Ey ——- Sra J BY P. GRAY MEEK. INK SLINGS. _ —The “Watchman” will make only one more visit to you in 1917. —Monday was the coldest Decem- ber 10th this section has experienced in forty years. __If it is “true that the Cossacks control the coal supply of Russia it ought not to take them long to freeze the Bolsheviki out. —Join the Red Cross army. Any- way you're not too young or too old or too much of a physical derelict for serivce in this great humanitarian movement. —If the ice gets thick enough har- vest it. There are no more “ice box” signs on the calendar until March and a bird in the hand is as good as two in the bush. — The British forces have captured Jerusalem. After twelve hundred years of Moslem control the Holy City is now in the hands of christians. Can this be an omen. . —This is potato month. Eat all the potatoes you can; save the canned goods. There are plenty of potatoes in the country and prices will not be much if any higher than they are now. — The Germans are reported as massing on the western front for the grandest drive of the war. Better shoot their big wads now for by spring Uncle Sam will be there in force and then things will be differ- ent. — Thirteen colored soldiers were hanged and forty-one imprisoned for life in Texas on Monday because they forgot that they were soldiers and started to “shoot up” San Antonio last August. The country expects every man to do his duty, but these rioting soldiers probably never thought the country would do its duty. —Read John Brisbin Walker’s ar- ticle on “What Religion Shall We Teach in the Public Schools” publish- ed in the fifth column of this page. No suggestion that we have ever seen made goes to the very heart of the question as this one does, for should every child be trained in the fullest conception of what Justice to all means the problem of christianity would be solved and the dogmas of creeds broken down. —The election of officers for the Bellefonte Board of Trade will be held on January 10th next and if ever there was a time when persons inter- ested in the future of our town should show their interest it will be then. These are days of great evolutions and reconstruction and if Bellefonte is to do no more than keep from slip- ran IRE BECK her commercial interests must be organized and ready for any opportunity or ‘emergency. There is marked activity in this line in every community in the country already and Bellefonte should be ready with the most efficient organization possi- ble. Because the Board of Trade has not been just what we think it ought to be is our own fault. Water will not rise higher than its source and each resident of our community is a unit at the source of the Board of Trade. —1It costs three cents now to carry a personal letter to you so won’t you help us save a little by accepting this as a personal appeal to send in your subscription at once to the “Watch- man.” Look at the label on this page. You can tell from it just how much you owe and really we need the amount very much. When you con- sider that your home paper is proba- bly the only thing you are purchasing now that has not gone up in price surely you should be moved to help it all you can. The regular and healthy addition of new names to the list of “Watchman” readers is most en- couraging because it indicates the public appreciation of our efforts to produce a clean and reliable newspa- per, but when paper and ink and pow- er and heat are costing us more than ever before it will be impossible for 1s to meet our bills, if our subscrib- ers are not prompt in remitting. —Retail grocers of Bellefonte and nearby towns met in the arbitration room in the court house Monday even- ing to formulate plans whereby they ean work in harmony with the Feder- al Food Administration. While noth- ing definite was decided upon at the meeting we trust that they will soon arrive at some conclusion that will bring about a uniformity of prices and a scaling down wherever possi- ble. The “cash and carry” plan so successful in many other towns and notably so in one or two instances we might mention right in Bellefonte would be well worth considering. As a matter of fairness in times like | these the person who goes to a store and carries his own purchases home should not have to pay a portion of the cost of maintaining an expensive delivery system with which telephone orders are filled. Of course it would be a difficult matter for the grocer to equalize, but possibly the establish- ment of a system of two delivery days a week would help materially in keep- ing down general costs. This would be ample to serve distant customers, it would save gaseline and upkeep of motors and release a driver for serv- ice in the store en the other four days. Within the next ten days Bellefonte, Philipsburg and State College will have price-reporting committees, ap- pointed by the gevernment, and the detérmination of our grocers to or- ganize is probably in anticipation of suggestions that may be made by these committees. N 2 4 9 { Ne Na ye it enaeratic’ | — STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION. - VOL 62. BELLEFONTE, PA.. DECEMBER 14, 19 17. NO" 49. Thorough Investigation Required. The heartrending disaster which oc- | curred off Halifax, N. S., last week may have been the result of an acci- dent but the authorities are amply justified in holding the survivors of the steamship Imo, which rammed the French munition ship Mount Blane, until an investigation has been made. Thisis the second disaster of the kind that has occurred at that point since the beginning of the war and both the vessels sunk were carry- ing war materials for the use of the allies. Lightning may strike twice on the same spot within a short per- iod of time but it is not likely to do so. There is no greater probability of two accidents of this kind occur- ring at the same place within three years. In 1914 a ship laden with grain consigned to France was rammed and sunk with all its valuable burden al- most at the spot that this disaster occurred- There was a heavy fog at the time and without much investi- gation it was decided that a misun- derstanding or misconstruction of fog signals was the cause. There was a fog on Friday morning when this sec- ond disaster occurred and the same reason was promptly given. Possi- bly it was the true reason for the col- lision, but even so there must have been ‘a measure of carelessness on board of one ship or the other to cause the accident. In a fog so dense as this must have been ships ought not to have been moving at a speed to make such a calamity possible. We have come to know that there are men in the employ of the German government capable of any atrocity which would redound to the advant- age of the German cause. The sink- ing of a ship laden with munitions of war consigned to the allies would be a great advantage to the German cause and while this may not have been done it is well to make a thor- ough investigation so that if culpa- bility exists it may be discovered and justly punished. The survivors of the Imo may be able to prove their inno- cence and we sincerely hope they will, but the public has a right to know the truth. The civilized world cannot af- ford to let surh piracy go unpunished if it exists and there is good ground for suspicion. A New England contemporary figures out that a dollar has depreci- ated so that its purchasing power at present is only 56.86 cents. “Watchman” subscribers will be glad to know, however, that they are" still taken at par in this office and thank- fully received at that. Interesting News from Washington. The Washington correspondent of an esteemed Philadelphia contempo- rary gives the Democrats of Pennsyl- vania the following interesting infor- mation: “Following the return of Vance C. McCormick, chairman of the War Trade Board, from Europe, where he is a member of the Ameri- can mission, Pennsylvania Democrat- ic leaders will meet here to decide up- on a candidate for the gubernatorial nomination and for the State Chair- manship.” Why this meeting should be held in Washington is not revealed, and why the “leaders” should decide the question is also left to conjecture. The purpose of the State wide prima- ry law was to lodge this important work in the hands of the Democratic people. The intensely bitter factional fight in the Republican party practically guarantees the election of a Demo- cratic Governor next year unless the advantage is sacrificed by selfish lead- ership. The Democratic voters are earnest, enthusiastic and unanimous in support of the President and his policies. There never has been ‘a time when factional spirit was so completely absent from the minds of the rank and file eof the party. But these auspicious conditions may be changed by unwise action of the lead- ers. The usurpation of power which belongs to the voters by a group of practically alien office holders, as- sembled in a distant city, may devel- op a resentment which will destroy all chances of victory. So far as we are able to discover there is no popular antipathy in the Democratic mind against any of the gentlemen who have been named as probable candidate for Governor. We confidently believe that either of them would be elected if the existing frame of mind continues. But if a group of self-appointed leaders meet in Washington or in any other city outside of the State and select a can- didate, the seeds of dissension will be sown which may develop inan irrec- oncilable factional quarrel. It is all right to meet if every Democrat has equal opportunity to be present and full liberty to participate. But there is an innate opposition to bossism in the Democratic electorate. Russia will be overthrown before the craven agreement with Germany is completed. : { Removal Creates an Issue The recent dismissal of an unim- portant official in the service of the State at Harrisburg, is likely to de- velop into a grave political issue. mer Ambassador to Germany, called | The history of the case may be brief- | attention to an evil capable of work- | Who ly told. State Senator Beidleman, of {ing grave harm. Referring to the i Harrisburg, who seems to have been i unusually successful in getting offices for his friends, had his father ap- pointed as foreman of something about the capitol. In the recent mu- nicipal contest in Harrisburg the Governor enlisted in the service of one of the candidates for Mayor and issued orders that all employees on “The Hill” should vote for the candi- date he favored. The opposing candi- date was the personal choice of Sena- tor Beidleman and the Senator’s fath- er disobeyed the order. Ever since the election rumors have .been floating around in official circles that there would be a general tearing up and weeding out of de- partment employees but thus far nothing has been done except the dis- missal of Foreman Beidleman. Last week the axe fell upon his neck and he disappeared from the payroll. And therein lies the cause of the impend- ing war. The Governor might have hit the Senator in any other place with perfect safety. He has absolute and undisputed control of the appoint- ing and discharging power in all the other executive departments. But Foreman Beidleman was an employee of the Board of Public Grounds and Buildings and a majority of that board are friends of Penrose. The Board of Public Grounds and Buildings is composed of the Gover- nor, the State Treasurer and the Auditor General. State Treasurer Kephart and Auditor General Snyder have made up their minds to reinstate “Daddy” Beidleman at the next meeting of the Board and if this pur- pose is carried out there will be fun as well as flying feathers on “The Hill.” The Governor protests that notwithstanding the membership of the board the laws give him the right to appoint all officers and the right to appoint carries with it the right to remove. In the last dispute between the Governor and the Auditor Gener- al the Governor came oul triumphant and the outcome of this controversy will be watched with interest. Senator LaFollette would have voted against the resolution declaring war against Austria-Hungary in the form in which it passed. He want- ed it amended so as to guarantee the safety of the Empire and so amended it would have been worthless. Base Servility of Judges. In fixing a bond for the contest of three row offices in Philadelphia at nearly a quarter of a million dollars, the court in which Judges Ferguson and McMichael sit, causes suspicion of servility to the Vare brothers. Another Philadelphia judge has fixed the bond at $15,000.00 and given as- surances that if the expense of the proceedings justifies it, he would in- crease the amount. But the Vares were not satisfied with that. It is an easy matter for men of high charac- ter and considerable wealth to make a bond of that amount. But with a quarter of a million it is different. Hardly any three men can afford to tie up that much money in a bond that may run a couple of years. The fixing of the bond at that ab- surdly high figure is also a practic- al acknowledgment that the Vare ticket was elected at the recent poll by fraudulent votes, in the opinion both of the Vares and the judges. If they were not afraid of the result of a contest they would be entirely will- ing to have a judicial investigation. But they know that such an investi- gation “will result in the defeat of their candidates and appear willing to prostitute the courts to the base pur- poses of maintaining the Vares in power through the force of hand. THat the judges who perpetrated this wrong were on the Vare ticket when the fraunds were committed may have had something to do with the matter. There are plenty of men in Phila- delphia interested in good government amply able to put up the bond requir- ed by this Vare favoring court. Te three or even a dozen men, however easy their circumstances, the tying up of that amount of money would be a hardship. But the bond may be made up of a hundred or more men and unless the reputable citizens of Philadelphia intend to hand their municipal government over to the Vares absolutely, they will combine in the making of a bond and prose- cute the inquiry to its logical end. It may put a few distinguished Phila- delphians in the penitentiary but they can be spared from public and private life for as long a period as the court sees fit to fix. — Halifax needs help and it should be sent freely and promptly. But it is surprising how numerous the demands upon charity are this German Text Books an Evil. | In his speech before the Pennsylva- nia society of New York, on Saturday evening last, James W. Gerard, for- | German language text books used in ! the public schools of this country he said: “These books are stuffed full of German propaganda. They contain stories, poems, history and passages | | from German literature, all cunning- I ly selected with a view of inculcating {in the impressionable mind of our i youth the superiority and glory of | Prussian ~ kultur.” Praise of the { Fatherland and of the present Kaiser | | runs dominantly through the pages of | these text