EYENIH& LEDGER-PHILADELPHIA tfBIDAY. PBBBtJABYJlL1015i.
Stanting &w& ffitftser
PUBLIC tfDCER COMPANY
CVRU8 H. K CCnflB, FeIdsM,
irtc H lAntineten. VictPn-lldinti John . kUrtln,
';rrlrr nit Treunrri I'hlllp 8, Colllm, John B,
Wiihti, bltrettitn
EDITOIUAtfEOAttDl
Citv It, K. ccstt., Chlrmn.
fr. It. tyiMtCtT ., ..Cufeutlvt lMlter
JOHN" O J1AUT1N .Un6ral HutlntM Mansr
...i. i "' im i "i '.h'ii
fubllshKl dolly t ftM-lo Lttottt Building,
lnJipfn'Inc Stuart, Philadelphia.
Linos CenjjUl., ....... .'. .riroaJ and Chestnut Struts
Atuntic t"iTi . i.. frtss-tnlou Bnllt'!r.
I tone i 170-A. Metropolitan Tower
VniCKSQ., ,. 81T Hon-. Insurant Building
lAKMH. ,.,.,.,.. Waterloo Place, Tall Mall, B. Vf.
nwsBunEAL'si
ftititn BnitiuB Tim ratrlot nutldlra;
Wmiumito nt'nut; ....... . . . Th rosMtuiiciiiiK
New Tons: Rcniuu ... . ....The Tlim-i Hull'llns-
rtaat.tK Homo .....no Frledrlchitra
roM nmrtu. 2 Pall Mall Gait. 4, W.
Ptiti llvaiuq . .32 ltua Louli ie tlrand
SUDSchlrTlO.NTEnMS
lr carrier. DjttTONW, lx cent, tlr mall. pontpaM
fuiald. of Philadelphia, rxctpt nhi" fnrelcn postane
required, Dtir.r OM.t, cine month twenty-nve. renta,
Diii.t Oxr.T, nn tear, three dollara. All mall auli
acrlptlona payabla In advance
BEIX. 8000 VMHVT KnSTOME.AI.XS00O
XT JKtdrnu all romt.iunlcatlonj to JttcnOtp
Zttgtr, tndrprtidtMc Square, PMtadtlthh.
MTmoxTTilK niitiDELrntA rosTorttcit as con
ct.is Mitt, mnrn.
.... A-r.t.H..A. hltAl, H.IHlLAUl I'-), ltfll..
The man who strives to make himself iikIj-
pensahie distracts Ms attention from
the more Important task of
making Ms irorfc
perfect.
In Process of Bctrnynl
TT BEING pointed out to Charles Seger
that his transit ordinance provided for
three miles of elevated railroad In nn ad
jacent farming district Instend of rnpld
transit for the people of Philadelphia, he re
plies, "It will develop the undeveloped lnnd."
John P. Connelly remarks that ho Is
against the delivery loop. That is why, no
doubt, he and his commltteo only a few
Weeks ago recommended and approved an
appropriation of $600,000 wherewith to re
locate sewers preparatory to the construc
tion of the delivery loop. Without the loop
every dollar of that J500.000 will be ns ab
solutely wasted as If It were thrown Into
the Atlantic Ocean.
John P. Connelly and his committee either
betrayed Philadelphia when thoy put thnt
half-million of public money aside for the
relocation of sewers or they are now betray
ing Philadelphia when they undertake to
provent the achievement of the thing for
which that money was appropriated.
John P, Connelly, speaking1, ho says, for
his committee. In an official statement to
Councils, says:
During Jlie consideration of the Legisla
ture In 1313 of the passage of the act mak
ing pergonal property assessable for rlty
purpose. It was distinctly understood that
the purpose of the act was to provide money
for transit facilities. The Director of the
Department of City Transit, In all his re
ports, lias figured the increased revenue to
the city from the passage of this act as an
offset to the expense of carrying transit
loans.
Tour committee, therefore, deem It Inad
visable at this time to authorize any loan
except the $,000,000 based on personal
property tax for any purposes other than
city transit, thus keeping faith with the
intention expressed to the Legislature by
the city of Philadelphia.
