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CHANGE MACHINERY OF JUSTICE
By PROF. RAYMOND MOLEV, Columbia Univeraity.
*WF WOULD urge that powers of judging guilt be taken from juries and
'■ 'Public prosecutors and placed in the hands of judges, and sentences
Jqi -of * the n< ^erminate, difficulties with the criminal intrusted to parole boards. Much
present are due to the antiquated system of justice.
"’J’lbe jury is falling into disrepute, and I contend that it never was a
*l«rnoeratic Anglo-Saxon institution, but a heritage from Frankish tyrants.
ffc*»ntly it has been responsible for outstanding miscarriages of justice.
This has resulted in a general distrust which has thrown much of the
of judges into the hands of the public prosecutor, often an elected
-official, through the two devices of nol pressing and accepting pleas of
stilly to crimes less than charged. The judge has little to say about it.
if the district attorney thinks his case is weak he assumes the authority
releasing the defendant—practically acquitting him—through a nol
psoas. If a fight is likely he will accept a lesser plea to save time and
twcmoy and to augment his record of convictions. This last is illogical,
herjjuse it results in creating a crime which never existed. If a man
$500, that is what he should he tried for—not for stealing $50.
The judge should merely pass on the defendant’s guilt. lie should
hitvc nothing to say about his sentence, which should he entirely in the
hands of a board of experts such as that proposed last year by ex-Governor
Smith of New York, which is one of the most enlightening proposals ever
made by a public official. All sentences should be indeterminate, based
■or the hoard’s study of the needs of the individual case.
Nobody knows how long a man should serve for a particular crime.
Ttiat is fortune telling and judges are not fortune tellers. It all depends
>«» the progress of the individual case.
CHRISTIANITY AND TRUTH
By REV. RUPERT II. SCHROEDER, Cleveland (Lutheran).
Christianity consists not in seeking after the truth, but in accept¬
ing tL Jesus said to ilis disciples, “When the spirit of truth is come,
He will guide you into all truth.” Thus, though not a single word of the
New Testament was written by Jesus’ own hand, Ho Himself assures ns
#nafc we can rely upon the writings of His disciples with perfect confi
dracr.
God, the Holy Spirit, given to them on Pentecost, guided the apos
ilf* into all truth. We need but to accept their statements, and we have
religious truth, absolute and final.
The Savior promises no new developments, no further revelations
of truth as it is in God. He has, through His inspired apostles, said all
that is to be said in the New Testament writings. 1
To the true Christian this assurance is very precious. To him the
troth contained in Up; words: “God so loved the world that He gave
Hie only begotten Son, that whosoever believetli in Him should not per
Mu but have everlasting life,” is a pearl without price.
The Christian, therefore, rejoices in the fact that this and similar
• statements never will be revised or retracted by God, since God’s spirit
gTxided the men who wrote them into all truth.
People today are more interested than ever in the church and Chris¬
tianity, but want to hear joyful and hopeful sermons to drive away the
-clouds. There never has been a time in American or in world history
when the pulpit stood for more than it stands for today. Tt. is not. true
that people have quit going to church and are not interested in Christi¬
anity. That is propaganda. The people want to hear the gospel. Keep
your mouth shut and preach the gospel, then you don’t have to defend
WWKiirsolf. .
The world today is listening to hear the man who lias something to
*ay, but it does not give a snap of your finger for the man who has to
.my something.
The trouble with a great deal of our preaching is that we are preach¬
ing repentance and the cross and leaving out the resurrection. There is
sot enough joy in our pulpits. There are too many clouds and not enough
sunshine. Preach hopeful sermons. 1 try to preach joyful sermons and to
•*mde when 1 feel anxious.
SEX FILMS- GREAT MORAL AID
By DR. WILLIAM MALSTON. Former Harvard Psychologist.
Erotic emotions are among the finest things life has to offer. In mov¬
ing pictures this fine art of emotions should be retained and cultivated
rather than eliminated. If there were more of the emotions of love in
fife there would he less war. 1 caution club women to go easy -in their
censorship campaign.
YVithouUthe unique appeal of the erotic actress it. is highly improb¬
able that motion pictures would have ever developed to their present
standing. Screen stars represent (he ideal of the feminine world.
The most pleasant of life’s emotions is love. If a woman’s influence
fakes the form of taboos—cutting out the interesting things that matter
and leaving the things of no value then their influence is misused.
f venture to say motion pictures and the one-piece bathing suit have
done more good in lifting the moral standards of the age than all of the
social agencies combined.
