The Washington times., 1913-03-21
AIMS TO BEAUT|FY
GOVERNMENT BOOKS
Smith, of New York, Hopes to
Put Angels on Cover and
Fancy Type Inside.
" THEODORE TILLER.

CONGRESSMAN Charles r. Smith of
New York journeyed to the White
House yesterday to enlist the aid of the
President in a movement to beautify the
typographical appearance of Govern
ment bulletins and documents. Mr..
Smith is a newspaper editor who has
broken into politics and he has been
Jared by the plainness of the Congress
sional Record and other publications is
sued in great numbers by Uncle Sam
The New York Congressman thinks
that when the next public printer is
named the President will render a pub
lie service by directing that hereafter
Government publications shall be
clothed in more attractive covers and
shall reflect more style geographically
1t is not known what impetus the Presi-
dent will give the Smith idea, but, at
any rate. great changes can be wrought
If the new public printer leans more
to the artistic.
For instance-the Congressional Rec
ord Is now a most matter-of-fact pub
lcation, absolutely unadorned except
with words. 1t begins with the prayer
of the Senate chaplain and closes with
a recital of the rules under which the
Record is distributed TO those desiring
to peruse that weighty document.
Wants Spring Poetry.
Following the Smith idea to its perhaps
logical conclusion, why can't the Rec
ord be made a daily magazine with
bunch of cupids dancing about on the
cover page and bit of spring poetry
on the fly leaf? Away with the plain
head type, too, and let the Government
Printing Office buy a font or so of
fancy type such as one sees in the
chewing gum ads.
Minority Leader Jim Mann gener-
ally handles the heavy lines in the daily
political drama at the Capitol. When
Jim" has consumed an unusually large
amount of space, why not print his
picture, whiskers and all. as lead Tor
the House proceedings?
The House is occasionally the scene of
near fisticuffs between two belligerent
members. Following such events the
Record might be decorated appropriate
ly with a sketch of prize ring and
the chest and arm measurements OF the
combatants.
into the Senate and House by its COM
nittees are plain. unvarnished affairs.
setting forth in just ordinary type that
the committee for the following rea-
SONS recommends that the bill do pass.
Undoubtedly. these reports could be
made more attractive and readable. Re-
ports on the public buildings and rivers
and harbors bills may be prefaced with
q realistic drawing of bulging pork
barrel" surrounded by lean, hungry
Reports on an immigration bill might
be touched up with a photograph of
"Cp" Castro. while a committees rec
concentrations for the control Of the
waters of Niagara Falls might be beau
tiled here and there with a picture of
a daredevil. closely followed by the fool
killer bounding over the falls in a sugar
barrel
Government bulletins on the whole
might be improved under the direction
Of soulful and artistic job printer at
the G. P. O.. Granting that the Depart
ment of Agriculture will issue bulletins
from time to time on the boil weevil,
why may not the public see cartoon of
that pest in action? How many mem
bers Of Congress have ever come face
to face with boil weevil-except the
two-legged kind? A properly illustrated
bulletin on the boil weevil would fol-
low the course OF that pestiferous in
sect from the time II descends upon
cotton field until an indignant farmer
comes along with a spray of paris
green.
Mortality Statistics.
Consider the Mortality Statistics" of
the Census Bureau. This document is
now but an unadorned tale. It con-
tains the life history of no germ, nor
the likeness thereof. A neat cover de-
sign for this document would be a
trelns of germs dropped over the title.
surmounted by lifelike sketch of a
busily engaged undertaken.
Publications issued by the Bureau of
Labor may also be improved typo
graphically. These loosely bound af-
fairs are filed with statistics regarding
the average income per week per family.
the hours of labor, strike conditions. and
tables showing the price of commodities
and the high cost of living. The docu-
ment would be more illuminative If il
lustrated with authentic reproductions
of thin pay envelope. with a back
ground of the employers automobile
and the smoke of a perfecto cigar
Iningling with that OF the factory.
Whatever may be Congressman
Smiths definite ideas regarding an i'm
provement in the shape. size and de-
sign of Government documents unnum-
cradle instances may be cited where
a change would add 10 the gayety of
nations.
II is possible that some of the Gov
eminent publications actually may be
read If they are artistically printed and
illustrated.