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EVENING LEDGEE-PHILADELPHlA, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1914..
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EVENING Ma LEDGER
PUBLIC LEDGER COMPANY
' crnus it k cunns. piDtNT.
Clttt.Vf Orh. Secretary! .tohn r Maitln, Treasurer:
Charle H. l.udlngton, l'hlllp S. Collins, John B. Wll
Ham, Director. .
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tion1! payable In advance.
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C? Addrrst atl commutileatian 16 Evtnlnp
Ltdfirr, Imteti'tidrnef Square. Vhiladrlphla,
S.MEREU AT THE Pint tntlPIIIA ro'TOFflCB AS SECOND
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rilltAnCtt'lllA.TUESIUl, 5EI'lllMUi:R 2', 1U14.
A David Heady for Goliath
SENATOR PENROSE Is a big mntwi very
Oollath. There Is no doubt about that,
and his bigness 13 not only physical. He Is
bis with tho potentiality and actuality of
political and economic evil.
There was a tlnio when Pennsylvania's
voice ran? through the nation. There was a
time when the Republican party in this State,
atandiiit; for economic truth and political
decency, possessed at its head, in every
, crisis, an honored leader who could Interpret
properly and effectually the beliefs and tho
teachings of that party. That condition does
not exist today.
Saddled by n master who is riding for a
fall, who in blind selfishness is spurring
madly and ruthlessly toward the stone wall
of disaster, the party has one obvious moans
of escape.
Let it take tho bit In its teeth. Let it win
Its head. Let it U'iefc, and buck and bolt if
need be until tho Goliath is thrown. Then
the course wilt be free nnd 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 nnd 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 hue 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 one
very cleur issue which need not be confused
by conditions arising out of the war, and
that is the question of extravagance and
wastefulness in appropriating and spending
public money.
Tho 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"?
expressing to Charles Sumner his sorrow
over tho possibility of war between England
and America and his intention to retire from
public life If such an event should coma to
pass, was filled with a sense of brotherhood
which left no room for personal or national
narrowness. The creators of art, against
bitter calumny, have worl cd in the service
of mankind. "Art for art's rako" does not
produce great art.
Our good will toward our fellowmen Is
public spirit. To search out the effects of
our nets as citizens and voters Is to prove
ourselves public-spirited. Good will Is made
efllclcnt by knowledge. "It Is a home-bred
right, a fireside privilege," said Daniel Web
ster, "to canvass the merits of measures and
public men." But it Is more thnn a right,
mora even than a privilege. It is a duty.
Wo are all of us responsible for tho acts
of our public men.
Wanted : Tire Protection
FtRIJ and rotten hose ngalnl It Is be
coming an old story, a sickening, mad
dening story: fire that destroys property and
rotten hose that bursts. Today, tomorrow,
or some other time. It may bo more than
property that will be destroyed; it may bo
human life. Attention lias been called often
enough to the fact that a largo part of the
lioso owned by the city Is unfit for use.
Something must be done Immediately, not
by and by. Councils have a way of financing
land grabs with the public money. Couldn't
it finance a little public safety?
PASSED BY THE CENSOR
Getlinp After the Coal Einharpocs
NEW laws and regulations have not put
an end to railroad rebates and dis
criminations. Even a college economist can
testify to new ways of turning old tricks.
By pro-rating spur-lines and half a dozen
other means and methods all the essential
practices of rebating are still possible. The
Interstate Commerce Commission thinks It
lias spotted a new ruse. It is tho so-called
"embargo" placed by coal-carrying railroads
on the fuel. Informal complaint alleges
that they have been used to discriminate
against certain shippers. v
Though it is evident that coal-owning
roads might be sorely tempted to such action,
tho truth of the matter is not yet at i"sue.
The commission simply considers the charge
serious enough to Justify some action, and
it has summoned representatives of all the
roads affected to appear before It In Jan
uary. If It finds evidence to support the
complaints, nobody will applaud its enter
prise more loudly than the consumer who
will then be burning that steadily advanc
ing fuel.
FOR ways that arc dark and tricks that
arc vain, tho Pennsylvania machine- poli
tician is tho veriest tyro compared lo his
Texan prototype, if reports from Delhi In tho
Lono Star State 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 tho
Op'ry House. At the end of an eloquent and
lengthy speech, ho played Ills trump card by
passing Interstate cigars lo the men. Hero
bo It explained that Interstate cigars aro
of the kind which, when smoked In Texas,
aro Btnelted as far North us West Virginia,
the wind holding right, as they say at sea.
To double cap tho climax, as It were, ho
passed chocolate candy to tho women in tho
audience. Then tho troublo began.
"Dey's pepper In dla candy," howled a
woman. Just then one of tho gift cigars ox
plodcd with the "dull, sickening thud" of
which cub reporters wrlto so eloquently.
Then another popped, and soon there was a
fusillade akin to the battlo on tho Mnrno.
Tho Mayor, aghast at first, spotted on enemy
In the audience and seized him as perpetrator
of the outrage. Tho constable sought to ar
rest the conspirator, and soon there was as
nice and pleasant a fight as ever enlivened
a political meeting. The letter vouchsafing
all this Information winds up:
"There is much indignation here."
THAT unreasonable panic seizes even tho
bravest Is borne out by brief dispatches
from the war, which somehow or other have
passed the censor. It Is related that one of
the French army coips, possessed by some
psychologic fear, on a wholesale scale, bolted,
causing a retreat of tho French army from
Alsace. But the strangest fear that ever
seized a body of armed men was In the war
of 1SCC between Prussia and tho German
States. A regiment of Bavarian cavalry had
been retreating before onpressing Prussians
for days harassed and hammered at inces
santly. At Inst the Bavarians found rcfugo
in a dense copse of trees, where they rested
their weary horses. Suddenly a shot rang
out: then another.
"The Prussians!" came a cry and the Bava
rians bolted at top speed, never stopping for
ten miles, the while two poachers gathered
In the rabbits they had shot.
License of Diplomatic Guests
COl'RTESV has generally been regarded
as one t the essential 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. The American and
broader idea is that the flrst and highest
function of diplomacy is the promotion of
genuine good-will among nations. This con
ception wiuj wonderfully exemplified in the
Xlt of John Hay,
It seems that Ambassador Kustem Bey,
Baron von Schoen and Sir Lionel Carden
aro not diplomatic In any true sense. Sir
Llunel is not an accredited representative to
this country, but h does bear the offlclal
credentials of the British Government, It
has been suggested that President Wilson
should not press his demand on Great Britain
for an "explanation" of the Carden erltl.
cisrn, now that the Mexit an p..t is bollinjr
ovor again, as Sir Lionel predicted. That
prediction, howtver. is not what President
Wilson and the American people object to.
From Genet to f'.irden, on Schoen and
Ruatom livy. there him been too many so.
called diplomats who have made the inex
cusable mistake of talking m the United
States as if American liberty infant license,
even for guests. The thrne iU.t offend
era should be tuueht that uovernmental and
popular tolerance does not extend to insult
or to the attempt tu sUr wp prejudices,
enmities and hatreds.
" I UU 1114
Every City Has o "Big Stick"
IK TEN yers, according to a. report of th
United States Census. Bureau, the number
of municipally ownt-d pubU- utility pUttUs
In thU. country hv wnwoij si rr .er.t .,.
jet the movenv-.,c f r min.-ipal ownership
has scarcely ...iche,i trar-p .n-uion. th.mjjh
pome cities h,.ve Jyiir and own .-u vays
which are o.i..i. i by lfjUt,. compun', ,.
The only ,, ummii is hw bst to ubierv
the public :r.ire The .akwg i)f prl,
vate inauucd publi. utilities ,,r, r,Pjn,
cipaily two. 1 -u.tia of sr.ti.raj , aj ncPj,
and Mil mid .. -istu.iv ., tnvatc profit.
The flrst f "'. is apt 1,1 take the fornt of
un obstruct 11 i .,.Iu- Und ,,'ten I.nJa to
inunU'fpal owe. r-i'p, the establ.sh.lk nt ,,f
Which Is uU4lh Ki.rniii.et by h,cal roitfi,
tlons It is Pi ly more Important to
City to l.t,es.-i !' ,..P U (tWniug am
operating Its tram.i .-jteW taa Q &&&
It; for it is wl that private companies
FlwulU be reminded occasionally 0 t fat
that this power fan b exercise) by the peo,
pl when they are driven tu it by the cun,
vktion that public Mnt) social interests ar
cot boiiij; properly res 1 c ted.
Good Will is Public Spirit
Q CHILLER hai for ths whole human race
"Button, Button''
TTTHOLESALE grocers think that house-
V V 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 tho
blame for what seems an unjustifiable situa
tion. It is the old story of no responsibility.
Biamo it on those venerable scapegoats.
Supply and Demand, and let somebody
pocket the profit. The ultimate consumer
must look with en y on the citizens of thoo
"war-ridden" countries where the food sup
ply Is under a le&pnnsible. if official, thumb.
Verbal Atrocities
THERE are atrocities and atrocities. Ono
o them is a name like Kluck (we prefer
the common or barnyard spelling). Half .1
dozen more are the "sweezes" such a cog
nomen draws from the professional humor
ists. A man has a right to any name ho
likes, or any his great-great-grandparents
choso for him. But that privilege entails
duties. He should not thrust himself reck
lessly into public view If the 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!" The
only alternative to changing his name or re
tiring from the army is to copyright tho
word and prosecute any breach of the peace,
such as "General Kluck's right wing
smashed." Tho horrors of war aro bad
enough without verbal carnage.
THIRTY-SEVEN years ago A. II. Ray
nolds, of Denver, a banker of that city,
cashed vouchers amounting to $2250 for a
contractor doing business with tho United
States. The banker obtained the necessary
proofs nnd submitted them to tho Depart
ment of tho Interior, where they lay for four
years without action. Since then Congresses
have come and gone; statesmen big and little
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 P.
Tumulty, private secretary to the President,
was called to tho matter, and he Interested
himself to such an extent that Cato Sells,
Commissioner of Indian Affairs, who has tho
claim under jurisdiction, took prompt ac
tion. But ho was as unable to pay the claim
as were Ills predecessors, for under tho law
it will require an net of Congress to reim
burse Mr. Raynolds for money legnlly due
him. So the matter rests once more.
AH of which reflects little credit on tho
business methods of tho United States.
I
War Is Gethsemane
N explaining why Christians go to war it
should be understood that when the com
mand is given to fight a man's faith counts
for nothing. He mutt answer the call. Chris
tianity is not discounted by the European
war, any more than the multiplication table
is destroyed by shooting it full of holes.
Truth is eternal. Man is still Imperfoct.
The world Is pusslng through the throes
of evolution. Civilization does not move In a
straight line. European political ideals are,
for tho time, predominating ovor the Chris
tian idoals of the !0th century. Tho conflict
wU result in a new enthusiasm for those
moral forces which are the leaven working
GENERAL RENNENKAMPF, who, al
though of German ancestry, is lighting
for the Czar, is inordinately proud of his
huge mustarhios, which divide his face into
two distinct entitles. Once, during the Man
churlan campaign, an Ameilcan photogra
pher named Rogers pursued him across the
steppes until lie overtook the Cossack com
mander at Tchita. He explained Ills quest
to the general and 'soon tho cntlro corps was
ready to parade before the camera man.
"Now, my friend," thundered Ronnon
kampf, as ho gave tho "forward march"
order to his men, "take all our faces and
don't forget my mustache."
And every olllcer saluted tho American as
though he had beon a king personified.
THE man who gives out carriage checks
at ono of tho principal hotels in Philadel
phia is Inclined to bo ifosent-mlnded.
Whether It is love or flnnncinl worry that
causes this stato Is not known, but it was
productivo of troublo for him n few nights
ago. Mechanically he gave out checks. Me
chanically tho chauffeurs and drivers took
tho slips and tucked them in their pockets.
Suddenly ono of the drivers camo back.
"Say, boss." he asked, "what's this for'.'"
"That's to got your faro when he's through
eattng."
"Eat!" exclaimed the driver. "He'll got
darned little to eat from my wagon. I drive
a garbage cart."
mHE Bryn Mawr horse show recalls n slm-
slowly In modern life, There is a comfortable I JL ilar event In New York held some years
I optimism in the conviction that good things
work together for good to them that believe
I them. The end of tho world Is not yet, and
I the path of progress leads through the Gar-
den of Gethsemane
As a man of experience. Villa distrusts the
military politician.
New York's primary purpose was evidently
not the defeat of Tammany-
1 "Penrose, at Pittsburgh, says voters aro
) aroussd" Fatal confossion-
1 ' " ' "
! Pretty soon wo shall be well enough
1 acquainted with fall to call it autumn.
ArwJ now nine out of twelve Kenmclsy
counties join Virginia in weeding out tho
mint.
"Jimmy" Bennett reports a qerman army
telephone In e, (lower befl. rjyt Derbapg it js
only one of his flowers of speech.
If Congress wants to win tho praise of a
grateful public, it rolsht place a ta on war
poetry. ,TOr
Adding up the total of tho daily retreats of
the Germans, it is clear that by now they
have Jt gtuiut reached, the Pacific ccat.
