davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-08-04

<lES-Ons cent a word a &iavs no aA.
 Ssken for Iesa tha1 25e for ftrat inser. Aen. 1ash must sccourrrv ordey.
The sun., 1917-07-31
UMDEcEIYIKe TIE pEoPLE.

WASHINGTON, July. so.---Three and a
half oficials who have Just returned
from their vacations bring discourag-
ing news about the European situa-
ton.
There is no use trying to hide the
real facts from this public" they said
to-day. Italy lies beyond the Alps,
90 she can be OF little use on the Bel
gian front
Nothing could be gloomier than the
prospects of aerial warfare. We know
now what we did not know when we
went away, that the atmosphere ID
more than eiGhty-seven miles high
and the higher It goes the less dense
II becomes, which, cannot be said OF
some great men here.
There IL no coordination among the
Allies. Many OF the troops now In
the Kamerun cannot speak Russian
so what is the use?
Our soldiers in France 60 TO their
meals three times a day, which proves
that they are starving
Unless Greenland sends million
troops to the Solomon Island front
there is no hope for anybody, not even
the enemy"
These officers return to their work
full Of that jealous gloom which
should surely win them rapid promo
ton. They spent their vacations here
in the capital OF a nation which must
learn to stop being cheerful and op-
timistic..
The sun., 1917-07-31
kitchener with the UndyInx.

Mrs. PARKER, sister of Lord KITcH-
ESER, In expressing the Arm belief
that her brother sis still alive and
will one day return" gives utterance
to an opinion that has frequently
been expressed In Great Britain since
the report of his drowning of the
Scottish coast. 1t is a curious thing
that many persons in England re-
fused to accept as conclusive the
proofs of Lord KITCHENER's death,
and that upon his passing they should
build another Of those strange cases
of mystery In which the world seems
to delight.
1t is not only In the realms of ira
ditions, the land that sent CHARLE-
MAGNE to sleep in the Austrian Alps,
or King ARTHUR to the isle Of Avalon
to await England's call, that man
takes on n phase Of immortality, but
also in this everyday, matter of fact
world. There are many cases simi-
lar to that OF Lord KITcHENER,
cases where the improbable lies 50
close TO the border Of the possible
that 1t is accepted as the truth.
Scarcely more than year ago, when
YUAN SHIH-K'AI was glad to have
died in his palace and to have been
buried In the tombs OF his ancestors,
half Of China rose up to deny the
report. Basing its supposition upon
certain unusual happenings at Pekin
1t declared that the great YUAN had
not died, but that, humiliated by his
failure to be Emperor, he had st6ren
away to a foreign land.
There are people who declare that
General GoRDoN did not die at Khar.
tum, but found a refuge on an oasis
of the Sahara that General HDcros
MACDONALD did not kill himself, but
Ned to jungle, and that Marshal
NEY was not executed In Paris, but
found a retreat in North Carolina
where he lived for many years Al
a school teacher. For thirty years
The sun., 1917-07-31
Mayor MItche's Acceptance.
Accepting the fusion nomination
for Mayor Mr.. mitchell says:

Accepting the fusion nomination
for Mayor Mr.. mitchell says:
II am willing to head the fusion
cause, and II elected l will give to the
city OF New York the same kind OF ad-
ministration it has experienced during
the past three and a half years, improv-
ing at the many points where expert
ence has shown improvement possible
and necessary, ADD avoiding, II we can,
such mistakes as have been made"
There could be no more manly and
straightforward declaration OF pur-
pose. Whatever committees on reso-
lutions may do, the true platform OF
the fusionists in the pending cam
paign Is the record Of Mayor mitchell
and his associates.
We believe the present municipal
administration TO be efficient and hon.
est. 1t has erred rs all human in
stitutions err. 1t has failed at times
as human intelligence must always
fail. But 1t has given New Workers
a cleaner city, morally and physi-
cally. a safer city and a more rep
utable city.
We do not think our people will
object to the same kind Of an ad.
ministration for four years more, and
we think that Mayor mitchell will
indeed improve and correct 1t, as he
promises to do.
The sun., 1917-07-31
An AdyerblaI AnImadyersIon.

To THE EDITOR or THE SrN-Sir. II
at a time like the present one may bur-
den the columns OF THE SUN with oues-
ttons OF grammar or rhetoric venture
TO enter a protest, or rather to protest
my grief. at encounterinG in THE sun
DAY SUN Of July % the following dis
tortion ,horresco referensD: 'It must
thoroughly be understood" (sectlon ).
page ., column I, line 100
This is construction that ! regret
to say is finding great favor. particu-
larly with head writer's, in the New
York press, but il is violation OF tho
ancient, universal and logical usage Of
the language 1t must he evident that
II II is correct to say "it must thor
oughly be understood" It must be equally
correct to say, at must he very plain
The fact is that the word understood"
and the idea underlying It are no more
a part OF the verb must be" than are
the word plain" and the idea that un-
derlies IT, Hence II the word is sus-
ceptible of qualification the qualifying
expression must Immediately precede or
follow TIT must he thoroughly un-
derstood" or, 'it must he understood
thoroughly for that form exactly ex-
presses the actuality. The idea eS-
pressed by the word understood "A
state or condltion--may have degrees
Of completeness, and 1t is the degree de-
noted by the adverb thoroughly that
in declared to be imperative rmust
be-
Another usage being violated in the
newspapers OF late is the proper plac-
ing of the adverb when II qualities
simple verb-as The expects soon 10
come" OF course he does nothing OF
the kind, for the expecting takes place
now and not in the future. however soon.
There can he no reason for thus running
counter to sense and rule In such cases,
for II is Just as easy to write what all.
the world says and means-"he expects
to come soon" Generally speaking tho
adverb follows. not precedes. the verb.
One might smile at those bzarreries
In some journals, but 1t IS to be hoped
THE SIN will not justify them by It's
example. r. ]. d,
New YORK, July so. !
The sun., 1917-07-31

preparations bearing on the conduct
Of the war" and to advise with the
President with a view to safeguard
Ing expenditures"
Beyond this, we regret to add, the
World does not 80 In the direction
of candor. II persists in maintaining
Its singular opinion that the proposal
In question is not what II purports to
be, committee to examine and safe
guard expenditures, but a sly trick of
hostility to the Executive, a Trojan
horse"--as our neighbor calls lt--con-
cealing the actual purpose to set uD
"factlonIst committee Of Congress
to meddle with his functions Of Com
mander in Chief and harass him for
partisan purposes"
So our neighbor has nothing better
than the argument of the Trojan
horse" netaphorical reinforcement
Of unsupported suspicious, last
resort OF logical desperation which In
the course of the past twenty-five or
thirty centuries has carried in its
wooden bowels n million sinister In
nuendoes for every mothers son OF n
Greek 1t sheltered at the time OF Its
original appearance on the war
Scared plains of Ilion!
II the President now treats as a
personal insult proposal on the part
OF the Congress to exercise in its own
chosen way Its own undopbted con.
stitutional power and duty with re-
gard TO war expenditures, we repeat
that the Congress is itself to blame
for the rebuff.
II the country has become so ac-
customed to the constant abdication
by Congress of its own authority and
the constant transfer of Its functions
and responsibilities to the President
that an intelligent newspaper like the
World can see naught In the Weeks
Owen proposal but Trojan horse
stuffed chock full Of partisan malice
and treasonable intentions, we repeat
that the Slxty-fifth Congress itself
is to blame.
The sun., 1917-07-31
THE KAISER CIPHER"
ApocalyptIc Numbers Referring to In.
ner Processes OF the Soul.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN-Sir: The
Apocalypse, which. as has lately been
proved, is mostly based on Platonic
philosophy and the secret teachings OF
the Greek mysteries tEleusinia) does
not in its prophecies refer so much
TO mundane affairs as TO the evolution
and inner processes of each Individual
soul.
In the Greek language numbers are
expressed by the letters OF the alphabet
and not by arithmetical figures. The
number OF a name is therefore simply
the sum Of the numerical values of the
letters composing it."
Now the Beast" of the Apocalypse
is shown TO be Piatos "phren" (lower
mird) )-man--the mind tainted by ma
terial and selfish interests. in contra
distinction to nous" (the higher mind)
-spirit-including intuition and gnosis,
in the Apocalypse called The Lamb"
Phren corresponds 10 s6e. as the sum
OF the numbers belonging to its letters
totals 666
The Lamb CJesous) corresponds to
ssS; The red Dragon'-desire- Epi-
thumia) to 555. and Akolasia Cicen-
tiousness) to SS3.
For closer study Of these subjects
the reader is referred to THE Restored
New Testament" by James Morgan
Pryse Lieut.. PERCY RICHARDS.
New YORK, July 30.
The sun., 1917-07-31

To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN--Sir; I see
a discussion about the insects on the
trees In the Park.
admit knowing nothing of botany or
the cause or best cure OF this annoyance.
but as one who has attended the music
in the Park since the Parks tenth birth
DAY let me say that this pest in the last
few years has become so aggravated
that once each in the last three years !
have attended the concerts there and in
each instance found the caterpillar nui-
sance so intolerable that I waited until
the next year before again attending,
hoping some relief would come.
In short the Community Chorus" In
the Park now has one additional voice
added to its chorus 1T Is on you"
Why not do something this fall against
the return of this pest? A READER
New YORK, July 80.
The sun., 1917-07-31

after his disappearance and his re-
ported death by shipwreck, Archduke
JOHN SALVADOR, known as "JoHN
ORTIZ" was varlously reported to
have been seen on the pampas Of
South America and In different parts
Of the United States. II has been
asserted--and books have been writ.
ten to prove the assertion--that the
Dauphin Of France did not die in
the Revolution, but lived, according to
some, to become NAUNDoRF, Neither
land jeweller; according to others,
the Rev. ELEAzAR WILLIAMS, an Amer.
lean missionary.
KITCHENER thus joins great COM
pany in entering the mysterious
realms of the undying, u land from
which none has ever returned to the
land Of the living.
The sun., 1917-07-31
General Crow der to the Members OF
Local Boards.

In his letter of July 26 to the men,
bers of local exemption boards Pro-
vost Marshal General CRowDER makes
their duty distinct and clear.
They are to scrutinize every case
from the standpoint Of the national
interest. There Is not one exemp-
tion or discharge in the law or regu-
lations that is put there for the
benefit Of any Individual"
Has JOHN SMITH a wife and chill
dren dependent on him? Then II is
at present to the interest of the
United States to keep JOHN SMITH at
home and supporting his family.
JAMES Brown. who wants a dis
charge, has hired a lawyer and wishes
to be heard in person. But JAMES
Brown has no vested right so to be
heard. Let him submit his afiidavits; /;
IL he has a Just claim for discharge
the sworn statements will show It.
BRowN may not submit other proof
than that called for by the published
regulations or than that called for
by the board.
Red tape? Not a bit Of 1t. There
should be no rules like those Of court
procedure. no technical rules Of evil
dence." The members Of the boards
are admonished to investigate doubt
full cases in the direct, man to man
ia shion that they would use as indl-
viduals seeking to verify some fact
about which they were in doubt.
The reward for the faithful per.
formance Of their duties on the boards
must come from the members owl
consciences, or as General CRowDER s
little homily phrases 1t. Your only
reward must be the knowledge that
at great personal sacrifice, you are
rendering your country an indispen
sable service in matter Of the ut
most moment"
But that is Of all conceivable re-
wards the finest.
The sun., 1917-07-31
The Price Of FrIEh tfulness.

At the beginning of the fourth year
of the war the German people. with
defeat assured, may well consider
how much better would have been
their position had their military au-
thOrities conducted the war with due
consideration for humanity and the
immemorial practices of belligerents.
War at best Is brutal, cruel, In
human. But civilized nations during
centuries Of warfare had built up a
code for the protection Of the prop
erty of non n.combatants and the lives
and persons of civilians and prison
ers that went far to ameliorate its
savagery. These precedents the Ger
mans repudiated specifically and
avowedly. They followed the argu-
ments of their military writers BERN
HARDI and TREITscHKE, who urged
that pitiless severity was at once the
most effective and the most humane
way in which to wage a war, for by
thus making Its horrors utterly un-
bearable to Its victims they would
the more speedily sue for peace.
The theory was plausible, but this
war has utterly disproved its truth.
We believe that calm consideration
will convince any one that but for
German frightfulness deliberately or
dered and practised the war would
be nearer an end than 1t is to-day,
and that Germany would be a thou
sand times better equipped to take
up the work of rebuilding her trade
and industry In the peace that must
ultimately come
The world, being cynical, might in
time have forgotten or forgiven the
German raid through Belgium but
for the atrocities. with which 1t was
accompanied. The fiat violation OF
treaty obligations involved would ul-
timately be forgotten except by the
more thoughtful class. But the burn
ing OF Louvain, the execution of
hostages in a score Of little towns
tne muTucT uuu IudiIIOhtucuI VI Cl'
villains along the line Of invasion
all the long and damning record OF
atrocities established and set forth
in the Bryce report-keep the crime
of Belgium alive in the worlds mem.
ory. The violation Of treaties is Of
ten condoned; the violation Of women
never. The murder Of EDITH CAvELI
has cost Germany more than a lost
battle, and continues to pile up retri'
button.
The English people were but halt
heartedly in the war when German
Zeppelins began dropping bombs on
hospitals and schools. The grea,
growth of the British army dates
from that day. Can any German
champion name an advantage spring
ing from these raids adequate to OF,
set their effect upon the British fght
ing spiritf
How much the sooner viii Francs
The sun., 1917-07-31
ARE AVEATORS LIKELY TO SUFFER
FROM CALSSON DISEASE?
Atmospheric In Flying Compared with Those
Encountered by Workers Under Water.

the man returns to the surface, the
nitrogen begins to escape into the
Joints and nerves, causing the well
known symptom called the bends"
The diffusion of the nitrogen must,
however, be extremely rapid. The
point, as Professor Henderson shows.
is that slow diffusion does no harm
and has no effect. To have any effect,
the pressure under which the man has
been working in caisson or COM
pressed air chamber must be so high,
and the lowering of this pressure
when he comes into the air of day so
rapid, that the dissolved nitrogen sep
arates from the tissues in which II is
held in the form of bubbles. Such
bubbles may form, as already stated.
in the blood. in the fluids OF the joints
and in the brain. They cause intense
pain, even paralysis and death.
The process may be compared to the
formation of bubbles in water when IL
is heated, or to bubbles Of air on the
crest Of a wave. Under normal con-
dition OF atmosphere there Is an
exact balance between the pressure
OF nitrogen in the body and the ex-
Of the body are then said to be in
equilibrium with the atmospheric
pressure. In order that bubbles OF
nitrogen may form in the blood or
tissues IL is essential that the pressure
with which the blood and tissues are
in equilibrium should be lowered more
than half this normal figure in a few
minutes. Henderson therefore insists
that In the present state OF the art OF
flying II is scarcely possible for an
aviator to rise to a height where the
barometric pressure would be half
that of the sea level in so short a time
that bubbles of nitrogen would form
In the blood and other tissues of the
body. The peculiar complaints from
which aviators suffer, Headache and
oppression of the chest are different
from the ailments to which workers in
compressed air are exposed. Aviator's
headache is not due to nitrogen, but to
deficiency of oxygen. which may be
dispelled by a few whiffs OF oxygen
from a bottle.
1t is well to be prepared for danger.
but as far as aviation is concerned
caisson disease does not seem to he
one of likely occurrence in the air
Aviation has of course its risks but
these are growing less, especially
among those properly trained and ac-
climatized for the work. This is pos
sioly not the popular impression in
this country. Yet the fact is that ac-
cidents as properly understood are be-
coming less common. So far there Is
no recorded instance of caisson dis
ease in an aviator and, on scientific
grounds, there is little reason to look
for such a thing.
The sun., 1917-07-31

According to a writer in Aerondu-
tics there is some danger that avia-
tors may suffer from caisson disease.
A careful reading Of this opinion
shows that the author has not avoided
a certain confusion in his description
of the cause of the disease. His exact
words are as follows: IF the speed OF
the climb continues to improve at the
rate 1t has for the past three years
It looks as though aviators will be-
come subject to what is known as
'caisson disease due am told. to the
sudden reduction in atmospheric pres
sure such as divers are subjected to
when they come to the surface. owing
to the nitrogen which has been ab-
sorbed by the system in proportion TO
the atmospheric density, forcing Itself
too rapidly at any lower pressure
from the system" The average
reader will be aware of an absurdity
here, but the mistake. apart from
looseness OF grammatical construc-
ton. is not altogether easy to point
out. A good account of the confusion
between the effects of diving and
aviation, by Professor Yandel Hem
derson Of Yale, appeared shortly be-
fore the foregoing opinion In Avtd-
tion. A brief summary may serve TO
clear up the matter, which might per-
plex aviators and discourage pupils
who are learning to fly at increasing
heights
Caisson disease may be defined as
the formation of bubbles of nitrogen
in the blood and fluids OF the joints
and even OF the brain, and il Is un-
questionable that the undue proper
ton of nitrogen in the system takes
place under conditions of increased
atmospheric pressure. But, as Pro-
fessor Henderson explains in the
Journal of the American Medical AS
ISOLATION OF June 80. there is a posi-
BILE confusion between the results of
a sudden fall in atmospheric pressure
such as occurs in the production of
caisson disease or divers palsy and
the lowered barometric pressure that
marks climb into the upper air in
an aeroplane. In both cases there is
the fall of atmospheric pressure, and
so far the analogy holds good, but the
natural order OF events in caisson
disease is that the accumulation of
nitrogen in the body takes place first
and the fall of pressure afterward.
Thus, when a man has worked in
| compressed air in a diving bell at the
depths of the sea or in a caisson under
| water. the nitrogen which is absorbed
is dissolved in greater and greater
quantities in the body fluids, which is
the meaning OF the phrase that the
absorption is in proportion TO the
density Of the surrounding air. When
this pressure Is lowered, as II is when
The sun., 1917-07-31
AMERICAN PATRIOTISM
Does II Show n Higher Civilization
Than German Love Of Country?

To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN-Sir. In
the letter by u. w" which you have
headed DO Americans Love Their
Country" he says: Americans what
ever may he said to the contrary, have
not the real love OF their country that
the Germans have for their fatherland." :"
Perish the thought, But perish too
the thought that we should ever love
our country as those vile Huns do
theirs
bright young fellow. one Of the
registered but not yet drafted. said the
other day: 81 cannot admire the awful
patriotism of the Germans"
heartily agreed with him Some one
says: ANY virtue carried to ex-
treme becomes a vice" | would add,
patriotism most of all Let us be wise
and sensible and avoid insanity in our
patriotism. Then we shall win the war.
There is a higher self-control than
that learned in the school Of the Ger
man student. He fights duel and the
surgeon puts salt into the wounds re-
celNed 10 see whether the man can hea
pain without vincinS But the man
who can do this cannot curb his saw
age desire to commit murder and rape.
Our men have learned higher lesson.
the self-control Of the spirit
| wish to put myself on record en-
phatcally to the contrary Of what
u. w says Americans have a real
love of country far excellinE that which
the Germans have for their fatherland.
but thank God II IS q different kind Of
love. not to be mentioned in the same
sentence with the Huns frightful patriot
ism CHARLOTTE G MILLER
CINCINNkTUs, y. Y. July 30.
The sun., 1917-07-31

yield for the deportations Of Lille and
the slavery enforced by the Germans
upon the hapless French civilians
within their lines? Every. one knows
that these atrocities nerved the
French to fght until victory or ex-
tinctIon ended the war. There could
be no amicnble peace with such an
enemy. Either he must be beaten
into Impotence or France could not
60 on living beside him.
Talk us they may. the Germans
themselves know that the entrance
Of the United States upon the war
ended their chance Of victory. And
but for German frightfulness the
United States would never have gone
to war. The Lusitania, though not
the cause OF our action, furnished
this country with an influential group
OF war advocates who never once
abandoned their agitation. Every
succeeding submarine murder was
added to this one until the count be-
came too great to be ignored. Pub
lie sentiment thus worked upon was
still further excited by other Incl
dents of frightfulness, not directly
related to us, but nevertheless outrag-
ing our humanity and further arous-
ing our wrath.
So much for the forces which Ger
man cruelty has arrayed against that
nation in war. They will continue 30
arrayed and will be even more terri
BILE in time of peace. In England
and France. and particularly in the
United States. there will be for a gen.
Grafton at least hundreds of thou
sands Of people who will abstain from
oil but compulsory relations with Ger
many and the Germans. They will
buy no goods Of German manufa cture,
they will sail on no.German ship, they
will support no German enterprises.
This they will do, not because we
fought a war with Germany. Honor.
able enemies are soon forgiven. But
the hatred aroused BY the German
violation of the rules Of honorable
warfare and the violation Of fundn-
mental principles Of humanity will
not so soon die out.
If the German people will look
frankly upon the facts they will see
how heavy price they have paid for
the doctrines Of BERNHARD. HINDEN-
suRG and the Kaiser himself. @.-.
The sun., 1917-07-31

To rHE EDITOR OF THE sUN-Sir: The
two "distinctively German" Alsatians
who tested the value OF the anti-enemy
zones must have happened along a few
days ago to the neighborhood OF an
armory near my home. was talking
with a young soldier and he bade me
look at the two Dutchmen." They
tried in various ways to get themselves
noticed by the boys in khaki, carried the
zeituN0 of the late Herman Ridder quite
consplcuously and conversed In the Ian
guage OF Kultur.
ouoth the boy in khaki, I'VE have lots
of Dutchmen come along these days /:
they overdo the Dutch part. We don't
even look at them. though that is Just
what they want. The ones we'd like to
get are the less Dutch looking ones" f"
This and more to the same effect
No real spy would be Dutch" look
ing It would spoil his usefulness. l tell
the tale for what II is worth
ROBERT p. GREEN.
NEW YORK, July so