10
EVENING liEDGER-PHILADELPHIA, WEDNESDAY, 'APRIU 5, 1916.
Stoning g9iS&r
PUBLIC LEDGER COMPANY
crntis h k. fitavns, rtait.tT.
Cherts R.Iitidlntfen. Vice PmldrntlJolm A Jrrt!n,
Srlry and Trsurerj rnlllp 8. Collin, John 13.
Viniititi, Plrtctora.
EDITOnlAt BOAntlt
Ctrtcs II. K. Conns. Chairman. .
n. WHALBr. ...Editor
JOHN C MARTIN ...General Ihislness Mannircr
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rillLADCLriHA, WEDNESDAY, APRIL S, WW.
fear the Greeks, even when they bear gifts.
Vergil.
Tlio sceno of tho war was transferred yes
terday from Verdun to Chicago. Thoy hnd
ft municipal election.
Ford Carries Detroit Headline.
Of course ho docs, and his tin Lizzies carry
tho rest of tho country also.
1 Tho announcement that Holland Is friendly
to everybody is rovorso English for a goncral
Invitation to nobody to beat tho Dutch.
After svvceplng tho cactus plains Colonel
Dodd's forces arc combing tha Mexican hills
for Villa, nnd pretty soon they will bo brush
ing up tho remains.
Tho trout seasons opons on April 15, and
April 18 Is tho last day for filing nominating
petitions for tho primaries. Which dato aro
you waiting for moro eagerly?
Secretary Daniels denies that ho has bo
trayed any naval secrets to England and Rus
sia; but his dental doos not necessarily mean
that ho has not told all ho knows.
Did tho Pccrloss Orator tell "Warren Worth
Bailey to propose that Undo Sam go Intd tho
oil business to compel John D. Rockefeller's
company to rcduco tho prlco of gasoline?
Those Boston doctors who havo discovered
tho germ of scarlet fever after two years'
Investigation may now devoto themselves to
discovering tho germ of Now England culture.
Mrs. Walto, tho wlfo of the Now York
dentist vh killed hor father and mother, Is
suing him for dlvorco on tho grounds of
oxtremo cruelty. This is a mild term to
apply to It.
A check for $70,000,000 that has Just passed
through tho New York Clearing House is
described as tho largest check overj drawn.
Did you over notlco that every big check is
described in tho samo way?
Thero aro those who say that no ono will
attempt to frustrato tho efforts of tho Gover
nor and his friends to keop secret tho list
of delegates-at-Iargo who aro to favor his
nomination at Chicago, becauso tho voters
at tho primaries will pay no nttentlon to them
anyway.
Thoro seems to bo somo doubt of tho sanity
of Ernest Schiller, tho German "pirate" who
seized a British steamship in New York
waters a fow days ago. If tho British had
caught him, after seizing a ship nnywhero
near England, they would not havo waited
to find out whether ho was sano or not.
Berlin has grown confident that tho con
ference) at Paris resulted in a new strategic
movo invasion of Germany via Holland.
After tho peaceful and wholly Justifiable
"progress" of tho Germanic armies through
Holland' we shall expect not a word of pro
test if this turns out to be true. Tho only
question is. How will tho Allies manago to
muzzle their publicists?
Tho House of Representatives has done tho
expected thing in approving tho appropriation
of $2,165,000 for tho Delaware River Improve
ment. Tho deepening of tho channel is part
of tha -work of preparedness on which there
vgbould bo no delay. It la also part of tho
vork of commercial development without
which it will be difficult to raise money for
the greater work of national defense which
Jt is hoped Congress win undertake before
adjournment.
Chicago is learning that it pays to cry over
split milk. Tho farmers in the surrounding
country refuse to send dairy products to tho
distributers at the present prlco and are
wasting milk to teach the companies a lesson.
It Is to all Intents a strike and' strike methods
are being employed. Meanwhile the only sen
sible solution of the entire problem has been
brought to the attention of the farmers again.
There are facilities, easily enlarged, for direct
handling. Whether this will pay them in the
long run or not, the method should be used to
relievo the inordinate distress among children
which a milk famine, would involve.