A week ago John P. Connelly advnnced
the proposition that to use $30,000,000 of the
$40,000,000 borrowing capacity conferred by
the personal property tax for transit alono
would be an outrage and indefensible. Vet
here be was yesterday taking the absolutely
opposite ground that tho good faith of tho
city was pledged to the use of all of that
money for transit purposes specifically.
Why thp change? To explain, of course,
tho Introduction Into the ordinance of tho
words "based on the assessed valuation of
taxable personal property." It Is Impossible
to reach any other conclusion than that this
expression was brought forth In the hope,
through It, later to Institute legal proceed
ings for the purpose of securing Inexcusable
delay.
Possibly Mr. Connelly, If he deems it of
sufficient Importance, may be able to ex
plain hi? contrariety of view to the satisfac
tion of his friends. But the fact stands out
that whatever his view waa yesterday or
whatever It Is today, In each and every case
It Is hostile to the cause of transit, favorable
to delay and shot through and through with
such probable effects that no good citizens
can put their confidence In It or view It
with anything but suspicion. It need not
be wondered at that the public suspects the
activity of ulterior Interests which In soma
manner or other demand from certain of
ficials a fealty greater than that they give
the public,
John P. Connelly said a week ago that he
objected to being put In a corner and shot
at like a rat, lie haa been put In no cor
ner. Ills actions are his own. If from them
he derives a sense of humiliation and shame,
if ho feels like a rat In the corner. It la not
the public fault. But (ha public seldom
errs In pointing- its finger In the right direc
tion when It feels that tho time has come
to fasten Ignominy on those who have
earned, it.
Whether John P. Connelly Is responsible
or Charles Seger. or the master, who has
gone to Florida, to select a Mayor for Phila
delphia, or some other men or Interests,
one fact stands out. It la that the
tnte,rt f Philadelphia are In process of
betrayal. It is that the citizens are being
TOoeJtedi that they are being handed over
wnijrtU4 lq the transit companyj that a
yisfflu and, malicious group is intent on pre,
-rattier KnUB And economical transit in
Fkaitlgala, that it Iir being planned to re
4 friyMihiJe frauds ef parage nlon
tMt i.iitri w the oUy jmUIUmi f wa.
ant tt, ( which tt l tii paylnif divj.
siwsd, ijuu ifea iwiigt-yedf proved ta,
maM, t VBim & i s auwly
.aMWi.'tstt and toflcfHwOilf M a rdM the
presumption of f re ml uia lead to surmises
In ordinary conversation as to who Is geHlnsr
profit out of the transaction, through specu
lation or otherwise.
It Is up lb the peoplo of Philadelphia. The
facts arc plain. The betrayal Is not veiled.
. Politics Is revealed nt Us pinnacle of reck
I lessnees and Arrogant audacity. Tho men
'who are responsible for tlio fraud are known.
! The ham-slrlnglng of the city can yet be pre.
vented. Tho municipal highwaymen inn bo
routed out, Coilnclltncii can be compelled to
vote straight. It Is n time for direct nctlon
by the people, for popular demonstrations,
for nil assemblage In forco at Council Cham
bers. If this vile Infamy, this trading oft of
Philadelphia': Interests and rights, Is suc
cessful, clt zctiB may blame themselves and
know that they are properly represented In
Councils. They have It In their power to get
what they deserve and they are sure to de
servo what they get.
What Underlies the Diplomatic Notes
ABHIKF consideration of the underlying
facts mny bo helpful In bringing about a
clear understanding of tho lssuus Involved
In tho diplomatic i orrrspointence with Ger
many and Great Britain.
Germany Is cut off from the rest of the
world by Urltlih command of the sea. The
Urltlsh Btmtfgy 1 directed nt the present
time to reducing the whole German Empire
to siege conditions, ns the Germans beBlegcd
Parts In 1S70 and 1871. Food Is to be con
traband, and the right to stop till food ships
bended for German ports is msiiieii uii
the British. They Insist that they are Justi
fied In this course because the German Gov
ernment has seized all grain supplies and Is
controlling their distribution In order to
conserve them for the use of the army. Food
ships bound for Germany may thus contain
provisions for both civilians and the army,
but it is Impossible to discriminate. So all
outside food Is to be shut off If possible.
Germany, on the other hand, hns decided
to prevont tho British from getting muni
tions of war from neutral countries. Tho
only avallabln and effective Weapon that she
has Is the submarine. Therefore, she hns
warned the world that all neutral ships enter
n certain war zono nt their peril, as she Is
about to attack the merchant shipping of
the enemy In order to prevent supplies from
abroad reaching the hostile armies.
Tho contending nations are using the
weapons nt their hand. Our Interest lies
only in protecting American citizens and
their trade with tho rest of the world from
harm while the combatunts are brandishing
their swords. The British and German notes
give us opportunity enough to make trouble
for ourselves if wo are seeking It. Neither
shows proper respect to our protest ngalnBt
Interference with American shipping or
ngalnst tho misuse of the American flag. We
can stickle for our rights on the high sens
and Insist that the North Sea, which tit pres
ent Is really a lake between hostile nations,
Is the high sea, or we can recognize the fact
that when contending nations are using the
Implements of modern warfare which have
practically annihilated time and distance, old
rules Iobb their force and necessity makes
new laws.
It Is a time for calmness and deliberation
lest we be drawn Into tho maelstrom. And
this Is so, even though tho German note mny
subject Germany to the charge of disregard
ing all the laws of civilization and the Brit
ish note may be truculent and insulting. The
Washington Government must keep Its head,
whoever else loses his.
Best Way to Help the Unemployed
TIE way to relieve unemployment, as Hor
ace Greely said of the resumption of
specie payments. Is to relievo it. The Even
ing IjicuaEn Is printing dally about three
columns of advertisements of men, women,
boys and girls In need of work whose merit
and desert have been Investigated by the
Emergency Aid Committee, the Society for
Organizing Charity or the Juvenile Workers'
Bureau. About all trades are represented,
but mnny of the skilled workers offer them
selves to do any kind of labor In order lo
provide food for those dependent on them.
In a large number of cases there Is Illness
In the family, and there are many old women
needing sewing or knitting or similar work
In order to enable them to maintain them
selves. If any one can read the advertisements
without wishing that ho could employ every
nppllcant he Is lacking In bowels of com
passion. While It Is Impossible for any busi
ness man or for any family to find work for
all, thero is senrcely a family In comfortable
circumstances thnt could not find work for
some of those willing to do sewing, cabinet
work, upholstering or any kind of work
about the house and grounds. And there Is
scarcely n factory or machine shop which
could not make a placo for one or two men
In nn emergency such as this, so that the
dally wage might lift the families of the
unfortunate from the slough of despond.
It Is easy to give money to the Emergency
Aid Committee to relieve those who could
not work If the opportunity offered, but It is
much wiser philanthropy to give work to
those willing to do it, even though a period
of unemployment and short rations, with tho
accompanying dlicouragement, may have
lessened the efficiency of the workers.
The Crown Prince WJlhelm Is still at largo
In the South Seas, as well as on the Conti
nent. Not to be out of fashion we have a little
war of qur own with the Piute Indians In
Colorado.
The Senators may now make up their lost
sleep. Consideration of tho ehlp bill has
been postponed until February 27.
The Allies are proving thajt when U comes
to doing stunts in the air the Germans do
not Hnow it all.
Who objects to having1 the prlrT dress
gklrtB stop short five . inches, above the
ankle? This is hlah enough to keep them
from dragging on the sidewalk In rainy
weather.
Weather Prophet Grover, of Missouri, said
more than two weeks ago that there would
be a change of weather yesterday. Ho Is a
good, prophet, for the change arrived, H
says thera will be another change on March
IT, W9h ?"t t or .
1$ ought not to have been neeefaary fop
the President to tell the committee of
women, who asked him to put an embargo
an tae shipment of munitions of war, that
(lift prohibition Would be n unneutral act.
Taa vomm ought to save Known it tberri-
sJvs
RUMANIA'S WORD
ABOUT THE WA!R
Not Tnking Sides nt Present nnd Not
Worrying About the Food Supply.
In tho Spring She May Join the
Allies.
By VANCE THOMPSON
I WAS dining ntono In ti restaurant. At the
right-hand table to mine was n tall man
with thick bltiLl: hair nnd very while teeth.
Ho smiled at mo as confidentially ns thotlgh
Wo were Intimate friends as though wo had
been Witnesses In tho snme dlvoreo suit or
p1ned bltllanls In the snmo club.
Thru 1 remembered. The last time I saw
hltn was In 1913; ho was playing bnccarat
In the new' Casino nt Constanzn. We had
lind food and drink and worda together; nnd
later we Journeyed together crammed In a
third-class carriage to Bucharest. As tho
mobilization was on there was only ono train
a day, and we had amplo time to get to know
each other before our Journey was done.
So I got up nnd took my coffee to his table
this was last night and onco moro wo had
words together.
"What brings you here?" I asked.
"Not the music," ho said; a Hungarian
orchestra was ptnylng while tho diners dined.
Ho had left Rumania it few days boforo
Christmas nnd had come by way of Greece
and Italy. Ho had not seen nny fighting.
Bulgaria was quiet, but tho entrance of Tur
key Into the war hud stirred up a great deal
of the anti-German feeling. "After nil for
all the Unlknn States Turkey Is tho enemy."
"t thought the Bulgailans were your ene
mies," I said; "It's less than two years ngn
that t saw your nrmy along the Danube and
the Bulgarian was the enemy that day."
"That was nn nimy, eh?" he said proudly.
Fast Bridfro-bulldinjr
And indeed It was; only 13 contingents
were called to tho colors that is, tho nrmy
wtis made up of men from 20 to 33 yenrs of
age; and of these 120,000 wero sent home.
The army that went forward was composed
of 480,000 men. In other words, In 10 days
the little State of llumunla, wlt.i 7,000,000 In
habitants, could mobilize nearly fiOO.OOO
trained and capable soldiers. The 12th dny
this army crossed the Danube, at two places,
on bridges tho engineering corps had con
structed In seven hours, When you bear In
mind that the Danube Is, nt theso points,
about 1200 yards across, the feat does not
seem trivial,
"Who is tho enemy now?" 1 nsked.
"Turkey, first and always, then Austria,
then Germany," he answered.
"And loyalty to your Hohenzollern King?"
"Wo nie nil loyal. Wo recognize nil our
Kings have dono for Ilumanla. But this Is
not a dynastic question. And we like to
think that our new King, Ferdinand, Is less
a German than a Rumanian. He Is not likely
to risk his throne and thnt of Piinco Carol,
who Is n true Rumnulnn born and bred for
the sake of helping the house of Hohenzol
lern." "But nt present you nie neutral," 1 said;
"you extend tho cold, moist hand of neu
trality." When King Carol Dared
"Even when I loft," the man from Bumnnla
replied, "the feeling was anything but neu
tral. You see, after nil, wo are Latins sous
of tho Qulrites. Our sympathies nre with
Franco and Italy. In spite of our German
Kings tho culture of court and country has
always been Intln. But as a matter of fact,
public opinion does not count much in Ilu
manla. It was tho King old King Carol
who made the Inst war. Uo did not even ask
the advice of Parliament. Tho troops wero
across the frontier over the Danube before
the ehnmbers were called together for the
first time. Ho kept tho Senators and Depu
ties in session until they had passed tho war
measures ho wanted; thou he sent them
home. But I doubt if his successor would
dare to take such summary measures. Wo
have gained a little in democracy in the last
two years. And these Kings especially tho
Gorman Kings of tho Balkans are moro
circumspect today."
"Would the people refuse to follow him If
King Ferdinand declared for tho German-Austrla-Turklsh
sldo?"
"There is not even a chance that Bumnnla
should take any side save that of the Allies,"
the Rumanian explained.
"Is there no feclfng against Russia?"
