Golden Age, September 22, 1937

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The Golden Age

A JOURNAL OF FACT HOPE AND COURAGE

in this issue

HUMAN TEETH

THIRTY-TWO BEAUTIFUL GEMS

ANIMAL STORIES

EXPOSED

(N)

YELLOW PAPAL FASCISM

ABOUT KINGS AND DICTATORS

THE LOVE OF "MONEY"—

ROOT OF ALL EVILS

RELIGION AND MISCELLANY

every other

WEDNESDAY

five cents a copy

one dollar a year

Canada & Foreign 1.25

Vol. XVIII - No. 470

September 22, 1937 CONTENTS

HOME AND HEALTH

HUMAN TEETH—THIRTY-TWO

BEAUTIFUL AND VALUABLE GEMS 803

An Apple a Day 805

Pyorrhea: Its Prevention 807

Essential Foods 807

Blindness After Twenty Years 826

Wandering Sickness in Britain 828

FINANCE—COMMERCE—TRANSPORTATION

TWO HELPLESS IDIOTS 811

AERONAUTICS 816

The Hindenburg "Blessing" Lasted One Year 816

From Pole to Pole in Eight Days 816

SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL

The Golden Age 814

BY TRAIL AND STREAM AND GARDEN PATH 815

EXPOSED (N) 817

SATAN'S ULTIMATE IN GLORY 821

Curious Treatment of Lincoln's Body 821

THE LOVE OF "MONEY"—ROOT OF ALL EVILS 824

Duff Cooper Defends Bribery 824

What Was Haig's Prize? 824

McCahey Feeds His Flock 826

Gas-Proof Foolishness 826

Grotesque Misconduct in High (?) Places 827

Results of League's Activities 827

POLITICAL—DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN

A SCOT'S LETTER THAT WON A PRIZE 812

Proposed Union of Church and State 814

ITEMS CONCERNING YELLOW PAPAL FASCISM 818

Beginnings of Tyranny 818

A Monster of Many Heads 818

The Cowardice of Fascism 818

Who Controls World's Wealth—and How Come? 819

The Basque Children in England 820

Von Ribbentrop Arrived in England 820

Restriction of Liberty in Ireland 820

ABOUT KINGS AND DICTATORS AND SUCH 822

Shaw on the Coronation Ritual 822

Rupprecht of the House of Stuart 822

Jardine More Noble Than His Critics 823

The Menace of Dictatorships 823

TRAVEL AND MISCELLANY

Pathetic Case of Paternal Attachment 811

Pagan Fire Dances in Britain 812

ANIMAL STORIES 813

Taking Care of Gorillas 814

BRITANNIA IN BRIEF 828

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY

California Priest Wants Civil War 829

Catholic Censorship of Theaters 829

St. Peter's Crumbling 829

"Healed" and Died in Two Weeks 829

Special Underwear for Clergymen 829

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The Golden Age

Volume XVIII Brooklyn, N.Y., Wednesday, September 22, 1937 Number 470

Human Teeth — Thirty-two Beautiful and Valuable Gems

WHEN Jehovah God created man He gave him a set of beautifully polished and carefully graduated precious stones of unexcelled craftsmanship. Just what that original set of teeth was like, or whether there have been any quite as beautiful since (except a similar set given to Eve), we cannot know. But it is agreed that a good set of teeth is something to be very highly esteemed. It is the teeth that make or mar the beauty of the human face, not to speak of the practical advantage of having a good set of grinders to prepare the food sent down to our stomachs for further attention.

All vertebrates have teeth of some sort, and a study of the curiously varied kinds of teeth with which animals are equipped would be most interesting, as well as exhausting. So no attempt will be made to tell about the 250-pound tooth of the mammoth, which sometimes attained a length of fifteen feet. Men do not have to worry about the possibility of meeting those creatures in their travels; for, as far as can be ascertained, they all disappeared from the earth before the time when the first man noticed his flashing teeth as he smiled at his reflection in the clear waters of a still pool in Paradise.

Nor will an attempt be made in this article to make more than passing mention of the long tooth which the elephant delights to sport and which is made of the most beautifully textured material, both hard and tough and elastic. It is safe to say that the elephant's teeth, or tusks, have the greatest commercial value—after the elephant loses them—of any teeth that are known. This article will confine itself to the teeth which are of the greatest importance to each individual human creature, his own.

The number of teeth, and the different sort, in each half jaw, is the same. That is, the mouth of the human creature contains 4 times 2+1+2+3 teeth at maturity, if he has and keeps all his teeth. But why not just say 32? Because these teeth are not by any means all the same. There are four different kinds. On each side of the dividing line in the middle there are two incisors in both the upper and lower jaws, making eight incisors in all. Note how the word "incisors" reminds one of scissors. Both of these words are derived from Latin terms meaning "to cut". That is the function of the eight front teeth: to cut into the food to be eaten. These teeth have single roots and chisel-like crowns.

Next to the incisors are the canines. These teeth are prominent in the dog's mouth; hence the use of the word "canine", in designating them. They are sometimes called "eyeteeth", and are useful for tearing tough and fibrous foods, being more or less pointed. They are single-rooted.

Beyond the canines, on either side, above and below, are two teeth called the pre-molars; and still farther back, the molars, three in number, including the wisdom tooth. The reason why this tooth is so named is that it usually does not make its appearance until one has attained maturity and, inferentially but not necessarily, wisdom. The pre-molars are also called bicuspids, because they have two points on the crown. The molars have two or three roots. Both the pre-molars and molars have broad crowns suitable for grinding. This is suggested by the name "molar", from the Latin molaris, "pertaining to a mill."

The Deciduous Teeth

Babies are, as a rule, born toothless. The beginnings of the teeth, however, are already present in the gums, having begun to form six months before the birth of the child. As to whether the baby shall have good teeth depends in great measure upon the kind of food the mother eats. If her food has been deficient in lime, phosphorus and magnesium the child's teeth will be imperfectly formed, and liable to early decay.