S&ttcr lunching with the Colonel and Mr.
gttoot. .Senator Lodge has made a speech in
"which, he urges universal military service and
training. There may be military experts who
think he goes too far Jn this, but no expert
worth the name will disagree with him when
he characterizes the Hay bill as a do-nothing
and useless measure. If wo are to have a
military force worth while it must be under
the direct command of tho President at all
times, whether wo be at war or at peace,
and it must be a national force free from
sectional and political influences. The sooner
CSongresa recognizes these fundamental prin-
Jplea the sooner snail we have legislation
-hat will accomplish something.
he Inexpert observer of military affairs
(Europe may know little of strategy; but he
certain logic, and that logic, at present,
him to Inquire why nothing is being
juUlJe of the burning circle of Verdun.
tut full answer to tha question. In
not fair, for both Russia, and Eng-
My, thou) not eo energetically
txssUa, Tht?iuan advanc
Itily check ta struggle of
tho British at St Etol, near Ypres, is con
suming great energies. The suddon Italian
dash Is supposed to havo held back numerous
Austrian troops destined for Verdun. Moro
Important, as an explanation of tho situation,
was a casual remark of a British Minister
which permitted tho length of tho British lino
to bo told. It Is now reported as a quarter of
tho entlro front, nnd clearly keeping that lino
Is of as much asslstanco to tho French as
nctlvo sorties from it. The question Is
whether Verdun can hold out until tho next
"spring drlvo" of tho Allies Is prepared.
THE CALL FOR A STATESMAN
It would ho n mistake to Meet n man to
the Presidency for tlio nolo reason (lint ho
Is n business mnn or n lawyer or n. teacher
or n what not tine. The President must,
first, ho n, mnn fitted to perform the duties
of tho office. After Hint no ono cares whnt
ho tins done for n living so lonir ns he has
hren honest.
MORE twndtllo and punk havo been writ
ton In recent years nbout tho importnnco
of electing a business man to tho Presidency,
tho Governorship or tho Mayoralty than about
any other political subject.
Wo havo been told that all tho Ills of gov
ernment would bo cured If only ft successful
business man wcro put in charge. But ex
perience has proved that "business adminis
trations" so called nro usually moro unsatis
factory than political administrations.
Among tho sanest words spoken on tho sub
ject woro thoso of which George Wharton
Popper delivered himself to a writer for tho
Evenino liEDar.it Inst summer, when ho re
fused to becomo a candidate for tho Mayor
alty nomination. Mr. Pepper said that his
training hnd not boon In public affairs, that
ho was not equipped to fill tho ofllco of Mayor
and that no man could fill tho ofllco success
fully unless ho had had proper preliminary
training In tho study of municipal problems
nnd In tho practical work of their solution.
Thoro la no greater fnllacy provulont In
popular thinking than that a business man
Just ns a business man can enter political
Ufo and servo tho public better than nn ox
pert who has been trained In tho art and tho
practlco of government.
Tho Buslnoss Men's Presidential Lcnguo,
which Is printing petitions In tho nowspapers
throughout tho country asking for tho nom
ination of "a business man as Prosldont of
tho United States," Is attempting to cnpltalizo
this popular misconception for tho benefit of
some particular cantlldato not yet openly
named. It matters not who ho la; If ho Is a
business man nnd nothing moro. ho would
mako a mlscrablo falluro In tho Presltloncy.
An expert buyer and seller of commodities Is
no moro fitted for tho Presidency than ho Is
fitted to bo a surgeon. Ho has not had tho
necessary training. Ills vision hns been con
fined to tho balance shoot of a lodger nnd has
not ranged over tho wholo realm of human
Interests. Ho has had to consider popular
sontlmcnt only ns It affected his profits. Tho
President must consider public sentiment as
It nffects tho conditions under which pcoplo
must Hvo In human society, which is a much
moro complex nnd a much broader iuestlon.
It is posslblo for a buslnoss man to bo a
statesman also, Just as a lawyer, or a college
professor, or a farmer, or an iron founder
may bo a statesman. Ono of the nblest
men In tho Senato Is John Sharp Williams, of
Mississippi, and ho Is a planter. But ho is
a statesman not becauso ho is a planter, but
bocauso ho has devoted years of hard and
earnest study to questions of government.
Henry Cabot Lodge, of Massachusetts, Is a
man of wealth who entered public Ufo be
causo ho thought it wns his duty on a cltl
zon. Ills profession Is politics. No ono
would dony him tho titlo of statesman.
President Wilson Is a collego professor, but
what success ho has achloved In statesman
ship Is not duo to his training to teach young
mon. Mr. Taft was ono of tho most admirably
trnlncd Presidents In tho history of tho coun
try, and ono of tho least successful. Ho has
tho Intellectual characteristics of a Judgo and
tho political instincts of a hermit. Roosevelt's
preliminary training was much loss exhaus
tive than that of Taft. His followers do not
care what ho Is called, becauso they bcllevo
that ho Is bettor ablo than any other citizen
to give them what they want. Ills gift for
leadership Is unsurpassed by that of any con
temporary American. It would bo tho samo
If he had earned his living by dealing In silk
ribbons Instead of being Independent of
trado through a small fortune left him by his
father. And Justlco Hughes Is looked to
with hope by many citizens nowadays, not
because ho la a lawyer, nor because ho has
been Governor of Now York, but becauso he
has proved before tho publlo eye that ho has
political Instincts and political knowledge.
Statesmanship is a profession which must
bo learned. It Is astonishing to every
thoughtful student of American history that
our affairs have been managed so well by
men chosen to manage them who havo had
no previous training In statesmanship. As
soon as a popular hero appears we propose
that he be elected to the Presidency. Ho may
bo a lawyer who has sent a notorious mur
derer to the gallows, or ho may bo a soldier
who has won a little battle In a little war.
But the country is growing too old for such
childish things.
In this critical year it is imperative that
the man nominated for the Presidency shall
be chosen not because of his success In buy
ing goods for 50 cents and selling them for
$1, nor because of his ability in reducing tho
fixed charges In tho operation of a factory,
but because he Is a statesman of the first
rank, with a broad grasp on the history of hla
own country and an Intelligent comprehen
sion of the great world problem.! In the solu
tion of which this nation must participate in
the near future.
THE "TIN LIZZIE" VOTE
DETROIT rose to the occasion and gave
Henry Ford a three to one vote for the
presidential nomination. At this writing it
looks as if he had carried the whole State.
He defeated a mere United States Senator.
The exact day on which he will become Chief
Magistrate is evidently to be calculated by
reference to the speed with which his indus
try spreads beyond Michigan and its metropolis
to other centres of population in the country.
Unhappily, though, the tin Lizzie vote must
as yet be considered purely personal and
complimentary, not to say local. Mr. Ford
boa not really attained the stature of a
national figure; he is still only an Inter
national figure. And his one big chance of
getting the entire German-American vote
was lost when he did not succeed in making
peace in Europe For, if he had done that,
at this stage of the war, with Germany still
ahead in the acquisition of negotiable con
quered territory, there It no office in the gilt
of the followers of the Kajser in this country
that they would not haijo done their beat
VO ucavuir vu jimii.
Tom Daly's Column
to Robert FROBT.
Bomethlng there is that doesn't Jove a wall,
That strives to pierce it when it cannot climb
Or seep in through the windows or tho doors.
Perhaps it is the clamor of tho street
That cannot brook a lesser noise at all
And so would reach and end it. So it seemed,
At any rate, to me in College Hall
This afternoon, when you were holding forth.
I heard the first short poems that von read,
I heard your dictum that you would have none
Of them that dealt with verso in terms of
music.
fAht there vou erred, good poet that vou are,
Hut poet since your music will not down.)
t heard disjointed talk of "tones of voice"
And sudden laughter punctuating it,
Hut could not tell if other heresies
From vou had Issue. Btlll tho laughter proved
Your sense of tumor, tuifci tell! bid lolt
smile
iVo tci(t resentful of the Implih twist
I put upon your talk of "tones of voice"
ll'icn rewtarfc "one's lone may be too low,"
As yours teas and as mine was when 1 left,
V.lsc you'd have heard me mutter at the dosr:
"You're wrong, my friend. Good poems wtifcc
good music."
Tuesday.
The Devil's Advocate
By Hclnrlch Schooner.
DEAR READER Havo you over hiked through
n newspaper fnrtory nnd let your gnze wan
der to tho poor worms that toll at tlio rnses
nnd lltiomonstcrs, whoso Job It Is to mnnhnmllo
copy that resembles hieroglyphics on nn Egyptian
mummy nnd innko "sense" of It and who nlso
net as gonts for tho brain depnrtmont? If you
havo pulled tho nbnvc-niontloned tour, you
didn't fall for tho bunk of tho nllbl artist on
tho editorial pnga of our nin dent- impcr ono
dny Inst week. If you haven't, do so.
