davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20
THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

"O-MORROW afternoon school
will let out with a rush and a
shout for the holiday season.
Il has been some" week. Ask any
teacher if that is not so. For child
hood recks little of war and the grim
figure of the Kaiser is dwarfed to
smallboy size and lost entirely to
sight behind the colossal presence
Of the beneficent Santa Claus. And
this is quite as it should be, the
Kaiser having murdered some thou
sands of children, while dear cid
Santa has wrought his magic spell
and blest the Christmas days OF mill
lions. Which is why Santa Claus
will be making his endless rounds,
cheerful, cherubic and smiling, CEN
turies after the imperial Wilhelm,
like Caesar, dead and turned to clay,
will stop a crack to keep the wind
away"
The spirit of Christmas is the spirit
of childhood, and so when Christ
mas combines with the boys and
girls in a conspiracy against school
discipline the wise teacher bows to
the inevitable, turns the pages
of the singing book to Jolly
Old st. Nicholas, Bend Your
Ear This Way" lets the younger
pupils recite THE Night Before
Christmas" and enters upon a season
of Christmas trees and excitement
that winds up Friday afternoon be-
fore the great holiday in a very orgy
of holiday celebration.
It's hard on cold -blooded school
efficiency, but it's great sport and
he were a hard-hearted Old Scrooge
indeed who would have it otherwise
| Looking back over the years. there is
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20
The Man For the Job

to q divisional training camp in
Kansas. For some reason or other,
the administration has insisted, all
along, in sidetracking General Wood,
First, by removing him as chief of
staff and sending him to Governors S
Island; next by giving him his choice
of positions at Manila, Honolulu or
Cbarleston-with the result that he
took Charleston-and then, while
he was doing such wonderful work
whipping the South into shape for
war, suddenly shifting him to post
out west
Many were the explanations Of
fered, at the time, for these pro
motions for General Wood; but the
trouble with all of them was, they
attributed motives to the administra-
| ton which the administration. itself,
never for a moment entertained. In
other words, the "move-on" orders
handed to General Wood were not,
necessarily, intended as a recogni-
ton of his superior ability and eX-
perience as an organizer-not II the
administration knew itself.
On the contrary, it is an open Sc
cret that when General Wood-testl-
fying in his usual frank way before
a committee from Congress-made
bold to say that what the War De-
partment most needed was to be
! sand d-bagged," he started something
that someone else in the War De-
partment, felt called upon to hnlsh
/ And, even though the sand-bag
was not used on General Wood, the
means adopted appear to have peen
quite as effective.
The result of all of which is. the
! Nation has lost the best service oil
! cne of it's best soldiers; the one ran
! in fact, who had a sufficient grasp OF
! the situation and energy and finish
| that goes with ito get this coun-
! try ready for war in about half tEe
| tlme that will be required by those
who needed to be sand -bagged.
The administration could do ne
| bigger thing, right now, than TO re-
| call this great American soldier tc
| Washington and make him CHER ~
staff and turn him loose to cut ou'
! the underbrush and dead timber. II
! it should. by any chance, do such 9
! thing, the country would begin tC
| see a difference at once-and Sc
would Germany. >,
But, frankly, we don't expect 1t
And we don't expect it, because
with General Wood as chief of star
| and Newton d. Baker as secretary
| of war, it would be putting the car
| before the horse, so to speak. Anc
candor compels the further admls
sion that it hasn't been the habit o
! the Washington administration, 81
! far, to surround itself with men o.
! the highest capacity.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20
DEAR MOTHER O. MINE

I am sitting tonight far away from
the place
Where I'm sure there are others see
a beautiful face;
And as l sit here writing line after
7 most hear the voice of dear Mother
o. Mine.
There's many Christmas mas come
and has gone,
Since the first one I saw its bright
ness put on;
But never "a one failed my thoughts
10 entwine
And affections about this dear
Mother o. Mine.
Sometimes there were sorrows that
strewed my path thick,
And sometimes were griefs that
made the heart sick;
But troubles could never so thickly
combine
AS to separate Christmas and dear
Mother o. Mine.
Or might it be joy that was piling
up high
And showing to me a cloudless blue
Yet the sun of delight could never
so shine
As to hide the loved face of dear
Mother o. Mine.
The years have come on and have
then fed away,
And her locks that were dark are
now silvery gray;
But Search through the years and
you'll not find a sign
That she's ever been Tess than dear
~
Her hands are now toil-worn, her
form less erect,
Her features less plump, her step
circumspect,
But YOU can't find another, I care
not how fine,
That begins to compare with dear
Mother o. Mine.
In childhood's distress or in man.
hoods deep need,
To each call for help she quickly
gave heed,
Nor ever was heard her lot TO repine,
| This blessed and sweet dear old
Mother O. Mine.
Yes, Mother, dear Mother, we're
both growing "old,"
And all our life story will soon have
| And Christmas reminds of the Savior
Divine,
who gives life eternal, dear Mother
o. Mine.
| And when we have crossed 20 the
| beautiful shore,
Where partings and troubles car
come never more,
Wen see how "all things worked to-
gether' so fire
For your good" and my good,
dear Mother o. Mine.
B. e. P. PRUGH.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20
NHILL the congressional inquir-
wv les into the conduct of the

"TILL the congressional inquir-
wv les into the conduct of the
war-or, to be more exact, our
preparation for war--result in the
downfall of the Hon. Newton ID.
Baker as secretary of war?
That is the question which, Just
now, has first place in the public
mind: and there are only two an
swers to lt-yes and no.
Those who give the affirmative
answer hold that Mr.. Baker is not
big enough for this job and that the
war cannot proceed as it should
until a more sizaBle" man is put
IL charge.
Those who give the negative an
swer, however, appear to rely, main-
ly upon the well known character
istics of the present occupant of the
White House, to stick to his own
appointees through thick and thin:
particularly where the fight on them
might imply something of a redec'
ton on his own judgment-the Hon.
Josephus Daniels being a conspic-
uous example of a man glued to his
job through the cohesive power OF
opposition.
Whatever may be the outcome of
it all, one thing appears VerM clear.
1t was inevitable that somebody
would be under fire before we had
progressed very far with our part of
the war; and what better target than
the secretaryof war-as was the case
with Secretary Alger, in '9S.
Which brings to mind, by the way
Mr.. Dooley's famous remark, made
at that time to his friend Hennessy
There's n dale of difference" he
said, "betwane being secri'ty of wal
and secri'ty of a war" And so 1T is
as Mr.. Baker is finding out fol
himself.
And it might be added, it is much
easier, of course, to find the mis-
takesfbnade by the secretary of wal
in War times-than it is to avoid
them. In other words, being sec
retary of a war" is much bigger
job than the average man is capable
of handling without making mis-
takes, and many of them however
easy it may be for him to crtticist
mistakes after they are made.
Nevertheless, n fair criticism o.
Mr.. Bakers administration-and one
that covers all of his other mis-
takes as a whole-is, that he, ol
someone, insisted on getting rid o
the one man in the army who coulc
and would have saved him from
many, if not all, If the mistakes tha
have been made; particularly, thu
mistake of "fiddling" with the bust
| ness in hand.
That man, as everyone knows, wa:
Major General Leonard Wood, for
merly chief of staff-now releSate6
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20
MOTHER HERO

He wears no medal on his vest,
No lettered bronze adorns his chest
He makes no grandstand bid foi
fame,
The hero stunt is not his game.
But he has faced the stress of life
And smiled through tears and pair
ard strife.
While war has put him on the skids
He's fed a wife and seven kids
And clothed and housed his growing
brood
And never made a comment rude.
He goes his humble, helpful way
And spends his salary each day.
The war-mad throng won't shout Iii!
name,
But he's a hero just the same.
-Elmira Star Gazette.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20
MUST MAINTAIN TURNPTKEs

NJ HE orders issued by the Public
Service Commission in the COM
plants against three Lancaster
county turnpikes indicate pretty
plainly that the highways on which
toll is charged must be maintained.
There has been a disposition on the
part of turnpike companies. whose
owners realize that the days of the
stop and pay on roads are nearing
an end. to let things slide. Thev
allow ruts and holes and even drains
to go unrepaired. Practically every-
thing is permitted to run down on
some turnpikes. except the toll gates.
The commission has served notice
that so long as toll is taken service
must be rendered. The roadbeds
must be kept safe. the drains main
tanned and other things be fit for
public use. 1t may be years before
the State takes over all of the turn
pixies and the commission seems to
be determined that pending the re-
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20
THE BUDGET

TITY COUNCIL is engaged in the
annual agony of pairing down
the budget Like all surgical
operations, if properly performed the
patient will recover, perhaps little
or none the worse for the eXper-
ence. Indeed the cutting away of a
little surplus here and there may be
where it behooves those who are
welding the knives to be careful.
Among the items are many re-
quests for increases of salaries. These
are difficult days for the salaried
man and none will begrudge the
public servant his pay, but in grant
ing advances here and there Coun-
ell should be careful to go about
the matter in an equitable manner.
1t will not do to keep on and on
raising pay in this or that direction
without giving thought to those
whose salaries have not been ad-
vanced in many years. No private
employer could do that and main
tain an efficient force, and the city
is in precisely the same position.
Councilmen should scan carefully
every salary raiser proposed and so
divide the money available for that
purpose that the deserving shall re-
ceive each his full share and not
appropriate all to a favored few.
There are, also. the departments to
think about. Street cleaning, street
repairs, health, parks-all of these
have been created for the public
good. All have their place in the
city government and all must be
adequately maintained. Everything
told, 1t is a puzzle of no mean pro-
nortions.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20
BOOKS

Books, books,
With golden looks
Hives of rarest honey!
Story-Song,
A friendly. throng-
The world for little money!
Blow, bliZzards, blow!
The hearth's aglow,
No other comfort needing
Than just the light
OF pages bright
Sweet sheltered fireside reading.
With friends o. mine
l sup and dine
The gentle. kind and clever,
And though I'm poor
In worldly store
I'm rich in friends forever!
l.. Stanton in the Atlanta
Constitution.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20
WHAT A CHRISTMAS.

NOME of us are making our
- Christmas preparations with a
~ touch of sadness and a bit OF
homesickness about the heart. For
home is not really home with loved
ones off in the training camps and
vacant places at the holiday feast
But we keep on smiling, and re-
membering, and looking forward
hopefully and joyously toward an
other Christmas. For what a Christ
mas that will be when the boys come
home! What a Christmas. when al
last there really is peace again or
earth! 1t is something to live for.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20

a halo of mellow memory about the
bit of spruce on a school room desk
that is treasure, indeed. TO him
who holds it in his heart as green
and lovely as the day 1t bloomed
gaudily in it's dress of homemade
trimming from its anchorage in an
erstwhile inkwell. And there is Joy
in the recollections of the old school
treats" that thoughts of more pre-
tentious gifts of later years cannot
mar. The riches of childhood are
not measured In dollars and cents
and all the lessons are not learned
from letters. So let the fun be fast
and furious on the final day. Out
upon stupid textbooks. Let Santa
reign supremei
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20
WELL KNOWN PEOPLE

DR.. Wilmer Krusen, Philadel-
phia director of health, who seized
coal for u Philadelphia charitable in
stitution, says he would do it again
if occasion arose.
R. S. Taylor, prominent resident
CT Bethlehem, will take charge OF
the antisedition campaign in North
ampton.
d. W. Kuhn, Pittsburgh coal
administrator, asks heads of estab-
lishments to lend him trucks on
Sunday to move coal from mines.
-Cass Morgan is the new mercan-
tile appraiser of Lackawanna. He
lives in Scranton.
Major Russell Beall, General
Pershing's adjutant, is native of
Uniontown.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20
LOCAL PRIDE

Let bards blurb of Elysian Fields or
Terra del Fuego.
Both may be fair. 1 do not care,
They're too far from Wamego,
There is, indeed, no place like home,
as Payne said in his stanzas,
None to compare, so good, so fair, as
dear Wamego, Kansas.
Kansas City Star.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20

dumb, holding our breath for what
may happen. We are not coddling
them, nor sending them boxes from
home. They can live on war rations
They always have done it on less
And we reckon they will do their
duty when the time comes, because
they are accustomed to performing
hard duties with sublimely uncon-
scious dignity.-Corra Harris in the
New York Independent.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20
Learn How to Stoke Furnace

From the Mothers Magazine.1s
Learn to fire your furnace or stove
economically. If you don't know just
what to do with the drafts, or the
best way to fire with the various
kinds of fuel. write to the manufac-
turer, giving tho name. date of manu-
facture. and style number; he will
send you the desired information.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20
TO DOUBLE THE ADVERTISING SPACE

CORDoN CILEY advertising of the Philadelphia
advertising
conditions educate people the
establish the still
public service institution The WanamaSer
with the virus of tmidiy
ignore Publisher.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20
Over tie 1oh
tN PeNNo.
BY BRIGGS

One advantage a talking machine
you can shut it off or change the
record.
Must be some good in the coal
barons. We read: Following their
usual custom the Keystone Coal and
Coke Company, Jamison Coal Com
pany and the II. c. Frick Coke Com
pany and perhaps several other big
Westmoreland county corporations
will distribute tons of candies, Or
anges, bananas, popcorn balls and
other sweetmeats at their stores and
mining plants this Christmas or the
day before. Every child as well as
the parents will be given Christmas
treats"
The lovely town of Ardmore, Pa,
has been substantially put on the
map lately by q movie fan" dog,
named Fritz. He is owned by Mrs.
]. w. MacReynolds who takes him
to the films every night. Friends of
the owner say it is the "cutest thing
how Fritz pays close attention to a
Mary Pickford reel and how he
means sadly when a -- - is
shown"
The hot denial of Austrian news
papers that Austria is not a vassal
of Germany certainly recalls the cid
ballad:
There was a young lady from Niger
Who smiled as she rode on a tiger;
They returned from the ride
With the lady inside,
And the smile on the face of the
tiger"
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20
THURSDAY. DECEMBER 90, 1917

Hurry and Cunning are the tlCo
apprentice of Despatch and of Skill,
but neither of them eUer learn their
masters trdde.-CoLToN.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20
LABOR NOTES

Since the war began the employ
ment of women in the British metal
industries has increased S4 per cent
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20

moval of the gates the travel
ing public shall get smooth and rafe
riding at least for its money
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20

Missouri, Kansas and Texas Rail
road has raised wages of it's feder'
ated shop employees l h cents ar
hour.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20
DO YOU KNOW

That Harrisburg people are
furnishing considerable material
to make soldiers comfortable
over the holidays in the big
camps?
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20

OF the 100000 women and girls
employed in the district of Birming-
ham, Eng, $4,000 are organized.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20
OUR DAILY LAUGH
HORRIBLE.

1st Nficrobe-
What's wrong
with you?
End Microbe
Il had a hor-
rible dream! I
dreamed I fell
into a can of
entiseptic solu-
toni
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20

On some of the street railways in
Great Britain half the cars are be-
ing operated by women.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20
HISTORIC HARRISBURG

Peter Barbezon, a French trader,
is said to have had trading post
at Lochiel before Harris came this
way.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20

Frisco Cement Finishers' Union
has negotiated new agreement
which includes wage increases.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20

These are the days of conserva-
ton even in Christmas greetings. A
rather nicely printed paper bag was
received here today from Virginia
city, conveying best wishes for a
Merry Christmas. 1t was just an
ordinary paper bag such as you re-
ceive when you buy peanuts.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20

Published evenings except Sunday by
THE TELEGRAPH PRINTING CO,
Telegraph Building, Federal Square.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20

Dr. Charles T. Aiken, chairman of
the commission to select a site for
the new State Insane Hospital, says
that his commission is now ready
to receive invitation to view sites,
but is not anxious for midwinter
trips. The commission wants to Sc
cure a site which will be ample and
healthful and wants suggestions.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20

More than 100000 girls are en-
gagged in cutting moss in England,
where, after being dried, it is used
for fuel.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20

road has raised wages oil ltS Ieuef-
ated shop employees l 1a cents an
hour.
On some of the street railways in
Great Britain half the cars are be-
ing operated by women.
Frisco Cement Finishers' Union
has negotiated new agreement
which includes wage increases.
More than 100000 girls are en-
gagged in cutting moss in England,
where, after being dried, it is used
for fuel.
Buffalo. n. Y, has raised wages
20 per cent for city laborers, ny
drant men, repair men and foremen,
Munition makers in this country
say they can operate their plants
successfully with 70 per cent OF wo-
men as employees.
An American army of 100000
men will require the output OF A.
100000 men, working in factory
field and foundry.
OF the international organizations
in Canada the Brotherhood of Rail
road Trainmen heads the list with
a reported membership of 1864.
The harvesting of the Canadian
crops was done mainly by women
and girls.
Drug clerks in Kansas City, Mo.
are organizing to reduce their 80 ant
95-hour work week.
Mason City( Iowa. carpenters will
get the eight-hour day on January l
1918.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20

Ell. .sTACKPoLE.P Prest s. EditOr-in. Chief
r. r. OYSTER. Business Mdndger.
GUS NJ. STEINiETZ. Mdrdging Editor.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20

1--WE have had more snow and
real cold weather up in Erie than we
have ever known in the month of
December" said EX-Auditor General
A. E. Sisson while on a visit to the
Capitol yesterday. This has been
a busy year along the lake." said the
general, but we are having winter
of the old-fashioned kind
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20

Buffalo, n. Y, has raised wages
20 per cent for city laborers, ny
drant men, repair men and foremen.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20

Munition makers in this country
say they can operate their plants
successfully with 20 per cent of wo-
men as employees.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-20

An American army of 1000, 600
men will require the output of A.
100000 men, working in factory,
field and foundry.
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1917-10-25
SCHOOL PARApE.

A fine parade was given this
morning by the scholars and
teachers of the four schools of
our city. Promptly at fl O'clock,
bugler sounded the call and
with many banners on which
were inscribed Help Our Boys,
Down With, the KAISER Lib
erty and Democracy buy
Liberty Bond, eco or Send,' and
many others were carried down
Erie street, followed by a flot in
which were two Rcd Cross nurses.
a sailor boy representing the
navy-Floyd Dickman of Great
Lakes training station-and
soldier. Beside the float marched
the Boy Scouts, with Rev. David
L. Miller and the scholars and
teachers carrying flags, and kim
dergarlen boys wooden guns.
After a march down Erie street
and back they all assembled at
the corner OF Fourth and Erie.
where they gave the school yelIs
and sang several patriotic songs.
Prof. j. r. Culver, dressed as
Uncle Sam. gave rousing pa
triotic talk, urging the citizens
to buy Liberty Bonds and help in
every manner possible to end the
war.
The demonstration given by the
schools was only thought of yes
terday and consequently had not
been advertised very-much or "a
larger crowd would have been out
AS 1t was 1T was success.
Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1917-10-25

Ray Carpenter has accepted the
position as collector and meter
reader at the electric light office
TO fill the vacancy made by the
RESIGNATION OF Arthur O'Connor.
Mrs. Is. IL. Mc(iavren enter
tanned al dinner today the A. n.
Brown family.
Bryan Butcher from Carroll is
here for Il few days visit with his
mother and family.
Leroy, the six-wceks-old son
of MIR. and Mrs. John Folding.
who live i'm Willow Park. passed
away yesterday following a short
illness. The funeral will be held
at the home al 9 O'Clock i'm the
morning, Rev. Edgar Price of the
Christian church officiating. The
body will be shipped to Castana
for burial.
MIR. and Mrs. T.. G.. Hull from
Boone were the guests between
trains today of Miss Gladys
Wheeler.
w. A. Spomcr of Mondamin,
Hugh Couthard and w. a. Smith
were among the crowd attending
the Shriners meeting last evening
in The Bluffs.