The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1915-11-13

create almost any kind OF a lie and BELIEVE
u. The psychology OF hallucination and illu-
sion oilers innumerable examples.
FOR the purpose Of psychological ANALYSIS
the war lie could probably be separated into
two dvisions-lies which are the direct result
OF ohictal intrigue and lies that arise from the
Sapors OF rumOr and misunderstanding and
The lie OF the Official Government Press
Bureau for purposes of deceiving the enemy il
easily understood. The Official lie for Dur.
poses OF home consumption-to maintain a
spirit OF optimism or TO work up a sustained
pstrlollsn we can at least recognize the mo-
i've OF this pernicious form of untruth Per.
maps the Government press bureaus salye
their consciencies by falling back on the clever
dehnition that "a lie Is telling an untruth 10
one who has the RIGHT to know the truth"
evidently In many instances the home people
IN Europe have not the right TO know the
truth Of victories and defeats
The lie which rises from the disturbed
mental condition OF the countries at war is
the really significant lie. How they come
nooding histories OF oppression and afflIc.
ton We hear Of the starvation OF popula.
ions the destruction OF works OF art. the use
OF prohibited bullets. We hear that germany
is In a state OF revolution. that the economic
situation Is on the point OF collapse; or we
learn Just the opposite, that the marvel OF the
economic world is the present ability OF Ger.
many TO finance her war without dangerous
Strain. In one paper read:
Berlin reports that British soldiers
taken prisoners on the Western front are
a. nf
the inenicioncy OF their officers. Many OF
them said they had practically been forced
10 enlist had only been drilled in march.
ing before leaving Great Britain. where
they had been drilled only with wooden
rifles, and had fred their first shots after
entering the trenches. They said their
losses had been fearful and their whole
army front broken up by the German ma
chine guns"
In the same issue Of this paper the follow.
ing was disCovere,:
4 na4UU Ind Of L. ~.
Germans fighting I'm Champagne. SuNer.
ers In Paris hospitals say they we're sur.
rounded for few seconds by clouds OF
deep green gas of a pleasant odor Sol.
diers who wore no masks we're soon suffo-
Gated. while those with masks lost con.
sciorsne for different periods On re-
gaining consciousness IN the hospitals
they suffered cOnyulsive seizures resemb-
ling epilepuc FITS. They had weak pulses
but showed none OF the symptoms here
tofore attendant on gas poisoning. Il is
believed that prussic acid Is used as the
basis OF the new gas"
An editorial writer commenting upon these
conflicting rumors thinks this a typical con-
trast OF the war lie. He compares them with
such stories as the four dummy Kaisers AZ
ter the beginning Of the war IL was reported
That tour or more automobiles were built In
Germany which in every respect were exact
duplicates OF the royal car. The chauffeurs
and attendants were dressed In the ROYAL blue
livery, and inside OF each car was a soldier
selected after painstakng search because OF
Tea fural diss milariries the dummy may have
possessed were removed by a clever makeup
man These dummies were then scattered be-
tween Riga and Switzerland TO encourage the
Germans and puzzle the allies. There are
also stories OF how King George has threat
e1ed to ah.ic.fe and that the Crown Prince
has lost his mind.
Many Of these rumOrs are undoubtedly dine
20 spontaneous emotional combustion. IIalIu.
rinari0ns. individual and collective. are recog-
hzed 90 psychology. Take the recent reports
Of thousands Of Russian troops marching
through England. The fact has been denied
time and again. Military experts can see little
motive for such procedure. yet evidently there
must have been thousands who believed that
they saw such troops Edmund Parr sh. in his
book ou "Hallucinatious and Illusions" page
"osl. quotes q number 81 similar incidents
from Biblical and scientific records.
lie says. Although such phenomena are
not exactly Of frequent occurrence. vet a
series OF more or less Trustworthy accounts
exists Thus We find fro Maccabees w. p g.
Through aI 'ho city. for the space Of almost
forty DAYS. thor. were seen hOrscmen running
II flc orr. .u cloth of gold and armed with
auccs. llae band of soldiers. And troops %
horscmru Too array. cncuuntorinE and running
one AGAINST fHr other. with shaking 81 shields
ana WI.iliId.- nf pixies. and drawing OF
words. and casting of darts. and e.itfering 81
E.ldou ornament and harness Of au Sorts
These ASPIRATIONS are said to have preceded
the r.lrds.IuE 1f The temple of Jerusalem by
AuuglHls. and J0sephIr also rarratas that
n1rfUUf. of tho same kind appeared before
iNr destruction .f Jerusalem uF Titus Perhaps
tue.D aud similar cases mieUf 1s referred 90
dltula.
Thus fHo astronomer Uris hts explained
f.r arm. seen at UulUrl.h ur January gg 1854
af arising from 70 fox bank and mIrlre
.s"U. au urIrIu ia also indicated Hf the cir
.Tm..Iu.a chat these arra.fI0uH are often
U.t.UueI t. showing f..m. elves al aIr.af
'f'.r Mlu1'rs.urm 1h... .u september.
1850. l. 'Hamu.ig protocol aHa drawn rn
from f"U .Nuru testimony of Witnesses. who
asserted u.f Immediately after rurraf fhcv
had H..u armies H#hTuE and n-ue 10 each
of.U. in f.r akv lu fHc SUMMER of 1.lI MANY
Inhabitants 0f Prague saH visionary troop
whatever uey are. they are not a nation Of