HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Advocate, 1924-1-10, Page 6MAZE HIGHWAYS SAFE FOR
The latest figures on automobile ac-
cidents for the last year indicate that
the .number of victims is on the in-
crease. Consequently it is high time
that some resolutions be put into ef-
feet which will decidedlylessen this
slaughter of human lives.
For the pedestrian I suggest the
following resolution;
"In 1924 I will be thoughtful as I
amble along the public thoroughfare.
1 will carefully observe traffic axles
that have been passed in the interest
of my safety, I will co-operate with
motorists. I will watch street cars and
stand in the safety zone when waiting
for them. I will keep to the right and
avoid jay walking!'
RES; IxTION BY MOTORIST.
Then let the motorist resolve as fol-
lows; "I will think ahead. I will ob-
serve signets. I will co-operate with
pedestrians. I will demonstrate my,
ability to drive skillfully before op-
erating a else in traffic. I will keep
the ineehenieal features of niy ma-
chine in good working order."
If the pubic, both pedestrians and
motorists, would make such resolu-
tions for 1024 and, taking them seri-
ously, would really try to carry them
out, many thousands of homes would
be spared the sadness such as has been
brought about in the past by auto-
mobile accidents.
Municipalities also have some re-
sponsibilities in this matter. Ordi-
nances can be passed for 1924 which
will help the people in carrying out
their resolutions. Some very good re-
sults along this line have been accom-
plished by the Bureau of Safety of
New York City. This bureau has been
impacting brakes of cars to see if
the owners have complied with the
local regulations.
The bureau has just closed its first
is work, and during the last
tin 've months 73,635 motor vehicles
ce he streets have been inspected. Of ,
tI;• number 10,517 had one defective
MOTORIST AND PEDESTRIAN.
'brake,and the drivers were required
to report back with the defective brake
fizced for, re -inspection. In 2,239 cases
both brakes were defective and the
drivers Were fined, the penalty usually
being $25,
nesaaericee of srea tEs.
A brake inspection squad of ten po
licemen has accomplished this. worts.
They were told to stop drivers of
cars, particularly of the heavy type,
make running tests of brakes and
steering gears, and, if found faulty, to
see that they were put in good con-
dition.
Their method is first to signal an
approaching truck or other motor ve-
hicle to stop. One man gets on the
seat of the ear by the driver, and,
under his instructions, the driver will
proceed to start and stop, the patrol-
man making a note of the distance it
takes the ear to stop under various
speeds.
At a speed of 10 miles an hour a
car, to pass the test, must stop within
9 feet; at 15 miles, within 20 feet; at
20 miles, within 37 feet, and at 25 Tree Doom.
miles an hour within 58 feet. This To draw sweet sustenance
test is made with both the foot and the earth
emergency brakes, and if either brake without devouring meat that's slain;
will not stop within these distances at With casing bark to At one's girth
the speed indicated the brake is con- And stand unhous'ed in wind, sun,
sidered defective. I rain, --
This is only an indication of the To have waved leaves instead of hair
sort of activities municipalities can And a green color for a face;
interest themselves in if they are real- Never to move througii life elsewhere
ly anxious to protect their citizens But root forever in one place;
from accidents. There are numerous 0, what a strange life there must- be
others that might be incorporated in In a broad, earth -rooted tree! '
the New Year's resolutions of then .
And yet, men say, when striolcen sore,
Treesshiver a space .just'as -they're
felled;,
A sentinenee sweeps their inmost core
That by their downward rush is
quelled—
As if, from. base to.erown, they tried
To walk but once before they died!
Harry Iiemp.
FOUR' LEGS
The'good..old horse I used to drive! I sometimes''wish he
Were alive; he something lacked .of'pee and power, he hit: up
seven miles an hour. Be had his fauits,'I must allow-; but so has
every sheep and cow. > He'd sometinxes -cut up monkey shines,
and wrap iiia tail around the lines, and use bis feet, with iron
soles, to kick the dashboard full of holes, and driven batty by
the files, he'd grip the bit and close his eyes :and try to climb a
barbed wire fence, an animal bereft of sense. But taking Dob-
bin pro and con, I'm sometimes sorry that he's gone; when my
old bus is full of bugs, with fantods in the sparking plugs, when
tires blow out or strings break down, some forty-seven, leagues
from town; when I am: stalled for lack of gas, a long' night in the
rain to pass; King Richard's plaint I then' indorse: "My ten cent
kingdom for a horse!" When motorcycle cops draw near and
tell me that I must appear before the jurist and explain why I
was pushing my old wain some sixty 'parasangs or so, where
thirty is the clip to go, 1 cry aloud in my remorse, "My crown
and sceptre for a horse!" When reckless drivers hit: my"car and
from its bearings knock the tar, and I am .knocked about a'verst,
so that my pink suspenders buret, I cry aloud, amid the gorse,
"1YIy silver corkscrew fora horse!"
from the
municipal officials which will take
care of those people who haven't
enough interest in public safety to co-
operate willingly.
A combination of care and co-
operation by motorists, pedestrians
and community officials will greatly
reduce motor accidents in 1924. Here
is a triangle of power that should get
into action at once.
My Radio.
When earth is iron hard with frost
And skies portending snow,
I love to sit beside the fire
And hear my radio.
It tells Hie of the barren wastes
Where summer never smiles,
,Alaska's frozen hills of gold,
The gray Aleutian Isles.
No station do I have to call
Nor to a wave length tune,
But I can listen to the pines
Along the Mohawk croon.
The rush of icy Arctic seas
Where terrible and white,
The bergs are moving crowned with
rays,
Sapphire and chrysolite.
No agriograms break in upon
The monologues that speak
Of snowy plain and frigid lake,
And still unconquered peak,
No static trouble stops glissades
Or blurs arpeggias,
My radio's the winter wind
That down the chimney blows,
--Minna Irving.
Not to be Spelled.
He had just obtained a job at some.
railway works.
"What's your name?" asked the
timekeeper.
"Patrice. Catlin," was the reply.
"How do you spell it?" inquired• the
other.
The Irishman scratched his head
thoughtfully. "Indade, an' Oi don't
know, sorr,'' he said. "01 never shpelt
it, an' me father he never shpelt it
either. Faith an' 01 don't think it
was ever intended to be shpelt at all.
Put It down withohit shpellin', sort."
Small Sailor,
Robert lived in the country and had
never seen a sailor.
"Papa," he saidone day, "sailors
must be verysmall men."
"Why do you think so?" asked his
father:
"Because," answered Robert, "I read
in the paper about one who went to
sleep on his watch."
Why, indeed.
' 1jillie—"illamnna, will you answer
just one more question? Then I won't
bother you any more."
Mother— " All right, then. What is
it?„
Willie --"Why i
�y� Why s it that the little.
fishes don't drown before they learn
to swine?",
A Cure by Proxy.
'
Doctor," :.said he, ,, T m a victim oil
insohnnia, I can't sleep if there's the
least noise, such as a cat on the back
fence, for instance." •
"This powder will be effective,"
re-
plied the physicia,n, after er compound -
in aprescription.c
g
'When do I take it, doctor?"
"You don't take "
.
it. You iv
ug cillo
the ..at in some mill;,"
Locaalon of Florence.
Old Lady—"I want a ticket for
Fiore
ice."
Ticket Clerk. ,(after
searchin
g in
vain 'for ten minutes) ---"Where the
deuce is Florence?"
(lld Lady — "Sitting over
there an
the:e'"ets'
A Good Answer.
Condescending Lady (to her part-
ner)—"My husband is very jealous, so
I only dance with exceedingly plain
people."
The Partner—"It's a good system; I
follow it."
Emphasizing the Plate.
"How lovingly she regards her table
silver."
"Content -plates it, I'd say,"
1
Two Causes.
"I say, Tom, are you troubled with
sleeplessness?"
"I am. Sortie nights I don't sleep
three hours,' replied Tom.
"I pity you, then,". remarked -Bill..
