8
EVENING i&Mj LEDGER
PUBLIC LEDGKR COMPANY
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I'MW. DtnctOT. .
i
KOITOnlAL BOArtD:
Crtca U. K. Ccbtis, Chairman.
T. W. WTIAt.WT Enettitlv Btf
lamt C. MAJITIN Oener.t Kuln8 Manager
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SUnSCRIPTlON TERMS
Brearriar. Dint Orrt.T, lx eent. By mall. ro'tPjM
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l r air!. DAti.t Onit. ono month, twentr-nve ; nt I
Dirir Own. on yar. three dollars. All null aubscrlp
tint parable In advance.
Bart, seoo wAi-Nirr kcystoiik haw aooo
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VNtxitao kv -- rnit.PHi.'niA roatovvien is secosp-
CUAa miil uittbh
ran-nrntA. tuesdav, sEriTMnr.a 39. 1914.
A David Ready for Goliath
SENATOR PENROSE Is a big man n very
Oollath. Thers la no doubt about that,
and his b.trness Is not only physical. Ho 13
bis with the potentiality and actuality of
political and economic ovil.
Thcro was a tlruo when Pennsylvania's
xolcn nine through the nation. There was a
lime when the Republican party In this State,
ctandlns for eeonomlc truth and political
decency, possessed at its head, In every
crisis, an honored leader who could Interpret
properly and effectually the beliefs and the
teachings of that party. That condition does
not exist today.
Saddled by a master who Is riding for a
fall, who in Mind selfishness is spurring
madly and ruthlessly toward the stone wall
of disaster, the party has ono obvious means
of escape.
Let it take the bit In its teeth. Let it win
Its head. Let It k'ick, and buck and bolt if
reed be until tho Goliath Is thrown. Then
the course will be free and open.
Democrats Tear a "Scrap of Paper"'
FROM Washington comes the interesting
news that the Alexander bill, which pro
poses a Government controlled steamship
line, is not having clear sailing and that the
war tax bill is likely to run aground in
the Senate. Democratic opposition to the
chipping bill rises largely from recognition of
the fact that a $30,000,000 appropriation on
top of a $100,000,000 emergency tax is not
likely to Improve the party's chances at the
polls.
Two years from now will come the real
Judging of the Wilson Administration.
Political soothsayers have declared that the
European war Is a great blessing to the
Democratic party, inasmuch as It will ob
scure the effects of tariff, currency and
other legislation. But there Is already ono
very clear Issue which need not be confused
by conditions arising out of tho war, and
that is the question of extravagance and
wastefulness In appropriating and spending
public money.
The Democratic platform called for drastic
economy. The pledges made at Baltimore
have not been kept.
Is a political platform a contract or "a
mere scrap of paper'".'
mGmmmmmmmmmK. i in Mimmmmmmmvw,''','yyi. --
EVENING LEfrGEB PHILADELPHIA,,
vummphwm tmmwnr n
ESDAY, SEPTEMBEB 29, 1914.
License of Diplomatic Guests
COURTESY has generally been regarded
ns one of the essentiul qualities of
diplomacy. Despite the strained relations of
European governments immediately preced
ing the outbreak of hostilities, diplomatic
communications among them were marked
by almost excessive courtesy, which was
doubtless merely formal. Tho American and
broader Idea is that the first and highest
function of diplomacy Is the promotion of
genuine good-will among nations. This con
ception was wonderfully exemplified in the
work of John Hay.
It seems that Ambassador Rustem Bey,
Baron von Schoen and Sir Lionel Carden
are not diplomatic in any true sense. Sir
Lionel Is not an accredited representative to
this country, but he does bear the oillclal
credentials of tho British Government. It
has been suggested that President Wilson
xhould not press his demand on Great Britain
for an "explanation" of the Carden criti
cism, now that tho Mexican pot is boiling
over again, ns Sir Lionel predicted. That
prediction, however, is not what President
"Wilson and tho American people object to.
From Genet to Cnrdcn. von Schoen and
-tustem Hey. there have been too many so.
called diplomats who hae made the ine,
cusuble mistake of talking in the I'nitod
States as if American liborty meant license,
even for guests. The three latest offend
era should be taught that governmental and
popular tolerance does not extend to Insult
or to the attempt to stir up prejudices,
enmities and hatreds.
Every City Has a "Dig Stick"
IN TEN years, according to a report of the
L'niied States Census Bureau, tin- n amber
of municipally owned public utility plant!
In this country has increased 0i per vent. As
yet the movement for municipal ownership
lis scarcely touched transportation, though
sonvs oitlen have '-uilt and own suWaya
which aru operated by pr.vate companies.
The only question is how best to subserve
tli public welfare The weaknesses of prl
vate in-ragement of public utilities are prin.
clpally tvo: disregard of general social needs
and an undue insistence on private profit.
