Evening Star Newspaper, September 11, 1936, Page 26

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QUINTUPLETS HELD NEWWORLD FORCE Dr. Dafoe Says “Fan Mail” Is Indication of Mar- riages Saved. A visit to Quintland, *where the . Dionne babies have changed the ways of life of the Ontario coun- tryside, is described here in the second of a series of seven dis- patches giving a close-up view _ol the Callander scene and the chief actors in it. BY IRA WOLFERT. CALLANDER, Ontario, September 10—The huge crowds rutting the broad new road across forest land to the Dafoe nursery 3 miles from here, frightening .bear into deeper seclusion, stampeding moose into crashing, blundeting flight through brush, shaking crows loose from grain Relds so successfully that scarecrows here are practically extinct, offer & curious study. They start coming at dawn and at midnight stragglers still go bumping along the hills to scout out the land for the morrow’s day-time inspection of the contents of a play yard. One hundred more than 7,000 one sunny day, 58 more than 7,000 the next. Ten fewer than 5,000 one gray and wind- whipped day, 3 more than 5000 the next. Twice as many this year as last and more coming every day. One hundred forty-five thousand in July. Two hundred thousand in August. From Montana and Louisiana, from Vermont, New York, Arizona, Mexico, Hawail, Alaska, from Charleston plantations and Chattanooga slums, from Oklahoma oil towns and Oregon farms, from all the thronged areas of the Continent, they come to this lonely, bleak spot for a one-minute look at five children whose single claim to riches—$500,000 worth at present—and such world-wide fame as few have ever possessed, is that they were born at the same time and therefore are of interest to science. Manner Is Changed. On the way in, this huge crowd Is such a one as stands before the ticket box of any side show. Some are skeptical, some eager, some mock- ing and some look as if they had been dragged by the ears to keep their wives and children company. On the way out the skeptical, the ocking and the unwilling have van- 4shed. You see yellow, sick-looking old men, whose eyes shine and from ‘whose mouths pour tumultuously the happy syllables of excitement. There sre women whose lips works, whose cheeks are wet with tears and chil- dren whose faces are vibrant with a shouted eagerness. And there are, as in every gathering at what has become & shrine, the neurotics—those who roll in the dust and shriek, who fall to their knees and pray out loud and $n public, None—not the most normal and phlegmatic—is unmoved. After a searching, eager, hungry, literally momentary look at the quintuplets, most seem merely satisfied, as on ful- filling an ambition or acquiting & new topic for dinner-table’ conversation. But some are shaken profoundly, Many Write Letters. “And some—the Lord knows how many—are changed permanently,” says Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe, the little country doctor who puffs his pipe for hours every day over the letters they write back to him. Item: Letter from a woman in Cleveland who had never wanted chil- dren until she had seen the quin- tuplets. “I can't tell you how differ- ent my life has become now, how much more full and happy it is and promises to remain forever.” Item: Letter from a woman in Mil- waukee: “My husband and I agreed our marriage was going to be differ- ent, that we were not going to fill our house and lives with a litter of sticky brats. But for all our plans, our marriage started to go crumby around the edges and looked as if it was going to be no different from all the others that have ended up miserably in Reno. We were up in the North country for some outdoor life and we stopped off to see why such a fuss was being made over the quintuplets. * * * My husband end I, we both thank God for them now and for you who have made them what they are today.” Birth of New Force. It would seem, said the doctor, that She birth was not only of quintuplets but of & new, potent force in the world. “We knew from the start that child- less women all over the world would turn hungry eyes on the Dionne ba- bies and that, if they could see what they should see, the effect would be good, wholesome and inspiring. It gave us an unparalleled opportunity to improve the lot of children every- ‘where by demonstrating in the world’s newspapers what scientific care could do. “We took five children whose start in life was bad as it could well be. They were only somewhere between 8ix and one-half and seven months old when they were born. Six days later, they weighed all together some- thing less than 10 pounds. We nursed them, fed them, cared for them, trained them, to give mothers an fdea of what it's possible to do. Now they are plump, happy kids who don’t ery when they fall or whine when they are bumped, who cry and laugh with the huge, ripe, bursting noises ©f children in sound health. “The first proof we had of what — OUT-OF-TOWN 'TELEPHONE RATES To points 240 or more miles away, and over- time person-to-person . charges. « Ask Long Distance for the low rate to anmywhere. the children were doing to those who saw them was in the letters that come to me, letters telling of marriages a sight of them had saved, of men brought home to their wives and wom- en brought home to their husbands. Then, in May, 1935, the province chose to celebrate the quintuplets’ birthday anniversary with an ‘adopt- a-baby’ campaign. “It was & logical thing to do. We felt that many of the people who saw our babies would realize that environ- ment is responsible for at least 75 per cent of the kind of person a child will develop into and would thus an- swer their own ancient argument against adopting a child out of an orphan asylum: That you can’t tell what you are getting. “Originally it was scheduled as ‘Adopt-a-baby week’ and was planned as an annual event. But I don't think we'll ever have to run it again. At that time we had about 1,000 chil- dren in orphan asylums through the province. Long before the week was up no single adoptable child was left. And now, 16 months after all pub- licity has stopped, we not only do not have a single adoptable child in the province's asylums, but, for the first time in our history, we have a waiting list of parents. Some 50, I believe, whose names and intentions are on file in Toronto. The children are taken out as fast as they come in. Vexing Matter of Stones. “Then,” says the doctor, his eyes twinkling, s slow smile lighting his Dashing black felt pill- box. .. newest to enter the fashion arena! Made for youth, with pompoms in the colors of the Spanish Flag! One of a “Spanish” trio that includes the new “Toreador” tri- corne and the “Pi- cador” brim! All 5.00. AIR COOLED D E reigning pet in the fall dress picture 695 The lithe and Shop! Alpaca, —Scores of and sizes. BETTER DRESSES— THIRD FLOOR Top: Two-piece black crepe turing the mew gored swing shirt. White satin vest with rick rhinestone elip. 12 10 20. Green, 12 te 20, THE - EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, tired, gray face, “there is the sorely vexing matter of the stones. “In Sumatra, woman makes an image of a child and holds it in her lap a# an induce- ment to the stork. Archipelago the childless woman makes a doll, goes through a make- believe nursing routine and then pro- ceeds publicly to sew little garments, while the husband brings his friends and relatives in to offer congratula- tions, which are at least premature and at most optimistic. The methods seem to work, at least they think they do—which is half the battle. “In Callander the women pick stones off the Dionne farm and take them home with them. I don't know how it started, but I noticed they were doing it and I had a box filled with them to make it easy for the visitors, most of whom are quite shy about it. Now we fill the box every day and our visitors cart off an average of two tons of plain, ordinary field stones every week. A good proportion of them—maybe 90 per cent—are taken as & joke and for souvenirs. But the rest are taken in dead, grim, heart- breaking earnest. “Silly? Well, maybe. But I've been getting letters that indicate other- wise. A woman—childless and fran- tic for eight years—rubbing the stone against her dress and bearing a fine, healthy boy who has lighted up her whole life. Hundreds of such cases. One of the stones was taken back to the Twentieth Century-Fox lot in Hol- lywood, by a member of the troupe spanish advance in hats! lovely princess silhouette . . . en- dorsed by all the Paris cou- turiers . . . and summed up smartly in this new collec- tion from our Better Dress rich-tex- tured crepes and soft wools « . designed to mould your waist and hips into lines of slim rhythm, then swirl gracefully about your knees interesting styles in black, Coronation blue, emerald, brown, ruby other new autumn tones. Misses’ and women’s Lower: Nu; with g swing shirs, Smart touche. self frimge. biue, grey ewd rust. I read, a childless | here sént up here to make ‘The Country Doctor,’ and now that they're up working on the sequel, ‘Reunion,’ they've all paid visits to the stone box on behalf of their friends back In the Babar | home. “What I'think happens in some cases is that the women are so wrought up over being barren, so tense and fear-stricken, that when they get something they believe will help them, the tension is eased, coun- teracting barrenness. At least the stones are not harmful, and I'm going to continue to let them have all they nt.” want.’ Wcprright, 1036, by the Norun Ameriess Newspaper Alliance, tne.) Two Fish on One Hook. BARASOTA, Fla. (#).—J. E. Levin- son told the old story of catching tws fish on one hook, but exhibited the fish to prove it. Levinson also explained how it hap- pened. A jewfish struck first, the hook passing into its mouth and out througn a gill. A mackerel snapped up the dangling hook. ® for campus ® for classroom ® for business you need plenty of Blouses Skirts Sweaters D._C. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1936. Research Reveals Washington As Father of Mule Movement B7 the Associated Press. One of the earliest and most influ- ential sponsors of the mule, Depart- ment of Agriculture experts have de- cided after paintaking research, was George Washington. They concluded too, that the mule is “a creature of great stubornness’— ultm'lhm; everybody else knew all along. Official recognition of the part played by the “Father of His Coun- try” in spreading balkiness on Ameri- can farms has been given in a de- partment publication. In tracing the history of the mule, which is a cross between the horse and the donkey, the experts found that a jack and two jennets given to Washington by the King of Spain accounted for the first recorded jacke stock importation in American his- Later Washington received s jack For all-around usefulness and for downright smartness . . . few costumes can equal these well- tailored ‘wardrobe suits. sort of outfit you can wear from the first crisp autumn days right through a cold winter! . .. the sort of outfit you need for this Washington weather! Two-piece tailored suit, topped by a trim swagger...smart pouch collar in wolf or raccoon. Soft tweed in brown, rust or tricky and jennet from the Marquis de La- fayette, and a cross between the two strains produced an animal which the first President called “Compound.” It sired some fine mules, the publica- tion said, and “the value of the mule a8 & work animal was soon recognised by the early planters.” There was unstinted praise for the mule’s ability to withstand long pe- riods of labor in hot climates, in mines and under other adverse con- ditions. Contrary to popular belief, official figures revealed that Missouri doesn’t have as many mules as some other States. Missouri mules numbered 236,000 at the start of this year, it was said, while Texas had 837,000. The mule population in North Carolina, Georgls, ‘Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Arkanses slso exceeded that of Mis- sourl. ‘38 green. Sizes 12 to 20. $ each BLOUSES in all their glorious im- portance! Rich crepes and gleaming satins . . . for your tailored togs and dressy afternoon suits. Black, white and every new costume shade. Sizes 32 to 46. Sketched: Tailored satin with the new high double collar. SKIRTS in dozens of trim, beauti- fully tailored styles. Soft wools « . . in pleated, straight or gored types. Black, brown, grey, green, oxford and navy. Sizes 26 to 32. Sketched: Basket-weave wool crepe . . . three kick plests in front, one in back. SWEATERS in the over styles . .. 100% fine wool zephyr Plain colors or smart color combinations . . . black, white, grey, green, red, blue and other wanted shades. Sketched; Three-tone style in white, black and grey or gold, green yarns. and brown. Sizes 32 popular slip- to 40. BETTER BUITS—SECOND FLOOR A real boon to every wardrobe! ... these well cut, smartly tailored sport coats. Soft fleeces or sturdy tweeds in' reefer, swagger or pad- dock styles. Brown, tan, rust, green, wine and grey. :-1 6.95 S The Announcin J. SR 12-off Sale Rizik’s Better Gowns SAVE YV; AND EVEN MORE How often have you wished for just one fine, beau- tifus gown, but thought you couldn’t afford it? This offering Rlnces the finest, smartest gowns ou’ll see anywhere within your reach; lovely fashe ons for every daytime and evening occasion; the kind you can wear anywhere in any season. Don’t hesitate—come, see how you can save a half and even more. RIZIK BROTHERS 1213 F Street 1108 Connecticut e —— Experienced AdvertisersPrefer TheStar F Felts and Antelope All the important millinery trends you've been reading and hearing about! High crowns—toques—turbans—forward brims —beret versions—off-the-face styles. Hats to top your tailored and dressy costumes with real autumn chic. Black and every important shade. MILLINERY—SECOND FLOOR

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