tirely escaped the malady of "weak legs," while 75 per cent of those raised under glass died from this trouble. It is ultra-violet rays which affect a photographic plate and produce the chemical changes which result in the growth of vegetation. From a mixture of carbon dioxide and watervapor, exposed to these rays, Daniel Berthelot has succeeded in making sugar, just as plants do. Similarly, from carbon dioxide and ammonia gas he has obtained formic acid, a basis of the proteid substances in living matter. Unquestionably, could we afford to have in our homes and office buildings windows of quartz glass, the health of the nation would be immeasurably improved. But such glass now costs one hundred dollars a square foot. A substitute at two dollars a square foot, which transmits from 50 to 65 per cent of these invisible rays, has been developed in England, but even this price is largely prohibitive. A problem of chemistry is to provide a cheap and abundant material transparent to these rays. A health experiment, carried out in England, tells an interesting story. One group of school children was kept in a room having ordinary glass in its windows. Another group was kept in a room provided with the English substitute. At the end of nine months it was inch more in height than those in the danger-line." The natural forage of SAVING THE ELK HERD ELK FEEDING AT THE WINTER REFUGE IN JACKSON, WYOMING found that the children exposed to ultra-violet light had gained on an average three and a quarter more pounds in weight and six tenths of an Valley are also a menace to their con- In the severe winters of six and seven years ago, the Biological Survey purchased hay, and fed large numbers of the elk on government refuges. Still, thousands died. Many could not reach the refuges, and the supply of hay would have been insufficient if they had. For . three years, the winters have been so mild that no feeding has been necessary. Hay has accumulated, but the quantity is insufficient for an unlimited number. These animals multiply rapidly. Mr. Goldman states that what to do with the increasing numbers, is a "game problem of the first magnitude.' The expansion of civilization in the West is constantly driving them into closer quarters and to higher elevations. In some way, a nation which boasts an annual income of ninety billions of dollars should keep these majestic specimens of a passing age from extermination. It FIGHTING A GREAT PLAGUE IF I were to ask, "What disease takes the largest toll of human life?" many of you would answer, "Tuberculosis." This used to be true, but not now. has now dropped to fifth place and in some parts of the country to sixth and seventh. It is predicted that in a half century the death-rate from the White Plague may become almost insignificant. Neither is cancer the greatest cause of death. Some form of heart-disease, we are told, now takes more lives in this country than does any other single cause. It is responsible for from 10 to 15 per cent of all deaths. In addition, it interferes with the working efficiency and pleasures of two and a half million American citizens. In its frightful havoc, heart-disease has come to occupy a position similar to that of tuberculosis a score of years ago. The greatest single cause of this wide-spread malady is rheumatism. Influenza, scarlet fever, diphtheria, and pneumonia are also important factors. Even children have hearttrouble. It is estimated that one out of every hundred in the elementary grades has it in some form. Physicians now know that acute tonsillitis, St. Vitus's dance, rheumatic fever, and heart-disease are closely connected. Among the chief causes of these disorders are decayed teeth, diseased adenoids and tonsils, and sinus infections. Examinations reported by the American Medical Association show that heart-disease occurs much less often among children who have had their tonsils removed than among those who have not. In the treatment of this disease, rest, sunshine, and fresh air come first. Children and grown-ups are taught the dangers from over-exertion. When one understands his condition in the beginning, and knows the care which he must exercise, he may prolong his life for many years. For studying the condition of the heart and its faulty action, an electrical stethoscope was recently perfected in the Bell Telephone Laboratories. It greatly magnifies the noises in the chest and the beating of the heart. Connections may be so made that hundreds of people can listen to a single heart-beat. CAPTAIN GRAY'S LAST FLIGHT IT is with the deepest regret that we read early in November the announcement of the tragic death of that intrepid aëronaut Captain Hawthorne C. Gray, who held the world's altitude record and whose article "Eight Miles Up" appeared in the August issue of ST. NICHOLAS. Ascending in a balloon from Scott Field, Belleville, Illinois, Captain. Gray had sought to set a new highaltitude mark, breaking his own previous record. And it seems that he did it, for his instruments indicated that his balloon reached an altitude of between 43,000 and 44,000 feet. You will recall that his record of last May was 42,470 feet. Entries in the log show that the temperature range was from 50 degrees above zero to 40 degrees below. It is believed that his death was due to sheer exhaustion, which so weakened him that he was unable to open the valve of his second oxygen cylinder. Only one cylinder of oxygen had been used. Three remained unopened. His last altitude entry in the log was 40,000 feet. The low air-pressure at this great height, coupled with the extreme cold, had overcome his physical resistance. A brave man and a valiant officer, Captain Gray will always be remembered as one who gave his life in the cause of science. INTERESTING ITEMS THE two largest dirigibles ever constructed are now being completed in the little Yorkshire town of Howden, England. These airships, built at a cost of 8,000,000 dollars, will be 730 feet long, and will each carry in per- does cast-iron. This property will fect comfort 100 passengers in addi- make it valuable for the pistons of tion to 150 tons of freight. Each automobile motors. Cylinders and will be provided with an elegant pistons will expand and contract at dance-hall, a dining-room capable of the same rate. seating 50 guests, and sleeping accom- On the recent George Palmer Putmodations for all on board. These palatial liners of the air will have a speed of 70 miles an hour at an altitude of 5000 feet, and a cruising speed of 63 miles an hour. Without refueling, they will be able to travel a distance of 4000 miles. A little-known metal of wonderful properties may soon take its place in industry. A new electrolytic process for the large-scale production of beryllium promises to insure an abundance of this hitherto chemical curiosity. It resembles aluminum more closely than any other metal, but it is a third lighter and much harder, scratching glass with ease. While aluminum corrodes in salt water, beryllium does not, and it also resists to a high degree the action of other corrosive liquids and fumes. In elasticity, it exceeds that of steel, and is more than four times as elastic as aluminum. It readily forms alloys of superior qualities. When heated, it expands at about the same rate as nam Expedition to Baffin Land and the arctic regions, radio communication was maintained with the rest of the world with excellent results. Time and again new stories were wirelessed for publication. On one occasion, Bob Peary, engineer of the expedition and a son of the late Admiral Peary, sent a message to the United States Minister in Chile and received a reply. Surely, this world is shrinking to small proportions! The non-magnetic ship Carnegie, a ship having very little iron or steel in its construction, was recently taken to Washington, where preparations are being made for its seventh scientific cruise. Next May this unique craft will leave on a three years' trip in which it will cover all the oceans of the world. It will gather information regarding winds, ocean currents, and in particular concerning the magnetic phenomena of the earth. That is why iron and steel are almost entirely absent in its construction. THE NEW YEAR Year's only one of the three cruisers planned. the cabinet. In November he stated English people welcomed an reason he had resigned AGAIN, we exchange Newe X lock Houncement: first, because they did that the admiralty had obstructed the back over a twelve-month stretch of life and history: and again we try to see into the future, wondering what the next twelve months will bring. It is good that we cannot foresee the year's events. If we could, the good things would not be half as enjoyable, and the troubles would be worse, for we would be enduring them twice. Vastly better for the individual or the nation to take things as they come! As Nineteen Twenty-eight comes in, there is no reason to expect it to be a year out of the ordinary, for good or bad. No doubt there will be new achievements in flying. Probably science will continue to produce new wonders. And there will be a presidential election; in the early summer, the party conventions, then the campaign, with all its excitementand in November, the balloting. Of this one thing be sure-ST. NICHOLAS wishes all its friends a New Year full of happiness and success. WHAT PRICE NAVIES? Do you remember the naval conference at Geneva that failed? We Americans felt that the failure was due to the obstinacy of W. C. Bridgeman, First Lord of the British Admiralty. Whether that view was correct or not is now immaterial The conference broke up without any new agreement being made. But it was interesting, late in November, to read that the British government had decided, "in the light of the situation disclosed at the Geneva Naval Conference," to start not care to invest so much money in naval construction construction at the time; second, because they felt that any extensive program of war-ship building would be a drag on world peace; and third, because they thought it worth while to cultivate America's friendship. Lord Cecil remarked that England had "banged, bolted, and barred the door" against America. He had been so much out of sympathy with Mr. Bridgeman's unwillingness to agree to America's being equal with Engand in cruiser strength as well as in battleships, that he resigned his position in COLONEL LINDBERGH FROM THE PORTRAIT BY M. A. RASKO negotiations favored by the civil authorities. It would be immeasurably foolish for this country and England to engage in a war-ship building competition— costly and useless. RESTLESS RUSSIA HERE in America, we are so used to having the voice of the minority heard on every question that comes up in Congress, we would not know what to think if the whole government were compelled to follow a single leadership. In the parliamentary governments of England and France, the opposition is organized to contest with the party in power. Such government is truly democratic, selfgovernment for the people. But in Russia, the soviet government does not tolerate opposition. The government exercises absolute power. It is despotic, but claims to be a benevolent despotism, telling the people what they must do for their own good. The czars themselves were not more completely autocratic. The difference is, as the soviet leaders might say, that the czars ruled for their own advantage, while the present government works for the advantage of all the people, equally. Trotsky and Zinovieff, strong men of Russia in revolutionary days, came to be regarded as leaders of an opposition to the soviet government. They were considered insurgents, and so, in November, the Central Committee took their power from them. One correspondent, writing from Moscow, compared them with Theodore Roose Chiang Kai-shek commanded the Nanking forces. Both these generals, however, finally had to give way to other leaders before Hankow was taken. As all through the struggle, it was difficult to understand just what was happening, and to what outcome successive events might be expected to lead. The downfall of Hankow would surely not mean that communistic ideas had ceased to work in some Chinese minds. It would seem, however, that it must lead to some degree of consolidation of the nationalistic movement, with a stronger balance on the more conservative side. Two different views of China's future welfare are at odds; one favoring continuance of the old imperial system of rule, and the other seeking to promote government of the people and by the people. And among the republicans, two divisions of opinion, one leaning toward the methods and WHAT HAPPENED IN '27? To almost anybody reviewing mentally the events of last year, in The Two "f's," America, the outstanding things would Flying and be the two f's, flying Floods and floods. It was a wonder-year for aviation, and the disasters following upon heavy rains were exceptional. The outstanding event of the year, in general interest, was Lindbergh's amazing voyage across the Atlantic. Then, the flights of Chamberlin and Byrd; the Good-Will flight, through South America and the United States; and the race to Hawaii. The tragic possibilities of oceanic flying were driven home to all when the gallant Frenchman Nungesser was lost. Two American girls had a part in the year's adventures in the air. Mildred Doran was lost in the flight to Hawaii; Miss Elder was picked up at sea, when her plane was wrecked. These stirring events, with "Lindy's" tour of the country, gave a great impetus to public interest in airports and the development of commercial flying. Early in the spring, the Mississippi and its tributaries, swollen by exceptionally heavy and protracted rains, overflowed and flooded vast areas in the Middle West and the South. Then, in November, there THE high point of the year in Germany came along toward its close, In Germany when the young American, Seymour Parker Gilbert, Agent-General for Reparations, presented a memorandum to the government, stating that it was apparently not conducting its affairs in the manner best calculated to guarantee meeting Germany's obli RUSSIAN PEASANTS LISTENING IN ON ONE OF THE PROGRAMS BROADCAST FROM THE SOVIET OFFICIAL STATION IN THE KREMLIN, MOSCOW were extraordinary floods in New England, Vermont being the worst sufferer. The Red Cross and the army worked together in relieving the afflicted thousands. The question of flood prevention in the Mississippi Valley presented itself as a major matter for the consideration of Congress. THE Second A. E. F. renewed French and American friendship, at the very time when the two Other Domestic governments were Events wrangling over tariff rates. The Sacco-Vanzetti case made a tremendous stir, both here and abroad. The transatlantic telephone-service was opened; also President Coolidge at Washington, talked with President Calles in the City of Mexico. Coolidge vetoed the McNary-Haugen farm-relief bill, and appointed the Radio Commission. His naval disarmament conference at Geneva, in which our representatives met those of England and Japan (France and Italy declining to take part), proved a flivver. The administration intervened in Nicaragua, where there was rebellion. United States marines served there and in China. gations to the Allies. It was stated that the program of governmental expenditure needed to be kept down. Naturally, this created a good deal of a stir in Germany. Some Germans resented the interference, as they deemed it, with their government. Some others actually felt that their government was glad to have this memorandum published, as sort of an "alibi" for the government in trying to get out of some appropriations it had promised to make. It was an exceedingly important event, for Germany owes a heavy payment on reparations, and also owes interest on the money sent over there by American investors. few people, anywhere, who think such a horror could possibly come about. England had some friction with Russia. The government seemed to be excited without much cause when it raided soviet headquarters in London, but failed to find the papers showing Russian plots. British ships and marines were in China, protecting British lives and property. There was criticism among the people of the government's original policy of "hard boiled" proceedings in China, and the government yielded, to the extent of refraining from warlike measures. France, Italy, Jugoslavia ITALY, jealous of her power in the Mediterranean regions, was inclined to be suspicious of Jugoslavia. Mussolini wanted France and Italy to unite with Jugoslavia in a treaty of friendship, but France rejected the proposal. Then France thought it over, and was willing-but Mussolini changed his mind. Finally France and Jugoslavia made such a treaty, leaving Italy out. It was something of a question whether this incomplete arrangement would make for peace or not. In Rumania, the death of the old king and the accession of little fiveyear-old King Michael was followed by an attempt of Carol to return to the country which he had left after a falling-out with his mother, Queen Marie. Rumania as a constitutional monarchy had to be defended against two possibilities: restoration of Carol to his place as the successor to the old king, on the one side, and attempts to set up a republic, on the other. IN Greece, a republican constitution was set up, but the country continued restless. Portugal Other Countries had another of its nuof Europe merous revolutions. In Spain, a national assembly was held, to consider the possibility of making a new constitution. In Hungary, a new senate was elected, presumably postponing for some years at least any movement for return to monarchical rule. Russia celebrated the tenth anniversary of its freedom from the rule of the czars. In Russia, it seems, the people are getting along fairly well now, compared with their condition a few years ago. But the soviet government certainly does not go out of its way to advance the peace of the world! It had a disagreement with England, and a little friction with Turkey-which Kemal Pasha, recently re-elected as president, seems determined to modernize along European and American lines. |