The first o( theq. i apt to talte the form of
ur. obstructionist policy and often leads to
municipal ownership. the establishment of
Thlch Is usually determined by local condi
tions. It is probably more Important to
city to possess the power of owning and
operating Its transit system than to exercise
It; for It is well that private ompanle
should be reminded occasionally of (lie fact
that this power can be exercised by the pea.
pie when they are driven to It by the coo.
Motion that public and social Interests are
not being properly respected.
expressing to Charles Sumner his sorrow
over the possibility of war between England
and America and his Intention to retire from
public life if such an event should come to
pass, was filled with a sense of brotherhood
which left no room for personal or national
narrowness. Tho creators of art, against
bitter calumny, have worl.ed In tho service
of mankind. "Art for art's sake" docs not
produce great art.
Our good will toward our fcllowmen is
public spirit. To search out tho effects of
our acts as citizens and voters Is to prove
ourselves public spirited. Good will Is made
etllclent by knowledge. "It Is a home-bred
rlsrht, a flresldo privilege," said Daniel Web
ster, "to canvass tho merits of measures and
public men." But It Is lnoro than n right,
inoro even than a privilege. It Is a duty.
Wo arc all of U3 responsible for the nets
of "tir public men.
Wanted : Fire Protection
"tTUltE and rotten hoso again! It Is be-J-
coming ut) old story, a sickening, mad
denlntf story: lire that destroys property and
rotten hose that bursts. Today, tomorrow,
or some other time, It may bo more than
property that will bo destroyed; It may bo
human life. Attention has been called often
enough to tho fact that a large part of tho
hoso owned by the city Is unfit for use,
Something must be done Immediately, not
by and by. Councils has a way of financing
land grabs with the public money. Couldn't
It finance a llttlo public safety?
Getting After the Coal Kmbnrpocs
"TEV laws and regulations have not put
JLN nn end to railroad rebates and dis
criminations. Even a college economist can
testify to now ways of turning old tricks.
By pro-rating spur-lines and half a dozen
other means and methods all tho essential
practices of rebating are still possible. Tho
Interstate Commerce Commission thinks It
has spotted a now ruse. It is tho so-called
"embargo" placed by coal-carrying railroads
on tho fuel. Informal complaint alleges
that they have been used to discriminate
against certain shippers.
Though it is evident that coal-owning
roads might bo sorely tempted to such action,
tho truth of the matter is not yet at issue.
The commission simply considers the charge
serious enough to justify some action, and
It has summoned representatives of all the
roads affected to appear beforo It in Jan
uary. If H finds evidence to support the
complaints, nobody will applaud Its enter
prise more loudly than the consumer who
will then bo burning that steadily advanc
ing fuel.
'Button, Button'
WHOLESALE grocers think that house
wives have raised tho price of sugar.
Housewives, or those with enough ready
money to buy a barrel at a time, blame it on
the grocers. They saw the price rising and
they laid in a supply. So nobody gets the
blame for what seems an unjustifiable situa
tion. It is tho old story of no responsibility.
Ulame it on those venerable scapegoats.
Supply and Demand, and let somebody
pocket the profit. The ultimate 'consumer
must look with envy on the citizens of those
"war-ridden" countries where the food sup
ply is under a responsible, if ofllcial, thumb.
Verbal Atrocities
THERE are atrocities and atrocities. One
of them is a name like Kluck (wo prefer
the common or barnyard spelling). Half a
dozen more are the "sweezes" such a cog
nomen draws from the professional humor
ists. A man has a right to any name lie
likes, or any his great-great-grandparents
chose for him. But that privilege entails
duties. He should not thrust himself reck
lessly Into public view If tho result Is going
to be such remarks as "Kluck counts his
chickens before they're hatched," or allu
sions to his battle-cry as "Lay on!" Tho
only alternative to changing his name or re
tiring from the army is to copyright the
word and prosecute any breach of the peace,
such as "General Kluck's right wing
smashed." The horrors of war nro bad
enough without verbal carnage.
War Is Gethseinnnc
IN explaining why Christians go to war it
shculd be understood that when the com
mand is given to fight a man's faith counts
for nothing. He must answer the call. Chris
tianity is not discounted b tho European
war. any more than the multiplication table
is destroyed by shooting It full of holes.
Truth Is ev-rnal. Man Is still imperfect.
Thr world is passing through the throes
of evolution. Civilisation does not move in a
straight line, European political Ideals are,
for the timt predominating over the Chris
tian Idpul ot the 20th century. The conlllct
will result in a new enthusiasm for thoso
moral forces which are tho leaven working
blowly in modern life. There is a comfortable
optimism in the conviction that good things
work together for good to them that bolievo
them. Tho end of Uin world is not yet, and
the path of progress leads through tho Gar
den of Getliicmane.
Good Will is Public Spirit
SCHILLER had for the whole human race
a kindly feeling:, which might almost bo
called, Intense The history of statesmanship
Is not devoid of names which stand for ut
terly unselfish devution to the public good.
One of them Is that of elr R tm Peel, who
broKe with his party In 1B and declared his i cat, u- I linn that with sugar selling at war
sense of unfitness for -he task of formirs ' time prices is difficult to preserve anything
fe left genira" organisation, John. Bright, I those day?.
As a man of experience, Villa distrusts the
military politician.
New Vorli's primary purpose wao ovidontly
not the defeat of Tammany.
"Penrose, at Pittsburgh. ays voters nro
arotmed." Fatal confession-
Pretty soon we shall be well enough
acquaintid with fall to call It autumn.
And now nine out of twelve Kentucky
counties join Virginia ju weeding out tho
mint.
"Jimmy" Bennett reports a Gorman army
telephone In tt rlower bed. Out perhaps it is
only onv of his (lowers at speech.
-m iiipimi in ' '
If C'onsress wants to win the praise of 4
gnteful public, it might place a tax on war
Poetry.
SIVMWMW--'
Adding up the total of the dally retreats of
the Germans, it is clear thai by now they
have just about reached the Pacific coast.
About this tiros let us recall that the
Braves once went by the tail-end title of the
Pove. What's tn a name?
in " a.
As a good many suspected, it took John
Maseneld to write "the" English war poem
au4 it Ut mure poem than war.
Vance Mtforraick doubtless considers he
has advanced a bit, but the enemy firmly en
trenched doesn't seem to mind it.
'resident Wilson requests that American
neuualitv In- pre-r c !, but any housewifn
PASSEP BY THE CJENSOR
FOR ways thaWaro dark mid tricks that
ato vain, tho Pennsylvania machine poli
tician Is tho veriest tyro compared to his
Toxan prototype, If reports from Delhi in tho
Lono Star Stato be correct. According to
advices received In a letter, Mayor Walker,
who Is a candidate for re-election, addressed
a town meeting tho other evening In the
Op'ry House. At tho end of an eloquent and
lengthy speech, ho played his trump card by
iiiisslne Interstate clears to the men. Here
bo It explained that interstate cigars aro
of tho kind which, when smoked In Texas,
nro studied ns far North as West Virginia,
tho wind holding right, as they say at sea.
To dotlblo cap the climax, ns it were, ho
passed chocolato candy to tho women In the
audience. Then the troublo began.
"Dey's pepper in dls candy," howled a
woman. Just then ono of the gift cigars ex
ploded with the "dull, sickening thud" of
which cub reporters write so eloquently.
Then another popped, and soon there was a
fusillade akin to the battlo on tho Ma'rne.
The Mayor, aghast at first, spotted an enemy
In tho nudlenco and seized him as perpetrator
of tho outrage. The constable sought to ar
rest tho conspirator, and soon there was as
nice and pleasant a light as ever enlivened
a political meeting The letter voiichoaflng
all this Information winds up:
"There Is much Indignation here."
THAT unreasonable panic seizes even tho
bravest Is borne out by brief dispatches
from tho war, which somehow or other have
passed tho censor. It Is related that ono of
the French army corps, possessed by some
psychologic fear, on a wholesale scale, bolted,
causing a retreat of the French army from
Alsace. But the strangest fear that over
seized a body of armed men was In the war
of 1S6G between Prussia and tho German
States. A regiment of Bavarian cavalry had
been retreating before onprcsslng Prussians
for days harassed and hammered at Inces
santly. At last the Bavarians found rcfugo
'in a "dense copse of trees, whore they rested
their weary horses. Suddenly a shot rang
out; then another.
"The Prussians!" came a cry and tho Bava
rians bolted at top speed, never stopping for
ten miles, the while two poachers gathered
In the rabbits they had shot.
THIRTY-SEVEN years ago A. H. Ray
nolds, of Denver, a banker of that city,
cashed vouchers amounting to S--90 for a
contractor doing business with the United
States. The banker obtained the necessary
proofs and "submitted them to tho Depart
ment of tho Interior, where they lay for four
years without action. Since then Congresses
iiavo come and gone; statesmen big and llttlo
have espoused Mr. Raynolds' cause: Sena
tors and Representatives have worked In his
behalf and the claim is still unpaid.
A week ago the attention of Joseph r.
Tumulty, private secretary to tho President,
was called to the matter, and he interested
himself to such an extent that Cato Sells,
Commissioner of Indian Affairs, who has the
claim under jurisdiction, took prompt ac
tion. But ho was as unable to pay the claim
as were his predecessors, for under the law
It will require an act of Congress to rclm
burso Mr. Raynolds for money legally duo
him. So the matter rests onco more.