About this time let us recall that the
Braves once went by the tail-end title q the
Puves. What's in a name?
As a good many suspected, it took John
SUseftfcld to write "the" English war poern-s
and It is more poni than war.
"s Wh n, 1,. t, i , -----" --- 1 vance jicuariiucK uouutiess cans aers lie
O a Ktadlj feeling. hkh might almost be 3 vanced a bit. but the enemy, firmly in-
i.u 1 1,1 lnlnn.b TV,. 1.., ...... ......-, 1...
called intonae The tnstol ol atatikinunshlu
U not dev.'id f natuey which aland for ut
terly unst'iristi devotion. t- tho public good
One tt them Is that rt fcir Robert Peel, who
tiroKoi wth his party lffeSJG and dff lared his
sense of unfitness fotShe task C forming
g, lett centre" organization, Joan, Bright these days.
4
treuchtd, doesn t seem to mind it.
President Wilson requests that American
neutrality be preserved, but any housewife
can tell him that with sugar selling at war
time prices it's dimcult to preserve anything
ago. The creum of American show horses
wero ontered. Society flocked to Madison
Square Garden as never before
Down in the old Jefferson Market Court
house, S'xth avenue and Ninth street, on
the top floor, is tlte offlcn of a paper box
manufacturer with a keen sense of practical
humor. So It was not surprising that ho
should take advautage bf the horse show to
play a trick on worldly-wise Now York.
First of all, ho bought a discarded ear horso,
one that hart drawn a Chambers street ark
for some twenty-odd jours. Then ho sent it
to his stublo to be fattened up. Next ho
groomed it for the show by feeding It oats.
Interspersed with ginger, sleeked its coat
with crude oil, tied a beautiful bluo ribbon
to its tail, which had been lengthened with
artificial hair, and then enterod It as Pull
deear Orphan, by Metropolitan (the name of
the street car line which hud once owned tho
animal), out of Bella.
And that horse, ridden liy Brian Q,
Hughes' daushtor, wun third prise.
BRADFORD.
CUIUQSITV SIJQP
A Sabbath day's journey was estimated at
7U furlongd. or two. yards. Tho Rabblna
fls'ed it at S00O cubits, or 1350 yards, Jo
scphus says that the Mount of Qlivoa was
five stadia, or 028 paces, from Jerusalem,
which would make the allowable Sabbath
day's Journey about 1050 yards.
The Hindu system of mythology has a
tisll so comprehensive that Its nethermost
realms have never been measured or even
described. Naruka is the generic name. The
Purana gives 2 divisions of Naraka, besides
which, we are told, "there are hundreds and
thousands of others in which sinners pay the
penalty of their crimes."
The Lover n Le ip, to which Bj-ron refers
to Don Juan, li in re.-illty Leucadias rn 1,
a promontory on tho pouthern e-ctrrtmt- . t
ttw iKrd cf Jy 1' i in tho P-'m f-
Spp'o. th p'-'-B, Is aH to hav JcutM
Into the sea from this reck fceous" . r i r-
qultcd love. At tho annual festival of
Apollo n criminal was hurled from the rock.
Various living birds were fastened to him to
break his fall, and If ho survived, freedom
was his.
Colonel Blood, a disreputable nnd cast-off
member of Cromwell's pnrtj', seized tho Duke
of Ormond's coach on December 6, 16T0 and
carried tho Duke to Tyburn to hang him.
Tho Duke escaped through tho nld of friends.
On May 9 of the following year Blood tried
to steal tho crown jewels from tho Tower,
For neither of these offenses was ho pun
ished. There Is triorc than one "City of Palaces"
Rome, which was converted from a city of
brick huts Into a "city of palaces" by
Agrippa; modern Paris; Calcutta, with lta
Milcndld European residences. Edinburgh Is
sometimes given tho title.
DONE IN PHILADELPHIA
IN A SPIRIT OF HUMOR
The Knock Subtle.
A certain man makes hats and In them
advertises as follows: "New York and big
cities."
Yes, Who?
We do not like McGraw to win,
And j"et his 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 tnke tho place of Mathowson
To tell us why?
And Matty's famous yenrlj' song,
This year for Boston who shall alng,
To toll the pitchers how to foil
F. Baker's swing7
Easy Money
Three minor political workers whoso party
lost an election found It necessary to do
something to keep the wolf away and np
plled to tho boss. He got them work as con
ductors on the local trolley line.
Somo weeks later one of the three hap
pened Into tho car barn after Ills' run and
found his two pals dancing about in high
giee.
"Whassa matter?" ho asked.
"Tomorrow's paydajV chorused Ills' friends.
"Payday holy smoke, do wo get that, too7"
A Kindred Feeling
Fighting aboard ship nowadaj's, with at
tacks from beneath tho sea and from above
the clouds, Is very much like going through
a gravej-ard at night you're upt just to feel
that something's going to grab j-ou from be
hind. The Hiplicr Explanation
"Father, what is this 'higher criticism' I
read so mucli about?"
"It is a method by which a man convinces
himself of tho falsity of something wHcli
he knows is not true."
Our I osilion is Impregnable.
Say that our jokes aro shy of point
And our verso is lame and halt;
Spot, if j-ou will, and show the world
Our every slip und fault.
Rant at our stuff in sheer disgust,
E'en to tho smallest wheeze;
Poke it as full of gaping holes
As an ancient Schweitzer cheese.
Roast, if you must, but play us fair
And herald It near and far.
From the Ice-bound shores of the Arctic Sea
To tho glades of Zanzibar;
That we, alone of a horde of bards,
Hold not a line in store,
Nor have wc written a single line
Of verso about the war.
Quite Damp
Hokus I never know such a wot blanket
as Flubdub.
Pokus That's right. If that fellow should
Jump from tho frying-pan Into tho flro ho
would put the lire out. Life.
Of Course
Barney Phelan, Father Hcaley's servant,
was celebrated for his ready wit. Ono daj.
while lie was serving a dinner, one of tho
guests said to him: "Barnej. why Is my
ankle placed between my calf and my foot?"
"Uogorru, I dunno," replied Barnej" "unless
It is to keep j-our calf from eatin' j'our corn."
Boston TransciipU
The Impossible
War has been able to do everything except
push the pretty girl from the trout cover of
tho populur magazine. Chicago Herald.
MANY of the big events In tho world's
history como to America flrat from an
Unexpected quarter and In an Irresponsible,
mysterious manner. I recall that a week
before we received tho official account of tho
result of Dewey's battlo In ManllA. Bay, a
brief dispatch camo from Paris to the effect
that tho battlo had been fought nnd tho
American flcot had not lost a single vessel.
Tho astonishing character of the Informa
tion made most peoplo loath to believe It
until a weok later, when the regular dis
patches from correspondents verified the
fact.
How did Paris recelvo tho first word? It
has always been suspected that it got It
from Spain before Dewey could cut tho
cable. And this appears to bo tho only
reasonable theory.
THE first report that tho Treaty of Ohent
had beon completed and peaco estab
lished with Great Britain reached Phlladcl
phla in a most mysterious manner and fully
a week beforo Washington had ofllclal ad
vices. As wo expect to eclobrato tho con
tcnnlal anniversary of tho conclusion of tho
peaco of Ghent this year, this llttlo known
story may bo of Interest now.
The treaty was signed on Christmas Eve,
131 1, but sailing vessels did not cross tho
Atlantic In those daj's with tho speed of
modern ocean liners, nnd there was neither
cablo nor wireless to transmit tho nows.
However, onrlj' In the year 1815 a mysterious
stranger called upon President Madison at
Washington one evening and brought him
the news.
That night this same mysterlotu stranger
sent a letter to John Blnns, who published
the Democratic Press In this city, giving
him tho same news. Probably no modern
newspaper owner would havo dono what
Binns did. Any newspaper receiving such
important news today would Instantly got
out an extra edition, for the whole country
was waiting patiently for word that peaco
had been concluded.
B'
news came, and fearing that It was a
minor Intended to Influence prices of cotton,
rice and other home 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 bo riskj to consult any person as
to his next step. He had visions of a specu
lator booming tho prices of somo homo
products or causing a fall In tho prices of
those imports sucli as tea, sugar, coffee and
other goods which had been laid awaj' In
largo quantities by some of our long-Tieaded
merchants.
No person in Philadelphia had received
oven a suggestion of the news. Binns made
it his business to mix umong men likely to
have heard such a report, but no one ap
proached him with rumors of that kind. Late
In tho afternoon, however, ho sent tho let
ter to tho Merchants' Coffee House, and had
it placed in the coffeo house books, with
his namo as authority-. In no time the wholo
water front was busy getting ships In readi
ness to send them to tho South for cotton
and rice. Tho merchants were readier to
accept the news than was Binns. He printed
tho news in his paper tho next daj'.
at a German
Health Hint
Never sing the "Marselllalso"
picnic. Cincinnati J.itqulrer.
A Cubist Poem
(Composed by Celesta l.cona Goble, of Tepper-
town, ind.)
A year ago, on Labor Daj', (Sept. 7, 1913),
there came an awful whack,
A thousand llerj- thunderbolts nearly scooted
the barn olf the track;
The lightning a board off sent, part of it In
tho sorghum patch
If the lightning burned tho barn down, wo
would havo to dig and watch.
Tho lightning hit the top and ran to the
ground;
I think that barn must bo sound.
Mrs. Goblc and her daughter were tho only
ones at home,
Tho absent one had Just started in tho good
old road to roam;
The absent one had gono to see her old
friend. Blnncho Mudd,
When sho heard that loud clap of thunder
and wondered If tho lightning struck my
old cat Ted.
Tho Lord kept tho barn from burning
He kept tho barn from burning becauso Ho
lovus us so,
Harrison News.
A Natural Query
The Flirt Oh dear, what a lot of people
will bo unhappy when I get married!
Tho Other Why. how many aro you
jimrrjing'.' Exchange.
What's in a IS'pinc
It must bo difficult to find a prouder man
than Grant B Peacock, tho Princeton golfer
who beat Champion Onimet 2 up nnd 1 to
play at Greenwich. New Yorl; Sun.
ON SOME .HUMAN BONKS
(Found on a Headland in the Ray of Panama,)
Vague Mystery hangs on nil these desert places;
The fear which hath no namo hath wrought
a spell;
Strength, courago. wrath, have been nnd left
no tracoe;
They tamo, and llvd; but whither? Who can
tellt
Ve Itnow but that tUoy tvere-thst once, Jn days
When ocean wu a bar "twist man and man,
Stout spirits wandered o'er these tapes and
bays
And nerlkhsd where these river waters ran.
Methinks they should have built some mighty
tomb
Whose granite might endure the century's
rain.
Cold winter, and tho sharp night whujs, that
boom
LiKe spirits in their purgatorial pain.
They left, 'tis said, their proud, unburled hones
'ji wluteiA tu Hue mittcl.uuwltttljcut ioie;
Yet nauKh' l-kle the tucks and worn soa
stuitea Now aner ta the great Pacific's roar.
A mountain stand where Agamemnon died,
nil t'lieops hath derived eternal fame
II. diiK he made hi tomb a place of pride,
. v 1 i-J. there the U al MtttlU eurncd a name.
I'm thcie -they vju
T 1- ro"" '! '
v 1 n- hi - w t
V ' 't t ' IT
I ni-
as V e lightnings die,
effrishted earth,
tn trie bKy
f-
TiRESIDENT MADISON received the news
I Lin the same manner and spirit. One eve
l ning a person, not known In Washington,
presented himself nt the President's House.
He was met by Madison's private sccrotarj',
Edward Coles, afterward tho second Gover
nor of Illinois, who listened to the strang
er's storjv Tho private secretary asked tho
stranger to remain seated until ho carried
his message to tho President. Tho 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
the mj'sterious courier. Madison wnnted to
havo a look nt tho man, and to determine
If ho was worthy of belief. He also called
to his aid the Postmaster General, R. J.
Meigs, and tho two questioned the stranger
closelj'.
After a long conversation, tho President
seemed satisfied, j-et no information on the
subject camo from the President's House
until tho confirming official dispatch arrived
somo daj-s later, by which time the news
had already penetrated through a largo part
of tho countrj'.
BINNS, who relates tho incident in his
iccollectlons, declared that ho never was
nblo to learn tho identity of his mysterious
letter writer, whom he believed to have been
tho same person who called upon President
Madison that evening In tho winter of 1815.
In view of how the news of the peace of
Ohent was first given to the American pub
lic through the ngency of a Philadelphia
nowspaper. Dame Rumor may not he so
faithless a jado. Whllo It is a good plan to
ho wary of tales of a surprising character,
It does' not necessarily follow thqt all ru
mors aro untrue, no matter how extraordi
nary they may appear. Big news does not
nlways come first from tho fountain head.
GRANVILLE.
The Ethics of Sniping
From the; noston Transcript.
"Sniping" Is n comparatively recent addition
tc the red lexicon of war. Originally or on Its
fir.st appearance It signified shooting from am
bush or nt a great distance. A soldier under
this definition might bo a sniper. The current
definition, however, apples only to civilians who
take part In lighting and are therefore not eli
gible to tho consideration accorded to those
who light in uniform an members of a recog
nized military organization. Though the -word
may he new the action It describes is very old.
Sniping ran be traced far back In history. j
existed when organized armies were few and
vry fmall, and by tho commanders of old
times wn regarded as simply one of the iisks
of war Snipers were not worse than any other
flghteis in the era beforo the war became a
profession apart. The defenders of Jerusalem
against tho Ho man legions were almost with
out exception In the category of snipers. The
men und women who manned the walls of Sara
gossa to reinforce its scanty garrison subjected
themselves to the lex tallonis.
wrong, for instead ho caused tho car to iv. j
tho carriage a substantial Jolt. 8 1
According to precedent, the policeman n
the corner, under tho patronage of hlg ,,
perlor In tho carriage, should have forthwith
hurled strdng verbal hot-shot at the motor
man. But ho did nothing of tho sort
Ho took tho horso by tho bridle, turned hl &
head around In tho right direction and otart i
ed him orr. Then ho waved to tho motorman
to proceed down tho street. And ho had hot
spoken a word,
You mo tho point. "Thinking on your feet'
Is really a matter of keeping your head In
the midst of excitement. It Isn't spoken
words that aro essential. It Is tho thoughts
and actions that a calm, cool polso prompts
In you.-
VIEWS .OF READERS
ON TTMELY TOPICS
Contributions That Reflect Public Opin. j
ion on Subjects Important to City
State and Nation. ;
To the Kdttor 0 Ins Evening Ltdger:
Sir As a newcomer to Philadelphia, I watit '
to express my satisfaction with a novel featurs 1
o( your city. Its one-way 'street car lines, At '
first they may bo a llttlo hard to learn, tliouth
the straight streets and right angled corners '!
greatly simplify tho matter. But the singular I
value of -our arrangement of routes seems to '
bo tho way It facilitates traffic. Tho can
move much more swiftly and with far leu
danger to pedestrians and vehicles than In any
American city I know of. In this respect, at
least, Philadelphia Is neither "slow" nor
"dead." ,, p.
Philadelphia, Soplember 29, 19H.
ANY PROFIT IN "BUYING A DALE"?
To the Editor 0 the Evening Ltdgen
Sir I wish somo Southern render of th
EvnNlNO Ledoer would bo good enough to cx
plnln how the purchaser of a bale of cotton Is
going to profit, or even how ho Is going to
"break even?" I hear It said that ho can keep
tho cotton In storage and sell It at an ndvanc
next year. But by that time, It seems to me,
another new crop Is going to drive the
price down Instead of up. Am I right? And If
I am right, why not call the "buy-a-bale"
movement a legitimate- charity and not try to
make people think It is a profitable philan
thropy '' H. L. HUSKINS.
Philadelphia, September 23, 1514.
JUSTICE FOR VILLA
To the L'ditor of the Evening Ledger:
Sir I am glad to see tho entire fairness with
which j-ou treat Francisco Villa. CUhcr papers
label him on every occasion with all possible
derivatives of 'Jthlef," and "bandit," while you
Inqulro only Into the sincerity with which hs
backs what seem excellent prnclplcs. Certainly
Mexico will never bo at peace so long as an
officer of the army Is In the saddle. Villa
knows that, and he is trying to' eliminate all
soldiers, himself as much as Cnrranza. In such
a work he should havo tho sympathy of every
American. C. K. H,
Camden, September 2S, 1DH.
SARCASTIC IN REGARD TO PENROSE
To the Vditor 0 tho Evening Ledger:
Sir I 11m heart and soul for Boles Penrose.
Senator Penrose Is a gentleman sul generis. Hs
Is a professional office-seeker, and a profes
sional 13 always more competent than an ama
teur. You abuse tho Senator for adhering to ths
machine. But this Is the day of machinery,
Wry, In some States they have voting ma
chines. I understand' thnt In this State ths
machine has done tho voting whenever neces
sary, but this may not be true nfter all.
TIIEOPHRASTUS CLUTTEBIiUCK.
Philadelphia, September 25, It'll.
