanical
department, demanding that we
publish an exonerative statement
clearing them of any complicity.
"It is needless to state,” they com
plain, “that we spent a very un
pleasant evening after our wives
read this article.” All right, boys,
we hereby state that none of you
is the guilty man. (This isn’t the
first time we’ve lied to save a mar
ried man from domestic infelicity.)
Taking Life Easier.
From his office window he looks
down int® the streets below. In
front of him the excavations are
being m«de for a great building.
Women Legislators.
From Women’s League Bulletin.
Women have taken a firm hold in
the legislative life of the country, a
nation wide survey of November
election results conducted by the
National League of Women Voters
discloses.
With the coming of the New Year
the names of 145 women will be car
ried on the rosters of 38 state legis
latures. This is a gain of 15 over
the record established in the legis
latures of 1927 and 1928 when 126
women served.
The republicans are in the ma
jority. The political representation
of the 1929 women legislators is as
fnllnws: ReDUblicana. 100:
He observes the laborers. How in
different they are! How slowly
they move! What time they waste
lighting cigarets, standing and look
ing, joking together, disputing over
their tools. For 10 whole minutes
he watches and finds not a single
man intent upon his job.
And that crowd standing agape
in the street regarding wondering
ly the deft movements of the steam
shovel. There they will remain
looking on instead of going about
their business, wasting the time of
their employers. Next they will
saunter off to peer into shop win
dows, or to crowd about a truck
that ha^: broken down or to watch
a man painting a flag pole. And
they will return home to tell their ,
wives what a hard day they have i
had.
He ponders. Can this be the
spirit that has made America? Or
has the sturdy pioneer yielded to
the shirker? Is the national blood
beginning to thin? Where is the
old sense of responsibility and self
crats, 38; no party designation, 5;
non-partisan, 2.
Outstanding results of the 1928
November election in regard to wom
en law makers are:
First woman elected to the Iowa ;
legislature.
Connecticut leads with the largest
number of women, having 20 as
compared to 15 in 1928.
Fifteen women arc serving as stave
senators.
Approximately 12 women have
been re-elected to their fourth term.
Gains were made in Connecticut,
Illinois, Indiana. Iowa, Kansas, Mas
sachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada,
North Dakota. South Carolina. Tux
reliance? Where the old delight
in doing a solid day’s work?
With a sigh he looks at hi*
watch. It is time to go to lunch
with his discussion group. Ha
tells his secretary he should be
back in a couple of hours. And
will she please have the letters
ready for him to sign upon his re
turn, as he is leaving early this
afternoon. They have canceled the
conference as the general manager
is playing in the squash tourna
ment. He sets out for lunch, re
garding the shop windows on the
way, and pausing to observe a mo
tor car that has stalled at an inter
section and to join a crowd around
a street musician. Once more he
is impressed with the univer.-al
tendency toward idleness. It dis
turbs him.
Two hours for lunch. Gazing out
of a window. Sauntering on the
street. Leaving the letters to the
secretary. Going home early. What
is the difference between this man
and the shirkers over whom he
feels conoern? Well, you see he
is a thinker.
as, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia,
and Washington.
Losses were sustained in Cali
fornia, New Hampshire, New Jersey,
North Carolina. Ohio, Oklahoma,
Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and
Tennessee.
There will be no women serving in
the 1929 legislatures of the follow
ing states: Albania. Delaware, Ida
ho. Kentucky. Louisiana. Maryland,
Michigan. North Carolina, South
Dakota, and Tennessee.
Q. What is the local name of the
hibiscus, Hawaii's national flower?
S L.
A. The flower emblem of Hawaii
is the Dua alcalu 4
No Excuse for Friction Between
United States and Great Britain
From the New York Times.
No sooner had the British Journalists who recently spent some
months in the United States returned home than they were asked
their opinion about Anglo-American relations. Excellent, they replied;
but immediately added that the best way to keep them so was to stop
talking about them. There has undoubtedly been too much talk, too
many things better left unsaid, or expressed differently. Borne of
the words which have drifted back and forth across the Atlaantlc re
call the cynical saying of Bernard Shaw that the "common langu
age" of England and America is uncommonly fitted to lead them to
insult each other. One trouble has been that neither side has an ac
curate measure of the source from which offensive utterances come.
