6
HARRISBURG TELEGRAPH'
A XEWSPA.PER FOR THE HOME j
Founded 1831
Published evenings except Sunday by
THE TELEGRAPH PItIXTIN'G CO. i
Telegraph Building, Fcd-rnl SSSR '
E. J. STACKPOLE
President and Editor-in-Chief
F. R. OYSTER, Business Manager
OUS. M. STKIXMETZ, Managing Editor I
A. R. MICHENER, Circulation Manager
Executive Board
J, P. McCULLOUGH,
BOYD M. OGLESBY,
F. R. OYSTER,
GUS. M. STEINMETZ. j
Members of the Associated Tress— Ths
Associated Press is exclusively en
titled to the use for republication <
of all news dispatches credited to i
It or not otherwise credited in this j
fiaper and also the local news pub
lshed herein.
All rights of republication of special ;
dispatches herein are also reserved. 1
I
I
A Member American
rj Newspaper Pub- !
flishers' Associa- i
tlon. the Audit !
Bureau of Circu
lation and Penn
sylvania Associa
ated Dailies.
Eastern office
Story, Brooks &
Finlcy, Fi ft h i
Avenue Building.
New York City; I
Western office, j
Flnlev, People's
— ■—- Gas Building,
Chicago, 111.
Entered at the Post Office in Harris
burg, Pa., as second class matter.
By carrier, ten cents a
tvln•>.■;* week; by mail, J3.00 a
year in advance. j
SATURDAY, JULY 26, 1919
Lord, we all to thee belong,
Keep us faithful, pure and strong;
While we tread this earthly sod,
Give us hearts at home with God.
Lucy Larcom.
A NEEDED IMPROVEMENT
THE big auditorium which '
Charles E Covert, potentate of j
Zembo Temple, Mystic Shrine, j
proposes shall be erected through j
that organization, is a much needed j
improvement in Harrisburg. We .
have come into a fine new hotel that
is bringing hundreds of conventions, j
The hotel can very well house the
smaller of these gatherings, but even
its spacious ballroom is not large
enough for the State and national
meetings that would come if we had
such a hall as that of Denver, for
example, or of Pittsburgh, after
which the Zeinbo building will be
modeled.
Mr. Covert has long been a leading
figure in the civic activities of Har
risburg. He has been a constant
advocate of public improvements
and is chairman of the, Chamber of
Commerce committee on joint city
hall and courthouse. He has been
hack of many movements for city
betterment, but nothing that he has
done means more to Harrisburg j
than the erection of such an audi- j
torium as he proposes.
City Health Officer Raunick is ab
solutely right in going after the own
ers of vacant property who have dis- j
regarded the regulations regarding
noxious weeds that are permitted to I
endanger the health of the people In
many sections of the city. If it be j
necessary to have a weed day. let us
have It. but whatever the method we j
must get rid of the rank growth and i
without further procrastination.
THE TAFT RESERVATIONS i
EVEN though storm clouds are j
still gathering on bqth sides of
the political horizon at Wash- j
ington, it would not be surprising !
if in the end the League of Nations '
reservations formulated by ex- j
President Taft would form the basis
of some such compromise as out- j
lined in the suggestions of National j
Chairman Hays a few days previous. !
It is likely that in some form the j
League the President proposes will ;
he accepted by the Senate, and so j
long as our national interests are I
thoroughly safeguarded Republican I
Senators will be justified in giving;
the plan, as modified by the Taft |
recommendations, their approval, al- j
though there are still some clauses
that are not pleasant reading and j
which might arise in later years to 1
embarrass us.
Governor Sproul has finished his!
big job and is deserving a rest. When |
the head of the State government gets
through mulling over hundreds of
bills, including appropriations largely
in excess of the estimated revenue,
a rest is coming to him. and upon his
return from a short vacation we may
expect to see the Governor plunge
into the next important work of his
administration the reorganization
of a number of important depart
ments.
A NAVIGABLE RIVER
A NAVIGABLE Susquehanna
river is not so far away in
the dim future as some peo
ple appear to think. With ever-in
creasing transportation difficulties
and enormous progress in the de
velopment of our material resources
it is absolutely certain that this
great waterway, cutting through the
hills and valleys of Pennsylvania
from north to south, will be utilized
for something more than its present
uses.
