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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 15, 1915)
THE 8EMI-WEFKLV TRIRUWE NORTH PI ATTP. NFRRASKA, FARM LIFE HIS IDEAL THE PLTUPN OF gjfik X ifiMltjI friliitiliJ or llunry VII (Ulivemo u.id Jtovorsu) 2- Skull Cap, l.uto HuviMitounth c'untury. 3- Snppur'a Hclmot. Mlddlo or Nineteenth CuntUry. 4- Btcrote. Lato Seventeenth Cuntury 6-Htucl Skull Cap. 1915. -"iury. g-0"rBet, Eurly UlRhtconth Century. Un .n. K?r! 1i,,,,,e?,nlU.at, Sixteenth Century, s-l'lkemiins I'ot. Mldillo of Seventeenth Cuntury. g 4 ARSHAL MAURICE of Saxo, writing in tho mlddlo or tho oightconth cen tury, deplored tho dlauHO of do fonslvo nrmor as bolng tho cnuso of largo numbor of casualtlea in bat tlo. Ho vory truly obBorvcd that most of tho wounds caused by apont bullets, Hword, lnnco, or plko thrusts would bo minimized, it not Irovonted, by tho use of somo kind of metal pro tection. Ho docs not suggest that Its weight and unwloldlncsa was any drawback, for ho recom mends a cuirass mado of buff leather, re-onforced 'with metal strips, weighing in all SO pounds, as a vory useful equipment, and ho gives as his opin ion that It was only tho cost of armor which 'brought about its disuse. From the middle of tho ulxtoontu century there had been much discus sion as to tho practical valuo of armor, and Sir John Smytho, writing In 1G90, cites tho death of Sir Philip Sidney from a spont bullot as a rea won for adhering to tho old fashions In military cqulpmont. As early ns 1BG9 armor was proved by musket or pistol shot, and In 1590 Sir Henry Loo, master of tho armories, arranged a trial to detormlno tho rcspoctlvo merits of Shropshire .iron and "Hungoro" or Innsbruck motal, with re nulls disastrous to tho homomado product. In tho "Vernoy Memoirs," under tho data of 1C07, wo find that ono Richard Hals proved his nrmor with "as much powder as will cover tho bullet In tho palm of tho hand." It was this jiroof by musket shot, combined with the gradual locadencc of tho craft of tho armorer, who had by this time lost tho art of tampering his motal, -which produced tho rraceloss and cumbersome equipment of tho seventeenth contury proof wgalnst firearms, It Is true, but so heavy and In convenient as to bo entirely unsulted for extend od expeditions, and for tho now school of military (tactica. Tho last relic of tho completo suit of plato was tho small crescont-shapod gorget worn by infantry officers up to about tho year 1830. Once this had been u practical protection to tho throat, but lntterly it shrank to a small plaquo of brass, llttlo larger than a roglmental badge, flulltod armor, brlgandlnes, and chain mall wore occasionally used after Held armor had been given up; but thoso wore sololy used against tho Attack of tho assussln, Napoleon III is said to (have worn a defense of mail; tho cavalry of tho Confederate army in tho American Civil war fa jvorod a vest lined with plates of steel; and Nod (Kelly, tho bushranger of our own day, woro a jholmet and culraBS of bulletproof bollor plate. Tho thin strips of steel used in tho brlgandlno Eero only of valuo agnlnst sword cuts, and It was or this purpose that they woro omployo1 in tho '"aocrotos" or hat linings, of which thoro are still large numbors In the Tower, and In tho hat of JBradahaw tho regicide, In tho Ashmolcan mu tioura, Oxford. The modern French and Gorman defenses of this nature would seem to be qulto useless against long-rango rltlea. For many years Inventors have brought forward contrivances, claimed to bo bulletproof, which provided thrill ing turns on tho music hall Btago, but none over larod to race tho sorvlco rifle wearing their in vention. As has been repeatedly pointed out in recont articles on this subject, tho only valuo of armor ut tho present day la as a protection from glancing or spent bullets. It has no value what ever against tho point-blank Impact of a projec tile, for, oven If tho defenso is not penetrated, Ul resultant shock is us serious as a bullet wound., it la thoroforo this glancing surface which should bo studied If armour Is to have any Placo In modern warfare, and metal of a high tompor and light In weight should bo employed. It is linthinkablo that such defenses will ever bo olllclally recognized, for, if Issued on a largo scalo, thoy would groatly impede the mobility of troops nlroady carrying moro dead weight than did tho soldlor of tho sixteenth contury In his suit of half-armor. If such contrivances aro pur chased prlvntoly an oxhuustlvo test should bo in sisted upon, and proof should bo recorded by somo responsible body, as It was in tho days of Charles I, when tho Armorers company of Lon don wero ordered to carry out such tosts nnd stnmp all nrmor that satisfied tho conditions with their mark. It theso defenses are care lessly mado of indifferent material thoy will as suredly bo far moro of a danger than a protec tion. It is Imposlblo to criticize tho modern produc tions without soolng thorn In nctual uso In tho trenches, but It would soora that tho pistol shield with crossed bars is in direct opposition to tho theory thnt tho'glanqlng surfaco" is of Importance, for horo, whorovor tho bullet strikes, It will dcllvor the full forco of Its blow and will not fly off at a tangent as It would from Henry VIII's pistol shield which is prosorvod In tho Towor. Tho plain skull-cap BeoniH to fulfill tho required conditions, except that it should be provided with a brim curving outward, llko tho chapel do for of tho slxteonth contury. Tho French helmet appoars to provltlo Bomo lodg ments for tho bullet In the straight brim and high comb, but again It should bo noted that It Is impossible to criticize practically until tho do rouse is soen In action. Besides tho ordinary body armor of tho lato sovontoenth coutury In tho Tower collection thoro aro a few Interesting specimens of slogo implements which woro tho precursors of modom contrivances. Tho chovaux do frlso of tho days of Wellington aro a, sories of sergeants' pHiss Joined by horizontal rods, and so arranged that thoy can bo strotched across a road or tho breach In a wall us a protection against cavalry an an ticipation of tho present barbed wire entangle ment. Tho sappers' mantels 'of leather nnd Iron huvo continued In uso from tho tlmo of tho Ro mans up to today, and tho weighty trappings that woro used In tho mlddlo of tho sovontoenth contury show that ovon then armor was serious ly usod In the trench work. Sovoral of tho eight eenth contury muskets In tho Tower of London have brass cups fixed to tho barrel or butt from which grenades wero thrown, a necessary precau tion when tho fuso used was tho slow match. Step by stop wo can traco tho evolution of mili tary Invention, and It Is peculiarly Interesting to Hnd that today, In tho light of all our scien tific knowlcdgo and oxperlenco, wo nro suddenly forced back to mako uso of appliances of four hundred yoars ngo which wo had but recently stigmatized as relics of barbarism. Tho fucts show that from the stono ago onward nrmor never became extinct It has always boen worn. At tho present day, to bo suro, It appears less for servlco than as a uniform of tho body guard of royalty. And you rocall that corsolot and steel hoadpleco aro still aeon In St. James' park, or in Potsdam, or Indeed In Republican Frnnco, whore the tradition of the bodyguard ot the emperor still survives. Hut ovon theso rolics of ancient armor aro known to bo sorviceablo. saving many a guardsman from wounds of saber or lanco or even high velocity projectiles when striking nt an angle. It 1b true that tho disuse of nrmor followed the invention of better grades of powder, but it must, nevertheless, bo romembcred that, during tho tlmo when armor was worn oftcnest In Europe, gun powder was In common use. During tho latter half of tho slxteonth contury not only cannon but guns and pistols were seen ovorywhero. Never theless armor continued to bo lined. It was In many cases tho mnttor of oxponso which limited tho wearing of armor; for In thoso days tho cost of nrmor was high, vory high. Clearly, thoroforo, a man would bo less apt to wear a really good harness ono which might havo cost tho equiva lent of ten thousand dollars, In tho present pur chasing power of raonoy when tho protection It gavo him was not completo; ho preferred then to wear common heavy armor, and In tho ond to nogloct wearing armor altogothor. When he found that his ononiy kopt away from him, tho range of firearms lncreasod. L"ator on ho "took n chnnco" of rocolving a wound. It was only during tho Thirty Years war, say boforo 1C50, that cheap armor of vory grent weight almost Intolerable came Into general uso. Then, too, ono must remember that thoro was for a long tlmo a fooling that armor was uot horolc. Even in oarllor centuries many a distin guished officer thought It chivalrous to appear In battle only partly armctl. Thus wo road of .his torlcal personages going Into battle with holmot visor raised, and of such a knight errant as Sli Philip Sydney fighting barohended. Tho feeling that It la discreditable to wear armor is Btrong evorKnt tho presont day. Tho reasoning runa. It is cowardly to lake an unfair ndvantngo ot an adversary. Suroly a man in a duel would not wear a shirt of mall; so why should ho bo armored In battlo, which is only a duol on n larger scale? Shields should bo and aro already in constant use. It may bo recalled that tho Japaneso rede veloped this system effectively In their war with Russia, eapoclally in tho capture of "Two Hundred and Throo Meter hill," where they moved along In front of tho advancing Infantrymen, In earlier times tho Japaneso sometimes woro a flat shlold slung upon tho breast, but always as a defense against shot. When ono considers tho valuo to tho commu nity of oven ono soldlor, suroly no nation should nfford not to protect him as best It can. Tho descendants of an Individual may amount to thousands in tho courso of a couple of conturlea, bo ono can flguro out what the human losses to tho countrloa now at war must roprcsont In tho future If armor will save oven n few hundreds of mon it will certainly pay as a natloual invest ment to uso It. Tho tlmo will soon conio when governmental commissions will take up this mat tor effectively. I "I wish I had had senso enough to stny on a Kansas farm." Instead of which ho wont into tho army, gained fnmo and promotion by spectacular deeds in tho Philippines, took Vera Cruz away from tho Mexi cans temporarily and mado it n clean and habitable city, and now commands tho United States troops that nro try ing to maintain order along tho Rio Grande For tho man who wi8lied ho had stayed on n Kansas farm was MaJ. Gen, Fred Funston. "I was raised on a farm, nnd I like tho feel of tho boII. It's good to hoe potatoes nnd radishes and plow corn," ho added. "You got away from it about as quickly as a farmboy over did," his companion suggested. "Yes, and I was a' rnttlc-pated youngster, with mighty' llttlo gump tion, too," ho returned. , General Funston consistently re fuses to bo interviewed concerning cither tho European war or tho troubles In Mexico. "I talked too much when I camo back from tho Philippines onco," ho explained to a questioner. "Now tho sphinx has nothing on mo. Tho leas an army ofllccr talks tho better, anyway." LORD BERTIE OF THAME V'" " ' vs X ''i X Back in 1903, when Balfour was tho British prime minister, tho British embassy at Romo fell vacant. Mr. Balfour was at a loss to name the right man to fill It, so ho consulted Sir Francis Bertie, tho permanent undersecretary of state. "What sort of a man would you put in?" asked Balfour. Sir Francis Bkctched the Ideal ambassador. Ho must bo this and that, ho explained; and ended by making a most inclsivo picture of tho person required for Rome. "I see, I see." said tho other, pondering. "Then, Sir Francis, I must nsk you to accept the post," ho added, with a smile capablo of dissolving the most obstinate permanency. Two years later Sir Francis was transferred td the Paris embassy, and ho still holds tho position thero. In nil thoso years ho has performed his diplomatic and social duties so capably and skillfully that in his scventy-flrat year reward ha3 como to him from th crown. On tho king's birthday he was raised to tho peerage as a baron of tho United Kingdom. His title, Baron Bertlo of Thamo, was a wiao solectlon. for nil tho Berties aro descended from tho first and only Viscount Thamo, who was a grandson of Sir Henry Norrls, ambassador to Franco in tho six teenth century. Lord Bertie is a son of tho sixth earl of Abingdon. Lady Bertie, a daughter of Earl Cowley, belongs to tho diplomatic world by birth and train ing as well as by marriage, and sho belongs especially to Paris, for it was in that city that sho spent her youth when her father was ambassador. Both tho now baron and his wlfo aro extraordinarily popular with the French. SUBWAY SCULPTRESS Boston always has beon proud of its subway, and now it boasts of Us wonderful subway sculptress, Miss Bessie Paoff. Sho was awarded tho first prize for sculpturo and modeling in tho Boston School of tho Museum of FIno Arts for this yoar'B work, and great things aro predicted of her by her teachers. Any day and every day Besslo Paeft may bo found at tho south ond of tho Park street subway station. Sho is tho ticket seller thero. Sho in tends to remain there, too, until sho has earned enough money to go tc Paris and Btudy under Rodin. As a child Bessie gavo evidence ot having tho artistic temperament. She was graduated from high school and entered an advanced class at tho Bos ton School of tho Museum of Fine Arts. Thereafter Bessio Paoff allowed nothing to interfere with her study of art nothing but the selling of tickets in Park streot subway station. And oven horo her art work is not neglected. Noithor Is her work in tho subway office. Sho takes pleasure In selling tickets, because It is tho source from which sho has dorlved her success thuB far as a sculptress. HE QUITS DIPLOMACY Nelson O'Shnughnossy, former churgo d'affaires of tho United States embassy in Mexico City, la no longer on Undo Sara's pay roll. Ho has boen separated automatically by tho provision of a law which prohibits u longer period than 00 days of leavo with pay. Privately, it Is admitted at tho state department that Mr. O'Shnughnossy is not oxpocted to ro enter actlvo diplomatic sorvlco. Mr. O'Shnughnossy acted as charge (or tho United states ombaasy In Mox Ico City from the tlmo tho last ambas sador, Henry Lane WHboii, was re called to Washington, until our diplo matic affairs woro turned over to tho Brazilian mission when United Stat03 troops took Vera Cruz. Mr. O'Shaughnessy's work during that porlod was most trying, in view of tho openly hostile attitude of tho United 8tate8 government toward Prosldent lluerta. Despite this situation, it is said thnt Mr. O'Shaughnessy was ablo to protect his nationals nioro effectively than they have ever been protected boforo or since Following his withdrawal from Mexico O'Shaughnessy was offered a sec retaryship at his old post in Vienna. This he accented and' hold for some months, but last summer ho was recalled and camo on leavo to this country