— Bencwan Belletonte, Pa., March 3, 1916. rs THE ROAD TO GRUMBLETOWN. ’Tis quite a safe and easy road That leads to Grumbletown, And those who wish can always find A chance to journey down. Tis customary for the trip To choose a rainy day— When weather’s fine one’s not so apt To care to go that way. Just keep down Fretful Lane until You come to Sulky Stile, Where travelers often like to rest In silence for a while. And then cross over Pouting Bridge, Where Don’t Care Brook flows down, And just a little way beyond You come to Grumbletown. From what I learn, this Grumbletown Isnot a pleasant place; One never hears a cheerful word, Or sees a smiling face. The children there are badly spoiled And sure to fret and tease, And all the grown-up people, too, Seem cross and hard to please. The weather rarely is just right In this peclliar spot; "Tis either raining all the time, Or else too cold or hot. The books are stupid as can be; The games are dull and old; There’s nothing new and nothing nice In Grumbletown, I’m told. And so I've taken pains, my dears, The easiest road to show, That you may all be very sure You never, never go! —Exchange. HOW TO PLAN YOUR HOME GROUNDS. A plan for planting bears the same re- lation to the grounds that the plan for building bears to the house. Few per- sons would be foolish enough to proceed with housebuilding without a plan. Most persons, however,—though fortunately, fewer now than formerly—give little thought to a plan for the ornamental planting of the yard. Yet that, in its way, is no less important than the other. If a house is to be a-home—and there is a yard surrounding it—planting is essen- tial. If it is omitted, there will be a house and a yard, two things, two prop- erties, and not, as they should be, each a part of the other, one and inseparable. Planting alone will not produce this ef- fect. Only well-planned planting will do it, and well-planned planting means care- ful consideration in the selection and placing of the plants to be employed. It means making the plant fit the site, find- ing one that is suitable, that is, in a word, the best plant for that particular situation. Haphazard spotting of trees, shrubs and flowers may show a proper spirit—but nothing more. It is like the tuneless singing of a man who is tone- deaf. There is nothing, however, about plan- ning that the amateur need dread. The fact that there are expert landscape architects who do nothing but plan yards need not frighten him. These men— and women—can be consulted to advan- tage, of course, but consulting them is by no means a necessity in obtaining splendid results in planting. The ama- teur, with a little reflection, can serve as his own landscape architect. He can plan his own grounds. And to do this, and do it well, too, he need keep only a few simple, basic rules in mind. To begin with, plant first of all to ob- literate the line between foundation wall and lawn. This means planting close to the house. Draw a ground plan of the house, placing it where it belongs in re- lation to the yard and then sketch in the border that are to link house and lot to- gether. The lines of the building, obvi- ously, will be the lines of the rear of this border. And these will be straight. But the front lines of the border should not parallel the straight rear lines. On the contrary, they should proceed in gentle, sweeping curves, rounding fully here and there, as, for instance, at a conspicuous corner. At the narrowest point, the bor- der should admit of planting at least one line of shrubs; at the fuller, rounder points, it should be wide enough, or deep enough, to permit the planting of some tall shrubs in the background—closest to the house—some medium-sized'shrubs in front of these and, in front of the latter, some dwarf shrubs, or hardy herbaceous perennials, or both. When the foundations of the house are thus obliterated by the planned planting, the lot boundaries should next be treated in a similar way. Here, again, the straight line will be the lot-line. But the tront of the border, as before, will show long, graceful curves, with the border narrow in one place and broad in‘an- other. : : It should hardly be necessary to say these maps should be drawn to scale. The beginner will discover that for him- self as soon as he begins to designate what is to goin the borders he has out- lined. He will be confronted, for in- stance, by the fact that tall-growing shrubs demand more space than dwarf. growing sorts, and, since he will need to know, in order to purchase them, how many of one kind or another he needs, he will find it necessary to mark on his plan precisely where each is to go. And that he cannot do unless his plan is drawn to scale. When he has reached the point where he is ready to fill the borders he has drawn, he will find nothing of greater help than three or four nursery cata- logues. In these, moreover, he will dis- cover most of the detailed information he will require. There, for