Evening Star Newspaper, August 15, 1937, Page 50

F-2 TORONTO By John Clagett Proctor.) EGINNING August 27 and con- tinuing until September 11, the Canadian National Exhibition | will be held at Toronto, Can- | ada, and the Navy Band, one of the Government's crack musical organiza- | tions, has been invited to attend. The | Navy Department has given its con-| sent, and {n a fortnight or so it is quite likely we shall hear this popular con- tingent, under the direction of Lieut. | Charles Benter, broadcasting from this delighttul Canadian city. | Of course, the Marine Band, a much older organization, has played in most | every State of the Union, and across| the great pond as well, but this is only to be expected of such &n in- ternationally known body of men. | However, the Navy Band is quite young, g0 far as time is concerned, and its leader is entitled to considerable credit for building up to such a hmh‘ musical standard, in the short space of 18 years, an organization that stands ide by side with the best bands of the Sountry. Indeed, to this fact its| JOHN PHILIP SOUSA, many thousands—perhaps millions—| Leader of the United States of admirers who have listened to it over | Marine Band, 1880-1892. the air will attest, and, having heard | —————— B it 30 often, they realize when they militia and other volunteer defenders hear it announced and recognize the of the town.” familiar strains of “Anchors Aweigh” | Continuing, he says: that a well-balanced and finely exe-| “Ag the enemy advanced on Fort cuted program awaits them, and no Toronto, expecting to make it an easy | HONORS NAVY BAND Washington Musicians to Appear at Canadian Exposition and Broadcast During Period—Service Bands and Their Popular Leaders of the Past. | ended ‘November 22, 1804. one is ever disappointed. ‘ | LEAFLET issued by the band contains the following reference to it by its tour manager, Wayne Borton: | “Here to take his place among the great band leaders of all time is Lieut. | Charles Benter, leader of the famous United States Navy Band of Washing- ton, D. C. The position of Lieut. Benter is unique, for whereas other directors succeeded to the leadership of units steeped in tradition, he founded his own organization. brought | it to a state of perfection second to no similar organization in the world and has been the only leader during its existence. “Charles Benter's entire career has been colored by his deep appreciation of military music, particularly those patriotic airs that are traditional to our Navy and those men who from time immemorial have gone down to the sea in ships. He enlisted in the | Navy when a mere boy, and by the time he had reached the age of 20, through steady promotions, he had attained the rank of bandmaster on the battleship Rhode Island, being the youngest man ever to hold that rank in the Navy. *Up to this period it was due only to the earnest efforts of sincere American band leaders that instru- mental music had been kept alive on the ships of our Navy. Charles Ben- ter, one of these men, reared in the Navy of Uncle Sam. thorough musi- | cian, imbued with the ideals of duty to the flag he served, courageo discarded many of the outmoded customs and traditions which he felt were keeping service bands in a mu- gical rut, and started that progress which resulted in his building up one of the finest musical units afloat. “It i8 not surprising, therefore. that | shortly after the close of the World | War Bandmaster Benter of the U. S. S. Connecticut was ordered to Wash- ington and assigned the duty of| creating a band worthy of upholding | the traditions of the Navy and that would rank second to none in the world. This was in 1919, and six| years later Benter's efforts were recog- | nized when by a special act of Con-| gress, effective March 4, 1925, the United States Navy Band was made & permanent organization, with its leader ranking as lieutenant, senior grade, U. S. N. Fifteen years later, this same band, under the leadership | of Lieut. Benter, was to be recognized | by the American Bandmasters’ Asso- ciation, in convention assembled, as| the outstanding band in America, and one that will undoubtedly go down in | naval annals as the foremost musical organization ever to wear the Navy blue.” RIGINALLY this band, organized in 1918, was composed of only four men, but soon grew in numbers, until in 1923 it included 63 men, and that is probably its present number. Although many honors have come | to this fine body of musicians, yet one | of the most outstanding recognitions | given it was when President Harding, | in 1923, selected 35 men from the band to accompany him on his visit | to Alaska. However, there was & tinge of sadness in this trip, for as| you will probably recall, the Presldem; died immediately upon his return to | the States, his death occurring in San Francisco, Calif,, on August 2. In addition to this the band has| played outside the city many times| when on tour and concerts are said to have been played in over a thou- sand cities, hamlets and villages of | the United States. As would naturally be expected, all the members of this band are very fine men as well as being outstanding musicians, and its assistant leader, Alexander Morris, is an especially able man, and one with a lot of person- ality, the kind that always wins friends. Indeed, as has been well said, “the | Navy and the country at large may well be proud of having in our own | land a musical organization that ranks | with the best in European countries.” TORO]\'PO4 where the Navy Band is going for a short stay, has much in common with the Capital of the| United States. It was founded in 1794, 1s one of the chief cities of the Do- minion of Canada and the capital of the Province of Ontario. Its popula- tion has kept pace with our own city of Washington, and it is a beautiful and a delightful place to visit. Back in April, 1813, when the United States and Great Britain were at war, and Toronto was known as York, a force of Americans, headed by Brig. Pike, took possession of this place and sacked and burned many of the public buildings, including the House of Par- liament, with its library and some of its public records, and those of any value that could be removed were put on board the fleet and taken away. In his work, entitled “Toronto, Old and New,” G. Mercer Adams, in speaking of this event, says: “The Rev. John (afterward Bishop) Strachan, who had recently come to York, was instrumental in restraining the wantonness of the enemy and in saving from the torch not a little pri- vate property. He was also enabled to secure some modifications in the ar- ticles of capitulation, and to effect the release on parole oi the Canadian prey, the fire on the fort having! ceased. suddenly there was a terrific | explosion and Brig. Pike, with 200 of his command. were unceremoni- | ously shot into the air. The powder | magazine, it seems, had been fired by | an artillery sergeant of the retreating regulare to prevent its falling into| the hands of the enemy, and the fuse was lit, from all accounts, unde- signedly. at a horribly inopportune mo- ment. Despite the calamitous check and the consternation that ensued the Americans advanced upon the fort and received the submission of Col. Chewett and the handful of militia who had not fallen in detense of it.| “The explosion of the magazine and the loss of life it occasioned put the invaders in no humor to treat gen- | erously either with the town or with the people.” | "THREE months later the Americans returned, and Chauncey's fleet repeated in & way what had pre- | viously been done. | We sometimes criticize the British | for burning the public buildings of | Washington and destroying the Li- | brary of Congress then housed in the Capitol, but, as stated before, what we did to the Canadians in To- | ronto Gen. Ross and Admiral Cock- burn later did to us. believing that it is eminently fitting to do unto others as they do unto you, or at least this is the military way of looking at it At any rate, the British did come here on August 24, 1814, just 123 years ago, and they did a great deal of de- struction before they left. The Li- | brary of Congress then had on hand | i.‘h' “‘enormous” number of 3,000 vol- | | umes, and the enemy used practically | all of these to kindle the fire that destroyed the Capitol. And, according | to an old account, this is how they | did it: “The leading officers entered the House of Representatives, where Ad- miral Cockburn of the royal navy | (who was co-operating with Gen. | Ross), seating himself on the Speak- | er's chair, called the assemblage to order. ‘Gentlemen.' shouted he, ‘the | question is, Shall this harbor of Yan- kee democracy be burned? All in favor of burning it will saye aye!" There was a general affirmative response. ! And when he added, ‘Those opposed will say nay. silence reigned for a moment. ‘Light up!' cried the bold Briton, and the order was soon re- | peated in all parts of the building, | while soldiers and sailors vied with | each other in collecting combustible materials for their incendiary fires. The books on the shelves of the Li- brary of Congress were used as kin- dling for the mnorth wing, and the much-admired portraits of Louis XVI | and his Queen, Marie Antoinette, which had been presented by that unfortunate monarch to Congress, were torn from their frames and trampled under foot.” The British also upon this occa- sion sustained a loss from an explo- sion at the Navy Yard, due to some one throwing a lighted taper down a dry well where the Americans had hid a large quantity of powder. The casualties: were considerable, and many of the wounded had to be left behind when the enemy evacuated the city. But, naturally, these were given humane treatment, and many of the injured recovered. T IS nice to know that in this en- lightened day the Navy is sending its band to Toronto to increase the re- spect and neighborly feeling of the Canadian people by its excellent music, which every one will agree is much better for their boys and for our boys than sending our soldiers there to be shot up and in return to shoot. “Uncle Sam” is very considerate in sending bands on tours, and the Army Band and the Marine Band have re- peatedly been given this privilege, the former having had its first tour in January and February 10 years ago. But this band is the youngest of the three bands mentioned, not having been organized into an Army band until the Spring of 1923, when sta- tioned at Fort Hunt, Va. At this time Gen. Pershing selected Master Sergt. Willis 8. Ross, who had been drum major of Gen. Pershing's A. E. F. or- ganization. In the September following its or- ganization at Fort Hunt the band was ordered to Washington Barracks, where & competitive examination was held among applicants for the posi- tion of leader, and Capt. William J. Stannard was rated No. 1. His selec- tion proved to be a most enjoyable one, especially to an appreciative pub- lic, and the band gained many friends through his able leadership. This band headed the funeral pro- cession of the late President Harding, the Defense day parade, the parade at the inauguration of President Coo- lidge, the homecoming celebration for Col. Charles A. Lindbergh and many other official celebrations. The Pan- American Union selected thc Army Band as the official band for introduc- tion of South American music into the United States. CAPT. THOMAS F. DARCY suc- ceeded to the leadership of this band a few years ago, upon the retire- ment of Capt. Stannard. There is considerable difference to- day in the pey and treatment of Gov- ernment musicians from what was ac- o : | | In company with Thee, corded them during the days when John Phillp Sousa led the Marine Band, for even he was not then rated as a commissioned officer, and many of his men were enlisted as just ordi- nary privates. But after Sousa was permitted to retire from the band, and after Santelmann succeeded Fanciulli, Santelmann was given a commission and the leader now has the rank of captain. You have often heard it said how a strolling band of Italian musicians was shanghaied aboard a Government. vessel and brought to this country in | order to form a Marine Band. Of| course, this it literally not true, but they were undoubtedly misled. since those who engaged them to come to America had not the legal authority to do so. According to the Marine Corps rec- ords, Willlam Farr was the first leader of the band, his definite services hav- ing started January ‘21, 1799, and As early as 1775 the Marines had some sort of music to march by, for we are told that the recruiting for | the corps, shortly after November 10 | of that year, was done with fife and | drum, the latter bearing a picture of a rattlesnake, and under it the | well-known motto, “Don’t Tread On | Me,” which is used today on the drums of the Marine Corps. No doubt they | were seen by the followers of former Kaiser Wilhelm when our boys of the Marine Corps made their famous charges, which established even more than ever this arm of Uncle Sam's military service. I,lOWEVER. this little handful of musicians under Drum Major | William Farr did not quite suit the | musical taste of President Jefferson, although they had successfully enter- | tained President John Adams during | his short stay in the White House. | But Adaws was not a musician, | Whereas Jefferson was a violinist and | a lover of music, and saw much room for improvement. Thus, when he came into office and was thrown into the company of Col. | Barrows, the band was frequently the | topic of their conversation when out horseback riding together, and upon one occasion, the President, in his overzealousness, is said to have even suggested that it would be a good idea to enilst some musicians in Italy as Marines, and bring them back to | the United States and to have two | bands—one American and the other | Italian. Naturally the commandant was anxious to please the President, and so, in 1803, he directed Capt. John Hall, who went out with Prebles Squadron, to enlist some musicians and to bring them home. | Capt. Hall, upon arriving in the | Mediterranean, met an Italian pro- | fessor named Gaetano Varano, whom he tried to induce to come to America, | but this he declined to do, suggesting as a likely substitute, Gaetano Caruso (afterward spelled Carusi) of Catan:a, | Ttaly. The captain, we are told,! visited Catania, and on February 17, | 1805, enlisted Gaetano Carusi, re- garded as “captain of the band”; his | two sons, Samuel and Ignazio, aged 10 and § years, respectively; Francisco Pulizzi, Felizzi (Felix) Pulizzi, Ven- erando Pulizzi, aged 12; Michael Sar- do, Gaetano Sardo and 10 others Lewis Carusi. a very young son of Gaetano Carusi, was also brought along, though not enlisted. This band of Italians and their wives | and children—which included, besides those mentioned, Dominico Guarna- | cias, Joseph Papa, Salvadonia Sauria, Pasquale Sauria, Gicomo Sando, Ig- nazio de Mauro, Antonio Paterno and Corano Signoulle—immediately went aboard the frigate Chesapeake and participated in the War with Tripoli, finally, on September 19, 1805, arriv- ing at the Navy Yard in this city. | L Memorial to John Philip Sousa in Congressional Cemetery. One of America’s noted band leaders, he died in 193 | with his wife and family; James Sardo and Guetano Sardo, Joseph Papa, in Aci; S. Antonio and Corrado Sig- norelli, in the city of Noto. These can all bear witness to the truth of my statement from the time of my ar- rival in America to the conflict of the English and American frigates. ‘There were others who, not so fortunate as the rest in reaching their | native country, fell victims to their | miserable fortune. Francis Pulizzi, Antonio Paterno, Joseph Sardo, Sal- vador Loria, Ignatius di Mauro and Antonia Pulizzi have all since died. Samuel, Ignatius and Louis Carusi, Michael Sardo and wife, Felix Puliz- zi, his son Venerando and his daugh- | ters are all who are in this country | | and able to testify to the truth of my | statement.” The United States Navy Band of Washington that has been invited to attend the Canadian National Erhibition in Toronto and will broadcast from the Canadian city under the direction of Lieut. Charles Benter, director, in the near future. Ll e b Marble shajt in C sional Cemetery over grave of Gaetano Carusi, who came to Washington in 1805 to be in charge of the Marine Band years bef Gaetano Carusi presented a to Congress forth certain facts in connection w his joining the band and his subse- quent service in the corps, and as- suming his statements to be true he was certainly given a raw deal. When the band came to Washington, he said, the members were illy housed, had to cut their own wood, trenches, cut ice on the river and haul it to the quarters, sweep the floor and perform every military duty, and the leader had to instruct the musicians at least twice a day. This very interesting bit of military history covers about 16 octavo pages, NOME 1845 claim e his death, in in which he s | set in small type and concludes as “This narrative is a shadow of what befell me, and if proof be wanti tence is the the most pow- testimony of me during & part of my and who are at this mome residing in Sic The foliowing live in Catania: D. Dc menico Guarnaccia, D. Pasquale Loria, erful, those however, who wel | and John Philip Sousa. | | (GAETANO CARUSI reposes in Con- | gressional Cemetery, far from his | cares and troubles. and over his grave is a white marble shaft, on which is inscribed: Sacred to the Memory of Gaetano Carusi Died June 17, 1845, In his 85th Year, And of His Wife, Philippa Carusi, In Her 75th Year. And of Their Youngest Son, Lewis Carusi, Died October 19, 1872, In His 75th Year. ‘There are at least two other leaders of the band buried in this cemetery, if we include Carusi as among the lead- | ers, and this probably should be done. | The others are Francis Maria Scala Sousa’s grave is handsomely and appropria‘ely marked, and as a native son his buria | place should have an added attraction | for the music-loving Washingtonia Indeed, his reputation was world- wide, and only a few years ago, when sightseeing in Warwick Castle, near London, England. the writer became | much interested when he was informed that in 1898, when the Duchess of | Warwick gave a grand ball there, to which King Edward VII was invited, Sousa's band played the music for the ‘ occasion. And this, the writer mused. was our own Washington Sousa, who once managed the Muffers, one of the Navy Yard section's base ball teams: who led the orchestra in the old Theater Comique; Wwho became leader of the | United States Marine Band, and who | S0 | for many vears successfully conducted | perfected for the extrac | his own magnificent band. Of course, as much as we admire Mr. Sousa, yet we must not fail to mention other leaders of this great organization from the beginning to the present time. They include: William Farr, January 21, 1789, to November 22, 1804 Charles S. Ashworth. November 24, | 1804, to October 16, 1816 Venerando Pulizzi, October 17, 1816, to December 9, 1816. John Powley, December 10, 1816, to lary 18. 1818 Venerando Pulizzi, July 14, 1824, to September 3, 1827 John B. Cuvillier, September 3, 1827 to June 16 Joseph Cuvillier, June 16, February 25, 1835 F 1829, to FRANCIS MARIA SCALA, Leader of the Marine Band, 1855-1871. He is buried in Congressional Cemetery. Francis Schenig. February 26, 1835 to December 9, 1836, Raphael R. Triay, | 1836, to May 22, 1843 Antonio Pons, May 22, 1843, to May 1, 1844 December 10, Joseph Lucchesi, July 31, 1846 Antonio Pons, October 26, 1846, to July 7. 1848. % | Raphael R. Triay, July 8, 1848, to September 9, 185 | | Francis Scala, September 9, 1855, to | December 13, 1871 | Henry Fries, December 14, 1871, to | August 27, 1873 | | " Louis Schneider, September 2, 1873, | | to October 1. 1880 | John Philip Sousa, October 1, 1880, | | to_July 30, 1892 | Francisco Fanciulli, November 1. 186 to October 31, 1897 | villiam H. Santelmann, March 3, 1898, to 1927. | Taylor Branson, 1927 to date. May 1, 1844, to Science Aids Machine. VIECHANICAL experts perfect la- bor-saving and speedier methods ‘bu! sometimes scientists are forced to | step in and solve the problems new processes raise. For instance. a machine has been tion of seeds from tomatoes. It offers a better method than the old under which the | fruit were permitted to ferment. Un- ‘ | fortunately, seed so obtained produced | plants which were subject to canker. | Dr. H. L. Blood of the United States Department of Agriculture decided | that something in the fermentation process killed the canker organism. | He found the fermented pulp con- | tained acetic and acids. and then that solutions of these acids con- rol the canker organism on even machine-extracted seeds. lactic Prisoners in Mexico City no longer are officially known by that name. They are “natural biological units susceptible of correction.” RECORD HELD <« Miss Drake of Washington Writes Her Own Script on Timely Subjects. By Louise Hartley W assell. Master of Time and Space, | | I have a part in the working | Of a great miracle. Grant that my thought may wing its way. | Let the spoken word Make real a sense of beauty And consolation, mirth and joy In the hearts of those who listen. HIS is the prayer that Alice Hutchins Drake, Washington's pioneer woman radio lecturer, has sent over the air weekly for 13 years, “13 lucky years,” she believes. Now that the National Broadcasting Co. has moved into new headquarters in the Trans-Lux Building, Miss Drake will resume her weekly programs, “Little Talks on Large Topics.” “These 13 years,” she said, “have been rich in opportunity. I have learned that a mere turn of the dial makes the whole world kin or sets them in a| dither.” | Needless to say, Miss Drake writes her own script, using about 2,250 words on each program. She holds a record of having written and sent over the air more than a million words. “This,” she modestly said, “I was informed in New York, gives our station in the Capital the greatest wordage on cul- tural subjects, of any station in the country.” When asked how she arranges her programs the lecturer explained: “The elements of timeliness usually govern my subjects for broadcasting. Then again,” she continued, “many people listen for sentence construction, and others, correct use of words—especially descriptive words, which mean ‘word- pictures’ to a listening audience. You can readily see that such requisites entail careful preparation.” AGAXN speaking of "words, woman’s most deadly weapon,” Miss Drake tells of conducting a party of 20 blind friends through the Congressional Library some years ago, just before launching on her radio career. “Al- though I endeavored to the best of my ability,” the lecturer said, “to help my friends see through my eyes and words these exquisite murals, slowly describing in vivid and colorful ex- pressions, for thres hours, the master- pleces there, at the conclusion of the tour, I was s little discouraged for foar I had falled my listeners.” BY WOMAN BROAD ALICE HUTCHINS DRAKE, Pioneer woman radio lecturer of Washington, at her first broad- cast 13 years ago. However, patience has its reward, for as the lecturer was entering her apartment, “The telephone was ring- ing,” she added, “and my blind friends invited me to guide them through the Corcoran Art Gallery next day. We had many such pleasant trips.” These experiences, she thinks, gave her the courage to enter the radio fleld, when a friend asked her to repeat a review of one of the Dorothy Dix books. Soon thereafter the studio director requested Miss Drake to broadcast regularly, talks on “Art in Washington,” which she has con- tinued weekly in connection with book reviews and discussion of other in- teresting cultural subjects here. “Talks by & layman to the layman” is the lecturer's characteristic ex- pression of her work. She is her own severest disciplinarian. As she has only approximately 15 minutes on the air, every word counts, and this re- quires the cultivation of cultural word selectivity. “I try to remember,” she said, “everything my grandfather, my father, my. mother and my teachers have taught me about our beautiful, expressive English language and the magic of the spoken word.” Pl Photo by L. H. Roberts. ITH studied timeliness, Miss Drake arranges her yearly pro- grams. In the Spring, when Wash- ington is filled with visitors and stu- dents, she speaks of the cherry blos- soms, the Congressional Library murals, the Constitution, the new Su- preme Court Building and art in general. In the Summer her talks have the coloring of the art galleries, boats, water, hills and restful topics. In the Fall, in connection with cul- tural art, she reviews the new books which fill the libraries. Her February programs are directed to those who are ill in bed with colds and what not. “Dividing the ceiling over their beds,” she explained, “I attempt to fill the four sections with refreshing word pictures capable of creating a zest for quick recovery and living.” Knowing that it is impossible to please all of her listeners with one type program, the radio lecturer strives to diversify. “And the re- action,” she said, “is highly interesting and often very amusing.” While-at her hair dresser's one day the subject of women brosdoasting was discussed. A CASTER Seasons of Year Observed and Tastes of Visitors Are All Recognized. “I always turn off the dial” the operator said, naively, “when Miss Drake talks. I don't like her line. Did you ever hear her?” and Miss Drake faintly admitted that she had— occasionally. During one of her talks on paint- ings in the cathedrals of Italy, in- cluding Da Vinci's “Last Supper” and | other masterpieces, a man telephoned | the studio, “Can't that woman talk | about our own American paintings instead of something we will never | see.” Whereupon he was informed | that most of these programs were de- voted to American art. "THE primary motive of many listen- ers is to criticize pronunciation of the lecturer, but it is all in the | as it may seem, the radio lady had been broadcasting for seven years be- fore she had one of the so-called auditions, now so popular. “While on a visit to Radio City, the director invited me to ‘try out’ my voice. The criticism which comes in the wake of such experiences is always very | helpful,” Miss Drake believes. | Arthur Godfrey, Washington's popu- lar commentator, once referred to the | lecturer's style of radio speaking as| her “drawing room manner.” “I sincerely hope he was right in his classification,” Miss Drake said, | “for I endeavor to speak in the ‘mike’ in & natural voice, as though my audience were in close proximity. ‘This technique seems to interest my listeners.” The nationally known radio lecturer has many other interests which fill her busy days. For 19 years, Miss Drake has given a course of lectures at the ‘Young Woman's Christian Association headquarters as a thanks offering, she explained, for her gratefulness in being able to return to live in Wash- ington, which she considers the center of cultural America. As a member of the staff of the Maryland University and Poetry Com- mittee of the fine arts department of the District Federation, she often gives lectures. Miss Drake is also an honor- ary associate of the Church of Epiphany Branch of the Girls’ Friendly Soclety. . “But,” the walking authority on| words said with a smile, “it takes the bitter and the sweet to make up the days work, otherwise life would be- radio game and very exciting. stranze§ Mammoth, Amazing Book Is State Depart- ment’s Declaration of Independence From Rule of Despotic British Grammarians. By Cedric Larson. HE Department of State has just published what is prob- ably one of the most elaborate works upon style and rhetoric that any government has ever at- tempted to put out. Although many departments and agencies of the Government have sets of rules to follow in preparation of reports and correspondence, nothing so comprehensive as the publication of the Department of State has ever been approached. The book is 375 pages in length, sumptuously bound in black cloth and gold lettering, with a generous sprinkling of ruled leaves for notes. Copies of the book are as hard to obtain as rooster's ezgs and unless you can get vour Congressman to wangle you a copy. the book will cost you $1.75 per at the Government Printing Office, superintendent of . documents. Its origin is as follows: On Sep- tember 3, 1935, the fiat went forth from the office of Secretary of State Cordell Hull that “in order to insure the maintenance of uniformity in papers emanating from the Depart- ment of State” an official style manual was to be prepared, supplied and followed. Collection of data had been under way for some time. The material was carefully tabulated systematized and final under the title. Department of State, 1937." torial work was chiefly under supervision of Margaret M. Hanna and Alice M. Ball of the State De- partment. The edi- PERHAPS no other publication has ever come closer to being an of- ficial recognition of proper usuage | of what H. L. Mencken would call “‘the American language” or academicians and pedagogues label “the English | l]anguage as spoken in America.” The book proper is divided into seven parts. The first part is about 20 pages and deals with office pro- cedure; that is to say, with how vari- ous dignitaries are to be addressed in accordance with their rank and format of correspondence. Part two is fascinating. and is de- voted to types of address and saluta- tion in American ench German, Italian, Sp: papal and ecclesiastical usage, consuming about 60 pages. We learn, for example, that if you were addres England you would cor grace, the Duchess of Rochester.” The | the labyrinth of European aristocracy is carefully and meticulously ex- plained, for a slip here would be to commit an unpardonable faux pac The grammarian would delight in parts three and f are devoted to typographic theoretical forms. These sect up the of the book, or ab pages. No nicety of capitalizati peculiarity of spelling was ton to escape the acume pilers of this stvle mar vou would be in a poetic mond an want to know how to p in, O Ship of State'" not to capitalize “Communist"—all the pages of these sectio of the "O STICKLERS on Americar as opposed to barbaric Brit the sections on ling pound words will they cgn now sec! to the American wa of such terms. in a so bears the imprimatur of the Un States Government. The sneers of British grammarian will be silenced 1 h, with such an a quote Parts five and six are devc general ormation and v mental ns. The former is a n lany of useful facts and data a the latter of chief conce million Governmen “Style Manual of the M? the * officially a toddling usages of which incessantly. inf; toricians squabbl No longer is this the case, for lo! there is with us now an official treatise on #he bona fide employment of everything from the lowly comma to a con nal mod. fying clause in A minor. Some of the minutiae of this amaz- ing document throw a revealing on the growth of traditions and Ame: icanisms w have, after a tury and a half of achieved the official blessing Washington s Farewell Address” must talized, for it i Omelet ed bbled and proper way of addressing each rank in i too long of the Br sea! g Spelling 4'Contmuedr_7‘£(:m Pu{ F;l )_ spoke thusly of the President: “He is in wrong and he'd better back out at the first opportunity.” The press certainly was against Mr. Roosevelt. Out in Kentucky, Henry” Watterson cut loose with this “simplified” paragraph: “Nothing escapes Mr. Roosevelt. subject is tu hi fr him to takl, nor tu lo fr him to notis. tretis without the consent of the Senit. He inforces such laws as meet his approval, and fales to se those that do not soot him. He now assales the self a sort of French Academy, and will reform the spelling in a way to 300t himseif.” 3 And so it was, all around the land and part way around the world. By the time the Supreme Court went into sessicns following the vaca- tion period, the whole affair was at white heat. bs expected that the prime tribunal | would be drawn into the general melee. Expectations were fulfilled. The Chief Justice communicated with the solicitor general, citing the action of the President and declaring that citation of earlier decisions would not permit use of the simplified spell- ing because citations which made use literal quotations which the law de- mands. 'HUS the court was quietly and in & thoroughly effective way placed at odds with the President’s idea. It remained for the Congress to as- semble in December, 1908, for the rumpus to break out without restraint. ‘The Congressional Record for that showing the extent to which the White House and the Capitol were antagonis- tic on this “issue.” The President at that time had been in office approximately five years. He had built up a tremendous popular backing. He had used “the big stick” in powerful manner. And there were many at the Capitol who were willing, to put the matter mildly, for his suc- cesses to be punctuated with an out- right defeat. bringing great opportunity to them. For once, they reasoned, the President is not on the popular side of an issue. So, when Mr. Roosevelt sent his message to Congress on December 3, 1906, in the unorthodox spelling, the battle was on in earnest. The public come very monotonous.” J‘A printer was called before & House ocommittee and was grilled by members ! g ‘Marse | No| He makes | English langgwidg, constitutes him- | And it was somewhat to | of that spelling would not be the | session presents a great mass of words | Such as these saw the | “simplified spelling order” as a vehicle | who wanted to reveal weaknesses a absence of economy in lan Champ Clarl notable of that subject and reached this climax “Before very long the people of tha United States are going to ins | having a President who attend strictly to his constitutional functions and expend his energies onlv on | jects of great pith and moment More than three months had elapsed between issuance of the Pri ent | order and the convening of Congre. Having been held up for that, | of time in “cracking down" President’s plan, Congr take hold of oppor finally presented itself. ‘HERE was not even enoug! tience to permit the fram special legislation dealing directly the issue An attempt was made * tack the following “rider” on the fi appropriation bill to enter the le lative machinery: “In printing documents authorized by law or ordered by Congress Government Printing Office shall | low the rules of orthography es! lished by Webster's or other generali| accepted dictionaries of the Engli language.” But parliamentary objections to that procedure arose, and it then becar evident that even the first express of congressional disapproval wou have to take more formal and defi| nite form. A speedily contrived resolution con veying the rebuke was passed by trel Howse, with 142 members voting for] it and only 24 voting in oppositi The next day the following and more| clearly defined resolution was adopted| without a dissenting vote: “Resolved, That it is the sense of the) House of Representatives that here after, in printing reports, documen' or other publications authorized bv law, ordered by Congress or eithe branch thereof, or emanating from th, w | executive departments, their bureaus or branches, and independent offices o the Government, the Governme Printing Office should observe a adhere to the standard of orthograph prescribed in generally accepted dic tionaries of the English language.” That same day the President with drew the order he had issued to th public printer. And so ended one passage of arms between branches of our Federal Got ernment. History books and official records hold the details of many suct official battlings, but none ever cen tered in a leas provocative subject tha the spelling of a doubls handful o ‘words. v