SEES CORPORATE FARM CONTROL
By ANDREW L. FELKER. Commissioner ol Agriculture (N. H.)
The federal farm board is just another step toward corporate con¬
trol of t Ive American farm, and in three short generations it can ruin the
- irai home and reduce farm folks to a state of serfdom.
Farmers generally should be warned of this modern tendency to dis¬
integrate the American farm home which is the cradle of American cit
deeoship and the backbone of the nation. Corporate farming such as is
Jfcefy under the federal relief system lias already been advocated by farm
leaders, not only in (he Middle West, but within the confines of New Eng
’xnd. These leaders suggest that the present successful farms be joined
into corporate form, with a single executive head who will dole out “day
Tbor” to the owners of independent farms.
CLEVELAND COURIER.
City’* Wisdom Shown in
Looking to the Future
Millions of dollars will he saved to
American cities through the planning
of city improvements early. This is
evidenced by the experience of Akron,
Ohio, which, through carefully con¬
templated and progressive street \vi
- dening, has already saved nearly $2,
*100,000 according to E. E. Duffy, head
of one of the largest associations deal¬
ing in building and road construction
materials.
“Ten years ago Akron adopted a
street-widening plan calling for the
eventual widening of nearly twenty
miles of streets,” he said. “To have
widened these thoroughfares outright
would have been impossible, for the
total cost would have been some $20,
000,000. The plan was adopted of es¬
tablishing new setback building lines
so tiiat as buildings became obsolete
and were replaced, the new structures
were erected ten feet or more back
from the former building line.
“The $2,000,000 saving made by
Akron includes money saved through
the avoidance of condemnation charges.
Having saved this amount in ten years,
the city is now going to spend roughly
that amount in widening four and a
half miles of an important artery.” |
|
Essential Factors in !
Creating Land Demand
We are in the habit of judging val¬
ues of real estate by the general ac¬
tivity in the real estate market, build¬
ing operations, building permits is¬
sued, acreage bougiit and sold, general
business conditions and similar indi¬
cia. But there are other important
ways of gauging rising values.
The growth in population, transpor¬
tation, utilities, industry, public im¬
provements, etc., are some other fac¬
tors which add to permanent real es¬
tate values because they indicate de¬
mand, accessibility, comfort, buying
power, progress, desirability and the
like, to the prospective buyer.
We have only to imagine the sales
resistance in marketing a piece of ur¬
ban real estate without improved
streets, without utilities like gas, elec¬
tricity, water, sewers and telephones;
without factories or business nearby
to create pay rolls; without rapid
transportation to and from regular
places of employment or business, and
the importance of these factors in cre¬ !
ating and increasing values in real |
estate becomes self-evident. I
i
Fire Prevention i
Each year the number of communi¬
ties actively participating in the ob¬ |
servance of “tire prevention week” in¬ !
creases and better results are ob¬ |
tained. Many individuals and organiza¬
tions are in a position to be of serv¬
ice during the campaign, which should
be planned in advance. i
Because of the authority vested in j
their positions, public officials, such :
us mayors, village fire presidents prevention and fire j i
marshals, can aid cam¬
paigns materially by taking part in I
tile program and issuing proclama¬
tions calling Usually upon they citizens realize the to partici¬ danger | j
pate.
of fire and gladly co-operate. j
Building Co*t Lowered
Although Industrial building has
been at high levels this year, the cost I
of a new factory structure is 6 per
cent below the average for the last
ten years, according to a survey of
building costs throughout the coun-'
try just made by a Chicago firm of
engineers and builders.
The cost of industrial construction
Is now 40 per cent under the peak
reached in 1920 and it is at the low¬
est point since late in 1922. The
computation is based or> a standard
building 300 by 200 fee*, and it in¬
cludes prices of materiiM and wages
ot' labor.
Shrubs in Shady Spots
There tire many shrubs which will
grow well or perhaps better in shady
situations than in tlie sun. Such
plants include: Japanese barberry,
red bud, red osier, dogwood, hazelnut,
deutzia, forsythia, hills-of-snow, vari¬
ous species of privet, Indian currant.
Van Houttei spirea, Japanese maple
and numerous viburnums, in plant?
ing shrubs around the home many sit¬
uations such as north exposures and
tree shaded areas will be found where
some shrubs will not grow. If thr
proper species are selected and cared
for a vigorous and healthy growth wit]
result in any situation.
Beauty in Building
Communities built to look like “peas
In a pod” have aroused the American
Institute of Architects into developing
a plan for a union of effort in the arts
of designing, C. Herrick Hammond,
president of the institute, announced.
The movement would bring about
collaboration among architects, sculp¬
tors, mural painters, landscape design¬
ers and craftsmen in creating a new
mode of architectural expression.
Modernize With Windows
The dark, dismal house with its
dismal walls has gone. Bright,
healthy rooms and friendly exteriors
have come to stay. More and larger
windows is the verdict of the archi¬
tect and owner alike. Thousands of
old homes are being modernized in
this way.
OLD KING’S HOUSE
WILL BE REBUILT
Jamaica to Restore That His¬
toric Mansion.
Kingston, Jamaica, W. I.—The
King’s House, historic structure of
the West Indies, is to be rebuilt after
centuries of neglect. Once the resi¬
dence of noblemen and the rendezvous
of the elite of Jamaica, the King's
House stands in Spanishtown, a rem¬
nant of bygone glories.
The building was swept by fire in
October, 3923. Little more than a
shell now remains of the stately man¬
sion, once regarded as “the noblest
edifice of its kind in the Western
hemisphere.” The handsome facade,
with its dignified columns of Portland
stone and" pavement of white marble,
withstood the fire. The structure
stands on r square the north side of
which is graced by an opei^ temple
and colonnade inclosing the elder Ba¬
con’s statue of George Brydges Rod¬
ney, the “Savior of the West Indies.”
The King's House was designed by
Craskell, Hie engineer of the islands,
during the administration of Gov. Sir
Henry Moore, about 1754. If became
the residence of many governors. ' Its
cost was over $100,000. Not until 1870
did the glory of the King’s House
fade. During the administration of
Gov. Sir John Peter Grant, the seat of
government was removed to Kingston.
In this house Jamaica gathered on
his majesty’s birthday for the king’s
ball, where such was the decorum that
the Royal Gazette announced that ‘‘no
gentleman can possibly be admitted in
boots or otherwise Improperly
dressed.”
On tite portico the Lady Nugent, the
delightful diarist, was received by
Lord Balcarres, upon her arrival here
in 1801. The big Had of Audience is
depicted by Wicksfead in a famous
painting. The salon was an ^apart¬
ment of noble proportions adorned
with busts of poets and philosophers.
On the walls were costly gilt giran¬
doles to carry candies. At the north
end was a minstrel’s gallery where a
band played on festive occasions.
Lady Nugent, In her diary, speaks of
the governor from whom her husband
took over the administration:
“I wish Lord B. would wash his
sands and use a nail brush, for the
black edges of his linger nails made
•r.e positively ill. He has besides an
extraordinary propensity to dip his
fingers in every dish at table.”
Italian Invents New
Hood for Sea Diver3
Rome. — Endangered submarine
t rews will have one more chance of
escaping a miserable end in case of
accident since an Italian inventor,
Commander Beiioni, has devised a new
subaqueous hood, recognized as chenp
or and lighter than ordinary diving
tults.
The diver's head is covered by the
hood which is fastened to the armpits,
end the rest of the body Is unencum¬
bered with a small tube of air under
high pressure suspended from the di
v-r’s waist. The bottom of the hood
is provided with a valve for the es
cape of vitiated air.
Commander Beiioni himself has un
uergone un experience which has en
abled him ro remain under water for
three minutes at a 330-foot depth. Two
air tubes would double the time of
resistance.
Cost of the apparatus will not sur¬
pass twenty dollars end it weighs only
nine pounds, which is one-sixth of the
German type of diving suit.
Hypnotized and Married
Lancaster. Ohio.—The tale of an
Alleged modern Enoch Arden was re
v ealed in a divorce petition tiled here
Mrs. Zetta E Worlf against Chris¬
topher Wortt. Mrs. tVorlf alleged
teat Worlf came to her rooming house,
representing himself as an unmarried
man and after exercising what she be¬
lieved *» hypnotic power over her in
duced her to marry him.
C-0000000000000000000000000 o
Universe Not So Big §
as We Had Supposed o
Ottawa, Ont.—Dr. Ludwiek o
Silberstein. of New that York, an- ^
nounced here he had O
measured the universe. By q
mathematical and physical ex- O
pertinents at the Cinema l ab- X
oratories corporation in his 9 §
home city he had discovered.
he said, that no two objects g
can be further apart than 9.- o
>00,000 light years. . 9
A tight year is about 6,000,- §
000 , 000,000 beam miles—the of light distance would g
that a ^ o
travel in a year. Thus 9,000.