example, he can learn how tall the shrub he has in mind is at maturity—the importance of which will disclose itself when he begins to designate what shrubs are to be plac- ed in the background and what shrubs are to be placed in the foreground. Then he will find there, also, information re- garding the color and time of bloom and about the color and character of the fo- liage. And the importance of these will appeal to him when he begins—as he will almost immediately—to give some consideration to color combinations. Nothing has been said, it will be noted, about trees. The reason is simple. Though most persons begin their plant- ing with these, as a matter of fact, should be the last to be planted. Plant the shrubs first, then the trees. Revers- ing this process—which is generally done —resulte in the spotted, haphazard, in- effective planting so often observable and always unsatisfactory. It has, too, | plan—until the shrubs are planted, estab- : posure to the sun, for instance, placed in another unhappy effect—that of making : it appear that the tree is the thing and | everything else is secondary. Place trees where they are needed. | Never incorporate them in a plan merely ! because they are trees. If there is no. suitable place for them, omit them. Avoid, too, the placing of trees in the center of stretches of lawn. Place them, | instead, near the house or near the lot boundaries. And do not feel that the existence of a small tree—planted by | someone else, perhaps, or grown from seed—binds you to keep it where it is. If it is out of place, serving no purpose and out of keeping with your general | plan of planting, dig it up and place it elsewhere, or be rid of it entirely. One tree or shrub situated in the wrong place will stand in the way of effective orna- mental planting no matter how the plans | are shaped or twisted or turned. Keep in mind, in planning, what views you want to preserve and what views you want to close from sight. Unsightly ob- jects can be masked completely by thoughtful planning and, at the same! time, pleasing vistas can be made more ! charming by means of simple grouping | that will direct the line of vision to their beauties. If you persuade your neigh- bors to co-operate with you, so much the better, for, between you, planscan be ar- ranged that will bring two lots, or three, or even more into a general planting scheme that will improve the appearance of each of them and still detract nothing from the individuality of each. Make simplicity the key-note of all your planning, and, if you are a little un- certain about ultimate effects, defer plant- ing such places, until other places, not in the uncertain list, are filled with the ma- terial called for by the plans. For the beginner, this is the safest procedure, and, particularly, if he is combining hardy herbacéous perennials with shrubbery plantations. Let the latter go—even though they may be indicated on the lished and have grown a season in the situations they occupy. It can then be seen clearly whether the picture conceiv- ed in fancy when the plan was made has been realized in actual execution, and, whether, accordingly, there is need or place for the perenniels. 2 In selecting shrubs and trees, be sure that what you choose and incorporate in your plan is hardy in your neighborhood. On many occasions, I have seen some excellent plans drawn by beginners only to find included in the list of plants spec- ified as many as half that would not thrive in the planner’s yard. Again, I have seen good plans marred by placing plants in situations where conditions were wholly unfavorable to their health and growth—a shrub demanding full ex- dense shade or another demanding at least half shade placed where the sun’s rays would never cease to fall on it. Such errors can be avoided if the cata- logues of reliable nurseries are consulted. These, in addition to giving such infor- mation as has already been mentioned, will frequently state whether the plant— tree, shrub, vine, flower—prefers shade, sun or half shade. From them also will be had good suggestions about plants that lend charm to the winter landscape —a feature generally overlooked by most amateur planners. They forget, appar- ently, that, for five or six months every year, the home is without foliage or flow- er. It need not, however, on that ac- count be barren of interest or even of color. There is deciduous as well as evergreen material available for impart- ing good effects to the general aspect in winter. . Finally, it will be found that planning, once it is seriously undertaken, becomes a fascinating study. Gardens on paper can be made and re-made without disap- pointment, back-ache or expenditure in money, and the oftener they are made and re-made the better, in the end, will be the plan from which the planting is executed. And, incidentally, once one is introduced to the habit, catalogue-read- ing and research becomes as fascinating as planning. Not even the most thriling novel, the best of the six best sellers, will hold the attention of the gardener as the spring catalegue holds it.