v
8
EVENING' LEDMBPHIjLADEPHIA MONDAY, MARCH 0, 191S
Mttytv
PUDL1CJ LEDGER COMPANY
CYP.U8 H. K CWITIS. PsESinetr.
Chant H LuUr,tn.Vlce-Irf!ldint; John C Martin,
Erffftary and Treasurer; Philip S. Collin. John tl.
William, Directors
EDITOlUAtjBOAIU):
Cues It. K. Coins, Chairman.
V. It. tVltALEY. Gxccuthe Alitor
JOitXC MAHT1.V General Uualness Mnnnser
Publlahert dally at t'estic t.troEit nulldlng.
Independence Square, Philadelphia.
Lr.nora rtxraAt. . ....,.. Broad and ChfMnut Streets
AitiiNTic Cirr ... rreti-Vnion UulMlnir
N Tork ....... ,170-A, Mriropollmn Tower
ChICAOO . .817 Home Inruiinrr tSutliUng
LONDON...,, 8 Waterloo Place, Tall Mall. S W.
WKiirox TltiiKAV. , . The I'oif llullclinn
Nbw YoK rlflCiu. ,. The Time Iiulldlnir.
GaaMit Ilcaun (to Friedrlchstraoa
Loir) ntiaiAU..,.. 2 Pall Mnll t:aKt, S. W.
Piatt Dtiuv 32 Hue Luuls la Grand
SUBSCRIPTION TERMS
By carrier, Diilt Ostr, nix cento, ttv mall, postpaid
euulde of Philadelphia, except where foreign postage
l required, Dllt.I Only, one month, tnenty-flve cents;
Daii.t O.tt.T, one year, three dollars. All mall nub
acrlptlona payable In advance
BEIX, 8000 WALNUT KEYSTONE, MAIN .1000
W jiddrvta all communications to Evcntttff
7.cf0er, Independence Square, Philadelphia.
ENIiBtD it Tile rniLinrt.riilA rosTorrlcE is second.
CLABS MAIt, MATTER.
PHILADELPHIA, M()MA, MAIK.ll 2', I'll.'..
Great disaster! bring us to our senses, ivhllc.
petty annoyances long continued
unbalance the reason.
Where Will German Generosity Stop?
GERMANY hns been limiting free with tho
territory of Austria and Turkey In an
effort to strengthen Iter position. Sho has
offered to give to Bulgurln all that part of
Turkey which the Bulgarians won In tlio
Balkan War provided Bulgaria will keep out
of the present fight, and a few days ago sho
offered to Italy a big slice of Austria on the
same conditions.
She lias not yet offered to glvo a slice of
German territory to any of tho warring- na
tions. But Austria and Turkoy may be ex
pected to suggest that while Germany Is In
tho business of partitioning tturopo at tho
expenso of her friends', sho should begin to
think of buying peace at tho prlco of some of
her own territory. It Is posstblo that tho
suggestion has been mado nnd that Germany
Is getting ready to surrender Alsaco and Lor
raine to France nnd to return Belgium to the
Belgians. There are rumorw that tho war Is
to end In 30 days, rumors trtnt are at present
lncredlblo; but If Germany should seriously
consider taking tho medicine which she has
been prescribing for her friends, no one can
tell what desirable result might follow.
Bipartisanship in Fnycttc County
THE successor to A. Mitchell Palmer as the
Democratic national committeeman and
party leader will either bo a man who likes
tho kind of bipartisanship tho products of
which are making a stench in Fayette
County, or ho will bo a man who la opposed
to the policy of dividing the spoils before tho
battle and then making a fake light at the
polls.
Every honest nnd high-minded Republican
hopes that there may continue to ho a real
Democratic opposition, active and alert and
ready to arraign Republicanism for all Its
mistakes and all Its misdeeds. We cannot
have, tho kind of government that wo need
unless there Is an effective opposition party,
led by men of honest purpose, Aggressive
temper and marked ability.
Mr. Balfour's Sensible Admission , .
ENGLISHMEN of all political parties are
supporting their Government In this
crisis, so the statement given out by tho
Rt Hon. Arthur J. Balfour, defending tho
order In council. Is remarkable, not for the
fact that it comes from n former Conserva
tive Premier, but becauso It seeks to justify
a disregard of tho letter of International law
by an appeal to tho necessities of tho case.
Ho admits that, technically, the British have
disregarded tho rules of the law of nations
In ordering tho blockade that is not a block -ado.
But ho maintains that the circum
stances are such that It was necessary to
trample on old precedents and to make now
ones.
Tho distinguished British statesman is un
doubtedly right. The conditions under which
this war Is being fought are unprecedented.
Both groups of belligerents have been doing
unprecedented things. Tho Germans have
denounced tho Allies for their disregard of
tho old customs, and ,tho Allies have oven
more bitterly denounced the Germans for
their adoption of such methods as scorned to
them necessary under tho now circumstances.
Tho fact of the matter Is, as has been said in
thla place many times sinco tho war began,
that necessity makes Its own laws, and that
new International law must bo mado to fit
tho conditions of warfare with airships and
submarines and to regulato the rights of neu
trals on tho sea when a continent Is In arms.
An Improvement to Be Rushed
THOSE who have been hoping that tha
proposed convention hall and the much
needed Btadlum might be combined in ono
great structure will bo disappointed by tho
decision of tho city Administration to buy
the lot bounded between Market and Chest
nut streets, running from the Schuylkill to
24th street. But If the convention nnd ex
hibition hall Is to be built scparnto from tho
stadium It would not be posslblo to And a
site) which offers more advantages than tho
one. selected. It Is accessible from all parts
of tho city and it Is near the terminals of tha
railroads that will bring exhibits and visitors
from a distance. Enough money Is available
to pay for a monumental structure that will
set a pattern for other buildings to be built
along tho Schuylkill In the future and glvo
to that water thoroughfare a distinction
which It now lacks. Councils Is expected to
approve the recommendation ' the Mayor,
A Call to the Reserves in College
MAJOR GENERAL LEONARD WOOD is
not pessimistic, but merely Intelligent,
When he says that wars are not to cease.
Every one hopes' that the provocation to war
will soon cease, but few expect any such
desirable consummation. All persons with
red blood In their veins hope, too, that tha
time will never come when tho men of this
nation will ho unwilling to lay down their
lives for a righteous cause. Peace Is not an
end in Itself. It is but an incident In tha
operation of the principles of equity and
justice. So what IS tho use of calling,
"Feacel Peace!" when Its essentials do not
ex!t7
G sacral Wood's recent suggestion that
the- vigorous students of the colleges and
weparatory schools enter the summer mill-,
iiyry -camps and receive elementary military,
awtnution, therefore, deserves the .serious
imWratloii of those youths who have 935
u igiaat! for a few week" outing in de
JtjpMNM iUrroUadiiiKS.
It ve only the part of common prudence to
y.--.iae ajpUiMtf the, cMtiosencUs of Mfe 1
t iCUCU10
hrowa something of tho use of a rlflo and
something of tho first principles of military
discipline nnd life In tho open strengthens
the nntlon's reserve army. And In these
days when wars nro fought, not by nrmy
corps, but by confronting hosts of millions, ll
Is desirable, If It Is not Important, that we
should bo about tho work of preparing soma
sort of a reserve of educated men ready to
receive commissions in tho event of war.
A Nnttonnl Fourth
mitrj "national celebration of the Fourth of
'-July, in Philadelphia, in muepeiiuenuu
Square, was begun ns an institution Inst
I yenr, when tho President Journeyed to tho
I shrine of our liberties, to drink afresh Its in-
1 splrntlon nnd fenst once moro from Its In
! exhaustible sources of patriotism.
I Let SUito nnd city unite In urging him to
I come again this yenr. Let both be liberal
In appropriating for the necessary epensos
of tho undertaking. Governors, Senators,
Representatives, lenders In all forms and
phases of Americanism should bo called on
I to Join In tho commemorative services. And
from every church In nil the nation should
arise nt the same hour a prayer for peace,
led by tho President here.
Philadelphia cannot bo neglectful of her
historic nssots. The nation expects her ngnln
to do her duty, again as a generous host to
nssemblo her guests together and once more
to lead the way nnd point tho course. Theto
is n tension In the world that renders this
spiritual celebration nerossnry. There must
be no lagging behind, nn hesitation, no draw
ing back.
Onco tho Fourth saw the nation born and
onco it saw It saved. Let the Fourth tills
yenr ho laureled yet ngnln by tho unprece
dented spectacle of a hundred millions of
people bespeaking mercy for their desolate
kinsmen In foreign lands, whilo at tho snmo
time they accord their solemn testimonial
of thanks to tho Creator for the pcaco nnd
quiet which they themselves enjoy.
