SEEN and HEARD'
around the S
NATIONAL CAPITAL!
By Carter Field %
FAMOUS WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT j
Washington. — The contrast be
tween the two most outstanding pro
posals to substitute for the NRA and
accomplish the purposes for which
Gen. Hugh S. Johnson’s Blue Eagle
was intended is rather interesting,
not only to lawyers—for of course
the real object of both is to get
around the constitutional hurdle—
but to business and labor as well.
One of these plans is being drafted
by Donald R. Rich berg, the other by
Senator Joseph C. O’Mahoney of
Wyoming.
The O’Mahoney plan is much sim
pler. It will be a modification of
his bill of last session providing for
federal incorporation of all corpora
tions doing an interstate business.
In brief, it aims at federal control
of wages and hours, prohibition of
child labor, etc., by the simple
process of refusing a federal license
to do business to any corporation
not agreeing to observe these re
strictions.
No prohibition by law, mind you—
but just a refusal of permission to
do business. Many lawyers doubt
extremely if this would have met
the constitutional test before the Su
preme court last year. But this
year it just may be different, some
think, in view of the election re
turns. But the court has repeatedly
spoken very sharply to the point
that if it is not constitutional to do
a thing by one means, it is also
unconstitutional to do it by another.
The Richberg plan is more com
plicated. Also it approaches the old
Blue Eagle idea more nearly, in
that it would permit each separate
industry to draw up its own rules
and regulations, and then would
give those rules and regulations the
effect of law; that is, a competitor
violating any of them would be held
guilty of violating a federal law.
A New Approach
The method of approach, how
ever, is very different from that of
the NRA. The new plan is very
ingenious. In its legal theory it is
not drafted for the protection of la
bor from exploitation, or the pro
viding of employment or any of the
other objectives of NRA. Actually
that is precisely its purpose, as it
was before, but nothing in the legal
verbiage in which it will be shroud
ed would give the most painstaking
legal critic that idea.
It is based on the idea of fair
trade! P. will be aimed, apparently,
at preventing one employer from
having an unfair advantage over an
other. It will follow closely the
ideas already approved on numer
ous occasions by the Supreme court
in the Federal trade, Clayton law
and other cases.
Obviously if one employer pays
less than a wage which is recog
nized as standard for his industry,
he has an advantage. This comes
under the head of "unfair competi
tion” in the Federal trade and Clay
ton law cases. The same is true of
longer hours than his competitors
work their employees, etc. And the
same is true of one employer using
child labor when his competitors do
not.
The only similarity in philosophy
to the old Blue Eagle is that part of
General Johnson's tirades when he
attacked the "chiselers.” But under
the Blue Eagle, the chiseler phase
was a by-product. In the new Rich
berg proposal it is the main thing.
Now Turns Stingy
Judging by the demands on the
budget bureau, the administration
that has been criticized by the
"outs" as generous to a fault will,
inside a few weeks, be assailed as
inhuman, stingy, and all the other
adjectives any of the pork hunters
can bring to their minds.
The idea of rugged individualism
seems to be far less prevalent than
one might have suspected during
the campaign—up to election day.
Even many business men seem to
think that, if anything is needed,
appeal should be made to Uncle
Sam. For example, the recent rec
ommendation that the government
insure working capital loans up to
$50,000 by commercial banks.
Tremendous drives for all sorts
of projects are being organized. One
might think that the determination
that marked the rejection of the
Florida ship canal last session
would have killed that project for all
time, but the boys are working like
beavers right now to win support
for it
Losing money, municipal airports
will ask congress for federal aid, to
the tune of ten to twenty millions
to match city funds for the mod
ernization of regularly scheduled
airway ports, with more to come
later. They claim that airplanes’
business right now is about 90 per
cent interstate, which gives them
as much right to federal aid as wa
terways and highways.
Renew a Threat
Opposition to this will renew the
threat to lash air transport to the
railroads under the interstate com
merce commission. But this is not
coming from opponents of federal
•pending. It is coming from friends
ci the railroads who want to cur
tail this “unfair" competition as
much as possible—especially as the
railroads expect within ten years,
if present trends continue, to lose
25 per cent of their Pullman-class
business to the air lines.
Cheerful interviews of a few
weeks back about holding expendi
tures to the bone, coming from
prominent figures in the house and
senate, are just the old annual bun
combe. Maybe some of those so ex
pressing themselves believed it at
the time, though some of them just
must have known better.
