davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1929-05-12

smaller funds since American and
European synthetic canphor has come
into competition with the royal monop-
oily Of Formosa."
X X n
EOR fear that we might be led to
suffer pangs of compunction for
the triumphant invasion of science into
the field of natural production, we are
reminded by scientists that it is the
increasing demands of the age that
have brought it all about.
Were synthetics banished from our
lives all the fields and forests and
oceans could not support the world in
the luxury to which 1t has become ac-
customed. Who among you would be
willing to give up the yellow of his but
ter, the red of his frankfurter (ponceau
3R), the green of his pistachio ice
cream or the coa1-tar yellow that adds
the lemon or orange appearance to
cake icing?" says one.
Old mother nature couldn't grow
enough mahogany trees to supply the
various articles that are dignified by
that appearance, but the wizards of the
fourth kingdom, sensing the demand.
have created a mahogany product that
is not surface stained nor did 1t ever
yet grace forest, but which graces
many radio case and other useful
and ornamental objects.
Next Christmas we may be nibbling
away on nuts, shaken not from trees,
but from chemical vats. For word has
already gone out from certain labora-
tories that nuts and soap are two of
the new synthetic products to make
their debut. Houses of brick may, in
the near future, be even more popular
than they are today, especially in the
farming districts, and the farmer will
not have so many corncobs to waste on
the old kitchen range, for briquettes
compounded from corncobs, and 10
per cent asphaltum, already promise
satisfactory material. Soon the twen-
tieth century little pig" may be able
to build his house with straw, without
fear of the wolf who will huff and
puff and blow it in.
The century-old romance Of trans
forming old rags into clean white paper
is being duplicated today by the use
Evening star., 1929-05-12
7nhetc Skill Creates New Realm Meet Modern Demand
Natural Products of Animal, Vegetable
and Mineral Worlds Are Duplicated
by Science, with Saving in Transpor-
tation and Increased Efficiency
for Many Forms of Activity.

of cornstalks for paper and compost
ton board products, while corncob
composition to take the place of cork
will soon be swelling with pride in many
an iceless refrigerator.
While substitutes are being COM
pounded for wood. that old standby is
playing startling synthetic roles. First
wooden clothes and now food from
wood.
Over in Heidelberg University, DR.
Frederick Burgess has evolved a food
out of wood. by treating it with con-
centrated hydrochloric acid. This
converts the cellulose into a digestible
food containing deXtroSe sugar such as
Is found in cane sugar. One hundred
parts of dry wood yield rs per cent of
food, upon which German pigs are wax
ing fat. Just to what extent this syn
thetic food, which may later be brought
to embody all of the necessary food
values for human diet. will be de-
veloped is another intriguing chapter
yet to be written in the annals of the
fourth kingdom.
x X X
THE ranks of foreign scientists work
ing on American wood utilization
problems in the forest products labo-
ratory of the United States Depart
ment Of Agriculture at Madison, Wis,
were augmented recently by the arrival
of five men sent by their governments
and private agencies in Australia, Fin
land, Poland and Sweden. These emil
nent scientists, several of them work.
ing on scholarships and some on leave
of absence, will put in IL or 18 months
on an intensive study of the chemistry
of wood. with view to other synthetic
products. Pandora's box never sprang
more surprises than doubtless will burst
Evening star., 1929-05-12

from those laboratories in the next few
years.
In the Bureau of Chemistry and Soils,
chemists are working night and day to
free the American farmer from his still
heavy dependence on foreign material
for nitrates and potash. Today the
fertilizer industry is in rapid transition
to chemical basis, largely as a result
of the development of methods for fix
ing atmospheric nitrogen. This depart
ment's fixed-nitrogen laboratory has
made noteworthy contributions to the
science of fertilizer synthesis. The con-
tributions of agricultural chemistry to
human welfare in the past, great though
they have been, are little more than
hint of what will be achieved in the
future, says the Secretary of Agricul-
ture.
And so the fourth kingdom, created
by the magician science and patterned
upon the three other Kingdoms, contin-
ues to expand. 1t paints the world in
more brilliant hues, anoints it with rare
perfumes, swathes it in glistening
raiment, adorns it with glittering jew
els; it lavishly pours out color and COM
modities into the lap of Dame Fashion
as once the Orient filled the lap OF
Venice. Enter, madame!
Evening star., 1929-05-12