Regularly arranged teeth, perfectly calcified, are practically certain if the mother’s diet contains the proper elements. Mothers often find their own teeth suffer greatly as a result of a confinement. The material required for the bones and teeth of the unborn child, absent in the commercialized foods used so extensively, are taken from the modern mother’s body and particularly the teeth, leaving them soft and subject to decay.

The time when a baby’s teeth begin to “erupt” or come through is usually from five to eight months after birth. Sometimes they appear sooner. The order in which they appear is, as a rule, as follows: The two front teeth, upper and lower, erupt first, then those on either side, making eight incisors. Then follow the first pre-molars, or temporary molars, after which the canines, or “eyeteeth”, as they are sometimes called, come in between the first molars and the incisors. These come in about the eighteenth month. Last of all the second pre-molars erupt, about the beginning of the third year. About the end of the first year the child should have twelve teeth. The complete set of temporary teeth consists of eight incisors, four canines and four pre-molars, twenty in all. The permanent molars do not make their appearance until later, the first appearing about the sixth year, hence the name “six-year molar”.

The first set of teeth is called “deciduous”, which means that they will be “shed” or fall out at a later date, to be replaced by another set. If the baby does the regular thing, it will have the front teeth come out first, the central incisors. It is more important in some countries than in others to have the teeth come up in the right order. Among the Basutos in East Africa a baby born with one or more teeth is put to death, the midwife and “mayor” making sure that this is done. Any baby so indiscreet as not to have the front teeth come in first is also put to death. A few mothers, however, have the courage and independence to resist this savage custom.

In ancient Rome a child born with one or more teeth was considered to be marked with distinction. Some were surnamed “Dentatus” because of being so born.

Sometimes a precocious child has a complete set of teeth before it is much over a year old. Take Marjorie Lea Prior, of Delano, Calif., for instance. She had her whole set of teeth when she was but fifteen months old, and obligingly opened her mouth wide for the man who took her picture for the paper.

The Permanent Teeth

The permanent teeth begin to come in before the temporary ones are shed. The care of the temporary teeth is important, because they affect the growth and spacing of the second set. If you do not want your child to have crooked or irregular teeth when it grows up, take care of the first set, by keeping them clean and especially by seeing that the diet contains the kind of foods that will keep them healthy. Information about the development and care of the teeth is disseminated by most prenatal and child-health conferences in the United States, which operate under the Maternity and Infancy Act. The diet of the mother during nursing is quite as important as the diet of the child later, if not more so; for during that period the little body is being furnished with the elements from which the teeth get their beginning. During this period bad teeth in the mother also affect the health of the child.

Even while the first or temporary teeth are being formed the permanent teeth are in process of development, built of the same elements and constituting, in a way, a continuation of the first. Bone- and tooth-building elements, lime, phosphorus, magnesium, are found in such foods as leafy vegetables, milk, butter, eggs, whole-wheat bread, coarse cereals and fruit. Sunshine, open-air play, fresh air at night and cleanliness are also important factors in the child’s health and the proper development of the teeth. Lack of milk in the diet is often the cause of poor teeth. Milk contains a large amount of calcium.

Of the 45,000,000 children in the United States 95 percent have trouble with their teeth in some way or other. Nations where there is far less attention paid to the care of the teeth have much better “dentition”. This does not mean that care of the teeth is the cause of poor teeth. Rather, the cause lies in the refined foods which are so freely eaten in the United States, whereas in poorer countries the children are obliged to eat coarser and more natural foods, and have better teeth as a result. Cleanliness is a desirable, but a secondary factor in the preservation of the teeth, whether temporary or permanent.

The Most Important Tooth

The most important tooth of all is the "six-year molar", of which there is one on each side of both the upper and lower jaws. But, sad to say, these teeth are also, for some reason, the most susceptible to decay, owing to an improper diet. These six-year molars are the first of the permanent molars.

The manner and order in which the teeth are "built" and "compacted together" reveals the most marvelous technical and engineering skill and is a tribute to the great Creator and Preserver of all things. All His works praise Him, and this includes the teeth as well as other parts of the wonderfully complex and harmonious human organism. A feature which is of particular interest in this connection is the fact that the first permanent molars appear before any of the temporary teeth are lost. These four "corner-stones" or "key-stones" of the mouth, two above and two below, lock together in such a way that when the jaws are closed the lower jaw is held firmly in place. Hence, all the rest of the permanent teeth are aided in assuming and holding their proper place. Carefully, without haste, one tooth after another drops away and new teeth take their places. There is a divine order and deliberation about the whole process that evokes the admiration and praise of those who 'seek out the works of the Lord and have pleasure therein.'—Psalm 111: 2.

Because of the early appearance of the first molar parents sometimes think it is a late temporary tooth. The mistaken notion that temporary teeth are not important often leads to neglect of these very important teeth. Children should have been taught to use the toothbrush long before this, and if natural foods are provided and manufactured sweets are sedulously avoided the teeth are fairly safe. What, with the great variety of natural "sweets", is the excuse for feeding children cakes, frosted, iced or glazed, and candies, creams, caramels and the endless variety of human inventions which are injurious to the health and the teeth.

Inorganic medicines or drugs also play havoc with the teeth and are most objectionable. God has provided herbs for the service of man.—Psalm 104: 14.

An Apple a Day

While an apple a day should not be depended upon to keep the doctor away, it is an excellent tooth-cleanser. Turnips, carrots and similar foods are also of value, and taste best when eaten just as they are. Made into salads they lose much of their freshness in a short time. It seems that something is wrong when men (and women) think it is necessary to improve upon the food the Creator has provided, by dressing it, fixing it or mixing it. It is true that certain foods seem to require cooking and baking to make them more easily assimilable. It is equally certain that the "cooking art" has been carried to an unwarranted extreme and, rather than improving them, in most instances has destroyed food values.

It is because they do not get body-building and tooth-building foods that sixty percent of the children in the United States have infected six-year molars. That means that before the age of fourteen years most children in this country are already beginning to lose the most important teeth in their mouths. Conscientious dentists can do something to repair the damage, but a filled tooth is a source of danger in other directions and an extracted tooth paves the way for crooked teeth and in some instances crooked mouths.