Steps have already been taken by
the Federal government, under an
act of Congress, to determine the
feasibility of making the river
navigable and the engineers have
SATURDAY EVENING,
taken up the preliminaries with
Secretary of Internal Affairs Wood
ward, who has been requested to
furnish certain bhsic data from the
records of his department.
Once the Government has obtained
an accurate survey of the river it
will be possible to reach a conclusion
regarding the canalization of the
channel. Secretary Woodward, al
ways full of enthusiasm over the de
velopment of hi:# beloved Common
wealth, will co-operate in every pos
sible way with the Federal engineers
ant", has invited them to call upon
him for co-operation and assistance.
Also, the State Water Supply Com
mission will give its aid, and we may
expect as a result of the present
movement to make the river navig
able to reach some definite con
clusion regarding this great public
undertaking.
Somehow, somewhere the Donato
statuary now accumulating dust in a
warenouse will be given a proper set
ting and installation. Here again
the candidates for council might be
quizzed as to hojv they feel about
giving Mr. Hcrshey's donation decent
consideration.
NO FEAR FOR FARMERS
A CORRESPONDENT writing to
the Telegraph fears .that the
farmer may be injured by the
operations of the proposed fore
stalling ordinance. The fear is un
founded. The farmer will not be
hurt by a law of this kind. He will
get a fair price for his goods and if
he has a surplus at the close of mar
ket hours will have no difficulty in
selling it to grocers and others who
now take advantage of the con
sumer by purchasing during the
market period and reselling at large
profit.
The markets were created to
bring the farmer and the consumer
together. They were intended to
eliminate the profit taken by the
middle man. and every safeguard
must be thrown around this right
ful privilege of the man or woman
who wants to take baskefr and go
into the markethouses twice a week
for home provisions. These are in
the great majority and the fore
stalling ordinance must be enacted
and enforced for their protection.
CAPITOL STATUES
GOVERNOR SPROUL has ap
proved several appropriations j
made by the Legislature for j
the erection of "statues and me
morials to several of the public men
of Pennsylvania, including the war I
governor, Andrew G. Curtin. the late ;
United States Senator George T.
Oliver, General David McM. Gregg,
the intrepid cavalry leader, and Gen
eral Galusha Pennypacker.
Pennsylvania has too long de
ferred this visible honoring through
memorials of her distinguished sons.
We have failed to magnify the ser
vice of scores of devoted military
and civic leaders and the present
Governor is to be commended for
giving his approval to these grants
of the Legislature.
Too often the envious criticism
of those outside Pennsylvania and
inexcusable harpooning of public
m.n by citizens of our own State
have deterred the Legislature from
paying proper tribute to those who
have contributed to the upbuilding
of an imperial Commonwealth.
Who would withhold from Gover
nor Curtin and General Gregg, for
Instance, such memorials as have
been suggested in these appropria
tion measures? Nor would it be
gainsaid for a moment that, the late
Senator Oliver was a fine type of
the patriotic busines man in pub
lic station. His loyalty and devotion
|to the interests of Pennsylvania
I were never questioned and his sup
j port of the protection principle in
I the development of our industrial life
| would justify, without any other fea
j ture of his service, proper recogni-
I tion in some enduring form. And so
' with scores of other Pennsvlvanians
who have had a large part in the
| life and substantial achievements of
i the State.
Let us. set up for the benefit of
the oncoming generations such ap
propriate memorials as will remind
those of another day of the charac
ter and public service of their fore
bears. We are entirely too chary of
our commendation of those who
have been builders and who are not
permitted to see during their life
time any' evidence of public appre
ciation.
Harrisburg is ijot going to see
many mere moons wax and wane be
lt re it has suitable bathing facilities.
We don't know what particular can
didate for City Council will run on
the platform. "Give us a Bath or Give
ua Death." but we do know that there
is a big question mark after every
candidate's name with respect to his
attitude on the improvement of
Susquehanna Basin with special re
lation to bathing facilities.
WHO AMONG US?
WILMINGTON has come into
possession of two swimming
pools, through the gener
osity of Mrs. T. C. Du Pont.
Mrs. Du Pont is a wealthy woman.
Much of her income is derived from
j industries in Wilmington and
I vicinity.
| There are many persons in Har
| risburg -who have made or are mak
ing money in this city.
Mrs. Du Pont recognizes her
obligations to the community. Who
in Harrisburg will "match her in
generosity?
This city has many needs—swim
i ming pools, bathing beaches, a new
Y. M. C. A. building, additional hos
pital facilities, community houses,
boys' club quarters a host of
those things that go to make up a
modern city. The needs are press
ing. Who will come forward to
finance them?
I' ""
jilcCcG- IK
* faKK^iCtfQrKia,
By the Ex- Committeeman
Governor William C. Sproul ap
proved just 599 bills passed by the
Central Assembly of 1919. Of this
number 457 were general £Cts and
442 were appropriation bills. The
Governor vetoed 116 bills of various
kinds, but a number of others were
saved from that fate by being re
called from the Governor by the
Legislature, over 110 bills being so
recalled.
Two years ago there were 19 S
vetoes.
The bills acted upon by the Gov
ernor aro now being handled in the
department of the secretary of the
Commonwealth and us soon as they
can be prepared will be certified to
the various departments interested
and sent to the printer. Hundreds
of bills have been handled this week
and this being the last day the ac
tion of the Governor on bills has
been formally proclaimed.
Governor Sproul plans to take a
vacation for the next ten days and
to return here in August. He will
leave late that month for the Gov
ernor's conference at Salt Lake
City.
—The last act in the General As
sembly of 1919 was performed in
the Capitol yesterday afternoon at
the close of business in the depart
ment of the Secretary of the Com
monwealth when in accordance with
a custom coming down from co
lonial days proclamation was made
of the vetoes of legislation by the
Governor. The proclamation,
couched in phrases as old as the
Commonwealth, was read by Samuel
C. Todd, chief clerk to the secre
tary. The proclamation, to which
the great seal of the State was af
fixed, also announced various ap
provals and will be filed in the ar
chives of the State.
—Pennsylvania's smaller coun
ties are getting ready for some
strenuous contests for associate
judge. For the first time in years
there are only two to be elected in
one county. Ordinarily such elec
tions ftave been of pairs. Hunting
don county is the only one of the
thirteen counties having such elec
tions this year to choose two judges
and both the judges in that county
are candidates for renomination.
In most of the other counties the
custom is to give such judges only
one term, but this year some of
them will be candidate for another
tenure of six years. The counties
which will elect one judge are Bed
ford, Cameron, Columbia, Elk, Ful
ton. Mifflin, Monroe, Pike, Snyder,
Sullivan, Warren and Wyoming.
—Four new compensation refer
rees provided for by the act reor
ganizing the Workmen's Compen
sation Buredu are to be located this
fall and what changes in districts
will be made are matters of pretty
keen speculation about Capitol Hill
these days. The bureau will be
more than ever a branch of the De
partment of Labor and Industry
and Commissioner C. B. Connelley
plans to take a more active part in
the deliberations of the board than
did his predecessors. The dean will
succeed Colonel John Price Jackson
when he returns from France, be
ing at present acting commissioner
because Colonel Jackson is in the
army. This change will likely take
place in the fall.
—The Daily Mail of Charlerol
prints the following relative to a
visit paid to that place by State
Chairman William E. Crow. "In
1917 there was a strong effort made
to induce Mr. Crow to become a
candidate for Governor, but to all
appeals he had only one answer,
that he was for Senator W. C.
Sproul, for the office and urged his
friends to be likewise. That his
judgment was good was demon
strated at the polls when Senator
Sproul received such a splendid vote
for Governor. Senator Crow has
often been described as the most
potent harmonizing harmonizer in
the political affairs of the State and
nation, for when the nation-wide
contest was on for the election of a
chairman for the National Repub
lican Committee, it was Senator Crow
who soothed the irritant delegates,
which resulted in the election of
that master mind. Will H. Hays, of
! Indiana."
—lt would surprise no one heie if
a boom for Gifford Pinchot for the
Republican nomination for United
States Senator in 1920 would de
velop at the conference of the
Roosevelt Progressives called for
this city next Tuesday when Sena
tor Miles Poindexter, of Washing
ton. mentioned as a Presidential
eligible, will speak. The confer
ence was called a week ago by
Pinchot and a number of the men
prominently identified with the old
Bull Moose movement of 1912 and
who went along with Pinchot in his
Senatorial campaign of 1914 and
with him in lining up for Hughes in
the 1916 campaign and for Sproul
last fall. Just how many men will
be here not even the hotel people
know. They look for an Interesting
gathering and say that there liava
been reservations made by several
men prominent in politics. Mr.
Pinchot is expected here on Mon
day evening when several of the
old-time leaders of the Progressives
from far counties will be in Harris
burg ana will be talked over.
On what they report will depend
much of the action in Tuesday's
meeting when Pinchot says means
to sfir up the Republican party will
be discussed.
—From all accounts some of the
reorganizations of departments of
the State government will bloom
this fall instead of in the summer.
The schemes of reorganization of
several have been submitted to Gov
ernor Sproul by the chiefs, but have
not been finally acted upon. The
Governor will be on a trip to
Spokane the next ten days and sev
eral heads of departments are plan
ning to meet him when he returns.
—Governor Sproul plans to attend
the conference of the Governors at
Salt Lake City late in August and
will present some pertinent facts
about the big road building project
and other matters to show that
Pennsylvania is progressing.
—James H. Maurer, chairman, and
.A. Epstein, director of the State
Old Age Pension Commission, are
going to Europe to make a study of
old age pension systems in foreign
lands and will return in the fall to
prepare further Investigations here.
The Commission is to report to the
Governor next year.
' —William H. Horner, of Oberlin,
chairman of the Dauphin County
Republican Committee, and for sev
eral years with the compensation
system statistical bureau, will likely
be named to the post of director of
the compensation bureau, a new $4,-
000 place. He is one of the most
competent men in the compensa
tion bureau and strongly endorsed.
—People interested in the "dry"
j movement in the Legislature will bo
glad to know that Representative
John W. Vickerman, of Allegheny,
HLAJIRISBXJRG TELEGRAPH
SINCE THEY CLOSED THE NINETEENTH
-;' V
'".WW. THE . HP.S KIDDED OLD HENMFBFRRY
fAilllt(SiViW * fr ■" THINKING THCY admire HIS GAMC SO MUCH
luhl/llfll , |lllflil||||/9p ,/ TH6Y ARE To FOLLOW AROOnD A
111'.'/ 11l •' rvl'rtffKil FEvm Poi INTERS T M e olX> SOY IS ALL Dwelled uP
leader of the "drys," will not retire 1
from the Legislature. The Pitts- I
burgh Gazette-Times says: "Mr. j
Vickerman emphasized that it has I
been erroneously reported that he '
would accept the position as organ- j
izer with the Anti-Saloon League of j
Pennsylvania and also made it plain |
that he would probably accede to ;
the wishes of his friends and con- j
stituents to become a candidate fo- '
re-election so that he might aid in ]
completing "dry" legislation which !
the temperance forces of the State i
have endeavored to secure."
—Attorney General A. Mitchell '
Palmer is to address the American j
Bar Association at Boston this fall.
—The State Grange Inst night at
tempted to reply to Governor
Sproul's sharp comment on the
Grange committee's idea of road
construction "overhead." It also
raised questions as to what are
"overhead."
—Through the resignation of
Judge Charles 11. Kline as chair
man of the Allegheny Republican
County Committee Vice-Chairman
George Weil becomes the head of
the body and will direct its work
until his successor is elected in June,
1920. Judge Kline was elected chair
man of the committee in June, 1918.
Trade Briefs
There are eighty foreign fire in
surance companies operating in
China, not one of which is American.
It is reported that the London
County and Westnlinster Bank is ac
quiring an interest in the Royal Bank
of Canada.
The total production of copper in
i bars by the Cerro de Pasco Copper
[ Corporation at Cerro de Pasco, Peru,
; for the year 1918 amounted to 71,-
j 904,794 pounds.
A large vegetable oil mill has been :
! opened at Andalas,-near Padang.
! Sumatra. It is owned and operated |
!by oleomargarine interests of the
Netherlands and insures its promot-
I ers a steady supply of vegetable oils.
[ Consul Walter H. Sholes reports
! from Goteborg, Sweden, that the
j gradual revival of shipping at that
I port is vividly shown by official
i statistics. The customs receipts for
I the first four months in 1919 exceed
ed those for the same period of last
| year by $1,122,975.
It is reported that the rice market
j of the Philippines is far from nor
jmal, and the Government is arrang
| ing to send a rice agent to Saigon,
1 Indo-China. who will keep in touch
i with the general rice situation and
j look after the orders placed by the
I Philippine Islands- Government.
The coal mines opened last year
at Holikangizu, Manchuria, in which
1,000 men are employed, are produc
ing a very good quality of coal. The
length of these beds is said to be
about sixty-seven miles. It is pro
posed to build a light railway from
the mines to the Sungari River, a
: distance of about forty-seven miles.
I Australian coal exporters are mak
| lng a strong bid for the Philippine
j market. They are offering their pro
i duct at a much lower price than the
I Japanese dealers, who have hereto
fore held the monopoly in this com
j modity. The lowest Australian price
j recently quoted was about $3.36 a
•ton f. o. b. mines, while that quoted
by the Japanese was $12.75 a ton f.
o. b. mines.
The Escheat Law
. [Pottsville Republican.]
The escheat law is now to be put
into effect. It provides that all
banks private, State and National,
must either return uncalled for de
posits to heirs or the State, after
advertising the name and amount
I in the local home county paper, so
j that depositors who have forgotten
relatives or friends, who notice the
! announcement for such uncalled for
I deposit may now see that the banks
may no longer keep the indefinite
use of such monies. It is stated that
some of the big §tate banks have
millions of dollars of such uncalled
for deposits, which now will - go to
owners, heirs or State. It is esti
mated that Pittsburgh has six mil
lions, Philadelphia, nine to eleven
millions, Scranton two millions.
Dauphin over four millions, Schuyl
kill over one million. Berks three
millions, and so on large amounts
in all the counties of the State.
Farewell, O Pioneer
Farewell, O pioneer
Ot skyland's infinite realm!
You fought through fog and
gale,
With heroes at your helm;
With luck invoked, you sail.
The path you bravely laid
Will broaden with the coming
day.
The trip you dared and made
Unites our lands another way.
rarewcll, O pioneer!
■— M. J. A.
Dr. J. George
By GEORGE MORRIS PHILLIPS
DR. J. GEORGE BECHT, who
has just been appointed first
Deputy Superintendent of
Public Instruction at an annual sal
ary of $7,500. was educated in the
public schools/and at the age of fif
teen himself began teaching a
country school in Lycoming county.
He graduated from Lafayette College
in 1890, and later did post-graduate
work at Harvard and Columbia
Universities!- He has received the
degree of Doctor of Science from
Lafayette College and from Buck
nell University.
After fcis graduation from Lafay
ette, he was made assistant prin
cipal, and later principal, of the
Lycoming County Normal School at
Muncy. In 1593 he was unanimously
elected county superintendent of
schools of Lycoming county, and
was re-elected for three successive
terms without opposition, being the
only person up to that time who had
ever been elected to a fourth term.
His work there, as everywhere .that
he has ever been, was highly suc
cessful, and he became one of the
most efficient and best-known supers
intendents in Pennsylvania.
In 1903 he was offered the depart
ment of psychology and pedagogy
at the West Chester State Normal
School, and accepted i}. He was one
of the most popular teachers who
ever taught at West Chester, but at
the end of one year was elected
principal of the State Normal School
|at Clariorf. Here for eight years he
carried on this normal school most
successfully. He built it up to be
| one of the most successful in the
State, the advance which it made
\ during his administration being re
\ markable. At the end of his first
j year 62 students from the several
I classes were reported to the State
Board of Examiners. Six years
later 400 students were presented
to this board. During his princi
palship, practically all of the school
buildings were remodeled, and a
new dormitory built, at a cost of
j $85,000.
In 1911 the newly-organized State
! Board of Education was looking
j about for the best man to become
the executive secretary of that board.
: Dr. Becht was the first and unani
mous choice of this board, and, for
| tunately for the State, he accepted
the position, which he has held until
the present time. He has been the
inspiration of all of the forward
movements which this board has
carried through since 1911, which
means practically all the forward
movements in education in Pennsyl
vania since that time.
Teachers' 'Retirement
He took the first step for a teach
ers' retirement fund in Pennsylvania,
and has been active on all the com
mittees for the furtherance of this
important movement, and for the
adoption of the present Teachers'
Retirement System in Pennsylvania,
which is probably the very best in
the United States.
He made full reports on school
consolidation, and has done much to
forward that important movement
in Pennsylvania.
He organized a pedagogical li
brary, which the State Board of
Education has put at the service of
teachers of the whole State. This
has been especiafly valuable to rural
teachers.
One of his most important works
has been the organization of a Bu
reau of Architecture, which has pre
pared plans of construction and re
construction of school buildings to
the amount of $35,000,000 during
the past seven years. The late Su
perintendent of Public Instruction
was most anxious about the execu
tion of the laws respecting school
buildings, as laid down in the school
code, and feared complications and
perhaps scandals, which had fol
lowed this work in other states. Dr.
Becht carried out these laws most
efficiently on a great scale and at a
surprisingly small expense to the
Commonwealth.
He managed the accumulation and
investment of the State School Fund
which has grown to more than $400,-
000. Not a dollar of this fund has
been lost, and it is all wisely in
vested. When the School Code was
adopted, Pennsylvania was the only
State in the United States without a
' permanent school fund. Now it has
a substantial one, which 4s growing
: rapidly and will one day be a great
fund. The State Board of Educa
tion is authorized and Dr. Becht has
already begun to use the income of
this fund to equalize opportunities
in education in various parts of the
Commonwealth.
He has planned for the inspection
of all State aided institutions main
taining educational departments. He
has issued educational news bulle
tins which go all over the State, and
which have proved to be a valuable
medium of education throughout
the State, and are much valued by
educators everywhere.
More Pay For Teachers
He organized the movement for
the increase of teachers' salaries
of teachers by the recent Legisla
ture.
He conducted negotiations for the
purchase of eleven of the thirteen
State Normal Schools of Pennsyl
vania. These schools were bought
by the State at a small fraction of
their cost and Value, from the pri
vate Vorporations which had built
and owned them. This has all been
done without a breath of scandal,
a great feat. In this, he has ac
quired for the State property to the
value of several million dollars, by
the expenditure of a few hundred
thousand dollars.
He put into effect the beneficial
law for the education of blind chil
dren of the Commonwealth, which
has been a great blessing to these
blind wards of the State.
Dr. Becht's ability, attainments
and efficiency, of course, have not
escaped the notice of educators gen
erally. He has delivered a course
of lectures on education at the Uni
versity of Pennsylvania and at the
| University of Pittsburgh, as well as
many addresses before educational
j bodies in and outside of Pennsyl-
I vania. When Dr. McCracken was
| elected to the presidency of Lafay
| ette College Dr. Becht was elected to
the vice-presidency, and it was a
| great disappointment to the trustees,
faculty and alumni of the college
that he felt that ho could not give
up his present important position to
■ accept it. Last year he was strongly
! urged to accept the presidency of
Washington and Jefferson College,
but also declined that important po
: sition. He has been vice-president
1 of the National Eeducation Associa
i tion, president of the Pennsylvania
! State Educational Association, pres
• ident of the Pennsylvania State
Educational Council, and a member
: of the Academy of Science and Art
j of Pittsburgh.
Dr. Becht is still in the prime of
• life. He is probably the most pop
■ ular public educator in Pennsyl
i vania. It is to be hoped that the
! public, schools and the Common
i.wealth will long have the benefit of
j his valuable services.
Wander Song
I Mad, restive city, you hold naught
for me;
Your glamour and your might; your
music and your light
j Merc tinsel are to nomads of the sea..
I I'm sick to death of all your sounds
and sighs;
| You call to me in vain; I loathe with
might and main
j Your sin, your social laws, your fool
delights.
There is a wider life that holds me
fast;
It calls and ever calls; it's full of
lures and thralls.
And oh! it always draws me back at
last.
It speaks through halyards drum
ming on the mast;
Beckons from alien lands and lone
Pacific sands.
And hails me down the northern
storm-wind's blast.
Aboard, my men! Aboard! and swing
away. * * *
I long to leave behind, with all their
kith and kind,
Vain cities that would bind me to
their sway.
—Nlya Becke, in the Sydney Bulletin.
Who Won the War?
[From the Utica Observer.]
"It is right to speak of our allies,"
says Marshal Haig, "but it was the
British army that won the war." Of
course it was the British army that
won the war. It was also the French
army that won the war. The Ital
ian army also won the war. So did
the Russian army, and if it hadn't
been for the American army, all of
the other armies would have lost tho
war. The American army won the
war.
JULY 26; 1919.
No Wonder Germany Quit
Number Tliirty-Oue
"The American Engineers who
paraded in London, said Major
Frank C. Mahin, of the Army Re
cruiting station, 325 Market street,
Harrisburg, were objects of great
interest to the enormous crowds
which lined the streets of that city,
when the king reviewed their new
allies.
London newspapers were,' full of
description and comment upon the
Americans' attire. Tiic campaign
hat came in for notice; —pictur-
esque, as is the headgear of the
Austrians, and most writers capped
their descriptions of it by the label
'cowboy hat'
Our trim looking, close fitting,
canvas leggins, were a marked con
trast to those wrap, spiral puttees,
which Tommy wound around his
shins, over his long trouser legs,
and so often with resulting bumps
which seem to indicate the calve
development of a Japanese wrestler.
Due to their smoothness and color,
Mr. Londoner dubbed ours 'pipe
stems.'
Much amusement was afforded
our men, too, upon reading that
they—(all railroad men who lived
in or traveled between large eastern
cities) showed by their clean
limbed, upright bearing, and jaunty
swinging gait, the habit of large
open spaces, and none of the re
straint of the metroplitan.
London had fun telling two
stories, whicfi came to life through
the parade. One purported to be
the conversation, overheard, of two
'buck privates' in the ranks, as they
approached the palace where stood
the King and Dowager Queen of
England. "Hoy Jack" said one:
"which one is the king?" And the
answer rich to the Londoner, was
"the guv with the chin soup strain
er."
The other story, equally appre
ciated by our men, who started over
as specialists, not as fighters, was
this:—quoting two London urchins,
as the parade approached the side
street where they were playing, "I
say, Jem. hurry! See the soldiers"
said one; and at the end of their
I run to the main street, disgustedly,
i the other, "Hell, them's not soldiers,
i them's Americans."
Perhaps the boy was right, but
later events showed these same
I Americans winning from Field Mar
: shall Haig for their wonderful ef-
I ficiency and determination in over
| coming all obstacles. They main
: tained their train schedule through
j hard shelled country, supplying food
; and ammunition to the front lihes,
j during the week of preparation
I for, and during the battle of Cam
j brai, in November, 1917. At the
j same time, others of their numbers,
i threw away their toojs, and picking
j up rifles from the dead and wound
' ed. won the Tommy's affections by
] putting up a stiff fight at a critical
moment in the battle."
The same spirit that enabled the
colonists of '75 and the farmer of '6l
I to forsake his peaceful pursuits and
|go forth to settle the argument,
! moved the present day American
! youth to overcome the handicap of
• German forethought and prepared
j ness. In the face of suvh spirit.
| Germany had no chance to win."
Rhetorical Exploitation
[From Harvey's Weekly.]
The Senate of the United States
had no need of disquisitions upon
the world's weariness of war; of a
lecture upon the difficulties of dip
lomatic negotiation; or of exhorta
tions to seek the good, the true
and the beautiful. It knows as
much about suph matters as—with
ail respect—the President himself,
and has just as high ideals as he.
What it wanted, wht it was entitled
to. was an explicit and practical re
port upon the President's extraordi
nary mission, and it did not get it.
Instead, it got a rhetorical exploita
tion of the President and his peculiar
doctrines. It wanted facts: It got
"words, words, words."
. Ice Cream Soda's Inventor
[From the New York Sun.]
While history does not make sure
that Dolly Madison made ice cream
popular in the United States, it is
generally assumed that the odd child
of that delicacy, ice cream soda, was
invented fifty years ago by Joseph R.
Royer, who died the other day in
Lancaster, Pa., at the age of 85. It
is the tradition, we believe, that he
brought about the union of frozen
cream—yes, it was made of cream
in the '6os—and carbonated water
for the pleasure of a child who liked
both spda water and Ice cream so
well that she could not decide which
ishe would have first.
iEuejtting (Eljat j
If the demands for hunter' 4
licenses already being made are any
thing upon which to base an opinion*
say State Game Commission officials*
there are going to be many men ouC
in the field for the first August hunt
ing Pennsylvania has had in a long
time. The Legislature which ad
journed just a month ago to-day
j passed a law which advanced tho sea-"
, son for hunting blackbirds from Sep
tember 1 to August 1 because of tha
I damage done to fields and orchards!
| by the birds and also took the pro
tection off tho red squirrels toif
much the same reason. Owing toi
the early opening of the season'
which will afford the first August
i hunting sinco the days when ploveß
were plentiful there has been a de
mand for the hunters' license tags
which are in tho hands of the Stata *
printer. It is expected to send out
the first consignments early in tho
coming week and they will go main
ly to the agricultural counties wliera
j the birds have caused the most
| trouble, especially in oats fields*
From all accounts coming hero
there aro larger flocks of black
birds about than usual and therd
will be good shooting unless weathetj
interferes.
• • •
The State of Pennsylvania hasi
hundreds of thousands of dollars
worth of chestnut wood on its pre
serves now with no means to get it
to market. According to officials oj
the State Forestry Commission if all
of the dead, dying and blighted
chestnut trees now in tho State for
ests could be marketed speedily at
least $1,500,000 could be realized.
The blight has seriously affected trees
over a very wide area, but the Stata
has not the funds to clear out thor
timber and market it, although thero
is a demand. Pennsylvania now
owns 1,041,491 acres of forest land,
in fifty-three State forests scattered
throughout twenty-seven counties.
The land cost the State $2,375,110.55.
Last year 14,459 acres were added
to the preserves and the first half of
this year there were bought 9,258
acres. An interesting fact in con
nection with the State laws govern
ing forests is that all income frorrt
forests go into the State permanent
school fund and they have earned
to July 1 the sum of $191,219.49.
More building enterprises are un- *
dor contemplation and it is expected
that the summer will not end with
out seeing a number of these pro
jects under way. We need mora
homes, large and small, and tha
present tendency is toward apart
ment houses which will accommo
date a number of families.
♦ •
Those who were the guests of
Colonel Co\;ertat the Isle of Quo
this week, and who motored along
the picturesque highway between
Harrisburg and that point were (
greatly surprised to see much wheat "
in shock spoiling in the fields.
Scores of shocks had turned from
yellow to green through the sprout
ing of the wheat as a result of the
unprecedented rainy weather re
cently.
• • •
When the military units of Har
risburg get the armory to which
they are entitled and which is in
evitable very'soon it is probable the
building will be something more
than a mere drill hall. As a matter
of fact, the modern armory is a
store house and club room for the <
men in the State service, with such ,
annex as will give drill space with
out utilizing the main building.
There is much interest in the forth
coming reorganization of the Na
tional Guard and strong arguments
are being put up for concentrating
in Harrisburg as the seat of gov
ernment a unit of every branch of
the service, including artillery and
the signal corps. But it will never
| get it unless local enterprise pro
vides a site, preferably fronting on
Capitol Park, in which event the
! State will build it.
• • •
Governor William C. Sproul is
not only in favor of one office build
ing being erected in Capitol Park
Extension, but would like to start
two. "The State government really
needs two and I wish we had the
money for it. Wo will find it next
session," said he. The Governor a
few days ago took a walk into Park
Extension and looked over the site
of the new building and said that
he heartily approved of the Brunner 1
plan and would like to get it well
started while he was in Harrisburg.
"It would be a great thing to have
that group of buildings. We ought
to have a fine educational building
as well as, a building to house the
offices for which we are now paying
rent," he remarked.
• •
This is the time of the year when
phlox holds sway in the gardens
and there are many splendid speci
mens of the midsummer flower to
be seen all over the city. Some
gardens in the outlying sections are
fairly ablaze with the different hues.
Fifteen years ago phlox were little
cared for in Harrisburg, but some
of the flower lovers took note of the
steps being taken to develop them
and from blooms of rather indiffer
ent size they have been grown un
til they are as large as a nickle.
I
WELL KNOWN PEOPLE
—W. W. Williams, lately with one
of the Pittsburgh steel concerns, is
the new general manager of the
Reading Iron Company.
—John E. Lloyd, active in the re
tail coal trade, says that anthracite
is leaving the State in large amounts.
—Commissioner of Forestry Conk
ling has been in western counties
looking up some new tracts for pur
chase by the State.
—Harry S. McDevitt, secretary to
the Governor, expects to be able to
return to the Capitol next week. He
has been ill at his home in Phila
delphia.
—Josiah H. Howard, former
Legislator from Cameron county,
was among visitors to the Capitol.
| DO YOU KNOW
—That Harrisburg had thea
trical performances back In
1787?
HISTORIC HARRISBURG
—lt cost over SIO,OOO to clear
Capitol Hill for the first State House.
Rejoice and Do Good
I have seen the travail, which God
hath given to the sons of men to be
exercised in'it. He hath made every
thing beautiful in his time: also, he
hath,set the world in their heart, so
that no man can And out the work
that God maketh from the beginning *
to the end. I know that there is no
good in them, but for a man to re
joice, and to do good in his life. i
Eccleslastes ill, 10 to 12,
/