"AVhy should thero bo? In fact it is to
Russia that wo owe our Independence. In
aiding Russia to beat the Turks we gained
our own freedom from Turkish vassalage at
the battle of Plevna. And this independence
was guaranteed us by the treaty a momen
tous scrap of paper signed at Berlin In 1878
by Germany, England, Austria. France, Itnly,
Russia nnd Turkey. Wo aro grateful to Rus
sia. To her wo owo our national existence.
And we are grateful to France, who has
given us her art, literature and science. Of
this you may be sure: Rumania will never
draw the aword against the Allies,"
"And for them?"
"I think we will have to go In, Tho action
of Albania and that means Turkey, the
eternal enemy Is making It necessary."
Having said theso things the Rumanian
(did I mention tle fact that he Is 'a dis
tinguished publicist?) talked of the food
problem.
"It Is only by way of Rumania that food
can be got into Austria and Hungary and
Oermany. That fact explains the tremon
dous pressure which has been brought to'
bear upon us why Germany has sought bo
earnestly for our neutrality, at least. It Is
probably true that we have been lotting Bul
garia send through supplies. And I lnow
that troops and ammunition for the Turks
have been sent through both Rumania and
Bulgaria. So far as Rumania Is concerned
this has been stopped. What remains Is the
Important fact that we are the great Brain
country of the southeast of Europe, Of
course, Bulgaria Is rich, but remember Bul
garia la a land of small peasant proprletpra.
Each peasant has his little peld, o the
orop are handled In a prlmliive manner. In
eur country there ere great estates of tena
of thousands of acres fields such as you
havejn your ereat Nprthwestv Ygu have
een how w plow these great fijldf"
Vea, I hac; seen; two logomotlves go out;
they are about G00 yards apart; and be
tween them la stretched a.ateei cable which
haul the huge llve-shaer plough that shut
tie across the field. Th,U fori 0 plough
eosU nearly 19.009. but J plow about
three acre an hour. The feeorooUvea, by the
way, bum etraw. "
"Well, as you know, we have wheat. And
In a country such aa oor the mobilization
of half a million men makes no difference.
We set the cropa tn Ju! tt name. Borne of
i the younger men have oae to war that t
all. Take n typical village. Say thero nre
S00 families. With four In n family that
will mnko 3200 Inhabitants. Now the mili
tary contingent is 260 men you sco it docs
not cripple the work, which Is largely dono
by modern farm machinery. That Is why
Rumania looks forwnrd, without dread, to
taking her share In this war of freedom. Sho
less thnn nnv nthnr nntlnn has to fenr an
economic crisis. Wheat will grow and tho
machines will reap it. Moreover, our peas
ants are a sober folk. They drink water, and
the chief staple of food Is Tndlnn meal
beans, too, furnish a kind of meal. We have
largo quantities of grain for export to our
friends, thnt Is. Our crops nre usually In
by July, f.nst year everything was har
vested, I think, early In thnt month."
Liberty on a Plate
"And then?"
"I do not think wo shall wait until then.
If the people of Rumania have their way
they will throw 13 full contingents that is
600,000 men Into the war as soon ns the snow
molts In tho mountains. That will be early
In March. Then wo will cross the Carpa
thlan and go to the rescue of our brothers
of Transylvania, who havo long been under
the haid rule of Austro-Hungary. When
this wnr Is over," he added pleasantly, "lib
erty will be passed round tho Balkans on a
plate."
These things the man from Rumania said
ns wo smoked our pale cigars In the res
taurant. Moreover, he had Ideas about tho
war. One of them had to do with Austria.
It was this: Ho said that Austria was a prey
to Internal disputes when sho made her dec
laration of war on Servla.
"It was war abroad," said he, "or revolu
tion nt home.. A victory, even over Servla,
would have made tho dynasty safe, A little
cheap glory Is nn effective snlvo for discon
tent. Men will fight In a rotten craft they
would not go n-plcasurlng In."
Which had an nlr of wisdom.
And I enld: "You havo not answered the
first question I asked you what brings you
here? Havo you come to buy arms, ammuni
tion, flying machines, what?"
"There Is no secret about It. I've como
to buy farm machinery," he said.
"That sounds plausible."
"It Is true. We used to get your machin
ery of that sort reapers and so on through
Germany at first. Then thoy got to maklpg
them there. The war has stopped all that.
I've come over to see what you nra making
yourselves."
I don't know whether It is true or not, but
I assured him (patriotically) that for straw
burning locomotives we beat the world.
Trent Case No Precedent
From the Milwaukee Sentinel.
A London paper remarks that In view of our
own high-handed and Illegal act In the Trent
affair during tho Civil War, we Americans
might consider ourselves estopped from com
plaining of the comparatively moderate and not
Illegal British exercise of the right of search
and detention In this war.
That might be a sounder argument but for
the omission of an Important factor.
It will be remembered that the British mall
steamer Trent was forcibly stopped on the high
seas by the American war vessel Han Jacinto
and boardd by nn armed party, who seized
two paisengers, the confederate envoys, Mason
and 8lldell, who were carried as prloners to
the San Jacinto and thereafter Imprisoned In
one of the forts In Boston harbor.
Certainly a most high-handed act on the part
of that blunt sailor. Captain Wllkeg, which has
had no parallel as yet in the exercise of the
right of search for contraband In the present
war.
But It Just ob certainly forms no precedent
ngalnst our qovernment. For our Government
recognized the Illegality of the act, Pretldent
Lincoln saying: "We cannot abandon our own
principles. We shall have to give these men up
and apologl" for what we have done."
In Bhort. the United States Government wa
as ready to repair the wrong it did in the
Trent case as It was firm In claiming redress
fer the wrong It suffered In the Alabama case.
INTERCESSION
(Adapted from Arlitopban.)
O Thou that makest wars to cease In all the
world, ,
In accordance with Thine ancient name, we be-.
seech Thee,
Make war and tumult now to cease.
From the murmur and the subtlety of suspicion
with which we ves one another
dive u ret. ...
Make a new beginning. ,
And mingle again the kindred of t,he nations
in the alchemy of Love.
And with some finer essence of forbearance and
forgiveness
Temper qur mind, ,
For there shall be a new heaven $fl, a new
earth.
And men shall not remember the former ones,
Nor ehall they so much as come to mind.
But joy end gladness shall they find therein.
Alt. Nilrnt, lq ths Boston Trstucrlpt.
I. n liiij pwiM
AUTHENTIC NBWS wmu 1m FRQNT
"I'm tied that R4 Crew ehlp eud -Mil,"
Said Jack In tones of Ue.
"Hurrah for Ped Cross nwees that
U took across the sea!"
"They should have stopped the ship," said Tom,
"Because I'm. sure they'll find
The readMt, erowwt nure of bM.
s suns they've lft beWadt"
BJjutli. mtstih W, in MtusMrs,
NOW GO AHEAD I"
PIGEONS PLAY A PART IN THE WAM
European Nations Recognizing Them as an Important Branch oh
DOVK8 of pence, but pigeons of warl Tho
carrier pigeons, ns a branch of military
organization, arc centuries older than tho
aeroplane service, though they are figuring
perhaps more Importantly In the present con
flict of nations than nt any piovlous lime In
martial history. Instead of hangars, scat
tered about tho campaign area, thero am
lofts for this arm of tho fighting forco; nnd,
since pigeons belong to the ranks of nnimnte
creatures, their creaturo wants aro supplied
by a special commissary department. Thoy
aro highly esteemed by the generals. The
latest Inventions of sclonce the field tele
phone, the wireless telegraph, tho heliograph,
tho motorcycle and tho aeroplane have by
no moans robbed them of their value as dis
patch bearers.
Tho Egyptian navigators of tho time of tho
Pharoohs let tho land-folks know they were
coming home by releasing pigeons from
their ships. In the Orient the uso of homing
pigeons for carrying messages Is very an
cient. In tho 7th century tho Arabs main
tained n regular pigeon post. At the tlmo
of tho first Crusado tho Christian command
ers found that tho Saracen enemy was utiliz
ing such a mall transport for military pur
poses, so they trained falcons to ohnso and
Intercept tho messenger birds.
