South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-04-20
BY JOSEPHUS DANIELS,
49,. s.,.,-.,..,-,. 81 fbe NAVY

Copyright by National Newspaper
Service. Copyright I'm Great Britain,
Canada and throughout France. All
rights reserved, including translation
into foreign languages, including the
Scandinavian. Unauthorized re-
printing for any purpose forbidden.
ARTICLE 6.
"Quacki Quacki Quacki'
I can imagine Herr Teufolsdorff.
OF the German intelligence depart
ment. solemnly setting down the
strange words.
Hey, -de-diddle.
The cat and the eddie"
That must have been as puz-
King as
"RIde-a-cocl-horse TO Banbury
cross" Little Jack Horner sat in
his corner" Jack and Jill went up
the hill" and similar extraordinary
statements picked out OF the air by
listening Germans, and sent 20 Ber-
In for translation and for study by
their code specialists.
What did the herr professors
make OF them?
What did they make OF such
seemingly, meaningless combina-
tons Of words as "corn-mush' and
''high-low-j jack?
Doubtless there were profound
consultations. I can vision the re-
search carried into Libraries, where
all available "Amerikana" was ran
sacked for n clew 20 the mystery
Mother Goose. no doubt, was dis
covered as the source of the
rhymes. and her history was studied
for some possible explanation OF
their use. I can imagine heated de-
bates between refund and rubicund
Iitsrati as TO the occult significance
of these quotations from the nurs-
cry songs OF the United States. j
can imagine erudite and elaborate
theories advanced.
Germans Were Dazed.
The references TO the breakfast
menu OF the American people and
10 one OF their popular indoor sports
must have been hopelessly bewilder-
ing.
The Teuton mind never could IN
derstand the American mind It
was perplexed. baffled, dazed by our
thought processes. and the more II
tried 10 explain or interpret them
the more naystified it became.
So far "a I know II never guessed
the meaning OF our - Jther Goose
messages, which saag over the
North Sea and out on the Atlantic
IN wireless vibrations
For that matter. the British we're
puzzled at first when they picked up
the queer words and phrases and
snatches OF rhyme. It sounded as
II the inmates Of a lunatic asylum
had somehow got hold OF wireless
sapsratus and were calling "Quack!
Ouackt Ouackt" and Corn meal
nush TO the war-crazed world.
"Red-white-blue" was one of the
phrases which had a sound Of pos
slbie sense TO British ears. but when
n was ampIifled to "Quackl Red
white-biue!" even their smartest
code experts were at loss TO in
terpret IL.
British naval officers at Plymouth
were much concerned about these
inexplicabIe sayings which foated
through the atmosphere and sound
ed in their radiophones.
Fear New German Trick.
was somebody "spoofing them"
and the war and the world in gem
aral2 or was IL some new German
trick2 Some scheme Of the enemy
10 distract attention 20 set the Brit
ish puzzling over meaningless
mystery while he pulled off some
plot against them?
-nffnrrad vvhnn nWnInU
atoms were made. They smiled, and
even chuckled politely, when they
were told that these quaint contri-
buttons TO the aerial communica-
lions Of the war zone were merely
the issuings of orders and eX-
changes of compliments among the
perky little American submarine
chasers which had lately arrived
from across the Atlantic.
A saucy. high-spirited. devil-may-
care lot they were. and they came
capering into the zone of danger and
death with laughter and song.
I doubt n you viii find in all the
annals Of the war a better picture
OF American psychology psy-
choiogy Of American youth in the
obligation OF duty. Nor Will you
find anything which illustrates bet
Ter why Germany lost the war and
allies and America won II; why our
hurriedlv trained armies played the
mischief with the morale and Tight
ing front OF the enemy's super
trained. disciplined and experienced
troops.
Had Faith and Hope.
The chfId-hearted attitude toward
nfe which would so 20 war talking
the language OF the nursery. using
bomely phrases and the songs Of the
cradle TO conceal the serious mes
sa~es OF life and death and tragic
action which compose the communi-
cations OF war, was the attitude or
faith and hope and cheerful com
raoeshfp which endured al denials
ana pains without murmur, and
faced AL perils without fiinching.
IN those days OF hardship I'm
those DAYS when men endured long
vigil whipped by wind and spray; In
those DAYS when sudden death Turk
ed beneath the wave and every COB
kissed his sweetheart's picture
Eoodby at least once IN twenty
four hours. YOU can imagine
how II helped in the grim
ness and seriousness and deadly
the comic relief which came when
your sub-ehaser scudded through
the seas calling "QuaclS, Quack!
Ouacki High-low jack" from its
wireless; or when some bit OF nur-