The Washington times., 1903-06-21
Closed at Midnight.


The foregoing poetic effort was among
the last contributions in The Times dot
contest, which closed last night at ~
O'Clock. The writer has evidently
struggled braveIy through the maze Of
figures in an effort to claim a prize for
his thrift and persistency. Problems in
geometry were manifestly easy TO solve
when compared with the dot counting
puzzle
However. the troubles OF those in
terested in the contest are now over.
and the result will be made known in
The Times OF Sunday. June IS This
will give Mr. Buckley. Mr. Knox. and
Mr.. Lewis-the tudges-ample opportun-
ity for supervising the work OF assort-
ing the large number of answers and
determining which persons are entitled
to the prizes.
A Hard Task Ahead.
II would seem an easy matter TO de-
eide the contest within a short time
but when the hundreds OF answers re-
ceiyed at The Times Office are consider
ed. IL will be realized what a task the
work will prove 10 be. For days an.
swers have been coming in Each ha.
been registered with the name and ad
dress Of the sender II will be neces
saTy 10 90 over the entire lot and care
fully consider each before any of III.
awards can be made This Will reuuir,
much time. and though The Times re
alizes that the Washington pubIic-a
least that large portion OF It which ha
imbued the dot fever-is eager that tn,
real answer shall be made public. tina
cannot be done until next Sunday. whel
the names OF prize winners ard III
awards given them will be published
Created a Stir.
The dot contest was new to Washing
too Nothing OF the kind has ever bcpI
known 10 create such a stir 1t hal
succeeded in interesting politicians an
men whose care for business dominate,
every other inclination. Attractive youn
dsbutantes took IL up and made a socia
fad Of TIE counting until one was re
garded as quite out OF the running
one had not counted the dots In man,
OF the schools the interest became s
great that frequently, as sort of reere
alton. the teachers would allow the yu
pills TO count from an enlarged diagram
In this way many answers have reache
the Office from children who, couuti1
the dots at school In conjunction wit
the other children. believed their an
swers 10 be correct and induced ihei
parents to send in the result The en-
thusiasm born in the children va
arn~l ssr.g -
the greater part OF the reading publ
OF Washington was seized with the dc
habit and II has never abated.
just what the result will be. so far q
The mental condition OF many is cor
eerned. il difhcult TO tell But reason
able indulgence should DC allowed AM
body who happens 10 sit in the sire,
ear and counts the buttons on his sho,
or absent mindedly pokes pins throuq
tho back Of the man in front OF him.
A Deep-Rooted Habit.
n is remarkable what habit will do Il
cE,. and certainly anyone who has b,
com. sufficiently Interested In the cot
test to count the dots has caught II
oopnt habit badly. and II viii be mar
weeks before he rids himself OF the tel
dtncy 10 count and number things.
The Times extends its hearty cot
CALCULATIONS 10 those who have be,
Persistent and energetic enough TO ma
ter the diagram. The problem h
bothered the public OF other cities b
fore. and n there Is one coterie OF pc
sons which can master intricaciss
that sort IL is the public OF the Nation
Capital.