6
Slje &tar-3nfc?peniUtU
( J&taMwW m J876)
Published b *
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BUMAMW F. MITERS. JOHN L. L. KPMK.
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Vice President. Wm k W,tbb *
Wm. K MITERS.
Secretary and Treainrer. WM. W WALLOWCK.
WM H WARNER, V. Hi-MMEL BEEOMACE. J*.,
BuMneti Manxsrr Editor.
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THE STARTNDEPKNDENT
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CUMBERLAND VALLEY
Private Branch Exchange, . No. 345-246
Monday, December 14, 1014.
DECEMBER
Sun. Mon. Tues. Wed. Thur. Frl. Sat.
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30 31
MOON'S PHASES—
Full Moon, iind; Last Quarter, 10th;
New Moon, lttth; First Quarter, 24th.
WEATHER FORECASTS
Harrisburg and vicinity: Fair and J /josr3D&
much colder to night with lowest tem- yBBT
perature about 10 degrees. Tuesday f
fair, continued cold. ' I VS3ijU
Eastern Pennsylvania: Fair and
much colder to-night and Tuesday. I
Strong west winds diminishing. V.—- v->>
YESTERDAYS TEMPERATURE IN HARRISBURG
Highest, 32; lowest, 26; 8 a. m., 27; S p. m., 32.
A SUGGESTION TO MR. LYNCH
Highway Commissioner Lynch could make a hit
with the people aud. incidentally, ward off tbe pos
sibility of pneumonia or at least bad colds for many
Harrisburgers who go to work early in the morn
ings, by directing his street sweepers, who at such
times as this become snow shovelers. to shovel little
paths out to the near-side stopping places of the
trolley cars near all the street intersections.
The near-side stop requirement makes the place
at which the passengers must board the cars a ins
tance of the length of a car from the regular cross
ings. and unless a path is shoveled there passengers
are pretty sure to get wet feet as they start for
iheir day's work aud consequently their feet are
likely to remain wet all dav.
If the regular street cleaners were directed, first
thing in the morning after a snow storm, to shovel
even a narrow path from the sidewalks out to the
tracks at all the stopping places of the cars, it would
do a great deal toward preventing passengers from'
being exposed to illness from wet feet. This morn
ing, for instance, it would have placed only a very
little bit of extra work on the street cleaners if
they had been directed to give their big scoops one
push from the sidewalks out to the car tracks at
each stopping point. That comparatively slight
effort would have been sufficient to have removed
the slush from a good-sized path.
Commissioner Lynch's men, in most instances, are
prompt in clearing paths at the actual street inter
sections. and this is very proper, but it is even more
important that the paths to the stopping places of
the cars be made tirst.
MOVIES FOR SING SING PRISONERS
Sing Sing prison apparently is becoming a hap
pier place in which to live. The new millionaire
warden of the penitentiary has his own views on
how to handle the 1,600 convicts confined to the
institution, and he is rapidly putting his theories
into practice. One of his theories is that in order
to have a nice happy family spirit in a place like
Sing Sing it is neeessary to give the inmates a good
time, so yesterday there was provided for their
entertainment a motion picture show. The audience
was very appreciative and enjoyed the pictures
immensely.
There was a good deal of dissatisfaction among
the inmates of Sing Sing before the new warden
took hold. The guests of that famous resort on the
Thanks of the beautiful Hudson made frequent dem
onstrations of their discontent based on the fact
tnat there was not enough consideration shown them
bv the management in the matter of the quality of
tne hospitality extended. In! fact many of the
guests frequently showed a desire to change their
boarding place. Indeed, there were frequent riots
among the dissatisfied patrons within the walls of
the noted hostelry and at times some of the sojourn
ers were restrained from seeking quarters else
where only by sight of the loaded muzzles of the
guns of the Sing Sing guards. There have, indeed,
been some recent instances of Sing Sing guests
actually departing before the prescribed time, de
spite the precautious taken.
Perhaps the new warden has the right idea. Cer
tainly there is something to be said in favor of
treating even criminals like human beings, no mat
ter how black the crimes for which they are incar
cerated. There are always some good instincts left
even in men sent to Sing Sing and if those instincts
are to be encouraged to develop rather than to
HARRISBUKG STAR-INDEPENDENT. MONDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 14. 1914.
disappear it can only be done by permitting the
men to live normal lives even within the priatm
walls.
The days of torture for prisoners are past, or at
least are passing. The throwing of men into dark,
damp dungeons still is resorted to in some countries,
but not in the more enlightened ones. Many of the
Sing Sing convicts will he turned loose hgaiu on the
world, after serving prescribed terms, and they
will prove to be far more useful nnd far less dan
gerous members of society when at large if during
the period of their incarceration they are permitted
to exist in something like normal human conditions.
INDUCEMENTS FOR SPIES
The charge of the Paris "Matin" that
army officers are admitting many dernians and
Austriuns to the service who are acting as spies
and sending information in indirect ways to the
enemies' ranks, recalls how the business of the spy
flourishes in wartime, and suggests an inquiry as
to what inducements are offered to those eugaged
in it.
The punishment of a spy, if caught, is quick
death. The same penalty is exacted of him as is
exacted of murderers in times of peace wheu homi
cide is a punishable crime,—only that it comes more
surely and more quickly. It would seem that the
possibility of an ignominious death would not be
much of a lure for recruits in the spy service.
Yet spies are always plentiful in times of hos
tilities and instances are recorded of men contesting
for the privilege of being sent into enemy's lines
on commissions of deception and trickery. Perhaps
the risk has an appeal. An alternative is offered of
success and consequent praise from comrades, or
capture and resultant death at the hands of ene
mies, and the element of chance has certain at
tractions. x
Whether a spy is a hero cr a sneak cannot be defi
nitely settled upon, for in the eyes of his comrades
he is one, and in the estimation of his enemies he is
the other.
ALTERATIONS IN THE CLASSICS
The Bulletin of the Simplified Spelling Board
which, appearing in the orthography which it ad
vocates looks not unlike literary productions of one
Artemus Ward, .calls attention to a certain faet
which is often overlooked, yet is worth bearing in
mind.
When the Board's proposals regarding radical
changes in spelling began to make a stir in Eng
land, we are told, a popular writer put himself on
record as being opposed to any such changes, de
claring that the spelling of Shakespeare was good
enough for him. The Bulletin points out that the
works of Shakespeare and of other masters of Eng
lish literature are printed to-day, not in the original
spelling of the authors, but in the spelling which
conforms with present day usage.
"When any man invokes the spelling of English
literature," pursues the "Simplified Spelling Bul
letin," somewhat sarcastically, "he must not think
to find it in the scool readers or in the Loudon and
New York newspapers. If he really wishes to use
'the spelling of Shakespeare,' (aud who does?), he
must find out what Shakespeare's spelling was. It
was in intent the same as other men's spelling in
that age: only it was les orderly, because the cop
iers, players and printers of plays wer in that age
a careless and piratical tribe."
It is well for us to remember sometimes that in
our reading of the literature of yesterday in edi
tions of to-day we are reading not the pure prod
ucts of the master writers, but the results of many
careful alterations made by editors and printers in
the course of years. We need to bear this in mind,
not as a discredit to modern editions of the classics,
but to make us appreciate fully the excellent serv
ices of the editors and printers who have made the
gems of literature of past centuries intelligible to us.
There is no waste in Christmas giving if you buy only
useful gifts.
Yesterday's snow storm caine a little early to insure a
white Christmas.
It doesn't seem lsng since last Christmas,—but, really
it comes only once a year.
You can see a good show and at the same time help the
suffering Belgians by going to the Orpheum Theatre any
afternoon or night this week.
Go to Chestnut Street Hall to-morrow evening and buy
Christmas Red Cross seals from the pretty girls, to help
the fight against tuberculosis'. The concert and drill by
the Zembo patrol will make it well worth your time and
your money.
TOLD IN LIGHTER VEIN
/
TIME'S REVENGE
The old-fashioned bully who used to whip his wife now
has a son who is afraiji to go home for fear his better half
will take a wallop at him.—Cincinnati Enquirer.
CANNON FOOD
Customer —"Here, waiter. Where are the olives! Hold
on. Bring me a half melon and some cracked ice."
The Waiter (loudly)—" Dumdums, half a bombshell and
a bowl of shrapnel."—Cleveland Leader.
LOVE IN A MODERN COTTAGE
"Could you be satisfied with love in a cottage, dearestf"
sighed the poor young man.
"Certainly, I could," responded the girl, who really loved
him. "But there must be a breakfast room, a music room,
parquetry flooring and a big marble fireplace in the front
hall."—Louisville Courier Journal.
A REALLY NICE MAN
Our idea of a nice man is an industrious and well-behaved
young fellow 34 yeara old who abandons the shame and dis
grace of bachelorhood and marries a widow with five chil
dren.—Houston Post.
THE REASON
Simms—"You're a pooT sort of a club member. I very
seldom see you around at clubhouse."
Timms —"Why, I get arouiW once or twice a week."
Simms—"Well, look at me—l'm there every night."
Timms—"Yes, but you're married, and I'm single."—
New York Times.
/ 1 ' \
[Tongue-End Top ics|
Thieving Squirrels
It was a dealer in fruits, nuts, erte.,
who was anathematizing the squirrels
that tirst came to Capitol Park a"bout
fourteen years ago. Since then the
squirrels ha\> thrived and prospered
mid increased ami multiplied, and now
they have complete possession of the
city, roaming hither and thither with
out fear of molestation, defying injury,
and behaving just as if they owu the
j city. The fruit dealer said:
Something's g(Jt to be done with
' ttu> squirrels in this town, the little
thieves! They do incalculable mis-
I chief. Since they can 't get food fTom
the trees they go hunting it all over
| the city. They can smell a nut a mile
off, and they go after it like "Vpointer
after a quail. I find them a very cost
ly matter. At my place of business
they get in almost every day. and they
j go for the bags of nuts, and raid them.
Now, it doesn't take a squirrel very
long to acquaint all of his family, in
eluding father, mother, sisters, cousins,
I uncles and auuts. and the whole freund
sehaft, with the information that they
can get nuts for the taking at my p!aee
of business, and thoy are sure to call ou
me. A bag of nuts under their assaults
lasts but a short time, ami that means
a dead loss to me. IV) the; eat them?
Not ail of them. They take the nuts
out and bury them. I wouldn't mind it
so much if the squirrels were hungry
and ato the nuts as they took them, j
but they don't do that. Thev carry
off nuts and bury them. We have kept
U?e rear doors closed and all of the en
trances blocked to keep them out, but
if they can't get in the back door, they
go around and walk into the front door,
and steer a straight course direct to the
spot where the nuts are piled up in ]
bags. Why don t I kill fcome of them?
Say, I could as soon kill one of those
squirrels as I could a pet cat."
* * *
Squirrels Know Their Friends
A man who has fed nuts to the Capi
tol Park squirrels for a long time be
longs to a club on Market street. Quite
recently he was much amused to see
some of the squirrels come into the up
per rooms of the club house and en
deavor to attract his attention while
he was reading. They were after nuts
i and had followed the scent of the pe
i cans he carried in his pockets. Investi
gation showed that they had reached
the club house by journeying over
! wires to Market street, getting to the
building and then into the house
through the window, after which it was
an easy thing to find their friend and
| get the nuts in his pocket.
• „ »
Suggests Thinning Out the Squirrels
In a yard at the rear of a residence
i on North street in this city is a re
: markably fine Knglish walnut tree that
I for years has borue from three to five
| bushels of fine nuts annually. For the
I last few years the owner of the tree
has not gathered a single nut from the
; tree, the Capitol squirrels having got
ten every one of them. They know
the location of that tree, and at the
j proper time they leave their stamping
! ground in the park and make forays ou
this particular English walnut tree, and
j they take everything that is takable.
\ All manner of devices have been em
■ ployed to prevent them from getting
the nuts, but all in vain—nothing
i seems to serve to prevent them from
I "scutching" the tree, and the owner
j has given up the idea of gathering any
nuts from it. There is nothing to pre
! vent him from killing the squirrels
when they are destroying his property,
but he shrinks from taking the life of
a squirrel when it is so trusting and
fearless. It has been suggested that
their numbers be thinned out in the
park by shipping them to some of the
State game preserves where hunting is
not allowed.
Cats and Wildcats
Wild cats are now rarities in Eu
rope, though formerly they were com
paratively common in most y*rts of
the continent. The few survivors ce
cur mostly in Hungary and occasion
ally in Spain and Greece. In Spain,
bv the way, the animals build nests in
trees or among tali bamboos for the
rearing of their young, though gener
ally they prefer a crevice in a rocky
country in which to make a lair. Our
domesticated cat is not derived from
the untamable European animal, but
was introduced ready tamei from
EgJ'pt. —London Mail.
What Bobwhite Eats
Fifteen per cent, of the food of the
bobwhite is composed of insects, in
, eluding several of the most serious
| pests of agriculture. Half of its food
consists of weed seeds, one-fourth of
grain and about one-sixteenth of wild
fruits. Taken in ail the bobwhite is
; very useful to the farmer, anil while
: it may not be necessary to remove it
1 from the list of game birls .every farmer
I aoouM see that his own farm is not
I depleted by sportsmen.
Keep Your Lungs Strong
1 This advice is doubly important with
the knowledge that every three minutes
some one in the United States succumbs
to consumption and many refuse to
realize they are afflicted until it is too late.
It is after colds or sickness, from over
work, confining duties or when general
weakness exists that tubercular germs
thrive because the resistive powers of
the body are weakened.
Only with fresh air, sunshine and
abundant rich blood can one hope to
arrest their progress, and the concen
trated fau- in Scott's Emulsion furnish
fuel for rich blood, and its rare nourish
ment helps strengthen the lungs while
it builds up the forces.
If you work indoors, tire easily, feel
languid or run-down Scott's Bmulsion is
the most strengthening food-medicine
known and is free from alcohol or stupe
fying drugs. Avoid substitutes.
14-63 Scott * Bowac, BlooafieM, If. J.?
I£FE AND ITS TENACITY
Plant Germs That the Most Intense
Cold Could Mot Kill
In reply to a number of questionsj
regarding life and its tenacity, here aro
results of biological laboratory experi
ments made by l)r. Paul Becquerei, of
Paris University
Seeds and spores of plaats were
sealed in glass tubes. All air was re- i
moved to the extreme modern vacuum I
limit and theu the tubes were sub- j
merged in liquid air during three weeks I
at the temperature of 310 degreos be- |
j low zero F. and under liquid hydrogen I
at the tem;>erature oi 418 degrees dur
ing 74 hours. After a year some of
the spores, and after two years all of
them, germinated and grew.
This is a remarkable fact —that is,
some of the spores required two years
to awaken from their sleep of apparent
death in liquid hydrogen.
Life seems, therefore, at least in the
case of these seeds and germs, to be a
chemical process—the activity of chem
ism was suspended or stopped by the
intense cold.
Ot put your finger into liquid air.
The cold kills the flesh and the dead
part must be amputated. But life in
seeds and plants, whatever tit may be,
survived. Humans have no clue to the
nature of life. Calling it a phase of
chemisni does not help, since none
knows what that is
Mv theory is that chemism is n mo
tion of and readjustment in atomic
states of electrons. These are elec
tricity. But what electricity is is un
known. —Edgar Lucien Larken in New
1 York American.
RADIUM AND LIGHTNiNG
And the Better Protection of Horses
During Thunderstorms
Radium has been discovered vastly
to improve lightning rods in their pro
tection of buildings during thunder
storms. Of course the enormous cost
of radium prevents any practical use
of the fact as yet. But there is a very
fair possibility that the information
gained in this way will leart to a new
form of lightning rod which will be
most efficient or that furt'her experi
ments will show that a tiny quantity
of radium at a reasonable cost will im
prove the protection.
The purpose of lightning rods, of
course, is to catch the electrical cur
rents iu the air during a storm and
lead them safely into the ground in
stead of allowing the lightning to pick
its own course down through a house j
or church steeple, and their use is based !
ou the principle that a metal rod will)
give the electricity a smoother p
ot less resistance than ordinary build-'
ing material.
The whole trouble with lightning rods
now is that, though they can be made to j
do the trick if tlie electrical discharge j
is near them, there is no way to lead
I electricity through the air to the rod.
Radium will do this ;»rt of the work,
as has been demonstrated in scientific
experiments. Two milligrams of ra
dium x on the end of a rod made the
lir a considerable distance away a vast
ly bette- conductor.
Thus any electrical discharge within
several \ards of the rod had a path
open for it along the radium rays to
j the roil and then down the rod to the
earth.--Saturday Evening Post.
BANKUTU CANNIBALS
A Belgian Kongo Savage Tribe Tnrt
Cannot Be Subdued
The cannibal Baukutus of S"lgian
Kongo make a practice of removing the
upper incisors. Their dress consists of
a plaited skirt, which does not quite j
meet on the right thigh. But the worn- j
en of the south wear a hide girdle vitli
a deep fringe of palm fibre string.!
Among this tribe the slaves are com- |
pelled to wear a special dress, vv'iich
is, in fact, the ordinary costume of the i
I Akeis, to which tribe most of them '>e- j
| long. The Bankutus are great eanni
l bals as far as the male members of!
| the tribe ar concerned, and the victims!
I are always slaves. In fact, all sla. es'
| ar» ultimately eaten, since it is believe 1
! thrx if a slave were buried his ghost j
I would kill his master.
Their chief weapon is the bow, poi-'
| sou being used ou the arrows. -S!i elds |
j are now obsolete. One of their mos>t
| interesting points is their use of a con
j ventional throwing knife as currency.
I The Bankutus are almost the only tribe 1
! of this region who have been successful '
i in resisting the advance of the white 1
| man. This fact is due to their skill in
forest warfare. The way leading to
i their village is defended by poisoned
spikes hidden by leaves. They use bows
and arrows set like traps iu the form
of primitive firing guus and are quite
; ready if a white man is expected to :
bait such traps with a live baby, being I
sure that the European will be una'jle I
to resist the temptation to pick up an j
apparently abandoned child. The poi- i
son they use is absolutely deadly.
MODERN WARFARE
Manning the Trenches and Locating |
the Enemy by Dust Clouds
A column of infantry, marching four i
' abreast —the regular inarching form —
will pass a given point at the rate of [
' 175 a minute. .At that rate it will |
take a division, which contains about
10,000 men, about an hour to pass.'
A division, which is the largest body
known in the organization of the Amer
ican army, will fully man two miles of
trenches/ The regulation distance in
the manning of a trench is a yard to
a man. There are three lines, how
ever, needed to fully man such de
! fenses —the firing line, which is down j
|in the trench, a yard between each J
j man; the support, which is back a!
| short distance, and the reserve, which j
is behind the support. These three
parts of the defense are of equal size. '
In locating an enemy dust clouds j
are often excellent indications, A low, |
thick cloud indicates infantry, a high j
and thin cloud indicates cavalry, while ,
a broken cloud indicates artillery or i
i wagon trains. An experienced scout!
! can closely estimate the character and ;
strength of an enemy solely by the
! dust cloud.
An aeroplane to be perfectly safe
must keep at an elevation of at least
4,000 feet above the ground.
Although the telegraph and telephone
have become generally used in battle
for purposes of communication, for dis
tances under half a mile the old fash
ioned courier and horse are still exclu
sively used. These have been found a
swifter and surer means of communi
cation for short distances than either
telephone or telegraph.—Washington
Star.
He Wanted to Know
"Ohaj-les," said the teacher, "do
you know the etaoisea of the Revolu
tionary war?"
Ghi&rles looked interestedly art his
instructor and replied, as if carrying
on a social conversation, "No, do
you?"— Ladies' Home Journal.
The Globe The Globe
Balmacaans—
The sls and $lB Kinds At
§S 1 1 .75
AK EN ! here s ah unusual I
■J-** saving-snap. Another
lot ol exceptionally handsome
Balmacaans just received
striking models that possess all
the "dash and go demanded
_ by all good dressers.
AS an accommodation to our customers THE GLOBE
will be open evenings until Cliristmas, beginning
to-night. •
Bring your Xmas Saving Fund Checks here to be cashed.
"THE GLOBE
View From Mount Rigi
The mouutain of the Kigi, in Switzer
land, commands a panorama of 400
miles in circumstance, which includes
the lovely lake of Lucerne, and is un
surpassed for beauty. The Uigi was
known to only a few travelers in the
eighteenth century, but after the peace
City of Harrisburg Bonds j
Denominations SIOO and SSOO |
Free of All Taxes in Pennsylvania |
FIRST NATIONAL BANK f
224 Market St. • Harrisburg, Pa. f
b=
Diamonds
Superior Qualities—Unusual Values
DIAMONDS and Diamonds. L'ike many other things,
diamonds ar» good, bad ami indifferent. Every per
son wants a good diamond and wishes to be positive
about it. Tile TAUSIG STOCK represents the best. Forty
seven years ago we stood for and maintained quality. We
stand for it to-day. It is this universal regard we have for
diamond quality that has helped us build up the enviable
reputation we enjoy. The supreme Christmas gift.
Diamond Rings, l-64th to 3 carat, from $3 to SSOO
Diamond Cluster Rings, Diamond Earrings,
$5 to SIOOO $6 to $550
Diamond Lavallieres, Diamond Cuff Buttons,
$5 to S2OO $5 to SSO
Diamond Bracelets, Diamond Scarf Pins,
$8 to S2OO $3 to S2OO
i /
Jacob Tausig's Sons
DIAMOND MERCHANTS AND JEWELERS
Reliable Since 1807. 420 Market Street Open Evenings.
■ 1
YOU DESIRE
to give your boy the very best possible chance for success
in life.
But do you realize that you are not giving him the "best"
chance if you have neglected to teach him the value of
money?
An account in our Savings Department is one of the best
encouragements to save the small sums which you can
give him.
SI.OO is enough with which to open a Savings Account
with us, and we pay 8 per cent, interest, compounded every
four months.
I *I4AIIW fiJL ii'TIHTJ 1 f I iT TWH 1
of 1815 it became a resort for the curi
ous, the first dwelling having been erect
ed in ISI4. Now mauv hotels are in
a flourishing condition, and it is popular
even in winter. There is a little ahapel,
with its walls covered with votive t«l>-
lots, for many have been the victims in
the ice gorges of this lofty peak.