The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1918-10-25

will be paralyzed. That
looks like big order but it is not
when you come to analyze it. The
pity Is that women will repeat so much
OF the senseless .rumor that is going
the rounds. IL the women of this
country will inoculate the peddler of
German propaganda with the "serum
of silence" they will bring victory very
near, for the big battle of this war is
for public opinion right here on this
side of the ocean. Turn from the
knocker and the propagandist in 81
renee, turn as you would from the
snake in the grass or the swapping
dog. But turn in silence for then the
enemy will know you mean business.
The potato bug is a great success
until you separate it from the leaf the
electric light bulb is a great success
until you turn off the current; the
prairie fire is great success until it
hits the back fired strip and has moth
ing to feed upon. So with German
propaganda, it is a great success as
long as you listen to it. Why cannot
this supposed wonder of women keep
Ing silent be brought about? Twenty
years ago the Wright Brothers were
considered insane; today I can see
from my office the airplane mail start
for Philadelphia, New York and Bos-
ton and the worlds greatest war
hinges upon the .airplane. Twenty
years ago Mr.. Marconi was unknown
today the business of the worlds war
is conducted by wireless.
Some German Propaganda.
!, German propaganda is constantly
shooting at the war gardeners and all
questions pertaining to food. There
is the old story about the potato pens
and how you can get three or four
bushels by simply planting as many
potatoes in three story boxlike ar
arrangement. The leading potato ex-
perts of the world denounce this. 1t
Is but sample of German propaganda
which hopes to cause big wastage in
potatoes. Then there is the other
yarn that the food administration will
seize all the canned stuff of the house
wife and all her hard work will go for
naught. This is lie but the national
war garden commission used to get a
hundred letters a. week asking about
this. Constant publicity, thanks to
the magazines and the newspapers.
has nailed this story.
There is the one about the soldier
telling his parents he had two legs
cut off in battle at the front. Mrs.
Blank hears it from Mrs. Blank up
the street. Johnny had got the word
to them by writing it under stamp
In the first place there are no stamps
on soldiers letters. The campaign of
letter-writing to newspapers is favor
lite form of German propaganda, but
the editors do not "fall' for this and
the patriots" might better save their
stamps and stop cluttering up the
mails.
The war gardeners of the United
States have certainly shown they
mean business. The war gardens are
the finest offsets to German propa-
ganda know Of, for the garden makes
no noise, but goes right on about its
business. 1t is this point I want to
bring home-the terrible power of ST.
lence if applied to German propagan-
da. This war is battle of publicity.
The 1unker has prepared the German
mind for this war for forty years and
only as long as he can control the Ger
man state of mind can he continue
this war. When the German helmet
and then the German skull is pene-
trated with the X-ray of civilization,
Kept alive by the white hot flame from