davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-03
This Age of Specialized Service.

over his neck. Perhaps he had better
go right to the soaping room from
here: have him sent down fully soaped
to DR.. Scrape"
The young lady stepped close to the
expert and said something in lower
tone. which the patient was not In
tended to hear.
That's unfortunate" nlarmured the
specialist. 1T seems that we have no
soapist available for at least an hour
or so. Both our experts are busy--an
emergency case that came In this morn
ing, involving the complete removing
of a full beard. still, perhaps DR..
Scrape can arrange something for you.
And now" he continued, looking over
some notes In front of him, "for the
work around the ears, have you any
preference for any one in particular?
mean any professional man Of your
own acquaintance whom you would like
to call in9"
why. no." said the patient, cant
DR.. Whats-his-name do that, too?"
He could" said the consultant. "but
only at q certain risk, which hesitate
to advise. Shipping the hair about and
around the ears Is recognized as very
ACA&0tC 4A41C Va WUEk, WHICH ID DCttCE
confided to specialist In the old
days in this line of work there were
often some very distressing blunders
and accidents due purely to lack of
technique--severance Of part Of the ear,
for example"
IAN right" said the patient, "1'n
have specialist
VERY good" said the hairologist
now as to q shampoo think we had
better wait till after the main work Is
over and then we will take special
advice according to your condition. !
am inclined to think that your constitu-
ton would stand an immediate sham
poo. But shouldn't care to advise 1t
without O. heaxt test. Very often pre-
mature shampoo In cold weather viii
set up o nasal trouble Of very dis
tressifg character. We had better wait
and see how we come along"
"All right" said the patient.
"And now" added the expert, more
genially. lat the end Of all Of 1t, shall
we say--a shine?"
"Oh, yes. certainly"
"A shine, very good. and o brush
up? TIC include the hat? Yes. excel
lent Miss Smith, viii you conduct this
gentleman TO the soaping room?"
The patient hummed and hawed Q
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-03

to measure the effect Of an epidemic by
determining the deaths during the cpl
demic period that are In excess OF the
normal expected death rate. BY such
a manner It Is possible to say that the
1918 influenza epidemic cost the coun-
try half million lives.
The less serious influenza epidemic OF
1920 snapped out prematurely the lives
of 100000. A good guess Of the excess
damage done by the epidemic now SUBJ
siding Is at least 10000 lives.
travelling from victim to victim in q
manner which Is not precisely known
The best OF experts differ even on
whether there Is an influenza disease as
clear-cut as, for instance, smallpox.
Perhaps, 1t is suggested, influenza Is
really a general condition in the popu-
lation that allows colds and pneumonia
to do their damage. But most OF the
students of disease see influenza as q
definite disease entity which comes
upon Its victim suddenly. causes
fever, prostrates him and affects not
only his respiratory organs but his whole
system. When infection temporarily
gets the upper hand of the human body
the white cells of the blood usually in
crease in number. They are the SOL
diers of the blood and they enter into
decisive combat with the invader. But
In influenza these defensive forces OF
white blood cells are not modified and
there may actually be too few OF the
white soldiers to prevent other infec-
tons getting a foothold in the body.
X X
IN the early days of this epidemic Of
influenza there appeared In the
newspapers q report that there had
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-03
Attempt to Ambush Influenza Is Futile Despite Medical Skill
Germs Which Are Candidates for Official Source of Disease Have Difficulty
in Proving Claims but Epidemic Under Scientific Attack
in Hope of Unlocking Its Secrets.

been stolen from q London physician
culture tubes of influenza germs Sufii-
cient in quantity to endanger all OF
London. The story must have caused
amused chuckles among the research
workers. For, while many germs have
been nominated to the honor OF causing
influenza, none has been able to hold
fast to the claim. For nearly 20 years
the Pfeiffer bacillus was the seemingly
successful claimant. After the influenza
epidemic OF 1889-1890 German bacte-
biologist located this bacillus In many
cases and the organism named in his
honor was considered to b6 the cause
During the 1918 epidemic, despite many
competent searchings for 1t, the
Pfeiffer bacillus was not found In many
typical cases of influenza and as q re-
suit 1t has lost its prestige as the cause
Of the disease.
Other bacteria, one of which, known
as hacterium pneumoSinteS, was found
to produce influenza-like symptoms In
the rabbit. have been put forward as the
cause Of influenza and then have been
repudiated when subjected to closer
scrutiny. It seems probable that the
living cause Of influenza Is so small that
1t easily passes the finest filters and
will forever defy the attempts Of the
human eye 10 see IL. 1t WuSt UE d
brother In size to the yet unknown
cause Of smallpox.
Despite Its undetermined cause,
smallpox was one of the first diseases
to come under what may be called abb
solute control. Jenner applied vacci-
nation before Pasteur laid the founda-
tons of bacteriology. So the research
workers will not be disheartened If they
never find the causative organism Of
influenza.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-03
n King of North Made Obstacles Assist in His Progress

than any one else to develop, but which
he has been powerless. as all others
have been, to get the public to accept.
Perhaps because the Arctic Is the
home of Santa Claus. We seem nation
ally and internationally unwilling that
any realities shall prevail in our
thoughts of the Far North. Personally
fond of Santa Claus, I would be the
last to desire that any one should
handicap that benevolent saint r1ata-
rally. It seems to me that I have
found a way around the apparent Oh
lemma. I have proposed it before, but
want to propose it afreSh in connection
with the visit of the greatest Of explor-
ers to the western side of the Atlantic.
Why not transfer the residence of
Santa Claus to the moon, and most Of
our folklore interest Of the Arctic to the
moon along with him? Then We would
be free to promote the Arctic by truly
modern methods and to begin using 1t
In line with current aeronauticaI devel-
opment as thoroughfare between Old
World and New World commercial CEN
ters. Santa, being the crystallization of
an idealistic dream. could as easily visit
our Riddles from the moon as from Lap
land or Alaska.
The importance Of the coming Man,
sen flights Is essentially one Of publicity,
or as we now euphemistically say, pub
lie relations. He. should therefore, en-
ploy the best Of public relations counsel.
There must be liberal appropriation
Tor an "educational' campaign and the
publicists must study every angle.
especially, suggest, the personnel Of
the expedition. Girl Scouts or debu-
| tantes should accompany the flight. IL
the real interest Of the public is to be
enlisted in the venture.
| AS the very least we must know that
several of the members have gray
haired mothers who are fond of them.
Cats should be taken, dogs and pigeons.
Some Of the crew should be handsome,
and others pleasantly l1omely with
| warts on their noses. There might be
chaplain so broadminded that we
! could be informed that he secretly
enjoyed the terrific oaths of some sea-
/ dog who might be taken along with the
| flyers to do the swearing. For on ex-
| petitions the public would really notice.
| Queen Marie Of Rumania should be
induced to go along.
II some such program is followed the
Nansen flight Of 1880 will be likely to
succeed In calling the attention of the
| public to some Of the outstanding con-
| illusions Of his drift voyage Of 1893-'96.
| The facts he gathered then and the
principles he established would begin
after thirty years to fill the press dis
| patches II those methods were followed,
and might even succeed In getting q
! footing as low down as our common
| school text books. Nansen's ideas might
begin to move the world.
| But whether or not the public decides
to find out and understand what Man.
sen has done, let's treat him well in
any case, now that he is among us.
For the Nobel prize and the gold medals
| of scores Of learned societies certify
that he Is a great man. And we are
used to worshiping great men, even II
we do not understand them-men like
| Einstein, for instance. 1t does us lots
| of good; the thrill has a tonic effect.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-03
Wine Carts Passing !.
THE picturesque old wine carts /,

THE picturesque old wine carts OF
Rome are giving way to the on
ward march OF progress and soon the
plodding horses are expected to retire
altogether In favor Of the fast-moyinr
motor truck. Speed and trafic regula-
tions have much to do with the passing
Of the wagons piled high with their
casks OF beverages.
1t has been the custom from time i'm,
memorial for the drivers Of the wine
carts. who start for Rome at midnight.
70 sleep on their seats, while the faith.
ful. well trained old horses find their
way into the city and to the wine shop
Tor which they are headed.
New traffic rules. however. call for
vehicles to keep to the right instead of
the left, as formerly, and accidents have
been numerous. as the horses ambling
along around turns on their lelt-hand
side Of the road, have met autos ...sep.
ing to the right
Severe penalties have added to the
problems OF the drivers following these
accidents and gradually the older men
are following In the footsteps Of the
younger, and are turning to the use of
the auto truck for transporting thar
products.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-03
of ManyFn LeB and New
pdaRsi ns-New Dmalo aClus-H

Before that time even scientists had
commonly believed that the Arctic was
particularly stormy. hansen accunu-
lated a mass of data which enabled him
to show that in no area of equal size In
the world are storms so few and mild
on the average.
How novel this view was when he set
it forth in 1897 you can convince your
self If you look over the various popu-
lar books about the Arctic. For II Is
doubtful that you will find more than
one or two Of them. even 80 years
later. that do not express or imply the
old belief in the prevalence of violent
storms, ignoring not only Nansens con-
clusion, itself based upon sufficient evil
dence, but all the mass Of oorroborative
testimony that has been published since
then, including, for instance. the reports
of nv own expeditions which have COW
cred an aggregate Of more than IL years
within the Arctic Circle.
The time Is just coming when the
world is to make practical use OF this
Nansen finding. The rarity and aver
age mildness Of storms In the Arctic Is
one of the corner stones In the program
for use of the Arctic as an aerial nigh
way to fly by the shortest routes be-
tween such populous centers OF the
north temperate zone as lie on oppo-
site sides OF the Arctic from each other,
as, for instance, Chicago and Stock
holm. Seattle and Berlin, New York and
Pekin, London and Toxic.
Nansen does not retire nor rest on
his laurels. After becoming foremost
among explorers. he took part In WIN
ming for Norway her independence
from Sweden, and later represented
Norway as minister to London. He car
ried on his oceanographic work while
he was a politician and diplomat. He
carried it on, too, while, as states
man representing the League Of Ma
tions, he administered the famine re-
lief in Russia.
He is carrying on oceanography still
and at 81 is about to re-enter polar
exploration. though on basis entirely
different from his pioneer work Of IS
years ago. He Is doing now nothing
that is revolutionary, but instead. ev-
erything that the authorities agree Is
feasible and comparatively easy, but
rich in promise of results. There Is o
broad scientific foundation for his plan
to engage the German airship Graf
Zeppelin and to make with 1t several
crossings Of the Arctic during the lat
ter part Of next Winter.
WHATEVER the scientific results OF
w this journey may really prove to
be, no one now expects them to be
revolutionary, but merely the continu-
alton of logical development. But II
not revolutionary In science, these
flights will be revolutionary in the pop
ularization of that real knowledge OF
the Arctic which hansen has done more
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-03

little. what about the fee?" he
asked.
The consultant waved the question
aside with dignity. Pray do not trout
bic about that" he said, "all that will
be attended to In its place"
And when the patient had passed
through all the successive stages Of the
high-class expert work indicated. from
the first soap to the last touch Of pow
der, he came ut the end, with sigh
Of relief, to the special shoe shining
seat and the familiar colored boy on
his knees waiting to begin. Here. at
last he thought, Is something that
hasn't changed.
which foot?" asked the boy.
"How's that?" said the man. "Oh,
it doesn't matter-here. take the right"
You'll have to 60 to the other chair"
said the boy, rising up from his knees.
I'm left-handed. only do the left
foot"
tCopyright. 1921
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-03

feated by the circumstance that the
Polar Sea Is not covered with one vast
expanse Of Ice which you can treat as II
it were solid land but with multitudes
of cakes of ice which offer a constant
alienation between solid and LIQUID, and
which are, moreover, In constant drift
constant only In that they are moving,
but not In the direction Of their motion
Nansen was the first to make planned
use Of this "difiic,ilty."
There are predecessors to every in
ventor, there are steps In every dis
coyery. even In such great ones as
Nansen's. The Tegetthof. under the
Austrians, had drifted with the Ice in
1924, showing that It could be done
for q time at least with comparative
safety and comfort. The Jeannette,
financed by Bennett Of the New York
Herald, had drifted northwestward
through what was really water, although
her commander, the American naval
lieutenant DeLong. had even formu-
lated some plans that could be based
on that kind Of drift.
Perhaps had DeLong lived he might
have been the originator Of the rounded
out Nansen plan Of building a ship that
was peculiarly adapted to resisting ice
,oressures, stocking her with wholesome
food, planning to live aboard or near
her an active open-air life through year
after year, counting on fresh meat Sc
cured by hunting to maintain the health
Of the crew, and thus. as a well manned
scientific laboratory, drifting across the
Arctic Basin by setting the vessel fast
In the ice on the side from which the
drift appeared to come and expecting
her, when enough years had passed, to
emerge at the opposite side.
NANsEN studied all the facts and
concluded that the drift across the
Arctic Basin was from the side of
Alaska, Bering Strait and Eastern ST.
IBERIA toward the side Of the Atlantic,
Norway and Iceland.
He built the Fran and put her In the
ice In 1898. She emerged In 1895 with
complete vindication Of theory and OF
q method that were not only demon
strably new from the historical point Of
view, but were so new from the scien-
tif1c or logical point Of view that most
Of the highest authorities In the world
practical through visionary and suicidal
to insane.
Nansen Is a man of rounded character
and balanced genius. His drift, accord
ingly. was no mere triumph Of one
theory, but carried with 1t the gather
ing of the largest body of accurate and
important knowledge that has ever been
brought together by single Arctic ex-
petition.
One sample from many will show how
novel the conclusions were in some cases
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-03

Somehow the public is usually un-
able to perceive greatness in an ex-
plorer or imagine greatness in him
unless he has really or supposedly per-
formed some deed of physical prowess.
Nansen began his career with that
sort of proves, which may have been
accident or diplomacy. No one had
crossed Greenland Ordinary human
reasoning goes no farther than to as
sumo that what has not yet been done
is either impossible, or at the least,
very difficult.
About Greenland, indeed, many had
said specifically that 1t could not be
crossed. Peary had climbed the west
ern slopes; and it is easy to see now
from analysis of his testimony that he
foreshadowed the, crossing. Moreover,
he understood that 1t could be done and
wanted to do 1t! No one doubts today
that he could have done 1t. There is
even some reason TO believe that Peary
would have done 1t more easily than
Nansen. for certainly he showed in his
later career genius for organization
and for the development Of new and
good methods of snow and ice travel
which Nansen hardly approached. In
deed. the technique Of coldweather
living and the method of sledge travel
were always Nansens weakest points.
The fact was, however that Nansen
startled the world by crossing Green
land. Thereby incidentally, certainly
without premeditating 1t. probably
without realizing 1t, he broke, or would
have broken had 1t been breakable, the
heart Of the other great explorer, the
one serious competitor Of his active
life, the American Peary. Peary had
built so many hopes around crossing
Greenland that he actually felt his
life In ruins about him when he read
in the papers one morning tnat Nansen
had done this impossible" thing.
THERE are perhaps, on the whole, few
royal roads to greatness; but they
are numerous in the field of exploration.
For where else do you discover so many
achievements which the public believes
to be impossible or superhuman, but
which those on the inside know to be
easy--so easy, indeed, that the heroes OF
those achievements can hardly keep
straight face when they meet? They
are like the Roman soothsayers OF old
who kept long countenances before the
public but who, as Cicero tells US, used
to wink at each other in passing.
On this fortunate popularity OF ex-
ploration. the ease of It's difficult"
achievements, is based, too. that system
of ethics which makes it the unforgiv-
able sin for an explorer to take the pub
lie into his confidence about how easy
some of the heralded feats really were.
It is safe by now, however. to tell the
truth about the crossing of Greenland:
for both of the contenders, Peary and
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-03