The Ships Must Come Back Home
THE ono regret of those who saw Jho
steamship Northern Pacific sail from this
port was that she is not expected to re
turn here. She 's now steaming to the Pacific
Ocean by way of the Panama Canal and will
run between Portland, Oregon, nnd San Fran
cisco, a splendid example of the kind of ves
sels that can be'bullt on tho Delaware.
The Delaware-built ships ought to como
back to their nntlvc waters. No ono has any
desire to restrict the scope of the business of
the great shipyards here, but every alert nnd
progressive Philadelphlan would like to sec
tho port developed to such an extent that
harbor room could be found here In the course
of tho year for every vessel launched in our
shipyards. Philadelphia ought to be tho
terminus, or nt least a port of call, for every
merchnnt ship built here.
Of course this cannot be, for coastwise
steamers nre needed on the Pacific. Yet
there ought to bo a spirit in this old town
which would put into every sheet of steel and
every plank nnd every rlvej; that goes into a
vessel a homing instinct which would bilng
the ship back hero nt least once on every
voyage that It makes. The time may not be
ripe for it yet, but the day will como when
Philadelphia will ho so Instinct with life that
it can put u soul even into an Inanimate
ship and mako It show allegiance to tho place
of Its creation.
There Is No Embargo on Ideas
IT WOULD bo easy to fall into the error of
assuming that Great Britain has returned
to Professor T. II. Morgan, formerly of Bryn
Mawr College, what purports to bo nn essay
on "Heredity" for a German periodical be
cause they hove decided to prevent the im
portation of foreign Ideas into Germany ns
well as the importation of food and muni
tions of war. The essay was on board a Ger
man ship seized by tho British and sent to a
prizo court. No part of tho cargo was for
warded to Germany, not even this apparently
harmless essay.
Tho real reason for its return to America
will doubtless bo found in the conclusion of
tho British censors that It Is a cipher doc
ument disclosing to the Germans mucli secret
information. As Professor Morgan Is an ex
perimental zoologist it would bo perfectly
easy for him to use the terms of his profes
sion in describing the British and in reveal
ing such secrets of British strength as ho
might bo possessed of. Tho fact that ho
married his wife in Germantown is sufficient
proof that ho is a German sympathizer and,
if that is not enough to convince the skep
tical, his book on tho development of tho
frog's egg Is nothing but a glbo at tho
Frenchmen In tho favorite terms of the Brit
ish of the last generation. No, thero is no
British embargo on Ideas, but a very proper
embargo on all documents which might bo
of value to the Germans.
Smallpox in Camden Is under control bo
cause It never got out of control.
Colonel Roosevelt's telegram to Senator
Walsh proves that ho has not lost any of his
old-time punch.
Tho ship purchase bill will never be any
deader, so why does the Senate committee
persist in trying to find out what It died of?
The average. dally attendance at the Pan
ama Fair has been 61,000. This is more than
went to Bee "Billy" Sunday save on his most
crowded day.
Those who are expecting "Billy" Sunday to
bring about a political regeneration In Pater
son have apparently forgotten that ha had
Just as good a field here.
That Now York suffragist who was knocked
down by an outomoblle and then asked th
owner If she had hurt hla car, has a proper
appreciation of the stern qualities needed to
defend her cause.
A great deal more patriotism would be
aroused by looking at the Liberty Bell In,
Independence Hall than at the bell jacked up
on a freight car at Kutztown Junction on Its
way across the continent.
No friend of the President will advise him
to let one of the best men in his Cabinet re
tire to accept the Chief Justiceship of the
New Jersey Supreme Court, Secretary Gar
rison may not need more Cabinet honors, but
the Cabinet needs mora Jan of his ability.
Every Philadelphlan who goes to Atlantic
City from Camden for 23 cents less than it
would cost him to go from this Uy is thank
ful that New Jersey has a considerate Pub
lie Servio Commission which believes that It
sitWttJd & ay tor people to get a breath of
"WHITE-MAN-WHO-
DOES-NOT-LIE"
General Scott's Knowledge of Sign
Language Gives Him Extraor
dinary Power Over Indians.
Witchcraft Causes Many Uprisings.
By VANCE THOiMPSON
rptlE norm of news values hns been knocked
JL on the head by tho Great Wor. In ordi
nary times tho adventure of General Hugh L.
