davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-16
A FIFTEENTH CENTURY EXEMP-
TION BOARD

The exemption boards, which are now
determining who is best fitted to serve at
tho front and who is best fitted to serve
at home, have a difficult and honorsb BILE
task. 1t is interesting to compare the
present situation, wherein a democracy sets
about the work Of selecting her sons who
are best fitted for service in the cause Of
liberty, with the manner of determining
exemptions from military service Gas Shake
speare describes the scene) in the time
of Henry ". Justice Shallow and Sir John
Falstaff would not be welcomed on an
American exemption board, but It is per-
haps curious fact to recall that they did
hear claims for exemption on the grounds
of dependent relatives and physical mfr
mity--clalms which did not always held
water.
where's the roll?" asks Justice Shallow
80 Let them appear as call; let
them do so, let them do 50. Let me see
where is Mouldy?"
Mouldy--Here, ant please you
Shallow-What think you, Sir John? A
good-limbed fellow; young, strong and of
good friends.
Falstaff-Is thy name Moudy?
Mouldy-Yea, ant please you
Falstaf-Prick him.
Mouldy-' My old dame will he
undone now for one to do her husbandrv
and her drudgery; You need not to have
pricked me; there are other men filter to
go out than /.
1t was Bulcalf who presented IN tbo
exemption board a plea for exemption on
the ground of physical disability
Shallow-Peter Bullcalf o. the green,
falstan-Yea marry let's see Bullcalf
Bullcalf-Here, sir.
Falstaff-'Fore God. likely fellow
Come, prick me Bullcalf till he roar again
Bullcalf-o Lord good my lord can
Falstaff-what. dost thou roar before
thou art pricked?
Bullcalf-o lord. sir! am a diseased
man.
Falstaff-what disease hast thouq
buiicaii-A whoreson cold sir, a cough
SIR, which l caught with ringing I'm tbe
Kings affairs upon his coronation dav cir
Nor was Bulcalf satisfied with this .,
tempt to secure exemption. Those who
remember their Henry w" will recaI, the
fact that both Mouldy and BulIcalf aIso
attempted TO escape service by bribery IL
was this nnal straw which led Falstaff to a
DISAGREEMENT with Justice Shallow. when
the time came for deciding who shouId 90
soldering, Falstaff asks Justice Sba,ins, ~
state his choice, and among tbe ,o,,v
chosen the Justice selects both MouIdv -
Bullcalf' Falstaff abruptly breaks in. anu
Falstan-Mouldy and Bullcalf; for vo,,
Mouidy. stay at home till you are nss
su, ui'ioe anu lor your part. Bullcalf, grow
TIL you come unto It: 1 will none ~ Sa,'
shallowTSir John, Sir John do NOT yo',r ou,
sell wrong; they are your likeliest NJ,
and ! would have you served with the e,' haa,
Faistan-Will you tell me. Master shs,.
i,mh iUwi now low 20 choose a manY Care for the
assembisnos of : ~s. Z It-sl us ouk. And big
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-16

erly Love: We are here in camp at Mount
Gretna. Pa, and feeling the need of so
many little extras which are not provided
by the United States Government and see
ing the boys from Chester, Lancaster, AL
lentown. Harrisburg and elsewhere enjoy
ing these little things, which were donated
by their home towns and cities, and which
help to make camplfe more pleasant, we
wondered if Philadelphia would like to see
us accepting a share in these gifts to the
boys from other towns or have Philadel-
pha boys confess that "Philly" has done
nothing whatever to give her own boys
few comforts at least. West Chester gave
her company n donation Of $3.50, while the
cities of Harrisburg Lancaster and Allen
town each contributed a generous amount
If possible, We would appreciate your
giving this letter as prominent place as
you think proper. Conditions at camp are
moving along IN good order, we are getting
down to hard work and hope to make good
in doing heartily our share to help win
the war.
With best wishes, we remain,
JOSEPH B. BOWMAN, Co. II;
JOSEPH w. BAIERS, Co. Il;
SERG EANT LOUIS J. SHARP, Co. IL !;
STUART NJ. HARTZEL, Co. II;
LEWIS NJ. CAMPBELL, Co. II.
Mount Gretna, Pa. August 10.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-16
HISTORY THROUGH ENGLISH
EYES

To the Editor Of the EUemng Ledger:
Sir-Some time ago a certain Mr.. Terence
OBJ. Reilly wrote to your paper to sander
the Irish race. His augmentation was NOT
convincing but II Is the sort to which we
have grown accustomed. 1t is Of the type
which men like myself have frequently
found in English rhetoric papers in college,
before the pupils had studied logic. Is il
possible that the letter of Mr. Reilly was
written by just such a youngster? II so
he should ask some of his elders to look
at his work before submitting it to the
press.
May l be pardoned If ! suggest that II
would be better for Mr.. OBJ. Reilly to read
an Irish history Cor an unbiased English
history) than to write on subjects about
which he knows so little? Read your letter
over again, Mr.. Reilly and then submit it
to some of your companions whom YOU be-
lieve to know more about such subjects
than yourself, and ask them what the
trouble Is. / q n
Philadelphia. August IL.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-16

PAUL STEIN, the gentlemanly station
agent at Fishers on the Reading, picked
up at Leary's last week little book, pub
lished in 1864, called Leaves From the
Battlefield Of Gettysburg" It's made ND
of verses and letters from n field hos.
pital written by Mrs. Edmund A. Souder
The most interesting thing in it, to us,
was letter dated Gettysburg, November
20, 1863 describing the conservation
ceremonies at Gettysburg Cemetery the
day before, In which no reference what.
ever is made to Lincoln's address.
Curious how those immortal sentences
fell upon unappreciative ears
We had heard of this before. but to
make sure that Mrs. Souder wasn't the
only mispriser OF glory a-borning we
looked over the files of the PUBLlC
LEDGER and in the issue of November 20,
1863, we found two and half columns of
SOLID agate type on the first page, of
which more than 30 per cent ornnrised
the address of Edward Everett, the orator
or the day. On the second page there
was half-column account from anotber
correspondent, in which the modest
hitting address of the President of the
I. s. is given in full--two inches OF
agate.
Everett had been played up as "the
orator and Everett was lauded by press
and public. Even he, and he was mora
than an orator, missed the greater elo-
quence Of "the modest, fitting" words of
the awkward giant with a nations sor.
rows upon him. Or did he?
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-16
FORESTS BROAD STREET
GARDEN

on the authority of the poet we learn
that stone walls do not a prison make"
but time was in Philadelphia when tho
privacy of ones own garden was hardly
obtainable without the aid of high, solid
masonry over which curious eyes could not
peer, Edwin Forrest, the most gifted of all
the many distinguished actors to which this
city has given birth. learned this vanished
truth of a vanished era through practical
experience.
Forrest was an original in many ways
MS restless mind was forever busying it.
SELF with innovations. That charming home
Tor retired actors that bears his name on
the banks of the Delaware was at first
something entirely new in charities Resi-
dehce in the institution was an honor II
carried no sting. A novelty in American
literary patronage was his system of fos.
terlng the native drama through prize com.
peutlons' The not unworthy footlight prod.
ucts of Richard Penn Smith, DR.. Robert
montgomery Bird and Robert T. Conrad re.
main testimony of the usefulness of this
endeavor
when 1t came, however to reyolutlonzins
the physical aspects of city gardens. For.
rest tailed. We are quite accustomed now
70 low stone copings or iron railings OF
open construction that fail to bar the vision
oi passers-by. England, with her great
walled-in estates, still marvels at this man
hesitation OF liberty. and SO did Philadel-
phia In 1855. In that year Edwin Forrest
purchased the handsome brownstone man
sion at the southwest corner of Broad and
MASTER streets. The fine house. by the
way is standing today and Is used by the
pennsylvania School of Design. The great
actor not only wanted q lawn for his resi-
dence He coveted city vegetable garden
as well, and when this was laid out, citi'
zens were startled to behold It bounded by
an open iron grating instead Of the con-
vetional and forbidding masonry barrier.
But the time had not yet caught up Win
the ilustrious tragedian's generosity With
In few months the too-modern railing as.
appeared. and up went high stone wan
along the Broad street frontage.
FORESTS friends asked him why he nad
finally surrendered. He laughed and an
swered: "One day was In the garden, nav
ing on an old hat and light linen coat
which extended almost down to my feet
working away with my back to the stres-
heard a sort of murmur; paid no attsn as
ton to 1t. however. when suddenly snirs
boyish voice shouted out, There he
and then another, more manly, exciaimes
1t Is Richeleu.' turned suddenly aroups.
ana to my utter astonishment saw the wno~..
length Of the iron railing lined with gapl,
crowd, some shouting Macbeth, Rolla
ard, and the devil knows what; nnq
rushed into the house the sounds to
scis *ae5 ~ = ~ F>e(Qa TaY
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-16
What Do You Know?


]. What railroad. without employing a cogwheel
system, attains an altitude nearly as high
as the summit Of Mont Blanc?
Of the Pope?
.. What is the second city In Portugal?
=. Who is the head Of the new Japanese mis-
sion to the United Statesc
o. What is the incoming and application Of the
term nom de guerre"?
@. What is a pantheon?
'aft"? " '' '""'''"' 'of"
imperial? " 0 A''i's
U. what was the "Mississippi Bubble:
10. Who was Baron Muenchausen?
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-16

ALL honor to the Pope for his merciful
\ endeavor to stay the processes of
destruction and restore healing peace to
the world. The more honor to him IT,,
from the foundation he has laid, some
means of building a durable structure of
peace can be found. But we who have
dedicated ourselves to one great purpose,
who have offered at the affairs of our
faith the treasure won by generations of
effort on new continent, who are giving
our young men. even our young women,
to the great cause, we cannot turn back
and eat bread and salt with the insatiate
monster that goaded US into conflict. We
We're patient; now we are determined.
In such a Government as Germany has,
declared the President, 1--WE can never
have friend. In the presence of its
organized power, always lying in wait
to accomplish we know not what DUR
pose. there can be no security for the
democratic Governments of the world. !"
The world is ready to treat with a new
Germany. 1t cannot, will not, treat with
the old one.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-16
A CALL FOR DOG CATCHERs


Sir-Are there no dog catchers in Phila-
delphia? We live in new section con
venient to the navy yard and find some of
the conditions there hardly believable in n
big city. During the winter weeks passed
with no collection of garbage, and now that
the warm weather has set In we are over
burdened with stray animals that bows
leave on the lots close by. am continually
calling for aid from societies, but some 90 :,
We are out Of their district. Others want
me to tie the dogs to the steps. NV little
boy was bitten in the lip by one or The
animals. We have good many childrsn
in this one short block, and in the grass
plot out front it is nothing to see three un.
muzzied dogs among the small children. Not
thought this published in your widely read
paper might bring about the desired result
Mrs. w. L. BOOTH.
Philadelphia, August IL.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-16
BRITAIN REGRETS,
BUT RESOLVES
Faces Long-War Theory With
Mild Case of NERVES"
Americas Help
BY GILBERT VIVIAN sELDES

| Special Correspondence OF tho Evening Ledger
| LONDON. July 81.
NOR the last three nights we have heard
| the guns. an unaccountably shattering
| experience. We are hundred or more
| miles away. but the low rumble that comes
over to us when the city is quiet is terrify-
ing. II robs us of the last illusion Of safety
BY day we go about our usual necessary
tasks and occupy ourselves with small
things to keep out the menace. We are
not really frightened we know that for
a time at least we are safe from attack.
But the guns are getting to us" spirit
ually. our nerves are not all they might
be just at present.
OF the five million civilians living In and
near London very few have seen the front;
tho nearest We have come 10 shellfre has
been during raid, a pale imitation OF the
real thing. But even those of us who have
stood beside twelve-inch guns when they
went Off burst after burst. or have been
within 200 yards Of German she'll when
1t exploded. sense the difference between
those experiences and the illogical feeling
of discomfort which the guns from Belgium
give us. 1t is nothing but very mild
case Of nerves. supcrnduccd by silly fears
of mammoth air raids and by perplexity
which only time can relieve. We do not
know whether Haig or Hindenburg will at
tack first. whether ouI drumfre or his VIII
be the prelude to the creeping barragc ana
the infantry attack. We hope it Will he
1Iaig
This passing state Of nerves which ] can
discover and which every testimony bears
out Is not thing to be afraid Of II II be
My understood. 1t does not mean lack OF
determination nothing of the sort II may
mean dissatisfaction with details, but 1t has
no implications with the great scheme or
pushing on the war 20 a respectable end
In fact If you go a bit below the surface
you will find that II means something De
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-16
Tom Days Column
THE BABY's BREAKFAST

THE BABY'S BREAKFAST
Ny little sister Frances she
Is just little after three
And Smdrty smart as smart can oe'
And such healthy appetite
For such little tiny mite
You ,couldn't think II hardly 'f1ht,
And net some morning " you couid
ObserUe her at her breakfast tood
7 know tEdt II trould do you good
For soon as mother gircs her some
she pats herself upon her tum
And rolls her eyes and says 200 yum 7!
she gets glass OF milk IN bed
Bat icont be quite until she's fed
IVHh breakfast food ana Stud Instead
And often In her piOgics bare
And Just her nighty dozen the stair
she runs and climbs up In her chair.
Then mother scoldS and calls her bad
But can sec that she Is glad
TO trdtch the cunning little tad
For no one crer could be gium
7'hat sd,c her rub her little tnm
And roll her eyes and SAP 100 yumi"
when am old enough some day
To marry and can hare mn tcdD
TH take n,U hHSbdHd's hand and say
"ANhou0h our furniture and stuG
NdU al DC cheap and crcH rough
OHr table must be bia enough
Bcc0u8c I'm Ooing to try TO md
Some ChidrCn Of the proper Kind
and trc'H DC hdppy 1chcn they come
To rub themselves upon the tum
And roll their CycS oad SAP 90 yuml"
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-16

There were Tories hostile to the people
OF the newly declared United States when
they were fighting TO establish their inde-
pendence. The North had its copperheads
when 1t was fighting to keep the Union
whole. And now there are socialists who
declare that the American people should
not fight TO uphold their rights against Tor.
eign aggression, Always thsyo y dlalcwss
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-16

Why fear for the future of our great
and glorious country? We are the melt
ing pot from which raw alien material
energies heroic. Our own dear paper tells
of Joseph Jagobciniskl, a seven-year- r-old
boy who refused to take anesthetic at
the Pennsylvania Hospital and watched
the doctors take fifteen stitches in his
scalp"
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-16

We never quite realized the horror
which the Germans made to fall from
Heaven upon the little children in Lon.
don until we watched our own baby reg.
istering ecstatic appreciation of some lit
tie kindness Of our providing. The young,
unmarried man may be the favored
makings for a soldier, but it will be the
fathers who will beat the Kaiser to his
knees
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-16
America Can Aid Morale

The people are cheered no end by re-
ports of preparations and of actual work :
they are not particularly encouraged by
month-long orations concerning food-con-
trol, although, to be sure, they have had
conversations here on less important sub
jects lasting almost long. | ought to say
that there is no tendency to criticize US
nglishmcn are too acutely conscious Of the
spectacle which its own House OF Commons
makes of itself on selected occasions to cast
aspersions on any other body. But We must
remember that for England and France the
war began with terrible blow and has con-
tinued in a series of Intellectual glorious ac-
tions. We must remember that this coun-
try has no military experience in the sense
that Germany and France have military
experience. And We have to be somewhat
kinder than usual, Tugging at a steel wire
for three years and then discovering that
the wire is growing tight around your neck
isn't good for the nerves.
In one way we can help to keep up the
morale of the citizens. We can set forth
a statement of the things we want to see
when peace is declared. The easiest way is
for the President TO recast his address TO
the Senate--an address to which no demod
racy can take serious exception If 1t be re-
stated as the objects of a war rather than
as the idealistic aims of n neutral The
President has approached the question of
Austrian devoution at times he can clarity
to America, but to our Allies and to Aus
tra And so with the rest Of the war ques-
tions
Because. once that is done, it is very
unlikely that the question of peace negotia-
tions will come up again. There is a time for
all things, and there is a time when there is
no time for peace talk. The pachsts dis
agree but those who are most anxious for
the war to end, and to end with at least a
minimum of advantage TO the world of free
peoples realize that peace talk in any form
except that of confident and determined
nation Is worse than useless 1t is demoral-
izing. The Generalization Is infectious; we
have all caught little of it from Russia
and 1t serves no purpose except that OF our
enemy, whom we cannot demorallze unless
by the sword.
Let our American aims be defined and let
America speak as clearly. as she can her
judgment upon them. Let 1t be frank and
let il be loyal And the civilians here will
give thanks to America as the army and the
navy give thanks already.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-16

We're as hungry Sr peace as the next
and we're sure of the Pope's good inten-
tons: but, thinking and thinking upon
the news from the VATICAN, all we
could get out of it was
VAIN ACT
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-16
NATIONAL POINT OF VIEW

The sentence imposed on seventy-eirht
slackers in Illinois was year and a day
at "hard labor" Now, II the courts will
only gather in the men who persuaded the
slackers to dodge registration and give them
the same cure. the task will he properly
rounded out. Before being anti-American
may never learn to love Uncle Sam. h,,t
ah. how they will acquire respect for him
Toledo Blade.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-16

1T matters not" sang the poet
Henley. "how charged with punishments
the SCROLL" When you really are the
master Of your fate" that may be all
very well. but as regards Germany's des.
tiny, the Allies and America win do the
superintending. and the blackness of the
ssoEell," thersfors. matters : very great
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-16

Why should West Pointers dislike
the term "sammee" because 1t means
molasses In their traditional dialect? Have
they forgotten that molasses sticks and
sticks fast?
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-16
THE PEACE PROPOSAL

THERE Is unquestionably a great long
ing for peace throughout the civilized
world and Pope Benedict has voiced It,
The spread of. radicallsm, which Is also
maneuvering for peace, and the gradual
loosening OF the grip OF authority have
combined to compel consideration by
statesmen az the drift of world thought,
with particular reference to the POSSIBLE
ity of the very ctadels of civilization
being swept away in a maelstrom OF mass
rebellion. It has been apparent, indeed,
for weeks that an uprising of the German
people and seizure of their Government
would automatically bring an armistice
and certain peace by negotiation there
after. The thirst of Russia for Con
stantinople has been revealed as states
mems thirst. unshared by the Russian
people themselves, and the itch for Ger.
many's place in the SUM-" we do not
doubt, was caste itch, held up as the
whole German peoples ambition only by
propaganda and subsidization.
A proposal by the Pope commands the
Immediate attention Of the whole world
There can be no question of the au
thority with which his Holiness speaks
or of the fundamental Importance Of his
proposals. On the other hand, a termina
ton of tha conflict with the Kaiser still
in the saddle with the prestige Of in
vincibiity still enfolding the Teuton le.
gions, with Prussanism still INTACT and
still driven by old ambitions, could not
be durable peace. Temporarily the
world would cease its sacrifice of blood
but the outpouring Of treasure would
continue on a vast scale, since no coun-
try would dare be unprepared again
against German aggression and militar-
Ism would be an established institution
In every nation under the sun.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-16

The similar perpendicularity of a
German helmet spike and that OF Senator
La Follette's upright locks is peculiarly
noticeable nowadays.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-16

AN APPEAL FROM MT. GRETNA
10 the Editor Of the Eventng Ledger:
representing Companies 10, II ana ~ 30
the Motor Ammunition Train: =
- ~ Aone 1ells - ~ QIHv x pxoth-
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-16

Spirited" driving seems to have
had an uncomfortable double meaning in
the case Of that West Virginia man
arrested for having concealed whisky in
his automobile tires.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-16

China breaks" but is not broken.
In fact, she is now mended with the
strong girders of civilization.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-16

It's reputable members seem to
worry Tammany. but our home gang Is
ever unrufiied by such annoyances.
Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-16

The exhaustion OF exemption
blanks is accompanied by that of Uncle
Sans patience with those who still crave
them