Evening Star Newspaper, May 11, 1924, Page 73

v THE -SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTO! Army Sergeant a Talented Artist And Also an Embroidery Expert ' Man of Pluck Has R;'sen From Sawmill Laborer to Present Military Post and Kept Up His Art Work—Designer of Insignia for Commands. F all the astonishing wonders of Washington the case of Bdward C. Kuhn of the \ coast artillery—a hard- bolled Army sergeant, who paints beautiful water colors, oils and pas- tels, designs complicated coats of arms and military insignia and em- broiders more expertly than any of the Capital city fair sex—stands in the fore rank ¢ story of Kuhn's life L The roma 18 as thrilling as though it stepped Tight out of the pages of America's best novel. Success to this soldier has been heavy, uphill going all the Way. Discouragements to Kuhn, however, have been revised into re- newed determination to make the Peak grade. By plodding pluck he has bridged the gap from sawmill laborer to.Army sergeant, to cham- pion designer of military insignia, Tegimental crests and coats of arms. Ho has gearsd an artistic training to &n extraordinary line of work. Kuhn, for recreation and diversion, works adeptly with needle and silks, and designs and embroiders center- Pleces, portieres, pillow covers and eurtains. Just because he is expert With embroidery do not think for a minute that this top sergeant of Washington is effeminate. Twenty- . SIX years in the ranks, mess halls and barracks of our national rosts in Cuba, Porto Rico, Panama, the Phil- 1ppines, Japan and all sections of the United States have taught Kuhn all the tricks of the soldier's trade. He i3 as cxpert at fisticuffs or feats of Strength as he is proficient with nee- €le and paint brush or drawing pen- eil. He may be able to cross-stitch the most complicated embroidery pat- tern, but he is also brave and fear- less. Charging an enemy dugout amid a rain of shellfire is another of » Bis accomplishments. Kuhn's first job was that tof saw- il laborer in a lumbering camp in New York state. There he put in ten hours daily at the working end thook, feedinz huge logs to ling steel teeth. Work was over for the day for the rest of the | crew when the 6 o'clock whistle blew. The real work of the day just began for Ed Kuhn when his ten-hour shift at long manipulating was finished. Five nights a week Kuhn hurried home, grabbed a couple of sand- ‘wichas, changed his clothes and scur- Fiad away to the station to catch the evening train for Buffalo, fourteen miles away. Perhaps vou may think that Kuhn, being a lumberman, was training to become a wrestler or prize fighter; that his visits to the city permitted him to work out under the tutelage of an experienced coach. No, Kuhn did not go for any such pur- pose. He traveled regularly to Buf- falo to attend art school. His ambi- tion was to become a professional painter. He endured monumental hardships in order to gratify this de- sire. The limited train on the return trip €id not stop at Kuhn's village. He had to leave the train five miles up the line, at a junction, and hoof it home. Five nights in the seven he crawled between his blankets later than 1 o'clock in the morning. This gave him but five hours of rest, as he had to be at work in the sawmill by 7 o'clock. For a half year the youthful woods- man-artist lived up to his strength- racking schedule and mastered the * rudiments of the culture which he coveted. Then the Spanish-American war brorke out and Kuhn enlisted in the New York state volunteers. %k EING a soldier did not deter the former sawmill workman from continuing his art work. He devoted all his spare time to his curious side line. Occasionally some of his mates would plague Kuhn unmercifully about his “dolihouse paintings.” Sometimes Kuhn had to prove his adeptness at rough and tumble fighting before his tormentors would “lay oft” He fought as enthusiastically as he painted, and shortly his comrades learned to leave him alone. Stationed near New York city for several vears, Kuhn devoted all his leisure to studying art under the di- rection of George De Forest Brush, one of America’s modern masters. Some of Mr. Brush's productions are o 2% S AT X SERGT. EDWARD C. KUHN AND NATIONAL COAT-OF-ARMS WH HIS SPARE TIM first day that he could obtain leave| he went to Bostan, where he met Eric Pape, a notable illustrator, and ar- ranged to continue his art work un- | der Pape’s supervision. A year later Kuhn was sent to Portland, Me. | There he joined the Portland Art| League. Wherever he went this sin- gular soldier spent ail his spare time trying to master the perplexities of art. The routine life of a soldier in the coast artillery carried Kuhn to the seaboards of Panama, Cuba, FPorto Rico and Japan. The strange soldier painted wherever he went. His mili- tary itinerary, which was always shifting, provided him with plenty of changes of scene and local color. He found vivid landscapes, tropical ver- dure, wilderness and jungle scenes, multicolored marines and every other concelvable kind of a setting he could reproduce on canvas. He tells interestingly of one waterfall and pool in Panama, where he went every day that he had leave for three months fn order to study the colors and paint a satisfactory picture. After the picture was finished, Corp. Kuhn returned to the spot one day and found that the pool was the headquarters of several families of huge alligators. Finally, he was stationed at Fort Hamilton, . Y. The captain of the company, becoming interested in Kuhn's art efforts, asked the soldier to design an appropriate coat of arms and insignia for the company. After some study of company records and reference books on heraldry, Kuhn produced designs which so pleased the officer that he showed them to the colonel of the regiment. The colonel, immediately; asked Kuhn to work out insignia and crest and coat of arms for the regiment. This as- signment so interested the soldier in heraldry that he made a thorough and painstaking study of flags, escutcheons, crests and coat of arms. After several years of study, Kwhn made 150 remarkable drawings, de- pictive of the history and evolution of flags from the earliest days in 1001, when the viking Ericson first flew his ensign of a black raven on a white field. Kuhn studied the evo- lution of the flag in ecach foreign country. The English flag came into being, for example, after the wars of the crusaders. The flaming red cross of St. George on a white back- ground was the first banner which the followers of John Bull raised.| The English Jack of today developed | from that beginning. Kuhn says that the Starts and Stripes compose the most beautiful flag of all. He says on permanent display in the National Museum, Corcoran and Frear art gal- leries here in Washington. His paintings of Indians and madonnas ¢ are notable, One of his masterpieces is & picture of an American Indian spearing a large moose. Kuhn learned much from George Brush about art. His regiment was \ transferred to Massachusetts. The that the proportions of the American flag are perfect. * k ¥ X N Kuhn was a corporal he became interested in the in- tricacies of the embroidery art. Like THE $10,000 TAPESTRY OF OUR ICH HE EMBROIDERED DURING N FOURTEEN YEARS. simple sewing. Kuhn jumped to the perplexing handicraft of complicated embroidery. After attaining skill in the new line of sewing. he determin- ed to make a large embroidered tap- estry of the American cocat of arms. At the outset. the soldier décided to use banner silk as the base of his embroidery. When he went to price the silk he found it would take all of his salary for more than three months to pay for the silk. Kuhn then decided to use ordinary sheet- ing as the base of his art piece. On a piece of sheeting containing thirty-nine square feet embroidered a silk fleld, composed of different shades of white, that was four and one-half by five fect. This was a tremendous task, as it took four hours of rapid work to em- broider a rip one quarter of an inch wide across the length of the fleld. To embroider this would occu- py the full time of a seamstress for more than one year. After the silken field was complet- ed ¥uhn sketched the outline of the American coat of arms in place, with the cloudburst and the thirteen stars At the upper portion of the tapestry and eagle and banner below. He copied the design of a warlike, ag- gressive eagle used on a famous Austrian statue. In the claws of its left foot the bird holds thirteen ar- rows, while in the claws of the right foot appears an olive branch. The purple banner, with the Latin words “E Pluribus Unum” is outstretched behind the eagle. Altogether, he de- voted his spare hours for fourteen years to the work of embroidering this remarkable tapestry. It contains more than 800 skeins fo silk of every color available. Sergt. Kuhn paid more than $40 for the silk he used in the coast of arms. On the border of the tapestry he embroidered thirty-four flags, seven and one-half by ten inches in size, which pictorially tell the story of the evolution of the flag. When the tapestry was completed the owner did not like the border, so he removed the flags and now is working them into a beautiful por- tiere. He placed an oriental tapes- try border on the embroidered coat of arms in place of the complicated flag history. After the equivalent of two years of constant labor, ten hours a day, on the mammoth plecs of embroidery, he finally completed the work one evening at 9 o'clock. The tapestry needed a bath after the completion of the embroidrey. Kuhn was afraid to entrust the work to any one else, so he washed the piece in soap and water as soon as he had made the final stitch. It was necessary to iron the tapestry as soon after washing as possible. Al- though the facilities in his quarters all other American soldiers, Kuhn early became proficient in the knack of handling a needle and thread and task, the soldier, notwithstanding, started the fire and placed several SERGT. KUHN MADE THE JUMP FROM A SAWMILL LABORER TO MILITARY ARTIST. HE NOW . - .- DESIGNS THE INSIGNIA FOR THE UNITED STATES ARMY, s the corporal | were rather inadequate for such a flatirons on the stove. He neglected the fire, which went out. When he Bot ready to iron the tapestry the flatirons were stone-cold. Kuhn had to renew the gre and heat the irons. It was not until 2 o'clock in the morning that he finally finished his housewifely task. It was an appro- priate time for completing the hard- est job the goldier-artist ever at- tempted. The tapestry is valued at $7,500 to $10,000, although Sergt Kuhn says he will not part with his mas- terplece. Gen. Pershing has seen and admired the remarkable piece of work. 7 * % x % FTER the world war Sergt. Kuhn was assigned to a post in the coast artillery service in Washington, where he has been stationed from that day to this. His regular work is that of an expert draftsman, but as a side line he designs all the in- signia and coats of arms for the va- rious branches of our national miki- tary service. In this work he has to study up the detailed history of each regiment and to review the records of ancient heraldry. The designs of the insignia which the enlisted men wear on their collars and the officers on their shoulders are commemora- tive of stirring events which have oc- curred in the history of each regi- ment. » The 1st Regiment of cavalry use as the crest a black hawk in honor of the 1st Dragoons of 1838 that wore pointed stars and eagles on the tops of their shakos. The 3d Regiment of cavalry, known as the “Brave Rifles” and now stationed at Fort Myer, wears handsome Insignia designed by Sergt. Kuhn. The design consists of a golden trumpet abreast a green enameled field of scroll work, with the words “Brave Rifles” on the bor- der. During the Mexican war the facings of the uniform of the 3d Cavalry were green, while a golden trumpet was their seal and mascot. Speaking to the Brave Rifles after the battle of Chapultepec, in the Mexican war, Gen. Winfleld Scott exclaimed: “Veterans. you bave been baptized in fire and bloed and have come out steel.” The coat of arms of the 1st Regi- ment of coast artillery, designed by Sergt. Kuhn, bears the Latin motto “Primus Inter Pares” = A palmetto tree is overspread by a tower show- ing an artilleryman holding a ramrod in his hands. The scene is deplctive of the civil war battle at Fort Sumter. Detachments of the 2d Coast Artil- lery occupied stations at Fort Me- Henry and Fort Pickens during the civil war. Francis Scott Key com- posed “The Star Spangled Banner” during the siege of the former fort- ress, while the latter was the only foritfication south of Fort Monroe which did not surrender to the con- federacy. Sergt. Kuhn has featured these events in the handsome coat of arms and insignia which he has made for that regiment. Kuhn's coat of arms for the 4th Coast Artillery pictures a cannon be- ing choked down the mouth of the British lion. The scene is descriptive of what happened at the memorable battle of New Orleans. The 13th Coast Artillery Is stationed at a point where four of our national coastal defenses converge. A key in a clasp- ed hand is the coat of arms of this regiment, accompanied by the Latin motto “What I have I will defend.” * x x % ERGT. KUHN has designed the original coat of arms for every Na- tional Guard regiment in the United States. The crest of the minutemen of the organized reserve also was drawn by this artist-soldier. For the coast defense of Delaware he has used Lord Delaware’s crest, with lion cubs be- low, shown on a blue field illustra- tive of the three former tenants of Delaware—Great Britain, Holland and Sweden—all of which usg lions in their crests and seals. The design for the Baltimore coast defense is based on Lord Baltimore's original crest, with a key, depictive of Francis Scott Key and our na- tional anthem, which he composed. The coast defense history of New Orleans teems with tales of the loy- alty of the Baratarian pirates and Andrew Jackson's three lines of de- fenses that guarded the city. These episodes were capitalized by Kuhn in designing an appropriate coat of arms with the pelican, the seal of Louisiana above. Yes, Kuhn, the -artistic sergeant, has even gone so far as to play de- tective and ferret out the silent se- crets of frayed and torn flags which occasionally are found in some aban- doned closet or attic. One notable exploit along this line occurred in New York city. The tattered remnants of a vener- able flag which was carried at Wash- ington's first inauguration were found. An Army chaplain, who was a friend of Sergt. Kuhn, was assigned the commission of preserving and recon- structing the ruined banner. Kuhn took the assignment off his friend's hands as soon as he learned all the particulars, as it was just such a sci- entific mystery as he delights in working with. After a painstaking perusal of America’s flag and her- aldry records, Kubn finally was suc- cesstul in restoring the historic flag, which now is carefully preserved in the city hall in New York. The flag is red, with the design of a mortar, flag