The St. Charles herald. [volume], August 11, 1917, Image 2

About The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993

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U
Uncle Sam lnèends Tb
Protect Your Soldier Goy
from 6002e and the
//
KST the American army of democracy, the
500.000 chosen crusaders, suffer more
__ casualties from moral disorders than
WHIH from the shells of the enemy, there Is to
he a military departure In prophylaxis
\V
II
against vi®- and Intemperance. The wastage of
the Spanlsh-American war was from bad beef in
stead of bullets, from mosquitoes in place of mis
siles, from flies and disease rather than from the
destructive force of the Spaniards.
Science and sanitation triumphed over the
mosquito. Now it remains for American army
moral sanitation to triumph over the ruthless ene
mies, booze and disease.
One can Tear! in the draft law, in the regula
ttions and in the express actions of Secretary of
AVar Baker that he means this army of 500.000
IHer.n young Americans to be the first army that
•ever took the field and stayed in the field and re
turned from the field untainted by the dual war
viêes. Secretary Baker is determined that the
wounds Inflicted upon our army of liberation shall
be those Inflicted by the central powers, and not
those so habitually inflicted by the army upon
itself.
Recreation is to take the place of Idleness
and Indulgence. Adjoining miasmatic swamps of
bcioze and vice are to be drained. Resort will be
had lu garrison to healthful exercise, to whole
some amusement, to off-hour activities, to ath
letics, to play and to the devices that healthy men
indulge in at home.
Says Surgeon Major D. C. Howard in a recent
war department bulletin:
"Recreation will be of great value. Idleness
is said to be the mother of lechery. Wholesome
amusements and athletics will make the garrison
so attractive that the soldier will be inclined to
spend his spare time In garrison. No present-day
problem in military preventive medicine Is of
«renter Importance In relation to the physical
efficiency of the army than that of effectual con
trol of venereal disease."
Thus boldly is the Issue stated, because thus
boldly does the secretary of war propose to meet
man's worst enemy, which Surgeon Major Maus
describes as "The Great Red Plague."
Here Is the common foe of embattled mankind.
Aid and comfort have been given this enemy by
the ill-advised and prudish censorship of social
science.
"We want no damaged goods in the American
army of democracy," C'apt. E. R. Vedder of the
United States Medical corps, declares. And, to
show how strictly does General Gorgas propose to
make the American expedition as clean as he
made Havana and Panama, the Wassermann test,
and not mere height and eyesight, is the supreme
standard of fitness for this war.
This 500,000 army of select men, possessing
youth, physique and health, the war department
proposes to return to their homes, if they survive
mere shot and shell, as fit fathers of a future race.
The distressful (many returned men and officers
say the disgraceful) social conditions that ob
tained on the Mexican border will not be repeated
at Plattsburg, at Niagara, at Fort Sheridan or in
Europe. The El Paso vice barracks, the hideous
drves—this nightmare will not be lived through
again. It belongs to the typhoid-malnria age.
The great American game of baseball will form
a vital part in the training of the soldiers of the
anny of democracy. When young America in
civil life Is not at work it is at the ball game or
at the motion picture show or at play in some
form. The American expeditionary soldier will
play ns fast as he will train for service.
This Is the dictum of a recreation expert who
knows the value of recreation, moral and educa
tional, and who also knows the philosophy of
Messrs. Baker and Gorgas. My authoritative in
formant continues with an enthusiasm that Is in
fectious :
"VJood athletes take such pride In their physical
fitness (and good soldiers are necessarily good
athletes) that they will not abuse their health by
indulgences. But, aside from personal pride in
fitness, play is in Itself the great prophylaxis
agaiAst immoral abuses.
"Work is a prophylactic agent against disease,
but play is its counterpart, if not its peer. Play
means health. The play spirit alone is strictly
normal. Play is the preventive against physical
and mental and moral breakdown."
The rediscovery of play as a social agent is one
of the most vital discoveries of modern times.
Recreation is its organized application. It has
been applied educationally. It has been delib
erately applied to redeem the city youth from
crime and degeneracy. But it lent itself natural
ly. unconsciously, -to the adults, needs in the
marvelous development of recreations other than
booze and vice.
Secretary of War Baker is sensitive to modern
sociological developments. It went without saying
that, whatever might be his merits or demerits in
practical military organization, he of all men
would bring to the American army of democracy
an appreciation of the sociological factors. A
system of recreation for the enlisted man that
»ill supplant booze and vice will undoubtedly take
shape from the earliest mobilization, and will con
tinue to be a safety device for this uniquely pro
tected army on the battle front.
One observes with keen Interest that the war
department has engaged a number of recreation
experts for the supervision of recreation at the
large training camps. There is here no mere
theoretic attention to play, no paper application
of recreation philosophy, no mere philanthropic
interest in the soldier's idle hour similar to the
interest which a churltable gentleman would take
in supplying tracts to a hospital, or books to an
old ladies' home, or a bat and ball to a nephew.
The problem before ns is scarcely of a part with
sewing society work. However, to avoid any
gesture of sensationalism, it is well to follow the
plain, serious words of the war department bulle
tins to illustrate the vice side of the problem.
Capt. E. B. Vedder of the United States Medical
corps, in War Department Bulletin No. 8, writes
substantially as follows:
"Our sick report has been a reproach in that we
£ave had more men on the sick report because of
A. A
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venereal diseases than any other army in
the world. Tests show that 1G per cent of
the recruits are infected on enlistment.
Venereal prophylaxis is the order of the
day."
Statistics are available ho those who will
not give them specific publicity showing
that these social diseases unfitted hun
dreds of thousands of soldiers at the front
from duty on the firing line. More terrible
than the bullets of the combatants ulike to
the invaders and to the Invaded were the
ravages of these diseases at Badajoz, in the
Peninsular campaign, ns to Rome and Naples in
the Spanish invasion. More terrible than an army
with banners are the camp followers in its wake.
These disquieting truths should be kept hidden,
lest the patriotic spirit be discouraged, provided
the United States proposed to take part in the war
on this basis, provided the propagation of disease
were one of "our objects" in the war. and provided
there were no way of protecting our 500,000
chosen soldiers and thereafter the nation from the
ravages of a plague.
But the war department knows this enemy to be
vulnerable, and it proposes to fight It in the open
field with social prophylaxis, and to crush it, both
In the training camp and in its present so-frultful
lair, the trench zones of Europe.
But before these preventive recreation plans can
be made effective there must be positive exclusion
of the unfit. "Weed out the infected" is the new
watchword of the recruiting authorities. Infected
recruits, If not detected, will prove a« impediment
to the army, filling first the hospitals and finally
the pension lists.
The draft law contains no provision more vital
to the security of the nation than section 13.
which authorizes Secretary of War Baker to draw
a dead line nbout our mllitnry camps for infection.
The Canadian military camps became excursion
points for thousands of wives, mothers, sisters
and, under this cloak, of others who had no par
ticular qualification except enthusiasm for the
soldier and a pronounced reaction toward the uni
form.
Driven from the mile or more limit, these latter
Use of Wireless In the Great War
Wireless has proved a great boon in war. A
scout airplane today if up to the, minute has a
wireless set aboard. This provides it with the
only means of communication with its base, or
with the battery of heavy guns, when engaged
upon the direction of artillery fire. The wireless
is the voice of the oceans. It links up ship with
ship, however distant from the land or from
the recognized routes of trade. Without it modern
naval warfare would be Impossible. The SOS
signal is the most urgent and sacred call in the
wireless world, a call few operators will ignore.
And yet the enemy has made false use of this
signal. There was one case of an American skip
per somewhere off Bantry bay, who, picking up
an S O S some 50 miles distant, made thither at
top speed, to find on arrival, not a vessel in dis
tress, but a German submarine, the commander
of which not only made no apology, but was so
annoyed to find that It was an American instead
of a British boat that he had snared that he
threatened to sink it there and then ; and prob
ably he would have put his threat into force had
not n British destroyer showed up on the horizon.
Another case was that of the cargo steamer
Anglo-Callfomlnn. homeward bound from Amer
ica. She sighted a German submarine in mid
ocean. and made off as fast as her engine would
permit, the enemy in hot pursuit; her wireless
operator sending out the 8 O S signal as fast as
he knew how. Meanwhile the shell fire grew
fiercer, the ship was raked from end to end. They
had not a single weapota of their own with which
to retaliate, but they stuck to it as only British
sailors can. Then there came an answer to their
signals, "Coming to your help. Hang on." It
was from a British man-of-war, somewhere across
L \ 7 7
set up at whatever distance and expressed thelt
patriotism in indulgences for which the war made
a tolerant conscience. And Canadians are afnong
the strictest puritans in the world. By devious
pretexts, hundreds of these soldier-smitten wom
en followed the units to Europe.
Wo may quite as well ignore the experiences of
the allies in Europe, for our own experiences are
rich enough. The government has issued no bul
letin showing the number of soldiers incapacitated
by disease during the Mexican expedition, but the
only available authorities, the individual militia
men and officers, recite a distressing naitntive of
debauchery on the border. In more than one
instance dives were set up In full view of the
officers' camp, though, of course, outside of the
authority of the war department. And to such
wretched dens the soldiers resorted because of
the utter vacuity of border soldiering nnd the lack
of adequate recreation facilities.
It is these experiences which now determine
the war department to achieve a new triumph for
sanitation by inaugurating a system of thorough
prophylaxis, substituting recreation for stupidity,
idleness and vice indulgence. The American army
of democracy Is not to be a disease-infested, booze
inflicted army. It is to triumph over mankind's
worst enemies before it leaves our soil, and it is
to carry its triumphs to Europe, there to advertise
to the whole world the new American idea in
social prophylaxis.
To such an anny every American mother will
be proud to lend her son.—William J. Black, in
New York Tribune Magazine.
the horizon, far out of sight. By this time the
firing had grown so fierce that the operator was
forced to manipulate his key lying on his back
in his cabin. At last the welcome news, "Can
see your smoke. Hang on." "For God's sake,
hurry up ; they're shelling us like h-," replied
the Californian operator. This the German op
erator intercepted, and had his guns trained full
on rlielr aerial, their last hope of salvation. Lucki
ly the German shooting was wild, and eventually
the British warship hove in sight. Immediately
the submarine dived, and they were ordered to
report her trail.
Yet earlier in the war occurred the unhappy
Breslau and Goeben affair. When surrounded
by British craft, these two powerful men-of-war
succeeded in effecting an escape, sighted only by
one of our light cruisers. Immediately she wire
lessed for help.
In the year 1915, 26 vessels were reported by
the radio inspectors of the United States to have
sent out the call for assistance. The calls in
cluded accidents of all kinds, Including collision,
running ashore, broken-down machinery, storm,
cargo shifting and torpedoes. In one case, that
of a Greek vessel which caught fire in mid
ocean, she was abandoned by the passengers and
crew, aggregating 470. Within two and a half
hours two other vessels had taken on board. In
one case 341 survivors and in the other the re
maining 129. The original vessel was entirely
destroyed.
On another occasion a vessel with 1.700 Italians
aboard caught fire at sen. The S O S signal im
mediatey brought up another vessel, which took
off 600 survivors, then conveyed the disabled
boat into port without the loss of a single life, j
JURY REFUSES TÛ
CONVICT WUHAN
Sollt on Verdict Where Unwritten
Law is Invoked in
Defense.
KILLED SISTER'S BEAU
Second Trial Is Ordered by Judge,
V/ho Insists Accused Shall Be
Found Guilty in First Degree
or Acquitted.
Topeka. Kan.—Tli? jury in the trial
of Miss Lena Kinderknecht of Topeka,
Kau., charged with the murder of
Frederick I'. Richardson, lier sister's
wooer, failed to reach a verdict after
deliberating three days, and a mistrial
resulted. The case was one of the
■most unusual ever placed before u
Kansas jury and involved the question
of whether a woman had the right to
invoke the unwritten law to protect the
honor of her sister. Eleven members
of the jury said she had. One was op
posed to this novel application of the
law.
As a result of the mistrial Miss Kin
derknecht will have to stand trial
again, because of the ruling made by
Judge Rupenthnl that she must either
be convicted of murder in the first de
gree or acquitted. He allowed no al
ternative degree for the jury to con
sider.
Unusual Features of Tragedy.
The circumstances preceding the
Kinderknerht tragedy, as adduced by
the evidence, indicate that Miss Mary
Kinderknecht, aged twenty-three years
and strikingly pretty, was interested in
Frederick I*. Richardson, a traveling
insurance agent. He was good look
ing. dressed well, had plenty of money
and a motorcar and called often to
take her riding. The members of the
Kinderknecht family did not like him.
The father, a brother and Miss Lena,
a sister of Mary, suspected the man's
intentions as not being of the best.
Early last winter tlie Kinderknecht
family decided to break up ttie rela
5
A_
Miss Lena Fired Two Shots.
tions of the younger sister and Richard
son and succeeded for a time. Then
■several clandestine meetings followed,
; and on February 5 Mary disappeared
from home. Miss Lena Kinderknecht
and her brother located and followed
'the couple as they alighted from Rich*
.unison's car, they began an argument.
Fired Two Shots.
Miss Lena fired two shots and when
she, lier sister and brother started for
home, Richardson was standing by his
car. Later Richardson found that ho
had been shot in the abdomen. He
died two days later.
Miss Kinderknecht insists that she
did not know she had shot her sister's
sweetheart, as there had been no out
cry and she saw no blood. Miss Mary
explained to the authorities that she
liked Richardson because he had giv
en her flowers and candy and had 0
"nice automobile."
_ •**
<rCrtrCrtrbüirCr£rtrCrirù'CrùrtrCr£r-t: -CrtrCrirîrb
,? GIRLS WHO LOST ARE &
I MOURNERS AT WEDDING
Cleveland, O. — Wedding
mourners are the latest addition
to indoor sports among the so
eial elite of this city. They
jy made their appearance at the
wedding of Dorothy Kreps and
Arthur McArthur, society fuvor
£ ites.
i> The plan calls for each girl
who has ever been courted by
jy the groom, even though he did It
half-heartedly, to drive to the
iy wedding dressed in black and
carrying a black handkerchief.
Rejected male suitors haven't
followed suit as yet.
______tinWrtrtr*
Firemen Called to Soak Deserter.
London.—An army deserter In Lon
don was captured after a five-hour bat
tle with police, when firemen turned
two streams of water on him. He had
climbed to the roof of a house and kept
the policemen away with bricks, ripped
from the chimney.
Kills
Chills
Good for Malaria, constipation jj
biliousness —a fine tonic
Guaranteed or money bach
Ash your dealer
Behrens Drug Co..Waco.Tcx
Its Play.
•T see the hand of fate in Europe--"
"Yes, the deuce is taking the kings.'
TJ:* occasional vac of Homan Kve ttalsaro
at r ;k- 1 1 upon retiring pi.*v»-nt a: ' r ^*
11, V,- ured <JCS. watery eyes, and e>e strata
Adv.
Marine Life.
According to C. It. Shoemaker ot the
United States National museum, the
Danish West Indies offer an interest
ing field fur study in marine life. In
one of his expeditions to St. 1 bornas
he found among other specimens, great
numbers of a beautiful dark purpli-h
red crab and many species of small,
vividly colored fish swimming about
the coral. These were In shade* of
red and blue % and through the clear
waters were beautiful objects.
COVETED BY ALL
but possessed by few—a beautiful
head of hair. If yours is streaked with
gray, or is harsh und stiff, you can re
store it to its former beauty and lus
ter by using "La Creole" Hair Dress
ing. Price $1.00.—Adv.
He Was Cured.
Once there was a little boy who stole
sugar.' So strong was bis craving lor
sugar that half bis mother's time was
taken up watching the sugar bowl.
One morninî, however, she filled a big
tumbler full of sugar awl gave it to
the little boy and told him to eat it all.
The boy took a s;...... and started In.
lie ate about a third of it before be
got enough. His mother insisted that
he eat some more—It was all bis to
eat. and she'd box his ears If he didn't
oat it. She -did box bis ears, and lie
ate a little more, but presently be
slipped the tumbler under his chair
and slipped out to play. hen he
came back, though, the tumbler was
there waiting for him. He ate a little,
but it wasn't good. He said It "was
too sweet." Every day for a month
that tumbler was by his plat*' at the
table, on a chair by his bedside, in the
closet with his playthings—every
where he found that tumbler. The
flies swarmed about it, and the ants
came, but still it was "too sweet."
That tumbler never was finished up.
The boy is an old man now. nnd takes
his coffee straight. Gooosebcry pie is
the only kind he likes. All other kinds
are "too sweet."—Kansas City Star.
Rastus as Detective.
Rapid disappearance of coal from
his bin alarmed Major Higgins and
he determined to trace it. lie ques
tioned the man who tended bis gar
den.
"George," he asked, "where do yon
reckon my coal has disappeared to?"
George scratched his head thought
fully. "Well, sir," he replied. "All
ah—ah reckon them squirrels done
took it. Yes, squirrels, Major Higgins,
That was nut coal, sir."
In Bed.
John—I'm going to kill that mosqui
to.
Wife—Don't bother, John.
John—You think I wont to he bit
ten just as I doze off?
Wife—But they always buzz first.
They buzz like a telephone.
John—Yes, and like a telephone
buzz, they don't buzz till the connec
tion's been made."—Chaparral.
Life is but a dream to the nverngo
young man until experience kicks his
shins and wakes him up.
Instant
Postum
A table drink that
has taken the
place of coffee
in thousands of
American homes.
"There's a Reason"
Instant Postun
* j C*fMl Csmft
5 m t « 55 * Bi
Delightful flavor
Rich aroma
Healthful
Economical
Sold by grocers everywhere.