Macfadden Peak

Shockheaded, Missouri-born Bernarr Macfadden, Manhattan physical culturist and body-love publisher, with his large family of daughters and 200 health pilgrims, traveled by special train last week from Manhattan to the foot of the Castle Crags, near Redding, northern California. They reached there on Mr. Macfadden's 62nd birthday. While the pilgrims watched, dignitaries of the Redding Chamber of Commerce disclosed a bronze plaque fixed to the central peak, and unveiled a $70,000 airplane beacon (which Mr. Macfadden had paid for). The plaque designated the mountain as Macfadden Peak (TIME, July 7) "in recogni- tion of the public services of Bernarr Macfadden, apostle of health, and in honor of his spectacular influence in arousing the nation to the benefits of life in Nature's Great Outdoors."

Another (unpublished) reason for the naming was the fact that for four years Mr. Macfadden has sent to California a trainload of money-spending sightseers.

The Journal of the American Medical Association, which voices professional contempt for Macfaddism, commented: "Possibly . . . this is just a start and we may later find the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce considering the question of abandoning the name of 'Golden Gate' for 'Albert Abrams Bay.' Los Angeles businessmen might very properly recommend changing the name of Santa Monica Mountains to the 'I-on-a-co Mountains' in honor of their late-lamented citizen, Gaylord Wilshire. The conception has infinite possibilities. Lookout Mountain at Chattanooga might readily be called 'Mount Cardui,' while Nahant Bay (off Lynn, Mass.) could be rechristened to immortalize the omni- present Lydia by changing it to Tinkham Bay.' 'Bromo Seltzer River' . . . for the Patapsco River at Baltimore."*

*The late Albert Abrams exploited an electrical healing machine. Los Angeles has a boulevard and residential district named after Wilshire. His I-on-a-co was also an electrical healing machine. Wine of Cardui is for "female complaints." It is a not unpleasant beverage. Lydia E. Pinkham's daughter, Mrs. Caroline Pinkham Gobe, and her grandchildren Lydia Pinkham Gobe and Arthur Wellington Pinkham (company president) still sell her vegetable com- pound for "female complaints." The very wealthy Emersons (Bromo Seltzer) live much abroad.

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