Indianapolis Times, Volume 42, Number 218, Indianapolis, Marion County, 20 January 1931 — Page 4

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Utility Regulation Measures before the legislature proposing to abolish the public utility commission and place control of these enterprises in the hands of local city councils are undoubtedly inspired by resentment against the failure of state regulation to protect the public. But such a step would invite even greater invasions of public rights by the utilities than exist under the present order. The utilities fought bitterly against the present law and system. They have discovered a way to evade the original purpose of state regulation through appeals to federal courts and the establishment of so-called holding companies, not under state control. Most utilities are no longer local in their character and if a policy of regulation is to be followed instead of the more drastic method of public ownership, the regulation must be state wide. Telephone lines, bus and interurban transportation, electric super-power can no longer be controlled by city councils or county commissioners. Such a plan would put these utilities even more deeply into politics than they have been and, in the past, the influence of these companies on government has been altogether too powerful and too bad. They have worked with the greedy, ambitious and corrupt rather than on a basis of fair dealing. Some of them are changing their methods. Some are still vicious and venal. Most of the present outrages against the public are performed under the holding company scheme and the legislature could do no worse than to investigate these concerns. Such an inquiry would take little time. Expert accountants could in a day demonstrate the need of placing such companies under state control. They could find out the Takeoff taken by some of these concerns. Three-quarters of a million dollars is a rather high price for a signature to a coal contract. If utilities are to be forced to give justice, the place to start is with this latest gouge game of high finance.

Generals as Historians The New York World has rendered an excellent service in taking General Pershing severely to task for assuming to impose on his reading public the tfiouldy myth of German responsibility for the World war.. Turning aside from his main business, Pershing 4ays; “The world long since has fixed the blame where it properly belongs—on the shoulders of the tshen German government." We wonder just who General Pershing means When he refers to “the world." If he means complexly uninformed public opinion throughout the entente countries, he doubtless Is right. The peoples in the allied states still hold a modified view of the wartime mythology. If he meant this, then he simply should have said that “the world still believes Germany to have been responsible for starting- the war.” This would have been permissible and would have Involved no assumption of the truth or falsity of the opinion entertained If the general meant the world of scholarship, then he was woefully wide of the mark. There is not a reputable and informed scholar in the world, in Germany or out, who believes Germany solely guilty of the crime of 1914. The most violently pro-entente of the authorities —Renouvin, Schmitt, Slosson et al.—only plead for a slightly greater guilt on the part of Germany, they admit that all nation* were responsible—except for Schmitt’s absolute exculpation of England. None contends that Germany plotted a war in 1914. Even Poincare explicitly has conceded this. The overwhelming majority of the experts on the war guilt question, whether in Germany or In entente States, hold that the chief guilt for 1914 rests on Serbia, Prance and Russia. Austria desired a local punitive war, but not a general war. Great Britain, Germany and Italy would have preferred no war at all, but were too dilatory or stupid to prevent the coming of the calamity. Pershing will do well to stick to his military narrative, where his competence need not be challenged. His reputation will not be increased by sallies out into what are for him uncharted areas of scholarship, diplomacy and politics. The Wickersham Report National prohibition Is unenforceable. It has not worked. It can not be made to work. Therefore, it should be repealed or modified. That is the judgment of seven of the eleven prominent men and women choeen by President Hoover for a thorough and unprejudiced study of the law which has made us “the most lawless nation in the world.” Tire vote was: Modification, 5; repeal, 2; further trial, with qualifications, 4. We do not know why certain members of the commission were led to make a joint statement of “conclusions and recommendations," which contradicted itself, which contradicted the body of the factual report, and which contradicted the specific recommendations and reservations made by the individual commissioners themselves. Perhaps the idea was in the minds of some that such procedure would make the report less offensive to the administration and to the professional drys. But whatever the purpose of the camouflage, It does not obscure the fact that no single commissioner could give unqualified support to the present “experiment" and that only four could support “further trial" of prohibition, even with important qualification. In one sense, perhaps, this is not surprising, considering the rapid swing of public opinion away from prohibition. But it is both surprising and significant In view of the fact that the original Intention of this commission was not to question the enforceability of prohibition, and that a majority of the commissioners were known as prohibition advocates when they began this investigation. On certain vital questions of fact, the commission lAs in unanimous agreement. And, on the Ifasis of

