Walker Wagon

James J. Walker, New York's musical-comedy mayor, abused his stomach. When he returned from his visit to Europe last summer (TIME, Oct. 10), he admitted that he would have to quit drinking alcohol for a while. New Yorkers smiled understandingly. Many a New York stomach has been ruined without going to Europe.

Last week, however, New Yorkers scowled at their Mayor when his invalid stomach was taken as a temperance text by Dr. Christian F. Reisner of the Chelsea Methodist Episcopal Church. With Mayor Walker's knowledge and permission, Dr. Reisner reported from his pulpit, and applauded, the following statement by Mayor Walker: "I drink neither champagne nor alcohol in any form, nor have I since last September. My health is very much better without it. Then, too, while I enjoyed the exhilarating high spots from alcoholic stimulants, the low spots of the next morning collected a heavy toll. . . ."

Seymour Lowman, U. S. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in charge of Prohibition, took the opportunity to make another remark of the sort which has not endeared him to his sober superiors. Said Mr. Lowman, sarcastically: "One of the greatest accomplishments of my term in this office is the reformation of Jimmy Walker. Another soul has been redeemed. . ."

Fearing that his "redemption" might be overinterpreted, weak-stomached Mayor Walker explained: "My diet can never involve a principle."