THE CENTRE TT. i Re By ELMO SCOTT WATSON N THE eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in the year 1018 the guns, which for more than four years had been roaring in western Europe all along the line from Switzerland to Hol. land, were silenced and to a wait- ing world was flashed the welcome message “The Armistice has been signed!” That is the event which we celebrate each year on November 11 and which we regard as the “end of the World war.” As a matter of fact, it wasn't. The World war didn’t end for us officially until nearly three years later. True, actual hostilities ended on November 11, 1018, but there still remained the signing of peace treaties with our late enemies— the Treaty of Versailles with Germany on June 28, 1919; the Treaty of St. Germain with Austria on September 10, 1010; the Treaty of Neuilly with Bulgaria on November 27, 1019; the Treaty of the Grand Trianon with Hungary on June 4, 1620; and finally the Treaty of Sevres with Tur- key on August 10, 1920, Even with these treaties signed, the actual “end of the war” was still a year away. For peace treaties must be ratified by the United States senate and because the Treaty of Ver sailles Included a provision for American mem- bership in the newly organized League of Na- tions, the senate on March 19, 1920, rejected the treaty which President Wilson had presented to it for ratification. Immediately thereafter Sena- tor Philander OC. Knox of Pennsylvania intro- duced a resolution repealing the declarations of war and reserving to the United States all the benefits given it in the Versailles treaty. This resolution passed both houses of congress In April and May. 1920, but on May 27 President Wilson vetoed It as “an ineffaceable stain upon the gallantry and honor of the United States” Meanwhile the Treaty of Versailles had been ratified by Germany and the principal allied pow- ers and the League of Nations had come into existence. But when Woodrow Wilson retired from the White House, a broken man with his most cherished project rejected by the country, the United States was still outside the League of Nations, the treaty was still unratified and, offi. cially, we were still at war with the Central Powers. When Warren (i. Harding became Pres ident, the Knox resolution was revived in con. gress, again passed and on July 2, 1921, Presi- dent Harding signed it. So July 2, 1921, rather than November 11, 1918, marked the official “end of the World war” for the United States There Is an interesting parallel between the length of time which elapsed from the cessa. tion of hostilities to the official end of the world war and a similar period In bringing to a conclu. sion the first war in which we, as a nation, ever engaged—the Revolution. Ask the average Amer. fcan when the Revolution ended and he will probably say: “Why, when Cornwallis surren dered, of course !™ But in seying that he 1s just as incorrect as he is in regarding November 11, 1018, as the final curtain on the drama of the World war. On October 19, 1781, a British army marched out from Yorktown, Va, to the tune of “The World Turned Upside Down” and handed over its arms to the combined French and American armies commanded by Count de Rochambean and Gen. George Washington. Within 24 hours cou riers mounted on Swift horses were speeding northward, rousing “every village and farm" with the thrilling word “Cornwallis is taken!" Everywhere the news was received with delight by the Patriots and with dismay by the Loyalists or Tories. Impromptu celebrations in honor of the glorious news were organized In many places, but much of the hysteria and wild jublliation which swept the whole country on November 11, 1918, was lacking in October, 1781, With no telegraph, telephone or radio or other means of quick communication there was no way of spreading the news simultaneously throughout the 13 states which then comprised the nation, hence no one day was given over everywhere to the celebration as there was 18 years ago this month. For instance, it was not until October 24, five days after the surrender, that there ap- peared on the streets of Philadelphia, only 200 miles from Yorktown, a broadside which said: ILLUMINATION > Colonel Tilghman, Alde de Camp to his Ex. cellency General Washington, having brought official accounts of the SURRENDER of Lord Cornwallis and the Garrisons of York and Gloucester, those Citizens who chuse to ILLUMINATE on the Glorious Oc do it this evening at Six and extinguis! their lights at harmony ery Citizen, and a general « the least asion, wil Nine o'clock. are earnestly recor appearance of ri Although the school book the impression that the Revolutio } ruptly with the surrender of Cornwallis, it was far from being as simple as all that harleston and Savannah were still held by the was New York where Sir Henry though outwitted by Washington in his quick dash to trap Cornwallis, still had a strong army that was a perpetual threat against the Ameri can line of defense along the Hu The surrender at Yorktown was a stunning blow to British prestige, but it did not mean that the stubborn Briton was ready to give up yet True, as our school book histories tell us, Lord North, upon receiving news of the disaster, “threw up his arms as though struck by a cannon ball and cried out: ‘My God, it is all over! It is all over!" But when parliament King George ITI made a speech which indicated his determination to continue the war, and, hearing of this, Washington knew that his task was far from being ended. 