All of which rencots llttlo credit on the
business methods of tho United Stales.
GENERAL RENNENKAMPF, who, al
though of German ancestry, is fighting
for the Czar, Is inordinately proud of his
huge mustachlos, which divide his face into
two distinct entitles. Once, during the Man
churian campaign, an American photogra
pher named Rogers pursued him across the
steppes until lie overtook tho Cossack com
mander at Tchita. Ho explained his quest
to tho general and soon tho entire corps was
ready to parade before tho camera man.
"Now, my friend," thundered Rcnncn
kampf. ns ho gave tho "forward march"
order to his men, "take all our faces and
don't forgot my mustache."
And every oillcer saluted the American as
though ho had boon a king personified.
THE man who gives out carriage checks
at ono of the principal hotels In Philadel
phia is inclined to be absent-minded.
Whether It is Iuvo or financial worry that
causes this stato Is not known, but it was
productive ot troublo for him a few nights
ago. Mechanically he gave out checks. Me
chanically the chauffeurs and drivers took
tho slips and tucked thorn in their pockets.
Suddenly ono of the drivers came back.
"Say, boss," ho asked, "what's this for?"
"That's to get your faro when bo's through
eating."
"Eat:" exclaimed tho driver. "He'll got
darned llttlo to eat from my wagon. I drive
a garbago cart."
THE Bryn Mawr horso show recalls a sim
ilar ovont In New York hold somo years
ugo. Tho cream of American show horses
were entered. Society flocked to Mudison
Square Garden as novor beforo.
Down in tho old Jefferson Market Court
house, Sixth avenue and Ninth street, on
tho top lloor, is tho ofllco of a paper box
manufacturer with a keon sense of practical
humor. So It was not surprising that ho
should tako ad van t ago of tho horse show to
play a trlclt on worldly-wlso Now York.
First of all, he bought a discarded car horso,
ono that had drawn a Chambers street ark
for soma twenty. odd years, Then ho sent it
to his stable to be futtoncd up. Next ho
groomed It for the show by feeding it oats,
interspersed with ginger, sleeked Us coat
with crude oil, tied a beautiful blue ribbon
to its tall, which had beon lengthened with
artificial hair, and then entered it as Pull
decor Orphan, by Metropolitan (the name of
the street cur lino which had onco ownod tho
animal), out of Bella,
And that horse, ridden by Brian C,
Hughes' daughter, won third prize.
BRADFORD.
CUIUQS1TY SHOP
A Sabbath day's journey was estimated at
TH furlongs, or 1650 yards. Tho Itabblna
axed It at ,000 cubits, or 1350 yards. Jo.
SBphus says that the Mount of Olives was
five stadia, or 635 paces, from Jerusalem,
which would mttke the allowable gabbntb
day's Journey about 1050 yards.
The Hindu system of mythology has a
hell so comprehensive that its nethermost
realms have never been measured or even
described. Nuraka is the generic name. The
Purana gives 2i divisions of Naraka, besides
whleh, we are told, "thore are hundreds and
thousands of others in which sinners pay the
penalty of their crimes."
The Loer, Lc p. to whii-h Byron refers
In ' Don Jue.' is in reality Leueadias r 1.,
a promontory on the southern extremu of
the island of Leucus in the Ionian Sea.
Saonlio. tho poetess, is said to have leaned
into tho cca from this rock because of uure-
1
I u
qultcd love. At tho annual festival of
Apollo a criminal was hurled from tho rook.
Various living birds were fastened to him to
break his fall, and If ho survived, freedom
was his,
Colonel Blood, a disreputable and cast-off
member of Cromwell's party, seized tho Duke
of Ormond's conch on December 6, 1670 and
carried tho Duke to Tyburn to hang him.
Tho Duko escaped through the nld Of friends.
On May 9 of tho following year Blood tried
to steal tho crown jewels from tho Tower.
For neither of thes'o offenses was ho pun
ished. There is moro thah one "City of Palaces1'
Rome, Which was converted from a city of
brick huts Into a "city of palaces" by
Agrippn; modern Paris: Calcutta, with Its
splendid European residences, Edinburgh Is
sometimes given the title.
IN A SPIRIT OF HUMOR
The Knock Subtle.
A certain man makes hats nnd in them
advertises as follows: "New York and big
cities."
Yes, Who?
We do not like McGraw to win,
And yet ills' losing makes us sigh;
Just think of what we'll miss this year
In alibi?
When Connie's demons get to work
And ono by one the foemen die,
Who'll tako tho placo of Mathowson
To tell us why7
And Matty's famous! yearly song,
This year for Boston who shall sing,
To tell tho pitchers how to foil
F. Baker's swlng7
Eu9y Money
Three minor political workers" whose parly
lost an election found It necessary to do
something to keep the wolf away and ap
plied to tho boss. Ho got them work as con
ductors on the local trolley line.