The Indianapolis Times u scbifm-howapo rawirim) Own# A and published dally (azeept Sunday) fr- The Indianapolis Times Publishing Cos., 214-220 Wnt Maryland Street. Indianapoflt, ind. Price In Marion County. 2 cant* a copy: elaewhere. 3 cent*—delivered by carrier, 12 cente a weak. BOYD OUBLe£ BOY W. HOWARD. FBANK O. MORRISON, Editor Prealdent Bnalneea Manager PHONE—RIIeyMSI TUESDAY. JAK. 30. IMI. Member of Cnited Presa, Scrippa-Howard Newspaper Affiance. Newspaper Enterpriae Association. Newspaper Information Service and Audit Bureau of Circulations. ‘'Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way.”

the lengthy factual report and data accompanying the recommendations, we are unable to see how any open-minded citizen hereafter can challenge those agreed facts. They are: That there has not been and Is not now adequate observance of enforcement. That no law of any kind can be enforced without support of public opinion, and that public opinion In many Important portions of the country is definitely hostile to national prohibition. That no federal prohibition law can be enforced without vigorous co-operation by the states, which co-operation is lacking in many of the most populous states. That the saloon was an evil, and that no considerable body of public opinion anywhere favors Its return. That there has been much crime, corruption and lawlessness by law officials Incident to prohibition. * That, despite all efforts at enforcement, there has been for several years and now is virtually an unlimited supply of liquor, easily obtainable. That the federal government itself is nullifying prohibition by subsidizing grape concentrate products, which can be stopped; and by winking at home manufacture of liquor, which can not be stopped. That public Justification of violation of the unpopular prohibition amendment and law is seriously undermining public respect for and observance of all law. In view of the foregoing agreed facts, we believe that the commission’s recommendations for tinkering with the present prohibition laws and machinery, pending modification or repeal, are relatively unimportant. In so far as they are Important, we believe that the fact of this adverse report in itself should be sufficient to stop congress from enacting any more piecemeal legislation or increasing enforcement appropriations, until a national decision is reached on continuing prohibition, or modifying or repealing it. Solutions offered by the commissioners were of three kinds: Referendum through state constitutional conventions; modification, to permit a quasigovemmental dispensary and control system adapted from the Swedish plan, and outright repeal. A good case has been made for the AndersonSwedish plan, which so favorably impressed a majority of the commissioners. But we are convinced that the first job is to get rid of the present unenforceable system before attempting to force some other system upon a public which has not yet decided what specific alternative it favors. Therefore, we agree with Newton D. Baker that immediate repeal is desirable, failing which there should be a referendum through state constitutional conventions—as suggested by Commissioner Kenyon and Chairman Wickersham. As stated by Commissioner Baker. “Tfre eighteenth amendment should be repealed and the whole question of policy and enforcement with regard to intoxicating liquors remitted to the states. “If, for '. .actical reasons, immediate repeal be thought unattainable, a submission of the (modifying) amendment suggested in the report of the commission would test the present sentiment of the country and, If the (modifying) amendment were adopted, would accomplish the double result of removing an arbitrary and inflexible police regulation from the Constitution, where it seems to me it never should have been put, and of giving congress the power to adapt federal legislation on the subject, from time to time, to the realities of the situation as they may develop.” *

The Red Cross Committee In appointing a committee headed by Calvin Coolidge to help the Red Cross raise $10,000,000 for relief of sufferers in the drought-stricken area, President Hoover has done the right thing at the wrong time. It is a good thing, of course, to have the ability and energy of Coolidge, A1 Smith, John W. Davis and the remainder of the fifty-seven notable citizens named behind the present drive. But the President has waited too long, probably at least six months too long. x He has waited until It has become absolutely essential that congress proceed with Its plan to appropriate money directly to the use of the Red Cross.

