GE
—e ee
READING HISTORY.
The Ons Way to Acquire a Real Knowl-
edge of the World.
Henry James once told me that the
only reading of which he never tired
was history. “The least significant
footnote of history,” he said, “stirs me
more than the most thrilling and pas
sionate fiction. Nothing that has ever
happened to the world finds me indif
ferent.”
I used to think that ignorance of his.
tory meant oniy a lack of cultivation
ff
and a loss of pleasure. Now I am sure
that such ignorance impairs our judg-
ment by impairing our understanding,
by deprivinzs us of standards, of the
power to contrast and the right to esti
mate. We can know nothing of any
nation unless we know its history, and
we can know nothing of the history of
any nation unless we know something
of the history of all nations.
The b of the world is full of
knowledge we need to acquire, of les-
sons we need to learn, of wisdom we
need to ass: nilate. Cousider only this
brief sentence of D’olybius, quoted by
Plutarch, “In Carthage no one is blam-
ed however he may have gained his
wealth.” A pleasant place, no doubt.
for business enterprise, a place where
young men were taught how to get on
and extravagance Kept pace with
shrewd finance; a self satisfled, self
confident, money getting, money loving
people, honoring success and hugging
its fancied security, while in faroff
Rome Cato pronounced its doom.—
Agnes Repplier in Atlantic Monthly.
THE SCARLET TANAGER.
He Wears His Gaudy Fireman's Suit
Only In the Summer.
The country folk call the scarlet tan-
ager the firebird. His feathers set the
woods on fire. Reversing the figure,
the firebird puts out the torch of the
sumac and pales the plumage of the
oriole that has come to fly “in tropic
splendor through our northern sky.”
This tanager of ours is not much of a
songster. He dees not have to be. All
he has to do is “stand on” in the show
in order to share applause with the
gold tongued wood thrush and the mel-
low noted meadow lark. Seemingly
the tanager thinks that his call is to be
preferred to his song, for he calls forty
times where he sings once. The tip of
a tree gives him the best stage setting
for his beauty, and there he perches,
looks the sun in the eye and chip-
churs by the hour. His mate is a
modestly garbed female, who is willing
to attend to home duties while Beau
Brumme] gallivants abroad.
It is only for a season that the tana-
ger wears his fireman suit. Nature's
rule that he must change his clothes
when September is spent may seem
foolish to him, but he obeys to the
feather. In dun and drab he goes
south, where he tells an unbelieving
and brilliantly plumaged company of
tropic birds of the wonder of his sum-
mer dress.—Chicago Post.
The Day eof the Carver.
Carving was once a serious thing.
The sixteenth century carver was a
professional. He had to make the
Joint fit the guest. The size of his
slices was the thing. Then he had to
know his guests and cut accordingly.
A lord, for instance, at the table, and
#& pike was dished up whole. Smaller
fry, and the pike came on in slices.
The same procedure with pig. The
rank of the diners decided whether it
should appear at table in gold leaf or
naked, whole or sliced. With bread,
too, there was a difference. New or
three days old baked was at the dis-
cretion of the carver as he sized up the
visitors.. And as for the apportioning
of the titbits according to precedence
there was no end. The old time carver,
in fact, was born and then made.—
London Standard.
Difficult Peat.
Two boys stood in front of the en-
trance gate of a football fleld. They
had no money, but they were deter-
mined to outwit the gatekeeper some-
bow and get in and see the game.
They suggested scheme after scheme
to one another, and finally the older
boy said:
“I got it now!
ward, and he’ll think we're comin’
out.”—Exchange.
Net Catching.
Mrs. Nouveau Riche—Willie, I don’t
want to see you play with the 8lings-
by-8mythe’s dog again. Willie Ditto—
Why not, ma? Mrs. N. R.—The dog
is pedigreed, they say, and there’s no
telling when it may have another fit of
them.—New York Globe.
His Suspicion Confirmed.
How interesting the financial columns
in the morning papers can be to the
traveled reader! For instance, here's a
market report that says ‘butter was
strong.” This confirms an impression
formed at a boarding house recently.—
London Ideas.
Feminine ‘Intuition.
“y thought you were going to send
that hat back. Maude. What induced
you to keep it?"
“Every girl I know was careful to
tell me, as soon as she saw it on me.
how unbecoming It was.”—Baltimore
American.
On the Line.
“You sar you have spent hours over
& single line?”
“Yes: and sometimes days.”
“Then you're a poet?”
“No; I'm an angler.”
Unusual Behavior.
Lerret- You look wried, old chap
x . x I ¢ 1 mv wife i
aa
We'll walk in back-
Old blronaides.
Old Ironsides is such a cherished na-
tional treasure now that it seems in-
credible that it was orce proposed in
all seriousness to tear it to pieces for
what ittle value could be got out of
the material, remarks the Boston Post.
Holmes was a law student at Harvard
at the time. He was only a month
more than twenty-one years old. He
wrote his immortal poem with a lead |
pencil on a stray scrap of paper, yet
it has been said:
“This probably is the only case in
which a government policy was chang- |
ed by the verses.of a college student.”
Originally Old Ironsides was’ one of
four sister frigates,
the Constellation, the
and the President. Of the other three,
alas, only memories remain. The Con-
stellation was broken up, as they in-
tended to break up Old Ironsides. One
of the others rotted away at a British
dock, and the fourth was lost at sea.
Curiously enough, the story of these
four sister frigates is one of the least
known chapters in American history.
Yet it is well worth reading up.—Chi-
cago News.
She Became a Bore.
Most persons who talk about them-
selves are bores. A writer in the
American Magazine says:
“One of the most companionable wo-
men 1 ever knew was so completely
transformed by an operation that she
unconsciously became a bore to her
friends and to her family by tedious
repetitions of her hospital experience.
Her idea of its importance was so ex-
aggerated that she lost all sense of
proportion. Truly her ‘operation’ be-
came the alpha and omega of her ex-
the Constitution. |
United States |
istence. From it all events in her life
history dated. It was her sole topic
of conversation. No matter how skill-
fully one might steer the conversation
al bark away from the dreaded topic,
she adroitly brought it back. As a re-
sult she became self centered, intro
spective and a bore to her friends. Her
efforts to entertain merely annoyed.
Where she hoped to arouse admiration
she created disgust, and where she
sought sympathy she received only in
difference.”
The Hope of the Poles.
There are more Poles today in the
world than ever before, and their
fecundity is unrivaled. Their national
feellng was never deeper rooted or
more intelligent. If a Pole tells you he
is in favor of autonomy under Ger-
many or Russia or Austria he is lying
for expediency’s sake. The Pole wants
only one thing, and that is independ-
ence. In this are they not like every
other nation worth its =alt? “Are you
a patriot?” sald Napoleon in 1810 to
John Sniadecki, rector of the Universi.
ty of Vilna. “Sire,” answered the rec.
tor, “from my birth I have learned to
love my country, and her misfortunes
have only strengthened the love I bear
for her.” After an additional century
of Poland's misfortunes her children,
scattered over the whole world, would
give the same answer. And there are
seven times as many of them now as
there were then.—Century.
Very Ancient Warfare.
At the beginning of the Chino-Jap-
anese war one of our military attaches
attended a Chinese review. A Chinese
regiment took the fleld and went
through a curious performance. They
carried long bamboo fishing rod things.
and with these they rushed at one an-
other, yelling wildly and making very
queer gestures and grimaces.
“What's the game?’ asked our at-
tache.
“This regiment,” a Chinese general
answered, “is one of our oldest. It is
now practising a form of assault which
dates from prehistoric times. The idea
is to trip the enemy with the long
wand, throw water in his face and
in his bewilderment at this extravrdi-
nary treatment to cut off his head”
First In Something.
According to their own account, the
children were first in something at
school. One was first in reading, an-
other in arithmetic, another in sports.
Bertie alone remained silent.
“Well, Bertie, how about you?’ his
uncle asked. ‘‘Aren’t you first in any-
thing?”
“Yes,” said honest Bertie; “I am first
out of the building when the bell
rings.” —New York Times.
History Repeats.
Two men were once talking over
their respective sons’ careers at col-
lege, and one remarked:
“Well, -I sometimes feel like saying,
as did Aaron in the wilderness, ‘Be-
hold, I poured in the gold and there
came out this calf.’ "—New York Amer-
ican.
Prudent Man.
“Had any luck in the stock market
lately 2”
“The best ever.”
“How much did you clean up?”
“Not a cent. I listened to a still
small voice and stayed out.”—Birming-
ham Age-Herald.
Distance Lends Fnchantment.
She—Do you think it will be all right
for us after we are married to settle a
couple of squares away from my fami-
ly? He—I was going to say a couple
of states.—New York Times.
Optimism.
Wife—John, you'll have to take that
ball away from baby. He hit sister
on the head with it. John—Yes, dear,
but you shouid have seen the curve the
little cuss had on it.—Puck.
Children Cry
5p ELYTOEIR <
-e
ned
Photo by American Press Association.
MISS MARIE PEARY.
Miss Marie Peary, daughter of the
disct vor-r of the north pole, is chair-
man of a committee of the Washing-
ton Junior leagu~, which is gathering
toys and making a canvass of hos-
pital free wards where there are chil-
dren as preliminary work in a plan
that includes distribution of toys to
the children that attend the play,
centers for the little invalids in the
free wards. She is shown in her
Eskimo wn'er costume she wore as a
child in the arctic.
ASKS U. S. FOR FREE HAND
Villa Wants to Wage War on Car-
ranza Unmolested.
Francisco Villa through represent-
atives in El Paso, Tex., has made over-
tures to the United States government
and has promised to cease his depre-
dations upon American property and
discontinue killing Americans in Mex-
ico, it was announced today by a gov-
ernment agent in El Paso, Tex.
The report that representatives of
Villa have been working here and else-
where on the border to have Villa
spare American lives and property in
return for assurances that his move-
inter-
fered wi. h by the United States army,
circulation here for two
ments in M»sxico would net be
bas been in
days.
Ville’
carry
agreemeni, ({ was said today, if he be
not molested in his military opera-
tiems.
Not to Be Considered.
Any suggestion of an agreement be-
tween the American government and
is regarded by ad-
ministration officials in Washington as
uaworthy of consideration. No official
report of Villa’s alleged proposal that
an agreement under the terms of
which he would cease killing Ameri-
cans and order stopped the destruc-
had
and
some doubt was expressed that he had
Framcisco Villa
tion eof Americam property,
reached the state department,
made such overtures.
U. S. STEEL MAKES OFFER
Employees May Subscribe to 35,000
Shares of Stock.
It became known that in accordance
with the plan in force during the last
thirteen years the United States Steel
corporation will offer to employees the
opportunity to subscribe during Janu:
ary for 35,000 shares of stoek at a
price somewhat below the market, and
also will distribute the usual special
The total amount of
the latter has not yet been defimjtely
determined, but it will be calculated
on the basis heretofore fixed. Part of
compensation.
this will be paid in cash and the bal
ance in preferred stock in the same
proportions and on the same terms as
last year.
It is hoped distributions will be
made to the smaller salaried men
about Christmas and to the others
Many employees
in salaries to
about New Year's.
will receive increases
i take effect Jan. 1.
The three wage-
tion, will aggregate
about $33,000,000.
WAGE INCREASES FOR MANY
8,750,000 Workers Will Have
Happiness This Year.
Not less than 5,750,000 salaried em-
ployees and wageworkers will rejoice
during the holidays over the wide-
spread prosperity prevailing in the
it is announced in a
story printed here today outlining
Christmas bonuses and wage increases
United States,
which have been announced through
out the country.
Three hundred million dollars is the
of Christmas
been announced ’
estimate of the total
presents which have
z= fricnds have pledged him to
out his part of the proposed
increases made
during the year, with the increases
in salaries and the special compensa-
for the year
Lots of
&
| Liquid Fire 'n War. °°
{: Liquid fire as a war weapon is thus
y In the earliest models the combus-
et une liquid was propelled by a gas
i
! condenser out of a portable or fixed
reservoir and was lighted by some au-
tomatic device as it escaped from the
nozzle of the projecting instrument,
Later a double barreled liquid gun
was devised, having the upper barrel
much smaller than the lower and piv-
oted so as to turn independently. The
i fluid is shot from the two barrels si-
| multaneously. but only that from the
| aprer one ignites automatically.
This small. burning stream is so di-
| rected that it unites with the larger.
nonburning one at any desired point
and then, of course, ignites the larger
jet. The small stream is then shut off.
the larce one continuing to flow.
The flames do not spread backward
| along the jet toward the nozzle. but
are carried forward to the target and,
| striking the ground, form a veritable
| sheet of fire. which continues to ignite
‘the fluid as fast and as long as it falls.
The Making of Chipped Glags.
Sheets of glass that are covered with
a shell-like raised pattern are in use
for screens, partitions, electric light
fixtures and other purposes. This
chipped glass, for the pattern is often
really chipped out of the surface, in-
volves a process that is interesting.
The sheet of glass to be treated is
placed under a sand blast in order to
give it a grain. This ground surface
is next treated with a solution of good
glue, and the glass is placed in a dry-
ing room on a rack, where it remains
for some hours. Next the sheets of
glass are removed to the chipping
room, where they are placed on edge
back to back, with the coated surfaces
outward. This room is heated by
steam coils, and when the heat is turn-
ed on’ the glue reaches its utmost de-
gree of desiccation and curls off the
glass in pleces from the size of a dime
to that of a silver dollar, but it ad-
heres so closely to the glass that in
| its effort to get free it tears a piece
off the surface, the result being a
beautiful pattern.
1
Why the Baby Cries.
Now we know why the baby cries.
For a long time the cause was veiled
in ebscurlty. It might be an inacces
sible pin, or it might be the helpless
discrepancy betwixt the heavenly king-
dom and this world, or it might be a
plain case of colic, called by what new-
fangled term you please. If has re-
mained for an advertising expert to
discover that the baby cries in order
to advertise. It is the baby’s effective
announcement in the imperative mood
that he wants to be up and petted or
he wants the moon or he wants some-
thing else, and “he won't be happy till
he gets it.” There is no denying that
‘for an infant industry the baby’s ad-
vertising 18 a great success. Nearly
every time he gets results, and the
most astute and alert professional so-
licitor cannot show a higher percent-
age of success.—Philadelphia Ledger.
Only a “Slip of a Bey.”
One night while Mme. Sarah Bern-
“L’Aiglon” in Montreal a very angry
man left the auditorium and clamored
at the box office for the return of his
money. The manager naturally want-
ed to know why.
“1 paid to see Mme. Bernhardt act,”
the man stormed, “and she’s not act-
ing.” 3
“Mme. Bernhardt is acting,” replied
the astonished manager. |
“No, she 1s not,” retorted the man.
“She does not take the part of the em-
press, and the only other characters are
a man and the slip of a boy who plays
the young duke.” :
It took ever so long to convince him
that the “slip of a boy” was Bernhardt
therself.—All Around Magazine.
His Magnificent Memory.
“Children,” squeaked the ancient
man, “I can remember just as well as
if it was yesterday when I was a boy
and beefsteak and potatoes were 80
cheap that we had em at our house
most every day and were always per-
- | mitted ‘to eat all we wanted of 'em.
Oh, I tell ye I've got a wonderful—hee,
hee—memory!” :
Later the children said among them-
selves: “Truly, Uncle Guiliver has an
amazing memory. He can recollect
happened.”—Kansas City Star.
Dispatching Business.
Counsel For the Defense—Your hon-
or, you neglected to ask the prisoner
if she had anything to say as to why
sentence should not be pronounced.
Judge—Inasmuch as the prisoner is a
woman, we will omit that formality in
order to dispose of the case in some
reasonable time.—Pittsburgh Press.
4
Stage Name.
“Yes, I am going on the stage.”
“Well, I hope you succeed in making
a name for yourself.”
“That has already been attended to,
my dear. I picked a really beautiful
one ‘out of a romantic novel.”—Louis-
ville Courier-Journal.
A Real Defender.
“Big” brother is regsonably. good
about defending little sister, but the
real serious trouble comes when “big”
sister sees some one imposing on little
brother.— Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
e Stingy!
Omar—Misg Aimee certainly has a
lovely complexion, hasn’t she? Hazel
—Yes; and the stingy thing won't tell
me what brand she uses.—Exchange.
by busin: 8 cencerns throughout the ——ees
coer “ho : ate is based on The man who pays an ounce of prin-
repos partment of labor at! eiple for a pound of popularity gets
Washirgi'm badly cheated. -
1
|
| described in an English journal:
hardt and her company were playing
things that could not possibly have
17 AMERICANS
LOST WITH SHIP
rulatears Go to Death When
Torpedo Wracks Transport
FRENCH WARSEIP DAMAGE:
Eerlin Reports That Vessel of Patrie
Ciass Was Torpedoed In Mediter-
ranean and Badly Crippled.
Seventeen American muleteers
have been killed and eleven of the
.ow of the British horse transport
chip Russian, which was sunk by a
submarine in the Mediterranean on
Dec. 14, The British admiralty makes
this announcement.
The announcement follows:
“The empty westbound British horse
transport ship Russian was sunk by a
submarine . in the Mediterranean on
the 14th. Eleven of the crew were
killed, including the chief officer, the
{i=st officer and the second officer. Also
s:venteen American muleteers were
killed. Their names have been com-
municated to the American consul.”
The transport Russian referred to
probably is the British steamer of that
name which sailed from Newport
News Nov. 16 for Alexandria, Egypt,
which would be about due to return.
Her net tonnage was 5,753.
French Warship Damaged.
A French battleship of the Patrie
class was torpedoed and badly dam-
aged by a German submarine in the
Mediterranean Dec. 12. according *°
an official statement issued in Berlin.
The statement also reports the tor-
pedoing Dec. 11 of the “armed French
transp®rt Maghelan,” with 1,600 troops
on board.
It was stated by the French ad-
miralty that there is no truth in the
statement that a French man-of-war
of the Patrie class was damaged Dec.
12, and that the loss of the Maghelan
alrendy had been reported.
The British steamship Westminster,
9,342 tons, has been sunk, according
to Lloyds. The Westminster hailed
from London and was owned by the
Westminster Shipping Company, Ltd.
MORE TROOPS TO RETURN
Among Scldiers Ordered Home Are
Those of Sixteenth Pennsylvania.
In compliance with instructions
from the war department for the re-
turn of 16,800 national guard troops
from the border, General Funston has
designated the organizations to be
sent home.
The movement of the units will be
carried out in three groups because
of the scarcity of transportation facili-
ties. The troops to return are:
Pennsylvania—Sixteenth infantry,
Peurth infantry, one brigade headquar-
ters, division headquarters and signal
battalion, group 1, First cavalry, am-
bulance company 1, field hospital No.
1, group 3.
Other organizations to be returned
are from Michigan, Indiana, Missouri,
Maryland, Nebraska, Illinois, New
York, Wisconsin, Virginia, Kansas,
‘North Dakota, Utah and Texas.
It was officially stated in Washing-
ton that the order for the return of
16,080 national guardsmen for muster
out of the federal service was not to
be construed as foreshadowing a
movement out of Mexico by General
Pershing’s cofumn,
Officials also explained that a force
of 75,000 guardsmem would be main-
tained on the border until Pershing
was withdrawn, and that the order
merely was in pursuance of the pre-
viously announced policy to reduce
the militia in the field to the minimum
necessary.
ONE DEAD IN AUTO CRASH
West Virginia Man Killed When Ma.
chine Hits Train.
One man was killed and two others
were imjured when an automobile, in
which they were riding, crashed into
a passenger train standing at the Me-
donald (Pa.) station of the Pittsburgh,
Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis rail-
way.
David F. Lynch, aged twenty-three,
of near Clarksburg, W. Va, was
killed.
Taylor, a chauffeur, was driving an
autemobile and the men were passen-
gers. On account of the snowstorm
he failed to see the train standing af
the station. The occupants of the
autemebile were thrown out, Lynch
alighting on his head and suffering 2
fractured skull and internal injuries.
XMAS TURKEYS HIGH
@
Birds Will Cost More Than at Thanks
. giving.
Dealers in Connellsville, Pa., say
Christmas turkeys will cost more thar
the Thanksgiving birds did. The quota-
tions in Se!nerset county, West Vir-
ginia and Ouio are said to be higher.
Christmas trees will cost 16 to 20
cents more than a year ago.
Allles’ Losses In War 5,100,000 Men.
Losses of the French army to date
have been 3,800,000 and of 'the Brit-
ish 1,300,000, according to “competent
military authority,” says a Overseas
PESSIMISTIC OVER
News agency statement from Berlin
a few days ago. On the sams -mu
the: ty Fronch losses on the Somm |
10 the end +f MN vor-her ure estima
ed at rot le=s t T0000 and thos
of the Briii h at 550.000.
PROSPECTS OF PEACE
Photo by American Press Association.
CHARLES OF AUSTRIA.
In an address to his troops Emperor
Charles of Austria announces the
peace offer to the allizs, but expresses
doubt of its acceptance. He urges his
soldiers to continue fighting.
A GENERAL SURVEY OF
THE WAR
A sudden revival of the British “big
push” on the western front was in-
dicated by a late German war office
statement.
“Protected by strong fire,” said the
statement, “English detachments tried
to enter our trenches near Hanne-
camps, north of the Ancre. They were
sanguinarily repulsed.”
Hannecamps lies about nine miles
from Thiepval and some two and a
half miles south of Arras. The sud-
den flare-up of fighting in this region
indicates that: General Sir Douglas
Haig is about to initiate a new offen-
sive along the northern extension of
the Ancre front. The official German
reference to “a strong fire” shows
that the attack was well prepared.
General Nivelle’s master stroke at
Verdun, when French infantry broke
the German line for a length of seven
miles, carried the tri-color almost to
the point from which it waved before
the Germans began their great drive
for Verdun last February.
According to the official French. re-
ports the crown prince lost nearly
9,000 men in prisoners and eighty-one
guns are known to have beem cap-
tured or destroyed, with the enumera-
tien of the war material yet to be
completed. - : ih Cia
"Paris is wildly emthusiastie. The
news of the Verdun victory, coming
as a most welcome relief from the
gloomy tidings from Rumania, was re-
ceived with the greatest demonstra-
tien of enthusiasm in which the popu-
lation here has indulged in many
months. Everywhere General Nivelle
je acclaimed as the man of the hour.
If there had lingered any doubt as to
the wisdom of his selection as com-
mander-in-chief a few days ago it has
been dissipated utterly. His almost
unparalleled success is accepted as a
splendid augury for the future. !
| The new front seized in the French
drive has been maintained in its en-
tirety, according te* the latest ad-
vices.
Am important local success in Vol-
hynia, on the Kovel-Lutzk railway, is
claimed by Berlinl Five officers and
300 men were taken prisoners in the
sterming of a Russian position abeut
600 meters large.
In Rumania further progress by the
German armies is reported. - German
and allied troops under :command of
Field ‘Marshal von Mackensen ‘have
crossed the Buzeu sector ‘in central
Rumania over a broad front, says the
German 6fficial ‘statement. The inivad-
ers’ took 1,160 prisoners and captured
19 locomotives and 400 railroad cars.
In Dobrudja pursuit of the retreating
Russian and Rumanian troops has
brought the forces of the central pow-
ers to the forest district in the north-
ern part of the province, where, it is
said, they expect to meet with resist-
ance. , * .
British troops have taken the offen-
sive near - Kut-el-Amara, in Mesopo-
tamia, and occupied Turkish positions
on the Hai river, south of Ket-el-
Amara, says a London statement. In
the offensive movement the British
cressed to the right bank ef the Hai
river and took Turkish trenches near
Kalahaji Fahen, two and a half miles
from Kut-el-Amara.
The Greek government has accept-
ed the ultimatum presented by the
entente allies, says a dispatch from
Athens to the Central Neys agency.
The demands of the entente allies
presented ‘to the Greek government
were in the nature of an ultimatum.
All Greek troops aré to be withdrawn
from Thessaly; and ‘only a certain
number are to be concentrated in
Peloponnesus.
The total German casualties, exolud-
ing those im the naval and colonial
services, reported in the German offi-
! cial lists for November, says a Brit-
ish official statement, was 167,177 of-
ficers and men making the total Ger-
man losses ir killed, wounded and
missing since the war broke out
3,921,879. ;
Ee,
* That CREAMO ce
That CREAMO is
That CREAMO is
That purity and wl
« ment inspectio:
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