"I've got it awfully bad. ,I've been of -
faded now for about two years. Tine
doctor calls it "neurio insomnia, para-
laxitis,' "
Tem grunted, and said:-
"I've had it about six months;; but
we call it a baby."
. Fan:ink Pride. •
"You should always be Clean in your
person," wrote one boy, upon the sub-
ject of personal hygiene, "specially on
gymnasium days, because if you broke
your leg or anything you wouldn't
want your family disgraced an over
the town by an unclean skin,"
Content makes poor men rich; dis-
content makes rich men poor.
Gardens and the 'Thi.gs That
Grow in Gardens.
Gardens and the things that grow in
gardens,
I like them all!
In summer, peas and beans, and canta-
loupes
And squash in fall •
Gardens and the folks that work in
gardens,
They are my friends,. •
Along some garden walk I visit and I
talk,
Till autumn ends,
And when it's wintertime. Tread
A catalogue of garden seed.
Keep Your Checks,
A school teacher had found her class
of boys reluctant in their writing of
English compositions. At last she
conceived a great idea to stimulate
their interest—to write an account of
a ball game.
It seemed that she was successful.
With one exception, the boys threw
themselves at the task and evolved
youthful masterpieces. The backward
one chewed reluctantly at his pen and
was struck by a burst of genius;. When
the teacher opened his paper, it read:.
"Rain—no game.
/e///P/
tt
V4a.
sesesteare
Looked Like It.
The Waif—"Say, Mr. Pouter Pigeon,
did you swallow a toy balloon?"
Sailors' Sixth Sense.
The Board of Trade•. inquiry now be-
ing held in London 'into the circum-
stances• of the loss of the ill-fated 'Tre-
vessa has 'given, another opportunity
for the retelling of one of the greatest
epics of the sea. •
That amazing "eixth" sense whioh
enabled forty-four melt; to navigate
two small boats for nearly 2,000 miles
over the Indian Ocean is something
few- landsmen appreciate.
Sea instinct is a reality. A sailor
can feel his ship under him like a liv-
ing thing. He knows, its mood, even
when he is asleep in his bunk, He can
tell by the feel of the deck under hie
feet if the cargo is stowed properly
and the weight equally distributed.
He may not bo an expert stevedore,
and he knows nothing about meta;cen,-
tric height, but he has an instinct for
these things.
Another important factor in the sail-
or's sixth sense: is the smell of a vee-
sel.: As soon as he goes on board he
can tell by her amen whether she is a
good or bad ship. But he cannot des-
cr ^ the difference. inthese smells.
Although all the complicated naviga-
tion instruments of the modern liner
threaten to' kill his sixth sense, the
sailor still retains his strange sensi-
tiveness, and when he retires from his.
hard profession the old salt becomes
a human barometer and:can loretell
the approach of wind, rain, or snow
long before ..the Meteorological Office
knows anything about them.
For the life be leads the sailor has
to be Made of very tough stuff, but un-
derneath his
n-derneath:his rough hide he always re-
mains a child of nature, a strangely
sentient creature, with the warmest.
and most • responsive heart in the
world.
Amuses the Horses.
He was a raw recruit, just enrolled
in a crack cavalry regiment, and' was
paying his first visit to the riding
school.
"Here's .your horse," .said the in-
structor.
The recruit advanced, took the
bridle gingerly, and examined his
mount with great care.
• "What's it got this strap around it
for?" he asked, pointing to the girth.
"-"Well," explained the instruetor, sol-
emnly, "you see, all our horses have
a. keen sense of humor, and as they
sometimes have sudden fits of laugh-
ter when; they see the recrlits trying
to ride, we put bands around them to
keep themfrom busting their sides!"
A Thick Skin Indeed.
A young travelling salesman in Eng-
land was on his first trip to get orders.
At Plymouth, says Mr. G. B. Burgin in
Many Memories, he met an old corn-
menial
ommereial traveler, who expressed his
interest in the young man and asked,
him how he had fared.