Somo weeks later one of tho three hap
pened Into the car barn after his' run and
found his two pals dancing about in high
glee.
"Whassa matter?" he asked.
"Tomorrow's payday," chorused hlsf friends.
"Payday holy smoke, do we get that, too?"
A Kindred Feeling
Fighting aboard ship nowadays, with at
tacks from beneath the sea and from abovo
the clouds, is very much like going "through
a graveyard at night you're apt Just to feel
that something's going to grab you from be
hind. The Higher Explanation
"Father, what is this 'higher criticism' I
read so much about?"
"It Is a method by which a man convinces
himself of the falsity of something wlrlch
he knows is not true."
Our Position is Impregnable.
Say that our jokes arc shy of point
And our verse Is lame and halt:
Spot, if you will, and show the world
Our every slip and fault.
Rant at our stuff In sheer disgust,
E'en to tho smallest wheeze;
Poke it as full of gaping holes
As an ancient sweltzer cheese.
Roast, if you must, but play us fair
And herald It near and far,
From tho Ice-bound shores of the Arctic Sea
To tho glades of Zanzibar;
That wc, alono of a horde of bards,
Hold not a line in store,
Nor have wc written a single lino
Of verso about tho war.
The Inhabitants of PntHHla rnad. Iiondon, have
petitioned Parliament that the street name bi
chanted. News Item.
Quite Damp
Hokus I never know such a wet blanket
as Flubdub.
Pokus That's right. If that fellow should
jump from the frying-pan Into tho tire ho
would put the lire out. Life.
Of Course
Barney Phelan, Father Haley's servant,
was celebrated for his ready wit. One day,
while he was serving a dinner, one of the
guests said to him: "Barney, why is ray
ankle placed between my calf and my foot?"
"Begnrro, I dunno," replied Barney: "unless
It Is to keep your calf from eatln' your corn."
Boston Transcript.
Health Hint
Never sing the Marsellaise at a German
picnic. Cincinnati Enquirer.
A Cubist Poem
(Composed by Celesta I.eona Ueble, ot Pepper
town, lnd.)
A year ago, on Labor Day, (Sept. 7, 1913),
there came an awful whack,
A thousand fiery thunderbolts nearly scooted
the barn off tho track;
The lightning a board off sent, part of it In
the sorghum patch
If the lightning burned tho barn down, wo
would have to dig and scratch.
Tho lightning hit tho top and ran to the
ground;
I think that barn must bo sound.
Mrs. Goblo and her daughter were tho only
ones at home,
Tho absent ono had Just started In tho good
old road to roam;
Tho absent one had gono to see her old
friend, Blanche Medd,
When alio heard that loud clap of thunder
and wondered If tho lightning struck my
old cat Ted.
Tho Lord kept tho barn from burning
Ho kept tho barn from burning because Ho
loves us so,
From tho Harrison Nows.
A Natural Query
' Tho Flirt Oh dear, what a lot of people
will bo unhappy when I got married!
Tho Other Why, how many aro you
marrying? Exchange.
What's in a Name
It must bo difficult to find a prouder man
than Grant B. Peacock, the Princeton golfer
who beat Champion Ouimet 2 up and 1 to
piny at Greenwich. Now York Sun.
ON SOMK HUMAN BONES
(Found on a Headland in the Bay of Panama.)
Vacuo Mystery lianas on all theie desert places;
The fear which hath no name hath wrought
a spell; "
Strength, courage, wrath have been, and left
no traces :
They came, and fled; but whither? Who can
tell?
Wo know but that they were that once. In days
When ocean was a bar 'twlxt man .tml man,
Stout epirits wandered o'er these copes and
bays
And perished where these river waters ran.
Methinks they shguld have built some mighty
tomb
Whose granite might endure tho century's
rain.
Cold winter, and the sharp plght winds, that
boom
Like spirits In their purgatorial pain.
The left, 'tis said, their proud, unburcd bones
To whiten on this unacknowledged shore;
Yet naught beside the rocks and worn aca
Btones v
Now answer tb the great Pacific'H roar.
A mountain stands where Aeamemnon died,
And Cheops hath derived eternal ama
Because ha made hU tomb a place of pride,
And there the dead Metolla earned a name.
Tiut 'tu' -tncj vanished as the lignings die.
Th'ir r.i-Hrhurfs ov?r, In the affrighted earth;
And no 'no knowcth underneath the sky
What heroes perMhed hare, nor whence their
blrtb.
