The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-05-31

IdE fAhMEH: MIA [ o1s lively speaking.
 That many men still cling to the
 first of June as Straw hat day. is
 the experience of local dealers, who
 are expecting a big rush of buyers to- day. For several days every win
 dow in which straws are displayed has been a magnet for masculine window
 shoppers. The brisk business in straws is considered sure sign of
 prosperity by merchants, who say that
 in hard times men hunt up their old straw hats and have them cleaned in stead of buying new ones.
 The so-called Panama" Hds-aI- though few come from Panama-are still popular, but they have ceased to be a fad, and in consequence the prices range much lower this year than when they were first introduced.
 The quotations for the genuine Pana-
 ma range from $5 upward, although
 many coarse limitations sell for less. The manufacture of Panama hats in Central America and Colombia is a1-
 most entirely carried on by women. ''The palm leaf from which they are made is called .junco,'" says a bulle-
 tin of the Pan-American Union. ''The ] most tender leaves are selected and exposed to sulphur smoke, moisture,
 and the rays of the sun. The price is about 8 cents, gold, for two dozen leaves, the amount needed for one
 hat. It takes about two weeks to
 make an ordinary hat and one month to make a fine one. The makers re-
 ceive from $1.20 to s14, according to
 quality. They are made during the
 wet season, as the straw breaks dur ing the dry"
 Dr. Rupert Blue is a. name that has
 frequently appeared in the dispatches
 relating to pr. Friedmann's turtle vac ! cine for the cure of tuberculosis. As l surgeon general and executive head of
 the United States Public Health Ser
 vice, Dr. Blue is charged with the
 conservation of the physical welfare of
 all of Uncle Sarn's subjects, and with I their protection against epidemics. Tn
 that capacity, although handicapped by lack of sufficient funds and men to properly carry 6n the work entrust- ed to him, Dr. Blue has accom- pl1sh e q l wonders. In regard to Dr. F'riedmann's alleged cure for the white plague, the 1 distinguished sanftarian has taken
 neither one side or the other, but has
 awaited the presentation Of real evil 1 dence.
 Dr. Blue was born in Richmond
 county, North Carolina, and celebrated ! his forty-sixth birthday yesterday. He was educated at the universities of
 Virginia and Maryland. taking the MD. degree at the latter institution in 1892. Immediately after leaving college he entered the United States
 Public Health and Marine Hospital Service as an interne, and began that an authority. During his connection with the service he has held posts at Concinnati Galveston, Charleston, San Francisco, Portland, Ore, Milwaukee, Genoa, Italy, New York Norfolk New Orleans, and, as chief, at Washington. ERrs11 l and all America were threatened with the terrible bubonic plague, pr. Blue was in charge of the operations which resulted in its speedy eradication. Two years later he went to New Orleans
 to wage war on the yellow fever epi- deuic. and returned to San Francisco fin 1907 to begin a second crusade against bubonie plague.
 The cooperation of the fair sex in the fight for better sanitary conditions l is far more important than that of I men, in the opinion of Surgeon-Gen- ciean," declaren Dr. Blue, and, while he refrains from odious comparisons, one derives from his remarks that cer- tain other sex is not so cleanly, eThe health of a nation is largely in the hands of its women.' asserted the perience. In San Francisco, when
 fighting the bubonic plague, he found ] the women his best allies, while the men remained indifferent and inao- tive. San Francisco women held meetings, listened eagerly to the ad- dresses of experts, and followed their directions. They studied the rat and 1 it's habits, learned how to eradicate l the dangerous heas, and put their 1es-
 sons into practical, effect. Tn the
 Women's Public Health Association
 they had an organization that was g 1 nighey- buIwark against the plague. 1 Without their assistance, Dr. Blue ad-
 mfts, his best efforts might have been futile.
 i .4Sanitatfon, like charity, should be- l gin at home," is a Blue epigran, and 1 one that has been taken to heart by American women. After attending to
 their homes, their yards, and alleys, and streets, and especially their gar 1 bage and sewage disposal, Dr. B17e
 suggests other fields in which the fair
 sex can render invaluable aid in the protection of health. A sanitary
 milk supply. clean street cars, the en-
 forcement of statutes against expec- \ toratfon in the streets and other pub 1 lie places, and against the deadly com mon drinking cup and the equally un-
 sanitary roller towe1-these are a few of the ways in which women may l hAJ1a uaiY,+ed o11f fnv Dr Rf1A5