"Al1 right, he said, eff must, must.
After all, the sooner it's done, the sooner
it's over. Go right ahead and shave
me-"
The great expert smiled. my dear
SIR" he said, II don't shave you my
self. am only a consulting hairolo-
gist. make my diagnosis, and pass
you on to expert hands
He pushed a bell.
Miss Smith," he said to the enter
ing secretary, please I'LL out card for
this gentleman for the shaving room.
II DR.. Scrape is operating get him to
make the removing of the facial hair
DIR. Clicker will then run the clippers
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-03

Nansen, have since risen to unassAilable
heights, recognized as leaders In their
craft az explorers as we'll as by the pub
lie. Their regulations now rest safely
on the doing Of really great and funda-
mentally important as we'll as difficult
things.
1t is the mood of children to kick at
distractions. The small and petulant
try to conquer Nature and to bend her
forces to their WILL They are driven to
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-03

1t before he had come In. But he had
hoped against hope; perhaps he didn't
need 1t after all, perhaps he could
wait. later on, perhaps, he would &C
cept 1t. Then he had argued to him.
self, refusing, as we all refuse, to face
the cruel and inevitable fact.
Gould 1t be postponed for a day or
50 nore?" he asked. II have q good
many things to do at the Office"
MY dear sir" said the expert firm
ly. II have told you emphatically that
you need q shave. You may postpone
1t II you wish. but If you do refuse
TO be responsible
The patient sighed
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-03

Still none. even of these great ones.
had done more than to stop fighting
natural obstacles. to adapt themselves
to conditions as they found them and to
go ahead with their work on that basis.
Nansen was the first to formulate ana
carry out plan by which the so-called
hostility Of the Arctic could be actually
made to cooperate In a plan for its
own subjugation.
Even Parry had been outright de-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-03

magic and make believe and to thwart-
ed struggles against the impossible. On
the part Of such children Of a larger
growth there had been, before Nansens
time, many high expressions Of lofty
but Intellectual purpose about conquer
ing the Arctic" There had been, too,
advances by a few men Of genius-by
Eric the Red, by Parry, Rae, McClintock,
and perhaps as many others as you
can count on the fingers of two hands.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-03

would see Immediately that it is highly
infectious. But just after the 1918 cpl
demic brave volunteers in Boston and
San Francisco subjected themselves to
experiments during which influenza
Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-02-13

MERCEDES. Feb. 13--Accordini
~ superintendent T. H- Poteet or th'
Mercedes schools. Bishop Sam F
Hay or Houston has been chosen A
deliver the senior high school ccnN
mencement address for the gradua
inE elias OF 1929.
Dr. Hay IL bishop Of the tweiftl
district or ths Methodist EpiscorN
church South, which includes tfl
Northwestern Pacific. Arizona. Tea|
M, and North Texas conferences.
DUvAL WEST IL FATHEEK
HARLINGEN, Feb. I3.L- W
West. Jr., Of this city ~ Fh
father or N baby girl. born Monda.
night. The girl weighed seven an
n half pounds Mother and dauEh
ter are doing nicely
Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-02-13
P. Offering
Low Rate From
Northern Texas

Hundreds OF north and east
Texans are expected to take advan-
tage Of the See the Lower Rio
Grande Valley" excursion for which
round trip tickets will be put on
sale BY the Southern Pacific Feb
ruary n, with a final return limit
TO February %.
A round trip rate Of rs per rent
Of the regular one-way rate has
been announced by the railroad, and
the excursion Is being well adver-
tised in north and east Texas and
western Louisiana.
The excursion rate will apply as
far west as Del Rio and East TO New
Orleans. including Shreveport. Dali
las, Fort Worth. Waco. Austin and
all intermediate points. Valley
no ints to which tickets will Be sold
include Brownsville. McAllen, Edin-
burg and Harrington.
The Southern Pacific IL arranging
TO provide several trains for the ex-
~cursionists. the first OF which will
arrive In the Valley the morning OF
FRIDAY, February %. Holders Of
tickets will be permitted TO remain
until Sunday night. February "a.
According to reports from the
northern and east parts Of the state
the Valley will be called upon 10
entertain hundreds Of visitors who
will have approximately three days
TO visit the various sections.