Harrisburg telegraph. (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, February 21, 1919, Page 14, Image 14

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    14
HARRISBURG TELEGRAPH
1 NEWSPAPER FOR THE HOME
Founded ISSI
üblished evenings except Sunday by
;HE TELEGRAPH PRINTING CO.
: elegraph Building, Federal Square
E. J. STACKPOLE
President and Editor-in-Chief
l'. R. OYSTER, Business Manager
CUS. M.: -EINMETZ, Managing Editor
A. R. MICHENER, Circulation Manager
Executive Board
J. P. McCULLOUGIf,
BOYD M. OGLESBT,
F. R. OYSTER,
GUS. M. STEINMETZ.
.'fembers 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 pub
lished herein.
All rights of republication of special
dispatches herein are also reserved.
Member American
Newspaper Pub
lishers' Associa
tion, the Audit
Bureau of Circu
lation and Penn-
Associa-
Eastern office.
Story, Brook. > &
Building,
Western office',
Gas' Building'
I Chicago, 111.
Entered at the Post Office in Harris
burg, Pa., as second class matter.
By carrier, ten cents a'
week: by mail, $3.00 a
year in advance.
Oive us, O Lord, so large a view of
Thy masterful and holy love that we
may willingly renounce all evil deeds,
desires and words, laying down life
for Thee in daily patience and con
tinual service.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1919
FOR A DEEPER RIVER
THANKS to Major William B.
Gray, tho Harrisburg Rotary
Club and Congressman Kreider,
the first steps for the canalization
of tho Susquehanna river have been
taken by Congress looking toward
a survey of the stream. Not content
with this first victory, Eli N. Her
shey, president of the Rotary Club,
is about to call a meeting of a spe
cial committee of representative
citizens from points along the Sus
quehanna valley to get earnestly
behind the movement, so that Con
gress and the Legislature may un
derstand that there is real public
sentiment back of il.
It may be possible to link up in
Mime way the power plant plan
of Secretary Lane, which includes
a station at Harrisburg, with the
Susquehanna navigation scheme. As
Chairman Zentmycr, of the State
Water Supply Commission, said in
an address at a Columbia deeper
river rally recently, the power dams
in the river will be of great assist
ance in tho canalizing of the stream.
They make the water deep for long
stretches that can be made travers
able for steamers by a system of
locks. The more dams, the more
cheaply the river can be made navi
gable.
At all events, there is big work
ahead if the movement is to be
successful and those back of it must
be prepared to put their effort into
it for a period of years if they are
to win the fruits of their labors.
The many friends of former Gov
ernor William A. Stone in Harris
burg will mourn with him the loss
of his son. Captain Stone, the result
of an aeroplane accident in France.
The young man received his early
education in tho schools of Harris
burg and was well known here. To
have lost a dear one in battle would
have been sad enough, but to be called
upon for the sacrlfie after tho war
has ended and when the day of home
coming was so near is a terrible blow
indeed.
VERY INCONSIDERATE
GEORGE YVASHINGTON WAS A
great man: no doubt of that.
But at the same time he was
inconsiderate. Any school boy will
tell you, and prove it. For example,
If he was the friend of all honest,
patriotic young Americans, why was
he so careless as to permit his birth
day anniversary ever to fall on a
Saturday?
A CITIZEN OF PARIS
PRESIDENT WfLSON is to re
turn to Paris as quickly as af
fairs at the capital permit. It
begins to look as though he has
taken the French government, which
made him a citizen of Paris, at its
word. It is denied, however, that he
has determined to set up a voting
residence there.
GOOD WORK
CITY SOLICITOR JOHN E. FOX
is deserving or public com
mendation for the businesslike
manner in which he is closing the
long drawn out Haidscrabble pur
chase litigation. Ho is proceeding
along practical lines lo end the legal
controversies, which, after all, were
more apparent than real, and in
closing up the whole Incident. He
has done a good stroke of work for
the city.
The development of this section in
conformity with the general scheme
of river front treatment should be
ii, included in the next program of
i public work. The project has been
hanging lire for a long time and to
push it through to completion at a
FRIDAY EVENING, blajrrisburg telegraph: FEBRUARY 21, 1919.
time when all manner of public
work should be undertaken to meet
possible unemployment would ac
complish a two-fold purpose.
Says Dr. Dillon: "It is unfortunate
that the brotherhood of nations should
be conceived in secrecy and shielded
by censorship maintained by force.'
Sounds more like an autocracy than
a brotherhood.
A REAL CAPITAL CITY
GOVERNOR SPROUL means
to make Harrisburg the
Capital City of Pennsylvania
in fact as well as In name, j
In his speech before the Chamber!
of Commerce and the members
the Legislature at the Penn-Harrisj
Tuesday evening he said he means
j to concentrate In Harrisburg all of
the State offices now scattered broad
cast throughout the Commonwealth.
His suggestion should, and no doubt
does, extend to the Supreme Court
of Pennsylvania, which tribunal of
last resort should sit permanently
in Harrisburg. Chief Justice Brown
and the other members of the court
have expressed themselves as favor
able to a change from the present
peripatetic character of this august
body to regular sittings here in the
spacious and well-equipped quarters
provided. The old objection of no
adequate hotel accommodations no
longer stands.
The people of the State have a
right to expect their officials to have
their headquarters In the capitol and
the Governor again has sensed public
opinion in his determination to con
centrate the scattered State offices
here where they belong.
But as Mr. Sproul said, the re
sponsibility of providing the new
comers with suitable houses rests not
with the State, but with the city. He
places our housing problem in a new
light, or, rather, he casts new light
upon it. Most people have long
since realized that there are few ifj
any good houses at cheap rentals
to be had here and that many of our
smaller houses are run down and not
fit for human habitation. But it
required the Governor's address to
bring us to a clear understanding of
the serious lack of houses of the
more expensive sort.- -
Now that we realize the extent of
the need, we must undertake to rem
edy it. We cannot afford, from any
point of view, to let this chance for
a very material and desirable in
crease in population slip away. We
must prepare to take the Governor
at his word. He will bring the peo
ple to our doors and we must find
homes for them: MUST is the word.
Just how this shall be done is a
question not only for those who are
interested in solving the house short
age, but for the public-minded finan
ciers as well. The public will be
deeply grateful to* the man who of
fers a businesslike solution to this
problem.
Of course, any additional housing
of the right kind will have a bene
ficial bearing on the whole situation.
There is much good sense in the
proposal of the Housing Committee
of the Chamber of Commerce to go
to Philadelphia for an inspection of
the great developments there. The
committee should take with them a
number of the practical builders and
contractors of the city as their guests
in order that they may have the
benefit of the best that Philadelphia
builders recently have incorporated
in their operations. Every scrap of
information that we can gather;
every bit of knowledge we can ac
cumulate as to what has been done
elsewhere to meet similar conditions
we ought to have. Our problem
I here has developed into one that can
| not wait. The Governor's decision
I to bring more people to Harrisburg
j gives the situation a new and some
what unexpected angle, demanding
that quick and perhaps unusual
methods be devised to meet it.
"U. S. cancels trade ban on old Ger-,
rran colonies," says a news dispatch.
But not on old Germany, we are
happy to say.
"Baker answers Ansell charges,"
but he skipped over some of them
rather lightly.
It's a little early, but we hope this
is the onion snow.
Another reason for being good is
that we suspect hades is full of Ger
mans.
ToUUctCn,
fe-KKt^lcaiua,
By the Elx-Commlttecmaa
Notwithstanding some statements
that have been made pretty widely
William C. Sproul is not committed
to tho repeal of the non-partisan
election laty of second class cities.
The Governor'has said that he re
gards the non-partisan law as
worthy to be repealed as far as
election of judges is concerned, but
he is not yet on record on the sub
ject of the non-partisan feature for
seoond or third class cities.
Some of the legislative leaders
have given the impression that the
Governor is behind the repealer of
the second class city feature of the
act of 1913. From an authorita
tive source it is learned that the
Governor is not. Neither has he
given any assurances regarding the
third class city non-partisan law.
The Governor is familiar with the
way the law has operated in Pitts
burgh and Scranton and knows from
his residence in Chester how it has
worked in the third class cities.
It is also said that the Governor
has not given his approval to the
rumored changes of council sys
tem for tl\e second class cities.
—The Pittsburgh Gazette-Times is
taking a pronounced stand on the
second class city legislation. It says
editorially: "Reports from Harris
burg of political activities directed
against the councilmanic system of
cities of the second class should be
sufficient warning to Pittsburghers to
be vigilant in protection of their
interests. No scheme to deprive this
city of the benefits it has derived
from the small council can suc
ceed against the protests of its citi
zens. There is reason to believe
that the would-be manipulators of
the Legislature would find them
selves frustrated by Governor
Sproul were they to carry their plan
through House and Senate, which
they arc not likely to do. The
Governor lias virtually gone on rec
ord against any change, since he
said in this city only ten days ago
that, "all I have heard is that your
present system has been very satis
factory compared with the old sys
tem." He correctly gauged public
sentiment, here but it is evident that
certain selfish political interests have
faith that they can convince him
to the contrary. They count on
silence by' the people to give an
appearance of acquiescence in their
plan and help them to success.
Public duty is plain, therefore.
Citizens, be on your guard. Make
known your opposition to the
scheme. That will kill it."
—Governor William C. Sproul and
Attorney General William I. Schaf
fer, who are in Chester for the
week end, will not return to Harris
burg until Tuesday evening as they
will stay in their home city to "vote
for JJick" as the Governor put it
in referring to the special election
for senator to fill the place he oc
cupied for a quarter of a century
and for which Ex-Speaker Richard
J. Baldwin is the Republican nom
inee. While away from this city
they will determine upon the bond
issue enabling legislation.
—Governor Sproul will not act on
the Allegheny county two judge "bill
this week. However, that has not
prevented friends of a number of
men from getting very busy in be
half of appointment booms. The
name of Ex-Senator Charles H.
Kline, of Pittsburgh, continues to
be much mentioned in connection
with one of the places.
—The Delaware county election
will be held at the same time as
the Dauphiji cdunty election, the
first time such a situation has ever
arisen in the State. The election
of Frank A. Smith in Dauphin is
as assured as that of Baldwin in
Philadelphia.
—The new senators will be sworn
in March 3.
—Members of tho Legislature who
remained in Harrisburg over the
week end were trying to climb out
from under a flood of new bills
a couple-, of truck loads having
reached the Capitol last night and
being distributed today. The House
has almost 600 bills in hand.
—The resolution to ratify the
Prohibition amendment, the big
feature of the early part of the
session, will be out of the way in
a week. The Senate has placed it
on the second reading calendar and
at least 31 votes for it, a safe
majority, are predicted for final
pasaage on Tuesday. It will go
through second reading Monday
night. Then the regulatory legis
lation, which promises to be most
interesting, will stai"t.
—lt is up to the Governor to de
cide in the next week or so just
what to do about the constitutional
changes. The bills for a commis
sion to consider revision have been
drawn, but will be disposed of by
the Governor and his legal advisor
in conference before long. The
main question is when to have the
election on whether to revise the
constitution and to hold the election.
If it is to be done in the Sproul
term the ways must be provided this
session.
—The Philadelphia city charter
bill, which will give the views of
the revisionists and likely be antag
onized by the Vares, will come in
Monday or Tuesday. The second
class city legislation will also come
to the surface then and a commun
ity of interest in the hope of abolish
ing the .non-partisan feature for
such municipalities and of secur
ing councilmanic changes may be
sought. Advocates tot throwing the
non-partisan election out of the
third class <lty act will get busy
about the same time.
—The Pittsburgh Post is against
any more judges, especially for Alle
gheny. It says: The passage by the
Legislature of the bill providing
for two more common pleas judge
ships here and the putting through
in the House of the measure giv
ing tho appointive school boards of
Pittsburgh and Philadelphia power
to increase the tax levy give the
citizens a subject for thought. No
matter how necessary more judges
may be, it remains that there was
no public discussion here in the
matter or any effort made to con
vince the people of the necessity
before acting."
—Election law changes are.getting
attention from the Philadelphia
Press these days. Concerning a re
cent bill it says: "The bill intro
duced at Harrisburg to permit any
party square and also mark it for
a single candidate of another party
designation is a very desirable
amendment to the election laws. Its
need has dieen frequently discussed
and the only objections raised to it
were those of professional politi
cians, whose interest lies in secur
ing party "regularity" and the elec
tion of the "whole ticket" bv mak
ing cutting as hard as possible."
Sang by. the A. E. F.
On the other side of Paris,
In the sweet Pontenazan.
There is Brest for tho weary,
There is Brest for you.
From the New York Tribune.
DAYS OF REAL SPORT
DECREASING PRICES
(Carl Snyder in New York Tribune.) |
It is not always the universally i
expected that happens. There was
a universal expectation that the |
coming of peace would bring a i
drastic decline in war prices. That j
expectation still subsists. I wish i
to suggest that posibly a very large j
part of this expected decline has I
already taken place, and this fact j
may have a large bearing on the j
course of prices in the next year.
Let us take a few instances:
From the peak of the war price j
wheat is now down from about $3.25 |
to $2.26, or about 30 per cent.
Cotton is down from 37 cents to !
25 cents, or about 33 per cent. j
Copper has fallen from a high j
price of 36 cents to 18 cents, or 50
per cent.
Corn is down from about $2.25 i
to $1.25, or 45 per cent.
Pig iron has fallen from a peak
of $57 tD around $37, or more than
one-third.
Steeil billets reached a peak of:
$lOO. They are now $47.50, a de
cline of over half.
Spelter was 16 cents a pound. It
Is now 7 cents.
Carbolic acid was as high as 60
cents, tl is now 12 cents, a decline
of 80 per cent.
Butter was 70 cents wholesale. It j
is now around 52 cents.
Eggs rose to 72 cents. They are
now 45 cents.
Here are ten basic commodities in i
which the average decline from the i
high price of the war is more than I
40 per cent. The rise of ail com
moditiea during the war, on Dun's
and Bradstreet's indices, was only
about 90 per cent, and it will be
seen that in a great many commodi
ties a large part of the war-time
gain has already been lost.
Is There Cause For Fear ?
(From the New York Times.)
To what extent, if any, this c 01 1"*
try is endangered by the BolsheUki
or their brothers in the I. W. YV.
that is a question which many are
asking, in these days, and very
rarely do the inquirers seem to see
or feel that they arc seeking info -
mation about anybody except tho
avowed members of such organiza
tions, their admirers and sympa
thizers. Yet all three taken to
gether are not very numerous, e\en
according to their own cstimates
and the anxiety revealed j" the large
amount of talk about them now
going on is really based, not on ap
prehension of what these *ewhalf
mad. half-criminal folk can o will
do 6f themselves in the United
States, but on what ,is assumed to
be the probability that they
bring something like a majority of
Americans around to their own way
of thinking and doing.
Now that assumption ought to be
deeply humiliating to any American
worthy of the name who makes it.
For if there is such a probability,
or even such a possibility, the fact
more than hints that in all the
years during which we have been
u. nation something we have done
or left undone is vastly to our dis
credit We are the product of our
institutions and our schools, and if
any considerable number of us can
be convinced by Bolshevist argu
ment, see beauty in Bolshevist
ideals, and can share the Bol
shevist preference for class tyranny
over a democratic equality of rights
and opportunity, then—well, then
we are much to be pitied and even
more to be scorned.
For Bolshevist arguments are ab
surd Bolshevist ideals are despic
able' and the Bolshevist preference
is quite as much without attraction
for the workingman who reasons as
for the millionaire capitalist.
Meeting With the Farmers
The gathering with the farmers in
Wilkes-Barre next Wednesday prom
ises to surpass in attendance and
interest similar gatherings held last
year. The Chamber of Commerce
under whose auspices the meeting
is to be held, hit upon a novel plan
of cooperation when it tnauguarated
the movement to bring the tiller of
the soil and the consumer closer
together, that they might discuss
the problems that mutually concern
them. It has attracted much at
tention elsewhere.
It is strange that the plun had not
heretofore been developed. Business
men of various branches find It to
their advantage to meet together and
co-operate along certain lines. *Why
not the farmers and Ihe people with
whom they do business every day in
the year It is to the Interest of
the farmer ito improve his market
It is lo the interest of the people
who depend upon him for food to
help him to get the best out of
his farm, which loads to financial
assistance to good toads, lo better
transportation facilities. Wilkes-
Barre Record.
"Safety First" in Railroading
New Facts About Coloring of Glass Show Engine Drivers
May Not Be to Blame For Misunder
standing Signals
ENGINE drivers • and subway
motonnen who fail to distin
guish the hues of colored lights
may not always be growing color
blind, as their errors may be due
sometimes to faults in the material
used to tint lenses,* according to
H. E. Howe, of the American Chemi
cal Society.
Recent investigations and tests
show that not only the eyes of the
man must be perfect in their color
perception, but that the utmost care
must be taken by the chemist in ad
vising the kind of material for color
ing glass.
Red as a danger signal and green
for a clcur track arc firmly establish
ed in railroading. What would hap
pen if the same signal appeared
sometimes red and sometimes green
to the man in the cab? But for the
safeguards of chemistry this might
occur frequently and, in fact, it has
happened enough lately to cause rail
road executives and manufacturers
i he unusually careful about the
composition and coloring of the
lenses of the lanterns employed in
signaling.
An engine driver who had been
running on a certain railroad for
years was suspected of failing vision,
and was sent to the office of the
traffic superintendent to examine and
identify a mixed skein of colored
yarns. He was deeply offended that
anyone should ask him to undergo
such a test.
"I am not an old woman!" lie ex
claimed. "Meet me in the yards to
night and I will pick out'the lights
for you, all right."
Three lights were placed on an
engine and ihe veteran of the lever
was asked their color.
HINTS FROM DICKENS
For the unique in advertising the
columns of the London Times are
almost unrivaled. What pictures are
conjured up by the following ad:
It is hoped that the irate
colonel who, metaphorically '
speaking, sat on an unoffend
ing subsaltern in a Wqst End
tube train a day or two ago,
lias now discovered his mistake
and made peace with the third
party.
And what possibilities for a pres
ent day Dickens are contained in
this:
Bank of England note receiv
ed. We thank unknown friend
whose gift relieves much anx
iety.
In lighter vain, but of serious pur
pose is the following:
Notice—if the pet goat left
with me October last by Mrs.
H. L. is not claimed within
seven days, it will be sold to
defray expenses.
And here is something that E.
Phillips Oppenheim ought to look
into:
Will the officer whose cham
pagne glass was overturned at
Cafe Royal Wednesday evening,
January 22. communicate at
Savoy Hotel with gentleman
whose card he has.
LABOR NOTES
The Winnipeg (Can.,) Motor
Trades Association has gone on re
cord as being strongly in favor of
the re-employment by the automo
bile firms of all former employes
wlio have served in the Canadian
overseas forces.
A decision of the War Labor
Board gives to employes of the Gem
Metal Products Corporation of
Brooklyn, N. Y„ a wage increase of
$5 a week, a closed shop and a
4S-hour week.
Tho closing of German factorties,
either by lack of materials or mar
kets for Iheir finished products, will,
it is claimed, force thousands of
1 men into idleness and probably lead
to Bolshevism.
The Alberta (Can.,) Federation
of Labor has passed a resolution
demanding the release of Thomas
Shannon, a miner of Diamond City,
who was convicted of having in his
possession a copy of a bunned sedi
tious publication.
Thirty-three lodges of the Broth
erhood of Railway Clerks, represent
ing the Southwestern section, met
recently in Waco Texas, and formed
an organization to he known as the
Southwestern Federation of Railway
Clerks.
"They're red," he answered.
The locomotive was moved further
away and the driver again identi
fied the lights as red.
When the distance was further
increased, he said: "two red witli a
green between them."
The test was repeated witli the j
same perplexing result.
This was the situation. The man
was growing weak in color percep
tion, especially as far as led was
concerned. It was not all his fault j
for it has been found that there arc I
differences in the red glass discs of I
the lunterns, as revealed lately by
analysis. Glass transmits Ihosc wave
lengths which it cannot absorb*. In
this instance, tiie center red glass I
had permitted greeti to pass with
the red and while all eyes would not
have perceived it, others with pe
culiar characterisitics would Have'
done so. The red discs employed
were made of copper ruby glass.
Glass that is unquestionably red owes I
its true transmission of- red rays to!
the presence of a waste material, a'
by-product of copper refining, for I
which chemistry had been seeking!
a use —selenium. ' If 'selenium ruby |
glass he compared with other ruby
glass tiy means of a spectroscope, it
is seen that those colors beyond llio
red, and toward the blue end of
the spectnum fail to pass it. wlii'e
various wave lengths slip throughl
other less relinblc vitreous material. |
This test has become standardized i
and a speotroscope permits only glass
of the proper qualities to get into the
railway signals.
If a man sees red now. and now j
green, as to his responsibility. So j
tlie chemist does his part in the rail-]
road cumpuign for "SAFETY l
FIRST."
INFLUENZA GERM FOUND
(From the Buffalo Courier)
British official reports of the armyj
medical service announce that the]
germ or virus of the influenza has
been "isolated" by in the
army's laboratories.
This news, which may be accepted
us true, since the British officials are
far from given to exploiting uncer
tainties, is one of the most important
items which have come over the
wires since the ending of the war.
Notwithstanding all the publicity
which lias been given lo the war's
losses, it is a fact that, since the
latest world epidemic appeared in
Spain, the influenza has killed more
people of the globe than were killed
in battle.
While the world is seeking to end
wars it may well devote all possible
energies of its medical science to
end, or at least check, the ravages of
this latest "plague" of the nations
and peoples.
After (hey had killed unnumbered
millions, smallpox, the cholera, yel
| low fever and the bubonic plague
have been largely conquered by med
ical and sanilnry science. Tubercu-
I losis is slowly being defeated.
! Now, as a first slep, the germ of
the influenza is located, it may be
i expected that sooner or later' the
| means of combating or destroying it
] will be worked out.
How It Happened
! Here is a report from the Civil
War archives concerning the cap-
I turtng of a rebel battalion by a bat
| talion of Union troops, in which the
major, detailing the engugcnient,
j wrote as follows:
1 "Our left was trying to move
! around the rebel right, but the rebel
right was also moving around our
left. When tho left of the rebel
right moved around the right of our
left, w.hut was left of the rebel right
was right where our right had just
left. So when the rebel right's left
was left right where our right had
left, our right was left right left of
Iheir right, and that's how it hap
pened."—From the Los Angeles
Times.
Government Ownersliip
The.little burg into which Mar
guerite Clark falls from "Out of a
dear Sky" is or wus, supposed to
be in Tennessee. Yet. in spite of
thip, I observe on the tender of the
engine shown the Initials of the New
York, New Haven & Hartford (N.
Y., N. H. & H.) Railway. Has gov
ernment control of railroads reached
such a stage that New England
trains are required to travel 'way
'way down tlieah? —From Photo
i play Magazine.
"THE INDIAN BRAVES"
By the forest of silver birches.
Quickened to Springtime's thrill
They folded their tribal blankets
On a morning gray and still,
When from far came the sound of
bugles'.
Calling the nation to war.
On the shores of the sapphire
waters,
Glad in the Springtime's thaw,
Flames of columbine beckoned
them —
Red as the camptlre's heart;
But they answer the throbbing
ward rum,
And swiftly the Braves depart.
• * m
They come now again to their for
ests.
Shining lances at rest;
Their ranks are sorely broken—
Ah! but they fought with the best!
By the whispering waters their ;
maidens
Toiled the moons away;
They dreamed, as the great guns'
thunder
Shook the Gates of Day,
Of their Heroes with laurels return
ing
And Glory's Flag unfurled,
But dreamed not that so,.ic would
be sleeping
In crimson fields of the world.
Down the old trail sing the larches—
Down the old trail sing the laches—
Wild andweird their songs— !
Sweet to the battle-chiefs sounding, j
Here their souls belong.
Shall the leaves of their shining
laurels
Wither upon their brow.
Or in Halls of the Nation blossom.
Token of Freedom's Vow?
—Antoinette Edmuridson.
STORIES IN PAINT
[Front the New York Post]
Besides armor and hand grenades,
war has revived historical painting.
What Willi Augustus John's "Pageant
of War," lust fall's Allied War Salon,
and the coming of the official British
war paintings, it is clear that, for bet
ter or for worse, the "story telling
picture" is with us anew. Critics
shudder, of course. Buskin said that
people worshipped Landseer not be
cause they admired art, but be
cause they admired dogs.
Story telling in paint imposes limi
tations. Your composition is ready
made and your color scheme pre
arranged. You ure, so to speak, an
illustrator. You must follow the
text. Ami you never quite escape
suspicion thai literature, not paint
ing, is the best medium of narrative.
James Whitecomb Riley beats you
at sentimentalizing. Milton beats you
|at glorious scene building. When it
I comes to reciting history, you com
pete unequally with Macuulay or
Parkntan.
Was it altogether a happy thing to
banish the story telling picture out
right? You could prowl through
a gallery of contemporary art with
out finding a trace of the once num
erous Bible chapters on canvas, hist
ory lessons on canvas, or mythologi
cal whoppers on canvas.
Instead you would have "effects"
of sunlight of colors, of aerial per
spcciive. You noted a number, and
running it down in your catalogue,
came upon "Arrangement In Mauve,"
or "Girl seated."or "But Yet a Tree."
This ran counter to the childish
desire which persists in many grown
ups that a picture shall he "about"
something. The artists you talked
with scented rich in ideas; why were
there no ideas in tlicir pictures?
It would he rash to urge American
painters to go in for the "literary"
picture. The critics are notoriously
wary. The moment you exhibit a
story telling picture they suspect
trickery, an attempt to cover up
artistic inferiority. True, you may
ce'ebrato the exploits of Pocahontas
in lunettes for a hotel of that name,
or paint the career of Francis E.
Willard for the Illinois state capitol.
The same pictures in an exhibition
will bring down upon you whole
squads of critical detectives.
But an occasional story telling
Picture might add a note of vivacity
to the somewhat neutral tinted ex
perience of gallery going, and in
a sense different front the usual one
be educational.
Those tiny French urchins you see
at the Louvre are having a good time
not because they appreciate art, but
because they appreciate stories. Tn
that way they conic to love pictures,
and by and by love them for fhelr
aesthetic qualities as well as for their
entertaining qualities.
"No News lo Speak Of"
Well, it has been long since I
writ to you. Fact is. I don't know
how long it has been. We don't
have much news here of late. Since
they quit sending us any booze we
have not had a tight, foot race or a
wedding.—From the Heber Springs
Headlight.
lEbptttttg QHjat
More people are today looking up
income tax matters than ever known
before in the history of Harrisburg.
For the tirst time quite a few
have realized that even if they do
not have to pay taxes they must
make reports and they are stirring
around looking up advice and ask
ing more questions than they expect
ed to be thrust at them in a long
time. Owing to the industrial act
ivity there was much money earned
in Harrisburg the last year and
quite a few persons who made good
wages have been surprised to learn
that they are now in the class whicn
used to be styled plutocratic and that
that they must help pay for the war.
while the man and woman who had
the distinction of having paid taxes
on incomes have found that they
must pay proportionately more. Sev
eral men who were engaged on mil-
I nitions and on railroad work have
discovered that they are going to be
, income taxpayers and the men in
banks and in various offices have
been busier answering questions
from customers than they were in re
ceiving deposits last summer when
the war was waging and the produc
tion of shells and other things in
Harrisburg was humming along at
top speed. The chances are that
for the next three weeks there will
be more doing in the line of question
ing and answering on incomes than
ever dreamed of by people who had
not considered that they were liable
to Uncle Sam for taxes.
A story heard last year about a
man employed on one of the rail
roads came up yesterday in a new
form and it relates to the income
tax. There was a man who had
made money and who owned a car.
He had some money in the bank and
one evening lie figured up what he
had made and what the car had cost
him.
"I found out not only that I had
been going some, but that Uncle
Sam is chasing me. I am going to
see a banker," said he.
The removal of the poles from
Walnut street will take away from
the heart of the city an eyesore that
has been one of the marring fea
tures of the city. It is only fair to
say, however, that the obstructions
would have come down a year ago
had not the war come along to make
prices high and labor scarce. The
poles are fast disappearing from the
principal thoroughfares of the citj
and all of the public service com
panies have been co-operating to that
end in a harmonious manner. There
is a report current now that ver>
soon the telegraph and telephone
companies will get rid of all over
head wires between Philadelphia
and Pittsburgh, running through
this city, but it is likely nothins
will be done along this line so lons
as the companies are under Federal
control.
Already plans are being made to
canvass for the next loan—the Vic
tory Loan. "It is common talk that
the hanks are going to take this
loan," said one of the men who has
been a leader in putting other is
sues across in Harrisburg. "There
is nothing to it. The banks will take
the Treasury Ceryficates. Nobody
denies this. The spirit shown by th
banks since the signing of the arms
tice has been splendid. We sill have
come to see that the American bank
er is a quiet, unassuming supporter
of the government. Ts it reasonable
to suppose that the public, of which
he is a part, will not be called upon
to do its part? Distribution is just
as essential now as ever. A nice
financial situation would arise if the
banks were forced to absorb five
billion or so of the new issue to have
and to hold. I believe the readjust
ment will soon be over. Business
must be carried on and precious
little business can find air to breathe
in an atmosphere of clogged banks,
Every business man who buys bonds
lightens the burden, relieves the
ban'.* trd ushers himself and all his
fellows !ud> ♦he realm of prosperity
• * •
"There is moce interest than you
can imagine in the deeper Susque
hanna river project," said Ell N.
Hershey, of the notary Club today.
j"I finel it all along the stream. Every
| community has its boosters. I be
\ lieve we shall have a big gathering
on March 3 when the newly appoint
lod committee gathers here for its
i first session. 1 discover that a mil
lion dollars does not look like such
a big sum to business men as it did
before the war. Congress also is
in a more liberal frame of mind."
Congressman Kreider, who was kept
away from the previous meeting
held here to boost the river project,
will attend the next meeting, as
will representatives of Columbia,
Sunbury, Williamsport, Lancaster,
York and many other communities
interested.
The open season for students ot
civil government is at hand. ' Stu
dents from a number of the high
schools in this section have beer
coining to the legislative halls to
hear the debates. The Senate thus
far has furnished most of the en
tertainment for the students. But
there is something in store.
[ WELL KNOWN PEOPLE 1
—Judge C. I. Landis, of Lancas
ter county, is an authority on the
history of that county.
—Judge Isaac Johnson, of Dela
ware, is to be elected head of th
State Board of Public Charities,
next month.
—Judge R. B. McCormick, ot
Clinton, has been holding special
sessions in Philadelphia.
—Judge Gustave A. Endlich, ot
Berks,, endorsed by the bar of hi!
county for re-election, has sat on
the bench almost a quarter of a cen
| tury.
—Judge S. F. Channel, of Tioga
county, is an active officer in th
Red Cross of the State.
—Judge John G. Harman, of Col.
umbia county, used to be Demo
cratic floor leader in the House.
—Judge J. N. Langham, of In
diana county, is an authority or
state tax cases, having formerly
been in the auditor general's office,
—Judge A. T. Searle, of Wayne,
used to be assistant to Judge Me-
Carrell when United States attorney,
| DO YOU KNOW ]
—That Harrisburg lias been
a seat of courts for 134 years
this summer?
HISTORIC HARRISBURG
—The first court was held in a
log tavern near Front and Wash
ington streets.
Deep Sea Milking
The whale is said to yield a bar-i
rel of milk at a milking. But what
happens to the milker if she geW
careless with her tail?— From
! Detroit Free Press.