Evening star. [volume], July 21, 1940, Page F-8, Image 68

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
NEWS FROM DOGDOM
Notes on a Variety of Subjects of Interest in
Washington and Vicinity
By R. R. Taynton.
Champion Elstone Citadel, a pointer owned by Leo A. Dunn.
Like many of our popular breeds,
the origin of the pointer is not defi
nitely known. It was thought that
the pointer, like the spaniel, was a
Spanish import, but more recent
opinion seems to be that the point
ing breeds developed simultaneously
In many countries of Europe. The
French braque is a pointer very
similar to the type that developed
in England. As early as the end of
the 17th century, dogs of this
type, similar in most respects to the
best specimens of the breed today,
were known, and more to the point,
painted for posterity. Oudry, a
court painter in the reign of Louis
XV, painted the King’s favorite
dog, Blanche, pointing a pheasant.
In the governor's palace at Wil
liamsburg there is a pair of Chelsea
dogs made early in the 17th cen
tury that would do very well for
present-day models of the pointer
and setter.
Long before the day of the bench
show, the pointer was being bred
pure, and a stud book was main
tained by many a gentleman in
England. Among the early breeders
who fancied this dog, and who bred
for points as well as field ability
were Thomas Webb Edge, who was
bom in 1788, and George Legh, who
was 20 years older. Others were Lord
Derby, Brockton. Whitehouse, Stat
ter and Garth. The last four men
tioned each owned a dog that was
destined to be among the great stud
forces in the breed. These were
Brockton's Bounce, Garth's Drake,
Whitehouse's Hamlet and Statter’s
Major. All these dogs traced back
to Thomas Edge's breeding stock.
Famous Kennel.
When Edge died in 1844 his dogs
were sold at auction. Among the
buyers at the sale was the fourth
Duke of Portland, who built up a fa
mous kennel founded on the Edge
bloodlines. His dogs were especially
noticeable for their rich liver and
white markings.
When the first formal field trials
originated on the Whitbread estate
in Bedfordshire in April, 1865,
Garth's Jill and Fleming's Dandy
each scored 100 per cent, while
Brockton's Bounce, Whitehouse's
Hamlet and Hanley’s Moll each
scored 90 per cent. The success of
the first trial insured the contin
uance of this branch of the sport,
which has grown vastly in popular
ity since that time.
When the bench show was inaug
urated, one of the most successful
pointer fanciers was Sam Price,
whose Price's Bang was conceded to
have been one of the greatest point
ers of all time. It is said that Price
introduced some of the blood of Lord
Portsmouth’s foxhounds in his point
ers to promote staunchness. It is an
accusation that Price denied. How
ever, even after these many years of
pure breeding, an occassional pointer
still "gives tongue.”
In this country pointers were a
common breed of dog from Colonial
times. They were an eminently use
ful part of the farmer’s and plan
tation owner's livestock, and people
did not give them any more atten
tion than they did their other
domestic animals. However, by the
end of the Civil War period there
were people who had begun to pay
particular attention to this variety
of dog. Native pointers of pure
breeding were widely scattered over
the country. Southern Ohio, a
mecca for game birds, was and still
Is the home of many fine specimens.
When the dog show craze hit this
country, Edmund Orgill of Ohio was
all ready with a fine lot of home
bred dogs, mostly lemon and white
in color. His Ch. Rush was a big
winner in the early days. Another
winner from Ohio was Harris’ Mac.
In Minnesota, Dilley's Ranger was
a home-bred winner. In New Jersey,
Peshall’s Jimmy was the cream of
the native pointer crop.
Sought Better Breeds.
It was the custom in those days
for kennel clubs to organize not to
hold dog shows, as now, but to im
prove a breed or breeds of dog. To
that end elaborate kennels were
maintained and careful records were
kept. By pooling the resources and
the interest of the members, much
more could be accomplished for a
breed than could be accomplished
by an individual, tl was for the
improvement of the pointer that the
Westminster Kennel Club was or
ganized, and for that purpose fine
kennels were equipped and main
tained in Babylon, Long Island. In
1876, this club imported the great
English winner, a dog which was
called in this country Sensation,
and which created a sensation
wherever seen. His English name
was Don, he was bred by J. R.
Humphrey and owned by Parr, who
sold him to Westminster. Accord
ing to Hochwalt, he was not a great
success at stud, but the later impor
tations by this club. Bang Bang and
Naso of Klppen did much to im
prove the breed.
The St. Louis Kennel Club was
also interested in improving the
pointer and imported Sleaford, Bow,
a son of Ch. Bang, and Faust, which
was bought by Kaye and later
turned over to the club. These dogs
did their share for the Middle West
ern pointer.
The first big field trial winner of
this century was Alford's John,
which was followed by Fishel’s
Frank, a dog whose record was not
surpassed until his own son, Co
manche Frank, took over. Fishel's
Frank was a dog that ran up a great
record for himself in the field trial
world and was able to pass on his
superlative qualities to his get.
Produce Winners.
The pointer has been fortunate
in that there has been no marked
division between the field trial or
utility dog type and the bench show
specimen. It was for that reason
that the breeders of native pointers
in this country were able to go
right into the bench shows at the
beginning and win with their home
bred dogs. And also that such a
youngster as Leo A. Dunn's Ch. El
stone Citadel, who was 2 years old
just this week, is such a satisfactory
dog to own. Not only did he run up
the remarkable record of best puppy.
Morris and Essex, 1939, and best of
winners Delaware County, 1939, both
under a year old, then best of breed
in 1940 at Boston, Atlantic City,
Chicago. Springfield. Norfolk, Wash
ington. Alexandria. Pikesville, Tren
ton, Huntington Valley and Ka
tonah, but he is an excellent field
dog, being well trained to hunt. He
is said to be siring puppies with
plenty of hunting instinct as well as
conformation.
The ideal pointer is a dog with a
long head, both muzzle and skull
but with plenty of stop. Thin, silky
ears that reach to a point just be
low the throat and hanging flat to
the cheeks are desirable. Medium
sized, dark eyes are preferred. The
neck should be long and clean, with
a nice arch. Long, well sloped
shoulders, a deep but not too broad
chest, and well sprung ribs are
wanted. The back should be strong,
with a moderately long loin and
wide hips; muscular quarters and
tapering tail are called for in the
standard. The legs should not be too
long and should have good bone
moderately bent stifles and well bent
hocks. The feet should be round
and well arched. The coat should
be short, dense and glossy.
A Dog Lovers’ Notebook
A frequent—and pointless—argu
ment rages between dog and cat
lovers as to which animal lives the
longest. There are unusual cases of
longevity recorded for each, but
probably the cat has the longer life
span. When a dog is over 10 years
in some breeds and 12 or 15 in others,
it is cause for congratulations to his
owners—granting, of course, that he
is well and active and enjoying life.
Glenarden Ruff Gale, owned by
Mrs. George Hosmer, pioneer Wash
ington bulldog breeder, has long
been known to local enthusiasts of
this breed. When Ruff Gale died
last week he was well over 11, a ripe
old age for a sourmug. Beau, an
Airedale terrier 18 years old, was
until a year ago a familiar sight
around Q and Twenty-ninth streets,
and though gray at the chops and a
bit stiff-legged, his alert and even
warlike spirit made him still for
midable to other truants of George
town streets and alleys. At the death
of his master. Beau was given to the
faithful queen of the kitchen and at
last reports was swaggering about
Southeast, with the same old chip on
his aged shoulder.
Mrs. Enoch C. Johnson of Alta
Vista informs use that schipperkes
are unusually long-lived among the
smaller breeds, and that instances
of healthy, active skips of 15 or 16
are not uncommon, while one well
known specimen in Scotland lived to
be 21.
A new cocker spaniel aspirant for
honors will go from this neighbor
hood to Mr. Pocono. Mrs. Henry
Hams of Coleman Manor, Md., has
purchased a son of "Johnny” Kimes’
Champion Christopher, and plans to
bring the youngster out at this Au
gust show.
A library of the American Kennel
Club has been enriched by 250 books
A
on and about dogs, collected by the
late Prof. Will S. Monroe, who dur
ing his lifetime was one of the most
colorful figures in purebred dog
circles. Each volume carries his per
sonal bookplate as executed by S.
Edwin Megargee; it shows the heads
of five of Prof. Monroe's dogs, and
the legend "Dedicated to the Dogs
of Couching Lion Farm.”
Dr. Monroe’s favorite breed, in
his later years, was the Great
Pyrenees, but his inseparable com
panion was Scottie, a collie, of
whom a friend once wrote: “Scottie
lives with Prof. Monroe at the foot
of Couching Lion, in the Green
Mountains of Vermont. Every night
at 9 o’clock he walks into the middle
of the living room and gives a big
yawn. ‘Well,’ says Monroe, “Scottie
is sleepy and I always go to bed
when Scottie goes.’ This is the
accepted signal for all guests to
retire. Scottie rises at 6. So,
therefore, does Monroe. So, like
wise, do all his guests."
A great woodsman, Monroe built
his own trail to the top of the
mountain and called it the Scottie
trail. The pool in his garden was
the Scottie pool. Now the collie
and his master are immortalized
together in the collection at the
A. K. C. Library in New York.
Mrs. Mary K. Powell’s black
cocker, Rose Majie, was the victim
of a careless driver on the Upper
Marlboro road this past week. Mrs.
Powell herself is limping around
with a bad knee and sympathies are
extended both for her own ill health
and for the loss of a valuable brood
bitch and one of her greatest per
sonal favorites of all the Powkim
dogs.
r.
BRIDGE
The Game and
Its Players
By Frank B. Lord.
If one wishes to engage the at
tention of any of the recognized lo
cal bridge experts at this time, it is
necessary to direct the conversation
toward some phase of the 14th an
nual world and national contract
bridge championship contests to be
conducted during the week of August
5 at Asbury Park, N. J. The tour
nament will be under direction of
the American Contract Bridge
League, which holds two conclaves
each year, one in the summer, al
ways at Asbury Park, and one in the
winter, in whatever city the league
may select. Last year's winter tour
nament was held at Pittsburgh and
this year’s winter meet will take
place in Philadelphia.
The league represents what is
rather freely termed the organized
players, that is, the duplicate players
who, although their number is much
smaller than those who play rubber
bridge, are nevertheless the ones
who put on the big bridge shows
and give the game its .wide popu
larity. If the league recognized pro
fessionals, its members and those
who participate in its competitions
might be so called, but it is the
boast of the organization that it has
no professional players, only ex
perts, since there are never any
competitions for money, but only
for trophies, prizes and honors. The
field of the league comprises all qj
the territory east of the Mississippi?
The Pacific Coast has its own
league, but the two are not rivals
and often individual members par
ticipate in the events of both or
ganizations. Only distance prevents
more frequent competition.
The league does not operate for
profit except when it devotes Its
proceeds to some charitable purpose.
This year promises to provide the
biggest tournament in the history
of contract. All of the stars of the
game are scheduled to attend, in
cluding a large contingent from
Washington, of whom some rate
high in the official listings of the
league. Many of them are arranging
their vacations for the tournament.
Seven events are listed for the
week, beginning with the national
championship men's pairs, the na
tional championship women’s pairs
and mixed team competitions on the
opening day. Other events include
the world championship master
pairs, the world championship mas
ter teams and two non-master con
tests for teams and pairs. Twice
each day, afternoon and evening,
there will be open duplicates, each
game being a separate contest for
prizes, and at the end of the week
another prize will be awarded to the
player making the best average in
five selected scores. Non-members
of the league will be eligible for
these events. In each contest, both
major and minor, master points
will be awarded the winners and
runners-up which will enable some
to get their names on the coveted
list and will add to the ratings of
others. In some events the num
ber of master points to be awarded
will be as high as 72. while in some
of the minor ones the award will
drop to one. In amateur matches,
those holding 10 or more master
points will not be eligible, thus af
fording opportunity for less skillful
players to get recognition.
