South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-06-28
All Fools Sleep Well
BY Hapsburg LiCbe
Of the Nigilantes.

At bedtime Of one evening in
March of this year, when the great
German offensive was on in full
force. my telephone rang. an
swered the call; il was a friend OF
mine who had rung Il under
stand" said he, that the German
crown prince and 100000 men have
just been captured by the British"
All fools sleep we'll 1 slept well
that night, / can tell you that But
on the very next day / learned that
the welcome tidings OF the evening
before we're merely a phase of the
everlasting German propaganda.
and | was sorely disappointed. The
rumOr was universal, in this section
at least, and many others too were
disappointed sorely. This, of course,
was the object of that rumor and
thousands of others made in Ger
many-to disappoint: il is but one
drop OF the water that wears upon
a stone, but II is drop. II I had
not been fool enough TO believe it
without its being authenticated. |
would not have been disappointed
A'hA 4 AAiAAAN am NnA GU AApNH " AANAA
at last news comes that Germany is
beaten, it will be hard to persuade
me 10 believe il.
In great many instances. uncon-
nrmed newspaper reports are moth
ing more than very clever German
opaganda-rumors, which are not
necessarily any fault Of the news
papers. mind you. Take all such
with about 10 grains or salt. 1t may
not be clear 10 the average man.
and sometimes not even 10 the
shrewdest Of diplomatic agents, just
what gain Germany is 10 derive
from these little reports: but there
is an advantage somewhere, Of that
YOU may be sure. Usually. ! dare
say, they are boosters for other ru-'
mOrs. Germany fights in many ways
other than making murderously mad
drives in dense formation, and bomb
graveyards.
Last summer, when the house
wives of the country-bless 'em,
every one,-were doing their utmost
at saving fruits and vegetables by
cannins and drying. there came
along a rumor that the government
meant TO seize all this. We tried
20 trace this heinous thing 20 its
source. and failed; il was probably
given out a thousand or two miles
from here, and there is no doubt
that it was born in Berlin. Also,
last summer there was widely
spread rumor that the government
meant 10 seize all money in banks,
and few of the people were so
foolish as 10 believe It and hide
their money under the floor
You are going TO hear all kinds
Of things in the future. Among them
will be rumors that transports load
ed with soldiers have been sunk and
that washington IS not giving II Il
the papers You viii hear that
American casualty lists are being
published a hundred times smaller
than they really are. on will hear
that all manner Of disaster has be-
fallen our army and navy. Then,
too. YOU will hear almost anything
that will delight yOu-for when you
learn the truth concerning this lat
Ter. YOU will be disappointed. 4
great deal Of rumor is now due con-
corning Russia and Mexico espe-
c.ally.
Believe nothing OF all this Ger
man propa ganda' Believe nothing
that is rot duly authenticated, and
wins at Yourself when you read un-
confirmed reports in the newspapers
which. remember. are no newspa-
per's fault Play safe. IL is going
10 be a long war, and that chiefly
because OF coming difficulty owing
10 the hand OF Germany in Russia
and -cry probably in Mexico; but
the entente allies are going 10 win
in the end-and YOU can paste that
in your hat