-o-i Wa ur Pncttr, la tbe Springfield. Rep'imifta
DONE IN PHILADELPHIA
THE first report that the Treaty of Ghent
had been completed and peace cstab
tlshetl with Great Britain reached Phlladol
phla in a most mysterious manner and fully
a week before Washington had ofllcial ad
vices. As wo expect to celebrate tho cen
tennial anniversary of tho conclusion of tho
peace of Ghent this year, this little known
story may bo of Interest now.
The treaty was signed on Christmas Evo,
18U, but sailing vessels did not cross tho
Atlantic In those duys with the speed of
modern ocean liners, and thero was neither
cable nor wireless to transmit tho news.
However, early In the year 1815 a mysterious
stranger called upon President Madison nt
Washington 0110 evening and brought him
tho news.
That night this snmo mysterious stranger
sent a letter to John Blnns, who published
tho Democratic Press In this city, giving
him the samo news. Probably no modorn
newspaper owner would have done what
Blnns did. Any newspaper receiving such
Important news today would Instantly get
out an extra edition, for tho whole country
was waiting patiently for word that pcaco
had been concluded. .
B
UT Blnns, not knowing from whom tho
news came, and fearing that it was a
rumor intended to influence prices of cotton,
rice and other homo products, hesitated. The
letter, which was anonymous, reached tho
editor one morning. Ho read It and then
meditated upon his next step. Ho feared
that the Information was so Important, that
It would be risky to consult any person as
to his next step. Ho had visions of a specu
lator booming the prices of some home
products or causing a fall In the prices of
those imports such as tea, sugar, coffee and
other goods which had ueen laid away in
large quantities by some of our long-headed
merchants.
No person in Philadelphia had received
even a suggestion of the news. Blnns made
It his business to mix among men likely to
have heard such a report, but no ono ap
proached hlm with rumors of that kind. Late
In the afternoon, however, he sent tho let-.
ter to tho Merchants' Coffee House, and had.
It placed In the coffee house books, with
his name as authority. In no time the whole
water front was busy getting ships In readi
ness to send them to tho South for cotton
nnd rice. The merchants were readier to
accept the news than was Blnns. He printed
the news In his paper the next day.
PRESIDENT MADISON received the news
in the samo manner and spirit. One eve
ning a person, not known in Washington,
presented himself at the President's House.
Ho was met by Madison's private secretary,
Edward Coles, afterward the second Gover
nor of Illinois, who listened to the strang
er's story. Tho private secretary asked the
stranger to remain seated until ho carried
his message to tho President. The latter
was much surprised at both tho Information
and the method by which It was brought to
him, and then told Coles to admit to him
tho mysterious courier. Madison wanted to
have a look at the man, and to determine
If he was worthy of belief. Ho also called
to his aid the Postmaster General, R. J.
Meigs, and the two questioned the stranger
closely. ,
After a long conversation, the President
seemed satisfied, yet no information on tho
subject came from the President's Houso
until tho confirming ofllcial dispatch arrived
some days later, by which timo the news
had already penetrated through a large part
of the country.
BINNS, wl
recollecth
In
tlons, declared that he never was
able to learn the Identity of his mysterious
letter writer, whom ho believed to have been
the sanii person who called upon President
Madison that evening in tho winter of 1815.
In view of how the news of the peace of
Ghent was first given to tho American pub
lic through the agency of a Philadelphia
newspaper, Dame Rumor may not be so
faithless a jado. Whllo It is a good plan to
bo wary of tales ot a surprising character,
It does not necessarily follow that all ru
mors aro untrue, no matter how extraordi
nary they may appear. Big nows does not
always come first from tho fountain head.
GRANVILLE.
The Ethics of Sniping
Trom the Iloston Transcript.
"Sniping" is a comparatively lecrnt addition
tc the red lexicon of war. Originally or on its
first appearance it signified shooting from am
bush or nt a great distance. A soldier under
this definition might bo a sniper. The current
dilnitlun, however, apples only to civilians who
take part In fighting nnd nio thcrcfaie not eli
gible to the consideration accorded to those
who light in uniform as members of a reeog
nlzed military organization. Though the word
may bo new tho action It descilhes 1 very old.
Sniping can bo traced far back In history. It
existed when organized armies were few and
very small, and by the commanders of old
times was legarded as simply one of the rUks
of war. Sntpeis were not worse than any other
fighters in tlio era beforo tho war became n
profession apart. The defenders of Jerusalem
against the Human legions were almost with
out exception In the category of snipers. The
men and women who manned the walls of Sara
gassa to reinforce its scanty garrison subjected
themselves) to the lex tallonls.
MANY of tho big events In the world's
history como to America first from an
unexpected quarter and In nn Irresponsible,
mysterious manner. I recall that a week
beforo wo received the ofllcial account of tho
result of Dewey's battlo In Manila Bay, n
brief dispatch came from IVtrls to tho efft t spol
.... . -. ..!., .. .1 !. I Jl
tliat tno oatiio nau ueen iouboi """ i"
American fleet had not lost n single vessel.
