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EVENING IiKDGE,RPHILADELPmA TUESDAY, SEPTEMBEE 29,1014.
i '
EVENING efl3 LEDGER
PUBLIC LEDGER COMPANY
I CTttOS H. K CUtlTIS. FtMincxT.
CJep, W Och. Secretary; John C Martin. Treasurers
Charles H. Litdlngton, l'hlllp S. Collins. John B. Wil
liam, Director.
UDITOtltAtj nOAUD:
CIRCS It. K. Ccrtis, Chalrmnn.
f. tt witAt.nr uwutiverMitr
IQllU C MAIIT1N ,Oenernl "mlnes Mnnf
fubllnheil dally, wtcept Sunday, nt Penile LrhJ"
tliilMlnft Independence Hqnirf rhlUdotphtn.
Irooxn CrstnAL..., nrond find Cheitniit Street
AttANTI- Cut t'rrM-lnlon llulldln
Ne Yobk 170-A Metropolitan Tower
Ciucaoo SIT lloniL- tnmnnc( nulMlns
Lonm.v.... .... ...8 Waterloo lMnre, Pall Mull. S.
NUvVBhCtlBArR!
TmtBPM nrmtAt! ,Th rVifrfot nulld ns
Wamiimitov Rmnti Th roit null'! "
Nr Vouk Hmsau The Tfie KiilMlng
Pratv HinKAt' ho Prleilf lchtrn;i
I.omiov IlriiBvu 2 Pall Mull t:at. s. w.
Pasta BinEAU 32 Hue Louis le Grand
suiisriiirrios tkbms
tlrrarrler. njit.r OM.r, lx ccnt II)- mall. pe!pald
witelde of Philadelphia, except where, foreign potae
l required Daij.v Om.y, one montli, twenty-live cent"!
Dailt Omly. one year, threo dollars. All mall aubscrlp-
nuin imynuio in auvance.
bfu. .-woo walnut
KMSTOIsr. MA1.N 3000
r7 Addrcn all communications 16 Evening
Ledger. Independence Square. Philadelphia.
t.stEittD at the puilapei rim roTorrlce as second-
VI Mill tTTEJ!
rillLAbKLPItU.TtJKSD.vY, SMMLMIIKIl 29, 1914.
A David Ready for Goliath
SENATOR PENROSE' is a big man a very
Ootiath. There Is no doubt about that,
and his bigness Is not only physical. He Is
blpr with the potentiality and actuality of
political and economic evil.
There was a time when Pennsylvania's
voico rang through the nation. There was a
time when the Republican party In this State,
utandlng for economic truth and political
decency, possessed at Its head, in every
crisis, nn honored leader who could Interpret
properly and effectually the beliefs and the
teachings of that party. That condition docs
not exist today.
Saddled by a 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 means
of escape.
Let it tako the bit in its teqth. Let It win
Its head. Let it kick, and buck and boll if
need 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 tho Alexander bill, which pro
poses a Government controlled steamship
line, is not having ctear sailing and that the
war tax bill is likely to run acround in
tho Semite. Democratic opposition to the
shipping 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
Bcuro the effects of tariff, currency and
other legislation. Bat there is already one
very clear 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.
The Democratic platform called for drastic
economy. The pledges made at Baltimore
have not bfen kept.
Is a political platform a contract or "a
mere scrap of paper"?
License of Diplomatic Guests
COURTESY has generally been regarded
as one of the essential qualities of
diplomacy. Despite the strained relations of j
European governments Immediately preced- 1
Ins the outbreak of hostilities, diplomatic
communications anions them were marked 1
by almost excessive rourtesy, which was
doubtless merely formal. The American and 1
broader idea is that the Jirst and highest
function of diplomacy is the promotion of
genuine good-will among nations. This con- j
ception was wonderfully exemplified In the 1
V:ork 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 J
this countrv, but he does bear the official
credentials of the British Government. It
has been suggested that President Wilson 1
should not press his demand on Great Britain '
lor an "explanation" of the Garden crlti
clsra. now that the Mexican pot Is boiling
ovor again, as Kir Lionel predicted. That
prediction, howev-r, is not what President
"Wilson and the Aroru ,n p-"p!e objo-t to.
From Uenet to Cr.lt-, on Sehoen and
Rustem Bey, tlu-r have btcti tuo many so
called diplomats who have made the tnex.
cusable mistake of talking in the United
States as If American liherty meant license,
even for guests. The three latest offend,
era should he taught that governmental and
popular tolerance does not extend to insult
or to tho attempt to ur up prejudices,
enmities and hatreds.
expressing to Charles Sumner his sorrow
over tho possibility of war between England
nnd America and his Intention to retire from
public llfo if such an event should come to
pass, was filled with a senso 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 eako" does not
produce great art
Our good will toward our fellowtnen Is
public spirit To search out tho effects of
our acts as citizen nnd voters Is to prove
ourselves public-spirited. Good will Is made
1 olllclont by knowledge. "It is a home-bred
right, a fireside privilege," said Daniel Web
I ster, "to canvass the merits of measures and
public men." But It is more than a right,
mnro even than a privilege. H Is a duty.
We nro all of us responsible for the acts
of our public men.
Wanted : Tire Protection
1 TjltltK nml rotten hoso again! It is bo-
X coming an old story, a sickening, mad
dening story; lire that destro.s 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 llfo. Attention has been called often
enough to the fnct that a large part of tho
hoso owned by the city Is unfit for use.
Something must bo done immediately, not
by and by. Councils hne a way of financing
laud grabs with the public money. Couldn't
it finance a little public safety?
PASSED BY THE CENSOR
Getting After the Coal Embargoes
NEW laws and regulations have not put
nn 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
has 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.
Though it is evident that coat-owning
roads might be sorely tempted to such action,
tho truth of tho matter Is not yet at Issue.
The commission simply considers the charge
serioti3 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 tho
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 are dark and tricks that
aro vain, tho Pennsylvania machine poli
tician Is tho veriest tyro compared to bis
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 tho
Op'ry House. At tho end of an eloquent and
lengthy speech, ho played his trump card by
passing Interstate clgaia to tho men. Hero
bo It explained that Interstate cigars ato
of tho kind which, when oniokcd In Texas,
aro studied as far North as West Vltglnla,
the wind holding right, as they say at sea.
To double cap tho climax, as It were, ho
passed chocolate candy to the women In tho
audience. Then tho troublo began.
"Dey's pepper In dis candy," bowled a
woman. Just then one of the gift cigars ex
ploded with tho "dull, sickening thud" of
which cub reporters write so eloquently.
Then another popped, and soon there was a
fusillade akin to tho battle on the Marnc.
Tho Mayor, aghast at first, spotted an enemy
In tho nudlenco and seized him ns perpetrator
of tho outrage. Tho constable sought to ar
rest tho conspirator, nnd soon thero was as
nice and pleasant a fight as ever enlivened
a political meeting. Tito 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 tho war, which somehow or other have
passed the censor. It is related that one of
tho Trench nrmy corps, possessed by some
psychologic fenr, on a wholesale scale, bolted,
causing a retreat of the French nimy from
Alsace. But the strangest fear that ever
seized a body of armed men was In tho war
of 1S66 between Prussia and the German
States. A regiment of Bavarian cavalry had
been retreating before onpressing Prussians
for days harassed nnd hammered at Inces
santly. At last the Bavarians found refuge
in a dense copse of trees, where they rested
their weary horses. Suddenly a shot rang
out; then another.
"Tho Prussians!" came a cry nnd the Bava
rians bolted at top speed, never stopping for
ten miles, the while two poachers gathered
in the rabbits they had shot.
"Button, Buttou"
WHOLESALE grocers think that house
wives have raised the price of sugar.
Housewives, or those with enough ready
money to buy a barrel at a time, blame it on
tho 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 the old story of no responsibility.
Blame it on thoe venerable scapegoats.
Supply nnd Demand, and let somebody
pocket the profit. The ultimate consumer
mu&t look with en v on the citizens of those
"war-ridden" countries where the foo.d sup
ply is under a responsible, if official, thumb.
Verbal Atrocities
THERE are atrocities and atrocities. Ono
of them is a name like Kluck (we 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 he
likes, or any his great-great-randparenfi
cho.so 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 temarks ns "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 the
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. H. Rny
nolds, of Denver, a banker of that city,
cashed vouchers amounting to $2230 for a
contractor doing business with tho United
Stales. The banker obtained the necessary
proofs and submitted them to tho Depart
ment of the Interior, wliero they lay for four
years without action. Since then Congresses
have come and gone; statesmen big and little
have espoused Mr. Kaynolds' cause: Sena
tors and Representatives have worked in bis
behalf and the claim is still unpaid.
