The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-03-16
The Old Lady Talks
On Poison Gas
(By Edith Barnard Delano, of The
Vigilantes.)

station for the nine o'clock train to
town; the trolleys were showed up,
and it was Saturday, so the station
was crowded; of course everybody
knew everybody else.
Mr.. Cyrus Adams was talking, and
he had the kind of voice that pierces
other sounds. What | say is that
things oughter be better managed"
he was telling group near by-and
the whole station heard him. Look
at the sickness in the camps Look
at the way the men are fed and clo-
thedi Look at what they got to
shoot with. And look at Washing
ton-why, everybody down there in
Washington, they tell me, is just
spinning round in circles, not getting
a thing done, not thing"
The Old Lady drew near Morn
ing, Cyrus" said she. I'm interes-
ted in what you're saying, because
I've got a grandson that's being fed
and clothed and so on, and l
wouldn't like to think he wasn't get
ting the right treatment. l want
you should tell me just which hospit-
ais are too crowded and what the
boys ought to get to eat and wear
IhoI lllcS uOu get, DeCduSe lHluh
| can do something about it, l amt
afraid O. speaking my mind, and I've
known cur Senator since he and my
William used to rob my cookie jar
together and both get spanked for
it. So if you'll give me the exact
facts about what you're describing,
Cyrus, I'll set down soon's get
home and write the Senator a letter
he won't. Just give me your
authority for what you said, too, will
you, Cyrus?"
Why. nobody needs more facts
and authority than what the news
papers are telling us and what ev-
erybody knows" said Cyrus.
Which newspaper, Cyrus? And
what was the name of the person
that told YOU
Well l can't tell just which pa
per, and | can't give you the name of
the person who told me in conf
dence; but everybody knows"
Who is everybody in this case?"
why, just everybody-you know
how things get around, Mis- Wat
kins. News travels fast, especially
bad news, and 1 guess there's plenty
CT that, these days"
Why yes, l guess there is" the
Old Lady agreed. And the worst
I've heard suppose you've heard
il, too-is about that new weapon
the Germans have set loose right
here i'll our own country. You have
heard about it, haven't you, Cyrus?
They're pretty smart, those Germans,
but they've outdone themselves in
this new weapon. You wouldn't
think that they could be smarter
than all us folks here in the United
States, now would you? Wouldn't
think they could let loose a German
weapon right here among US, now
would your"
Il would not" said Cyrus. Il de-
ny it"
Why, you just been using 1t your
self, Cyrus. Funny you didn't know
it. Just shows how soon we get
used to things, and how much We'll
put up with before we get mad.
Why along III the first part of the
war when the Germans first let it
loose on the fighting men, the whole
world just turned sick over it-said
it was the meanest, dirtiest, cruelest
weapon the devil ever invented. But
now-why, even folks we know use
it, and we don't seem to do much
about it,
Mr.. Cyrus Adams face was red.
Il must say l don't know what you
are talking about, ma am, but"
I'm talking about poison gas.
Cyrus" the Old Lady said; and her
eyes were swapping. when you or
anybody else talks the way you been
talking, Cyrus Adams, you or they
are using the Germans own pet
weapon. the nastiest and the mean
est even they have been able to in
vent-poison gas! Something that
smells bad, something that kills you
the way we here in America are on
ly willing to kill rats, with poison;
something that works best in the
dark, Cyrus! Poison-and gas; not
nice words, either of 'em, but nicer
than the things they stand for"
Il suppose you mean because 1
criticized things, Mis- Watkins, said
Mr.. Adams, his face very red, but his
head up. Now let me tell you, this
is a free country, every man his own
master, and every man entitled to
free speech. It's what the founda-
lions of this country are made of,
free speech"
The Old Lady laughed. Land,
yes. And thank goodness for it. l
dunno how I'd get along if it wasn't.
But it's one thing, Cyrus, to tell peo-
pie out and out where they're wrong
and how they're wrong; one thing to
tell 'em you don't like the way
they're doing things and think you
see a better way; and it's another
thing to throw out hints you can't
substantiate, or say somebody told
you this or that and it must be true
to throw out accusations and poi
sonous hints you don't dare say
aloud. Why, you never know what
harm you're doing, nor how you're
helping the Germans, using their
own favorite weapon! l remember
how, years ago twas, Miss Ann
Wilks, dear soul, when she wanted
to prove to somebody that married
folks could live happy together if
they wanted to, asked the person
she's talking with whether they'd
ever had any reason to suspect that
me and my John didn't get on toge-
Their. Well, sometime after that the
minister called, and said he'd heard
how l was suing John for a divorce,
and he hoped we'd reconsider it and
try to continue to live together for
the children's sakes,"
"Oh, well, but /"
Don't dodge, Cyrus. Good, hon
est criticism is like a railroad train
it gets you somewhere; the kind
of talk you were talking isn't free
speech nor even real criticism; it's
poison gas, sneaking into peoples
minds to discourage them and trou
BILE them and then make them sick of
the war the Germans are already sick
of. It's poison gas. But land, here
comes the train, Won't you sit with
me, Cyrus, SOS we can talk on the
way to town."
Thanks" said Cyrus. Il got to
meet a man in the smoker"