davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-07-24
CHAIN ARMoR FOR BATTLEsHIPs

[From the Providence Journal
The idea of torpedo nets, with which
the Navy Department is said to be
conducting experiments, is about as old
as the torpedo, against which they are
supposed to. protect warsh.iP: Our
drill with them. There was no sea-
going torpedoboat, in those days. sur
face or submersib1e. Torpedo attack
was directed from the fighting ship.
which sent the projectile from the end
of a spar rugged out abeam, torpedo
and spar resembling a skYrocket.
1t Will be surprising IL nets can be
made effective, except perhaps for a
ship at anchor The great steel wells
hang well below the ships underbody,
and probably no commander would
The danger Of submarine attack is not
so extreme when a ship is in motion
as a feat of torpedo practice the sink
ing of the Lusitania was regarded as
phenomenal. by the experts-and, at
any rate, a commander, engaging the
enemy on. the surface. would not sacri-
fee speed, or ability to maneuver, to
this doubtful expedient for torpedo de-
fense. The sea battles of the present
war have all been running fights with
the ships going their fastest.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-07-24
FEW EUROPEAN TOURISTS

[From the Providence Journal
A computation for the first week in
the present month shows sailings for
Europe from American ports of 27S
first class passengers, 641 second class
and 3.65S third class. The figures for
the corresponding week. a year ago,
were 5,0S7, 7,0S9 and 1928, respective
ly. This example, at random, illus
trates very strikingly what in a gem
eral way must be manifest to every
body, that a vast amount Of money,
hitherto regularly expended on Euro
pean travel, is being kept at home this
summer. And, of course, by far the
larger proportion of the passengers are
not of the tourist class. There would
doubtless be a Willingness among
Americans to see Europe in the throes
of war. But the belligerent countries
are not welcoming curiosity seekers,
though tourist money would be even
more gladly received than in ordinary
times.
The figures represent a decrease in
receipts of steamship lines OF $1,T27,-
$50. but the item of ocean fares Is
probably less than one-quarter of the
total expenditure for the average
tourist, 1t is easy to exaggerate the
amount spent annually by Americans
in doing Europe" but 1t is between
three and four millions at conserva-
tive estimate.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-07-24
WHY CITIES GO INTO DEBT
[From the Washington Post. J

rFrom the Washington Post.1
New York City in recent months has
been complaining bitterly because the
state of New York has been so ex-
travagant that an additional tax levy
has become necessary. The complaint
of New York City is due almost en-
tirely to the fact that she will have to
pay S1S,OO0,00O of the extra levy. Mean
while, plans have been prepared for a
new courthouse for New York City.
built for $1,000, 900. 4 a,ight be 10 10
as s'"yI weiI served on the East as on the
west Side. But New York. stagger-
ing under the greatest load of NUM-
cipal debt that any city. in the coun-
try ever dreamed of bearing, must
have a 10000, 900 courthouse.
There must be four restaurants In the
building-one for supreme Court
Judges, one for county Judges, one for
lawyers and one for the. public that
pays all the bills. Doubtless the one
for the public will be the least desir-
The people of the country wonder at
times where the vast sums collected
from taxes are going. They wonder
why 1t is that the increase In the num-
her of taxpayers has not been suffci-
ent to meet the increased cost of gov
ernment Such foolish ventures as the
new courthouse, typical OF modern
municipal and governmental extrava-
gance. explain the phenomenon.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-07-24
EUROPE AND OUR GRAIN

rFrom the Manchester Union.l
Sometime next Fall, we Americans
will be asking one another what has
become Of all the the grain th1s that vVnl was
Perhaps we shall be paying more
we get and we are apt to tear our
hair and gnash our teeth and cuss
the tariff-purely from force of habit,
Of course, since the. tariff OF, former
days is no longer with us. II has just
been discovered by the New. York grain
trade that the Allies, and especially
Great Britain, no longer intend to be
held up for exorbitant prices IN making
purchases in this country. They have
now developed a plan to secure their
supplies of grain, particularly wheat;
corn and oats, without the general
trade being any the wiser until It is too
market in this country and proceeding
to purchase cash wheat, corn or oats,
the European buyers are quietly taxi
ing September wheat on all weak spots
and will simply accept deliveries on
contract When the wheat goes out in
actual shipment and the daily clear
ances show the big totals, the trade for
the first time will know definitely how
Europe Is going about Its grain pur-
chaseS this season.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-07-24
A YEAR OF WAR

lust one year to the very day after
the Austrian ultimatum was de-
livered to the Servians the German
foreign office was in receipt of what it
is believed will be the final American
note in the Lusitania incident. 1t has
been frightful year for the whole
world, but no one interest has suffered
so much as the ruling class in Ger
many.
In diplomacy, 1t has been one long
succession of humiliating blunders for
it, and in Germany's chosen field of
military power each effort has fallen
just short of accomplishing the end
aimed at. The present drive in Russia,
which is the most brilliant achieve
ment of the German strategists and
soldiers, promises to be Just as much
of failure as far as accomplishing
anything permanent Is concerned as
was the original drive at Paris.
OF the nations involved in the
struggle, France alone, one year after
it began, appears to have retained it's
prestige. AS a matter of fact, France
stands higher in the eyes of those best
| able to judge of such matters than it
did at any time after the collapse of
the French armies in the ill-fated
Franco-Prussian war.
The French people again believe in
themselves. That fact is going to
have a tremendous effect upon the
course of events in Europe. When the
| German people find out just what has
happened their faith In the in
vincibilitX of the Prusslan system is
going to be most rudely shattered.
And as for the English, their self
complacency is gone for a century at
least. England must either now take
a brace spiritually and become a really
patriotic nation or enter upon a de-
cline. The time is past when any
people can rely upon being able to
muddle through any crisis.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-07-24
Ehtntnp Ghat

Announcement of the opening date
Of the annual city championship ten
mis- tournament at Reservoi' has re-
newed the interest in that sport again
and scores of prospective entrants
crowd the courts daily. Charles Pol
lock, the court keeper, has had scores
of requests for entry blanks and yes
terday he took pack of fifty to the
tennis clubhouse for distribution. The
blanks are prepared in postcard form
with suitable spaces for the names OF
the entrants. A single one cent post
age stamp will send the entry TO tne
park superintendents office where the
drawings will be made. Monday even
ing is the time limit for filing entries.
The drawings are scheduled for tnat
evening so that the tournament may
start Wednesday.
Several years ago lightning struck
big cottonwood tree in the River Front
Park near Conoy street and until to-
day the ten feet or more of the stump
is still standing. During the last, few
months a couple of woodpeckers have
been testing the bark for what they
could find and the bark was worn
loose by the many holes in the bole.
to offer large and free feast OF wood
worms and other grubs to the birds
and he accordingly had the tree trunk
stripped of its bark. That gave the
sparrows and other birds, who can't
peg their way through the bark like
the woodpeckers, a chance to get at
the crawling things in the rotten
wood. And did the birds come to the
feast? They did. To-day, an inspec-
ton of the shattered old tree Will show
just what a lot of hungry birds VIII
do with worm and grub filled rotten
wood when they can get at the food.
The whole interior of the trunk has
been clipped clean of the punk-like
| wood.
While the recent more or less fire.
quent rains have done some damage
| to the berry crop, especially the dew
| berry which hangs close to the ground
and consequently rots quickly, the
bulk of the crop escaped with little
| harm.
Raspberries were about as plenti-
full this year as they have been for
some time and the blackberry crop
| is running 1t a close second. From
present indications huckleberries are
going to break all records as the
bushes are bending over with the fruit.
These moonlight nights are GER
tainly proving the popularity of the
| canoe. Last night there were scores
of the little crafts scurrying around
the river and goodness only knows
how many others drifting along under
overhanging bushes. Some of the
canoeists liked it so well that they
found 1t impossible to leave the river
until the moon had grown tired and
| gone to rest. That was somewhere
near l o'clock and soon after the river
! cleared.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-07-24

versatile genius included skill as a
scientist, engineer. mechanician and
architect, as well as a painter and
musician, and his Imagination led to
the design Of many remarkable i'm
plements of war, among which was
steam gun which was run by boil
ing water. In this invention, Incl
dentally, 1t is said he anticipated the
steam engine.
In certain of his works he told of
several forms OF bombarding engines,
one OF which threw minute particles,
like a storm of hail, producing guam
titles of dense smoke to frighten the
enemy. Among his papers are found
what may be called the ancestors of
the terrible cannon for throwing
burning liquid at a great distance,
which the Krupp and Essen factor
les are said to have turned out.
There will issue from the EARTH"
he wrote. that which, with frightful
sounds. will deafen the surrounding
and with its breath will kill men and
ruin cities and fortresses." He sug
6SslSu lil0 use OIL pOWucT WHICH
would stun and suffocate the enemy,
and at the same time suggested a
remedy. ITO send poison in pow
DER" he said, "be careful to have a
wind which will not send the powder
upon yourself, or have the nose and
mouth covered by a thin wet cloth,
so that the powder cannot pass"
He left sketches of mortars and
other heavy engines of war which
suggest the modern heavy and
quick-firing guns, and seemed even to
have imagined a submarine and aero
plane. OF the former, he wrote, ac-
cording to the quotations given in
the italian papers, 81 do not publish
or devulge my way of staying under
water because of the bad nature of
man, who would use it for assassina-
tion under the sea, by ripping open
the bottoms of ships"
But da Vinci was a gentle soul,
withal, as this sentiment would indi-
cate. Most of his "frightfulness"
existed in his versatile Imagination
only. But his writing indicates that
even in the minds of peaceful men
there have run for ages thoughts on
the perfecting of devices for the
wholesale taking of human life.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-07-24
THE VANISHING GOLD
GFrqm the Chicago Journal.I

[From the Chicago Journal.l
What becomes of gold?
It is one of the Oldest metals in
human use-there are gold beads
dating back to the stone ~age.
1t is an. object Of almost uni
Versal desire. 1t Is proof against
almost all the influences which destroy
other metals. and 1t has been mined In
enormous quantities. Yet to-day more
than two-thirds Of the gold in use has
'ey What becomes of the restf Where
is the. gold that set Jason wandering
into the Black Sea, that filled the
treasures of Croesus, that paid the ter
rifc tribute which Persian kings as
sessed against the Punjab? What has
happened to the yellow dust and "elec-
which negro traders brought down the
Nile to Egypt for four or fiye thousand
years? Ancient gold, like that of mod
ern times. was used for money and for
ornaments. but both have disappeared.
Where?
The most enduring Of metals, and yet
the most evanescent, perpetuaI.y
sought and yet constantly escaping the
hands of even the successful seeker
that is gold. What Is the reason for
Its curious elusivenesse
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-07-24
BUSINESS MEN AT PLAY

MOOD fellowship is an important
VI asset for any city or town and
nowhere is there such good fell
lowship throughout the business COM
munity as in Harrisburg. This happy
condition is largely the result Of the
activities of the Chamber of Com
merce, the Rotary Club and similar
organizations. Harmony of action in
matters affecting the welfare of the
city is secured through the good feel
ing which prevails among the live
wires of the community and this good
feeling is the direct fruit of the sane
conduct of the organizations referred
to.
And this get-together idea which
animates our business men and the
leaders in municipal and other activi-
ties is responsible for the tremendous
progress of the city in every direction.
The Chamber of Commences annual
outing at Inglenook yesterday was a
fine demonstration of the splendid
spirit of cooperation that now per-
vades the business life of the city.
Almost 200 representative business
men gathered at one of the most pic
turesque spots on the Susquehanna
shore and for hours were boys again.
Every such occasion is an inspiration
to still better things for Harrisburg
and great credit Is due the several
committees which prepared for the
big annual event.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-07-24
UNDERTAKING FEMALE VIRTUE
[From the New York World.I

IFrom the New York World.J
Has the speaker at the Purity Con-
gress, who alleged that "a rapidly in
creasing number of girls to-day look
at virtue as a joke the facts and
figures to support the assertion? Or
was the theory evolved from an inner
consciousness grown morbid on sex
subjects?
There were. to be sure, nearly T.
100000 more women in the United
States in 1910 than in. 1900, and their
in the flve-year period since. In that
tion lie great possibilities in the way
of an increase of immortality. In the
circumstances, more girls necessarily
will go astray because there are mora
to choose the "easier way"
But is the proportion greater than
.it was ten or fifty years ago? Is the
percentage of girls to whom virtue is
a joke" larger than it was. and crap
idly increasing" at that? That is the
whole point of an indictment of fe-
male chastity which has no value
unless it is based on exact knowl-
edge, and which in the absence of the
volume of statistics necessary to sus-
tain the charge will be generally dis
missed as a slander in the specious
guise of a sociological theory.
Must all things be impure to
Purity Congress? Such a body no doubt
has its public uses along the lines OF
legitimate inquiry into conditions OF
immortality with a view to their cor
rection. But a cobbler should stick to
his last, and purity investigators
should confine their activities to things
they know to be impure.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-07-24
THEN AND NOW
T<HE high cost of warning, when
the campaigns of Washington

THB high cost of warning, when
the campaigns of Washington
are compared to the European
conflict, was emphasized in the report
of the registrar general of the Sons Of
the American Revolution at the first
days session of the society's twenty
sixth annual convention in Portland,
Ore.
Thomas Jefferson. he said, review
ing the finances of the Revolution, es-
timated the cost of the war at an aver
age of $17.6OO.OOo a year. That sum
now is scarcely more than Great Bri-
tain's war cost for a single day. The
total cost of the evolution-approxi-
mately $140.000,0O0 covering "a period
of eight years-is less than the total
cost OF the European war for month.
But the cost of the Revolution had
to be met by new and sparcely set
tied country. Doubtless the United
States of Washington's time felt as
keenly the debt of $140. 900, 900 as the
people of Europe will the enormous
debt they are now piling UP,
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-07-24

One of the greatest apostles of thrift
we ever had was Benjamin Franklin, and
he was one of Americas greatest men.
His service TO his country and the world
at large cannot be estimated.
He had just one dollar when he arrived
in Philadelphia from his Boston home
and it was several days before he secured
4 position in printing Office, but when
he began to save ''gaining money by my
industry and frugafity, as he says, 81
lived very agreeably. In two or three
years he was able to go into business fol
himself and his thrift and industry at
tracted the atterAion of all his neighbors.
''In order to secure my credit ano
character as = tradesman," he said, 81
took care not only to be in reality indus
trious and frugal, but to avoid all appear
ance to the contrary. dressed plainly
was seen in no places of idle diversion
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-07-24
DONE WITH DIVING
IFrom the Pittsburgh ChronicIe-Tel
Pranh I

tFrom the Pittsburgh Chronicle-Teis
graph.l
Scientific management has come to
stay Those old fogies who oppose IL are
as rldiculously hidebound as the
diver"
The speaker was DIR. Simms Reed
management textbooks
"As hidebound as the diver" DR.
Reed pursued. This fellow had been
a day laborer, and then he turned ia
diving because the pay was better. But
he only went down once. Yes, he only
went down once, and he'd not been
down two minutes before he signalled
to be drawn up again.
'"They drew him up quickly. He
motioned to them to unscrew his he'll
off he began to take off his loaded
shoes and rubber combination suit
4" Tn done with divin',' he said. No
more divin' for me- The dickens with
a Job where ye can't spit in yer
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-07-24

The new Federal Trade Commission
is making ambitious plans to establish
zones of instruction" throughout the
country in which they will appoint
high salaried experts whose business
will be to teach manufacturers how
their books shall be kept. All this will
take money, which the commission is
preparing to demand from Congress.
1t will also make Jobs for deserving
Democrats" Whether 1t will be useful
to the country is another question.
After this scheme has been put into op-
Grafton and supported. the next thing
will be to establish some more zones
of instruction" wherein will hold sway
group of well-paid functionaries
whose business will be to teach your
grandmother how to knit
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-07-24
PoeI;c4 ;~
Pe~~O4GO0"i@
BY the Ex- Committeeman

The guessing continues good in the
great A. Mitchell Palmer mystery.
Yesterday the Washington correspond
ents made the discovery that Palmer
is the only applicant for the post of
counselor of the State Department and
some of them straightaway jumped to
tho conclusion that he would be ap-
pointed. The possibility that job
might occasionally hunt man does
not seem to be admitted in national
capital journalistic circles.
But while the correspondents were
settling the counselorship for Secre-
tary Lansing, Palmer himself. who In
the meantime had arrived at his home
in Stroudsburg, was busy declaring
that he has asked neither President
Wilson nor the Secretary of State for
the place. And his home friends have
again confided in the newspaper men
that they expect him to stay right at
home attending to his practice.
Palmer seems to enjoy the interest
which is taken in him and he looks
very WISE but declines to commit him
self in any way when he Is approached
about the numerous reports and
rumors that are afioat about him.
Senator Vares statement about the
mayoralty situation in Philadelphia is
generally interpreted in that city as
an announcement that his brother, the
congressman, Is a candidate for the
Republican nomination. The Repub-
lican papers as a rule infer that it
means that all the other interests and
factions will be compelled to get to-
gether and find a man with whom to
oppose the Ware move.
Figures of the registration and en-
rollment in the boroughs and town
ships continue to show gains for the
Republican party. Schuylkill county,
which was a strong independent Re-
publican and Washington party center,
reports a Washington party enroll
ment of 730.
DIR. John N. Jacobs, county con-
troller of Montgomery county, and
William H. Higginbothom, former
treasurer of that county, have an
nounced that they are candidates for
the Republican nomination for county
commissioner.
State Senator Ware has purchased a
plot of land at 2O09 South Broad
street. Philadelphia, and will have a
new home built He expects to have
the housewarming about Christmas
time
Many well-known politicians are ex-
pected to attend the seventh annual
convention of the United Sportsmen Of
Pennsylvania, which will be held in
Wilkes-Barre next week. Senator Pen
rose will be one of them.
The Penrose automobile which was
destroyed by fire in Westmoreland
county recently has been replaced with
huge khaki-colored machine which
made its first long trip to the seashore
Friday. This car will be seen in prac-
tically every part of the State this
Fall.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-07-24
BOOKS AND MAGAZINES

Best sellers are not always novels.
'"The Church Hymnai," published at the
beginning of this year. has just gone
into it's second printing of 100000
copies. The first printing was also of
that number. And THE Century Cook
Book" the "old reliable" of its class,
has recently gone into Its nineteenth
edition.
Marion Craig Wentworth, author OF
who is achieving perhaps the greatest
dramatic success In the play, joined
forces in the cause of peace at a mass
meeting held at Carnegie Hall. New
the Woman's Peace Party. The author
appealed to the audience to rouse
others to a living faith in the cause of
In the peasant costume she wears in
War Brides" presented some of the
most effective scenes in the play.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-07-24
LITTLE TALKS ON THRIFT
By BRIGGS
By S. w. STRAUS
PrsniQmf Amsriean SOeier for Thrift

and to show that was not above my
business, l sometimes brought home the
paper / purchased at the stores through
the streets on awheel-barrow. Merchants
began to solicit his custom and he began
to prosper until in ten years time he was,
as he expressed it, "easy in circum-
stances" and able to give much of his
time to other things.
In these days the frugality of Franklin
is apt to be looked upon as quite out of
date, since we hear of millions being
made seemingly by chance. But where
one fortune is made in this way, thou
sands grow from little savings.
John D. Rockefeller, the organizer of
the Standard Oil Company, has made
more money than, probably, any other
man of his day, He has more than he
himself, it is said, can keep account of.
He is rated as biliionaire. Yet, as we all
know, he began his business career as 3
clerk in small town in the rural section
of New York. He practiced economy
and was not ashamed to do so. His
theory is that one can only be ready for
the opportunities which come to the
ambitious and hardworking when the
habits of thrift and prudence in spending
have been cultivated.
Mr.. Rockefeller still has the little
memorandum book that he kept when he
was a poor clerk, in which he kept
account of every penny that he spent and
thus knew just what was going out. For
like other men whose wealth has been
amassed little by little, he realized that
what goes out is greater factor in ac-
cumulating money. than what comes in.