—Philadel- phia Record. Christian Science Now Fifty Years old. Last month of many anniversaries marks a half-century of Christian Sci- ence. It was in February, 1866, that Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy, or as she then was, Mrs. Patterson, experienced such a remarkable restoration from the effects of a fall on the ice as to lead her to in- vestigate the cause of her sudden heal- ing, with the ultimate result of giving to the world the metaphysical statements she designated “Christian Science.” After her accident the doctor despair- ed of her life, or at the most dared hope only for a life of prolonged invalidism, but after some days of suffering, Mrs. Eddy, according to accounts of the oc- currence, asked for her Bible and read of the healing by Jesus of the palsied man. She found herself suddenly well, arose, dressed and presented herself to her amazed friends, several of whom had gathered half in expectation of hearing the worst. Mrs. Eddy did not understand at that time how she had been restored, for she has written in “Retrospection and Intro- spection:” “I could not then explain the modus of my relief.” She regarded her healing as miraculous—*“a miracle which later I found to be in perfect sci- entific accord with divine law.” Then followed years of study and testing of her discovery, for not until nine years later, in 1875, did her principal work, “Science and Health,” make its appear- ance. The last 40 years have witnessed a most remarkable growth of the Christian Science movement, which Mrs. Eddy’s death in 1910 did not in any way hinder. Today its church organizations literally span the globe, being found not only in the United States and Canada, but in Mexico, Panama, Argentina, British West Indies, England, Norway, Sweden, Hol- land, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, China and the Philippine Islands.—Phila- delphia Public Ledger. ——They are all good enough, but the WATCHMAN is always the best.’ ——Stolen automobiles and their ac- cessories amount to $1,500,000 in value during a single year, according to the estimates of insurance experts, for New York alone. Bold, ingenious and well- organized bands of thieves are said to be extending their operations throughout the country. The larger proportion of the thefts naturally cover the removable but costly appurtenances of motor cars. ——Put your ad. in the WATCHMAN. FOR AND ABOUT WOMEN DAILY THOUGHT. Hope is a pleasant acquaintance but an unsafe friend. He’lldo on a pinch for your traveling | companion, but he’s not the man for your banker. ' —American Proverb. While the sand in the hour-glass is con- ! ! stantly changing, the modes assume vari- ations of trimming and line which are ‘ extremely interesting to the student of dress. Winter fashions no longer claim our attention. The spring time awaken- ing comes to the world of style long ere nature breathes warmth and life into her sleeping children. The first crop of spring modes is now ready for harvesting, so there is much activity in the field of fashion. Stun- ning costumes, suitable ' for every hour of the day, have gradually reached per- fection beneath the magic fingers of fashion’s wizards. It may interest the devotees of la Mode to know the general features that pre- dominate the new season’s fashions. First, it is to be a colorful spring. Sombre garb will no longer be toler- ated. Paris has decided to relieve its de- pression by donning brilliant hues, and, of course, the pace set by Paris is follow- ed by the whole world. A revival, which will be met with dis- approval by the over-stout and welcomed joyously by the sylph-like, is the bustle. The leading designers are featuring it to a very great extent. Do not fear, how- ever, that you will be called upon to strap a hair-stuffed deformity waist. Neither will the crinoline, haircioth or wire bustles—the latter resembling rat- traps—be countenanced. The new bustle is a charming arrangement of puffs, draperies or ruffles that hint but faintly of that worn by our mothers. about your ! : FARM NOTES. : ee | —Trees set in holes blasted with dy- namite are said to bear fruit earlier than when set in spade-dug holes. —The use of dynamite in tree plant- ing, subsoiling and ditch digging is be- ! coming more popular every day. —Every farmer ought to appoint him- ' self an efficiency expert to see that every acre on his farm is yielding him a profit. i vide plenty of fresh air in the cow stables : without creating a draught. And fresh | air is essential to the health of the herd. — For. quick results use acid phosphate; for a permanent farming system extend- ing through a period of years, use ground | phosphate rock. This is the advice of a ' practical Pennsylvania farmer. | —To do a particularly good job of oil- ing the harness, one that will last for | three months under the