To and From Beleaguered Paris
Forty-four years ago, during tho slego of
Paris, homing pigeons wero again of con
spicuous scrvlco In tho exchange of wartime
communications. In that famous period 74
balloons took pigeons to Tours and qthor
points, whonee, it Is estimated, 800 messages
wero sent on wings to Doris. Somebody hns
figured it out that tho tbtnl" number of mes
sagesperhaps EO.OOO carried by tho same
means, during the Blege, would make n"
library of BOO volumes. Constant communica
tion between tho beleaguered city and the
outside world was maintained. Mlcrophoto
graphs of military dispatches, private letters
and even newspapers were exchanged. Those
communications were printed on films of col
lodion by a process developed by Barrlswlll
and Dragon. Two to three thousand char
acters could be photographed on a film two
Inches long and an inch and a half wide. Tho
messages wero read by placing them In a
stereoptlcon and throwing them on a screen.
In other wars of modern times pigeons
havo been more or less extensively used. At
the siege of Leyden In 1574 thoy proved of
great advantage to the Dutch, Unllko most
of the European nations af today, Holland
has no military pigeon system, but the Gov
ernment encourages the breeding and train
ing of these birds. When tho American fleet
was n Cuban waters waiting for tho Spanish
ships to come out of Santiago communica
tion with the land forces was partly by
means of a pigeon service. The employment
of the birds nt sea, however, has not been so
successful, generally, as on land, Tho French
have tried many experiments, in which they
found that the pigeons boro voyages well,
and would fly 300 miles or more to shore sta
tions with great accuraoy, but could not be
depended upon to go from ship to ship.
Bismarck Learns a Lesson
Bismarck, with whom preparations for war
was gospel and creed, learned from tho
enemy, among other lessons of the Franco
Prussian Wnr, the possibilities of a flying
messenger corps, Immediately after the
treaty of peace he established In Berlin a
pigeon lott for the use of the army Within
three years other military lofts had been
established at Cologne, Metz, Strassburg and
Baden. The Emperor gave prizes to encour
age the Bport of pigeon racing, and ten years
after the war there were no fewer than 178
private homing, pigeon societies in Germany
owning a total of 52,510 birds, exclusive of
the military flocks.
Haly followed the example of France and
Germany, a'here are 16 military lofts In
Italy, B In imeela, 18 in Bpaln, li in Portugal,
1 In Austria, i In Switzerland, several In
Sweden and In Denmark. These aro ante
bellum figures.
France has 38 military lofts, chiefly along
the eastern boundary, where tho fighting Is
going on. About a hundred birds aro sta
tioned at each of tho provincial points, while
In Paris there are fomethlng UKe lo.OQQ,
Throughout the country there are XM.OvO pri
vately owned homing pigeons which the
qovemnieat i empowered! by law to om
mandeer In ea e seed. The homers ren.
dered such service in the Franco-Prusslaa
war that no wonder the Trench nation has
jgreat respect far their usefulness in war.
Jn 1870 tfawe wens no military pigeons either
I in France or elewhrt, aa4 their mttetertng-
;
the Military Service In the Crusades and the Franco
Prussian War They Helped Make History.
In hnppened In this fashion. Soms cltli.r,. $
Pails owned a few carrlors, and It occurriif
to them that thev mlirlu l,n ,,tui i m$H
birds wero offered to the Government wf
prompuy accepted.
Tl,r n ... hm... -.,,. .
.... ... nomiii niiierem rnetnodi of pre.
paring and attaching the message. Tki
French write their dispatches on Btrlpi'otl
paper 3 inches wide by W inches long, trlpW
folded nnd then rolled, or else Dhatorratilii
them from manuscript on films 2 Inches loaje
oy ns, wiue. A goosenulll 1U long la In sotai
cases Bllppcd over one of tho tail featWfi
men mo message is Inserted and held K:
Place by a tiny wooden plug. Another wr
is 10 aitacn a tiny aluminum cylinder con'
tainlng the message to one leir. Some main,
tain that the best method is to use a strlool!
very thin strong paper G Inches long bv.S'
of an inch wide, which Is simply rolled ftbos
ono log nnd held In place by a rubber bind.
When a message Is attached to a tall fwthtfl
so as to annoy tho bird ho Is likely to allm
and pull tho feather out and then go on,
A Thousand Miles in 20 Days 'll
The homlnsr breed is nt lnrt-o kIza nhAiii till
lrifT rnni'flVnil tvlinn tmniin- In d1.ai4 4l,f.Mll
,of a few miles from homo and then roleajel.
tho distance belne lengthened until mil
ually tho birds aro nblo to make, swiftly in!
accurately. Journeys between widely up;
aratcd points. The longest flight ever re
cordod of a homing pigeon was that madtb
"Alabama" from Montgomery, Ala., to Ff
luvcr, Mass., In 1885. The journey of 1041
miles waa accomplished in 20 days, In uD
same yenr "Alabama" flew from Jonesbort)
Tenn., to Fall River, 715 miles, in nine d)i
These are wonderful distance records, CuB
the greater marvel Is how the bird everfoURjl
Its way home at all. This remarkable ablljirt
nf tlln linmlnf, nlfrnnn fn sffln. ita trfllfflltl'
courso has Interested scientists for year. "AJ
French savant, who after long and elabor3
study, observation and experiments, has jig
ceeded In convincing himself that the honljl
pigeon Is guided solely by Its wonder
vision. This explanation may answer In t
case of pigeons elaborately trained CTfi
gradually Increasing distances for nearly tkfl
range of tholr flight, but it falls utterly ly
Alabama's case. This pigeon never f"i
. , . . , ., .a t.17
moro man an inconsiucraoio iraeuon vi a
routo near his home before he was turntdl
loose at Montgomery to find his way ov?r
iu An.-
strange country ror more tnan jwu mnso, i
other explanation has been offered byijj
French scientist who, after a series of Jj
perlments consisting of the elimination M
deadening of the senses of sight, hearinff 8
smell, decided that the pigeon depends upa
tho latter sense. Pigeons blindfolded 1
their ears closed with wax found their .
home, But closing tholr nostrils wth Wrt
rendered them helpless evon for anort
lances. Ills exnlanatlon was that eacn
rniltv hns its individual odor, and the plf
by circling up, gets Into nn nlr current bug
Ing the odor and follows It home.
A Mile a Minute v
As to speed, 'any ordinary homn p!j
can bo rolled upon to cover a nigni
tIiIIm (n flvn tn seven hours. A few Ql
make BOO to 600 miles, Some of the flJ(
rernnis have heen made by American W
-... th... ...marlrnhln tllfds. named VJ
WHO V V..w v,.. " -. . ,
. . -. -it..-. nf nr.son. At
owned oy J. n. uu, j
j. .... iii. r oil mlle.q between l!
York and its homo town in J?I rolnu"pl
1850, which figures out at the rate o i
In 5814 seconds. The fastest trains meMjajJ
run of 90 miles between New York and r
delphla In two hours, at an average ?
,r .ii .. i,,,,n TTnmlne- nlgeOlU i
made some interesting altitude record, , ja
notwithstanding tho fact that the M
atmosphere at great helgnw renae -
difficult. During a balloon ascent W i
t ,,., i issn Vinmlntr nlcreona were fesf1
at an altitude of 80.00Q feet. They fell &
r.n !) ranched denser air. Put vpv"
tt.rt.r ,nmfi. Leo Stevens, the AW8!
aerpnaut, has released homing plieon
,.,....,. . ,,AM ( nnrl BOO mllM.'!
U1IUUUU Ml "VV - -'- '
their home. They all returned safely
ARsncintlon
The most beautiful object Jn the wortj. It 1
be allowed, is a beautiful woman. g
can analyze hta feeling? Is not sensible tw-
owes her fascination less to sts.
and detleaey of color thn to Jf?L
clatlemi whlh. often unperce lv4 by WW
wonneei inw wauiw ,w!v" ", our i
existence!- wiin ms iiBumiMu?"' .-. .. i
with the pawtona of our Wt.'li.
aJ.. nwlife fi!Bnce. with (litw!,,
tmfitms. with the umMUt "Hg:
wirt the oearest rectal -Mac,tw