HARRISBURG TELEGRAPH A NEWSPAPER FOR THE HOME Founded IS3I Published evenings except Sunday by THE TELGCRAPIi PRINTING CO., Telegraph Building, Federal Square. E.J. STA CK POLE, Prts't & Editor-in-Chirf F. R. OYSTER, Business Manager. GUS M. STEINMETZ, Managing Editor. Member of the Associated Press—The Associated Press is exclusively en titled to the use for republication of all news dispatches credited to it or not otherwise credited in this paper and also the local news published herein. All rights of republication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. Member American i Newspaper Pub- Ea stern office. Avenue Building, Entered at the Post Office in Harris burg, Pa., as second class matter. By carriers, ten cents a fThtftfiSTOuigrt week; by mail. JB.OO a year in advance. FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 1918 Little minds are tamed and sub dued by misfortune but great minds rise above it. — WASHINGTON IRVING. COMMUNITY SINGING IT GOES without saying that Dr. John C. Freund, editor of Mu sical America ar.d Music Trades and president of the Musical Al liance, will be given a great recep tion when he comes to Harrisburg during the three days of the city's initial community singing festival the first week of April. Community singing is sweeping the country. It is recneational and elevating. It has been very helpful in cementing community ties and drawing the people more closely together in many cities, and doubtless it will have that result here. Some writers deplore the growth of community singing at th© expense of the choral societies that flourished here and in countless cities the country over for many years, but there is really very little justification for such misgivings. The com munity chorus is merely the primary class from which the more talented singers should be graduated into the more advanced music of the choral societies and kindred bodies. So far from being! a demeaning in fluence, community song should be distinctly the opposite. Thousands upon thousands of people who could not meet the requirements of a choral or concert society would readily take part in community sing ing. In that way scores and hun dreds would "find themselves" and be led to the serious study of music and the development of voices they had not previously realized they pos sessed. But that is only one phase of community song. The greater bene fit lies in bringing the people to gether to sing. Band concerts are all very well, in their way—enter taining, elevating and educational, but merely listening to music can not have the inspirational effect upon the Individual that participa tion by the very nature of the case must have. The Telegraph believes that com munity singing will do much for Harrisburg. It has offered to bear the expenses of a band at Reservoir Park next summer to lead one of the open-air concerts that are being planned. It renews that proffer and promises whatever support it can give to make the coming festival an unqualified success. Those who are supporting the movement are en titled to whole-hearted assistance. Dauphin county registration is tverwhelmingly Republican, indicating very clearly what is going to happen In this county next fall. Susquehanna shad have begun to run—as far as the McCall's Ferry dam. PERFECTING FLOOD BILL REPRESENTATIVE FLOOD, of Virginia, has introduced a bill in Congress which looks to ward depriving aliens of the right to vote, which they now possess in certain states in virtue of local leg islation. There are ten such States; and in them the possession of first papers only is sufficient to enable a prospective citizen—though he is, In reality, an alien—to take part In elections. Mr. Flood's bill, of course, cannot curtail this right, so far as it relates to voting for State officers, and it will apply only to the right to vote for Senators and Representatives in Congress, and for electors of President and Vice President. The proposal is, of course, eminently proper. The right of franchise should be granted only to full-fledged American citi zens who owe no divided allegiance! But Mr. Flood's bill does not go far enough. It is not sufficient for the protection of the ballot in Con gressional elections that the right to vote should be withdrawn from those who have no clear title to It. If the ballot is to be safeguarded by Federal statute, proposed by a Southern member of Congress, so ns to take the vote away from those who ure not fully entitled to it, there should be provision made aliio to ensure that those who are entitled I FRIDAY EVENING, to vote may exercise that privilege, without hindrance from local legis-! lation. The number of States where voters of undoubted right are pre vented from exercising the franchise which Congress has granted them and which has been confirmed to them by Constitutional amendment is as large as the number of States where partly naturalized aliens are permitted to vote; and the