Scott In going single-handed Into the Pluto
country nnd bilnglng out four war-pnlntcd
chiefs would havo got Itself reported In big
typo In tho front page i
Of course, General Srott Is a silent man;
a brief dispatch to tho Secretary of War said
"Successful," nnd lot It go at that. Probably
that Is about nil ho told tho Utah war corre
spondent when ho rode Into Salt Lake, tho
four chiefs riding nlongslde. A fillcnt man.
Do you know what tho Indlnns call him?
"Secrets" of Power
Thero Is nn entire biography In that nlck
namo of his: "Whltc-Mnn-Who-Docs-Not-LIc."
Time and again when tho Indians have
flared up Into rebellion ho hns been sent to
them; tho moment they henrd tho great
Chief of Staff was on his way trouble halted
nnd his nrrlvnl meant peace. It is becauso
tho Indians trust him and (it Is a melancholy
truth) ho Is almost the only Whlto Man they
do trust. Ho Is tho Mnn-Who-Does-Not-Lle.
That Is the source of his power. Ills promise
tlutt they shall havo fair treatment sufllces.
At his word they ride In docilely to bo hanged
or shot If that be tho sentence wholly as
sured that they will gel tho "Justlco" ho
promised them.
And General Scott Is, I believe, the only
Whlto Man who can converse with tho In
dians of every American tribe. It Is not that
he speaks every Indian language. I do not
think ho Is familiar with any spoken lan
guage; but lie knows the sign language
this mysterious method of communication
which Is known to nil Indians. Tho Eskimos
understand It; It Is understood by all tho
nntlves of North nnd South nnd Central
merlon. And It Is not a slmplo thing. There
nro about 3000 different signs. Tho language
is so copious anil precise thnt anything may
be discussed In It anything from cosmogony
to philosophy. General Scott Is the ono
whlto man who has mastered the stratige
nnd world old language. It has brought him
close to Indian thought nnd feeling. It has
made him tho ono man, civilian or soldier,
who is known, ti listed, loved by all tho scat
tered red tribes.
Black Magicians and White
How did ho learn it?
That Is his seciet, and tho knowledge will
die with him.
I havo no intention of wilting about tho
"trouble' for which tho four chiefs arc to be
tried. It would not be fair. They will answer
us they must, and I do not wish to darken
their difficulty. But within tho last year or
so thero havo been two similar outbreaks. At
tho heart of thorn lay the same mysterious
cause. And that is witchcraft.
Of rouise, ou do not believe In witchcraft.
It doesn't matter In tho slightest whether
you do or do not; the point Is that tho In
dian does believe In It. In every tribe, on
every leservatlou, thero nre witch men. They
are black nnd evil magicians. If they are not
placated they kill men, women, cattle, sheep
by their sorcery. Every Indian knows this.
His only protection against them is tho medi
cine man or good magician, who also has to
bo paid. So between tho black magician and
tho white magician life for tho Indian Is not
a slmplo thing. You can imagine readily
enough that tho Indian attacked by n sor
cerer is not daft enough to take his com
plaint to the ngent of tho reservation; ho
knows too much of the white man for that.
What ho does Is more effective. A little over
a year ago these things happened all tho
outsldo world heard was that there had been
an "Indian uprising" here nre tho exact
facts.
Treatment by Star Gazing
Hostecn Klaz, a good magician, was sitting
In his hogan near Lukl Chtikt, when Wrest
ling Brave, a Navajo Indian, rodo up and
said his nleco was ill and it was not known
whut had caused her illne&s Ho wanted tho
good mnglclan "to try tho star-gazing cere
mony" and find out what was tho matter with
her. At first Hosteen Klaz refused, and told
him to get some ono else, saying: "Thero are
plenty of star-gazers in tho country besides
myself." Finally he consented to accompany
Wrestling Bravo to the hogan where tho sick
girl lay. Ho waited until midnight, when tho
clouds had cleared away and tho stars shone
bright. Hero I quoto tho good magician's
own words:
"In my art I use a piece of mica and a
very clear crystal called 'Tho Big Star.' I
anointed myself with tho medicine called the
caglo's tear drops. I went out and sat down
a short dtstanco from the hogan and looked
up into the heavens. For a time I could not
read anything in tho sky. It was suspected
that some sorcerer was practicing his art on
tho girl. I looked at her star. It threw its
rays down on the sick girl, and In the light
of the rays I could not see anything that was
out of tho way. I went Inside tho hogan
and told them the girl was not bewitched.
The relatives of the girl her uncle and
brothers told me sho was bewitched or
tho medicine man would havo cured her long
ago."
