The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-07-29

The old adage, "Cherchez la femme"
meaning seek out the woman" was ap-
piled to crimes and malfeasances in
which, generally speaking, there was al
ways a woman at the bottom as under
lying motive
To-day, with the yenomous German
serpent in our midst pretty well scotched,
we need to paraphrase it and seek out
the pro-German" and his propaganda
whenever we are faced with some dis
quieting story, arising from nowhere and
put forward from some unidentified
source.
From mouth to mouth and from hand
to hand these stories fly, and their num-
Der is legion. So assiduous have the
lpropagandists been of late that the gov
eminent has been compelled TO deny GER
tain specific and widely circulated lies,
all apparently emanating from venomous
enemy sources.
There was the story of the boat.load
of Red Cross nurses, invaded" home
because they were about to become
mothers, without the sanction Of the
marriage rite. The government denies
tins story officially and in detail Not
only was there never any such boat load,
but there are practically no such cases,
as anyone familiar with trench and camp
and hospital conditions would be apt to
realize.
| Then there were the miserable stories
about the alleged mortality in negro
regiments, said to be due to the policy
Of the United States generals in putting
the colored men into the fore front OF
battle. This was off the same piece as
the wicked lies circulated in the Province
Of Quebec, alleging that the purpose of
the British government was to "kill Off
all the French Canadians possible and
ill their places with English.speaking
races.
II seems incredible that any reasoning
American should swallow such rubbish
but 1t actually made a considerable dis.
turbanee among the colored people of the
South, and it took repeated assurances
from the negro soldiers themselves
than whom there are none drawer and
better in the American army-to dis.
abuse the minds OF the more ignorant
and prejudiced of the colored race
The nthere were the miserable stories
of discrimination against Catholics and
Jews in Y. NJ. C. A. huts and tents, a
series of carefully planned attempts 10
create racial and religious feeling in the
ranks, all of which were as clearly OF
German origin as though they had been
printed under Berlin date line
Sometimes the stories originate with
Interested contractors, as, for example
the apparently bona fide story about
there being plenty of yarn-made goods
on hand and in sight to supply Red
Cross needs, when, as a matter Of fact
the local chapters are speeding up under
pressure to supply the inevitable needs
of winter.
OF the same character, but more repre-
hensible, were the wicked lies of de
bauehery and disease among our troops
in France, stories which. unfortunately
were circulated in circles and from
sources which made them all the more
deadly and damaging.
There are certain amount Of scare
head stories which arise from idle AND
thoughtless gossip and surmise, some
times founded on incautious letters Oh
verbal communications, but these are al
most negligible as compared with the de
liberately circulated lies which are told
TO timid women or credulous men in 8
whisper, with the prefix; "Mrs. X heard
this from Mrs. Y, who saw the nurs,
Tor soldier or sailor or refugeel and it's
a fact, etc"
The thing to do is to nail such storie:
at the beginning by going directly t.
Mrs. X. and getting her authority fol
the story, then tracing it to Mrs Y. ant
finally into the true source, which will
either be found to be nothing or in SOM
significant individual who may need tn,
attention of the department Of justice.
But don't pass on the stories uncontra
deted. Tell your informant that YOU
don't believe it, then get after the source
It's your patriotic duty Rutland Her
aid.