272 



THE IRRIGATION AGE 



proportionately than among the 

 privates showing how gallantly the 

 officers led into the very midst of 

 danger. 



When the transports containing 

 reinforcements for Dewey arrived 

 at Manila Bay they were cLosely 

 followed by a German warship, 

 which was supposed to signify to 

 both the United States and Spain 

 that Germany intended to have a 

 finger in the Philippine pie. But 

 this was previous to the encounter 

 at Santiago, from which Germany 

 may learn a lesson. 



The war has brought out many 

 things of which we may be proud. 

 The world in general may feel 

 proud to know it has progressed so 

 far in humane methods that the 

 Red Cross society now has an hon- 

 ored place on the battlefield. This 

 society is one of the noblest or- 

 ganizations and proves that the 

 world is indeed growing more en- 

 lightened and more civilized since 

 it is possible for this association to 

 number in its ranks members from 

 opposing factions, members who 

 will care for the dead and dying ir- 

 respective of their country or be- 

 lief. One of the many things of 

 which our country may be proud 

 is the training its men have re- 

 ceived at the military training 

 schools. A contributor to the Out- 

 look, whose personal observation at 

 Tampa. Pla. , gave him an oppor- 

 tunity of judging, says that "All 

 that the most eager civil service 

 reformer hopes to accomplish in 

 the postoffice, the state department 

 and the diplomatic service, has long 

 been a matter of course in the army. 

 Thorough preparation, rigid dis- 

 cipline, promotion for proved merit, 

 freedom from mercenary influence 

 these are characteristics of the ser- 

 vice that make one proud of the 

 nation's defenders in these days of 

 of excitement and danger." The 

 friendship of England for us is an- 

 other thing about which we may 

 feel pleasure, and especially as she 

 has given us such encouragment in 



this, our time of trouble. But as 

 for an Anglo-Saxon alliance well 

 that is a very pretty sentiment, but 

 our views are aptly expressed by 

 the cartoon, which represents 

 Columbia declining John's invita- 

 tton to take a tandem ride, saying 

 "Much obliged John, but I don't 

 care to ride on the back seat." And 

 still another thing, though of minor 

 importance, is the great demand 

 for geographies, maps, etc., the war 

 has occasioned. The least curious 

 among us has a desire to know 

 whether Santiago is in Spain or 

 Cuba, whether Manila is a city, an 

 island or a bay, or all three, and so 

 this wholesome thirst for knowl- 

 edge leads us LO open long-neglected 

 books and discover that the Philip- 

 pine Islands are nearer China than 

 Spain, and other information 

 equally valuable. And then the 

 pronounciation of foreign names' 

 How we have stumbled over the 

 names of the Spanish commanders! 

 How we have wished that we might 

 have some idea of the language. 

 The spelling is no guide whatever, 

 for, as an exchange has pointed 

 out, even S-pa-i-n will soon be pro- 

 nounced "Dennis." Lord speed 

 the day! 



A Strangle 

 Experience. 



The people of Chicago 

 who have grown to re- 

 gard the daily papers as being one 

 of the necessities not luxuries of 

 life, had a novel, but inconvenient 

 experience for a few days, by being 

 deprived of the city dailies. To 

 see a great city the second in the 

 Union depending for four days 

 upon Rockford, Milwaukee, and 

 even slow St. Louis, for its supply 

 of daily papers, was something 

 amusing. The first morning that 

 the householder went out as usual 

 to buy his morning paper and re- 

 tnrned empty-handed with the in- 

 formation that the stereotypers had 

 gone on a strike and the papers 

 would not be forthcoming, he was 

 in a verv unamiable frame of mind. 

 But with the facility for adapting 



