g 1hTr,"
EVENING EEDGER-PHILADELPHIA. THURSDAY, JULY 29, 101S;
PUBLIC LEDGER COMPANY '.
CYni-S II. It. COnTIS. Mmnn. '
yfimml&Wgr'- rh""' B c"""' An "
BDlTOlTlAlj UOAHDJ
CtM ICCcstib, Chairman.
F. It' WltAf.Br fttfcutlr 1ltor
tons c juntiv
.General tluilrtji thtnacer
rubiithix! daily at r cuo i.twin nuiidinr.
Independence Square, Philadelphia.
i5nS.S"A?.AI BnnA and CheMniit Btreete
IL'S!0 c,lf rrnt-Vnton Bulldlnir
nJf.TS" ITO-A, Metropolitan Tower
Hi. Itia .. ,jo mote Democrat Uulldlnir
tJI?J? 1'... ' ,s"3 Tribune Building
Mjwoir 8 Waterloo PUce. rail Mall, 8 W.
. news nfnn.MJS!
S.M1 vl0T0 n I"',B Tn P" niilldlnr
?""?'WI'''"5- 60 rrledrlchtri.s
f"X "i!"" v 2 Pall Mall Enl, 8 W.
Pun Bmhij ..' ,,3j nue Lauli l Grand
strnscntrTioN TEnMs
U.!u ' Dj,Lt c""'lr on" month. twnty.flvecenta;
i!tr. """'"ne year three dollar All mall ub.
acrlptlone payable In advance.
.tM!,.c."Buh1?rlh"" wlhln addreai chanjed muat
f old aa well aa new addreaa.
HELL, JOOo WALNUT
KETSTONE, MAIS 0M
CT Addrtai an rommunleailont tn K,nna
tAdgtr, Indrtendetof Kquare, rhlladtlphta
BNrriao at ins rniUDrtirnu roTomo it atco.vn-
CLlia Jlltt. HiTTIt.
THE AVEltAOE NET PAID DAILY CIHCULA
TIO.N OP TUB EVENING LEDOEtl ,
FOIl JUNE WAS 02,837.
rillLADELrillA, TIttinSDAY, JULY 29. 1915.
The man who would do a big business without
proclalnting Ma wares Is like the man
who would bore auger holes
with a gimlet.
The Problem of llclng a Mother
"Do you advocate raising children for
county charges, tho poorhouso, or whnt?
I am a mother of seven children and feci
that I havo my right to ask. Perhaps you
have novcr had tho cxpcrlenco of raising
Beven children on JSO a month and then
suddenly losing tho position and havo
your house threatened with foreclosure."
Sirs. McIIonney to Theodora Iloosovelt.
MK. ROOSEVELT has yot to meet Mrs.
McIIonnoy fnco to face; and ho has yot
to meet her argument In any fashion what
soever. Ho tells her "to keop right on being
a. mother, tho best, highest, most worth
while job on earth, no matter what tho tem
porary conditions that surround It may bo."
But ho falls to wonder whothor Buch condi
tions aro really temporary for most mothers
of tho poor, whether tho Job of being a
mother Is more worth-while on a basis of
quantity or quality, nnd whether It can bo
better Improved by Individual Initlatlvo or
by Boclal forces. Perhaps tho European
war may give a llttlo light.
Germany nnd Franco supply two glaringly
contrasted methods of dealing successfully
with tho mother problem. Germany stood
for a high birth rate, for moro minds and
moro workers; but, sho also stood for tho
essential concomitant of protecting that In
crease of minds and workers from tho pov
erty and destruction that their very num
bers would othenvlso bring. Franco took
the opposite view. Sho fell back on Indi
vidual thrift. Sho cut down tho birth rate,
and tho chances of poverty took caro of
themselves. Germany's policy undoubtedly
was suited to a nation In n period of renais
sance. Franco's was tho product nnd tho fit
nccompanlmont of moro stable conditions.
Both achieved a more or less prosperous
and happy people.
But what about England? England has
practiced both racial profligacy and social
profligacy. Do wo want to follow her?
Tho Cure for "Playinp Hookey"
AKECENT Issuo of that useful llttlo pub
lication of tho Burenu of Municipal
Research, "Cltlzons" Business," announces tho
plans of tho Board of Education for provid
ing a school where habitual truants may bo
cared for and trained back Into a normal
outlook on life. This "parental school," as
these Institutions havo been called slnco
Boston founded tho first in 1806, will take
tho placo of such methods as boarding out
truants In good families or sending tho moro
lncorriglblo to reformatories. Psychopathio
cases nlso will thus bo skilfully cared for by
the school as they havo not been before
Tho analysis of habitual truancy and the
part tho city must, pky In Its , euro can
hardly bo moro succinctly or better stated
than In "Citizens' Businois":
Among these causes aro (a) poor home
conditions, (b) bad companions, (c) 'dislike
of tfchool, (d) desire to work, (e) illness, (f)
feeble-mlndedness. Death, desertion, di
vorce. Intemperance, poverty. Insanity and
degeneracy are constantly taklnir their tnii
iOf young lives, beginning with truancy, a
etepplng-stono to vice and crime. Over
most of these contributing factors the child
has no control. Tho community, then, Is re
sponsible and must work out a plan to arrest
incipient social wastage.
