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PLADfDBALER, Darino American Line­ men, Fresh from Civil Life, Maintain Commun­ ications Under Fire t HB two great means of comma nication 0o the modern battle­ field, the means hy which gen­ eral headquarters beeps In touch with every sector of the fine and by which the perfect co-ordination of all branches of the service Is possible are the airplane and -electricity. The romantic appeal dt 'Hie aviation service, the stirring sftories of high adventure that have come out of the war have made the work of the bird men, the supersedere of cavalry ss the eyes of the commander, fa piiilar to the people at? home. On the ground charging infantrymen and roaring cannon cap­ ture the imagination. But LWaSfAA'b sssss < » I'M m.1? ; v . the heroic labors of men •who keep open the tele­ graph and telephone lines which make co-operation ,sr' of Infantry and artilleey , . possible are almost u|fc* . known outside the serf- Ice, save, for instancy when one reads of a medal bestowed on a line repairman for magnify't coot disregard of dangefc. For their losses and their honors are alike great. They go over the top with the troops, smoking- " their-pipes, coolly strinjff^>iT Ing lines behind the ad- . ..... vancing first line so thal^U the gun crews may be kept informed of the a# 4 vance or told to concen­ trate their fire on a pa**.^ ticularly obnoxious mi^5 * chine gun, says a write? In the New York Sua magazine section. They* clamber oat of dugouts into tbeslush' and the freezing wind of a winter night to feel tfiefr way '> along a broken wire, sometimes over the shell-pit­ ted open ground behind the trenches until they find the break, then sitting in Ice water Under fire they repair It as carefully and skillfully as if they were at work in the shop at home. It often takes three or four men to repair one of these breakfg the first men sent out may never come back. > Repaired at all costs the wire must be, and dag­ ger does not excuse a slipshod bit of work. Fqr the signal system of the army is what tj»e nerf- ous system is to the human body. • ... £ Without it the modern army covering ibo mild of front cannot see, feel or move. The army com­ mander wishing to move a portion of his line 50 miles away or to change the rapidity of his artil­ lery fire or to receive information of eneniy move­ ments is as helpless without the slender threads of copper as he would be if he wished to move his right arm and found the nerves paralyzed. ' ' "There are still people of intelligence who think 'that the transmission of military thought is summed up In the use of the notebook, the orderly and his horse," writes Brig. Gen. George P. Scriven- "But : these are passing, and the trained soldier and the educated volunteer understand the vital impor­ tance of Information. ' "Hence the necessity for a signal corps or It* equivalent, for without Its aid modern armies can no more be controlled than can great railway sys­ tems ; the commander in the field remains blind 'and deaf to the events occurring around him, In­ capable of maintaining touch with conditions and out of reach of his superiors or those under his au­ thority upon whom he depends for the execution of his plans. The brain lacks the power to control because the nerves are lacking. "Time is the main factor in war; to arrive first with the greatest number of men and with the : clearest understanding of the situation is to suc­ ceed: The last, and often the first, of these condl- ;< tions depends upon the lines of information of the army." ^ And ttsase Unesta turndepend upon theobscure^ but dartng work of the repairman, the grimy, mucky, hard-fisted mechanic who crawls on his belly through shell fire calculated to appall the * stoutest heart and connects the break between tie f ; comflttander and the point he wishes to reich. ' Somehow the lines are kept open all the time or are broken for only short intervals, and the con- ^ etant tending of them has made possible in France a system of wire communication that is a marvel > •! ol emciency. indeed so perfect is it that Loudon and Paris are in direct connection with general : headquarters on the British front, which ip turn is in touch with every division and brigade stair on the line. A wire could be put straight through so that Lloyd .George if be wished could near the bursting of high explosives and shrapnel on the Amiens front. This tremendous use of the telephone and tele­ graph in warfare is partly the result of the Im­ petus arising from the American application of electrical communication on a large scale in the Spanish war. The signal corps as it now exists is; a comparatively recent evolution. 1 fil the American army the Idea first arose the mind of a young army surgeon, Albert Jam Myer. The office of signal officer of the army was {created in June, I860, the first of its kind, and Myer was appointed. He was at once sent with an expedition against Navajo Indians in New Mex­ ico, and Ms crude apparatus at once demon- ; atrated its worth. When the Civil war began he was ordered East and opened a school for signalers, and In that w» the definite beginning o< the present signal corpb. Wires were carried on horse or muleback then, the Instruments were Imperfect and telegraphic com­ munication was a rare and precious thing. Tke service took on tremendous Importance in" the Spanish war and followed the troops through Cuba and the Philippines, and in China wU the only means, of communication for a week between Pe­ king and the fesi of the world. 4 , But the tasks that confronted our signal men in these wars were play compared to the work that is being dome every day on the western front. Our signal men there have an area to cover about the size of Pennsylvania and they have gone at it " with a vigor and efficiency that spell volumes for | the superiority of Americans in this particular line of work. The hardy linemen who have strung lines and repaired breaks on the Western plains or battled with great floods and storms in the Rocky moun­ tains have taken to this new work with a zest which is inspiring. On the foundation of the French system they are building a signal systcsn' that will be a model of its kind. Up to within four miles of the front construc­ tion is not different from what it Is here at hom& The wires are strung on poles and most of the -poles have been planted by the French. But when "one gets inside the shell-torn section that stretches at least four miles from the front wires have to be protected by being burled from six to eight feet deep, so that only a direct hit by a large shell will disturb them. Within half a mile of the front not even this protection is sufficient, as the shells churn and re- churn the ground. Therefore all wires in this cone are duplicated and are strung along both sides of the trenches. Sometimes a trench wall is covered with wires. In the battalion headquarters signal office, where the hundreds of wires from the trenches and ob­ servation posts center and where the receivers hum with the constant tremors of a world under fire, plain Bill Smith lounges in a corner rolling a cigarette and occupied In his own particular thoughts. It is a dugout, this headquarters, and the air is vile, but Bill got used to that long ago. "The wire to A battery is down," Smith's su­ perior officer says, turning to him. "All right, sir," Is the answer. And BUI climbs ; out of the dugout, repair kit over his arm and tin hat on his head. In the trench he finds the wire that la broken and begins to follow It along. It Is hot work la the trench, shells are dropping thickly, but Smlt|l doesn't mind--much. He follows the wire down a communication trench and then after a long time out into the open, where he has to crawl along looking for the hole that will mark the place where the line has been broken. He gets nearly there when a shell lands near him f>nd Bill Smith*, his face toward the break, goes west. After a time, back in the dugout, an­ other repairman is sent out and perhaps'he is luckier than Bill and finds the break. Then he has to sit down in the shell crater, the smash of bursting shells so close that sometimes he Is half buried in dirt, calmly making the con­ nection that will enable the observation officer up front to get In touch with his battery again. If he gets back to the dugout he will be sent out again and yet again If the bombardment is heavy, and often for days and nights at a time these men are under fire, snatching a nap now and then In the dugout between breaks. But they keep the lines open. In an attack the signal mengo over the top with the Infantry, generally with the second wavet In charge of the observing officer. They make for a point where they can establish an observation post, and as they pass on and through the enemy's barrage they unroll their line and one of them car* ries a field telephone, through which they somehow manage in the din of battle to make themselves heard. That telephone is like a battle flag, and many a man goes down with it, only to have It picked up and carried forward by another of these noncrtn- batant troops. Their business Is only to serve, not to fight, and they do it with a cool daring which Is not surpassed in any branch of the service. They are in the forefront of every advance and in the retreat are sometimes the last to leave the* 1 : When Petain Meets Petain. I,heard a yarn about the French commandetsin- chief the other day. He was driving in a met or with an equerry past a town near Verdun, when jhe came upon four, little boys marching in Hie, arrayed in soldiers' helmets and carrying feal ; bayonets. The sight of the little faces almost lost In the • jteel soldiers' helmets, amused General Petain, •and stopping the car, he. said to the leader at the file: 'mm brave fsttews! What Is "Oh, I am General Petain V* replied tbe boy, who had no idea to whom he was speaking. , Th*8 reply greatly amused the general. "Weil, my name is General Petain, also," he said, "and X am very pleased to have met yon!" The two generals shook hands, gravely salutv ed and parted company.--Answers. riving old things and calling them new. This is not only true of the stupendous spectacle of war in its most barbaric form, asserts a prominent fashion Crit­ ic, but.lt is true of the minor accidents and happenings that flutter through "this Imbroglio called life." . Observe fashions. The designers dip their hands deep Into the boiling pot of ancient lands, history and peoples, and pull out of it demure or fantastic things, which they dress up a bit and give over to a most modern people, who accept them as new. At present the designers are dipping more deeply than ever. They seem to be frantically pulling out odds and ends of flotsam and jetsam that must serve to whet the appetites of those who have money. Garden Hats and Tea Gowns. It seemed a fitting thing today to revive the simplicity of Ciyil war cos- turnery, and therefore we see ap­ proaching us an era of printed mus­ lins, garden hats, pastel colors and Colonial fichus. • Along with these fashions comes that Intimate and usually alluring gar­ ment called the tea gown. It Is as mucl) a part of the English social sys-' tem as five o'clock tea, cricket and par­ liament. The French have always MEANT NO OFFEN8E. * f 4. •liiStiitjf:.- tife 4* One of the negro soldiers could not learn that lie tnust salute an officer. On one occasion be met a Captain and obsequlonsly said: "Mawnin", boss." Hie captain stopped and endeavored to tell that JUV£/S>/CAffL Jff£W£JY WM£*3 front line, where they stick to the end of their wires under terrific shell fire until ordered to re­ join their commands if they can get through alive, "An experience of this kind happened to me a short time ago in a lonely chateau of the Ypres- Menin road," an English officer wrote home. "The chateau was the center of a perfect hell of Ger­ man shrapnel for nearly a week, until it becaigte almost untenable and was abandoned by the head­ quarters staff. "The general gave instructions that a telegraph­ ist was to remain behind to transmit Important messages from the brigades, and I was left In charge of the Instruments In this shell-swept chateau for a day and a night "On the second day the Germans broke through our trenches and the wires were cut by the shell fire. I was given orders to evacuate the building and smash up my instruments. These I saved by burying In a Bhellproof trench, and then I had to escape between our own fire and that of the enemy's across a field under a terrible tornado of shrapnel. "On the early morning of the same day one of our cable detachments was cut up and another captured by the Germans, only to be retaken by our sappers and drivers after a desperate and glorious fight." The linemen also have regular patrols, stretches of line which have totoe constantly examined not only for breaks but also to make sure that they have not been tapped by enemy spies In such a way that every bit of information sent over them finds its way to the Germans. In the Alsne once, where the hill country offered good cover to spies, the wires were constantly being tapped. One day a lineman passing along the road no­ ticed a lot of cable lying at one side. He started to coil it up and found that a piece of wire had been tied to the main line. When he traced it he found that it ran to a haystack. He went on, tapped the line and sent in word to headquarters and an armed escort found a spy hidden In the hay with several days' supply of food. They are autocrats In their way, these wire re* palrmen, and no one is permitted to interfere with the swift execution of their work. Word coming the line that the wire to a battery WAN re­ paired is often the sweetest sound in the world to an observation officer up front, even If It comes In a rough brogue which French weather has not im­ proved. So when anybody else breaks In on the line and Interferes with the repairman he gets rolled, es­ pecially If he has been sitting for several hours in a shell hole with an icy rain dripping down his back. An English officer told of what happened to a general who broke in once. "A general came in the hut aad told me *1 rang up the telephone just now and said, "Give me the ---- brigade, please," but some one with a , loud voice replied deliberately and distinctly: "Get off the blinking line." I got off remarking that as soon as convenient I should like to speak. I apologized and explained that the line had been down and was being repaired. He went off with a merry twinkle In his eye." As the number of men in the American army abroad grows with the weeks, the number of line­ men, those who make possible all that the artil­ lery and Infantry together accomplish, will stead­ ily increase until they are a small army in them- selves. And probably it will not be long before an­ nouncement will be made that some plain Bill Smith, wire repairman, has been given a medal for bravery under fire, which attracted attention even among the hundreds of brave acts which these men perform every day. negro Just what was expected of him when he met an officer. After he got through his tirade, the negro said: "Why, boss. If I had known you was goln' to git so mad, I wouldn't have spoke to jvu at.flL* TWOULD have killed A Him. *** 4*# I Sumptuous gown with long mantle. Purple and gold tissues are com­ bined in this garment. The purple and gold oriental sash which drapes the hips ends in a gold embroid-' ered panel In front, and the sleeves are of draped gold and purple tulle. placed their reliance upon the garment which they call the "robe d'lnterieur." But the American had nothing to place beside these two. When this remark was once made to a French designer she lifted her eyebrows in surprise and asked, "But is there not the Mother Hubbard?" There was, she was assured, but it was not the kind of garment of which she would approve. But here In America today we are rapidly learning the artistic value and comfort of the British tea gowns, which someone once described as the only really soft thing in the British nation. That statement was made, however, before the English woman had learned to copy the arts and the graces of face and figure from the French, and when she still wore her stiff, unyielding, ugly clothes; her big EASY TO MAKE YOUR GUIMPE vv *,.#• *, -~i hoots f Walgtit, mannfsh Scotch tweeds, and raglan coats. The English tea gown has spread over the civilized world, alongside of the English five o'clock tea, which even the American soldiers behind the French battle front have learned to desire. The British wear two sets of cos- tumery at that hour in the afternoon, and both of these are introduced th's summer ; the flowered muslin with the big shade hat, and the alluring tea gown with Its fanciful coloring and Its loose grace. Substitute It for Dinner Gown. One of the reasons rtiat America Is wearing this tea gown at and tffter the five o'clock hour is that the French have taught her the economy and pleasure of It. . Black, midnight blue, olive green, beige and munitions gray have ruled the outdoor costumery of the French people since August, 1014. They have worn white only at mountain and sea­ shore resorts, and then it was re­ stricted to sport clothes fot the morn­ ing hours. The French are quite willing to wear dark and demure clothes in the street, but they ease up the depression of their spirits by adopting colors In their own homes. At the opera, the play, in public restaurants, one sees clothes in somber colors; but in the French homes--especially In the Paris houses, where women are Involved In a social system--there Is a brilliant display of the British tea gown. It fiolves the problem; It satisfies the need for color. America's Contribution. We are becoming quite self-assured in designing clothes these days, and have made such rapid progress that we do not rest entirely upon what others give us. When the dressmakers found that women who spent different amounts of money and moved in different kinds of social life were asking for tea gowns, there Immediately jumped up n kind of rivalry among the workers ; to see who could get out something ^startling and good. s The especial contribution in which this rivalry has resulted is the rain­ bow tea gowns. We have already found out that we are in for a "rain­ bow" season. Whoever named the first fighting division that went to France had a happy Inspiration--It gave the word to a hundred activities in this country. The name flickers from the stage, on posters, gowns' and hats, and now it seems to have found an admirable setting in the new. tea gown. Elaborate Japanese Style* France has sent to us a striking tea gown that is being copied. It is made as an elaborate Japanese kimono. The material is extra-broad black and white striped satin. Therft is a flicker of white lace and a bit of white satin, and the robe Is complete. , All of the house robes that are to be substituted for dinner gowns this spring and summer do not owe their Inspiration to the exotic East. There are other epochs and ot.her fashions from which the designers draw. The early nineteenth century has been found prolific in ideas. The tea gowns which are taken from that time are sometimes more suitable for the average woman than the more compli­ cated draperies. These are made of flowered chiffon, printed voile and silk net, and they are run beneath the bust, after the manner that obtained in the Dlrectoire, with broad ribbons of old blue, pale pink and Chinese yellow. They are half low and round In the neck, and have short puffed sleeves. (Copyright, 1918, by the McCIurs Newspa­ per Syndicate.) tlve, perhaps, than you can make it, and add it to your homemade gulmpe. < & Ruffles Are Indorsed. .The girl who delights in ruffles wlU. be glad to hear that Premet Is in­ dorsing ruffles, and band trimmings with enthusiasm this season. Many of the afternoon and evening dref?*es at the recent opening had hosts of little ruffles and shirred bands of contrast­ ing fabric set into the skirt, and the effect was particularly captivating and feminine. Tbe skirts themselves, how- CVCT, to narrnw- Atrnt^ht eil- houerte, ilit? bull lumiu^Q auu ouiii'iujsv blending into the prevailing line of slenderness. 'Hi, V" : M v. v;m*. company was on a hike. One private wbe possessed a sense of humor could not resist joking. "Cut out that joking in ranks," ordered the geant for the third time. "But, sir, this is a rank Jote*" sstoctsd the ef amusement. < yy i " • .rts&JSL' J m.- i Garment Has Gained Useful Vogue- May Be Found in All Manner of Attractive Materials. Gnimpes have gained a tremendous­ ly useful vogue this spring. You know what they are--little blouses to wear underneath the coat suit, made with sleeves that have well finished cuffs, and with finished and sometimes elab­ orate collars and fronts. The rest of the gulmpe Is plain, for It never shows, save when Its wearer is putting u uu. For when one of these gulmpes Is worn with a coat the coat Is not removed. These guimpes may be bought in all manner of attractive materials In the shops. Perhaps those of dimity are the daintiest They are made In white, with colored collars and cuffs, and In colors, too. And they are made in other fabrics. Washable fabrics are by far the most serviceable for summer. It Is now possible to buy a paper pattern for one of these guimpes, and so to make It yourself, if you wish to do so. You can buy the frilling by the yard In net or organdie, more attrac- Chinese Tea Gowns. There are entire Chinese tea gowns made for women of fastidious and ex­ acting taste, which are first cousins to the costumes worn in the old Chi­ nese plays. These gowns are embroid­ ered with a gold dragon, they are splashed with black, they have won­ derful r~d satin linings, and. taking all in a!l, they are a bit too unusual to be given the background of an av­ erage house. They need something ex­ clusive. It is a big drop from such house costumery to the simple and yet altogether lovely tea gowns that a woman may turn out In her own sew­ ing room with flowered muslin, some old blue ribbon, and the silk or satin lining left from last year's party frock. '• 1 Dresses for. Children, . ' fefogfcam is proving to W ft ret? popular fabric for children's bl^>mer dresses. It Is reported that these gar­ ments are being sold In large quan­ tities In practically all parts of the country. They are taken usually in the brighter color combinations In conventional gingham designs. For Maea ileaaflS wnni* orMfo lawn 1 prfrri nn Krnr^lpt liOODa. V ™ < - .. ' >. * • l.'.--; .?• ^ „\r'_ tgf 7* '< ! : t Frocks for Young Girls. ; Organdie and net by the yard, with ruffling8 and platings attached, 'is made into some very attractive frocks for young girls. These fabrics may be made into skirts that are not too bouf­ fant for the present mode. Sometimes a net foundation shows applied tucks of ping organdie. Again an organdie foundation has tiny flu tings of self- colored organdie. V; to be very much in favor. Many of these models are attractively set off with hemstitching in one or more colors around the edges of the collars, cuffs and pockets. In both these lines, good quality materials add the best of workmanship are the most Sought. The Cape Subject. Capies have pushed top coats over the horizon. They are made like the straight, aviator's cape, or like that of the Italian police, or tbey are three- tiered and elaborately ornamented with fur. The lining is often gor­ geous and rarely demure. Magenta and blue, beige and gold, biscuit and black, navy blue and artillery red, midnight blue and Chinese crepe in figured colors are among the frequent combinations. Waistcoats Match Bags. " Waistcoats and reticules to match are the latest whim of Madame Mode. And another whim is to have both waistcoat and reticule made of Very wide, fancy ribbon, the ribbon bag mounted on a metal frame, or gath- ts good reason for wonderful crops of grain grown In* Western Canada, which have made thousands of former residents of the United States wealthy, Is not always given the thought that It deserves Is quite apparent. But that there must be a reason is quite evident Proba­ bly more than one--but the one that requires emphasis--is that the soil is of the nature that will produce good crops. It was not long since that the farmer selected his land In the mopt haphazard way. He need not do so today. He will select It on the soil analysis plan. Soil from Western Canada was submitted to Prof. Slev-, ens, soil physicist of the State College of Washington, at Pullman, Wash, nig report should no doubt further encorov age settlement in Western Canada.. It" reads as follows: "We have analyzed this sample and find that it runs high In lime, very high in potash, phosphorus and in ni­ trogen ; that it has a splendid supply of organic matter and is in the best of physical condition. There Is noth­ ing wrong with this soil from the standpoint of crop production, and I am satisfied that It will give splendid results wherever pot under cultiva­ tion," It is soil like this properly worked, and on scientific lines, as Is the rule today, that gives the opportunity to quote the experiences of farmers who have Increased their incomes from $500 to $30,000 in two seasons, and whose 6t6ry would* read as lows: "I have threshed altogether 7,06# bushels of No. 1 Northern wheat from 200 acres, which went from 24 to 06^ per acre--sod breaking 24, spring' plowing 36, back setting 66 bushels-- the average being 35 bushels per acre,* The newspaper giving an account of this man's experience says: "When lie disposed of his 1,600 acres from north of Brooks, Alta. to four Oak Harbor men, he was worth $30,000. Two yearp ago he came here with $500 and a t&r horses." It is the soil of Western Canada* and the knowledge of what it will do that brings to Canada the hundreds of settlers that are dally arriving at the border. A growing enthusiasm for the •fertile prairie lands of Western Can­ ada Is spreading all over the continent," This enthusiasm is the recognition 0f the fact that sufficient food could be produced on these prairie lands fco feed the world. From the south, eaft and west, hundreds of men, too old for military service, are pouring into Western Canada to take up land or to work on the farms. A great many of the incoming settlers have arrived at such central points as Calgary, Ed­ monton, and Lethbridge, Alberta, and at Regina, Moose Jaw, and Saskatoon* Saskatchewan. Judging from the built of their household effects, the number of their horses and cattle, and Quantity of implements they are brii Ing with them, most of the new rivals also seem well blessed with world's goods. Reports, from North Portal, Saf» katchewan; Coutts, Alberta, and Kings- gate, British Columbfa--the principal gateways into Western Canada from the United States--indicate that the present influx of farmers Is In sudi volume as Jias not been witnessed for many years. From Vancouver, Brit- lsh Columbia, people are going to the prairies for summer farm work, many with the intention of taking up land themselves at the end of the summer. The influence of this tide of farmed settlers on greater food production wflD be more readily appreciated when It Is considered that the average settler takes up at least twice as mnch land as he has hitherto been farming--and land which, acre for acre, produces bel­ ter and larger crops.--Advertisement THEN HE STRAIGHTENED ui ir General's Indignation Probably Ma<|| Him Forget His Aching Back , e.Feer Moments. ' A lliS1'j a'tlVcu §cuCiai St of the staff car and was "taken ove# by the guide who was to lead him tft this particular part of his tour of in? spection. The two went forward aloof* and very soon the guide made a sig% and whispered to the general to leavf, the duck boards and come close In the hedge. The general was tall, he bent low to keep his head -* 1 --1 A* UmIM ouvmu§ owvtv vun uvv*ev« wow ana agam trie general whisper­ ed a question and the guide whispefi ed In reply. The former began to fe a pain In tbe back through so maintaining a bent position. "How far away is. the nearaf^ Boche?" whispered the general, thinfci Ing he might straighten his back anp risk a sniper's bullet. M "About four miles," whispered; tfc||- gulde. ., "Then what the deuce are you whi|fe pering for?" roared the general. jfjf "Can't help it, sir. Been like it f< three 'weeks. : Wosrst cold I've had." Just a Matter of Place. .conversation at a social erfng turned io the subject of dome tic arguments when the story was tingly related by Congressman Jamc A. Galllvan of Masachusetts. itf One morning a hard-featured ind&fe vidual, carrying a grip, entered Jfcf city bank and approached the wlndo^t of the paying teller. - # "I want one thousand doHara," salt; the man in a low voice. "Give it to m|^ at once or I will drop this grip on thif floor." "You will, will you?" responded thjr^t paying teller. "What's In it?" - !K 4 "Dynamite," answered" the other|,;i " "and In one minute you will be go»* ing through the roof." . ; ;% f "Let her drop," was the careless re> fe joinder of the teller. "I- have forgo^t f ten something that I was told to for my wife and I might as well the explosion here as at home." •"T* . Proving the Contrary. "He makes $5,000 a year as enf! 'tor." "And yet people say yon cuTt) i Ive on ala,* • / ̂ mJk