80 he sent urgent convened, appeals to the states not to relax their efforts, made plans for a stronger army than ever he. fore and, after a brief stop at Mount Vernon and a short stay In Phila ‘elphia where he conferred with a committee from congress on the measures necessary for the next campaign, marched his Continentals back to Newburgh on the Hudson, where for the next few mont Clinton in New York. jut Clinton showed no desire to make a move and for the next year the two armies adopted a policy of “watchful waiting.” During this time there was some raiding by marauding bands of Torles and Patriots, but there were no major military movements in the northern theater of war. The conflict there had become a stalemate, Down in the South a bitter partisan warfare was still being waged. After Yorktown, “Mad Anthony” Wayne had been sent to help Gen. Nathaneal Greene regain South Carolina and Georgia from the enemy and in a series of minor skirmishes he defeated the Creek Indian allles of the British, scattered parties of Tory raiders and ousted several small British garrisons from the towns they were holding, Then he marched against Savannah, forced the British to evacu- ate it In July, 1782, and joined Greene in the siege of Charleston which the British gave up in December, So in both the North and South hostilities had virtually ceased by the middle of the year. But out In the West the war was still raging in a fearful form unknown on the Atlantic seaboard except In the blood-drenched Mohawk valley of New York. Indian scalping parties, led by Brit. Ish and Canadian officers, were assailing the Pennsylvania and Virginia borders and the Ken. tucky settlements, In August, 1782, the men and women of Bry- ant’s Station successfully withstood such an at tack, only to have their victory followed by the disaster at Blue Licks on August 19 when the flower of Kentucky's man power was destroyed in this “Last Battle of the Revolution,” so called beczuse It was the last pitched battle between forces of any considerable size. On September 11 a wave of savage fury once more beat against the palisaded walls of Fort Henry (Wheeling, W. Va.) where Betty Zane won Imtiortality with her dash through a hail of bullets to carry powder to the defenders of the fort. This attack was also repulsed as were others against other outposts of the frontier, but for many months afterwards there hung over the West the shadow of fear of the redsking, a kind of fear which the Redeoats had never been able to inspire in the East. In the meantime the march of events across the Atlantic was rapidly bringing the war nearer and nearer to an end. Even before Yorktown the English nation was tired of a war which gave it more debts than victories and which had been denounced more than once by members of the Whig party. After Yorktown King George was about the only one who wanted to keep on witn hs he lay watching wt CTRUMBULL) the war, but eventually of subduing the bor: Shell Franklin, and through merchant, the tions with his American terms. Franklin had who had been in Spain seeking a Hiance with that country; John Adan American n to Hollar . then a prisos in England oezeiiations x Finally on November 30, Fran) , Jay, Adams and Oswald signe well ¥ treaty Py 1 ster opened friend to assistance of hin Jay, nisier of peal La r speaking, a treaty protocol, the article of which were to be suhse. after Great Britain had me 1 MT ‘ith France, America’s ally quently Incorporated | y i eaty This protocol of November 30, 1782, is analo- gous to the armistice of November 11, 191K, in that, under its terms, hostilities in America were to cease at once and upon com treaty the British fleets and armies were to be immediately withdrawn from every place which they held within the limits of the United States It is also analogous in that it was the first writ. ten agreement pletion of the two nations at war looking toward a formal treaty of peace, So November has a double sig- nificance to Americans as the “month of the armistice” —the armistice of the Revolution and the armistice of the World war Even with this important step taken, nine months were fo elapse before the final treaty of peace was signed and another nine months before ratification of the treaty definitely ended the war. On Jannary 20, 1783, the preliminary articles of the treaty of peace were signed In Paris. The news arrived in America on March 23, In a letter to the president of congress from Lafayette and a few days later Sir Guy Carleton, who had succeeded Sir Henry Clinton as