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I
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EDITORIAL UOAUUi
Ctnoi II. K. CcRTis, Chilrman.
P. It. WIIAM3Y
.Editor
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Foil JANUARY WAS Oil.SII
rilll.AUU.I'MA. MOM)Y, rKllltUAIIY 21, Ml
In a Jii.il muse the weak o'crcoma tha
tronu.- Sophocles.
Delaware County Is unduly alarmed. Phil
adelphia Is not likely to gobble It till up fit a
slnglo mouthful.
Bonar Law wiintM to crush Prussia. Ilia
task would bo easier It ho could persuade
' Prussia to stop resisting.
The greatest American was llrst In war
as well ns llrst In penco. Mr. llrynn thinks
ho will bo twice as stent If ho Is gteat In only
half ns much.
Grand Duke Nicholas must have boon
trained by an clllcloncy export, llo apparently
"believes In the follow-up policy as essential
to military as well as to business success.
The "international spy" with the Incredible
namo of Ignatius Timothy Trebltsch Lincoln
has been arrested again. It is probably time
for a second edition of his marvelous book
of Action.
The firemen in whoso honor a memorial
sorvlco was held last night de&ervo as well
from tho city as though they had fallen In
battle. They gave their lives, and no man
can do more.
Every national guardsman who wants tho
organized militia to form tho basis of a reserve
army will have himself and his equipment in
shipshape in timo for tho Inspection of tho
Stato troops, which is to begin next week.
Twlco as much gold was used for wedding
rings In England last year as in tho preceding
twelve months. Conscription is for single
men lirst, and Chaucer, among others, wroto
that "of hatmes two tho lesso Is for to cheese."
Mr. Wilson, who wroto a book on tho true
George 'Washington, may find consolation In
tho thought that his contemporaries know as
little about tho truo 'W'oodrow Wilson as was
known about the llrst President by the men
Who shared his tasks.
German papers find that the first year of
U-boat activity was not so successful as it
might havo been If it had not been for tho
protest from tho United States. Thanks for
tho compliment, but hasn't humanity any
thing to do with It? Or has It?
Why should tho brewers bo ashamed to
confess how much they paid to tho campaign
funds' No man who wants an Ambassador
ship has ever hesitated to remind tho powers,
that bo of how much ho contributed toward
making them what thoy are. Can it bo that
the contributors and contrlbutccs are ashamed
of the transaction?
Mr. Cattell, who Is fond of describing tho
wonders of thht city, may bay in his noxt
statistical uddrcss that a man lives hero who
on one evening made six after-dinner speeches
before ho ato his own dinner, and then satis
fled his hunger sitting alono In a restaurant.
Ho can conclude by rematklng that "tho man
who did it now stands before you." At nny
rate, whether ho docs it or not, tho City
Statistician is ono of tho wonders of tho town.
After a thing has happened once It is no
longer Incredible. Yot, after ono tunnel
worker has been blown up through tho slit
In the bottom of the East River to tho surfaco
of tho water and survived, It Is dlfllcult
to bellevo that it could occur again. It did
happen, however, on Saturday, when the forco
of the compresscil air In the forward chamber
of tho tunnel boring was greater than the
resisting power of tho river bed, and three
men were shot out llko tho cotk from n popgun-
Ono of them survived. Ho ought now
to be able to got a less hazardous job posing
for the movies.
To his suporlor officer Captain Arthur
Cowan, of the Signal Corps, U. S. A., wrote:
Frankly. I ilun't want to put down In
black and white over my signature my
opinion ubout the way tho Signal Corps
has handled this work.
"This work" is, to be sure, of no Importanco
whatever. It Is only tho general subject of
aviation for military purposes, a branch of
science In which the United" Statea has every
reason, through tradition and through native
genius, for surpassing Rurope. Senator Rob
inson'a demand for an Investigation should
meet with more than perfunctory support.
If we are to have an air corps. It must be a
good one, for tho war has shown that with
Imperfect air support the best Intentions of
armies on the field may e brought to naught.
George Williams, a London dry goods clerk,
founded the first Young Men's Christian Asso
ciation in tho worfd on Juno 6, I8IL Thp
first associations In America were founded in
Boston and Montreal in 1851, modeled on the
ono which Mr. Williams had established seven
years earlier, The first Young Women's
Christian Association was also established In
London in 1855. It was started for the benefit
of. self-supporting young women, and espe
cially for the nurses who had returned from
the Crimea. The first American association
was organized in the Illinois Norrpal Uni
versity In 1872, though there had been Inde
pendent Christian associations for young
women in other places at art earlier date. The
organization has expanded until it has
breaches In 245 cities and In 721 schools and
colleges. The semi centennial, which the local
myrry-wiii ninfigj iipHUapwijinii"i'uti
EVENING LEDGER PHILABELPH
branch of tho association celebrated on Sat
urday night, was that of tho organization of
tho first society In London. Thoro was need
for tho young men's associations long before
thoy wcro organized, but tho associations fof
young women wcro established nbout ns soon
ns tho young women began to leavo their
homes to tnko their placo as wage-earners
along with their brothers.
GERMANY DEFEATS HERSELF
HtrntegM nf the Entente nssrrt Hint the
wnr wns lost nnil won nt the Mnrne, Sep
tember. 1DU. If Mint Is truo It Is because
tlio Hermans hnn defenteil themselves by
tenrlitns; llielr enemies linw to MrIiI. Tlio
opcrnllnns In tlio West nnil more reeenllj
tlie full nf Errerunt nro centuples. Tlio
present stnnillng of tlio countries does not,
lioecr, point to nn Immediate derision.
AMA.IOU In tho rirltlsh nnnv has wtlttcn
n. book to prove that Germany bus lost
tho war, lost It when tho ilrlvo on l'nrls failed
nnd tho troops staggered buck rrotii tho Mnrne
to tho Al.sno nnd entrenched themselves for
tho winter. It Is a comforting theory for
tho Hntotito, but It has 1 1 old nut llttlo comfort
to Serbia. Yot It has n basis of fact. Tho
general plan of war, which Hernhardl so ex
plicitly staled, was to rrush one enemy whllo
tho other was still awkwardly mobilizing.
It Is possible that tho fascination of Sedan
turned tho llrst Gorman armies westward In
slenil of rnst. it Is moro likely that the
stamina of Kiituco was underrated, whllo full
credit was given to tho resources of Russia.
Victories over Russia are, nppnrcntly, never
decisive. In nny case, onco tha operation wan
begun It assumed the form of a deep thrust
Into France. A torrlblo dofcat of tho main
French army was to release tho great part
of Gormany's attacking forco for sorvlco in
tho l'ast. If, after Franco wcro defeated,
Russia still cared to light, tho annles would
bo ready.
That Is tho general outline nf tho Gorman
plan ns Germany announced it and ns military
exports slnco have ncceptod It. It explains
ovcrytlUng except tho ono precaution taken
by Germany, which was the development of
tionch warfare. Tho German High Command
had said or Implied that n long war against
two enemies would bo diwiHtrous. Thoy had
emphnsli'ed tho necessity for a quick, vital
thrust. And they had prepared for tho fnlluro
of that movemont. From tho attention paid
to tho tionch ono would Judge that Germany
had prepaid! for everything except success.
The llrst thing the Allies learned from tho
Germans, and learned with astonishing rapid
ity and thoioughness, was trench warfare.
Tho French, no doubt, had anticipated such
a war to a small extent. Tho Drltlsh wore
notoriously bent on continuing tho stylo of
battlo known In 1S70. Hut they learned their
lesson, and nil that Germany prepared In years
of secrecy was adopted by her enemies boforo
six months wcro nut. llcneo tho deadlock
on land.
Russia has hardly learned that elementary
lesson yet, but It has learned another. Tho
mobilization of Russia's troops was effected
as by a miracle, but it was treacherous. Tho
army was present, but not prepared, and tho
early successes wero preludes to tho later
defeats. Russia has most of the faults of
monaichy, and tho great fault of democracy
In addition that it cannot act swiftly nnd
adequately at tho yamo timo. Przcmysl and
Warsaw mark the lesson which Germany set
out to teach Russia. Riga and Krzurum show
that tho lesson has been learned. Tho fall of
Erzcrum was a triumph for German methods,
Tho Grand Duko left nothing tn tho Impro
vised valor for which his troops are famous,
lie left nothing to tho possible mistakes of
tho Turks, livery contingency was taken Into
account. IJrzerum fell becauso Germany has
taught Riihsla how to mako war.
Valor alono cannot bo taught, and It would
probably turn out. If all tho evldonco woro nt
hand, thnt neither sldo needed Instruction.
If tho Entonto Allies havo learned to make
war after a year and a half, In which thoy
held off disaster by courago and will and faith,
how long will It take them to win? Tho an
swer cannot bo given unless tho actual ratio
of exhaustion between the onemles nnd tho
actual available fighting forces of ench bo
known. On tho field Germany Ikih approached
a decision, but not won It. Sho has fortified
herself by signal success In tho chambors of
the diplomats. Sho Is pioparlng n last des
perate attempt to win some freedom on the
seas. Whether thero Is bread In Germany no
ono on thl3 sldo can tell.
Germany, with tho occupied sections of
Franco and Russia, with Belgium, Serbia and
Albania, towers far above tho Allies with tholr
captured German colonies In Asia nnd Africa.
Hut Germany with nil her hostago lands Is
powerless beforo tho Allies with tho sea In
tholr power. Aguinst Bulgaria tho Allies may
pit their privilege of action In Greece. Against
the failure nt Galllpoll they placo tho open
lug of Armenia through the fall of Brzorum.
So much for tho past. Tho future is hardly
dark for them.
The pressure on Cgypt has boon either re
lloved or shifted by tlio now Russian victory.
Tho Inducements to Rumania to enter tho
war havo beou increased by the resilient
snap-back of tho samo Russians. On tho
Western fiont nothing has happened to the
Allies so spectacular as tlio advance In Sep
tember made by themselves. England has
apparently solved the twin questions of inon
and munitions. Italy waits for a concerted
movement In which tho three sides of tho
trlanglo will begin to squeozo together.
Against these glowing possibilities Germany
has nothing except success. There Is no rea
son to believe that her armies are undone no
giuund for believing that her magnificent
commanders havo lost their cunning of battlo.
Sho may havo lost the war in September, but
tho Allies did not win It. Slnco then she has
fought with a calculated desperation which
must bo the wonder of tho world. But tho
world cannot stop to admire while Jt3 fate
rests still on tho lap of the gods.
FREE CONCERTS
WEDNESDAY the Joint committee of
Councils meets to discuss plans for con
tinuance of free Sunday concerts. If the
meetlnsr is open to the public, it should be
well attended,
The Philadelphia Orchestra has dona a
great work in a very limited time. It has
established both the possibility and the neces
sity of concerts on Sunday. It stands willing
to give such concerts without profit to the
organization If it can be guaranteed against
loss. The owners of the Metropolitan Opera
House are willing to open the auditorium at
cost. It remains only for the small expendi
ture to be met. The city, far more than any
Individuals, should unloosen tho purse. There
must be no question of charity, there should
be no question of benefaction in a municipal
function. Councils appropriates money for
concertu on City Hall plaza all summer. It
can hardly refuse to - appropriate something'
for concerts at the Metropolitan all winter.
nn-sine-i-wii hsiii mi i '.' 'Wi'Nmwujun yi 'ir
Tom Daly's Column
IN PHILADELPHIA February 22 Is always
Washington's Birthday first, of course, but
nfter that It has como to bo known, of lato
years, as Unlvorslty of Pennsylvania Day.
Tho University will be splashing around on
tho front pago tomorrow. "You'll bo up play
ing Cornell,"' said some ono who keeps close
tabs on our movements, "so why not lot tho
University of Pennsylvania substltuto for you
nnd run your column?" Wo wcro tickled to
death. So tho editors of tho Punch Bowl will
boss things In this yard tomorrow. Tho
edllor-In-chlef of that college comic, wo note,
Is Loyal Y. Graham. Wo lived ns a kid
within a stone's throw of Olivet Church, of
which his distinguished nnccslor of tho samo
namo was pastor, nnd wo'ro glad lo bo nblo lo
say now thnt wo never throw It.
Glvo n rouse, then. Lift your glasses, men,
to tho Punch Bowl!
MOtn A O'NEtLL'S "Songs of llio Glens of
Antrim" havo nttalned tho "ilfteenth
Impression" whatever thnt means, nnd wo
hope It's lfi.000 copies sold but wo'ro certain
of ono thing, that her work Isn't known hero
as It should bo. .Inmes Whltcomb Riley raves
nbout It. That gieat nnd lovnblo singer,
uhnpo ear Is always close to tho human heart,
hold us by tho lapel of tho coat on mi lit
illunapolls stient corner on a frosty motnlng
half n dozen years ago and recited this gem
of hers to us:
Suto he's live months old, an' bo's two foot long,
llnliy .lohneeni
Watch ycrsolf now, for he's torrlblo sllirolig,
llnbv Jnhneett.
An' his fists '111 bo up If yo make nny slips,
llo litis Ihiffor-onds lllto tlio daisy-tips,
But he'll hnvo ye attend to the words of his
lips.
Will .Tohneen,
There's nobody enn rightly tell the colour of his
eyes,
This .Tohneen:
For they're partly o' tho earth nn' still they're
Jinitly o' tho skies,
Llko .Tolinron.
So for ns he's thra relied bo's been Inlighln' all
tho wny,
For tho llttlo Bout Is quaro nn' wise, the llttlo
lirntt Is gny:
An' ho likes the merry daffodils, ho thinks
they'd do to play
With Jfilincen.
Ito'll sail a boat yot. If ho only has his luck,
Young Joluieeti,
For ho takes to tho wather llko any little duck,
Hoy Johnccu;
Suto them are tho hands now to pull on a rope,
An' unto fret for wnlliin' tho deck on a slope.
But the ship sho must wait a wco while yet,
I hope.
For .lolincen.
For wo couldn't do wantlii' him, not just yet,
Och, Johnccu;
'Tis you that nio tho daisy, tin' on that are
the pot,
Wee Johnccn.
Here's to your health, an' we'll dhriuk It tonight.
Slalnto gal. a vie niacin ee! live an' do light,
Slalnte gal nvouinecii! may your days bo
bright,
Johnccn!
Suspicious
"rpiIEHE'S a man In room -12 who signed tho
JL i agister 'John Bright, Xow Yoik,'" said
tho hotel cloik, "and I think we'd bettor keep
an oyo on him."
"Why s-o?" asked tho propiletor.
"He remarked Hint this Is his iii.st visit to
Philadelphia and he thinks the town Is gieat."
All Right Do Your Worst!
Sir I notice that you hno tapped a now keg
of mil th In "Favorite Similes." May I suggest
thnt you extend the Idea tu Include ntlier llgiuen
of speech? Mixed metaphors Is a plnaso rich In
suggestion. Of course, you heard of the Irish
orator who snlil ho would like to slmliu hands
with evciy fuce In tho nudlenco. and of tho
other Irishmnn who, having hauled a hawser out
nf tho sea until his little iT.ift was nearly sin!;
Ing. remai ked, "Some wan must have cut tho
hid nlT ' that tope " (Is that a bull or a mixed
metujhi3r?) jr. C. IJ.
DORY CREAMER, who builds all thoso ads
about a r-ettiiln tubacro, writes to us:
"You'll bo interested to know that I havo
starteil a collection of babies myself, a 'icgul.tr
fellow' of a hoy uiriviifg on J.inmuy .11. His
first remark was 'PA.' Now, whether ho meant
the 'national joy smoko' or his dud, duin If I
know."
We ought to ehnrgo you $1 a lino for this
stuff, Dory, but let that bo our prosont to
tho young lad.
The Harvester!,
The youth who sows wild oats, 'tis true,
Must reap as ho hath sown:
Hut then his father ought to do
Somo thrashing of his own.
WOUI.l YOU UIX'M-NT. THIS HKX ItKGISTKtl?
ih'TTA .r-ih 1,",h "f'"'1 ""avnmmrj- calls Hnclf
tho flex Hotel. I wonder what Is tha objection to
niuuat putroiw.' Aloyalus.
Yelsow asks if this is Interesting, ns show
ing tho antiquity of modern slang:
"He was a little wanting heie," touching
his forehead; "nobody at home. If you
knocked ever so often," said Saucers, speak
Ing of poor Smlke.
Nicholas Nlckleby. Part I, Chapter 31.
The Scntch-Irelamler
(J. McCluro has tho floor.)
Yea Thmncon. vamo one will toll you what
a Scotch-lrclandcr la. Just listen:
About the time England began a fcettlement
of Virginia somo authorities like Milton thought
the emigrants should choose Irelami inateaVl
Hut many British prefened to light Imllans
rather than face the cruelties of 1 vlng under
a thousand earls and a bundled klngii in a
territory about lr.O miles wide by 300 miles long
The British did not mind Eeinpplog. but they
hated having to relcarn every day uho was a
king and who was an carl over night. Besides
tho HrltiEh loved settlements. There could
never bo a settlement of anything In Ireland.
(To this day, Thraneun, nothing has ever been
b-ettkd In Ireland. It Is rent from tip to tin
with unsettled subjects llko patriots, landlords
and other sources of disturbances.) In Vir
ginia a dead Indian settled produced peace; In
Ireland a dead Irishman pioducwl only banshees
(as you have so ably related), With the conse
quent woes and penalties.
And bo It said, to their credit, In my mind,
tho Irish could keep nothing. It was cither
taken from them or they gavo It away. Is It
any wonder they could not heep treaties? So
it happened that up In Ulster ono or two of
the "eurl" peoplo acted In such a way regard
ing certain solemnly inado documents that
they concluded It wiser to skip, so they skipped,
making thereby an ancient landmark in history
known as "the flight of tho earls." They never
caino back.
Their estates escheated to the British crown.
The latter seized the occasion also to transplant
to these lands law-abiding people. First they
wanted only English to scttlo on them, nnd
they got t-oine English from London, who set
tled around I.ondonderry. But the Scotch got
wind of the beheme. and before tho English
knew what was what those Scotch, permitted
to transplant themselves to this "plantation,"
as It was palled, had taken possession of almost
all of Ulster. They have held it since, being
Scotch.
Take notice. Thraneen, that the British did
not let the Scotch on the sea coast fringe of
Scotland go over to the plantation In Ulster.
Only '"Scotch from the Interior parts of Scotland"
could go there. The others could go to a
hotter place, as to the Virginia plantations.
You see, they wanted Scots who had already
acquired property which no one had yet suc
ceeded In taking from them. That showed such
Scutch could be depndd upon to hold their
lands In Ulster against any Irish. If a Scotch
man can't take anything from you no one can,
take It from me. And, believe me, Thraneen,
it was some Job In those days to keep the
Irish from enjoying what you might have
acquired In pain and misery of body, it not In
soul.
(Pardon the Interruption, J McClurti you're, co
ins Una. but we'rs clsslny up for thu utgbt. You
un hu.a too loor tomorrow o No tna U of P
vi uu t 1st you. Cttioa sruvuui J.la en WcJnUy.)
j.WiiiM.ii,iwiMiUaWJyWL,iiiii.iiiii i J,
1 T -
IA, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1916.
"WATCHFUL WAITING" ISN'T CONFINED TO.THE WESTERN HEMlSPHEftl
w? wu
- ,
f lit ..N ' -.
POISONING AS
A PROFESSION
Flourished in tho Dark Ages Fatal
Politics of Statesmen of Various
Periods of History Modern
War Like Ancient Politics
MACAULAY described Ficdorick tho
Great ns "half Mlthridatos and half
Trlssotln, bearing up against a world in
arms, with an ounce of poison In ono pocket
nnd n qulro of bad versos in tho other."
Mncaulay's characterizations often flow wldo
of tho mark, and perhaps so in this case. So
far as tho versos aro concerned, it bus been
said of Frederick that ho was "a voluminous
writer." That seems to cover tho ground
most admirably. Ono of tho subjects of
which he wroto in proso was Uio science of
war. He was Indeed tho great military
organizer of Prussia. Ho omitted poisons
from his list of weapons of warfare. So,
although ho may havo carried an ounco of
poison In his pocket, ho novor went into tho
poisoning business on the wholosalo scalo
which wo havo witnessed In tho warring
Europe of today. Tho Horglns and tho Medici
nro held up to tho detestation of mankind,
but they and tholr llko poisoned Individuals,
not armies.
From Chicago tho trail of tho poison plot
leads to ninny cities, and tho conspirators
aro being run down with all tho energy of
thoso agencies to which tho task belongs. It
Is not a pleasant story, but tho wages of
poison plotting nro hard, mid so wo may
thank goodness. Onco on a time thoro ex
isted a profession of poisoners. Thoy exer
cised tholr trade with Impunity in tho early
part of tho Christian era. "Poisoning," says
an historian, "was &o much in uso as a
political engine that Agrlpplna refused to eat
somo apples offered her at tablo by her
fathor-ln-hiw, Tiberius." That was tho sec
ond Agrlpplna. Her mother was ono of tho
most heroic nnd virtuous women of antiquity.
Tho daughter, however, was ono of tho most
detestable women that over lived. In her
second widowhood sho induced her uncle, tiio
Emperor Claudius, to marry her. In order
to bring her son Nero to tho throne, sho
poisoned her husband. Nero afterward
caused her to bo poisoned by her son
Britannlcus.
When Locusta Flourished
It was nt this timo, too, that tho Infamous
Locusta flourished. Sho is said to havo sup
plied, with sultablo directions, tho poison by
which Agrlpplna got rid of Claudius; and she
was also the principal agent In tho prepara
tion of tho poison that was administered to
Britannlcus by order of his brothor, Nero,
"It was tho custom of tho Romans to drink
hot water," says Mr, Wynter Blytho; "a
draught nauseous enough to us, but, from
fashion or habit, considered by them a lux
ury. And ns no two men's tastes aro alike,
great skill was shown by tho slaves In bring
ing tho water to oxactly that dogrco of heat
which their respective masters found agree
able. A slave brings water to Britannlcus:
It Is too hot: Britannlcus refuses It. Tho
slave adds cold water: nnd it Is this cold
water that Is supposed to havo been pois
oned. In nny case, Britannlcus died, an
extraordinary Hvldlty spreading over the
corpse, which they attempted to conceal by
painting tho face."
An earlier poisoning case that figures both
In history and In literature concerns tho Ori
ental despot mentioned by Macaulay. Tho
most famous of tho kings of Pontus was
Mlthrldates the Great, a man who could
speak mora than 20 languages, possessod
a taste and appreciation for art and science
and was called by tho Romans tho most
formidable opponent they had over en
countered. But he had his faults. After
practicing on others he took poison. This
ho did to avoid falling Into tho hands of his
enemies, but owing to his long-continued use
of antldoes tho draught failed in its effect
and tho King threw himself upon the sword
of a slave. Racine's tragedy, entitled "Mlthrl
dates," deals with this themo.
Poison has played a great part In history.
Demosthenes, ono of the noblest characters
of ancient Greece, began his participation In
public affairs when ho was about 25 years
old. From that time until his doath, in 323
B. C. his history is the history of Athens.
He it was who warned his fellow citizens of
their danger from the power of Macedon and
roused them to stand against the advance of
the enemy, His speeches in this patriotic
endeavor are classics of literature. Finally
the power of Macedon prevailed In Greece
and the orator sought asylum in the temple
of Poseidon, on the Island of Calaurea. Be
fore his pursuers overtook him he died, as
was generally believed, of poison admin
tlBWWMimilwg'WWwwi - P'WIWtfMyfpippwpiiai
' ' I
istered by his own hand. Another of tho
great Athenians to die of poison was Socrates,
tho philosopher. A poet, a demagogue and
nn orator presented fotnuil charges against
him. "Socrates is guilty of rejecting tho
gods of tho city and introducing new divini
ties, llo Is nlso guilty of corrupting tho
youth." Beforo a Jury of fiOl members
Socrates defended himself in a speech, tho
pplrlt of which Is preserved In Plato's
"Apology." Condemned by a small majority,
ho proposed that tho penalty should bo his
malntcnnnco as a public benefactor. At tho
solicitation of friends ho proposed to pay a
line. But tho enemies of tho man who
taught a purer system of morals than any
known beforo tlio coming of Christ woro too
strong nnd Socrates was condemned to drink
tho hemlock cup. Tho "Crlto" of Plato
shows us tho condemned philosopher resist
ing tho Importunities of his friends to escapo
by bribing the Jailors and so, ns ho himself
put It, teaching young men by his examplo
to vlolato tho law. Tho "Phaedo" depicts
tho dong final day spent with friends In con
versation on tho Immortality of tho soul,
and tho last sccno of all, "how bravely and
cheerfully tho llrst great martyr of intellec
tual liberty met his doom."
Tho names of Hannibal and Cleopatra como
to mind In connection with historical "poison
cases."
King Charles of Navarre
There exists a curious document said to
havo been drawn out by Charles lo Mauvals,
King of Navarro, which shows how at sonic
was much favored as a political weapon by
crowned heads in tho fourteenth century. It
Is a commission of murdur given to a certain
Woudcrtou.
"Go thou to Paris. Thou canst do great
sorvlco if thou wilt. Do what I tell thee.
I will reward theo woll. Thou shalt do thus:
Thoro is a thing which Is called subllmo
arsenic. If a man cat n bit tho slzo of a pea
ho will never survive. Thou wilt find It In
Pampoluna, Bordeaux, Bayonno nnd In nil
good towns through which thou wilt pass, at
tho apothecaries' shops.
"Tnko It and poivdor It: and when thou
shalt bo In tho house of tho King, and of
Valols, his brothor, tho Dukes of Berry, Bur
gundy and Bourbon, draw near and bctako
this to tho kitchen, to tho larder, to tho cellar
nnd In other places whero thy point can bo
best gained. Put tho powder In tho soups,
meats or wines, provided that thou canst do
It secretly. Otherwise, do It not." Wouder
ton, falling to accomplish his task, was de
tected and executed In 1381.
No better exnmplo of this dread in which
poisoners wcro held can bo quoted than tho
fact that at so lato a period as the reign
of Henry VII extraordinary precautions wero
thought necessary for preserving the llfo of
tho Infant heir. It was otdalncd that no
person of whatsoever rank, except tho regu
lar attendants In tho nursery, wcro to ap
proach tho cradle, except with an order from
tho King's hand. Moreover, everything in
tended for tho royal Infant was boiled, to
prevent all risk of poison ns far as possible.
Ono of tho moro recent Instances of political
poisoning is that of tho Sultan Abdul-Aziz,
who died May 30, 1870. By reason of his ad
vanced Ideas ho was forced to abdicate tho
throno, and four days lajer tho unhappy
Sultan was found dead, It Is almost certain
by foul play.
ALL FOR GLORY
Since a Government monopoly of munitions
manufacture has been proposed, It must be a
very heedless Congressman who neglects his
political prospects by not Immediately Intro
ducing a bill for tho erection of a munition
plant In his home district. New York World.
SOME REMARKS ON POLITICS
To the Editor o Evening Ledger:
Sir If Mr. Root's speech has as much weight
as his corporation constitution for the Stato
of New York In the last election it will fall
short of electing any man the Republicans can
put against Wilson. It certainly la "Root, hog
or die," as Root died after that election day
last November; and If he waits till next No
vember we will kill the hog, as Wilson has been
watching and waiting to get rid of some of his
overstock of hogs. A. S. K.
Frankford, February 17.
CRITICISM AND CHARITY
ITo the Editor of the Evening t.ciluer:
Sir This 13 from a recent subscriber of your
dally paper, which has met with my approval.
I have found It one of tho most interesting news
papers for news In general published In Phila
delphia. Noticing for a week or more the protest
against Belasco'a play, "Marie Odlle," brought
my memory back to the protest against that
horrid play, "The Birth of a Nation," not long
ago, which was worse In many Instances and fr
more degrading, I wish to impress upon our
race, Uie Caucasian In general, how quickly Me
resent any such that is a disgrace to us. As
a nation, like any other, the colored people
have that same pride, feeling and sensitiveness,
and aftsr all the wrongdoing that has been
heaped upon him he Is the white man's1 friend.
I blame the white man for all the wrong things
the colored man does today, especially the
American negro. jj. j
Philadelphia, February X.
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What Do You Know?
Queries of general tntcrest itilt 6c anucwtJ
n this column. Ten questions, the anncai
to which every well-informed person thttU
know, arc asked (lolly.
QUIZ
1. Whrn nnil wlicro was the rlrruliitlon of tht tlool
(litem crcil?
2. Where Is tho llrhlce nf Slchs?
!t, Xn nip Hip tn Irclshitlip rhninlirrs of (Itrmijj,
t.-Ahntit when ilhl Hip I!j7:intlnc i:mplre briM
H. Wlni werp the C'eiitiuirs?
(I. How iiiniiy C'hlpf .liiottrps nf the CnlltJ Shin
limp thero heen up tn this time?
7. In whnt century was the Great Wall of CUsi
heRun?
H. Who mill "Clennlhiess Is nest to godllntit"!
!). W'hero lire the Dry Tortinriis?
10, When Has tho cuclo first imeil on American tolnif
Answers to Saturday's Quiz
I'lillnileliilihi.
Sown jours nnil n hulf.
Yes. Ottimn.
iWtner I'lrst I.nril of the Admlraltr, Gmt
llrltnlii.
One who helleves In or niHoeutrs the abolition (t
Institution, it nidhorlty.
Yes.
Inhn Adams.
No.
Dissection of or (loosely) nny ciperlmtnt frw
tired upon lUIng nnlninls.
School-kill, with rtcn nricnts.
Dip; Railroad Stations
Editor of "irint Do You Know" Is not thi
South Station In Boston the Inigest railroad
station in. America, If not In the world. 1
nni'RV sniMTiB. M
No. It covers onlyll.2 ncres nnd only 33 traclii
enter It. Tho St. Louis Union Station is njore
than nn ncro larger and can accommodate u
many trains. Tlio largest station Is the Grand
Cc.ntr.il Terminal In New Yoik, which coven
70 ncres and can accommodate C7 trains at
once. Both the Boston nnd the St. Louis its
tlons aro larger than any In Europe.
Live Dogs and Dead Lions
Editor of "What Do You Enow" Can you til
mn uhnrn I enn find the savlne that "A Uti
dog is better than n dead lion"' I think It li j
by Shakespeare, but I have looked In vain toll'-!
ritHPAIlEDNESS,
Will somo reader answer this question!
K. C. B.
Editor of "What Do You Know" In thMrt
I sometimes notice tho letters K C B. after I
general's name. For what do thoy stand?
Knight Commander of tho Bath.
Words in Other .Languages
17((or of "What Do You Know" Toil lW
"Mother" last Saturday that thero ore M0'
words In the English language Can J0"""
mo how that number compares with the worm
in finrmnn and French? FRIEDIUCH.
The largest German dictionary contains 1'Jm
000 woids, nnd thero are only 210,000 words B '
tho greatest French dictionary The Russtti i
nnd Italian dictionaries contain 140,000 eacon
the Spanish IL'0,000.
Loafing Around the Tiirone i
Editor of "What Do You A'noto" I heart
minister quoto the saying that angels had ww )
business than loafing around the throne, iw"
to get tho whole quotation, and wj" gj
..-....- ,.-.. .1 i.v Tniiii Hay, i
H appears in "1.11110 jircutnca, -j ----
which tells tho story of a -ya"LZL
was lost on a pralrlo at night In lX
lie was found snfo lo n shccpfold. The twj
Ing stanza of the poem contains the quo""
referred to. Hero It Is
How did he git thnr? Angels
ir roniii tinvnr have walked In that storm-.
Thev lust stooned down and toted lilm s (
To whar It was safe and warm
And I think that saving a little chiw.
And fetching him to his own.
Is n durncd sight better business
Than loadng around the throne.
jt v . -B !,.!... rPl.n..nl.f 1ffl1
lomion 01 iieiug iuuuji.. - ... ttSE
Editor 0 "What Do You Know-C W
me the origin of tho phrase, , ''"S'Xnud"''
by tho general comfort of being houn,jfa '
Philadelphia. February IS. , ,oi
Does any reader know where this sayu
from?
Asiatics aa Citizens w tmw
Editor of "What Do You .0W'7,: ''
been a time In the history of the JJn" .j
when a Japanese or Chinaman could M j
citizen''
Philadelphia, February 18, 19l- ft '
Before the passage of the law dwjW, j
right to Asiatics Japanese were janurf
citizenship under the e M ,b it
the Judges In the naturalization court.
U-Boats , --datiff!
Editor of "What Do You Know -'I0rj3, i
ill them U-boats. ..m,"!
call
It Is generally taken to mean un'y7m,rict
LbmarTne boats. The British !
or submarine boats. The British 1 &
numbering by letters and figures rei -a
types of vessels. .
The Greatest Port ,n,u &m
Editor of "What OoYouKuow.iQ
delphla one of the sreat seaports
I know It Is the second or thlra v m y
. it.,iii Kns. but how does J
with ha other world ports? .. uiGft
New York is the BWtert S21 $ J3
- .,.,! Ma.-irnnca of 31.000.00l' V" rafflli J
------ - rfc-N"riwA - . L
pin engaged in foreign iJSTw 1
next, followed In order bJ "Zf !ri
noueruam, xiops " "rr nd ear""
Liverpool. Singapore. Colombo ana v-