'Badly," the young man replied. "I
was insulted in every place I visited,"
"That is strange," said the old tra-
veler, "I have been. on the road forty
years; I have had `nxy samples flung
into the street; I have been taken by
the scuff of the neck and pitched down-
stairs I don't 'deny that I have been
rolled in the gutter; but insulted—
never!"
Winter Beauty.
In June the proud and 6eaat3' oozi
serous earth '
Em-Iches ::fallow fields with petalled
gold,
Resets old-, bowlder geins in rings of -.
ferns
And, spends, nor -counts her: wealth.
r
to nen pride" els overcome hr,`winter's
dearth,
Preoccupied, in guarding'life from; cold.
EtirtliAloes' not heed when ,,beeuty
gleeet returns
And .fills her; hand by stealth.
On her at night 'the tun orbed moo,
bestows.
Iced pools that -mirror -hack a dim re
flection,
Gaunt shadowed symmetry of leaf and
weed,
Frost arabesques of lace.
She wears the vast` enchantment of the
snows,
Rayed wheels and silver stars of brief
perfection.
Bleached silken grasses, patterns of
wind strewn seed
With all unconscious grace,
—Marie Emilie Gilchrist.
Elizabeth Wins.
What is the favorite name 'among
the_. girls of to -day?
A.'census of girl students,. at the fa-
mous Wellesley College, Boston, ,Mas-
sachusetts, has disclosed, somewhat
tci the surprise of the authorities, that
"Elizabeth" now heads the list, anal
that, of a class numbering 408, there
are twenty-six girls of that name.
Other names and the number of
those who• bear them include: 13'orothy,
20; Mary, 18; Katherine, 13; Eleanor,
17; Marion, 16;; Helen, 15; Margaret,
15; Louise, 12; Ruth, 11; Frances, 11;
Alice, 10; Rhoda,' 3; Dorothea, 2;;
Juliet, 2,
' Quite Safe.
A little girl went to see her grana -
mother, who was particular about
spiritual affairs,
"My . dear, 'I hope you say your
prayers every night before going to
bed?".said the old lady.
"No, gran'sna," replied the young-
sten 1416
"Why, my dear! Aren't you al el
to go to bed without asking that i
good angelsshall watch over yox
x
ing the darkness of night?"- r-
"No, grannie. I'm not afraid, 'cause
I sleep in the middle."
t
Couldn't Possibly Have as Much
Friend "But, my dear, your bus'
band probably has more sense than
you think."
Wife (grudgingly)—"Well, that may
be; but he couldn't _possibly have as
much as he thinks."
Jail Can't
Doctors are now treating and curing
diseases and disorders of the brain.
This is the overshadowing news of the
world of medicine. What this means
to the ten -billion -a -year erime problem
is • beyond immediate grasp, says a
New York magazine. Its importance
to all mankindis incalculable.
It is almost childish now to repeat'
that something is wrong = with the
mind of every criminal. Men do not
break laws for the protection of men,
and in the face ofalmost certain de-
tection and fearful punishment, unless
they are abnormal . in somerespect.
But if abnormalities amounting to
some forms of actual insanity can now
be definitely cured,. and if the next ten
years are likely to bring forth ad-
vances undreamed of to -day, it begins
to look as if the ;criminal problem
might have to be taken out of the
hands of the police and the lawyers
and put into the hands of ,the doctors,
And the medical men will do a much
better job.
The small beginnings of this change
are already `to be ' seen in the treat-
ment of
reatment'of emotionally instable types by
Dr, Schlepp and other endocrinolo-
gists. Dr. Schlapp's clinic at the Post-
graduate Medical
ost-graduate:Medical School and Hospital,
New York, is .already' taking care of
a number of these unfortunates, sent.
from the courts for treatment. The
treatment of emotional instability
through' the medicationof the glands
is further advanced and better under-
stood to -day thanany other medicinal
'or surgical treatment : for criminals
and abnormals. The first attack on
the aid system will come from this
quarter.
The Root of Evil.
Emotional 1; instability
based on gland
derangements afflicts some of the
finest and rarest minds,among men.
The most sensitive and, delicately
t r
tuned na u es; the men and women
who should do the world's exceptional
work, are often its victims. Some of
them wind up their days in prison,
while me•a n say: "He is:a brilliant man;
a:igenius. What 0 plty lie`.' isn't
straight!"
"Twentyyears ago," :
. • Dr; Sehlapp
told one in an int ^view, "the very
name .endocrine did not exist and men
ure T ern,
By Edward. H.Smith.
had not yet guessed the secrets of the
glands. But to -day our knowledge of
the -endocrines and of their influence
upon 'every. function of the nervous
system promises to revolutionize our
whole understanding of human be-
havior.
"We know now that many Hien com-
mit crimes because their thyroid
glands or other glands are out of or-
der. It is now certain that these
glands control the activities of our
nerves altogether, including the work-
ings of our brains.
"This means that "'science has
brought the matter of human conduct
or misconduct down to a physiological
and even to a chemical basis. Men do
not err because they are evil, but 'be-
cause of chemical disturbances ha that
marvellously intricate . machines the
human body. : It would be going too
far to say that we understand the
treatment of . all criminals to -day, but
we do know how to restore some to
normal and useful life.
"For the present we mustnot fail to
recognize that there are many danger-
ous and rapacious criminals who must
be locked up for the safety of society,
even though we know that they are
the- victims of; diseases we are only
new' beginning to understand. But
there are many others " who :can be
cured and ought to 3m treated. Prison
only makes themworse and makes
them.. a burden to the . State, whereas
theycan
be transformed into produc-
tive units, :into assets. And there will
come a clay when -medicine will no
doubt . relieve :.; the dangerous men
when). we mast -X ]ow Cage in our own
deEenSe."
The'man in the street naturally`
wants to !:pow whether this is all pro-
mise'.or: whether, in 'his terminology,'
there's something 'to it. Has it been
tested and proved? It has, and the
stories`, of some of 'these :cases 'are
genuine: romances.
A young New Yorker of the sensi-
tive type was called S to arms in the'.
late "v,,ar, but never actually went un-
der fire: NevertlheIess, he had been
Subjected to long suspense `' and an-
xiety, -which were heightened in ill ef-
fect by the fact that he was the only
child of -'a poor widowed mother, total-
ly dependent on him. He came back
worried and harried, and was given a
position in a Will Street broker's of-
fice.
fflce.
The strain continued, for the pay
wassmall, the mother in bad health.
The element of worry was never ab-
sent from the boy's mind. .A. hardier
type would not have been affected.
But this boy was fine, : of spotless re-
putation, devoted to his mother, and
too intense.
It happened that an older employee
of the same brokerage house made
chump' of this .young man and soon
tempted him. He had a tip that a cer-
tain stock would go skyrocketing' and
make big profits. All the boy needed
to do was to take a little of his firm's
money and 'plunge. He could replace
it in a few days and be prosperous.
The . boy was horrified at' the sugges-
tion and shunned his tormenter. The.
intellectual centers of his brain kept
advising him against a -false step, but
the emotional side , kept whipping him
on. And the emotions won, for the
boy was already weakened by strain
and worry. Ile took a small amount
of money, gambled in the stock, and
lost.
He grew thin and haggard. A Vir-
tuous concept leaped into his mind.
He rushed off in an emotional storm
and confessed ° to his employers. They
recognized that the young man was
anything but a criminal and, made an
arrangement, to -let him pay, back the
loss.
The young clerk was delighted, but
it was not long before his increased
poverty began to cramp him worse
than, ever." He began to • brood anew,
l wondering what lie could do . to dis-
charge 'the • debt and increase his in-
come. ;-He saw accounts of ;successful
holdups in the newspapers. The idea
stru'ck- ' him'' that he might get the
mone- 'for his needs b
y y some such
crime,
One morning, after a sleepless night,
the boy put a gun into his pocket and
started out aimlessly, withthe rather,
.
loose idea. in his mind thatopportunity
might come his way. •He passed a ma-
chine shop .and picked, up .a piece of
Pipe, .again' without :knmwing what he
intended doing With it. Iie ,had not
Doctors Can
eaten the night before and had had no
breakfast that morning. He paused
before a jeweler's window. He stood
hesitantly in the doorway, with a re
solve half formed.. Then the telephone
bell rang, and the jeweler walked to
the rear of the store to. answer. The
young man slipped into the shop and
knocked him down with the pipe.