000 light years would be 94.- q
ooo.OOO.OOO.OOO.OOO which. Doctor miles, Silberstein with- g
in o
said, “there millions is ample room for §
some of galaxies com- (
parable in size with onr own J
milky way.” c
Doctor Silberstein made his <
statement before tiie American <
Astronomical society meeting <
at the Dominion observatory. _<
He branded as “utterly innd- c
missable” the Mount Wilson oh J
servatory estimate of 140.000. c
000 light years as the distance <
between the earth and a group c
union of faint of nebulae Virgo. in the constel- £
What Silberstein said he did 5
ro measure the universe, only c
recently determine regarded as finite, was §
to the radius of cur- 9
vnture of space-time. §
poooooooonuooooooooooocoop
GUAM FOLK ASKING
FOR CITIZENSHIP
Think Their Isle Should Be
Part of Union.
Manila, P. I.— On ft little island In
the middle of the Pacific ocean, 17,000
persons are asking to be admitted to
citizenship in the United States.
They are the Chamorros, natives of
Guam.
Under United States sovereignty,
but still not of it, this group of people
is in an anomalous position.
Since their country was acquired by
the United States following the Span
ish-American war, the Chamorros have
been under the rule of what is vir¬
tually a dictatorship exercised by gov¬
ernors who are presidential appointees.
They have a congress elected by the
people and subject to the approval of
the governor, which makes no laws
and comes to no decisions, acting
merely in the capacity of an advisory
body.
Have Own Dry Law.
The Island of Guam Is not hound
by the laws of the United States. It
recognizes a prohibition law, but it is
a local one, not the Eighteenth amend¬
ment nor the Volstead act. The penal
code enforced in Guam has been
adopted from that of the Philippine
islands.
The system of courts and law en¬
forcement is directly under the super¬
vision of the governor. He appoints
the judges and there is no jury sys¬
tem.
According to Capt. L. S. Shapley,
U. S. N\, who recently completed a
three years' term ns governor of
Guam, the natives of Guam need
apologize to uo nation in the world
in the matter of law and order.
Petty crime is rare, he says, and ma¬
jor crime almost unheard of.
Of the total population more than
half live in the city of Agana, the only
recognized municipality on the island.
The others are scattered in the out¬
lying districts. The island is divided
into districts, each one under the
supervision of a commissioner elected
by the people. Be serves also as con¬
gressman, mayor and police judge of
tiis district. These supervisors are
directly responsible to the governor.
Schooling Is Compulsory.
Economically and commercially the
people are not advanced. Education¬
ally they are ambitious. Schooling,
under the supervision of natives, is
compulsory for att between the ages
of seven and twelve and a high school
has lately graduated its first class.
Despite the fact that the Chamorros
are backward economically, they never¬
theless are independent. It is esti¬
mated that about 93 per cent of the
heads of families in Agana own their
own nonies in addition to other lands
which they utilize for the growth of
necessary food and their one export,
copra.
Rat Strips Oatmeal
Stucco From House
Hastings, Neb.—This is the story of
a rat who ate the stucco from a house.
Tiie house itself was rather un¬
usual, both in its size—it was only
eighteen inches high—and in its con¬
struction. it had been built by an
Adams county child for exhibition ot
the fair ns part of his health project
for school work.
It was stuccoed with oatmeal, ijs
windows were ontlined with raisins,
its front step was made of white
beans, its chimney of red beans, and
its roof of overlaid shingles made
from apricots.
The idea was to show that if the
house of health were built of such
goods, it would be strong and sturdy.
Whether the rat felt that its diet
was lacking in health-giving foods
or whether It was unusually hungry
is a question, hut today not a speck
of the stucco remains and even some
of the raisins show marks of the ro¬
dent’s teeth.
Naval Academy Dome
Is Being Repaired
Annapolis, Md.—The dome of the
Naval academy chapel, long termed
affectionately “the wedding cake” by
•Annapolitans. is undergoing repairs.
Several cornices and pieces of mason¬
ry that fell from the top recently
made the work more urgent.
The “ginger bread” work on the
dome will t>e removed, according to
the contractors, and paneled copper
will he substituted. AH of the cornices
corresponding to those that have fall¬
en will be removed. The granite work
will he repointed and gold plate will
he used at the peak of the building.
Much brenze will be used in the
renovations that will require five
months to complete. Electric lights
will illuminate the highest point of tiie
dome.
;
“Impossible” Peak in
Ecuador Is Climbed
Guayaquil, Ecuador.—The California
Technical Institute’s expedition, head¬ 1
ed by Prof. Robert Moore, has suc¬
ceeded in climbing to the top of Mt. i
Sammy. 17.493 feet.
Photographs of the crater and rare
fauna growing on the inner side were
successfully made.
So difficult was the ascent that 30
days were required to reach the top,
the expedition being forced to over¬
come many obstacles such as in¬
clement weather and desertion of
their native Indian guides.
The British explorer. George Dyott,
once declared that ascent of Mt. San
gay was impossible.
J CHINA’S RAIN GOD POWER
PROVES HIS
Peasants’ Belief in Prayer Is
Strengthened.
Hankow, China.—Peasants in Wu¬
han and throughout Hupeh province
were overjoyed recently at the end of
a six-month drought which menaced
crops with complete destruction.
Triumphantly the native farmers
addressed their district magistrates:
“Did we not tell you that nation¬
alism must not interfere with ^he
worship of gods and that if we want
rain and a splendid harvest we must
offer prayers to tiie god of rain and
refrain from eating meat for seven
days? Now China can plunge into
any adventure, bur to force the peo¬
ple to discontinue the practice of
praying for rain would he a foolish
policy and would result in a national
calamity.”
Tiie drought in Hupeh affected
many districts. In several large towns
the rice crops were ruined by the lack
of rair and famine set in.
It was when the drought began to
take serious toll of the crops in and
around Wuhan and a rice crisis threat¬
ened that the farmers, with the back¬
ing of the merchants, planned a
monster meeting at which united
prayer would be offered to the god
of rain and god of harvest.
In the past such meetings were
held whenever there was lack of rain,
but under the Kuomintang rule, the
authorities withheld permission, con¬
tending that it was purely a super¬
stitious practice not at all in line
with the enlightened ideas of New
China.
The controversy went on for over
a month, but as the drought continued
and the situation grew serious the
local officials finally gave in and the
united worship of the rain god was
held. t
Curiously enough, rain felt and the
drought broke just u day after the
mass meeting. The farmers and the
promoters of the mass rneeiing were
satisfied that the downpour was the
direct result of their prayers.
Escaping Gas Helps
Rainfall in Texas
McCamey, Texas. — Meteorologists
are satisfied that a change has
been wrought in tiie climate of
western and northwestern Texas by
natural gas which is constantly escap¬
ing into the upper atmosphere from
wells and storage tanks.
Research ' along this line was
started five years ago by Dr. L. A.
Weinich, oil geologist, who combined
meteorological studies with his field
work in Texas. He made a prelimi¬
nary report in 1927 in which he point¬
ed out the increase of rainfall during
the preceding six years over any cor¬
responding period of years. The aver¬
age increase of precipitation was four
inches a year in the South Plains and
Panhandle regions.
Doctor Weinich’s meteorological
studies have been continued by sev¬
eral oil companies operating in the
west Texas and Panhandle fields, and
their results corroborate the theory
and findings of Weinich. The annual
rainfall is now increasing at the rate
of approximately two inches a year
and agricultural conditions have been
better than ever before.
Tries to Get Married
at Every Court House
Santa Cruz, Calif.—He was ninety
four years old, but was quite insistent
that County Clerk H. E. Miller allow
him to file notice of his intention to
apply for a marriage license.
That no woman accompanied him
did not embarrass him. In fact, he
admitted he had no particular
woman in view, but it the clerk would
wait “just a few moments’’ be would
go out and get one.
He gave his name as John J. Peters,
residence Santa Barbara, “on a tour
with the whole family.”
On the courthouse steps, where the
clerk followed him, he was met by
two men.
“Hollo, grandad, trying to get mar¬
ried again?” queried one.
it was learned that Peters insists
on getting married whenever he ar¬
rives at a county seat.
Foresters Fight Mistletoe
Washington. — Mistletoe, a
day symbol to some but a serious
to tiie forester, is being elimin
from the life history of western
low pine by cross-hreeding the s
At the Fremont experimem st<
in central Colorado, a fast grov
pest-resistant tree has been isol
and is being propagated to imp
forest conditions.
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0
o Major Acts Naughty,
Soldiers Spank Him
o Paris.—When a private is
0 guilty he is court-martialed.
(j W Len a major misbehaves he is
P spanked.
o ji> Disapproving of the conduct
of their superior officer, the sol
o filers. led by a private, Guille
^ mot. f-e Bayon. and an seized instructor him named
o as he
9 rode through town in his au
0 tomobile.
0 major was taken to a
o private house, where the spank
0 ing was administered with a
0 broomstick before a crowd of
civilians.
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