Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1915-04-13
9 9,,:r{y IA -
Reply, A2Asl
Department

Did the United States pay any pen.
sion to our soldiers prior to the civil
war Of 1861? Whit pay any pension to
our regular army men it they become
ineapaeitatsd or not during their term
Of enlistment?
The granting Of military pensions
dates from colonial times. the earliest
recorded pension act being that OF
Plymouth colony Of 1896. which pro
vided that any man MANNED in the mil
itary service Of the colony should be
comfortably maintained for; life at pull.
lie expense. The Continental congress
on Aug. 20, 1778. enacted a law givin.
han pay for life to any officer. soldier
or sailor who had lost a limb or had
been otherwise i1icapacitated for earn
Ing living. In 1892 the flrst general
pension law under the government was
enacted, by which law pension Of 81
a month was given to any private or
noncommissioned officer disabled in
service In the Continental army. In
1915 the full pension Of private was
raised to s.. A more liberal pension
law was enacted in 1882. BY later
acts pensions were granted to all wild
ows Of Revolutionary soldiers without
regard to time Of marriage, II any
person in the United states army be-
comes incapacitated he can claim a
pension, otherwise not
Why 10 81. Petersburg called Petro.
erad7 Why was Il changed?
Shortly after the outbreak Of the
present war the German form. Peters
burg. commonly miscailed st. Peters
burg. was officially changed by the
Russian government to the purely Rus
sian form Petrograd. Petersburg ana
Petrograd mean the same-"l'eter's
strong place" or Peters fortress
The change was made because Ut Rus
sian hostility to Germany and the nm
willingness of the Russians to have
their capital city carry a German name
What IL meant by the knickerbocker
cot or Knieksrbocker circle?
The meaning Of the phrase would de
pend on its connection or how It was
used. KnickerbUcker was the name vi
one Of the early families Of New York.
and Washington Irving popularized the
name by using it in his "Knickerb0ck.
er's History Of New York" and thus
connected 1t with some pleasant tradi.
lions. A popular magazine started sew
eral years later was called the Knick-
erbocker, and it's contributors included
some of the best known literary men
of that day Thus the expression
Knickerbocker set or circle might re-
fer to the select circle of aristocratic
families in New York or it might refer
to the circle of contributors to the old
Knickerbocker Magazine. among whom
were Washington Irving. william CuI.
len Bryant c'Thanatopsis' FIRST appear
ed In that magazine). Longfellow.
Parkman. the historian; Charles Fenno
Hoffman. the Clark brothers, Willis
Gaylord Clark and Lewis Gaylord
Clark, and other noted Writer'S Of the
day.
now many sroeps DID france ano
Germany have in the war Of 1907
At the beginning Of the war the
French army consisted Of $50 600 men.
with 1880 reserve troops collected at
different points. making total of 442,
500. After the larger portion Of the
French army had been taken prisoner
and sent into Germany all Frenchmpn
capable % bearing arms were caI.cl
out It is not known how many re-
sponded This call, but of course they
were Lot trained soldiers. An official
report by ~ Prussian ministry of war
of the number of French prisoners tax
en- to Gerrnsny gave the number as
1854. of whom 1880 were lieuten-
ants, 1T colonels. 147 generals and 8
marshals. ne north German army
during the war, including reserve
troops and laniwehr In garrisons, mum.
bered 945,oal and the south German
states furnished 10000. making I to
tai Of 1.135.OOO.
49, -r~-