such close competition, If the scientists,
always generous, did not assure us that
she is holding her own and will doubt
less continue to do so. The faithful
little japanese silk work Is kept just as
busy supplying its silken strands for
looms that still move ceaSelessly; and
the uncommunicative oyster is still Sc
cure in the assurance that the gem over
which it keeps watch will continue to
be demanded by those who have the
price. Those fossilized golden drops,
dug up from the Baltic sea and known
to us as amber, and the precious dia-
mond mines will be just as feverishly
sought, even though their counterpart
in sham appearance decks every bar
gain table.
While the scientists and the syn
thetic kingdom apparently have robbed
the world of its romance, they have
opened the door to many who might
otherwise never enjoy glad raiment and
sparkling attire. To be fine lady and
wear silk dress were synonymous to
the Mother Goose suitor, but today
silken garments make a shining trail
from scrubwoman to society queen
There is no group of people, perhaps,
to whom these materials of the fourth
kingdom have been such a boon as that
group which makes up the theatrical
world. Here a great deal of the sue
cess Of a performance often lies in
elaborate costumes and stage settings
Of the aid of synthetic material in this
line there is strong testimony.
X \ X
A THOUGH it is today challenging
a a bit of Mother Natures romance,
synthetic science in itself represents a
StupendouS romance. THE year, the
very day, in fact, that 1t began to free
the world from economic bondage to
far places and obscure islands, can be
fixed" says the National Geographic
Bulletin.
ut was Easter, 1856. William Per-
kins' London technical school was
closed for the holidays, but he was in
a chemical laboratory-his own home
made laboratory. Perkins was laboring
with an assigned problem which has
never been solved-synthesizing qui-
Evening star., 1929-05-12

the mirror and are converged back to
the telescope mouth, where they ere
DETECTED at right angles by second
small mirror to come to @ focus at the
eyepiece 50l2 inches from the large
mirror. The eyepiece serves merely as
a miscroscope, which magnifies the i'm
age any number of times, depending on
its power.
AS the rays Of light do not pass
through the mirror, it is feasible to
make this most important part of the
telescope of ordinary plate glass. Mr..
Boutell purchased two plate-glaSs disks,
l inch thick and 6 inches in diameter,
for $40 from an Eastern dealer who
handles such supplies. One of these
disks was employed in grinding and
working the surface of the other to the
proper curvature for the rejecting mir
ror. You can visualize the accuracy of
this work by the fact that the permiS-
sible error in such surface must be
no greater than four one-milliontfls OF
an inch from a true parabolic curve.
MIR. Boutell fastened one glass disk
with pitch to the top of barrel and
used the other in the hand-grinding
process. He employed various grades
of carborundum as a grinding medium
between the two glass surfaces, replen-
shing the supply as often as was neces-
sary. In the actual grinding process he
stroked back and forth, rubbing one
disk over the other as he walked around
and around the barrel. This work is so
tedious and laborious that the average
craftsman can continue it only a few
hours at a time. Altogether 1t is ap-
proXimately 14-hour job.
When the desired curve is approx
mated on the upper glass disk the rough
grinding is stopped and the polishing
is begun. The lower glass is coated
with pitch and sprinkled frequently
with opticians rouge during the subse-
quent hand-polishing process. 1t takes
a little longer to polish the upper glass
disk than was required to grind 1t to
the desired curvature.
After a highly polished surface was
developed Mr.. Boutell changed his
| spherical surface to a parabola by rub
bing energetically SO that the center
was worn away faster than the edges.
| 1t is a long -drawn-out task because OF
| frequent interruptions to gauge the
| quality and amount of the work per-
| formed. The job is so delicate that
even the heat of the human hands dis
turbs the accuracy of the work.
The test by which the character OF
the mirrors surface is determined Is
one of the most delicate known to
science. Yet it utili2es commonplace
equipment, including a safety razor
/ blade and an oil lamp with metal
chimney, in which a small hole is
punched as an artificial star"
Mr.. Boutell spent one day OF delicate
! hand manipulation to develop the re-
Quired parabolical formation in the
Evening star., 1929-05-12
BY KATHLEEN READ CooNTz.

uN H-SH-SHE'S my sympathetic
Se baby" sang the vaudeville
syncopator not long ago. To-
day, if he substituted syn
thetic" for sympathetic" he
would be spinning more modern llne
for the second quarter of the twentieth
century has ushered in new baby"
the synthetic kind.
She wears wooden garments, with
frocks of dazzling hues, which owe their
coIors to no costly ayes. She decks
herself in gems serene that never came
in contact with the deep-unfathomed
caves of ocean nor yet Of earth; daShes
on a whif of jasmine or altar of roses,
the fragrance Of which would make the
family vine or bush declare 1t product
of the ilIustriOus name, but which in
truth never had so much as speaking
acquaintance with either. She visits
the refreShInent stand where she sips
delicious, fruity drinks, unadulterated,
with not so much as drop of fruit.
In other words. the wants of the aver
age miss today are largely supplied from
what DR.. SloSSon, eminent scientist,
has termed the fourth kingdoin-the
synthetic kingdom.
The dear old Standbys have struggled
nooly to supply the demands of the de-
ScendantS of Adam and Eve. But along
CdItlS bIlC AnEllllSlIl CGllbNlS, "4IAl NS1AISo
and needs never dreamed of before, and
this time science, not Mother Earth, as
sumed the role of fairy godmother in
the new kingdom.
Picking up its magical wand it waves
It over black ooZe, foul-smelling COM
positions. and presto-there comes forth
the fragrant, glittering, iridescent syn
thetic kingdom.
There has been handed down in many
families vial containing a drop or so
of that perfume said to be worth
kings ransom-attar of roses. One Whit
of its magic sweetness and the imagl-
nation flies to that far Bulgarian valley,
wrapped in its blanket of roses, roses
that bloom and yield their dew-wet,
fragrant petals for the costly altar.
To-day one can buy a generous bottle
of American altar of roses. so similar
to the breath of the Bulgarian article
that it is said to have misled even the
most discriminating noses.
No American Beauty roses or fabled
garden provide the ingredients for this
Evening star., 1929-05-12

nine. While cleaning up his glassware,
he noticed that the water was colored
violet by a gumny black waste in the
bottom of his test tube. He investi-
gated and discovered mauYe, the first
coal-tar dye, now called, in his honor,
Perkins violet
"The gummy black waste Perkins
found proved to be the same nasty,
black stuff that used to clog gas mains.
But no longer does it stop, pipes be-
cause coke ovens carefully extract
IL gallons of 1t from every ton of coal.
Basic coal tar gives UP more than 300
Intermediates from which dyes, fiavors,
perfumes, resins and medicines can be
made.
using the 300 intermediates, chem
istry has contrived upward of 100000
coal-tar products, which have reversed
the trade geography of the world. To
these must be added the other impor-
tant synthetics from air-nitrogen, cot
ton, corn and wood, ranging from fertil-
izer to rayon material and from paint
to artificial pearls.
Science fighting for civilizations
economic independence has proved per-
haps more ruthless than the machine.
The machine will take away mans
job but will give him another.
Thousands of Levant farmers grew
madder plants from whose roots came
madder red until the invention of coal
tar red wiped out the natural madder
market overnight. Today the New
Zealand government labors desperately
to help the kauri gum diggers out Of
the slump into which they have been
thrown by the creation of the synthetic
resins. The Chilean government has
had to overhaul its natural nitrate
productions TO compete with synthetic
nitrates which have taken large share
of the world market. Malaga and
Sumatra tremble in fear that a success
full synthetic rubber will bid them turn
back to the jungle their hard-won
groves of rubber trees.
What has happened to the millions
of acres of India once devoted to the
indigo plant? Their owners must grow
something else. Nor does science re-
spect kings. The Emperor Of Japan
must run the royal household on
Evening star., 1929-05-12
THE "disciplinarian,' has passed int

THE "disciplinarian" has passed into
the limbo, at least so far as the
Indian schools of this country are con-
cerned.
In his place the Department of In
terror has provided advisers whose
duties will be what the name implies.
Secretary Wilbur. in commenting on
the change, says that any vestige of the
old military rule which once existed
in the schools for the Governments
wards will be wee&ed out if found.
He points out that the Indian boys
and girls are heirs to a billion-dollar
estate, to say nothing of their right TO
American citizenship.
Mr.. Wilbur believes that the Indian
children who have already shown their
capacity can be best fitted to assume
these two great heritages of ma
tionality ana estate through proper
education and development of self-re-
lance. The purpose of the schools will
be to bring the young to outstanding
and independent manhood and woman
hood
Evening star., 1929-05-12
Turf Classic Features Day of Days

1926. But Flying Ebony finished in
front of a better horse when he won
from Capt. Hal in 1925. Black Gold,
the winner in 1924, was lucky in getting
out of at least two positions in the race
where he might have been badly pock-
eted, but he was the best horse and
deserved TO win.
RLACK GOLD was the most popular
- winner of the Derby in my recol-
lection. The only horse owned by the
Oklahoma Indian woman, Mrs. HootS,
and trained without other stablemates,
unless 1t was dog and parrot, Black
Gold was the most colorful of any Ken
lucky Derby winner in recent years.
The form of horses. as judged by
their running in the PreakneSS Stakes
at Pimlico eight or ten days before the
Derby, is often reversed. Display.
Walter j. Salmon's iron horse, won the
PreakneSs, but ran nowhere in the
Derby. Bagenbaggage was among the
"also rams" in the same Preakness, but
beat the rest of the field in the Derby
when he finished second to his stable
viously told, zev failed in the Freak
ness but won the Derby. Sir Barton
is the only horse which has won both
the PreaknesS and Derby.
This years Derby was robbed of some
of its interest when Jack High was not
entered However, there should be big
field, in which Eastern horses will not
be so strongly represented as in past
years. Blue LarkSpur, owned by e. r.
Bradley, will be claimed by KentuckianS
as a Westerner, though last year this
colt was raced exclusively at Belmont
Park and Saratoga, as were all the
Bradley horses.
I saw Blue Larkspur prepared last
year for the Futurity-in which he was
beaten-and he certainly was made "to
stand UP to It," His trainer is q severe
taskmaster, very exacting one, and
Blue Larkspur got grueling that few
horses can stand. Watching his races
Evening star., 1929-05-12
New Scientific Methods Represent Ro
nance as Striking as That Which Has
Been Associated with Natures De-
velopments - Coal-Tar Products
Recognized as Great Factors.

delectable essence, and we learn, with
something of a shock, that it Is breWed
in the proSaic background of cheml-
cal laboratory from American toluene
plus American chlorine.
Modern chemistry" says recent
National Geographic bulletin, has de-
clared the worlds independence OF
perfumes from closed valleys. dyewoods
from distant tropical jungleS, resins
from damp jungles and medicines from
rare herbs. Independence has not been
achieved entirely, but if all the flowers
lost their perfumes and colors, and all
the spices their pungence and most
fruits their flavors. chemists could
closely initiate most of the factors syn
thetically."
Eor these herbs and spices and dyes
that were wont Of old to conjure
up pictures of heavily laden merchant
vessels with billowing sails. putting into
ports, laden with the treasures OF the
Far East, now come to us most fire.
quently from an American mixing bowl.
Anthranilic acid produces the charm
not only of jasmine. but the distinguish
ing flavor Of the grape and bright blue
known in old India as Indigo blue. This
precious musk of Tibetan mountain
deer now finds an almost perfect 1ml-
tation from Delewanna, N. j. The
equal of the tannin from Argentinian
quebranho halls from a Rennselaer.
N. Y, chemical vat. Balsam of Peru.
natural product of Salvador, might
logically be renamed in America bal
sam Of Pennsylvania.
No longer is the housewife entirely
dependent upon distant tropical is
lands for vanilla extract. for the arti-
fetal vanillin, although not entirely
equal to the product Of the famous
bean, is very good substitute. Bitter
almond oil, whose natural source is
Spain; chronicle, from Java; hello
trope, from Cannes, now find new
sources in synthetic factories at Gar
field. N. j., and Flushing, N. Y. while
numberleSs other necessities and lux
uries have like history.
Every day the world awakes to find a
new synthetic product. Not long ago
it was pearl buttons from sour milk,
and soon, we are told, we shall have food
from wood; while the masquerader for
silk, rayon, is today wrapping its SHIN
mering folds around the world. Pearls
Evening star., 1929-05-12
CONTINUED From First Page)