There aro ways for tho community to aid
besides through a parental home. One of
tho most potent is to elect a Councils which
will strive for tho best of living conditions
In Philadelphia and not sit back contented
with tho worst.
Seam in the German Armor
Ml
rUD-SLINGING never won a battle.
Calling the German race "second rate"
will no moro dispose of its military power or
lt Industrial vigor than Jt will dispose of
Beethoven or Mozart or Wagner. There is
a weak spot in the armor of imperial Ger
many, but even so distinguished an antago
nist as Lord Northcllffe -doesn't llnd It with
a statement of this sort;
It Is not possible whatever may be
the fluctuating fortunes of war, that nations
oompoftcd, of rreo mart and Individualists shall
be ruled by such second-rate and Imitative
raeea as the Prussians, Saxons and Bava
rians. I have always held that this massed
attempt of the second-rate to dominate the
world wllLjatl, because it Is unjust and engi
neered by ths second-rate.
It is somewhat the same attack which G.
JC Cheeterton phrased' In his "Appetlto of
Tymnny." To tho world the Prussian la so-ond-rate;
to the Prussian he la flrst-rata;
there Use the difficulty. And It permits of
th same answer, an answer that damojishss
both Lord Ko.rthelMfe's verbal attaek qn the
Oarmans and Germany's military assault on
U world.
fka) alutpla fact of the matter 1b that
thtxurb th German are undoubtedly second
rat in ttw poiity of the world, among tham
aairtm thay are aa msnift-sUy first-rate.
Tfcay have organised aa adinlrable industrial
guktitm to all polo la bt one. Thalr energy
a bees used to taa full beeatifa It ha Uefl
wely husbanded. B? aboilaiitajff aMect py
rty and unemployment through KwrR
lueittAl intervention, they brought mora
hesiUi ttiI mora freedom to their iuba&itants
i at. ' a auv nther Eur iie.n iwtlon (r-
' i )l lull t h"'!i lii (j!t
which has been tho bnnb of every burgeon
Ing people since Athens rooo nnd felt.
German civilisation ns a, homo growth Is
Admirable. It Is tn experiment from which
tho world might jenrn much. Dut Clcrmait
civilization ns a panacea to bo forced down
tho throats of tho rest of us Is a very differ
cnt thing. It Is a thing to bo resisted to tho
last gasp.
Nations as well as Individuals must win to
their own salvation.
"The New System Is Necessary" That
Answers AH Objections
rpiIK projected transit system Is needed!
J-nobody denies that.
Tho city olTcrs to build and then lcaso It
to the P. H. T. No proposal for a competi
tive system has been mndo; not a single
objection has arlaon to, granting tho existing
company n monopoly of transit In tho city.
It has been conferred with, Its wishes con
sidered, Its Interests cnrcfully balanced. Tho
city has sought to guarantee It against any
financial loss, to give It valuables rights In
oxchango for universal transfers. Tho only
thing thnt provents comploto harmony, un
der tho fairest possibles terms, Is tho com
pany Itself,
In theso circumstances It Is positively
startling that any sano person should ad
vance tho argument that tho wholo project
should bo held up Indefinitely and that Phil
adelphia should forover glvo up hopo of
rapid transit until It receives tho permission
of tho Union Traction Company to go ahead.
But thcro Is going to bo no tall wagging tho
dog In this transit matter.
Fortunntcly, tho city Is making no experi
mentation In deciding to go ahead and build
tho now subways and elovated lines with or
without tho sanction of tho transit company.
Now York did the experimenting from which
Philadelphia Is to profit. In a situation al
most identical, when tho operating companies
wero dogs in tho manger, holding back ond
refusing to do anything, tho municipality
took tho bit In Its teeth, awarded contracts
and began construction work. Did tho transit
companies then hcsltato? Not a bit of It.
They could not como to an agreement fast
onough. They talked when faced with possi
bilities; they acted when confronted with
facts.
The P. B. T. cannot afford not to operate
tho now system. It could never countcnanco
the admission of a competing company. It Is
on record ns bellovlng tho Taylor plans to
bo Bound and practical. It would bo hotter
off financially, under tho new system than
It Is under tho present one. It muy bo par
doned for looking a gift horso In tho mouth,
but its inspection has been thorough enough
by now to convince it that tho animal Is as
represented.
Lot tho proposal that everything bo held
up until tho existing company say3 "Yes" bo
recognized for what It is a dovico to confuse
citizens, to becloud tho Issue and to accom
plish the purposo of tho obstructionists. Let
no man bo deluded by such sophistry.
Tho building of tho new system will mean
Universal transfers. Failure to build means
the perpetuation of tho present exchange
tickets. That is what experlenco elsewhere
teaches. It Is tho conclusion to which presont
conditions Inevitably point.
It Is tho city, not tho P. B. T. or any of
Its subsidiaries, which has thq whip hand.
Philadelphia would llko to have the P. R. T,
as a partner, but, partner or no partner, It
will go ahead,
Laying the Ghost of Graft
APART from all sentimental considerations,
xjL tho signing and sealing of Charles
Becker's doom will havo a profound moral
effect on tho American community. There
has been, from tho tragic day of tho Rosen
thal murder, a sustained belief that Becker
is guilty, that his guilt Is black nnd bitter
and thnt no equivocation could redeem him.
At tho same tlmo tho American public,
always cynical of l(s own capacities for
honesty, asserted that "Becker won't die!"
For so many years has the power of graft
been invincible, It seemed Impossible to
throw it off.
Yet Becker Is to die. With tho denial of
his application for a new trial his case re
turns to Governor Whitman. And Whitman
Is Governor of New York chiefly because of
tho relentless prosecution of Becker and his
associates. Hope ends there. With the
ending of that hope the ghost of grdft is
laid.
It Is posslblo that Becker's promised reve
lations of other names, more prominent than
his own, was made In good faith. It Is oven
possible that other men were as deeply In
volved In that shameful tragedy as Becker
surely was. That does not absolyp the mur
derer. It does not detract from the satis
faction of knowing that, at last, the man
"higher up" will be punished.
Ntf one will ever deny that Warsaw saw
war.
The Braves have Just recalled name and
lineage.
Madness and bate began to get a grip on
the world only a year ago. My, how they
have grown I
.. --
If President Lincoln were alive he would
want to know what kind of whisky the
Kaiser's generals drink.
If the German submarines really have tor
pedoes for Churohill and Grey It's a pity
they don't try to deliver them tp'the right
parties.
"l IJ IP.JII illlWH.
"Italy pavw way (sr war with Turkey."
suggests a reerudwoemje of the coupatlpnal
jokes which began with "Italians digging
trenche on Isonzo."
"Turkey did net desire this war," says
Faahun Bffendl, "end would gladly see the
arrival of p4a.ee." Here at last Ja the old. old
plaUit with a Wt of truth in it.
M" ' "
JltK & arer(? ft? ooadHlwas at the
ttAftrKfa prWofl farm, oertaln Atlanta gentle
nan were aot only right but highly bumaai
uuriaa ia not wanting Leo Frank to go Uteee.
K curge i h- Invented t.n artMciaJ blom)
u r2""5ftii;( vttumUsi aoldlt-ia Now it ha
WARSAW IS LIKE A
CAPTIVE VIRGIN
She Waits Indifferently for tho Ar
rival of the Germans, Knowing
There Would Bo Only a Change of
MastersAncient City's Story.
By GEORGE W. DOUGLAS
WARSAW, with tho Germans thundering
at her gates and the Russians striving
to rcpulso.thcm, Is llko a beautiful virgin, for
tho possession of whom two savago chlofs
nro contending. WhooVor wins, she will bo a
captive, forced to submit to tho offensive
blandishments br her captor.
Reports from tho city Indicate that tho
people nr0 taking llttlo interest in what Is
going on. Their ancient freedom is not of
fered them, nnd so long as they aro denied
thnt nothing matters. Thoy may not speak
their notlvo languago In tho schools or In
tho publio offices. It Is only In their thea
tres that Polish Is permitted. Whether tho
official languago of Russia should bo dis
placed by tho official languago of Germany
Is a question that docs not Interest them.
Yot they nro now striving to bo gay, as
thoy havo striven for more than a hundred
years. But beneath tho mask of mirth there
Is tho grim faco of tragedy and tho unspoken
expectation that tho tragic conditions will
continue.
Warsaw has been called tho Paris of
eastern Europe, and in Its external aspects
It reminds tho traveler of tho French cap
ital. It has' broad boulevards, pleasant
parks, many statues In tho streets and Bomo
ancient palaces. But tho wholo city Is In
decay. Tho otreet pavements are worn In
ruts, over which cab drlvorsraco their horses
In tndlffcronco to tho comfort of their pas
sengers or to tho safety of tho springs. Tho
publio buildings aro In bad repair and no
now ones havo been built for several gen-i
orations, unless tho Greek Cathedral of St.
Alexander Novskl can bo called a publio
building. It was started In 1804 nnd com
pleted In 1012, yet with all its newness it
seems an alien In a strango land. It Is
Asiatic In architecture In a city of Gothic nnd
Renaissance structures, and with Its buffs
and blues and many domes Is out of keep
ing with Its surroundings.