A NEW COLLEGE DEGREE FOR PENROSE
To the Editor of the Evening Ledger:
Sir The colleges give honorarj degrees each
spring. If a fovv more men'ilko Penrose (Har
vnrd, 'SI) develop his fnlllngs, their alma maters
will have to Join us in administering the sort
of dlshonoiary degrees that the State of Penn
sylvania is going to bestow on Penrose and his
crowd this fall. ALBERT WELT.
Philadelphia, September 29, 1911.
Ferocious Pacificists
From the Springfield Republican.
It Is strange to find some of the fiercest ad
vocates of a light "to tho finish" among th
advocates of peace, j-et tho reason Is slmpls
enough. When an English exponent of pacific
ism l found demanding that Germany must
bo crushed, and Its Emperor, perhaps, tent to
St. Helena, what seems llko viudlctiveness h
explains as really due to a deslro for peace.
This must be tho last war. To make sure o(
It Europe must destroy militarism, and to de-stroj-
militarism it Is necessary to destroy Ger
manj It la simple logic, as wimple as that of
Torqucmnda, and those who apply it do not
think of themselves as Inhuman, or recognlts
their likeness to the ferocious Cato the censor,
with his Cnrthaglnem esse delendam.
Ilanning u Banc
From the Augusta (Oa.) Chronicle.
School Is on in tho big cities of the East And
"war" ill school has been tabooed. In I'lilla
ilslplua the acting superintendent of the schools,
Doctor Brumbaugh being busy on the hustings,
has baniud all war discussions, all geographical
stutlloB pertaining to the battle lines and all
nairntlves of thrilling experiences had by
teachers before their lllght as refugees ThU
Is sound procedure.
Playing Both Ends
From the Sprlnsflcld Union.
Tho Krupps have contributed l.OOO.COO marks
to the Red Cross fund, but their contributions
In cannon ami the ammunition that provldt
woik for the Red Cross run up into the hun
dreds of millions of marks.
Model Malthusianism
From the New York world.
How Mnlthus would have delighted in tbli
war, cheery old soul!
Hy which
Can you
THE IDEALIST
Can J'ou "think on your feet"?
I do not necessarily mean.
stand. 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.
tematlo order of presentation do not always
come within that class we term "extempora
neous speakers."
A man can handle a situation with marked
skill and precision, can convince those within
sight or hearing of the wisdom of his atti
tude without saying a word
One day a high official of the pellce de
partment came tearing down one of our prm
cipal streets Jn a carriage. At an Intersecting
street his norse grew unruly Just nt ,
n r whe -no their moment nX trolley car pissed and in the con
I fusion ttr motorman attempted to run hj
fpr rfiicK Kepubiicia. I car oyt Vt the horse's course. Ho figured
fcZ nW. m. , tisfte--rt 1 i.. , ,.
NATIONAL POINT OF VIEW
It is to bo hoped that it Is not too latj
for the Mexican factions to get together ana
prevent a fresh carnival of blood. New Or
leans State.
Tho most Intelligible complaint of the tier
man sympathizers In this country is that our
newspapers print too much war news obtain"
from Engll.ih and French souices. New VorU
Times
No sensible or fair-minded person wants to
have the railroads oppressed und crippled mere
ly because somo rallioad directors have beta
remiss or unfaithful and somo railroad rres'
dents have been overnmblUous. SprlngfleM
(Mass.) Union.
When Congress meets next winter, H
should make a careful effort to revise tn
patent laws. Our present patent system has
become an aid to trusts, both foreign fl"a
domestic, a check to Inventors, nnd a mar
velous promoter of lawsuits. Chicago Jour
nal. '
Secretary McAdoo is acting most com
mendahly in beginning a movement J
bringing to time national banks which max
be piling up unnecessary teserves in "eir
vaults while refusing legitimate requests ioj
loans or which may be taking advantage o
prevailing conditions to charge excessive in
terest jates. Los Angeles Express
Unlike John W. Griggs, counsel for the Mar
con! Wirclet.8 Company, President Wilson ne"
was a Mark Haniu Attorney General of
United titates. but he huppens to tie c"
inander-lu-Chlef of the army and navy.
and
hie Intrrnrotaltmi nl tlio law hearlnit upon r'v
communication with belligerents is likely to V"'
vail New York World.
Minister Pczct, of Peru, believes not oajf
that lack of good American salesmanship
South America U the principal cause cf "
failure to compete successfully with Europe
tho past, but that, unless we Improve our
maushlp, even the European war will r"t
able us to get and keep South American tr"
Charleston News and Courier.
-"r-rr- -n ifiri h ii.ii,iii in, 1 . -'r?SEa
b: - - -