Actually the picture that will be
obvious to insiders in the next few
months will be rather unusual for
this administration. For President
Roosevelt will be on the side of hold
ing expenditures down, with a
crowd of yammering wolves de
manding more and more from him.
On top of the fact that appropria
tions for the army, navy and inter
est on debt cannot be cut—the
President being a firm believer in
a strong army and navy and the in
terest on debt being fixed—there is
really not much prospect of any se
rious cutting of federal expenditures
except what may be accomplished
on relief. And Harry L. Hopkins
already is having his troubles try
ing to do that.
Cause for Worry
How to restrain the "boom” is not
so easy as certain Federal Reserve
officials had thought, and it is
causing the administration no little
worry.
Here are the things objected to:
1. Too much speculation in the
stock market.
2. Too much speculation in com
modities.
3. Too much "forward buying.”
The last is the toughest nut to
crack. What is disapproved is really
speculation by business men in their
own businesses—but it is the sort of
tiling that has been recognized as
sound business policy not only by
business men themselves, but by
bankers, for lo these many years.
All the banking laws are written
with a view to providing credit for
just this sort of thing, much as they
may be intended to curb other forms
of speculation.
A good illustration is a depart
ment store owner who may believe
that next fall he will have great
difficulty getting enough stockings,
due to all available factories being
booked up with orders, or due to
possible strikes. Or he may believe
that the price will have advanced
sharply before the normal time for
him to buy for that season.
As a result, he orders the stock
ings now, and orders many times
more than he needs—in many
known instances six times his own
estimate of the number he could
sell. He knows he has the right,
under normal business practice, to
cancel any or all the orders at any
time.
Or take the case of an automobile
manufacturer who fears the possi
bility of strikes or higher prices
for steel frames. The thing ramifies
through every conceivable line of
manufacturing and merchandising.
Objection Is Sound
The objection of the government
is perfectly sound. Such r. mass of
orders represents an absolutely fic
tional demand In normal times it
is this sort of thing that leads to
undue expansion of productive ca
pacity. Factories build additions to
plants, which will not be needed
until after they have become obso
lete.
Then there is the effect at some
future time when merchants and
manufacturers doing all this “for
ward ordering" suddenly realize
that no longer will there be any
difficulty in getting what they want.
At once the cancellations pour In
and the bottom drops out of busi
ness.
Yet notes at the banks to finance
such purchases, once made, are
“prime commercial paper.” The
banks love to have them. They can
be rediscounted at the Federal Re
serve banks, so there is no question
of tying up their reserves. They
usually pay pretty nearly the top
interest rate.
As far as stock speculation is
concerned, the difficulty is that the
government has already clamped
down so hard that it is not practical
to clamp much tighter. The Reserve
board plans to boost the reserve
requirements of the banks. Also it
plans to sell government bonds, thus
tightening credit.
But the speculators will not be
cramped by this as once they would,
due to existing margin require
ments. And they know the govern
ment will not dare sell enough bonds
to affect their price seriously, for
to do so would play hob with the
banks and insurance companies now
loaded up to the guards with gov
ernment securities.
Meanwhile, demands against the
possibilities of war in Europe have
driven many nations into the mar
ket for more supplies than they
would normally be requiring at
this time—especially Britain which
has decided to guarantee herself by
this method against another sub
marine blockade, which promises
heavy buying for some time to
come.
© Bell Syndicate.—WNU Service.
OBERAMMERGAU
“Calaphas" of OberammcrRau Is a Blacksmith.
Prepared by National Geographic Society,
Washington. D. C.—WNU Service.
IT IS always with joy that
the traveler, wandering south
through Germany, views the
white flag atop the gothic city
hall of Bavaria’s capital, Munich
(Munchen), for the signal tells him
the day is exceptionally clear and
the peaks of the Alps are beckon
ing, in plain view some sixty miles
away.
“St. Peter, the weathermaker,
must be in a good mood to send so
fine a ’day," say thousands in the
city of Munich itself, and they head
straight for the mountains.
A swift electric train, or a bus
whirring over smooth roads, takes
the traveler past the inviting Lake
of Starnberg (Wurm - See), the
tanks of which are studded with
villas and manors. White sailboats
greet him from the green waters,
and their background is the hazy
blue mountains that loom in the
distance, some 45 miles farther
south.
The first approach to these gigan
tic monuments of Nature has the
emotional impact of the immi
grant’s first glimpse of New York’s
colossal skyline. Shortly the upward
journey begins, through rolling,
verdant hills which make the transi
tion gradual. Half a mile above
sea level, the wanderer finds him
self surrounded by the gray peaks,
partly wooded mountains, and high
green hills which cradle Oberam
mergau.
As he nears the village, the tow
ering crag of the Kofel bids him
welcome, with its huge wooden
cross on top. This rocky cone must
have been a weird sight one night
in 1809 after lightning had struck it,
setting its trees ablaze and turning
it into an immense torch.
Panorama of the Ammer Valley.
If the wayfarer’s ambition holds
out. his feet will soon follow his
eyes to the lofty height, and before
him will unfold a panorama of the
Ammer river volley. In its midst,
peacefully resting, is the village
which takes its name from the me
andering, ice-cold stream.
‘‘District on the upper part of
the Ammer river” is the meaning
of Oberammergau, a word appar
ently formed with no consideration
for alien tongues.
Three miles down the river lies
Unterammergau, and on the oppo
site side a place called Oberau,
giving rise to a local tongue-twist
ing pun, akin to “picking a peck
of pickled peppers”:
“Ob er uber Oberau, oder ob er
uber Unterammergau, nach Ober
ammergau kommt, weiss ich nicht,”
it goes, which means, somewhat in
effectively, in English, “Whether
he is going to come to Oberammer
gau by way of Unterammergau, or
whether he is going to come to
Oberammergau by way of Ober
au, I don’t know.”
Standing in the brisk breeze blow
ing over the Kofel, one scans the
irregularly scattered town with its
red roofs amid green crowns of
trees. Four bridges cut the silver
band of the Ammer, in whose mir
ror are reflected the town's tall
est buildings—the church and the
Passion Play theater.
Little more than two years have
passed since the curtain once more
went down on that stage, not to
rise again until 1940. The hush
that settled over the hall also per
vaded the streets of the vil
lage which only a short while be
fore had been resounding with the
voices of thousands of people gath
ered there from near and far.
In this sequestered bavarian town
some 400,000 people, representing
practically all the nations and
creeds of the earth, rubbed elbows
in the special jubilee year of 1934,
when 73 performances of the play
were given.
The memorable series marked the
three hundredth anniversary of a
tradition unbelievably dear to the
village whose people for genera
tions have been living in intimate
daily contact with it.
Origin of the Passion Play.
The history of the Passion Play
may be comparatively young, con
sidering that, even before the
' Roman legions, Celts populated the
valley. The Bavarian tribe pre
ceded the age of knighthood, whose
members, as early as the Twelfth
century, saw a church being built in
Oberammergau.
Traveling merchants kept that lit
tle hamlet in intimate touch with
the outside world, making it a thriv
ing community. But then the Thirty
Years’ war came, and the specter
of a disastrous pestilence began to
lay its grip on the settlements sur
rounding the village at the foot of
the Kofel.
Wherever fires were seen blaz
ing at the entrance of towns, the
wanderer fled in horror, lest he also
be seized by the Black Death and
thrown into the raging pyre.
The guards on the outskirts of
Oberammergau must have missed
that lone man who, after years of
absence from home, yearned to be
with his family again. Nothing
could keep him away any longer.
Sick, he staggered over the moun
tains at night through dark for
ests, and, unseen by others, joined
his dear ones.
Next morning the excited beat
ing of drums broke the news to the
inhabitants that it had come, the
dread disease, and Kaspar Schiss
ler, bringer of death, lay dead.
The all-powerful Reaper began |
his work, and 84 persons within a
short time fell a pjay to him. But
their doom incited^n the village a
spiritual awakening.
From death and despair rose the
Passion Play, a memorial to those
who assembled in the little parish
church in 1633, making a solemn
vow to produce the drama of the
suffering and death of Jesus every
ten years if the plague should dis
appear.
The old village chronicle tells us
that it did, and that the year after,
under the guidance of the monks of
the Benedictine monastery of near
by Ettal, the villagers for the first
time fulfilled their promise.
In Time of War and Inflation.
From 1670 on, every decade be
held the same religious spectacle,
the same fervor and devotion. Only
the faces changed. Ever the Pas
sion Play kept growing, through
times of interdictions, wars, and
hardships of all kinds.
Was the mighty weight of a World
war that took 70 men permanently
from the ranks of this population
of 2.600 souls to do away with the
sublime legacy handed down by
their ancestors for almost three cen
turies? True it is, 1920 remained
silent and bleak. There were not
enough players, no provisions.
But 1922 looked down on a busy
summer, saw the play start in May
and end in September. Once again
Oberammergau was proving faith
ful to its vow.
No German will forget those
heartbreaking days of inflation and
currency collapse, 13 years ago,
when one had to carry one's money
in a satchel for the simplest shop
ping.
The principal character then re
ceived for more than threescore
trying performances the sum of 20,
000 marks—an amount which en
abled him to buy only a pair of
shoes and a few cakes of soap!
The 15,000 marks given a mem
ber of the orchestra would, he
thought, carry him a long way, par
ticularly if he tucked the money
away in the savings bank. In a
few days it had depreciated to zero
—and that was that.
Refused a Cinema Offer.
But the players carried on, and
even the unheard-of sum of one
million dollars was staunchly re
fused by the villagers when they re
jected a proposal to have their play
reproduced in the movies, and elect
ed to have it continue to be what it
had been from the very outset, a
local drama with a great tradition,
executed by amateurs. Only thus
was it possible for the village in the
shadow of the sheltering Kofel to
preserve its quaint character.
The visitor to Oberammergau im
mediately notes a cleanliness and
refreshing atmosphere. Each home
attracts him with its tidy appear
ance and the hospitable spirit of
the people.
Gold Star Mother
By KARL GRAYSON
© Associated Newspapers.
WNU Service.
ANGUS NEWHALL awoke in a
room in a soldiers’ home in
Havre, France, on a bright June
morning. He had awakened in the
same room on many other morn
ings, but today he remembered.
His mind went back, and a shud
der shook his frame. Last night
he had lain in a filthy shell hole,
the air about him a hell of bursting
shells, the odor of gunpowder in
his nostrils, fear in his heart. For
hours he had lain there—and then
suddenly it was all blotted out, as
if a black curtain had descended
before the scene and the drama
had ended.
That was last night. He shuddered
again and looked about him at
the bright sunny room, and sense
of wonder and bewilderment began
asserting itself. A door opened and
a nurse came in. She paused at
the foot of his bed and looked at
him with wide, startled eyes. Pres
ently she spoke, and her voice was
strangely different from what An
gus had expected.
“Why, good morning, Mr. Doe,”
she said. "You’ve waked at last!”
Angus got the story from the
nurse and from the doctors and
from the officer in charge of the
home. The war had been over a
year. He had been transferred from
a German hospital after the armis
tice. He had been wearirig part of a
French uniform, given him by the
Germans, and wasn’t able to tell
who he was or anything at all that
happened. He was sick, suffering
among other things from amnesia.
The officer finished telling the
story and smiled. “And now, sir, if
you remember, perhaps you can tell
us who you are and where you come
from so that we may send you
home. I imagine you have parents,
and perhaps a sweetheart who will
be glad to hear the news."
Angus opened his mouth to speak,
and closed it again. All in a flash
an idea had come to him, a tre
mendous idea. He looked at the offi
cer and saw that the man was
waiting. But instead of uttering his
own name he said: “Chester
Darcy,” an dgave an address in a
large city in western United States.
Later, in his room, Angus gath
ered together his things and smiled.
His mind was absorbed with
thoughts of a little country town in
New Hampshire. He saw himseli
as a boy, the son of the town's lead
ing citizen, a spoiled and selfish
child, a child hated by all the neigh
bors because he took advantage ol
being the son of Robert Newhall and
acted the snob; a child who made
his parents unhappy, and, by his
very selfishness, robbed his mother
of the joy and pride that should
have been hers.
Angus saw himself growing to
manhood, becoming more disliked
with each passing year, acquiring
more mean and selfish traits oi
character, falling into evil ways,
hating himself because of his own
hatred of others. Then came the
war, and a chance to get away from
it all. He enlisted among the first.
Reports had gone back of his ex
ploits, his courage, his bravery. He
was a hero, he knew, in his home
town, more of a hero now that he
was thought of as dead, killed in
action.
Angus projected his mind into the
future, saw himself swinging from
the train at the tiny depot, saw
the expression of amazement come
to the features of Les Howard, the
station master, saw himself step
ping from Les' car at his own door
yard, his mother coming down the
walk to meet him ... It would
be a great moment, a moment oi
triumph in so many ways.
Two days later Angus sailed for
America. Oddly, he discovered that
his fellow passengers on the liner
were not as friendly as he wanted
them to be. Vaguely there came to
him the knowledge that the traits
which had made him despised by
the people of his home town must
still be manifesting themselves in
his manner, his voice, his actions.