Brit. ish commander In New York, received his orders from the ministry to proclaim a cessation of hostilities on land and sea, A similar proclamation, formally announced to the army by Washington. nouncement, furloughs to most of the army and the weather. beaten Continentals scattered to their homes and tried to adapt themselves to civil life again. On November 3 the army was formally disbanded and three weeks later Bir Guy Carleten’s army sailed away from New York. On December 4 occurred that profoundly touching incident in Fraunce's Tavern where Washington sald fare well to his officers. He was on his way to An. napolis, where congress was In session, to resign scene, which has been immortalized In Trum- bull's painting, was enacted. Then Washington hastened on to Mount Vernon, there to spend the first happy Christmas he had known for nine years, Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, another impor. tant episode in the drama of the Revolution had taken piace. One September morning, to the lodgings in Paris of David Hartley, agent of the British who had succeeded Oswald, came his friend, Benjamin Franklin. The great philoso. pherdiplomat was accompanied %y his little grandson, Benjamin Feaikiln Bache, by John Adams, John Jay and Henry Laurens. There on September 8, 1783, the definitive treaty of peace was signed, Early In 1784 congress accepted the treaty and In May ratifications of It were ex. changed by Great Britain and the United States, The Revolution was over, © by Western Newspaper Unlon, Fine Art In old China It was highly offen- slve for a woman so much as to touch the hand of any man not her husband, and for her to touch even her husband's hand in public was forbidden. In young China, when | unmarried couples began to associate | in public in the western manner, they scrupulously observed the taboo against even the slightest physical contact; today, however, It 8 very common in Shanghal to see Chinese couples, eager to imitate heroes and heroines, walking along the street hand in thelr arms around each other, and “petting” in the parks Is not un known. Another once unsanctioned famil kissing. The has been so extensively nor go cas ually indulged in as In the No longer than ten years ago f in public was more shocking to the Chinese probably is to most Americans, Early Chin motion pl geenes: such western motion of a sensetion withot of the national code by Chinese ac tors and actresses. 1026, how ever, Ol Chinese « that wa through ! Chinese audien saw it, even did at first hear of Osculation girls won't go out with us” But men of the vigorously masculine type ema audiences are pow coming to in Asia Magazine, Freedom of Remarriage Another step in the emancipation of Chinese women has been recorded the Kiangning Hsien, or district gov. freedom of choles whether she shall remarry or remain Under the old custom a widow uid remarry only under direct or- gery of the family of her late hus. district it customary for families to to remarry in order ight recover the money late husband had paid ly when she was a Why Doctors Favor Liquid Laxative A res GQ KiCDeys. blic is fast ves in ligo uid Jorm. their regu- Some pill or nvenent to little “conven- wartic which is you must carry rever you gol aste tells vou Dr. Cald- p Pe is wholesome. A aste, and delightful action. expectant mothers, and dren. At all druggists, ready for use, in big bottles. POCKET TINS OF 12 NOW 15¢ PAY NO MORE ON SALE AT NEW Low PRICES AT ALL So as to put the reliability and quick action of Genuine Bayer Aspitit within the reach of everyone, the price you pay has now been red juced. Reduced so low that nobody need ver again accept another brand in place of real BAYER ASPIRIN to save a few cents, 15¢ now for tins of 12 tablets, . 25¢ now for bottles of 24 tablets. And the big, family size, 100 tablet bottles again reduced! These new low prices are now in effect throughout the United States. So~—Always Say “Bayer” When You Buy These new low prices make it un- necessary now to accept unknown aspirin tablets to save money. So—see that you get the real Bayer article now by never asking for it by the name “aspirin” alone, when you buy; but always say B-A-Y-E-R Aspirin, and see that you get it. Remember, scientisty’ rate it among the fastest known reliefs for headaches, and the pains of rheu- matism, neuritis and neuralgia. Indirect light unbreakable; all colors. Big ounty Distributors wanted. Novelty Mf Co, 1229 Park Row Bidg., New York, N. abs GOLD BOUGHT | Mail your Od Sold to firm establl 1 year. High TU. 8 Govt, 81 WILLIAM STREET, A COLLECTOR OF HISTORICAL PIECES OF THE REVOLUTIONARY § PERIOD WILL PURCHASE AT FAIR PRICES SINGLY OR AS A | COLLECTION ANY PORTRAITS, | SILVER, CHINA, PICTURES OR MILITARY RELICS DATING BEFORE 1800. GIVE DESCRIPTION OF ARTICLES AND HISTORY IN | LETTER, STRICTEST PRIVACY | ACCORDED TO ALL COMMUNI- CATIONS FROM EITHER PRIVATE OWNERS OR ESTATE EXECUTORS ADDRESS MYRON WILLIS, 414 WATER ST., BALTIMORE, "MD.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers