Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-01-04
BEST THOUGHT OF AMERICA
Digest Of the Magazines

billion dollars on army ana navy. ne Ars re.
tolo~and u sounds plausible enouet thst &t
have no army worth menfiuniuR and r<|tA ~
exception OF n few harbora. are cutie dafaa4A.
less on land. Regiments exist oniz IN Aanaf
and the more extreme critics describe the htv4
as ntue more than Junk Obviously this 4 %
partisan fault, for the Democrats hhva bteh Is.
power only two years, and an efaoiaht ar1nz
or navy could not have deHanerated into funk
In that period
Army and navy money Will be apuropri6fef
and spent in the future substantlaiiy 81 h tha
past The system will be the Same directed 81
the same intelligence. II its product IA oalr
junk them the more money the more Junk
In the Year 2o14A-D.
A whimsical history OF the Goth century
by Simeon Eardcastle, Of New York dated
A. ID. 2O14 (edlted by Ray stannard Bakery.
reviews the German invasion OF America n
1eiB-i6 and offers n pleasant relaxation from
the seriousness and grimuess Of most war
articles. Incidentally there is GOOD deaf
of philosophy with tho nonsense The neace
party having prevailed In this country. Amer
lea had decided to make no defense. ana the
Germans landed on Long Island June 4, 1875
1t was remarkable at this orisis. thers be,ss
no armed resistance upon the part OF Amer
leans how simply the ordinary relationships
OF human beings began to reassert thernheIves
The Interior OF that portion Of Long Island was
at that time occupied by extensive market gar
dens, and no sooner were the Cernans wal
landed than the wagons OF the hucistArs,
loaded with fresh vegetables, began TO venture
UP TO the lines. To troops that had beeri long
at sea on dry army rations the sight proved
almost irresistible. Soon the railroads began
to, run excursions out from New York. and
thousands OF Americans crowded every low
hill to watch the Germans huslly digging
trenches In the peaceful meadows
Marshal Won Schwab sent a detachment ufi-.
der flag OF truce to New York city, and in
one OF the most truculent documents ever
penned. demanded that the Mayor pay over
within 4s hours an indemnity Of Ss0,oO00o0.
the cost of the invasion TO date. In default
OF this payment he would instantly seize the
city government
small and insignificant fuse often ex-
plodes vast magazine, In this case the In
strument was an editorial in New York
newspaper which handled Won Schwnb's ulti4
matum with delicious irony. advised thu linz
mediate payment OF the indemnity upon the
ground that the war far cheap at the
price. Especially In view OF the fact that tho
German armies have already largely increased
the trade OF Long Island" He met the threat
Of the German commander TO seize the city
government of New York by Observing that
the government of that city had long been IN
the hands OF what was probably far less
efficient control than the Germans could give
It. II was known throughout the world that
German municipal government was unexcelledi
was II not possible that German expert 81
OF Tammany, could save all Of the Indemnify
in n year or So AS for the fear OF German
domination. had not the city long been gov
erned by the Irish and Jews and had any one
objected?
The extreme nervous tension Of the nation
suddenly broke, not in war, but In an irre-
sistble and colossal burst of laughter. Now
laughter Is as contagious as fear. Suddenly
an Infectious burst of laughter swept the whole
world the laugh that was to end war