ected their efforts to poisoning the
minds of the people through the circulation of lies concerning affairs
in France and at home. Here are some of the rumors circulated throughout
the country that were nailed as falsehoods:

It was said that the national registration of women by the Food
Administration was to find out how much money each had in the bank, how
much of this was owed, and everything about each registrant's personal
affairs.

That the millions collected from the public for the Red Cross went into
the pockets of thieves, and that the soldiers and sailors got none of
it, nor any of its benefits.

That base hospital units had been annihilated while en route overseas.

That leading members of other hospital units had been executed as spies
by the American Government.

That canned goods put up by the housewives were to be seized by the
government and appropriated to the use of the army and navy.

That soldiers in training were being instructed to put out the eyes of
every German captured.

That all of the "plums" at the officers' training camps fell to Roman
Catholics. The plums went to Protestants when the propagandist talked to
a Catholic.

That the registration of women was held so that girls would be enticed
into the cities where white slaves were made of them.

That the battleship Pennsylvania had been destroyed with everyone on
board by a German submarine.

That more than seventy-five per cent of the American soldiers in France
had been infected with venereal diseases.

That intoxicants were given freely to American soldiers in Y. M. C. A.
and Knights of Columbus huts in France.

But the lies and the plots failed to make any impression on the morale
of American citizenry. In fact, America from the moment war was declared
against Germany until the time an armistice was declared, seemed to care
for nothing but results. Charges of graft made with bitter invective in
Congress created scarcely more than a ripple. The harder the pro-German
plotters worked for the destruction of property and the incitement to
labor disturbances, the closer became the protective network of
Americanism against these anti-war influences. After half a dozen German
lies had been casually passed from mouth to mouth as rumors; the
American people came to look upon other mischievous propaganda in its
true light. Patriotic newspapers in every community exposed the false
reports and citizens everywhere were on their guard ag