REASON v "XX 01

SOME New York scientists say they can tell a baby’s future by making a motion picture of his reactions to different toys. We don’t think all the motion pictures in the world could have revealed anything about Lincoln’s destiny when he played in that miserable cabin down in Kentucky. a a a Sir Arthur Eddington, president of the English Mathematical Associate predicts that in a billion and a half years from now this world will become a huge ball of radiation. If you must be a prophet, foretell something so remote that it can’t possibly return to plague you in your lifetime. # # a TOM MIX had to have his comforts when he agreed to go with a circus, asking SIO,OOO a week, a private car, two horses, a Rolls-Royce car and accommodations for seven assistants. This layout is somewhat more elaborate than that of Thomas Jefferson’s that day when ’tis said he rode his horse to the White House to become President. But then, of course, Jefferson was not a Mix. a a a A Chicago man without hands was sentenced to jail for forgery, he having vigned the signature by holding a pen in his teeth. Evidently false teeth. a a a While the Indiana legislature is VTestling with the proposition of having the state furnish free schoolbooks to the children, it might be a good idee to consider the possibility of having the books printed and bound in the penal institutions of Indiana. a a a WHEN we read that hundreds of thousands of aliens are bootlegged into the United States every year across the northern and southern borders, it makes one wonder if it wouldn't be a good idea to have the regular army patrol these borders. With an airplane support, they ought to b; able to do the work. 9 a a Reading of the pilgrims who went to Roosevelt's grave on his birthday reminds one that when Teddy was passing away he told his folks to bury him simply, just as a respectable American citizen. And they did, his grave at Oyster Bay being marked by a modest shaft. And it’s much more impressive than this SBOO,OOO tomb for Harding at Marion, O. a a a Just before Marshal Joffre died, he curled his mustache. When Me read about it we wandered if the old warrior was thinking how he curled the kaiser's bangs at the battle of the Marne. tr

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

M. E. Tracy SAYS:

West of the Mississippi, People Seem to Be Able to Give You More for the Same Money, and Still Make a Fair Profiit. SAN DIEGO, Cal., Jan. 20.—Answering the question uppermost in your mind, no matter who you are, or where you five, business is about the same in California as in other parts of the country. Only three people asked for “something'’ with which to buy breakfast as we loaded up the car at San Bernardino Monday morning while a similar situation produced four In San Antonio, Tex., two weeks ago. The Federated Trades and Labor Council of San Diego wants the city to provide work by appropriating SIOO,OOO for construction of anew golf course in Balboa park. I think it’s a good idea. We would better pay men to carry rocks from one side of the street to the other and back again than humiliate them with the demoralizing brand of charity some politicians and philanthropists are recommending. * m u ACCORDING to a government report, food prices dropped 13 per cent between Jan. 1, 1930, and Jan. 1, 1931. Some of them can show a bigger drop than that between New York and California. We saw good grapefruit for 26 cents a dozen and good oranges at a cent apiece in San Bernardino stores, while prunes are 5 cents a pound in San Diego. That can be accounted for by the fact that this is a fruit-growing section, but we have found the average cost of meals in restaurants, coffee shops and hotel dining rooms considerably lower. West of the Mississippi, people seem able to give you more for the same amount of money and still make a fair profit. Maybe it’s because they have less racketeering. Making every allowance for the cost of freight handling charges and commission, New Yorkers are paying an unreasonable amount for food, according to prices we have been quoted on this trip. a m a The City Pays IN Virginia, which is only 400 miles from New York, we found fresh eggs selling at from 25 to 30 cents a dozen, good butter at from 28 to 32 cents a pound, live poultry at 14 cents a pound and lamb at 10 cents a pound. We found practically the same prices in Alabama and Texas. One explanation of the high cost of living for city folks, especially in the east, is to be found in a distributing system which takes entirely too much.between farm and table. If it’s permanent relief we’re after, why not give that aspect of the situation a little thought? nun A Bit of Gloom npHESE be troublesome times A indeed. The American side of Niagara Falls caves in, though some of our best geologists and engineers said it couldn’t. Accepting Senator Ashurst’s proposition to buy Lower California and part of Sonora as a sympton of interest in the real estate business, some Mexican congressmen are out with the suggestion that their government make an offer for Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California, which is just the kind of international tripe such propositions always produce. A California judge refuses to let Daisy De Voe tell all she knows about Clara Bow. Considering what they have suffered already, I don’t see how the movie fans can stand such a disappointment. * * There’s Some Cheer P>UT cheer up. The picture is not all dark. Professor Einstein broadcasts a speech in German and over a nation-wide hook-up. It was only twelve years ago that sixteen of our states prohibited the teaching of German, while giving a Wagnerian opera was about as dangerous as waving a red flag. Like everything else, our grownup childishness has a way of washing itself out, and many troubles which we take seriously are due to nothing worse. Muoh of our boasted prosperity amounted to no more than a glorified form of poker, and much of the depression harks back to the marble-hoarding complex. Some of. our ablest financiers still pretend to think that stock gambling is a good thing, while some of our best officials would rather sse the Red Cross establish soup Idtchens than provide money for a street, a park, or a building, which, though we can do without it right r ow, will be needed in the next five or ten years. As every one knows, there wouldn’t be work for 20 per cent of our adult population without the luxuries and non-essentials of civilized life. Why are we so ready to admit it in good times and so blind to it in hard times?

