April, 1912 
FRANCIS DURANDO NICHOLS 
HE many readers of AMERICAN HoMEs AND GARDENS 
will regret to learn of the death of the former editor, 
Francis Durando Nichols, who succumbed to a lingering 
illness of many months, February 28. Mr. Nichols had 
hosts of warm friends and during the period of his editorial 
duties with AMERICAN HoMEs AND GARDENS was ever 
loyal to the interests of this magazine and enthusiastic and 
unremitting in his efforts to assist in promoting its welfare. 
His loss will be keenly felt by his associates and by all who 
knew him. 
THE SMALL HOUSE NUMBER: MAY 
HE annual Small House Number of AMERICAN 
HoMEs AND GARDENS will constitute the May issue. 
This will be one of the handsomest numbers ever issued of 
any magazine devoted to the subject of the home, its fur- 
nishings and its surroundings. It will form a special feature 
of the year’s program for this periodical, and will be greatly 
increased in the number of pages for this issue. Every 
homemaker is interested in the small house, and the May 
number of AMERICAN Homes AND GARDENS will contain 
page after page of text and fine illustrations and floor plans 
of small houses by some of the leading architects of the day 
in America. Houses in the East and in the West will both 
be shown, small houses of every type, and this issue of the 
magazine will be a veritable architectural handbook on the 
subject of small houses suited to every site and locality. In 
addition to the small house articles are numerous others; 
one describing a beautiful garden near Philadelphia, ex- 
quisitely illustrated; another on “Garden Seats,” an article 
on the subject of tiles and their architectural uses, one 
more in the series on Poultry-Keeping and also one on rais- 
. ing ducks, and notes on horticultural subjects, and the regu- 
lar departments of ‘‘Within the House,” “Around the Gar- 
den” and “Helps to the Housewife.’ The fact that AMERI- 
CAN HoMEs AND GARDENS is constructive in its policy and 
presents in every issue related material, marks it as unique 
in the periodical field, and has won for it the strong support 
of the discriminating, who have become and have remained 
its strong and appreciative friends. 
VILLAGE FREE DELIVERY 
HE Postmaster-General has placed before the Senate 
and House Committees on Post Office and Post Roads 
a memorandum recommending an appropriation of $100,- 
000 to be applied to putting into operation a Village Free 
Delivery service. [he present law confines the delivery 
of mail matter to cities having a population of 10,000 or 
more, or annual receipts at their local post-offices of at least 
$10,000, with, of course, the exception of the existing rural 
routes now receiving free mail delivery. The carrier de- 
livery service is now operated in 1,541 cities, and the rural 
free delivery routes number 42,000. However, this leaves 
some 30,000,000 inhabitants of the United States without 
any form of free delivery service. The Postmaster-Gen- 
eral recommends that not over $1,800 be allowed for the 
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projected extension at any single ofice. The Postmaster- 
General is quoted as saying that ‘‘while it is scarcely feasible 
to establish free delivery service in villages and towns, on 
account of heavy expense, it is entirely practicable to fur- 
nish to the postmasters at the places a comparatively small 
allowance that would enable them to employ necessary assist- 
ance to deliver mail at residences of their patrons. These 
people now are obliged to call at the post-offices for their 
mail. Authorization by Congress of the plan suggested 
would be of great convenience to nearly 30,000,000 people, 
and would remove from the postal service an apparent dis- 
crimination against residents in towns and villages.”” While 
the Editor of AMERICAN HoMEs AND GARDENS strongly 
approves of the extension of the free mail delivery service 
to villages and towns now unprovided with such service, it 
remains a question as to the feasibility of the Postmaster- 
General’s plan of distributing the ‘comparatively small’’ al- 
lowances to which he refers without some definite instruc- 
tions regarding their dispersal based upon reliable investi- 
gation of needs and conditions. If the heavy expense of 
establishing free delivery in all towns and villages in a 
thorough and comprehensive manner precludes such a step, 
it then remains to be seen just how, after all, discrimination 
would be affected. Nevertheless, something is better than 
nothing, as the establishing of the Rural Free Deliveries 
has shown us, and perhaps the Post-Office Department, if 
it succeeds in obtaining the appropriation, will find a way 
to ensure its being spent honestly and intelligently. 
THE NEW CHILD BUREAU, DEPARTMENT OF COM- 
MERCE AND LABOR. 
HE action of the Senate of the United States in passing 
a bill for the creation of a Children’s Bureau, in the 
Department of Commerce and Labor, is a significant step. 
The fight of the women of this country to bring thousands 
of child workers in the United States under the care of Uncle 
Sam was led by Jane Addams, the noted Chicago social 
worker. Miss Addams is to be thoroughly congratulated 
upon her efforts in this action, having borne the brunt of 
the work which has been done in behalf of Federal legisla- 
tion. It is mainly due to her activity that the fight has been 
won in the upper branch of Congress. The bill just passed 
authorized the newly created bureau to collect information 
pertaining to the welfare of children and child-life. Special 
authority is to be given to make it possible to investigate 
questions of infant mortality, the birth rate, orphanage, 
juvenile courts, desertion, diseases, accidents, occupation, 
legislation and kindred subjects. 
HOME INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITION 
NEW movement is on foot throughout American in- 
dustrial cities towards the establishment of annual 
exhibitions of local industrial accomplishments. The Newark, 
New Jersey, Industrial Exposition under the auspices of the 
Newark Board of Trade to be held in May will be watched 
with interest. Much good can be accomplished through 
such exhibitions, not only in the matter of civic publicity, 
but also (especially in the larger cities) in calling the atten- 
tion of citizens themselves to their numerous local resources. 
