New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-01
A SeaSOnable
Experience
Bv Irwin Edman

house. and decided l might just as
well come down to work. 1t was the
frst time in my life that had been below
Grand Central on a Sunday, and before got
- my desk I felt as if had wandered into a
and Of spooks and shadows. had lolled lux
,riously over three seats of a South Ferry eN-
,-ess. and had run all the way from Brooklyn
Bridee in the sheer exhilaration Of finding Park
Row empty. There wasn't key ring vender IN
SIGHT. and even the Automat was desolate-
AZ che Office ] could hear not even the drowsy
tapping Of a single typewriter; missed the
cheerful ticker and rumors Of a revolution IN
Berlin. wished had stayed at home. My
main purpose in coming down was to look up
clippjnrs on the French Revolution so that l
could understand what was going on in Russia
There wasn't a single item about 1t IN the
library; probably somebody had removed them
INST 70 spoil my day The next thing looked
m WAS ammunition, but the encyclopaedia had
come out in 1910. and was way behind the
times.
7 dr1mmed my fingers uneasily on my desk.
Well. l might as we'll go home; Congress was
goinp 70 meet tomorrow and there'd be plenty
If excitement in the Office ! ought to be thank
full for this drowsy interval A newspaper
Office on Sunday! It was like going to church.
The telephone rang. The voice sounded
drowsv and distant. jiggled the receiver for
a better connection.
Never mind that" the voice said I'm talk
ing very long distance. and this is the best con-
nection we can get. Now listen carefully, for
history in the making is coming over the wire"
Yes" said anxously; but please wait till
I open my safety fountain pen
In five minutes 1 had the receiver at my ear
again.
This is the Overseas News Agency" the
voice said, with distant imperiousness; "the
German sem-cficial news bureau, you know.
William asked me to let you know about this;
you're alone in the Office aren't you?"
yes" ! said breathlessly. The Overseas
News Agency! sounded like something big.
~It's about submarine warfare" said the
voice. "Its all of; we're through with that.
That never was much of way to carry on a
war, anyway. Not only does it violate the laws
Of humanity, but it hasn't done us much good.
We're going to cut it out, beginning to-day,
and conduct a civilized warfare. And if we
lose, we lose. The Kaiser says he doesn't mind
being quoted. Gods will be done he says,
and the right shall be triumphant
The bells of Trinity sounded just at this
point, and wasn't sure had heard correctly;
I asked the Overseas News Agency to repeat
The voice repeated distinct and clear;
Gods will be done the Kaiser says, and the
right shall be triumphant" And we're going
10 cut out the U-boat campaign"
"Goody!" l shouted into the receiver; "but
why don't you tell that to Washington? Con-
gress is going TO meet tomorrow, and they'd
be awfully glad TO know of-of this change of
heart on the part of the Kaiser. It'd be big
surprise, too"
"That's just why we're keeping it to the last
moment we don't want it TO get out to-day,
and have editorials about it in all the papers
tomorrow morning. Everybody except The
Evening Post would say it was just another
piece of diabolical German strategy, or some
thing. It's big, clean cut proposition, worthy
Of the Hohenzollern family, and we want it to
90 on its merits So please don't say anything
about it till after midnight, in time for the last
editions Of the papers. Then charter special
train, and run down to Washington with the
news; lay it right before Congress if you can
Wen pay all the expenses. We'd rather have y0'i
do it It'd get all garbled in the telegraph and
in translation. The Kaiser says he'll be much
obliged Goodby; we're busy here with some
dispatches we're preparing about German
gains on the West front. Goodby."
Operator, operator!" shouted into the re-
ceiyer, please get that party back for me; it's
very important; the destiny of the world is at
stake"
an try to locate the call" came the imper-
turbable voice Of the lone Sunday operator;
your party rang of. Meanwhile, there's