The thought made him resentful.
He became aloof and superior, con
temptuous of these folks who, were
they to be apprised of his real iden
tity, would sing his praises from
the housetops.
Three days out of Bordeaux the
liner on which Angus Newhall was
sailing for America caught fire. It
was at night and a high sea run
ning. Before nearby ships could re
spond to the frantic S. O. S. half
the passengers and two-thirds of the
crew perished. Among those whom
the sea claimed as victims was one
Chester Darcy, whose home was
given as a large city in western
United States.
In a little New Hampshire town
a white-haired old lady read the
newspapers and shook her head sad
ly, thinking of the relatives and
friends of the dead. Her eyes, mist
covered, lifted to-a photograph of
her son. flag-bedecked, and resting
in its place of honor above the man
tel.
After a while a smile came to the
old lady’s lips. She nodded her
head, thinking of Angus, thinking
of him as a hero, the pride of his
town, of his nation; herself as hon
ored and respected and envied be
cause of his great deeds. She sighed,
a little wistfully, but happily, be
cause her heart was joyful. It was
nice—yes, extremely nice being a
gold-star mother.
A Trio for the Younger Set
1202
TO6
'T'HREE more intriguing num
bers than these would be hard
to imagine—even in this day of
rampant fashion and scintillating
style! It’s a trio that the younger
set in The Sewing Circle will be
enthusiastic about too, for first
consideration is given them in—
Pattern 1996—This excellently
styled jumper dress is one the tot
of six and the lass of fourteen
will sing long over. Available for
sizes: 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14 years.
Size 8 requires 1% yards of 35
inch material for the jumper and
1% yards for the blouse.
Pattern 1202—There’s subtle love
liness about this new dress for
all occasions. It makes a grand
thing of simplicity—a brilliant suc
cess of the new silhouette. But
tons, bold shiny ones, add classic
chic to the back. And in the matter
of sleeves there’s an opportunity
to choose for oneself. Sheer wool,
challis, taffeta or silk crepe will
be a likely material for this dress.
Designed for sizes: 12, 14, 16, 18
and 20. (30 to 38 bust). Size 14
requires 2% yards of 54 inch fab
ric. With long sleeves 2% yards.
Pattern 1936—This is the season
for smocks, although not the
‘hunting season,’ thanks to today’s
new model, pictured here. Imagine
the fun of having a smock that
reflects one’s own taste in its ev
ery detail—yes, even to the siz®
and color of the scarf and buttons.
Designed in sizes: 32, 34, 36, 38,
40, 42 and 44. Size 34 requires 4%
yards of 39 inch material. The
bow requires 1% yards of ribbon.
Send for the Barbara Bell Fall
and Winter Pattern Book contain
ing 100 well-planned, easy-to-make
patterns. Exclusive fashions for
children, young women, and ma
trons. Send fifteen cents in coins
for your copy.
Send your order to The Sew
ing Circle Pattern Dept., Room
1020, 211 W. Wacker Dr., Chicago,
111. Price of patterns, 15 cents (in
coins) each.
© Bell Syndicate.—WNU Service.
DON'T RUB
YOUR EYES
Rubbing your eyes grinds invisible particles ot
dust and dirt right into the delicate tissues,
making the irritation just that much worse. A
much better way. as thousands have discovered,
is to use a little Murine in each eye—night and
morning. Murine may be depended on to re
lieve eye irritation because it is a reliable eye
preparation containing 7 active ingredients of
known value in caring for the eyes. In use for
40 years. Ask for Murine at your drug store.
TRADED
MARK
The pleasant and quick way to make coughs quit is a Smith
Brothers Cough Drop. (Two kinds—-Black or Menthol 5^.)
Smith Bros. Cough Drops are the only drops containing VITAMIN A
This is the vitamin that raises the resistance of the mucous
membranes of the nose and throat to cold and cough infections.
Flowers for the Living
Don’t leave too many of your
fervent thoughts about your good
friends until after they are dead.
What Is Common Sense?
Human nature is human nature;
but is common sense human na
ture or a touch from the divine?
southern SPECIAL-BLEND
in the bright red Jewel carton
• Cakes are more’delicate, pastry and biscuits flakier and more delicious
when you use this finer shortening! For Jewel is a Special-Blend of
vegetable fat with other bland cooking fats. Actual tests prove that it
creams faster and makes more tender baked foods.
Only
Good Merchandise
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