10
HARRISBURG TELEGRAPH
A XmVBPAPER FOR THE BOMB
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TUESDAY, MAY 13, 1919
After your death you were better
have a bad epitaph, than ill report
while you lived.—Shopespeare.
GERMANY WILL SIGN
GERMANY will continue to pro
test against the terms of the
peace treaty, but Germany will
sign. What else is there for her to
do? Join with Russia and go Bol
shevik? Not if the former prince
lings and diplomats who are in con
trol of the German peace delegation
know it. All their interests lie in
the other direction. They are men
of property who would lose their
holdings if Lenine and his methods
are set up as models in Germany.
No, they will not turn Bolshevik
and they will sign—or starve, and it
is against the German nature to go
hungry if the wherewithal to fill the
stomach may be had.
Unquestionably, the treaty is a
bitter dose, but as Maximillian Har
den, the noted German editor, says:
"What else could you expect?" Un
questionably, also, the German del
egates would like to get the allies
into discussions that might lead to
differences of opinion and an open
breach that in turn would redound
to Germany's advantage. But the
allies are standing firm, and in the
end the Germans will sign, and hav
ing signed they will have to pay.
The price of defeat is high, but the
stipulations of the treaty are mild
beside those the Kaiser planned to
impose if the Central Powers won.
Germany meant to rule the world
with an iron hand. America and all
other countries were to become Ger
man colonies. A German princeling
was to be regent of America. Even
the name of Washington was to be
Germanized. Beside these the terms
of the allies are generous in the ex
treme.
PLENTY OF THRILLS
SAYS the Kansas City Star, com
menting upon the lack of at
tention with which the trans-
Atlantic flight has been received by
the reading public: "We are coming
to be a jaded world. Are there no
thrills left at all?"
And we reply in the negative. We
are not jaded, and there are thrills
aplenty.
We judge our friend, the author of
the Star's entertaining and entirely
human editorial column, must have
gone on a vacation and left one of
the callous young men who prepare
the police court copy for the paper
to write the editorials. It is the
observation of old newspapermen
that the new reporter seldom sees
any good in the world, and it is only
by long experience that he comqs to
understand that the world is a really
a very good old world, that romance
waits around every corner, that nine
out of every ten little homes have
their own pretty little love stories,
that the milk of human kindness
flows freely in the veins of even the
meanest of us and that often it will
make its presence felt under the
moat unexpected circumstances. And
by the same token the old and expe
rienced newspaperman knows that
there are thrills aplenty in the
world: thrills the like of which the
best efforts of a star reporter, with
an exciting murder mystery as his
subject, could not conjure up. But,
of course, not all of them find their
way into print. There is, for ex
ample, the thrill of mother or sweet
heart when she hears her beloved
has embarked for home after help
ing beat the Hun in France, the
thrill of the father in the honest,
level-eyed gaze of a sturdy son, the
thrill of lovers when they meet in
the gloaming, the thrill of patriot
ism in the boyish heart when the old
flag goes by, the thrill of the hunter
as he heads into the wilderness, the
thrill of the fisherman when the
trout strikes his fly, the thrill 'of the
school boy with vacation Just ahead;
oh, there are thrills, and thrills;
thrills aplenty; only some of us have
hardened our hearts to them, and
some of us are too callous to feel
And, othexn
TUESDAY EVENING, HXRRXSBURG
mental eocktall or two before our
barnacle-covered thrillers will eet
under way.
BUSINESS BAROMETER
THE number of business failures
recorded in any given period
may not reflect the activity or
stagnation of trade prevailing at the
time, but the record of failures un
questionably may be taken as an
unfailing indication of business sta
bility or uncertainty, as the case may
be.
That being true, there should be
encouragement for jloubtlng souls
in the financial failures
last month and for the year to date
as compared with those of the same
intervals last year. Notwithstand
ing that war prosperity was at its
height in 1918, the number of fail
ures the first four months of 1919
Iwere only 2,012, or 47 less than for
the same months in 1918, and the to
tal number of failures in the United
States during April was only 462,
the lowest since 1894, and 44 per
cent, below the record for April of
last year.
NON-PARTISAN REPEALER
JUST why anybody in Pennsylva
nia should get all "het up" the
way certain members of the
Third Class City League appear to be
over the passage by the Legislature
of the bill to repeal the non-partisan
clause of the Clark small council act
is not clear. Certainly, the law has
not eliminated politics from city
council in Harrisburg, and we do not
believe it has in any city in the Com
monwealth. By the very nature of
conditions it could not. The only
effect the non-partisan clause did
have was to take into the field a vast
number of candidates in the pri
mary elections, many of whom were
utterly unfit and who got but a
handful of the result that
those who were nominated were in
few cases the choice of a majority
of the voters participating in the
elections.
And in Harrisburg, at least, party
politics has not stopped at the gen
eral elections. Always there has been
a sharp division along party lines,
except when it happened that all
five members were Republicans, as
is at present the case.
Senator Smith acted in accord
with local public opinion when he
voted for the repealer. Harrisburg
people know that the non-partisan
elections under the Clark act have
always been violently partisan and
they would like to have a spade
called a spade. They would prefer
that a Republican run as a Repub
lican and a Democrat as a Democrat,
rather than each masquerade as a
non-partisan, ready to throw oft the
mask at the first propitious mo
ment.
WORTHY MEASURES
THERE are several bills pending
in the Legislature having for
their purpose the control and
suppression of vice in Pennsylvania
and it is almost certain that some of
these measures will be enacted into
law before the end of the session.
During the war activities much
was done to create public sentiment
on this subject and in many of the
cities and towns active committees
were organized for co-operation with
the authorities in overcoming the
conditions. It is urged that under
existing laws there are certain forms
of vice which cannot be properly
reached and the pending bills are
intended to overcome the situation.
Commissione rof Health Martin is
taking vigorous measures to suppress
prostitution in this State, with a view
to making cleaner cities and com
munities generally. Many civic or
ganizations are taking part in this
work and co-operating with the De
partment of Justice and the local au
thorities. Any legislation that will
strengthen the hands of those en
gaged in this laudable work will
have the approval of the people in
every part of the State.
"SILLY," INDEED
THE New York World reprints
the following editorial from the
columns of the Harrisburg
Patriot and Union, November 24,
1863, characterizing President Lin
coln's famous Gettysburg speech as
"silly remarks":
The President succeeded on
this occasion because he acted
without sense and without con
straint in a panorama that was
gotten up more for the benefit of
his party than for the glory of
the nation and the honor of the
dead. * * • We pass over
the silly remarks of the Presi
dent; for the credit of the na
tion we are willing that the veil
of oblivion shall be dropped over
them and that they shall no more
be repeated or thought of.
Says the World, byway of com
ment:
This is not an extract from an
editorial in the Netv York Sun or
the New York Tribune. Nor were
the sentiments quoted above
taken from any of the public ut
terances of Senator Foindexter or
Senator Sherman or Senator
McCormlck. They are from an
editorial that was printed in the
Harrisburg Patriot and Union on
November 24, 1863, and have no
reference to Woodrow Wilson.
The President in question was
Abraham Lincoln. The "silly re
marks" were the Gettysburg
speech.
Of, course, the purpose of the
World Is to compare President Wil
son with Lincoln and to discourage
criticism of his actions in France.
But President Wilson never uttered
a Gettysburg speech. When he had
the opportunity to do so, upon the
occasion of the great reunion of
the Blue and Gray on the battle
field a few years ago, he failled so
miserably that nobody now remem
bers what he said. But the real
point to the remarks on Lincoln's
address which the Harrisburg
Patriot and Union felt called upon
to make and to which the World so
properly takes exception, is that for
the past fifty years and more Demo
cratic newspapers of this stamp have,
anything emanating from the Re
publican party. To their jaundiced
vision everything Republican was
in bad, most Republicans are crooks
and even Lincoln was "silly."
