Pioneer press. [volume], February 07, 1914, Image 1

About Pioneer press. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1882-19??

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The Pioneer
V; ?
HERE SIlAiTHE PRESS, TI1E PEOPLE'S RIGIITB MAINTAIN, UNAWED BY INFLUENCE AND UNBRlBED BY GAIN,"
ESTABLISHED 1882, *iART1NSBURG, W. Vx., SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1914. VOL. 32 lfO. 49
m
w L h '< -
iLas\
Comes on Sunday, Apr I 12?Mny
Fall on Any of
35 Days.
Lent begins this year three week?',
later than last year, being, of course
based upon the date oL' Easter, whicl.
is April 11! this yeiii\ as again, t
March in il>io. Very few people
can ti'll why Lent varies so fioin
year to year ami why Easter may
eoiuc as early as March 2:! or us late
as April 12.
It is something oL' an anomaly
from the religions po'nt of view that
the anniversary of Christ's death
' may fall on any one of thirty-live
?dates, while the anniversary of llis
birth is always the same. It is
no less of an anomaly from tho as
tronomical standpoint, for there
seems no reason why we, having
adopted th<> solar year as the basis
of our calendar, should cling to the
lunar year merely for the establish
ment of one date.
It is a mystery why, then the
*1 a to of Christ's birth was fixed as
December 25, some dates in April
were not at the sam0 time settled
upon as those of iiis deaih and resur
rection. That would have been lo;;i
cal and would have banished fro:,
the calendar a lunar cycle that ha.
long been abandoned by all civili::ed
peoples.
It shohld nrK be d'flicult to fir
the rational date for Easter. If
Christ was crucified on .the [four
teenth day of the March moon, as
tronomers ought to be able to calcu
late on what date this fell. They
say that in all probability it fell on
April 7 of the year -U) of the Chris
tian era. Why, then, not fix Easter
once and for ail as the first Sunday
after April 7?
Council of Nicea Did It.
It. is to the Council of Nicea thai
we owe tlie perpetuation of oui; an
archronistic method . of reckoning
Easter. This council decreed that
it should be the first Sunday aft
the full moon that occurs after
vernal 'equinox, March 21. Pope1
Gregory XIII undertook at that time
to reform ? the Julien calendar,
which had been in use ever since
Julius Ceasar, in 46 I*. C., and he
had prescribed that a year should
consist of 3G5 days, every f ourtli
year having 3GG. This Julien calen
dar was a reform of a still more an
cient system based, upon the motions
of the moon, which system varied
widely in different lands. In Rome
it had originated with Romulus, who
established a year of ten months,
having alternately thirty-one and
thirty days, making 306 days in all.
Numa Pompillus added the months
of February and January, and in the
year 452 B. C. the Decemvirs placed
them where they now stand.
When Pope Gregory undertook to
reform the Julien calendar, that had
by that time become incorrect by
about tern days, the revolution of the
earth around the sun was not yet
fully understood, so instead of mak
ing a change tlmt would be thorough
ly scientific, the present form of year
was adopted, the Julien calendar be
ing modified by calling Oct. 5, 1.">S2,
Oct. 15, and mnk:ng all terminal
years of centuries. 1700, 1800, 1000,
etc., common years of 365 days, ex
cept when the year was a multiple j
of 400, as 1600, 2000, etc., which
should be leap years.
Feared to Upret Order.
In those days they were so ac'cus
tcrned to movable feasts that it
never occurred to the reformers of
the calendar that a day might come
wlu-n their n:o\ ability should be
inconvenient. They knew so little
rbout the relations between the sua
and the earth that they did not want
to renounce the lunar year entirely
and so upset the order of !'e.-.st days
that had from time immemorial
been based upon the movements of
1 lie moon.
ThoUgh the Gregorian calendar
was issued in 1582. prejudice against
anything that came from Rome was
so strong in England that it was
not adopted there until by an act.
of parliament, passed 17.M. S?pt.
1751', was reckoned us Kept. 11, and
New Year's day was set back from
March -5 to Jan. 1, beginning with
175:).
To fix one definite date for Easter
would require a decree from the
Pope. The whole Roman Catholic
world and all Roman Catholics else
where would at once adopt it. and
there is little doubt that, the Protes
tant churches would follow. As it is
j :t purely religious feast, this is all
; that would be necessary.
; In Russia and Greece the .lulien
I c2.1 en d ar is still in use, so their
j -I; ;vs ;ir" now twelve days dilTeren
from ours.
-.fV' r,i*t '' ?' ? . ? ;>rt ?, j
; '? pj j; ? it ??- 1 . . ? ' V'
ii'XiVJ 5SsJi\i\ Li
^ipnroTtrm ! sm
UVvSPrlJf'.'fti (
" i l ' f i ? " j | i 3 ? ?, i? ??
- * ? . * i . y-A \ y u ^ .?<? ? i , k j U
t ? ."it: e
; .r ' li ' .
t >i ;
i; V 2 VI2
And arc Having fvieters Tested With
out Question?Much Good in
Results
Suites Meter Inspector \V. E. !li!!,
o." Elkins, is hero investigating tiie
?v ( rs of local public utility concerns.
1 V srys 'iio Martinsburg Power Com
pany. Martinsburg Water Wo.-ks and
Martinsburg Gas Company ;?rt? com
plying with the regulations of Ilia
utiilities commission in a most satis
factory way.
Elsewhere in his territory, which is
the eastern sec'tion of the state, there
is 110 trouble whatever, except in the
case of a few small com',panics.
mi e says generally, so far as his in
fermation goes, the state meter in
? *
g*pectors are having little trouble now
t.lia'l the people generally, have come
to understand the primary purp >se
o? the work.
Pen Population.
M OUNDSVIEEE, Feb. 4.?Yvarden
M. E. brown's report to the governor
of Ino inmates of the state pe*i:>e'i
tiarv for the month o? .Tanuarv.
is as follows: Number of inmates
on the first, day of llic month, males,
1,140, females ''>7, total 1,177. Receiv
ed during the month, from state
courts 30, from IT. S. courts 4, total
40. Discharged by expiration of son
tence 18, by pardon 3, by parole 1,
by transfer to insane asylum 1, lotal
24. Number of prisoners at the end
of the month. 1,1 .~f> males, females,
total 1,193.
Unclaimed Letters.
.las. .T. Bowers.. Miss Sarah Butler,
Mr. E. O. Bruce, Mrs. Thos. Dins
nore, Mr. C. II. FJborle. T)r. Evans,
,T. J. Homer, Mrs. TTerk Koener, Miss
Eucie Eucio, Mr. M. .T. I/awson. Mr.
George Moag, If. A. Martin, Mr.
Maurice Murphy, Mr. Sain MK'or
iiiic, Mrs. Fred McFarland, E. G.
Savey, Mr. Antonio Spamuri, E. P
Van metre. Miss Oar Warth, Mr
Noal G. Todcr.
Fo r <{gn - -K' a 1 i s t r a t Daniluk (2).
Woicep Tasket, Mr. M'ike Tagar, An
gole Tacebuoia, Velarmine Meadov.
Bear Brusten.
America Lifts
Embargo On Arms
Whereas, by/ a proclamation of
.'k ^resident, issued on' March 14,!
1 i? 111, under a joint resolution of Con1
gress approved by the President o'i
tac .same day. ii was declared that ;
ilit ri I'd m Mexico conditions of
(hnustic v ioience which were prom
ted L?y the u.-e of arms or munnnms
W war procured from the United St
ales; and.
Where vis, by the joint resolution
above mentioned it thereupon !>??- i
came unlawful m export arms or inn
iiitions of war to Me\iro except until
siu :> limitations and exceptions as
ila President should prescribe;
Now, therefore, i, Wood row W'il
en. i5resii!ent of the United Slates '
cf America, hereby declare and pro |
lair.i that, as the conditions are'
??hangr-d, and it is desirable to place
the United States with reference 'to
? <?*:poria!ion of arm--' or munitions
(if war !?> Mexico in the same posi- I
ion as other powers, tiie said proel 1
a-mat ion is heroby revoked.
in wi ness whereof, I have here i
unto set niv iiand and caused the seal
;!" i he r nited States to be. atlixed.
Unne at the City of Washington,
; third day of February in the
of our Ijord, nineteen hundred
' four een. an ' of the independence
?/.' the Pn:1 ?(I States tiie oik; hundred
;..i < 1 ii ?rLy-eighth.
(Signed)
W()ODRO\V W.11 ,SON".
.5y the President: W. J. Bryan, Sec
retary of State.
President Wilson accompanied I
he- proclamation wi:h the following
slate'iiv-"111:
"The execurive order under wiii
ill tlie exportation of arms and am
in unition into Mexico is forbidden wa
s a neparture from the accepted prac
tices of neutrality - a deliberate depa
rtnre from those practices under a
well-considered joint resolution of C
ongrcss -determined upon in circum
stances which have now ceased to I
exist. It was intended to discourage I
incipient revolt against the regularly
constituted authorities of Mexico.
'
"Since that order was issued the
circumstances of the case have un
dergone a radical change. There is
now no constitutional government in
Mexico; and the existence of 'this or
der hinders and delays the very
tiling the government of the United
States is now insisting upon:
"Namely, that Mexico shall he le
i't free, to sef.le her own affairs and
a:* soon as possible put them upon a
constitutional footing by her own
force and counsel. The order is, the
refore, rescinded."
WASHINGTON, Feb. 4.?President
Wilson yesterday issued an execu
tive proclamation raising the embar
go on arms and -muni-lions of war in*
tended for the Mexican revolution
ists. Thousands of rifles and millions
of rounds of ammunition which have
been held in the I'nited States be
cause of the embJiruo last .night were
started for the Mexican border from
New York, New Orleans and other
points.
The immediate eff-ct of Ihe lifting
of rrms is expected to be seen in the
movements of Charge d'Affaires Nel
son O'Shaughnessv It. is expected
th;it den. 11nert? will Kive the Amer
ican charge his passports. Such an
;j(- probably would be followed by
the announced recognition of the con
stitutionalist causf by President Wil
son.
The act of President Wilson meets
wi'.h tlu? approval of a big majority
of tho senaite committee on foreign
relations, whU-h for months has been
urging such a course.
Last Peacoful Measure.
That President Wilson was spurred j
to this course by a fear that the
Huerta government might procure
money abroad if not hastened to its
downfall was the report here yester
day. President Wilson has been most
reluctant to aid in the induction of
a y more munitions of wxr into Mex
ico and the raising of the embargo
is houghl to be almost the last peace
ful measure to which he will resort
in his effort to aid in the setting up
of a 11 orderly government in Mexico.
The proclamation as well as the
statement which accompanied It, de
clares that 'the order prohibiting the
shipment of arms from the United
States into Mexico was based upon a
condition which does not now exist.
Whether this last, unfriendly act of
President Wilson's will be mot with
reprisals on the part of Huerta is a
matter of uncomfortable conjecture
on the part of those who best know
the situation in the Ci'ty of Mexico.
An anti-American uprising of tho pop
ulace, however, now is said to bo
less of a potentiality than hitherto.
Necessities of life have climbed to
such a value in Mexico City as 'to be
beyond the reach of thousands, and
formerly well-to-do .people feel the
pinch of real poverty.
May Keep Carranza Out.
The growing strength of Villa and
I
the well-known turbulence of tho
bandit chief, Zapata, are factors with
which Gen. Carranza will have to
reckon, and it is by 110 means c?r
tr.in that the titular head of the rev*
olutfonists will bo permitted to eut.er
the City of Mexico even upon Huer
?tas downfall.
OF PURLOINING BRASS
Two Martinsburg Youths Held on
Serious Charge?Had Bag of
Precious Metal.
Clarence Shipper and I-iawrence
Shipper, two Martins-burg boys, were
arrested Wednesday on a warrant
sworn out before Squire H. S. Thomp
son by Constable Wild.
Mr. Wild acted on information fur
nislied by parties at Curabo to the ef
fect that the hoys were seen wl'th a
sack of metal (brass) and acted in
such a manner as to create suspicion.
I The constable soon located the boy3
| on the outskirts of town and made
| the arretft, finding in their posses
| sion considerable brass, supposed to
; have been taken from either traction
j or dinkey engines. Acting on the lat
j ter theory, a party came here from
Cumbo but failed to identify the
brass as having been 'taken from rail
road property there.
The boys claim to have purchased
j the brass, but have not made definite
j or is factory statements as to where
or from whom they got it, and are be
ing held for further investigation of
i the matter.
Hospital Notes
Xei 1 Antonio, who was injured in
an accident at the Standard Dime &
Stone Company's plant, was discharg
ed Tuesday evening from the Kings
Daughters Hospital.
Miss Martha Ayres. of Doe Oulley,
W. Va., and if. F. Wilder, of Portu
gese. X. Y., were admitte.1 to the
City Hospital today for treatment.
Mrs. Emma Racy, of West King
street, is at the Gity TTospHal for
treatment.
THE STONE HOME
AIDS THE NEEDY
None Have Been Refused, Who Were
Worthy?A Most Satisfactory
Report.
The new year started well at the
Stone Home. The coal flrme of the
city gnve us a large donation of wfhioh
$H.L'5 worth, has been expended in our
relief work. By meaaa of these gifts
and others received during tlie month,
no needy ones have been refused
Qielp. Food lias boon given to- fifty -
nix people. Sixty meals liavo been
given and twenty-one night lodgings
at the home. One hundred and twen
ty-five garments have been. glv?>n.
Eleven children have been helped bo
they could attend school.
Four hundred and seventy have
been taught In our basketry, sowing
and cooking clubs, Shenandoah
Braves and Camp Fire Girls. During
the month there has been a total at
tendance of four hundred and twenty
in our Sunday school and one hundred
and sixty-one In our Christian En
deavor. , . '\
VIE VIE SOUtDTDRS, Supt.
DONNA LUCAS, Worker.
THE PERNICIOUS DOOR KEY
(Indianapolis News.- ?
A door key is an iuc-jna latent ir
not an altogether Sdntleleu affair. 11
inlay be all right in itself/ tint it ia
often used to dock doors, and a locked
door is a very foolish thing. ' Some
doors, you may remark, lock thenn..
selves, and a door key is neceesary
to unlock them. Tihat mJ&ht be a
reasonable excuse for the existence
of the key, but such a key,, it it is not
lost or on the wrong side of the door,
frequently gets stuck and refusea to
open the door. .If there were no door
keys, there would in all'probabUity be
no locked doors, and that would be a
very enjoyable state ofeociety.
iWiith the door locked, and the key
inside, it is difficult for anybody ex
cept a burglar to get inside, and, of
course, a burglar is the only person
we want to keep out. Burglars can
get in just as easily with, the door
locked as with it unlocked, but the
rest of us are nott so clever. You
know yourself how It Is. You havo
carried ladders and cliiiibeil into up
stairs windows or hav6 dropped
ihrough bast*m?iit windows into the
?oal bin or have tried to go through
transoms and been rescued by neigh
bors from an embarrassing if not a
?angerous position. Everybody knowa
nil about getting into a house with*
out a key.
Sometimes you cannot get in at alL
One morning a iwoman followed her
nusband to tihe front steps And the
door slammed and tbe night lock was
on and the key was inside, and her
husband bad caught the car. Bhe
was canning pears and had ?Tit them
on the stove to cook while she was
getting breakfast. Tfoey -were still
cooking and would soon be burning*
The baby was crying for Its break
fast. She could not get in. None of
the neighbors could get In. Borne
body telephoned to her husband, and
perhaps it was not more than an hour
before he got bonie with his key. An
hour is a long time, and the peara
and ithe baby were in a terrible state.
It would have been better it there
had been a burglar in the house. He
could have turned out the gas and
have fed the baby, and he might have
opened the door. A good old-fashion
ed latch-string, always out, "Would re
lieve tis of so much responsibility;
and would be so much safer.