and trophy at its center. An eagle is shown seated on the peak of a gable., The Latin words on the flag mean “In peace, prepare for war.” Crater as Stadium. PUNCHBOWL the largest extinct crater of the Island of Oahu, Ha~ walian Islands, will become one of the greatest sthletic stadiums in the’world if the plans of prominent athletic of- ficers of Hawali are consummated. ' Ancient Ring Dug Up. A MASSTVE heck ring of solid gold, believed by experts to date back to 120 B, C., was found on a farm in Norway. | The ring, of artistic though barbarian design, has been placed in’ the museum of Christiania Univer- sity,’ D. C, MAY 11, 1924_PART 5. Open Gambling Tables May Offer Easy Money at Olympic Contests French Government Sees' Opportunity to Levy Big Tax on Resorts for Tourists, and Other Countries May Also Legalize Tempting Games. “ALL THE MONEY BELONGS TO THE PLAYERS. ONLY THE RAKE BELONGS TO THE ESTABLISHMENT. IT ALWAYS RAKES IN MORE THAN IT RAKES OUT, AND THE DIFFERENCE IS CALLED THE RAKE-OFF. BY STERLING HEILIG. PARIS, May L UPPOSE that you are a tourist in Europe? Suppose that you come to the Olympic games next summer, in Paris? Vast crowds are aiready booked, from all over the world. Suppose that you start off with 31000 and come home with, say, $3,000 cash, plus all expenses paid? Would it not be grand? Doubtless, some will do it. But suppose, Instead, you go broke | unexpectedly in Paris or elsewhere— | and you must cable home for more | money, before the hotel lets you take | your trunks, and, meanwhile, you must eat! This, too, may happen, if certain unusual attractions contemplated by | European governments are permitted | in the Olympic games this summer | by France. | Are tourists to be tempted by pub- | lic gambling tables? Is the sight of from such gambling, if the tables be thrown open, regulated and pro- tected? * % % % AT present. they are open and pro- tected at many places in France. The law permits, “by exception,” that “watering places” may run certain “games of hazard” specified by the authorities, “during the season.” For example, Cannes. Cannes shows the most favorable example. Now, a young American arrived at Cannes, with no Intention to gamble. But, as all the best people went to the gambling tables, he went also, got himself proposed, paid up his en- trance and stuck around. Cannes is a rich place. The “boule” tables were simply covered with small stakes (yet there are trippers | and boarders who lose 1,000 francs in an afternoon); but the grand game was (as it always must be) baccarat, where they play only 1,000-franc notes as the least stake! promiscuous winning, the fever of easy money, the contagion of exam- ple and the opportunity to gamble | to be thrust on people not prepared to gamble? There are two burning questions now in France, and they concern such | people not prepared to gamble. Truly, | they touch French citizens, who will | be tempted just like tourists. Truly, also, all the other European govern- ments are watching France, to fol- low her example. But the Olymplc lalal The game is baccarat because, up till now, the French authorities, who “specify” the “games of hazard” per- mitted “exceptionally,” have gone on the principle that the visitors are simply gambling among themselves, and therefore tolerate no banking es- tablishment like Monte Carlo, for the public to play against. At baccarat the establishment sim- ply furnishes luxurious rooms, tables, cards, money-rakes and employes to run the game. The “bank” passes the point of $—and pocketed, not 20,000 francs, but 7 per cent less, that is to say, the sum of 18,600 francs! The “bank” was “broken” on its first deal—and the establish- ment earned 1,400 francs in four minutes. This was small business for Cannes; but imagine its going on, all night, till daylight in many cases, and the afternoon, from 4 o'clock till dinner, in a hundred French watering-places, which, this summer, will probably be- come several hundreds! At Cannes, there are players who put up their 500,000 francs or 700,000 francs as banker, easily, again and again. They call “Banco!” against each other. At this speed, the | “bank’s” average life is, say fifteen minutes, and the establishment earns say, 90,000 francs. But, whether it be big gamblers, or the mass of average people whose mass of money is as big or bigger, all the money won and lost is money of the players. Only the rake belongs to the estab- lishment. It is enough. It always rakes in more than it rakes out, and the difference is called in English, the rake-off. The French government, this year, takes 13 per cent of the rake-off! X xS T is a year of increased taxes for the French people themselves. The French people are paying very heavy taxes. IN THE E! IT TAKES ALL.” within sixty miles of Paris. This shut up the tables at Enghien, true watering place, with medicinal springs beside a lovely little lake, just outside the cap- ital. It was very handy for Parisians— both French and foreigners—and nota- bly helped that commerce de luxe which makes Parisian brilliance. Enghien gambling tables, at their height, make a beautiful scene by reason of tri- umphant femininity ! Since the war people think of their wants again. Paris desires Enghien and two or three other public gamblin | spots as beautiful and gay as Cann Deauville or Aix-les-Bains. Immense pressure has been brought on Farlia- ment, and a new Parliament is being elected these days over all France, | partiy on this public gambling issue. Luxury commerce wants it—the biz business men are, quietly, for it! The localities want it—senators and deputies are, quietty, for it! Women want it—women of fashion ‘women eeeking pleasure, women who love luxury and brilliant setting, in al classes, from the Paris midinettes shop girls up, who want a bril Paris! They whisper and clamor for one thing—a large interpretation of the existing law of 1807, which “by exception” permits “watering places” to run “games of hazard” which are to be “specified by the minister of tic interior” and open “during the seasor Here is the essence of it all: Because watering-place gambling ad mits women! “OF COURSE, YOU CAN WIN A LOT IF YOU ACT AS BANKER AT BACCARAT. ALL THE OTHERS PLAY AGAINST YOU, AND YOU MAY RAKE IN ALL THE MONEY—IF YOU HAVE THE RIGHT CARDS” summer is the moment when the questions spring up: 1 Shall thte gambling tables be thrown wide open? 2. How can the government, which needs so much money so badly, ob- tain the biggest possible tax returns Electric Eraser. [ETERY drattsman knows that at times errors are made in tracings which must be erased, also that at times certain changes in tracings al- ready made are desirable. It is nec- essary in erasing ink from tracing cloth to use a light, swift stroke, otherwise the surface of the cloth becomes injured and scarred Few draftsmen have the time to spare, much less the patience, to erase long lines as they should be erased, but are likely to bear more heavily than is best, to the dertiment of the trac- ing. Some time ago there was brought out by an electrical manufacturing concern a revolving electric eraser which seems to fill the long-felt want in this relation. A motor is con- nected through a flexible shaft to a circular eraser and this is rapidly re- volved while the operator applies it to the work. A small cleaning rubber bears lightly on the circular one as it revolves in order to remove the ink, which collects rapidly when the machine is in operation. The pres- sure of the cleaning rubber is regu- lated by a sliding sleeve upon the handle. By means of the flexible shaft a very large drawing can easily be covered. Lights and Dust. THE tendency ot dust to collect on electric light fixtures and wires and on walls and ceilings near them is ascribed partly to the influence of air currents induced by local heating and partly to electrification of the dust particles. These, when floating in a room, are attracted to the elec- tric conductors on the non-earthed side of an earthed system. They. either remain upon the conductors, or, becoming charged, fly off and stick to the neighboring walls. By putting the switches on the non- earthed wire this deposition of dust can be confined to the time during which the lamps are alight. Further improvements are effected by using concentric flexible conductors, the outer conductor being connected to ‘Jthe carthed sidé of the system. round, in turn, among the players (in chemin-de-fer) or goes to the highest bidder among them (in full- table baccarat). A thousand-francs note, that day, was worth $50. The young American won five or six of these; then it being a dull afternoon, he “took a 500-louis bank” (10,000 francs)—and occupied the proud place of banker at full table baccarat. Of course, you can win a lot as banker. All the others play against you and you rake in all their money— if you have the winning cards. Each time the boy dealt cards, his entire “bank” capital was covered. A deal, included paying up, occupies about four minutes.’ He won four deals In succession—that is, he had the nerve to let his money, including winnings, double four times. * Kk ¥ % T was dramatic—for those who knew the lad had never played be- fore. He sat in the seat of honor, at the middle, of the long green-cov- ered table and gold-outlined lay- out on his right and left. His 10,000 francs were verified by the employees of the establishment—who ran the game for him, pald, raked in his winnings, and gave him advice when asked. He gave two cards to right, two cards to left, and took two for him- self. Twice, he swept the tables With the point of nine, and twice he “stood" (and won) on five and six (by the advice of croupiors), while his op- ponents, three times, drew picture- cards, called “buches,” or “dead ones” (counting zero) when they sought to improve their hand. He Eave those croupiers 1,000 francs tip. Count it off—though it was deemed too little, a “stingy tip for a big winner”! The boy was a big winner. Let 10,000 lay and double four times, and 1t comes out 20,000, 40,000, 80,000 and 160,000, does it not? No, not, in bac- carat. One thousand had to be dis- tributed in tips, and the establishment took 700 francs of his bank roll be- fore he started! So his doublings were really 18,600, 37,200, 74,400 and 148,800. Yet this was the most favorable example possible. The establishment takes 7 per cent off each new bank, before it begins! See what happened immediately after. A nervous old Frenchman took the bank at 20,000 francs. A South American called: “Banco!” (matched the whole bank in & lump, won on You and I know why—they are pay- ing for themselves and the Germaas! So, the French people, paying taxes, taxes, taxes, from their pockets, are disposed to let their government find any extra money where it can! Legalized race track betting already exists and produces large revenues. Gov- ernment employes hold race track stakes all over Frence; and while the rake-off of these paris-mutuels is as high as 14 per cent, you can be sure the game and paying off are honest. By a new law of 1923 (the budget law itself), the so-called clubs, which exist for gambling, but do not admit women, are permitted great latitude—and in re- turn are struck by rake-off taxes of 20 per cent up to a million profits, 30 per cent up to two millions, 40 per cent up to three millions, 50 per cent up to four millions and 60 per cent above four millions! In analogy to these worth-while taxes the 18 per cent at present collectible from the public gambling tables of watering places like Cannes, Deatville, Blarrits, Vichy, Nice, Aix-les-Bains, etc., can be enormously increased by enlargement extension and favor. As a fact, they are only second to Monte Carlo at present. Monte Carlo! There is the rub— Monte Carlo! Monte Carlo goes them one better. It is a corner of France, but just outside French jurisdiction, and it has both baccarat and roulette, not to speak of trente-et-quarante—that pe- culiar game of big bets! This is why Aix-les-Bains, the ultra- fashionable resort of the French Alps (where the elder Pierpont Morgan soak- ed his rheumatism every year), is clamoring for the legal right to run roulette tables! Aix-les-Bains already leads in bac- carat, with two casinos, but this is not enough. It puts it up to the French parliament: ““Why should Mente Carlo have extra gambling attractiong? If Alix-les-Bains could open roulette wide, to ladies and to foreign visitors, as with bacparat today, the world's spare cash would flow in, and the gqvernment's ‘share of the profits would help pay off France’s floating debt. “Folks have been complaining that France does not balance her yearly budget. Let us help, with patriotic gambling!” It is a strong plea. : * % X K ERE is . another, at the gates of Paris. Before the war a spasm of popular virtue led Parliament to pass a law forbidding public gambling, even baccarat, at watering places ‘Women make the snap and beauty of the tables. The silver moon shines on the winner. Roll on, silver moon, guide the traveler on his way! Otherwise you have clandestine gam- bling. It is not healthy, bootleggers' hooch. A rich man, at Nice, the other day, became indignant at the rake-off of government-supervised baccarat and in- vited a select crowd to come and play “free baccarat” at his villa. They came. Artistes in baccarat came with them. The rich man and his friends were badly rooked, where supervision would have nipped it in the bud. Then, to add imsult to injury, an impudent fellow, as he departed, hand- ed the rich amateur a little bunch of playing cards, all picture cards, kings, Jacks— (In baccarat they call them “sticks” or “dead omes counting zero to your point.) ‘“Here are some more royal good fellows,” he grinned. *Put them among the family photographs!" any more than Timepiece Test. NY one may send his watch to the bureau of standards for & test to ascertain whether it qualifies as a timepiece of the highest grade, designated as “class A.” This privi- lege is used chiefly by watch manu- facturers, who are thereby enabled to furnish each tested timeplece with a government certificate. To ascertain the accuracy of a timepiece it is placed in 3 large glass- front refrigerator, equipped with au- tomatic devices that keep the tem- perature at a fixed point, in which the watch “runs” for, stated periods at various degrees of heat and cold. ‘When thé regulator has been set, the flow of cold air from the ice chest above the watch chamber is con- trolled by a thermostatic device, amd, \when necessary, warm air is intro- duced from the outside. The three temperatures at which all watches undergoing the test are kept are 45, 70 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. To-/quallfy in.*class A” a watch must not vary more than four or five seconds from correct time, and, in addition, it must be able to repeat its performance in a variety of positions and under varying conditions. In all there are eleven specifications In the test, some of them involving technical calculations. 2 Any variance made by the watches under test from correct time is re- corded by means of a chronograph. R