Harrisburg telegraph. (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, November 25, 1919, Image 14

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    HARRISBURG TELEGRAPH
[4., NEWSPAPER FOR THE HOME
Founded 18S1
Published eveningj except Sunday by
TflE TELEGItAPII PRINTING CO.
Telegraph llullrilng, Federal Square
E. J. STACKPOLE
President and Editor-in-Chief
F. R. OYSTER, business Manager
GUS. M. STEINMETZ, Managing Editor
U. R. MICHEXKR, Circulation Manager
Executive lloard
jLr.IP. McCULLOUGH,
BOYD M. OGLESBY,
F. R. OYSTER,
GUS. M. STEINMETZ.
Members 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
faper and also the local hews pub
ished herein.
[All rights of republication of special
dispatches herein are also reserved.
A Member American
r\ Newspaper Pub-
Assocja-
Bureau of Cirgu
lation and Penn
* t'd 1 "' 11 ! j A "" isoc ' a '''
QBE n 808 W
"Western office'
IgPWiK Story, Brooks &
v ~ 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.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1919
"A Utile learning is a dangerous
thing;" hut the danger is not in the
learning, hut in the littleness.• —Pllll.-
ijr.s BROOKS.
TAFT AND THE TREATY
FORMER PRESIDENT TAFT IS
so enthusiastically in favor of aj
League of Nations that he would ;
have the country adopt Mr. Wilson's
plan without change or reservation, j
lie talks of those who oppose the
League without reservations as a .
"small minority."
Mr. Taft is a big man—a very big
man —but indications arc not lack
ing that in this he has read public
sentiment through Wilsonian spec
tacles. With him the wish has been
father to the thought.
Mow does Mr. Taft think, we won
der, about proper feeling relative to
the much-discussed "Article 10" of
the l,eague Covenant, which pledges
us to safeguard forever the boundries
o_f all j Europe? Does he imagine
"that the fatherSTof "American boys
want to see them ordered off to
Europe every time the mad-cap peo
ples of the Balkans run amuck?
Does he think that Americans will
readily submit to a draft to raise
an army to save Dalmatia from the
Jugo-Slavs or Greece from the
Turks? He will find, we think, that
popular sentiment rests with those
members of the Senate who would
leave the sovereignty of the United
States with Congress, rather than,
place it in the hands of a delegation
made up largely of Europeans, with
America always sadly in the minority.
Many Americans have begun to
suspect that the Eeague is a greatly!
overrated proposal. Will its adop-1
lion stop the wars now in progress!
in Europe, or will the first duty ofj
the new organization be to raise |
armies to quell present disturbances? I
If the latter, we may consider our- !
selves well out of it. Charity be-1
gins at home; so does wise slates- j
manship, and we have quite enough [
on our hands at present to make
America safe for Americans. After |
that has been oecomplished we may
have more time for missionary work •
elsewhere. Meantime, not even the
newspapers of Europe are much
exercised over the Senate's action.
Only the politicians are excited. All j
Americans, or nearly all, favor a'
league of limited powers, but fewJ
want to swallow the President's plan
hook, bait and sinker.
Mr. Taft has not properly sensed
the temper of the country when he
pronounces the reservationists a
"small minority."
■New York is threatened with a drug
clerk strike, but it is believed that
enough ex-barkeepers can be found to
man the soda fountains, so that's all
right.
"PUNKIN" PIE
When punk in pie was tirst in
vented there weren't no patent
rights required; the honest
housewife seemed contented to
build a pie we all admired.
There weren't no tariff for pro
tection, no trust to keep the
prices high—there weren't no
premium on perfection, there
weren't no factory punkin pie.
To-day, with patent feed sur
] minded, our systems full of tln
canned dope, by doubtful fodder
we're confounded—the punkin
pie's our only hope. The pie that
stands as mother made it defies
the counterfeiter's skill. No
trickster can adulterate it—
they never have and never will.
—Uncle Josh in the Excelsior
Springs Standard.
Good for Uncle Josh! "Punkin"
pie it is. Yes, wo know that the
receipt books (or is it recipe?) call
it pumpkin custard, and that's what
they term it on the restaurunt cards.
Hut there is a difference between
"punkin" pie and pumpkin custard;
yea, verily, a difference, also a dis
tinction; likewise there is no com
parison between them. The "pun
kin" pie is to the pumpkin custard
as aristocratic mince pie is to dried
apple pie; as turkey is to "canned
willy"; as broiled lobster is to frlz
isled beef.
We admit they sometimes re
aemble each other. The cunning
professional baker can make the
concoction he manufactures for sale
at ten cents the cut <Bljc pieces to
TUESDAY EVENING,
the pie instead of the four five-cent
pieces we used to get before the
war) (pardon the interpolated
thought as to quantity and price)
look like the old-time original
"punkin" pic that mother used to
make, but that's us far as the re
semblance goes.
Turkey, cranberries and punkin'
pie! How our mouths water in re
membrance of the famous Thanks
giving trio. And now that turkey
has been taken from us by reason
of the high cost of living and cran
berries are a luxury due to the
scarcity of sugar, we do not propose
I' that anybody shall steal from us that
last vestige of the Thanksgiving
feast, "punkin" pie.
Why, the very making of the
J Thanksgiving dish used to be a
! ceremony of itself in thousands of
American homes. The day mother
put on her big apron, fired up the
kitchen stove to an extra tempera
ture, carved the golden pumpkin,
got out the spices, the cream, the
eggs and the flour was one no boy of
sturdy appetite was likely to forget.
"Punkin" pies make for good citi
zenship, as well as good digestion.
Nobody can enjoy "punkin" pie and
not love the hills and valleys of the
land that produces its component
parts. A Bolshevist may occasion
ally indulge in a piece of pumpkin
custard, but nobody except a hun
dred per cent, hurrah-for-the-good
old-U.-S.-A. type of American can
get the full enjoyment out of "pun
kin" pie. We believe a course in
the making and eating of this deli
cacy of the season ought to be a
part of every community's Ameri
canization program. That, we guess,
would set a lot of red-flaggers to
waving their napkins instead.
Give to the liqspital "as the Lord
has prospered thee."
ZONES FOR CITY
SUPERINTENDENT GROSS and
Fire Chief Kindler very proper
ly are taking up with the State Are
prevention authorities means of ex
tending the city's powers of safety
regulation. But they should not be
content with that. The ordinance
governing such matters in Harris
burg needs to be thoroughly revised,
if not replaced entirely by a new
measure. Fire prevention, zones for
brick, frame and fireproof structures,
regulation and limitation of altera
tions and restriction of certain types
of buildings to certain parts of the
city should be dictated by carefully
thought out and maturely consid
ered municipal ordinances.
That this is a live subject is shown
by the fact that there is now in the
committee on public affairs of the
Harrisburg Rotary Club a series of
resolutions asking for information
on the subject and recommending
radical changes.
The subject of fire regulation and
zoning is closely related to that of
housing, now engrossing the atten
tion of the Chamber of Commerce,
which has also a committee at work
on building regulations. Every pro
gressive city either already has a
zoning system or is working one out.
As the laws of the city now stand,
anybody may build almost any kind
of a building, anywhere. To be
sure, wc do have regulations of a
sort, but they are both inadequate
and obsolete. For example, only a
few weeks ago the people of a resi
dence street narrowly escaped the
location of a big garage and service
station in the' midst, of expensive
houses. In another section, a year
ago, a big bottling works would
have been built hud not a resident
j rushed in and bought up the de-
I sired land. In both these instances
property values would have been
hurt by the proposed developments.
Public sentiment and individual en
terprise prevented, but many other
sections have not been so fortunate.
Zoning would prevent the erection
of dangerous or objectionable build
ings in parts of town' reserved for
homes. When the new Capitol* ex
tension and the memorial bridge
are completed we shall need a zon
ing system to protect them from en
croachments that would mar their
beauty. The time to begin is now.
Superintendent Gross has opened
the way.
Mechanicsburg is keeping step with
the ether Cumberland Valley towns in
pushing forward the interests of that
community. Harrisburg Is fortunate
in having in its zone of activity so
many progressive towns contributing
to the welfare of the whole of Cen
tral Pennsylvania. Mechanicsburg has
a creditable record of substantial
achievement. Production is the watch
word and the. inspiration for every
constructive movement throughout
the world.
And seme folks profess to pity the
hard lot of the early settler who had
only to go into the woods hack of the
house and with his trusty rifle knock
the head off a big Thanksgiving
gobbler.
A young spring turkey, roasting in
the pan. a dish of cranberries, cooling
on the ice; a pumpkin pie, all brown,
and thou, singing In the kitchen; oh,
Omar, we know a song worth ten of
yours.
We have often wondereiVwhat the
soapjiox orator does with tHB soap.
fetltico IK
"~Pcft.H4iff47a.lua-
By the Ex-Committecman
"1 appreciate deeply 1 the compli
ment paid me and the friendly at
titude of good roads enthusiasts
who in Scrunton lust Friday night,
suggested me as a candidate lor
Governor of Pennsylvania in 1922,
but I am not a candidate; and 1 am
sorry the suggestion was made,"
said Highway Commissioner Lewis
S. Sadler, wlym asked about the
boom to-day.
"I became State Highway Com
missioner at the personal request of
Governor Sproul," continued Mr.
Sadler. "The Governor has planned
a primary highway system to be
completed during his term of oltice.
My job for the next three years and
two months is to put through that
construction program. That is my
ambition. My plans for the future
do not include further political
position. The suggestion of my
friends in Scranton is a great com
pliment, but it contains an element
of harm, because indirectly it might
be assumed that the great activities
of the State Highway Department
arc for a politically amhitious pur
pose. The State Highway Depart
ment lias been divorced from poli
tics. It is engaged in building
roads. No attache of this Depart
ment is a candidate for office. The
only reward we seek is the satisfac
tion of knowing that our efforts
have given Pennsylvania a real road
system."
Air. Sadler's remarks end what
some people In the State thought was
the start of something for 1922.
—Among visitors to the city yes
terday were three of the men who
helped put McKean county very
much on the map as one of the ban
ner good roads districts of the State
and who were responsible for rais
ing the money in the city of Brad
ford for the construction of a road
in Now York state so that James
town folks could come over and call
at Bradford. They were Col. A. D.
Burns, one of the chief road boost
ers in the northwestern section;
County Commissioner-elect A. J.
Bond and A. B. Kerry. They visited
the State Highway Department and
called at the State Treasury to see
Assistant Cashier "Joe" LeCompte.
—Appearance of Charles R. Oon-
Hell, son of the late W. L. Connell, as
a candidate for the Republican nom
ination for Congress in the Scranton
district means a fight for ex-Con
gressman John It. Farr, who wants
vindication after his defeat last fall
by the "wet" forces. Mr. Connell is
11 wealthy coal operator and one of
tlie most influential men in Scran
ton. '
—Scranton Democrats are con
siderably perturbed over the action
of the city committee in recom
mending two men for registration
commissioners when the Governor
comes to appoint them. Tt seems
that some other men who hoped to
land did not have notice of the in
tention to endorse. The Lackawanna
Democrats got a bad trimming at
the recent election and like their
brethren in Berks, they appear to
be as interested in factional fighting
as the men in the Balkans.
—According to Uniontown news
papers, the Fayette county courts will
have an opportunity to decide an
election under the new election law,
by which it is possible to mark a
straight ticket and at the same time
vote for an individual candidate. A
contest has just been instituted by
Ray L. Sparks, Democratic candi
date for Justice of the Peace of
Redstone township, who declares
that George Santo, Jr., was elected
over him by the failure of the three
election boards to count votes on
ballots so marked. The final vote
as returned to the Court was: Santo,
557, and Sparks, 541.
—Personnel of Governor Sproul's
Constitutional Revision Commission
appears to have met with general
newspaper commendation as well
balanced and representative, and the
suggestion of Attorney General
Shaffer that it proceed to work at
once and'keep at it seems to have
also been generally acceptable. The
Attorney General is anxious for the
commission to get to work and keep
at work, holding that six months
should be time to finish the task.
-—The Governor expects to be
back in Harrisburg in time to greet
the Commission at its start. The
Attorney General, as chairman, will
call the meeting to order and it will
proceed with organization of Its staff
and the appointment of committees.
—Governor Sproul is off to Vir
ginia for ten days of rest and has
declined to say anything about the
suggestions from various parts of
the country that he become a can
didate for presidential honors. His
friends, however, are becoming ac
tive in other states and in Pennsyl
vunia some arc inclined to proceed
without consulting the Governor.
—Mention of ex-Senator Bayard
Henry and Clinton Rogers Woodruff
as possible directors of tlie new
partment of Public Welfare in Phila
delphia is interesting the State.
Governor Sproul will have to
name an alderman for the city of
York, owiner to the death of Magis
trate C. F. Keech, who had held that
place in the city by the Codorus
since 188 4.
—Representative James 13. Nor
ton. one of the Republican legis
lators from Berks, is being discussed |
as a possible candidate for senator
in that county. His ambition has
been to return to the House.
Reappointment of Seward T3.
Button, of Luzerne county, as chief
of the St.ate Department of Mines
is expected to be announced within
a short time. Mr. Button's term ex
pired some time ago, but the Gov
ernor has been waiting for" some
agreement among 'Luzerne coun
tians. It is now believed that he will
proceed with the reappointment and
that the chief will be commissioned
for the full term.
—John A. Scott, one of the origi
nal members of the State Compen
sation Board, will retire at the end of
this week after serving since 1913.
I Mr. Scott has sent a number of
opinions to the board for action and
next week will take up his duties as
chief counsel for one of the railroad
companies in western Pennsylvania.
Ex-Senator Benjamin Jarrett, of Far
rell, will succeed him.
Quaint Form of Oath
(From Continental Edition of the
London Mail.]
Reginald Farrant, who has been
appointed stipendiary of Douglass
and Castletown, Ise of Man, was re
cently sworn in the quaint form
which has prevailed in the island
for centuries. He swore to do jus
tice between party and party "as
indifferently as the herring's back
bone doth lie in the midst of the
fish."
t
The Lord Is Good
The Lord Is good, u stronß hold
In the day of trouble; and he know
eth them that ]*ust In htm.—Nahum
I. 7. JL
aaiuusburg telegraph:
THAT GUILTIEST FEELING
A (Turkey EH./ / THe ei6 \ \ JOE - CjJ- SAY/
WJI-THOCIT turkey j I TURKEY PINNER I l __
—it vajooloio t vSeeiH s \eh Joe 7 , /L 7
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B UT_ GOT R*
/ ""-v /7v7V~, t~A fweLk.- I CAfVT) —*
te/sTm,^ 6 M e r// i
?OTTA\ 46 V/,THOaTi _ V Vou SUCH AM
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1^ H/ SET I / WHCU eJrvthik/6 is
y YoU BACK_y
Why Consult Europe?
[From Kansas City Times.]
The President, it was said at the
White House, probably would take
up with the other powers "what
compromise reservations would be
acceptable to them."
Just why should we ask the pow
ers of Europe to what extent we
may refuse to entangle ourselves in
European affairs in the future?
The United States went into the
war wholeheartedly and without
stint. It spent 30 billion dollars, it
conscripted its young men, it sent
more than two millions of them
overseas, it left its thousands of dead
in France, it furnished the balance
of force that saved Europe.
in return it asked nothing for
itself except freedom to live its own
life. Other nations got extensions
of territory and vast colonies as well
as indemnities. The United States
took nothing. It was satisfied that
its allies that had suffered terribly
should reap whatever material ad
vantage was to be had. If the same
emergency should arise in the future
undoubtedly the course of this coun
try would be the same. But it in
sists on being the sole judge as to
its duty.
Why should it have to consult any
other nation as to how far it will
guarantee its help in advance?
The other powers have agreed on
an alliance which they call a league.
Well and good. It is for their pro
tection, not ours. It is for the United
States, not Europe, to say to what
extent it will pledge its resources to
this league's support.
.4 Frosty Morning
[From the Columbus Dispatch.]
After gloomy days, the frosty
morning comes as a benediction. It
seems to put new life and new hope
and' new aspirations into the souls
of men and women.
Not long ago there was a nasty
week. Clouds and moisture —and
depression. The sun was all but for
gotten, for if it showed itself at all,
it was with a sickly, fleeting glow.
The muscles became flabby from the
warm temperature; dispositions took
on the nature of the weather. There
was no elasticity in the step, no
mirth in the voice, a slow, dull, list
less tiredness took hold of people.
And then came the frosty morning.
One did not have to have eyes to
know that the sun was shining, nor
ears to hear the music of attuned
Nature.
A hundred years were saved right
here in the city in the quickened
pace of the people. A thousand
horsepower was added to the
strength of the laborers. The good
resolutions that were made would
fill a library—and the inspirations
that came to those who breathed
deeply of the frost-ladened air will
keep "the world a-going for another
season. Great are the blessings of
the frosty morning—the goodness of
God scintillating from every crystal;
divine music borne upon the wings
of the health-giving air.
Useless Knowledge
[Herbert Spencer.]
Old schemes of education, incar
nated in public schools and colleges
continue filling the heads of new
generations with what has become
relatively useless knowledge, and,
by consequence, excluding knowl
edge which is useful. Not an or
ganization of any kind—political,
religious, literary, philanthropic
but what, by its ever-multiplying
regulations, its accumulating wealth
its yearly addition of officers, and
the creeping into it of patronage and
party feeling, eventually loses its
original spirit and sinks into a
mere lifeless mechanism, worked with
a view to private ends—a mechanism
which not merely fails of its first
purpose, but is a positive hindrance
to it.
An Artful Dodger
[From American Legion Weekly.]
"Hey you!" yelled a lieutenant to
a negro doughboy who, at the
screech of an approaching shell, had
jumped from his shell hole and run
over to another. "What do you
mean by moving without orders?
Do you want to give away our posi
tion ?"
"Position?" replied the doughboy
scornfully, "when dat shell come
ovjir dere, mail position am ovuh
hero, 'an' if a shell come here, mah
position am somewhah else. All
ain't got no regular position."
Cost of a Clip of Coffee
What is the cost of a cup of cof
fee?"* The Joint coffee trade commit
tee of the United States says:
"Even at present prices a cup of
coffee With sugar "and a dash of
cream costs only one und one-half
cents."
Revision of Pennsylvania's
Constitution Long Discussed
THE Philadelphia Evening Bul
letin, in an extended discus
sion of the Constitutional He
vision by Penn, says;
For many years the need of a
new or revised 'Constitution of
Pennsylvania has been discussed
by thoughtful public men. On sev
eral occasions proposals to that
end have been made in the Legis
lature, and one of them was acted
on favorably by the House three
years ago. It has come to be
pretty generally acknowledged, even
among conservative citizens, that the
Constitution, as it now exists, is
largely defective and that in highly
important particulars it is plainly
outgrown by latter-day changes and
necessities. Frequently, however,
the objection has been raised in vari
ous influential quarters, some po
litical and others corporate, that
while a new Constitution may be de
sirable, the times are not propitious
for so momentous a step; that it
might lead to ultra-radical measures
and precipitate dangerous agita
tions, and that, therefore, it ought
to be put off until the public
temper shall become normal. But
while there has been a good deal of
point in these objections, it also
finally became evident that the
policy of postponement could not go
on indefinitely and that the longer
it was kept up the more trouble
some it might be to shape fhe or
ganic law along modern li'nes of
thought and with a minimum of
clamor and commotion.
Last winter, when Governor
Sproul went into ofTlee, he was dis
posed to favor the early celling: of a
Constitutional convention, but finally
he concluded that it would be wiser
to defer to the objectors for the time
being:. He took the ground, how
ever, that the way could be. and
should be, opened for the perform
ance of that duty. Accordingly he
proposed that the Legislature should
authorize him to create a commis
sion which might inquire intelli
gently and carefully into the whole
subject and which might, in laying
the groundwork for the action of a
convention, go far to simplify and
facilitate the proceedings of that
body. The Legislature accepted
this recommendation, and it is thus
that the Governor has just an
nounced the appointment of the
twenty-five citizens through the
Commonwealth who are to under
take a work which he looks upon
as exceptionally useful and impor
tant. In fact he has said to some
of them that he does not know of
any higher honor that he could con
fer upon a private citizen.
The body is to be known as the
Commission on Constitutional
Amendment and Revision,' and it
will be expected, according to the
terms of the enactment, to study
the present Constitution in " "the
light of modern thought and con
diti ms" and to determine the
changes in it which may be neces
sary to the purpose of giving the
people of Pennsylvania sucli a form
of government as is best adapted to
their wants and most conducive to
their welfare. Much inquiry und
examination will be needed, and the
Governor has earnestly asked the
prospective Commissioners to sacri
fice enough of their tune to make
their investigations a source of real
and lasting benefit to their State.
Their attention will be occupied
from time to time during the
greater part of the year 1920: and
under the law thev will then decide
what will be the host way of effect
ing the changes which they may rec
ommend— whether by proposing
amendments of particular sections
or articles, or by subjecting the en
tire Constitution to revision through
a general convention. If the latter
course shall be agreed upon and ac
cepted by the Legislature, it is as
sumed that the experience which
they will have gained in the course
! of the year will especially qualif>
, them to sit as delegates-at-iarge in
! the. convention itself, and it is eon
' templated that provision shall ulti
| mately be made to that end.
As for the'r report, they are di
rected to have it ready for submis
sion to the legislature not later than
February, 1921, and this document
will probably be elaborate and far
reaching in its scope, inasmuch as
the law provides that the recom
mendations shall he "in detail."
The report may contain not merely
the drafts of amendments or u
series of amendments, but it may go
so far. according to the functions
prescribed for the Commission, as to
contain "the draft of a generul re
vision." If the shall
perform its duties with entire fidelity
to the task, it will need to get un
der way early in the coming winter,
and Attorney General Schaffer, who
will be its chairman, is a man of
both the energetic temperament and
the steady balance that will be
likely to put the right sort of im
petus and continuity into whatever
method and schedule may be agreed
upon for the proceedings. It is be
lieved that much of the inquiry will
be divided among the Commission —
that is, that to groups of members
will he assigned ifhe subjects in
which they are especially well in
formed and on which they will re
port to the Commission as a whole
the data, information, testimony and
pleas which will be luid before them
by the public or which they may
obtain in their own studies.
Forty-six years will have passed
next month since the people of
Pennsylvania accepted the Constitu
tion which the convention sitting in
this city—their hall, the edifice of
the old Sixth Presbyterian Church,
which had been internally recon
structed for them—drafted after
several months of sessions; and this
Constitution we still live under, save
the changes which have been made
every now and then by amendments
voted into it at the polls This pro
cess of amending is slow, uncertain
and sometimes clumsy or worthless
when the text has been carelessly or
ignorantly prepared. Of course, it
may be fnade to produce large re
sults when many proposed amend
ments are submitted to the people
at one time, as was the case in
Massachusetts last year, where not
fewer than twenty-one were laid be
fore the people to past? upon at the
polls, although all but two, I think,
were rejected. But when a Consti
tution as an organic law is framed,
it is usually as nearly exhaustive of
the subject-matter as such a pact
can be made in tho harmonizing of
a great variety of conflict'ng ideas
and ideals. It is likely to be up
to-date: it is in a form which invites
the respect that a well-ordered
dignity receives; it has something of
majesty in it us one of those acts
which happen only once in a gen
eration. Even then, however, it
may be turned down by the people,
as the product of the New York
Constitutional convention was, not
very long ago, although if it had
been preceded by a plan of opera
tions such as that which the new
Commission in Pennsylvania is now
to enter upon, it would probably
have been put into better shape for
popular approval.
Since the present Constitution was
adopted, there have been more
changes in the life of the Common
wealth and its people than prob
ably have ever taken place in a like
interval. Nowhere else In the State
liavd tliey been more numerous and
notable than in Philadelphia. How
far we have come to lie from the
period in which the last Convention
sat may be inferred from the fact
that Governor Geary, under whose
administration that project began, is
almost totally unknown to most
Pennsylvantans to-day, conspicuous
as he was in his time as a soldier
and a politician. In the one hun
dred and twenty-nine years since
Pennsylvania became a State of the
Union, she has had but three Con
stitutions. Korty-eiglit years passed
between the first and the second;
thirty-five between the second and
the third, and if the next legis
lature shall call a convention to
frame another, about forty-eight
years will have elapsed between the
adoption of the present one and the
submission of a new one.
It will not be the fault of the
Governor and the Attorney General
if. whatever may be the findings at
which the Commission shall arrive,
there shall be any unreasonable de
lay in putting them into effect.
The members have been appointed
with the understanding and expec
tation that they will take hold of
their duty in the broad spirit of a
lr'gh, practical' service in clearing
the path for the genuine constitu
tional reform which their examina
tion find intelligent public opinion
may indicate as necessary or desir
able. In a way it wll be in the
nature of a general Inquest into the
workings of the Constitution of
Pennsylvania to-day. and the sixty
thousand dollars which have been
appropriated for Its expenses will be
a trilling outlay in comnarlson w'th
the value which should come from
this special undertaking. The av
erage of the characte- and ability
In thelConimission Is both high and
representative, and the Governor
so goodly a company of
NOVEMBER 25, 1919.
trusty and loyal Pennsylvanians lias
seldom been brought together for
such a purpose.
At any rate it should be a long
step forward in the direction of mod
ernizing the law and civil life of
Pennsylvania.
New History <>( the War
Persons who desire an under
standing of the great war, the things
that led up to it, its developments
from beginning to end. and its re
sults that changed the whole face
of the world, will find "The History
of the World War," which has just
come from the presses of the Liter
ary Digest, a fascinating and en
lightening work.
This 10-volume history, which has
been live years in preparing, was
edited by Francis W. Halsey. Un
like some histories, which are able
to give the reader only the second
hand knowledge of the historian,
this work gives the first hand knowl
edge of statesmen, war correspon
dents, lighting men, who lived
through the many phases of the con
flict. The result is that this new
work gives the reader the personal
stories, explanations and reports of
such men as Marshal Foch, Sir
Douglas Haig, General Pershing,
Admiral Rodman, Viscount Bryce,
Cardinal Mercier, Prince Lichnow
sk.v and many more who watched
the war at close range. All these
stories have been carefully welded
together into a rupidly moving and
graphic description of the whole
struggle in all its phases.
Nearly a thousand maps and
photographs, including several
which reveal what were conditions
behind enemy lines, add interest to
the set.
"Devil's Dyke" at Auction
The Devil's Dyke, the world
famous spot with a traditionary
legend, five miles from Brighton, the
noted sea bathing beach of En-gland,
has been sold at auction for $30,000.
The Dyke estate includes 190 acres
of land, with a hotel and many
pretty bungalow sites.
Here is where old Satan kicked
up a muss in the misty past. This
historic dyke is un abrupt declivity
in the Sussex Downs, and has all the
appearance of a trench cut by giant
excavators. According to the Boti
doti Telegraph, local tradition
credits the Devil with the execution
of the work, the object being to cut
through the Downs in order to
drown llie churches on the Weald
with the inrush of the sea. The
devil, however, was frightened, so
the story goes, by an old woman,
awakened by the noise he was mak
ing. Her candle at the window,
shaded by a sieve, he mistook for
sunrise, un-d bolted, leaving his foot
prints burnt into the turf on the edge
of the dyke. The estate stands
about seven hundred feet above sea
level and commands line views of the
channel, the Isle of Wight, Weald of
Sussex, I.eith Hill, Box Hill, and even
so far distant a place as Windsor
Castle.
During ttie war the military au
thorities utilized the dyke as a train
ing ground for bombir.-g operations.
November
There is a smell of Egypt in the air.
A death-waft from cold dust of
lotus blooms,
A weight of secrets from lone,
cryptic glooms
Of ruined sepulchers; and every
where
Wails immemorial sorrow. Wan and
bare.
The earth to-day remembers all
her tombs
As a pale mother dreams of empty
rooms.
Blind to all Joy, of all her loss aware!
And I, death-conscious! knowing my
self so small.
Have I not warrant with the world
to weep?
What of the hopes 1 gave to Time
to keep
Hong, long ago? My days like dead
leaves full,
Heaving the scars—l smile in spite
of all.
And stretch my hands to God
across the deep.
—Stockley S. Fisher.
Memory
[George Duhumel in Century Maga
zine. ]
For him who descends with true
fervor into his own depths, memory
always preserves some corner pure
from ull baseness. Do we not know,
moreover, that in order to console
us, memory consents to work in eon-
I cert even with its enemy, forgctful
| ness?
lEutttmg (Etjat
State (Janie Commission officials '
are looking- for more men to be out j
limiting deer this yeur than ever
fore, mainly because there are
more men familiar -with rifles in
Pennsylvania than ever, through war
service, and because of the great
boom in hunting which has been
reflected by the issuance of about
350,000 hunters' licenses. There
are more deer than known for a
long time, say the game authorities,
but the animals are like the wild
turkeys, which are numerous and
mighty shy. To meet the changes
in the deer hunting conditions the
State will have more men in the field 1 * 1
to prevent the killing of does and
deer without horns, and it is the
intention to prosecute persons who
kill the female animals. In some of
the deer districts bodies of does' 4
have already been found. The plan
is to caution hunters through war
dens and special deputies in the
vicinity of the camps, many of which
I will be on Slate lands through per
: mission of the State Forestry De
| partment. Many inquiries have
come to the offices of the Game.
I Commission from men who served
I in the army as to the provisions of
the game code in regard to deer and
no trouble is anticipated in enforc
ing the law as many have offered to
aid. There have been big kills of
wild turkeys in some sections and V
poor reports from others, much be
ing due to the experience of the
hunters, while there have been bet
ter bags of rabbits than for two
years. Over a score of arrests have
been made, lately, mostly for killing
beyond the bag limits. The deer
season wil open on Monday and the
South Mountain, Juniata Valley and
upper Susquehanna will have many
cam ps.
* ♦ *
The last of the blackbirds has left
Hurrisburg and persons familiar
with the habits of these visitors say
that they have been here longer
than known in a long time. Owing
to the mild winter many blackbirds &
appeared very early and made
themselves at home, while the open
autumn caused them to remain. The
Capitol Hill flocks were among the i
last to go and some of them only '
departed last week. The warmtii
of the oily and the parks have kept
the birds around.
• • •
Col. John Price Jackson, former
Commissioner of Labor and Industry,
who was here yesterday, plans to
make a number of addresses on be
half of the Near Eastern Kelief
when he leaves the United States
service, in which he has been in the
j Engineer Corps for two years. Col. 1
I Jackson was a member of the Har- '
I bord Commission that investigated
Armenia, serving with such men as
I Generals Frank K. McCoy and G. V.
H. Mosely, the latter Chief of Staff
of the Pennsylvania troops at the
border and well known to many men
in the State Guard. Col. Jackson
cannot speak now of what he saw
in Armenia, hut when he begins his
addresses some interesting statements*
can he expected, as he was very
thorough in his investigations anil
surveyed the situation from the/
standpoint of ail unbiased
and scientific man to boot. He may
make one of his addresses in this
city during the winter.
• • *
—A new use for half pint flasks
and, incidentally, an unexpected col
lection of such vessels for the State
Department of Internal Affairs has
I been noticed on Capitol Hill the last
! few weeks. They are being em
ployed to send samples supposed to
be oil to the State Geologist for
analysis find expert opinion. The
rusli of flasks started several weeks
ago, but did not. commence to as
sume embarrassing proportions until
last week, when every mail seemed
to bring in an assortment. Most of
the samples were not oil. They
were mainly water with some traces
of iron ore or other substances
which had appearance and occasion
ally the ordor of petroleum. Dr.
George H. Ashley, the new geologist,
found that the great majority of the
specimens sent to him wore value
less, while some were put aside for
further tests. Quite a few of the
samples have come from eastern
counties where prospecting has been
going on, while a number were from
districts in the West where strikes
have been made. A number of the
valueless samples were of amber
color.
* • •
—There appears no lack of appli
cations front men of overseas army |
experience for enlistment in the
State Police. A number of vacancies
have occurred by expiration of
terms and other causes and from
present indications there will not be i
much difficulty in obtaining service
men. Some of the applicants re
ceived decorations. The pay is the
chief objection made by many f the
men who say that they can do better
j us members of police forces of cities
or corporations.
So many ruffed grouse have been
shot by hunters in central Pennsyl
vania counties this year that an agi
tation is already starting to close
some of the counties to the hunting
of the great game bird. The shoot
ing of grouse was halted last year
and steps taken to propagate the
birds, but there has been such a re- .1
markable increase in the number of
hunters this year and they have
gone to the good hunting counties
in such bands that docks of grouse
have been almost exterminated.
Quail have also been killed in large
numbers in several counties where
State propagation had caused a big
increase. The fact that so many
men are hunting, is given as the rea
son for the large slaughter.
WELL KNOWN PEOPLE J
—Dr. ('. E. Forhusli, decorated by
the Prince of Wales, is an authority
on camp sanitation.
—E. Sullivan, of the state College
alumni, is hunting up war records
of State men.
—ftalph B. Strassburger, promi
nent fox hunter, was hurt by a fall
near Philadelphia.
—Dr. H. W. Wiley, the food ex
pert, lias been making a series of
addresses In Philadelphia.
—R. D. Munce, named on the
Constitutional Revision Commission,
was one. of the first good roads ad
vocates. |
—-Senator Francis E. Warren, of
Wyoming, who was here yesterday,
highly praised the new State Capi
tol.
T DO YOU KNOW
—That the State will spend
about $1,500,000 in buildings
liorc in the next few years?
HISTORIC HA It HIS BURG
—The first pig iron was mad*
Harrisburg in tbe thirties.