White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1926-03-12

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reinforcements, until it seems that the
whole world today is playing the game
of tuning in" Along with the auto
mobile and the electric washer, the
radio has come to stay, to play the
guiding star in Americas work and
Americas play. Americas health ana
Americas education.
Where once the family budget
called for monthly payments on SUCH
commonplace necessities as tn
house. the car or the piano, now the
list is headed by $4,000 for the radio. Z"
And an hour after the first ten dollars
down the on-the-way-to-being posses
sor Of this new toy imagines he has
the whole world at his feet, or more
correctly speaking, at his ear. Before
week has passed, he is the prince
bragger of the neighborhood and can
hurl and toss with ease and familiarity
such radio terms as "static," "micro-
phone" or "kilocycle."
After he has once enlisted, he never
resigns from this great army Of radio
fans; for no matter how mediocre his
ability in the Office or the social world,
in his radio kingdom he never a pri-
vate in the ranks-always an officer,
always Efficient, always getting little
better distance than his neighbors, al
ways having less trouble than they in
manipulating the thing. So interested
does he become in his new toy that he
scarcely takes time to eat or sleep for
fear he will miss some new trick it
has up its sleeve.
When the newly-weds make the
plans for their first home, prominent
corner of the livingroom is left for the
radio, just as $120 or so is specified
as radio money" out of their furnish
ing budget. The new bride will keep
house by radio, and the new husband
will be kept home nights by 1.-TWO
most important factors in a happy
matrimonial arrangement.
In fact, so important has the radio
become to family entertainment that
it promises to outstrip its two nearest
rivals in the field, namely, the automo-
bile and the photograph. The auto
mobile takes the family away from
home from travel; the radio brings
travel to ones very f1reside without
the inconvenience that usually at
tends. The photograph has taught us
to appreciate good music; the radio
brings good music to us first hand any
hour of the day, any day Of the year.
It is said that to every 100 American
homes there are So automobiles, 80
monographs and 16 radios-the auto
mobile has been in the race ten years;
the photograph we have had with us
ten years, and the family radio only
a short five years. Thus, we see that
the radio is not behind in the race for
fast-growing popularity.
There are now about one and one
fourth million radio sets in operation
in our country. It is prophesied that
in five years from now there will be
ten million radio sets in ten million
American homes, and that soon after
wards the other fourteen million
American homes will fall in line with
the radio firesides.
Just think! -Four and one-half mil
lion American homes have somewhere
within their confines, a conglomera-
ton of coils, tubes, and batteries that
brings the world within reach. This
conglomeration takes different forms,
different colors, different ranges of
possibilities. The radio may be but a
simple crystal set. Or it may be
one-tube, Ur two-tube, or three-tube
set, or have up to as many tubes as
ten. There are small radios and large
radios; radios with aerials inside and
radios with aerials outside. There are
radios that have the loud-speaker mod
estly hidden, and radios that have the
loud speaker boldly exposed to the
public gaze, and there are radios that
have no loud speaker at all, but in its
place pair Of ear-phones to be passed
around among the family. There are
radios that require dry batteries and
radios that require wet batteries; and
there are sets that require no bat
teries at all. There are radios with ex-
pensive cabinets and radios which re-
pose serenely on make-shift tables, on
tie sewing machine, on the desk or
on any convenient resting place.
No particular matter what outward
form it takes, the world is more inter-
ested in the influence that radio exerts
and the work that it does. To every
member Of the family it is of service.
To the man OF the house 1t brings
daily stock reports, weather reports,
ball games and the nations news. It
gives him liberal education on bust
ness conditions, tells him where to
spend his vacation, and what to read,
and it entertains him daily with music
and drama.
To the children 1t brings entertain
ment a-plenty: to the tiny ones,
Mother Goose Rhymes, Fairy Stories
and songs. To the older ones 1t is an