& 13 v a k t y a lisp ms n-p hi l ABfcpl : t a. wfl g ayT HM AuJjfco i wmht0 ledger J'tintlG LEDGER COMPANY rtrtt-s n k curtis, Pxitiiitxi. $S8.&&8gMntt Tm B- c"ln'- hn a EDITORIAI. BOARD s rc If K Cimts, Chairman. i". If. tVIlAkKT nxeoultra Editor fgjW r MARTIN-. . . . .. . General bUilntM Maruger published dally at 1'CBtlo t.ttxita nulTdlnc, Independence Square, Philadelphia. J.ttijsij Cestui..... ..Rroadand Clietnut Street AtWNTic Oitf , freas-t'nfeit Bullillnic Nkw Toac ......1T0-A, Metropolitan Tower t'ntno ... BIT Homo lmmrnnee lltilltllxg LOSDOjf 8 Waterloo Place, Tall Mall, S. V. u..,.. NEWS Ut'KEALH! . WxMttseroy Rna ... . . tiio i'oK ituiMmrr Niiir YoK Utnnil . . The rmr IIiiIMIhb ltBm.lN HURMtl no Frlolilrhlrno I.onoN nriueiu T Pall .Mali !)nt. H W, I'iBIs, Ileum ... , . aa Hue Louis le Urand si'nscniprib.vri.rtM lj earrlr, IIITOvt.r, Mi rent. Hy mall, pntrmM milM of Philadelphia, except where foreign poiat:s I required, Diii.t ohi.t, ono month, twentj'Mie cemni crlptlona payable In advance im. unn, vnv jmr inrre uunarfl. aii man ami- IlEtt, 8000 WALNUT KtYS nF, M UN .11100 W Atliln.it atl communication to Evtntnij tedarr, Independence SqiiflW, FMlmlrlphla UN-rmsr xr tub rutunei.rim roTorricE a nncoi ct.jms Mtit Mattm. rillUUFU'lIU, TU1.SOAY, MAIHIII .10. l'Jl.1, There would be no thief 1 there tccre no one to buv the stolen iomls. Bipartisanship for Political Decency IN HIS article discussing the ideals and purposes of the Demoeiacy In Pennsyl vania A. Mitchell Palmer, after declaring the desire of the party to stand by Governor lirumbaugh In his fight for necessary reform, says "But if Grundy is guing to control the child labor situation, Mulvlhlll hold up tho local option bill and Hlgelow continue to Bland between the people and good ronds. then wo shall fight on with nil the strength we can muster." Sir BIgclow's days are numbctod and Jlul Vlhlll Is an unachronism. It will be a long time before any political party again finances Itself through tho bung holes of beer barrels. Besides, tho Organization cannot deliver tho goods. The Governor was not a party to tho agreement, nor were the hundreds of thou sands of citizens who arc now demanding local option. Mr. Grundy is an astute special pleader, but his victories oro chiefly in ret rospect, and he will be engulfed In a new era. The power of tho Democracy is not great; It will be oven less If Its representatives do not stand by the Governor In furtherance of a program which is more humanitarian than political. A little bipartisanship for the achievement of political decency would do no harm. Preparations for National Birthday Party rilEN the national celebration of tho VV Fom Fourth of July in Independence Hall w;is suggested lost year it was Indorsed at oncQ by tho whole nation. The plans were legun so late, however, that many men who would have been glad to take part had made other arrangements Tho President, as the ofilcial representative of tho Union of Slates, will in time count it as ono of his great privileges to stand every year In tho place whero the great Hell sounded Its proclamation of liberty to nil men and Invited the oppressed of every land to seek refuge here. ilr. Wilson, who established the precedent last year, la expected to follow his own ex amnlp this .-- d once moro use Indc 1 pedestal from which to (it , v niomg message to his fellow countrymen. And tho Governors and Sena tors and Representatives in Congress aro ex pected to accompany him In such numbers that the old square will think t,hot it is once more tho seat of governmert This will happen if tho commltteos . In chargo of the arrangements aro properly diligent. Sandbagged and Ruined A GERMAN submarine officer when asked .If ho would sink an American ship, re plied, "Certainly not, if I knew it was Ameri can. Besides, you have so few that wo havo them pretty well photographed in our mind." Our ocean-borne commerce Is probably tho most valuable in the world We can' build as good ships ns can be built anywhere. Our people aro apt in navigation, v0 havo everything necessary for tho upbuilding and maintenance of a great ocean marino except laws to foster it. Washington has succeeded Jn demonstrating that even the most flour ishing business can be destroyed If legisla tors keep whacking at it long enough. Honoring the Memory of a Brave Man EVERY member of the police force shared In the tribute paid to tho memory of James Maneely jesterdny. Maneely came to hla death In the performance of his duty, and the thousands of citizens who crowded the streets about his house were there bo-(,-auso they knew that every other member of the police force would have gone to his death ns unflinchingly. The Mayor was there to show his own personal respect for the dead officer, and also ns tho representa tive of tho city as a whole which mourns the passing of a fnithful defender. So whenever wo see a policeman we should make, obeisance to him in our hearts, for we know that in a crisis ho will do that which wo aro afraid we should not have tho courage to do. We call them our defenders, hut too often forget the high qualities re iwayujK quired to enable them to merit the title. The Old Democratic Aristocracy "TTSMCCTJON to membership In the Phi Beta I SLt Kappa Society, an honorary college fra f lernlty. whose members are selected because of the excellence of their scholarship, Is sel dom declined. The secretary of the chapter -iu-Uw University of Pennsylvania, who savs I? ttwtt the student who has Just refused to ac- ,, e( e;p?on is me nrsi to aoenne, may bo tigut, dui tnere are tramtions surviving In jS Hiyt universities that students there have won a temporary distinction by setting up or themselves a different standard from that whjch pievalls both In and out of col lege Such a irtudent may deserve, respect for acting according to his convictions, but his convictions do not deserve reepeet. If w said to believe in an educational il?m.nwacy and to be opposed to a manifesta tion of any sign which will distinguish one scholar from another. But he cannot apply tata tlltprv twfclstently. Bvery time he talks with t$fU who thinks lan clearly than li does n4 expresses himself more bun fellnsly ho illjplay3 the badge of his own su irttlt)f itnd proves that there can be no tuels tbtllg as an intellectual democracy, in nhh-U Ml ari equals. Nature has made him t Ptt 5tft KaPJ m. whtfiar ha a will- . miMiU it w Htt. And whtlir ha ae- iri otmUm tm Up wwlcty and wears its J w wintipF $ prefers to flocJs by Lgsajgflffljft l-jJalplHHH flnISS f himself, does nol affect his standing in the) aristocracy of Intellect one whit If he docs not know this now, he. will know It When ho Is ten years older, for tho Phi Beta Kappa Society Is the ono college society In tho world which Is founded on the theory Hint the aristocracy of Intellect Is the only kind of an aristocracy Which can bo recognized In a democracy, and tho only kind which domi nates society even In those lands where an aristocracy of birth or of wealth Is recog nlzed. What One Week Can Brinp; Forth TOCAIj OPTION was "on tho skids" a JL week ago. Today Us succcess Is not only possible but probablo. This chango has como about becauso of the appeal of tho Governor to tho people of tho Commonwealth. Tho opponents of local option have been protest ing against his alleged ntletnpt to browbeat tho General Assembly and to lntcrfero with Its freedom of action, but tho Governor has been doing nothing of tho kind. Ho has been attempting to Impress upon It a realization of tho strength of tho sentiment of tho vot cis In onlrr that the lawmakers may carry out the Will of those who elected them. The Governor Is the representor o of tho Whole Slate, tlo Is convinced that ho has received a mandate from tho people to securo for them a local option law. Ho Is right. Thousands of voters hero In Philadelphia cast their ballots for him becauso thoy had confidence In his piomlses. They were Inde pendent citizens who owed allegiance to neither party machine. They aro citizens whoso wishes descrvo respect. They hold tho balance of power between righteousness and machine rule, and they aro backed by tens of thousands of regular Itopubllcans and Democrats who look to tho Governor to execute his platform and tholr will. Tho Governor Is strong because ho Is conscious of the strength that Is behind him When the Organization discovers that It Is not fighting Martin (1. Hiumbaugh, but is defying the will of tho majority of tho voters of tho Commonwealth, tho victory for local option will bo won. lapan Cannot Absorb China w: HATEVlCrt may bo tho result of Jap anese efforts