books and necessarily leave i a vivid impression. | That an understanding of the Ger- ! man language would be of advantage to an American citizen whether en- | gaged in business or professional life iis a self evident proposition. Because | of this fact the German language course has been a popular feature of the High schools in all the States. But the texts in these books should have been chosen with greater dis- crimination than seems to have been according to the information obtain- ed by Mr. Gerard. Fulsome puffs of the Hohenzollern family and anec- dotes of the youthful escapades of the Kaiser which always make him a hero are not the things which serve for a foundation for knowledge of the Ger- man language of commerce. In view of these facts the sugges- tion made by Mr. Gerard that mem- bers of the society of which he was a guest call the attention of the several school boards of Pennsylvania to the matter. The books in use have been edited by men concerned in the Ger- man propaganda who purposely per- verted their opportunities to serve the cause of Germany while profess- ing to benefit the youths of America. Before the war there was no suspi- cion and because of the friendly rela- tions and increasing commerce be- tween this country and thatthe desir- ability of an understanding of the German language was obvious. While intercourse with the German jon will be ‘necessarily curtailed for a long period after the war a knowledge of the German language will be none the less essential to prop- er education for various callings in life. While we are heartily opposed to having German or any other lan- guage than English included in the regular curriculum of our public schools its value as an elective should not be underestimated merely because some of us are seeing only with war glasses. Objectionable text books, such as Mr. Gerard had in mind should certainly be eliminated, how- ever, and others calculated only to teach the language to those who might need a knowledge of it substi- tuted. ——The capture of Jerusalem by British forces has more sentimental than military value. But it may be more important than it seems. The Turks have had control of the city for many years and the losing may have considerable effect on the morale of the Sultan’s troops. In any event it is a step in the direction of eliminat- ing Turkey from the list of nations and the Turks from the governing agencies of the world. —The attention of supervisors everywhere should be called to the im- perative necessity for keeping the roads open. When snow blockades occur they should be removed as quickly as it is physically possible to do so. Congestion of traffic in how- ever small a way adds to the general congestion that must be relieved if we are to have necessities during the winter. —Lét the “Watchman” solve the problem of how you can remember some friend inexpensively. Send it to him or her for a year. It will cost only $1.50 and prove an expression of your good will every week in the year. ——Even if a few German spies were shot the world would sustain no great loss. Some tender hearted folk might think it would be cruel but that is about all the harm it would do. — The lines upon which peace will be laid will be drawn in this country and they will be just as well as plain. —The price of pork on the hoof is to be fixed at thirteen times the cost of the corn required to fatten it. ——Among the state policemen who will follow Col. John C. Groome into the U. S. army for the period of the war are Lieut. William Marsh, who will be made a captain, and Sergt- Paul B. Stout, who will be made a lieutenant. Both gentlemen were among the first contingent of state policemen located in Bellefonte several years ago, and their friends here know that they will both make good in the places they have been as- signed. | THE STEADY SUBSCRIBER. { By an Unknown Author. How dear to our hearts is the steady sub- sceriber Who pays in advance at the birth of each year, lays down the money and does it quite gladly, : | And casts ’round the office a halo of i cheer. . . | He never says, “Stop it; I cannot afford it, i I'm getting more papers than now I can i read.” r ! But always says, “Send it; our people all like it— i In fact we all think it a help and a need.” | How welcome his check when it reaches our sanctum, How it makes our pulse throb; how it makes our hearts dance, We outwardly thank him; we inwardly bless him; The steady subscriber who pays in ad- vance. : What Religion Shall We Teach in Our Public Schools. John Brisben Walker, in Hearst's zine. After the question of religious teaching in the public schools had been debated by The Federal Council of American churches, “The Univer- salist Leader” said: “Even the com- bined wisdom of more than thirty denominations was inadequate to solve the problem.” Meanwhile, eth- ical instruction in our public schools is either feeble or omitted. But is it not possible to find a teaching that will satisfy the most exacting requirements, and yet call forth no protest from Protestant, Catholic, Hebrew or Agnostic, all of whom have equal rights under our form of government? There is one word that is the most important in the language of civiliz- ed man. It embraces within itself all of the Ten Commandments of Mo- ses, all of the teachi of Jesus Christ, and all of the highest ideals of the great philosophers. It is the word “Justice.” Why should not the conception of Justice, upon which all of the pro- foundest minds of the centuries have concentrated, be made the one central ideal in the teachings of our public schools ? Justice, civil- 3 Maga- Upon men’s ideals of ization must rise or fall: i Upon their ideals of Justice, States either become the homes of happy people, or hells in which men and wo- men rend and inflict torture upon each other. Upon ideals of Justice, busi- ness becomes either a vast organiza- tion for economic convenience, or for the practice of greed and usury. De- pending upon ideals of Justice, mar- riage becomes either a divine union tion and wretchedness. What do we mean by Justice? Justice is that perfect equation of the relations of each man and woman to every other man and woman; that | recognizes the rights of our fellow- men to comfort and happiness; that does not seek to deprive others of their fair share of the necessities and comforts of life. All crimes are of- fences against Justice. Justice is the concentrated essence of all religion—an essence that has been obscured and distorted and for- gotten, when religion has been made to serve the purposes of power. Justice has never concerned itself with those dogmas which produce conflicts, but it has stood as the foun- dation rock of what was truest and best in the religions of all peoples, in all lands and at all times. Teaching the religion of Justice in our public schools does not serve. the purposes of special dogmas. But those who have at heart the right preparation of youth, and wish to ground them in the principles which underlie true religion, will welcome.a training in the principles of Justice. If men and women could be so in- structed that they would love Justice and would be eternally anxious to seek after Justice, all that which now counts for brutality, hatred, deceit, graft, and injury to our neighbor would be educated out of the human mind. And it is necessary that this in- struction should be given through the public schools. The time is quickly will ery out for Justice. \ Justice in the making of laws; Justice in administering the laws; Justice in opportunity to labor; Justice in the distribution of the product of labor; Justice to women; Justice to children; Justice to old age that has labored faithfully; oi And Justice to all mankind in the telling of Truth. : Once established in our public schools, the teaching of the religion of Justice would turn out a new class of men and women. : It would not be many years until we should begin, as a people, to talk, not about riches and honor, but about Justice. : While the coal situation in Bellefonte is not quite as acute as it was two weeks ago, the great trouble now is in getting delivery. All the dealers are away behind in their or- ‘ders and they claim it is because they cannot get the necessary help to make deliveries. The result is that more people have been seen carrying coal home in bags or hauling it on small sleds the past week than at any time within ten years. . of souls, or a union of fierce conten- approaching when the whole world | SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE. —Perry county people are having large quantities of wood sawed and will use it for fuel this winter. | The failure to secure shipments of ! sand and soda due to the congested freight conditions of the railroads has compelled the Diamond Glassware company. of Indi- ana, to suspend operations. : —Cloyd Swartz, of Mifflin county, aged 37 years, had his left arm caught in a fod- der shredder and torn to shreds. He was houled five miles by auto to the hospital at Lewistown, and the arm was amputated at the shoulder, after he had almost bled to death. —“Come back .to school and teach,” this is the word that has gone out to all of the married folks, once pedagogues, in an effort to tide over the crisis in the Fayette county schools. Teachers are resigning every day and taking up more lucrative positions. —Charles L. Farabaugh, of Carroll town, who is studying botany at Pennsyl- vania State College, has been chosen pres-, ident of the Forensic Council by Penn State students who are interested in debat- ing. Farabaugh is a member of the Jun- ior class. —Miss Evelyn Charlier, of McDonald, daughter of a bank president, is shining shoes to earn $10 for the Y. M. C. A. war fund, while Helen Byers and Helen Weit- zel are going to clean the borough truck and keep the brass trimmings shining brightly to obtain their $10. —There was great excitement in Jeffer- son county on Tuesday over the striking of a giant gas gusher on the farm of A. E. and M. S. Galbraith, by the United Natural Gas company. The roar from the well, which is producing at a rate of 13,- 000,000 cubic feet, can be heard for a dis- tance of two miles. —Extensive enlargements and improve- ments to three of the fire brick plants of the Harbison-Walker Refractories compa- ny, and the plant of the Lock Haven I'ire Brick company which have been under way for nearly a year, have all been complet- ed, with the result that the capacity of the plants has been greatly increased to meet the heavy demand for brick. —Andrew J. Post, aged 56, of 708 Willow street, McKeesport, died at his home ear- ly Tuesday morning from a fractured skull suffered when he slipped and fell in the McKeesport public swimming pool in the Youghiogheny River Monday. Post was engaged in cleaning the pool prepar- atory to its being used as a skating pond when he slipped, his head striking the side of the pool. —Part of the shirt factory of J. Ger- hardt and company, at Hazleton, was de- stroyed by fire Monday, causing a loss es- timated at $100,000. The company has been making shirts for the government and a large consignment of material was in the building that was destroyed. Four houses, valued at $8,000, were also burned. There is some suspicion that the fire was of incendiary origin. —George Hopple, 23 years old, was practically roasted last Wednesday night at the Standard Steel works at Burnham, when a red hot wheel dropped from a crane in the wheel rolling mill, catching him across the shoulders and forcing his body into a pit where wheel and plate fell upon him. Hopple is a single man and resided with his parents at Lock or five miles west of Burnham. ” RL —A wage controversy that had threaten- ed the Broad Top field in Pennsylvania was adjusted satisfactorily by Fuel Ad- ministrator Garfield. The agreement, signed by representatives on both sides, provides that the Broad Top mining rate from now until April 1 next shall be 10 cents a ton higher than the general Cen- tral Pennsylvania scale. After April it will be the same as the Central scale. —The criminal cases in which C. J. Lo- gan, a Philadelphia detective was charg- ed with attempt to murder Mary and Emi- ly Seabrook, of Westover, Clearfield coun- ty, ended suddenly at Clearfield on Thurs- day, the 6th, after the jury had been drawn. The plaintiffs made a settlement by withdrawing the charge, paying the defendant $1,500 and paying all the other costs. Four or five prominent eastern bus- iness men were to have been witnesses in the case. —Mrs. Mary Mosser, aged 70 years, was found dead in a chair before the fireplace of her home in West End, Punxsutawney, last Thursday, where she had been living alone. It is believed that she had been dead for several hours before neighbors found the body. The aged woman had been a sufferer with asthma for several years and for several days prior to her death had been in the-house alone without any fire in the stove. At that she was not an object of charity as she owned her own home and had other resources. —The home of Mike Brillo, a miner, near Lock Lohmond, was totally destroy- ed by fire between 8 and 9 o'clock on Fri- day night, together with all the contents except a sewing machine and cradle. The fire started, it seems, somewhere about ily were away at the time, it looks as though it were of incendiary origin. The neighbors, by means of a bucket brigade, did their best to stay the ravages of the fire, but it had gained too much headway before being discovered to prevent the de- stryction of the dwelling and practically all the contents. —A fire originating in the Osceola house, one of the leading hotels of Osceola Mills, Clearfield county, destroyed the structure and a number of adjoining store buildings early Monday morning. The flames swept a half block before checked, causing a to- tal loss of $75,000. The fire started in the hotel, which is located at the corner of Curtin and Lingle streets. It spread rap- idly and communicated with the wholesale liquor establishment of Michael McCarty, the Sugar Bowl, a candy store and restau- rant, a meat market conducted by Laws & Beck, and a cigar, stationery store and pool room conducted by A. W. Baird. —William Horn, former cashier of the Easton National bank, Easton, Pa., plead- ed guilty to defalcations aggregating $39,- 000 in the United States district court in Philadelphia on Monday, and was sentenc- ed to five years imprisonment in the feder- al penitentiary in Atlanta. Horn disap- peared in October last, and soon after it was discovered that he was short in his accounts to the amount of $39,000. The fu- gitive went to Pittsburgh where he at- tempted to raise money and failed. He was penniless and walked to Johnstown, 75 miles distant. There he wired to brok- ers in Baston for funds, but the local brokers instead notified the Easton author- ities. Horn said he used stolen money in the stock markets and had lost every pen- ny. His thefts extended over a period of seven years. ; the porch, and as the members of the fam- . a
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers