HE heroes of myth and legend would THE seem to be making way for the heroes of the daily life and the conquerors of reality. One of the marked tendencies in the publication of books for children is the increasing number of biographies suitable for children as young as ten years, or even younger. The great attention given to the current performances of the outstanding personalities during the war, as well as a stimulated interest in the lives of such prominent men and women, no doubt contributed to the habit of considering the lives of real people as suitable material for young folks' mental food. But the tendency is in part to be attributed to a better understanding of the child's psychology, for a number of these books were already to be had before the war.

Amy Steedman's "When They Were Children," making a special appeal in that the stories are about children; Mary H. Ward's "The Light Bringers ;" and Ariadne Gilbert's "More Than Conquerors," are among the collected biographies for children that pointed this tendency before the war. More recent books of value are Ponsonby's "Rebels and Reformers," and the two series of "The Book of Bravery," by Henry W. Lanier. Of course there have been books of saints and heroes almost as long as there have been any books for children; the noteworthy fact is that the new biographies count on yielding their values without the moralizing and preaching that defeated the purpose of the earlier attempts to interest young people in worthy achievement and character.

One of the developments in books for children that the outbreak of the war stimulated is the wide range of folk and fairy tales of various peoples. Thus there is a new volume of Czechoslovak fairy tales, another of Spanish, Swiss, Jewish, and

so on.

The tercentenary of the landing of the Pilgrims is marked by two juveniles (one of them "made in England"), "A Mayflower Maid," by E. A. & A. A. Knipe (The Century Company), and "The Young Pilgrims," by Charles Herbert (The Lippincott Company).

There are a number of books in different fields, but the total output of high quality does not come up to last year's. Apparently last year saw the publication of the best that had been held back during the war. And "best books have not been produced in sufficient quantity in the meanwhile. This may account for an apparent disposition to reissue standards in new forms. One of the best recent series of

juvenile classics is that by Rand McNally & Co., eleven volumes of well-made books, including such titles as "Robinson Crusoe," "Tanglewood Tales," "Ivanhoe," "Treasure Island," and so on. They

are attractively illustrated by Milo K. Winter.

The greatest dearth continues to be of worth-while fiction, especially for girls. The writers seem too often to assume that the only acceptable fiction for children consists of boarding-school pranks or in a concentration of impossible "Boy Scout' adventures.

BIOGRAPHY

Abraham Lincoln. Frederick A. Stokes Co,

A valuable addition to the "Heroes of All Time Series." &-12.

Boys' Book of Sea Fights. By Chelsea Curtis Fraser. Thomas Y. Crowell Co.

Famous naval battles and biographical sketches of naval heroes from Francis Drake to the Great War. Over 14. Broad Stripes and Bright Stars. By Carolyn S. Bailey. Pictures by Power O'Malley. Milton Bradley.

Tales of heroism and achievement out of America's de velopment. 10-14.

Pioneers of America. By Albert F. Blaisdell and Francis K. Ball. Little, Brown & Co.

Some twenty episodes and sketches from pioneer life. 8-12. Rebels and Reformers. By Arthur and Dorothea Ponsonby. Henry Holt & Co.

Interesting and inspiring stories of the lives of such notable figures as Savonarola, Voltaire, Bruno, Thoreau, Lloyd Garrison. Over 14.

Stories of the Saints. By G. Hall. Doubleday, Page & Co.

The better-known Christian saints of the early centuries retold for children. 12-15.

The Book of the Long Trail. By Henry Newbold. Longmans, Green & Co.

Sketches of eight English explorers and travelers. 1214 and over.

The Child's Book of English Biography. The Child's Book of American Biography. By Mary Stoyell Stimpson. Little, Brown & Co. 8-12.

Little Heroes of France. By Kathleen Burke. Doubleday, Page & Co.

Twelve stirring incidents of the Great War. 10-14. The Light Bringers. By Mary H. Wade. Little, Brown & Co. Peary, Clara Barton, Wright Brothers, Julia Ward Howe, Marconi, Amundsen.

FOR CHILDREN OF NURSERY AGE Bobby and the Big Road. By Maud Lindsay. Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co.

A delightful tale of a little boy's journey to a new country home

My Very Own Picture Book. Edited by Mrs. Herbert Strang. Humphrey-Milford Co.

A simple, pretty little volume.

Stokes's Wonder Book of Mother Goose. Large, impressive volume. Profusely illustrated by Florence Choate and Elizabeth Curtis.

Sunny Bunny. By Nina Wilcox Putnam. P. F. Volland Co.

A lively tale on the order of the now famous "Peter Rabbit." An unusually attractive book, beautifully illustrated in color.

The Little Brown Bear. By Johnny Gruelle. P. F. Volland Co.

A rarely effective approach to the young child's interest. Unusually and beautifully decorated in color.

The Boyd Smith Mother Goose. G. P. Putnam's Sons. An uunusually attractive edition. Numerous illustrations in Boyd Smith's best vein.

Winkle, Twinkle and Lollypop. By Nina Wilcox and
Norman Jacobsen. P. F. Volland Co.
An amusingly told story of adventure. An attractive
little volume.

FOLK AND FAIRY TALES

A Chinese Wonder Book. By Norman Hinsdale Pitman. E. P. Dutton & Co.

Colored illustrations by a Chinese artist; curious Oriental charm and humor. Very attractive. 8-12. Jewish Fairy Tales and Stories. By Gerald Friedlander. E. P. Dutton & Co.

A small volume of interesting characteristic short stories. Valuable addition to racial folklore, 10-14.

Swiss Fairy Tales. By William E. Griffis. Thomas Y. Crowell Co.

Twenty-five stories dealing with the fairies, elves, goblins, and frost giants of the Alps. An interesting addition to the rapidly growing fairy tales of various nations. 8-12.

Tales of Folk and Fairies. Written and illustrated by Katherine Pyle. Little, Brown & Co.

Fairy tales from the Old World across the seas-from Scotland, Scandinavia, Russia, Persia, and Arabia. Exceptionally well told. 8-12.

Tales of Enchantment from Spain. By Elsie Spicer Cells. Harcourt, Brace & Howe.

Fifteen fairy tales from Spanish sources characteristically illustrated. 8-12.

The Jewish Fairy Book. By Gerald Friedlander. Frederick A. Stokes Co.

Simple and genuine tales of adventure, heroic quests for wisdom, fascinating legends selected from the wealth of folklore belonging to this ancient people. 10-14.

The Shoemaker's Apron. A Second Book of Czechoslovak Fairy Tales. Retold in English by Parker Fillmore. Illustrations and decorations by Jan Matulka. Harcourt, Brace & Howe.

A collection of twenty characteristic stories. Very effectively illustrated. 8-12.

Wonder Tales of the World. By Constance Armfield. Harcourt, Brace & Howe.

Seventeen unhackneyed and pleasantly told folk and fairy tales from'as many countries. 8-12.

POETRY

A Child's Garden of Verses. By Robert Louis Stevenson. Rand McNally & Co.

Attractive Edition. 8-12.

For Days and Days. By Annette Wynne. Frederick A. Stokes Co.

Verses arranged for the months of the year. Will appeal to the sentiment and imagination of children. 8-12.

The Courtship of Miles Standish. By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Houghton Mifflin Co.

Charming illustrations by N. C. Wyeth make this an unusually attractive volume. 10-14.

STORIES

A Staircase of Stories. G. P. Putnam's Sons.

A good family book containing sixty-four tales graded

according to their appeal to children of from four to fourteen years. Chosen by Louey Chisholm and Amy Steedman. 31 plates in color, 41 drawings in black and white. 8-12, 10-14.

Boy Stories. By Rudyard Kipling. Rand McNally & Co. Two ballads and over twenty stories selected from Kipling's best. Illustrated in color. 10-14.

Hans Brinker. By Mary Mapes Dodge. Rand McNally & Co.

New junior library of favorites.

Ivanhoe. By Sir Walter Scott. David McKay Co.
Handsomely illustrated. Gift edition. Over 14.

Jack Heaton, Wireless Operator. By A. Fred Collins.
Frederick A. Stokes Co.

Thrilling adventures in which the wireless plays a prominent rôle. 12-16.

Kenilworth. By Sir Walter Scott. David McKay Co.
Handsomely illustrated gift edition. Over 14.

Kidnapped. By Robert Louis Stevenson. Rand McNally & Co.

Overland for Gold. By Frank H. Cheley. The Abingdon Press.

The thrill of the overland trail in search of gold. 12-14. Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. From the Little White Bird. By J. M. Barrie. Charles Scribner's Sons. Illustrated by Arthur Rackham. 10-14. Pinocchio. By C. Collodi. J. B. Lippincott Co.

Attractive gift edition. Illustrations and marginal decorations by Maria L. Kirk. 8-12.

Paul and the Printing Press. By Sara Ware Bassett. Little, Brown & Co.

An interesting story of a modern high-school boy's experience, with considerable information on the history of printing. 12-16.

The Cart of Many Colors. By Nannine La Villa Miklejohn. E. P. Dutton & Co.

Adventures in Italy during the war, with hints at past history. 10-14.

The Cockpit of Santiago Key. By David S. Greenberg. Boni & Liveright.

Life and adventure in Porto Rico, with high idealism sustained above the crude and sordid pictures. Over 14. The Children's Story Garden. Collected by a Committee of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of Friends. J. B. Lippincott Co.

A collection of unusual stories varied in scope and full of ethical significance. 8-12.

The Young Russian Corporal. By Paul Iogolevitch. Harper & Brothers.

Adventures in the war of a boy who managed to get into the army at twelve years; written by himself. 12-16.

NEW BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

STORIES (Continued)

Tyltyl. Maeterlinck's" Betrothal " for Children. Told by Alexander Teixeria de Mattos. Dodd, Mead & Co. Beautifully illustrated. Large volumes. 10-14.

TALES OF TRAVEL

A Boy in Serbia. By E. C. Davies. Thomas Y. Crowell Co.

Little People Everywhere Series: Hassan in Egypt. Chandra in India. Marta in Holland. By Etta Blaisdell McDonald and Julia Dalrymple. Little, Brown & Co. 8-12.

Twin Travelers in the Holy Land. By Mary H. Wade. Frederick A. Stokes Co.

Travels of an American girl and boy in modern Palestine, Illustrated from photographs. 8-12.

When I was a Boy in Scotland. By George McPherson Hunter. Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co.

When I was a Boy in Persia. By Youel R. Mirza. Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co.

FICTION

NATURE AND SCIENCE

Nuova, or the New Bee. By Vernon Kellogg. Houghton Mifflin Co.

A curious combination of authentic nature lore with sugge.tive allegory. 8-14.

On the Edge of the Wilderness. By Walter Pritchard Eaton. W. A. Wilder & Co.

Tales of wild animal neighbors. 10-14.

Puppies and Kittens. By Carine Cadby. E. P. Dutton & Co.

Sympathetic and genuine animal stories illustrated from photographs. 8-12.

The Boy with the U. S. Trappers. By Francis Rolt Wheeler. Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co.

Adventures of boys accompanying the workers of the United States Biological Survey. Interesting and informing.

10-14.

Uncle Sam, Fighter. By William Atherton Du Puy. Frederick A. Stokes Co.

Deals interestingly and instructively with many aspects of National administration. 14.

Big-Town Round-Up (The). By William MacLeod Raine. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.

The lively adventures of an honest and clean young Arizona ranchman in New York-perhaps we are told that he is clean a superfluous number of times. The story has "punch."

Bull-Dog Drummond. By Cyril McNeile. The George H. Doran Company, New York. The super-hero outwits the super-villains and escapes the tortures planned for him (including a lingering death in an acidfilled bathtub), all in the blithest and most cheerful manner. The reader is terribly

excited one moment and moved to smiles the next.

It Pays to Smile. By Nina Wilcox Putnam. The George H. Doran Company, New York. Freedom Talbot, a blue-blooded spinster of Boston, and "Peaches" Pegg, a glorious California girl, see Italy together and encounter a prince who steals masterpieces of ancient art but is an honorable man-why and how is the story's mystery. A love tale with fun and plot attachments. Little Pierre. By Anatole France. Translated by J. Lewis May. The John Lane Company, New York.

M. France rather gains than loses charm and delicacy of literary touch in turning from formal romance to this agreeable story of a clever French boy's life. Pierre appreciates and describes the people and society about him, and his spirit is in turns one of gentle irony or gracious sympathy. Lucinda. By Anthony Hope. D. Appleton & Co., New York.

This novel by the author of the "Prisoner of Zenda and the "Dolly Dia logues" is much more closely related to reality in life and character than either of those books. One feels that Mr. Hope is now writing to please his own ideals of the art of fiction rather than to amuse the crowd. The elopement of a bride on her wedding day with a brilliant, mercurial, irresponsible Italian gives a starting-point for subtle unfolding of the temperament and conduct of the two; blameworthy as they may be, they are vastly more interesting than the blameless and conventional people with whom they are contrasted. The novel is on original lines and has underlying humor.

Poor Man's Rock. By Bertrand W. Sinclair. Little, Brown & Co., Boston.

This is a tale of the salmon fishery industry about Vancouver Island. It combines a vigorous, clear-cut, and exciting romance of action and of love with a remarkably interesting picture of the taking, canning, and sale of the salmon, and of a

business fight between a "combine" and an independent operator. This last may sound prosaic, but it is far from being so. Altogether the novel is a strong piece of writing.

HISTORY AND POLITICAL ECONOMY Democracy After the War. By J. A. Hobson. The Macmillan Company, New York. Democracy and Government. By Samuel Peterson. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. Real Democracy in Operation: The Example of Switzerland. By Félix Bonjour. The Frederick A. Stokes Company, New York.

Aristophanes once pilloried the irresponsible demos. sponsible demos. But the peoples of modern democracies, M. Bonjour justly affirms, are no longer irresponsible, but clear-sighted and obedient to best impulses when duly enlightened by the leaders of thought.

Yet effective democracy, says Mr. Hobson, the English critic, nowhere exists either in politics or in the industry of any nation. True, the forms exist in America, Great Britain, France; "but nowhere does the will of the people play freely through these forms." As an indication that it does not in this country we have but to look at our suffrage laws and our electoral system and contemplate the reorganization necessary to a scientific government. To bring this about Mr. Peterson would first make our officers responsible to the people, and, second, would obtain capable and eficient men as such officers.

What are the ideas with regard to democratic reform to be carried into effect and how may they be carried into effect? We get a hint in Mr. Peterson's book; those which have to do with elections are particularly interesting to us at the present time. For instance, we are witnessing a general disgust with the primary system. As far as Presidential candidates are concerned, Presidential primaries are not held on the same day in all the States, and the primary law varies in the different States. At the same time, for any elections, direct primaries do facilitate nominations, we are told, for primaries are based on the assumption that every voter is a member of some party, and particularly require that every candidate shall represent some party. The main reform to be kept in mind is direct legislation. In the ultimate analysis we come to the will of the people expressed in amendments to the Federal Constitution, such as those concerning prohibition and woman suffrage. Mr. Peterson would have amendments to the Constitution adopted, not by two-thirds, but by the majority of the States.

In the application of the democratic

idea Switzerland leads the way. The initiative, the referendum, compulsory voting. proportional representation, and the direct election of members of the Governmentthese instances of direct democracy, as M. Bonjour says, set a limit to revolationary agitation by depriving it of pretexts. Again, as he declares, Switzerland represents the League of Nations in miniature through her achievement in uniting races and languages which elsewhere are given up to pitiless conflict.

Democracy is also alive to the new economic situation due to the war. The labor markets have been flushed with the rapid returning of men from the fighting force into industry. Coincidentally, strongholds of profiteering have been revealed, and men like Mr. Hobson fear a reconciling of workers to "subjugation and restraints." This bodes ill to democracy. Yet with Mr. Hobson we must believe that "the raw materials and energy for a great democratic movement are at hand, provided thought, organization, and direction can make them effective."

Frontier in American History (The). By Frederick Jackson Turner. Henry Holt & Co., New York.

Pregnant contributions to the history of our country's growth, with, as a natural consequence, a strong predominance in the narrative of the influence of the West on the development of the country. Are we hypercritical in thinking that essays of such pith and moment demand a better format?

ESSAYS AND CRITICISM

Roads to Childhood. By Annie Carroll Moore. The George H. Doran Company, New York. Miss Moore knows these roads and talks of them delightfully. Her paper about

66

Writing for Children" is a fine plea for imagination and against dullness in children's books, a protest against "robbing the encyclopædia of untimely information to put in the place of lively incident and dramatic human interest.' As the supervisor of New York City's children's library work and as a lover and reviewer of children's books she has herself that quality she ascribes to Miss Hewins, to whom she dedicates these capital papers"the rare gift of a companionship with books based on friendship rather than or desire for knowledge.'

TRAVEL AND DESCRIPTION

Roaming Through the West Indies. By Harry A. Franck. Illustrated. The Century Company, New York.

Harry Franck is so good an observer and writer that one regrets that he did not make two books out of his experiences in the West Indies and print them in larger type, with full-page pictures. "Fire side travels" must first of all be comfortable books to read. There is a wealth of interesting fact, anecdote, and observation. in this volume, however, and people who love Franck will dig it out. Tahiti Days. By Hector MacQuarrie. Illastrated. The George H. Doran Company. New York.

The author had a bad spot in one of his lungs and went to the South Seas to cure it. He got well. He has made a book about his experiences that will cause many readers to wish that they could take similar treatment for any ill that may beset them. It is one of the most entertaining of the recent books about adventure in the islands of the Pacific.

W

Fiume Free

HERE are Prague, Czechoslova

kia, Jugoslavia, Fiume, Istria, Dalmatia, Montenegro? Should an American know where these are located?

What can Miss Markell mean when she says on another page of this issue of The Outlook, "Prague presents the spectacle of all that is oldest and newest in our civilization"? What influence has Prague had in history?

Does Miss Markell say and imply enough to warrant her belief that Czechoslovakia has "one of the most advanced, perhaps the most progressive constitutions in Europe." Would an Englishman be apt to agree with her? What are your reasons? When and under what conditions was Czechoslovakia made an independent nation?'

How much can you tell of the history of the Czechoslovak people? Who held them under oppression for three hundred years?

Miss Markell speaks of inflation, deflation, gold reserve, and economic distress. What is the meaning of the first three of these terms? What relation exists between them and economic welfare?

The writer also tells us that Czechoslovakia has strict limitation of land holdings and proportional representation. What do these mean? Do you think it would be well for us to adopt both of these arrangements?

What were the leading facts about the Adriatic dispute? Do you think President Wilson was right or wrong when he declared that Fiume should go to Jugoslavia?

Give accurate definitions for the following Legitimate warfare, omnipresent, triumvirate, kronen, hectares, confiscatory?

You will find interesting and valuable information in "Dalmatia and the JugoSlav Movement," by M. I. Pupin (Scribners), and "Europe, 1789-1920," by E. R. Turner (Doubleday, Page).

The Victory of the Reds in
the Crimea

Where is the Crimea? What do you know about a great war that was fought there during the nineteenth century? What were its causes and main results?

Now that General Wrangel's forces are overwhelmed, what is the big question European Powers are confronted with?

What ideas have you as to the solution of this question? Is its solution a matter in which the United States should participate? What reasons have you for your answer?

What are some of the leading political and economic beliefs of Lenine and Trotsky? What do Bolshevism and Sovietism really mean to yon?

How do you define the following terms: These questions and comments are designed not ouly for the use of current events classes and clubs, debating societies, teachers of history and English. and the like, but also for discussion in the home and for suggestion to any reader who desires to rent affairs as well as to read about them.

TORS.

Quiescent, Sebastopol, non-combatants, Sea of Azov.

Two books well worth reading in connection with this topic are 66 Sovietism,' by W. E. Walling (E. P. Dutton), and "The Greatest Failure in all History," by John Spargo (Harper & Brothers).

The Road Ahead

In an editorial on another page of The Outlook, entitled "The Road Ahead," an attempt is made to answer a very important question. By no means fail to read this editorial.

Did you conclude that, on the morning of November 3, 1920, the people of the United States showed that they "believed in an association of nations"?

What vital reasons are there for holding the view that "never again can any political leader aver that a great European war does not concern us"? Is President-elect Harding of this opinion?

Would you be willing that the United States "enter into any kind of military alliance in which the nations put their military forces at the call of a foreign power or combination of powers"?

Is The Outlook right in saying that "the President had, under the Constitution, neither legal nor moral right to commit the American people to any responsibility for making the 'new map of Europe""?

How do you define the following expressions: Society of free nations, international exigency, the Administration, bi-partisan, mandate, arbitration tribunal.

The following books will greatly aid you in understanding the development of political thought in the United States: "American Political Ideals," by C. E. Merriam (Macmillan); "Political Problems of American Development," by Albert Shaw (Columbia Univ. Press); "The United States: An Experiment in Democracy," by Carl Becker (Harpers).

The League of Nations; Geneva's New Importance Where did the League get the money from to purchase its permanent headquarters? Did the United States contribute?

The editor of a New York daily, in speaking of our absence from the first meeting of the League of Nations, says that

we belong in it as a peace-loving people, and we ought to be in it to live up to our reputation as a shrewd Yankee nation." What do you think of this comment?

Is the League alive or is it "dead"? Is what have to say mere opinion, or is it you backed up by actual facts?

You will find arguments for and against our entering the League in the following books:

"American World Policies," by D. J. Hill (Doran); "The New World Order," by F. C. Hicks (Doubleday, Page); "The World War and Wilson," by George Creel (Harpers); "League of Nations at Work," by A. Sweetser (Macmillan).

THESE times of complications in shoe values and prices have demonstrated the appeal of Herman's Shoes more strikingly than ever before.

Men in all occupations, from the professions to the trades, have turned to the comfort and quality built into Herman's Civilian and Army models and sold at a sensible price.

For general wear Herman's

Shoes meet all demands for shapeliness and fine materials. For strenuous wear, including outdoor and sporting uses, the plumper Munson U. S. Army types are famous everywhere. The finest New England craftsmanship produces and stands back of every pair.

Sold in 8,000 retail stores. If you are not near one, we will fit you correctly ana quickly through our MAIL ORDER DEP'Tat Boston. JOS. M. HERMAN SHOE CO. 825 Albany Building BOSTON, MASS.

"BETTER BE SURE THAN

SORRY"

HAVE been much interested in the letI ters on the use or supposed abuse of the automobile horn contained in your issues of September 22 and November 3. To me both these writers seem wrong. As I see it, the automobile horn and its use are a necessary part of automobile operation on the public streets and highways, to assist in keeping those thoroughfares safe for pedestrians and other travelers while being so used.

As a motorist who sometimes walks, I object, because of my use when driving of my automobile's audible signal of approach, to being classed with the ancient kings who sent criers before them to clear the way. Neither do I think it would be for the public welfare to forbid the use of the motor horn in city driving. The chief care of a good driver in traffic is not speed or to make pedestrians clear the way, but to avoid accident, which may be the result of carelessness on both sides, but frequently by one party only. Pedestrians, it is true, have the right of way at corners and on country roads where there are no sidewalks, but that is no reason why they should not be apprised of the approach of an automobile, in order that carelessness on their part by making an unexpected move at the crucial moment of passing may not be productive of accident. This on the principle, as some one has said, that it is better, far better, to be sure than sorry.

The writer has served on more than one jury to settle a case arising from an automobile accident, and there is at least one question which the attorney for the prosecution never fails to ask: "Did you sound your horn to give notice of approach?" If you did, you are presumably within the law in that respect; but if not, where is the jury, whether composed of motorists or non-motorists, that would absolve you from blame? The argument by the attorney for the defense that his client did not sound the horn for reasons of delicacy as to his rights on the highway or to avoid appearing to command the situation in an autocratic manner would sound, indeed, like a lame and manufactured excuse.

Also, I think the use of the horn purely for signaling other autos, except in case of passing from behind, is highly impracticable; not only because the interpretation of such a signal based on the number of blasts would often be misunderstood or take so long that the purpose of the signal would have passed, but because it would be difficult for a driver to determine which car was signaling if more than two were present. I much prefer the visible signal, notwithstanding many drivers use the same for slowing down as for turning a corner, and extend the arm to the left when turning a right-hand corner, surely a needless and misleading performance. I am surprised, though, that State laws, which require reflecting mirrors and dimmed headlights, do not also require mechanical signals attached to the brakes and displayed in the rear, which warn a following car of a reduction of speed on the part of the car ahead. They cannot be expensive, and on the introduction of such a law in one or more States would doubtless soon become part of a car's regular equipment. EDWARD H. HOLMES.

Montclair, New Jersey.

Your Transportation

T

HE successive increases in eastern freight rates since 1914 of 5%, 15%, 25% and 40%, and corresponding advances in express rates, have figuratively removed New York eastward into the Atlantic Ocean some 1,500 miles, as measured by the present carrying charges to the Middle West.

Slow rail service has doubled and tripled the time in transit, making long-haul distribution economically impossible and consequential interest charges excessive.

While the raw materials and markets of the Mississippi Valley, Middle West and Far West have been further removed from the long-haul eastern manufacturer, they have been drawn closer to the short-haul St. Louis manufacturer.

The relatively better transportation service enjoyed by St. Louis industries is a big factor in economical production and distribution. Nine-tenths of the railroad embargoes during and since the war, so costly to industry, were placed because of freight jams and blockades in the East, where there is one-third of the population of the country and only 17% of the railroad mileage.

The per capita inefficiency of industrial labor has been, and is, greatest in the congested eastern sections, and is in ratio with the decrease in efficiency of transportation.

A Mid-West Factory in St. Louis

commands the advantages of short-haul and better service via 26 railroads at low relative charges to more than 60% of the country's buying power-and real choice between all export routes. Mississippi River

service at 80% of rail rates.

The central location of St. Louis is as if "made to order" for present and prospective economic conditions.

The booklet "St. Louis as a Manufacturing Center" tells an interesting story. A letter will bring it, if addressed to

Director New Industries Bureau

St. Louis Chamber of Commerce St. Louis, U. S. A.