As he saw the man fall, all control
left the boy.' He made no attempt
either to rob the store or to fiee, and
he was arrested.
Now, it is perfectly easy - for the,
cynical to say that the boy simply.
committed a premeclitated, assault, but
lost :his nerve at the sight of a falling
man. But how explain such premerl-
tation In a boy 'of timid, sensitive
character? ; Dr. Schlepp found that
the chemical balance of the :`boy's
blood was badly disturbed, that there
was too much thyroid hormone (a hors
more is a stimulating substance form-
ed in one organ and carried to an-
other), and that he was overworried
n un ennoul s ie . Treatment ' re-
stored him to normal health, and he
has been efficient and trustworthy for
several years,
There's a murderer now serving a
life sentence in Sin Sing,young
a
Jew, of the modern type. He had fall-
en 'in love' with a young orthodox
Jewess. 130111 were
well educated, well
reared, and exce 1t
onal IntellectualIy.
The girl's orthodox
father forbade the
attentions of the young man, as hehad
fallen away from the strict faith,
was considered a goy.
min is
I e n tel 't h ; �:
d y 1 ele was a chane i.
b n
the young man. : IIe began Co- worry.
and brood. ; lie lost his job for inatten-
tion. He wandered alhnlessly about
the streets trying •to find another 'l
- , but
lacking the resolution to enter offices,
Finally there was a secret reconcilia-
tion, and the boy at once grew better,
but the young woman's father discov
ered a tryst of the lovers and demand-
ed of his daughter that she rendunce
her lover forever, The girl yleld'ed,
The young man i:ried to`:give her up
and forget, but he, was already emo-
tionally disturbed, and the task de-
manded a will he was no longerable
to Command:
Stronger Than. Love.
Finally he resolved on suicide, went
to New Jersey, bought a revolver, and
went home to end his life. But des,
to ` see the girl: and bid her farew
overcame him, He saw ei-soomin'?
down the street, ran out; pleaded in an
irrational 'manner, smiled happily
when she seemed to ' humor 'him
bought her a drink in a soda shop, and
started to walk with her again. • She
was nervous -lest she be seen on the
street with him and the fact be report-
ed toy her. father, 'so she proposed that
they enter the, park. .A strange rage
seized' hint. He whipped out the re-
volver and ,emptied it into the girl's
body. Then he ;turned it on himself,
but it,was.empty. He had to be"drag•'
ged away from his beloved victim and
to his cell.
Medical testimony and influe
legal aid saved the man from thei
tric chair, but the law refused to
cognize the case even as insanity`,
sent the red-handed lover to priso
for lifer . He is, ;till in Sing Sing, a
quiet, helpful, broken man who. teach-
es- the other prisoners in, their pitiful
school and says .some Sort of prayer.
at night to a photograph of the girl.
Examination showed, of coure, a,
Highly advanced state .,of einoti:onal in
stability : and gland derangement
winch can b,
e theated Ossure ly and d`e="`•
finitely as malaria or dyspepsia.
The. great truth -seems.' to be that
there are countless human beings Who
are' ill adapted to their environnhent•
and the stresses and struggles of life.
They need both tnedica:tion of the
glands ,and Some sort -'of social cure'
and guidance. Nothing of the sort is
r
pov' nded for them' now,. and they be-
coe criminals. ,_ These :people for
themone-third of . our great crime-comm-
niitting class which can be `cured' with
such medical weapons as are already.
known and tested. Dr. Schlepp, alone
hasmade fifteen tlibusand esper'i-;
ments with such types, and other;; spe
cialists have been making', many thou-
sands .more: .
One of.,these days our logislatorn
are ,going"•to build larger hoxnitsdsand
smaller prisons,—Colliers.
4