The league is making a special
effort to enlist the interest of non
participants in its event. To this
end there will be an expansion of
seating facilities for spectators. Or
dinarily, it is difficult for more than
a very few persons to watch the play
at any table. A special arena wiil
be constructed for kibitzers which
will permit a relatively large num
ber of onlookers to follow the play.
A schedule will be arranged so
that every celebrated player at some
time during the tournament will
play in the "pen” where his skill
will be under observation of spec
tators.
Washington has been favored dur
ing the past week with an influx
of prominent out-of-town players.
Among those who have met some
of the local talent in play were Mr.
and Mrs. Prank R Postell, San
Francisco; Ridgeway Bishop, Chi
cago, former vice president of the
A. C. B. L.; E. J. Binet, Cleveland;
Henry Brodie, New York; Mrs. Jean
Rohelder, Norfolk; Mr. and Mrs.
Frank Remlinger, Miami, and John
Finnerty, Buffalo.
The Railroad Administration
Bridge Club began its summer se
ries of games last Tuesday at 2010
R street N.W. The prizes won in
the spring series by Mrs. Dorothy
Whitcomb and Mrs Jean Henry
were presented by William Cheeks.
Hobbies and Hobbyists
News of Activities Here and Nearby
Joseph Drummond shown holding the new steam engine
jor his model of the Queen Mary. —star Staff Photo.
By Edmond Henderer.
Mr. Joseph T. Drummond of 936 Quincy street N.W. has as his hobby
the construction of steam-driven ship models. In looking at his models
and seeing the clever devices he uses in making the many specialized parts
for them, one would expect to hear that he is a machinist by trade. How
ever, the opposite is true. He was for years a musician, playing in the
Washington theaters. But some years back this business grew so bad
that he began to look about for*-——
some more dependable means of
earning a living. Almost by acci
dent, he took the examination for
letter carrier, not expecting any
thing to come of it. Much to his
surprise he was offered a job as a
postman, which he took, and has
today.
He was not then a model builder
and only began to be interested
when his son. then in sechool, began
to build models of boats. As time
passed the two modelers grew more
skillful at their hobbies and the son.
Gordon Drummond, won a college
scholarship for an old-time coach
model he constructed. He went
through the University of Michigan
and later helped to build one of the
model exhibits at the New York
World's Pair.
Mr. Drummond, sr.. also has be
come a modeler of considerable re
nown. His replica of the battleship
Texas has been shown in news reels
all over the country. This model,
which was completed about three
years ago, has a hull of 22-gauge
steel, with welded joints. The super
structure is of wood and metal, with
practically all the parts made in Mr.
Drummond's basement workshop.
The 14-inch guns, in the main bat
tery, are lathe turned from alumi
num stock. Hie ship is powered by
a two-cylinder steam engine, one of
the few parts not built by the owner.
The Texas was built from plans
appearing in Popular Science
Monthly. Mr. Drummond first built
a three-foot model without engines,
which he sold. He then decided to
make one large enough to sail, and
the present one is to a scale of >/*
inch to 1 foot, being about 6 feet
long.
Mr. Drummond's latest creation
is a model of the Queen Mary, also
6 feet long, on a scale of 1-10" to
1' 0". The ship itself has
been completed, but the motor, also
a steamplant, has not yet been in
stalled. In this case the builder
has made the motor himself, and
is only buying the boiler. These
mtors operate on 30 pounds steam
pressure, and the two-cylinder en
gine turns up about 600 r.pjn.
The hull of the Queen Mary is
of wood, with the topsides of metal,
just the reverse of that on the
Texas. The window openings in
the metal superstructure of the
Queen Mary were all punched by
a punch and die made by Mr.
Drummond. All of the 1,100 port
holes in its sides are water tight.
The ventilators actually operate to
carry air down into the hold to
cool the power plant.
The plans for this model were
obtained direct from the builders
of the prototype in England, and
the model is painted red, black and
white as the original was before
the war. Mr. Drummond says he
is not at war with any one and
sees no reason for gray paint on
his ship. The Queen Mary has re
quired about three years to build.
Mr. Drummond has also made
various other, less pretentious mod
els, one being a two-masted schoon
er. The table on his sun porch is
guarded by two brass cannon, one
a replica of the type used on the
Frigate Constitution, and the oth
er a copy of one of the field pieces
used at the battle of Gettysburg.
Both of these pieces were made en
tirely by Mr. Drummond, even to
the wooden spoked wheels with
metal tires, on the Civil War can
non. The field gun is about 12
inches long over all, and the naval
piece 5 inches.
On this same table there is a
lamp, the standard of which rep
resents the base of a mast on a
ship. It is complete with fire rails,
belaying pins and cordage. Its the
finest lamp of this type I’ve seen
so far. The shop where all these
were built contains a metal turn
ing lathe (on which he also turns
wood), drill press, band saw and
bench saw. And, of course, there**
a large assortment of hand tools.
The owner of all these is also some
thing of a camera fan, as many
model craftsmen are. He has taken
some fine pictures of his models.
Mr. Drummond is a member of
the Ship Model Builders’ Club of
Washington. Most of the members
of this organization specialize in the
collecting and construction of ex
hibition models and data concerning
them. The club secretary is A. C.
Wagner, 1030 Evarts street N.E.. Ho
bart 3164. They meet on the second
Tuesday in each month, except July
and August.
The District of Columbia Chapter
of the Electric Railroad Association
held its annual election of officers at
its recent meeting at the home of
Robert Truax. Paul Gable was re
elected president, and the retiring
secretary. E. A. Savage, was elected
vice president. Henry Leimbach. jr.,
became the new secretary, and Har
old Rice was continued in office as
treasurer.
Movies of the recent Metropolitan
Society of Model Engineers’ trip to
Richmond, Va„ were shown by Gable
and Foltz.
The E. R. A. is planning a trip to
Purcellville, Va., on the Washington
& Old Dominion for Sunday, July
28. Those going will meet at the
station in Rosslyn about 8:30 a.m.,
and the train will leave at 9. There
is a four-hour layover at Purcell
ville, and the crowd will carry
lunches, to be eaten during this
period. The return train will reach
Washington about 7 p.m.
Those Were the Happy Days! “What a Difference —By Dick Mansfield
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AMONG THE STAMP COLLECTORS
News of the Philatelic World, Its Interests and People—Review of
The Stamp Presa—List of Local Meetings
By James Waldo Fawcett.
The Poet Office Department will
operate a branch postal station and
provide a special cancellation for
the annual convention of the Amer
ican Philatelic Society, Hotel Stat
ler, Buffalo. Monday to Friday,
August 12 to 16.
Hugh M. Clark, editor of Scott’s
Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue,
has been elected a member of the
Board of Governors of the Collec
tors' Club of New York. He suc
ceeds the late Edward S. Knapp.
Liechtenstein announces that a
new regular postage series is in
preparation.
An official publicity release from
Monrovia discloses that Liberia will
establish a philatelic agency at the
office of its Consul General. 277
Broadway, New York City, July 29,
after which date, it is explained,
“no orders will be filled from any
post office in Liberia.”
Twenty-one years after he wrote
it, Lewis Gannett, book critic of the
New York Herald Tribune, has
printed the following impression
of the Peace Conference of 1919:
"It was Just like a high school com
mencement. We, the press, repre
sented the relatives and friends. The
diplomats were the graduating class.
The only difference was that we,
the relatives and friends, whispered
even more than the relatives and
friends usually do. There was a
steady murmur throughout the cere
mony, broken only by loud French
hisses,'‘Assis!’ and English and
American‘growls ‘Sit down! Down
in front!’
"The road to Versailles had been
lined with curious crowds, waiting
to catch a glimpse of some near
celebrity, pitiful people who took
it all seriously. At all the comers
where the chauffeurs of the great
might go astray were blue-clad
poilus waving red signal flags—not
little squares of red such as we
use on our railroads, but great em
blems of revolution. It must have
given some of the diplomats a
start.
"You could almost take it seri
ously as you rolled through the
double lines of staring people out
through the Bois and St. Cloud,
i But once inside the chateau at Ver
sailles you whiffed the real air of
the day. The French government
had gone to the pains of making a
special postmark and if you had a
ticket to admit you to the sacred
precincts you could buy picture post
cards and stamps and have them
canceled ‘Versailles Chateau Con
gres de la Paix 15h (3 pm.) 28-6-19.’
While the peace was being sighed
you could see the high ambassa
dors—the great men who had come
from all the corners of the globe
to negotiate and sign the peace—
laboriously address souvenir post
cards. The post office, they told
us afterward, took in some hun
dreds of thousands of francs in Ver
sailles Chateau that day and the
postal clerks worked so fast stamp
ing (canceling) that a second shift
had to be called in. Some of the
dignitaries bought sets of stamps
of all denominations, carefully
pasted them upon sheets of white
paper and then had them stamped
with the souvenir postmark. What
concessionaire benefited by the sale
of picture post cards was not re
vealed.”
| To his original text Mr. Gannett
! adds the postscript: "I think I
I still have, somewhere, some of those
| souvenir-postmarked stamps.”
Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News for
July 15 contains another of a long
series of articles by B. W. H. Poole
of Los Angeles on the proven clas
sics of philately. The subject of
this latest monograph is: “The
First Stamps of Nevis.”
Deputy Third Assistant Postmas
ter General Roy M. North is plan
ning to attend the American Phila
telic Society Convention, Hotel
Statler, Buffalo. Monday to Friday,
August 12 to 16. Others intending
to be present at the annual gather
ing are David D. Caldwell, chair
man, Postage Stamp Centenary
Committee: Philip Simms Warren,
treasurer, Washington Philatelic So
ciety: David H. Davenport. Wash
ington correspondent of Mekeel’s
Weekly Stamp News, and Mrs.
Catherine L. Manning, philatelic
curator, Smithsonian Institution.
The stamp editor of The Star will
preside at the philatelic writers’
breakfast, which is to be one of
the features of the convention pro
gram.
Postmaster Louis H. Hoskins of
Anaheim, Calif., collects unusual
postmarks. His favorites Include
Peculiar. Mo.; Nonchalant. Ky.;
Morning Sun, Iowa; Twilight, S.
Dak.; Midnight, Miss.; Six, W. Va.;
Sixteen, Mont.; Seventeen, Ohio;
Twenty-Six, Ky.; Hundred, W. Va.;
Number Four, N. Y., and Figure
Five, Ark.
Copies of the 50th anniversary
stamps of Southern Rhodesia have
been received. The list includes:
'/id. green and purple, coat of arms
with primitive warrior at the left
and a native bugler at the right;
Id, carmine and blue gray, hoist
ing flag at Fort Salisbury in 1890,
with native shields and spears at
sides; 1 l/2d, brown and black, por
trait of Cecil John Rhodes, founder
of the colony; 2d, purple and bright
green, pioneer fort and mall coach
at Fort Victoria: 3d, blue and brown,
Rhodes making peace with natives
in 1896; 4d, chocolate and green,
Victoria Falls Bridge: 6d, dull
brown and green, statue of Sir
Charles Coghlan, first Premier, and
lsh, blue and green, portraits of
Queen Victoria and King George VI,
with small views of Lobengula’s
kraal and government house at
Salisbury.
The stamp to be issued for the
400th anniversary of the expedition
of Francisco Vasquez Coronado is
slated for release at Albuquerque,
N. Mex., September 7.
It has come to light that one of
the objections registered against Sir
Rowland Hill's plan for the penny
post was that of persons who be
lieved that his theories would result
in increased Sunday labor. The
reformer's life was threatened by
critics of his wicked innovation—
with the result that his heroic wife
accompanied him to and from his
office daily to protect him against
assault!
Curious postmarks may be ob
tained from the postmasters at
Money, Miss.; Lucre, Miss.; Cash
Corner. N. C.; Deposit, N. Y.; Divi
dend, Vtah.
Philatelic Publishers, 276 Poland
avenue, Struthers. Ohio, have issued
a third edition of Wilfried Myers'
“Precancel Dictionary,” selling at 10
cents per copy.
Mary Pickford must be a stamp
, enthusiast. In any case, she re
i cently went out of her way to visit
I the philatelic exhibition at the New
i York World s Fair.
The Canadian War Memorial at
Vimy. represented in the designs of
two stamps < Scott s type A-65) of
France, issued July 26, 1936, has
been reported to have been destroyed
by the German air force. Photo
graphs taken after the tide of battle
passed, however, show the monu
ment intact. The truth in the cir
cumstances in one of the current
mysteries of the conflict for which
no solution is apparent at present.
A second edition of Dr. William
C. Steiger's “Handbook of United
States Meters, Including Meter Slo
gans" has been published by Stephen
G. Rich, Verona, N. J. Sold at cost,
the price is 75 cents a copy.
The last stamp of France issued
before the Nazi invasion is under
stood to have been a 50-centimes,
lake, variety of the Marseillaise type
Of 1936.
Collectors interested in stamps
relating to medicine and chemistry
are referred to an illustrated article
on the subject by Dr. Frederick A.
Weiss printed in the July number
of the Merck Report, house publica
tion of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway,
N. J.
The Portuguese Legion stamps of
Portugal are eight in number, with
denominations and colors as fol
lows: 5c, bistre: 10c, violet; 15c,
blue; 25c, browm, 40c, green; 80c,
yellow green; IE, Vermillion, and
1.75E, deep blue.
Weekly Philatelic Gossip for July
20 contains a useful discussion of
seapost cancellations by Frederic
H. Megson.
Carter Glass, jr„ of Lynchburg,
Va„ will be toastmaster at the ban
quet of the American Philatelic So
ciety Convention, Hotel Statler, Buf
falo, Thursday evening, August 15.
A New Zealand postmaster, ac
cording to Weekly Philatelic Gossip,
once posted a notice on his bulletin
board to the effect that: “All post
masters are expert linguists, and
addresses may be written in Chi
nese or Hebrew. Persons are not
compeled to lick their own stamps
and envelopes. Postmasters will do
i this for them. When watches are sent
through the post office the sender
should put a notice on the outside.
The postmaster then will wind them
and keep them in going order.”
Frederick R. Rice has been nomi
nated for vice president of the So
ciety of Philatelic Americans.
A penny stamp to be compulsory
on all mail has been suggested by
William J. Doemick of New York
to raise funds for national defense.
__
Don F. Nichols of South Haven,
Mich., writes: "It probably is sacri
lege to say that we trust that Wen
dell Willkie is not a stamp-collect
ing enthusiast. He may be our next
President.”
Postmaster General James A.
Farley has announced that the
S. 8. America, largest commercial
ship ever built in America, will make
its maiden voyage, leaving New
York August 10 for Charlotte
Amalie, Virgin Islands; San Juan,
Puerto Rico; Port-au-Prince, Haiti,
and Hanava, Cuba, and returning to
New York August 22. To commemo
rate this voyage, a special cachet in
addition to the seapost postmark
will be placed on all covers properly
prepared and mailed aboard the
steamship.
Collectors may send their covers
under cover addressed to the post
master at New York, N. Y., with re
quest that they be mailed on the
first voyage of the 8. 8. America.
The covers may be addressed to
the senders or other persons in the
United States or elsewhere, and
postage must be fully prepaid at
the regular rates. Senders should
not prepare covers bearing an em
bossed or other cachet Impression
or printed matter thafr does not leave
sufficient space for the official
cachet in addition to the space
required in the regulations for the
address (3% inches at the right
end of the envelope). If there is
insufficient space for the official
cachet, the covers will be forwarded
without the cachet impresssions.
Cachets will not be applied to the
backs of covers. After cancellation
the covers will be sent onward in
the mails according to the addresses.
Cards should not be sent as they
usually can not be reasonably
cacheted.
Consignments of covers should
be sent in time to reach New York
not later than August 8.
The Committee on Arrangements
for the American Philatelic Society
convention, Hotel Statler, Buffalo,
August 12 to 16, includes Robert
H. Zahm, chairman; Louis W.
Zenger, Frederick L. Koepf, Alfred
M. Roberts, Harry C. Flierl. Charles
G. Decker, Martin G. Schnecken
| burger, Clifford M. Gould and Don
ald T. Graves.
A. E. Geldhof, former stamp ed
itor of the Chicago Herald Exam
iner and an active member of the
Washington Philatelic Society, has
been named night telegraph editor
of the Washington Times-Herald.
The tragedy of the life of Stephen
Collins Foster may be seen in the
portrait reproduced on his stamp as
well as heard id the infinite poign
ancy of his songs. If there is a sad
der countenance on any other postal
issue of the United States it may
be wondered whose it is.
Vincent Lopez, orchestra leader,
collects stamps of the whole world
as well as covers of historic in
terest.
The Joplin (Mo.) Globe for May
I 7 reprints the following sentiments
| of “The Vagabond”: “Something
ought to be written to let the peo
ple see that it was James McNeill
Whistler's father, MaJ. George
Washington Whistler, who should
be honored—not his mother. The
major was an engineer who built
Russia's first long railroad, from
St. Petersburg to Moscow. Ap
parently he was a real person. His
wife, the heroine of her son's paint
ing (reproduced in the Mother's
Day stamp of 19341, was a woman
who did her best to make life miser
able for members of her family.”
i France has ceded to Italy her
Somali coast colony and her pro
tectorate of Tunis. Stamp changes
seem inevitable following these al
: terations of sovereignty.
| Plans for a new national phila
I telic society are being discussed
I among collectors who are concerned
with the cultural aspects of stamp
collecting and wish to share tha
fruits of research and other stu
dious activity.
—
The Birmingham (Ala.) News says
editorially: "The world has not been
too busy during 1940 to make note of
i two anniversaries of interest. Ona
is the 500th year since the invention
of printing, and the other is the cen
tennial of the postage stamp.
“There may be some question about
the year in which the process ol
printing from movable type was in
vented; or rather, one should say,
maybe, reinvented, since China was
printing from blocks at least 40(1
years prior to Europe's use of mov
able type. The usual credit is given
to Johan Gutenberg of Mainz. Ger
many, who printed a Bible in 1450
But there are some persons who be
lieve the honor should belong t<
Laurene Coster of Haarlem, Hol
land. And there have been as mam
as 13 names listed as deserving some
honor.
“But more important even thar
the question of what printer wa:
the first to try to meet the risinj
demand for books by using movable
type, more important even than the
exact time of the discovery is the
fact that this priming process wa;
i given to the world. Civilizatioi
bounded forward when books ne
longer needed to be copied by hand
Printing remains one of the half
dozen most important inventions o
all time.
“As to stamps, they too have playe<
a great part in making possible tha
ease of communication which is es
sential to modem civilization
Stamps are more than somethin
pretty for collectors; they are th
symbols of a society on the movs
They are one means by whicl
thoughts are exchanged and knowl
edge grows. i
“And as for stamp collecting, on
might cite the statement that n
active stamp collector has beei
taken to an insane hospital. Bu
that may be because stamp collect
ing is only a hobby that provides ai
outlet for a nervous mind. Collect
ing paper match covers or last year
bird nests might do Just as well.”
Acasi Lanpak, Brooklyn, N. Y
wholesale stamp dealer, was
visitor in Washington last week.
Stamp meetings for the week ar
listed as follows:
Tuesday evening at 8—Collector
Club of Washington, Thomso
School, Twelfth street N.W. Pro
gram, exhibition and bourse.
Wednesday evening at 8—Wash
ington Philatelic Society, Hod
Mayflower, Connecticut aveni
N.W. Program and exhibition.
Wednesday evening at 8—Wash
ington Stamp Club of the Air, Sts
tion WOL. Stamp romance prc
gram in co-operation with Par
American Union.
All week—Centenary exhibitio
of philatelic literature, essays an
proofs, Library of Congress.
STAMPS. ■
1
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WHITNEY’S STAMP MAR*
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937 PeanaylTania At*. N.W. K
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NATIONAL STAMP MAR|
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ANNOUNCING OUR NEW LOCATICM
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