Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-05-20
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1t would be making a very inter
esting record for the future for some
one to take photographs of the
streets and buildings of Harrisburg
this year. We all know how inter-
ested we are in seeing pictures of
what the states capital looked like
during the Civil War and photo
graphs of our city during the Span
ish War now attract attention. Boys
and girls who were kicking up theia
heels in baby carriages when Dewey
sailed into Manila Bay and Cervera
sailed out of Santiago Bay will be
shouldering guns or taking up Bee
Cross work very soon. Time files
and Harrisburg has changed much
in the last few years. So it will be
very interesting thing some thirty
years hence to see some pictures of
the way this town set out to help win
| the war. The men and women who
\ recall the days of the Civil War say
| there was much stir and much doing, =
but the use of advertising was some
thing that did not occur to the folks
in charge of affairs then. All prece-
dent was shattered when the state
put up billboards in Capitol Park to
call upon the people to buy Liberty
| Bonds and while Uncle Sam has been
rather active in recruiting advertise
ments the big sign on the hitherto
sacrosanct lawn of the Federal
Building is an object which will be of
more than passing interest in 1896.
And when such staid institutions as
the Dauphin Deposit Bank blossom
out with Food viii Win the War"
| signs and plaster pillars with War
| Savings ads and the Harrisburg Ma
tional puts placards in it's windows it
| is matter of local record. Similarly
| the sight of our churches flying ma
tional flags and service flags will be
something to cherish in the years to
| come and the sight of the Pennsyl-
vania railroad yards fiuttering with
flags, from end to end and every mill
| building sporting an emblem of unity
| is something wo do not want to for
| get and which we would like those
| coming on after us to know about.
We hung our banners on the walls in
1898, but now we are displaying flags
everywhere and as for signs they are
making their calls now where such
things would never have been toler-
ated a minute in times of peaceful
| business. And so, too, is the most
commendaIble spirit of business firms
in giving up windows to displays that
Will awaken patriotism and in con-
tributing for advertising space in
| newspapers to summon for national
service. Pictures and papers of 1918
will be worth while in two decades
more, although in the swift rush OF
things we scarcely realize it now.
In the language of one of the
city's veteran policemen, It's going
to take the automobile owners to
keep the automobiles off the streets
/ 70 m
bring about an improvement in a
condition which at times was fraught
with danger on Saturday. This city
has had so many parades, during
and since the days of Tom" Moran
that one would have thought that
owners of cars would have kept away
from the route of the procession or
at least refrained from traversing
streets in which formations were be-
ing made. But the truth is that
Notwithstanding the fact that the
paraders on Saturday were women,
the vast majority of them never in
parade in their lives before; that
the day was hot and that the task
of organizing and starting a process
sion of that character was fraught
with hard work, Front street and the
side streets where the parade was to
form were literally overrun with
| automobiles, some of whose drivers
resented requests for them to slow
up. AS for keeping clear of cars the
streets over which the parade was
to march clear for the paraders and
for the thousands of people who
were eager to see the procession and
to contribute to the patriotic spirit
of the day it was next to impossible.
On some highways women marchers
had to thread their way through cars
to get places in line and to make
detours in streets given to the line.
1t was ungallant, to say the least.
One of the reasons for the conges-
ton of cars along the parade and
for the interference in the forming
EDeriod was explained by an automo-
Bile owner to-day as due to lack of
( system Last week when the Blue
Devils were here Captain Thompson
said that automobiles would not be
permitted in streets where the pa
rade was to pass, but the police let
them stay" said this man. And
there were not enough policemen
along the route of the preliminary
marching to turn people off, chlmed
in another. IF the police depart
ment had detailed enough men or
given people in charge of the parade
authority to designate men to pro-
tect the formation area some OF the
narrow escapes on Saturday you'd
not have occurred. It's unfair 10
lump the motorist when there is no
one to flag him."
|
The military depots being estao-
| lished in the vicinity of Harrisburg
are commencing to loom up as sun
| day attractions and weekly there are
hundreds of automobile parties TO
visit the construction. Unfortunately,
the road conditions are not What
they will be after the state and Uncle
Sam get their heads together. The
permanent character of the buildings
is what attracts much attention.
MANY men here for the weekend and
| between trains have been going to
see the plants, although a pretty
| close watch on anyone getting near
the establishments is maintained.