IfoCilSe* £*>
'Puiot(to<uik
By As Ti OsimiMlM na—
While the movement for an unin
structed delegation from Pennsyl
vania to the next Republican na
tional convention Is growing very
strong in the State, some of the
Western Pennsylvania people are
very much disposed not to allow
the name of Senator Philander C.
Knox to be overlooked when Presi
dential possibilities are mentioned.
Similarlly, Philadelphia people are
inclined to boost the qualifications
of Governor William C. Sproul.
The Governor some time ago said
that he did not Intend to allow the
buzzing of any Presidential bee to
, distract his attention from his work
as the business head of a business
State and possibly he had,, the ex
perience of some Governors in years
gone by in mind. To callers lately,
the Governor has expressed a very
set determination to make his ad
ministration of State affairs notable
for efficiency of its methods and to
achieve legislative results that will
be constructive and lasting.
—Members of the State Senate
are getting ready to give a great
greeting to Colonel Joseph H.
Thompson, of the One Hundred and
Tenth Regiment, at the review in
Philadelphia 'on Thursday. The
Colonel was Senator from the Lawr
ence-Beaver district for a term and
is one of the best known men in
legislative circles. It would not bei
surprising if he would return to!
politics and, perhaps, figure in a
State way.
—Another man who was in the
war who will likely be heard of is
Colonel Asher Miner, of Wilkes-
Barre, who commanded the artillery
regiment formed of the old Ninth
Pennsylvania, and who lost a foot
in action. Colonel Miner served in
the Legislature and is well known
to many men in public life.
—From all accounts it is the ad
ministration plan to pass the com
pensation bills, although the reor
ganization measure will be amended
so as to increase authority of the
commissioner of Labor and Industry.
There is no disposition to make a
separate department of the Com
pensation Bureau and as far as the
abridgment of the appointing power
of the commissioner of labor, there
will be -nothing doing. Opposition
to the increase of rates in the com
pensation act will be manifested
strongly in the next few weeks.
—Much interest has been aroused
in the "Farmer's Dinner" to be held
to-night by the members of the Leg
islature who own or operate farms.
The dinner will be attended by Gov
ernor Sproul and Secretary of Agri
culture Rasmussen. The Secretary
is expected to make some statement
of his aims. Representative C. G.
Jordan, of Lawrence county, will
preside.
—Men active in the Philadelphia
charter revision announced early
this morning that this was going to
be a quiet week. The Philadelphia
bills will rest in committee until
the Governor gets a chance to go
over them and meanwhile the vari
ous accompanying measures will be
permitted to rest. So will the Dis
trict Attorney bills.
—The fact that Senator Wood
ward, one of the charter revisors,
voted to repeal the third-class city
nonpartisan election law last night
was much commented upon. The
neagtives were: Baldwin, F. E. and
R. J.; Barr, Craig, Dewitt, Herron,
Leiby, Phipps, Sassaman, Snyder,
Tompkins and Turner.
• —The Mclntyre bill passed last
night for equalization of teachers'
salaries was the first put through by
the Teachers' Union, a new organi
zation.
—Many members of the State
Federation of Labor visited the leg
islative halls last night.
—Representative E. R. Cox, of
Philadelphia, presided in the House
for a time last night,
—The legislative baseball game
for the benefit of Harrisburg char
ities is to take place to-morrow af
ternoon at 3:30 at the Island. The
battery for the Ayes will be Brady
and Willson, the former an old
Penn player: and for the Noes.
Quigiey, of Penn State, and Mcln
tyre. Some of the best known leg
islative batters and aviators will
play.
—The Public Ledger in an edi
torial accepts the anti-sedition bill.
After reviewing the amendments it
says: "No one supposes that it was
the intention to stifle freedom of
speech and writing, but that would
have been the effect of the bill as
originally drawn. But by omitting
two of the objectional definitions,,
that which would have penalized
the inciting of 'discontent' with gov
ernment and that describing dis
turbance of 'peace and tranquillity
as sedition,' and by the addition of
a phrase making it clear that the
penalties for sedition are to be im
posed only when seditious intent is
proved, the bills becomes no longer
open to the objections tliat have
been urged against its enactment."
—An interesting situation in in
ternal revenue service is contained
in a dispatch from Reading, which
says Jerome J. Leahy, of Philadelr
phia, has been appointed depuw'
collector of internall revenue, with
headquarters in Reading, to succeed
Jacob Scheifele, who resigned on
April 1. The appointment of Leahy,
who is a former newspaper man,
was recommended by Ephrlam Led
erer, internal revenue collector at
Philadelphia, and approved by the
department at Washington. Leahy
wns certified from the civil service
list. Scheifele resigned on account
of the new tax laws Increasing the
duties of the office, which pays
SI,BOO a year.
Happy Orchards
Happy orchards now we see.
Apricot and Damson tree,
Peach and pear and golden plum,
And soon the apple bloom will come.
How they happen, only they
Who have hearts the proper way
Can quite tell you truly-true—
But I've guessed a lot, like you.
And I think I'm wise to this—
That the blossoms, with that scent
Of some magic firmament,
Happen when the fairies miss
Lips that unto them are bent
And give the trees a sudden kiss!
e—JL the Eattlmot& Bun,
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A $>|3JL AO OCCASIOM —/' I Poo ft sXoS / ' . 9
FEELINi,?
Out Czaring the Czars
We have never been an advocate
of czars.
We do not approve of despots, as
a class,
For they ride around in highly gild
ed cars,
While their faithful subjects walk
—and buy the gas.
But the czars at least were troubled
in their minds
Lest from out their high positions,
they be hurled,
While the Bolshevik —confound him!
—robs whoever is around him.
And he hasn't got a worry in the
world!
We have noticed that the maximum
of spoil
Was awarded by a nation to the
throne, —
That the ruler, for a minimum of
toil
Held the bulk of all the real
estate-alone:
But he had to work a little, now and
then.
Though he did it rather sketchlly,
of course.
While the Bolshevik—gol-durn him
thinks that loafing ought to earn
him
Just as much as if he labored
like a horse!
We could never warm to monarchs
as a rule,
Nor believe that crowns and
scepters made 'em great,
We'd about as soon be chummy with
a ghoul
As the ordinary Russian potentate,
Eut a czar would sometimes get a
little soft
When for clemency his people
would beseech,
While the Bolshevik —doggone him!
—when an ugly fit is ,on him
Butchers every one that comes
within his reach!
In the later days the czars were
prone to feel
That they might not be exclusively
the works,
They were easy with the well known
iron heel
When the people got to sharpen
ing their dirks.
And, petitioned for concessions now
and then
They were often times disposed
to come across.
But the Bolshevik —-dad-blan\e him!
thinks the public should ac
claim him .
The sole-constituted, undisputed
Boss! „ .
By James J. Montague.
Shell Shock Is Neurosis
[From the Scientific American]
The medical department of the
United States Army has found that
the early conclusions regarding shell
Shock are not true. There.is. really
no such thing as shell shock al
though there are many cases of \var
neurosis. War neurosis is really not
different from neurosis found beyond
th Neurosis, whether found in the
army or among civilians, is a sub
conscious desire and the
condition induced thereby t0 a Y®'£
a discomfort In the ar my, it 's a
subconscious desire to get to or
main at the rear. However it does
not necessarily follow that thei pa
tient is lacking in courage, for there
are many cases of war neurosis in
duced by the mental attitude of the
patient) concerning promotions, leave,
alleged favoritism, etc. Among of
ficers, neurosis is often induced by
the responsibility occasioned by the
demands at the front. -v-n
Investigation has shown that shell
shock or neurosis is unheard of
among prisoners, although they may
be in fearful physical or mental con
dition, just as it is almost unheard
of among wounded, excepting those
who are about to bo returned to
their commands.
Emphasis should be laid on the
fact that shell shock or neurosis is
a subconscious attitude and a dis
ease which must be cured. There
are comparatively few cases of pati
ents faking.
Many soldiers having neurosis
will remain uncured even after re
turning to civil life unless the dis
ease is thoroughly (understood so
that proper treatment may be given.
Steamships Should Carry Sails
I think a good many steamships
cause of complaint by failing to car
ry sails. If they once get out of
coal or oil, as they very well may, or
if their engines break down and
they have no sails, they are In a bad
way at once. There cannot well
be conceived a more helpless object
than a big steamship with nothing
more to propel her than a couple of
bridge awnings and a spare tarpau
lin. It teems absurd that such
should be the case, but I have known
quite a few such ships to be lacking
in sails altogether.—Richard Mat
thews Hailet in the Saturday Even
ing, JBcb&f
NEWSPAPERS AND THE WAR
[Glrard In the Philadelphia Press.]
TWO famous Philadelphia mil
lionaires were in London and
attended a ceremony, in honor
of a man who had been decorated
by the King for a notable service.
Whispered one Philadelphian to
the other:—
"Bill, what do you think they
would give us in England?" to which
Bill replied:—
"About ten years."
America has had some exception
ally fine newspaper work done dur
ing this war, but since "Republics
are ungrateful" these journalists
have had no decorations and few 1
bouquets.
Not so in England, where a long
list of newspaper men have been
honored by the King with titles
ranging from that of plain baronet
to belted earl.
We seldom hear of that younger
Harmsworth in America, but like his
famous bro -er. Lord Northcliffe,
Lord Rothmere is also a big publish
er. He has just been elevated to
thfe peerage as was also the owner
of another London newspaper, Lord
Burnham.
There was not a cent of profit in
the war, directly or Indirectly, for
the American newspaper.
Whoever else was a profiteer, who-
Policy on Military Training
[William Slavens McNutt In Col
lier's Weekly.]
What, for example. Is the will of
the army as to military training for
Americans in the future? Do they
want universal service? If so, what
form of it?
Four million of our best young
men know the from the inside.
Any policy adopted will apply to
their sons. And from the American
Legion, an organization of men who
know, wo should certainly get the
proper expression of will on the
subject: the will, not of the officers
only, nor the enlisted men, but of
them all as a competent, represen
tative body with the experience nec
essary for the formation of a ripe
judgment.
"It is to be a strictly nonpartisan
organization," Colonel Roosevelt
says of it. "It will not have poll
tics, but it will have policies."
It will be interesting to learn what
the organization's policy as to mili
tary training will be. Whatever it
is, it surely should be authoritative.
Surely its influence should be a
stiff opponent both to chin-whisk
ered jingoism from within and even
less barbered Bolshevism from with
out. Two million two hundred
thousand of the men who will be
members of this organization know
Europe from at least some degree of
personal contact. They are not to
be further impressed by ostentatious
tail twisting and feather pulling.
Neither are they to be dazzled by the
label "Made in Europe" on any so
cial theories advanced for their con
sideration.
Best English Love Story?
(From the London Express.)
What is the greatest love story in
the world? Of course, if one count
ed in plays the palm would go to
"Romeo and Juliet." If one put in
episodes, most people would go to
the Bible or the classics and use the
story of Ruth or Dante's poignant
picture of Francesca do Rimini. But
let us rule these things out and stick
to books, and English ones at that.
What beats "The Cloister and the
Hearth?" One correspondent says
"Jane Eyre;" another "Lorna
Doone." We vote for "Pride and
Prejudice." It is the greatest and
most typical of English love stories,
because it does not pall one with one
of those tremendous passions which
almost exceed the bounds of sanity.
It is the intensely human tale of a
love slowly developing through the
petty and formal misunderstandings
which make up life between two peo
ple just as mortal as ourselves.
Seaplanes For Patrols
Guarding ,our forests with sea
plane seems, at first tnought, an un
likely procedure, but this method
may be used in Canada and northern
Michigan. When a map ir consulted
it is revealed that hundreds of lakes
dot the territories the airmen would
patrol, thus furnishing ideal landing
places for small flying boats. Many
former forest rangers from both
sides of the international boundary
have become military fliers, and on
discharge should furnish an excel
lent nucleus for a service of this
ever else through Increased orders
due to war, had greatly increased
profits, the newspaper owner was not
one.
Comptroller Williams says the
7,500 National banks of the United
States earned last year twelve per
cent on their combined capital and
surplus—a banner year.
The manufacturing industry beat
all former records. The Federal Re
serve banks earned forty per cent
through the enormously increased
business due to war.
But while the newspapers gave
hundreds of thousands of columns
space gratis for the work of sheer
war propaganda, and especially in
boosting the sale of Liberty bonds,
there was no profit in the war for
journalism.
The costs of production far outran
any gains derived from a general
increase in the selling price of news
papers.
No other one institution, either
in England or America, gave any
thing like the proportion of the
newspapers—its newspages—to pro
mote patriotism and to pay for it
that the newspapers contributed.
But, as "Bill" whispered to his
millionaire chum In London, the re
ward is more likely to be ten years
than a decoration.
JOYOUS GARD
For thee my castle of the Spring
prepares—■
On the four windows are sped my
couriers;
For thee the towered trees are hung
with green;
Once more, for thee, O queen,
The banquet hall with ancient tapes
try
Of woven vines grow fair and still
more fair.
And ah! how in the minstrel gallery
Again there is the sudden string and
stir
Of music touching the old instru
ments;
While on the ancient floor.
The rushes as of yore
Nymphs of the house of Spring plait
for your feet,
Ancestral ornaments.
And everywhere a hurrying to and
fro.
And whispers saying, "She is so sweet
—so sweet:"
O violets, be ye not too late to blow,
O daffodils, be fleet!
For, when she comes, ail must be in
its place,
All ready for her entrance at the
door,
All gladness and all glory for her
face,
All flowers for her flower-feet a
floor;
And for her sleep at night, in that
great bed
Where her great locks are spread,
O be ye ready, ye young woodland
streams,
To bring her back her dreams.
—Richard Le Gallienne in Harper's
Magazine.
AMERICA'S PART
In rendering homage to Marshals
Foch and Petain we must not forget
the others who played a vital part
in the victory, Haig, Pershing, Diaz,
Allenby, and the French generals
who have so well represented the
I traditions of France. I am not sure
that we should have had the victory
without the aid of the United States.
There were those who thought that
aid from across the Atlantic in the
form of foodstuffs and war material
was all we needed. But would ma
terial aid from America have suf
ficed? There can be no doubt that
the military intervention of the
Americans shortened the war and
put the seal upon the moral condem
nation of Germany.—General Malle
tene in Harper's Magazine.
Lioness Fought Motor Car
The East African Standard de
scribes a duel between a motor car
and a lioness. The affair, it says,
happened at night near Nairobi. The
chauffeur noted a commotion in the
bush near the road, then the gleam
ing eyes of an enraged wild animal.
He accelerated his speed at the in
stant the lioness leaped. She struck
the hood and was thrown far in ad
vance of the car, whose wheels then
passed over her. The dead lioness
was finally loaded into the car and
taken back to the town in triumph.
—From Outlook.
Moral Regeneration
And you hath been quickened, who
were dead in trespass and sins;
wherein in time past ye walked ac
cording to the course of this world.
DOORMAT HISTORIANS
[H. G. Wells in the Saturday
Evening Post.]
Take English history as it is
taught in an English school. We
begin with Celtic Britain. Enter
Caesar and a Roman host. From
where? We never learn. Who is
this Caesar and why did he come?
Why did he go? Why did the Ro
mans not come again for the better
part of a. century? Evidently some
thing much more important was
going on elsewhere!
A little way on in the story cer
tain Angles, Jutes and Saxons rush
in—as inexplicably. Whence? Why?
Later come the Danes. Tile history
of England has the effect of some
thing going on upon a doormat in a
passage outside a room full of
events, with several other doors. The
door opens, the Norman kings rush
out of the room, conquer the coun
try hastily, say something about
some novelty of which we have
lehrned nothing hitherto, the Cru
sades, and exit to room again.
From which presently King Rich
ard returns dejected. He has been
fighting the Saracens. Who are the
Saracens? We never learn. What
becomes of them? We are never
told. So it goes on. The broad
back of history is turned to England
throughout. Its face and hands are
hidden and we make what we can
of the wriggling of its heels.
The American story is still more
incomprehensible. An innocent con
tinent is suddenly inundated by
Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch
and British, who proceed at once
to pick up the thread of various
conflicts —initiated elsewhere. Some
one called the pope is seen to be
dividing the new continent among
the European powers. Colonies are
formed. What are colonies? These
colonies, in what is apparently a
strenuous attempt to simplify his
tory, break off from their unknown
countries of origin. A stream of
immigration begins from west and
efist. The American mind establishes
a sort of intellectual Monroe Doc
trine and declares that America has
no past, only a future. From which
sublime dream it is presently roused
to find something of unknown origin:
called European imperialism wreck
ing the world. What is this imperi
alism? How did it begin?
i The teaching of history in most
other countries Is after the same
fashion. Everywhere the teachers
present more or less similar histories
of passages and doormats. Great
events—the Crusades, the Reforma
tion, the Industrial Revolution—
come in with a bang and go out with
a slam, leaving no chew, ieaving our
poor heads spinning. Is it any won
der if history falls back for a little
human touch upon childish anec
dotes about Alfred and the cakes,
the peerless beauty of Ttfnry, Queen
of Scots, and King Charles and his
spaniels?
JUSTICE TO PERSHING
[Harper's Weekly.]
It would be an excellent thing if
every man and woman in America
would read and memorize the trib
i ute which Admiral Sims paid to
; I General Pershing the other day in
; the course of a Victory Loan ad
, dress. It was as typical of Sims as
i it was fair to Pershing. Here it is:
"Now Just a word about John
, Pershing. He has had 2,000,000
men over there. No one of those
men has been able to one one
thousandeth part of the operation.
, They run across a great many dis
agreeable things. They may have
been charged five cents too much in
a canteen, or they may have run
; across a Britisher or an Italian or
, a Frenchman that they had a row
with. They come back with all
sorts of small criticisms. For the
Lord's sake don't pay any attention
to the people in this country that
are yapping at John Pershing's
heels.
"No military commander since
the worW began has had to do the
stunt he has had to do. If he should
have done that without any mis
takes he would be the greatest mil
-1 itary commander the world has ever
heard of. He will tell you himself
he has made mistakes. So have I,
but I am not going to tell you about
them."
Of course we do not know the pre
cise circumstances that caused Ad
i miral Sims to digress from the sub
ject of his address long enough to
makes these remarks. We assume,
however, that before he had been in
New York an hour his ears were
filled with some of the monstrous
stories that are being assiduously
circulated about the commander of
the American forces abroad, and lie
. thought it was about time that the
public was warned against the scan-
Bfwtittg Qllfat
Few people who iwUl read to
night of the Issuance of orders at
Washington for the closing of the
State Draft headquarters in the
P oa ®' Trswie building, where Ma
jor William G. Murdock has presided
. opera tion of the system hi
the Keystone State, realize what SJ
tremendous amount of work wad
?2?V*lL hO Z eHlcientl y <t was hand-j _
led by the Major and the men
ho , labored with him. The
headquarters was knowq
h'r ,° en l en and other folkaf
Who have to be around all hours
the Lhl nlKht a 8 th Place where!
the lights never went (out. Thai
ordinary day during the progress)
of the war was twelve to fourteen!
since the close of the war!
reduction of force at the time thai
Government called for final reports]
and records made necessary days oti
still greater length. When the drafrf
system was established in the Stats)
It ran up against a prejudice dating l
from the sixties magnified rather!
than diminished by the war andP
aggravated by the discussion attend-'
ing the adoption of the law in Con
gress. And the early days of Its!
administration were in the Real!
instate building at Locust and Court!
streets which proved too small. Be-i
tween lack of room and lack of un-|
derstanding, general unfqmiliarity!
with the methods on the part of*
the people and the overturn of the
normal due to entrance into war
the men in charge of the draft had 1
anything but an easy job. When!
Major Murdock took charge and,!
started out to get in personal touch
with everyone of the 382 boards he
faced a task that would have ap
palled most men. But before the
war had gone a year the Draft head
quarters was recognized as trying
to honestly administer a great work!
and on the Fourth of July last year
everyone was taking pride in th
way Pennsylvania was responding. ;
First and last more than 200 persons
were employed at State draft head
quarters, records running into the
millions were compiled, questions
answered by the thousands every
week and a system that touched
every home and every man between
18 and 45 was being run from the
Board of Trade building without fuss
or feathers. The record speaks for
itself.
• • •
Just as an illustration of the man
ner in which the people of Harris
burp are regarding the homecoming
of the men who fought in France it
may bo stated that almost every
school teacher in this city has re
ceived petitions from pupils asking
that they be allowed to join with
parents in greeting the returning
soldiers.
One te i her received a petition
yesterday called up some of the
signers f her information, ask
ing whe welcome parade waa
to be. . „ Just had a parade the
other day. When is the next one
and what is it for?" she asked.
"There's a truck company coming
home," said one boy.
"And some of our men who used
to be in the Governor's Troop are
coming home," piped another.
"That's two. Are they coming here
the same day?" asked the teacher.
"No indeed, they're coming on dif
ferent days ard after that some more
are coming," was the ready reply
of the pupil in charge.
"Well, we'll wait until the whistles
blow," ruled the teacher.
• • •
More people are going to Phila
delphia Thursday to see the parade
of the Twenty-eighth than the aver
age man imagines. This cropped
out to-day in amazing ways. Numer
ous men and women asked for the
day in business houses and when a
group of men compared notes, they
found that dressmakers, dentists, in
surance men and even
arranged to be "out of town" on
Thursday. It looks as though all
trains would lead to Philadelphia
that day. . , ,
Harrisburg children are getting
broken into the sound of airplane
motors. Nowadays when they hear
the drumming of a motor they look
up toward the sky. Occasionally, it is
only a big truck, but often it is an
airplane and if the youngsters can
get a hand wave fro mthe man in
the machine they are happy the rest
of the day.
• •
The Commonwealth of Pennsyl
vania will probably be called upon
to regulate its own memorials as
the first acts of the new State Art
Commission, created by the Gover
nor's approval of the Crow bill a
few days ago. This commission is
to be named very shortly in an ef
fort to secure the best there is in
the, way of public structures and
to do away with "mail order" me
morials and the very first business
to come before it will be to act upon
the model and plans for the new
memorial bridge to the soldiers,
sailors and marines of Pennsylvania
in the great war which is to be
constructed as a part of the Capi
tol Park extension plan. The next
will likely be the Camp Curtin me
morial on the site of the great mob
ilization camp of the Civil war in
this city, for which the State bought
a plot two years ago, and then the
Gregg memorial will follow. In all
probability, the designs for tho l. 3W
State office building in Capitol Park
will be considered as they have been
finished by Arnold W■ Brunner, the
distinguished architect, and will be
submitted to the Board of Public
Grounds and Buildings next Wed
nesday.
| WELL KNOWN PEOPLE ]
—Adjutant General Frank D.
Beary says that the review of the
Twenty-eighth is going to be the
greatest military spectacle in the
State in a generation.
—Highway Commissioner Lewis S.
Sadler has made it a rule not to
make speeches.
—Commissioner of Labor C. B.
Connelley is an authority on applied
sciences and author of several text
books.
—Congressman J. Hampton Moore,
of Philadelphia, has declared in fa
vor of an inquiry into the postal
system.
—Major L. A. Watres, of the Key
stone division, is a son of the former
Lieutenant Governor.
1 DO YQU KNOW
—Tlint Harrisburg is a center of
distribution for motorcycles and that
hundreds are sold here every month?
HISTORIC HARRISBURG
—Sixth street was Ridge Road for
more than seventy years.
Stale of Megalomania .
Professor Delbruck says Germany
never will be a great power again.
Somebody ought to tell the professor
that Germany never was a great
power. What she thought was
greatness was an overplus of wick
edness and egotism.—Kansas City.
'lOmrnm