most trying con- ditions, lay out each strap on a board as ‘soon as the surface has become dry after washing and apply a liberal coating of neats-foot oil. Next apply a coat of beef tallow, thin enough to go on with a stiff | brush, then lay all the straps out on a { board and allow them to dry thoroughly, | 24 hours not being too long. —The following are the reasons why the welfare of the dairy and of the con- (sumer demand that oleomargarine be | labeled plainly as such and not be allow- ed to masquerade as a better food. “Some scientists of standing may be ‘ quoted to the effect that oleo is as good , a food product as butter. These state- | ments were made prior to or in ignorance { of the discoveries of McCollum of Wis- ! consin. . is a vast difference between the nutritive | qualities of butterfat and the body fat of —Muslin windows, rightly placed, pro- | McCollum has shown that there | will hear the term “as if she were mold- ‘mals, for instance, will not grow unless ! ed into her frock” applied to the well- they receive in their food a sufficient dressed woman. Fascinating Modes.—And what about sleeves? Almost every gown has its par- | ticular pair of sleeves. Here the design- | ers have run the entire scale of indi- | vidualism. There are long sleeves, and | sleeves that hardly reach the elbows; | wide sleeves, and sleeves that fit the. arms so tightly that it will be next to | impossible to raise the arms after the! frock has been fastened; sleeves without | as much as a button to relieve their severe plainness, and others filled and | puffed in the elaborate manner of the | Elizabethan era. Of foremost importance to every wom- an who is thinking about her spring out- fit is the tailored suit. The smartest models are developed in chiffon broad- cloth, satin cloth, heavy silk, home-spun and other light-weight weaves. The favored trimmings are soutache braid- ing, buttons, strappings—of a contrast- ing material—Oriental applique. Hopeful Green for Spring.—A joy to the eyes, on a blustery March day, when the world Mors clothed in melancholy garb, would be a suit of cheerful, hopeful green in that soft, adorable tone which brings with it a promise of blossoming trees and newly-budded shrubs. The model which pleased my fancy was of satin cloth ornamented with buttons and strapped with the same material. The coat fitted the figurerather closely above the waist, then flared in a full peplum, . which extended below the hips. Of course, it was belted with a twoinch strap of the material and the low, turned-down collar and the cuffs were bordered with tan-colored faille. The skirt was box-pleated from the waist line to below the knees and then! hung unconfined to flare in careless free- dom about the ankles. The Stately Redingote.—OQther attrac- tive coat suits feature the radingote. The latter is sometimes so long that it touches the hem of the skirt. In direct contrast to these dignified stately street costumes are the suits with short, jaunty jackets which seldom hang below the waist line. Then there are other equally charm- ing tailored suits with short coats, whose many seams make them follow the con- tour of the figure. Invariably they are finished below the waistline with a short, rippling peplum. The skirts of these chic suits are pleated or circular, and some, I have been told, measure from six to eight yards in width. The de- signers of the tailored costumes are firm believers in the old adage, “Variety is the spice of life.” To look one’s best and feel one’s best is to enjoy an inside bath each mérning to flush from the system the previous day’s waste, sour fermentations and poisonous toxins before it is absorbed into the blood. Just as coal, when it burns, leaves behind a certain amount of in- combustible material in the form of ashes, so the food and drink taken each day leave in the alimentary organs a cer- tain amount of indigestible material, which if not eliminated, form toxins and poisons which are then sucked into the blood through the very ducts which are intended to suck in only nourishment to sustain the body. If you want to see the glow of healthy bloom in your cheeks, to see your skin get clearer and clearer, you are told to drink every morning upon arising, a glass of hot watér with a teaspoonful of limestone phosphate in it, which is a harmless means of washing the waste material and toxins from the stomach, liver, kidneys and bowels, thus cleansing, sweetening and purifying the entire ali- mentary tract, before putting more food into the stomach. ; Girls and women with sallow skins, liver spots, pimples or pallid complexion, also those who wake up with a coated tongue, bad taste, nasty breath, others who are bothered with headaches, bilious spells,acid stomach or constipation should begin this phosphated hot water drinking and are assured of very pronounced re- sults in one or two weeks. A quarter pound of limestone phos- phate costs very little at the drug store but is sufficient to demonstrate that just as soap and hot water cleanses, purifies and freshens the skin on the outside, so hot water and limestone phosphate act on the inside organs. We must always consider that internal sanitation is vastly more important than outside cleanliness, because the skin pores do not absorb im- purities into the blood, while the bowel pores do. Women who desire to enhance the beauty of their complexions should just try this for a week and notice results. —Have your Job Work done here. embroidery and | | quantity of butterfat, or some other fat | (like the yolks of eggs) produced by the mother for the nourishment of her | young. { “The chemist cannot tell some of these | fats from mother fat, but the stomach | can. Oleomargarine is as good a food as | lard, or tallow, or olive oil; but as a food | it cannot take the place of butter. It! ranks with meats, vegetable oils, and grains. It is not the same as butter. “It should not be colored to look like butter. To do so is to allow it to com- pete unfairly.” —“Mr. E. H. Fitzhugh bought a farm in New London county, Connecticut, in 11913. An old apple orchard graced—or, | more properly speaking, disgraced—the | place, for it bore no apples and paid no | rent for the land occupied. In the fall | of 1913 he pruned the trees, but they | bore no fruit in 1914. i “In October, 1914, Mr. Fitzhugh decid- | ed it was time for a shake-up, and what was more fitting to use for the shake-up than dynamite? | “Four holes were made twenty-four | inches deep and six feet away from the | trunk of each tree. Then the holes were loaded with a small charge of the big noise-ngakq\y. | “In 1NZ the trees bore a crop of extra | fine fruit, and present prospects seem to | be good for a vigorous future production | of the trees thus treated. | “There is no mystery about it Blast- ing accomplishes the same purpose as ' deep plowing. Root expansion becomes easier and the soil is broken up; new stores of plant food are made available; the soil is aerated and the movement of moisture promoted. In short, the tree is given a chance for its life by giving it favorable environment in which to grow and perform its function of making fruit.” “Whitewash is one of the best disin- fectants for damp, dark places.” “The best way to apply whitewash is, first, to have it perfectly free from lumps, and then use a spray pump. “Theroughness is important in all kinds of disinfecting work. It is of no use to disinfect the walls of a barn unless you also disinfect the floors and man- gers. “One good point about whitewash is that its color tells you when you have thoroughly covered a surface. “Some of the coal-tar disinfectants not only destroy germs but also kill lice,fleas, parasites and, in addition, heal cuts and wounds. “The best ways to disinfect yards, such as after a hog-cholera epidemic, are: First rake up all the trash and burn it. Then cover the yard three inches deep with straw and burn that. If you are not able to secure straw, sprinkling the ground with lime is a second choice. To dininfect posts and fences, whitewash or paint them. “Disease germs shorten the average span of life by about two years. About 90 per cent of the common diseases are infectious, or ‘catching.’ Disinfection after disease is the first step for health- fulness, both for persons and live stock. —“If you have a field, or part of a field, infested with mustard, quack grass, Canada thistle, or morning glory,” the best way to destroy these pests is to fal- low the plot for a full year. Of course you will lose one crop, but this is better than to lose and keep on losing year after year. One of the first things to forget is that you can kill noxious weeds with a spring-tooth or disk harrow. There are but three effective tools for this game. ‘Most important is the common hoe. Second is the old-fashioned two-horse cultivator, and in fallowing we fasten the gangs together so as to cut about 24 to 30 inches wide. The third tool is the plow, which is useful to get the land in condition in the spring, but afterward it is too slow. “When the land has been spring-plow- ed, cultivate north and south, then in two weeks cultivate east and west. Then keep on alternating every two weeks all summer, first cultivating north and south and then east an west. “Work as late through the fall and into the winter as you can. Go over the land every few weeks with a hoe to kill all weeds the cultivator has missed, and should there be any in the fence corners, ditches, or along the fence rows, destroy them with the hoe. “The second year plant the land to corn. Cultivate thoroughly and follow with a hoe every two weeks. When the with the hoe and kill every weed that has grown. The third year plant the land to anything you choose. But you must still use the hoe and look the land over occasionally.’ —~In Farm and Fire- side. ——Subscribe for the WATCHMAN. | i corn is too high to cultivate, keep on. TO KILL LOG-EATING GOATS Lumber Company Orders Herd Exe- cuted When It Gets Entirely Toc Ravenous. Goats are perfect marvels in ciear- ing forest lands for cultivation. They eat the brush down to the roots, take the “slash” from lumber operations for dessert, and prepare the forest for ag- riculture in a way that no man can do except at great expense, says the Minneapolis Journal. In northern Min- nesota the homesteader or settler who has a herd of goats is the envy of all his neighbors. But when the goats begin to eat sawlogs their usefulness has passed; they become a menace to society. This is the danger that con- fronts northern Minnesota unless proper precautions are taken. 1 In a semiofficial report to W. T. Cox, state forester, a district ranger tells and interesting experience. Finding that it was somewhat expensive to burn the “slash” and to carry out the orders for forest fire prevention the company decided to obtain a band of goats to do the work. The goats did well. They ate all the brush, all the slash, the grass and the shrubbery. The lumber company was pleased. But when the grass and shrubbery, brush and slash were exhausted the goats tackled the pulpwood and the logs. Directors of the company de creed that the goats be slaughtered. “This will teach lumber companies not to cut their timber too small,” was : : : : * | Mr. Cox’ comment. Bodices are snugly fitted, and again we ' animals or vegetable oils. Young ani- | MOSLEMS TO BE RECOGNIZED Legislation Will Make Their Religion Legally Recognized by Hungary. The Moslem religion will be legally recognized in Hungary if a bill intro- , duced by the Hungarian minister of justice is enacted into law by the Hun- garian diet. In addition to giving the Moslem religion every right enjoyed by any other recognized faith in Hungary, the proposed law will also permit the teaching of Mohammedan dogma and the founding of Moslem religious in- stitutions sco far as they are not in conflict with the existing laws. While Mohammedans in Hungary have in the past enjoyed full liberty of conscience, they were as yet de- prived of certain civil rights which functionaries of other recognized creeds exercised. The bill now before the diet effaces some of these inabili- ties automatically, as soon as it be- comes a law, while others are removed by express provisions, as was done in the case of the Mohammedans of Bos: |-nia and Herzegovina. Of Moslem communities in Hungary the Danube island of Ada Kale, near Orsova, is the largest, though groups large enough to form religious com- munities are found in many parts of the country. War Economy. Richard Harding Davis, the war cor- respondent, said, the other day, in Pittsburgh: “The allies are getting together at last. They are working together. In their plans we see no more selfishness. “They were pretty selfish at first. Their selfishness was typical, in fact, by an economy story—a story about a rich Englishman. “This wealthy old fellow, when the economize-and-save movement was at its height, said warmly over a regalia and a glass of liqueur brandy at the club: “ ‘Economize, en? Economize, is it? Well, by Jove, it’s incredible how one can economize if one sets one’s mind to it. I lopped five pounds a week off my household expenses at one stroke this morning by cutting off all the servants’ meat.’ —Washington Star. $10,000,000 for Poodles. “The most astounding extravagance of the women of America is that we spend $10,000,000 each year for poodles.” Mrs. R. L. Barker told this to the delegates to the annu- meet- ing of the Women’s International Mis- sionary union recently in describing how American women make the money fly. She continued: “We spend more for hats yearly than it takes to support the army and navy and several other federal de- partments. We also spend $107,000, 000 for soft and cooling drinks and $178,000,000 for candy. It is time to call a halt and to return to the sane ways of our mothers.” Gunless Hunter. The gunless hunting championship is confidently claimed by the Beverly Dispatch for A. A. Forrest, the promi- nent nimrod of Beverly, who, strolling afield the other day, dispatched two plump and subsequently succulent rab- bits by hurling apples at them, and a third by the digging-out-of-holé-with- sharp-sti¢k method. Mr. Forrest, who has a sort of primal sense of humor, afterward stated in his pithy way that he never yet had heard of a nimrod’s untimely demise through climbing a fence with an unloaded apple or sharp stick in his hand.—Ohio State Journal. Some Improvement. “Mrs. Dubwaite doesn’t seem to mind how much Mr. Dubwaite oper- ates the phonograph.” “In the language of a well-known advertiser, ‘There’s a reason.’ ” “Yes?” “As a choice between two evils, Mrs. Dubwaite much prefers the phono. graph. Mr. Dubwaite’s favorite diver- sion in the evening used to be picking out a tune on the piano with one finger.” | | i “PiP-SQUEAKS” AND “GASPER” Trench Journals Published by Soldiers Have Names That Are Hard to Understard. The editors of many of the curious little trench journals, which are being brought out in ever-increasing num- bers by soldiers at the front, have a perfect genius for inventing queer and bizarre titles for their publications. Some of these, though certainly strange-sounding, are at least under- standable. The “Pow-Wow,” for in- stance, which is the trench journal of the Twentieth Battalion Royal Fusi- liers, conveys some sort of an intel ligible idea to most people. But the same cannot be said of the “Lead-Swinger,” which, its subtitle in- forms us, is “The Bivouac Journal of the Third West Riding Field Ambu- lance.” Is “lead-swinger’” Army slang for an ambulance man? Or what? “Pip-Squeaks” is another puzzling title, until one learns incidentally, on glacing through its inside pages, that “pip-squeak” is a special kind of small German shell, so-called by Tommy from the noise it makes when fired. The “Comb and Paper” reports and | criticizes concerts and other similar | entertainments at the front. The “Hangar Herald” presents no difficul- ties to anyone who knows that “han- gar” is the name airmen give to the sheds where their aeroplanes are stored. The paper deals, as its name implies, with the doings of aviators at the front. The “Gaspar” is a paper published so its editor informs us, “for soldiers at the base,” and he goes on to tell us, incidentally, that “the base is a place where troops are kept until they are so fed up that they do not mind getting killed.” Yet another of these curiously named ventures in active service jour nalism is entitled “Rickey Scrapings,” and its substitute, which is at least self-explanatory, even if somewhat dif fuse, is as follows: “The Only Au: thorized Version of the Doings of the Honorable and Ancient Order of the Cooks of the Artists’ Rifles.” SAVE CAKE SIXTEEN YEARS Fond Parents Still Wait for Their Boy. Who Went to the Boer War in 1899. Though the suspicion grows that a soft-nosed bullet and an African veldt may hold the secret of their boy’s fail: ure to return from the Boer war, Mr. and Mrs. William Rice, 156 Rondo street, St. Paul, have not unwrapped or thrown away the little English plum pudding that they made for his Christ: mas dinner 16 years ago. The pud: ding, his favorite dish, repeses in a bu reau waiting his return. The son’s name is John Rice, and although his parents call him “their boy,” he was an adult when he went to war in behalf of his father’s coun- try. His name never appeared among those of the dead and wounded. The story of the watchful waiting parents became known Christmas when William Rice took his presents to Mrs. Rice, who was at St. Paul City hospital because of a broken leg. The last word from John was received in 1899, and came on a postal card. Given Shakespearean Names. A British paper announces that the problem of finding names for the sta- tions on the new section of the Ket- tle Valley railway portion of the Cana- dian Pacific which runs through the Hope mountains has been solved in a distinctly original manner. The construction of the railway is now almost completed, and it has been decided to name the stations after well-known Shakespearean characters. One station just north of the Ce-' quahalla River canyon is called Othel- lo, another Lear, a third Jessica, a fourth Portia, and a fifth Iago. Ro- meo, another station, is eternally sep- arated from Juliet by Coquahalla sum- mit, which is 3,300 feet above sea level, and not likely to be moved by anything shert of an earthquake. May Be Longest European War. It is pointed out that if the war lasts until the autumn of 1916 it will have been longer than any great war in Europe since the fall of Napoleon. Each of the two Balkan wars of 1912-13 was a matter of weeks. So were the Serbo-Bulgarian war of 1885 and the Turco-Greek war of 1897. The Crimean war lasted a little more than a year, while the Franco-Prussian war was practically decided in a month, although Paris was holding out. seven months afterward. The Russo: Japanese war lasted about twelve months, as did the Turco-Italian war in 1911-12. The Boer war ran for two and a half years, But that can- not be called a European war. The American Civil war lasted for four: years. Earned Rapid Promotion. Rapid promotion rewards those who serve well the army of France. About the most remarkable cases of advance- ment is that of General Petain, who was only colonel commanding the Thirty-third infantry regiment at Arras at the beginning of the war. Successively he became general of brigade, general of division,and com- mander of an army corps, and now for nearly six months he has been at the head of one of the principal armies, which recently covered itself with glory. General Petain is one of the most esteemed chiefs, and his high qualities of strategy, cnergy and cool- ness have not for a singlé moment failed him during the different operas tions in which he has taken part. a me’
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers