Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1914-05-28
INTERESTING ITEMS

IN IERESTlNG ITEMS
Americas taste in reading is low.
That IN the verdict rendered BY the 400
delegates who attended the 18th anHu-
al convention &c American booksellers
held at the Hotel Astor last week. Not
only il the American taste low but the
American bookseller. MS a rule. knows
little of his wares and compares unfay-
orably with the bookseller of former
DAYS. One delegate declared this coun-
try buys per capita not only fewer
books but poorer boks than England
or Germany. We have not developed
our market here as the other countries
have done. There IN not the stimulus
for good reading. nor the Elective meth
DDS of distribution. The moving pie
lures. the week end automoblllng trips
outdoor sports. the innumcrable cheap
ma gaZincS. all hav. r~ncroachcd upon
time formerly devoted Ia the reading of
books worth while.
Another pictured Norway as the
booksellers paradise"
A bookseller in Norway. he said. IS
a trained man. He serves a twelve
years apprenticeship hciprr he receives
a license 10 sell books. and then he
must be prepared To prove his knowl-
edge Of books and how To self them.Sub
scription books are all sold IN the hook
stores. magazine are delivered through
the same source rather than through
the mails Schools are plentiful and III
l~iteracy uncommon. All the people
81 $3.50
ter
Only II per ccnt Of the booksellers
market il being served i'm America. ii
was declared, and plans were discussal
for the formation If a cooperative bu-
reau to promote trade and stimulate "A
love for real books.
Then the delegates went to the Hip
podrome in = body and the following
evening had Ty Cobb. Americas great
est ball player. as one Of the speakers
al their banquet.
Wireless Telephony by sea and by
land is near. One dav last week an OPP
orator on the roof Of a New York de-
parisncnt store talked with an opera
tor on the roof Of the firm : establish
mcnt in Philadelphia. The regular wire
less telegraph equipment was used ex-
ccpt for n specially devised telephone
transmitter. II is the purpose To al
duet the correspondence between these
two establishments hereafter by wire
less telephone.
After the successful demonstration
with the first oral message a phono-
graph WAS taken 10 the roof of the New
York store and the man in Philadel-
phia heard THE Star Spangled Ban
ner' and some of Caruso's finest Sc
lections.
Meanwhile Marconi has been busy
abroad. he has equipped the italian
navy with wireless telephones and has
widcned the range Of its operation so
decidedly that there II no doubt that
il soon will he insarvice throughout
the world. IL says:
We have now an apparatus with
which we can telephone 100 miles.
Some further tests are to be- made
between ships and shore stations
IN South England and Wales. -
far the greatest distance over
which We have spoken successful
~ was thirty-three miles.
Dur method of communication j.
Just the same as with wireless tel
egraphy. except that instead Of
sending wireless Geographic mes
sagcs We send over the Intervening
space wireless words. The new prin-
ciple involved j. that W nave, n
new way Of producing what are
called continuous waves.
think we shall be able present
~ ~ telephone wIrcleSsly from
England Ia America. In may be "A
question ~ years. Ito not know
how soon. hut | think il viii come.
Our chief difficulty Is in control
ling sufficient power IL carry n
message that distance.
think We shall be- able 10 trlr-
phone wirelessly bet.vcen England
and France very soo now. per
hapS before the end III this year.
The conversations We have had :
have been quite clear. I think We
can. speak better nv night than by
day we can telephone further.
Wireless telephony can be- ear
ried cut by the same man and the
saul. apparatus ~ we have nj pres
"a; for wireless telcgraphv- | do
not yet know IFS cost. hat probab-
~ il viii be cheaper than rrlcgra-
ply.
IL is difficult Ia estimate the value
of this new miracle. SO far as its APP
pllcativn tu communication between
~ sea Is concerned IL marks al
great advance. Today the ship il der
pendent upon a man who understands
Anyone can operate a tel
enhone. 4