New-York tribune. [volume], September 12, 1915, Page 2, Image 16

About New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924

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Jit?) Senk ?rtbtme.
Fli-tt to _M?_Um Truth: New?-?Editorial?
?Advert? ??men! a.
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Yon can porrha?? merihandise advert??*?!
In THF TRIM NE trltli al.?-ointe safety?for
If ?.i??.atl?fartion rr?ult? In any ?a?* THF.
TRIBI NE triiarantrc? lu pay >our money
ha. k upon re<,?i??.f. No tti lape, no quih
blinf. AN t make good promptly if the ad
vertlaer doe? not.
Approve the Constitution!
A majority o? the Constitutional Con?
vention ro? to the voten Um ?d? p
tkw of the proposais approver! by '?hat
body. ' g that their adoption will
result in a very freal improvement in the
govern mi:-! o? the State ar.d it? civil divi?
sions, and thus promoto the welfare of all
its Inhabitants." That is a modest esti?
mate of the worth of the revised co
tion. The committee which prepared the
address to the voters might well have ad?
vertised its wares more highly and still
been within the limits of accuracy and
truthful: ?
There art provisions in the proposed
constitution which The Tribune would
gladly have seen included in more uncom?
promising form. There are not in It some
proposa!? which The Tribune would gladly
have seen included. Nevertheless, recog
r.'zir.g the limitations of human nature,
human knowledge and of legislative bodies,
no fair-minded citizen has just cause for
quarrel with the work, as a whole, which
was produced by the convention just ad?
journed. In the com ire campaign some of
its clauses will be subjected to bitter criti
?ism, and cliques and groups of special In
I k this provision and that.
Without any thought that the fullest dis?
cussion of demerits, as well as merits, of
the document should be estopped, The
Tribune insists that the question the voters
will have to decide?whether to give this
propo.sed constitution their approval?
phould not be settled on the value of any!
one provision.
This proposed constitution will be sub?
mitted in three parts?the taxation article
and the apportionment article separately,
the rest of the changes in a body. There
will also be submitted separately the wom?
an suffrage amendment adopted by the
legislature. On any one of three articles,'
that is, on which there seems probable'
wide difference of opinion, a voter may
register his disapproval separately; but if
he disapprove some provision in the gen?
eral body of amendments so strongly that
he cast a vote against it he will have voted
against all in the group. That would be
extremely unfortunate, for, whatever the
demerits of some few of the provisions in
this general group, the value of the pro?
posals as a whole il unquestionable. That
value far outweighs individual defects. |
What there are of those serious enough toi
demand correction, as experience shows,
can'be corrected in the coming years. If
the whole scheme of amendments were to
be lost there would be wasted the entire
work and the cost, of this convention and a
draft constitution which is a great advance
ever the present one, under which the state
would have to continue.
Mr. Root has pointed out how over.
whelming was the majority by which each
of the amendments was adopted. It is
tignificant also that there was practically
1*0 partisan division at any time in the
C'.nM ??..?:. The convention sought to draft
o M.tible, work titution of mod?
ern spirit, to put modern methods into the
governing o? the state, and to make it
simpler, rasier, cheaper, better. It was
not afraid to depart from the old things,
where they had failed, nor to retain that
which experience had proved good. The
result is good?as good as any not cranks
or single-track-minded propagandists could
t'emand, in fairness ar.d reason. For the
progress of the stat?-, for the good of its
people, the proposed constitution should be
approved at the i
A Country Town.
We make a great mistake when we as
?ent to the notion that Manhattan Island
is not in the "country." It is country ter?
ritory distinctly, (?iuite true, two and a
half million people sleep on the island
every night, and as many more visit it
each day for their labors and their pleas?
ures. But there are few country villages
that are more open to the influences of
earth or t-ky than this great city, or
where, on a good, bree/.y day, the breath
of heaven smells more wooingly?putting
aside, an we may, pom? immediately local
conditions. Tho configuration of the
island has put us in the midst of Nature;
we may thank our insular longitudinality
for that, as well as for ths subway and
?he skyscraper. Chicagoans are the last
people in the world to express appioba
? tion of Ham York, but it was a Chicagoan
| who said, after a week's pleasant sojourn
here, "I really think I like New York,
because you can always see out of it."
At the end of r.eariy every ureet is a
vista of woods and hills; one may look to
east and west and see them in both di?
rections. And all about us surge the pure
waters?pure themselves and purifying
the air.
A consequence of this proximity to the
*7re*?n open spaces is found in the visits of
the wild birds and all manner of flutter?
ing creatures. Our country neighbors
aro always happening in. An ornithologist
who has kept an account of the species of
native birds observed in St. Paul's church-1
yard, in the shadow of forty skyscrapers, i
?Te*yorU more than fifty species seen this ,
spring and summer, running from the
wre:i up to the barn owl. The
screech owl hns uttered his fluttering song
. --?is srf < it y Hall Park. Whippoor
srilla still sir.g In Fort Washington Park.
The bells of Shandon across tho I,ee, or
the chimes of Lynn fron Nnhant, are not
sweeter t! I | of the wood thrush
n Cei t < g\ Mid where \\
is hoard one may s?-o the \?vi,l flash of
the tanager or the cardinal.
If you pat a box of flowers out of your
Manhattan window, ere long the butter?
flies will come flitting in from somewhere
and Mttle A WH on the blooms. Anywhere
on the island honey bees are easily called
from their clover f.elds by the exposure of
a box of sugar. It is as If the bees
and butterflies said, "Over In this other
field there Is food for us." In spring and
autumn the downtown workers who have
good high windows may hear the wild
geese honking over, just as they did on
the old farm, and see the great "A" wheel?
ing across the heavens.
God's country is very big, and the
greateit of cities but a little spot. But
New Ycrk is nearer to the edge of the
old pasture than any other great city in
'.he world.
"Movies" a?. Trance Inducers.
The voung lacy from Mississippi who
wns hypnotized by the eyes of Svenga'i
on a moving picture screen, and remained
in a trance after the audience had de?
parted and the theatre had been closed,
ivns undoubtedly reduced to this con?
dition by her own imagination. There
was no hypnotic operator near?noth?
ing but a picture. It is true that the
cinematographic copy of a man that we see
on a screen is remarkably vivid, and also
true t.iat a living operator is not neces
cary, in all cases, to induce the artificial
catalepsy of hypnosis. The condition may
be self-irduced. But there is a condition
of semi-lifelessness which needs no hypno?
sis at all. It is a kind of emotional paraly?
sis of the will which is considerably more
than half intentional.
Cases of the apparent paralysis of
"trance" have been cured with great
promptness by the gruff command of a
heartless male relative, or of a doctor
trained in the old-fashioned imperative
hchool ol medicine: "Get up, you idiot,
and behave yourself!" A condition of
.l??athl;kfc insensibility was on one occa?
sion suddenly cured by the nonchalant
entrance into the room of a small dog
which vas supposed to be lost. It is prob?
able that when a nervous female traveller
n the metropolis has made up her mind
that she will go into a trance she simply
will, ard modern science will achieve a
great triumph if it prevents her.
Just the same, the illusions and nervous
reactions actually produced by the moving
pictures are an extraordinary and star?
tling thing. The general public is now as
deeply affected by a shadow on a sheet as
it once wa3 by flesh and blood actors on
the stage. At a recent moving picturs
performance in this city, in which a vil
?anous character was plotting and appar?
ently effecting the ruin and death of a
nt ble young man, a woman in the audience
whispered quite loudly, "Stop him! Won't
somebody stop him?" Whereupon an el?
derly gentleman sitting near, said: "Cer?
tainly, madam; I will go and stick my um?
brella through the sheet if you insist."
( haracters on the screen are frequently
hissed and otherwise insulted. In this
city, the other night, at one of the uptown
theatres, a lady of strong pro-Ally sym?
pathies was with difficulty restrained
from crying out "Shame on you!" to the
image of a cruel German general. All of
which cases are not essentially different
from that of a bulldog in a New Jersey
town which viciously attacked a photo?
graphic collie, which was trotting about
in the background of a street scene on the
screen.
As illvsion and trance inducers the films
are making rapid progress. People who
are too susceptible to their influence
should no doubt be accompanied when they
go to the show.
The Strain on Neutral Nations.
The United States is not the only neu?
tral country whose laws and sovereignty
are broken and defie?! and offended by the
belligerents' machinations. In Switxei
li.nd the tension between the Teutonic and
the French element has grown so acute
that riots are not beyond the range of pos?
sibilities, though it is believed that civil
war will be averted. The gutters of pro
Ally Lausanne are choked with pro-Ger
rnan propaganda literature; ia pro-Ger?
man Zurich pro-Ally pamphlets litter the
streets. The president of the little repub?
lic knew whereof he spoke when he de
clared that the neutral countries are be?
ginning to suffer proportionately more
?from the war than its protagonist? them
stlves.
Holland swarms with German secret
agtnts. Arrest? and imprisonment for
smuggling, espionage and bribery are the
order of the day. Just beyond the barbed
wire on the Dutch frontier Imperial offi?
cials are openly directing those operations;
Hollanders of German parentage, if they
venture upon German soil, are seized and
?1 into the army; Zeppelins pass con?
stantly over Hutch territory, driven out of
tiieir course, so the Imperial Government
invariably explains, by atmospheric condi?
tions, b?wildering fogs or northwest winds.
British patrols freely interfere with Dutch
trawlers, floating mines are washed up on
the Dutch coast by the hundred, and Dutch
merchants complain of the red tape in
which the British Government strangles
the export of Dutch goods.
The Hollanders, indeed, can see no com
iort whichever way they look. The prob?
lem of the mouth of the Scheldt is looming
?ver more largely in the Dutch press. In
case of a German victory, u h generally
it will be taken from Holland as a
matter of course; but it is the no less ge;i
iim conviction that, should the Allies win.
complete control of the river will be given
to the restored Kingdom of Belgium?a
lot??! to the Netherlands in either cs??. And '
the Hollanders state, with grim conviction,
that they will fight a'.l the world before
they will cede an inch of territory. This
would be enough to keep the Dutch from
sleeping soundly, but there is more. In his
peech to the Reichstag last month the
German Chancellor made certain frank
statements regarding the importance to
the Empire of the mouth o? the Rhine
which sounded omr ' Holland's
future. No wonder thai the I'utch take
the f-'atcment that this is a war for the
righta o? amall nationi with considerable
reservation.
Most serious of all, however, is the reve?
lation made the Other ?lay by a prominent
I ".itch journalist. It has caused a sensa?
tion, but it -ation below the sur?
face, ignorad by th? Dutch Government
and the Dutch press alike. The well-known
newspaper, "De Telegraaf," alone has re?
ferred openly to the matter, with a reflec*
upon the policy which refrains from
asking an official explanation in the right
| Quarter. The story, as told, is that the
journalist in question was approached with
n proposal that he prepare the Dutch peo?
ple gradually for an occupation of their
chief harbors. If this report be true, tho
?only deduction to be made is that, contrary
?to a growing belief, Germany does not yet
consider the invasion of England as an
Impossibility. Quite the reverse.
New York 1? to be called on to pay only
68 per cent of the ?tato tai Instead of 72
?er cent, a? had been estimated. For thi? re?
lief, much thank?.
I "Noble Lord" was Dr. Dumb?'? written
greeting to Count Burian, but that won't be a
circumstance to Burian'? greeting when they
meet.
_,
THE THEATRE IN WAR TIME.
Effects of the War Spirit on the
Last London Season.
From the Unnrhe^'.er OunrcHan
Now that the theatrical season II coming
ito an end, a brisk discussion has arisen be
jtween managers and critic? as to the moral
tc be drawn from the experience of the thea?
tre? in war lime. One find? no agr?ent
the starting point of the -inquiry whether
the season has been commercially sue
or not. On the one hand there are bitter
'complaints about the sufferings of the theatre
I erause people will not go to plays in war
time. There are stories of theatre? that have
been run entirely at a loss in order to keep
the companies and staff employed; and those
who think that the war has mined the thea?
tres point to the large number of failures
during the season. Other? who are in a good
position to know maintain that the season has
been quite up to the average in prosperity,
ar.il from one's own experience as a playgoer
or.e can remember hardly any first night or
any other night at which the theatre was not
crowded.
If the failures have been more numerous
than usual, it is probably not the fault of the
war so much as the extreme badness of most
of the new productions'. Most of them have
[been ?o worthless that even the charity of
S war time audience?, whose characteristic Is
i an intense desire to be pleased, could not
! cover them. Pome of the shortest runs were
these of topical war plays, which were staged
before the managers had discovered that peo?
ple go to the theatre for nothing les? than to
hear about the war from the stage.
There is an instinctive feeling that the war
i? too tremendous a business for our com?
mercial stage, and I think fhe only artistic
success of a war play during the war was
I "The Dynast.-," in which war is treated in a
I remote historical spirit. The only topical
war play which has lived is "The Man Who
?Stayed at Home," which is an engaging mixt
'ure of melodrama and farce. From the point
i.f view of theatrical art there can he no
doubt that the war has had a very bad
|on the stage. The staple of plays this sea?
son has been revival- of well worn farces and
musical comedies, which were at any rafe
mere amusing than most of the cute Ameri?
can importations which have been s.o popular.
Probably the soundest all-round succ?s? has
been Mr. Henry Ainley's brilliant acting in
"Quinneys." The trouble with the war thea
i.e has been that business has been too much
as usual.
How Greenland Heard of the War.
? Vti - let A h-ertiser i
When the news of the outbreak of the war
; reached Greenland, some timo last autumn.
| native? in their kayak were immediately
1 sent around among the various settlements
to inform them of the ?tartling report. A
letter in a Danish newspaper tells of the im
preBsions made on the mind? of th? Esqui?
mau?. At all ?topping places the boatmen
ihouted: "Kravdlunaitdlugokra nordlitdluo
Rorsserlikrant"- that is a? much a? to ?ay:
"War ha? broken out among the Europeans
and the Germans!" As the first word may
also mean "l?anes." the Esquimau? were
greatly alarmed at the idea of their mother
nation being engaged in a hopeless struggle
with its mighty neighbor. The fear has not
yet ?ubsided. and the lively imagination of
, lie Eskimo? ?eem* to expect a landing of the
Germans :u the?? remote region?. Some of
them have made preparations accordingly,
and the natives of one settlement have stored
food In a care, which is to be used as a
fortre?? in ca?e of need.
In the local newspaper- a volume of near?
ly fifty page?, published once a year at
Godtbaab for the purpose of providing them
with news during the winter the Esquimau?
got the firat actual new? of the war, with
( picture? of airships, Zeppelin?, etc. Two
natives inu?t have had much to tell their
friends on their return home last autumn
fron Hamburg, which they were to have left
as member? of a Gorman expedition to the
South l'oie. They had been mistaken by the
popular? for Japanese spies, and had ?uf
fered ?ome rough treatment in consequence.
, Curiously enough, there are traces of Ger?
man influence even in Greenland, owing to
the Moravian Brethren ?ettling in ?ome places
toward the end of last century. ?Some of the
|older Greenlander? ever, speak about "their
great Fatherland" and, of course, about "th'ir
Kaisei"!
Czech Regiment Branded.
'i*?. ' '-....r ,
In ar. order of the day the Emperor Franc:?
Joseph ha? ?truck off for all time fj-ora th?
roll o' the Au?tnan Army the 2Sth Regiment
,and branded it with the ?tigraa of cowardice.
'I here i? no denying that in an engagement
?round the Dukla Pa?? with the Russians two
battalion? of the regiment surrendered to the
.oner.y without a blow. The accu-ation of
' "<*wardire" i?, nevertheless, wholly unde
Th? now disband??] 28U. Regiment
?ed of Bohemlf .? tu say,
It is well
ed of the war, and openly declared that
if forced to go into battle they would refus?
?. They do not regard themselve? a?1
Austrian?, and for year? they ha\e con?pir?d
tad Straggled t? bttOOM an independent;
?t?te. They might, at a ?tretch of words, b? ;
called mutinou?, but the dishonorable charge
of cowsrdic? is completely ocaerittd. J
U. S. NEUTRALITY DEFENDED1
This Country's Concern in Europe
Does Not Warrant Belligerency.
? ?? Edit?** of Th? Tribune.
gir, fl r ItttST of your correspondent, "Th
B Qeed," appearing In to-day's Trib-i
;. o, la a reflation of rerklc?s thinking.
Thi? writer boldly assert?: "England sa?* bar
,-id unhesitatingly faced it; America
it? hT duty and shirked it."
Wast duty, may I atk, h?? America Been
I . ! B-roidad? The war is unquestionably con?
fined to those nations engaged in it, and dosa
net primarily involve America. Englnnd saw
bar duty ?nd faced it because her future as a
? empire ?ii in Imminent danger. She is
?rhting simply for great moral issues.
Kveri if the neutrality of Belgium had not
b?en violated by the German army, England
wa? bound to throw her lot in with France
nnd Russia the moment Germany attacked
either in a war of aggression. Her duty and
Interest lay only In that direction. She could
not ?Und idly by while the Teutonic hordes
wore laying France and Russia prostrate in
the dust, as sho knew full well that If she
did so British prestige and British power and
influence would soon be no more.
Hat? off to England for recognizing her
duty and starting in to do that duty!
But America'.? position Is different: her at?
titude is therefore different- is one of
ethics. T'pon what valid groumls could Amer?
ica become a participant in the war? She
has no direct concern in foreign politics in
fa<*t, is forbidden by the Constitution to have
any; and has no quarrel with any European
power. Who, then, in hi a senses can expect
- r want her to enter the conflict without
provocation? It may be that a casu? bellt
'-.?ill arise from the lawlesi and inhuman sub?
marine policy of the Germans. When it does,
?? will be time to act. When it does, Presi?
dent Wilson will duly Inform the people of
the fact. In the meantime this country is
vi 11 within it.? moral and constitutional
riphts in remaining neutral.
It cannot be doubted that the sympathies
and sentiment? of the best people in the
1 State?! are on the side of the Allies
ara the prand principles whirh they repre?
sent; but to fight c'est une autre chose.
T. E. W.
New York, Sept. 6, 1916.
-
? Deport Durnba and His Fellows!
To the Editor of The Tribune.
j Sir: I am sure that there must be many of
jyeur readers that would like the editor of The
Tribune to know what great comfort they get
ifrom his message?. We find on the editorial
pages of The Tribune our own thoup-hts and
?feelings expressed in a way and with a force
I that we hav? neither the opportunity nor the
ability to use. But then, with a "dull, sicken
iTirj. thud," we recoil from the fine, strong,
ringing utterances of The Tribune, back upon
the "weary, stale, fiat and unprofitable" at?
titude of an administration and a government
that are either moro than divinely patient
and long-suffering, or else abominably weak,
-outrageously supine, or perniciously neutral?
lor something that cannot be adequately de?
scribed; though I have no doubt that the
; editor of The Tribune might find approxi?
mately fitting terms, if he thought it ex?
pedient tc open up his verbal sluice gates!
You well say, speaking of Duniba, "He can
no longer be regarded as the friendly rep?
resentative of a friendly government. Give
him his passports and let him go!" But will
our procrastinatlngly circumspect govern?
ment let him go without any hesitation?
To dismiss him would hurt the neutral, pa?
triotic feeling? of some of our foreign propa?
gandists, who have clearlv ?hown that they
will stop at nothing to aid in carrying on the
murderous work begun by Germany in July a
year ago, and who would cheerfully help
along any scheme in the interest of their pre?
cious fatherland, even though this country
?vi re destroyed in the proc?s?.
If Mr. Dumba's fellow-countrymen are as
ignorant, stupid and altogether so unde?
sirable as the official representative of their
'irovernment says that they are, then the best
?thing for thi? country and the worst for Aus
tria would he to send them all back to the
conditions that were so dear to them ns to
>tnd them into voluntary exile. If Mr. Dumba
! desires to keep Austrian mechanics from
i earning good American money, then let him
basa them all loaded on cattle cars t the Aus?
trian ambassador himself has suggested the
appropriate mode of transportation), placed
'on board the numerous German vessels that
ara interned in American harbors, and have
| them supported by the government that
would officially summon them from honest
labor, to become strikers and rioters and a
burden and a menace to the land that has
: given them the only real freedom that they
<ntrt? ever knows.
A DEMOCRAT THAT WAS, BUT NEVER
AGAIN.
Haledon, X. J., Sept. 7, 1915.
To Smash the Turk?
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: I'ossibly the withdrawal of the
Crr.nd Puke Nicholas from the western bat?
tle- front stretches roughly below the latitude
, of the Caucasian front is the greatest strate?
gical move of the year.
From now on until next May an impene?
trable barrier of mud and swollen rivers, of
I snow and icy darkness, should strengthen the
'unce of the Russian hosts facing the
Herman armies.
Or. the other hand, the Turko-Russian bat
j Gefront stretches roughly below the latitude
of Naples and Madrid, and offers every ad
? |?s to a "winter" campaign. The dis
roaa tha Caucasian frontier to Con?
stantinople is about the same as from War?
saw to Petrograd or from Paris to Vienna.
The fate of empires, the long destinies of
? races, the very outcome of the whole great
1 war, hang in the balance where Europe and
Asia clash it the Hellespont. The Ottoman
is both the weakest member of the new
i Triple Alliance and the most vulnerable part
' of their wali of rire.
Is it not therefore a picturesque and sug
geatire idea that Russia, at the close of the
! second campaign on her western front, is
I dispatching her greatest martial genius to aid
her allies at a vital point on Turkish terri?
tory, and at a time of year most favorable
fur ?ending vast hordes of Slavic warriors to
close in upon the beleagured Dardanelles?
Seabright, N. J., Sept 9, 1915. F. E.
Make Them Stop!
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Why not secure the enactment of a
?aw, this winter, in our Legislature, "Stop Be?
fore You Cross," with appropriate penalties
for failure to observe it? If every vehicle
and every pedestrian, etery one in fuct, were
required by law to stop before passing over
guide croft-iing?. of all railroads, to assure1
rafety by deliberate observation, the salvage.
<?f humen life, ? first eonsidera'ion, would be
a, while the asfsty ami comfort of rail?
road travel would be greatly enhanced. The!
ruilroad companies throughout the si-gate, I am
sure, would gladly aid in securing the nec
iegislation and later engage in the pro?
mulgation of the law. JNO. Y. CULYER.
Near Ycrk, Sept. 6, 1916.
ITALY'S HEROIC RESPONSE IS THE CALL OF THE BLOOD. (
Not "Blind Wa. Ilyatrri.." ., Ha. Bern Said, but a Pa-?onate Love ol Country and Delire to A,?.
Her Wrontrs Animate Italian Soldie.s.
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: An article written In Rome on Jun
27 by Ines Milholland Bois?evatn has Jus
leeched me, being sent by an Amencai
friend for verification.
I have lived In Italy among the Iridian? fo
over a year. I hav? como to know them a
my people, perhaps to understand a little th.
complex simplicity of their nature?. My ac
?quaintance? have not been limited to pam
society, but I have al?o known th<
working classes and the peasant?.
For ten Booths I heard little but the que?
?tion of Italy entering the fight. There .ver?
many opinions, ?om? for, other? against, war
but with the exception of the Socialists, an?
?here are many In Italy, it would be difflcul
I to find an Italian who does not hold in hi:
?secret heart a grudge against Auitrl?. It i:
! not a question of tho wrong of to-day, but in
' hcrited hatred, a hatred that has been hande.
down for many generation?.
Miss Milholland apeak? of volunteer sol
dien at Moder.a in variou? ?tages of intoxi
cation. I'm ?orry to dispute her statement
! but that they were Intoxicated Is unlikely
a? Italian soldiers are permitted no wine, eni
?volunteer? in Italy are generally gentlemen
and Italian gentlemen are never "ubbrinco "
It doe? not take wine to make men enthusi
,i*ic for war. (,'culd one truthfully say that
any of the Allies were enthusiastic for warl
But when honor, the welfare, the future of
one's country, are at ?take, what rhould one
do? Sit down and cry that war Is cruel, dev?
astating, and becaugo It robs us of our men,
leaves our home empty, that It must not be?
Enthusiasm for the cause we consider right
is "blind hygtcria"? Ah, no! The man who
snys it is is not worthy to be called a man
and the woman who call? "Fool!" to the man
who sing? a? he goes, perhaps to his death,
is not worthy of the name of mother.
But Italian women arc not like that; they
send their husbands and son? to the front,
not rejoicing, yet with pride. It is "per la
Patria," and they know no finer phrase. They
are often ?ad as they take up, the best they
.know how, the burdens of the men, which
are difficult for Italian women trained only
for delicate work.
In April I was in Pisa for several weeks,
; where I made a point of talking to the work?
ing people. I found only one opinion, one
idea Italy would have to defend her honoi*?
and a supreme desire in each man to do his
part in the war that was sure to come. Day
by day the men were arriving in large num?
bers to join their various regiments, the sol?
diers with all their worldly goods wrapped
up in a bandanna handkerchief, the officers in
their sombre gray uniforms, their belongings
in the tiny military casetta, but one and all
were happy; there were few with dull, leaden
faces. Even then troops were being sent to
the frontier almost dally. I asked a young
officer why there was ao much rejoicing
when men were going into the wholesale
?laughter.
"Rejoicing!" he exclaimed. "You don't i
Isrstsnd th? Italian temperament if you ta
this following of singing, cheering frien
for rejoicing. Why, In their heart? all a
.-.? ? pi'ig; that 1? their reason for singing.
hide the tears, to give coi?r?-t?re to their hi
band? or friends who are going away Th
are not rejoicing, oh. no! but one must
cheerful in the face of danger. Our worn
know what we need, so they s.ng and laut
and wave the flag, and cry 'Viva I'ltal
viva il Re,' and we go on to glory or to d
as the case may be, with the sound of the
voices ringing in our ears. Is It not bett
'than weeping as we pass?"
Early In May I visited Volterrs, a city li
Mia known to Americans, an ancient city
i wonderful beauty. The entire population
?composed of the wortang eli = ??s, and by di
i the narrow p'reets are crowded with pea
'p.nts. I tslkad with many of them; none d
sired war, lint if it came they were not on
?willing, but anxious to fight. A little wido
who keeps the Albergo Stella apoko of tl
situation as it appealed to her.
"This European war ha? crippled Ita
dreadfully by keeping the 'forestieri' away
"If there is war you will have to woi
harder to earn your living," I said.
| "Yes," she replied, "but wc of the workin
I classes must always work; a little more c
; less can hardly make any difference, and ;
thnre is war the government will have mue
for the poor to do, in the making of clothe;
?etc., for the military, and then the rich pec
' pie are very good to the poor in all times o
| real trouble (suddenly her eyes shot fire
We," ?.he clenched her toil-wurn hands, "w
will show Austria that Italy takes no gifts
she wants she fights for, and take
I honorably."
War is unthinkable, cruel, horrible, am
personally many officers of my acquaintanc
were bitterly opposed to it. The commande
in chief of the Italian army, the King, wa
1 opposed, and had there been en alternativ.
t they would gladly have taken it; but then
was none. The Triple Alliance needed them
Austria had become insulting in her offers
] Trentino and Trieste were theirs by divim
iiipht, and the time had come to go forti
and claim their own.
"Why do you Italians hate the Austriani
'so?" I asked a young count, who is also i
lieutenant of artillery, the other day. "Why?'
an absolute rag? seemed to pass over him
"why, the Austrians wronged my great
grandfather- it's In the blood to hate; w?
can't help it." And so it goes from the arls
i tocracy to the people and back again. And
1 because they hate as ardently as they love,
while they did not actually seek war, Italy
was not entirely against it, and those who
were have accepted the inevitable with pride
and courage.
I was in Torino when war was declared on
?Sunday, May 23. Torino is a particularly
patriotic city, but that day was very quiet,
quite like other Sundays, despite tha fact
that the city was guarded from sunrise until
, midnight by the military in large numbers.
i There seemed a tranquil excitement, a relief
| from the suspense of the past months of
i waiting. There was no hysteria, the music
I played in the caf?s in the evening as usual,
and the citizen? gathered in large r.amb---?.
there wa? no word of prote*t. A e?rta!? ??
ness, ye? th-re must of nee*??!?/ a!w?*| tk.
that et paring. Patriotic ?ong? wer?. n\aymt
and applauded with enthusiasm; offlwrt-?-?
in great evidence; all wore the field anif?-*?
of gray. I myself dined with four, ?11 ???.
quietly enthusiaatlc, not blatantly to, ????y
felt that Italy had done the only thlng ?^
?ible under the circumstance?, In order ?a
hold her respected plac? among th? smjaM
They were all officer* who had been ettM
from bu.sine??, but they were happy t? ?
and ?ure of ?ucees? for their Patria tn?l fe
Allied force?. Ye?, the Italian? ?ove f-.gntam
they are indeed trained for It; Lati? bUtf
ls hot. and once it 1? heated only fl-ftw
Is going to cool It. Could that, th? SB
eall of the Latino, b? called hy?teri?T
No. Italy wa? not craiy for war, but -fc
la glad to take her place in th? gr??t I?**
pean fight, not ?a an heroic ?ndeavor, btta
her grand duty to the world. D'Aarisa*
with hi? idea?, ha? been a ?pl?nd!d h?l) fa
brin-rin?; the people to a rea'.itation of th***
duty, and he will continue to encourage
countrymen while th? war ?a?t?. He i? ytti
igal in hi? phrase?, a? in hi? living, but ttts
are not ?en?ele??. I? anything really t**,*,
lea? that inspires other? to give th? ^
they heve to the world and life? They,?*,,
Italians, in all ?obem???, not In dn?k-,
claptrap, ?aid they muit fight to pre**--*,
their nationality-and they have fo-jgt,, fj**,
three month? with marvellou? guccei*. mt
drunken hyiterls that drive? m?n up mt*-*,
tain?, with the Austrian? on top ihoott*,.
down on them every in?tant, help? th?? w
drag hutre cannon over absolutely irnp???-^
mountain passe?, drives them through Mt
and rain, up and up, keep? their court*-, a
steady a? their ?hot? ?re? Wa? It h/it**-,
that, wh?n hi? battalion faltered for s sa
ment from fatigue, made a young offlc???.
vanee to the head of the company, tient it
full sight of the enemy absolutely alone latj
give the order "Avar.'i, her-agUeri!" tad m
he fell from an Austrian shot te cry -gilt
to his onrushing soldier? "Avar.ti, b*r??"?!i?rt
1 ?empre avanti!" I? it not love for th? P?tnt
?hat spell? enthusiasm, a love that eea?
jfrom the heart, and It in the heart of ?v?-,
[genuine man and woman, a love that pronj-t*
?a man to lay down his life to encoura-jtb,
'men to go forward to win, which in thi?cm?
I they did?
Italian? love hero worship, they ar? ptmi
of their famous people, they appreciate ttl
!ent. Their King is at the frontier, the n*tl
family are fighting- In the first line for**?,
they love their King and are proud of tketr
I royalty. They are a truly respontiv? eta.
pie, and have undeniably demonstrated that
' fact in their attitude toward the war, ui
?what Issue could be nobler than th? prttt-t*
one, to hold, even at the awful cott of tm,
their respected place in the world!
Italy was not surprised to find herteb, ?I
!war, and certainly ?he is too nobl? 1 mattet
to wish herself out again. She wa? not ft*
cipitated, but her honor was at ttak?, ni
she will fight individually and col.eeti-.-df
for It until such time as peace may be feu.
advisable.
SOPHY FLO RENTE GOULD,
Florence, Italy, Auf. 20, 1915.
HISTORICAL INACCURACIES
Dispute as to Figures Involving
Bladensburg and Lundy's Lane.
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: I have read with interest the letters in
?your columns from Annapolis, Md., signed
: "American Citizen," and I agree with him in
his main contention in regard to the neces?
sity for preparedness, but he makes grave
: misstatements of well known facts. For in?
stance, In to-day's letter lie states that at
Bladensburg the American army of 5,401 men,
"unorganized and untrained as a whole, wa?
? routed by less than l.M'O trained British
troops."
This is entirely contrary to the facts,
i The Briti-h had a large fleet in the Potomac,
?and from this they landed their regular army,
*.v h i c h marched on Washington. William
James, the British historian, writing not long
after the war, puts the number of these r-.'ru
;!ars at 3,000. Henry Adams and other Ameri?
can historians give the number as 3,500. It
is quite true that the American militia, who
had never seen a battle before, ran after a
few volleys, but a detachment of marines
' under Barney made a strong resistance and in?
flicted severe losses upon the British. It Is
noteworthy th;a this same army, co-operating
f with its fleet, was shortly afterward defeated
by the militia at Fort McIIenry, before Balti?
more, and its general, Ross, was killed.
As for Lundy's Lane, "American Citizen"
makes numerous misstatements. He says
that the American army there was mostly
.regulars. It was not. It was composed ai
l most wholly of volunteers from the New *?>.(>?
land States, New Yoik and Pennsylvania. Ha
'gives the American numbers in that battle at
13,000 and tho British 5,000, including 500 In
I ilians. There were no Indians :.t all at Lundy'.
, Lane, and the British army led by Drummond
an.' Blall, the latter of whom was captured,
lia put by both British and Amorican histori
anr. at about 2,i>00 men. Our own was 2,300,
i the data for these figures still being in exist?
ence. C. C. CARSON.
New York, Sept. 8, 1915.
All Inclusive.
?To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Where in the City of New York can
I join an intensely American society, whoje
basic principle is the prevention of German
or German-Americans, Austrian or Auitrian
Americana, Irish or Irish-Americans, Italia.is
. r I'aliar.-Amerieans, French or Franco
Americans, Scandinavians or Scandinavian -
Americans, Dutch or Dutch-American?,
Spanish or Spanish-Americans?Ha, near'/
forgot Scotch-Irish or Scotch-Irish-Amer.
douLle hyphen;--leave out English
and Anglo-Saxon-Americans f double hyphen
again )?God's own people, from ever beinj
elected to any office in any sta'e of the
I'niun or andar the United States ?rovern
ment, no matter what part/ propos.-a such
election* PATRICK J. REILLY
New York City, Sept. 9, 1916.
Ashamed.
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: I cannot thank you enough for your
editorials. They have kept me alive tor
weeks, and this morning's is the best of all.
I wa? never before ashamed of my country,
and I ni never so ashamed of any adminis?
tr?t.on since the day? of Buchanan.
I am sixty-eigh. years old and have been
interested in politics since I was a child of
six. Any baby could see that Germany is
pitying with aa; that she knows not the
meaning of the word-i truth and honor. Sh?
r.aa given hersalf the he in her own reports,
and yet Wilson treats her with respect, it is
?
And now comes the Pumha business. I
dot 't like Theodore Roosevelt, but if he had
been President the Lus.tania would not have
been torpedoed; the German propaganda
would not have been allowed; the German spy
fjrtem would have been squelched long ago.
And why shouldn't we boldly announce our
selves on the side of civilization against bar?
barism? I say with Henry Watterson: "To
- with the Hap?burg3 and Hohenzollerns,"
and no peace until their thrcnes are demol?
ished.
My own idea is that every crowned head In
Europe ought to go before this war finishes,
and the people rule. King Albert and the
King of Italy could be elected first Presidents
c? their republics. King George should go
into oblivion. He Is the wors*. kind of a dum
my. Russia staggers me, but there are wiser
heads than mine who could ?olve the problem.
But my one thought is that this war should
not end till the "divine ri^ht of kings" is
abolished all over the world, and that the
United States should not shrink from taking
its part in helping to bring about that end.
The war makes one feel ill all the time,
but I take up my Tribune every morning
with the feeling that orco a day I am going
to read words that fully reflect my feoiinfs.
New York, Sept. 8, 1915. M. IL F.
Example of Gettysburg.
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: In this morning's editorial you re?
ferred to Gettysburg. As one of Slocum's;
old 12th Corps It interested me very much.
I am, in fact, as it were, "long" on Gettys?
burg. While the great batt j at that point ?
was not to be compared to the Marne, it
certainly took quite respecteble rank with,
Waterloo.
Gettysburg had four phases: First, the.
cavalry fight at Hanover; second, the attack
on the 1st and 11th corps on July 1; third,
the fight on Sickles by Longstreet, and the'
late afternoon fight of Ewell on the 11th,
Corps and Culp's Hill.
The fourth phase was where I was most
particularly interested?viz., the morning of I
the 3d of July, which, with Pickett's charge,
made up the closing scenes of Gettysburg.
One of the heroes was General George ?
Greene. I saw the old man, with his long,
dark hair, and said to myself: "Well, old,
man, if you can fight at your age, certainly I
should tight at my age." There was then
a difference of forty years between us.
At the great reunion in 1913 I had the
pleasure of walking over the grounds at
Culp's Hill with one of "Stonewall's" men.
That was certainly a happy ending of the.
Civil War, and it is to be hoped that the da,v !
is not far distant when German, English,!
French and all the other present combatants
in Europe will follow the example as set
them l.y the soldiers North and South of
the Civil War and conspoae their differences..
JAMES H. BAtM.
Trerton, N. J., Sept. 7, 1916.
In Defence of Pajamas.
To the Editor of The Tribune.
. Iri Your editorial on pajamas diverted
me, as I am sure it must have diverted many
other readers, most agreeably. Your plan for,
the abolition of pajama? ?nd the renaissance
of the nightshirt merely shows, however,
that you have felt more than you have
thought about pajamas. Pajamas are all
right. The trouble comes from the makers
and the wearers.
The former do two things which bring
pajamas into disrepute: They save material
ly cutting the pajamas too tight, and they ?
trim them with frogs, which do, as you say. j
leave dents upon the human carcass. But
you needn't buy that kind. Havifij at first1
had trouble with pajamas that were too tight j
for comfort, I now buy sue 42 pajamas
though they tell me that my proper size Is
38. Tho?kind I buy have no frog?; just but?
tons. And you must concede that the old
style nightshirt has buttons on it, too.
The great trouble with the nightshirt is
that it rolls up into an uncomfortable bunch
under one's armpits and around one's chest
Those unversed in the art of pajama wearing
may claim that the pajama coat will do the
?ame thing, but tha*. merely show? that they
do not understand the wearing of pajamas
Put the pajama trousers outside the coat,
and see how much happier life becomes. And
let us have a law providing certain ample
measurements for pajamas, as tho Kansas i
hotel law does for sheets. J, S. J
Norfolk, Conn., Sept. 8, 1915,_
"MR. DUMB A SHOULD GO"
Fear of Consequences Not a Fact?
in the Performance of Duty.
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: This morning, after a glance at Ik
front page headline?, I turned for ?pirlt?i
consolation ?nd uplift to the editorial tm
of The Tribune, and as usual was not dir
appointed. Your editorial "Mr. Dumb? She?*!
Go," voice? my sentiment? to a nicety, u tilt,
I venture to believe, the tentiment? of ?
straight Americans, whose allegiance to th*
country is unmixed and v.ho have no b?Ml?v
ister dividing their names. As you fwj
clearly and forcibly point out, thit man, Vf
his own impudent admission, has been golltr
of the grossest breach, not only of diploma??
etiquette, but also of international lawi ttl
the law of the land, and is an utterly tat
and improper person to be permitted to dm
with our government in any capacity who?
soever. Our obviou? duty to ourselve? ttl
our dignity to the world at large and ev?ah
Austria herself is politely but firmly t? de?
mand of the latter government that the 1?
mediately take him away and ?end us s g?
tleman. This is clear and unmistakable.
And yet on the front page, under the OS"
tion "Tension May Save Dumba from *??
call," we read the news from Washington BO
"it is feared that it (a demand for his tteuV
might have a prejudicial effect on the Q*>
nan government,'' and also that it "wooUh
practically certain to arouse animosity sSmH
thoge of Austrian and German blood is tsb
country."
If so, this is greatly to be deplored. Bit?
the ?ame time let it be remembered that tk?
are also in this country a very vast tb?***
hitherto silent and patient mass of Ame?*?
who, o? whatever blood they be, are trw*
their own country, whose "animosities ?*
not lightly "aroused," and who, regard!**?
difference? of opinion or political faith, *as
stood, ar.d are ?till standing, ?leadla??!* StA
loyally behind ?he President of the?? IM
State? throughout all the trying eipeni**-*
which our foreign policy during the pa?t O?
or three years ha? brought upon u?. T?
they have done for one reason: Beet?**
though in many instances they here m
approved of his judgment and have dlf?*?
from him as to the wisdom of his court?,*!
have, nevertheless, been abundantly costea
mat, throughout all, with the highest fS?
otic motives he has been seeking to ?*?,
duty as he was given to see it. with that M^
est type of courage which counts not th?-**
but doe? what seems right, without test
lot? or ridicule or any adverse conseq??*?*
They ?till believe he will continue w M
duty. That duty is now plain and v,nI_r!,
ble, and the only possible reason, i ?<*?**''
?mly reason, ??signed on behalf of iri'\m%,
the administration for hesiUting to P*-"^
this duty is fear of the con.*e??uer.cei-*
that it may offend a government *s
through its accredited representative, M
??if been guil'y of an unpardonable ??
toward OS fear, contemptible, truckling? JJ
of a yelping, mongrel, nondescript ps**^
t reason -mongers who, after ?or???:--l ^
foreswearing the land of their birth, St* j
blatantly threatening to betray th? 1?=
their adoption, to which they hav? M-*-?*"?
sworn undivided allegiance. _,?-?t
GEORGE WESTERVE--1
New York, Sept. 7, 1915.
Reports of a Good Reporter.
To th? Editor of The Tribune. ^
Sir: I wish to compliment you on the .
manner in which the national tennii ??
have been reported in The Tribus?. J-y
dally the description (by Hawthorne' J^
tiagte? championship. This match?'**
remarkable, and the description of I ^
vivid, accurate and most interesting- ^
gratifying to ??? the improvement ly^mt?
been made in reporting this branch ? ^i
CHAS. SC?II L^NDSi*a
?New York, Sept. 9, 1916.