The National tribune., 1909-04-01


the air four hours and carrying 26 men
No other airship yet invented has been
able to carry anything like this num-
ber. 1t has long been a cherished idea
of Count Zeppelin that airships could
be employed as transports for troops
in time of war, and the success of his
present ship has proved this to him.
T"e German Emperor was delighted
when he heard the news of the record
trip, and it is thought he will now ask
for an appropriation from the Reichstag
to build an aerial navy.
Charles w. Eliot, for so many years
the distinguished President of Harvard
University. and who has just retired in
favor of DIR. Lowell. has recently re-
ceived a Very unique invitation. He has
been invited by the Virginia Alumni
Association of Richmond to decide, aftes'
listening to several short speeches by
some of Virginia's best after-dinner
speakers. whether the South is deciin-
Ing intellectually or not 1t seems that
the charge has been made, which these
Virginia gentlemen Indignantly deny
Dr. Eliot has been repeatedly spoken OF
lately as a successor to WhitelaW Re1d
as ambassador to England, and 1t Is
thought that President Taft favors the
idea Certainly there is no man in the
country who is better fitted in every
way to take his place in that splendid
procession of illustriouS Americans VINO
have represented us in this distin-
guished capacity.
Present-day England has certainly
produced some very remarkable women,
women who do all sorts of things that
our most enterprising, energetic women
would never think of doing. The love
of adventure seems to be very strong IN
most of them, tho they are not sup
posed to have the liberty TO crafty this
that our women have. English women
have a dash and a daring and an in
genuity unequaled. The suffragets have
given good proof of this. One of the
recent results of this desire for the un-
usual has shown itself in the formation
In London of mounted corps or Wo-
men nurses, attached to the medical
branch of the territorial division of the
British army, whose duty it will be to
follow the army in battle and render
first aid to the wounded. The first wo-
man to receive a commission of Lieu
tenant in this corps is Lady Ernestine
Hunl, the eldest daughter of the Mar
quis of Ailesbury, and whose career has
been the envy of her adventure-lovIng
English sisters. Lady Ernestine started
in being decidedly unusual at the age of
20 In order to manage her own yacht
she attended a nautical school in Lon
don, where she fell in love with a penni-
less and nameless youth, who was also
student at the school studying for
masters certificate. They were quietly
married, and when her husband became
skipper or a sailing vessel Lady Ernes-
tine accompanied him, being quite as
competent as he to take command of
the ship # necessary. Then she studied
nursing, and, graduating from some
great medical institution, served in this
capacity during the war in Africa, being
mixed up in some way with the James,
town raid. Lady Ernestine has also
carried on a big cattle ranch in Canada,
bringing her live stock across the At
lantic herself. She has sold her horses
at fancy prices in Dublin and London
Lady Ernestine, as might be imagined
from her history. is not a large, some
what blousy, rather aggressive, mascu-
line-looking and decidedly unattractive
Englishwoman. She is, on the contrary,
quite petite, with beautiful eyes and a
fine complexion.
Italian women are taking no small
part in the general movement for Wo-
mans Rights which is going on all over
the world The Italian woman has cer-
tainly had very little show. She has not
been allowed to sign or draw check
even for her own money, has had no
right to her property after marriage,
not the slightest control of her dowry,
the interest of which her husband could
draw and spend as he pleased. Her
husband has had the right to shut her
away from her family and friends if so
minded, and if she married any except
an Italian she lost her nationality.
Queen Dowager Margherita is very
much interested in the fight her coun-
trywomen are making for their rights,
and entertained in her palace a number
of the delegates to the National Con-
gress of Italian Women held at Rome
recently. Women have now the COM
plete suffrage in Norway. Sweden and
Finland, in Australia and New Zealand,
as well as in the American States OF
Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho and Utah.
The whole country has been watching
with almost breathless interest and
anxiety the result of the Whitla kidnap-
ing case, and a great wave of relief fol-
lowed the announcement that the child
had been returned to his parents. The
boidness and success of the plot struck
terror to the heart of every father and
mother of the country. The little fellow
was at school, and was called for by
two men, who said his father had sent
fer him, and that they were to take him
TO his office, whereupon the teacher let
the child go without a suspicion. The
little fellow, eight years old, was kept
by the kidnapers from the morning of
the 18th 10 the evening of the 22d,
WneU, the Vi SiVtVVV UdN1HB
been paid by the distracted father, the
boy was returned. He said he had been
kindly treated and thought he was with
friends The horror of the situation
fortunately entirely escaped him. He
was given nice things to eat, and was
kindly treated, and his baby heart was
satisfied. Nevertheless, he was mighty
glad to see papa and mamma again,
and as for the tortured parents no
words can, of course express their feel
ings when they had their little son safe
and sound in their arms once more. In
a very few days the kidnapers were
caught and it is said that the crime was
planned by a woman. Mr.. Whitla's one
idea was to get his child back again,
<and he fulfilled to the letter his agree
ment to take no steps to bring the GRIM
inals to justice If the true culprits
have been found, and there seems TO be
no doubt of this, ii is TO be hoped that
their punishment will be such as TO
make their case warning TO all future
kidnapers. There is no crime, except
murder, so bad as this. Death is moth
ing in comparison. The agonizing un-
certainty, the present fears and horri-
BILE imaginings." which follow the kid
naping of child are enough TO unseat
the reason. In fact, how mothers and
fathers live thru such an experience is
fncomprehensible. Little Charlie Ross
was never found. Willie Whitla was
kindly treated, ii is true but kind
heartedness is not usually a character
istlc OF q kidnaper. 1t is q trait you