The evening world. Newspaper, April 22, 1922, Page 10

eal X * ebe eBeiiitn sais ESTAPLISHED BY JOSEPH . y by The Prom Publishing Park Rew, New York. THE HYLAN IDEA OF “SAVING.” Nigra City of New York is the biggest corporate business organization in the United States. : At the head of the corporation is the Mayor. i The Mayor is responsible for the general busi- { ness policy of the city. } The delay in awarding the contracts for com- i pletion of the 14th Street-Eastern District Subway is an. illuminating example of the competence of j the Mayor and his fellow directors in the Board of Estimate. In his speech in Brooklyn Thursday evening, the Mayor made a great point of the $36,000 that had been saved by readvertisement of some of the contracts submitted by the Transit Commission. He did not mention the $2,000 a day interest charge on the city’s investment. _ At $2,000 a day a saving of $36,000 would war- tant a delay of eighteen days. This does not take into consideration the convenience to patrons re- sulting from early service on the line. The Mayor and his board have delayed about a year, the con- sequent loss in interest amounting to about twenty times the saving the Mayor boasts. How long would any private business corpora- tion tolerate such mismanagement, such disregard for the cost of delay and indecision? “The Transit Commission estimates thygt it would delay work sixty days, or $120,000 in interest charges, to readvertise contracts and make a $30,000 reduction in costs. With regard for busi- ness practice and common sense, the commission refuses to make such a foolish move. How long can New York afford to “save” 30,000 at an expense of $120,000? Could it rafford to “save” $36,000 at a.cost of $700,000? Is it evidence of contempt or of kindness that af the Civic Virtue “fellow”\ is facing away from i City Hall and the office of the individual who “didn't like his looks’ pie . MAKE WILLS CONTEST-PROOF. HE contest of the will of the late Supreme Court Justice Henry D. Hotchkiss is an- other example which reinforces The Evening a World’s suggestion of an agency to certify as to the mental capacity of testators. Justice Hotchkiss signed his will on Feb. 17. “On that day he sat in the Supreme Court and per- formed his usual duties. The contestants question the competence of the will, and allege fraud and undue influence. What- _ever the result of the effort to break the will, the consequence will be a shrinkage of the estate through the payment of legal fees and lawyers’ bills. Testators who anticipate dissatisfaction with the wills they draw ought to be able to go before a commission for examination. If the commission certifies to the accuracy of the “I, being of sound mind,” clause of the will, it should stand in the ’ sourts as contest-proof. Early in the week Savannah, Ga,, adopted a new kind of Prohibitian. Jazz is on the “must not” List. “Savannah Blues” ought to be a timely title for a topice) jazz tune. “WEAK SPOTS IN THE B. R. T.’S CASE. HAT B. R. T. suit for $30,000,000 damages for non-performance of contract by. the city Ought not to be serious for the city if the defense is competently presented. If the city fails to do justice to its side of the case, the Transit Commission, which is technically a defendant, ought to intervene and bring out the whole situation. The B. R. T. statement of the case may be en- tirely correct. The city has been guilty of ob- + struction, The contract hasn't been performed for ‘the benefit of the B. R. ‘ »But the B. R. T. cannot come into court with clean hands. It, too, had an obligation which was defaulted, the duty of providing adequate | Service under its franchise and under the contracts out of which the present suit grows. Those obligations have not been performed, as the Transit Commission has shown in recent hear- ings. Every patron of the B. R. T. knows this ‘by: personal experience. . Again, the strength of the B. R. T. case is ‘sapped by the long delay in bringing the suit. a The theory of the Statute of Limitations should F bar any such recovery. a For years the B. R. T. has been pleading pov- + “erty as an excuse for inadequate service. If it |‘ jhiad a valid case for damage, why did it not sue THE EVENING »oaud, SaruKDAY, APRI long ago, collect the money and apply it to the expenses of giving adequate service? PROHIBITION AND THE POLICE. TG number of policemen tried on charges of intoxication has markedly increased under Prohibition, according to statistics given out from Police Headquarters. In 1918, fifteen policemen were charged with drunkenness ‘and the same number in 1919. In 1920, twenty-four were tried for this offense and in 1921, thirty-one. There is nothing surprising in this. Under Pro- hibition law the police have been subjected to extra temptation in the shape of “evidence” col- lected in raids and arrests. It is notorious that considerable quantities of such evidence mysteri- ously disappear. Also in many cases the daily routine of the policeman brings him close to un- lawful sources of liquor supply. Is it astonishing that the policeman sometimes takes lightly a law which he knows respected and otherwise law-abiding members of the community are constantly breaking? Is it to be wondered at that drunkenness in- creases among policemen when drunkenness is also increasing in many homes where moderation and self-restraint were formerly the rule? Thanks to a law which tries to impose temper- ance by tyranny and which turns a particular kind of law-breaking into a favorite indoor sport: Men drink to-day who never drank before, And men who drank before now drink the more. . We can’t expect the police to be immune. STEEL-SHAFTED GOLF CLUBS. sl fd body that establishes the rules for golf tournaments has been conducting tests pre- Paratory to deciding whether stecl-shafted clubs may be used in tournament play. The steel-shafted club has been introduced be- cause the supply of second growth hickory is run- ning short and club shafts are becoming more expensive. So the rule makers have been supervising play by experts to discover whether the steel shaft may give an advantage to players. If'so it will be barred. Whatever the decision may be will not matter . much twenty or fifty years from now. If the hickory supply runs low and the steel shaft is an acceptable substitute, the 90 per cent. or more of players who never enter big tournament play will turn to the steel-shafted clubs whenever the, hickory shafts become too expensive. ~ When, and if, the steel shaft comes into com- mon use, the rules will be changed to suit the players. Golf is a conservative sport. It has been aristo- cratic, But in recent years it has experienced the democratic urge. PUT THEM TOGETHER, “The much misrepresented and despised League of Nations, which after all is only half & league, Is, thank God, half a league onward. “Change its name, call it a different name every week if you like, but, for God’s sake, give it a chance.”—Lady Astor, at the Town Hall, Wefinesday night. e “After all, central governments only echo local ons the politician’ in Washington, if he is a wise man, will always have one eye on his constituency, making that constituency so clean, 80 straight, so high in its purpose, that the man rom home will not dare to take a small, Mmited view about any question, be it a national or an international one.”—Lady Astor at the dinner of the English-Speaking Union, Thursday night. Ponder them separately and then put them to- gether. They combine into excellent food for American thought. It would be ® godsend if civic virtue always commanded as much public attention as “Civic Virtue” did while it was being lifted into position. ACHES AND PAINS A Disjointed Column by John Keetz, According to the Christian Advocate, churches burn up in the United States ut the rate of five edifices per day. Methodist houses lead in the holocaust from the pulpit, perhaps. Sparks . A critic says that Civie Virtue is too vig to fit in City Hall Park. ,It always wos. . France's army may be four times as lurge as thyt of the U. 8. but it is much cheaper, Costs $19}, 000,000 to uur $325,000,000, So Stephen Lunzanne testifies in the current North American Review, . Under the refining influence of the Parkway Com mission the Bronx River is once more a clear, spark- ling stream. People are going to be surprised when the new roadway is completed aitd it becomes possible to flivur along the rivulet to Kensico, . Dave is busy changing Hizeoner’s pet name from “Red Mike" to “Honest John.” What Gov, Miller will do to it is still darkly undeveloped ~ An English autograph seller quotes a note from Whistler to an eminent authoress, in which he says he “values her eympathy and friendship.” First words of the kind on record from the waspish James, The name of the amiable lady t# not given. L 22, 1922. By John Casse Copyright, 1922, (New York Evening World) By Prean Pub. Co. From Evening: World Readers What kind of /Jetter do you find most readable? Isn't it the one that gives the worth of a thousand words in a couple of hundred? There is fine mental exercise atid a lot of satisfaction in trying to ay much in few words. Take time to be brief. ‘Too Much Sarcasm. To the Editor of The Evening World: It seems to me that too much sar- casm on the subject of our pathetic clty government will fatigue your readers. I for one find the theme rather overdone, ‘There are few peo- ple who think but find the news sec- tions of your paper contain enough to make us unhappy without the over- dose on the editorial page. Talk in principles if you will but stop the pe sonulities. Contempt is better e pressed by silence than by notice persist 1s to make the incompeten| cumbents of our municipal offic martyrs instead of the laughing stock of the people. Persistent attacks of the kind in which you indulge give the and his satellites material to a) way of asserting that you ha sonal gain to profit or an axe to grind. Use the editorial page for con- structive ideas instead of destructive abuse. Leave the poor contemptibles to hang themselves. ALBERTO STEPHE! New York, April 17, 1 MARZO, Safety In Homicide, To the Editor of The Evening World: “1 had always looked at the “Italian vendetta" as a terrible and hateful weapon of yengeance of the under- world, @ntil I came to America, where any woman can kill any one she chooses and get away with it, Look at all the most recent murders committed by women. They killed their lovers like dogs after. they couldn't hold them any longer, and all of them were acquitted, Just suppose they happened to be men instead of being women, they all would have known the electric chair by now, Un- der these circumstances the "vendet- ta'’ dees not seem so horrible. JUSTICE, New York, April 19, 1922 Shot In by the §) Navy. To the Editor of The Bi ing World To settle an argument, kindly in- form me how the holes are made in Swiss cheese FH Mere Ke ‘To the Baitor of The ficlala 1s deplorable, Look at our Mayor. Good as he ‘s by self-deter- mination, he is denied. Up the Hud- son there. is one always ready to pounce, How long shall we be sub jected? Have we not resources with. in ourselves? Our city is safe, If there is crime, a citizen has the tee merity to think of business, forgetting his dozen daily don'ts, Banditry is an expression of youth, Shall youth be suppressed? Unthinking persons accuse an off- cial of “feathering his nest.” Only one bird ts known to pluck feathers from ite breast for that purpose, Burely there ts none among us of that species Greater dignity should be maim- Jungle. emulate our African friends, our own tained, more deference stiown, In Africa the coming of « village chief ts announced by beating tom-toms. The wise kneel; others take to the While it is not desirable to deserve consideration. There is too much jazz in everyday life. We need more ectoplasm. R, H. MOLONEY. Brooklyn, April 17, 1922. Try Temperance. ‘To the Haltor of ‘The Evening World To Helen Wells I will say: I do not believe that it is covering sin or lead- ing any one into temptation to counsel temperance and self control of the ap- petite for drink Prohibitionists are tempting minis- ters of the Gospel and others to accept positions that will increase their in- comes, giving them work to dd that may lead to murder, theft and graft. How much better it would be for these ministers to devote their time, talent and rey looking after the under-privileged children in their community and keeping them from being criminals. The character of children is determined at an early age. Help to make them good citizens, for they will be voters in the future. The quotations that Helen Wells gives from the Apostie Paul's Epistles to the Ephesians and the Thessalo- nians advise only « and drunkenness. This Apostle did not preach Prohibition, as in his Epistle to Timothy he “Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.’ TRUTH, Temperance in All Things, To the Editor of The Evening World: In this column of April 13 isqe, a question is asked of H. Wells. [am not H. Wells. Nor am 1 a Protestant, Jew or Catholic. 1 did not read H, Wells's letter, but she could prove by some religious creeds that total abstl- nence is right and it is right to me, and to all who from choice, for ex- ample, or other reason deter from the use of intoxicants However, out friend, “Ag no doubt like the proverbial should be taken as he me as he said. The Bible teaches tem- perance in all things—eating, drink- ing and every propensity of the hu- man body—excess in nothing. ‘Total abstinence to the tollever in many things from choice or as a free-wiil service, 2 "Use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake,” did not mean that Timothy was to get drunk, Neither would the Lord's Bupper be scripturally com- memorated if any substitute was used for the fruit of the vine, the type of the Blood sacrificed for the human race, ‘ Human laws are good for the law- leas! But those need no laws who adhere to the teaching of the Great Law Giver! A BELIEVER New York. April 17, 1922. UNCOMMON SENSE By John Blak (Copyright, 1922, by John Blake.) PUT YOUR MIND IN ORDER. An orderly mind produces orderly work, and orderly work means rapid production, Everybody is paid on a production basis. Production must be either of high quality or of great quantity to yield returns. You can tell the instant you look at most men on their jobs whether their minds are orderly or disorderly. You can tell just as quick by looking at their pay checks. The orderly man has his day’s work planned before he begins it, and takes each item up separately. The disorderly man begins anywhere and turns from one thing to another without any relation to their proper sequence or the value of getting some things before others. If he is what is called a “jack-leg” carpenter, his win- dow frames and doors won't fit his house when he gets it done, He will saw lumber short because he is too lazy to look at the plans, and try to make up for it by piecing it out afterward, Doubtless you have seen dozens of such among job carpenters, who are usually out of employment and never make more than a hand-to-mouth existence. There are disorderly minds in all trades and in al) professions, but they almost always belong to incompetent and unprosperous people. Sometimes a great genius succeeds in spite of a disor- derly mind, but he would succeed far more greatly and get more happiness out of his success if he took the trouble to put his mind in order. You can no more fight life’s battles with a disorderly mind than a General could win a battle in a war with a disorderly army. It is not the hard muscles on your biceps nor your lofty and distinguished brow that is going to put you ahead of the men who started with you, Tt is what is on the Inside of your head. And that has got to be orderly, so you can get at it quickly and with the least effort, or it will be very little good to you, no matter how fine may be the quality of the brain. Seraranaenisnanannnnntonceabbtatanscascaaesanateasanaeiaanaasnectarng — late, which is a preparation of the 39 “That’s a Fact same bean, and Is also more nu- By Altert P. Southwick | tritious, ‘The best comes from Trini- i dad, and may be had in the original | t, 122, (The New York Evening [CPF Werid) ‘by Prese Publishing Co. __| seed or nibs, flaked or ground, and prepared like chocolate in small, Square packets. ——.__— MONEY TALKS By HERBERT BENINGTON, Copyright, 1922 (New Norle Evening World) “Deacon off,” which meant to give the cue, was a phrase derived from @ systom once universal but now ex- tinct in the New Englgpd Congre- gational Churches. An saporient ert ot ft jeacon was to rea of the office ora indicated, by the minister, one line at @ time, the con- gregation singing each Iine as soon as read, ishing C WHISTLES. Benjamin Franklin wrote that he first learned economy when he dis- covered that he had paid too much for a whistle. ‘ Robert Louls Stevenson comniented on this by saying that what annoyed him was not that he sometimes paid too much for a whiatle, but that he often found himself the purchaser of a whistle he did not want at all »To pay too much for an article ts extravagance, but to buy an article oe? “Ten- Jimmy” was the un- plement nicknaspe conferred upon James Buchanan before he became President. It was affirmed by John Davis (1787-1864) in & speech that Buchanan was In favor of reducing the wages of American workmen to 10 centsa day, | Cocoa ts generally purer than chose- rank foolishness, FTURNING THE PAGES) ~-BY— €. Wi. Osborn | Sorry rp cee eee To ERE is a seoret garden in my heart No other eyes may see, 80 closely walled it te, so aternly bept \Inviolate for me. AN day I walk the dusty ways of men Beyond those hidden walls, But when the tumult of the world ts hushed And brooding twilight falls, I @lip unchallenged through the shad- owed arch And you are waiting there, With fragrance of the wild rose on vour Kips And starlight in your hair. Three stanzas of “Sanctuary,” @ Poem from the book “Dreams and @ Sword” (Yale University Press), b¥ Medora C, Addison, added to “The Yale Series of Younger Poets.” eee Human Nature and the Hangdog --« A belef bit of wisdom from “Humam Nature and Conduct” (Holt), the lat est book by Prof, John Dewey: “Give a dog a bad name and hang him.” Human nature has been the dog of professional moralists, an@ bana accord with the prow- ct Man's nature has been re; with suspicion, with fear, with sour looks. It has appeared to be so evifiy disposed that the business of moral- ity was to prune and curb it, But morals based on study of fhuman nature Instead of upon dis- regard for it would find the facts of man continuous with those of the rest of nature and would thereby ally ethics with physics and biology, Prof. Dewey, it !s painfully evident, would not hang the dog eveg by so majestic a noose as the Eighteenth Amendment. ee ° Blind Men and Big Trees --~ c On a page of his book, “The Opeti Spaces” (Scribners) John C. van @) Dyke writes: After a week a sense of the big- ness of the redwoods begins to dawn upon one. And their arrowy majes- ty and mighty lift are more compre- hensible. How straight and strong and splendid they are! People, with a genius for seeing the Infinitely little, camp under these great trees, and in the morning per- haps are amused by the antics of the Douglas squirrel (a Western red aquirrel) chasing himeelf around the thirty-foot trunk; but they do not see the tree. ‘They gaze beyond the three-hun- dred-foot top into the sky, watching the wheel of a hawk or a vulture, but they do not see the sky. The story goes of some dullard presented to a great queen at one of her receptions and the only thing he saw about her Majesty was the wart on her nose. But how can one miss the majesty of those mighty trees! They belong with the Grand Canyon and Kan- chanjanga—among the sublime won- ders of the world. The thought forces itself upon us that it is Mr. Van Dyke's people that see neither big tree nor sky who have the casting votes at many an election of people's Mayors and such things. 8 6 Kansas As It Js Not Sun After reciting in The Nation a story of Puritanism and its soccessful crusades in Kansas, William Allen White continues: What we lack most keenly is a sense of beauty and the love of it. Nothing {s more gorgeous in color and form than a Kansas sunset: yet ft is hidden from us. The Kansas prairies are as mye terlous and moody as the sca im their loveliness, yet we graze them and plow them and mark them with roads and do not see them, The wind in the cottonwoods lisps songs as full of meaning as those the tides sing, and we are deaf. ‘The meadow lark, the red bird, the quail live with us and pipe te us all through the year, but our musicians have not returned the song. ‘The wile skies at night present the age-old mystery of life, im splendor and baffling magnificence, yet only one Kansas poet, Eugene Ware, has ever worn Arcturus as @ bosom pin, Surely tre righteousness which exalts a nation does not»also bling its eyes an cramp ite hands and make it dumb that beauty may slip past unbeathed. Surely all joy, all happiness, all permanent delight that restores the soul of man, does not come from the wine, women and song, which Kansas frowns upon. y Does Mr. White hesitate to confess how joy and poetry can be weighted out of the heart by too much tron fm, the law? se Oh! These Mothers! --- Mother has grieved for a day be- cause news of Tom's preferment has come to her from other word than his own. But at night there is a loud summons from without and things happen thus: She groped through the dark an@ turned the key; flung open the door anxiously. A tall stranger rushed at her, caught her in his arms and crted: “Mother! Mother !’* Before she could speak she knew that this strange violent persom one of the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United He told her so himself and oon as I knew it for sure £ on the first train to bring you the news myself. I hope you heard tt. Have you?" For all her panic of joy she ree membered to be this overgrown child's mother, and to say what he so wanted to hear: “No. I never dreamed of it. I can't believe it!'* And her frowsy husband, grin« ning lke an overgrown lout, for once had tact enough to perjure himself like a gentleman and “Supreme Court! Assoc! tice! The President appoint Mother, did you hear that A little mother story, this, from “The Old Nest’ (Harpers), Rupert and away from Carthage. & which one does not réally want is} Hughes's story of how Tom grows up