Founded in tho Ninth Century
Tho city today has a population of 775,000,
tho business of which Is chiefly in tho hands
of alien races. Tho Jows and tho Germans
domlnato and every educated person speaks
French or Oorman with ease, "while when ho
remembers tho history of his country his
heart burns with Indignation nt tho neces
sity of using a strango tongue. Ho knows
that thcro has boon n Polish stronghold on
tho Vistula at this point over slnco tho ninth
century nnd that tho records of 1224 indicate
that thcro was a city nt that date. In tho
Intervening centuries it grow, great. Tho
Poles know that thoy established in Cracow
their ancient capital, tho .first university In
northern Europe, nnd that for centuries they
maintained an independent national life with
a high degreo of civilization whllo Russia
and Germany wero In a stnto of semlbarbar
Ism. Thoy lost their Independence In tho
eighteenth century, but havo been dreaming
of regaining It ever since. In 1S31 they re
belled, but tho Czar succeeded In subduing
them, nnd to lot them know what thoy might
expect If thoy became restless again ho built
a great citadel with barracks for 15,000 men,
with an arsenal, a hospital and a political
prison. When this was completed, In 1835,
Czar Nicholas visited tho city to Inspect It
and said:
"I havo caused this castlo to bo built, and
I dcclaro to you that at tho least attempt at
insurrection it will blow tho city to pieces.
I will then have it razed to tho ground and,
depend upon It, It will not bo rebuilt during
my reign, or that of my successor, or of his
successor." y
But tho(wnrnlng did riot suppress tho na
tional spirit. A generation later tho Varso
vlans revolted again. Tho city was not razed
WHY DEMOCRACY FAILS
Ry H. G.
By Bpeclal Arrangement
THERE comes to hand from the tfnlversity of
Neuchatcl n very timely nnd Interesting
pamphlet by Professor van Gennep, entitled
"The Spirit of Organization; a Contrast of tho
French and English Formula as Opposed to the
German," In which he states what one may call
the democratic-individualist point of vlow as
opposed to tho German conception of order,
very brilliantly and ably. Ho chooses Pro
fessor Ostwald as his antagonist, and he writes
his case against the German idea, be It noted,
with scarcely a mention of either Nietzsche or
Bernhardt. Bo shifts the front of tho Intellect
ual conflict. The Germany of 1915 has passed
away from Bernhardt; Ostwald is Its prophet.
Professor Ostwald fares badly In this pamphlet
both as a dialectician and as a patriotic and
amateurish ethnologist; but fProfessor van
Gennep has the wisdom and generosity to go
behind the 111-advtaed farms and phrases
of the great German's expression, to his funda
mental proposition. That fundamental proposi
tion Is this; that "Individualism" as a stage of
social development has to give place to "organ
ization"; and that "organization" is a now and
higher level to which Germany is leading the
nations. It la not difficult for Professor van
Gennep to show that in Boclal, Intellectual and
economic development aa distinguished from
political elaboration America and France and
England and not Germany were the pioneers
of organization, and that the real opposition In
tended is not between order and chaos, as Pro
testor Ostwald Imagines, but between author!,
tattve State socialism and volunteerlsm as a
synonym for yhlch Professor van Qennop fre
quently uses the word "co-operation,"
At the present time the English mind Ja in no
mood tp accept Professor van Gennap's inter
pretation of Its motives. It Is vary largely oe
fiupled with a number of the lass gtlaMlug con.
sequences of the Individualist formula in prao
tlqe. t if out of tone with individualism.
Many American mlnda must aU be nnd
ing en Intaraat la eensequenoea of a kindred
sort. The ffrat of these lens satlsfaetery eon.
aequenees of individualism la the relative In
effeettvenetj of a democratically ckn garern
ruent tn aU practical tW. "
And the daAeienelae of ttq liberty State" an
w knw- It are by no waaa oeatead to the
badaeae f Sta swartuoaaUl product; tt 1
merely Ua Initial wkaea at an extensive
system t failures that this war enabtee vary
many peopla to r.U now tot th Oral iIiik
'Liit ntt ei (b proaiama u failure la th
to tho ground, but tho leaders wero cxe
euled, or banished, or their property con
flscated in a scries of terrific reprisals that
left tho elty cowed for anothef generation.
In 1006, when revolution was brewing In
Russia, Warsaw was a hotbed of sedition.
But another era of rerjrlsala followed, fr6m
which tho city is still suffering. Its faco
,- -ll, -... .4....... 1. .lfti...H nM, l.&tfJl
is Binning, out mere i uiliuiuubo iv ..
In Its heart.
Ono df tho proudest possessions of War
saw .Is" Thorwaldsen's staluo of Copernicus,
for tho pcopto look with swelling bosoms upon
tho Imago of ttili great astronomer, who re
eclved lils education at their ancient Uni
versity of Cracow. Another of their treas
ures Is the Capuchin .Church of tho Trans
figuration, built in 1C93 by Sobioskl as a
thnnlc-oftcrlng for his victory over tho Turks
nt VJchnn. At tho right of tho high altar In
ono of tho chapels nro a gray marble sar
cophagus, containing tho heart of 3oblcskl,
and a marbla urn In which tho heart of
King Stanislaus Ponlatowskl Is preserved.
And tho urn bears an inscription In Latin,!
"What Is stronger than death: Honor and
lovo."
Tho Poles, llko tho Austrlans, preserve tho
hearts of their great In special sarcophagi,
and Chopin's heart, which bcat with mel
ody that still charms tho world,' is wither
ing away in tho Church of tho Holy Cross,
Art Treasures Removed to St. Pctensburg
Whothor tho Germans would ravish these
churches If they should tako tho city no ono
knows. Thcro Is llttlo left, howover, that is
worth taking away, for after tho Insurrec
tion of 1831 tho nrt treasures wero removed
to St. Petersburg. Napoleon, who hold War
saw In 1807, carried off to Parts a Madonna
that had adorned tho high altar of tho an
cient cathedral, but It was taken back to
Its placo by Czar Alexander In 1815.
Tho placo In all tho city that Is reminiscent
of Warsaw at tho height of its gayest era Is
tho garden park about tho anclont Imperial
chateau of Lazlcnkl. This chateau and park
wore built by Ponlatowskl, tho favorlto of
Catherine of Russia. It Is a mazo of shady
alloys, mlnror-llko lakes, beautiful summer
houses and rippling streams. Its gem is an
open-afr theatre. Tho scats aro arranged
amphlthcatrlcally on a slopo pvcrlooklng n
stream. The stago Is built on a llttlo Island,
ndorned by an artificial ruin and other, per
manent settings. Tho spectators Took upon
tho performance across a streamlet that runs
between tho front row of seats nnd tho front
of this stage. The Varsovlans delight to
wander through tho park, to sco amiable
comedies presented In tho plcturesquo sur
roundings and now nnd thon to stroll
through tho chateau, where tho portraits of
p Polish beauties of past generations look down
upon them from tho walls, beauties aa frivo
lous and ns merciless as thoso who oven
now gnzo upon tho stranger from their car
riages that rattlo over tho rocky streets.
WHAT'S A PALTRY MILLION?
And now tho glaring headlines announce, "Ten
Millions moro"
I In orders from the nations that nro shedding
uuropo s gore;
"Ten millions" reads tho passerby, and calmly
passes on.
So lacking In excitement that ho almost has to
j awn.
For every ono who stops to read knows what
the cash Is for,
And what are paltry millions when tho orders
aro for war?
Forgotten now In factories the Idlness that was,
For every mill within tho land gives out a busy
buzz;
And every honest laborer who had been out or
work,
Now finds It rather difficult to dodge a Job or
shirk.
But do tho people marvel that wo turn out such
a store?
Not so, they know tho tons of stuff aro destined
for tho war.
Alas, tho ono-tlme' magic phrase, "A million
Iron men,"
Tho people of this smiling land shall never thrill
again;
They've had n look at bllilona now In headlines,
day by day,
And ono who speaks of lesser sums is told to go
away,
Accused of talking "small-tlmo stuff," of being
nil It a a bore,
For what's a paltry million when tho orders aro
for war? "ZIP."
WELLS
with tho New IUpubllc
thesis of democracy Is that there Is a nobility
In men and a power in publio opinion that will
make all free citizens who are conscious of their
citizenship exert nnd sacrifice themselves for
tho general good to an extent greater than
they would do under any sort of compulsion.
An Immense note of Interrogation hangs over
this 'proposition at the present time. That tho
disposition of the majority will be to do so Is
unquestionable; the perplexing question for our
democratic States is: What happens in tho case
of tho exceptions, and how do these exceptions
nffect Immediately and ultimately the morale
of the general body?
Through books, newspapers, pulpits, theatres,
cinematographs, schools and colleges the mind
of a people can be systematically molded and
modified. Professor Ostwald'e "organization
State" Is prepared to do that not only with its
own people, but, as the recent German presa
campaign In America shows, with the minds
of any other peoples wpd stand In Its way.
That campaign has been clumsy ana unsuccess.
ful so far, but there Is no Intrinsic reason why
It should alwaya be clumay and unauccesaful.
The Individualistic democratlo State has no sure
protection whatever against that form of at
tack. It is possible then for a firm believer In free
dom and democracy to read Proressor van
Gennep'e eloquent assertion or these ideals att
tne present time in a very critical and chastened,
eplrjt. The relative feebleness, the practical In.
competence, the forenslo quality of democratic
governments may excuse doubt, whether, in
the method of election b a single nontrans
ferable Yote, demporaoy has really found
effective method of governing; the exla'
prosperity and predominance of evaders, a
... . r'WH.n wwy open me qMSfMn
wimwn nu uiuaairiciea -gq ag you pjeasap la
the ultimate rule of freedom; and the unlimited
possibilities In a free pre run for palp, of
venality, vulgarity and treason, the flsetuattana
and llght-nilndedness of eueb a pre, may par
feree open up the proepeot ef ultimately mak
ing tbe preee a power In th State at least ea
reenonslble a the State's edueatlonei organ
isation. The strains and experience of this
world eeaalot way, In fact, bs brtmslag u to
realize that deinoeraey la pot only a newer
thing in the wort than tie authoritative state
it eeeks to daatroy. but alee that It la mo
thing ratten leas mature, wttb a aorapieter de
lomeut ef it powers end eemptaier mental
iisii ijunuii ,i,u tu kia.e At t,t W may bit
' , J.--V t- i), ij.tr n,, u
WHAT PHILADELPHIA READ
Fiction, of Course. Is Most
ing Demand for worKS on sociology in wi mm jviairicis,
Religious and Mechanic Books Trail Behind.
By EDWARD R. DUSHNELL
PHILADELPHIA was tho first city In Amer
ica to havo a publio library. Among the
muny benefactions for which wo must thank
Benjamin Franklin Is that ho established tho
Philadelphia library in 1731, an Institution,
which becanjo tho mother of tho subscrip
tion libraries which quickly sprang up all
over tho country. To tho Impetus this library
gavo to good reading may be ascribed tho
fact that tho residents of this city havo
always .boon noted for their eagerness to
read and to study.
In his autobiography FranWin remarked
upon tho IntPlllgenco nnd learning of tho
tradesmen and farmers, nnd was greatly Im
pressed by tho fact that tho Tlbrarysystem
had "Improved tho general conversation of
tho Americans, made the common tradesmen
ahd farmers ns Intelligent ns most gcntlo
men from other countries', and perhaps has
contributed In eomo tlcgreo to tho stand bo
Kcricrally mado throughout tho colonics in
defonso Of their privileges."
Within tho period of 184 years slnco tho
formation of this first llbrnry tho library
syBtcm of this city hna expanded and im
proved until today, In addition to tho sub
scription libraries which this city fosters,
Philadelphia has scores tof university, col
lege, public and private school and club
libraries, all supplementary to tho great Free
Library organized In 18D1 by Dr. William
Pepper, then provost of tho University of
Pennsylvania. This organization now hna 25
branch libraries In all sections of tho city,
together with a department for tho blind and
a traveling 'branch, which sends books to tho
pollco stations and flrchouscs.
Follow Franklin From Afnr
If thb progressive Franklin wero allvo to
day ho would doubtless bo impressed by tho
character of tho books and periodicals which
aro read by tho worktngmen and tho trades
men, who in tho main aro responsible for
this city's leadership In so mnny varied
American Industries. Not many of them fol
low tho wcamplc of tho great Franklin, who
early mado it a rulo of his llfo to spend at
lenst ono hour n day In library study. But
a visit to any of tho branch libraries In such
Industrial centres ns Kensington will reveal
an unusunl number of men and women, too
who call for books and periodicals which
require and Induce thought.
Tho avcrngo Phlladolphlan would nover
suspect that noxt to fiction tho Frco Llbrnry
circulates moro books dealing with sociology
than any other subject. Yet that is what
tho reports from tho branch libraries month
by month show. And, oddly enough, tho
'greatest Interest In books of this nnturo Is
shown In tho industrial districts. In somo
of tho suburbnn and residential districts
books on literature and history aro moro fre
quently called 'for. But In thoso sections of
tho city whore tho textile and other manu
facturing Industries aro located thore Is a
strong and sustained Interest In sociological
reading. It Is accentuated particularly in tho
districts where tho skilled worklngmon live.
In order that tho library statistics may bo
understood, It should bo explained that tho
Free Library uses tho Dewey system of clas
sification with n few further subdivisions.
Tho Dowey system divides books into tho fol
lowing 10 classes: General virorks, philosophy,
religion, sociology, philology, natural nclonco,
useful nrts, fine arts, lltoraturo and history.
To theso tho Frco Library adds three classes:
Travel and description, biography and fic
tion. Popularity of Fiction and .Sociology
Fhlladolphlans, llko all Americans, aro om
nivorous readers of fiction. Out of n year's
circulation, which In round numbers
amounted vto 2,500,000 volumes, thoso devoted
to fiction reached a total of a llttlo more
than 1,500,000. In- other words, 60 per cent
of Philadelphia's reading publio which do
pends upon tho Freo Library and its
branches regalo themselves with Action. This
proportion holds true throughout virtually
tho entlro. city. It fluctuates In somo
branches, but this may bo duo to a numbpr
of causes, such as an insufficient quantity of
books for a given branch or a' district peo
pled largely by a foreign element.
Whllo sociology as applied to reading Is a
general term and contains a good many sub
divisions, all the books grouped under It are
serious rending. Under It are classified tho
following subjects: Statistics, political
THE SOLDIERS' GREAT SACRIFICE
To the Editor of the Evening Ledger;
Sir I am very much Interested In what other
people write about Clod's curse, the war, but
up tu date I have not read anything which will
show us Americans why we should again sac
rifice ourselves and our posterity. For example,
lot us take the Clvjl War and what It did for
some of us Americans in the North. I will
cite what I know to be facts and will use my
own family as an example. My father ond his
three brothers and my mother's four brother
all responded to tbe first call of our President,
Abraham Lincoln, April 15, 1861. At the time
of their enlistment they were all in business
and prosperous One uncle fell at the battle
of Bull IUin. in July, 1881. Two mere at the
battle of Antletnm, In 1882. Three fell at the
battle of Gettysburg, In July, 1863. My father
and my UnQle Oliver, the remains of eight
healthy men were with General Sheridan's
command at Five Forks when Oeneral Lea
surrendered at Appomattox, In April, 1865.
Well, they were muatejed out of Bervlca to
enter civilian life again,, But was it to start
where they had their former business and home
Investments! Not by any means. What did
they find? Several gentlemen who were not
American citltens r4 who had bean in thalr
employment before the war had taken their
business in hand, and It was a case of start
opposition.
What fcraa the result? Did their old customers
flock back and patronUe the men who for four
years had Buffered untold hardships and lost
els of their loved ona? No.
The dear friends and patrons would sooner
givo their trade tp a cmsa pf people who do
not pay for tbe upkeep of our glorious coun
try, end whea we are called to the front to
glvo our life these same people can grab all
the conditions we leave wliw duty calls.
. JQIW B. HAWKBy.
Philadelphia. July ft.
THE FIRST MAN KILLED
To th Editor of the Evening Ledgtr:
Bit Kindly put in your paper BomlWng very
important about the very first Amerlean eel
dtak Ut was killed in tlje Mexican and Ameri
can jp ar that put the first American flag there,
W he a American or was hla father an
American? I have a big bet tie was an Ameri
can, but the other man says he was an Italian
and he ay he w bom somewhere in Jray,
I aald be was born iu Pttliadeiphla. Pieaae
ae who la right or wrong
MCUOI.AS PEnjjQ.
DunbriOC, N J . July '
Popular, but Thdre Is an AstoniaS
scioncd, political economy, law, ndmlnlstnS
tlon, associations ana institutions, education
commerce nnd customs, ticxt to Hello
then, books nnd periodicals on theso subject
constitute thft most important group of boolt
which tho Philadelphia publio rends. Burin
tho last fiscal year the Freo Library clrc
latcd 156,129 books dealing with soclologl
topics, or about C per cent, of tho total nu
ber of books taken olit. Tho actual percent.
ago of such books read and studied wal
probably greater than this, bccailso many bl'
Iheoo books belong to tno reterenco class.
nnd ns such aro cither too heavy to take
hdmo or cannot bo taken rrom tho libraries.
In sovcrnl of tho 'industrial centres tho
number of books belonging to this class
which were taken out surpassed tho average
of tho city. Fof example, In tho Kensington
branch, located at 2055 East Dauphin street,.1'
tho nttmuer or uookb on oocioiogy taken oul
wna 0168 out of a total of 06,091. This wai
nearly 10 per cent., or 4 per cent, above tfil
average. Statistics from tho Richmond
branch, at Indiana avenuo nnd AlmoniJ
street, disclose tho fact that out of 64,165
books called for 9037, or approximately 11 peP
rent., dealt with this samo subject. In thu
Lehigh nvenuo branch, located at Lehigh t
avenue nnd 6th street, out of a total of 183,76$
books taken out In a year 16,581 dealt with
sociological matters. .
Drawing too positive deductions from tlji
statistical reports of tho .branch libraries
a hazardous buslnosa. Tho interest of PhlhJ
delphla In religious 'subjects can hardly b?
measured by the number of books asked fori
and circulated on religious topics. As a mat."
tcr of fact, In tho 13 classifications of books
circulated, thoso dealing with religion are
third from tho bottom of tho list. This Ir-I
probably duo to tho fact that most persons!
got their religious Instruction from churches;!
nrfd slmllnr organizations nnd from thotrjl
personal iiuraries. unaer tno classification
of religion aro grouped the Bible, books on.
natural theology, tho church, church his-'
tory, otc. fc
.Significant Figures
To glvo somo conception of tho character
of books circulated by tho Freo Library,
thero la given herewith a table showing tho
numDcr or dooks cauca ior nna circuiatca on t
the four gencrnl groups of religion, sociology, a
useful nrts and fiction in tho main nnd the
25 branch libraries of tho cltv: 4
n- Boclol-
Uneful
Arts.