Look tbo cmnclnted exponents of the nrt
preservative over ouch tips tho beam at nbout
n hundred nnd nothing and dopo out, If you
can, tho renson why tho poor flshh.itt slop around
with lower lip banning nnd shoulders hunched
up to tholr cheaters. You can't, unless you'ro
next to tho Job!
Is It tho Brlndlng tn17 Nix! Tho disciples
of Gutenberg dofy you to grind them! Simon
Lcgreo hnsn t even a nodding ncqunlntanco wltu
them. What's tlio nnswer? Listen, dear reader,
and I'll put you hep:
Each tlmo ono of thoso poor hicks hikes to
tho dosk for "copy," ho wiggles In fear and
trepidation. Ills hand shakos nnd wnbbly llpi
tremblo as ho unfolds the shecti to rubber at
whnt ho has drawn. If It's typewritten, some
thing like n sparkle seems to lli;ht up his oyes;
but If It Is "raw" copy, his domo sinks deeper
Into his shoulders nnd ho shuffles back to bis
llnoflend with n movement that's a dead ringer
for n turtlo doing n marathon.
(Concluded tomorrow.)
Musical TriolclfK
(Moat of them linock-turna)
XII
I don't llko Caruso
In "I rngllnccl."
His sobs don't ring true; bo
I don't like Caruso.
Why does ho boo-hoo so?
Admitting It's "catchy,"
I don't llko Caruso
In "I Pngllaccl." v SOREHEAD.
Slr-
I'm anxious to mako a little easy money.
Will you help? I wnnt to plnco a bet upon tho
noxt President of those hero U. S. I sn; Lansing
will be the mnn KKIPH.
P. S. For your private ear, or cyo as the
case may be: Wilson's term expires nt mid
night, March 4 (Sundny): tho winner at tho No
vember election oven if It's Wilson himself
won't bo Inaugurated until noon of Monday,
tlio 5th.
The Anagram Contest
VERY WELL, If you think that Easter
J hr
hat will look best on tho domo of W. L.
Sacrey for his anagram on "Emperor William
Second," keep on sending In things llko this:
DO GREEN DEVILS GET ANY?
A. Moth.
HASTEN'D BEST RAG PLANNER.
M. V. B. R.
I WILL SEEK HARM.
Mrs.
HO! GRUNTS BEER-MUG.
NO MORE ON CREDIT.
Yesterday's nnswers:
William Bryan
Theodore IlooteveIt
Kaiser Wllhelm
Th Declaration of Independence
.Shakespeare's Anniversary
Tresbyterlan
Numovus.
A. G.
C. S. P.
rOLLYAXDROS GROWS UP
When I was a kid and went to school
I sang the usual sort of drool;
And as the moments flitted by,
I sang: "Kind words can never die."
And noio since I've become a pota
And write sweet thoughts that pcoplo quote,
I always, always keep in mind
That all immortal verse is kind,
Sometimes I make it kind of weepy,
Sometimes it's kind of cold and creepy;
Hut bo it kind of good, or bad,
Whene'er it lands, you bet I'm gladl
P. Villain.
SUREI DIDN'T YOU KNOW I1UNNY WAS DEAD?
ALL tho way from Poughkecpslo, N. Y
jTicomes tho statement that John Bunny
Joined "Barnum and Bniloy." What d'ye know
about that? will Lou.
AGE.
"And when I'm old," the rich bride sighed,
"Oh, will you love me truet"
The absent-minded groom replied:
"Oh, yes, indeed, I do."
TIIK KINO'S rN-A-MANNER Ol" HrEAKIN
ENfil.ISII
"At no time In history has tho commodities
representing our natural resources been ex
pressed moro firmly in terms of dollars and
cents than they are now, and, for reasons
apparent, will bo even more forcibly expressed
during the next flvo years to come."
"Since we have been and are now absorb
ing all of our obligations to pay certain sums
at regular Intervals to our foreign creditors
means that at no distant dato wo will have few,
If any, foreign partners. Then our position
Is one entirely independent of every other
country, not only that we have an abundance
of commodities that they eventually must have."
From Stock Broker's Circular Letter.
Sir What is a noble floor? A large sign on
Arch street between 7th & 8th reads;
"FOR RENT
THIS NOBLE FLOOR.
Inquire Morris & Co."
Worcester's dictionary says noble means
exalted In rank. Is it because of the rankness
that no one has cared to rent it?
Tungsten.
The Hex. Ketl of Fish
On top of Popocatepetl
The poor Dove of Feaco stopped to setl.
' "Gosh I" It twittered. "I fear
If 1 hover too near
I'll be one with those Hah in the KetL
TIM ISAMINGER, of the North American,
J was peeved at the boner pulled by the
telegraph operator with whom he filed his
tralnlng-camp" stuff. "Dash-ding these teleg
raphers," he said. "Why some of 'em have
been sending messages tor a quarter of a
century and the only thing they can get
straight U, 'Come home at once, Father la
dead.'"
SPEAKING THE
PUBLIC MIND
Views of Readers on Censorship,
With Special Reference to Mov
ing Pictures, and on Univer
sal Military Training
To tha Editor of the livening Ledger:
Sir Discussing editorially what you call
"cenrorlnl cownrdleo" in tho moving plrturo
business, you sny: " 'If you bcllevo In the freedom
of tho Hereon. Juit nn you believe In the freedom
of tho press,' ran tho suppressed leader, nnd
there Is no need, to auoto further. Obviously to
tho censor tho freedom of tho press Is a machlno
of anarchy, a breeder of corruption, a factor in
what they consider tho growing degeneracy of
tho American people."
Aro you sure that whon you Bpealc of tho
"freedom" of tho press and of the movies you
really mean freedom? Aro you suro you do
not mean that which Is continually being con
fused with freedom tinmcly, llccnso? True
freedom Is a blessing, but tho tnlsuso and excess
of freedom, which Is mero license. Is a curse.
Tho provnlont Idea of freedom of tho press, nnd,
I take It from your expressions, of tho movies
nlso, seems to bo thnt tho owners of thoso busi
nesses should bo practically tho solo Judges of
whnt Is proper to print or to show. Of course,
somo things such, for Instnnco, ns downright
obscenities or flagrant Buggcstlveness nlong
sexual lines oven tho most callous producers
keep shy of to avoid lmmcdlato police inter
ference. But thero seems to bo no provision
tigiiinst nnd no widespread desire to curb tho
degrading effects along other lines which aro
almost universal now in tho movio theatres. I
refer to tho continual and (to many people, nt
least) slckcnlngly wearisome repetitions of crlmo
scones. How many of tho so-called movio
"dramas" nro founded on nnythlug but crime?
In how many movio houses In Philadelphia today
can tho thousands of young girls nnd boys who
frequent theso places get even a half hour's
entertainment, to say nothing of any longer
period, without seeing on tho screen n murder,
thoft, abduction, or other crlmo, with vivid
elaborations of various ways of committing theso
crimes? From tho "Birth of a Nation" down to
tho coarsest "thriller," nil aro filled with crime
piled upon crlmo. The very existence of tho vast
majority of movio houses depends solely upon
their continual depiction of violent crimes, if
ono may judga by their offerings.
I bellovo It to bo tho consensus of opinion of
tho majority of thoughtful peoplo thnt tho movie
drama, as produced In America at present. Is nn
evil of tmmenso power, which Is manufacturing
hundreds of young criminals every day. It Is
Impossible that hundreds of thousands of young
people, at tho most Impressionable periods of
their lives, can view theso horrors almost dally
without breeding in mnny of them a familiarity
with crimes and tho ways of criminals which Is
dangerous In Its possibilities. Insiend of trying
to cripple the censorship, wo should work for a
moro extended and stricter safe guarding, Tho
"bad man" Is tho hero In most movies, notwith
standing that tho "good man" Is supposed to be.
It Is the bad man who absorbs most of the
"limelight" nnd whoso deeds nro tho most excit
ing and Interesting to tho youngsters. And it
will bo the real bad mon who will occupy the
sumo relative positions In tho lives of these
future citizens unless wo put a stop to the
"freedom" which Is at present enjoyed by the
purveyors of this class of entertainment
Of course, this glorification of tho criminal Is
false as woll aB vicious. Tho crlmlnnl, the Bhlfty
man, the dishonest or dishonorable man, Is not
the most successful man in real life: might or
craft does not, In tho end, triumph over right;
and the greatest and simplest truth is that
honesty Is the best policy. Truisms, you say,
why spout them? Yes, truisms; but not for most
of the boys and girls who frequent the movies.
They get, and are bound to get, very different
Ideas Ideas which will soon make a lot of new
jobs for court attendants, police matrons, social
workers, evangelists, hospital orderlies and
nurses, lawyers, detectives, pawnshop keepers,
"crooked" druggists, turnkeys, patrol drivers,
and constables. Well, as a loyal American and
therefore a devotee of America's god. "The Pork
Barrel," I suppose I have been all wrong in
"knocking" anything that produces a crop of
good fat Jobs or even lean ones. In Philadel
phia, at any rate, this Is certainly unwise.
DRACO,
Philadelphia. April 1,
USES OF MISQUOTATION
To the Editor of Evening ledger:
Sir In your article "Censorial Cowardice"
you say: "The freedom of tho press Is a machine
of anarchy, a breeder of corruption, a factor in
the growing degeneracy of the American people."
I agreo with you. II. II.
Why misquote? The sentence as It appeared
In the Evenino Ledoer was: "Obviously to the
censors the freedom of the press Is a machine
of anarchy, a breeder of corruption, a factor in
what they consider the growing degeneracy of
the American people." Editor of the Evenino
LEDOEn- .
COMPULSORY TRAINING
To the Editor of Evening Ledger:
Sir Whether we shall have preparedness or
whether not I think has been amply demon
strated within the last three weeks in the ex
pedition which has gone into Mexico. We must
admit that the regular army of the United
States 13 a good one, so far as it goes, yet there
Is ample room for Improvement In it when It
comes to putting It alongside of the European
Powers, such as Germany and France. The
United States army la deficient in one of the
most vital weapons of present day warfare, a
weapon which is deciding tha fate of Europe,
and that is heavy field artillery. The war In
Europe has been a war of artillery exclusively,
the roar of artillery has been heard day and
night without a let-up, and it seems to my
mind the Power who predominates in the use of
this weapon will most likely win the war.
There la another point of weakness which I
think it necessary to rectify, and that is the
volunteer system, which we seem to cling to so
much. It U true we have never had any trouble
in raising volunteers, but with present-day war
fare, which consists of the most destructive
weapons known to man, with the rpot Intricate
and scientific modea of conductbif war, if it
SOMEWHERE IN MEXICO
policy to depend on practically green men nnd
plnco them ngnlnst such weapons ns nro used
today? Tho troubto with U3 ns a nation Is that
wo nro not a war nntlon to begin with; wo con
sider ourselves Invulncrnbla to attack: wo cry
wo nro tho richest nnd most self-supporting na
tion on tho globe, and therefore no nation dnro
attack us. Tho present war has shown con
clusively that thero Is not n nntlon which Is
not llnblo to attack. AVItncss Belgium, Serbia,
Poland, whllo smnll nations, yet It would have
boon tho samo result had they been largo nations.
AVo will nlso tnko Mexico, AVhllo sho Is a
pigmy compared to us ns n nntlon, yet oven sho
dares challenge us nnd even Invades our bordor
nnd kills our soldiers nnd citizens without a
moment's warning. Mexico knows our weak
ness In defense ns well as all other nntlous, and
It has boon demonstrated thnt wo have all wo
want to nttond to on account of our small forces,
which wo nro compelled to depend upon. Why
will our President nnd our Congress keep each
other In doubt rcgnrdlng tho forces needed to
protect us?
AVhy do wo not hnvo a compulsory military
service? Let every man from 18 to 4B bo com
pelled to servo his tlmo In the army as thoy do In
L'uropo: tho Constitution of theso United States
strictly puts this clause In Its body. If wo havo
such n military law thon overy man will hnvo to
do his share, and tho working classes will not ho
compelled to Bhouldcr tho responsibility of war
whllo tho rich stay homo and reap the profits or
simply go as observers nB lots do. Let us drop
tho Boy Scout business, which to my mind Is
nothing more or less than nonsense, nnd wait
until tho hoy gets old enough to understand
what military training really is. Then, when he
arrives nt tho ago of 18 years, put him In tho
army under tho compulsory laws, and wo will
then havo a defenso wo can be proud of, Tho
cry that a big army leads to war is all non
sense, ns wo nro fast rushing Into ono, with a
small ono. Tho very peoplo who havo been cry
ing against preparedness nro now howling be
causo wo nro fast npproachlng a crisis In Mex
ico, but they do not tell us why wo aro in tho
muss. Let us drop this playing soldier, and If
wo can't get tho men wo need thon let us hnvo
compulsory military Inws. Thon wo will soo
who aro our patriotic citizens and who aro not.
HARRY SPEELER.
Philadelphia, April 3.
Wo should have In mind, of course, that it is
not Mexico that Is opposing us. The distinction
between Mexico nnd Vllllsta bandits is im
portant. Editor of tho Evbnino LEDaun.
BOOMS FOR THE PRESIDENCY
Very few men becomo President without hav
ing previously fostered or experienced a "boom."
A boom Is ossentlnl to the presidential bucccss
of anybody but a dark horso. Tho word "boom,"
ns applied to a political movement, wns first
used by tho editor of a Republican newspaper In
St. Louis, Mo., pending tho return of General
U. S. Grant from the trip around tho world
undertaken by him In 1876, Immediately follow
ing his retirement from tho Presidency of tho
United States. Tho term was used so persist
ently and bo clovorly that It soon began to lodgo
In popular thought, and to take on tho mean
ing which tho editor Intended to convey when
ho declared that tho movement looking to a
third term for Grant was "booming," or when
ho employed the Invention ns a noun and spoke
of "tho Grant boom,"
Tho Idea had come to him from a common
expression used by tho people along tho Missis
sippi River. AVhen thnt stream was at flood
tide and sweeping everything before It, it was
said to be "booming." The St. Loula editor
aimed to convey the thought that tho move
ment for the nomination of Grant for tho
Presidency In 1880 was llko tho onward sweep
of a great rlvor under such conditions, nnd
therefore a boom. Tho term soon came Into
general use, and has been applied In the United
States ever since, alike to spontaneous and pre
concerted or organized movements looking to
tho placing of somo person In an office of im
portance, not necessarily, but generally, tho
Presidency.
NATIONAL POINT OF VIEW
Tho Philippines nro to bo given up, set adrift
llko tho Infant Moses on the waters until
Pharaoh's daughter Nippon adopts the helpless
child. New York Mall.
There Is no class of citizens who. should be
moro anxious to have a State police fores than
thoso who expect occasionally to be concerned
in a law-abiding strike. Buffalo Express.
No kind of reform work can be merely a pro.
fosslon, and whether It ranks with the profes
sions does not matter eo long as It Is done
with competence and in the spirit of service.
Sprlngtlcid Republican.
Just now there Is little possibility of any con
gressional action on tho budget plan. But
sooner or later Congress must be brought to
see the importance to tho nation of a business
like administration of its affairs. Indianapolis
News.
AVe are not really as generous an we think we
are. As travelers we have corrupted half of
Europe with ostentatious tipping, but aa peace
ful stay-at-homes we do not give generously
enough to relieve actual suffering. San Fran
cisco Bulletin.
The customs deficit Is nothing compared with
similar deficits under Republican tariffs, and
the argument Is rather for a further reduction
than for a return to the rates which produced
larger deficits. Furthermore, the Treasury
Zeflclt Is a matter of expenditures rather than
detlciency of customs. New York Times.
THE SEARCH FOR BEAUTY
Night came again, but now I could not Bleep,
The owls were watching in the yew; the mice
Gnawed at the wainscot; the mid dark was deep.
The death-watch knocked the dead man's sum
mons thrice.
The cats upon the pointed housetops peered
About the chimneys, with He eyes which saw
Things In the darkness moving, which they
feared.
The midnight filled the quiet house with awe.
So, creeping down the stairs, I drew the bolt
And passed mio iae oantnesa, una i anew
That beauty was brought near by my revj
aUiy W9U, MW UAWMUl W UW.
But more wiyua myseli wnose JRi treid
Yfalkegg drlt hT"T -txgMK , jid
itfltU,
fJS
What Do You Know?
Queries of general Interest uHll be answered
In this column. Ten questions, tha ansiccrs
to which every well-informed person should
know, arc asked dally.
QUIZ
1. When nm the building of City Hull bejrnnT
2. Whnt l'uropeon rulers have been drlren
from their countries or deprived of potter
by the war?
3
Doen the nmount of butter made in factories
In tlio United States exceed the amount
mnde nn farrnn?
4. Cnn ii widow In I'ennnylrnnln be "cnt off"
from n shnra In her liunband's property If
ho lenves n will In which she Is not men
tioned? ft. lit New Year'n Day a legal holiday in all
tho Stntra?
0. Whnt li popularly meant by "n bnker'e
doicn"?
7. Who received the eleetornl votes for Vice
I'resldent nn Tuft's running mnte In 1013?
8. V -t In the avernse depth of the Atlnntlo
. cenn?
0. Whnt Is the ago under which parental con
sent I required for the mnrrlnRS of a
young woman In l'ennaylvnnln?
10,
N'anio two rnw materials used In the manu
facture of pnper.
Answers to Yesterday's Quiz
Multiply the dlnmrter by 3.1410.
Approximately 1000 ncren.
About tho centre of the plot between Front
nnd 3d streets on Rich (now Market)
street.
It In tho only mint In this country thnt coins
bronze nnd nickel In addition to silver
nnd cold.
The school at Point Harrow, Alaska,
The charter wns crnntrd In l'chrunry, 1801.
President of the New York city I'ollco Hoard.
Thirty-lire feet nt high n liter nnd 30 feet at
low.
Tor John llnrvnrd nnd TM Yale.
Golf.
The Pennsylvania's Bow
Editor of "What Do You Know" AVould you
pleaso tell mo If tho plcturo of tho superdrcad
nought Pennsylvania that was In tho Sunday
Puulic Ledoeu shows the bow or tho stern?
CHARLES II. MILLAR.
Tho bow of the vessel Is shown.
Election Rivals
Editor of "What Do You Know" Will you
please bo so kind as to answer tho following:
(1) AVho were tho Republican election rivals of
ex-Governor Sulzer, of New York, and Cox, of
Ohio, in 1912? (2) AVhnt Democrat ran against
Governor Beekman, of Rhoda Island, In 1914,
and Republican against ex-Governor Fobs, of
Massachusetts, In 1913? (3) AVhat Republican
opposed Speaker Clark and Democratlo Minority
Leader Mann In 1014? (4) AVho wero the late
Mayor Gaynor's election rlvnls? A VOTER.
(1) Hedges and Brown. (2) Qulnn and AValker.
(3) Mnnn Is tho Republican minority leader, and
not a Democrat. Ho received tho Republican
vote for Speaker. (4) Bannard, Hearst, Cassldy,
Hunter and Manlcrrja
Origin of AH Fools' Day
J?Htor of "What Do You Know" You will
confer a special favor on an old patron of your
piper by giving Information as to tho origin of
All Fools' Day. M. A. It
Spring equinox, or April "fooling," was done
in India a couple of thousand years ago, but
Europe did not take It up until about three and
a half centuries ago. France was the first
country to adopt the present calendar, so that
New Year's gifts, which had formerly been
made on April 1, In 1564 and thereafter were
mado on January 1. So it was natural that
practical Jokers would send bogus gifts on April
1, especially to thoso persons who had favored
changing the calendar,
"The Red Rose of Lancaster"
Editor of "Wiar Do You Know" Will you
kindly nnswer the following questions: (1) How
many miles is It to 69th Btreet from City Hall?
(2) AVho Is the Red Rose of Lancaster?
READER.
(1) Four and seven-eighths miles. (2) "The
Red Rose of Lancaster" Is a Jocular title some
times applied to Lieutenant Governor Frank B.
McClaln. of Lancaster County, because of his
use of that phrase In his passionate appeal for
the nomination of Elkln In tho Republican con
vention which nominated Pennypacker for
Governor.
City Tax Rates
JSdltor of "What Do You Know" Can you fur
nUh me Information In your column ns to what
are the rates of taxes in the different sections
of the city and suburbs, including Germantown, '
Frankford, Tacony, Holmesburg and Torresdale.
I understand there's a poor tax attached to each
place named. H. IC C.
City and school tax rates for 1916 are given
as follows by the Department of Receiver of
Taxes: On real estate, horses, mules and cattle
(tor all wards except the 22d, 23d, 35th, 41st and
4 2d, full city rate, $1 per J 100 assessment: sub
urban rate. 66 2-3 cents per 1100; farm rate, SO
cents per 5100. For the five wards named above
tho three rates are 95, 63 1-3 and 47U cents per
1100. The School District of Philadelphia has
fixed the school tax rate for all the wards for
1916 at 60 cents per 3100 assessment The 22d,
2Sd. 35th. 41st and lid Wards, under act of As
sembly, collect a "poor tax" through their own ,
poor-tax collectors, and for this reason the tix
rate is made lower in consideration of the local,
taxation,
A Bouquet
Editor of ''What Do You Know" J have been
a reader of your Eveniko LEoaxn since publica
tion began, ana i consiaer tno "What Do You
Know" column worthy of notice and praise, as
there is certainly some valuable Information
obtained through it I vWx your paper the best
of success. H.JCO.
PhlUdelfhU, April i. 111.
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