Only on Saturday we had a senator of the United States changing
his views about the need of an enlarged American navy because of
something said by Dean Inge. That chartered libertine had sug
gested that some day England w'ould unite with European nations
in order to “draw Shylock’s teech." Senator Glllett gravely took
this outburst as if it were official, as if it spoke the inner thought of
all Englishmen, against whom he must therefore hasten to arm. He
should have been informed that the gloomy dean, with his irrepressible
propensity to write and speak In a way to startle, is mors laughed at
in his own country than he Is here. Nevertheless, his indiscretions
hint at what was meant by the British editors when they said the
wiser cohrse is too keep still. Talk between nations is not eheap
when It means spending hundreds of millions on warships.
Vivacious Lady Astor, wbo knows both countries better
than do most, made a plea for silence about naval armaments. She
declared that she and many others were getting very tired of the end
less palaver which leads nowhere. It excites the popular mind, even
while confusing It, The technical merits of the debate over cruisers,
their number, their tonnage, their guns, are too much for the ordinary
citizen. He simply feels that something must be amiss when public
men in the United States and In England talk so much about the sub
ject with so much heat. If Lady As tor’s proposal that the talk
ers pass a self denying ordinance not to say anything at all about
ships and navies for a fixed period were adopted. It might relieve the
tension sensibly. Certainly It would be a welcome change.
This is not to say that the whole question of naval disarmament
is not to be debated. Particularly must some friendly agreement be
tween Greet Britain and the United States be worked out. As is stat
ed by Mr. Allen W. Dulle, In hie article In the January Foreign
Affairs, this is the touchstone of the whole matter. Without a pre
liminary understanding between England and America there is no
hope of reaching a general statement. Mr. Dulles writes with full
knowledge, from official relation to the discussions at Geneva, both
in 1926 and 1927, and also writes in a spirit of great fairness. Hie
general conclusion is that there should be concessions by both sides:
Great Britain should abandon the contention that the United
States restrict its cruiser force chiefly to the small type of cruiser, or
shape Its own naval program to suit the asserted needs of the empire
for this type. On the other hand, the United States might properly
be asked to consider the British claim that the use by the United
States of its cruiser tonnage for the construction of the larger S-Inch
gun cruisers would give combat superiority even though there were
tonnage equality; that is, parity of combat strength and not alone
parity of tonnage should be considered. * • • Certainly a basis can be
found if both countries take the common sense attitude that neither
fleet Is a menace to the other and that while substantial parity of
combat strength should be the basis of any treaty, neither side will in
sist that the treaty make each of the fleets the replica of the other.
Talk like this is not to be reprobated. It does not inflame, but
gats up “forarder.” However, H should be reserved mainly for compe
tent specialists and informed and well poised public men, and not
made the sport, in either country, of those whose specialty is "trawl
ing ignorance all day long."
Speaks for Sanders.
From Emmetsburg Democrat
Ernest L. Hogue, Iowa director
of the budget, died a few days ago of
Influenza In his hotel room at Des
Moines. He was ill only four days.
Press reports from the capital city
clearly indicate that Hon. W. E. G.
Saunders of Emmetsburg is likely to
be named as his successor. Mr.
6aunders' close association with
Governor Hammill in political af
fairs during the past four years give
him a decided advantage over any
other aspiVant who may enter the
race. The appointment of Mr.
Saunders would, it is needless to
say, be exceedingly gratifying to
the citizens of our country regard
less of political or other considera
tions. He has served as represen
tative In the lower house of the leg
islature for six years and he was.
during the last session, chairman of
the committee on appropriations.
Hence he is better qualified in most
ways for the position to be filled
than the average man in public life.
He has a broad grasp of business
matters and he has had many years
of exacting experience in large en
terprises. Mr. Saunders served for
nine years as mayor of Emmetsburg
and he proved himself one of the
most capable municipal executives in
our state. He is thoroughly familiar
with the needs of counties, cities
and towns and also our state insti
tutions and he would be in a posi
tion to pass intelligent and safe
Judgment on what would be neces
sary for their maintenance and im
provement. He would be in a posi
tion to give our state high class
service. He Is not, in any sense, an
extremist and would, we believe, be
Inclined to check those who are dis
posed to be too generous with pub
lic money. The appointment or the
budget director will unquestionably
be made within a week or 10 days.
The citizens of our country and this
section of the state will await with
special interest the appointment of
a worthy gentleman to fill the posi
tion. It is sincerely hoped that Mr.
Saunders will be named.
Beyond Khybcr Pass.
From New York Times.
Kipling once told what happened
to one wno "tried to hurry the east.”
But his reference was to an Occi
dental, and King Amanullah of
Afghanistan, if he had read it, could
hardly have applied the warning to
native kings. The news frem Af
ghanistan indicates that he might
well have done so, for he has been
“hurrying” his wild Uill people to
ward western reforms, and it is re
ported that the army has risen
against him and he and his consort
have been forced to take refuge in
a fort. Later dispatches may dis
pel some of the seriousness of the
developments. But it seems clear
that the Afghans are not taking
kindly to Amanullah’s efforts to
make an Asian power of the state
which has been valued by European
soldiers and statemen. in war and
in peace, ever since Alexander built
hi* fortress of Kabul. To relieve his
land of the necessity of looking al
Getting' Silly
From Tit-Bits.
"See that girl over there?”
"Yes.”
"Her name is Via. She Jilted me
for another chap, so I went to her
wedding and threw rice and old
shoes at her.”
“Did you hit her?”
‘No. Viaduct.”
Q. Should one say, I differ with
^ou, or I differ from you? W. W.
A. One differs with a person when
he does not’ agree To differ from
Is not to have similar physical char
acteristics.
ways to Moscow or London, Am&rml
lah has proclaimed Independence.
Imported foreign officers to train his
army, changed the laws, introduced
western dress, abolished polygamy,
and lately there has been talk of do
ing away with the "purdah," or ex
clusion from publlo activity of the
women.
In the 10th century Russia and
Great Britain scowled at each other
across the mountains which com
pose Afghanistan, and that coun
try Is still "the bastion of the In
dian Empire.” For generations Eng
land expected her greatest war to
arise over Russia’s ambitions In In
dia, but the Junker emergence
transferred anxious thought to the
Belgian frontier, and it was not un
til Amanullah succeeded his assas
sinated father in 1919 that Afghan
istan loomed large again In foreign
office concerns. The new king de
manded and asserted Independence,
obtained treaties with Russia and
Great Britain and proceeded to
form What looked suspiciously Ilk*
Pan-Islamic alliances with Persia
and Turkey.
During the past few months tha
progressive and ambitious king visit
ed the important countries of west
ern Europe and further enlarged hi*
plan of making Afghanistan modern
and autonomous. While he wa*
sumptuously entertained In London,
it was abvious that the British wera
putting their minds on India again
and stiffening to the task of pro
tecting their Imperial Aslan domain
as In the days of “The Man Who
Was." But the dispatches Indicate
that Amanullah may have his hand*
full of purely Internal troubles for
a while, and It Is not difficult to
think of more displeasing news than
this in London. But lr "the hook
nosed hill gentlemen with the long
guns." as Kipling called the Af
ghans, turn their eyes Inward from
Khyber pass upon Kabul and the
Russianizing process, there could be
much better news in Moscow.
Rose Under X-Ray.
(Prom San Francisco Examiner.)
The inner secrets ctf the growth
of the rosebud, as It Is slowly un
folded through a three-day period,
have been recorded on a motion
picture film by means of a new X
ray movie camera Invented by Ar
thur C. Pilsbury, Berk^-. Cil.,
naturalist-photographer. The pot
ted rosebush was placed before the
camera, and every five minu'es far
72 hours a new four-inch film waa
moved into nlace and exno^d to
the rays as they passed through the
bud. At the end the Inventor hah
200 feet of film portraying the
whole history’ of the flower’s un
folding, down to the las’ detail of
Inner structure. This will reduce
to 50 feet of ordinary motion pic
ture film. It Is planned to make
use of the new camera for many
scientific investigations; one pro
ject is to get a continous history
of the knitting of broken bonea
After Effect.
From Judge.
Wife: Where were you last night?
Husband: I was sitting up with a
sick friend—and. If you want to
know the whole truth, I was as sick
as he was.
Q. Has the Little Church Around
the Corner any memorial windows
to famous actors? H. 8.
A. The Little Chuich Around ths
Corner has memorial window's erect
ed to Edwin Booth. Richard Mans
field, James Montague, and Joseph.
Jefferson. The newest memorial
window is one to the memory of
John Drew.