It is to the credit of the dental profession that many of its members are stressing the importance of the proper preventive measures, especially the eating of proper foods. While this may seem to be working against their own interests, it is fairly safe to say that there will be plenty of work for dentists for some time to come. A sincere concern for the welfare of the people will bring them rewards of a more enduring quality than mere filthy lucre.

Perfect Teeth Rare

According to the National Dental Technicians there are only twenty sets of perfect natural teeth among the people of the United States. This is no doubt setting a very high standard of perfection. Bringing down the standard a little it can be said that about 5,000 persons in this country have teeth that are in a perfect state of health.

Among Tibetan tribes tooth decay is rare. Their diet is not one of great variety, and whole corn is an important part of it, supplying the phosphorus needed for the teeth. Life in the sunshine and open air supplies the mysterious Vitamin "D", also essential to good teeth.

The possession of a perfect set of teeth is considered by the Chinese as absolutely necessary to good looks in man or woman. No one would be disposed to gainsay them, especially in view of the fact that few Chinese can afford to have teeth replaced once they are lost.

Indians of Old Mexico generally have good teeth. They eat hard corn and cakes equally hard made of coarse corn meal. These cakes are called “tortillas”, and are baked flat on hot iron plates. These are the substitute for bread among these Mexican Indians, who can crack practically any soft-shelled nut with their teeth.

The Eskimos, while leading a nomadic life, and eating meat the greater part of the year, have good teeth. Decay follows the introduction of the white man’s food.

On the lonely isle of Tristan de Cunha, in the South Atlantic ocean, the inhabitants, of whom there are no more than 156, live on a very limited but simple diet. There is no overeating among them. Of the 156, 131 had perfect sets of teeth! Compare that with the record of the United States, and then consider that the inhabitants of this isle never use a toothbrush and, in fact, never think of trying to clean their teeth at all!

“Like Pulling Teeth”

The expression “like pulling teeth” indicates that such an operation is exceedingly unpleasant. The loss of teeth is a surgical calamity. While the pulling of teeth is universally dreaded, it is nevertheless thought of as a minor operation. It is a more serious operation than most people realize. Tooth extraction, especially when it involves several teeth, is really a major operation and should, according to some dentists, be done in a hospital or at the patient’s home, so that a period of rest and convalescence may immediately follow. Sanitary measures following the extraction are also important. If all the teeth are pulled a temporary set should be provided as soon as possible, so that no digestive and nutritional difficulties may result from lack of the proper foods or proper mastication.

For a long time pulling the teeth was about the only remedy thought of for an aching tooth. Then came the conviction that teeth are a most valuable part of the human organism, and every effort was made to preserve them. Individuals who formerly spent 50 cents to have a tooth out would, upon proper presentation of the matter by the dentist, spend 50 dollars to keep a tooth in. It is but human that many of the dentists, though not all, were inspired by other considerations than the desire to preserve the teeth of their patients. The theory, however, was a plausible one.

Then came the discovery that preserved teeth were as objectionable as most preserved foods. The nerve had been killed and the tooth properly repaired, but somehow that did not end the difficulty. Either the tooth kept on decaying openly and boldly or did so under cover. The under-cover decay was the most reprehensible, like most things done under cover. The decaying roots discharged their poisons into the blood stream and brought about aches and pains of various sorts. At least that was the opinion of many dentists and doctors, and these opinions seem not to have been without foundation. The amount of poison discharged was, it was admitted, very small; but it was also very potent. And it still is. As the process of decay continues day after day, week after week, and year after year, the cumulative effect is likely to be noticeable, depending in degree upon the ability of the individual to resist and throw off the poisons thus produced. It is thought that bad teeth may bring about cancer, rheumatism, ulcers and other disagreeable results.

Again, there are those who think it likely that the same causes which bring about cancer, rheumatism, arthritis, etc., produce the decayed teeth. From this standpoint the bad teeth are just another victim of bad eating and other unhealthy practices.

Worse and Worse

It is an admitted fact that dental deterioration is becoming worse with each generation. This is not surprising when we consider that the race has six thousand years of gradual decline back of it. Besides, today most foods are adulterated by preservatives or refining agents, or poisoned by aluminum utensils as they are being prepared in homes or in canneries. The Devil’s world is in a bad way and those who seek safety and health see the importance of getting back to nature’s way of doing things, which is generally the simplest way.

Dr. Charles F. Bodecker, of Columbia University, a few years ago advanced the idea that teeth may be either healthy or diseased depending upon internal conditions, and that their susceptibility to decay is not primarily determined by what happens on the outside, but by what happens inside of the tooth. It is the diseased and weakened tooth that is subject to decay.

Dr. L. Norman Broomell, of Temple University, says, "Statistics show that nine-tenths of all systemic diseases for which the mouth is held accountable are directly traceable to pulpless teeth—teeth from which the nerve has been extracted."

Modern Living, however, says that the removal of the offending teeth seldom does any great permanent good. That it does a considerable amount of good is admitted. This good can be made permanent by proper eating. The surest way to preserve the teeth, however, is to promote the general health and purify the blood. It is the blood that must build the teeth as well as other parts of the body.

The teeth are not proof against all kinds of abuses. When one works where vapors of bromine and iodine are inhaled the teeth will be discolored. Hydrochloric, nitric and sulphuric acids have a very destructive influence upon the teeth.

The teeth of those who play wind instruments are badly worn, as are also the teeth of glassblowers. Metal objects held in the mouth may damage the teeth. Biting off thread continually will produce crevices in the teeth. Carpetmakers, shoemakers, tailors, and others damage their teeth by using the mouth and the teeth in a way not intended.

Pyorrhea: Its Prevention

Pyorrhea is a disease of the gums in which there is inflammation and often pus at the point where the teeth meet the gums. This condition may extend to the depression between the roots of the teeth and the gum, and in some cases there is a noticeable loosening of the teeth. Pyorrhea is a result of civilization, of denatured and devitalized (or devilized) foods. It is due especially to a lack of the vitamins that are found in fresh vegetables and fruits.

The early stages of this disease show a slight reddishness of the gums near the margin of the teeth. It may be very slight, but is a danger signal. The gums may be somewhat swollen and spongy to the touch between the teeth. Sometimes pressure draws a little blood or a trace of pus.

Pyorrhea is prevented by seeing to it that there is a goodly quantity of fruits and vegetables eaten, as much of it in the raw state as possible. To cure pyorrhea that has gotten a decided start it is necessary to eliminate from the diet for a time all flour and starch foods, including puddings, tapioca, sago, rice, etc. Canned and preserved foods should be omitted. If the teeth are loose unsweetened lemonade or lemonade sweetened with a little honey, fresh orange and grapefruit juice and pulped fruits of all kinds are of value. Fresh eggs are also beneficial. After a cure has been effected care should be taken to thereafter follow a balanced diet.

Essential Foods

Fruits, green vegetables and milk are called the "protective foods" and keep the teeth well-nourished. It is the refined foods that play havoc with the teeth. Polished rice, white flour, white sugar, candies, cakes, pastries and other inventions are of no good to anybody. Cabbage, Brussels sprouts and spinach are valuable tooth-builders, containing the lime salts which form the basis of the tooth enamel. Sea foods are also good.

Sodium, calcium and fluorine are the three elements of which the teeth are principally composed. They must be taken in the form of food to be of use to the organism. The body does not assimilate inorganic elements or minerals. Sodium is found in asparagus, almonds, cucumbers, carrots, celery, dates, figs, gooseberries, cocoanuts, lettuce, raw egg yolk, milk, goat's milk, okra, prunes, radishes, spinach, strawberries, turnips, sweet apples, and string beans.

Spinach, asparagus, cauliflower, cabbage, saurkraut, lettuce, sorrel, lentils, peas, beans, radishes, gooseberries, cranberries, prunes, currants, peaches, grapes, rhubarb, bran, whole wheat, milk, buttermilk, cheese and raw egg yolk contain calcium.

Fluorine is present in the foregoing foods in sufficient measure to supply the needs of the teeth, and by including some of both kinds in the diet the teeth will be fortified against the agencies of decay. Phosphorus has already been mentioned as a necessary element in the diet. It is found in egg yolk and milk. Milk also contains the necessary calcium.

It is not necessary that a wide variety of foods be eaten to prevent tooth decay. Not only will natural and raw foods preserve the teeth, but by the eating of such foods decay has in a number of cases been stopped and cavities "filled" or healed after decay had begun. One dentist undertook to prescribe a diet for his patients who had cavities in their teeth. Of 675 cases over which he maintained supervision he found that an average of four cavities appeared in the teeth over a period of six months. After six months of proper diet there were in the group only five cavities where, ordinarily, 2,700 cavities might have been expected. The addition of Vitamin D to the diet will stop decay. Vitamins A and D, both necessary to the properly developed tooth, are found in egg yolk, cod-liver oil, fish and meat fats.

In Minonk, Illinois, more than a third of the children have mottled teeth. This peculiarity has been traced to the city well, dug in 1893. The water has a salty taste, but is liked when one gets used to it. The teeth of these children have different shades of gray mixed with spots of white, but decay is somewhat less frequent than in the teeth that are not mottled. Incidentally, the water has a peculiar effect on aluminum, which cannot be used in Minonk—and should not be used anywhere for cooking purposes.

Your Friend, the Dentist

The conscientious dentist is your friend, believe it or not. That is, provided you are in need of his services. The dental profession has made great forward strides in the last hundred years. Not that dentistry is of recent origin. The ancient Egyptians, as early as 3000 B.C. (that is very approximate), are supposed to have done dental work. Dentistry was also practiced among the Greeks, Etruscans and Romans. Mummies have been found with wooden plugs in their teeth. Ivory plugs were also used. Petronius, in the time of Nero, is credited with having introduced the innovation of gold fillings.

The Zapotec Indians of Mexico did some excellent dental work with hematite, gold and other metals a thousand years ago. Their dental inlay work was done solely for decoration, it seems. While it was being done the subject was given an anesthetic made of a wild mushroom. Peyote and marihuana were also used.

In the Middle Ages and even as late as the eighteenth century dentistry consisted chiefly of extractions. Most people attended to this job themselves. One William Byrd describes an operation of this kind under date of October 9, 1733, as follows:

I caused a twine to be fastened round the root of my tooth, about a fathom in length, and then tied the other end to the snag of a log that lay upon the ground, in such a manner that I could just stand upright. Having adjusted my string in this manner, I bent my knees enough to enable me to spring vigorously off the ground, as perpendicularly as I could. The force of the leap drew out the tooth with so much ease that I felt nothing of it, nor should have believed it was come away, unless I had seen it dangling at the end of the string. An under tooth may be fetched out by standing off the ground and fastening your string at due distance above you. And having so fixed your gear, jump off your standing, and the weight of your body, added to the force of the spring, will prize out your tooth with less pain than any operator upon earth could draw.

Transplanting Teeth

Before the time of the French Revolution the transplanting of teeth was in vogue. Poor people could sell their teeth to be transplanted into the mouth of the rich, who could afford to pay for the operation. Foolish and "romantic" couples would not infrequently submit to an exchange! "A tooth for a tooth." Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette are credited (?) with having exchanged a tooth each. At the time of the American Revolution a Philadelphia dentist specialized in transplanting teeth.

The first dental college in the world was opened in Baltimore in 1840. It was about that time that preventive dentistry began. Extraction was the main thing and about the only thing that was done with an aching tooth before that time. But now the objective was to keep the teeth in or to supply some suitable substitute in the way of crowns and bridges. Teeth were filled, crowned and otherwise tinkered with, the nerve having first been removed and the cavity filled with cement or other filler. Then it was discovered that these dead teeth were the cause of many diseases, and numerous dentists advised the extraction of teeth that could not be filled without killing the nerve, platework being supplied to fill the empty spaces. Anemia, rheumatism, tuberculosis and some heart diseases were attributed to infected teeth. And now dentists are beginning to talk about diet as a means of preventing tooth decay, which shows that some of them have brains and use them.

The dental profession has grown to great proportions, especially in the United States. A recent survey revealed that out of $35,000,000 spent for dental supplies in one year, $11,765,132 was expended for dental gold. Dental gold is mixed with alloys of various kinds, such as silver, copper and amalgams. Platinum combined with gold is used sparingly.

Drill Your Own Teeth

Dentists consider themselves custodians of masticating equipment that must grind up several billion dollars' worth of food every year. It is their business to grind the grinders. There are about 50,000 dentists in the United States. A full dentist's kit contains 6,000 instruments. American dentistry is the best in the world because until recently most Americans could afford to spend money on their teeth. Now that the bankers, ably assisted by politicians and clergy, have just about ruined the country, things are different, and a general decadence is noticeable, affecting the dental profession as well as everything else.

Some dentists contract to keep the teeth of certain of their patients in perfect condition for a specified sum. Knowing the teeth of these patients, they know how much work they are likely to require and how much the charge should be. The patients are required to visit the dentist three or four times a year for an examination and such attention as may be necessary. Decay does not, as a rule, progress very far in the space of three or four months.

A new idea in painless dentistry is to give the patient control of the drilling machine. He has his hand on a switch by means of which he can stop the drilling when he wishes. This keeps the nervous patient calm, or nearly so. As a rule the patient is more courageous when he can boss the job in this manner, though a good many would be strongly inclined to keep the thing turned off most of the time.

Dentists who have not yet installed the remote-control drilling system try to keep the minds of their patients occupied by a continued line of talk. At least some dentists have tried hypnotizing their patients. Whether they knew it or not, these men were calling in the aid of wicked spirits. Hypnotism is a trespass upon the will and mind of another and can be ascribed only to the Devil. No one has a right to control another in any such manner, regardless of the "benefit" in view.

Gas, which is supposed to put the patient to sleep, sometimes has a peculiar effect upon him. On one occasion a patient to whom gas was being administered sprang up and struck the dentist and the attendant, overturned furniture and caused general havoc, breaking his leg as well. The advice of a physician before taking gas is a precaution often taken.

The Signorina and the Piltdown Man

Signorina Emilia Quaranta is a famous Italian woman dentist. She caters to kings, queens, princes and princesses and other blue-blooded or moneyed individuals.

Dr. James Leon Williams invented a system for the production of artificial teeth which is now accepted as standard. It is based on the theory that there are three kinds of teeth in all races of men. The doctor was a clever man. His foolish side was shown in his belief that the teeth found in the Piltdown skull, unearthed in England, belong to a man who lived "possibly a half a million years ago". Humanity has lived on the earth only about 6,000 years. There is no proof whatever that they were here any longer than that.

Another "wise" professor thinks that the human race may be a toothless one in the future. He blames the dentists for this probable development, because they supply men with false teeth. He is afraid "nature" may lie down on the job of supplying human teeth; no doubt because she resents competition.

The Murry and Leonie Guggenheim Dental Clinic of New York examined 4,600 children in 1932 and found that 97 1/2 percent had an average of 9.7 cavities each.

Dr. S. T. Jonas, of Chicago, advertised his business by giving free dental service to poor children every Saturday morning. That was not a bad idea. It is mentioned here for the consideration of other dentists. The free service included fillings. No extractions were made unless absolutely necessary.

Parents of children in Union, New Jersey, complained because Civil Works Service dentists were too eager to pull the teeth of school children, and promiscuously extracted teeth without the permission of the pupils' parents.

James Walsh, of Pittsburgh, unable to afford dental work for an aching tooth, confessed to a robbery which he had not committed, and got the work done by the prison dentist.

Dental surgery is frequently in demand after automobile and other accidents. Dr. R. H. Ivy, of Philadelphia, urges the provision of dental and oral surgeons in small hospitals as well as the larger ones.

Hard Water and Cod-Liver Oil

The neck of a tooth is called “cervix” by dentists, and the root, which used to be called a fang or prong, is now termed the “apex”. A “vault” is defined as “the longest palatal border obtainable through a coronal section of the maxilla”. Don’t ask The Golden Age to define the definition, however. Such terms as “inclination”, “anchorage,” “neutroclusion,” “distoclusion” and “mesioclusion” show that every trade has its trick names. Wouldn’t they make an interesting topic for conversation?

Soft water is considered unfavorable, and hard water favorable, to the development of good teeth. Cod-liver oil assists the body to use the lime in the diet for the building of the teeth. Calcification of the teeth is not complete until the twentieth year.

The toothbrush is not a recent invention. As long ago as 1700 B.C. the Indo-Europeans used a twig from a certain tree for cleaning the teeth and gums. The ancients, and especially the ancient orientals, seem to have had an aversion to making an effort to keep themselves clean, and so the mouth-cleaning operation was made a rite, which must be religiously observed at stated times, accompanied by “prayers”.

Though toothbrushes are cheap and easily obtainable everywhere, dental technicians tell us that only twenty percent of the people in the United States use them. Dr. Menzies Campbell says, “The toothbrush is merely an unnatural method of trying to right the wrongs of unnatural feeding.” However, he would not discourage the use of the brush altogether, especially since so many pasty and sugary foods are eaten. Instead of the slogan, “A clean tooth never decays,” up-to-date dentists offer, “A properly nourished and properly exercised tooth will not decay.”

Make Your Own Tooth Powder

Toothbrushes, tooth pastes, tooth powders, mouthwashes, etc., are made to sell. A little baking soda and salt makes an inexpensive and effective substitute for commercial tooth-cleansers. Or if you want something a little more like the commercial article, just get a quarter of a pound of prepared chalk at your druggist. It will last a long time.

A few drops of lemon juice on the brush is a splendid tooth-cleanser. Lemon juice is beneficial and whitening. Apples as tooth-cleansers have already been mentioned.

An unsterilized toothbrush that lies about here and there is not a very sanitary thing. A salt-water solution will sterilize it sufficiently. It should then be permitted to dry, and be kept in a place free from dust.

The Last Resort

The last resort, viewed from the dental angle, is a set of artificial teeth. It appears that primitive men, when they had lost all their teeth, would grind their food with a small mortar and pestle made of stone. Modern man uses artificial or store teeth.

Generally speaking, a person’s natural teeth are to be preferred to any substitute. Natural teeth cannot be swallowed or mislaid or stepped on. False teeth nearly always make facial changes that are not desirable. Sometimes a new set of teeth so changes a person's appearance that his friends do not recognize him. That, however, may not be an unmixed evil. Sometimes, again, artificial teeth are a distinct improvement.

A woman of Phoenicia who lived about 300 B.C. had some nice dental work done, artificial teeth having been wired into the mouth in a rather clever way with gold wire. This was the first known use of false teeth. Her jaw is now on exhibition in the Louvre, Paris. Such is fame.

Dental plates made from wax molds of the mouth were first made about the time of the Revolutionary War. They were hinged or kept in place by springs. The vacuum method of keeping the upper plate where it belongs was invented A.D. 1800, by a Frenchman.

During 1926 the dental laboratories of the United States produced teeth to the value of $6,494,032. The total output of dental goods for that year was $42,695,252. Who says Americans don’t take care of their teeth?

Some persons make their own artificial teeth. A Texas man carved himself a set from a steak bone. A man of Manchester, England, made himself an outfit from an old billiard ball, purchased for two shillings. A dancer who did not have very attractive teeth made jackets to cover them. She used pearl shell for the purpose, and as a result has unusually bright and flashing teeth—when on the stage.

A Klondike hunter, nicknamed Nimrod, having lost all his teeth, set about to make himself a set. From the various animals killed in his hunting trips he collected teeth which he matched, filed, shaped and arranged so that he had the desired number of incisors, canines and molars. Then he took an impression of his own mouth by means of spruce gum. He strung the sheep, wolf and bear teeth together with silver wire and imbedded them in rubber plates made from the remains of rubber boots, and has no further use for the dentist.

Paul Severance, of Montana, was under his car looking for trouble, and got it. A part of the engine fell, knocked out and broke his teeth. The insurance company refused to pay the damage, but the state board decided that the teeth, whether natural or artificial, are a part of a person’s anatomy, and that Severance was entitled to collect $35 insurance.

Not all materials used for making gums for artificial teeth look natural. A substance has now been found that has unusual strength, retains its form a long time, and has the color of the lining of the mouth.

Humanity has tried to make the best of its difficulties and to smile, even with false teeth, but the time is coming when God’s kingdom will bring to every obedient human creature full perfection, including teeth that for beauty and efficiency will rival those of Adam and Eve in Eden.

Two Helpless Idiots By David W. Kassens (Idaho)

AT THE beginning of the nineteenth century a boy who was born from a drunken father inherited a mental weakness that required him to have a guardian all his life. He managed to raise two children who were also feeble-minded like their father. Fortunately, this boy on the day of his birth was given enough money by his grandfather to keep him and his children in good circumstances. In addition to this money, the grandfather gave him a million dollars, with the provision that his guardian was to keep it invested in 4-percent securities, and when the income was received it was to be invested in more 4-percent bonds and kept in the family.

When this baby was one year old his investment brought him $40,000. This feeble-minded infant had no earning ability; therefore the $40,000 was earned by 100 other persons who each had an earning capacity of $4,000 and who contributed $400, which was 10 percent of his income.

The guardian invested the $40,000 in more securities and when the baby was two years old his wealth was again increased, this time by $41,600, to which each of the 100 contributed a little more than $400. Each year the income from the investments was larger than it had been the year before, and when the boy was 18 years old he had $2,000,000 invested. That year each of the 100 contributors gave $800, which was 20 percent of his earnings. When he was 36 years old, his $4,000,000 investment required $1,600 from each of the 100 contributors.

When the millionaire was 54 years old he died and left $4,000,000 to each of his two children. The 100 contributors also died and each left two children who began by each giving $1,600, or 40 percent of a $4,000 income, earning power, to sustain the investments of the two millionaires. When eighteen more years had passed, the two millionaires each had $8,000,000 invested, which required a contribution of $3,200 from each of 200 producers of wealth. In the ninetieth year from the time when the first million dollars was invested, the two heirs with no earning ability each had $16,000,000 which required from each of the 200 sustainers a contribution of $6,400, which was $2,400 more than his earning capacity, and each had to draw from his savings.

Pathetic Case of Paternal Attachment

IN Budapest, Hungary, eighty years ago, a famous physician lost his only son with diphtheria. Carried away with grief, he obtained permission to embalm the body, which he did, keeping it in a glass case opposite his desk in his study. It has just been found, in an attic, a beautiful little body, sitting on a tiny chair, dressed in a purple coat and white trousers. The child was but six years of age when he died. The mummy was perfectly preserved and will be retained in the Pathological Institute of Budapest University.

A Scot's Letter That Won a Prize

I SHOULD like to be clearly understood that anything that I have said or may say is not in any way intended to hurt the feelings of people who are Roman Catholic. Your correspondent F.J.M. assures us that, approximately, the number of such people will total 360,000,000. In such a vast number of people there must of necessity be millions of people of good will. Nevertheless, neither numbers nor antiquity, nor yet sincerity in belief on the part of its supporters, is in any way a guarantee that any religious institution is worshiping God in spirit and in truth.

Lucifer is older than man, and still lives, but that in no way contradicts what Jesus said of him, viz., that he (Satan) was a liar and a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth. Jesus at the same time applied this statement to the clergy of His day and told them that they taught the traditions of men and were the children of the Devil and were also liars and murderers.

The clergy of the "Christian religion" and the Roman Catholic religion have confirmed these words of Jesus to be true in every respect, and by their doctrines and course of action have made a very urgent claim upon the paternity of Satan the Devil.

There have been martyrs in all ages, and for many reasons and faiths, religious and political, and Roman Catholicism can boast that they put to death more "martyrs" than any other "Christian" sect. August 24, 1572, saw thousands massacred for being Huguenots, and the number in this, the St. Bartholomew Massacre, is, of course, dwarfed by the number that died deaths of agony during the Spanish Inquisition.

"A little more charity," and most emphatically "a little less ignorance", and there would and could be no religious hatred, for the reason that only in ignorance can religion exist. Wherever religion has had full say, and the people have been the cowed slaves of superstitious teaching and bullying clergy, we find that the education of the masses has been terribly neglected. As a proof of that I quote Russia, before the revolution, France before their revolution, also Mexico and Spain.

In the face of the fact that millions of people in "Christendom", where the Roman Catholic church has had so much power, are in abject poverty and starvation, and even in our own country where the banner of this alleged "Christianity" is waved so energetically, it makes one mentally sick to read such syrupy twaddle as that the Roman Catholic church "is fighting for the right of man to live like a man" and that "it was the church that first taught the brotherhood of man (that in the face of its exploits in Abyssinia and now in Spain) and the equality of man" and "God-given rights" and so on and on ad nauseam.

Words fail me as I see on every hand poverty and filth and vermin, wherein countless thousands of Catholic children are thrust with a regularity that shames machinery and with much less discrimination. Here are no "glories, dignities and sanctities of motherhood", but a race of debilitated women debauched to serve the demands of expansion of Roman Catholicism.

If the Roman Catholic church nor any of its Jesuitical agents has instigated the war in Spain, then I apologize: but I do so at the danger of making several of the said church's dignitaries look as if they might be plainly lying; for is it not proclaimed from the housetops that it is a war of Christ against Bolshevism?—Leo Kust, in the Clydebank (Glasgow, Scotland) Press.

Pagan Fire Dances in Britain

ACCORDING to the London Daily Mirror pagan fire dances to Baal, the Devil, have been observed in Britain every year, from time immemorial, and are still observed. It reports one such dance which took place Saturday night, July 4, 1936, at Whalton, near Morpeth, Northumberland. The Mirror explains that the lads who dance all night about this huge bonfire once a year, most of them, have no idea that they are taking part in pagan worship of the Devil. They do, indeed, refer to their bonfire as a balefire (see dictionary on this), but they do not realize that balefire and baal-fire are one and the same thing. This is what comes of people's passing foolish customs on from one generation to another. Indeed, the word "bonfire" is of no better origin, for a bonfire was originally a bone-fire—a fire in which the bones of so-called "heretics" were reduced to ashes by the savages operating the Roman Catholic religion.

Animal Stories

(From The Open Door)

ANIMALS do smile, talk and convey definite information immediately acted on.

Take a pack of wild dogs: One loose from the pack happens to come across buried offal. He eats all that is exposed, then goes a distance to the yet unobserving pack. He gives them such definite information with his eyes, nose and voice that the pack goes straight to where the finder has been, and does as he did.

My Siberian sled dogs Pamelus and Pavlova use numbers of Chinese words, sometimes humorously. They answer winks with the same eye that I use, and answer smiles in the same way: lighting up the eyes, drawing the points of the mouth up to expose the teeth slightly. The mouth is drawn wider and the eyes sparkle.

Animals talk among themselves. A big dog and a small one were neighbors. The former was asleep on his lawn. The small dog was joined by a passing dog that became too familiar. The small dog whispered across the grass tops. The big dog understood, woke up suddenly, rushed the intruder across the street and, his police work done, immediately went back to sleep.

A member of my family recently tamed a wild Samoyed from the Siberian steppes by constantly telling her, quite against the facts, that she was a "good girl," and associating the compliment sometimes with a reward. The whip now hangs dust-covered. We can calm her frequently flaming spirit any time now with these magic words, which she fully understands.

That all birds talk with each other and chant chorals with leaders at regular times is certain, and your friendly robin will change his song into a definite scolding meant for you if you bring a dog on the lawn where you are friendly with robin.—Exchange.

Are cats clever? Oh, yes! Listen to this: Duncan boasts a cat which, although homeless, gets along very well indeed in cold weather, thank you.

It haunts the warm radiators of cars parked downtown. When a new car draws up to the curb the cat leaves its perch on the cooling radiator to settle on the warm hood of the latest arrival.—Exchange.

There was a story in one of the Sunday papers to the effect that a wolf puppy was captured by a man and taken to his home, where the dog was reared along with some other dogs, German Shepherds. The wolf puppy soon out-distanced her school fellows and became the star pupil, showing a marvelous talent for detection. This went on for quite a while, but finally the contempt of the wolf for her more domesticated companions became so marked and finally so unbearable that it was necessary to take her off the force. The policeman who had found her felt her situation so much that he too resigned from the force and went to live alone with his wolf puppy.—Exchange.

For several years a small businesslike dog sold newspapers to hundreds of people in Boston every day. The little dog, so loving, patient and faithful to his crippled master, was always to be seen near the Park Street subway entrance, trotting around with a paper in his mouth, until a sale was made to a regular customer or a stranger.

Silently, yet persistently, this dog of business approached the men, women and children with the latest news of the day. Patrons dropped their pennies in the pocket about the dog’s neck and hurried away, more thoughtful and considerate of others because of this friendly morning greeting. Often the shopping people and children would linger for a friendly talk. It was not an unusual sight to see from fifty to a hundred persons waiting their turn to buy and say a few kind words to the intelligent little worker.

Each week the dog earned about twenty-five dollars for his master, who, in return, shared his fire, his food, his bed, his heart, with his companion. Such love and service were as the love of David and Jonathan!—News.

E. N. Zeikle has a pet goose that follows him around like a dog, even on crowded sidewalks. The goose has learned the meaning of the lights and rigidly observes traffic laws when crossing the street.

Mr. Zeikle bought the bird from a farmer and placed it in a sack in his auto. It raised such a row that he took it from the sack and for the rest of the journey it sat on the seat next to the owner and made friends. That did it! Billy, as the goose is named, was accepted as a pet, not as a dinner.—National Humane Review.

There are only about 3,200 acres of the 604 square miles of Sequoia National Park in which the Sequoi Gigantea grows, but there are deer and bears in every part of it.

After we got into our cabin we unpacked and went out for a look around. On returning we grew grave. Intruders had pushed open our cabin door and made away with a lot of our provisions. Being just out of a big city, we were ready to suspect that some other camper had robbed us. But we had been robbed by bears.