number of voters who are not permitted to go to the polls probably exceeds by far the number of aliens who vote. We refer, of course, to the negro vote in the Southern States, where ingenious local legislation has suc ceeded in nullifying provisions of the Constitution; and we hope that Mr. Flood's bill will pass and that it will be amended so as to correct oil the evils which local legislation has thrust upon the ballot in any State. Northern Republicans In Congress should join with the emi nent Southern Democrat who has opened this subject for discussion and they should help him take the ballot away from men who are not entitled to it: while he should help them restore the ballot to men whose privilege it is to have it. Help the Boy Scouts, yourself and Uncle Sam all at the same time by purchasing Thrift Stamps when they call. THE GERMAN DRIVE WHETHER or not the German attack, launched yesterday, is the much-heralded "offen sive" has not yet developed, but all friends of the allied cause will hope that it is. It is to be hoped that Germany will put every ounce of effort into this attack that she has started. If the British are not ready to meet such a drive now they never will be. Every military ob server on the west front expresses the belief that the allied line will hold, and that being true, Germany's last chance of victory in the west will have faded with the failure of a grand offensive such as appears to be at issue. Therefore, the more Germany puts into this fight the greater her loss by failure. Washington observers are not in clined to believe that the great mo ment of the war has come, but th*re are some reasons to suspect that the military leaders of the Central Pow ers are much nearer the end of their string than appears on the surface and that after all they may be will ing to take a gambler's chance of breaking through the almost impreg nable line in France. For example, late reports from the interior of Germany indicate that the masses are more at odds with the government than at any time since the war began. The expecta tions of the people for food relief from Russia have not materialized. Austria is known to be bankrupt and unable to contihue the war many months on her own resources. Ja- pan is becoming impatient, condi tions in Russia despite the peace treaty are chaotic and America is getting into the war more vigorously every day. These unpleasant facts may be driving the Germans to one final great offensive, designed to smash the west front and, as the Kaiser says, clear the way for peace. If this decision has been reached, therefore, it is important that the Germans play their top cards. If the allies are able to draw from them their last trumps on the west front they will continue thereafter to play a steadily losing game to the end of the war. Whether they real- ize it or not, the "supreme moment of the war" is at hand, and this irrespective of whether the grand offensive develops at this time or not. They must win soon or be beaten. It was never so true as at the present that "time fights on the side of the allies." We must not lose heart over a few German gains. As war is conducted in France to-day any attack on a large scale is bound to result in some gains, no matter which side launches it, but as the allies them selves have found to their sorrow, it is next door to impossible to break through entirely. The allied lines will hold at last, never fear of that, as they held before Paris, at Ypres and at Verdun, and if the Germans push their attack to the Inevitable con clusion they will have played their last trump card. Philadelphia has taken the "bar' out of cabaret. CURTIS-GALLINGER RULE THERE is now a new rule in the United States Senate—proposed by Senator Curtis, of Kansas, and sponsored on the floor by Sena tor Gallinger, of New Hampshire. It .provides that hereafter no confer ence committee may take from a bill matter which has received the approval of both Houses of Congress or insert matter which has never been passed upon in either branch. The new rule was promptly in voked to attack p provision in the railroad bill whereby State laws were overridden which enable State boards of one kind or another to fix valuations of railroad property for purposes of taxation within State lines; but the fine point was made that the conference committee had submitted its report before the rule! was adopted. Regardless of the niceties of this situation, we can see where the new rule will prove valuable. It will prevent a handful of men from overriding the opinion of a majority of both Houses, as has often been the case; and It will apply pitiless publicity to legislation in a very helpful manner. If the new rule had been in force earlier the country might have es caped some legislation which has not proven of great value. fotaic* U "peh.r.OLjL'a.Tvut By the Ex-Committeeman Action of "dry" Democrats in Western Pennsylvania in starting nominating petitions for Ex-Judge William E. Porter, of New Castle and William N. MoNair, of Pittsburgh, for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination while United States Dis trict Attorney E. Lowry Humes, In the West and Ex-State Treasurer and present Collector of the Port William H. Berry, in the East, are being ap praised by the high Democratic bosses, has given evidence of the split condition of the party for which so much was claimed a few years ago. The cool manner in which the state bosses have shelved Acting State Chairman Joseph F. Guffey, of Pittsburgh, after he had been prac tically slated at the conference in Pittsburgh, has caused a mutual ad miration society movement between the remnants of the Old Guard, the "wet" Democrats and the practical machine element. Berry is telling it around Phila delphia that he expects to be a can didate and is already thinking up some phrases, while Humes is main taining the dignified position of a man waiting to be called. Porter is president of the Dry Federation which endorsed Highway Commis sioner J. Denny O'Neil and the fact is recalled that when the federation met some of the folks wanted to en dorse both a Republican and a Dem ocrat, but the O'Neil men insisted on taking the endorsement and got it. Then it was stated that it was non partisan and meant that the man en dorsed was to be backed regardless of what might happen between Feb ruary and November. Now Porter's friends seem to be starting to make something happen. —While the Philadelphia Record of to-day backs up the Philadelphia Bulletin statement of yesterday that the Penrose leaders have come around to tacit acceptance of Con gressman John R. K. Scott for lieu tenant governorship honors because the Vares will not support Sproul unless Penrose accepts Scott, the Pittsburgh Gazette-Times heads a movement to put up William Price, a big banker and churchman, for second place. There was a move ment for ex-Speaker George E. Al ter for the nomination, but he de clined. Mr. Price was urged for mayor of Pittsburgh some years ago. Concerning one of his traits the Ga zette-Times says: "For many years he has been a strict observer of the Biblical injunction ithat one tenth of Ijis income go to the Uord. It has been done In a systematic, but unostentious way. One of his favorite methods of giving is to aid in lifting mortgages on Metho dist Episcopal Churches in the' Pittsburgh conference. Each year he pays one-fourth of the debt on a number of churches of this denomi nation." —Thomas Robins, prominent Pro gressive, may be a candidate for comrress-at-large. He lives in Phil a>**phia and is a friend of Sproul. Anderson H. Walters is keeping the home fires burning in Cambria coun ty, while General C. M. Clement. Northumberland, and M. B. Rich, member of the House from Clinton, are also getting busy for this honor. —The fight in Pittsburgh over Elmer Brown's place is now the big issue in that city and the mayor and the Magee faction are at It as bad as the Vare and Penrose men at the other end of the state. —William A. Magee, former mayor of Pittsburgh, went io Phil adelphia last evening and declared for Scott for lieutenant governor. He laughed about the reports that he might run for governor. —Auditor General Snyder left bore last evening with the parting shot that he was going to have "some action" next week in regard to men who ask for pay as state employes if he finds that they haw been playing politics instead of work ing. —Governor Brumbaugh will spend the wxekend in Philadelphia. He will not be here to-morrow, it is said. —ln spite of all reports it is said that no agreement has been made on secretary of internal affairs on the Republican ticket. The situation is as bad as the Democratic row over the governorship. —Uncle Dave Lane's declaration that as far as he is concerned, and he really is a spokesman for the Vares, the Philadelphia Republican City Committee will not endorse a man who does not agree to abide by the Republican gubernatorial pri mary cut two ways. It is a slap at the Penrose men who boltad the "fifty-fifty" ticket last fall in Phila delphia and at the same tiiiie puts Commissioner O'Neil in the position of having to declare for party regu larity or get out of joint with some of the ardent "drys" who insist' on him beint; a candidate to *he gen eral election on a "dry" platform. Senator Sproul will declare that he wi.l abide by the primary. —Mr. O'Neil said this -morning that he might have something to say later jn the day. Ho. said he did not want to make a statement of such Importance on the 'spur of the moment" Mr. O'Neil got the endorsement of the b'.g meeting in Pittsburgh of representatives of all "dry" organizations in Allegheny county last night and is naturally elated by this action lie will go to Philadelphia to-morrow to meet his friends and endeavor to line up the Vares again. Sunday he will speak at five big meetings in Phila delphia churches on the moral is sues of the campaign. —Senator Sproul will tomorrow r.ight announce his program. The Philadelphia newspapers say that the reception to be given him at Strath Haven Inn will be one of the biggest events of the year and that men from a dozen counties will be there. Concerning the announce ment, the Inquirer says: "Particular Interest is centered in this recep tion for the single reason that Sen ator Sproul has agreed to address the gathering, making fully clear his position regarding all matters of state- and incidentally make his first complete announcement of the plat form upon which he has agreed to become a candidate for governor of Pennsylvania." HARRISBURG <&£& TELEGRAPH MOVIE OF A MAN AND A NEW PAIR OF SHOES BY BRIGGS fsSKS To jee shoe DeciDes To fit on Clcßk BKim&S same Trying it oivj - frowt j AS iSHOUim IN> vMIND6W L&FT FooT AS TmERG IS SHO6. AS |M \ju t m DOIAJ OF Mif • DISPLAY NO HOLE !W SOCK. WISHES DISPL*Y. LOOKS DIFFERENT fiTOMPS (?/\ ^ —~ PECIDES To BuY ThEm, APPEARS NJOT To \A/A'T I NC FOR CHAW6E - SHOES F66L Ef*SY fl.r*iT> IlsCoy£R3 HOuei IAJ NOTICE IT SIZES 1/1* SHOtSS AND COMFY RIGHT 30C Tvsa MOU& LATC ?*•*> HOT FEET - PINCHINjC) EXTRA HARD PAIN IKi PuTS OM OLD &M6S ikj coßro That has Beeu anjO Tva//N6£S op PA"O OLD CORN t>ECtD.E3 quiet FOR a. Yewv |(vJ CoRM TAKE off SHOES- I EDITORIAL COMMENT We are waiting to hear Germany say that she invaded Russia to pro tect the Bolsheviki from Japan.— St. Louis Star. The Germans continue to indicate that in their opinion a lootless peace would be a bootless peace.—Omaha World-Herald. In the saving of daylight we can set the clocks ahead, but what are we going to do with the sun-dials?— Arkansas Gazette. It has long ceased to be remark able that so small a country as Japan could be victorious over so big a country as Russia. Washington Star. Investor Hohenzollern, Emperor and King, purchases five million dol lars' worth more of Krupp securi ties. Who wants war? —Wall Street Journal. DOLLARS OR BUSHELS Secretary Houston, of the Depart ment of Agriculture, has called my attention to how we all are fooling ourselves to-day. The newspaperb are boasting that the corn crop is the greatest in history, when in bushels it is less than in 1915. The South think they are rolling in wealth, when in bales its cotton crop is less than in 1915. Paper prices are no good. It's more bushels and bales that we need in order to reduce the cost of living. Some people pretend that our na tional debt is small by comparing it to the crops. "What is $20,000,000,- 000," they say, "why, that is less than the value of one single crop of the farms of America!" This is true; but we eat up most of these crops in a year, while the debt remains with us—s2oo for every man, woman, and child in the United States. As the farmers are fooling them selves by thinking of prices and dol lars, instead of bushels and bales, so industry is fooling itself by looking to profits and wages instead of pro duction and saving. The ending of this war and our future prosperity after the war de pends upon producing more and wasting less. Only in this way can Kaiser Bill be put out of business and will the workers of America come to their own.—Roger W. Bab son. Household Management In the task ahead of us of pro ducing and using foodstuffs so as best to conserve health and mater ials, this country needs the help of the humblest householders. But how is that help to be enlisted? Every one who goes in and out of small income homes on any social service errand can repeat the message. It muse be clearly prepared, however, in advance. , Florence Nesbitt does this very thing with telling force and a wealth of practical illustrations in a small book of attractive appear ance entitled Household Manage ment, just issued by the Kussell Sage Foundation (cloth, 172 pages, price 75 cents). This is the second vol ume in their new Social Work Series, edited by Mary E. Richmond. There are many books on the gen eral subject of homemaking, but none like this one, which is written from intimate knowledge of the drawbacks and inconveniences of housekeeping in cramped quarters and with cramped means. Those who are far removed from depend ence can take this little volume's lessons to heart, hut to the social worker, the Red Cross visitor, the public health nurse, or any volunteer visitor in city neighborhoods, it will be indispensable. Hunnishness of the Hun It is now and then worth while to recall a bit of history, to point a present moral. We now and then meet with someone, "good, easy man," who is so forgetful of the not distant past that he regards the present perversity of Germany as Quite a new thing, and the moral degeneracy of William the Damned as an unprecedented phenomenon; and without being unduly pessimistic we are inclined to fear that a great many of our complacent and more or less oblivious fellow citizens cher ish that some delusion; the fact be ing that the turpitude of the Kaiser and his Huns in our day Is nothing but the logical and consistent cul mination of a policy which had its origin at least as far back as that Great Frederick who, with his grandfather and himself constitutes the trinity of the Kaiser's adoration. —North American Review. , THE PEOPLE'S FORUM L FARMERS ANI) POTATOES To the Editor of the Telegraph: We see so much about conserving food and iwe farmqrs have been wondering why there is no govern ment agent buying the potatoes at a living price and shipping them to the Allies. Here is my experience in the potato proposition: I paid four dollars per bushel for my seed potatoes, and went to extra efforts to get a good crop. I ran short of help and left the weeds and tubers grow together, and so got* about one fourth m£ crop. I offered three dollars and board for help to take them out in the falU but failed to get the help, so had to get them out as best I could, without help. With the ground freezing at night we hustled them into the cel lar. I had no time to even think about selling them, although I'd have been very glad to do so. There was no one who seemed to want to buy potatoes so I waited, as thous ands of other farmers did, and am still waiting until the government buys them. Will the government buy them or will we throw them out? And if we cannot sell them, will the farmers raise more? Would you? Will potatoes be cheap next fall? If they are scarce will you blame the farmer? These are vital ques tions. Suffice it to say, the farmers are getting a slap, the sting of which will be felt for some time to come. One thing is sure, the potato ques tion does not seem to be in the line of "food conservation." Are potatoes not food? The farmers are paying $2.50 a hundred for cow feed. What a pity potatoes are not good for *ows. Will some one please say what we should have done instead of what we did? U. G. LEEDT, Newville. SAVING FT>OI> To the Editor of the Telegraph: It is an astounding fact, that many people in Harrisburg and vi- Icinity who are patriotic enough to i give up their loved ones, for the front-line trenches, are neverthless tiring German bullets themselves. We must pray earnestly to win this war, but God works through human agencies—so we must do our part also, and surely; and one iriost LABOR NOTES Almost simultaneously with the organization of the firemen, Joplin (Mo.) City Council raised wages of these municipal employes. Belleville (Hi.) City Council has raised wages of municipal firemen and policemen $lO a month, to be come effective May 1 next. The California Metal Trades As sociation has granted a 10 per cent, wage increase which was requested by the Frisco Iron Trades Council. A report of the State Industrial Accident Commission says there were approximately 100.000 indus trial injuries in California during 1916. The Brotherhood of Railway Clerks will ask the .Virginia State Legislature to amend the semi monthly pay day by having it include clerical employes. Seventy-nine per cent, of the wom en employed in the large establish ments of Germany are being made to work from eleven to thirteen hours a day. Laborers employed in the mines in the Rathmines and Kingstown (Ire land) districts threaten a strike If their wages are not increased. A movement Is on foot through out Ireland at present to form an Irish Labor party. THE INCOME TAX "A Parted Partnership" A partnership was organized in July, 1913, and in 1917 one of its individual members sold his interest therein and retired. How is he to determine the amount of gain or profit derived fromthe transaction which is returnable for income tax purposes? From the selling price should be deducted the amount of capital he has actually invested in the partnership's assets and the differ once reported under "gross Income." important point is: we must release food, especially Wheat for the Allies. It is absolutely wrorlg and un patriotic for the churches, the var ious clubs and other social affairs to serve sandwiches or cake at their social meetings, unless the meetings are taking the place of a regular meal, for every mouthful we take more than we need, is a German bullet against ourselves.' IJB us abolish at once the unne cessary eating. "EARNEST ONE." REPLIES TO MR. KI" SCHWA To the Editor of the Telegraph: Just what does Mr. Alfred C. Kuschwa object to in last Saturday's Swicatto notes? What was suggested there, and what was meant to be suggested there, is that Harrisburg is sacrific ing its support of the better things in music and being turned toward community singing—and the turning is being done by musicians. Now, if we were still supporting a choral society, and furnishing good au diences for every good concert that is presented, community singing would not be taking the place of better things musically, and it would have a more legitimate field of oper ation. New York has not given up any of its choral societies or glee clubs, for the sake of community singing. Community singing primarily, was meant to help the poor people in settlement and tenement; those who had neither the money or the op portunity to hear good music. If Mr. Kuschwa will convince me that the movement here is a sincere desire to "uplift humanity" and not to exploit a few individuals, I will Kive it my hearty support. Yes, the Telegraph is a "prime leader" and fair, and also knows there are two sides to every question. I am not "bemoaning the fate" of community singing—I am predicting it. The community singing that is heard every Sunday in Church and Sunday School, is the thing to develop. Here is the worthy Held. Here is the op portunity for service. Mr. Kuschwa's use of the word slacker is ill-advised and weakens his own argument. I was very much afraid Staccato Notes were not being read, but Mr. Kuschwa's letter cheers me up. Sincerely, JOHN W. PHILLIPS, (Contributor of Staccato Notes.) Prohibition at the Quarter Delaware is the ninth state to rati fy the Federal prohibition amend ment. Its Senate acted affirmative tively yesterday, the House having passed the resolution last week. Thus one fourth of the necessary 36 states have ratified the amendment. Of the nine, four are at present "wet," so there is nothing in the situation to encourage tho liquor in terests. Three more states whose legisla tures meet in regular session this year may act on the amendment. The Massachusetts, lawmakers are still in session. The Louisiana Leg islature assembles in May and that of Georgia in June. Special ses sions will be held in some states. In South Dakota one opened yesterday and the Governor of Nebraska has called one for his state. It is reason able to believe affirmative action will be taken by Georgia, South Dakota, and Nebraska, they being "dry." But without speculating on what may be done in the future, we can feel certain of ratification within a year. At the quarter-post prohibition has i such a lead it cannot be headed off. Pennsylvania will have a share in the great victory if its voters are careful to nominate for state sena tors and representatives in the May primaries, candidates pledged to rat ification. —Pittsburgh Gazette Times. Von Hertllng is putting It mildly when he says the world merely is "prejudiced against Germany. Newark News. MARCH 22, 1918. Otfer the MV PCKIUU "Most men do not regard marri age seriously" says Professor Elkus. He might change his mind, if he put a day in the divorce court of Dau. pljin cdunty. Your modern schoolboy is as smart as the grown man of a few years ago. Asked who was the "first man" by his school teacher a lad In a western Pennsylvania school Insisted that it was George Wash ington. "Try to get this once for all" rasped the teacher. "Adam was the first man." "Oh, you're talk in' about foreigners," grinned Ros coe. • * • We have some slight suspicion about the genuineness of this com munication, although the hand writ ing indicates sincerity. "Dear edi tor," asks a love-lorn youth "please tell me why a girl always closes her eyes when a fellow kisses her." One could, no doubt, answer this at length, but the quickest way would be to get a peek at the guy's photo graph. If all the hot air wasted over telephones was done away with, there would be time saved to raise an additional billion bushels of po tatoes in the Keystone State alone. OUR DAILY LAUGH I HER NOTION, "Going to have' a vegetable garden this year?" "Well I thought I'd plant a little succotash." NO WORK FOR HER. "So you've discharged the oook?" "Yes. It seemed, silly to retain, her when I can't get food enough In the house to keep her busy." NOT VERY WARM. "What system of heating have you In your flat?" "The solar system, just at present,? REJECTED. He—How'd yot> Mke a pfct dog? She—'Now, George, haven't I told you that 1 don't intend to marry? Ibming (Etjal Anyone scanning the list of men Injured by tlje explosion at one of the Paxton furnaces of the Central Iron and Steel Company's plant the other day must have been impressed by the fact that so many of the workers mentioned gave residences outside of Harrisburg. The accident was a remarkable one in that no one was really seriously hurt. Gener ally when a blast furnace gets bad it causes much damage and a cas ualty list results. In this case the furnace seems to have had some in digestion and while it caught a doz en or more men none was badly hurt. Hut the interesting thing about the accident was that of a dozen men live lived outside of Harrisburg. As a rule the men who work in Harris burg iron and steel establishments live in this city. In this list one man lived in Steelton, another at Lochiel, one at Knola, another at Penbrook and another in the county outside of any borough. It is a commentary upon the way men are commencing to scatter about the city. Men who work at Steelton live in a score or more communities in this section, some of them as far up as Lucknow and as far out as Hummelstown, while many live in Cumberland coun ty and some in the upper end of York county. The blasting season is on in full force just at present and there must be a tremendous amount of stone be ing used in this section, judging from the rapid lire practice heard in the mornlpgs. It used to be the custom to "tire the shots" in the evenings so that things would be ready for work in the morning. Now 8 to 9 o'clock in the morning seems to be about the time to tire all along, tho hills from Htghsplre to Hummels town. The firing sounds like a bom bardment or practice with big guns far away. The Rev. C. D. Kishel, pastor of South Enola and Mechanicaburg churches, bills fair to rival Henry W. Shoemaker as a writer on sub jects having to do with the history of Pennsylvania. His latest boon, "Which —Barbara or the Indian?" is meeting with a ready sale, it is an exciting story of Benjamin Brown and his sweetheart, Barbara Elder, and the scene is laid in Morrison's Cove, Bedford county, during the perilous period of 1776-82, when the Indians made frequent raids down the Kittanning Path, where now is the famous horse-shoe bend of the Pennsylvania railroad. During these raids the Indians murdered, scalped and plundered. Young Brown was a "conscientious objector" and did not believe in the use of force under any circumstances, but when the great test canle and his sweetheart was under the scalping knife of a big buck Indian, Brown let go with the Indian's own .rifle and shot the savage In the hand. There is no telling what else he would have done had not the Indian decided to run away. The story is replete with historical data and the element of "peace at any price" and the final sad fate of pacific scruples in the final trial make the story very ap plicable to present-day conditions. The writer is also the author of "The Life and Adventures of David Lew is," and of many other books and short stories. Also he has given the government some pointers recently on combatting the submarine and has been in correspondence with the Navy Department on this subject for some time. • • • The State Forestry Department has failed to find the evidences of the labor famine other employers are complaining about. Not lonK ago the department put out a small newspaper item to the effect that 300 men were needed for the spring planting camps. The item brought responses to the number of 650 from men who wanted to enter the state's service, of which 575 were from this state. With the men at hand it would be easy to recruit a force of 1,000 if necessary. Of course the outdoor life in the woods may have had something to do with the gen erous responses, but the pay is not so large as to induce a man to leave steady employment for this tempor ary work. Residents along Derry street, es pecially west of Twenty-fourth are inclined to sleep with buckets of water and old brooms handy because the Reading railroad engines have a habit of throwing sparks around mighty careless like. The grass and brush along the railroad right of way is dry and the sparks start fires in the lots and fields. In the last few weeks there have been numerous (ires which have crept close to buildings and fences and people have been called out many times to light flames when too close for com fort. On one occasion the Royal lire company had to turn out to save a garage. The railroad men say they can't help it. The early man gets the dandelion appears to be the rule this year as alw.-vs because up on the lots in the Tt ..h ward men are out hunting the teader stalks of the weed which Is so much prized when cooked with a little bacon and vinegar dressing. It is a little early for dandelion, but from all accounts the unusual wea ther has brought it out amazingly. Friends of C. E. Frltcher, the stat ute clerk at the State Department and one of the best-posted men in Pennsylvania on the laws and the way they are made, will be glad to know that he is recovering rapidly and will soon be able to be back at his desk. Mr. Frltcher is missed at the Capitol. | WELL KNOWN PEOPLE —W. Fred Reynolds, prominent Bellefonte man, is the brigade ord nance officer of the new Reserve Mil itia and in charge of the rifle prac tice. / —W. T. Ramsey, the Chester legis lator who has decided to run again, is one of the .veterans of the Legis lature. —Rear Admiral Bowles settled matters relating to transit to Hog Island by walking over the streets of Philadelphia and the suburbs. Then ho gave orders. —Mayor Louis Frank, of Johns town, has called a conference to prevent any more big fires In his city. —Superintendent W. M. David son, of the Pittsburgh schools, was the speaker when Latrobe raised its service flag. -—General A. J. Logan has been named as chairman of Pittsburgh's smileage committee. DO YOU KNOW That Harrlisburg steel plates nro used in Japanese factories? HISTORIC HARRISBURG Some of the first successful steel making experiments la the country were made here.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers