davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-04-24
GREAT WRITERS NEAR DUEL
Tolstoy and Turgenev in Fierce Dis
pute That Might Have Led to
Deadly Encounter.

Tolstoy and Turgenev, famous Rus
sian novelists, were contemporaries
and friends, but on one occasion they
had q serious falling out. AS gathered
from recent biography, this is the
story of their quarrel: The two IA
mouse novelists met at friends house.
Turgenev spoke enthusiastically Of
his young daughters new English gov
erness, mentioning that she required
the child to mend old, ragged clothes
to give to the poor do you consider
that good?' demanded Tolstoy. 81 GER
tainly do" replied Turgenev; "it makes
the charity workers realize everyday
needs" "And / think that a we'll
dressed girl with filthy, malodorous
rags in her hands is acting an ingtncere
farce" commented Tolstey. II ask
you not to say that" exclaimed Tur-
genev, hotly. "Why should 1 not say
what am convinced is true?" retorted
Tolstoy. eff you say that again I will
box your ears !'' Turgenev cried, white
with rage, and rushed from the room.
A duel was narrowly averted. After
ward these famous men became rec
onciled, and on his deathbed Turgenev
wrote an affecting note to Tolstoy, ad-
dressing him as ''the great writer Of
our Russian and."-Outlook.
The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-04-24
Lightning at Sea.

When proper precautions are taken
ships at sea are in no danger of being
destroyed by lightning. OF all the dan
gers that beset the seaman, lightning
is the only one that he can guard
against with perfect thoroughness.
Permanent conductors, properly ar
ranged, offer the most complete pro-
lection from the electric fluid
Before this fact was well under
stood, lightning was a very frequent
cause of damage to shipping. In 1903
to 1915 no fewer than seventy vessels
of the English navy were entirely Grip
pied by being struck. 1t was no un-
common thing for vessels to be set on
fire so completely by lightning as to
defy extinction, with the result that
those on board who were not killed by
the electric discharge in many in
stances probably lost their lives
through being unable to let down the
boats before the fire reached them.
The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-04-24
FIERCE WAR OVER ELEPHANT
for Generation to Secure Poe
session Of the Animal.

Believing that Buddha lived again
In the body Of a white elephant, de-
vastating war was fought In the six
teenth century between Siam and Pegu
for possession Of the unhandsome an
imal. For a generation the struggle
continued, and In It five kings came to
the throne, only to die together with
thousands Of their subjects. A white
elephant Is exceedingly rare, but is SIM
ply an albino and by no means snow
colored. In 1883 Barnum, not from re-
ligious motive, brought one from ST.
am at cost Of 100000.
Frequent mention is made Of ele-
plants in the history Of ancient wars.
The Roman armies fed at their first ap-
pearance in their early conflicts with
the Carthaginian4 but by the use Of
torches soon learned to break up a
charge Of the huge beasts. Alexan-
der encountered them In his conquest
Of Asia.
The elephant looks stupid and his
brain is small for his size, only as
large as a mans, but 1t is highly de-
veloped. and few animals are more in
telligent. They are used as beasts Of
burden in India, where they are regard
ed with supersttious awe by their
drivers.
The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-04-24
"CANNOT MATCH THE BIBLE"
St,ries in Sacred Volume Have Never
Been EquaIed, Yale Pro-
fessor Says.

The bulk Of the people-business
nen, lawyers, doctors and others don't
read the Bible, but writer's universally
recognize 1t as the greatest book, Prof.
William Lyon Phelps of Yale univer-
sity said In recent address.
Being a serious book it is weak in
humor," Professor Phelps said. "But
l think Job intended grim joke when
he said: Would that mine adversary
had written book
"No narrative writer's can match the
style Of the Bibles Old Testament
stories-Hume, GtbbOn, Rose-they are
all inferior. This is the day of the
short-story writer, Kipling, De Maupas-
SAINT, 0. Henry, but their best efforts
fall short of the stories of the Bible.
So it is with it's poetry in the Psalms.
It's wisdom of the Proverbs is just as
'up-to-date as the morning paper and
there is no political economy equal to
the Book of Gospels.
''It is impossible to overestimate the
Bibles influence on English literature.
Bunyan wrote great book because
he was saturated with the Bible, and
1t trickled out when he wrote.
Lincoln knew only two books-the
Bible and Shakespeare, and yet he was
n splendidly educated man. To know
the Bible is to be educated. One Of
the finest metaphors in Keats ode to
a Nightingale is taken directly from
thp Rihlp. sNoaror NV God to Thao,
Is simply a paraphrase of the Bible"
The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-04-24
LESSON WAS TOO REALISTIC
Glass In First-Aid Work Promptly
Proved That "Nerve" Was a Thing
They Lacked.

A doctor of small town Of central
Missouri was instructing class of 80
enthusiastic young women in first
aid work
The lesson for the evening was on
nerve, and he was endeavoring to en-
tighten them as to just what was
meant by nerve" and how it was es-
pecially necessary In the case of acci-
dents.
The instructor continued by saying
distinguished physician had said that
Nerve means you must be cool, you
must be very cool, you must be -
cool"
Just as he finished this explanation,
a scream was heard outside, followed
by several pistol Shots The outer door
into the basement of the town library,
where the class was being held, was
flung open. Two men, struggling to-
gether, their clothes drenched in blood,
rolled down the steps into the room.
There were means from the writhing
forms on the floor, but the class did
not hear them. They had flown, not
only to, the outer door, but to friend
ly shelter across the street.
Nor, when the doctor went across to
them, and explained that the shooting
affray was only sham one between
two college boys, which he was using
to illustrate his lecture, would they re-
turn.
They. had completely lost their
nerve" they explained, and their
nerves were so shaken they must go
home at once, and go they did.
The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-04-24
MUCH EXTRAVAGANCE IN PENS.
But oliver Wendell Holmes ls Said to
Have Written Twelve Million
Words With One.

"For two years." announces one Of
those eccentric persons who make
business Of collecting strange and star
tling facts, "Thackeray did all his writ
ing with one pen, which also served
him for writing two novels. Oliver
Wendell Holmes used gold pen for
more than thirty years, during which
he wrote 100000 words"
That, we may consider, is genuine
pen conservation, and it may be typical
Of a general economy thai was far
more prevalent in the days Of Thack-
cray and Holmes than 1t is today, OBJ
serves q writer in the Providence
Journal. Pens in the last quarter GEN.
tury have come to be rather lightly es-
teemed by most persons who find a
continual use for them. One throws
away an old pen and puts new one
In the penholder with little thought Of
the potential waste. A gold pen, Of
course, is exceptionally durable, as
rule, but the one that performed serv-
ice for Doctor Holmes for more than
thirty years must have been q marvel.
Anyway, it was obviously a far better
one than the one that served Thack-
cray for only two years. His was prob
ably an old-time quill pen, but even
then quill pen that would last
through the writing Of two novels as
extensive as those produced by Thack-
cray must be regarded with profound
respect.
This economy in the use Of writing
utensils seems awe-inspiring today. In
the past ten years we personally have
knocked out two typewriters and have
started on our third and in that time
have probably turned out less than
half the number Of words that Doctor
Holmes produced with his little old
gold pen. And when you come to think
of the comparative values of the words
the reflection becomes positively hu-
initiating.
The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-04-24
EXPLAINS POISONING BY FOOD
Science Has Discarded Theory, Long
Held, That Ptomaines Are the
Cause of Infection.

Poisoning by food is no longer ex-
planned as "ptomaine poisoning" but
in an address to the American Asso-
citation for the Advancement Of Science,
DR.. e. 0. Jordan showed that it is due
either to true bacterial toxins compara-
BILE to those of diphtheria and tetanus
bacilli, or to infection with specific in
fection carried by the food article The
best known example of the toxin-form-
ing microbes is the bacillus botulinus,
which has produced in the United
States % recorded cases Of poisoning,
of which II were In California, while
Great Britain has reported no case.
This type of poisoning is rare, but in
fection with foOd-borne disease bac-
terra seems to occur In great number
Of cases. The bacteria are either pres
ent in the food ITSELF or the food Is
contaminated from human sources.
The chief food-borne infections hith-
erto traced to human contamination
are typhoid fever and the various
paratyphoid infections; but to these
must be added certain infections rare.
ly transmitted by any food except
milk, such as diphtheria, scarlet fever,
and streptococcus sore throat. The
type of infection from food contain
mated at it's source is eXemplified in
the diseases of certain food animals.
The chief infections known to be due
to food infected at it's source are those
mainly meat-borne-caused by the
group of paratyphoid enteritidis bac-
teria, and those resulting from the use
of infected milk The bacterial dis
eases Of plants do not infect man.
The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-04-24
How to Read.

At best the printed words of an au-
thor represent but a poor fraction of
what is In his thought and feeling, of
what he would express If he could.
Therefore, it Is well to follow Ruskin's
advice on reading FOR the thought"
and "get into the habit of looking In
tensely at words and assure yourself
of their meaning syllable by syllable
nay. letter by letter." Not only does
this help you to understand the au-
thOr's meaning by cOmprehending his
words, but the act of concentration
ferti!izes and awakens your own mind
and tends to bring you into such SYM
pathy with the idea expressed, and
with the author, that you are illumined
by far more of the subject than the
printed words alone contain.-William
e. Iowne in Nautilus.
The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-04-24
What They Asked Him.

There is one man in town who Is
tired of hearing the name of small
car of popular make. His name is L.
G. (Baron) Rothschild. 1t all h p
pened like this: On Monday morning
The baron, in his haste to get to the
Jewett Inauguration, as some say, slip
ped on the sidewalk and broke a bone
In his wrist and tore loose two Fga-
nents in his right hand. He has e
seen carrying the hand an
plaster cast. Since then,
the club or on the str(
1uaintances out of ten
question, Were you
name deleted to avoi.
Observation-Disclosures
The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-04-24
Push Button Batteries.

Something new In push-buttons has
been invented by an Eastern man that
bids fair to send the old dry batteries
now in use to ring your front door bell
to the ashcan. 1t is quite simple ar
rangement, and it is strange that no
ore should have thought of such a SIM
pie device. The button itself is con-
nected to rod that is geared to
small dynamo, and when the button is
pushed the dynamo armature rotates
in the field of a permanent magnet,
thereby generating enough electricity
to ring the bell. The whole unit hard
ly takes up more space than the ordi-
nary push button, and does awsv with
the constant expense Of renewing bat
teSes.-From the Electrical Expert
mentNr.
The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-04-24
Nicknames of Cities.

Baltimore, Monumental City; Bos-
ton, Hub, Puritan City and City Of No
tions; Brooklyn, City of Churches ;
Buffalo, Queen City Of the Lakes; Chi
cago, Garden City, Cincinnati, Queen
City; Cleveland, Forest City; Detroit.
City of the Straits; Hannibal, Mo-,
Bluff City; Indianapolis, Railroad City
Keokuk, Ia, Gate City; Louisville,
Fall City; Lowell, Mass, City Of Spin
dies; New Haven, City of Elms; New
Orleans, Crescent City; New York, EN-
pire City; Philadelphia, Quaker City ;
Pittsburgh, Smoky City and Iron City
Portland, Me-, Forest City; Rochester,
N. Y, Flour City; st. Louis, Mound
City; San Francisco, Golden Gate ;
Springfield, ILL.,, Flower City; Wash
ington, City of Magnificent Distances.
The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-04-24

What have we In common to cause
US to rise at the call Of common i'm
pulse and prepare to die for a common
cause7 It would be easy to formulate
the characteristic dreams Of the Rus
sian, the Italian, the Belgian, the
Scotch, the Irish or the Portuguese. 1t
would be possible to catch the gleam of
ldealism which has given to the French
the glorious title of the-Hero Nation"
But none of these would suffice. We
must take q cross section Of all Of
them, and a dozen more, to formulate
the ideals which course In common
through them all after they have been
united into what we call America For
1t is common ideals which have trans
formed the men and women Of all these
races and kindreds and tongues into
our nation, which stands today facing
the grim fact of war, q war to which
no man dare call them in the name of
race, or language, or previous allegi-
ance.
World Citizenship.
The President has placed our inter-
vention In this war upon . plane Of
idealism 70 which every citizen, of
whatever race, may rally without los
ing hold upon the best traditions Of
the land from which his forefathers
have come. It Is not the call of mar
row nationalism, but the call of world
citizenship.
Our entrance into this war is no con-
cession to the accursed gospel Of force
and fraud. We wish nothing for our
selves, but have resolved Ito quote the
oft quoted words Of our President)
that "the world must be made safe for
democracy-and its peace-planned
upon the trusted basis Of political lib
erty." We scorn the idea that might
Is right" but we are willing to take
our part in policing the world against
the madmen who act upon that doc
trine.
"How High Your ldealsf"
History will not ask us or any other
nation, GLOW big was your army1" but
"How high were your idealsT Not
''How vast your navy7" but What was
your devotion to dutyr Not "How
quickly could you mobilizeT but
"What thought have you contr 'buted
toward the betterment Of mankind1"
To those questions Germany can an
swer, II contributed to the world the
idea of representation" for, as Montes-
Quieu tells us, the representative idea
was ''born In the forests Of Germany"
She will have to confess, however, that
she cast 1t out, naked infant, in or
der to make room for the throne of
the great, black idol. military power,
and today America and her allies are
marching in resistless columns, carry
ing that founding back to its home.
The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-04-24
##IJ NITHD sIhTEs EDaD ADh1IryIsT 80

men throughout these United States
has my full sympathy"
Mayor Hincke of Pinckneyville, ILL.,,
II am very much in fav Or Of this move
ment."
Mayor Hickman Of Altus, Okla, 81
assure you that look upon the mum.
Der Of young men rejected In the draft
for physical disability with grave con
Germ, and 1t Is gratifying to me to
know that steps are being taken q
remedy this condition of affairs"
Mayor Bardine of Juniata, Pa, eve
are ready to work hand in hand with
any object that Is for the upbuildin2
of our town and will make 1t better
place in which to live"
Mayor Barron, Eau Claire, Wis, -
am very much interested in the sue
cessful operation of your plan"
The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-04-24
USE LESS WHEAT.

The allied nations have made
further increased demands on
US for breadstuffs - demands
that Americans are obligated to
meet.
In The meantime Americas
meat supply has been greatly
Increased for some months TO
come by the Unprecedented
shipping to market of hogs that
averaged 232 pounds each In
stead of 2O3 poupds-the Cor
NAL.
The United States Food Ad-
ministration, endeavoring to ad-
just the international food bal
ance, promptly removed certain
restrictions In this country o1
the use of meat and at the same
time asked for a smaller con-
sumption of breadstuffs.
We are asked to observe only
one meatless day each week
VIC Will haSC loi Sc
meat stocks for awhile. But
our bread ration must be held
TO minimum.
In altering Its food conserva-
Ion program the Food Admin
istration emphasizes that the
food situation is Of necessity,
subject to radical changes,
caused by crop conditions at
home and abroad and by the
precarious transportation prob
lem, both In overseas shipping
and In Americas overburdened
transportation system.
The Food Administrator will
keep the American people fully
and frankly advised of each
change In the developing situa-
ton that they may know def
nitely the part their food sac
'if1ces play In the world war.
The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-04-24

tain them. we
are fighting for
t h Q fundamental
t h o u & h t 8, the
d r e q m 8. I &c
ideals, the aspira-
tions, which to-
day are seething
in the vast poly
e lot community
which we call the
United States Of
America. That Ia
what we are fight
ing for, we Amer
leans, whether Of
English blood, Of
French or Italian
or r u s 9 l a n or
Spanish blood.
The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-04-24
HELP IN $3.50
WHEAT PROGRAM
Thousands of Retail Grocers SUD-
port Food Administration
Rules.
SIGN PLEDGE VOLUNTARILY.
New Wheat Saving Program Demand
Cd - Allied Food Shortage In
creases-America Must
Feed Fighters.

Explaining the United States Food
Administrators new $3.50 wheat reg
ulations is q war time task the Ameri-
can grocer has gladly shouldered.
Many stores are already displaying
their Food Administration wheat saw
ing pledge cards, that they have sign
ed, agreeing to carry out the new
wheat program.
Each -four customer is now requir-
ed to buy one pound of cereal substi-
tute for every pound of wheat flour.
The substitute may be of one kind or
assorted. This $3.50 sale is made by
weight and not by value Of the com
modities. There is, of course, no reg
ulation demanding the consumer to
buy wheat flour at all.
A wide variety of substitutes has
been provided: Cornmeal, corn flour.
edible cornstarch, hominy, corn grits,
barley -four, potato flour, sweet potato
-four, soya bean -four, Feterita -four
and meals, rice, rice -four, oatmeal,
rolled oats and buckwheat flour.
Graham and whole wheat -four con-
stitute an exception to the national
regulation Either of these commodi-
ties may be sold at the ratio of three
pounds to FIVE pounds Of wheat flour
that Is, five pounds of graham or
wheat -four counts the same as three
pounds of the usual wheat -four.
Mixed fours form another excep-
aion. Where any -four contains so
per cent. or less of wheat 1t may be
sold without any substitutes Where
the -four is mixed at the rate of go
per cent. wheat and 40 per cent. of
other ingredients an additional 20 per
cent of substitutes must be purchased
by the consumer
Where necessity Is shown specially
prepared infants and invalid's food
containing -four may be sold.
That the approved substitutes may
be assorted Is fact many grocers
and housewives overlooked for time.
For instance. If q customer wishes to
buy "a pound sack of flour the nee
eSSary substitutes might be assorted
as follows: Cornmeal, pounds; corn
S'Atos poohuoB AiAC, pouhuSs JUN
wheat, 2 pounds; cornstarch, l pound !;
hominy. 2 pounds; rolled oats, 3
pounds
None of the substitutes should be
considered as waste purchase.
There are many household uses for
each. The eight pounds OF cornmeal
can be made into cornbread, corn muf-
fms or used In the baking of wheat
bread.
Cornstarch Is useful In making GUS
tard, thfckening gravy or may be used
in cake baking. Corn grits fried like
mush forms delicious dish, or 1t may
be used in baking corn bread Rolled
oats are used largely as breakfast por-
ridge or In oatmeal cookies or in
making mufins
Buckwheat -four may be used In
bread making. forming an excellent
substitute for one-Quarter OF the
wheat -four, but Is especially choice In
the form Of buckwheat cakes for
breakfast
With ii wheatless meals needed
each week In America to provide
enough wheat for the allies, the Food
Administrator believes the substitutes
VIII all be used to advantage.
The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-04-24
Whist.


The number of all possible distribu
tions Of a pack of cards in the game
of whist, is 1854 quadrillions and
1871 trillions and 477,792 billions
and 839, ,237 millions and 100000. The
following illustration may give an idea
of the immensity of this number: If
on the entire surface of our globe,
inclusive of all mountains and oceans,
whist tables could be so placed that
each table together with the four play
ers should occupy no more space than
one square meter (39.37 square
inches), and If they should play whist
necessarily, each game consuming only
five minutes, it would require more
than a thousand million years before
every possible distribution Of the SO
cards could be realized.
The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-04-24
WHAT THE VICTORY OR DEFEAT
OF GERMANY MEANS TO
EVERY AMERICAN.

Contributed by PRINCE and PRIN-
CESS PIERRE TROUBETZKOY to
the National Security Leagues cam
paign Of Patriotism Through Educa-
tiOn).
What the German government means
by ''place in the SUM- is the extermi-
nation of the peoples whose soil 1t
covets so that Germans may replace
those that have been exterminated.
The systematic destruction Of civil
ians in Belgium, northern France, Po-
land, Serbia, and the actual enslave-
ment of the survivors proves 1.-THE
frequently boasted German policy of
blood and iron" and the flynn Of
Hate" which has become q national
hymn, proclaims 1t.
From the rudimental' condition Of
ancient barbarism, spiritual develop
ment was possible; from the accom-
plishei inhumanity of Prussianism,
more rigid inhumanity only Is possible.
A German victory would mean the
blight of what we call civilization and
the elimination of what we believe d.
vine In man. What we believe In,
What we cherish, what we are, would
be annihilated by the essence Of Prus-
sianism; our world would be destroyed
by Prussic acid.
The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-04-24
.|DEALISM REAL
BASIS OF WAR
ON GERMANY
Says DR.. McEIroy, Educational
Director of National Sc
curity League.
BY DR.. ROBERT M. McELROY.
Educational Director Of the National
Security League.

Why does America fight Germany
Our ideals are threatened with de-
struction, and we must fight to main
Trench and camp. ([Admiral, Md.) 1917-1919, 1918-02-20
BY DIR. FRANK CRANE

War bad. Of
Is bad financial loss and fires and famine often
IN its
Some OF the good byproducts of this
O mil
onalre girl
The first Liberty the American people
be patriotic They wanted
pan subscribing made and interesting for them
interesting
to three billion dollars Of the first Liberty
Tue birth Of American
kitchs CoNoMY Literally housekeeping We
and aided by magazine country
American
This will be Of nestmae benefit long
- THE SENSE COMMON GOOD Every man woman and
being made to feel that something
life than
~ becoming real commonwealth
Inc cvic conscience 10 being strengthened
Oss d them this spiritual godsend
woFk They getting
70 Che foresight Of
Deng 80 ordered that
UNITY Our people suddenly Of danger into
oneness Political
each other patriotic service
PeinE MADE American in the melting
IDEALS Never the nation ideaistc
the righteousness coming
UNITY And perhaps
this Of
Lne federation Of the world What
doing What President
will
nese some of international
place. and the noerabe burden of military
pc nIed from the shoulders the mankind.
Out OF the
the future - " ~ ' -
>. (Coptiakt 1915, by Crane)