Evening public ledger. (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, March 17, 1921, NIGHT EXTRA, Page 10, Image 10

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    "i r . ''(((' f ; . "j v" " .Jts '
".J" ' -,'. ' , ' n , if.. ,
.1 .' '. ,,-v "-1
i i. . " , .
v '
" m
r
10
EVENING PUBLIC LEDGER-PHILADELPHIA) THURSDAY, lAROH 17, 191
wmmr-i ,- r'ti- .- it?t"'. j - , 'flpi'j iwt
4i;ki v
mmMf:,.
xmmwm
mm hi
Mmr&
mm m
m ttfM.
i.
m.w&4
'iir
m
m
W.ffl
Ml
"4 iM 1
4 i'f'
!Km
V.
m.i
mam
IVi
Mil
UJTK1
ITS' ;
h Til '
1 W if,
'V'. "'i i
r l
i 1 '' V
iE T . .. It
4
mi 1- '
ot, ?
$ IS1
WW ' l. $1
K'k
Euenf tig tobl ic-liedgec
" PUBLIC LEDGER COMPANY
emus u. k. cunTiB. runoBtiT
Qiarlaa It, Ludlncton, Vic Praaldi nti John C.
Martin, Trsaaurar; Chartaa A. Tylfr, Sacralaryi
Philip S, Collin. John II. Wllllama, John J.
Atranttnn, Oaoria F, Ooldamlth, David K. Bmllsy,
PI factors.
EDITOMAI, DOAIID
Ciicr H. K. Curtis, chairman
PAVID a. BMII.Br.... Edltol
JOHN C. MAHTIN .acnrral'nualnasa'Manarrr
Publlahad dally at 1'cbuo Lbthjeb llulldlnr
Independence Square, Philadelphia
JLtuntio Citt ires-Uixkm llulldlnr
Toac .10 Madison Ave.
Dtmotr , T01 Ford nulldln
T. IO01i OIB UlobfOfmocrat Building-
Cmoioo i 11103 Tribune Uulldlne
NEWS BUIIEAUS
TYaSItWOTON Bnut,
N. K, Cor. I'ennsylxanla Ae. and 14th St.
Nw ToaK Dl'iuo The Sun llulldlnr
IiONDon Boauo London Timtt
SUDSCIUPTION TERMS
The EfBNiNO 1'cjlio Lkmes Is served to sub
scribers' In Philadelphia and aurroundlnc towns
at tha rat of twelva (12) cants per wtelc, payabl
to the carrier.
By malt to polnte outald of Philadelphia In
th United Statea. Canada, or United Mates poe
aaaalona, postage free, fitly (SO) cent a pr month,
la (IS) dollars per year, payable In advance.
To all foreign countries one (11) dollar a month.
NoTtor Bubscrlbera wishing addreaa chanced
roust slva old as well as new addrraa.
I I BILL, J0OO WALNUT
KEYSTONE. MAIN J0OO
C7 Address all communications to Evening rublle
, lldgtr. Independence Square, PMIadflpMa,
Member of the Associated Press
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS U exclusivelv en
titled to the use or republication of all newt
dispatches credited to If or not othrnclte credited
in thit gaper, and also thg local nnni published
therein.
Alt riohtl republication of special dispatches
herein are aho reserved.
rhU.d.lphti. Thnnd.y. M.rch 17, 1M1
COLONEL HARVEY'S NEW ROLE
THIS country is filled with good Repub
licans who will not loudlj rejoice or burn
red Arc or toll glad bells if President Hard
ing really decides to send Colonel George B
McClcllnn Hnrvoy as ambassador to the
Court of Great Britain.
The colonel is not ideallv fitted for a job
that requires above all thing patience,
'learning, a guarded tongue mid broad human
Tision, He has a set of opinions peculiarly
his own and a manner of speech inspired by
-what was saddest in the traditions of old
school American journalism, rancv a for
mal speech by the ambassador of the United
States In London delivered to the elect of
tho empire in the manner of the editorial
articles that made Harvey's Weekly a jour
nalistic curiosity!
A Democrat who wanted to be and
actually was, until he broke with Mr. Wil
son, a major prophet of bis partv sailing
away on the most important of all diplomatic
missions as the representative of n Republi
can administration and the Republican tra
dition would be a spectacle likely to inspire
something more than curiosity In the United
States.
The country will hope that President
Harding may change his mind and find some
fl! rif " f ft1 . 1 l-r-r'a nnme la now helnir eenernllv nssoeinted.
iiii7i '- .. . , , -- ,,-, -. r
ought to be sent to Costa Rica or to Rogota
or some place where vehement rhetoric can
do no particular harm.
PATRICK'S DAY
' A MERICANS abroad do not go to endless
Xjl. pains to find goldenrod or violets or any
other native flower to wear on their great
holidays. The Scotch get along comfortably
under like circumstances without a sprig of
thistle from the highlands. Among all tho
I buds and blossoms and leaves of this world
there is only one that has been thoroughly
internationalized, and that is the shamrock
of Ireland. It goes out every year to people
verywhere, who on this day hold it more
precious than rcflnrd gold.
Ireland Is little and it has boon poor and
it has had a hard time for centuries a time
o hard as to rouse in its people a love so
great and so passionate as to be at times
almost destructive. Perhaps it is because
it has suffered infinitely that it has match
less tenderness of heart, restlessness of
spirit and a bright humor that is just a
shade this side of tears. If Ireland were n
groat, a large, a powerful country, rich and
independent and reeking with commercial
success, it would not be a place that people
remember and talk of and cry for in all the
far countries of the earth. It would not be
n place that millions of people in other lands
can see in all its misty grpen by merely
closing their eyes.
ANOTHER HARD-WON VICTORY
rpHE theory of equal rights for citizens,
"U. established formally by the suffrage
amendment to tho constitution, was not
recognized by the members of the state and
city Republican committees, who could sec
no reason why representatives of the
women's vote should have any voice in their
deliberations.
As every one knows, it is in committees of
leaders rather than on the floor of tho
' Legislature or in the open sessions of the
City Council that state nnd municipal poli
cies of government are initiated, defined and
forced to a culmination Without repre
sentation on the party committees women
'would be virtuallj without representation
in the party. When jesterday, Governor
Sproul and Chairman Crow informed a
committee of women headed by Mrs. War
burton that the rules of the state committee
would be at once amended to make room for
women they announced a change in front
that already has been too long delayed
BEHIND THE SCENES
YESTERDAY British trade organizations
tdgned Important tiude agreements with
The Russian Soviet Government which the
day before wat, t,uid to he read for a ter
rific collapse. Trotzk denied that n revolu
tion of any importance was afoot in Russia
at a time when the world was readinj run
ning accounts of impending disaster to the
Moscow ring. In one hour the cables do.
escribed Russia as aflame with rebellion. In
Another Russia was icjiortid quiet
News received in th Tinted States from
Russia or the RusNlnn borders comes l
cable. It parses through manv foreign
countries and through various relnv sta
tions. It Is subject to manipulation by
people friendly or unfnendlv to ti0 Soviets
Tet the whole future political and industrial
complexion of the world mny hn profoundly
affected by events about which it Is dillicult
for the United States to learn the truth
The Importance of tho fiirht started by
President Wilson for free cables mav be
understood by any one who will take tho
trouble to read and try to anabzc current
uewi relative to Russian nffairs
HEALTH AT THE SOURCE
IN SEEKING to have the authorit of the
Department of Health extended by
legislative notion to poriiiit n closer super
vision of food markets and fond manufacture
in the crowded areas where all common lows
of sanitation are openly violated Dr. Fur
bush ought to have support.
Other directors have tried with little sur
ress to deal with the problem of open food
stalls and the unclean and even poisonous
beverages fed to thirsty children from side
wolk fountains The health department now
lacks the needed authority and the State
Dairy and Pood Department, which Is sup
posed to keep a close supervision over tho
general food supply is undermanned
No one can tell how many deaths and
lew much Illness nnd misery follow each
summer upon widespread violation of tho
food laws Jn crowded and dirty outdoor
markets. Wntcr, sweetened with saccharine,
colored with mineral dye nnd flavored with
coaltar by-products, is sold freely to tho
thirsty and called soda water. Pood gathers
dust and flics on open stalls.
Through a system of municipal licensing
such as Dr. Furbush has proposed the
health department would bo enabled to aid
largely In a work which the Dairy nnd Pood
Department seems unable to do ns thor
oughly as it should be done.
BOOSTING INTEREST RATE
IS A DANGEROUS BUSINESS
It Would Be Followed by the Calling of
Every Second-Mortgage Loan and
the Burdening of Every Borrower
With Heavier Charges
THE evident disposition In Hnrrlsburg to
meddle with the Interest laws threatens
every householder whoso real estato Is mort
gaged. There nrc three separate bills await
ing action which either permit the lender to
demand any rate of Interest he chooses or
permit him by contract to charge 8 per
cent, or advance the legal rate - per cent
over the present figure.
The ordinary citizen will not be seriously
affected by one bill. It allows corporations
to go Into the open market nnd get money
on Its bonds nt whatever price is necessary
to float the loan. And it validates all loans
made nt a higher amount than the present
legal rate of Interest. This bill has been
passed by the Senate nnd Is now in the
House committee on banks and banking.
Something can be said in defense of tho
Stndtlander bill, which keeps the lawful
rate of Interest nt 0 per cent, but permits
an agreement In writing between the bor
rower nnd the lender for a. rate not in oxcess
of S per cent. But it does not apply the
best remedy for existing Ills. Thorc are
business conditions under which it is some
times profitable for a man to pay 10 or 15
or 20 per cent for a short-time loan. The
New York law is admirably adapted to meet
such conditions It provides a legal rate
of 0 per cent for ordinary loans, but It per
mits tho borrower to charge any rnte the
market will sustain on loans of $5000 and
upward when made on collateral security.
When money is scarce this law draws to
New York tho capital needed to keep busi
ness moving. It drains the resources of
other cities in states in which there is no
such liberal and intelligent arrangement for
enabling n man In financial straits to get
the money he needs to tide him over his
troubles. Every big business man In this
city has suffered from its workings, for
Philadelphia money sometimes flows to New
York nt just the times when it is most
needed here.
But the Stndtlander bill comes far short
of meeting the needs of the situation. It
really opens the way for the money lender
to demnnd 8 per cent from tho ordlnnry bor
rower without giving the leeway to big
business that it needs. The bill was laid
over by the nouse committee on banks nnd
banking on Tuesdny night In order to permit
a similar bill to be Introduced In the Senate
and once more test public sentiment on It.
There are two bills in the nousc un
equivocally increasing tho legal rato of in
terest to 8 per cent for which not a good
word can be said. If the people of the state
can bo aroused so ns to understand their
significance they will make such a vigorous
protest that the bills will remain where they
are, for the banking committee will not dare
challenge tho resentment which would fol
low n favorable report on either of them.
If the Legislature should unqualifiedly
raise the legal rate of interest to S per
cent eTcry C per cent second mortgage on
real estate would be called on the day it
was due, and it would not be renewed save
at the new rate of interest. There are
thousands of men in this city who have
bought homes on which they have been com
pelled to put n second mortgnge. They are
paying thrt mortgage as fast as they aro
able, but n great proportion of them find It
necessary to renew the loan. Thoy would
find it impossible to get money anywhere
save at 8 per cent if the bill should be
passed.
And the more fortunate householders
whose 'proper'' encumbered only by a
first mortgage would find themselves in
similar straits Hundreds if not thousands
of such mortgages are allowed to run on
from year to year after the term fixed in
them has expired. The lender is satisfied
with his investment and he prefers to allow
tho money to stay whire it Is under the
original agreement He knows that he can
demand payment at his discretion and Is
content with the security.
But as soon ns the legal rnte of interest
was raised to S per cent every lender who
owned such n mortgage would be tempted to
call It and demnnd a new contract at n
higher rate. In the present state of the
money market he would demand the full
amount which the law allowed.
Under these circumstances a man with n
ViOOO house on which there was a $3000
.nortgage would find his interest bill in
creased from SlO n year to 210, or $3 n
mouth. lie is already feeling the burd"n
of an increase in the assessed vnlue of his
proi.crty with the corresponding iucrcana
In the amount of his tnx bills. As soon as
he discovers that there is danger of the
Legislature passing a law whirl, will m
ciease the carrying ehnrges of nls property
hr will make his objection bi.own in most
rniphatic terms.
But the man who owns the house he lives
in is not the only man who would suffer.
Every man who pnys rent for n house or nn
apartment or an ofiice would feel the effect
of the increased price of monej. The land
lord in every instance would pass on the
extra charge to his tennnt and many would
double or treble it every time, just as somo
landlords who have been compelled to pny
higher taxes have been collecting two or
thiee times the nmount from tliolr tennnts
But it may be argued that there can be
no relief for the tennnts now suffering from
n house shortage, so long as builders find
it impossible to get mone nt the present
rate of interest. If that bo so. then the
present conditions must bo endured until
they aro cured by tho slow return to normal
conditions That would be much better
than to attempt to ease the situation by
putting up new houses with 8 per cent
money. Such property would lie idle be
cause tho average man cannot nffoid to rent
or own n house built on such extravagant
terms. The builders would soon discover
this fact nnd would be likely to lose nil the
capital of their own that they had put Into
their operations
The housing shortage cannot he relieved
In anv buch way. Normal conditions aro
bound to return In tho course of time A
real estate mortgage Is not a speculative
security. Money lent on Philadelphia prop
erty is nb safe as money invested In gov
ernment bonds
Thero ought to he enough conservative
luvestors in tills city to provide all the
money needed for housing ns soon as tho
prices of labor nnd material make it rea
sonably certain thnt tho money put Into the
operntlon can be got out of it.
But hero we have proposals In Hnrrls
burg. at tho moment when there are Indi
cations of n decline in the cost of building,
looking to nn increase in the price of money
needed to finance building operations, nn
increase which would mnko n $3000 mort
gnge cost as much to carry as it now costa
to curry n ?-1000 mortgage.
The proposition Is so preposterous that
It outbt to bo rejected without a momeut'e
hesitation. Six per cent has been the legal
rateof Interest In Pennsylvania ever since
1723. It has served well for noarly two
hundred years In every financial crisis
through which tho country has passed,
There arc no conditions today which justify
a restoration of tho rate which prevailed
prior to 1723, when the country was now
and nil values were to a large degro specu
lative. Our ancestors worried through much
more trying times than we nrc facing and
they managed to do It pretty well with
money nt 0 per cent. Tho bnnklng com
mittee ought to have enough confidence In
our ability to do ns well and to allow tho
bills to sleep In its files.
FROM TRENCHES AT HOME
BETTER, perhaps, than nny other man
now conspicuously in tho public eye,
Samuel Gompcrs, chief of tho American
Federation of Labor, knows how it feels
when a feller needs a friend.
It would be foolish to deny that the
strategists directing the campaign for tho
open shop have been outmancuverlng tho
federation leaders nnd that the advantages
of the situation arc, temporarily at least,
on their side. Tho strikes and lockouts nnd
lay-offs of the lost eight months have been
wearing on tho nerves of the unions and
destructive to their moral as well ns tholr
financial resources. The movement of tho
railway companies and other large employers
toward n system of arbitration and adjust
ment In which federation influence receives
slight recognition, when It receives any, has
been progressing slowly but steadily. The
"plant democracy" and the "American
plan," of which so much is being written,
represent, ns nny ono familiar with the
technique of labor organization knows, ef
forts of tho employers and employes to deal
directly with each other rather than through
boards and Investigators and delegates of
federated unions,
By such means the power of the A. F. of
L. would be vastly diminished, for by col
lective bargaining labor does not mean only
the collective bargaining of individual
unions. It means bargaining In no emer
gency by the collective force of allied unions.
That Is why lenders like Sir. Gompers and
others In the directorate of the federation
fight the pin us advanced for what they call
"employers' unions "
For the moment they are on the defen
sive. And it is nt this juncture of affairs
that new nnd unexpected troubles have como
to the federation leaders. Spokesmen for
all the radical and scmiradical labor groups,
ns well as the rapidly growing crowd of
theorists who write nnd speak in the name
of what thoy call economic liberalism, now
extend neither nld nor sympathy to tho
trades unions. Indeed, they nrc rejoicing
openly nt the discomfiture of Gompers nnd
his nssocintes. And, oddly enough, they
are repenting and stressing charges pre
cisely similar to those which the out-and-out
enemies of labor never tire of crying
from tho housetops.
The extremists among "advanced" editors
nnd Inbor leaders are even more bitter in
their antagonism to the A. F. of L. than tho
most active proponents of tho open shop.
They hate Gompers because he Is not radical
enough. They dislike the trndes unions be
cause they seo them as organizations formed
solely with a view to self-interest and ex
clusive advantages. Thus, whilo the open
shop campaign is inspired by the belief that
labor has been nsklng too much, a new cam
paign against Gompers Is animated by the
belief that the unions nskod too little. All
radical-minded labor men Insist that tho
federation never nimed to be a force for the
common good; that it was content to look
out for its own welfare and to let the masses
nnd the unorganized get along ns best they
could.
What they mean nnd what they do not
say is that the Federation of Labor should
have thrown nil its energy into the move
ment for internationalized labor and for the
thinly veiled dictatorship of the proletariat
suggested in some of the recent programs
of radical labor conventions. Gompers has
resisted every effort made to ally trades
union opinion nnd Influence in the United
States nnd Canada with any of tho plans of
international radicals. So it is he who Is
the storm center of nttacks now directed
from the front nud the rear.
He has other worries of a novel sort.
Investigations made recently In tho In
terest of organized labor indicate the ex
istence of corruption in some of the high
places of his organization. Elaborate sys
tems of espionage, organized In the interest
of n few employers who suspect nnd resent
what they call labor domination in industry,
have been uncovered In some brnnches of
the federation nnd exposed even in the
courts. The espionage system has been de
nounced repeatedly in the federation jour
nals. William Mather Lewis, director of the
savings department of the United States
Treasury, addressing n local fraternity,
said: ''America Is the worst nation of
spenders In tho world. Twenty million dol
lars are spent annually by the American
people for luxuries." And he urged the
need of nationnl economy. But why, in
henven's name? Amorlca spends more on
luxuries than Chinn. Why emulate China?
There is less money being spent on luxuries
this yenr than last, for there is less money
to spend. It wns probably too swift an
nccession of thrift that brought about the
industrial slump. When John Smith quit
buving luxuries Bill Jones, who produced
luxuries, had to quit work nnd could no
longer buy the necessities produced by John
Smith So John Smith quit work. The
only time the production of luxuries becomes
nn economic crimo is when labor is being
used to produce them that Is needed for tho
production of necessities There is no
present lack of labor. Thrift may bo nn
individual virtue, but it is moro frequently
a national Indiscretion.
Congress is n debating society The
subjects for debate nro formulated In com
mittees. Committees needing technical in
formation hold meetings nnd henr tho opin
ions of experts. Somotlmes there nro two
sets of experts representing views diametri
cally opposed. Both views may be wholly
honest. And both may be prejudiced. If n
law is eventually passed that you aro con
vinced does not represent the popular will
do not blame Congiess. Its members prob
ablv acted according to their lights. The
fault lies with you. Your lobby wns not
biiificiently orgnnlzcd.
Mrs. Harding has received word from a
California Civil War veteran that he and
his wlfo voted for her husband nnd that tho
lady said if her vote was not lost she would
provide him (her husband, not the Presi
dent) with mince pics regularly through tho
winter. And he Is now getting the pios.
No, we don't see the importance of the item,
either; but since the news hns been tele
graphed nut of Washington, perhaps it has
some hidden significance. Do the pies he Is
getting, for Instance, havo tho right kind
of kick?
A plcublng nnd satisfying job in somo
respects is that of Miss Kathcriue Coylo,
dav matron nt tho Gloucester detention
hoiiso of the Bureau of Immigration She
was bridesmaid at fifty weddings during the
first two weeks in February. But it isn't
tho social end that intrigues It means
something to a woman to be nblo to super
intend the liuj ing of a trousseau and to start
girls out with the right idea of what Ameri
canism means.
Germany's ploa to the League of Na
tions that mediation proceedings bo Initiated
to see that tho forcible measures taken by
the Allies aro immediately stopped should
be, accompanied by proof thnt she has met
ull the obligations of the treaty of Versailles
and that she Is extremely anxious to begin
paying the balance of what sho owes.
Tho Georgia farmer who insists upon
paying his four cents income tax in four
quarterly installments hns aensc of huicor
tnoi'e valuable than great riches.
WITCHCRAFT AT HOME
Whero and How Witch Doctors Flour
ish In Pennsylvania Charms,
Incantations and Queer Cere
monies' of tho Craft More
Education Needed
By GEORGE NOX McOAIN
A MAN and his wife, Moyer by name,
were shot near Allcntown n fow days
ngo becauso the would-be murderer believed
they had bewitched him.
Within tho kist few months a witch doctor
was arrested In Reading for obtaining money
under false pretense.
There was a fine flutter among some of
the best people of Berks county, becauso
they feared tho "doctor" would betray their
family secrets.
Last week Charles Walter, of Chambers
burg, one of the leading lnwycrs of Franklin
county, told mo that Tic had Just obtained
judgment In the Supreme Court In excess of
$13,000 for damages for a client in a so
called witchcraft case.
It wns more properly voodoolsm. The
testimony ns to brutality nnd bestiality lu
tho ence savored of the Voodoo orgies of its
black devotees in Haiti,
Incredible as It may seem, such beliefs
and conditions prevnll today widespread in
Pennsylvania in this twentieth century.
It savors of the dark ages.
It Is nil the more reason why tho efforts
of Dr. Thomas Fincgan, superintendent of
public instruction, to increase the influence
of the country school should meet with the
hearty co-operation of the present Legisla
ture. A BELIEF In witches and in the efficacy
of which or "hex" doctors Is the faith
of tens of thousnnds of pcoplo in Pennsyl
vania. The "hex" doctor Is a regular Institution
in certain communities.
Certain counties nro more Infested with
these, individuals than others.
They nrc numerous In Berks, Ichlgb,
Northumberland, Montgomery In parts
Dauphin, Lnncnstcr, York nnd Franklin
counties.
The "hex" doctor Is usually a half-baked
horse leech ; n Sort of self-educated vctcrl
nxirlan. Ho says "powwow" over ailing cattlo,
hogs and sheep.
Where n family has occasion to believe,
according to their preposterous faith, that
ono of their number hns been "witched,"
tho "hex" doctor is Bent for posthaste.
Ucre is n sample of his method In an In
stance with which I happen to bo personally
fnmillnr. The Information came to me ut
first hand.
IT WAS In the case of a young lad who
complained of unusual pains nnd nehes.
He puffcrcd from loss of appetite. Ho
lost weight; took on n pallid cast of coun
tenance, moped around the house and finally
complained of Impaired vision.
The "powwow" doctor was sent for. He
was an ignorant horse doctor with only the
rudiments of n country school education.
Ho was a man past fifty, and whennot
powwowing, rnn n small chicken farm,
conducted public sales and traded horses for
a living.
His verdict, of course, was that the lad
was under n "spell." Some one in the
neighborhood had bewitched him.
At a neighboring country store the "doc
bought a gallon stonewnre jug thnt had
never contained a liquid ; three needles, some
muslin nnd a spool of white tliread.
With these ho returned to the patient's
home and stnrted his performance.
I never wns ablo to discover what he did
with the jug and the needles.
Ho took several hairs from the head of
the boy nnd a few feathers from the bed In
which he slept. These were tied in n bit of
the muslin together with a slip of paper on
which somo figures or characters were
written.
This package was then burled under the
eaves of the barn where the wnter dripping
from the roof would fall upon It.
The fnmlly wns informed that ns tho pack
age rotted iwny the ailment of the boy
would gradually disappear.
But the chnrm didn't work.
Tinnlly a physician was called in and,
ns lie entered the front gate, he saw tho
"hex" doctor driving out of the stableyard.
The boy recovered under the pnysiciau's
care.
ATTORNEY WALTERS says that in the
case in which he obtained n verdict the
powwow man worked a different "charm."
He took some Imir from the heads of two
children in the neighborhood, who were
called in nnd brutnlly trentcd, nnd, followed
bv all the members of the "bewitched
household, proceeded to a neighboring wood
flero he bored n hole In n tree with a
brace and bit, put tho hair, together with
a bit of pnper, on which wcro written some
hieroglyphics, into the hole and plugged
it up. , ,
Then he made the Bign of the cross, mum
bled some words in nn innudible tone, and
the ceremony wns complete.
lie wns doing powwow In this ense for
a sick coldt and some colicky hogs.
Another bit of his hocus-pocuB was to
make the sign of the cross on the forehead
nnd feet of the children with his thumb, all
tho time muttering to himself.
When put on tho stnnd he confessed he
didn't know what it was that he did say.
"And why did you bore the hole in the
tree?" demanded Attorney Walters.
"To make 'cm strong," was the cryptic
reply.
A GENTLEMAN familiar with the ways
of the "hexcrs" informs me that their
shibboleth Is "tho seven books of Moses."
Once they nnnounce, or let It be known,
thnt they have the "seven books," their Im
portance Is Increased in the neighborhood ;
likewise the fear of them nnd their alleged
powers.
These "seven books ' is a collection of
apocryphal literature of both the Old and
New Testaments, nnd a lot of other pseudo
sacred writings.
They contnln also a mass of gibberish,
with hicroghphlca, pentagons, btars. magical
formuln nnd inrantntions.
It Is a rcnl curiosity of literature, thoush
it can be purchased at almost nny book storo
that deals in tno dream -hook Kind of stuff.
THERE arc thousands in Philadelphia
who bclicvo In the same sort of lubblsh.
Old residents In the neighborhood may yet
recall the ense of George W. Kclpin, a well
known painter of this city, who died in tho
full belief that ho had been bewitched.
It was n quarter of a ccnturv ago. Kc
lived at the time at r20 North Fifth street.
Ills wlfo consulted n Negress, a Mrs.
Weeks. In Camden, oodoo doctrcss, who pre
scribed mackerel poultices for his feet nnd
nn onion poultice for his head.
Kolnln Insisted thnt he was bewitched,
nnd the hallucination prevailed until ho
starved to death.
Inspector Miles O'Reilly, famous Now
York policeman, got possession of a great
collection of lovo charms, lovo powders,
miracle cards and philters for mnlds nnd
bachelors from a Brooklyn witch doctrcss.
Her name was "Madam" Jones, of 230
Bergen street.
She kept u record of her dupes and her
prescriptions. She was very rich.
Her cash book for a brief period showed
receipts of nenrly $1000.
Tho remarkable thing Is that In this com
monwealth these charlatans pursue their
vocntion unmolested.
In Massachusetts 250 years ago they
burned them.
Pennsylvania ought at least jail them for
a while.
If you are a good citizen you aro In
terested In what your representatives nro
doing nnd hnve Ideas as to what legislation
they should favor. If you let them know
your opinions you become a lobbyist. If
you join with others In voicing opinions you
and they become organized lobbyists. There
nro good lobbylsto and had lobbjUts. It Is
well to have this fact clear In your mind
f ltr..l.lnntAn nrttl in attlfft A Til t s1 .
lUfi rWUaUJHWU W.U JATir vwjy4Vb4Ji
NOW MY IDEA IS THIS
Daily Talks With Thinking Philadelphians on Subjects They
Know Best
MRS. R. R. PORTER BRADFORD
On Woman's Voice In Church Affaire
THE church is the loser in refusing to
grant women rcprescntntion nt the an
nual convention of the Episcopal Diocese
of Pennsylvnnin. where they could have u
voico in the policies, nccording to Mrs. R.
U. Porter Bradford, welfare worker and
actively interested in the churchwomeu'a
nnd other clubs throughout the city.
"Tho church faces the grave danger of
wasting n great power for spiritual good and
alienating from itself nnd even from Chris
tianity many nblo nnd high-minded women,'
said Mrs. Bradford.
"These women may turn to educational
work nnd to other fields where they have
greater opportunities for carecis. We go
into our colleges nnd urge the young women
to take up a life of religious service, but
when they look into the matter they find
thnt it means all work and no representa
tion, no voice. Wo nro doomed to failure
before wo begin.
Compared Willi Case of Army Nurses
"Toko the case of nrmy nurses as an
illustration of a similar condition. For years
they were nllowcd to do their noblo work,
subjected to disrespect from orderlies nnd
others not officially recognized as subordi
nates. Only during the last war were they
given nuthoritv. A commission enables
them to do infinitely better work because
they hnvo a voice, they nro representative.
"Jrtet so, with women In tho churches,
they havo been permitted to do the work
for 305 days each year, but cannot bo rep
resented nt ono meeting in that time, lhere
certainly is nothing discussed at tho
diocesan convention that is outsido tho realm
of woman's Interest or understanding.
"Women possess a great evangelical gut,
and. I dnre say, many activities would ceae.s
if tlio women would stop work. Churches
are dependent todny on tho women.
"Statistics show more confirmations of
women than men, and if we were to have
proportional representation, wo would out
number tiiem. , , , ., ,i l.
"Forming the larger body of tho church
What Bo You Know?
QUIZ
1 What is a merino?,
2. Who is General BudcnyT
3. Name tho capital of Louisiana.
4. Of what country Is tho shamrock tno
floral emblem? ,,,.,
6. Namo tho author of "America" ("My
Country, "l'ls of Thee").
6. Who is tho conductor of tho New orlt
Symphony Orchestra?
7 Whut Is a biped?
8 Who was the "Old Man nioqucnt"?
9. What Is the essential principle ot tho
bungalow nnd where did this type of
atructuro originate?
10 What Is a, binnacle?
Answers to Yesterday's Quiz
1. The Wugnerlan tetralogy Includes tho
four operas written by Richard Wni?
ner on tho Toutonlo legendB of tho
Nlbolungen Ring. They nrc, In tha
order of presentation: "Daa Rheln
gold," "Die Wnllcuere," "Siegfried" nnd
"Die Qoetterduemmerung "
2. The under-secrotary of stain In the Hard
ing administration is Henry Prattler
Fletcher, of Pennsylvania.
3. A lariat, strictly speaking, is a rope for
picketing horses, but tho term Is often
used in the western states fur u lasso,
4. Montpeller Is tho capital of Vermont.
6. Arthur Qrirflth, an Irish publicist and
political economist, founded Sinn Keln
as uti economic doctrlno nnd a society
for forwarding Its principles.
6. The Initials "O. B. ll" and "IC 13 I:."
after a person's name stand for "Order
of the British Umpire" and "Knight of
tho British Kmplre," nn order of
knighthood or distinction, with Itu
decoration conferred for services to
the etnplro. It was founded during tho
recent war.
7 The head of tho Austrian cabinet is Chan
cellor Mayr.
8. Capu Mny Is nt tho southern extremity
of New Jersey. It wns named for Its
discoverer, a Netherlandish explorer.
Cornelius Mny (or Moy).
3. William Denn Howella wrote "The Rlso
of Silas Lapham." It waB ono of tho
first American novels to present tho
business and social development of a
self-made man and Is regttrded by
critics as a masterpiece of American
fiction. "
10. A gargoyle. Is a grotesnuepout, usually
with a human or animal mouth, htad
. or body, projecting- from tho gutter of
,, a building especially In Clothlo urchl-
tectureto carry water clear of the
DO IT NOW!
"" '- I
I
nnd bearing the burden aud expense of the
mission woik, it seems inconsistent that men
should have nil tho say.
"I renlly only know of ono reason that
has been expounded against, nnd that Is,
that it never has been done.
"Then n gentleman who has nttended the
convention for several years mid It wns so
dull ho couldn't understand women's desire
to bo present.
"Hegnrdlng women's mission work, a
story told by Bishop Manning might bo
very npropos.
"A Japanese Christian nsked n member
of the Protestant Episcopal Church how
our mission societies nrc supported nnd wns
told that the children in the Sunday schools
give nn offering ench year and the women's
nuxiliary every three years. Remembering
suddenly the large donation given by the men
recently nt the tercentenary, the informant
added that fact.
"Whereupon the Jnpnncsc replied:
" 'Oil, I see, your children give each year,
jour women every threo jcais uud the men
every 300 jenrs.
Ncetl for Co-operation
"We need co-opcrntlon of churchmen nnd
churchwomen. A number of clergy and
laity hnvo said that they reeognizo tho jus
tice of our demands, but so far nothing clso
lias come of it. At the Lambeth conven
tion last July nnd August, the position of
women in council wns consideied nnd tho
following resolution udopted :
" 'Women should be admitted to those
councils of the church to which laymen nro
ndmitted. nnd nn cquul terms,' This, jou
must understand, is the Church of England.
"Women have been given tho ballot, nud
if there is equality in politics, why not in
this sphere?
"It is now generally accepted thnt tho
future must bo different from tho past.
Women lmvo attiilucd places of responsibil
ity heretofore unknown, nnd they arc going
Htendily forward. Where a woman does the
work bo capably she should havo n voice,"
HUMANISMS
By WILLIAM ATHERTON I)U PUY
I WOULD ask you if, under the follow
ing clrcumstnnres, you would consider
Gilbert Iv. Chesterton in earnest or merely
Indulging in n bit of his own brand of
humor.
Ho had been in Bnltimorc the day before
and wns now meeting Washington corre
spondents nt the National Press Club. The
huge, genial Britisher wns tho center of n
gossiping circle when n diminutive, foreign
looking, lomewunt shabby Individual broke
through nnd Introduced himself.
"I tried to get to your reception yester
day in Baltimore," this individual ex
plained, "but circumstances made it im
possible." "Wasn't that fortunate?" replied Ches
terton warmly.
When William Wnrfield Wilson. M. C
from Chicago, wns teaching school in tho
llttlo mining town of Nnmpa, Idaho,
twenty-five jcars ago, a restaurant-keeper
served n tough plcco of steak to a girl named
Minnie, Minnie protested nnd the restau
rant mnn threw her out bodily. Minnie
went nnd got her gun, came. In tho back
way nnd began to shoot. The restaurant
man fled and she after him down the street.
When Minnie's nmmunltlon wus all gone
her victim bled freely, but was not seriously
hurt.
Minnie's feller, n gambler named ,71m
mlo Turner, was forty miles away when
ho heard of tho fracas. He owned the
prettiest pinto ponv lu Idaho nnd dashed
nway to Nnmpn. The pony carried him all
the way, but fell dead upon his arrival.
A young nttorncv named William 13.
Borali cnino down fiom Boise to defend
Mlnnio nnd secured her acquittal. That
night Jlminlo Turner celebrated by "buying
tho saloons" and dispensing free drinks to
all coiners. Wilson committed the Indiscre
tion of declining to drink when Invited by
the gambler nnd only the intervention of Hie
burtender kept him from being shot. After
ward he and Jlnunie Turner beenmo gicut
friends.
r?. Sp,,ntnr Borah nnd Representative
Wilson can hark back when dull mmnnntu
toiuo on Cnpltol Hill to moro thrilling time
in tho post.,
SHORT CUTS
Stay-nt-homo lovers of balmy airs con
tinue to nsk, "Why is Palm Beach?"
It must be admitted that the March
Hon hasn't had a ghost of a show so far.
Not even a home run by Babe Ruth
has more value than a home run by Dela
ware shad.
Tho second easiest thing a man does
Is to make excuses for a woman. The first
is to blame her.
Laddie Boy has it "all over" Brigadier
Gonernl Sawyer in one respect : Ho doesn't
have to dig up monoy for a uniform.
A day's wprk seldom shows definite
progression toward ideals. Duty usually
takes on the aspect of a belt or a shuttle
A chicken's heart Is to be seen beating
In a bottle in Now York. Wo are not sur
prised. When they began to show their
cars we kind o' felt they wouldn't know
when to stop.
t, .Vn,en thc PossiiB of the fleet to th
incific hns made barren the social centers
of the Atlantic coast, mayhap society will
revive the habits of Colonial times and
make much of the captains of our merchant
marine.
So long ns it is safeguarded by precedent
and common sense, there can be no objection
to a short-term loan ; but there mny be room
for serious objection in the way it is to b
spent nnd to thc men who aic to do the
spending.
There Is n young man In this town a
college grnduate, a former nthlete and a war
veteran, who has on five separate occasion
given his blood for transfusion to save the
lives of others. Clean blood, clean llvlni
and n life of service! Philadelphia may b
proud of such sons!
The fact that n Hazleton, Pa., man,
seventy-four years old, began to dig hl.i
gravo two days beforo his death is note
worthy but not particularly startling. Na
ture is kindly in thnt ns old ago creeps on
n man she makes tho thought of death a
commonplace to him.
A dispatch from Quebec says that
radio message from the schooner Viking tells
of -1000 seals bolng killed in three hours
This, however, will not bring down the price
of sealskins; the prices will probably g'
up. With killing reduced to n science, seali
are bound to get scarce, d'ye sec?
A Mississippi farmer has notified th
President that ho is nt present scientifically
feedlug tho Whlto Houso Thanksgiving Day
turkey. Anybody who has ever raised tur
koys will know that guy Is nn optimist
Circumstance may knock tho stuffing out of
the bird before the summer Is over.
President Loch, of tho Reichstag, fear
that If a. customs frontier diverts Rhlneland
commerce from Germany to Franco, Rhine
land sympathy will eventually run lu thc
snrao channel. President Locb shares the
opinion of somo other economists thnt the
business man Is your only true Interna
tlonnllst.
The ndmlsslon by Dr. Simons that the
Allies nrc not nctuated by tho intoxication
of victory or lust for power, nnd his realla
tion that tho opinion of tho world Is that
Germany is In tho wrong and has not done
enough to requite that wrong, encourage the
hope that sooner or later Germany will ec
n light and will truly repent.
A recent enso In Boston has demon
strated that fioger prints aro not only very
UBoful In bringing about the conviction of
tho guilty, but thnt they are Invaluable In
this matter of freeing tho Innocent. Some
day every birth ccrtlflento will bo accom
ponied by a finger print nnd a mnn'a Identity
will be assured for all time.
The cheerful chronicler of unimportant
happenings In Wnshlngton hns cumbered the
wires with tho story that President Hard
Ing, desiring a book containing Information
concerning White Houso procedure, went
Into tho cellar to look for It. Aud there
Isn't a lino In tho ynru to Indlcato tn
finish of tho episode.
Tho president of the
crntlc Club of New' York
ration from her husband.
Women's Demo
te suing for sepa
who. Klin alleges,
has Interfered forcibly to
keeping hor engagements.'
prevent her from
The, lady Is also
for til., Aid 0(
president ot tno Bociety
Aieutui ucicctlves. who
contention that woman's
in not well utile?
shall say that th
nlnx in tllC hUlU
'i-Zl
rr .? ,jx ..y f , tii
,. a-. -i
,! iSi.nu'' l,?i,
LKri ,.,.