lConCnueu from F1rSC Page)
was in Bubbling Overs year, when E. r.
Bradley's magnificent chestnut colt
simply trotted away with the honors,
with his stablemate, Bagenbaggage, fin
ishing second. was up on a nice sort
of colt called Recollection, owned by
Kohn & Theisen, but any possible
chance he may have had was lost at
the start when the colt got the tape of
the barrier In his mouth, turning him
sideways before he could get rid of it
and causing him to lose lot of ground.
Recollection, but for this mishap,
would have made a fair showing. His
subsequent races at the meeting proved
that. But he could never have beaten
the Bradley colt, which simply out
claSsed his field. Bubbling Over was
the best horse that have seen run in
any Kentucky Derby, and on that day,
in the form he was in, he would have
given Man O. War. at his very best,
desperate race. The failure of Pompey,
which had been the champion 2-year-
old of the previous year. was the fea-
ture of that Derby. After his defeat
Pompey practically faded out of the
picture.
Many are the accidents and mishaps
that occur to horses both in prepara-
tion for the Derby and in the running
of the race. Luck plays big part in it,
as it does in all racing.
Norwich was very lucky to win his
Derby. That year E. r. Bradley had a
high-claSs colt in Busy American, who
broke down badly and ran out, throwing
the rest of the field into confusion and
leaving Norwich with long lead. And
then, just as My Play, Man o. Wars
brother. started to make his run at the
half mile post he spread his foot. But
for that accident My Play surely would
have beaten Norwich.
Reign Count, last years winner, didn't
need any aid from Dame Fortune. He
was just the best horse. And so was
WhiSkery IN 1927 and Bubbling Over in
Evening star., 1929-05-12

are distant neighbors of the earth. He
has observed the various phases of Mer-
curry and Venus, the polar caps and
markings of Mars, the belts and Satel-
lites of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn.
This inexpensive instrument is as
suitable for reviewing the mountains
of the moon and the spots on the sun
as a much more costly telescope. Sew
eral of the nebulae are also visible
through its eyepiece, as well as the star
clusters.
Mr.. Boutell hopes eventually to secure
some worthwhile results in the study
CT variable stars-stars which, unlike
most of the ones visible in the sky, do
not always shine with the same bright
ness. The laws concerning this varia-
ton can only be ascertained by many
observations over long period.
The Autumn months are the best for
telescope Investigations in the latitude
Evening star., 1929-05-12

all season as a 2-year-old, think that,
all going we'll, he should carry the white
and green silks of E. r. Bradley to that
owners third Derby victory.
But no matter how many horses start
next Saturday or who wins Kentueky'S
great classic, the race will give Won
derful thrill not only to the many thou
sands who will see the contest, but to
the many more thousands in all sections
of the country who will eagerly await
the news of the result.
Great as it will be to them, it will be
still greater to the riders who will line
up at the barrier on the twisting and
plunging contestants, all eager to get q
good break and be in the first flight at
that all-important first turn. To them
it is the chance of their lifetime to win
the greatest of Americas turf classics,
the Kentucky Derby.