davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-08-12
'SAMURA| BLADE
. IS MADE WITH
GREAT CARE
Sword Has Had Powerful In
fIuence on Whole Japa-
nese Nation

That the sword has exercised a
powerful influence on the Japanese
nation cannot be doubted and the
short sword worn by the Samurai,
privileged fighting class. was used
for committing hara-kiri and the
right to use 1t for this purpose was
granted to the Samurai, to save
them from the disgrace of being
PUBLICLY executed. Cable reports
from Japan have recently reported
number of suicides by hara-kiri
az q result OF the Japanese exclu-
sion law.
In producing a sword blade the
three processes Of forging, temper.
ing and sharpening were regarded
or almost equal Importance by the
Japanese. The artisan had to be
q man Of highly moral life. He ap.
preached his work with prayer to
the gods and the use of certain
charms to keep away evil infIu.
ences. He sometimes used steel
alone, sometimes steel and iron
combined. But In either case, his
object was to obtain a fabric con-
sisting Of an infinite number of the
finest threads of metal woven into
a perfectly homogeneous tissue.
This he accomplished by first
welding together several strips of
steels so as to form a rectangular
mass about six inches long, two
inches wide, and half an inch
thick. Heating this, and cutting 1t
partially across the middle, he fold.
cd it back on itself, and then
forged 1t out to its original size.
This process he repeated from
twelve to eighteen times, after
which he welded several of the
masses together, then subjecting the
compound some half dozen times
to the same treatment that each
of the original component parts had
received. The resulting bar was
then beaten out into the proper
shape. II q backing" of iron was
desired, it was effected by envelop-
ing the steel between two hAnges
OF iron, or the iron between two
flanges Of steel.
Next came the tempering of
the blade, and for this process a
composition Of clay was applied to
the whole blade. and then removed
along the edge by means of a
bamboo stick. After this operation
the upper margin Of the part
tempered naturally showed a more
or less irregular line, which has
sometimes caused the erroneous
idea that the edge Of a Japanese
sword was welded to the body of
the blade. The edge was next
heated by passing 1t several times
through bright charcoal fire. As
soon as a certain temperature had
been developed. the. blade-still with
only the edge exposed-was plunged
into water.
The final process included polish
ing and sharpening, which required
several weeks of labor. In shar-
pening the weapon. the object was
not merely to produce an edge that
would cut. but to polish the blade
in two planes-the edge-plane Tin
clined at an angle to each other),
and also in a minor plane-that Of
the point-inclined to a different
angle from the other two.
The long sword Of the Japanese
Is two and a half to three feet
in length, with a heavily backed
blade. a sharp cutting edge. a long
handle and a small round guard.
The short sword Is about half as
long. In olden times both were
worn together by the samurai.
THE CONNOISSEUR!
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-08-12
MAN KICKED INTO CREEK
BY PLAYFUL HORSE

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa, Aug. 10.
Louis Hart, of this borough Ind
an odd experience in bathing along
the Perkiomen creek. He went to
Indian Head Park to take a plunge
in the creek. Hurrying in on the
roadway to the park, contemplating
what a good time he would have
in the water when he donned his
bathing suit, he met horse graz.
ing along the creek. He made the
grave mistake Of passing back Of
the animal, and then his expert
ence began.
The horse kicked him on the
thigh, throwing him into the water.
Hart claims he still has the inn
print Of the horseshoe on his thigh.
He was not injured. but received a
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-08-12
CIVIL WAR NURSE MEETS
ONE OF HER OLD PATIENTS

BOSTON. Aug. 12.-Mrs. Alice
Cary Risely, Of Columbus, Mo-, ma
tional president Of the army nurses.
here recognized the face of one of
her civil war patients as he walked
through the lobby of the Hotel
Vendome, where she is staying.
Inquiring his name. she found
that he is B. r. Brooker, Of Fitz.
gerald, Ca, whom she had cared
for in 1884 in New Orleans. Despite
the handicap of crutches, Mrs.
Risely has been active since her
arrival. being often in company
with Mrs. Fannie r. Hazen, of
Cambridge, eighty.four years old,
president Of the Massachusetts
army nurses.
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-08-12
1000 VETERANS
CD To BEACH
OUTING .
Foreign War Members Hold.
ing Fifth Annual Excur-
sion at Chesapeake

Chesapeake Beach Is being be.
sieged today by Veterans of For
eign Wars, who are on their fifth
annual excursion at the bayside re.
sort. More than 1000 are on the
outing.
War scenes were revived at 10
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-08-12
Mormon Woman Mobbed

MUNICH, Aug. 12.-Three Nor
mon women were mobbed here, and
the police forbade them to do any
more missionary work.
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-08-12

the merchants. adding that many
merchants had complained OF
serious inroAds in their business be-
cause OF the one-way rule.
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-08-12
MEMS BATHING SUIT RULE
LAID TO PLOT BY WOMEN

BERLIN, Aug. 12.-"Men, watch
your bathing suits" IL the slogan
at Saaz. Bohemia. The beach
cenSoFS OF that town have been in.
structed to keep a specially strict
eye on male bathers and arrest
every man whose bathing trunks
are too short.
The men charge that this order is
the result of a plot by the women
who are trying to get even for the
strict censorship Of feminine bath.
ing suits.
Evening star., 1924-08-24

fake bandit uncoupled the locomotive
from the mail car. The mail clerks
were ready. They had been warned
that trouble would come when the
car passed Fosters water tank at
11:51 p.m., but that no danger was
to be expected. The news says: Grim
faces appeared at the wire-lattced
windows of the mail car. The clerks
seemed determined to guard at all
costs the 1900 pieces of dead letter
mail that had been stuffed into bags
for the hold.up." Several bandits
fired real shots against the steel car
and did not make a dent. The clerks
showed riot guns through the loop
holes and fired theoretical bullets.
Other clerks put calcium flares out
side the car and the midnight forest
scene became great white way. The
clerks then shot bandits at leisure.
1t was a good test as far as it went
Downright wicked bandits might have
derailed the train and dynamited the
car. but bandits Of that kind are few,
and when they get gay with railway
cars and Uncle Sam they usually wind
up in the penintentiary.
Evening star., 1924-08-24
A Billion Spent Abroad.

Seventeen great steamships have
sailed within a few hours from Euro
pean ports for the United States
turning from their Summer tours
abroad. This Is the beginning Of a
homing movement which has never
been exceeded since Americans began
to make Europe their vacation
grounds. 1t is estimated that 265 900
people have gone overseas from ports
Of this country since the 1st Of May.
These people, and some 10000 other
Americans who sailed from Canadian
ports. have, it is computed. spent more
than billion dollars abroad. This
money has been scattered through
western Europe and England in the
form of hotel and lodging bills, rail-
way fares and expenditures for food,
clothing and souvenirs. Some of it
has gone across the green tables Of
chance at the fashionable casinos
All of it has gone straight into cir
cuIation.
The tourist trade is one of the
major industries of western Europe
and one Of the best paying. 1t repre-
sents a high percentage of profit. 1t
is practically all velvet" Americans
travelling abroad get few bargains.
They leave a very handsome margin
of gain whenever and wherever they
buy, whether in service or goods.
These American millions are 4
Great help to the European countries.
They put life into trade over there.
They maintain great numbers of peo-
pie. Just at this time they are es-
pecially welcome. All of the European
countries need money. and a billion
American dollars will so a consider
able way toward rehabilitating the
war.stricken lands. Yet there are
those who feel that perhaps this bill:
lion might better have been spent at
home.
Evening star., 1924-08-24
Radicals and Ultra Radicals.

Senator La Toilette may perhaps
find in a speech delivered at Duluth
the other night by w. z. Foster, nom.
inee OF the Workers party for Presi.
dent. material for a reply to Gen.
Dawes attack upon the La Toilette
third.party movement. Gen. Dawes
denounced the newly named Pro-
sressives as working for radical re-
vision Of the constitutional system of
the United States. Foster denounced
all three of the larger parties, includ.
ing the La Toilette movement, which,
ests OF the representative farmers.
small business men and the like. The
La Toilette movement, he says, is 60
ing to fool the workers in this cleo
ton.
Foster is an out-and.out communist.
He says that his party stands for the
abolition of the capitalist system. 1t
stands for the establishment Of the
'soviet custom" in the United States
1t is, he admits. revolutionary party,
which looks forward to a time when
mo class except the working class and
the farmers, to a certain extent, will
have any voice in the Government
This is plain talking. Mr.. La Fol-
lette may point to the fact that the
Foster group was thrown out Of the
Cleveland convention which named
him President. He may point to the
Foster speech as proof that his is
movement. He may repudiate the
proposition that the Progressives rep
resent only the interests of the WELL
to-do farmers and the small business
man. He may point to the indorse-
ment of his candidacy by organized
labor as evidence that labor is not
communistic in that it has not in
dorsed the Foster brand Of radicalism.
But here Foster and his own COM
paratively small crowd of extremists
have failed, for one reason or another,
to join the La Toilette movement.
Many others who are not SO out
spoken in their advocacy of sovietism
and government by the working class,
as in Russia, have warmly indorsed
La Toilette and are whooping things
up for him now on the hustings. No
disclaimers can possibly separate in
the minds Of people who are not Bit
ten by the bug of radicalism the ad-
vocates of extreme measures and La
Folletism. Gen. Dawes characterized
the so-called Progressive party cor
rectly when he declared that it is the
party of subversion and dangerous
change. The fact that one wing of
radicalism is Tapping independently of
the other wing does not make this
less menacing creature.
Evening star., 1924-08-24

rangement is the best that can be
made. It gives Germany q chance
which is not likely to be renewed If
she rejects 1t.
The German leader has clearly seen
the situation and as clearly states 1t
to the legislative body. This present
reparations plan Is the maximum of
concession. 1t is a plan skillfully de.
vised to enable Germany to pay its
debt without mourning economic or
industrial bankruptcy. 1t Is con-
tingent in its operation upon Ameri-
can aid. That aid cannot be counted
upon indefinitely. American means
will not be forthcoming to finance
Germany In its reparations operations
upon any other basis than such as
that which has been now provided.
Rejection Of the plan by the Reichs-
tag would precipitate a disaster upon
Germany. No one can foresee pre-
cisely the details of such a calamity.
The patience Of even the most friendly
allowed. through procrastination and
discrimination. the collapse Of her
currency system and the failure Of her
industries. The fault cannot be laid
to any other cause. Now an equitable
measure is proposed, in the specific
negotiation of which Germany was
granted numerous and valuable con-
cessions. Prompt and whole.hearted
approval and acceptance of this plan
and immediate beginning upon its ex-
ecution are required If Germany is to
survive.
Evening star., 1924-08-24
Signals From Mars.

Because of the interest of our peo.
pie in Mars and the suggestion that
our neighbor Martians might try to
reach US by wireless or radio, it was
certain that many mysterious mes.
sages would be received. These mes.
sages will continue to come until the
interest of our citizens Is diverted
We may receive Marian signals until
the folks get warmed up over the
November election.
1t may be doubted that the signals
come from Mars. The people of that
planet may have reached a very
much higher state of civilization than
we and yet may not be 50 advanced
in wireless and radio. They may be
more skilled in other things. Per-
haps they can regulate the weather,
turn on the rain and turn it of as
needed. and change a hot day into a
cool one or a cold day into one of
warmth. Perhaps they have found
the way OF regulating traffic in the
streets of Martian cities so that Mar
tian newspapers are not busy in re-
porting accidents. Perhaps they have
found a way to keep misrepresenta-
ton, exaggeration and such out of
politics. and perhaps they settle their
political questions without partisan
rancor. The Martians may be ahead
of US in many ways and yet be be.
hind US in wireless and radio.
These strange signals may not be
from Mars. The letters of the Mar
tian stations are not known to us and
there may be some mistake. The
signals may be coming from Venus,
Jupiter or Neptune, or the residents
Of some comet adrift a few million
miles out in the ether sea may be
signaling US to throw out lifeline
and tow them ashore. Perhaps the
signals come from Sirius, Betelguese,
Aldebaran or Arcturus, or some other
sun so much further of than our
sun that the figures choke one. Some
Of these signals may have been sent
30,000,000 years ago and before the
earth was born and may be addressed
to some neighbor of the earth 200.-
100000 or 100000. .0o0,0 miles fur.
ther on. There is a good deal of
speculation about this matter.
Evening star., 1924-08-24
Astronomy and the People.

The discussion Of Mars. the public
ity given accounts Of eclipses Of the
sun and moon. observations on comets
and popular treatises in newspapers
on the heavens are doing much to
raise the intelligence of the average
sort Of persons. These matters d.
rect the thought to the mightiest
physical things the mind can grasp.
To a layman astronomy seems the
master science. Geology seems the
biggest Of the earth sciences, because
1t includes so many branches of
knowledge that have been developed
into separate sciences. But the
science that deals with suns and sys.
TENS, space without beginning and
without end, with immeasurable time
and with mysteries which though WIS.,
ible fairly stupefy the understanding,
transcends the earth sciences.
The botanist. petrologist, mineralo-
gist, ETC., lives in a wonderful world
on the earth. He has accumulated
most of the attainable facts or he is
well on the way to that end. In the
matter of a plant or rock he has
learned all that is humanity possible.
When he asks the reason for the
plant and how it came to be, or how
the first OF its order came to be, or if
he asks the origin of a rock which he
can analyze and trace through more
than one change of form, his under
standing comes to the end. He has
reached the outer limit OF the knowa-
BILE and he answers, lit is one of the
laws of Nature" or "One Of the mys-
teries of Nature" or 1T is the law Of
God" In the smallest plant one sees
law and order in operation and the
utmost a man can think is to ascribe
that law and government to Supreme
intelligence. So it is with any piece
Of rock or anything that lives in our
sense Of life from the minutest organ
ism to a man.
In astronomy the subject is so i'm:
mense that the bravest intelligence
must tremble before it. In consider.
ing this science some men become
atheists, but others and no doubt the
greater number become more conf
dent in belief in God. 1t is the belief
of ordinary men that truly great
astronomers and men truly great in
the smaller natural sciences are
reverent spiritual men. Some men
who daily with the edge or outline of
a natural science have their faith in
God disturbed, but as they proceed
they see in a tiny lichen, a piece of
moss or a fragment Of rock the mani
festation Of that which the highest
human mind can think of no other
explanation than 1t is the manifesto.
tion Of supreme and eternal intelli.
gence.
1t is good thing that we have oc.
casionel excitement about Mars. We.
nus, Jupiter, the sun and moon, and
that astronomers tell what they know
about these things in language plain
people understand.
Evening star., 1924-08-24
Mail Car Test.

The railway mail car which the
Post Office Department has built tc
resist attack by bandits has been
given a try-out, and it is reported that
the test was a success. There is nc
doubt that the new armored car, with
loopholes through which postal clerks
can shoot and through which they
cannot be shot. is an improvement or
the present railway mail car, and the
department is justified in ordering a
large number Of the new type car
The mails should be made safe, or as
safe as can be.
There were some things about the
trial of the car which do not convince
everybody. It was a sham battle, and
the robbers were sham bandits. The
Associated Press reports: Pseudo
bandits tonight held up a New York
Central train and braved calcium
flares, gunfire and movie cameras in
q sham battle to demonstrate the i'm.
pregnability Of the Governments new
bandit-proof mail car" At a dark and
lonely place along the railroad post
ONCE officials, railroad officials. report.
ers and photographers lay hidden,
The coming train was heard. It thun.
dered on. A fake bandit waved q red
lantern and the train stopped. One
fake bandit q realistic actor, pressed
q pistol to the heart Of the engineer
and told him to drive on. Another
Evening star., 1924-08-24

down. another killed in an automobile
wreck in which he was tossed out
once fought the entire police force of
Pittsburgh in order not to be sepa-
rated from President Taft; he has
travelled with six Presidents at odd
times. In fact. his life has been one
long pursuit like unto the chase"
stun of the movies, in an effort to
keep his public" as the actor says,
In tune with the news.
Time works many wonders, how
ever, and so it came to pass on Fri
day that the reporter had a big piece
OF news "bust" right in his face, as
the old darky down Eouth said about
the bank. While the reporter was
basktng in the sun and the surf St
Spring Lake, beauty spot of the Js.=-
sey shore, the Democratic party very
kindly sent it's candidate down TO
have lunch with him and to make
a speech and to greet the ladies and
everything. Mr.. Davis came right to
the reporters hotel and said he hoped
that some day tablet would mark
the dining room of the Essex ard
Sussex, saying that it was there on
Friday, the 22d of August that the
militant Democracy Of the sovereign
State of New Jersey met together in
council and resolved to go forth and
defeat the enemy Republicans all
along the line.
This lets out the secret that there
were others present besides the re-
porter and the candidate, some four
or five hundred others. and the treat
was on Gov. George S. Silzer, who
smiled as he paid the bill. After
luncheon the party motored down the
beach to Seagirt, where Mr.. Davis
made his first real campaign speech
to the grandest outpouring of mos
quito Democrats since Woodrow Will
son days. 1t was a new experience.
grand and glorious feeling, to
quote from Glare Briggs, to have such
grand piece for the papers brought
right to the reporters own front
veranda, showing that the Democrats
are not such a bad lot after all.
Mr.. Davis has got far more hurnor
in him than most people ina agined He
has a fund of anecdotes which VIZ
stand him in good stead when the res.
fighting begins and speeches are to s1
delivered at so many a day instead q
one or two a week. He avowed az
Spring Lake that the excuses the Re-
publicans are making these days re-
minded him of the funeral service being
held over Uncle Jimmie, the meanest
man in the community. When it came
time in the services for somebody to
say something nice about the deceased
there was an awkward pause. Even
tually it was broken by one of the
neighbors, who stepped forward and
said:
We'll, anyway, Jimmie wasn't always
as mean as he was most of the time
X
These are modern days indeed A
very sedate married lady, reading that
Kid Mccoy had been married nine
times and only been accused of killing
one woman, remarked to the sewing
circle about her that she marveled al
his self restraint.
Copyright, 1924)
Evening star., 1924-08-24

occupations; but 1t doesn't say SO.
It is not restricted to children. to
manual labor, nor to hurtful and i'm
moral occupations. Under 1T Con-
gress could prevent every person un-
der 1S years Of age from doing any
thing manually or intellectually for
compensation. Congress could even
prevent a father from ordering his
boy to pick strawberries for his
breakfast. Yet representatives OF the
people with knowledge OF this fact
submitted the amendment to the
legislatures of the several states.
and defended their act on the ground
that the Congress would never use its
power foolishiy. Unfortunately. rec
ords OF the Congress do not uphold
that contention.
To attempt to remedy an evil by
giving authority to do a greater evil
IL not wise legislation. But the Con-
gress seems to have got away from
the view that it's first duty is to
determine the advisability OF an
amendment. / have heard Senators
say that they would vote for any
proposed amendment to the Constitu-
tion, as 1t was for tho people eventual
ly to determine what should be
done. This is amazing in view OF the
prospective spectacle OF a national
legislator voting to submit an
amendment and then opposing It's
adoption.
The deplorable thing about all this
is that men who claim to be disciples
Of Thomas Jefferson vote for amend
ments of doubtful value. I have no
objection to their votes, but on be-
half Of a dead man. who cannot speak
for himself. 1 enter protest to their
appeal to Jefferson for vindication.
Their theory OF government was not
his theory. When Ignatius De 10y
ola founded the Society of Jesus he
did not adopt as its motto. The
end justifies the MEANS yet this
falsehood has been so often repeated
that certain conduct in violation of
principle to accomplish an end has
long been characterized as Jesuit
cal" I happen to know that two
amendments to the Constitution were
submitted by the votes Of men who
did not believe in the principle of
government the amendments estab-
lished, but who did believe in the
ends to be attained. For their con-
duct 1 have no word of reproach.
My objection is to their claim that
they acted in accordance with ancient
Democratic doctrine. When a man
votes for an end rather than for a
principle, he should be willing to
admit that he has left the faith of
his fathers.
II this latest amendment becomes
part of the Constitution. justified
as 1t may be by conditions, we Demo-
Gratis should be honest enough to
write Ichabod over the portals of
Monticello, repudiate the doctrine Of
Jefferson to which we have always
subscribed, and Join in for a central
ized government. We should frankly
admit that Jefferson was wrong and
that Hamilton was right. Lot US not
pretend that IL alive Jefferson would
favor ideas which he vigorously op-
posed before he was dead.
Copyright. 1924. BY the 21st Century Press. }