a
Bema in
Bellefonte, Pa., January 11, 1918.
RED-ROBED FRANCE.
The Huns stripped off my own green gown
And left me stark and bare;
My sons, they spread a red robe down
And wrapped me in it there.
The garb they brought was red as blood—
The robe was red as flame;
They veiled me in ‘it where I stood
And took away my shame.
Was ever web so costly wove
Or warp so glorious spun?
I'll wear no vestment prized above
That wide and scarlet one.
Though younger sons, some happier day,
Weave me a fair green gown
Anew, or bid me don array
Of corn-ripe gold and brown.
The names (like beads, told one by one)
My heart will still repeat;
‘Will call, with tears, each dear, dear son
Whose red robe wrapped my feet.
—Charles Buxton Going, in Everybody's
Magazine.
Urges Farms for Soldiers.
That every United States soldier,
when he returns from the war, should
be given an opportunity to become
the owner of a farm, is a principle
enunciated by Senator Warren G.
Harding, of Ohio.
“Every thoughtful man realizes,”
said Senator Harding, “that the prop-
er distribution of the land is the very
basis of national well-being. The
land should, as far as possible, be in
the possession and ownership of the
men who work it. A nation of owners
of small farms which support sturdy
families is the ideal. The magnifi-
cence of France when the supreme
test came has been largely due to the
sturdy folk of her farms. These were
the people who paid the price of the
loss of the Franco-Prussian war. They
have been the saviors of France in
many emergencies. But for the solu-
tion of the land question and its di-
vision into small tracts in the owner-
ship of the people, France would
Probably have ceased to exist before
this.
“The weakness of England, the in-
ability of that Nation to feed itself
in the present crisis, the internal un-
rest, the growing masses of the de-
pendent classes, the ‘Hooligans’ of the
slums of London, have been admitted-
ly caused by the ownership of the
land by the few. England has been
progressing slowly toward solving her
land question. She has been working
it out in Ireland faster than at home,
for the question has been solved in
Ireland.
“In the United States the drift of
the people to the cities, the drift of
farms into operation by tenant farm-
ers, into ownership in large acreage
by absent landlords, has been recog-
nized as a dangerous tendency. But
out of the war will grow many de-
mands from the people. The man on
the street will appreciate his rights
more clearly and will be more ready
to demand them. Among his most
probable demands will be his right to
the land. The quicker and stronger
he makes that demand the better for
the Nation.
“There are 35,000,000 acres in the
Middle States that might be farmed,
but which are lying idle. Much of this
land is in the very outskirts of cities
where food prices are high and the de-
mand unlimited. In the Pacific Coast
States there are 180,000,000 acres of
unused but usable land. In all 500,-
000,000 acres or thereabouts is lying
idle, te say nothing of that which is
inadequately farmed.
“In the meantime the cities are full
of people whose greatest ambition is
to own a piece of this waste land and
to convert it into productive homes.
The mass of the foreigners in this
country came from agricultural com-
munities in Europe and would like to
be cn farms over here. They are al-
lowed to become submerged in foreign
sections of great cities, to be swallow-
ed up in less wholesome activities and
to be lost to this sort of beneficial pro-
. ductiveness.
“Even if the man in the city gets
good land and at a fair price, it is
practically impossible for him to es-
tablish himself and make a success
without guidance and co-operation.
The machine is not built up that will
convert- him from a -city-dwelling
wage earner ito an independent far-
mer.
“That is exactly the machinery that
should be developed. The proper
agency to supervise its development
is the Government. The time is now.
“This making of a farmer is a diffi-
cult task. Not one man in a dozen
who is good material for farmer mak-
ing would succeed if a perfectly good
farm were presented to him gratis.
It is the exception when a city man,
even when adequately financed, goes
on the farm and makes it pay. It is
a still rarer thing when the family ac-
customed to city life goes into the
country and is happy. To make the
venture work out with regard to all
these necessities requires organiza-
tion and direction. Men in cities must
not be merely given farms, but they
must be directed in their management
of those farms and the community life
of which they become a part must be
made such as to allow their lives to
be as happy as in the old environment.
Otherwise they will return to the city.
“The Government should see to it
that land is available at fair prices.
There are great tracts of idle land
throughout the country. Much of it
is for sale at a fair price. There is
plenty of capital available that is
ready for investment in that land if
proper arrangement is made for its
development and sale. Outside of
New York, say 30 miles, there is a
tract of land 500 acres in extent. It
can be bought at a reasonable price.
It has been examined by Government
experts, who say that its soil is good
and that it is convertible into produc-
tive farms.
“There has been made available
through funds seeking investment or
through funds of large interests that
want their money to serve a good pur-
pose, the necessary backing to handle
this project. The land is bought.
“It is cleared and divided into ten-
acre farms. On every farm is plac-
ed a house and barn. A horse, a cow,
two pigs, a flock of chickens is bought
for each farm. Every detail is charg-
ed up against the farm. To the money
expended is added a profit which pays
interest on the investment and makes
the development of the tract a sound
business undertaking. This profit
and no more is the developing com-
pany allowed to take.
“Thus has the 500 acres become 50
farms ready for occupancy. In the
meantime those applicants for farms
in New York city have been carefully
examined. It is not necessarily true
that the very best of these will be se-
lected for the settlement. Take it
that 50 average families are chosen.
Some of these families will be able to
make considerable payments on their
farms. It may be true that some of
them can make no payment at all
The farms are sold on 20 years’ time.
Only the initail payment is required
until the third year. It will take that
much time before the farm can afford
to make a payment.
“When these 50 families move into
this community, their very presence
adds value to the land. What a few
months ago was an unoccupied soli-
tude is now a dense settlement with a
family on every ten acres. The normal
value of the land has immediately in-
creased. The investors have already
made a profit if the land reverts to
them.
“But this is no ordinary farming
community. In the first place it is
built around a community center. The
schoolhouse, the postoffice, the store,
the community hall, the motion pic-
ture show, are in the middle of the
settlement. Nobody lives a mile from
this center. There is no isolation. The
settlers rub against their fellows = -
most as they would in the city.
“But there is another element ia
this community center. This is the
demonstration farm.
over by a scientific farmer who knows
just how these farms should be han-
dled to get the greatest possible re-
turn from them. The central tract
which it cultivates is growing all the
crops in the best accredited way. The
farm manager lives there and it is
his business to show each of the set-
tlers just how it is done. Further it
is his business to see that the settlers
follow directions. Their contracts
stipulate that they agree to follow di-
rections.
“So they plant their crops and nurse
them to harvest under this expert di-
rection. In the meantime the settle-
ment manager has arranged for the
marketing. Their produce is pooled
and is sold in quantities. This makes
it possible to get consideration on the
New York markets and to provide a
community truck that takes this pro-
duce to market every day. This com-
mon marketing is a vast saving. The
organization of the community makes
it possible to buy seed potatoes, coal,
chicken feed, anything, on a much
more advantageous basis. It means
all the difference between handsome
profits and failure.
“This is but a rough sketch of the
possibilities and an example of the
method of working this matter out.
The situation is different everywhere
and requires that adjustments should
be made. But everywhere there is
land and everywhere there are people
who want to go on it. The well-being
of the Nation depends on whether or
not the people get the land. A begin-
ning might as well be made now as
any other time toward making the re-
adjustment.
“When the 2,000,000 men to be
trained for the war come out of the
ranks, there will be an unparalleled
opportunity to work out this scheme
on a wholesome basis. These 2,000,-
000 will be fine sturdy young Ameri-
cans with the discipline, the training,
the efficiency, developed by their serv-
ice. Every one of them could go on
one of these farms and make himself
a good home. Not every one, possi-
bly not 25 per cent. would want to £20
on a farm, but 25 per cent. would be
500,000 farmers, 500,000 farm homes
for the future, where there were none
before. If but 10 per cent. wanted to
It is presided |
go on farms there would be 200,000
be no mean asset to the Nation.
“These young men will all be unat- |
tached. They will have been weaned
away from their former tasks and as-
i sociates. They will be wanting to
. strike a field for themselves. They
| should be given the opportunity. The
| Nation should prepare the way. Can-
| vasses might be taken months ahead
{of the disbandonment of the armies |
| and preparations made in accordance
with the returns. The lumber of can-
: tonments might be utilized in making
! soldier homes upon the land.
| “In the meantime the experiment
might be tried of placing the depend-
ents of soldiers on these little farms.
Those men of foreign birth who have
| gone back to fight for their countries
| have left their families in America,
| and some attention should be paid to
i their well-being. They might furnish
additional material for the little
farms. The maimed soldiers who
will soon be returning must be placed
on the way toward being self-support-
ing, and these, wherever possible,
should be sent to these farms.
“As a war measure, a beginning
should be made upon this great task
of the Nation. Here might the ex-
periment be tried, if it be regarded
as an experiment, which it is not,
since it has been done in scores of na-
tions, in scores of countries. But the
ultimate importance of the proposal
goes far beyond a plan to reward the
defenders of democracy. The great
| mass of the people should be offered
{the possibility. The plan should be
i put to work and kept to work like an
‘endless chain which, season after sea-
son, converts hundreds of thousands
"of stifled tenement dwellers into peo-
ple of the open, which changes tenant
i farmers whose very association with
| the land they cultivate make them
| shiftless, into self-respecting farm
owners.
“Various measures have been intro-
duced into Congress in recent sessions
that have looked toward accomplish-
ing this end. That introduced by Sen-
ator Curtis last session is probably
the most promising. The situation
undoubtedly calls for action that
should go further than any of these,
and the coming session will doubtless
witness the thrusting of the question
to the fore and its solution may be
one of the by-products of the war
which will continue to benefit the Na-
tion for generations to come.—Pitts-
burgh Dispatch.
Medical Supplies Scarce.
Russia is almost entirely depend-
ent upon the allies for medical sup-
plies for her hospitals and convales-
cent camps, according to a report of
Dr. Frank Billings, recently appoint-
ed head of the American Red Cross
commission to Russia. In Dr. Bil-
lings’ cable came the startling infor-
mation that the hospitals at the Rus-
sian front are almost devoid of every-
thing but vaccines.
In response to Dr. Billings’ appeal
the Washington Red Cross headquar-
ters has dispatched a $400,000 ship-
ment of field operation kits, collaps-
ible operating tables, syringes, need-
les, adhesive tape, catgut, rubber
goods, etc. In addition to these arti-
cles 964 kilograms of medicines was
included.
The shipment brings the total val-
ue of supplies sent to Russia for the
use of the American hospital contin-
gents up to $400,000.
In addition to this latest Red Cross
shipment Dr. Billings hopes to im-
port by courier from Japan and Chi-
na, some vaccines and other necessi-
ties that are obtainable in those coun-
tries. «
The way to cordial relations and
close co-operation between the Amer-
ican Red Cross and the Russian army
and relief organization has already
been paved by the Red Cross commis-
sion there. The hearty welcome giv-
en to Dr. Billings and his fellow com-
missioners by officials and populace
indicates that Russia is eager to
grasp the hand of the great Ameri-
can war relief society.
farm homes established. This would | Are You Studying Modern Warfare?
Read a little up on the history of
| warfare between Waterloo and the
| South African battles and then com-
| pare these with the present conflict
land you see more difference in meth-
| ods of conducting a scrap between
| nations and armies than between Get-
| tysburg and Chevy Chase.
i In the latter they merely added
weapons that sent projectiles by the
explosion of gunpowder, instead of in
the more remote time shooting arrows
from bows and crossbows. They
fought on the ground, planned, ma-
neuvered, charged, retreated and that
was about all there was to it.
But now! Fighting forces, in all,
are not content to merely go at each
other with volleys, single firing, bay-
onet and sword. No, indeed. They
do all these things and add to them
such interesting items as using hand |
grenades and rifle grenades, bombs |
of other various sorts, asphyxiating |
gases, liquid fire, barrage fires, which |
when made almost an actual curtain |
of projectiles is spoken of as having !
been laid down, like one would refer |
to a tablecloth or a blanket. And
then balloons, flying machines, sub-!
marines, nets for catching same, |
depth bombs and what not are added. |
But most remarkable of all is the |
trench. i
The trench, is indeed, no new in-!
vention, but its present universal |
adaptation, continuous for miles, with |
listening posts, rest and sleeping shel-
ters, machine gun placements, dug-
outs, supply tracks for small rail-
YEAGER'S SHOE STORE
$4.50 and $5.00 Shoes
Reduced to $3.00
FOR
NE DAY ONLY
On Suluiday, Jan. 12th
roads along the bottoms—all this was
never dreamed of in the old days.
And, after all, this is not more than
one-half a matter of relative scrap-
ping ability, but war now is a contest
between ingenious devices. Let us
hope it will be the last great war, but
if not, what shall we expect in the
way of improvements in the art of
killing, wounding and destroying?
Is the Land of Untold Wealth.
Fifteen million ounces of silver is
one of South America’s annual con-
tributions to the world’s pocketbook.
This would make more than 17,000,-
000 silver dollars. Silver to the
amount of more than $2,000,000,000
has been mined in the last 300 years
from Potosi, the famous “peak of sil-
ver” in Bolivia. ;
The hills of South America are
seamed with gold. It is found in
every State.
All this gold and silver could be
studded with precious stones from
Colombia.
Seven hundred thousand carats of
them are dug out of her hills annu-
ally. Almost all of the emeralds in
the world come from there. :
Our famous copper mines in Mich-
igan, Montana and Arizona are sur-
passed in richness by those on the
west coast of South America.
Enough silver is mined with the
copper of one Peruvian mine to pay
all the expenses of mining, of ship-
ping the ore over the mountains and
up to North American smelters. It
also pays the cost of smelting. :
The Bethlehem Steel works in
Pennsylvania could be kept busy for
75 years with the iron ore of one of
Chile’s provinces, Coqquimbo.
More tin is mined in Bolivia than
anywhere else in the world except the
Federated Malay States, and only a
few mines have yet been opened.
Although South America imports
most of her coal, there is enough
tucked away in her mountains to sup-
ply the needs of both Americas for
ages to come. But there are no rail-
ways to bring it out.
Chile’s nitrates fertilize the fields
of the world and bring her annual
revenue in export duties of more than
$15,000,000. The value of the depos-
its must be reckoned in ten figures.—
World Outlook.
— A Frenchman has invented a
telephone instrument so small and
convenient that both the receiver and
transmitter may be hidden in a flower
vase.
Ford
THE UNIVERSAL CAR
The Ford is an honest car in the fullest sense of the term—built on
an honest design with honest materials, sold at an honest price with
the assurance of honest performance and an equally honest, efficient
after-service. Besides, it has been proved beyond question that the
FORD is most economical, both to operate and maintain. It is one of
the utilities of daily life. Efficient after-service is behind every Ford.
PLACE YOUR ORDER TO-DAY
Do not wait until Spring and take the chance of probably paying
more and endure the delay in delivery.
Full line of Commercial one-half, one and two ton Trucks on hand.
FORD REPAIR WORK DONE
on operation prices by Ford mechanics, using genuine Ford parts.
FORD CARS—Runabout $345; Touring Car $360; Coupelet $560; Town
Car $645; Sedan $695, One-ton Truck Chassis $600, all f. 0. b. Detroit.
BEATTY MOTOR COMPANY,
Tires, Accessories and Supplies.
BOTH PHONES.
63-2-1t
Bellefonte. Pa.
REAR OF CRIDER’S EXCHANGE.
I am going to sell
BOYS HIGH TOP SHOES
black and tan. These shoes
are of the very best quality,
and every pair guaranteed to
be good.
Remember the date, Saturday,
January 12th, 1918.
YEAGER'S,
The Shoe Store for the Poor Man.
Bush Arcade Bldg. 58-27 BELLEFONTE, PA. |
Come to the “Watchman” office for High Class Job work.
LYON ®& COMPANY.
House Cleaning Sale.
We begin this week a clearing sale of
all Winter Goods—odds and ends in
every department, which means a
wonderful saving for the thrifty buyer,
Coats and Coat Suits.
All Coats and Coat Suits for ladies,
misses and children, at clearance sale
prices.
Short ends in Waist and Dresslengths
in silk, wool and cotton at clearance sale
prices.
Bath Robes and Kimonas
at less than manufacturers’ prices.
Furs.
Beautiful Furs, this season’s styles,
at prices less than cost of manufacture.
Furs.
Come into our store often.
keep posted as to our prices.
It will pay you to
Lyon & Co. ... Bellefonte.