Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 174, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 August 1918 — Page 2

1—Steel cargo ship Galesburg. 7,500 tons, launched at Mariner’s Harbor, Staten island. 2—Observers at American outpost station in France, protected by antiaircraft gunners. 3—One of the great Handley-Page bombing machines of the British air force being prepared for a raid.

RECREATION BIG NEED OF YANKEES

Soldiers Over There Must Be Given Mental and Physical Diversion. WAR IS MOST DEPRESSING Standard Oil Offic.al Who Has Been Serving as Y. M. C. A. Secretary Says Soldiers Must Be Saved From Going Insane. New York. —“If the United States is to be spared the harrowing experience of having thousands of American soldiers returned home because ot mental derangements, this country must provide for more physical and mental recreation for our boys overseas.” That’s the message which Herbert L. Pratt, vice president of the Standard Oil company, brings to the American people after spending seven weeks in France as a Y. M. C. A. secretary, and who while there was given opportunity to see just what is meant by war. “During the first 18 months of the war there were as many English and Canadian soldiers returned to England because of mental derangements as there- were because of wounds,” said Mr. Pratt. “The United States must profit by the experiences of our allies and must plan how to enlarge our facilities overseas for taking care of our men when not actually fighting. The American soldier is naturally higher strung than any of the allied soldiers. He’s always on his toes. He’s ever alert. AlXvays ready to go". He’s a dynamo of energy. And when he isn’t actually fighting he seeks an outlet for that energy and it is of vital importance that his energies be directed rightly. War Is Depressing. “The war is most depressing. One who rubs against the realities of war

WITH HIS BROKEN WING

Lieut. Eddie Rickenbacker, the for-., mer'automobile racer who is gaining fame as an American aviator, is seen here with the wing of his machine that broke off during a recent fight in which he engaged with three Hun airmen.

is overwhelmed by its seriousness. One marvels at what the men have endured and what they are accomplishing. The war overshadows everything else. And that’s all the more reason ,why everything that will result in cheering up our men should be done now. A great deal is being done but a lot more must be done. “I wish I could describe just how the war affects one who comes in contact with it. He feels all pent up. His emotions seem all bundled together. And naturally he seeks relief. He welcomes the smile, the laugh, the warm handshake, the word of good cheer. Good cheer! Ah, that’s it. It’s the *cheer-up’ message that is needed overseas. “Don’t think our boys are downhearted or that they are discouraged. Just the opposite is true. Their morale is excellent. Their spirits are high; their courage is just what it ought to be and they are absolutely confident. But they want that bit of cheer which makes them forget some of the cruelties of war. And we folks at home must see that they get it. “General Pershing has commissioned the Y. M. C. A. to provide for the physical and mental recreation of the American soldiers and sailors overseas. The association has been given a great big job and in spite of most perplexing difficulties has been doing splendidly. But the great need today is for men, great, big, two-fisted, red-blooded men who are capable of tackling a great big man’s job and getting away with it big. Has a Hard Job. “Serving as a *Y. M.’ secretary in France is a hard job. The hours are long. The hardships are many. And the responsibilities are tremendous. It isn’t merely a case of selling cigarettes or chocolate. That’s merely incidental to the big work which is being done. The ‘Red Triangle’ man is the soldier’s pal. And a good pal must always be there with a smile or a word of cheer or a warm handclasp or just whatever it is that is needed. This may .sound easy but it’s not. It’s a hard job. “The American people must wake up to this genuine need for big men to serve as *Y. M.’ secretaries overseas. They must realize that this service is of the greatest importance to the American soldier and sailor. It’s what so frequently makes a soldier on the verge of breakdown because of nervous strain, a soldier fit for service."

WOMAN RUNS A BIG CRANE

Foreman of Philadelphia Plant Says She Is Better Than 60 Per Cent of Men. Philadelphia. —Miss Catherine Hahn, who operates a five-ton crane at the Tacoma ordnance plant, is said to be the only woman in the country operating a crane of that size. Her foreman declares that she manipulates the crane better than 60 per cent of the men he has seen employed at the same work. Miss Hahn is five feet six inches tall, weighs 138 pounds and is twenty-five years old. She is robust looking but not extraordinary in point of musciflar development. “I just made up my mind when I came over here to help make guns,” she said, “that I was going to do whatever I was told. I had been afraid to climb ladders and I never was a tomboy in my life, but I was determined I wouldn’t let anybody scare me; and they haven’t. I’m not as tired when I go home at night as I used to be after running a sewing machine.”

Cows Ignore Daylight Plan.

Hinsdale, N. H— Farmers here say their cows refuse to adjust themselves to the daylight saving plan. They were in the habit of coming to the bar at a certain time to be milked. .■ Now the grangers have to tramp through the dew, perchance to the end of the pastures, and wake, the bossies up.

r THE EVENING REPUBLICAN. RENSSELAER. IND.

WOMAN SAVES AUSTRIAN BY TALK FROM WINDOW

Berkeley Springs, W. Va. — Mrs. Annie Ambrose, a leader in war activities here, by a great patriotic speech dispersed a drunken mob that appeared before her house demanding that one of her boarders, a naturalized American of Austrian birth, fly an American flag from his window. Standing at a secondstory window the woman so harangued the men that they, departed.

WEDDING IS STRICTLY “13”

Fateful Number Figures Prominent, ly in Affairs of Kansas City \ Couple. Kansas City, Mo. —It was 13 mutt ths ago that William A. Gibson met pretty Anna B. Brown of this city. “This is our luck day,” he declared, as he looked at the date —the 13th. She agreed. “Let’s get married on the 13th,” he said a few months later. She also agreed to this. So on the 13th or the month they secured a marriage license. Then a hhppy thought struck theft. “Let’s make, it 13 all around,” she said. They were then married on the 13t,h floor of the Commerce building, in room 913, by Justice E, A. Seltzer.

NEW EXCUSE FOR SPEEDING

Novelty of Plea Secures for Atlanta Young Mar Cut Price Fme. Atlanta, Ga.—Young Clifford Ogden was before a police judge to answer for fast driving in an automobile and around the wrong side of a trolley car. “I had as a passenger a man trying to catch up with a street car in which was his wife, from whom he is trying to get a divorce. He was seeking evidence and told me he jus£ had to catch that trolley car.” ' ’ The novel excuse caused the recorder to give young Ogden a cut price of only sl2 and costs.

HELPS DAD WIN THE WAR

Newton D. Baker 111, eleven-year-old son of the secretary of war, is earning pin money by acting as messenger for his father in the war department His father pays him for services rendered outside of school hours.

ELBERFELD RUDE TO FAN

Kid Elberfeld, Little Rock manager, is as accommodating as any pilot in the Southern league, but sometimes he bolls over when a fan butts in and tries to talk to him merely for the sake of saying something to a bail player. A day or two ago Kid was talking to a Memphis sport writer about his ball club, when one of these butt-ins came up. “Who you gonna pitch today, Elberfeld?” the bug asked. The Kid didn’t say anything to the fan, but kept on talking. “Where are your other pitchers?” the bug persisted. Silence. “Who’s gonna pitch today?” “Say, for the love of Mike,” said the Kid, pulling out a coin •from his pocket, “take this nickel and buy you a score card and find out.” But the fan had fled.

FEWER PLAYERS FAVORED BY EBBETS

Policy of Some Managers to Carry Extra Players Not Wise. Present Conditions in Baseball Make Such Movement Imperative If Game Is to Be Kept Alive— Cut Down Limit. I President Ebbets of the Brooklyn club favors a cutting of the player limit in the National league to 16 or 18 men. He says present conditions in baseball make such a movement imperative if the game is to be kept alive. “Twenty years ago National league teams carried 14, 15 or 16 players and still provided the public with good sport,” said Ebbets. “If I am not in error, the Brooklyns, when they won the pennant in 1900, were composed of 14 men—three pitchers, two catchers, five infielders and three outfielders. The schedule that year called for 136 games. The practice of carrying as many as, 33 players, nowadays, is absurd. There are too many pitchers, extra fielders and pinch hitters. Some teams are able to put in left-handed hitters against right-handed pitchers and the reverse whenever they feel like It. “Clubs that are keeping six infielders or outfielders, together with eight or nine pitchers, are not willing to aid clubs that are short of material. But if the player limit is reduced to 16 or 18 men, at least 30 capable players will be available. I do not mean that the weak clubs should get players for nothing. They should be made to pay a fair price. But under present conditions, which have become alarming because of the many players already taken in the Selective draft, the National league must att quickly. Cut down the player limit and make the pennant race more evenly balanced. That is a common-sense move, and I believe that other club owners in our league will agree with me.”

CHRISTY MATHEWSON IS GIVEN HARD CALL BY FAN

Why some ball players maintain a strict reserve on the ball field Is a puzzle to a number of fans, but if they heard the players’ side they would understand. Christy Mathewson, one time In a checker game in which he licked the writer easily and using his left hand at that, explained why he does not always answer queries put to Aim by fans while he is on the ball field. “All fans are not alike,” went on Christy, “but you never know when you are going to get in wrong. For example, one time at Forbes field I was warming up near the grandstand and a fan called out to me: ‘Who’s going to pitch today, Matty?’ I answered, ‘Marquard, I believe.’ Then the fan replied: ‘Why, you poor hunk of cheese, Marquard can’t pitch.’ “You see,” continued Mathewson, “this fan called me a hunx of cheese because I had been pleasant enough to answer his question.”

Cantillon a Real Veteran.

Joe Cantillon, former pilot of the Nationals and now manager and part owner of the Minneapolis club of the American association, has been in baseball as player, umpire or manager for 39 years.

Catcher Wingo Going Good.

From all accounts Catcher Wingo is doing some wonderful work for the Cincinnati Reds. It is said that he gets would-be base stealers yards from their destination. ,

FANNY DURACK, WORLD’S PREMIER WOMAN SWIMMER, HAS ARRIVED AT SAN FRANCISCO

Photo shows Fanny Durack, Australian mermaid, when she arrived in San Francisco, accompanied by Mina Wylie. The camera man snapped the group on the pier as they stepped ashore. From left to right: Mina Wylie, champion breast-stroke woman swimmer of the world; Duke Kahanamoku, world’s greatest sprint and Fanny Durack.

NICK ALTROCK PULLS REAL BIT OF COMEDY

Nick Altrock pulled a real piece of comedy the other day when he went In and hurled a game of ball for the Washington club. Nick came back and won his battle after a layoff of eight years. Fans who watched him pitch are amused over the incident and are laughing yet. Nick has made, thousands laugh by his antics on the coaching lines, but they never imagined he could pull anything so serious as that. It was so serious in fact, for Altrock, that it was tinged with humor. It all happened because Griffith didn’t have anyone to send in. “Let me pitch,” said Nick. Griff hesitated a bit, then grabbed a glove and tossed it to Nick. “You’re on,” said the Washington manager, and Nick went in. The crowd, understanding the situation, pulled hard for this veteran to come through and he did.

RESENTED JIBES ON ATTIRE

Jack Gilligan Couldn't Stand to Have Other Players Make Fun of His New Shoes. Jack Gilligan, a Des Moines pitcher once with the 'Browns, is noted in baseball circles as a swell dresser. He is fond of handsome ties, shirts and the like, and always looks as if he came directly out of a bandbox. If there’s one thing he can’t stand it is to be guyed about any part of his attire, especially if he thinks the kidders are in earnest. “Once Jack told us all about a pair of shoes he was to purchase,” says Pitcher Paul. Musser, formerly of the White Sox and now In the army. “He said they were corkers, and prepared us for the sight “A few days later he came into the hotel wearing those shoes. They were dandies, all right, cost him sl2, which was a big sum those days. But the boys started In on him at once. “ ‘What size did you. say they were, Jack?’ asked one. “ ‘Eight and a half —why?* “ ‘Oh, nothing; except they look like twelves on you.’ “Gilligan took it in earnest. You couldn’t hire him to wear them after that. And he disposed of them for $2.”

NIEHOFF IS UNLUCKY PLAYER

Former Cardinal, Sold to New York Giants, Breaks Leg in Recent Phil- / adelphia Game. Bert Nlehoff will go down In the records as the unluckiest player of the season. He got a bad start with the Cardinals and was sold to the Giants. In his first game with them he smashed a -finget and was out ten days. Back a few days he broke a leg In a recent game at Philadelphia and probably is out for the season.

SMITH FAMILY IN LEAD IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES

Two Smiths, who were prominent in the major leagues last season, are now in the army. Sherrod Smith of the Robins is “over there,” and Elmer Smith with Washington and Cleveland, is in a camp in the middle West. However, the Smith family still leads all others in numbers of representatives in the major leagues. The Boston Braves have J. Carlisle Smith and .Timing jimlth. The Reds include Pitcher George Smith and Catcher Harry Smith. The StLouis Cardinals have Jack Smith, and the St. Louis Browns, Earl Smith, Jimmy Smyth is with the Cardinals, but the family does not need a ringer with a “y" to maintain its lead. No other family approaches the figure set by the Smiths.

DIAMOND NOTES

Frank Schulte continues to deliver the hits for Clark Griffith. • * * Charley Deal’s eyes are better and his hitting has started to improve. .Despite the war the Cleveland Indians are drawing good crowds at home. * ♦ ♦ Home Run Baker is giving Babe, Ruth a battle for top batting honors in the American league. * « • Dick Maynard, the Amherst college star catcher and outfielder, has been signed by the St. Louis Cardinals. * ♦ • The Indians are becoming very partial to the squeeze play and are using it with much success in close games. * • • Cy Williams has added considerably to the batting strength of the Phillies. He has his eye on the pill, which rarely gets by him. • *♦ ✓ » Connie Mack says he has no intention of starting the war between the two major leagues again, but he intends to keep Perry. * ♦ • Frank Snyder, catcher with the St. Louis Nationals, has been ordered to report to his draft board and be inducted into the army. * * « President Ebbets of the Brooklyn Nationals is another magnate who is looking around for pitchers and doesn’t know where to find them. * * * Pitcher Howard McGranor of Sioux City has gone to Chillicothe, 0., his home, where he has been called by his draft board to report for service. • * * Roger Bresnahan, president of the Toledo American association club, has suggested to the league that games be played In the army cantonments. • * • The Cardinals have a number of players on their roster who are in Class 1A of the draft, but none of these has been notified to join the colors. * * • St Louis fans are greatly excited over a statement emanating from Connie Mack that in his opinion the Browns would win the American league pennant < - • • . • It always makes a player happy to succeed against his old team. But think of George Burns with a flock of five hits, including a double and a triple, at Detroit • • * Joe Wood likes to play in the outfield and he’s one pitcher who has made good as a protean artist. Joe, can change from a pitcher to a gardener without blinking an eye or. getting the least bit fussed.