A week ago the attention of Joseph P.
Tumulty, private secretary to the President,
was called to the 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 he was as unable to pay the claim
as were his predecessors, for under the law
it will require nn act of Congress to reim
burse Mr. Reynolds for money legally due
him. So the matter rests onco more.
All of which reflects little credit on the
business methods of the United States.
GENERAL RENNENKAMPP, who. al
though of German ancestry, is fighting
for the Czar, is inordinately proud of his
huge mustachios, which divide his face into
two distinct entitles. Once, during Ihe Man
churian campaign, an American photogra
pher named Rogers put sued him across the
steppes until ho overtook the Cossack com
mander at Tchita. He explained Ills quest
to the general and soon the entire corps was
ready to parade before tho camera man.
"Now, my ft lend," 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 ofllcer saluted tho American as
though he had been a king personified.
V
Every City Has a 'Bi Stick"
j-N TEN yurs, according to a report of ih
I United Ktatea Census Bureau ,, ,,.!.-
---.-- ., UHU9f
m wiuuii-ujuiiy uwneu public utility r,latt
In thi country ha incrt-aaed 5 per cent A
yet the miwiu fr muni ipal ownership,
has scarcely touched tmu-Hnaiun, though
' gome cUies hae built ,,rij own u',w4yB
r Which are opemtcd by private ivmpmu
The only question u h. w Ut to ubkrve
0e publ.c welfare The wtakne Uf prl,
Vte management of pulilu utilities are rl.n,
'. ,cIpl' two diisrcsaid of general so, rwMhi
JanoW ou u,u,uo 'is"e " Private pfoflt.
William ' fl"" t the 's apt to tuke the form of
neTtt",,struct"",Ut ,",,,'i '" of,f-" l-t"l to
Jlnriironiotpal ownership, the estabh.h iient of
o"d"n. t'tl ifc "ouHy ltermine4 by local eond
JwfBjV lt li ,',u' 'b,y ,BO,, 'Wjwtant to a
Jan J' tj I "' the power f owning au4
Gi?!rAn'l'nb' " translt - han tu -xreUe
uuduik for it w well that prtvate ompnie
Ti"Th'uW be 'n'wlMt ocuasionally of the fact
,'.?,fn.',t ,nls lT van be ereled by the peo.
OutUM htn ' lriv.u to it by the con.
Jm',t,MU thttt "ut,1'c und ,,CI-1 huereats (ye
, .rij bonis pioptrl) resetted
j S -- " w-acsrr
Good Will is Puhlie Spirit
SCUILLEIt had for the whole human race
u kindly feeling, ul.lcti might almost be
called Intense Tin ttit 1 ol tit Ui.-manliii.
is not devoid of nanus uhuli tiu4 i..r ui
terb utisLWsti devotion to thv publi- uod
One of them 13 that -f eir R 'rt Peel, who
broke with Ins party tfi lSlGknd declared his
eni of unfitness f ,p .he task of forming
, "left centre" organization. John Bright, i
Tar Is Gethsemaue
IN 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 must 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 impenect.
Tho world is passing through the throes
of evolution. Civilization does not move in a
straight line. European political ideals are,
for the time, predominating over the Chris,
ttan Ideals of the SOth century. The conflict
will result in a new enthusiasm f',r those
moral forces which aro tho leaven working
low !y in modern lifu. There is a comfortable
optimism in the conviction that good thing
work together for good to them that believe
them. The end of the world is not yet, and
Ub path of progress leads through tho Gar
den of GethsemanC.
As a man of experience, Villa distrusts the
military politician.
New York's primary purpose was evidently
not tl defeat of Tammany.
1
''Penrose, at Pittsburgh, says voters are
aroue""Fatal confession.
Pretty soon we shall be well enough
acquainted with foil to call It autumn-
And now nine out ft twelve Kentucky
eounties Join Vlralnia in weeding out the
mint,
-mm -jf -i i"p "p--"i in 11 mtiM
"Jimmy" Bennett reports a German army
wlephww In a flower bod. But perhaps u Is
only one of hla Powers of speech.
Jf Congress wauts to win tho prate of a
trewful public It might place a tas on war
poetry.
Adding up the total of tlto dally retreats of
the Ciermans, it la clear that by now they
nav Just Bbout rt.-a.ehe4. tho Paejflo CG3t.
About this tirn let us recall that tho
Braves once went by tho tail-end. mie 0j tho
ttove. What's In a name?
As a goo4 many suspected, it tooSi John
MaaeaeM to writ "the" English war paepv
and It is more noem than war.
Vance McCormick doubtless considers he
has advanced a ba, but the enemy, firmly in
truuhid, dut-sn t snni to mind it.
President ils.j 1 u-iu.jts that American
neutralu be preserved, but any housewife
Ciin tt-ll him that with sugar selling at war
time prices it's difficult to preserve anything
those days.
HMaMMHMsBrii
THE man who gives out carriago checks
at one of the principal hotels In Philadel
phia is inclined to bo nbsont-mlnded.
Whether it is love or financial worry that
causes this stato is not known, but it was
productive of tiouble for him a few nights
ago. Mechanically ho gave out checks. Me
chanically tho chauffeurs and drivers took
the slips and tucked them in their pockets.
Suddenly ono of tho drlvors camo back.
"Say, boss," ho asked, "what's this for?"
"That's to get your faro when he's through
eating."
"Eat!" exclaimed tho driver. "He'll got
darned little to eat from my wagon. I drive
a garbage cart,"
rnHE Bryn Mawr horse show recalls a aim
X. ilar event in New York held somo years
ago. Tho cream of American show horses
woro entered. Society flocked to Madison
Square Garden as nt.ver before.
Down In the old Jefferson Market Court
house, S'xth avenue and Ninth btreot, on
the top floor, Is the ofllco of a paper box
manufacturer with a keen sense of practical
humor. So it was not surprising that ho
should tako advantage of the horse show to
play a trick on worldly-wlso New York.
First of all, ho bought a discardod car horse,
one that had drawn a Chambers street ark
for somo twonty-odd vears. Then he sent It
to his stablo to be fattened up. Js'ost ho
groomed it for tho show by feodlng It oats,
intorspersod with ginger, sleeked its coat
with crude oil, tied a beautiful blue ribbon
to its tall, which had been lengthened with
artificial hair, and then entered it as Pull
deear Orphan, by Metropolitan (tho name of
tho street cor lino which had onco owned tho
animal), out of Bolls.
And that horso, ridden by Brian C.
Hughes' daughter, won third prize,
BltAPPORP.
CUWQSITY SI1QP
A Sabbath day's journoy was estimated at
7ti furlongs, or 1650 yards. The Rabbins
flsed it at 8000 cubits, or 1350 yards. Ja
sephus guys that tho Mount of Ohvea was
flve stadia, or 625 paces, from Jerusalem,
which would make the allowable Sabbath
day's Journey about I050yards,
The Hindu system of mythology has a
lioll so comprehensive that Us nethermost
realms have never been measuicd or even
described. Naraka is the generic name, Tho
Parana gives 2$ divisions of Naraka, besides
which, we are told, "there arc hundreds and
thousand of others in vvhhh sinners pay tho
penally of their i rimes."
The Lover's Lr ..p, to which Bjron refers
lu "Don Juan,' i in utility Lcuvadias ro it.
a promontory on the southern extietnity of
tho island vttl." j ut in the loniar St-i '
Sappho, the t-AMess, is said to have leaped i
Into the sea from this rock because of unre-
qultcd love. At tho annual festival of
Apollo a criminal was hurled from tho rock.
Various living birds woro fastened to him to
brenk his fall, and If ho survived, freedom
was his.
Colonel Blood, a dlsrcputablo and cast-off
member of Cromwell's party, seized tho Duke
of Ornvond'n conch on December G, 1GT0 and
carried the Duko to Tyburn to hang him.
Tho Duko esenped through the aid of friends.
On May f) of tho following year Blood tried
to steal tho crown Jewels from tho Tower.
For neither of theso offenses was ho pun
ished. Thero is more than ono "City of Palaces"
Rome, which was converted from a city of
brick huts Into a "city of palaces" by
Agrlppa; modern Paris; Calcutta, with Its
splendid European residences. Edinburgh Is
sometimes given tho title.
IN A SPIK1T OF HUMOR
DONE IN PHILADELPHIA
The Knock Subtle.
A certain man makes lints and In them
advertises as follows: "New Yotk and big
cities."
Yes, Who?
We do not like McOraw to win,
And yet 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 foemon die,
Who'll tako tho place of Mathowson
To toll us why?
And Matty's famous' yearly song,
Tills year for Boston who shall sing,
To tell the pltcheis how to foil
F. Baker's swing?
Easy Money
Threo minor political workcts whose party
lost an election found it necessary to do
something to keep the wolf away and ap
plied to tho boss. He got them work as con
ductors on tho local trolley line.
Some weeks later one of the threo hap
pened into the car barn nfter his run nnd
found his two pals dancing about In high
glee.
"Whnssa matter?" ho asked.
"Tomorrow's payday," chorused his' friend..
"Payday holy smoke, do wo get that, too?"
A Kindred Feeling
Fighting aboard ship nowadays, with at
tacks from beneath the sea and from abovo
tho 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
rend so much about?"
"It is a method by which a man convinces
himself of the falsity of something vHch
ho knows is not true."
Our ro-ilion i Impregnable.
Say that our jokes are shy of point
And our verse is lame nnd halt;
Spot, if you will, and show the world
Our eveiy slip and fault.
Rant at our stuff in sheer disgust,
E'en to the 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 tho Ice-bound shores of tho Arctic Sea
To tho glades of Zanzibar; ,
That we, alono ot a horde of bards,
Hold not a line in store,
Nor have wo written a single lino
Of verso about the war.
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 the fire lie
would put the tiro out. Life.
MANY of tho big events In tho world's
history como lo America first from an
unexpected quarter and In an Irresponsible,
mysterious manner. I recall that a week
boforo wo received tho official account of tho
result of Dewey's battlo In Manila Bay, a
brief dispatch enmo from Paris to tho effect
that tho battlo had been fought, and tho
American fleet had not lost a single Vessel.
Tho astonishing character ot tho informa
tion mado most pcoplo loath to believe lt
until a week later, when tho regular dis
patches from correspondents verified tho
fact.
How did Paris recolvo tho first word? It
has always been suspected that lt got It
from Spain boforo Dewoy could cut tho
cable. And this appears to bo tho only
reasonnblo theory.
THE first roport that tho Treaty of Ghent
had been completed and pcaco estab
lished with Great Britain reached Phlladcl
phla In a most mysterious mnnner and fully
a week boforo Washington had ofllclal ad
vices. As wtf expect to celebrate tho cen
tennial anniversary of the conclusion of tho
peace of Ghent this year, this llttlo known
story mny bo of Interest now.
Tho treaty was signed on Christmas Eve,
1814, but sailing vessels did not cross tho
Atlantic In those days with tho speed of
modern 'ocean liners, and thero was neither
cable nor wireless to transmit tho nows,
However, early In tho year 1815 a mysterious
stranger called upon President Madison at
Washington one evening and brought him
tho news.
That night this samo mysterious stranger
sent a letter to John Blnns, who published
tho Democratic Press In this city, giving
him the samo news. Probably no modern
newspaper owner would have done what
Blnns did. Any newspaper receiving such
Important news today would Instantly got
out nn extra edition, for tho whole country
was waiting patiently for word that peaco
had been concluded.
B
LIT Blnns, not knowing from whom tho
news came, and fearing that It was a
minor Intended to Influence prices of cotton,
rice and other home products, hesitated. Tho
letter, which was anonymous, reached tho
editor one morning. He read it nnd then
medltntcd upon his next step. He feared
that tho information was so important that
it would be risky to consult any person as
to his next stojj. lie had visions ot a specu
lator booming the prices ot somo home
products or cnuslng a fnll in tho prices of
those Imports such as tea, sugar, coffee and
other goods which hud been laid away In
large quantities by somo of our long-headed
merchants.
No person in Philadelphia had received
even a suggestion of the news. Blnns mado
It his business to mix among men likely to
have heard such a report, but no one ap
proached him with rumors of that kind. Late
In the afternoon, however, ho sent the let
ter to tho Merchants' Coffee House, and had
it placed in the coffee houso 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
and rice. Tho merchants were readier to
accept the news than was Blnns. He printed
the nows In his paper the next day.
PRESIDENT MADISON received the news
In the same manner and spirit. One eve-
I ning a person, not known in Washington,
Of Cnnrsc
Barney Plielan, Father Henley's servant. Presented himself at tho President's House.
was celebrated for his ready wit. One day
while lie was .serving a dinner, one of tho
guests snid to him: "Barney, why is my
anklo placed between my calf and my foot?"
"Begorra, I dumio," leplled Barney; "unless
it is to keep your calf from eatin' your corn."
Boston Transcript.
The Impossible
War has been able to do everything except
push the pretty girl from the front cover of
tho popular magazine. Chicago Herald.
Health Hint
Never sing tho "Marseillaise" at a German
picnic. Cincinnati Enquirer.
A Cubist Poem
(Composed by Celeata l.eona Goble, of Tepptr-
toun, Ind.)
A year ago, on Labor Day, (Sept. 7, 1913),
thero came an awful whack,
A thousand fiery thunderbolts nearly scooted
the burn off tho track:
The lightning a board off sent, part of It In
the sorghum patch
If tho lightning burned tho barn down, we
would have to dig and scratch.
Tho lightning hit the top nnd ran to the
ground;
I think thnt barn must be sound.
Mrs, Gubie and her daughter were the only
ones at home,
Tho absent one had Just started in tho good
old road to roam;
Tho absent ono had gono to see her old
friend, Blancho Medd,
When she heard that loud clap of thunder
and wondered If tho lightning struck my
old cat Ted.
Tho Lord kept the barn from burning
Ho kept the barn from burning because Ho
loves 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 mo you
tnarrying? Exchango.
What's in a Name
It must be diulcult to find a prouder man
than Grant B- Peacock, tho Princeton golfer
who beat Champion Ouimet S up and 1 to
play at Oreonwlch. New York Sun.
ON SOMK HUMAN BONES
(Found on a Headland in the Bay of Panama,)
Vague SJvstery hanss on all theso desert places;
The fear which hath no name hath wrought
a spell;
Strength, courage, wrath, have been nnd left
no trait;
Thoy eamo, and lied; but wbliher? Who can
tell?
We know but that tlw weiethat once, in days
When ocean was a bar 'twist man and man,
Stout spirits wondered o'er those capes and
bays
And perished where these river waters ran.
Methlnks they should have built some mighty
tomb
Whooe granite might endure the century's
Cold winter, and tho sharp night winds, that
boom
Like spirits in their purgatorial palp.
They loft, 'tis said, their proud, unburled bone3
To wliiteii hi i liis unacknowledged shore;
Vet naught bekide tho recks and worn eca.
stones
ffovv answei to the great Pacific's roar.
A mountain fctaml where Agamemnon died,
Vud I'heop liutii dt uvud eternal fame
li. aus.1 he made hU tomb u plj.ee ot pride,
.iiid there the ibail iUtv-IU eurmd u name
Hut these they vanished as the lightnings die,
'fUeir rT'isrtii-f!i "Vi H, tin arrjIghirU earth,
And ! we l:no-vrti , i-d rnc Uh the sljv
V.I' t lr-ora per li -U li r, ik r whence their
birth.
-Srtio WdtUr Prec'tr la th Sprlsiflttd RtpuMlSftn.
tL .n 'Jgi
He was met by Madison's private secretary,
Edward Coles, afterward tho second Gover
nor of Illinois, who listened to the strang
er's story. The private secretary asked tho
stranger to remain seated until ho carried
his messago to tho President. Tho latter
was much surprised at both the information
and the method by which it was brought to
him, and then told Coles to admit to him
the mysterious courier. Madison wanted to
have a look nt the man, and to dotermlno
If ho 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, tho President
seemed satisfied, yet no information on tho
subject camo from the President's House
until the confirming official dispatch arrived
somo days later, by which time the news
had already penetrated through a large part
of tho country.
BINNS, who relates tho Incident In his
recollections, declared that ho rover was
able 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 the winter of 1S15,
In view of how the nows of the pence of
Ghent was first given to the American pub
llo through the agency of a Philadelphia
newspaper, Dame Rumor may not be so
faithless a jade. Whllo It is a good plan to
bo wary of talcs of a surprising character,
lt docs not necessarily follow that all ru
mors aro untrue, no matter how extraordi
nary they may appear. Big news does not
always como flrht from tho fountain head.
GRANVILLE.
The Ethics of Sniping
Trom the Boston Transcript.
"Snipln?" is a comparatively recent addition
U. tho red lexicon of war. Originally or on its
first appearance it .signified shooting from am
bush or at a great distance, a soldier under
this definition might be a sniper. Tho current
definition, however, apples only to civilians who
take part In lighting and are theieforo not ei.
glide to tho consideration accorded to those
who fight in uniform an members of n rec-og-ulzed
military organization. Though the word
may bo new the action it describes is very old
Sniping can be traced far back In history. It
existed when organized armies were few and
very small, and by the commanders of old
times was regarded as simply one of the risks
of war. Snipers were not worse than any other
fighters m the era boforo the war became a
profession apait. The defenders of Jerusalem
ugalnft tho Iloman legions were almost with
out exception in tho category of Bnlpers. The
men and women who manned the walls of Sara
gosea lo relntorce Its scanty garrison subjected
themselves to the Jcx tallonls.
THE IDEALIST
Can you "think on your feet"? By which
I do not necessarily mean, Can you
Stand up and make a speech, without
previous notification, on any given subject
Those thut excel In the art of quickly think
ing out a situation and putting It in a sys
tematic order of presentation do not always
como 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 heating of the wisdom of his atti
tude without saying a word
One duy u. high official of the police de
partment came tearing down one of our prln
clpal streets in a carriage. At an Intersectlng
street hts horse grew unruly Just at the
moment , trolley car nassed mid in m,
I fusion jjke motorman attempted to run his
I car ouof the horse's course. Ho fleurod
wrong, for Instead ho caused tlto car In
tho carriage a substantial loll. nvi
According to precedent, the policeman
tho corner, under tho patronago of hi. , i?
perlor In the carriage, should have fori i. J?.'
hurled Btrong verbal hot-Shot at tlia mn!!!1
man. But ho did nothing of the sort WV
no took tno horse by tho bridle, turnwi' vi
head around In tho right direction and H
cd him off. Then ho waved to tho motors,
to proceed down tho street. And ho had Tm
spoken a word, "ol
You see the point. "Thinking on yourfrt.
Is really a matter of koeplng your head u
tho midst or excitement. It Isn't SDok
words that aro essential. It is the thouirhtt
nnd actions thnt a calm, coot polso promnt!
In you. . PW
VIEWS OF READERS
ON TIMELY TOPICS
Contributions That Reflect Public Opin.
ion on Subjects Important to City
State nnd Nation.
i
To the Editor of the Evening Ledger!
Sir As a newcomer to Philadelphia, i Watll
to express my satisfaction with a novel feauin
ot your city, Its one-way street car lines. At
first they tyay bo a llttlo hard to learn, though
the straight streets and right angled corneri
greatly simplify the matter. But tho singular
vnluo of your arrangement of routes spema t
bo tho way lt facilitates trnfllc. Tho cati (1
move much moro swirtiy nnd 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" n0r
'dead." U Pi
Philadelphia, September 2D, 1014.
ANY PROFIT IN " BUYING A BALE"?
To tho Editor of the Evening Ledger!
Sir I wish some Southern reader ot th
Evenwo LCDOEn would bo good enough to .
plain how the purchaser of n bale of cotton it
going to profit, or oven how ho is going to
"break oven?" I hear it said that ho enn kep
tho cotton in storago nnd sell lt nt an advanw
next year. But by that time, lt seems to m,
another new crop Is going to drive tht
prlco down instead of up. Am I right? And It i'l
I am ngnt, vvliy not can tho "buy-a-bale"
movement a legltlmato charity and not try tt
maltc people think lt is a profitable philan
thropy' H. It. BUSKINS.
Philadelphia, September 23, 1911.
JUSTICE FOR VILLA
To the Editor of the Evening Ledger:
Sir I am glad to see the entire fairness ilth
which you trcnt Frnnclsco Vllln. Other papra
label him on every occasion with all posslblj
derivatives of "thief," and "bandit," while )ou
inquire only into the sincerity with which hi
backs what seem excellent prnclples. Certainly
Mexico will never ho nt pcaco so long as an
officer of the army is In the saddle. Villa
knows that, and ho 16 trying to eliminate all
soldiers, himself as much as Carrann. In such
a work ho should have the sympathy of every
American. C K. H.
Capitlen, September 2S, 1314.
SARCASTIC IN REGARD TO PENROSE
To the Editor of the Evening Ledger:
Sir I am hentt and soul for Boles renrc.se.
Senator Penrose Is a gentleman sul generis, He
h a professional office-seeker, and a profes
hlonnl 13 always more competent than an araa.
teur.
Tou abuse the Senator for adhering to th
machine. But this Is the day of machinery.
Why, in fiomo States they havo voting ma
chines. I understand that in this Stale tin
machine 1ms done the voting whenever ncccs
snrv, but ibis may not be true after all
THUOPHRASTUS CLPTTEHUUCK.
Philadelphia. September 23, 1SH.
A NEW COLLEGE DEGRFE FOR PENR0SB
To the Editor of the Evening Ledger:
Sir The colleges give honoiary degrees each
spring. If a few moro men like Penrose (Har
vard, 'SD develop his fallings, their alma maters
will have to join us In administering the sort
of dlshonorary degrees that the State of Pcnn.
sylvania Is going to bestow on Penrose and Ml
crowd this fall. ALBERT WELT.
Philadelphia, September 2"J, 1911.
Ferocious Pacificists
From the Springfield Republican.
It Is strange to find some of the fiercest ad.
vocutes of a tight "to tho finish" among the
udvor-ates of peace, yet the reason is simple
enough. When an English exponent of pacific
ism Is found demanding that Germany muJt
bo crushed, and Its Emperor, perhaps, sent to
St. Helena, what seems like vindlctiveness h
explains as really due to a desire for peace.
This must be the last war. To make sure g!
it Europe must destroy militarism, and to de
stroy militarism it is necessary to destroy Get
many. It is simple logic, as simple as that of
Torquemada, and those who apply it do not
think of themselves as Inhuman, or recognize
their likeness to the ferocious Cato the censor,
with his Carthaglnem esse delendam.
Banning a Bane
From Mis Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle.
School is on in tho big cities of the East And
"vvai" in school has been tnbooed. In Phila
delphia the acting superintendent of the sclioole,
Doctor Brumbaugh being busy on the hustings,
lias banned all war discussions, all geographical
studies pertaining to tho battle lines nnd all
nairatives of thrilling experiences had M
teachers before their flight as refugees TnU
Is sound procedure.
Playing Both Ends
From tha Springfield Union,
Tlio Krupps have contributed 1,000,000 marl!
to tho Red Cross fund, but their contribution
in cannon nnd the ammunition that providi
vvoik for tho Red Cross run up into the hun
dreds of millions of marks.
Model Mnltliusianism
Trom the New York world.
How Malthus would havo delighted In thu
war, cheery old soul!
NATIONAL POINT OF VIEW
It Is to bo hoped that lt Is not too lat
for tho Mexican factions to get together and
prevent a fresh carnival of blood. New Or
leans State.
The most Intelligible complaint of the Ger
man sympathizers in this country Is l"at 0UJ
newspapers print too much war news obtalnM
fiom EiiglUh and French tources -New Yor
Times
No sensiblo or fair-minded person wants W
havo the railroads oppressed and crippled mere
ly because some railroad directors have Ix"
remiss or unfaithful and some railroad prslJ
dt-nts have been overnmbltlous -Sprlngnsw
(Mass.) Union.
When Congress meets next winter, i'
should make a careful effort to revise tej
patent laws. Our present patent faJslem",Ti
become an aid to trusts, both foreign "
domestic, a check to Inventors, and a mar
vcloua promoter of lawsuits. Chicago Jeui
nal.
Secretary McAdoo Is acting most com
mendably In beginning a movement "J
bringing to time national banks which m
I.a ..111.,.- ,,, nnnDMuanrv M.SorVPg 10 l11! -
be piling up unnecessary reserves in
lo'
vaults while refusing legitimate requests to
loans or which may be taking advantage
prevuiiiiiK vuuuiiiuuB m vii,f, ---
terest rates. Los Angeles Express
Unlike John W. Orlggs, counsel for J'4''
conl Wireless Company, President AMIspn " '
was a Mark llaniu Attorney General of
United States, but ho happens lo be v
mander-ln-Uhief of the army and nv.
his Interpretation of the law bearing upon r
communication with belligerents Is likely to P"
vail. New Yoik World.
Minister Pezet. of Peru, believes n,'. .J
that lack of good Amerlcun salesraanswp
South America Is the principal cause
failure to compete successfully with bweir
tho past, but that, unless we improve our
manshlp. even the European war win -- ,. ,
able us to get and keep South American u i
uBurKsion nws ana muxjw.