grafters. The peril which WASHINGTON and JEFFERSON beheld with prophetic vision has overtaken us, as is vividly set forth by Mr. C. VEY HOLMAN in his notable and timely contribution on The Curse and Blight of Partisanship. Mr. HOLMAN has in recent years been a lecturer in the Boston University and in the University of Maine. He is a prominent lawyer, a man of deep insight, and a staunch upholder of the fundamental ideals upon which free government rests.

Prenatal Education: In a recent issue of THE ARENA We published a charming paper from the pen of Mr. ARTHUR SMITH on Plant Consciousness. In the present number will be found an equally interesting and highly valuable contribution dealing with Prenatal Education. One of the most amazing spectacles presented by present-day civilization is the indifference shown by individuals and society to the improvement of the race by proper measures for giving the future generation every possible opportunity to become all that full-orbed lives should be. Mr. SMITH's paper will tend to rivet the attention of serious people on one phase of this important question.

Houston and Its City Commission: In this number will be found the second paper by GEORGE WHARTON JAMES on typical Southern cities and what they are achieving. Mr. JAMES' paper is highly interesting and suggestive, but in Houston we find the same fundamental weakness as is found

in the Galveston charter and which we pointed out last month. Only last week we were in conversation with a prominent public-spirited man from Houston, and we asked him what he thought of the commission charter. He replied that so long as they had a commission composed of high-minded, public-spirited, graft-proof citizens, Houston would have an admirable government; but unhappily there was no provision in the Houston charter to bulwark democratic government and protect the citizens in their rights, if a commission became, like the modern machine-made boards of aldermen and councils, the tools of privileged interests; that with the initiative, referendum and right of recall the new government of Houston would be almost ideal. In this connection it is well to remember that the new city government of Des Moines, Iowa, has provided for a commission government properly safeguarded by the initiative and referendum.

WE WISH again to call the attention of our readers to the splendid news digests that are being prepared

expressly for THE ARENA by Mr. RALPH ALBERTSON. During Professor PARSONS' illness Mr. ALBERTSON has prepared the Public-Ownership News Department, in addition to the other special news departments relating to Direct-Legislation and Voluntary Coöperation. Mr. ALBERTSON's intimate association with Professor PARSONS during the past year, in the preparation of the Professor's great works on the railways, and also in regard to Public-Ownership, Direct-Legislation and Coöperative work, and his position as Secretary of three of the important organizations working along the lines he discusses namely, The National Federation for Peoples' Rule, the National Public-Ownership League and the Coöperative Association of America, make his work authoritative in character. No magazine published in America to-day is giving its readers each month so full digests of the news relating to Public-Ownership, Direct-Legislation and Coöper

ation as is THE ARENA.

THE ARENA on the News-stands: Within the past few weeks THE ARENA has been made & "non-returnable" magazine. This means that the American News Company, which is the only concern possessing a great and magnificentlyorganized machinery for the economical distribution of periodicals to the news-trade, has suddenly decided that it would not handle THE ARENA CXcept on outright orders from newsdealers, who, in turn, very naturally, require outright orders from their customers, in order to save themselves against possible loss on unsold copies. Heretofore for several years it has been the News Company's practice in which we have willingly coöperated copies at which the dealer estimated his probable with them-to send to newsdealers the number of sales, with the privilege of returning unsold copies. This privilege, through no desire of ours, was suddenly and without warning denied to the dealers. It therefore behooves those of our news-stand-buyer readers who desire that THE ARENA continue its aggressive battle for the right and against the forces of reaction and privilege to do one of three things: (1) Order your newsdealer to supply you with THE ARENA regularly, paying for it on delivery; (2) hand your subscription for a full year to your regular newsdealer, or to your postmaster, either of whom will be responsible for its reaching us, and prefer. (3) send your subscription direct to us. No who will receive his agent's commission; or, if you

matter what you are told, any newsdealer anywhere in the world can procure THE ARENA for you as readily as he can any other periodical published. If you want THE ARENA INSIST on getting it.

VOL. 38

HE QUESTION of the cable

THE systems and their international

relationship to each other is one that has a singular interest at the present time to all. Moreover, it is one in which I have been for many years past endeavoring to arouse and educate public opinion; and to-day, when we find that wireless telegraphy is now becoming more and more a powerful factor and competitor with the cables, it will be, I think, an instructive object-lesson if I contrast the past and present of a few of the principal companies, and consider, as briefly as possible, the work and great possibilities of the cable telegraph systems of the world.

Ever since I began my crusade for postal and telegraphic reforms I have had only one object in view, and that is to make the means of communication between our sundered coasts as easy as speech and as free as air. One would naturally expect that such an object would have enlisted the sympathy and support of all self-governing peoples round the world. Experience, however, has long ago convinced me that reforms of whatever nature-postal or otherwise

can be attained only after years of persistent advocacy, in season and out of season, not only for the educating of public opinion, but for the greater task of enlightening the official minds of our rulers. For it is true that our leaders, political as well as official, have been influenced and indebted to enlightened public opinion in the path of reform. Nor is it to be wondered at, especially in matters relating to the postal reforms which have been already won, for no official department has been in closer touch with the needs and wants of the public than the post-office.

The cable systems in existence have their ramifications to all parts of the civilized world, but we find that instead of being used, as I hold they should, for the benefit of the millions, they have been, and are, being worked chiefly for millionaires and not for the millions of the world.

THE CABLE MONOPOLY.

The cable monopoly can best be understood if the reader will carefully study the following: