Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 215, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 September 1917 — Page 2

SELF HELPS for the NEW SOLDIER

By a United States Army Officer

(Oo*j right, 1817, by the Wheeler Syndicate, Inc.) *» THE CHARGE. If a company is advancing to the -~4trtag 4ine by rushes, the captain may Increase or decrease the size of the fractions he sends forward, as lie secs fit, in order to complete or retard the movement. When the company forms but -one unit of the firing line, it may be sent forward by a rusu of the whole " -.just as the plntoon may be similarly advanced. The captain leads the rush of the company, and platoon leaders ran at full speed at the head of their respective platoons. Platoon guides follow the line to Insure a prompt and orderly execution of the advance, that fs, to prevent straggling or a sagging of the front. The advance is not limited, however, to the methods described, as has already been explained. Any method may be employed which successfully brings the attack closer to the enemy. Crawling, especially in surprise attacks, may be the most practicable and effective method to be pursued. It should be repeated here, as in the first lesson in extended order drill, that the use of the rifle is here assumed. At all events, the framework of extended order movements could be learned with broomsticks, while there Is no method of learning the rifle itself, even to the fixing of the bayonet, without a rifle in hand. But no consideration of extended order, combat exercise or skirmishing, would be complete without the charge. Sven on an armory floor, extended order drill is usually finished off with a charge, In order to inject something of ♦he supremely exciting element of battle into what might otherwise become mechanical plodding. The charge is a rush —an eruption— Into which all the pent-up mental and emotional intensity of a battle may have an outlet That to be sure, Is not the purpose of the charge, which is to expel an enemy from a given position, but it does become a vent for the otherwise suppressed excitement of battle, and to that extent gathers in violence. Beeause fhis outburst contributes to the force of the charge a general shout Is important. The signal for the charge, sounded from the post of the commanding officer, is repeated by the musicians of all parts of the line. The company officers, both the captains and lieutenants, lead the charge—the time has now passed for direction and control and the necessities call for sheer leadership. Therefore the officers precede ♦Jieir men, encountering the danger first.'The skirmishers, with fixed bayonets, spring forward together—shouting—and close with the enemy.

THE PATROL. The patrol is perhaps the most responsible and important work upon whieh an enlisted man may be engaged. The patrol represents the eyes of the unit —eyes like those of crabs, thrust out on long feelers, so to speak, but vKich are still in contact with the main force and can be withdrawn to it. The use of a patrol is threefold: It Is a detachment sent out from a command to gain information of the country or of the enemy; to prevent 'the enemy from gaining information; «r to provide the necessary security against surprise. An erroneous impression prevails in miloformed quarters that the use of the airplane on the great scale now witnessed in Europe has dispensed wiQi old methods of foot patrol. This Is not the case. To be sure, there is no petroling in trench warfare, in the former sense, except, perhaps, in night raids; but in all mobile operations, to which the warfare on the western front fs now reverting, the principle of the patrol is indispensable. The reason that the airplane cannot substituteJor the foot patrol is that the airplane is seldom able to distinguish a command behind cover or in the shelter of a forest. This fact is so well established that artillery positions hgve been covered with bushes and trees and the guns themselves are painted a mottled green which deceives the birdmen. There is an infinite amount of careful groping out and derailed observation left over for foot patrols, after the airplane has passed over. It is not necessary, in these articles, to consider cavalry patrol. As for the matter of surprise, even units as small as a company, when on the firing line, must be well protected t>y patrols on each flank. lsach leader of a flank platoon details a man to watch for the signals of the patrol or patrols on his flank. Patrols or parties posted to prevent hostile reconnaissance should relieve the main body of the necessity of betraying its position by firing on small bodies of the enemy. “To be surprised by an enemy at short range,” says the drill regulations, “Is an unpardonable offense." Therefore, reconnaissance is kept up throughout an action and It is the Important duty of combat patrols to give security to exposed flanks. Whether or not the patrol is able to stop a hostile reconnaissance or even an attack, It must at all hazards convey warning of the enemy’s approach to the main If caught by a fire on the flank, body. This Is the more essential because, while the firing line is obligated to take care of Its own front. Its flanks are particularly vulnerable to modern a machine gun, raking a company or battalion from the flank, might exterminate the entire command. qwn »h«n the casualties are not lm-

medtately high, the moral effect of flunking fire is known to be as great as the physical effect. In fact, a unit which is giving the enemy a hot fire on the front may quickly go to pieces

STRENGTH AND PURPOSE OF A PATROL.

In general, it Is understood that a patrol—not a combat patrol—should be sent out for one purpose only, arid this purpose must be clearly fixed in the may determine its proper strength, select Its leader and Issue the proper instructions. The strength of a patrol may vary from two or three men to a company—if the company is a unit in a larger command. Inasmuch as patrol work is at all times a matter ,of discretion and secrecy. It should be just strong enough to accomplish the stipulated purpose and no stronger. Not a superfluous man Is desired. Neither should, a patrol start forth a man short of the requisite number to make the necessary reconnaissance and insure that all important information will reach the commander. It may be necessary for patrols to fight their way to the designated point by driving off enemy patrols. If there is a prospect of such clashes, the patrol must be stronger than otherwise, and invariably provision must be .made, for the escape of one man to return with essential information. While it is In general the business of a patrol to execute its purpose and, if possible, avoid fighting, the purpose may be of such a nature that it must be executed whether this requires fighting or not. If such be the case, as has just been said, the strength of the patrol when sent out must be fixed proportionately. - On the other hand, If the purpose is to gain information only, and of a general nature, a small patrol is better than a large one. For it moves less conspicuously and conceals itself more readily than a larger detachment. Two men are often sufficient for such work «s observing from a point in plain view of the command or reconnoitering between outguards. Whether messages are to be sent back, and how frequently, also determines the strength of the patrol, and it must be large enough to furnish the probable number of messengers without reducing the patrol to less than two men. Two men are the minimum, since provision must be made against the chance that the patrol leader might be disabled. In sending back messages, If the information Is of exceptional importance, the patrol leader will commit the same message to two men who will return to the main body by different routes. The character of the information desired when the patrol is dispatched in this connection also will determine the strength of the detachment and double messengers, or a series of double messengers, will be provided. In friendly territory, a weaker patrol may be used than lor the corresponding purpose in hostile territory, since the patrol would have the assistance of friendly civilians, and would be obliged to keep a lookout for the enemy only. In a Jiostile territory, on the other hand, a patrol must be wary of hostile civilians as well as hostile forces, for hostile civilians will be quick to apprise the enemy of the presence of the patrol.

IS CURIOUS ROCK DWELLER

Pholas, or Boring Clam, One of the Strangest Creatures That Are Known to Science. One of the strangest creatures known to science is the pholas, or boring clam. When still very minute the animal bores Into the sandstone ledges at extreme low water, by means of its sharp shell, which is replaced by secretions as it is worn away. It penetrates the! rock to a depth of 3ix or eight inches, and hollows opt its burrow as it increases in size. Shaped roughly like a top, it could not leave its rock dwelling even if it wished to do so. For food, it depends on the animalcules that float in sea water, which it seizes by its long siphon, or tongue. The pholas is in great demand at the seaside resorts along the Pacific coast, for its meat is very tender and makes excellent soup. The clams are dislodged In great numbers from the ledges hv the use of dynamite, although it Is possible to obtain them with a pick or crowbar. ' '

New Cutting Agent.

In the recent evolution of new alloys, it is interesting to note that steel is surpassed as a cutting agent by a metal containing no iron, though this element has been since the bronze age the basis of practically all working tools. The “stellite” of Elwood Haynes claims not only the durable hardness at high temperature that gives it greater results than “high-speed steel* in lathe work, but Its resistance to tarnish is an added property especially fitting it for ordinary cutlery. Its beautiful color and polish are said to be quite unaffected by atmospheric conditions or add fruits. Of its development, Mr. Haynes says that when molybdenum is added to an alloy of cobalt with 15 per cent of chromium, the hardness gradually increases until the molybdenum reaches 40 per cent, when the product Js exceedingly hard and brittle, cutting deeply into glass and easily scratching quartz. Taking a fine polish, it is so hard as to escape ordinary scratching. With 25 per cent of molybdenum, the resulting me£ftl is fine grained, scratches glass 'fwdlly, f ahd takes a strong, keen edge. The alloy Is too hard for forging,, but It can be cast without difficulty.

THE EVEETINO REPUBLICAN. RENSSELAER, INP.

PAJAMAS FOR GIRLS

Charming Little Sleeping Garment for Daughter of House. Crepe De Chine or Any of the Washable Silks or Satins Employed for Undergarments Should -Be Used. Garments of the slip-over-the-head type are great favorites with schoolgirls, whether these garments are intended for indoor or outdoor, dress or negligee wear. . _ T The sketch Illustrates a wholly charming little sleeping garment, the

Pajamas With Slip-Over Coat.

pants prettily laced In just above the ankles with lingerie ribbon in contrasting color, the same finish being applied to the neck of the garment proper and to the sleeves. Crepe de chine or nny one of the washable silks or satins employed for undergarments should be used, and the cord girdle may be omitted if desired, the garment to hang quite straight and smock-like, or it may be drawn in with ribbon run through a casing arranged for the purpose • To make these pajamas four and a half yards of material 36 inches wide will be required. If the daughter of the family is to go away to boarding school or college she should by all means have several pairs of pajamas included in her outfit, and she may ask for silk undergarments. Even the government stands back of the recommendation that women gratify their fondness for silken raiment, economizing on wool and cotton fabrics so that the army may by no chance suffer a shortage. Therefore, have the family dressmaker who comes for a week or two before school begins in the fall make up some shirting silk or crepe de chine or washable satin pajamas for the daughter who is going away to boarding school or college, and let the pajama coats be of the slip-over-the-head variety. Also make her a slip-over full-length silk kimono. That is quite the newest note in simple .boudoir garments.

DRAPED EFFECTS COMING IN

Noticeable Feature of the Gowns Cast In the Mode of Tomorrow. It Is always rather dangerous to indulge in forecasts where fashion is concerned, but if coming modes cast their shadows correctly, the slender silhouette to which—after a brief flirtation with tublike outlines—women returned with one accord will still be with ns long after 'Summer has been left behind. More than that, if the few advance models already on the scenes are any criterion, we shall soon be called upon to suffer far closer embraces from our skirts for,the sake of fashion, and a tendency to draped effects is another noticeable feature about gowns cast in the mode of tomorrow.

USE FOR WAR WORK BAGS

Why Not Carry Small Parcels When Shopping Along With War Knitting. Enterprising merchants have discovered a new use foe, the war work bag, those picturesque reminders of our great-grandmothers’ stocking bag. Why not carry: small parcels when shopping along with war knitting and summer reading? If Dame Fashion \kill only help, the merchants feel sure they have found a cure for the petty delivery problem. Some,, are even ready to donate bags to the £ause. The omnipresent bags are made of Une cretonne, of wnich so many wonderful and suitable designs are now to be had. They are trimmed with gold gimp and the handles are Of'colored or gilt cord. They are lined with plain puteep. Then there are very lovely

taffeta bags, the same shape, trimmed with fancy ribbons and gold gimp, though they often cost no more than the cretonnes. s Bags intended primarily for light knitting and sewing or bandage rolls are In the shape of a red cross or are of red, white and blue ribbon, three of the arms of the cross forming prickets In which things may be carried. -

OLD SLEEVES COME BACK

Early Victorian Sleeves, Showing Leg o' Mutton Style, Are Worn i In. Paris. In Paris they are wearing many early Victorian sleeves which show the leg o’ mutton style. As they are almost always expressed In flimsy materials, the “gigot” effect Is not prominent, and the folds of muslin or laee fall away from the arms In a peculiarly becoming fashion. These loose sleeves are always threequarter length, and they are duced on dresses and picturesque coatees alike. Another fashionable sleeve —also a revival —is of moyenage persuasion, absolutely tight from elbow to wrist, and finished with a becoming petal cuff which almost hides the hand. These sleeves should be fastened with very small pressure buttons or tiny hooks and eyes on the under seam,* in no other way can they be made to preserve their skin-tight outline.

BLOUSE WITH SQUARE NECK

Pretty Fashion Is Rendered Doubly So in Its Modern Development. The square necked blouse or bodice is a pretty fashion rendered doubly so in its modern development, for the square is either deep enough to allow of the whole thing slipping over the head (cotta-fashion) or else Is provided with a clipped fastening just at the neck on the shoulder to permit of this easy means of entrance. A particularly pretty example of the latest square-necked blouse provides for the material to be gathered to the edge by a square yoke, and looks equally charming in crepe de chine, muslin, Japanese silk or any of the materials now in vogue,.: ;

FOR THE LITTLE MISS

When good little misses dream they must dream of. chic little coats and hats like this. For what wish could be closer to a little girl’s heart than a desire for such attire. With a wish like that fulfilled, why even Cinderella and her good fairy god-mother’s magic wand fade into insignificance fofc what little girl wouldn’t Lave this little dress rather than a disappoarlng coach.

Little Change in Fur Coats.

Those who have their fur coats brought up to date every summer will be glad to know- there Is not too much change in the styles. These fur coats are almost full length. They measure about three yards at the hem. They all have some kind of a belt or narrow strap sash to hold In the fullness losely about the waist. The collars are large, standing up high about the neck, then rolling over the shoulder depth in sailor, pelerine or shawl shape. They do not seem to have any of the loose “chin-chin” collar look.

Of Taffeta and Wool Jersey.

A young girl’s frock, out of the ordinary, has a plaited skirt of striped taffeta and a jacket blouse or loose, short coat effect, not flaring, but hanging free from the shoulders, unbelted, of wool Jersey in a tobacco brown, with a scarf collar.

Soften the Hands.

Keep a dish of Indian meal on the toilef stand with soap, rub the meal freely on the handsafter soaping them for washing. It will surprise yon If yon haw Hdt ffSed It how It wjll cleanse and soften the skin, alst prevent chapping.

New Discoveries In The Vingin Islands

THE three little Islands of the West Indian archipelago which the United States has just purchased from Denmark have atiained in the last few months a prominence in the public eye such as they have not known since Columbus discovered them. ActUts, writers and scientists have journeyed into the Caribbean. The surprised natives have been interviewed, the scenery described, the hills and beaches dug up for relics. Theodore de Booy, an ethnologist attached to the Museum of the American Indian, Heye foundation, has returned from the Islands after completing what is probably the first thorough scientific search of them for relics of their primitive inhabitants, writes Frederic J. Haskin in the Chicago Daily News. He brings In the interesting information that our three little Islands of-SL Thomas, g|t. Croix and St. John were never inhabited by either the Arawaks or the Caribs, popularly supposed to have been the preColumbian peoples of all the West Indies; but were the home of a distinct race. He also discovered that these islands were once the home of a wingless bird, which was exterminated by the Indians, and he interestingly describes the probable condition of the Virgin island in pre-Columbian days, when they were heavily forested and had a fauna quite different from the present one. Ancient Villages Found. Mr. de Booy found the sites of two villages upon the island of St. Thomas, where the Danish capital of Charlotte Amalie is now located. On St. Croix he found evidence of a large population for primitive times; he estimates that about 10,000 Indians were supported by this rich little island, which is pow largely planted in sugar cane and tropical fruits. The island of St. John, which is the best watered and most beautiful of the three, he believes never to have been occupied by the Indians as a home, but to have been set aside by them for ceremonial purposes. Mr. de Booy unearthed many skeletons of the primitive people of the islands, many of their stone implements, and found numerous shell heaps where they had made their fishing camps ; but the relics which convinced him that he had come upon the traces of a separate tribe were the bits of oottery that he found about the village & tes. On the strength of this pottery nlone he asserts positively that the Virgin Island Indians were neither Car!bs nor Arawaks, but of a different tribe, for the making of pottery is an art, and it is in art which gives play to personality and Imagination that any people, primitive or civilized, is distinctive. Thus a penknife made In Germany is not in any essential or characteristic way different from penknife made in the United States. You could not distinguish the two products in a store window, This is .because there is only one way to make a penknife so that it will best serve its purpose. But German painting and sculpture are absolutely distinctive from these arts in the United States as are German philosophy and fiction. So among primitive races stone axes, arrow heads and knives made by widely separated tribes in about the same stage of development are much alike, but the pottery of these tribes, In form and design, is different. Theory of Their Origin. Mr. de Booy’s theory is that the people of the Virgin islands belonged to some South American tribe which was driven from its mainland home, found all of the more rich and important islands occupied by the warlike Caribs and the powerful Arawaks, and so were forced to settle on the two minor islands of St. Thomas and St. Croix, which are about the smallest in the, Indies that have a dependable water supply. It is interesting to riotice that this weak primitive tribe got the islands for the same reason that the small and helpless civilized nation of Denmark got them later—because no one else wanted them. These first inhabitants of our new islands were similar in habits and pursuits to the other West Indian natives. They were farmers and raised varions tropical crops. Beyond a doubt they were expert fishermen and were able

Scene In Charlotte Amalie.

to travel from island to Island In their great seagoing canoes. These are described by early explorers and are known to have been large enough to seat 80 or 90 men. The Indians used them not only for fishing, but for war and piracy; among the distinctive remains are some that indicate the presence of a few Caribs —these were undoubtedly brought to the islands as prisoners. *

Flightless Bird’s Bones Found. Next to his discovery that a hitherto unknown tribe opce inhabited these islands, Mr. de Booy’s most Interesting find was the bones of a flightless bird. Such a bird belonging to the rail family and having useless rudimentary wings inhabits New Zealand at the present day, but that a similar creature lived on this hemisphere was a tremendous surprise to the scientists of the Smithsonian institution in Washington, who' identified the Bbnes sent them by Mr. de Booy. The bird is not prehistoric, but undoubtedly was hunted and eaten by the Indians three or four hundred years ago.

Apother creature which existed upon the islands in pre-Columbian days and is now extinct was the isolobodan, a large rodent, which also furnished the islanders with food.

It is well known that these three islands, which are now covered for the most part with brush and grass, where they are not cultivated, once supported heavy forests. The trees were probably burned by the Spaniards ip order to make room for crops.

Mr. de Booy’s discoveries Indicate that the Islands not only have been deforested, but that the whole character of their fauna has been changed by man. Not only the flightless bird and the isolobodan have been exterminated, but he also found bones of a species ofcrow which is now extinct find Is known to have inhabited only dense forests. For these animals which have been destroyed, the European fallow deer, the partridge and the wild goat have been substituted. Thus the character of both flora and fauna have been radically altered by man and If one of the aborigines could return he would probably hpd the islands hard to recognize.

NICKNAMES WERE LEGALIZED

Titles Spread Upon Official Records, According to Early Archives of Several States. Nicknames are not likely to get out of fashion so long as human nature remains what it Is. In these days, however, It is not customary to spread such titles upon official records, as was formerly the habit, according to the archives of several of our states. In the Dutch records of 1644 we have John Pietersen, alias Friend John. In the Newton purchase from the Indians, dated in 1656, one of the boundaries is “by a Dutchman’s land called Hans the Boore,” and In the Bushwick patent, dated October 12. 1667, one of the boundaries is “John the Swede’s meadow.” In 1695, In the Kings county records, a mdn is named living at Gowanus as “Tunis the Fisher.” The common council of New York in 1691 ordered fish to be brought into the dock “over against the city hall or the house that Long .Mary formerly lived in,” and In the same year an order was passed “that Topknot Betty and her children be provided for as objects of charity.” The explanation of this custom In many cases was that the persons in question either had no family names or* had forgotten them, says a New York exchange, so that the use of their generally accepted nicknames Lecame a necessity. X

A party of engineers were out wire cutting in “No Man’s Land’’ one night. Thlngs were progressing very favorably when one of the sentries Bent up a flare or Btar shell so that he could spy out the land. . Immediately all the wire cutters, except onp, threw themselves down. “Keep still, yoifr idiot F* they whispered to the foolhardy one. ‘lt doesn’t matte|fyou silly chumps,” came the retort. “It’s one "of ours I*

No Danger.