What proportion of the. federal revenue is appropriated for purposes of war? It is estimated that out of every dollar pal dby taxpayers into the treasury of the United States 83 cents goes to defray the costof past wars, or to prepare for future wars. Irving Fisher, professor of economics at Yale, and widely known publicist, is authority for the statement that outof every taxpayer’s dollar 32 cents goes for military functions and 51 cents for the interest and redemption of public debt, which for the most part has been incurred for war purposes. Out of the remaininf one-sixth the United States has to provide for all public works, law enforcement, scientific investigations and the civil functions of the government. Who played the part of Morgan in ‘The Big House” and who ran the gambling joint in Dixiana?” .. '"'Chester Morris played the part of Morgan and Ralf Harolde ran the gambling joint in “Dixiana.” What do German Fitch, Russian Fitch and Perwitsky Fitch look lUte? German Fitch has a fine yellow under fur, varying from deep to light, the top hairs are longer and dark brown or black in color. Russian Fitch is smaller, silkier and lighter In color. Perwitsky Fitch is a mottled polecat which is generally dyed sable, color.

Starvation Confronting Many Are Homeless BABIES FED CORK BREAD iIQBLtSS . pjjl and Hundreds Need £§ % OrtJwferWsttt ‘I Jobless. kwAwawaßAP i ' " fiivEß 91 IWAI w :r a 4 H IMfiN k v w ►sf enzf- H • ' '5 s ‘ K :LT T “Z n Pire Need ays Cover j> ySHMS Jobl(ss ’Saw ti j'ZZ'.SLX?'. ----- i 0 ACWlimMßmmoi^tu , rrru: iken Stats la kj/ ~ - K ■ "“*•*; 0f ... county Dcs JigaSsajsLa Unemployment Has Doubled Within Year

DAILY HEALTH SERVICE Delay Is Dangerous in Appendicitis

BY DR. MORRIS FISHBEIN Editor, Journal of th# American Medical Association and of Byreia, the Health Marasine. A LMOST every person now knows what is meant by the term appendicitis. The little offshoot from the bowel beoomes inflamed or infected and then sets up a disturbance and has been made known to the public through Jest and anecdote and in many other ways. Nevertheless, the disease continues to take a high toll of human beings, both in terms of severe sickness and in death, for the simple reason that proper treatment is undertaken too late to give the patient full advantage of what medicine can do to help him. The story of an attack of appendicitis is relatively simple. The person who is concerned suddenly feels a pain in his abdomen which may be slight and rather general. Gradually the p>ain becomes more severe and establishes itself in the right lower side of the abdomen. The spot is tender and sore, sometimes so tender that the person can not even bear the weight of the clothing on the skin. Associa-

IT SEEMS TO ME BY H Sn OD

BECAUSE the Cincinnati Post was celebrating its golden anniversary I was asked, with other newspaper men, to go out and attend a banquet. And, naturally, .1 was pleased when the manager of the Gibson hotel said, “We have reserved for you the presidential suite.” This, at last and a little belatedly, was fame. The fact that Edgar A. Guest and O. O. Mclntyre were staying at a rival hostelry merely added to my sense of satisfaction. It seemed at the moment logical enough to put their defection to professional Jealousy/ For them at the Gibson there could be nothing but posts in the cabinet. And, naturally, I was impressed when the hotel authorities informed me that “presidential suite” was no mere imaginative figment but an actual record, since Herbert Hoover had once slept in the very premises now occupied by me. It seemed a chance to perpetuate a tradition of famous and dormant leaders, but when I looked into the furthest reaches of the room I was disturbed to discover twin beds. The President, I felt, must have proved himself a restless fellow, and to preserve the right of succession it would be necessary for me to sleep in both. n m

The Safe Side ALL night long I tossed from one cot to the other lest there be any mistake. I awoke to disappointment and disillusion. The presidential couch was soft and hospitable as many another, though lacking in any unique distinction. I dreamed, as usual, of thunderstorms and some radio engagement for which I was exactly fifteen minutes late. There was no psychic residue of some previous personality in the place to Inspire me to sink into visions of grandeur, party regularity and purple. But it was the morning paper which brought about a complete letdown for my ego. There on a prominent inside page I found a picture of a personable young woman pointing with pride to a bronze plaque above a door knob. The caption explained, “In honox of the visit of O. O. Mclntyre, the famous columnist, the Hotel Sinton has affixed this tablet on the door of his rooms, which will be known hereafter as the O. O. Mclntyre suite.” And in the body of the text, it was set forth that the same thing had been done in hono;. of Edgar A. Guest. a a a No More Bronze HOW deep and how far the Sinton's supply of bronze might be calculated to run In the case of out-of-towners I do not know, but while I had experienced my brief night of executive glory these newspaper rivals of mine were earning a niche in posterity. A century hence the cry may ring through the lobby, “Take ice water up to O. O. JMclntyre” or “Scram-

Help Cross Them Out!

a ted with the pain is a certain amount of nausea with vomiting. The vomiting does not relieve the pain which usually grows worse. The fever may be fairly high, but not infrequently is slight. If the appendicitis is mild, the symptoms may disappear after two or three days. They are likely in such instances to recur at various intervals. Sometimes instead of disappearing, the pain becomes worse, vomiting becomes serious, and the fever rises. Even in such cases, if the person goes to bed and weathers the attack, he may get well in eight or ten day s. However, he is taking the same chance that he would take if he walked about with a bundle of explosives in his back pocket. Not infrequently, after two or three days, the pain suddenly will become less, the fever will go down, and the person will think that he is well. What actually happens is that the severely inflamed appendix, pushed to the bursting point by the pus and other material within it, has burst open and releases the infec-

bled eggs, toast and coffee to Edgar Guest.” It takes a heap of living to make a suite a home. Nor can I think of anything which might be done to assuage my bitterness and envy. In Cincinnati the names of Mclntyre and Guest are graven in metal, while mine is writ in water. And on the side, at that. There doesn’t seem to be very much I can do about it, although I plan a forlorn hope letter to the management of the Gibson. I am going to suggest that certain changes be made on the plate upon the door of 518. If I have my way it will be changed to read, “The Presidential and Broun for Congress Suite." U # jr Follow the Flagg “KTOW and then In your column," -lw writes McAlister Coleman, “you refer lovingly to a certain dog named Captain Flagg. And, as I recall it, you have inflated your love for this animal to Include dogs in general. “Furthermore, you have from time to time made comparisons between dogs and cats invidious to the latter. This at once sets you down a? an inveterate caninophile. “And like your fellow dog worshippers, you evidently suffer from a complex which causes you to make snoots In the direction of all cats as a sort of defense mechanism. The disease is common, but not incurable. “The truth Is, of course, that there can be no comparison whatever between cats and dogs. Dogs, as you must know, are descendants of mangy creatures, the results of crossing wolves and jackals. “While dogs ranged the barbarian

THE GOLD RUSH January 20

ON Jan. 20, 1848, settlers in California announced they had discovered gold in an excavation made for the tailrace in a waterpower mill near Coloma. This discovery caused intense excitement everywhere. Men from all parte of the world rushed by boats and wagons across the prairies to the new gold region. The great body of gold-seekers, “the Argonauts,” arrived in 1849 and by the end of the year more than 100,000 persons settled in the district. The richness of the discovery helped stimulate exploration and development of the far went. This day also marks the anniversary in history of the purchase of Pettaquamscot, R. 1., from the Indians in 1657 and the opening in 1846 of the first telegraph line between Philadelphia and New York.

tion into the abdominal cavity. This means peritonitis. If the infection is held in the region of the appendix, there still is an opportunity to save the patient by having the tissues wall off the infection or by having the abdomen opened and the infection cleaned out. If the tissues fall to wall off the infection, the peritonitis spreads and the person dies not of the appendicitis, but of the secondary peritonitis. Os course, a competent physician makes certain of his diagnosis by making sure that no other condition which resembles appendicitis, such as inflammation of the gall bladder, of the kidney, ot the tubes in women, is responsible. He also may examine the Wood to make certain that there is infection, as is shown by the fact that the white blood cells are increased greatly in number. Or.e of the most dangerous things that a person can do when confronted with symptoms of pain here described is to take a cathartic. This irritates the bowel, forces it to motion, and promotes fairly early rupture of the infected appendix.

Ideal* and opinion* expressed in this column are those ol one of America’* most interesting; writer* and are oresented without rerard to their arreement or diiarroeraont with the editorial attitude of this paper.—The Editor.

forests cats, which trace their proud lineage to the king of beasts, were enshrined as gods in the centers of our first civilizations—Egypt, Babylon and points east.” (Copyright. 1931. by Tha Times)

Questions and Answers

Could the total population of the world be put into the state of Texas? There are 7,315,236,403,200 square feet in the state of Texas which would allow about 4,000 square feet for each person In the world, or about one-tenth of an acre. The estimated population of the world is 1,906,000,000. Is there are standard length for the pole used in vaulting? What is the offeial record for a pole vault? There are no rules regarding the length of the pole. Usually they range in length from 10 to 18 feet. Ocial record for the pole vault is 14 feet. Which is correct, cole slaw or cold slaw? Cole slaw is correct. Cole is the name for cabbbage and other plants from which the slaw is made. Why are canaries used In coal mines? To detect carbon monoxide and other toxic gases, and the deficiency in oxygen supply. They are used during rescue and recovery operations after a disaster has occurred.

Season for Entertaining From now until the flowers bloom in the spring is the season when hostesses entertain. Valentine’s day, Washington’s birthday, St Patrick’s day are the high spots. And all in between are* party times. Our Washington Bureau has ready for you a packetof its interesting and helpful bulletins—indispensable to the hostess who is planning a party. Here are the titles: 1. Bridge Parties. 6. Shower Parties. 2. Party Menus, Prizes, Favors. 7. Tea Celtes and Party Pm. 3. Valentine’s Day Parties. tries.. 4. St Patrick’s Day Parties. 8. Dainty I delicacies. 5. Wedding Anniversary Parties. 9. Chafing Dish Recipes. If you want this packet of bulletins, fill out the coupon below and mail as directed: ■ CLIP COUPON HERE Dept. A-7, Washington Bureau The Indianapolis Times. 1322 New York avenue, Washington, D. C. I want the packet of bulletins on PARTIES, and inclose herewith 30 cents in coin or loose, uncanceiled United Btates postage stamps, to cover return postage and handling costs: NAME ~. .......1 STREET AND NO CITY STATE I am a reader of The Indianapolis Times. (Code No.)

JAN. 20, 1981

SCIENCE —BY DAVID DIETZ—

Man Never Can Uncover the \ Smallest Thing in the Universe, Declares Professor Harlow Shapley. FIOFESSOR HARLOW SHAPLEY, world famous astronomer and director of the Harvard observatory, the man who has done more than any other one to show us the immensity of the universe, turns from his contemplation of the great to the small and Concludes that man can never uncover the smallest thing In the universe. In his researches of astronomy, Shapley has found that the units of organization are Island galaxies, great clouds of stars, each one containing a couple of billion stars. He finds these galaxies organized into super-galaxies and In measuring them he has found it convenient to use a yard-stick of 10,000,000 light-years that is, 10,000,000 times 6,000,000,000,000 miles. Tinning now to the realm of physics, Shapley expresses the belief that matter Is composed of omaller units than scientists yet have revealed. The things around us are composed of molecules. If a drop of water were magnified to the size of the earth, the molecules would be about as large as oranges. The diameter of molecules vary, ranging from one ten-millionth of an inch down to one one-hundred-and-twenty-flve-mlllionth of an inch.. Molecules are composed of atoms which are still smaller. The hydrogen atom has a diameter of about one-half the smallest molecule. Atoms in their turn are composed of electrons. The electron has a diameter of about one one-hundred-thousandth that of the hydrogen atom.

The Electron THE diameter of the electron jj about one twenty—flve-tril-lionth of an inch. That seems pretty small. But Shapley Is not content to stop there. He discusses the matter in his new book, “ Flights From Chaos,” recently published by Whlttlesev House. Electrons are of two sorts—negative electrons, usually referred to merely t>s electrons, and positive electrons known as protons. Atoms appear to be organized somewhat like the solar system, with a nucleus of both protons and electrons around, which additional electrons revolve. Discussing them, Shapley writes: “Two questions assail us immediately: (1) Are electrons and protons systems, or are they indivisible electro-magnetic units? And (2) if we should grant them the standing of material systems, what right have we to claim for electrons and protons the distinction of being the smallest? “To consider the second question first: We have no right whatever to contend doggedly that we have reached tho ultimate in infinitesimal material systems when we deal With these familiar material units. - “Experience should teach us quickly how unsafe such assumption would be. A few decades ago not even the atom would have been admitted to the society of systems. Atoms were the little hard, ultimate chunks or matter, indivisible by grace of name and experiment; and scientific dogma,”

Caution Needed BUT atoms no longer are listed as ultimates, Dr. Shapley points out. He adds, “they now are among the best known of material systems; and even their unit components can not maintain the former atomic role of being the indivisible stones of which the material universe is built. “Experience certainly recommends caution in asserting any lower limit in the organization <s? tha microcosmos.” “On the other hand,” he continues, “since we can know of electrons and protons and the units of radiation in our technique of measuring and comprehending, it may be that we already have got near the bottom of measurable units and systems of units. “Light waves and electrons can be used rather handily to measure those bodies and systems of bodies in the material world that are larger than electrons and light waves. “In the relative coarse-grained world in which we are to work, they are efficient tools. “But in a hypothetical sub-elec-tronic world, where there may be systems within systems Indefinitely, our coarse-grained tools no longer bring information to our coarsegrained minds. “It may be that we are stopped in our explorations downward, not because the limit is reached, but because of our inherent awkwardness.”

Daily Thought

Pat yoar toast tn the Lord. — Psalm 4:5. You may trust him in the dark —Cicero.