Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-23

still to endure. But have you heard of
anybody doing anything about these be-
nighted parts of the country? You have
not. Well. it's always the case in August
and so there's nothing more to be said
about that. Down by the sad sea waves
the girls are bathing and some few men
who have not yet been called" and who
have a few days to use up for holidays
bathe with them. and at Cape May there's
pretty nearly always something doing,
even If it's only steamed crab supper
or movies. There's a constant turmoil of
suppressed excitement there too. What
, with submarines carrying their ne
farious work and chasers and seaplanes
and patrols going after them, Cape Mays
quite busy little place and no mistake
The bathing is. as usual simply splendid,
and the girls there really do go in the
water and have great time swimming
about. But it seems to me one can't really
enjoy anything thoroughly any more.
Does it strike you that way? For two or
all along the coast, so that even if you did
swim YOU kept pretty close to shore. Now
it's submarines. Then there's the knowl.
edge that over there" the boys. who are
so dear to so many even If they not
our very own, are daily facing death or
dreadful wounds or Imprisonment at the
hands Of the Germans who hate them as
much as they hate the English. You can't
be awfully happy about things and vet be
unselish. can you? And yet, you can keep
your peace Of mind and you must raise
yourself above being unhappy because of
the worlds sorrows, for we know that
overmuch sorrow is too great for any
one. And besides, we have to carry on
here as much as the boys have to carry
on there. And it must never be said of
tho American women that we have not
been as brave and as full OF endurance
as our tired but brave sisters in Belgium,
England, France, Italy, Serbia and the
other countries Of Europe. and Asia. too,
for that matter. for the English women
followed their troops into Mesopotamia to
nurse and aid the wounded and suffering
Good gracious, Nancy, how you do run
on You started talking about the bath
ing at Cape May and the submarines, and
then the first thing you know you're on
the war and carrying on That's Just
1t. These days you can start on any sub
Ject you please, but you end up on the
war. Because it's the great vital thing
that fills your thoughts, and you can't welr
get away from it, cap you?
Well. anyhow, we're winning, and so
that's one thing we can be glad about.
WONDER if women will ever learn not
to believe all they hear and. above all
not to repeat it? That's pretty hard on
your own sex. Nancy. Yes, it Isl but in
the majority of cases I'm afraid it's true
Especially in these wartmes. We are too
inclined to believe all we hear. That tale
that went around West Philadelphia bv
word of mouth about the Germans cutting
out the prisoners tongues reminds me Of
tale I heard several days ago.
And the way the woman who was told
the tale handled it should be a lessor to
many. She was called to the phone for
nice little gossip fest and the girl at the
other end, after a few prelminares, re-
marked: Didn't you feel sorry for Mr.
and Mrs. j and Frank when the news
OF Jamess death in battle came? They
were awfully brave" she continued "aw.
fully brave. and Mr.. j said: It's all
right. I'm proud to have him giveS his
life for his country Poor man." size
added. but of course he could not keep
that up all the time, and don't tell this,
because he would not want any one to
know he had weakened but I saw Kim
walking along the road two days later
and he did not know any one was neaY,
and he was wrnging his hands and crying
and sobbing. It's an awful thing to hear
man sob isn't t?" she added realisti-
cally.
Well, her listener kept perfectly quiet
until she had finished and then remarked
. ''Yes, it's very sad; but you see Mr. j
has been dead for some four years, and it
does not sound like him anyhow"
That girl happened to know and nailed
the ridiculous story at the beginning
Why, oh why, do we not have more
4 common sense and stop the spreading of
tales that do not help any one? On the
contrary, they simply waste our valuable
time.
VOU remember, Of course, that weather
two weeks ago? I think you heard
your friend Nancy say some few more or
less words about it, Well, you should have
heard the words that certain suburbanite
said after a merry little experience he
had. He was out home on his vacation
but he found an errand in town so he
could take short ride in the car with
young son. who was very cross and hot
30 they started and was tickled tc
death, and Of course that peases Dad q
lot. They went along at good speed
and We're almost cool, when all at once