CHANG AND W. P. A.

Of all the critics of the various New Deal measures it is easy to cherish a warm sympathy with Chang of the Central park Zoo.

Chang is an elephant of highly temperamental disposition peculiarly sensitive to external impressions. It seems that Chang strolled from his dwelling into his front yard the other morning and found a janitor a worthy but depressed citizen by the name of Abc Abraham busily engaged in putting a coat of red paint on the fence surrounding the compound. We do not hesitate to describe Mr.Abraham as a worthy citizen because any man who works busily on a work relief job is certainly worthy in a high degree, and the report distinctly says that Mr.Abraham "was busily working."

The red paint attracted Chang's attention. He lumbered over, poked his trunk through the bars and with a determined swipe, cleaned off the surface first covered. So it went with the elephant removing the paint as fast as Mr.Abraham applied it and when the noon hour arrived the score was tie no runs, no hits, no errors.

At one o'clock Mr.Abraham renewed his efforts. So did Chang. By mid afternoon there was a crowd of several hundred around cheering the oddly matched contestants. Finally a park Keeper arrived with some loaves of bread and the show was over.

There appear to be conflicting views of the merits of the contest. Chang's insistent effort to nullify the painting job must have had a deeper motive than mere whim or prejudice. One of our associates has suggested that his purpose was a benevolent one; that he realized the used of work relief--and wanted to spread it out.

But this presupposes that Chang was proceeding on the theory of the early days of work relief--the theory that it would be ennobling to employ men to dig holes and then fill them in again. We described this presumption at once. Elephants are intelligent.

It is our own idea that this W. P. A. job was another of those numerous New York City boondoggling projects--and Chang wanted to show his intelligent disapproval of it. His spirit is to be admired but his error of judgment to be lamented. He has nothing to show for his zeal but a trunk and torso sadly plastered with red paint. Which reminds us that a critic these days is very likely to get smeared.