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PUBLIC LEDGER COMPANY
CTTll'S It. K. Cl'tlTIH, l'm-KlDHMT
Jbhn C, Martin Vice rreald ft and' Treaourers
Charles A. Tyler, Secretary; Chares H. l.udlnc
tn, Philip 8. Collins. Jnhn II. Williams, .tnh-t J.
flpurvron, Oeorse F. Ooldamliti, David K. Smiley,
Ireetora. .
r DAVID H. PMII.nT..,, Editor
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rhU.J.Iphli, M.ndi7. July It, 1931
SIDEWALK ENCROACHMENTS
SUPERFICIALLY viewed, the ilestrut
tlon by the hlghwny nnd police bureau
of a number of front step porches on .luck
ion street may stem n piece nf ollicinl tuiall
tnlndedness. None the less, tin- pi tn.-l)lo
that 1b upheld in well worth pi cervine.
The handicap of nnrrow streets Is mote
burdensome in Philadelphia than in any
other American city. The sanctioning or
encouragement of encroachment beyond the
legal building lines would inevitably lead to
abur.es seriously encumbering our thorough
fares. There la, of course, no ban whatever
upon verandas or porches erected in con
formlty with certain definite regulations.
Crowding in the rear is obviated by the
law compelling that 144 square feot of space
xduBt be left clear In all duelling lots.
Ut Is unfortunate thnt so many residences,
particularly in the older Mictions of the
tWn, were originally so constructed as to
tlfjny their occupants veranda privileges.
The municipality, however, toohs townrd
tlje convenience of the many. There are few
restrictions devised for the good of majori
ties that do not In some degree vex indi
vidual". The prohibition against the extension of
signs for more than eighteen inches boyond
the building line On Chestnut street is doubt
less unwelcome to some property holders.
But one of the main arteries of Philadelphia
Is rendered more attractive by the rule. It
ley. irregular and spasmodic enforcement
which is reprehensible.
;The complainants on Jackson street have
an excellent right to demand that applica
tion of the front-porch regulations should
not be restricted merely to their infringe
ments. LIFE FOR THE LEVIATHAN
THE greatest steamship ever fashioned,
idle at her pier for more than two years,
expressively symbolizes the obstructionist
methods of William R. Hearst.
.Marplots, however, occasionally meet
t!(clr match. Chairman Lnnker. of the
Shipping rtonrd, is displaying a legitimate
curiosity concerning obstacles pronounced
Insurmountable and mazes of red tape held
tcbe proof against the surgery of progress.
jThe huge 64,000-ton Leviathan, ex-Vat-erlantl,
was visited Saturday by the captain
oftbe American merchant marine interest
aijd his directors of operations. The step is
preliminary to a discussion by the Shipping
Board of the possibility of restoring the
famous liner to the trade betwoon Europe
and the United States.
The necessities of the case are transpar
ently clear. The inactivity of the leviathan
hah been both an nbsurdlty and a disgrace.
Noft only Is the vessel badly needed on the
trans-Atlantic route, but Its return would
bear emphatic testimony to the skill of
American shipbuilders.
Originally built largely for national ad
vertising purposes, the Vaterland left Ham
burg on her historic maiden voyage, defective
ln many features and difficult to operate.
Her numerous faults were magnificently
rectified by American engineers, following
Mr entrance into the war, and her record
as a transport Is one of the most remark
able in the annals of the ocean. Her pres
ent "handiness" is not Oerman, but Amort
can. , 'Mr. Lasker will win the plaudits of the
Nation by attacking fundamentals and
breathing new life into the queen of the
teas.
;. TOKIO AND MR. HARDING
THUS far In the negotiations directed to
bring Japan whole-heartedly into thp
conference for disarmament President Hard
ing has displayed admirable tact. If the
Japanese wish to resist the rational efforts
of 'civilization to escape the increasing bur
den and the growing menace of militaristic
rivalry, they will at least have to etatf
their reasons in plain words. That is
topethlng. But it is doubtful whether
Japan mav be Justly rcznrded ns a nation
yearning to go heavily armed in n peaceful
orld. Tokio, or rather the imperious
minded wing of the Japanese fiovernmont.
doubtless would prefer for the time belns to
piny a waiting game. A disarmament con
ference is not precisely what it wants now.
It would prefer to see such a conference
called for 1023 or 102.'.
,The reasons for that attitude of mind are
plain even to amateurs in the study of con
temporary world politics. There are states
men In Toklo who contend openlv thnt their
Government, rather than the Ilritlsh. the
Americans, the (iermans or the French, !
fitted by temperament, knowledge and tra
dition to lead all Asia and all Ka-tcrn
peoptes It Is pretty generally known tlmt
thj British ore being compelled to work
hard to hold the r,ntrrn wing of their em
pire together and that the Jnpnncie imperial
1 vl jw extends as far as India. What turn
will events In India take within the next
t jcar? What new opportunities will the
' Japanese seek In Siberia or in China''
Tou have whnt you wnnt," says Tokio
fn 'effect to the Western Powers. "Why not
wait and give us nn opportunity before vou
as)t ns to lay down our arm and ign agree-
.ments for the strict limitation of national
Influence?"
A COOLER CLIME
mllB next arrangement for Increasing the
;k comfort of the people during the heated
terra may come from an adaptation
ofjthe airship to popular use.
Lieutenant Klrsch. a French aviator, took
fclg seat In his airship in Paris a dny or
two ago when the mercury registered 07
degrees above xern. lie flew six miles into
the air, wherp It registered M hclow zero.
;JCow, it Is well kunvwi Ihnl the lilehcr -me
gofj the cooler It e Hcldents nf ChM
fo'rnta can pa from ! 'lent of the ctiiMta1
plane, to the fresh cool ilr of tin- mountains
inan hour or two The rtnidents of the
Pacific Coast countries, of South America
liiar the same opportunity for refreshment,
f 'Tliert are no blgh mountain within ea
reach of this city. But the ftlry heights nrc
within reach If we only hnvc au nlrslilp.
It Is not iKcessnry to mount h mile townrd
the suu in order to get refreshing breezes.
A Jinlf a mile would do. At thnt height one
mUht stfll wear a IMIm Bench suit without
too gicut discomfort, but the nlr would bo
cool enough to dlspc! the depression thnt one
suffers from tit the surface of the earth.
Who knows but tlmt In the future, when
the nlr-htp has been perfected, we 'may hnvc
ti Hi et of such vessels anchored over the
city and thnt the tired business men mny
ascend to thnii In the evening to spend the
night where they can get refreshing sleep?
Thentoo. such floating isles of'comfort may
be utilized by the charitable organizations
for saving the lives of sick babies in the
Mtninicr. many of whom die because of the
depressing effect of the heat and the Impure
nlr In which t'ie,v have to llc.
IMPROVED DEVICES NEEDED
TO CONTROL MtflrOR TRAFFIC
Signal System Now In Use Is Archaic
and Wholly Inadequate to
Modern Needs
SOMK day in the bright future, when
there Is less temperamental and political
ferment nt City Hall and more thcent and
orderl thinking In the City Council, some
niie In the Police Department, with the
needed money at his command, will sit
down with a pencil und paper and formu
late a ratlonnl and consistent system for the
regulation of motor traffic in the busier
streets.
When that Is done and when efficient and
modern devices supplant the crude nnd In
adequate signals with which the traffic men
still have to work, the business of crossing
a street will be less of n wild and perilous
adventure than it is now. Traffic police
incji will not have their dispositions fpnilcd
mid their view of life darkened by iicrvous
stress. They won't have to spend hnlf of
their time, bawling out bewildered automo
bile drivers, and tho drivers, In turn, will
not have reason to feel that they move in
a world of hnte and acttva antagonism.
The motorcar Is about the most Important
device of these times. It ha to be reckoned
with. It cannot bo put to its best uses and
the multitudes who depend upon it for quick
and convenient transit will always be nt a
disadvantage until those who make the
traffic laws realize thnt old methods have
to be not only changed but rcvolutiouizcd.
The Police Department docs extraordi
narily well with the facilities accorded It,
But it is compelled to get along with equip
ment that has not changed or improved
greatly In ten years.
The traffic signals of the future will be
fixed high above the street twice or three
times as high as the present semaphores
In order thnt they may be visible at a dis
tance and from any point above the crush
of trolleys and road vehicles. They will
be made far more conspicuous in the dny
time and at night.
The Bystcm established experimentally on
Fifth avenue in New York, whore signals
operated from a central post keep nil wheeled
traffic moving evenly in long unbroken lines,
will be In genernl use on thoroughfares like
Broad street. Crosswise tides will be auto
matically controlled by this same system,
and there will be no rushes to crossings,
no empty nnd vacant reaches of street and
no congestion such as occur when each
policeman must deal with the problem of
traffic as it is presented at his immediate
post and not as it exists generally in any
given area.
Particularly and irrltatingly Inadequate
arc the night traffic signals in the central
streets. In every modern system of street
traffic control the policeman's lights are
bright, conspicuously placed nnd ko colored
ns to b easily read even against the back
ground of ornamental Illumination .that is
to bo found in every American city.
A driver of a motorcar ought not to be
forced to squint and peer from a distance
to pick out a dim signal from a surrounding
blaze of similarly colored lights. He' has
enough to do In watchtng the roadway
ahead of hira and the swift changes of the
current in which he moves and In guarding
against the occasional recklessness, of po
dcstrlans. Trnlhc lights should be so displayed as to
be visible at a single glance from almost
any distance. They should be of colors
not ordinarily used In "display lighting."
Such devices are badly needed In all the
heavy travoled streets of the city, and when
they are properly installed they will be so
operated that when traffic is signaled to
go It will move all along the street in an
even stream and not in scurries and broken
ninsses.
No new approach to the general qucstlou
of traffic regulation will be wholly ratiounl
unless It provides for the consistent en
forcement of accepted codes. The tendency
nowadays Is rigorously to "regulate" motor
drivers while the drivers of horse-drawn
vehicles aro left to be laws unto them
selves. EveTy vehicle should be compelled
to carry night lights. The drivers of horses
ought to bo forced to go far more carefully
than many of them do. A heavy drny
tlrawn by trotting horses is often far more
dangerous In n crowded street than a motor
car that moves nt higher speed, since a
motorcar is far easier to control and to
stop.
Vehicular traffic will always present n
trying problem In Philadelphia until new
avenues are opened to take some of the
burden from Broad street and to eliminate
the extraordinary complications that are
permanent In City Hnll Square.
Tint there Is no reason why the city
-hould not avail itself of useful nnd rela
tively inc-pensive devices that ore helping
to simplify the problems of traffic conges
tion in othtr cities. Certnlnly there ought
to be standardised rules for the guidance
of policemen, motor drivers and pedestrians
alike.
It ought to be possible to reroute traffic
In a way that would psrmanentl eliminate
the "three-wny" semaphores. These newer
signals are bewildering to any one who is
not thoroughly familiar with their inner
meaning a familiarity which Is usuall
acquired only by painful experiences with
harassed nolicemen. Moving southward out
of Itldse avenue, for exnmnK it in neces-,-art
to pass a "stop" signal set against
llrnnd street traffic if you do not wish to
break the rules. Similar puzzling incon
sistencies nre apparent at many other im
portant street intersections.
THE AMERICAN BERANGER
s-.TTE WAS," said Ilohert I.ouls Steven -
Xi son of Heranger, "the only poet of
modern times who could have dispensed with
printing." The pervasive necromancy of
song has seldom been bettir descrihed.
Tie distinction of the French "ehnnson
nler," however, was not unique. Fifty
seven years after hi death Stephen Collins
Fostr casls n similar spell upon his coun
trymen. Who of the thousands of them to
whom the opening stanzas nt least nf "My
Old Kentucky Home." "The Old Folks at
Home," "Nellie Was a LRdy," "Hard
Times Come Again No More" nnd "Old
Mlnck Joe," are Indestructibly familiar can
ycnll learning the tevts from the printed
pa-re?
Tt.e Foster Inheritance In verse and
me'odi Ik Indeed so lavishly distributed in
Amerl"n thnt the personality of its creator,
alwavs to a considerable degree obscure, has
become almost legendary.
The realities, however, can be traced. It
is two a thai Voatw, so eareUss of fal
EVENING FUBLIG IJBDeBRPHIIiABEIiPHlA;
fame thai he even permitted the first edition
of the "Huwnnee Hirer" to be published as
the work of the minstrel Christy, died neg
lected and poor in a shabby lodging house
on the Bowery in 1804.
Iitttlc ran be added to the potency of his
achievement, but in the way of respect to
his memory a vast debt is due, A belated
but eminently fitting tribute is now pro
posed in the form of a monument on the
llowery to be erected through popular sub
scription. The sum sought is $00,000.
The obligation of Americans to contribute Is
profound.
The case of Berauger is not an exact
parallel. Although Sacha Quttry in a recent
drama has touchlngly depleted the seini
obllvlon which covered the composer of "The
King of Yvctot" In his old nge nnd the im
mortality of his songs still hcnrd'in his old
haunts, Hcrnnger'H is a lustrous name today
in France. "Honor to Bernngerl" cried
the crowds of Parisian townfolk that walked
In the wake of his funeral cortege.
The honor which the hearts of genera
tions of Americans hove paid to Stephen C.
Foster has been involuntary and In a sense
vague. The definition of these sentiments
In n memorial to a genius at once simple,
unaffected and extraordinarily vital will ex
press the awakened Instincts of duty.
THE GAS HEARING
Till; Major is to give those Interested hn
opportunity tomorrow to explain why
the Hall ordlnnnce should be pnssetl.
The ordlnnnce raises the price of gas to
51.10 n thousand cubic feet nnd permits the
gas company to retain $1 of this amount.
The company Is getting seventy-five cents
at present. The other twenty-live cents of
the dollar collected is paid into the City
Trensury. The increase in the amount
which the company may retain will give it
an additional revenue of $1,000,000 for the
year. -Pait of this sum will have to be used
to pay for raising the standard from B80
British thermal units to (WD. Unless the
price of oil falls considerably the net revenue
will be Increased by between $2,000,000 and
$3,000,000.
The hearing should be largely attended by
representatives of all the organisations in
the city interested in protecting the pocket
books of the people. These organizations are
not likely to defend the ordinance. It has
thus far been defended by no one but the
Ooundlmen who voted for it and by other
spokesmen for the gas company.
The opponents of the ordinance will have
an opportunity to be henrd on Wednesday.
Their case Is so strong' that It cannot suc
cessfully be nssnllcd. It rests on the recom
mendations of tho Ons Commission, a body
created under the authority of the Council
to study the whole subject nnd to make a
report on whnt should be done. The mem
bers of the Commission aro experts. Their
disinterestedness Is admitted by uvery one,
even by the gas company. Their recommen
dations go to the bottom of the subject nnd
provide for a workable arrangement. The
Mayor himself has urged the Council to
ndopt the plan proposed by appointing a
committee to confer with the Ons Commis
sion, the City Solicitor and representatives
of the gas company for the purpose of nego
tiating n new lease.
It would be very easy to mnke such an
arrangement ns would overcome nil the em
barrassments from which the gas company
Is suffering pending the completion of the
lease. And when the lease was drafted and
agreed to the gas problem would be settled
without any makeshifts or evasions of the
issues nnd without any guesswork.
The representatives of the various or
ganizations who should attend the hoaring
tomorrow to learn what con be said In favor
of the Hnll ordlnnnce will fall In their duty
If they do not attend the hearing on Wednes
day prepared to demand that the gas problem
be settled right while we are nbout It.
SENATE SHADOW-BOXING
FISTS are often shaken on the floors of
Congress. Not In many, many years
have members put them to a more drastic
use. In the course of debntos certain to
be followed with avid Interest by the folks
at home many Senators and Representatives
rise to wave Iron Mikes ut one nnother in
order that their constituents In the far
places may be convinced of their sincerity
and led finally to believe that they nrc ever
ready to bleed for a truth or endure the
rigors of physical combat for the snko of a
principle.
Old observers in the galleries know, how
ever, that when Honorable Members ap
proach each other aggressively from oppo
site sides of the House or Senate Chamber
and clamor for fight as Senator Reed nnd
Senator McCumber did In the course of the
closing debate on the Soldier Bonus Bill
other Honorable Members will spring from
all sides ant) intervene to prevent a colli
sion. That service is ono that every Con
gressman Is ready to perform for another,
since no Senator or Representative can tell
when he himself mny Tcquire it. An un
written law compels Intervention In every
such crisis. So it is always safe to challengo
an opposition member to bloody combat in
the course of a heated fight over a bill.
The combat will be stopped bofore it be
gins. Mr. McCumber and Mr. Reed were in
no danger, though they seemed on the verge
of a real scuffle. For ourselves we hope
thnt the rule may be changed. Gentlemen
in Congress who cannot debate n question
of genernl importance without mutual
threats of nsssult and battery deserve rueh
relatively light punishment as they might
be able to Inflict on one nnother under
straight and honest Marquis of Queens
berry rules.
- BARLEYCORN ABROAD
AMERICANS, wets nnd drjs nllke, like
to feel that they, in their various wnys,
are confronted with the worst nspects of
prohibition. But our difficulties with the
dry lows seem negligible In comparison with
the troubles which are growing between the
wets nnd drys in Europe.
Norway and Sweden are worklnl them
selves Into a fever of resentment because of
what they call the studied efforts of France
and Spain to hraak down their prohibition
laws. France nnd Spain are winn and
brandy making countries. It is allegrd in
this instance that in retaliation for the dry
laws in Scandinavia they nre operating a
rigorous economic boycott against the peo
ples who have enacted prohibition laws for
their own better welfare. As a result of
all this a new sort of rift Is appearing be
tween some of the peoples of Europe.
Barleycorn has taken his place among
the ngenciss which usually generate Intense
notional hatreds nnd the hent that flames
In war.
A Kentucky farmer
Oreat Snahes trying to smoke out a
six-foot blncksnake from
under n stump started a fire that destroyed
twenty acres of hay nnd threatened the town
of Augusta, Perhaps farmers should con
fine their smoking to tobacco
After half a dozen copperheads had been
killed In a cottage nt I.ewistownf Pa., a
seventh wns found in a sideboard drawer.
Probably looking for a home In a hooch
bottle. . . .A five-foot rattler with
twentv-two rattles wns killed by n Hazle
ton. Pn.. man. nnd died without n struggle.
Snakel'- rhlvalrj. douhtle-s; knew thnt cure
for rattlesnake bite may no longer be legally
manufactured
Anti-Japanese pessimists are convinced
that the six-Power conference will nave to
I rwa pa eyllwkra.
AS ONE WOMANSEES IT
Children's Tales Teaching Kindness
to Animals Have Had Their Effect
on the Present Generation and
'Cruelty No Longer Pleases-
By SARAH D. LOWItIK
AWOODCHUCK and n cottontail have'
been having nn eating contest ns to
which could eat up my garden first. A doij
got the woodchuck nnd my neighbor's gun
got the rabbit. It wns the rabbit's fault
that be got shot, for on bis way lo my
garden he stopped to take n nibble at iny
neighbor's lettuce, and ns the children wc.-e
not around to protest he wob executed green
mouthed so to spenk. The children pro
tested mightily when they heard of the deed.
Jo vegetable garden wns worth any Peter
Rabbit in their opinion.
Two generations of kindly nnd humoroun'
tales about animals hnvc made their actual
deaths by trap or gun unpleasant hearing
?n i comlnIT feneration. The editor of a
children's department in a weekly journal
told me thnt he had unearthed1! lot of animal
sketches for children In one of the first
volumes of Young Folks, n magaxlnc that
Preceded St. Nicholas some time in the
18C0s. And as much of the information
was" exact nnd well told, he used the edi
torial scissors In order to reprint the
sketches. But on preparing them for tho
coming editions of his section of tho paper
he was horrified to find so much blood and
suffering in them. Their enpturo nnd dent!;
w-cro foregone conclusions at tho hands of
the enterprising boys who were the hcrocj
of the talcs, but so calloitB wore the boyf
and apparently the author nnd the nntlcl
poted readers of the stories that every little
four-footed furry beast was a victim and
''""il'j- n martyr. He realized no modern
child would like tho boy trnppcrs, nnd that
no modern mother would rend the cruel
little detnlls of their prowess aloud. So in
the end he could not use the stories, whic'i
in his fnthcr's youth would have seemed
as commonplaco as motor accidents over n
holiday do to ours.
FOC-HUNTOTQ still Boes on and mill
fights, and If an Irishman tolls of the
fox hunt one reada the tale with pleasure,
because it is nlxrat the mishaps of the hunt
ers. Trappers, too, are still busy, and the
furs most of us wear without a thought of
any cost, savo that of money, ore procured
at the price of suffering to the trapped or
captive animal, but we do not like to think
of the tragedy Involved and the detnlls are
no longer fireside talk, and no longer is
mnn, womnn or child considered squeamish
or sentimental who dislikes the talcs of
bloodshed and broken bodies.
It is this "quality of mercy" growingly
a motive In our slow nnd hnlting progress
townrd the gonl of perfection thnt has made
the reaction from tho war different from
the aftermath of any previous war. It Is
why the men, who were brought up on Peter
Rabbit stories nnd Brer Rabbit stories and
were taught in their school books to despise
witch-baiting, to abhor the inquisition nnd
to bo Indignant over tho denths of martyrs,
and the slnughtcr of Innocents, do not like
to review even among themselves the misery
and suffering they saw ond In some cases
inflicted.
I henrd plenty of logical nnd much lofty
ns well as much illogical and sentimental
pacifist talk before America declared war,
but It docs not touch the Intensity of the
present pacifist talk thnt Is the common
place of everyday conversation when men
of affairs meet who wero in the war up to
the hilt two years ago. In times of peace
prepare for war Is no longer nn unchal
lenged axiom to these men of the new school.
I WAS listening the other night to a pub
lisher and several other persons of af
fairs discussing a book the publisher wns
about to bring out sketching the outlines
of the discoveries made since the war in
the matter of dostmctlvo chemicals and
rorees. The booh appnTently only outlined
tho results of the discoveries, slnco the dis
coveries are Government sccrcta both for
England and this country. It was known
apparently that what was being done by
scientists for these countries was not being
left undone by Germany, so that the sum of
nwfuincss could only be vaguely surmised.
Certain things are known, however, and
are not secrets. A gas that can be set free
200 miles from the center of population It
Is meant to decimate, which with weather
conditions that can be calculated for the
Incredibly brlof time necessary, can ob
literate nil llfo over nil tho area it traverses
before it has spent ita forco; a bomb dropped
irom an airplane out oi signt tnat can
poison tho air of a great city are some of
these acknowledged discoveries.
AS ONE of the men said, "We worship
bigness, mere bulk nnd height nnd
thickness in this country, bnt the real forces
of life or of destruction arc without bulk,
Invisible in their potential forms to the eye,
secret things half understood that can be
confined in a glass phial nnd yet can shake
a mountnln from Its place."
The publisher gave the name of a great
English scientist, who had been urged this
year by his Government to undertake tho
stabilizing of these terrible secrets so that
for the next war England could annihilate
the very populations of the countries at
tacking her it they got her with her back
ngain.t the wall. I was interested in the
reaction to thnt man's antiwar to his Gov
ernment on the men and women present.
Thoy had all, as I have Intimated, been at
tackers during the war in one way or nn
other, most of them nttackers of pacifists
as well as of Germany.
It appears the English scientist declined
the great honor done him by the Govern
ment and refused to assume the responsi
bility of Investigations of chemlenl de
structives, his stated reason being that his
profession was that of a conscrver of life,
not a destroyer!
Whnt interested me was that no one of
the late warriors seemed to quarrel with
nts cnoice or think him unpatriotic.
I ASKED a clergyman once what to his
mind wns the basic reason for the "bo-
merciful cnmmandnnt enjoined by the
Founder of Chri6tlnnlty, Ho called my at
tention to two facts that he said were worth
pondering nnd verifying.
"You will notice," said he, "that the
Bentitudo runs thus: Blessed nre the merci
ful, for they shall obtain mercy!"
We all of us neod mercy from God ; simple
justice would put most of us out of com
mission. And wo receive mercy from God,
If in no other way, chance after chance to
mnke good after failure, a way of escope
from our worst enemy ourselves! Well,
then, simple gratitude for that mercy should
react healthily in our showing mercy sit is
our way of worshiping God.
And then, Bald be, I have been interested
in another thing: the showing of mercy by
God Is not confined to tho Just or the good ;
it Is a phenomenon of nature that the sun
rises on the just und the unjust; every
thing Is there for the murderor or the thief
to enjoy if ho can, as well as for tho saint
and martyr. One's hell Is one's Incapacity
to enjoy perfection, not tho Inck of per
fectlon. Ho I have observed that Jesus In
summing up this "quality of mercy" speaks
of it as a godlike characteristic.
"Be ye merciful that jo may bo called
tho children of God, who makcth His sun
to shine upon the Just and the unjust 1"
Heino flung it in the faco of the Deity that
It wob His intrinsic necessity ("son metier")
to forgive. But his taunt got somehow caught
up into a hymn of praUe. It has helpd
this generation toward a realization of God,
Who knows If this whole world-wide coming
back to common eenso. called disarmament,
hBS not been the result of that better un
derstanding! IT WOULD seem thnt war is ml de sni-,
u blind troll, a road through the universe
with "No Thoroughfare" chalked across it.i
vista. If disarmament Is "the way out," If
It lies with America to point the way-r-"Up,
1st? tvad&w another mllal"
MQISTDA.V .JULY 18,
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NOW MY IDEA IS THIS
Daily Talks With Thinking Philadelphia on Subjects They
Know
E. M. HACKNEY
On Factors In Causing Crlmo
WAR injuries, industrial depression and
addiction to drugn arc three prominent
factors at tho present time in causing crime,
in the opinion of E. M. Hackney, chief
probation officer for the Quarter Sessions
t-ourt, who handles the thousands of casts
which come up in three courtrooms.
, ,Tncre are, of course, many other causes,
Mr. Huckney admitted, but the three above
mentioned aro outstanding and nre all par
ticularly pertinent nt the present time, two
or- them being outgrowths of the war. Tho
first subject brought up for discussion by
Mr. Hnckncy was that of drug users. Mr.
Hackney says :
"A great many of the small larceny and
embezzlement and similar cases which have
come up here recently havo been directly
traceable to drugs. In fact, the use of
narcotics has been peculiarly prcvnlcnt In
Philadelphia.
"Back in 1010 I got strongly in back of o
bill In the Legislature at Harrlsburg, which
was finally passed and which imposed n
severe punishment on unscrupulous dis
pensers of drugs. It was these men, dis
honest druggists, bogus physicians nnd the
like, who sold drugs, that we desired to catch
in our efforts to break up the practlco.
"However, it is often noccBsnry to punUh
or take some notion with the drug user him
self. Wb took It up with the Board of
Judges nnd came to nn understanding by
which they permitted Imprisonment for
drug-using. These unfortunates are very
often victims of circumstance and, once cured
of the habit, they quickly slough off their
evil ways.
War Also Responsible
"The war has thrown on our hands an
other class of criminals which has given
us a serious prooicm to confront. These
nrc men who havo been gassed, shell -shocked
or so otherwiso injured In France nnd
Belgium that they have become mental de
fectives. A groat many small criminals
brought up for trial in the Quarter Sessions
Courts hero of late have proved to bo such
men, very often coming of good families,
sometimes graduates of universities and col
leges nnd not Infrequently pontcs.inu means
which would apparently give them no reason
for their petty crimes. Examination of
these men often shows them to bo nervous
wrecks.
"The third outstanding root of crime con
be traced to labor conditions and the col
lapse of the artificial wartime prosperity.
Tho petering out of that prosperity has
thrown mony out of work, nnd not n few
havo tnrned their hands to banditry.
we nave many unusual cuses coma
through this office, and the resulting im
pression I have obtained from the men I
hove put on probation is the innate honesty
and honor of those I have trusted. Many
men havo dono well despite their false step.
"There wns a young man in here five
years ago, charged with the larceny of
trinkets and cash from lockers in a promi
nent Philadelphia private bchool. I put
him on probation, nnd today he is connected
with a large Ohio rubber company and Is
making $7000 n year. Another man, a
habitual drug user, arrested on five differ
ent occasions, who Berved four short sen
tences for small larcenies, Is now happily
married and Is making $5000 n yenr. Dut
ing bis last stay In the Industrial Re
formatory, nt Huntingdon, he perfected a
system for the manufacture of automobile
tags which has saved the State thousands
of dollars.
Thefts of Autos as Prank
A number of cases wjth which we have
had to deal have been tho thefts of automo
biles by youths, often in the spirit of ad
venture rather than with any desire to
realize any money from the car. Such a
case was that of the four Detroit schoolboys
who stole an automobile and wore arrested
kin It here. They said they wanted to 'see
Phlla'dolpbla.' It Mould bo folly' to bear
down too severely on tins class ot prisoners.
Our great need In many of these cuses is
to get the men steady employment, nnd to
this end we strive for the co-operation of
employers. The American Pin Co., of
Massachusetts; the American Engineering
Co.. the Midvale Stocl Co., the Standard
Roller Bearing Co. and Cramps' Shipyard
employ many men at our recommendation,
and It Is a notnble fact that they seldom
regret their action.
"A large number of the men who have
passed through this probntion departinenl
mndc splendid soldiers in tho war ami eight
or ten were killed on European battlefields.
The) enlisted generally without hesitation
and did their duty gallantly, I havo a col
lection of lettcrB from a number of them
making their 'reports' to me from the
front, never mentioning their crime or the
ugly features at their old life, bnt telling, in
7 i
1921
0
"Y BETTER HURRY!"
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Best
n conversational, friendly way of their war
experiences,
"I require that the men on probation
report to me by loiter periodically through
out their life. Thoy generally do, too, nnd
I can safely say that 05 per cent a large
proportion, but correct make good with
mc.
"The much-mootod subject of moving
pictures, while not directly affecting the men
who pass through this office, since we handle
no juveniles, nevertheless does have an in
direct reaction with us. I do not, hesitate
in condemning a certain class of pictures in
cheap houses, which ehow burglars and
hold-up men at work. Such pictures have a
bad effect on younger boys, those who como
into the juvenile courts, and it sometimes
happens that such boys, after their first of
fense, turn gradually into habitual and
hardened criminals and we get them here by
indictment. Tho Board of Censors of pic
tures should be very, very careful.
Jobless Turn to Crime
"Tho wavo of unusually desperate crimes
which overtook Philadelphia several months
ago, but which, I am glad to say, is now
roceding, and which impelled the imposing
of heavy sentences, oven on first offenders,
wns brought about by the breaking of the
forced prosperity. Thousands came here for
war work, impelled by large salaries, and
when their wonderful jobs wore gone turned
to crime to procure the accustomed big
money.
"Tho war hnd something to do with tho
matter also, as It seems that many young
men wero Inspired by a desperate nnd reck
less sort of spirit which would balk at
nothing. That nccounts for the unusually
daring nnd bold crimes which were com
mitted hero. However, those conditions arc
dying out, and light now there is much less
crime than in Now York, Chicago and other
big cities."
What Do You Know?
QUIZ
1. What was the real name of Tom Thumb.
the famous midget?
Z. What is pellagTaT
3. Who succeeded John Tyler as President
of the United States?
4. What is tho original meaning of the
word chnperon?
6. Who wns Calderon de la Bnrca?
6. What State docs Senator McCumber rep
resent?
7. What is a "charge d'affaires"?
8. Whnt Is the meaning of the heraldio term
dexter?
9. What Is the capital of Paraguay?
10. What Is a cerlph?
Answers to Saturday's Qulx
1. Tho largest and most famous library of
the ancient world wkb that of Alex
andria, Egypt, destroyed in the seventh
century A D., by tha Arab invader
Amru.
2. Carson City is tho cnpltal of Nevada.
3. Sabine Bnrlng-Qould wrote the words
of "Onward, Christian Soldiers."
4. Sir John Tennlel wob a celebrated Eng
lish cartoonist, especially known for
his pictures In "Punch" and for hl
Illustrations to "Alice In Wondorland."
5. The universal law of gravitation was
complotely elaborated by Sir Isnao
Newton in tho seventeenth century.
6. Tho middle nnmcot Oladstono wns Kwnrt.
7. The int-truments deemed necessary to the
standard composition of a modern
orchestra are flrBt and second violins,
vtolnB, cellos, bass violins, llutcs, oboes,
bnssouns, English horns, bass clari
nets, contra-bassoons, bassoons, French
horns, trumpets, trombones, tubas,
tympanl and other percussion instru
ments. 8. Tho Uyzontlne Empire came to an end
with the capture of Constantinople by
tho Turks in 1468.
9. The Shantung Peninsula, where Con
fucius la buried, is the holy land of
China.
10. Albert B. Foil is tho present Secretary
of the Interior.
Today's Anniversaries
1811 William Makepeace Thackeray, fa
mous English novelist, born nt Calcutta,
India. Died in London, December 24, ISC'I,
1834 Lord Melbourne became British
Premier.
1838 Wlllinm White, first Episcopal
Bishop of Pennsylvania, died in Phllndel
phla. Born there April 4, 1748.
1847 The United States frigate Mace
donlan sailed from New York loaded with
food for the starving poor of Ireland,
1801 First overland coach arrived at
Leavenworth, Kan., seventeen days from
Snn Francisco,
18(1'.! Cincinnati became (thinned in con
sequence of Ihe Confederate movements in
Kelituck).
3871! Attempt to iiHsussiimtc the Kinc
nnd Queen of Spain nt Madrid.
1D20 France conferred the Legion of
Honor on town of Chateau -Thleiry,
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SHORT CUTS v
Blest Is the political tie that bonds.
In the matter of domestic oil protection
means exhaustion.
Blue Sunday laws make Blue Mondsjj
for convicted violators.
The farmers say that St. Swithln it
an all right old guy at that.
The Silly Season has done much to'
knock the sense out of censor.
As though Austria didn't have trouble
enough already, it Is threatened with a ni
tlonol strike.
TV mlt-lit srttMiilnsa ! itilatsaa aifaaT
furs this weather if we were not worrjluj i
noout our winter coal. .
it
Japan's gesture concerning the diiat-)
moment conference is one of caution and M
necessarily of belligerency. r(
An anti-boxing campaign is to Ml
staged in New Jersey. It is expected that
the campaigners will put up a good fight If
permitted.
A Negro preacher arrested In New
York claims to be a descendant of Jonah,
It would be a whale of a yarn if he could
prove it.
Fortieth Ward residents are prottBtioj
against nn inndequnto water supply. Do
you suppose St. Swithln is trying to "how
his sympathy?
Evory success that Greece meets with
In Asia Minor invites envy from Serbia and
Bulgaria. Nothing succeeds like success In
piling up trouble.
Perhaps the immigration authorities
are trying to prove that the framers of tni
now law pulled a bonebend. Either KraH'
body did or somebody is.
The local policeman who absentmlnded
ly stuffed a blank cartridge in his pipe "
later lost Borne tocth In the ensuing explo
sion now probably refers to It as a blaniw
blank cartridge
Congrcsswomnn Alice Robertson voted
for froe hides because, she said, she loved W
farmorB' children who needed shoes mo
th an she loved tho puckers. "Darn your
hides!" Bald Cousin Allco.
Mnn and wife pinched nt North Ber
gen, N. J., for kissing eaoh other IB,
Swimming pool. Convicted. Suspended
sentence. The unusunl continues to Be an
offence to conventionality.
Prof. Kjnsteln denies that ha "
American men were the toy dogs oi iw
opposite sex. It's all right. Albert. It w
a danicdvgood story anyhow; "I"1 Ju"
enough truth in it to make UJiitercttlnl.
Pnrvln Lake, N. J., nnes d n-j
mcr boarders hope to be able to capron
oventually a huge eagle which ever) eBi
files over the bathing beach. If they sue
cced they'll havo nothing furlhor to g
excited nbout.
Senator Borah has pointed out. j
other economists did before blm. tlia
many, relieved of the cost of "uPPOrtW.K
army and navy, bids fair to mim M
financial. Industrial and economic leader
the world. The world had to arm to b
Germany. It will have to disarm for
same reason.
Mile. Snranne Lenglon, French i jtjj
champion, had trouble with her itoeMg
which kept coming down as she P'W'0' ,n
she rolled 'em to tho , knees, twisted i
coin In the slack nnd tucked It In over l
roll. It Is at once a new onj-ptew
supporter and a new method of deposn
the lisle bank.
"I am dying," wrote an &$,
V T .tml.nl. "and rou w 11 " ",' I
It Is because all is vanity." The 'ay "J',,
mont is as true as when tho "Js'jH
made It. It was vanity that PWPa
belief that the world would ,r,wi
student killed himself. The world "
nothing and cares less,
Noah Webster Cooper, of N",
Tenn., chairman of the Committee tor
National Sunday Law, looks ',,, if
fall of civilization In twentr-flw 1'
the Blue Lnws nre not enforceo. a
comments the Professor oi i - Web
Tillies, got thnt Idea out of 1 ' loM1
.-.. .lC(lnnft fniltlllllH nOtlll'l uu . I
ami Its ynonyms ; and no CooP ' $,
dream ot a nnrrei uik "" ,-,, to TO
flnnm... n oamna Isn that Is contrary i k
whelmln public opinio
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