The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-06-27
DUE TO PEANUTS.
Predominance of Boys in the Birth
Rate of E1atbush.

New York. June 27.-When the
peanut party BECAME popular in Flat
bush society last summer and fall, Di-
rector Smith of the Central Park zoo
had not yet made his revolutionary
discovery as to the effect of hydroear-
bOns in determining the sex. Else it
might have been different
Although there is a difference OF
opinion on this point of history, it is
the general opinion that the Mothers
club appropriately started it. Last
year, along in June, just when Flat
bush society was getting active with
its summer campaign, the mothers
gave a peanut lawn party. Peanut Ice
cream was served in PAPER mache
limitations of peanut shells. The Jap
anese paper napkins had peanut de-
sign. There were peanut WafI1eS and
peanut Slace, peanut bOnbOus and pea
nut butter sandwiches. It was one of
the most brilliant social events ever
held in Flatbush, and netted S23.79 for
the Mothers club.
PEANUT IDEA ELSEWHERE.
You just can't stop a thing of that
kind when it gets to going. The idea
was 50 nifty" and novel that il SIP
planted crokinoIe, and progressive au-
thors, and mum socials, as a form of
diversion for church and educational
functions. It lasted way. into the fall
and winter.
The Epwortf Leagues peanut party
for the missionary fund eclipsed in in
terest even the autumn eroQuet cham
pionships The piece de resistance on
their bill of fare was peanut fudge;
popular eIocutiOnist recited Uncle
Rastus and the Peanuts and gave an
amusing impersOnation Of an Italian
peanut man; the members of the club
were seen in pretty and instructive
series of tableaux. representing the
course of a peanut from its planting
to its sale from pushcart-
Next, the Shakespeare club gave
peanut afternoon. with papers on the
growth and cultivation of peanuts.
Are Peanuts Indigestible2 - The
brides cooking class devoted two
weeks to the study of peanut dainties.
DEMAND FOR PRODUCT
INCREASES.
The public mind was on the subject,
and the consumption of peanuts grew
apace. The number of pushcart men
handling the prize product of Georgia
doubled and trebled- Children cried
for them. Housewives served peanut
deserts at luncheon and dinner. The
autumn and spring stoop parties on
the front porches of F1atbush gos-
siped and spanked over sacks of pea
nuts until the sidewalks in the morn
ing looked like Coney Island after
hard Sunday.
Director Smith had not yet spoken:
Flatbush was impregnating its system
with hydrocarbonates in utter ignor-
ance of a great but Is yet unrevealed
scientific truth.
Well. spring broke and the popula-
ton of FIatbush went right on in
creasing. Yet as early as March doc
tors, clergymen, neighborhood Cos
sips, and others who notice such
things began to mark strange fact
They were all boys
In one week of early March five
citizens of FIatbush, popular in
church and women's club circles,
paced their parlor floors and wrung
their hands; and to them appeared
Doing nicely, sir, and it's fine
little boy
About the same thing happened along
further on Flatbush avenue. In two or
three days the doctors took to stopping
their barouches as they passed one an
other and talking across the wheels in
low. excited tones
TT certainly beats ALL" they would
say before they drove on.
March 4 came. 1t was the day Of
President RooseveIt's Inauguration, and
the doctors and gossips and people who
believed in signs said that Flatbush
ought to make boy record for itself
that day. BY a perveTse stroke of fate,
only two babies were reported to the
gossips on that day; both girls. They
were named Theodore. And every body
said it was just an accident about those
boys; things happened that way some
Next day the score jumped back, and
since then it has seemed to rain boys in
Flatbush.
SMITH ANNOUNCES DISCOVERY.
Then on May day. Director Smith an
nounced his discovery. The Central Park
zoo had been scoring only male calves
and fawns, and especially baby mon
KEYS. And Director Smith found that it
was due to a diet of hydrocarbons,
--=.-.-.