So the star-gazer remained and tho next
night ho tried again. Squatting in front of
the hogan ho stared at her star. Then;
"Finally her star burned up and I had to
come In. I went Into tho hogan and told
them I couldn't find out anything, as her
star had burned up. They wanted to find out
what that meant. They told me to go out
again and look Into the heavens and And
what It meant by burning up. I said I did
not know what It meant, as that was the
first experience of the Hind that had ever
happened to me. Then they asked another
Btar-gazer, Ne dl dole (Hairy Face) to gaze
at the stars, but ha refused and covered his
head. So I said I would try with my hand."
"The Ceremony of the Hand" .
The little Indian maiden lay unconscious;
for three days she had not eaten or spoken.
And over her Hosteen Klaz began "the cere
mony of tha hand." He covered his hand
with corn pollen. His hand began to trem
ble; then It began to move and "it became so
strong It pulled me all over the-hogan." At
last the hand began to talk the sign lan
guage. Bald the magician: "My hand would
whirl In a sort of circular motion, mixing1 up
things so I could not determine what it was
trying to say to me. It seemed to v that
at some previous time, perhaps a couple of
years before, this girl was bewitched by soma
one probably by two persons, as my hand
pointed; up with two fingers."
The band seized the girl's dress and made
as if to throw itlrat of doors; this sat ha
hl X 1
would die. And then tho hand pointed out
tho direction whero tho sorcerer lived. Even
as tho hand pointed tho girl guvo a cty and
died. Wrestling Btnvo bowed his head, but
his nephew, Nnyo Notnh, touchqd him on tho
shoulder and said it very strange thing. It
was tills:
"Slnco yonder is tho man who caused tho
maiden's death, let us go to him and lot him
kill us."
So Wrestling Brave and Nnyo Notnh and
other nephews set out; they crossed a valley
and enmo upon tho sorcerer sitting lit front of
his hogan. Nnyo Notah caught him by tho
hair; nnother nephew seized" his nnklo nnd
looking round about him Wrestling Bravo
saw an nxo and picked It up and therewith
split tho wl tollman's) skull. This is tho way
they "lot him kill them."
"Come and Be Hanged"
When thoy got homo they found tho squaws
washing tho body of the dead maiden. And
they saw that she had a black spot Just over
the heart and another black spot on tho back
under the right shoulder the innrks of tho
witchmnn's magic bullet so they knew they
hud dono well.
Of course, you don't bellevo In witchcraft;
but tho Indians do. And having killed they
take to their guns and refuse tho coaxing of
tho ngent to "come In and bo hanged." It Is
quite natural. Only ono volco they cannot
resist. That is tho grave, truth-telling volco
of General Hugh I, Scott, the "Whltc-Mim-Who-Does-Not-Lle."
"Come," lie says, "It Is Just; you havo
killed; come In nnd bo hanged."
Without anger, without hesitation, they
mount and lido in nt his side. It Is an amaz
ing thing; tho most amazing thing happening
in these mnd days. Two of theso young
braves argued with him. . They refused to bo
hanged, becauso (ns they reasonably stated)
when a man dies his soul goes out through
tho top of ills head, and if you choko him
with a ropo hla soul can't get out. Gravely
tho General acquiesced.
"That Is true," ho said, "and I give you
my word you shall not bo hanged como in
and bo shot!"
Blithely thoy rodo In. Thoy wero con
demned. Fifty soldiers wero drawn up to
shoot them. Shouting and waving their
hands the boys dashed nlong tho line on their
wild ponies. And not a shot was fired. So
they wheeled their ponies nnd rodo back
again and 50 bullets got them.
The power of tho "Man-Who-Does-Not-LIo";
thero Is nothing llko It. And when you
read of nnother "Indian uprising" you may
bear In mind that back of it lies tho Indian's
desperate, eternal tight with tho dark forces
of his black magicians a. 1 understand.
THE SEA OF MARMORA
With the htrongeBt fleet ever nssemblcd for
battle reported righting Its way through tho
Dardanelles toward the Sea of Mnrmora, thla
quiet Turkish sheet of water suddenly has taken
on a thrilling world-Importance, for this sea
may soon witness tho last scene of the mighty
struggle of centuries for the preservation of
Unropo from tho narcotic effects of eastern
agression.
Nature hns been mora than generous in her
provisions for guarding this sea between Asia
nnd Europe against hostile power. The Bos
phorus. its approach from tho Black Sea on tho
north, Is a deep, water-filled, twisting valley,
whose surface almost all the way U at the
morcy of the enclosing mountain heights. In
the south, the Dardanelles, while of greater
breadth than the Bosphorus, form an easily de
fended channel, 17 miles long, and commanded
by its shore heights.
Marmora Bca Is a wonderful amphitheatre for
a modern naval struggle. An elliptical bowl ot
bluest water, It Is inclosed by a hilly shoreline,
vhlch In bold and steep upon tha ABlatlo side.
From east to west, tha sea Is 176 miles long,
whllo It"! extreme width is about B0 miles. It
has an urea of 4500 square miles.
Constantinople, the objective of the Invading
fWtn. lies tucked awny near the northernmost
point of Marmora, ut the opening ot the Bos
phorus Inlet In the west and south are sev
eral considerable Islands, of which tha largest,
MRrmors. has been famous for Its alabaster
and marbles since the days of Grecian sculp
tural and architectural glory.
The Sea of Marmora Is the most famous and
Important sea of passage in the world. Be
hind Its waters, along the northern shore of the
Black Sea, are the most fertile and favored
provinces of the Russian Empire, Russia's gran
ary; while on tho eastern Black Sea coast lies
Russia's greatest oil port and her famous oil
bearing hinterland,
FRUGALITY
Ba sura to live within compass; borrow not.
neither ba beholden to any. Ruin .not yourself
by kindness to others; for that exceeds tha due
bounds of friendship, neither will a true friend
expect it. Let your Industry and your parsi
mony go no further than for a sufficiency for
life, and to make a provision for your children
if the Lord gives you any, and that In modera
tion. I charge you help the poor and needy.
Let the Lord have a voluntary share ot your
income, for the good of the poor, both In our
society and other; for we are all His creatures;
remembering that he that glveth to the. poor
lendetit to the Lord. William Ptnn.
A THRILL AWAITING BRYAN
From the Kw Tori IUrl&
Whether Mr Bryan will resign today or soma
other day may be uncertain, but one thing very
certain is that when he does resign be vvlU for
onoj in his life experienee the thrill that goes
with toowltdxe that a awjjrity of the. Astern
can people fasartuj? toawsa oos of Us acta.
SPROUTING
i . a
BEST THOUGHT IN AMERICA
DIGEST OF THE MAGAZINES
CD The Houso Beautiful "Seed Catalogs
and Things."
(I!) Voguo "Flowers ns They Aro
Made."
(3) Harper's Monthly "Tho Control of
Soil Fertility."
(4) Current Opinion "Elements of Con
sciousness In tho Courtship and Mating of
Plants."
(G) Review of Reviews "Better Seeds
for tho World'3 Food Supply."
GARDENS
FRAGRANCE of flowers, sparkle of cham
pagne, smiles of fair women, nil tho al
luring froth of tho world, rests upon a shad
owy background of toll and weariness.
But by ono of thoso fortunate chances
which go to mako up this curious life of
ours, thero Is a splendid nnd alluring com
pensation of tho work for Its own sake, In
the long row to hoe. tho grapes to pick nnd
crush, tho weaving and hcrubblng which enter
into tho creation of our precious lilies of tho
field. A whiff of fragrance over tho garden
wall makes up for a spring and summer's
toll, an hour or two of smiles and beauty
In tho evening glvo zest to long hours ot
daylight drudgery. AVith characteristic in
consistency. It Is tho hoors nnd weavers and
tollers of tho world who achlovo happiness,
whllo the lilies of the field aro notoriously
bored and blase.
Lot no one, then, pity tho gardener! Rather,
In this day of brick and paved cities, ho Is
to be envied his llt'tlo plot of soft, crumbly,
brown soil, in which, as In a llttlo world of
his own, ho plays tho part of creator, ruler
and absolute autocrat, disturbed only by the
ravages of anarchist worms and bugs.
Now that tho frost is almost out of tho
ground and tho seed catalog season is nt its
height, numerous magazines glvo gardening
advice, ranging from the amateur to the most
technical.
All gardeners and their wives or husbands
will appreciato the whimsical tono of a
typical spring tlmo dlaloguo by Dallas Sharpo
in The Houso Beautiful (1):
"What Is it you aro so Interested in?" she
demanded, laying down the new magazine.
"A seed catalog."
"More seed catalogs. Why, you read noth
ing else all last night."
"This is a now ono," I replied, "and I do
claro I never saw turnips that could touch
this Improved strain here. I am going to
plant "
"How many catalogs havo you?"
"Only six bo far."
"Only six so far? And you plant your
earliest seeds "
"In April, tho middle of April, though I
may bo ablo to get my first peas in by tho
last of March. You soo, peas ' sho was back
ing away "this new Antarctlo pea will stand
a lot of cold; but beans do come hero and
look at theso improved Kentucky wonder
polo beans," holding out tho wonderfully lith
ographed page toward her. But sho backed
still farther away and, putting her hands
firmly behind her, looked at mo Instead very
solemnly.
I suppose every man comes to know that
unaccountable expression In his wife's oyes
soon or lato; a sad, baffled expression, de
tached, remote, ns of things seen darkly or
descried afar off discernible, but very ro
mote. Two minds with but a single thought,
so you start; but soon she finds, or lato sho
rinds, that as tho heavens aro high above tho
earth, so nre somo of your thoughts above
her thoughts. She cannot follow. On the
brink she stands and sees you, through tho
starry spaces, drift from her ken In your
fleet of dreams or Beed catalogs, I have
never been able to explain to her the seed
catalog. Her unit of garden measuro Is a
meal so many beet seeds for a meal; so
many meals for a row, with never two rows
of anything, and with nil the rows of dif
ferent length, Now, I go by tho Beed catalog,
planting not after tha dish, as if my only
vision wero a garden peeled and In the pot,
but after the bushel, peck, quart, pint, pound,
ounce, package so many pounds to the aero
instead of so many seeds to the meal.
Vogue gives a semiofficially ellto indorse
ment of gardening, as nn occupation even for
the lilies of the field (2):
So fashionable has gardening become of
late, It Is strange that no rural hard has taken
occasion to play upon the susceptible theme
of "the woman with the hoe." Today, If one
attempts to make a summer morning call
upon a smart woman at her country place,
the powdered footman very likely lifts his
eyebrows that ever so little a powdered foot
man may, nnd says, "Madame Is at work
In her garden at this hour." Then If you
may, you wend your way to the garden to
find madame In a simple cotton frock, cov
ered with a capacious chintz apron, a big
shade hat, gauntlet gloves, and actually dig
ging In tha soil. There havo always been
women who have loved their gardens and
really worked in thera, but It is only recently
that fashionable women have wakened to the
fact that digging In old Mother Earth not
only gives them a certain cachet, but a slim
mer waist line, and tha enviable rose and
creaa complexion of the dairy maid.
Our Kinship to tho Boil
In an article on "Tha Control of Soil Fer
tlllty" S), in Harper's. Robert Bruere attacks
tha popular notion that soils wear out, as in
New England and the Bast.
Take. Italy, for example Her soils were
ClebratI for their fertility mure, than SOW)
years ago. In lflOS Italy's harvest
of cereals nlono wns llvo times thnt of New?
York, though her area Is but twice as great'J
counting nor systematically cropped rorcsu.J
84 per cent, of her tcnltory is worked by
men anu women who understand the uses
of their land ns thoroughly as a mechanlo
understands his tools. ,
Tho problem of Infertilo soils seems to b
not ono of forced feeding or the use of drue ;
stimulants, but air, light, deep plowing, In
tensive cultivation, exercise, suggesting fur- '
titer Interesting analogies with modern medl
leal practice. Such soils ore sick. Open thsj
windows of the fields, let in tho air and sun- '
light to the roots of tho plants, and ths i
oxygen will cleanso tho poisons from the air";
thoy breathe and from the soil solution which f
thoy feed. '
Tho United States Bureau of Soils has now"
isolated 37 organic compounds, nono of which 4
had previously been known to exist in tha :
soil. Its patient work lias slowly trans
formed our knowledge of tho soil, and we
begin to perceive that it is a highly complex
organism, with vltnl functions akin to those .
by which wo ourselves live and breathe, per- ?
petually changing, a crucible, like tho stom- i
nnli nf nnlmnl whnrn nrcnnlp romnntlnds are
aclt of animali, where organic compounds are
rormea nnd reduced, and wlieto tno mineral
plant food elements aro transformed as they
aro In the courso of human metabolism.
Theso discoveries nre no summons to waste
tho mineral content of tho soil, or to neglect
tho use of mineral fertilizers. They area
call to the intelligence of tho farmer, a cry
for Helf-rellanco nnd discriminating culti
vation. Raising Ancestors
This analogy between tho soil from 'which
wo sprang and our own lives Is carried fjir
titer by Royal Dixon, whose studies of plant
life aro reviewed in Current Opinion (4); he
asserts that tho (lowers woo and marry:
Beforo the mating of any pair of plants
KKriirg tlinrn Its lit tills stntro In tllO eVOlU-
tion of many among them a brief pcrlH of
what must ne canca courtsnip. xue mm,
and gallant wooer adorns himself gorgeously
with brilliant flowers, each having powdereJ
faces, calling to his lovo on every breeze. He
niiBt charm or thero will be no response.
In considering this plant courtship, there
Is ono point which needs special empnasls-j
a point which must necessarily bo reiterated
tlmo nnd ugain. It is the existence of some
nlrllniv fnirn inn IfnrilllRlVA tn bfi mechanical,
too vorsatllo and efficient to bo instinctive. -J
which controls tho notions and manners i ot M
plants In all tho stages of their reproductive
functions, unere is an nirarai muun "-yum
rrnnllw In t1in nPtlnilH! Ill tllO dlSPUty 0l'SJ
brilliant colors and soft perfumes to attract
their lovers; in tho cunning which they snow
i.. i inAlnn. n l.An If l,n atimilri nrrlvo be-
in lllll'l lOUiliub . wcu " ."-" -- ---,Aj
foro the pollen grains nro ready to bo nw
on his e-acic, ana or iioiuiuk """ DU,', . i"
., i. ,.r,n ttn pmi rrn forth laden
with tho pollen' that Is to adhero to a Pi?'"-,
and so nnd its way to tno ovary mm yr. .......
tho great mlraclo tnat results m ocw ;
tho many similar tricks which they use to
entico ana to noiu; uu wiubu vTifi
toward that ono great aim of plant we-;
reproduction.
There is similar emphasis in an article on
hHlni irmlnR hv K. B. PoWCll. Of tne uni;
verslty of Illinois, In tho Review ot Reviews,
r.-
It is conceded, in theory at least, thaUj
be well born is a right. It is known that
be. nice y natcneo-iron. im. -""";1,,aT!on,
point is distinct causa mi "VS h the H
Wo aro now discovering that to give i
plants the best available granmatne,
part of wisdom. Therefore, a 1 over the Ian".
I, iiuiiiwivi - ..... .na
scientists aro engaged in tying " J:
bags over sw
tlint nn olltsid
bags over sweot peas and otuer '"-1.
nags over sweot. iieu " ""- i".;.mai-.M
that no oLtsido pollen may mo a-loema m
inir nnd destroy the nurlty of their cherwna
ing and destroy the purity
8trJn8' . .... , st breeders.
of wheat, 64 breeders of barley .a"f,lg
Et.oJ;. V vnw that the pr ce of landwa
tha United States is so high, the farmer nv u
get the most possible from It or conWCMjj
losing business. When a notable .nauj
appears in tne neia, us """"?,". 0 $
bo the elevator; It must be destined to p
come an ancestor.
"rsrcnMANY. 1915"
Professor W. P. Trent, of ColumbUWttgj
slty, has contriuutea iu "7"- ..n.rmiW
Zcltung the following poem, entitled """,&
m5"-- .. ' ,..r r-ti
Fronting tne worta, sno nuw
in valor, strength and eelf-respect.
The threats, and Insults of her foes
She answers grim, with Bcorn and blows.
In war, fihe shows herself as ereM.
Witness the drenching blood that stains
Polonlan, Gallic, Belgian plains, .
Whilst Britain's coaBts at specters w
That leap from sea, or drop from am
Tha world ere npw such marvel saw
Never, and halts twlxt rage and awe; ,
Vain rage! This Btark, consummate row
Is girt with adamantine right
The right to llvo beneath the sun,
rrl.. -I-!,. . I, M.I uhil tlBB bet won
By toll and science, thrift and art.
In camp to farm. In sohool and mart
A right which still without avail
Revenge and cant and greed assail.
Before such prowess rage must fink.
And generous minds be bold to thinic
Hypocrisy hath here no place;
Barbarism 7-that Imperial racel
By Heaven, ypn Germany, today
Holding so splendidly at bay
Those variegated tribes of men.
Is not a thing to bunt and peal
Enough of blind, bysterlo fear.
Enough of menace, vaunt and sneer.
Enough of Shait ly tales untrue!
Give the heroic state her due!
Strength to bcr arm. aod to fcr Mow
All skw fbai the gods allow!
1
V