to increase the Influence of Japan In China tho Chinese will continue to dominate their own land. Kvery observer who has traveled in tho Far ISnst has como back with reports of tho marvelous capacity of the Chinese. They havo patience, endur ance, initiative and honesty, and oven when the Japanese are favored by nil sorts of dis criminating duties and railroad rates tho Chinese merchant can compete successfully and drive his ilval out of business. This is what Is said to have happened In .Manchuria after tho Kusso-Japanese War, when Man churia was filled with Japanese immigrants. Tho Chinese merchant bent the Invader at his own game. The hopo of the East Is really In China. The nation is slowly waking to a realization of its power and to a determination to exer cise it for Its own protection. Under Hie lead of men such as Yuan Shl-kai, who understand the limitations as well as tho qualifications of their fellow nationals, It will adopt ono after another the methods of modern civilization and adapt them to its own needs. When tho Chinese get ready thoy aro likely to throw off whatever Jap anese chains may bo bound on them in tho presont transition state. In the meantime the interest of the United States In tho maintenance of the open door should not bo slackened. Amotlcan manu facturers who enter Into iclatlons with Chi nese merchants for selling their goods aro likely to piosper moro than those who ignoro tho native and attempt to do their own dis tributing in a country with tho ways of which they aro not familiar. Our Fellow Creatures THE friends of that man who was killed while trying to rescue a cold and hungry kitten may like to recall tho lines in which Coleridge compressed tho meaning of Ills greatest poem. Hero they are: He prayetb best who Ioeth be-jt All things both great and small. For the dear Lord, who Inveth us. He made and loveth all. A Plot That Failed T.HJJ young woman in New York who sued James V. Osbouie for JM.000 for alleged breach of promise of mairlage now says that sho was mistaken in her identification of the man. It was some one else, sho now avers, although sho had sworn in court that sho was not mistaken and has been sup ported by the testimony of her slstors. It Is Intimated that, as her suit Is to bo dropped, tho counter action brought for an attempt to use the United States malls to defraud will also he dropped. Such an outcome would bo most unfor tunntp. The young women was either guilty of attempted blackmail or sho was guilty of tho Incredible offense of being unablo to Identify tho man Who had called on her fre quently and had promised to marry her. No ono believes that she could havo been mis taken. Tho suit ngainst tho lawyer should be pressed or the suit ngainst her for attempted blackmail should bo tried, not for tho sake of tho accused lawyer, but for tho sake of every other man in every other large city in tho country. Tho prosecuting ofllcers of the Government should not assist In compound ing wrongs In order to nssist adventuresses In escaping punishment. If this woman escapes now less scrupulous women will ha encouraged to attempt to play the same game, and they may succeed. What was the price of Rumanian neutral ity? It Is Just as safe to be an umpire as a ship these days. Every householder Is trying to nurse his supply of coal along until next Thursday. Italy, which" "has Joined the Allies" every day for tho past week, is still engaged In watchful waiting. I'H III! I. Shaving the high cost of living would be all right if Incomes were not out to pieces during' the process, 11 u mm Mo The public ts getting tired of the war, so what's the use continuing the tuning? It is getting so that marbles Is more'exoltlng. It 1 estimated that there are 50,000 defec tives in Now York State, although all of them are not in office by any means. It is not true that some legislators own Philadelphia tenements, and nobody has ever suspected any legislators of living jn them. mum mi u .fn h . , A?i amateur soalologist has suggMted that the wprld wpulj be better off "U mors law yers ad fewer other criminals were in Jali." There are some iltiye- 3 who are almost as hostile to Jaw as they are to tfte aflleers who enforce it. POLITICAL DAY 0F JUDGMENT It, Will Follow for Republicans if the Legislature Adjourns Without Obeying Will of tho People What of tho Democratic Party in Penn sylvania? By A. MITCHELL PALMER THE Democratic party In Pennsylvania Is not a mere party of opposition. It has a constructive program of Its own. In lato years It has not been afraid to say what It stands for. It has been fair and frnnk with tho people, In 1912, when tho Republican parly wroto no platform nt all, becauso Hi convention was captured by tho Progressives, It tho Demo crats had been mero opportunists they would havo written a platform In contrast with tho progressive program of tho Washington party so as to win tho support of Repub licans, nlrendy disgusted with tho Kllnn Roosevelt leadership. Democracy's Greatest Achievement Hut wo oast hsldo proffered Btipport from such a quarter, unanimously adopted a real progiosslvo platform nnd got behind tho movement which forever divorced tho Demo cratic party from reactionary control hy tho nomination of Woodrow Wilson for Presi dent. Tho Pennsylvania Democracy's con trolling part in that tnoctnent wlllvgo down In history as the greatest achievement of tho Democratic party of our State, and will al ways constitute nn enllro Justification of tho "reorganization," so cntlcd. In 191.1, our Stato Committee, in no un certain terms, called upon tho Legislature to redeem the pledges of tho two parties which had made platform promises to tho people, nnd sent a committee to Hnrrlsbutg to work for tho promised reforms in co-operation with otiiers there, legardlnss of their party alllllations. In 1914 our party was the first to declare Its position upon State ques tions, Its candidates for Governor and Sen ator, long before tho primary, announced the platform upon which thoy asked support, and tho party by a largo majority sustained them. In tho cnmpnlgn Hint followed there was no "playing both ends against the middle." Its candidates, by their frankness and directness, lost tho support of thousands of so-called Democrats who did not agree with them, but not a vote was won by sidestepping or false pretense. For tho Brumbaugh Program The Republican party, however, presented a curious spectacle, which would be anom alous In tho politics of any other .State. Its candidate for .Senator and the ofilcial party platform went in one direction; the candidate for Governor and his personal platform In another. It was a species of double play that got tho votes. It Is more difficult, how ever, to Keep such a play going after election than befote. There aro already ninny signs Hint the mixed hreod of Republican chickens are coming home to roost. We are with Governor Hrumbnugh In his fight, if lie menus business and as long as lie seems to be In eat nest. Workmen's com pensation, enlightened child labor legislation up to tho best standard county unit, local option on the liquor question and good roads aro in tho Dcmociatio program, nnd tho whole stiongtli of the present organization of our party Is at tho service of tho Gov ernor If ho will use all tho power that ho can grab to "put them over." But If Grundy is going to control tho child labor situation. Mulvlhlll hold up the local option bill and Bigelow continue to bland between the peo plo and good loads, then wo shall fight on with all the strength wo can muster. If this Legislature adjourns without doing what tho people havo demanded and Governor Brum baugh has promised, tho people will know whom to hold responsible, and the political day of Judgment will not be long deferred. feteeS FIGHTING POWER OF OUR NAVY The Dreadnought Revolution Leaves Us Unprepared for a Great War. r'rom I ho WorM'M Work An event thai happened in lfJOi? changed the vibolo naval situation; it made obsolete all fighting ships then afloat, and led to the reconstruction of nil navies. This ovent was tho launching of the Hiltlsh battleship Dreadnought. Tho Dreadnought concentrated Its fighting powers upon the heaviest posslblo guns. In stead of a miscellaneous assortment, It had simply 10 12-Inch guns. Its displacement, 17,500 tons, was larger than that of any other battleship then afloat; its armor protection much greater; moro Important still, it had a greater upeed. Up to that time tho aver age battleship contented itself with 17 or 18 knots; tho Dreadnought could make 21. A fleet of dreadnoughts' could easily de stroy any battleship squadron that had ex isted up to that tlmo. Its speed gave it tho power to choose the place and tlmo of battle, and also, if necessary, to keep without tho range of tho enemy's guns'. Its heavy arma ment enabled It to outrange the old style ship and to Inflict greater damage. Tho na tion that possessed a considerable fleet of dreadnoughts, therefore, easily ruled the waves, There aro really two types of dreadnoughts tho battleship dreadnought and the cruiser dreadnought. This latter ship ts known as the battle cruiser. Like the dreadnought, Its heavy battery consisted of nil big guns; like It, it had a great displacement .17,500 tons; it differed only In that it had not quite so many big guns eight Instead of ten and had much thinner armor. It sacrificed Itself In these two details In order that It might attain a much greater speed, 27 or 28 knots, Tho naval authorities use a generic name to describe thesa two types; dreadnoughts and battle cruisers aro known as: "capital ships." Jf wo wish to estimate the lighting qualities of any navy, therefore, the one lm portant question Is this; How many "capital Bhlps" does It possess? These capital ships, and these only, are "ships of the line" ships that constitute tho first battle line. On July 1, 1904, the ofilco of Naval Intelli gence at Washington published a broadside showing the lelatlve naval strength of tho groat naval Powers. England had 23 dread, noughts built and 17 building, a total of 46. Oermany had 17 built and 11 building, a total of 88. The United States had 8 built and. 4 building, a total of 13. France had 4 afloat and P In progress of construction, a total' of 12. Japan had 4 built and 6 building, a total of 10. Russia, did aot possess a single- capi tal ship, though she had 11 building or au thorized. Assuming that. In these six "first-class" Powers, all the ships iro armed with the I &CvJLl& same efficiency, 41 child can easily figure out Just whoro wo stand, In July of this year Kngland and Germany so far outclassed us that only national Insnnlty would have forced us Into war with them. On tho other hand, wo so considerably outclassed France and Japan that a naval ongagoment with cither Power must almost necessarily end in our favor. FESTIVAL OF THE PASSOVER Institution of the Rite and the End of the Israelites' Sojourn in Egypt. From Exodus. And the l.onl spake unto Moses and Aoion In tho land of Ilgvpt, saying: This month shall be unto you tho beginning of months; It shnll bo tho first month of tho yenr to you. Speak o unto all tlio congregation of Tsrncl, "aylng, In the 10th day or this month they shall take them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fiUheis. a lamb for an house: Tour lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the flrfet year; je shall take It out from tho Micep, or from the goats. And ye sh.ill keep It up until the Uth day nf tho same month; and the whole assembly nf tho congregation ot Israel shall kill it in tlio evening. And they shall take of tlio blood, nnd strike It on the two sldo posts and on the upper door los.t of the hnucM, wherein they shall cat it. Ami they shall eat I lie flesh In that night, roast with Hi o. nnd iinleaveiipd bread: nnd with bitter liPibs-tlie shall eat It. It Is iho Lord's passover. For I will ii.t-s tluough tlio land of Kirvnt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Kgypt, both man and boast; and agnlnst all tlio gods of Kgypt t will execute Judgment; I am the Lord. And tho blood shall bo to jou for a token upon which the houses wheio e nie; and whn I see tho blood, I will pass over 3.011. and tlio plaguo shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite tho land of Hgypt And this day shall bo unto you for a memo rial: and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; yo shall keep It a feast by nn ordlnnncp forever. And it came to pasa. that at midnight tho Lord smoto all the first horn In tlio land of Kgypt, from the first bom of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the first bnru or tho captive Hint wnR in tho dungeon; and all tho first born of cattle. And rharoah rose up In tho night, he, and all his servants, nnd all the Egyptians; nnd there was a great cry in Kgypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead. And hn called for Moses nnd Aaron by night and .said, rise up. and get ou forth fioni among inv people, both yo and tho children of Israel; and go, servo the Lord, ns c havo said. Also take your flocks and ).our herds, ax jo havo said, and begone; and bless me also. Now the sojourning of tho children of Israel, who dwelt In Lgypt, was 430 years. And It came to pass at the end of the 430 5 ems, even the felfsauio day it c.une to pass tlio t all the hopts of the I.011I went out fiom tho land of Kgjpt It Is a night to he much observed unto the Lord for bringing them out from the lind of Kgypt; thlH Ih that night of tho Lord to be observed of all the chlldien of Israel in their generations, FICTION A PROPHECY OF FACT Prom tha Boston Transcript. Although the I0.13 of a submarine Is nothing new in tho history of naval disasters. It is, nevertheless, a coincidence, that the first trag edy of this kind in our navy should havo come almost simultaneously with the death of Mor gan Jtobertson, who described a similar ac cident hi one of Ids best stories of the sea "Fifty Fathoms Hown" whleh Is the exact depth at which the F-l now lies! To his prophecy of the sinking of the Titanic, In his tale about tho great transatlantic liner the "Titan," must now ho added another borno out even moro strikingly. Robertson may not have been a great artist, with Joseph Conrad, but he was undoubtedly one of tho heat writers of sea yarns slneo William Dark Ituasell, nnd ranked with Frank T. I3ullen, whose death preceded his own bv but a few days; and he was too good a Bailor, mechanic and Inventor, and too conscientious a craftsman to write a story about submarine navigation without fa miliarizing himself with the technical details, so that "Fifty Fathoms Down" doubtless de scribes with a great degree of accuracy Just what transpires among the unhappy crew of a submarine disabled nnd cast away on the bed of the ocean In Itobeitson's fiction, when the "Diver" had been rammed nnd sunk, the first thing her commander, Lieutenant Breen did was to fire out all the torpedoes In ordor to Increase the buoyancy, and then, one after another, the members of the crew were fired out through the tube, from a depth of 120 feet, to swim upward and find on the surface the floating torpedoes upon which they sustained themselves and saved their lives. Breen hlm elf remained, for the last man had nobody to shoot him through the torpedo tube, and the rest of tho story, when tlio submarine had settled deeper Into fifty fathoms of water. Is concerned with his blundering but successful efforts to make by artificial means sufficient oxygen to prolong his life until he was re cued, which he accomplished in a remarkable manner. According to Robertson, men nay be shot like torpedoes through the submarine tube, and one floating torpedo Is able to sup port two men, WHO SAID IT? From th Nw York Bun, The new nla rued edition of fIartlU' "Famil iar Quotations" by our amiable -Jtuwdun friend Nathan Haskell Dole, doesn't contain, or Jf it does we have missed It, thU remark' J'If 1 go, who tftys?" Who said it? It has a high. Roman sound, but it la the sense of It that cornea Into the mind J nit now. If the Hen, Llndley Miller Ofiiv riton leaves the Cabinet, how nniuh Cabinet will be lift? T LIFE Forenoon awl afternoon, and idglit forenoon And afternoon and night forenoon nnd Whatl The empty aqg rtjveats Itimlf. No more? Yea. thU 1 Uftfi make tfala forenoon ublin) ThU afternoon a psalm, thia night a praVr- Anl time is conquered and thy crown la won. -b, a rta "BATTI3R UP!" GENERAL VON KLUCK'S BAD SUNDAY I A Frenchman's Whimsical, if Somewhat Prejudiced, Story of a Trifling Episode at Coulommiers The Turning Point of the Great German Advance. By PAU,L TIIK general who leads the active wing of tho German nriny remains unknown to us. Ofilcial bulletins inform ns of tho move ments of his troops, and tales of witnesses let one seo the attitude of tho ofllcers who sur round him; but tlio personage himself re mains invisible behind a thick curtain of soldiers. Three or four Pionchmen have, however, succeeded In approaching this mys terious Von Kluck and seeing him In his own setting. Their testimony Is worth collecting. It is f-'aturday, September B, at Coulom mler.i; the general, at this moment, boliovoi Hint ho has won, and, tired by the long effort accomplished sinco his victory of Charlcrol, certain now that fuller triumph cannot escape him, resolves to glvo himself somo hours of rest while putting oft until tomor row nil serious affairs. Two ofllcers came in tho morning to pte paro lodgings for the General Staff. They weio preceded by an advance gum d of Uhlans, and made their way to tho Town Hull. ".Somebody give us u liorso and car' rlnge at once," they said. Then, with tlio conveyance so lcquisitioned, thoy went across the town. At every cafo they halted whllo their men went down to the collar .and brought up all tho baskets of champagne thoy could find. When the carriage was full they unloaded it in tho courtyard of tho house chosen for tho general and set out on yet another expedition. Behind their half-closed blinds the town folk follow these proceedings. Somo of them even risk their skins outside. AH at onco loud cries resound; a bicycle squad precedes Death's Head Hussars who gallop In, revolv ers In their hands; Infantry chargo with fixed bayonets, and tho whole hordo cry at tho top ot their lungs: "The Goneral Staff!" "Tho General Staff!" "Nobody in tho street!" All ilco before them, nnd soon tho ontlre street Is mute and deserted. Von Kluck makes his entry. Von Kluck in Charming Humor Tills day ho Is In a charming humor. He enjoys rending the street signs of tho little rity somo of tlicm beating tho plctutesqlio names of Fishery street, Angel's court and others evoking tho virtues of modern society: Urootn avenue, Co-operation Boulevard. In tho heat of the autumn sun his nuto gently 1 oils towaid tho ceiilro of tho town and the banks of tho Grand Morin; tho 'German chieftain is, doubtless, charmed by the sweet ness and harmony ot this landscape, and as nothing makes such lnrond3 as tho artistic emotions, immediately upon his arrival ho orders something to cat. Tho cook, who ar rived two hours before, had done what was necessary. Ho had emptied Into n largo basin three cans of French peas, "borrowed" ot tho neighboring gtocery. To them ho had ndded four pounds of lard and boiled tho wholo together over 11 hot fire. There was onougli of It for tho general and his two aldes-do-eamp. But the cook-artist had re fined his menu and added to It sardines In oil, that Von Kluck prefers to every other gastronomic frivolity, on condition only that they be generously washed down with cham pagne, This light collation finished, Von Kluck summons the wife of tho French gardener, the caretaker, to ask her: "Your masters aro In the army, of course; have you any children? Five sons under tho flag? Fine. I promise them my protection when they shall be Incorporated. In the German army." While thus diverting himself In light con verse, Von Kluck has the servants make three beds In a little parlor on the ground floor for him ond tho "two generals of his suite; then he orders that In nil the other rooms a thick Utter of straw be spread for W escort. He looks the arrangements over himself and, satisfied, says', "This is the last stage; tomorrow we shall be leaving Coulom miers to enter FarlB," Confronting the gar dener's wife, erect, tall and strong, broad of shoulder, he towers with oil his might and fixes the old peasant, who cannot hold back the teara when ho says; "In eight days you will bo a German!" , The General's Orchestra And now before the general's house the musicians are lining up, Vun Kluok appears at the top of the garden steps and makes a sign. The concert begins. German officers, billeted on tho townspeople, have "Invited" all tho Frenchmen they can find to come to tho music. "Von Kluck's orchestra," hey add, "Is composed of the best artists In Ger rrnipy. No ono beats them at playing 'Car, men' ond 'The Mascot." the general's favor ite operas." "In two dayB, three at most," says a youns officer of the General Staff, "they will bo giving us a danea on the boule varda, in the arms of the shopglrja!" And now tho general gives the order to Pillage, It la a methodical operation. AH locked doors aro broken down, ail abandoned houses aro entered, and they carry away tha BIRAULT linen, clothing nnd provisions. Then tha noncommissioned officers wrlto on the door with chalk, "There Is nothing loft to eat or drink," mi as to savo tho rest any useless trouble. Uut already night is falling; the distant cannonading grows fainter; one by ono tho windows of tho General Staff go dark. Von Kluck sends again to tho Town Hall for 20 bottles of champagne, ana the party Is over. Afraid of tho Dark But now Von Kluck knows fear From those hostile shndows what dangers may surge! Rapidly his escort prepares the de fonse, and whilo tho olllcors run to flifd can dles tho faithful Darmstadt rushes to the Mayor's office. "A thousand francs this mlnuto!" ho cries. "Vou will pay a thou sand rrauefi this minute" At tho same time ho seizes tho Town Cleik. surrounds him with Uhlans and carries him off to tho gns woiK. Theie thoy learn that the manager left 24 hours earlier but put his fires out before he loft' So tho gas tanks aro empty. Von Kluck orders that three hostages be taken: M. Delsol, tho clerk; 31. Bard, and M. Chatray, the District Attorney. Tho Inst named General Darmstadt wants to arrest personally so as to havo the pleas ure ot Insulting him somo more. After hav ing had his say, Darmstadt turns to him, and pointing to his toque, says: "Tako your liel mot nnd follow me!" Tho hostages are locked up and warned that thoy will be shot at day break and that afterward a war tax ot $20,000 will bo levied on tlio town So they aro left to tho guaul of their sentinels. But the Gonoral Staff has lost time In these vain measures. Its work is disorganized; by hap hazard lighting tho cards aro badly read, and it Is necessary to Improvise a plan of de fense whllo tho English, pursuing their ad vantage, approach tho town. At dawn they aro loss than a milo from tho General Staff, which risks capture. Ono of the English sharpshooters, at 875 yards, picks off a Ger man sentinel. Von Kluck decides to flee. Hesitating to havo tho hostages shot, I16 ends by releasing them. All tho same, before leaving ho has them backed against a wail In front of a firing squad. Twenty minutes they aro kept there, anxiously waiting perhaps to give tho general revenge for tho fear he himself has felt. Then they aro set at liberty. So runs tho story of truthful witnesses of tho stay of Von Kluck at Coulommiers. Per haps It is only a. trifling episode In the his tory of tho war, yet who can aay what In fluence a moment of disorder In the German General Staff had on tho decisive hour! Perhaps tho gasman played his part, too, In tho great German dofent. And must he not havo read with prldo Joffre's general order beforo tho Battle of the Marne: "Sol diers, tlio tlmo of retreat has passed; the tlmo of olfenso has come; you hold France's fato in your hands. Wo are attacking. Eel dlers, advance as long as you can. If yeu can no longer ndvanco, hold the position you havo gained. If you can no longer hold It, die!" A SONG OF SHOPPING Oh, glad am I with her to go Whero apple blooms are dropping And merry birds aro hopping on the leal But It produces vertigo When she proposes shopping No shopping with my little love for met She lingers over fussy thing, All satiny and silky-like; I really think she'd haggle half a day, She leaves a heap of mttssy things, All mercerised and mllky-Hke, And spends an hour to purchase appllqml She loiters over hosiery ' In manner that Is shocking; It doesn't seepi to bother her a bit. It shatters my composure-y To see to much of stocking; lt I feel as though I'm like to throw a AH She dotes on haberdashery; She wants to buy all of it. , At last she gets a flaming necktie onei She takes me to a hasliery (Alas, the awful pall of It!) And lunches me on cocoa and a, bum Oh. glad am I with her to go Where apple blooms are dropping And merry birds are hopping on the Je' But It produces vertigo When Bhe proposes shopping. , No shopping with my little love for m Clinton Bcollard, In JW- TOWN AND COUNTRY But, could you be content to bid adieu To the dear playhouse and the players. t0j Sweet country seats aro purchased everywm-rr. With lands and gardens, nt loss price than pert You hire a darksome dogbole by the year A small convenience decently prepard, A shallow well that rlsea in l'"r flrd That spreads his easy crystal streams arouno. And waters all the pretty spot of ground There, love the fork, thy garden lVt. And give thy frugal friends a I'ythajoresn 'TU somewhat t b lord of M "'alL. f rAB8 In WW Uwrd may. at !. turn Wuvenai (trawUted by J Pf' ' 1 1 .4
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers