The Birmingham age-herald. [volume], June 14, 1915, Page 4, Image 4

About The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950

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IF THAT PACK EVER GETS HIM—
THE AGEHERALI
K. W. RAHKETT.Edltvi
Entered at the Birmingham, Ala.,
postoffic® rh second class matter un
der act of Congress March 3. lttn.
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through the mails. Address.
THE AGE-HERALD,
Birmingham, Ala
Washington bureau, 207 Hibbs build
ing.
European bureau, 6 Henrietta street.
Covent Garden, London.
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60, Inclusive. Tribune building, New
York oity; western business office.
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eign advertising.
TELEPHONE
Bell (private exchange connecting all
departmental Main 4000.
Why, courage, then! uhat cannot be
avoided,
Twere childish wenkneaa to lament*,
or fear. —Henry Vi.
BEGINNING THE DAY—<> Lord,
teach me that I am a rent only ns
I serve. In whatsoever place I am,
high or low, help me to minister,
not to be ministered unto. Hut,
Lord, tench me that pleasing men
may not be serving them. Remind
me of One who served best of all
and was paid In seourglngs and
death. In < hrlst’s name. Amen.—
H. M. E.
To Increase the Army
Secretary of War Garrison and his
advisors of the war college have been
working together over a bill to be
submitted to Congress for reorganiz
ing and increasing the regular army,
and the Secretary intimated recently
that an effort would be made when
the national lawmakers meet to get
prompt action on the measure.
As is well known, the Secretary of
War endeavored to induce the Sixty
third Congress to do something in a
large way for the national defense;
to increase immediately the coast ar
tillery and to provide for increasing
the army at an early date, but- the
democratic majority would not agree
to a consideration of any military
measure that called for a considerable
( expenditure of money above the new
high record of appropriations already
scheduled to pass.
While the probability is that the
United States will not be drawn into
the European war, much thought is
now given to this country’s unpre
paredness. There is a stronger senti
ment, therefore, in favor of Secretary
Garrison’s military policy than was
in evidence a year ago.
A trained army of not more than
100,000 men, including the National
Guard, could be readily mobil
ized in continental United States,
and, according to some military
critics, “we could not provide
the necessary field artillery, am
munition and ammunition trains to
equip an adequate army of defense
for 18 months after the landing of an
enemy.”
It is understood that the war de
partment’s plans call for a regular
army, built up on a graduated scale,
of 250,000. Anything the Secretary
recommends will certainly receive
more favorable consideration in the
Sixty-fourth Congress than his meas
ures for increasing the army received
in the Sixty-third.
The Right to Woo
The privilenge of courting will be
no longer confined to men, if Dr.
Eliza Taylor Ransom, head of a hos
pital in the Back Bay, has her way,
according to an interview published
fat a Boston newspaper.
“I maintain that if a woman wants
to know a man she should go out of
her way to make him notice her. She
should feel free to call him on the
telephone, write him letters and to
drop into his office. She should forget
that he is any different from a woman
friend,” Dr. Ransom is quoted as say
ing.
Admitting that perhaps the “right”
to take the initiative in seeking ae
^ quaintance should be accorded to
«omen, yet a wail of protest voiced
in masculine tones has gone up every
where against women usurping man's
natural prerogative to woo.
One by one the special privileges of
man have been wrested from him by
the tireless femininity of the world.
Time was when men only enjoyed the
delights of an afternoon smoke. Now,
in the ultra-fashionable circles, at
least, women think nothing of smok
ing their golden-tipped cigarettes.
Almost every occupation occupied
by men has been invaded by women
wage-earners. Women teach the
schools, sell clothing, dispatch trains,
govern cities, in fact corr/pete with
men in almost every profession which
man formerly regarded as/exclusively
kis own. (
All this men have ^wiiiesced in—
they have complacentl^Rvatched the
|' encroachment of women workers i
the world of business.
But it had not occurred to the min
of man that women would appropriat
the privilege of wooing. It is a par
of masculine makeup to want to d
the pursuing. He may tire of th
prize, once the quest is ended, but th
spirit of the chase held him enthrallec
Dr. Hansom's theory may receiv
the indorsement of some advanced
thought women, hut in' all probabilit;
there will remain a goodly number o
the old-fashioned females who are as
tute enough to recognize that seeminj
reluctance is still an effective lure t
man.
Dr. Ransom’s idea has the ad
vantage of frankness and sincerity
but it is doubtful if it will be soon pu
into practice.
It is just possible that there an
still many women who prefer to bi
courted rather than to take the in
itiative themselves. *
Percy Argument Unanswerable
Walker Fercy, in his card printed ii
The Age-Herald Sunday, asked thesi
questions:
“By increasing the number of com
missioners would the government bi
improved? Would we be able to se
cure better men by decreasing sal
aries?”
In effect he was asking:
“Under the provisions of the Judgi
bill, what would be the situation it
October, 1917?”
The Judge bill provides that fivi
commissioners, to be paid $4000 each
must in that month and year, hi
elected.
The reduction in the salary of a
commissioner would prevent the en
trance of certain excellent men un
able to make extraordinary financin'
sacrifices. The field of candidates
therefore, would not be as select a?
under other conditions.
The necessity of electing five men
whereas under the present arrange
ment only one in a stated period may
be chosen, would make more alluring
a candidate’s opportunity, and in
finitely enhance his chances of suc
cess. Therefore, many, without cour
age to stand before the pe'ople in a
man to man engagement, would
greatly increase the number of en
trants in the hope that by some hook
or crook they might secure a bit ot
the spoils.
Under the present system, where a
commissioner’s salary is $7000 and
only one within a staled period may
be elected, it is impossible for any
man without ability and irreproach
able character to sit as member of
the commission. Under the Judge
plan, on the other hand, it would be
possible for a candidate of little ef
ficiency, and possible for a candidate
of questionable motives, to win High
place and honor.
The Judge bill contains a menace,
therefore, against the h-'imr of the
municipal government. It is danger
ous in that it offers opportunity for
unprincipled men to make of this city
a cesspool of graft and corruption.
The opponents of the present sys
tem who base their fight on indirect
criticism against the members of the
commission, cannot conscientiously
and with satisfaction to themselves
answer the Percy card.
For, if they do, they must of neces
sity consider the fruit of the future.
What Roumania Wants
Since Italy has taken the plunge,
Roumania’s attitude toward the war
ring powers is perhaps the most in
teresting diplomatic problem just now
in Europe. It is quite evident that
Roumania is waiting for something to
happen and this is thought to be a
German reverse. It would be fool
hardy just now for Roumania to cast
her lot either with the allies or with
Germany, as the wur seems far from
being settled and neither side has
been overwhelmingly victorious, al
though in point of territory occupied
the Germans lead their adversaries.
Raymond E. Swing, correspondent
of the Chicago News, who writes from
Bukharest, predicts that the minute
the tide turns Roumania’s decision
will be made, dependent on assurances
that Bulgaria is not marching against
Servia, which would leave the Aus
trians free to attack the Roumanians,
nnd guaranties that Roumania will be
given Transylvania when the spoils
are shared by the victors. The country
strongly desires expansion and has a
large number of her people dominated
by Hungary, ns well as Russia. Rou
manian expansion is theoretically
possible, says Mr. Swing, by the in
clusion of Transylvania, in eastern
Hungary, with about three million
Roumanians; Bukowina, north of
Roumania, with a million Rouma
nians, and Bessarabia, Russian ter
ritory, lying east of Roumania anc
having a Roumanian population o1
nearly two million. Greater Roumanit
would contain nearly thirteen millior
people and would be a eonsiderabh
factor in European politics.
Whatever motive lies behind thi
studied calm of the Roumanian gov
ernment, it cannot be denied that it ii
playing its part cleverly. War with
out the promise of profit is the wild
est sort of political folly, leaving oul
humane motives, and it isclear that
jf m
n Roumania does not intend to take
hand in the war until she is reasonahl
i sure which side is (joinit to win an
e what will be her reward for partici
t pating.
5 ... — ■ - ■■ ■ =
5 More Grief for Father
> For sometime Mr. Married Ma:
. has been enjoying happy freedor
s from the task of hooking his wife u
the back. Styles have decreed tha
P feminine garments should be buttonei
up the front, hence the immunity o
, man from his accustomed task.
> But a note of alarm ii being spreai
broadcast.
At the recent convention held ii
’ Chicago by the National Associatioi
of Garment Workers, attention wa:
, called to the depletion of the suppl;
. of clams, from the shells of whicl
■ pearl buttons are manufactured.
According to a speaker at this con
vention, the Mississippi clams hav<
been so hunted, to fill the demand foi
buttons, that the supply is well nigi
exhausted, and it is probable thai
within ten or twelve years buttons wil
be valuable trinkets.
' If people wear clothes without but
■ tons, the mode of dress will be ma
. terially altered.
That probably means a return tc
unnumbered hooks and eyes, and in
cidentally trouble for father.
Talk about the elusive quality of re
fractory collar buttons!
This is not to lie mentioned with thr
perversity of the hook and eye. Why
does not some practical Edison in
vent a hook and eye that will bear
some distinguishing mark, whereby
it will be possible to identify which
particular hook corresponds to that
particular eye ?
Father is used to wrestling with
many problems, but when is added
the hook and eye problem, his cup
runneth over.
Why not garments that can be
fastened with sailors’ knots?
The wife of an American newspaper
man, now one of the editors of the China
Press of Shanghai, who is visiting 1
parents in St. Louis, recently stated tc
a reporter of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
that living in China is much cheaper thar
in this country. The cost of foodstuffs
and servant hire in Shanghai is extreme
ly low. The servant problem does not
exist, although it is impossible to hire
only one servant. "All around work”
does not appeal to Chinese domestics, ap
parently They don’t like to work alone,
and each prefers hie own partlculai
duties. Chinese servants are also proud
and will seldom work for people who dr
noi dreBs for dinner. This applies, of
course, to the better class of curvantu
who fear that their own standing will be
lowered if they work for people who
do not conform to social ethics. Canned
goods are cheaper than in the United
States, and meat from Chicago packing
houses is sold as cheap as it can be pur
chased by wholesale dealers in America.
A sewing machine made In the United
States can he bought in China for about
half the price It brings in this country.
Jitney busses have already Invaded
Shanghai, which haH two. They do a
rushing business In competition with
street railways and taxicabs, which are
foun.l everywhere. The old-fashioned vic
toria, drawn by horsep, is still popular in
Shanghai. The cost of living in Shanghai
is higher, however, than in other parts
of China, because it is the social center
of the far east.
Wu Ting Fang says China will expect
help from the United States In case It is
needed. However, Uncle Sam must flrsl
get Into a position to help himself.
Switzerland will make another bid foi
popularity by taking care of woundec
soldiers from European battlefields, re
gardless of their nationality.
One of the British trawlers recently sunk
by the Germans was the Velocity, whict
wh« evidently not able to show the speec
Indicated by its name.
Count Von Bernstorff has made nr
rangements to occupy his summer real
dence, just as if there were no war cloudi
in the air.
Those scholarly Germans, no mattei
what else they think, must acknowledge
that President Wilson writes corking gooc
English.
Great Britain needs another $1,000,000,00
to "hold up her end” of the war. Atlas
haJ nothing on any of the belligeren
pow ers.
Perhaps Mr. Bryan realized that hs
could not stay on board the ship of at&ti
any longer and refrain from rocking th<
boat.
Now that Venice has removed her fam
oum bronze horses to a place of safety
airmen may do their worst.
Generals may clutter up the front page
but the pictures of June brides monopoliz<
the society section.
Since T. P. O’Connor defends thn pun
he evidently believes that there are d«
grees of puns.
Some of the belligerents do not desire i
place In the sun so much as a few strip
of territory. V
Posterity will pass on Mr. Bryan, bu
the present generation seems surprlslngl;
, outspoken
It is probable that the commoner fron
i now on will contain some models of p
rifle prose.
So far the Kaiser has proved bomb
proof, but he can’t afford to take an;
*v
chances
Eetn those SW> Americana in Munlcl
have\ft yet began te “view with alarm*1
; IN HOTEL LOBBIES
j incrfnifd Volume of DiiHint'MM
Business in the states south of th
Ohio has of late increased greatly i
\olume, said W. A. Whitman, souther
tepresentative of the Magee Carp.
company, Bloomsburg, Penn.
Sales in the more progressive o
1 southern cities and In Birmingham es
1 pecially, have shown marked improve
) ment within the past month or ho
Business in Birmingham this trip seem
^ *' v‘ options 11 y brisk, and I am encoun
I 1 °ring practically no trouble at all it
disposing of large quantities of rug!
nnd tapestries. This city has. indeed
11 bright prospect before it for the ini
mediate future. The recent decision Ir
I i egard to the Steel corporation is cal
culated to make things hum in the Im
mediate future: and the vast resource?
1 “f the district will, without a doubt
i *,e l,Red to the best advantage. All ir
'•11. Birmingham has probably n bright
’ ' » future in store than has any other
. southern city.”
Railroad In vent Igntion n «rk
-*It was most fortunate that the fast
Seaboard train which was weeked a
if w days ago near Weems was made
»P entirely of steel coaches." said R.
( ullinane, representing the safety ap
pliance department of the Interstate
commerce commission.
"II is my duty to investigate all
•vv ,4flc'lR any consequence occurring
in Alabama and Mississippi an 1 to
make report direct to the interstate
commerce commission at Washington,
but I am not permitted to make i ub
lic my findings in any case before per
mission has been granted by the gov
ernment. I will Buy, however, that the
wrtek on the Seaboard could hardly
have been due to carelessness on the
part of anyone connected with the
company, but was probably a malicious
c rime.
"the interstate commerce commis
sion has accomplished great work dur
ing the past 10 or 1J years. The gtasp
of the commission upon railway affairs
is gradually tightening, and it is grant
ed more power with each session of
Congress. As is generally known, the
commission has been charged to value
*11 railroad property in the United
.States. This is indeed a huge under
taking and occupies th*- attention of
a great corps of experts. Another im
portant department under the charge
of the commission is that of boil r in
spection. The work accomplished by
the commission has operated directly to
tho financial benefit of the railroad
companies as well ns to the safety of
the traveling public and this is bei >n»
ing generally recognized by those In
authority.”
In tire IttiMMicMN World
Henry Clews, in his Saturday review,
says in part:
“Domestic conditions are growing bet
ter daily. We have now entered the sea
son when crops are an important factor
in the business outlook. Fortunately the
promise is good The government report
indipptea a yield of ftoO,000.000 bushels of
wheat, the largest crop on record. Cot
ton, though materially reduced In acreage,
is in good condition and promises an ample
yield for all requirements, when the
amount of left over is taken into con
sideration. Our steel trade is benefiting
largely from war orders which continue
on a tremendous scale. The output of pig
iron is steadily increasing and the prod
uct of steel mills js fully RO per cent of
capacity and gaining dally. For all metals
there is an abnormal demand at very
higii and profitable prices. Export of food
stuffs and cotton are light as usual at
thb- season, but will resume in the au
tumn whether peace comes or not. There
has been some recovery of late in im
ports. which Is fortunate, as it helps the
national revenue when needed. Our treas
urj deficit has been growing at a rate
which, if not checked, means the neces
sity of devising new sources of revenue.
Increased customs, and approaching pay
ments on the income tax may, however,
postpone any emergency in this respect.
"When Congress reassembles the quc«
tion of national revenue will probably be
pieasing for solution. The financial situ
ation at New York is generally satisfac
tory. Money continues easy, stocks are
in strong hands, and an undertone of
confidence is observable which would un
doubtedly express Itself in a strong and
more active market, were it not for the
1 uncertainties of war and the frequency
of unexpected shocks.”
Regarding Atrocities In Belgium
"T have read with considerable in
ter, at, stated a local authority on
European military affairs, “the report
of W. T. Thompson, formerly United
states consul at Alx-la-Chappelle, to
Secretary Bryan on ills investigation
of German atrocities in Belgium, and
I was deeply impressed with the state
ment that all neutral reports coming
out of the war none deny emphatical
ly that those atrocities have been per
petrated.
”E.\-Ambassador Bryce’s report as
hmd of an investigating committee,
:i1ho interested me deeply, and I am
sure that the fact that Mr. Bryce’s
fame heads the report lends great
weight to its argument, but at the
same time it must be considered that
neither the. great statesman himself
nor his co-Investlgators are neutrals
and neither were they on the ground
'A ben these alleged atrocities were eup
^ posed to have occurred. I think that
Mr. Bryce’s committee is In every way
sincere in its finding. However, their
report is based upon the testimony of
Belgians and it Is easy to see how
these people, in a state of excitement,
oue to tlie confusion and turmoil of
var, might grossly exaggerate.
, "Mr. Thompson, however, was on thf>
ground during the entire term when
these atrocities are said to have oc
curred. He was handling the Belgian
Interests. It was his duty to see that
they were protected and it is but nat
ural that lie would have seen or heard
from reliable sources of these atroc
ities had they occurred in considerable
number. Mr. Thompson emphatically
denies these charges of brutality
against the German troops. He more
over brings out the fact that every
neutral writer has taken the santt
stand. In proving this contention Mr,
Thompson cites a statement signed by
Irwin S. Cobb, James O’Donnell Ben
1 nett and other American journalists
v hieh declares that the general de
meanor of the German soldiers has It
practically every instance been not only
decorous 1 >ut kindly. Coming from these
writers the statement is of cons Jer
able Interest”
i _
Birmingham and Sunday Recreation
“Business in this section of the coun
try is improving rapidly, and Is quit*
■ brisk in Birmingham,” remarked Henry
* B. Schildt of the Herman A. Schild'
company of Uioulsville, who Is regis
tered at the Tutwller.
i ”1 am, in fact, well impressed wit!
' the oliyr a* a -buelneee center. The mcr
.
chants here are well disposed and arc
exceptionally prompt In meeting ob
ligations. I wish also to say a good
word for the beaufiful residence sec
tions of Birmingham.
"There is, however, one point or
which ! believe by home town has the
advantage of the Alabama metropolis.
^ and that is in regard to Sunday amuse
went features. In Louisville the city
government gives especial encourage
ment to both popular amusement and
recreation on the Sabbath. The parks
are equipped with tennis courts always
available on this day, there is both
I amateur and professional baseball, and
the movies' are well patronized. And
Louisville is probably the most order
ly city in the south. There has In fact
been only one murder that I have heard
of in the past two or three months in
thin city. Attractive and wholesome
amusements on Sunday is generally be
lieved to be one of the chief factors in
bringing this state of affairs about.
"In most cities the heaviest crime
V
day is Sunday. Many people having
nothing worth while with which to oc
cupy their minds naturally turn to de
vising mischief. Sunday baseball Is. I
believe, one of the most wholesome
amusements, and in nearly all large
cities meets with popular approval. It
is seldom indeed that one notices In
stances of disorderly conduct at the
ball park. Attention Is centered on the
game, and after an afternoon spent at
the park the enthusiastic fan returns
home content to indulge In peaceful
slumber. Sunday school teams play
baseball in Louisville on the Sabbath,
and are encouraged by the church or
ganizations. I see no reason why Sun- j
day recreation should not be more en- '
couraged in this naturally progressive
city of Birmingham."
ALABAMA PRESS |
Gadsden Evening Journal: Birmingham
knows a good thing when she sees it. She
bed to come to Gadsden for a head to her
new banking institution.
Talladega Dally Home: While Talladega
is in tl«e highway business, we may just as
weli get on the Rome-Birmingham branch
of the Dixie highway.
Randolph Star: Under the new primary
law, the primary next year will be held
in May, loss than a year from now. Who
will be brave enough to announce first?
In some instances the "early bird might
catch the worm."
Andalusia Star: Speaking about court
reforms, the- Alabama legislature should
take old technicality out and shoot him.
Opelika Daily News: With President
Wilson in office and doing all he can to
keep this country out of war, and Mr.
Bryan out of office doing his level best
for peace, there is real grounds for hop
ing that wc shall get through without hav
ing to speak a harsh word or fire a single
shot.
Andalusia Standard: One pushing, ad
vertising merchant does more to bring
thrift into a community than 50 who hud
dle by their stores and wait for business
to be brought to them by the energy of
someone else. A dozen live business men i
reaching out in tlie byways and hedges
for business can make any town hum with
prosperity, and the town owes them much
for tlie hustle and bustle within its bor- !
ders Don't be a sponge and simply ab
sorb; show a little enterprise and a spirit
of helpfulness in the town where you
live and to some extent join hands with
others in keeping your town to the
front.
H \S 1411 OWN TIIKS.NRS AT ill
From the New York Sun.
Kansas Uity, Mo.—To reach 100 years
with golden brown tresses is the
achievement which Mrs. Emily <De
Masters of this city expects to accom
plish. Mrs. De Masters, who is 91 years
old, has not discovered a new tonic
to preserve the natural color of her
hair, she is growing n?w strands of
the golden brown color of the hair of
her youth, which turned gray years
ago.
"By the time I am 100 years old,"
she says, "I expect to have as pretty
hair as any girl."
Mrs. De Masters lives with her
daughter, Mrs. John T. Davis. Her
grandfather, John Nelson, who was one
of the first settlers at Lexington, Mo.,
S7 years ago. experienced the same
phenomenon of his hair returning to its j
natural color in his old age.
Twenty years ago Mrs. De Masters
received what she calls her set ond eye
sight. Previous to that time she had
worn glasses for several years When
the glasses began to hurt her eyes she
consulted an oculist, who advised her to
discard them. Today she news unu
reads with the naked eye. Tn spite of
her advanced age Mrs. De Masters has
perfect health.
‘Farm life Is the fountain of youth,"
she said recently. "I always lived *n
the open until r came to Kansas City
about 20 years ago. That is why
I am alive today. 1 have always eaten
just what 1 wanted, which, of cou-se,
was simple, wholesome food.”
M HR M i l KE SAYS
Firm the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Ti e average man measures his happiness
by the size of his bank roll.
What has become of the old-fashioned,
open-in-the-back, white shirt with ti lit
tle flap at the bottom of the stiff bosom
bearing the initials of the owner?
Virtue has Its own reward. But many
a virtuous girl would starve to death it
she didn't have a steady job.
Education is great stuff. But many a
man who writeH dollars “dolers" when
he makes out a check has a fat hank ac
count.
The lad who spends his life throwing
bouquets at himself gets mighty few
flowers when he dies.
It often happens that a man of 32 has'
a twin sister who Is only 24.
If some lads would expend as much
energy at working as they do at loafing
they would have fortunes.
When father finds a rip In his union
suit he throws the garment away. 1 at
mother wears hers around the house un
til it is ready to turn into scrub rags.
A girl can't find a hat big enough to
suit her. But it is different with her
shoes.
Why is it that the smallest and dirtiest
hotels in the one-horse towns are always
named the "Palace" or the "Grand?”
We are all unfair when it comes to
giving credit. The liniment is boosted
when the rubbing brings relief. And the
pen wouldn’t be so blame mighty if ink
had never been discovered.
Father doesn’t mind paying 92 per week
for beer, because that is a necessity. But
he hollers over paying 92 per month for
gas. because they could get along with
out it.
Why is it that a souie always gets his
red nose from rum and that a prohibi
tionist always gets his red nose from
stcmach trouble?
A man has no trouble in developing
enough will power to quit going to church.
But the will power Isn't in working order
when he tries to quit going to burlesqc#
■hows.
Some women go out and work for a liv
ing and some stay home and work a
husband for a living.
We know one man who never told a Ue
to hls wife. He I# a bachelor.
From the Philadelphia Evening; Ledger
.........
LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE
Theodore H. Price, in Commerce and
Finance.
THE disposition to assume that what
ever is, is permanent, is a weak
ness of humanity.
At the height of a storm, men despair
of fine weather and at the end of a
drought they cease to look for rain.
When prices are high most people ex
pect them to remain so and when they
are low there are not many who can
discern the indications of an advance.
Fewr are gifted with the ability to fore
see radical change and fewer still have
the courage to act on the vision ©f that
unusual foresight. This is one reason
why so many sell at fhe bottom and buy
at the top.
That each extreme breeds its own cor
rective and that the abnormal cannot be
permanent, are truths which every one
admits and nearly every one fails to, ap
ply.
They forget that the power of cen
tripetal attraction, which holds the uni
verse together, has never yet failed to
show' itself supreme and that through
the ages the rhythmic succession of night
and day, winter and summed-, and seed
time and harvest has always been un
broken.
They forget too that man himself is
subject to this same law of alternation
and reaction; that activity is followed by
fatigue, enthusiasm by apathy and eager
ness to fight by willingness to make
peace.
Just now the tendency to overlook these
fundamental rules of nature and of life,
and assume that the war in Europe will
last indefinitely, is the more remarkable
because it is evident that the very in
tensity of the struggle Is rapidly exhaust
ing the combatants.
Millions of men have been killed and
billions of treasure have been spent in
the war already: it is. therefore, argued
that it will be prolonged.
The German casualty lists show that
2,108,000 out of a possible total of 6,000000
trained soldiers have been killed or dis
abled thus far. An equal, if not a larger
number, have been lost by the allies. The
world Is now leagued in moral if not
military opposition to Germany.
Despite Lord Kitchener, these are facta
which make for the ending and not the
prolongation of the war.
Just how the end w'ill come it is im
possible to foresee, but that exhaustion
will shortly give the peace maker his op
portunity is a generalization that is justi
fied by the precedents of history and the
laws of physiology, and wre have faith
to believe that they are the safest guides
upon which human judgment can rely.
It may be thn* the correspondence now
in progress between the United States and
Germany will open the way for a cessa
tion of hostilities.
It may be that the Kaiser's threatened
Invasion of Russia will prove his undoing
as in the case of his great predecessor,
Napoleon.
It may he that the fall of Constantino
ple will mark the climax of the struggle.
Even pathologists do not understand
why or how it is that a fever breaks when
the crisis of the disease is past, but ex
perience has taught them that afc^r a
given, time death Is sure to follow if the
fever does not subside.
That the death of civilization and a re
version to autocracy are impending we
refuse to believe.
Such a theory would be a denial of his
tory and an abandonment of faith in the
progress of mankind.
The virulence of the war fever has
reached, if it has not passed, the ed’nac
teric.
An early abatement of the struggle is
I indicated by all the experience of hu
1 manity.
That we are unable to understand the
processes of nature does not shake our
confidence in their recurrence.
We know not how or why the summer’s
: crop will ripen or be gathered, hut every
thing we do and every plan we maa * as
; sumes that any variation from the normal
will he but temporary.
By the same analogy, we must believe
that peace cannot much longer be delayed
unless we admit that nature has herself
become an anarchist.
VACATION PRESCRIPTION
From the Florida Tlmes-Unlon.
□tTMAN nature is illogical—-tha
is one of the proofs that we haV'
developed from a monkey origl
ubI. As a consequence the mere humai
resents advice In exact proportion to it;
wisdom—when he takes ills pleasure hi
prefers to have it after the order of Mi
ancestors more or less remote. If it b<
true that one man's food is anothe
man's poison we should not be surprise!
to find that one man's pleasure is any
thing rather than that to his closes
friend and still worse to the belovei
wife of his bosom and the children win
are truly chips from the old block. Yoi
find you and the wife or you and you:
friend have tastes in common while liv
ing a civilized life which consists o
work, but when you invite either o
them to accept your idea of what is pi a:
and pleasure you are foolish and yoi
are preparing to bore another to e\
tinction. Wherefore, w'hy should on<
human ask another how to Bpend a va
cation?
A rest taken as you accept a pre
scrlption from your doctor is work o
tiie hardest kind since it pays nothin*
hack and carries hypocrisy with it. Yoi
may love to fish but another think,
what a fool you are to sit in the sui
all day when you can buy more flsl
than you can catch at a cost that mear;
nothing to you. On the contrary, wha
do you think of the intellectual en
dowment of the man who chases a but
terfly across muddy pastures, or th<
woman who sits under a tree am
punches holes In new cloth only to sev
around* them under the Illusion tha
she Is building a peekaboo waist?
This is vacation time; let us beg o
you to spare advice. If you can prevai
on the wdfe to take her vacation separ
ate and apart, do so by all means—i
may be she will be all the gladder t<
see you when you ore once more t
normal citizen. Hire somebody in nee<
of the stipend to take the childrei
away from both of you—their pleasur*
may kill the wage-earner but you cai
quiet your conscience by thinking o
the bill duly reclpted and the mom*:
that will do something more for an
other after it has rendered full servlc<
to you. Then with fancy free and i
heart clear of offense, go off with som
friend or enemy of like tastes and maUi
as big a fool of yourself as possible fo
a month—don’t count the cost and neve
think of what the world would thin'
could it see you. No longer be the digni
fled professional man or merchan
prince, or dutiful slave of a boss t<
whom you have sold your mind am
body—be yourself, be a crank or ;
clown or anything that you dare no
be at home.
Civilization and culture and trainin'
provide us with & mask without whicl
we dare not be seen at home, but re
slralnt too long endured breaks dowi
| tiie nervous system at last and the ex
plosion ruing other lives as well as tha
of the sufferer. When this restraint ha
reached the limit of nervous enduranc
some men take to drink for a relief
il is because this confinement wlthli
fixed bounds becomes unendurable tha
drugs provide welcome relief until ba
habits are changed Into walls highs
and more terrible than prison wall!
me pvteoner in** cell loeee ell eel!
control and madness cornea the sonnet
in proportion lo the keenness of his
mentality Hiid the delicacy of his neiv
ous organization, but why is a cell
worse ttian the eonilnement within a
I pathway from home to the office and
i hack day after day—the performance
, of the same or like tasks from month
to month—the unvarying sameness of
the lives to which most of us condemn
out selves? At last we break down and
our friends say wo grow old—the truth
I Is that we are the victims of a habit
of tlie same kind as the devotion to a
drug or a liquid but we cannot tell
I what is the matter with us and accept
the sentence of a physician supported
by tlie Judgment of all our friends that
the end has arrived.
The first necessity of a vacation is
that it shall provide pursuits, thought*
and feelings as different as possible
front those of our normal existence. The
second is that it shall he chosen, not
dictated. The third is that no restric
tion follow from the old life—not even
the most Indulgent criticism of the
fondest wife. When we take a vacation
we must be ourselves as only the sav
age can be every day—as Irresponsi
ble and careless as a monkey—willing
lo accept enjoyment as we And it with
out regard to conventionalities or
clothes or current ideals of decency and
dignity. What luxury can compare with
that of a hog's mudbath? A little clean
dirt on the outside deAles no man who
likes It—even an old man likes to yell
like a child occasionally. Be yourself
on your vacation and you can be w hat
others think you all the longer.
ODDLY DAMAGED
From the New York Sun.
In the opinion of M. C. Mason Grif
fin he was greatly humiliated In Wash
ington recently by .ipetub—s -pf a
theatrical troupe foreii'p* V on !m 1
as he sat with his J i . i„K
performance. The k * w'b , a]vJ 1
ently part of a plan ' „.» e« i.J pi
ter by revealing a bli«i,dng. uShL f
man to the audience. Griffin ben. ). I
suit for $ 1000 against the theatre mau
aff*»ment in c naetju m*#.
A suit was brought iga n*t an old
New Yorlj stage company by i passen
ger who complained that he had h*sh
insulted by th d-ivii calling down
from his seat outside that out.1,hi
to get up and gi a w on *. n
The driver pro'ested his in* no uid
it was only after a we!) .
trlloqulst of the period f v*d
at the trial and declared 0 r ,>w?
his voice so as tc -m*ke i «i tha
, the driver addressed th ■ a evsd pa»
I senger that the aim wvi ii ppsl. Th u:
t the passenger dec is r-.. ju wo ,;q s
t the ventriloquis'. hit 'as. cUr-uaded
from doing so
1 THE Ltf -I V'l- At n.li
1 By Walt Whl'.m i
' At the last, tei ic
i From the walls pnw trful, fortress*.*
house. f
. From the das iH »;■ i ■
the keep ■ I-tlioeed doori
1 Let me be wai’.«
s
- Let me glide n eies,-/!■
i With the key of ecdtn*. I'J p. " i uu,
t with a whisper |
j Set ope the floors, O s<Jh' j
r Tenderly! be not hr. niftier*' '
- Strong is your hold, o p.oiei n*»h:
- Strong la yout ho-v t. love:
. *• | ...
A