Tho astonishing character of tho Informa
tion made most people loath to believe It
until a week later, when tho regular dis
patches from correspondents verified tho
fact. ,
How did Paris receive tho first word? It
has always been suspected that it got It
from Spain beforo Dewey could cut tho
cable. And this appears to "be tho only
reasonable theory.
THE IDEALIST
Can you "think on your feet"? By which
I do not necessarily mean. Can you
stnnd up and make a speech, without
previous notification, on any given subject?
Those that excel In the art of quickly think
ing out a situation and putting it In a sys
tematic order of presentation do not always
oume within that tiuss we term "extempora
neous speakers."
A man can handle a situation with marked
skill and precision, can convince those within
sight or hearing of tho wisdom of bis atti
tude without saying a word.
uno day a nigh official of the police de.
fusion the molorman nttcmpled to ni. u
car out of tho horse's course. H n2"'
Wrong, for Instead In caused the car iP
tho carriage a substantial jolt, Pv
According to precedent, the pollcemiw
the corner, Under the patronage of hi, vn
tierior In tho carriage, should hnvo fnnvLS?.
Hurled strong- verbal hot-shot at tlin Jn th
man. But he did nothing of tho R0?tmcatlN
Ho took tho horso by the brhllo, turn., t.
head around In the right direction ana ,?.h '
ed m off. Then ho waved to tho mntXft"
to proceed down tho street. And ho haii . 1
spoken a word. ,Mlnil
You see the point. 'Thinking on your fai
ls really a matter, of keeping your i,T
U10 midst of excitement. It Isn't 6nVfi, "'
words that tiro essential, It Is the IhourtV
nnd actions that n calm, cool poise promSi
In you.
VIEWS OF READERS
ON TIMELY TOPICS
ContrilAitions Thnt Reflect Public Opin.1
1011 on subjects Important to City
J
State nnd Nation.
To ftB .Editor 0 the livening Ledger) .
Sir Ah a newcomer to Philadelphia, I tvin
to express my satisfaction with a novel foaUirj
01 your ii. n uuu-.iy aujuL car lines-, 1 '
lirsi incy may ire n ui.uu nam to learn, thourh
the straight streets and right angled cornen'
greatly simplify the matter. But the singular
value of your arrangement of routes seems ti
be the way way It facilitates traffic-. Thn r,
move much moro swiftly and with far Wi
uuiiKtu iu jL-utoii mow aim vfiiiL'ica man in an?
American city I know of. In this respect, at
least. Philadelphia Is neither "slow" nw
"dead."
Philadelphia, September 29.
not
L. P.
ANY PROFIT IN " BUYING-A-BALE?"
To the .'rfltor 0 the Vvcntng Ledger:
Sir I wish some Southern reader of th
Evii.NiN'o LBDomt would bo good enough to i,
plain how the purchaser of a bale of cotton i
going to profit, or even how ho Is going ta
"break oven?" I hear It said that he can keea
tho cotton In storago and sell It at an advanci
next year. But by that time, It .seems to me;
apothcr new crop Is going to drive tu
price down Instead of up. Am I right? And
i. am rignt, way noi can ino "uuy-a-bale"
movement a legitimate charity and not try ti
make people think It is a profitable phllan.
thropy' II. L. HUSKlNa.
Philadelphia, September 28, 1914.
"JUSTICE FOIt VILLA
To the Vditor of the Evening Ledger:
Sir I am glad to see tho entire fairness win
wldch you treat Francisco Villa. Other paperi
label him on every occasion with all possible
derivatives ot -tnier,' nnu namiit," while you
Inquire only Into the sincerity with which lit
hac!(s what seem excellent prnclplcs. Certainly
Mexico will never bo nt pcaco So long as an
oillcer of the army Is In tho saddle. Villa
Knows that, and no is trying to eliminate all
soldiers, himself as much as Carranza. In audi
a work ho should have the sympathy of every
American. u. k. h.
Camden, September 2S, 1011.
SARCASTIC IN REGARD TO PENROSE
To llic Editor of the livening Ledger:
SIi I am heart ami eoul for Boles 1'cnroia,
Senator Penrose Is a gentleman sul generl. He
Is a professional ofllce-seekcr, and a profes.
slonal Is always more competent than an ama
teur. You abuse tho Senator for adhering to the
machine. But this Is the day of machinery.
Why, in somo States they have voting ma
chines. I understand that lit this State the
machine bus done tho voting whenever neces
sary, but this may not be true after all.
T1IEOPI1RA.STITS CLUTTEItBTJCK,
Philadelphia, September 23, 19H.
A -NEW COLLEGE DEGRFE FOR PENROSE
To the Vditor of the livening Ledger:
Sir Tho colleges give honorary degrees each
spring. If a few more men like Penrose (Har
vard, 'SD develop his fallings, their alma mattn
will have to join us in administering the sort
of dishonornry degrees that the State of Penn
sylvania is going to bestow on Penrose and his
crowd this fall. ALBERT WELT.
Philadelphia, September -KJ. 1H.
Ferocious Pacificists
l'rom the Springfield Republican.
It Is strange to find some of tho fiercest al
vocatos of it fight "to the finish" umong the
advocates of peace, yet tho reason is simple
cnouKh- When an English exponent of pacific
Ism Is found, demanding that Germany must
be crushed, anil Its Emperor, perhaii. sent t
St. Ileleun, what seems like vltulictiveness he
explain.1, as teally due to a desire for peace.
This must bo the last war. To make eiire of
It Europe must destroy militarism, anil to de
stroy militarism It Is necessary to destroy Ger
ninny. It is simple logic, ns (simple as that of
Torqucmndn, and those who apply It do not
think of themselves as inhuman, or recognize
their likeness to tho ferocious Cato the censor,
with his Cnrthnginem esse delcndam.
Banning a Banc
l'rom the Augusta (fia.) Chronicle.
School is on in the big cities of the East An3
"war In school has been tabooed. In Fhlia
d'jlphia the acting superintendent of the school,
Doctor Brumbaugh, being busy on the hustlns
has banned nil war discussions, all geographical
studies pertaining to the battle lln. s and U
narratives of thrilling experiences had t7
teachers before their flight as refugees, ThJ
is found procedure.
Playing Both Ends
From the EprlngfleM Union.
Tho Krupps huvc contributed I,000,(W) mark!
to tho Itcd Cioss fund, but their contribution
In cannon and the ammunition thdt provld)
work for the Itul Cros3 run up Into the hun
dreds of millions of marks.
Model Miiltliuiauism
l'rom the New York world.
How Miilthu.s would have delighted iu thlJ
war, cheery old soul!
NATIONAL POINT OF VIEW
It is to be hoped that it is not too late
for tho Mexican factions to gi-t to iher an!
prevent a fresh carnival of blood Ni w Or
leans Stato.
Tho most Intelligible complaint of the Ger
man sympathizers in this country i that out
newspapers print too much war ne "buin
from English and French sources. X.v Voi
Times.
No hcuslblo or fair-minded person wants to
bavo the railroads oppressed ami eiiiill W
ly because some railroad dlrectoio low bee3
remiss or unfaithful and somo ruilruid pre;
dents hnvo been overambillous. bnrnib'fleu
(Muss.) L'lilon.
When Congress meets next winter, I
should inuke a careful effurt to revise tD
patent laws. Our present patent &vt.-m wj
become an niu to trii.su, bum r"r-tKii -
ilotnpMtb n I'lmnk In inventor. :,nj a tn3e
veioim nromoter of lawsuits. l'Iiiimku JoUII
mil.
Seeretnrv MeAiton Ih uetinu Hunt cotn-B
innmlflhltr 111 In tvlrMili-irv n tn iYf-lIl. I'l -'
bringing to time national Imnn wbun '.
bo piling up unnecessary jvsei- " "r,
'm,i1m tulitlf rnfllvln. t,l i,n:i ... I'.'tlli.atS l1-
loans or which may be taking adtaiiiuue
provalllng conditions to charge eMit."
terest rates. Lus Angeles Kxpress
Unlike John W. Otiggs, eountel toi i"
'
KTlitl-t.-r. Ilit. Ta-i l.r,Hr.,-. not
fJtllliVVI A IdVII Uf I Ui UVI1V - w : rt
that luck of good Ameiu-uii salcBiiu"-,'"vJJ
South Amtrleu le the principal can-5' " ,J
failure to coiimtto successfully with KufP. ...
partment came tearing down ono of our prin- I the past, btjt that, unls we Improve n",1v!.
niersettliig , inansnip, tveit the European wtr ' i '"',
cord Wireless Company. President Wi. "
win. ji Alurk lltinniL Attm-iiu-v IilIicI l e.
I'nltn.l t.ir..u lilil li.i Iiiii.....iiw In L'l J
inaiulvr-tn-t'hief of the urpiy -ud t.-vy. a '
ills interpretation of the law Uariiis m'"n u
communication with belligerents is likely tot""
vail. .New York World.
on-'X
rlrtul streets in h. i-urrl.itrn A. n r
Street hlS bOrSO grCVV UlirulV. JllKt nl- h ahlo lis n unt mul V,i nnll, Amrrlean M"
t -,! , - -"- '-. - '" I -"- -T "- " - --. f ........ ...
.. i -UI
Bt a trolley car pe and in the con
A
-Charleston News and Courier,
HS5S
S5ES
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