Evening star. [volume], November 29, 1914, Page 4, Image 28

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

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tTIIE EVENING STAR,
Wltb Sunday Morning Edition.
WASHINGTON.
SUNDAY November 29. 1914
THEODORE W. NO YES Editor
? ? j
I'll? ivemus otiu wv?f?rf.
Business offi'1!'. 11th St. and Pennsylvania Avenue.
\?w York <>!{:. ? : Tribune BuiMin*. t
Chicago <: first National Bank Building.
European office: 3 Kejfent St.. I/ndon, England.
'i'iEvening Star, with the Sunday morn fa 2
edition m dellv r?<l by carriers wltlilu the ,-lty
at 4"? > t t**r m<>n?! : daily only. certs per
nr utli Sir <Iay only. "J" nis per month. Orders
inay be sent by mail, or teleprmne Main 11440.
foil"* t ion is made by carrier : ? the end of each
mouth.
Payable ::: advance - by mall, postage prepaid:
Pally, Snmli'V included. one month, 10 <ents.
.... ..n.. mnntli 40 I'i'iits.
Saturday Star, $1 yea:; Sunday Star. $40 year.
Filtered a? second-class mail matter at the post
office at Wash lug ton. P. C.
jtSTln ord'-r to avoid delsvjj on nceonnt of
personal ?i ? nee. letters to TIIK STAR should
not 1"* ad-i-essed to ?ny individual connected
with the ffioe. but simply to TIIK STAR, or to
the Kditorial or business Pepartment. according
to teuor or purpose
Opportunity?Large and Small.
Oossip about the republican leaderchip
for 19lf. plays naturally around
men now in high oiHee, or soon to be.
They are appraised according: to their
opportunities. Look at the opportunity
$Ir. Whitman will have as the governor j
of the principal state in the Union.
Consider Mr. Mann's opportunitj'. As
(>f the House minority, nnd com- |
petent in every way. he will bo most
prominently in the national picture all
the time preliminary work is in progress
for control of the next republican
national convention. And Mr. Justice
Hughes, though not inviting notice, is
plainly visible in his black silk gown,
while Mr Fairbanks, who as senator
and Vice President served well, did not
pass from view when he returned to
Indianapolis.
But there are opportunities and opportunities
for making reputation in
this country, and sometimes a man of
snap and grit and acumen makes even
a little office go a long way. For illustration
take the cases of Mr. Justice
Hughes and Mr. "Whitman.
When a modest Brooklyn lawyer,
thorough and painstaking, was chosen i
a few years ago to probe an insurance!
scandal there was no thought of otherj
results for him but praises for work j
well done. The name of Charles E.J
x.-oci unknown to the country:
;it large. But when he had finished j
his work his fame was national, and '
his popularity so great at home he was
elected governor. A second term followed
a successful first term, and a
third might have been his. He declined
a third, and was hardly snug:
again in his private law office when
appointed to a place on the Supreme
bench.
Mr. Whitman's case is no less illuminating.
Men of ability had failed in
the district attorneyship. William T.
Jerome had but recently done so. When
he took the office expectations of him
were high. He disappointed his admirers,
and is today without political
prospects. But Mr. Whitman succeeded.
He pyrsued graft and murder to
their sources, and shook, the underworld
and the corrupt portion of the
upper world of New York to the center.
Today he is the governor-elect of the
state, charged with the duty of cleaning
it up, and a likely figure in presi
(leilLltll fjn-i uianvK.
In the light of this record, who may
say but that somewhere in some modest
office a man may now be serving
who in the coming eighteen months
may rise to a modest occasion so thoroughly
and so well as to capture the
applause, first of his home people and
then of the people at large, and become
at once a national Quantity? The
next republican candidate for President
?and he may be elected?may today
be unknown except to his neighbors,
who have given him his opportunity
without the remotest idea of its size,
or influence on his fortunes
Our Coast Defenses.
That whatever may be lacking in the
\rnerican navy or army the coast defenses
of the United States and its in--i?
??? . t-o <-,f trustworthv
strength is evidenced by the opinions
o: those who have most thoroughly
studied this phase of the national armament.
In yesterday's Star appeared
an article setting forth the statements
of Chairman Sherley of the House subcommittee
on fortification appropriations
and of professional experts who
have reported on the subject, all going
to show that in point of guns and emplacements
this country is well equipped
to withstand foreign attack by sea.
in tlie matter of ammunition and person
m*-!, however, much remains to be
?l<?r t<> render our coast defenses sufficiently
strong to constitute a dependable
bulwark against invasion.
The correction of these deficiencies is
an urgent duty, to be undertaken without
delay. No consideration of economy
should apply to postpone the full
? -l ueveiupnie III 01 it naiiuiitii uciviiao
lino tiia.t in any tcelvable condition
of military preparedness must stand as
the first stronghold of protection in
tiie event of attack.
Repatriated Americans are finding
tnat Washington is quite as interesting
s: :.d comfortable as any of the Euroj-.-ari
capitals They have been In the
J.abit of visiting.
Marly Christmas shopping is after all
only a matter of enlightened Selflshti
'.'S3.
v War Losses.
Since the war began all the powers
involved liave been most secretive regarding
their own losses, but there has
been 110 lack of estimates from other
sources and some ol the figures have
mounted to appalling heights. For
example, in tho latest dispatches regarding
the great conflict in I'oland
i^lrncrail contends that over 60.000
Germans have been captured or killed j
or wounded In the defeat and rout of
von llindenburg's army. On the other j
hand the Berlin official statement re-*
warding this action says that "In addi- j
tion to many killed and wounded we 1
have In our possession about -10,000 i
uninjured prisoners." It is obvious that
both of these statements cannot well
be true. It is hardly conceivable that
the Russians could have scored the victory
they claim if they had suffered so
serious a loss as Berlin asserts.
A few days ago it was stated that the
total Teutonic losses of all kinds since
the war began had been up to ubout
the 1st of November 1,750,000. This
was scouted at by the Germans as a
gross exaggeration. From or through
Berlin now come three Interesting dispatches
respecting losses of the allies.
One gives a Vienna newspaper's estimate
of the Russian losses up to the
time of the recent German advance iiuo
1'oland, aggregating 760,000 casualties
I
In battle and 380,000 losses by disease,
a total of 1,140,000 men. From Berlin
comes a relayed dispatch from Bern
statins that the French losses up to
November 1 had been ^130,000 killed,
370,000 wounded and 167,000 missing,
; a total of 667,000. From Berlin comes
also an official statement giving estimate
of the losses of the three major
allies as follows: Russia, 1,100,000;
France, 700,000; England. 90,000, a total
nf i cm nnri Tv,ft Pucaii
I and France roughly agree with those
! of Vienna and Bern.
(, If these Berlin figures are trustworthy
it may be estimated that, with
Belgian and Servian losses added, the
casualties of the anti-Teutonic forces
up to the 1st of November, or perhaps
the 15th, have aggregated 2,000,000.
Such losses, however, argue a much
heavier army in the field against Germany
and Austria than has been hitherto
believed possible. On a basis of
a 20 per cent loss, which is extremely
high, there would have to have been
no less than 10,000,000 men in the field,
whereas a 10 per cent loss, which is
more probable, though still a very high
ratio, would require 20,000,000 troops
in action, a far greater army than it
is possible for even all of the contestants
together to have assembled.
It has been repeatedly asserted that
in all of the western fighting the Germans,
being mainly on the aggressive
from the outset of the campaign, have
lost more heavily than the allies. Ber- i
lin's estimate of 790,000 British and
French losses would on this basis call
for certainly an equal German loss and,
inrliwlini' fhp Rplcianfl. would Drobablv !
raise the Herman loss to close upon
900,000 in that theater o? the war alone.
The German losses in the east have
undoubtedly been heavy and those of
the Austrians cannot fall on this scale
to have been less than 200,000. Putting
the German eastern losses at an equal
number, the Teutons casualties, taking
the Berlin statements as a base of calculation,
have been probably no less
than 1,300,000, wh.io if the aggressive
actions have imposed a heavier penalty
on the Germans than on the enemy
the casualties may have run to 1,500,000.
This, on the basis of a 20 per cent
loss would involve a total force of
7,500,000 men on the Teutonic side.
In all likelihood all these figures are
too high. It is always to be borne in
mind that of the wounded a large P'-Tcentage
return quickly to the ranks.
Doubtless when the war is over, appalling
though they may be, the losses
will be found to have been relatively
less than any of the partisan estimates
advanced in the course of the conflict
from unfriendly sources.
This Year's Political Drift.
Mr. Penrose sees so decided a drift to
the republican party he predicts the
party's complete success in 1016.
The Pennsylvania senator's confidence
grows in a measure out of the result
in his own state this year. That wf5
very pronounced. In a three-cornertu
fight, the republicans, though losing
large numbers to the bull moosers,
scored an easy victory. The democrats,
supported by all the power of the national
administration, were nowhere.
The tariff did the business. It was a
bold challenge Mr. Palmer, the democratic
candidate for senator, had issued.
He had helped prepare the Underwood
revision, and stood on it in a
state where the protectionists had
never appealed directly in vain.
Again the protectionists won. Times
wcic naiu. uuaiiicfls wa.i
Great numbers of competent and industrious
men were idle. All of this
counted against the new tariff law
and the party responsible for It.
But in some of the states the republican
triumph registered was not so
clearly ascribable to the tariff. Other
issues were prominent, and secured
many votes for the republicans.
We shall not, therefore, see the republicans
rest their whole case two
years hence on the tariff, even though
the new law should continue to disappoint.
Other issues will have to be
met. Other issues exist today; and how
many new ones may come into existence
before the next presidential campaign
opens no man may say.
This renders the future exceedingly
uncertain. The present political drift
may not continue. Something may oc
cur to arrest it. At any rate, affalxs
are in such a state calculations are
risky.
Though out of power the republicans
cannot afford to play the role only of
critics. In Congress they must show
their hands?offer something of their
own of a constructive character. What
is their idea of revising the Underwood
tar'fif revision? If the new currency
law needs amendment, how would they
amond it? If the trusts are not sufficiently
restrained by the new restraints,
what is their plan for making
the work complete?
And then there will be issues growing
out of, or which have been emphasized
by, th% war, and they will have
to be met. So that the platforms of
1916 are likely to be long and full of
matter. And they will be scrutinized
as seldom before. Jt is going to be difficult,
if not impossible, to spread "molasses"
that year, or make rhetoric do
the duty of plain terms in the presentation
of honest policies.
Investigation of the Baff assassination
in New York has disclosed that
there is a marked difference in the cost
of hired murder, the price of a killing
ranging from $20 'o $500. Kvidently
the trade is in serious need of organization,
to prevent rate cutting.
I'Amr.lo intc Vi ?i n wl'jtnri! ha VO
violated neutrality by flying over Switzerland
attest to the remarkable change
in warfare that has been caused by the
development of the airplane.
Russian and German claims respecting
the* fighting in Poland continue to
conflict in a way to suggest the need
of an international editor of official
bulletins.
Thus far in the war one submarine
has proved to be worth two or three
superd read naughts.
The Superannuation Problem.
It is doubtless true, as it has been
suggested that the President feels, that
nothing eould he accomplished at the
short session of Congress In the way
of legislation for the solution of the
superannuation problem In the government
departments. The time will be
fully occupied with the appropriation
bills ami such important general legislation
as the President may select for
special recommendation. There is, however,
no reason why the matter should
not be laid before Congress for the
purpose of an Inquiry into the subject
by a joint committee or by separate
committees of the two houses, to lay
the foundation for future action.
It is true that a committee working
on this subject during the coming winter
could not bind the future Congress,
but its findings would be surely valuable
in elucidating the question and
perhaps gathering statistics to bo applied
to the matter when the stage of
legislation is reached. Or, on the President's
recommendation, provision could
be made in one ul' the appropriation
bills for a non-congressional commission
to start at work at once and report
to the next Congress its conclusions
as to the need and means of providing
some form of departmental retirement.
It is stated that the President regards
this as a most important problem
and that later in his administration
he hopes to see something done to re;
lieve the unfortunate conditions that
I prevail in the government service. The
j surest way of effecting results to this
I end will be to put the matter in train ,
I now so that Congress can at the next ,
long session, which will open a year
hence, have all the information neces- ,
sary. That session will be the one at
which the President Will accomplish (
his next series of legislative enactments
and if he is desirous of effecting
this highly necessary reform In the departmntal
service during his adminis- ]
tration?disregarding the possibility of
his re-election?the case must be put in .
hand without further delay.
The Neutral States of Europe. i
J The announcement at Lisbon the '
I other day that Portugal is virtually 1
enlisted as an ally of England In this 1
present war and that her direct par- 1
ticipation would depend upon clrcum- 1
stances reduces the number of actu- J
ally neutral states of Europe. There ^
remain now, not engaged in fighting, ]
Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Greece, Bui- ]
garia and Koumania in the south, and I
Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Hoi- <
,""'1 i?< north Of thABA t#?n stntAR I '
Italy is the most important, having the
largest army and navy and occupying a
position of such strength that her participation
in the war would be a factor
of material advantage to the antiTeutonic
allies. It is recognized that
there is no possibility that Italy will
join Germany and Austria. Her domestic
situation absolutely precludes
such an alignment, even if the government
were so disposed. Greece, Bulgaria
and Koumania are obviously
awaiting developments, and of these
three Bulgaria's position is the most
delicate. Her inclinations are toward
Austria, but policy dictates abstention
from hostilities in view of the virtual
certainty thaf if she joins the Teutonic
allies and they fail to win this war she
will be deprived of her autonomy in
the peace adjustments.
At no time since the war started has
there been any immediate likelihood of
participation by Spain or Switzerland,
though the latter has been from the
outset involved in an embarrassing position
owing to the nearness of the
field of action. Norway, Sweden, Denmark
and Holland have all been similarly
placed, especially Holland, but
thus far their neutrality has been respected
and there is no immediate
danger apparently of violations of territory
or rights calculated to bring
them into the field. The position of
Holland is perhaps the most difficult
of all, owing to the presence on her
soil of German, Belgian and English
refugees and the close approach of the
fighting to her borders.
It has been recently reported that
Italy is awaiting the developments of J;
the war with a view of participation in a
the spring. From a selfish point of
view it would be to Italy's advantage
to enter the arena at a time when her
services can aid in accomplishing victory
for the allies, so that in the peace
settlements she can obtain possession
of the long coveted Trentino and the e
city of Trieste, and perhaps even a por
tion of the Dalmatian coast.
Col. Roosevelt's refusal to attend the 1
Chicago meeting that is supposed to decide
the future of the progressive party '
may possibly portend a mental reservation
on his part to approve or veto;
j whatever decision may be reached. J 1
It is just reported in Paris that the 1
Khedive of Egypt was wounded by an 5
assassin in Constantinople July 27, 1
which shows that when it comes to 1
censoring news the Turks can give
points to all others.
England has blockaded Germany
within the Baltic, and now Germany
has blockaded Russia within her Baltic
ports. That leaves Russia pretty well
corked.
Winston Churchill's speech in the
house of commons regarding British
naval doings was notable for its silence
on the subject of rat catching.
An appeal for relief for Mexican war
| sufferers suggests that this is to be a i
very busy season for American char- ^
ity. *
SHOOTING STARS.
BY PHILANDER JOHNSON
Art and Morals. 1
I "Do you think that the question of i
morals should enter into art?'' asked
the serious girl.
"I don't see why not," replied Miss
Cayenne. "There's no apparent reason
why the nine inuses should monopolize
artistic attention to the exclusion
of the Ten Commandments."
"Kickin' ain't no sign of hard times
or special difficulty," said Uncle Eben.
"You never see a mule tlourishin* his j
feet when he's crossing a narrow
bridge."
Painless.
Those swollen fortunes still endure.
Their danger we d avert
If those who have them were not sure
The .swelling- doesn't hurt.
l
A Narrow Escape.
\Let jne out of this building!" exclaimed
the book agent.
"What's your hurry?" inquired the 1
elevator man. <
"Don't you try to get me into conver- ,
sation. i used to think that sign, 'No j
solicitors allowed in this building,' was <
a slight. But it's a blessing and a ]
safeguard. I'm a good book agent,
but 1 don't want to do any more bust- j
ness around here." (
"Haven't you sold anything?'* (
"Not a volume?and I came pretty ,
near buying 500 shares of mining
stock." ]
Precaution. ;
"Why did you insist on having your
new servant arrive on Saturday?" '
asked the neighbor.
"There's no train hack till Monday,"
replied Mrs. Crosslots. "We wanted
to be sure of having help for our Sunday
dinner." ^
A Little Nonsense. i
A little nonsense now and then l
Is relished by the best of men;
But so is ice cream, cake ana pie.
'Tis surely a mistake to try ]
To make a meal of stuff that's sweet,
Avoiding simple bread and meat.
And when a statesman is inclined
To dish up for the public mind
A mental bill of fare that's made
Of sirup, fluff and marmalade,
The public, weary though polite,
Complains of loss of appetite
And turns away, with yearning fraught
For simple, homemade food for thought.
WHAT THE GOVE
"If the gfovernment is to establish a j
system of employment bureaus in
eighteen zone
Seeking Work for cities in the
at,_ j United States to
the Unemployed. as8ist aliens to
find jobs, why should not these same
offices be used to afsist citizens of this
country to find jobs? Why cannot as
much be done for the native American
is for the incoming: immigrant?"
These questions, asked by one official
of the Department of Labor of another
several days ago, resulted in developing
the fact, that there is really no
reason under the present laws why the
government cannot use the same methods
now employed to help aliens to find
work for the similar purpose of assisting
citizens of the United States who
are desirous of being placed in positions.
In fact, the Department of Labor,
in the emergency at the time of
the Salem lire, during the early part of
me picacm year, uia step in a.nu ansist
more than 1,500 wage earners of
the Massachusetts city to find new positions.
A study of already existing
laws has convinced officials of the department
that, except for the need of
more money, there is nothing now to
prevent Uncle Sam from coming in and
playing an important part in the work
jf settling the unemployment problem
in the United States.
The act of 1913, which creates the
Department of Uabor, states that the
purpose of this branch of the government
shall be "to foster, promote, and
levelop the welfare of the wage earners
of the United States, to improve
their working conditions, and to advance
their opportunities for profitable
employment." It is believed that this
permits the use of the same means in
finding the positions for citizens as
ire now used in New York, and will
soon be used in other cities is assisting
aliens.
The establishment of government
employment bureaus has been advocated
for many years by students of
*ocial and industrial conditions in the
Jnited States, who believed that much
mrm is done by the many fraudulent
>rivate employment agencies which are
icattered throughout various parts of
he United States. There are a number
>f private agencies which have been
istablished and have proved of real as.,/.o
" iifArl/aro in trvlntr trt find I
positions, but the fraudulent agencies
lave been scattered In and have reaped
arge profits by exploiting prospective
aborers.
An instance of the kind was recently
>rought to the attention of officials of
he Department of Labor in connection
vittt a group of six Italians who paid
heir foes to a New York agency which
lent them to North Carolina for conract
work. Their transportation was
>aid by the contracting firm, and when
he laborers arrived they were told
hat they would have to work a cerain
length of time before the cost of
heir transportation was covered. The
nen worked three weeks, and were
hen discharged without resources and
vlth no hopes of finding a position,
^enniless, they started to walk from
forth Carolina to Washington, and the
hree of the number who arrived told
fficials of the bureau of information a
>athetic story of the hardships which
hey had suffered.
Government employment bureaus, according
to experts, art the only means
>f giving satisfactory service and aslistance
to unskilled laborers, many of
vhom are illiterate, and at the same
imp insure protection for the men
Lgainst exploitation. The distribution
>f incoming immigrants and the helpng
of hundreds of them each year to
ind positions in the United States is
minted out as having already proved
he efficiency of a well conducted govrnment
employment bureau.
*
* *
Although the present outbreak of foot
md mouth disease in the United States
is more serious than
Cattle any one of previous
t. years, the losses will be
insignificant when compared
with the losses sustained by
farmers ami stock raisers each year
'rom the more common diseases of live
Itock. This fact is brought out in deailed
estimates of the officials of the
pureau of animal industry.
It is estimated that cattle to the
value of more than $1,000,000 have been
lost during the present outbreak of
the foot and mouth disease. Of this
sum the government pays $500,000 and
the states in which the cattle are killed
pay the other half. In addition to
the $500,000 which the government has
paid farmers up to date for the stock
which had to be killed, approximately
$250,000 in addition had to be paid for
transportation, labor, salaries, subsisence,
disinfectants and supplies for the
500 or more men who have been engaged
by the bureau of animal industry
in the tight against the disease.
The total amount of $750,000 spent thus
far by the government is more than
twice what has been spent in previous
epidemics of foot and mouth disease,
[n 1908 $207,000 was spent by Uncle
5am, and in 1902 the amount was $300,900.
During both of these years, however,
the area covered by the disease
was very much smaller than at the
present time.
In contrast to the loss from foot and
mouth disease, amounting already to
approximately $750,000, the government
las estimates which show that the
loss from other live stock diseases
amounts to more than $212,000,000 each
year. The largest part of this loss is
caused by hog cholera, which causes a
loss amounting to more than $75,000.- I
000 'a vpflr T<**a? fpvpr ??n<l mttlp I
ticks, against which the Rov^rnment
is conducting a vigorous campaign,
cause a loss of $40,000,000 a year. Tuberculosis
of cattle and other stock
comes next with a loss of $25,000,000;
contagious abortion, $20,000,000; anthrax,
$1,500,000; scabies of sheep and
cattle, $4,600,000; black leg, $6,000,000;
glanders, $5,000,000; other diseases of
live stock, $22,000,000; parasites, $5,000,000,
and poultry disease, more than
$8,750,000, making a total of exactly
$212,850,000 lost by live stock and
poultry raisers each year due to various
diseases, a large number of
which are known to be preventable.
* *
"What shall be said about the war in
the schools?" This is the question which
is perplexing thouPublic
Schools sands of teachers
and the War thla year* and haB
ana xne war. given considerable
trouble to men and women in charge
af the classrooms, and who wish to observe
to the letter the neutrality appeal
of President Wilson. As a guide to
teachers, the American School Peace
League has just published a bulletin on
"War: What Should Be Said About It
in the Schools," by Fannie Fern Anirews,
special collaborator of the United
States bureau of education. It is
Lhe hope of the league to place this
bulletin in the hands of every school
principal of the United States.
"The war is the subject of supreme
moment." savs Miss Andrews. "The
children, like their elders, eagerly scan
the newspapers, scan the war maps,
listen to heated discussions, and form
THE EVACUATION
"rom the Albany Evening Journal.
Once more Mexico is all alone with
Its troubles.
From the New York World.
We have left Mexico. How much of
It will the Mexicans leave?
From the Columbus Evening Dispatch.
Gen. Funston was wise in bringing
the customs receipts of $1,000,000 or so
away from Vera Cruz, when he left.
The factions will now fight on more
nearly equal terms and the winner will
take the pot.
From the Scranton Tribune-Repnblican.
Vera Cruz can never complain that
Uncle Sam's troops hurried away in
such a manner as to indicate that they
did not like the place.
RNWEWT IS DOING
what may or may not be accurate opinions.
But whatever their conclusions
are, animosities and recriminations
against one nation or the other appear
to be the rule. Under these conditions
race antagonisms are allowed to de- ]
velop, the children become partisans,,
and that very spirit of neutrality which
our President so earnestly desires is
flagrantly violated.
"This is the situation which confronts
the teachers. What shall they do about
it? Their opportunity lies in correcting
this partisanship. They should not
allow imperfect or prejudiced ideas to
find lodgment in the pupils' minds, j
especially on the subject which is so i
vital to the civilization of the future.
Painstaking- teachers cannot fairly escape
discussions on the war in the
schoolroom. Lessons In history, geog-|
raphy, civics and the like cannot go \
far without touching at some point on j
what is actually taking place across |
the water. It is right that the great j
war should form a part of school instruction,
and its treatment should be j
indicated with careful precision. j
"So delicate and intricate are the ele- j
meats involved, however, that we are
impressed at the outset with the necessity
for eliminating the perilous phases
of the subject. Teachers should lead
pupils to understand the historical
causes of the war, \o look upon the
spectacle of human suffering and devastation
with horror to contrast a
world at war with a world at peace,
to comprehend the principles which
should govern the terms of peace?in
fact, that would make another great
war impossible?to be conscious of the
part which the United States, a nation
-1-'1 />? Tinlvorcol Virnth -
erhood and good will, should play after
the cessation of hostilities, to realize
that every boy and girl has an interest
in the movement which should bring
about the reign of law in the place
of the reign of the sword."
*
* *
Government physicians have had an
excellent opportunity, during the fivemonth
campaign
Anti-Plague against bubonic plague
Remedies in New ?rlean?. to
xvcmcuics. flemon8trate further the
value of anti-plague vaccine and serum
in preventing the spread of the dreaded
disease and in effetcing cures of persons
who have been stricken. Up to
date there have been only thirty cases
of plague in New Orleans and nine
deaths.
Precautions of every kind have been
used to protect the people who have
been in most direct contact with the
disease and sources of its infection. J
Although the anti-plague vaccine is i
used to prevent the disease, and the
anti-plague serum is used as a cure, I
the government health officials have
also used the serum for the purpose
or vaccination, inmates of the nouses j
from which plague victims are taken,
doctors attending the patients, men
engaged in catching the rats which
carry the plague-infected fleas, and
others who have been in constant danger
from infection during the campaign
have been innoculated. The efficiency
of the vaccine and serum is
indicated by the fact that not a single
one of the inoculated persons in most !
direct contact with the sources of infection
has contracted the plague.
The anti-bubonic plague serum and
vaccine were both discovered nearly
twenty years ago, and have been used
with success in campaigns in India,
Ecuador, Porto Rico and California.
The vaccine is known as Haffkine's
preparation, named after its discoverer,
and has been used in treating more
than a million plague victims in various
parts of the world. In a number
of outbreaks of the disease an absolutely
accurate record of the results
has been kept. The vaccine has some
drawbacks and does not offer an absolute
protection. It is effective, however,
in most instances, and in many
anti-plague campaigns, and according
to health officers, great good has been
accomplished by the use of the Haffkine
preparation, and it offers the basis
on which it is hoped the most satisfactory
product may be developed. The
vaccine is made directly from the
germs of the bubonic plague.
The anti-plague serum, known as
Yersin's serum, after the name of its
discoverer, is obtained from the blood
of a horse which has first been inocu
Iated with ueaa perms 01 uuuumv
pl&gTue and later live perms. Officers of
the public health service believe that
the anti-plague serum has saved the
lives of many persons in New Orleans
and that it will continue to prove one
of the most important agents in flphts
to check the ravapes of the plapue.
Government physicians, however, emphasize
the fact that neither the use
of the vaccine nor the serum offers a
solution of the plapue danger which
confronts almost every port city of the
United States. The only effective means
of eradicating plapue, they say, is to
rat-proof the cities.
*
* *
The difficulties in the work of educating
the natives of Alaska are outlined
briefly in a report just
Education made by Supt. William
, T. Lopp, in charge of
^ AiaSKE. Alaska division of
the United States bureau of education.
Because of the thinly settled condition
of the country, the work of orpaniz
in# the schools of Alaska has been
more difficult than similar problems
presented in the United States. In
speaking of the situation which confronts
the government's teachers in
the far northwest territory, Supt. JLopp
says:
"in Alaska there are, approximately,
25,000 natives in villages ranging from
30 or 40 up to 300 or 400 persons,
scattered along thousands of miles of
coast line and on the great rivers.
Some of the villages on remote islands
or on the frozen ocean are brought into
touch with the outside world only once
or twice a year, when visited by a
United States revenue cutter on its annual
cruise or by the supply vessel sent |
uy me uureuu ui cuumhuh. <^utma
eight months of the year all of the
villagres in Alaska, with the exception
of those on the southern coast, are I
reached only by trails over the snowcovered
land or frozen rivers. In spite I
of the difficulties of the problem a
United States public school has been
established in each of seventy-seven
villagres. In many instances the school
is the only elevating power in the native
community.
"Every teacher is a social worker,
who, in addition to performing the routine
work in the schoolroom, strives in
every possible way to promote the
physical, moral and industrial welfare
of the natives, adults as well as children.
In the schoolrooms the endeavor
is made to impart to the children such
instruction as will enable them to live
comfortably and to deal intelligently |
with those with whom they come in
contact; instruction in carpentry, cooking
and sewing is emphasized. Each
schoolhouse is a social center for the
accomplishment of practical ends.
Many of the buildings contain, in addition
to the recitation room, an industrial
room, kitchen, quarters of the
teacher and a laundry and baths for
the use of the native community. The
schoolroom is available for public
meetings for discussion of affairs of
the village, or, occasionally, for social
RAYMOND W. PtTDLMAN.
[ OF VERA CRUZ.
From the Toledo Blade.
Little Mexico is rejoicing because the
United States soldiers have left.
Thinks she won't have to wash her
neck and ears now.
From the Omaha World-Herald.
It was easier to get out of Vera Crus
than it was to go in.
From the Kooxrllle Journal and Tribune.
After being seven months under
American rule, if those Vera Crus people
have not learned something it is
their own fault.
From the Birmingham Ledger.
There are lots of people in Mexico
j who will resume the vocation of raising
flfty-seven varieties of cain since
[ the American troops have withdrawn*
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR
The first detailed Information of the
advance of Gen. Sherman through the
heart of the Confederacy
Sherman's from Atlanta to the sea
w , reached the Washington
marcn. I(Ubllc through the Richmond
papers. In The Star of November
23, 1864, is the following:
"Richmond papers of the 21st give
the thrilling information that Sherman
i is pursuing his grand movement with
magnificent success, creating the wildcat
rnrmtomotlnn thrmio-hout rebeldom.
He is, according: to these papers, cut- |
ting a forty-mile swath through the j
very heart of rebeldom, and while he |
is, from the grudging admissions of j
the rebel press, undoubtedly now in
{possession at Macon, his cavalry have
swept on, capturing Milledgevllle and
other important points, and are by this I
time thundering at the gates of Au- \
gusta. He has scattered the militia of j
Gen. Howard Cobb and Gen. Gustavus
Smith to the winds, has captured |
the state legislature, or such portion j
as he did not skedaddle, and has cap
tured and destroyed an immense J
amount of Confederate property, the
very lifeblood of the Confederacy.
"The Richmond papers of the 22d are j
barren of news, showing that the divulgements
of the previous day concerning
Sherman's damaging career were
considered by the Confederate author!- !
ties as too dangerous to the Confederate
cause to be repeated, and accordingly
the papers have been admonished j
to be mum."
*
* *
From time to time during the war |
word was received here of the assemblage
in Canada of
IT. S. Deserters deserters from the
p j Federal army Who had
111 uanaaa. abandoned their colors j
and fled to British soil. In The Star of
November Jd, i?si?4, is the following.
"There are at this time, according to
reliable information in the possession
of the authorities here, some 5,000 deserters
from our army in Canada,
whither they have fled to escape the j
vigilance of the local provost-marshals,
whose arrests of them are daily increasing
in number. Recently there :
was a large meeting of them near the i
Canada end of the suspension bridge, I
resulting in the forwarding of a pet!- ^
tion asking that they be received back ,
into their respective regiments without
being subject to the military punishment
usually accorded in cases like
theirs. Their condition is as pitiable
as deplorable. Half of them are barefooted
and not half clothed at this inclement
season and their only means of
keeping body and soul together is in
working upon the Great Western railroad
and other Canadian public works,
at pay which scantily feeds them,
without sufficiently clothing them.
They are Intensely unpopular with the
people of Canada, who take every
means in their power to crowd them
back into the T.'nited States."
*
* *
It was just fifty years apo that the Interior
of the Capitol dome was exposed
to public view, after having
Capitol been under construction for
"D a number of years. In The
Aiome. star of November 23 1864j is
the following news item:
"We are glad to announce that tbe
temporary wooden roof that was erected
in the rotunda of the Capitol, to aid
in the construction of the iron one
above it, has been removed and the
panel work of the latter is revealed in
ail its massive grandeur. It is painted
in a subdued color, but the work of
gilding and other appropriate colorings
will be a thing of time to complete.
This is to be done under the direction
of Mr. James Galway, who has supervised
the hazardous business of
painting the exterior of the dome, without
an accident befalling a single person
engaged in it. One does not readily
see how the concave surface of the
ceiling of the rotunda is to be painted;
but we were informed that it was to
be effected by a shaft securely fastened
at one end above the eye of the dome
while the other rested on the cornice,
a hundred or so feet below, along which
said shaft would be moved upon rollers
or wheels. The cornice in question is
about two feet wide, although from the
floor below it does not seem to be more
than four inches. The lower cornice is
four feet wide. When we have seen
painters let down the outside of the
dome upon narrow platforms, by apparently
mere lines, it seems almost incredible
that not the least accident has
befallen one of them. So of those who
have been employed in placing iron
castings at dizzy heights. The tens of
thousands of people that have walked,
with sense of perfect security, across
the tloor of the rotunda from one house
of Congress to the other little knew of
the heavy masses of iron which were
being swung into place above their
heads, which, had there been any want
of care by workmen, or a slip or break
of machinery, would have been precipitated
through the roof to the floor below."
* *
Tncendiary fires occurred in New York
city a little more than fifty years ago
and were attribPrecautions
Against "tea by the auy
thorities to symIncendiarism.
pathizers with, if
not agents of, the Confederate government.
These fires occasioned serious
alarm in all northern cities. In The
Star of November 28, 1S64, is the following:
"There being reason to apprehend
that the rebel emissaries who recently
attempted to fire the city of New York
might attempt a similar game here, the
authorities very judiciously took such
precautionary measures Saturday night
as to render any such scheme impracticable.
The various department mili
tary organizations were called out Saturday
night and last night and placed
on special patrol duty. The guards at
the different government warehouses
and shops were Increased and every
precautionary measure was taken to
baffle any attempt at Incendiarism.
Guards and patrols are now on duty at
all the public buildings and work shops
and every suspicious individual found
lurking around will be taken into custody.
A detail of military officers has
been made for the purpose of inspecting
the guards daily and reporting
upon the efficiency and vigilance of the
guards to the commanding officer of
this department.
"At Ford's Theater Saturday Mr. H.
B. Phillips appeared before the curtain
and announced that he was requested
to state that if there were any War
Department clerks in the building they
should report to headquarters without
delay. A number of the War Department
Rifles who were present immediately
left the theater and shortly afterward
they were on patrol duty. We
learn that precautionary measures were
| also taken in Alexandria and Baltimore
ana xnai ?irunB euarun wt-rc juaceu
over all the government property."
THE SACRED PUMPKIN.
Chant we the Tic of the Ages, glory and shield
of our fathcraNot
made of peach nor of lemon nor yet of tho
nectarine filling:
Croon we the pa?sl"uate pumpkin, symbol of national
gladness!
Driftlngly. leaves of the nutnmn fall at the feet
or the forest.
Goldcnrod, gallantly bdwlng, bends In a Thanksgiving
greeting.
Hailing the Puritan tartlet, pantry born pride of
the Pilgrims! , ^ t
Slowly It ripens to globular, yellows and frostens
Hna aecpcuw.
Sun kissed and mallow It shlnee through the murk j
of November.
Waiting the feast day?the corn fattened festival
eats of the season.
Jell of the cranberry molded and tankards of
tipsylng cider.
Pessimist poets may Je?r at your triumph survlvlng?
Cry we our paeans, O pumpkin, perennial and
precious.
Blooming as blossom the stars in the infinite
meadows?
Gorgeous and gooifled glorloua sweet sacrificial!
?Kate Masterscin* in the hiev York Sun.
I
NEUTRALITY OF
Recent dispatches announce that I?en-j
mark, Norway and Sweden, actuated l*y a j
desire to protect their J
T? - A; tionfr'ilitv hnve ohlerwi
necau liu nary ?
partial mobilization. In
Measures. this connection the interested
governments are reported as calling
in as a precautionary measure the Swdfsh
and Danish reserves residing in the .
Dominion of Canada and elsewhere.
A review of Scandinavian history sit this !
moment will prove interesting. The Danes
were tlrst known to Kuropc by their part j
in Norman incursions. In the tenth cetj- :
tury they established a kingdom and sub- .
Jugated Norway and a part of Kngland. ,
The union of Calmar (1397) united under i
the same scepter the three Scandinavian ;
states, but Sweden, tired of the despotism !
of Copenhagen, declared her independence (
under Gustav Wasa (15L'3).
The direct line of the house of Olden- j
burg became extinct under Frederick VII |
, in IS 68. The great powers, considering j
I maintenance of the integrity of the Dan-:
ish monarchy necftss.ir\ to the preservation
of peace, signed a treaty at London :
j May S, ISA 3, by the terms of winch the]
succession to the crown of Denmark was
given to l'rince Christian of Schleswig-I
Holstein-Londcrburg-ducksburg and to j
the male descendant of his union with the i
1'rincess Louise of Hesse Cassell, niece of J
King Christian VI11 of Denmark.
In 1S07 Denmark claimed to be neutral,
nevertheless the British attacked and
bombarded Copenhagen and in is 14
signed the peace of Kiel, by which Nor- !
I to Sweden. In 1.S4S the question of;
Schleswig-Holstein caused armed conflict
between Denmark and Prussia, and the
treaty of London, lSf>2, which had placed
Denmark under the guarantee of the powers.
v. as violated by Bismarck in lsdt.
Holstein-Schleswig and Lauenburg were
taken from Denmark after a war in which
Denmark displayed the greatest courage..
King Christian IX, who ascended the
throne in 1803, died January 29, 1906, and
was succeeded by his son Krederik VI11.
The military and marine forces of
Denmark are numerically small, but
the material is good. The military
school at Copenhagen may bo cited as
indicating the value of the Danish;
army. It was there the Danish lieutenant
and the Prussian field marshal.
Count von Moltke, was educated and
developed a genius for war.
*
* *
Sweden under Gustavus Adolphus!
(1611-1632) took rank among the im-j
portant nations of Ku- I
Ascendency rope. The battle of Pulr
0 j __ towa (1709) closed Swe- |
ui owcueu. aells perioU of briUiuat
history. Charles Xlll having no heir j
offered the crown to Marshal Bernadotte,
I'rince of Ponte Corvo, who
ascended the throne in IMS under
the title of Charles-Jean XIV. After
the fall of Napoleon, Sweden, supported
by Kussiu. was given Norway, which
was detached from .Denmark by the
treaty of Kiel. King Gustav succeeded
to the throne in J buy.
Sweden had trouble in recent years
with socialism and strikes growing
out of disputes over wages to workers
in cotton and woolen mills. Other industries
were involved when the "employers'
federation" declared a "lockout
' of iron loundrv workers numbering
30,000.
In August, 1909, the women of
Sweden appealed to the king to interfere
to bring about arbitration and. in
fact, it was the appeal of the women
that induced King Uustav to interfere,
and it was thus the "labor federation"
decided to call off the strike.
King Gustav addressed 30,000 peasants
who had assembled at Stockholm
in February, 1914, to demand in the
interest of the national defense an increase
in Sweden's armament, which was
deemed insutficient to defend her neutrality.
The king declared that notwithstanding
tlie opposition of the diet,
"the- problem of defense was one which
should be solved without loss of time.
On that point he was determined not to
yield." The king's cabinet took umbrage
at his declaration alid \tfent so
far as to deny the king had any
authority to "make observations to the
public without first informing the
cabinet.
The radicals triumphed in the general
elections of 1911, and the question of
national defense was Inscribed on their
program. In 1912 committees were
formed to issue appeals to the people
to subscribe funds with which to construct
an armored ship. Four million
dollars were subscribed and the ship
is to be completed in 1915. Another
committee collected $600,000, which
were employed to purchase aeroplanes
for the army and the navy.
* *
In the interval Swedish women again
manifested their interest by circulating
a vast petition signed
Protest of 300,000 women, de__
manding that their huswomen.
bands, sons and brothers
should not be incorporated in the army
in the field unless they had first been
properly instructed in their military
duties. The minister of war, replying,
promised that he would lend his support
to the proposition in the parliament
After the rupture of the union of
Norway with Denmark and Sweden,
Norway became a simple province of
Denmark, although maintaining her
title as a kingdom and her diet. Norway's
history was thus confounded !
with that of Denmark until 1814, when I
she was united to Sweden, having one 1
and the same sovereign in succession
until 1905.
In 1905 the trouble which had existed
between Sweden and Norway since the
treaty of Kiel?namely. Sweden's unwillingness
to accord separate consular
representation to Norway?culminated ;
in separation.
Prince Haakon, second son of < arl
Frederik of Denmark, was elected King '
of Norway by the storthing November j
18, 1905. Prince Haakon married Prin- j
cess Maud, the third daughter of Ed- I
ward VTI, King of England.
The army of Norway is a national |
militia somewhat like that of Switzerland.
Service is universal and compul- |
sory, liabilty commencing at the age !
of eighteen and continuing till the age
of fifty. The total strength can scarcely
exceed 30,000 men. The navy numbers
about 130 officers on active service
and about 150 in reserve. The Norwegian
navy cannot be said to he much
more serious than the army.
A
Norway, it should be said, is almost
fiercely democratic, having suppressed
all titles in the
Norwegian Titles commencement of
T? a- i j the nineteenth
Extinguished. cellturv Kot all !
however, are extinct, for there is one j
representative of Norway at 1'aris who j
bears a title. Nevertheless, M. Jacques ;
AMERICAN WA
From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat.
Knitting lias become a fashionable fad
in society circles; and it is all for the
soldiers of Europe. Truly American hu- |
manltarianism quite wells over.
From the Now York Her&UV,
If you have contributed toward relief
of the suffering in Kurope you will have '
the satisfaction of feeling that somebody
today is sharing your Thanksgiving. If
you haven't, this is an ideal day for the
deed.
From flip Salt Lake Republican.
Society women are knitting socks for
the soldiers. It is suspected that some of
them had to learn liow.
From tbe Topoka State Journal.
And the Belgian relief movement is
Just as popular in Kansas its the Belgian
hare movement proved to be unpopular.
From tbe Syracuse Post-Standard.
A lot of American women who never
did anything more strenuous than crocheting
have learned to knit sine? the
war began.
SCANDINAVIANS
do foussance. writing; about Norway,
declares that "now ho re In tin* world !?
one more proud of a title an belonging
to an old family as in Norway ?except
inn (b'tiova and the I'nited States"
Norway, w hich formerly exported
wood at* It was hewn, now exports it
planed and prepared for whatever purpose
it may be desired. Norway also
prepares at l mmiiuiumi principally !!i?
wood puli* out of which printing paper
is made. Norway prepares fish in ma: y
ways; "spratts," for example, a re label# i
as "sardines." The numerous c.iscad- a
in Norwa\ are *mployed to produ
electrical power and also a new art I. .?
of industry?saltpeter or nitric s< f
drawn from the atmosphere.
Several years n*ro .1 companv was
formed whose capital is almost entirely
French. This compart has rive other
branches in Telemark. N?>todden. Kiuken
I and Hjuken 11. The soil of Norway
contains much copper, iron and
zinc, and the exploitation of the co;,l 1
mines of Spitzbere Is a *rreat cood fortune
to a government which forno rly
broupht its combustibles from afar
In the exposition at Christiania t <?
celebrate the national centennial t\:
vr.ir a lartre pa\illon was erect. ?1 a d
named the "Norwegian limiprar.! "
Norwegian emigrants estahl-shed out
side of the country number more that:
two millions. The Norwegian affects *
to regard emigration as expansion a-d "
development, and hem e good for Nor
w ay. The truth is. . migration i* a
source of weakness to the iiation. Nor
I way. which possesses \a-t Industrial
j and agricultural resources. for a 1 *
suffers from lack of manual labor. It ;
labor Is rude a ml exacting in Norway,
and America is attractive and lures the
Xorweniiin who quits his country from
a natural spir t of adventure.
; The pavilion at the exposition con
tained photographs re presenting Norj
woginn f irms in Am.-tica which had
j within a?<! without all tin* appear.-:r
of their Norwegian homes. The Nor
! weerian has taken with him not 01 !
, the architecture of h?s land, hut th.?
methods of culture, dairies, etc . wtil
j in the Dominion of Cn-nd i nn.1 i i?
| British nossessions ire d"ptable. \i
cultivators the Norwegians sucre,.
very well in the. new homo in a strajl
tin!; as laborers thev are less success
ft"
| The exposition of fine arts did not
j convey a just idea of Norwegian . rt.
because neither museums nor private
[persons contributed generously enoug i
from their collections. Formerly pointors
and sculptors learned their art at
Dusseldorf or Munich. Since thirty or
forty years, on the contrary. Norwe- \
Irian students have studied in 1'aris.
The {feneration of cotemporary painters,
which commenced with Wercnskiold,
Thaulow, Gerhard Munthe,
Kilif Petors.-n. Heyerdahl, Sindlng.
Skredsvig and Krohg, has really founded
the artistic glory of Norway The
later ones, Sohlberg and Fdward
Munch, have just executed immense
frescoes for the University of Chris- j
tlania. which are being; widely discussed.
*
# *
Architecture in Norway is today \ery
interesting", less successful, perhaps.
than the Swedish in
Norwegian public monuments.
- , . but constructing
Architecture. charming aml
tureaque habitations. There is in Scandinavian
countries an original architecture
which harmonizes with nature.
i ...uiMi i.oa l>i>?n according
to epochs, but retaining its essentia!
traits. Monuments have already been
executed, such as the church at
Rjuken, with its great towers, the post
office at Christiania, by M. Bredodreve;
the library at Bergen, the Norwegian
Bank at Idllehannuer offer
examples and are in perfect good taste
without coldness and without solemnity.
Norwegians as well as Swedes of late
years manifest great talent in beautifying
their houses. At the exposition, besides
the furnishing of apartments, the
most curious of domestic industries
were the carpets and tapestries, which
are called gobelins. The peasant weaves ,
much stuff for clothing and for "aakloeder"
or variegated counterpanes or
bedspreads. In the middle ages and
uown to tne einu ICC nut
wove in the same manner tapestries to
decorate the walls. The wool was dyed
with plants which save them colors of
extraordinary intensity and solidity.
Scandinavian art in jewelry is excellent.
They make articles relatively
heap, in which the metal is no longer
destined to display a precious stone.
The metal, on the contrary, is the principal
element. Silver, slightly oxidised,
is used. The composition, the twisting
and the round folds constitute the
charm of these objects: stones, amethysts.
garnets, opals or coral serre
only to complete the design.
The Norwegian is not only say. but
he is full of humor and possesses .1
marked tendency for ridicule. Th*?ir
conversation is generally sparkling
with witticisms and sharp ideas. Young
girls have no cares, are heedless of
hooks and apparently unconcerned fothe
future. They appear to he the hap
piest creatures in the world. The
grown-up man is a personage often
full of spirit who has collected a mass
of original ideas.
The peasant also lias a ga> character
quite as much as the inhabitant of the
city. Keen and amusing
Gay Peasant fcpHrtee ' thine ? ?
common in Norway that
Character. after h?vinK lived '
I among them <jther people appear liea\ .
and the French even terribly serinui
It is M. Jacques de Coussange. a Fretni
writer, who gives us this picture of th<*
Norwegian, which is unexpected an*
delightful.
It is singular to remark, adds M.
Jacques, that Norwegian literature of
the nineteenth century is. in contradistinction
to the Norwegian himself,
very sad. "Even the works of that im
movable optimist Bjornson are more
or less stamped with the solemnity of *
the preacher."
It is said that the transformation of
Norwegian humor was due to the ap
parition in Norway of a religious reformer.
Ilaugc. a century ago, who e\ercised
a great influence over the gen
era! spirit of the people of Norway, a? d
w hleJi attaches to the literature, but
not to the people. And Ah Jacques de
Coussange has this to say on thH
point:
"This grave and even tragic literature
is perhaps the expression of one
side of the Norwegian soul, as true as '
the other side. That soul, is it not
successively and according to certain
moments sad or luminous, like the Norwegian
land, which, after having terrified
you, charms and dazzles vou?"
CU. CHAILL.E-LONG.
; _ i
lR charities.
From the Ens Angeles Express.
Give what you spend in a day for tobacco
and candy to the Belgian relief
tund, Tiiat sum would help to save a
human life.
From th?- Columbia .Stat**.
It's all right to knit comforters for the
Belgians, but the comforters they need ^
at this crisis are the ones that populate
pocket books.
r?.,tn I J... Hirn.ll4ff1.itll Vitus
The man who criticises those who send
money abroad to help the starving- because
"there is so much need here,"
usually is the one who criticises the
methods adopted "here" to relieve the
starving, whose plight appeals to his sympathies,
but not to his pocketbyok.
From the Council Bluffs .Nonpareil. t
The need of the Belgians grows even
more rapidly tlian supplies for their relief.
From the Birmingham Age Herald.
Santa Claus is en route to Belgian children
aboard ship. Tt doesn't matter how A
he travels, Just so he gets there. *