Fic
llftlon. ogy.
nun iviai,f
181.507 300.3M M
12,535 21,074 1
tion
Mflln 4.404
0.41T 13,004
00 273
mind .1,011
Broad and Fed
eral 231
Cheitnut Hill.. 283
Falls of Schujl-
klll 2.12
Frankford 82T
nermnntown ... H20
Holmenburg ... Rl
Kensington .... 023
L'hlgh 1.0T.1
Mormyunk .... .182
McPhernon .... STS
NIcetonn r.44
Oak Lane ..... ITT
Paichalvllla ... MS
Fnyunlt . . . , 818
Richmond ..... 7(1(1
Rycrta 20
Ht Mntha's ... 20.1
tS. Philadelphia 2,12
Southwarlt .... 2,0.14
04,018 00,041 ii
33.377 4 1,993. S
nt inn k 4n9
10,654
1,510
3.2TR
(1.R1B
fi.4fin
l.OSI
0,100
lo.r.oi
4,113
8,2.12
B.TIJt
1,78(1
.1,614
0,330
0,0.17
nnn
8,42,1
2.830
1T.800
0,001
2,837
1,008
11,077
2.080
C.8.14
1,102
30.1
528
1.20S
1,500
238
1.302
TTROt 1V24,0
00,808 150,071 ,5
.-.(M.1 .'".J I J
07,07.1 SG.W4
.'.HIS 13D.U13 11H.IGIJ
744
4S.ni', IB.UU
1,081 76.230 103.BM
1,875 74,810 100,839
4T8 32,022 30.41T
021 48,451 04,184
1,044 41,383 03,088
1,527 53,011 04.160
70 13,R20 10.7S2
112 10,702 24,768
317 lO.RJO 1M72
2,010 78,075 195.407
1,345 02.R88 118 083
508 43,0118 5.1,171
23.1 27,520 .11.475
3.R03 147,375 10S.0J2
040 80.51.1 74.107
(Spring Garden.. 077
Tacony 20.1
Traveling 100
Wagner ....... 1,011
Wanamaker . . . 409
W. Philadelphia 1,3.1s
Wlasahlckon ... 135
1,831 110,203 140,008 '
2,508
403 UJ.U15 41..JZJ,
Open for nlnei months only In 101 i
topen.ror :j montns only in 1014.
Tno nnrary ana its branches contain a'
total of 510,728 ivolumes of books and 200,271 J
pamphlets. For reference purposes nlone the
library was used by J, 622,420 persona last 1
year, a number greater than tho population "X
of Philadelphia, It was an increase of
245,769 over tho year before.
Not only does tho Freo Library encourage
reading among tho older members of every
community, but It especially endeavors to
glvo an Impetus to good reading by tho chil
dren of the public schools. This movement
Is nlded by a registration of tho school chll- '
dren by districts and visits to tho schools by i
tho librarians and their assistants on open- i
Ing days to furnish children with reading I
cards and tn nxnlnln tn thorn hnn tn imn lha
library intelligently. This sort of supervision
has been largely responsible for" the Interest
takon in topical and graded reading by the
public school children. Tho circulation of
books in tho children's departments of the
various branch libraries for tho year was
893,670, a gain of 23,799 now registrations
and the first man killed woe George Polnsette,
seaman, from the Florida,'1 Polnsette lived In
Philadelphia, Editor of the Evening- I.edoer.1
TTMTf rnn Tmyn nrrr f
nun xj ljiui- kuuIi j
From the Baltimore Sun. Jj
It Is easy enough to keep cool if you will j
follow any one of the suggestions given below: jJ
Buy or lease a comfortable ocean-going steam?!
yacht and go cruising around the shores of
Greenland, or $
Set sail for Iceland by the northern route
and spend the summer on one of Its glaciers, or 1
Get a special car, with a refrigerating plant j
attnehed, and go to Mount Ranter or one of tho
Canadian peaks and lve In a bungalow Just ,
above or Just below the snow line
But the people who must say at home how
are we to keep cool?
Answer It can't be done.
THE NATIONAL POINT OF VIEW
The demand for the repeal of the Seamen's aet
is growing every day, and unless the signs fall
Congress will be compelled to heed It-Sprlng-
4ioiu luass.j union.
The Austro-Hungadan protest against' the ex
port of munitions from the United Statea to tbe
Allies would come more convincingly from a
Government With clean dnnrlg MMn Tela.
graph.
To prohibit the exportation of cotton or levy
an export tax upon it would merely Impound
the wop In the United States and subject it to
whatever pressure the American spinners would
choose to put upon It. That would not help the
producers. I would sacrifice them.-Houstoa ,
x-oai.
SO far aS the Uhanu fnr a nnrM loam., to
"force peace I ecsReernea, the Colonel puta
,iuica wo n,r prober relationship try w
when ho deejarea that before promising to carry
on offensive war in the interest of other people
It ia a matter of coqamen cense to prepare to
carry on defensive war in our own interests.- ,
jjjeireit rree rresa.
AMU8EMHNTS
B. P. KEITH'S THEATRE!
vHwvnnn and twbjlfth sTRKfcra
LILLIAN SHAW
811 Vmaulr, Rlf & WlubW. DaUliuc. cfiDtrd,
uid OtUtu- Katlwrbw Wiu,Ui WU1 A ... fcsiuwtf
Todr 1 SO tu . i in ( ,.i ,
i
in a r. van i Hit Jetnjii, dot. ,. t devUl
AtAtij Hs.f (.J al 84Jtj 'Littf 1 j rue s
-1 ' J- t I Eisltsi
V, R A Nr I)
JVT .Wirfj-
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