davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1914-10-11
The Last Shot.
.HERE was

THERE was probably no incident in
the Franco Prussian war OF 1870
more dramatic than that which marked
its close. Herr Forckenbeck. president
of the Prussian chamber of deputies.
was sent with a colleague to Versailles
to congratulate King William upon his
election as emperor.
Bismarck. who had just concluded the
terms of peace with France. invited
them to supper. and in the course Of
the meal said:
This night, at 12 o'clock. the last
shots will be exchanged between our
troops and the French. and have con-
ceded to the French the honor OF the
last shot"
Forckenbeck and his colleague left
their host before midnight, drew out
their watches, stood underneath a Ian
tern of the Hotel du Reservoir. ana
waited First there WAS a cannon shot
from the German lines; then solemn
stiffness. Then followed the last reply
from Mont Valerien. The tower clock
at Versailles struck IL; the French war
had ended.
Evening star., 1914-10-11

they would never dream of. if left to
themselves. and which it is almost i'm
possible for mother to allay.
Morality and modasty need not imply
ignorance. In this advanced day most or
the subjects which were not only taboo
in polite society. but practically between
mother and daughter as well. have come
into their true proportions. Girls and
boys. to be best fitted to take their
places in this world as intelligent.
capable. conscientious men and women:
must be forearmed with knowledge. And
they must be taught it in such a way
that instead Of its being made sub
Ject OF common gossip between them
selves 1t shall become something too
sacred to be banded about. They must
be shorn Of their mock modesty, the
handicap Of past generations, and in in
spired with such a deep respect for
these things that they become deep.
rooted principles, too much a part or
their very life to be cheapened by ever
And working along this same line of
modern thought, Mrs. Mcdonald has dis
carded that ancient belief that all chill
dren must go through periods Of GER
tain ailments--measles, whooping-cough n
and kindred ills
The healthy child of today needs to
have none of these archaic ills." she de.
clared. Il do not mean that every child
Evening star., 1914-10-11

in this war the sanitary service has
been so excellent that we have heard
of next to no disease, except In the
Austrian army, which is reported to be
suffering badly from dysentery. The
authorities, however. are taking no
chances on the introduction Of disease
from the continent and all passengers
arriving at English ports must now
submit to an exhaustive medical ex-
animation before they are permitted
to land. Soldiers. of course. are
the medical officers are responsible for
them. Great care is also being exer-
cised at the ports to prevent the land
ing of German spies or the introduc-
tion of reasonable correspondence
There was an amusing case at one
of the channel ports, the other even
ing, when a newspaper courier from
Paris, who had been travelling back
and forth since the beginning of the
war. and was perfectly well known
to the landing officials, was held up.
He had happened to mention in the
boat, in the hearing of an English de-
tective, that in addition to his news
paper dispatches he had some letters
for a member of the staff who, al
though an Englishman, happened to
possess a German name. On landing
the courier was detained and searched
and he was kept In custody until the
authorities had satisfied themselves by
communicating with Scotland Yard
that the man to whom the letters were
addressed was not German. The re-
suit was that he missed his train and
that the dispatches were day late in
arriving in London.
Now that the admiralty has ordered
court of inquiry into the escape of
the German cruisers Goeben and Bres-
lau from the British fleet in the Medi-
,1I4 nf-
f1cially what was common gossip for
some time-that some one has blum
dered. In this connection the writer
may be permitted to tell a story that
has been going the rounds and that
is almost too good to be. true. One can
not vouch for its truth, but it is cur
rent in naval circles. It is said that
Evening star., 1914-10-11

are now paying particular attention =
the occupants Of some houses which
were Endorsed on the maps. do not
burn"
Another letter from Switzerland
describes the influx of game. including
deer and wild boar, which have been
driven out Of the vosges by the CON-
stant cannonading. These animals
have even invaded the villages In
search Of food.
The writer is able to contradict the
story. which has been in circulation
IN London, that the king and queen
have been so scared OF Zeppelins since
the attempt of the Germans to blow
UP the palace at Antwerp. whom the
Queen of the Belgians and her chtl-
dren were sleeping there. that they have
ceased to sleep at Buckingham Palace.
They have not left the palace Tor Q
single night since the war began and
do not intend to while their presence
is required in London. Meanwhile, the
Zeppelin season is nearly over. The
high winds prevailing now would make
1t extremely dificuit for a Zeppelin
to cross the North sea.
Evening star., 1914-10-11

of .subalterns with no military expe-
rience, but he declares that he will
make his men into a regiment in three
months, They are tremendously keen,'
he said, "and far more intelligent than
the average recruits In time of peace.
1 am hunting up my old non CONS now.
and we'll drill the beggars until we
make soldiers Of them"
X
The newspaper correspondents in
France are not having an easy time.
So far no permits have been issued for
correspondents to join the forces, and
those who are in France are lodging
about behind the lines picking up what
they can, and occasionally making
dashes to the front. When they are
caught at this they are promptly ar
rested and sent to the rear, but re-
Gently they have been rather more
sternly dealt with OF course their
character of the men themselves and
on the character of the officers who
capture them.
A few days ago four correspondents
Of a London paper were caught near ,ea
Dorrien. They had splendid. new
motor car for which the paper had
just paid $1,000. Smith-Dorrien told
them that he would allow them to go
If they gave him their word of honor
that they would print nothing of what
they had seen. Three were willing to
promise, but the fourth began to
bluster about the power of his paper
and his duty to the British public.
"An right, gentlemen. I am sorry you
won't act sensibly." said Smith, Dor
rien. "I am afraid 1 will have to send
you to Bordeaux" To Bordeaux they
were sent and, of course, released on
their arrival there. few days later
the paper received check for $4,000
for the car which had been COM
mandeered for military purposes.
So far there has been surprisingly
little sickness in the armies of the
allies. In war. as a rule. more men
die from disease than from wounds, but
Evening star., 1914-10-11

Three. concrete factors exist which
are largely responsible for this atti-
tude on the part of Mrs. Macdonald
There is Donald, NEARLY as tall as his
father already" who Is fourteen; Mar
garet. plump of limb and with chest
nut curls. which are sure to be the
envy of all who see them. and last,
but by no means least. little Mary.
blue of eye and fair of hair. Margaret
is nine and Mary not quite four With
this trio, the training of whom Mrs.
Macdonald makes largely a personal
matter. bridge parties and afternoon
teas ever hover on the horizon Of
things desirable but impracticable.
pe!ieve In raising my children my
SELF" Mrs. Macdonald explained, in
stead Of leaving them largely to the
care OF nursemaids and servant girls.
And I have found that to live up to
this policy takes all my time"
II was at this point that Mary, per-
suasive OF smile, came in and begged
to be started in her crocheting. ex-
planning that "the other girls are do
ing IT and she wanted to, too. After
worsted and needle had been found
Mrs. Macdonald began a simple chain
stitch. Thereupon Mary, very con-
tented1y spread herself upon the floor
and watched proceedings. her only
comment being. You do 1t ALL After
few moments at the Macdonald home
one comes to the conclusion that this
represents Mary's idea Of real enjoy
ment.
Mrs. MacDonald's children typify the
new school of childhood;, healthy, men
tally and physically. From the new
eugenic movement Mrs. Macdonald has
taken the tenets which she thinks are
good. without being extreme, and has
applied them to her own children. This
Evening star., 1914-10-11

Kitchener had announced at the be-
ginning that he would recognize no
such amateur efforts this time. How
ever. the party set out, and soon proved
themselves SO great a nuisance in Bel
GUM that the Belgian government
made cautious inquiries as to how 1t
offense in England.
Never mind about that" said Kitch-
ener. Send them home." and home
they were sent without further ado.
An official announcement was issued
few days ago that the reason the
Prince of Wales has not been sent to
the front with his regiment is that
his military training is not complete.
No doubt this is true enough, for the
prince only Joined his regiment inst
before the outbreak of the war. but
the writer thinks bets may be made
1nat Iha ne s, VIII never see the fighting line.
and has been making frantic appeals
to his father and to Kitchener to be
sent out. but Kitchener is adamant. He
believes p that the prince. no matter
how good and keen an officer he might
pe, would be source Of terrible anxi-
ETY. to any general and that considera-
tio1s for the princes safety might lead
rifce an army.
The work of training the new army
Is going on wonderfully fast, and there
is the keenest competition among the
men as to who shall be ready for
service first. One of the city regi-
ments has made such progress that the
writer is told it will be absolutely At
and ready in six weeks, and Kitchener
believes that the whole of the new
army will be ready in six months. The
great difficulty is the shortage of off,
GERS. and for training purposes Eng
land is calling up every retired officer
who can walk. A colonel of over sew
enty has been given the command of
one of the new regiments, and Is en-
tering into his task with the zest Of
subaltern in his first command. So far
the only officers he has are majoFa
dug out" like himself-and- couple
Evening star., 1914-10-11
No Excuse.
DEPREsENrArIvE BACON

DE P R e s ENrATIvE BACON Of
~ Georgia was condemning In a
Macon club the German general stan
for its antiquated close formation in at
tack. a formation which costs the Ger
man army thousands of lives.
Close formation he said, was ex-
cellent in Napoleon's day. but with our
modern machine guns. shooting myriads
of bullets a minute. 1t Is a useless. II ID
a cruel waste of life"
But" said a German we've
got so many men, you know. congress-
man-weve got so many, we can afford
to-er-to lose
MY friend" Mr.. Bacon interrupted.
would you excuse your cook for serv.
ing you watery soup because there had
been a rainy season."
Evening star., 1914-10-11
AUTOMOBIl sES i'm THE WAR

the roads of Virginia, Pennsylvania
and Maryland" .--.----.----- CO., ------
All veterans of the American civil
war can tell of the long waits in camp
for the roads to become passable. in
order that the artillery and cavalry
might move over the highway, while
the infantry was permitted to, and In
many cases did, move over the open
country. keeping away from the high
ways.
Food and ammunition are being sup
piled to the armies by means OF motor
vehicles. One expert has said that the
introduction Of the motor truck as an
aid to the commissariat of great
armies has been a boon to the nations
at present engaged in the great strug-
gle in Europe. France has probably
used the motor truck to greater ad-
vantage than any of the other nations.
kk
One of the interesting pictures which
have come to America within the last
few days shows a number of motor
trucks loaded with great hogsheads
of spring water ready to be driven to
the front for the weary soldiers dur
ing their respites from battle. These
trucks are dispatched day after day
with a fresh water supply Tor the
French army, with the result that the
soldiers can always find the purest
NJ water with which to quench their
thirst.
Forage for the artillery and cavalry
ia brought up from the base OF sup
niles by truck Tne provisioning OF
armies has been simplifed by the gaso-
line motor. One of the strange enects
of this martial innovation has been
told in a letter from France to an
American newspaper and In which tine
writer said:
"I witnessed in France one OF the
most extraordinary sights imaginaole
at a place I am not at liberty to men
tion. 4 saw streams of motor vans
coming. All London. Manchester ane
liverpool seemed to be on the roao
Enelish brewery vans, London motor
hmses with advertisements still on
them led the way. Along came the
vans of well known firms like an ava
lanche. They reached down the roads
footed without stopping and made q
deafenine noise that echoed all over
tha forest. Provisions, guns and ammu-
nit,on were conveyed to the place as
nisnad TO them in the rear. The driv-
ers seemed to know the roads as II
~ nod heen over them every day
for years. k..n1v
American army omcers are keeniy
watching the motor supply system pS
which the fighting armies OF f~nco
Germany. Great Britain, Russia ano
Relgtum are being provisloned IN ehe
6eld.
Evening star., 1914-10-11

~ so with a number Of high and
mighty personages who have been ac-
customed to going In on the nod" as
they say of the theater deadheads. and
demanding what they wanted in the
way of appointments and privileges
for themselves and their friends. Here
are two stories which show Kitchener's
way of dealing with these people.
A few days ago one of the most pow
erful newspaper proprietors in England
Evening star., 1914-10-11
INTIMATE sT0RlEs AND HUMOROUS OF LONDON I'm

made up his mind that he didn't like
the war press censorship and that ne
wouldn't submit to 1t any longer. SO
he put on his hat and called on +. Z.
Smith. NJ p, the chief of the press bu-
reau. and delivered his ultimatum::
You had better see Lord Kitchener.
said "F. E." and, calling a boy in but
tons, he directed that his caller should
be conducted to the war secretary
i
Won't submit to 1t any longer?" re-
peated Kitchener after listening to the
ultimatum. eli you don't give me your
word on the spot that we will hear no
more of this nonsense I will send a
file of soldiers down and stop your pa
pers within half an hour" The news
paper owner decided to submit within
thirty seconds.
The other story concerns London's s
crack territorial regiment, the Honor
able Artillery Company. which is COM
posed of the sons of wealthy men and
thinks a lot of itself as a military unit.
AS a matter of fact 1t Is exceedingly
smart on parade. but smartness on pa
not enough of itself to satisfy Kitchen
er A few days ago the H. A. c. re-
ceived orders to garrison Malta from
which the regular troops had been
withdrawn. There was an immediate
protest against being buried for months
so far a way from the fighting line. and
all sorts of influential people were
worked" to appeal to Kitchener on the
behalf of the H. A. c. After he had
heard two OF three of these Kitchener
sent for the colonel of the regiment.
Tell your men from me-" he said.
that young gentlemen who hang
around theatrical bars until 12 o'clock
every night are not in fit condition to
go to the front until they have done
some real soldering. Good-day."
Another example Of Kitchener's way
has just been supplied by the case of
titled Englishwoman, Millicent,
Duchess of Sutherland. who, at the be-
ginning of the war, organized a society
nursing party and set out for Belgium.
During the South African war these
society nurses were a nuisance and
Evening star., 1914-10-11
The Forward Turn.

RoDJESTvENsKY, the Rus
Z sian consul to San Francisco saio
in a recent military argument:
These assaiiants Of the Russian
campaign are ignorant. Their arsu-
ments show a military ignorance as
great as the sea ignorance that was
shown by the young tripper on his hrst
visit to Coney Island
"As this tripper and his girl stood on
the Coney Island beach the young
woman said:
".Al. 10 the tide going out or coming
in?
Coming in, of course, you. Ounce Al
answered. Can't you see which way
the waves are turnin' overT
Evening star., 1914-10-11
War and Marriaqe.

<<VOU know what Gen. Sherman said
! about war. War said Gen. Sher-
man, is-er-marriage'-- or words to
that effect"
The speaker was George AIDE. the Chi.
caso Athletic Clubs incorrigible wit. He
went on:
Il know a married man who said 70
his wife the other night:
!" DO you believe in helly
".Entre nous, yes she hissed~
Evening star., 1914-10-11

She Sets Forth Her
Thoughts Upon the
Rearing of Children.
Advocates Teaching
Self = knowledge to a
Certain Extent-Com-
panionship Between
Child and Parent Es-
sential. Il
Evening star., 1914-10-11

HERE are a lot Of
people in England
who are finding
out that with
Lord Kitchener at
the war omce 1t Is
not so easy to
obtain favors as
In the days when
this department
was administered
by politicians.
This is particular
Evening star., 1914-10-11
No Souvenir Desired.

ga SOUVENIR collector approached
n the manager of a famous res
taurant and said:
Permit me. sir, to return this silver
champagne bucket and this Sevres cof-
fee set I took the liberty. before I
ordered my dinner, OF appropriating
them as souvenirs. But after the meal
Won served newell, really-some
things are better forgotten than sou.
enired' y"
Evening star., 1914-10-11

WOMAN who con-
scientiously cares
for her home and
family has little
time for outside
interests" SO says
Mrs. William ].
Macdonald, re n =
dered after eight
cen years expert
ence as a wife
and mother.
Mrs. Macdonald,
Evening star., 1914-10-11
Sent1al.

wife Of Representative MacDonald Of
Michigan. is neither an anti-suffragist.
nor does she dislike the social life
which usually goes hand in hand with
the position of a congressman's wife.
1t is solely a question of fulfilling the
obligations which come with wifehood
and motherhood, and which. Mrs. Mac
Donald believes. If seriously under
taken. preclude the possibility Of any
extended interest in matters beyond
the home.
Evening star., 1914-10-11

THE automobile. or the gasoline
engine, is proving and already
has proved a mighty factor in
the European war. Reports and pic
lures give the information that the
great twelve-inch howitzers. which
pounded to atoms important obstruc-
tions, are hauled by automobile trucks
or tractors. This artillery is the most
powerful which has ever accompanied
q mobile army. 1t throws a projectile
weighing $50 pounds, and its maximum
effective range is about 10000 yards.
or close to six miles. At official field
tests they have been fred at the rate
Of two shots in a minute and a half,
and a record as high as two shots in a
minute is said to have been reached.
The shells are filled with that high ex-
plosive known as picric acid, which
sometimes appears in current publica-
tions under the name of tri-nitro-
phenol, for the picric she'll filters are
formed by acting upon phenol with
nitric acid.
Sometimes these monster field guns
have been represented as drawn by
long lines Of horses, but as a rule, in
stead of horses, enormous traction en-
sines are being used to bring them up
These are the guns with which the
Liege forts were finally broken. with
beuge were pounded. and with which
the Germans, after disposing of the
French and English field armies, meant
TO reduce the forts of Paris and bonn
bard that city.
Japan used this type of howitzer at
Port Arthur with effect. They were
the same size, but not as powerful as
the German guns. The mobility Of the
heavy guns has been due to the trac-
tion engine. aided. of course. by the
good roads of Belgium and France.
The motor -driven or the motor-drawn
gun and gun-carriage depends on good
roads. The experiment of handling light
field artillery by motor in the United
States Army has about been given up
because roads are few and bad, and
these guns have not been able to
maneuver in rough country Hence
the horse draws the field pieces of
the mobile artillery of the American
army. and to very large degree
draws the light field artillery of the
European armies. But the monster
guns that keep to the roads and fol-
low in the train of any army are
hauled rapidly through the country by
hOtoi. "a uiHStou, vice pTcSl-
dent of the Lincoln Highway Associa-
ton, recently discussing the question
of good roads. troops and artillery,
said:
Returning refugees report having
seen the taxicabs and motor buses of
Paris on the highways headed toward
the German and the Belgian frontiers.
the one loaded with troops fully ac-
coutered, the other loaded either with
commissary stores or ammunition. Such
use of these vehicles would, of course.
be permissible only where roads are
excellent The civil war in our coun-
try covered an area, in SO far as the
principal engagements were concerned.
equal to about the area of the state of
Illinois. 1t took nearly four years to
fight that war, not because Of lack of
men, patriotism, or other means for Its
prosecution. History records the fact
that the armies of both the north and
the south were impeded IN their move
nsents by the deplorahle condition OF
Evening star., 1914-10-11

when the Goeben went out she had on
board a German band, which kept play
ing Die Wacht am Rhein." It contin-
ued playing long after darkness had
fallen and the British cruisers chasing
her followed the sound OF the music
When day broke nothing was in sight
but a tug. The Germans had slipped
their band overheard into the tug and
had gone on in another direction while
the band on the tug continued to play
Die Wacht am Rhein-"
The writer IL told that one Of the great
troubles which the nurses and doctors
who are caring for the wounded SOL
diers in the British hospitals have IL
that many of the men have gone mad.
This is particularly the case with men
who went through the battle OF Mons
and were under shrapnel fire for two
days. Modern artillery seems to be too
much for human endurance. Most OF
the men recover their mental balance
after few days of rest. but a great
many are still unbalanced after a fort
night at home.
Evening star., 1914-10-11

Private letters from Switzerland. which
the writer has seen. describe printed
glossaries OF German phrases and their
French equivalents which were served
out to the German troops, and found
on both officers and men who took
refuge in the neutral country. They
indicate the overweening confidence of
the Germans that they were going to
reach Paris. for most of the phrases
were questions such as would be asked
by men trying to find their way about
Paris. Among them was which Is the
way to the Moulin Rouge%
Another example of German thor
oughness in preparation comes from
Belgium, where maps of the towns
which were destroyed were found in
the possession of captured officers
These maps contained the most detail
ed particulars Of various buildings and
in many cases even the names of the
occupants. their reputed wealth and
the quantity of food that ought to be
found in their houses. The Belgians