Beside our camp cottage is the outdoor kitchen and dining-room. As soon as plates begin to clatter deer and chipmunks begin to arrive. Often while we are eating our meal three or four different deer will come up to be fed, eating from our hands if we will let them.—Exchange.

John Gabbert, the camp guide and lecturer, says there are several thousand deer in the park. And one of the rangers says there are about four hundred bears. Every afternoon at three o'clock a truckload of camp scraps is taken up on Bear Hill, and all the rest of the evening bears are dropping in there to eat.

We went up yesterday afternoon and saw eighteen feeding at once; the ranger said about forty a day are regular customers. They range all the way from cubs to Clubfoot, a big brown bear that weighs seven hundred pounds.—Park Item.

Taking Care of Gorillas

THE London Record states that in the United States "one-fifth of the entire output of dog-food, one hundred million cans, is eaten by humans, and only 15 of the 200 plants manufacturing that food are under the regular inspection of the Department of Agriculture". (The other day, on the way to a train, two men were actually and literally picking meat scraps out of a gutter where they had been thrown from a wholesale meat market. Probably these meat scraps, after cooking, were made into dog-food.) Then the Record quotes Dr. Julian Huxley, caretaker at a London zoo, as giving the following description of the food given two gorillas, Booboo and Jubilee, at the zoo:

This is what each of them gets daily: 2 lbs. grapes, 2 lbs. apples, 6 bananas, 3 oranges, some rhubarb, tomatoes, lettuce, onions and carrots, with plenty of greens; half a loaf of bread, a quart of fresh milk (tuberculosis-free and irradiated), half a tin of condensed milk, a little porridge and some weak tea. In addition, they get boiled chicken or meat three times a week, and various vitamins and special health preparations.

The Golden Age

SOMEBODY thinks that The Golden Age sees too much of evil and rascality in the Devil's world and would like it not to have so much to say about the need of God's kingdom, but be like all the other "nice" magazines. Yeah! Would such please send in a revision of the Lord's prayer? Come to think of it, somebody did actually do that very thing; for after Jesus had openly and honestly prayed "Thy kingdom come", as something then future, somebody else secretly and dishonestly added words in contradiction, which same are to be found in the latter part of Matthew 6:13, but are omitted from Luke 11:4, the corresponding passage. The interpolated expression, "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen," is missing from the two oldest manuscripts yet discovered, the Vatican MS. No. 1209 and the Sinaitic.

Proposed Union of Church and State

OVER WHN radio station the so-called "National Committee for Religion and Welfare Recovery", the same being a combine, more or less complete, of the 210 kinds of Catholics, Protestants and Jews, presented plans for a half-hour course of "religion" at the outset of each school day. This would not be by clergymen of the 210 varieties. Mercy, no! It would not be as simple as that. The teachers would be "examined by the Board of Regents in accordance with standards approved by religious authorities in the individual faiths".

All that would be needed in each school would be 210 kinds of teachers, and to split up the youngsters into 210 groups and pump in the religion, beads, scapulars, holy water, images and other junk until it came out their noses. Does anybody really think this would be either for the welfare of the state or for that of the children? Most certainly not; and it is so ridiculous that one wonders how they could ever have proposed such a foolish thing. Religion should be kept out of the schools altogether.

By Trail and Stream and Garden Path By Grace A. Estep (Pennsylvania)

"SALLY, I'm sure that's a brown thrasher I hear. This is late in the season for him."

"I hear him, Jane. Where is he?"

"I don't see him, but he should be on his way to the southern states."

"Is that the one, Jane? In that wild-cherry tree?"

"No, Sally. That's a towhee. He looks a lot like a robin, doesn't he, except for all that white on his breast?"

"He's pretty. I love to go for walks with you, Jane. You see so many things I never notice."

"It's just because I've taught myself to be interested in nature. There is so much going on around us all the time—I don't want it all to escape me."

"I never thought of that."

"There's a meadow lark, Sally. Wait till he moves, then you'll see his yellow breast and his spots."

"I see him now. Where will he spend the winter?"

"Here. He has come from Canada. Our meadow larks are on their way south now."

"Listen. Hear that loud sort of clacking sound?"

"Yes, that's a flicker. And there he is—that large bird on the dead tree. Quick, Sally! Look! There's a killdeer down by that stream. See how he runs along on those long legs. Watch, I'll make him follow us."

Jane walked on down the road that followed the stream, and as she went she called out, "Killdee—killdee—." The killdeer answered, and ran toward the sound.

Just then a flash of brilliant blue attracted them to a thicket. A small bird teetered on a twig, twitched his tail, then sang—a rollicking, merry little tune.

"An indigo bunting," Jane announced. "That little brown bird in the hedge near by is his mate."

"That's funny. They're so different."

"Bob-white! Bob-white!" came across the field.

"A quail," Jane said.

"You can't fool me, Jane. That was a bob-white."

"Of course it was. A quail is the same thing, Sally. Two names for one bird. We'll not be able to find it at this distance. The quail hides so easily because it looks like the grass. It walks with the funniest waddling motion."

"Where does it go in winter?"

"The quail is a peculiar bird. It can easily be domesticated, and since it does not need to migrate, it can be kept as a sort of barnyard fowl."

"Why do birds migrate, Jane? Is it because they need food?"

"No one seems absolutely sure what instinct causes birds to migrate so regularly or to go to the lands they do."

"You mentioned food. But look—there's no shortage of food now, yet most of our birds have left. All we see of our migrant birds are a few strays. And in the spring the first of our birds return from a land of plenty when there is scarcely a bite to be found."

"Could it be the cold that drives them away?"

"No, because we have our warmest days after many of the birds have gone. And some of our deepest snows come after the birds have returned."

"Then what is it?"

"It is generally believed that the length of day determines the time of migration. When the northern days begin to lengthen, the birds return; when they begin to shorten, the birds leave."

"Do they go far?"

"Some travel thousands of miles, much of it over water. They breast terrific storms sometimes. Others go only a few hundred miles north or south. Still others do not migrate at all, while many simply pass over us during their migratory flight. Many birds go south a few miles and are replaced by others of their kind from a little farther north."

"How wonderful, Jane! What strange and marvelous things Jehovah has given us!"

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