- -
EVBNIKG LEDGEE-PHItiADELPHlA SATURDAY, MAY ttS, IQlfo
tT.
8
Ue&ger
PUBLIC LEDGER COMPANY
tTnt)s it. k, cuims, rfciiBiT.
Cherles Iti Ludlngton, Vlc resident : John C Miirlln,
FtttUtr end Tressurert Philip B. Collins, John tl
XVHiltmi. Directors
editorial board i
Cists II K. CcsTta, Chairman.
P H WIIALET.. ....( Executive Editor
- - , r . ,, - . m ...
JOfflCC MARTIN... General Business Manager
Published dally at TciLta Vttnn Building,
Independence Square, Philadelphia.
ttroza CaxniL ...Dread and Chestnut Street
Ati.jiktIo Cut .............. ..Drm-Unlon Hulirtnir
New ToiK 1I0-A, Metropolitan Tower
Cbioaoo 81T Home Insurance Building
London 8 Waterloo riace, Pall .Mall, B W,
NEWS BUREAUS!
VsiiimOTOw Buxicab ..,,,.. The rett nulldlnr
yew YoK ntint.it,,.,. The Tlmtt nulldlng
Dim in Ilcaun , ,. no FrledrlehittraM
toifDox QnuptA. mm., ..,2 Pall Mall Eait, B, W.
turns, Btnauutf ,,S2 nue Louis le Orand
BUBflCniPTION TEnMS
Byeafrler, Dsilt O.vtt, six cent, tir mall, postpaid
rmtftld of Philadelphia, except -where forelf n pos
la required. DltLT Onlt. one month. twenty.nr en
l Trnera inreiin powia
K
lonth, twenty-ore e
Dilt.t, OMLt, ,w. rear.thre dollar. All mall sub-
nre cent
terlpttons parable In a'dvance.
TfrJTfnmflfiha.rttwra wltfbtntf AAfmm ,h,nt,i1 mil.t
give old ft well aa new addreae,
BEtfc,iM0 WALNUT
KETSTONE, MAIN J000
Id'dVsss nit communications (o Evening
Ltdgtr, Ifidterndtnce Bquar; Philadelphia,
txtnto it the ntiubttrnu ros-torncs as aicoD
cUii uitb utrrxa.
THE AVERAGE NET PAID DAILY CIRCULA
TION OP THE EVENING LBDdER
FOR APRIL WAS 8J.104.
PHILADELPHIA, SATU11DAK. MAY IS, 191S.
The man toho cats all hts eggs wUl never
raise any chickens.
Imaginary Attack on Vested Interests
THERE are beginning to appear crnttlly
worded statements that the peoplo who
Want rapid transit nro opposed to tho exist
ing company.
It may bo doubted, as a matter of fact, If
a public service corporation was over treated
with more consideration than Director Tay
lor and tho men working with him liava
shown toward tho P. It. T. An Important
feature of tho Director's plana was his earn
est purpose to protect tho existing company
by permitting It to participate under favor
able conditions In tho now undortnklng. Ho
repeatedly Insisted that Invested capital
should bo protected, within proper limits.
Hts plan, as a matter of fact, represents an
agreement with tho P. It. T an agreement
which that company has never repudiated,
even If It has been lax In espousing it be
fore tho public.
Thero Is abundant reason to bcllcvo that
the city 19 treating the cxlBtlng company
with at least as much consideration as tho
existing company Is treating tho city. Any
assertion to the contrary Is unworthy ot
thoughtful men who have tho real progress
of tho municipality at heart.
In transit the Interests of tho city and tho
company are closely Interwoven. Tho city Is
determined to havo a comprehensive rapid
transit system. It Is entirely up to tho com
pany to determine whether or not it wishes
to participate in the benefits accruing from
that system. If it decides to stay out and
loses thereby surely tho blamo will not rest
on Philadelphia or tho men who aro fighting
to secure for tho city the modern transit
facilities which It must have.
The Mother Heart
WHAT would you do. If you were a mar
ried woman without any children and
should go to tho door In answer to a ring
and And on tho step a basket containing a
three-weeks-old baby that looked up into
your face with a three-cornered smllo and
waved two pudgy and dimpled hands In the
air as If In salutation?
Tho first impulse of a woman In North
Uth street, to whom this wonderful experi
ence came, was to adopt tho baby. Her
mother heart responded to tho subtle appeal.
Her second and her third and last Impulse
reinforced her first, and sho Is now awaiting
the completion of tho necessary legal proc
esses before sho can call the child her own.
But thero is tragedy behind this beautiful
Incident, and It Is written In tho mothor
heart that felt Itself compelled to surrender
that wonderful gift, which, as Mncdonald
says, comes "out of tho nowhero Into tho
hero."
Jitneys Have Come to Stay
MR. EDISON thinks that the Jitney crazo
will bo shortlived because a five-cent
fare is too small to pay tho cost of opera
tion and maintenance.
Perhaps ho Is right, but thero aro some
jitney owners who think otherwise. Every
thing depends, of course, upon tho popular
demand for tho cheap method of transporta
tion. Some owners In tho suburbs nro al
ready running the jitneys on a sound com
mercial basis by putting In tho bank each
week a definite sum to cover tho deprecia
tion of tho car. What is left Is used to pay
a chauffeur and to buy gasoline, oil and
Ores and to bank aa profit. Thus Tar there
has been a considerable surplus each week
for profit. Of course, the amount Is not
large In comparison with tho earnings of a
trolley car, but It Is enough to Justify tho
conclusion, that, provided the people use tho
Jitneys as they have been doing, there Is a
future for them In every community of any
trlze
In a city with the population of Philadel
phia they ought to coin money for their
owners when run on short routes.
The Lifting Power of a AYoman's Ideal
EVERY sane woman, aa well as every well
balanced man, objects to war. Brute
force la not a weapon which commends Itself
to reasonable beings. The women, therefore,
who have said that they could see no reason
Jn tho present crisis for sacrificing their sons
On. the battlefield, havo been uttering the
natural sentiment ot all humanity. There Is
rsr-srUJespread feeling among men as well as
women that disputes can be settled In a
tetter way than by force. President Israels,
the hero of the epoch-making peace story
which tho Evbnino Ledoer printed on
Thursday and Friday, Is a type of those who
believe In an appeal to the conscience and
to the sense of fair play in the hearts of all
men.
Woman Is the Idealist of the world. Her
faith In a man has many a time kept him
in the straight road, and made It possible
for him to resist the temptation to be falsa
to Ills principles. The man has said to him
sJtMy wife oelleves In me and I will do
)jtli!ns which will cause her to lose her
tAmt." So he has chained himself to the
titnlng
ywfcr standard, and by long and painful
rt aa pulled himself up to Us level.
Wn the women, who ara Increasing It?
,pttw& and influence with every passing
dacade, oy that there must be no more war,
that the sons whom they have brought Into
ihtt wol'l wlth so much pain and travail
Ittwtrt iuit be slaughtered merely because
mm MaftiM to lUU-t to the voice of reason
-ad 6&sy tuv Jaghfttf ot Justice, who laJl f
gay that the nations will not attach them
selves to the higher standards nlao, and pull
themselves out of the bloody trenches of the
battlefields and take their place, Along with
Uunynn's Pilgrim, In that pleasant chamber
looking toward thn east whoso namo ls
Peace?
Only Americans In America
There lins never been but one flag undsr
which the aermanAmcrlcan hns fought.
There never enn be but one flag under which
ho will ever fight, anil the flog Is the Star
and Stripes. Herman Illtlilcr, of the Now
York Stnats-Zcltung
(THUS Is an ndmlrahlo expression of the tin---
doubted sentiment of nil Americans of
German birth and descent. It also sets forth
the attitude of all Americans', whatever may
be their descent.
Mr. Hldder's persistent special plendlng for
fair play for Germany since the war began
litis, however, led many persons not familiar
with his Rtorllng Americanism to misjudge
him and to nssutna that his loyalty to tho
land of his fathers was stronger than his
lovo for tho land of his sons. But when the
crisis comes he and all others worthy tho
name of American reaffirm that oath of
allcglanco which they took when thoy first
choso this land ns theirs. They nbjurod
allcglanco to every king and potontato and
pledged themselves to support tho Constitu
tion of a free solf-govcrnlng people, and thoy
will keep that pledge.
Clearing Houses for Ideas and Ideals
MORE men nttended tho City Club dinner
laBt night to celebrate tho completion
of tho successful campaign for new members
than were on tho membership roll on Jan
uary 1. When tho campaign began It was
hoped that tho total membership could bo
raised to 1600. It has been raised to 1900,
and It Is proposed to put tho limit at 2000
and havo a wotting list for thoso who aro
certain to dcslro admission as soon as tho
now clubhouse Is under way.
Wo havo said It before, but It deserves
repeating, that thero is a now spirit inspir
ing this city, a spirit of combination nnd
co-operation, tho fruits of which nro mani
fest In tho creation of the greater Chamber
of Commerce nnd in tho enlargement of tho
City Club. Tho citizens aro ready for great
things, and leaders nro coming to the front
ablo to organize nil tho enthusiasm as It
appears. With thoso two big clearing houses,
ono for commercial Ideas and the other for
civic ideals, tho present is big with promlso
for tho future.
Can the Nursery I3e Neutralized?
THE suggestion recently made beforo the
Woman's Penco Society of Pennsylvania
that the nurseries be neutralized In the In
terest of universal pence will receive from
tho War Departments of tho world tho con
sideration which It deserves
It Is a beautiful plan to teach the children
to ndmlro tho heroes of peace and to desplso
the military geniuses, nnd to give them
woolly sheep to piny with Instead of lead sol
diers. But, like many benutlful plans, 11
tnkes too llttlo account of tho nature of n
boy, and assumes thnt the way to keep dry
In a rainy country Is to abolish the manu
facture of umbrellas and water-proof balma
cnans. Give a real boy a choice between a woolly
lamb and a tin sword and he will chooso tho
sword every day. Tho boy worth while Is a
primitive savngo In his Instincts. When ho
grows to man's estate In a civilized nation
ho becomes n civilized being. Only the adult
mollycoddles are developed from woolly-lamb-lovlng
boyhood. Tho plan to neutralize
tho nursery Is ono of thoso Iridescent dreams
which flit through the brain of men nnd
women In tho twilight zone between uncon
sciousness nnd realization of facts as they
aro.
Policy of the Curbstone Cabinet
THE curbstone cablnot, which holds dally
sessions In front of tho Evenino Ledger
bulletin board, is In hearty accord with tho
policy of the President.
It recognizes the primacy ot tho man who
sits at tho head of tho tablo In Washington,
and It Is unanimous In Its approval of tho
poise, temper and tone of the note to Ger
many. It does not ask that a single word
bo changed or that a single punctuation
mark bo removed.
It awaits with confidence tho development
of the further plans of the man on whoso
acts It passes with the freedom of Irresponsi
bility and yet with tho responsibility of frea
men.
Who Would Not Be Straight-Iaccd?
CERTAINLY not tho lady of fashion. For
it is decreed that to bo up to tho mlnuto
sho must be laced straight from her heel up
to tho crown of her hat. Her shoes aro laced
up the back. Her blouse la laced In tho back,
the cuffs of her Bleeves are laced In tho back
and a ribbon Is tied around tho top of her
hat and laced down tho crown and clear to
tho end of tho brim, where tho ends hang
off as streamers.
It all looks so "stylish" that no woman
will he happy until she Is wearing tho laced
costume. Not all women will achieve happi
ness In this way, for somo of them havo
already got their summer gowns, and tho
exceptional few, who would rather be differ
ent than In style, will wear costumes pinned
or buttoned together, or fastened with hooks
nnd eyes, to tho despair of their husbands
or their roalda or their sisters, or whoever
has to be called In to assist In closing tho
gaps In their garments. Tho fortunate many,
however, will go to church wrnpped up In
that feeling of righteous content which al
ways envelops a woman who knows when
she kneels that her gown fits well In the back
and Is tcut and trimmed In the most ap
proved fashion. But thero will bo as many
atralght-laced ladles out of church as In dur
ing the next few months. t
It Is now Victor Emmanuel's turn to throw
the dice.
i
Tho President not only known what ha
wants' to say, but knows how to say It,
The stock market was the only thing that
showed any nervousness on account of the
historic note.
It seem to bo getting unsafe for Germans
to live anywhere In the world eavo In Ger
many and the United States.
. ' ...
The falser , and Francis Joseph must
fasten up tbelr socks with strings' hereafter,
for King George, tho purveyor of garters to
European royalty, has taken theirs back.
Can you Imagine the welcoma the Presi
dent of the Unllod States will receive when
) arrives In Now York to review the At-
lantjc fleet now at snuhor la tho Hudson,
SrVex?
THE COMMANDER
OF THEWAR FLEET
Rear Admiral Fletcher Is Not Only
a Great Sailor, But Something of
Statesman A Man of Versatility
and Poise.
By ELLIS RANDALL
OF THE man who commands tho magnlft
cont war Heel now at anchor In tho East
River, President Wilson said, at the time of
tho taking of Vera Cruz, "He Is a great
sailor with a touch of statesmanship about
him." A man of that description, most
Americans will agree, Is Just tho kind of
man to have In charge of our naval fighting
force, Rear Admiral Frank Friday Fletcher,
as his record has nmply demonstrated, com
bines In his make-up, to an extraordinary
degree, ability and common sense and poise.
Tho moment you look at Fletohcr you
know that he Is boss of his Job. He lookB It,
every Inch. His modesty of demeanor, hl
constdorato attltudo toward subordinates, his
nutct voice, quietness of speech, Impress one
ns revelations of forco As nn ofllcor should,
he gives his orders with precision. Ho Is
medium-sized, broad-shouldered, well "set
up," and dcllborato of action without being
slow His eyes nro perhaps his most strik
ing feature. They nro kindly eycB, dark and
flashing, that seem somehow to reveal tho
man's1 bigness of character.
His mlddlo namo Is half nickname. Ho
was born In Oskaloosa, la., on November 23,
186R, which was a Friday, On this account
his father used to dub him "my little man
Friday." When tho lad wob 7 years old his
father died, but tho namo stuck. He was
appointed to Annapolis at tho ago of 14 and
escorted to the nendemybynn older brother.
Tho latter, when called upon to put the
youngster's namo down on tho roster of boys
entering tho Naval Academy, wroto "Frank
Friday Fletcher." And so tho namo was car
ried along Into tho academy. Tho bearer lias
nover been ablo to shako It off
Friday Fletcher, as he was now called,
was graduated from Annapolis Juno 21, 1875,
after a course In which he had shown no
special brilliance. HIb first job showed tho
kind of talent that wns In him. Ho wns as
signed to duty on board tho United Statos
steumshlp Tuscnrorn, which was engaged in
surcylng a submarine route for a projected
cnblc to connect California with Japan This
Involved an exploration of tho ocean depths
Just enst of Japan the Tuscarora discovered
tho deepest holo that exists anywhere In tho
world. This murine nhyss, called tho Tu
caiora Deep, goes down flvo and n qunrter
miles. The soundings went that deop nnd
failed to touch bottom.
The navy demands much of a man today.
He must bo sailor, mechanic, student of In
ternational law, diplomatist, sanitarian and
a few more. Of course, somo naval officers
nro deficient in certain of these points and
make up for their lacks by cxcollenco in
others. Flotoher is great in nil theso linos,
and In nddltlon ho hns ndded to tho effi
ciency of our navy by a series of remarkablo
inventions. Somo of the most valuable con
trivances In use aboard craft of our fieots
originated In his fertile brain.
Ho will long be known among navy men
for tho Fletcher breech-closing mechanism
Tho device Is a wonder of efficiency. It shuts
tho breech of a rnpld-flro gun In tho quickest
Imaginable time nnd with the fewest possl
bio motions. Then he Invented a gun mount,
nn arrangement of truncnted cones on a
roller path by which friction Is reduced to
such a point that a weapon weighing thou
saVidb of pounds can bo trained literally with
ono finger and clamped Instnntly upon the
target. Ho has also revolutionized tho use
ot torpedoes by his resenrchos Into tho be
havior of these dread messengers of tho sea.
Ho has corrected many grlovous errors of
range.
It Is Interesting at this tlmo to recall somo
of tho answers which Admiral Fletcher mado
to the Naval Houso Committee last Decem
ber. Ho defended tho dreadnought as tho
greatest weapon of naval warfare.
"Tho European war has not demonstrated,"
ho said, "that tho battleship I3 any less
valunblo In naval warfare than heretofore,
or that It Is not still tho main factor In
finally determining a conflict.
"Tho submnrlno undoubtedly is n very
valuable adjunct to a navy. Tho defense
against tho submarlno has not yot been full)
developed Eventually a defense against tho
submarlno will bo found, Just as a defense
was found against tho old style spar-torpedo
and tho nutomobllo torpedo. Ono defense
against the submarine nlready developing Is
tho nlrshlp."
Tho admiral gavo It as his opinion that
great naval battles would continue to bo de
cided, In tho main, by battleships.
Admiral Fletcher told tho committee that
a European nation could send submarines
across the ocean to dart Into an American
harbor and assail tho American fleet. It
was, of course, ho said, a supposititious case
as to tho practicability of such a move. For
Instanco, ho said, England had a "nice little
supply station" seven hundred miles away
from Now York harbor at Bermuda.
Tho Admiral said ho would recommend, as
good policy, eight or ten moro submarines
for coast nnd harbor defense, but emphati
cally reasserted that tho real success of tho
navy must ultimately rest with the dread
noughts and the battleship fleets generally.
Fletcher's versatility and grasp of affairs
were strikingly shown in tho way In which
he handled the news from Vera Cruz at tho
tlmo when tho whole American people were
eagerly awaiting every dispatch which came
up from Mexico, Secretary Daniels Jocularly
remarked to tho newspaper men In Wash
ington that the Admiral would have made a
great managing editor, for he not only
showed tho newspaper Instinct for real news,
but In his dispatches he flung the feature of
each story to the front In clear and concise
form.
He is almost universally liked. In many
qualities, said an officer of tho Atlantic fleet
0 short time ago, "he resembles Sampson,
lie's a type of the best Annapolis product."
The offlcer went on to speak of Fletcher's
accomplishments In International law. His
sound learning In this field Is one of the rea
sons why President Wilson and , Secretary
Daniels trust him so thoroughly. They know
he will reflect credit on the United States,
With Fletcher on the bridge of the battle
flagship, Washington does not worry about
the fleet.
ONE RESULT IS SURE
Tram h Brooklyn J&aala.
Whatever the outcome, one result Is sure.
Tha blow at humanity, at civilisation, hard as
It bit the world, hits Germany harder stilL
Its Bfte;U will b cumulative. They will grow
whrever thero U response 10 Impulses other
than trQa which ara woloui, viooay ana rav
nous, Thsy will convert Prussian, If not all
Oerman jnlUtarUtn, luto a. byword and a re-
pra
For tha Von TU&its rstme be drAwn
' fsS8 titoSE' "
HOW THE MOVIES
Educating a New and Democratic Audience in
Palaces The Future Hope in the Present
astrous Situation.
By KENNETH
AMERICA'S most disastrous theatre sea
- son has como to an end cappod with thn
calamity of Charles Frohman'a death. It Is
a Uttlo early to estlmato tho results of his
ty.klng off, but It Is Buroly tlmo to try to
think a llttlo more discerningly about that
competition of tho movies, which has played
such a large part In the threatened bank
ruptcy of tho American theatre.
From tho beginning wo havo had plenty
of articles glorifying tho fortunes Involved
In tho movies; plenty decrying them ns tho
destroyers of our theatre. But until very
lately thero has boen no deeper Inquiry Into
their effects, no shnrpor vision of their pos
sibilities. Now can bo heard another volco
above tho crass bragging nnd crasser vitu
perations. It has found a now instrument
of art, reaching millions that havo gone
without. But It has made this discovery a
little lato In tho day. Tho facts of tho
movies' popularity havo grown too clear for
any furthor muddlod declarations that n 10
cent art Is a stupid art and that, anyway,
tho crowd has no business taking tho thing
that Is most amusing for tho money. For
tunately, the crowd has a "refreshing way,
every now nnd then, of doing Just as It
pleases.
Two-dollar drama Ibsen or "The Follies"
Is what a good many dccrlers of tho
movies want. But that is no reason for
blinding ourselves to tho fact that the tastes
of a lot moro of us haven't been developed
by education or wealth to appreciating
olthcr oxnmple, while tho mero price of ad
mission has barred many from any chanco
of developing a liking by experience.
Tho (jaro for tho Playgoer
Tho patron of tho movies has nn excellent
caso. It Is a caso Independent of tho po
tential art of tho cinematograph. Ho has
taken a very sensible stand In the faco of
the fact that the American thcatro Is not a
plnco of popular amusement. In Germany
It Is or was for prices thero havo been
brought down to a great extent by municipal
endowment and by acting societies that give
plays for working class audiences. Here, as
In England and France, for that matter,
prices nro so high that tho mass of lll-pald
workers Including clerks and sales peoplo
as well aa day laborers can hardly afford a
visit n month to th'o cheapest parts of tho
theatre. Is It any wonder that moving pic
ture houses of the luxurious, usually very
comfortable, and always offering good seats
nt less than tho lowest price In the regular
theatres, nro so tremendously popular? If
tho peoplo who seo tho "legltlmato" stage
rapidly being ruined by tho movies were
right In taking movie audiences for alienated
playgoers. It would be only nn evidence of
how tho high prices and poor service of the
theatres have choked off an eager, If not yot
discriminating public.
As a matter of faot, the moyles are draw
ing a, composite audience. A portion, a
minority, como from casual playgoers, tha
normal patrons of melodrama and cheap
farce. Tho vast majority aro men and
women who Beldom or never go to the thea
tre; the high cost of amusement has barred
them out. The movies are drawing In to a
form of dramatic entertainment Immensely
larger audiences than the theatres ever
touched. Vastly more Important, they are
drawing them In steadily, repeatedly, night
after night. There lies the big hope foj; a
rapid rise of a great cinematographic art.
People who decry Borne of tho pictures of
crime, horror or cheap comicality In tho
movies, Bhould remember that the art Is
young. They should wait for this growing
experience at the audience to have Its effect
on the artists developing with It, Taste, real
taste, Individual taste, Is achieved, not by
tho lack of anything bad, nor oven by tho
help of good advice, lectures or reading, but
by experience. Give a man enough contact
with any art, and you will And him turning
from tho ephemeral and the. cheap, from tho
thing that satisfied at first but that palled
on fepetUlon, to better and subtler and moro
refined examples. Of tho many factors that
contribute to artist lo development, experi
ence Is, after all, the fundamental basis. You
as bahisa " "Without Jt. progress U
NO BLUFF ABOtJT THIS
44gpr Ilk & L O 43 1
(!11 CI O J
AFFECT THE DRAMA
the Picture
Dis-
MACGOWAN
Impossible. In the beginning was not tho
ward. Tho standards which wo reverence
most havo been very humanly discovered by
repeated explorations. Progress In the drama
has rested on this; progress in tho movies
must do tho same. And tho movies have tho
ndvantago of drawing larger audiences, moro
steadily, than tho theatre could ever hope
to do.
The Future
As the result of this experience thero must
como out of tho moving picture theatres iv
changed audience. They will do moro than
demand a subtle, artistic and specialized
form of motion picture. As peoplo seeking
tho better and moro dramatic portrayal of
life, thoy will turn from tho movies to tho
theatre. Tho casual theatregoer of today
will como back to tho playhouse with a finer
tosto than was his beforo tho movies lured
him out. And ho will bring with Mm tho
big mass of prosent-day peoplo who nover
seo a play. For wo must remember that
thero is a very deflnlto link between tho
movies and tho drama. It Is as natural to
proceed from moving pictures to sollder
dramatic faro ns from melodrama to Shake
spearo. But theso peoplo will not como Into tho
theatre unless It is ready for them with a
now spirit nnd a new economic basis. It
must bo mado sounder as to economic or
ganization, and thus broader as to art. Its
prices must bo brought within tho possi
bilities of democracy.
Is It not possible that the ruinous com
petition of tho movies will drill some such
lesson into tho heads of our theatro organ
ization? Is It not possible that cconomlo
conditions will forco them to find somo
method of conducting their business which
will give nn ndequato return to tho play
goer for monoy Invested? It Is that or an
nihilation. QUESTIONS OF THE DAY
To the Editor of the Evening Ledger:
81r Is It better for Germany to allow a ship
load of ammunition to land In England to be
used to destroy the lives of possibly thousands
of Germans, or for the Oermans to destroy
ship and cargo with all on board, after due
notice being given to a civilized people of dan
ger In using the enemy's ship or ships carry
ing contraband of war for transportation?
In It possible for civilized people to place
their lives In Jeopardy by taking passage on
ships owned nnd railed by warring nations
and not feel they are planning deliberate
suicide?
How long will Intelligent people nllow their
lives, property and country to be used as a
shield for one or nnother warring nation?
Would It not bo well for us to consider the
friendly feeling manifested by some of our
foreign friends during our rebellion of 1861'
1865; also during the Spanish-American War?
Is It for the benefit of these United States
that people and nations want us to get our
hnnds stained with blood from our friends or
enemies on tho other side of the Atlantic'
Philadelphia, May ,8. BKU PR,6b-
FAITH IN THE PRESIDENT
To the Editor of the Evening Ledger:
Sir In the "Speaking the Publlo Mind" de
partment of tho Evbnino Lbdcjer tonight all
tho letters are In line with your admirable
article supporting tho President In his calm
procedure In this last outrageous action of
asrmany. The letter by Antonio Mutlgnanl.
one of the new qltlzens, deserves our admlra
t Ion for its earnest simplicity and his expres
sion of "faith In Mr, Wilson."
For any Intelligent persona to Imagine that
tho President would not be strong after what
he had said In his last note to Germany, proved
they did not comprehend his nature, for such
persons must be told that, though the PresU
dent alms for peace, he Is perhaps the most
forceful man In the world. The exnreislon
"strict accountability," In hi, last note meant
vXi fif , JOSEPH MACLEAN.
Philadelphia, May 13. ovwwiw.
' ''--"TOO
PROUD TO FIGHT"
To the Editor ot the Evening Ledger;
Sir In view of tho Indignation expressed at
home and abroad over tho phrase "Too croud
to fight" used by President Wilson; n hi.
speech delivered here, I am surprised that at.
tentlon has not been directed to his undoubted
meaning, In contradistinction to tha DODular
or """'.I1 unJ,0Pu,a, Impression that has since
To me that night It seemed plain that he
carefully choso and clearly worded two ep!
arate Ideas,
First A nation may be too proud to flsht
Second, but a direct anUtb.ds ,;
4
that a nation may bo so right that It need not
rccort to forco to provo It. That the latter
Is tho moro important of tho two Is clearly 1
iiiuiciiicu uy ilh pusiiioiintEMiu was tnat night a
by tho President's cmpWsls. Careful as he Ii 1
in nis enpico ot woras, certainly lie would
havo mado no assertion such as the flnt, a t
insim 10 me nation, witnout immediately de-
airujjiiK mat premiBe anu suosututing another.
FRANCIS B. HITCHCOCK.
Philadelphia, May 13.
NOT A REBUFF
To the Editor of the Evening Ledger:
Sir An nrtlcle appeared In today's Evening
Lbdoer entitled "Antl-Suffraglsts Rebuffed by
. '""" . S
mis statement Being absolutely untrue, I
ask that you make n public refutation of tame,
referring you to John Wannmaker. who I am
certain will benr me out as to the true facte,
which nrn n fnllown?
On Mnv 1.1 T wnnt VinfnrA ttia oniital T1..I...I
-- v - - ....., ......... h.,u ui'vudi uyatlA
ui cuutuuun ummiuee representing me t'enn
sylvanla Association Omiosed to Woman Kuf.
frage, which I have tho honor of serving J
Stato campaign manager. I explained to the
secretary of tho Board of Education that I
had come to mnko protest against either u(-j
frage or antl-suffrago being made the subject
01 essays in tno puDiic scnoois
I was not "rebuffed"; to tho contrary, I w
treated with every courtesv bv Mr ivn?
maker and every other member present at the
nvnrmg,
mr. wanamnker explained that, as It wti.
a subcommittee It hnd no power to pass on
the question He then directed the secretary
to take my namo nnd address nml assured ml
mat wnon tno General Committee met In dis
cussion of this subject I should be duly not!,
fled and my plea should be heard before that
Doay. w
No. indeed, Mr. Kdltor, we have serious ar
guments, but do not wish the child mind ta
uuiuaniinaiea nna would keep the pubUeffi
scnoois froo of political Issues.
FLORENCE GOFF SCIIWARZ. f
Philadelphia, May 33.
PRESIDENT ISRAELS ''
To tho Editor of the Evening Ledger
Sir Can you tell mo win- thn imm nf Pr.iO
dent Israels Is not mentioned In Webster's New3
Ideal Dictionary? I read tho first part of thlh
iiupeaviirneni or President Israels," nnd H
would advise everybody to read It. It will null
down ana settle a cood mnnv nf h lint.
headed, nonthinking nnd for-war-looklng peo-'
pie who do not renllzA whnt w,P mt,ana .mill-
they find themsolvcH trnniilo,! tutu, n w
should bo thankful for the good common wnse
of this deep-thinking man, President Wilson.-
t,. .. , , OND ov YOUR READERS.
The Evenino LEDOEn has received manyj
inquiries in regard to the Identity of President
Israels. He has no historical prototype, but Ii
one of the strong, outstanding characters of
fiction. Editor of the Eveninq Ledger
MORE RUINS '
From the Boston Advertiser. '
Among the newly acquired ruins of this ra
wb numoer me Ilhelms Cathedral, the BalU
moro Platform and the Law of Nations.
"THE DIVINE RIGHT"
From the Boston Evening Record. '
Tho "Divine right" to kill women and chlKj
aren u not recognized and will not be.
SLIPPIN OFF A-FISHIN'
I hain't a-carln' 'bout the spring
Or garden-makln' time,
Nor not another thing on earth
When nshln's In hits prime,
I want to go an" dig some bait
An' hunt my hook an' line;
My rhumatlz is better now,
An' I'm a-feelln' fine.
I'll have to slip away, I guess,
Hit's kind o' hard, you know,
But If my wlfo should find hit out
She wouldn't let ma go;
The garden needs a lot o' work,
Tha chickens aro to mind.
An' Jlst about thls'tlma o" year
Theya lots of work, I find.
They always Is a tot to do.
An hit seems like to me
My wlfo Is bound to wear me out
She Jlst won't let me be I
Hit's "Go an' plant the 'tatera now,"
Or "Bring some stove -wood In":
While flshln' why to hear her 11
Hit Is a deadly sin.
But I don't care, I'm goln' to go
"Play hookey," that's the game;
I'm goln' to do It, yes I ara
As sure as Bob's my namel
I'll slip away Jlst watch me now,
Hit brings the kind o' Joy
I used to feel -when steaJin' off
Back when I was a boy. .
Hoop-eel Hold on, don't holler ylt.
They'll hear you at tha house,
Stoop down an' slip along the fence
As quiet aa a mouse)
Walt till you git behind the hill,
sup over in the brush,
Somebody's comln' down the Jane,
Squat down an hide an' hush I
Well, now they're gone I guess hit's ' ,
To alio on down the fence.
Hit's kind o" nice sometimes, you know.
To have to feci suspense.
This "playhV hookey." why hit's grt
I kind o' want to run
JUt like I uied to when a boy
Oh. UQllv. but hlt'a fun'
Sprlagflel RepvbK
' T -K-C-S TT r -
!
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