New-York tribune. [volume], December 24, 1920, Page 8, Image 8

About New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924

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3ftw Dark (Tribune
First to Last?the Truth: News?Edi?
torials?.Vlvertisrments
Malabar ef tho Audit Bureau uf <*;r>*'i! aliona
FRIDAY. DECEMBER 24, 1920
Owned and published dallj fj New Tort Tribune
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GUARANTY
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TRIBUNE with absolute safofy?tor if dhsatlsfao :
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MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATES PRESS
Th? Ajgoclatad Press Is exeluslsaly entit?ed t? th?
us? for republication of a.: n?n? rtlspalc'ies
?reriite.3 to It or :.? : otherwise .-.-edit?! la this papar.
and e so tho :.cai news of tpontaneoua or:tlr. pub
lithed herein.
All rights "f repu!)l!<*?tlon of al3 other sastur
herein ?3?u ara rr-sened.
What's the Use?
Mr. Enright's frantic appeal to
the victims of robberies, hold-ups
and thefts to report them at once to
Police Headquarters is a trifle be?
lated.
Time was when a citizen who had
been robbed or beaten hurried im?
mediately to the telephone and in?
formed the police of the crime. The
attitude of Mr. Enright and his im?
mediate staff to such complaints is
shown by the fact that they were
spoken of at Headquarters as
"squeals," and the blotter on which
they were registered?if they were
registered at all?was known as
"the squeal book."
In the language spoken by Mr.
Enright the word "squeal" and its
synonyms "yap," "howl," "yelp,"
"whine," "holler" and "roar" are ap?
plied humorously to complaints to
which no particular importance is
to be attached.
As a matter of fact, no particular
importance was attached by the po?
lice to most of them. ?n many cases
the "squealer" was rebuffed by the
man who took the "squeal." So few
of them were acted upon that vic?
tims began to get tired of reporting
them.
When The Tribune, after a care?
ful investigation, listed more than
three hundred and fifty hold-ups,
robberies and thefts and a hundred
unpunished murders as the measure
of the year's crime in New York Mr.
Enright regarded the publication of
the list as another "squeal."
Instead of admitting that The
Tribune's contention was true and
promising to do something about it
he assumed an air of injured inno?
cence and denied that crime con?
ditions were any worse than they
ever were.
Now. unable to persist in these de?
nials and frightened by the epidemic
of crime that is the result of con?
tinued police inactivity, Mr. Enright
has become panic stricken. He not
only asks for "squeals," but requests
eren amateur detectives to make
them, a thing no police chief has
ever done before in the history of
New York.
But Mr. Enright's present panic is
no more promising than his past in?
difference. An official's ability is
measured in the public mind by his
performance. When Mr. Enright is
removed victims of the criminal
army that has invaded New York
may report outrages to Police Head?
quarters. But now, in answer to his
appeal, they will merely answer,
"Oh, what's the use?"
No Housing Relief
The Board of Aldermen, yielding
to the influence of landlords who
are ignorant of their own interests
and blind to the dangers they heap
up against themselves, has defeated
by a vote of 34 to 28 the ordinance
providing for a ten-year exemption
of new houses from local taxation.
Thus perishes for the time being,
so far &s this city is concerned,
through failure to take advantage
of the Legislature's authorization,
the single constructive feature of the
legislation of September. What is
left has not a new dwelling in it.
The emergency tatutes, suspend?
ing for two years, with respect to
old tenancies, the raising of rents
except with the court's consent, have
naturally - caused investors and
builders to be averse to erecting new
tenements. They realizo ?ho likeli?
hood, when the rent laws expire by
self-limitation, that they will be re
newed and perhaps enlarged in
?cope.
So the embafgo on new building
indefinitely continues. There is no
-ign of a lifting. The would-be new
tenant finds, as the population in?
creases, a [ng rjupply of
habitation.: and la forced to pay ex?
tort:?,: ? for accommodations.
This pressure will, of course, in?
crease, and a condition will be
created that will not he more Katis
factory in the long run to decent
landlords than to tenants.
ertiona made in the alder
manic debate that the exemption
would be at the expense oi the city'?
' , and would thus cast a
heavy burden on existing ed
;<."*, of co ?i j , abi >.'i. 'i he exemp?
tion was t.o atti ch ? . to new con?
struction. If thr-re: la no new con
ftruetlon, or very little, few addl
tions will be made to the assessment
rolls in any event.
But the issue is broader and
deeper than any taxation question.
New Yotk must have more dwell?
ings. There is no other cure for
congestion and all its attendant
evils. And the Board of Aldermen
throttles practically the only early
chance of getting such dwellings.
The tenants, no less than the intelli?
gent landlords of New York, should
not accept the aldermanic action as
lin;.'.. _
J^w York Goes G. O. P.
Complete enrollment figures show
that this city has not only become
Republican, but almost as strongly
P.epublican as it used to be Demo?
cratic. On the 1919 returns the
Democratic margin was 162,974. On
'.he 1020 returns the Republican
margin is 112,4G3.
Enrollment figures are more stable
than election figures. Major La
Guardia, the Republican candidate
for President of the Board of Alder?
men, carried the city in 1919 In
spite of the huge Democratic enroll?
ment majority. Last month Senator
Harding's plurality was about 430,
000, while the Republican enrollment j
majority was only about a fourth as
great. Many voters mark their
tickets as they please, whatever dec?
larations they have made; but their j
natural year-in and year-out affili?
ations are made clear by their dec?
larations.
New York's Republicanization is
due largely to the women voters. On
the male enrollment the Republican
excess in the city is only 30,632. On
the female enrollment it is 81,831.
Republican women are in a majority
in all the boroughs except Richmond,
and are only 454 behind there. The
Bronx, Queens and Richmond are all
Democratic so far as the masculine
vote is concerned, the margins being
5,889 in the first, 7,688 in the second
and 4,095 in the third.
These facts have an important
bearing on the city campaign. The
Republican party's opportunity lies
in retaining its new-found sources
of strength. The new voters have
come to it in large masses because
they believe that it is a better instru?
ment of government than the Demo?
cratic party. The most significant
thing disclosed by the enrollment is
the woman voter's distrust of Tam?
many. Tammany stands for crooked
government, and the women know it. !
Good government, an exorcising of j
the Tammany spirit, non-partisan
union for community ends, if neces?
sary?these are what the new Re?
publican majority is bent on, after :
its nightmare experiences with Hy
lanism.
The Surta*;<?s
The business of the world suffers
from a complication of disorders, j
and many of the affections seem in?
eradicable except by time; but there
is one particular affliction whose
bad effects we can be rid of if we
ever have the wit. This one is the ex- i
cessive conversion of free capital to '
the non-productive uses of govern
ment and a distribution of taxation
which is amazingly unintelligent.
Industry needs capital, the real
capital which comes from saving.
The saving occurs, but in this coun?
try alone no less than four billions a
year is taken by tax gatherers and
devoted to non-productive govern?
mental activities. To make.matters
worse, the taxation to a large degree
is levied against funds which other?
wise would be reinvested and put to ?
social use. No wonder there is a j
dearth of loanable capital?
The offense of the excess profits
tax in this regard is now generally
recognized, and it is agreed that this
tax is to go. But the heavy sur?
taxes on large individual incomes
promise to remain; and these, even
j more than the excess profits taxes,
; dry up at their sources a large part
1 of the sums which else would go
| toward relieving industry of the
i crushing interest charges which
j palsy enterprise and lead to an in
; creased cost of goods and services.
What, normally, becomes of the
large individual incomes? They go j
, only in small measure into personal i
??nd family expenses. The recipient!
of a largo income usually spends j
tiily a small part; he invests his!
! surplus, and there is money to^
! finance new business undertakings, i
But now up to 65 per cent goes to
; the government, and there is corre
?ponding diminution of the store of
capital coming on the market.
Mr. Kahn recently made the in- ;
teresting proposal that though the ?
surtaxes should bo allowed to re-1
main there should be an abatement I
with respect to the portion of the
income that is reinvested. The bur-!
den would thus fall on wasters, |
while the saving and thrifty who do ?
; the public good would be encour- I
; aged. To the same effect ?peaks J. !
A. Hobson, the leading English au- i
j thority on taxation. He argues for j
a discrimination between the parts i
of an income which go to enhancing
ction and those parts whose1
cattering involves waste and de- i
struction of capital.
What may be called demagogic
terrorism prevents serious consid?
eration of the true nature and ef?
fects of surtaxe?, Superficially it
sebms as if they hit the over-rich,
arid this Is popular. But, though
the over-rich are hit, the force'of
tli? blow Is felt by all of us. It is
lime to lift the embargo against
frank drpoumiion of surtaxes and to
assess their real effects. If this is
candidly done it will be quickly seen j
that in their present form they do |
unnecessary damage to all of us.
Naval Rivalry Again
There seems an overwhelming
sentiment against another race for
naval armament. The press and
people of the United States, while |
favorable to an adequate navy, are
strongly opposed to entering an
armament race at this time.
Great Britain and Japan appear :
bewildered by the attitude of the I
United States, and no wonder. The
most peaceful nation on earth in the
past and recently preaching to the j
world the horrors of war, we are
now leading in naval armament!
The London Globe expresses a ?
view that prevails in England:
"What it amounts to is that the I
nations of the world in general and j
Great Britain in particular have ?
been 'doped' into the belief that the
burden of armaments is to be re?
moved, while Americana have care?
fully avoided swallowing any of the j
narcotic themselves. . . . No one j
threatens the United States; against
whom, then, is this vast new fleet
b-eing built?"
Another English writer exclaims:
"This projected competition is, to
put it plainly, an insanity for both
peoples. Wo simply cannot afford
it, and, if we could, we should be j
fools to embark on it. What we and ]
the Americans need to do is to put |
out of our minds fighting issues and !
sit down together to find a peaceful
solution of the problems in which we
are mutually concerned.''
Similarly Japan is mystified at
our attitude. Baron Hayashi ex- ;
claims: "It is funny that no one j
wants war, not a single nation has j
an aggressive policy, and yet the
jjour of disarmament has not come!"
It is perfectly possible for the
United States, whilo providing an
efficient three-plane navy, to avoid
the charge of imposing new burdens
upon the world in leading another
race for naval ascendancy.
The Farm Tariff Bill
Forty-one Democratic Representa-,
tives supported Mr. Fordnoy's bill
imposing emergency tariff duties on
agricultural products, sheep and cat?
tle. Ancient party disputes didn't
figure in the debate. The Fordney
measure, like the Johnson immigra- ;
tion measure, was accepted by the j
House as a temporary expedient,
contravening no party's theories.
The case for higher tariff duties j
on farm products is simple. The i
American farmer did his part in
the war. He received government
regulated prices for his chief prod?
ucts, unless he was a cotton planter.
The recent sharp decline in wholesale
foodstuffs prices has hit him harder
than any other large producer?
harder, perhaps, than anybody else.
Since November, 1919, there has
been an average decrease of 10 per
cent in wholesale commodity prices.
But farm products have shown a de?
crease of 31 per cent. Even clothing |
prices declined only 28 per cent.
Agriculture thus has suffered dis- j
proportionately in the process of
price readjustment. Too rapid con-;
traction in such a basic industry j
must have an injurious effect on :
trade and industry generally. The
government is justified in extending
relief to the agriculturalist, espe- j
cially relief which will result from !
checking foreign competition. The ;
farmer is entitled to a breathing
spell, at least until the price reduc-1
tions on the things he buys have a
chance to catch up with those on the
things he sells.
A tariff duty on an article like
wheat, of which we usually have a !
surplus for export, is not a flat addi- j
tion clapped on the domestic price. '
World market "conditions interfere
with such a process. But it will ?
help to offset the exchange advan-1
tage which the Canadian seller now
enjoys. He has every inducement, ?
as the Argentine seller also has, to \
market his wheat in this country
because the dollar he receives here I
is worth more than his own dollar !
or its peso equivalent.
In tho case of wool and woolen
goods a tariff duty goes, roughly
speaking, into the domestic price.
With other commodities named in
the Fordney bill a part of the duly
goes in. But with farm products as
low as they are, the increment, what?
ever it may be, will not put a serious
added burden on consumption. For j
? some time to come it will help the j
! farmer, and if it relieves his pinch'
i it will also help to steady the gen
eral decline in prices, which isn't'
one of those things which, if they'
are well to be accomplished, are well
to be accomplished quickly.
The Comedy in Athens
When Napoleon came back from I
Elba he didn't tell the French people
that he was going to cultivate good
relations with tho Allies. The pow?
ers which exiled him wouldn't have
accepted assurances of that sort,
even if he had been hypocritical
enough to offer t hem. Napoleon was
a Corsican, and wasn't a soft-soaper. ?
Tho Allies adjourned tho Congress
of Vienna and made ready for
Waterloo.
Constantino is not a Corsican,but
a north of Europe product. Ho Is a
trained dissimulator, seldom purging
his mind of the perilous stuff that is
in it. lie proved hit* capability as
an actor In tho comedy of outward
deference and submission which he
played from 1914 to 1017 for the
benefit of the Allied diplomatists.
The cipher telegrams exchanged be?
tween Berlin and Athens show that
even before the war Constantine had
come to a clear understanding with
the Kaiser. He agreed with his
wife that the Greek dynasty's natu
ral alliance was with tlfc House of j
Hohenzollern. He was pro-Teuton
from the ground up. He telegraphed |
in August, 1914', to his minister in j
Berlin: "The Emperor knows that-;
my personal sympathies and politi- j
cal opinions draw me toward him."
That was the unvarnished truth,)
but for three years Constantine kept
it a secret from the Allied foreign I
offices. He had staked his patri?
mony on German success. He did
everything he could to make German j
success possible. His heart was with
his august brother-in-law. Even in
the dark days of December, 1010,
when the Allies were beginning to
suspect his duplicity and to' take
harsh counter-measures against him,
he was greatly concerned about get?
ting through an anniversary mes?
sage to the German division of which
he was once honorary commander.
The returning exile now promises
to take notice of the fact that he bet
on the wrong horses and to shape his
policy to conform with Allied vic?
tory. But what Allied ministry will
be rash enough to trust him? He
remains vindictive.. He i? proscrib?
ing tho elements which brought
Greece into the war on the Allied
side. In the joy of his escape from
Elba will he be able, finished Thes?
pian though he is, to avoid the dis?
closure of infidelities and antago?
nisms, crippling to Greece, which
might sour the restoration and land
him on another St. Helena?
Quality Immigration
To the Editor of The Tribune,
Sir: The National Security League
wishes to point out a serious defect In
practically all the many suggested so?
lutions for the immigration problem.
While containing many excellent
points, they seem inspired solely by
economic considerations.
The National Security League re?
gards the whole subject of immigration
to be based upon two fundamental
principles.
The first ia quality immigration.
That is to say, immigrants should be
chosen by Uncle Sam in the same way
that an employer examines the quality
and fitness of an employee?as to his
or her honesty, sobriety, Industry, ob?
servance .of law and order, cleanliness
of mind and body, freedom from ob?
noxious political activity, absence of
criminal record, etc.
The second point is the adaptability
to American principles and ideals of
government and of life. Most of the
proposed immigrant legislation perpet?
uates the vital defect of the past?
namely, too much emphasis on economic
adaptability and usefulness. This is I
important, but only second?t y to the
burning question of whether we are
going to assimilate oui*, foreign ele- i
ments or whether they are going to de?
naturalize us. Investigation can easily '
demonstrate what class or group of
Immigrants have been- most readily
Americanized, in principles, in language
and i3i 'other ways, and those groups
should be given reasoned preference
as against an automatic and unrea?
soned numerical method of selection.
Our Tower of Babel must-be con-!
verted into a Temple of Americanism. |
THE NATIONAL SECURITY
LEAGUE,
CHARLES D. ORTH, President.
New York, Dec. 21, 1920.
Our Gilbertian Enright
To tho Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: I uni surprised that no one has
heretofore pointed out that Commis?
sioner Enright'a latest and most inter?
esting theory as to the psychology un?
derlying the present crime wave
namely, the desire of the crooks to ;
provide for themselves a Santa Claus
fund for the benefit of sweethearts?!
is not even original.
The credit for its origin appears to |
belong to the late W. S. Gilbert. It!
will be recalled that many years ago ;
he expressed it, in effect, in tho follow- j
ing immortal lines which he put into j
the mouths of the policemen's chorus? I
3nost appropriately:
"When the enterprising burglar Isn't
burgling,
When the cutthroat isn't occupied
in crime,
He loves to hear tho little brook;
a-gurgling
Or listen to the merry village
chime."
PHILIP COMSTOCK.
New York, Dec. 22, 1020.
Judge Miller's Duty
{From an editorial in The Xew York World)
At the same time the incoming Leg?
islature and the. incoming Governor
lave a duly to perform in respect to
Xew York City which they cannot
shirk. The city government derives
all its powers from tho Legislature,
and the Governor ia made personally
responsible for the Mayor and the \
Police Commissioner. Tho power of'
removal which is vested in him was ?
placed in his hands for use In such !
emergencies as this. He is quito as
much under oillcial obligation to re?
move the Mayor and tho Police Com?
missioner when the best interesta of
tho city require it a.s to exercise any
other function of his office. This (s a
power that is not to be abused, but it
la likewise a power that is not to bo
evaded, and New York City has a right
to expect that Judge Miller, when ho
becomes Governor, will act, and act in
?total disregard of all politic..1 con
: i'1'Tations.
Still Untamed
(From The Charleston 'Nexos Courier)
Most of tho jingoes )n the world
to day seem to bo living In Japan and
the United States. Perhaps tho reason
is that these two countries did not
got as largo a doaa of war's misery us
some of the others.
TheConningTower I
NOW WILL BE GONE
We shall forget each other some to- j
morrow :
You will forget me, I shall forget you, I
All the swift music of your radiant ,
? thinking,
Your eyes that burned unspoken things i
and true.
I'll not remember ways we played to?
gether,
Or how you made me happy for a !
while,
I shall not even want you to be near
me,
I shall not need the helping of your ;
smile.
Now will be gone, nor indeed in to- !
morrow; |
But there will last, I know, for I can \
see
Down ?changing thought, there will be
left forever
Eternal dreams you dared to give to
me. s
HELEN UNDERWOOD HOYT.
It would not be a bad plan if, as a
?Marion story hints, appointments for
the Secretaryships of State and Treas?
ury were announced in January. The
object, obviously, is to givo the ap?
pointees time to study up on their jobs
bo that they won't assume office un?
prepared. Even better, to our notion,
would be a competitive examination,
?and the best equipped man for the job
would get it. But what could be more
ridiculous?
There are important things for dis?
cussion these days, and few more
momentous than the recent marriage,
at Carlisle, Ta., of Miss Sarah Good
and Mr. Harvey Picking.
Certainly Not. Red Rule Is One Thing
and 100?', Americanism Another
Sir: Supposo that Moscow, for the
past week or so, had received no news
from the United States, except brief
cable dispatches from New York
telling?
Of hourly murders, robberies, as?
saults;
Of the shooting of high police of?
ficials in the streets;
Of merchants arming and ready to
shoot to kill;
Of the impotence of the police;
Of judges urging the organization Of :
25,000 Vigilantes;
Of women's clubs demanding mar?
tial law; ?
Would Moscow be justified in refus- ;
ing to recognize the United States, of ;
which New York ?3 a?some think ?*on
siderable?part, because it was a land
of violence und disorder? II. M.
ANNOUNCEMENT?Members of the
Contribs Legion, Deems Taylor Post
No. G, have loaded into our stocking,a
Christmas column. It will appear to
morrow.?Advt.
Literary Critiqu?-?
On "Pointed Veils," Oy James TTuneker
We're strong, but that was eorno hard pull
for us.
Gosh, but that man's mind must be sul- !
phurous ! Honisoit.
One Wife for City Man, Two for
Farmer, Is Plea.?Herald headline.
Now the Class in Paragraphing sub-i
m'its two obvious comments: (1) Looks '?
Like Back-to-the-Farm Propaganda,
and (2) Aren't the Cities Crowded!
Enough Already?
If you failed to shop early or to
ship early, don't despair. The world
does not come to an end for such
tilings. And the gift that arrives along .
r.bout next Wednesday will be fairly ?
welcome, and conspicuous, too.
The Late Shoppers' Organization'
have changed their name to the Last
Minute Men.
Parnassians on the Sports Page
I consult the classics little, figure
style nor jot nor tittle, and for
lit'ry matter, it'll never catch
me for repeat-';
Book reviews and those who doll 'cm
so refined with high and solemn
stuff I duck?but, boy, the col
umns of Fred Hawthorne and !
Fred Keats!
Uplift dope and far horizon piffle I
avoid like p'ison, but, believe
i
me, there's no (lies on what reels
under those guys' cleats;
And I'd swap the whole of Gibbon j
and I'd throw in John Grier
Hibben for that daily-spun blue!
ribbon stuff of Hawthorne and
Keats.
You may have your Kant, Spinoza,
Dostoievsky, Fenellosa, and the
latest bard that blows a little
pipe and lets off bleats.
You may have your Wells and Kip- |
ling; but give me the shrapnel !
stippling of a tennis-ring yarn;
rippling from the pen of Haw- :
thorne-Keats.
And you see, I've got you anyhow,
ay, vidi, vici, veni, for you'll
mark this )!>>t<t how that your :
contumacy meets:
Laud at will your Tue and rater and
ransack your alma mater, but
you'll never rack up greater
names than Hawthorne or than j
Keats.
Stanley K. Wilson.
Among those refusing to indulge in
tho cheap hypocrisy of elaborate and
perfunctory Christmas cards are the
parents of R, W. Lardner jr. ami his
three brothers. Their candid greeting
follows:
We got so many aunt-in-laws
Who seem to think we'ro Santa Clans,
That we just can't afford to spend
No money on a casual friend.
And what did you give us last De?
cember?
Nothing, so far ns we remomber.
So all yen get if* Merry Christmas
From Mr, Lardner and the Mrs.
Well, as to the crime wave, the Com- '
missioner still has tlio* checking j
privilege. *
And yet there bo these that would j
ituhrj> be Kuright than President. i
P. r. a.
OF COURSE NOT! WHO EVER HEARD OF SUCH A THIN^
Copyright. 1920, New York Tribune Inc. %
-~? !
LjQOtxS Heywood Broun \
Until we da*? Barrie's Mary Rose
ir was our notion that the most odious
word which circulates in the theater
was "kiddies," but now we have heard
"ghostie," worse than that -"poor little
gnostic."
Wc had intended to writs a Christ?
mas story for this colujnn to-day, but
Mary Rose t??ok all the good cheer
out of our heart and it was quite im?
possible. However, one reader has j
written within the last few days ask?
ing us to print again the story used
last year. Accordingly, we feel justi?
fied in saying "by request" and com?
plying.
Once there lived near Bethlehem a
man named Simon and his wife Deborah. '
And Deborah dreamed a curious dream,
a dream so vivid that it might better ?
id a vision. It was not yet day-!
break, but sho roused her husband and
told him that an ?ingel had come to her
in the vision and liad said, as she re?
membered it, "To-morrow night in Beth
leftem the King of the World will be
horn." The rest was not so vivid in
Deborah's mind, but she told Simon that
wise me.n and kings were already on !
their way to Bethlehem, bringing gifts!
for the wonder child.
"When he is born," shp said, "the
wise men and the kings who bring these j
gifts will see the stars dance in the.
heavens and hear the voices of angels.
Vio and I must send presents, too, for !
this child will be the greatest man in all i
the world."
Simon objected that, there was notb- !
ing of enough value ifi the house to tako j
to such a ehiid, but Deborah replied, j
"The King'of the World will under-;
stand." Then, although it was not yet
light, she got up and began to bake a
cake, and Simon went beyond the town
to the hills and got holly and made a
wreath. Later in the day husband and I
wife looked oter all their belongings,
but the only suitable gift they could j
find was one old toy, a somewhat bat?
tered wooden duck that had beloBsgcd to ?
their eldest son. who had grown up and ?
marri d .".???1 gone away to live in Galilee, j
Simon painted the toy duck as well as.1
he could, and Deborah told him to take
it and the cake and t' e wreath of holly ?
and go to Bethlehem. "It's not much,"
she said, "but tho King will understand."
It was almost sunset when Simon
started down the winding road that ?
led to Bethlehem. Deborah watched :
him round the first turn and would
have watched longer except that lie
was walking straight toward the sun
and the light hurt iier eyes. She went!
back into the house and an hour hadl
hardly passed when ?he heard Simon ;
whistling in the garden. He was walk- j
ing very slowly. At the door he hesi- i
tated for almost a minute. Sho looked j
up when ho came in. He was esnpty |
handed. i
"You haven't been to Bethlehem," j
said Deborah.
"No," said Simon.
"Then, wIutj is the cake, and tho |
hollj wreath, and the toy duck?"
"I'm sorry," said Simon, "I couldn't'
help it somehow. It just happened."
"What happened?" asked Deborah,
sharply.
"Well," said Simon, "just after I went
around tho first turn in the road I
found a child sitting oh that big white
rock, crying. Ho was about two or
three years old, and I stopped and
asked him why he was crying. He didn't
a33swer. Then I told him not to cry
like that, and 1 patte?! his head, but
that didn't <!?> any good, I hung around,
trying to think up something, and I
decided to put the cake down and tako
him up in my arms for a minuto. But
the cake slipped out of my hands and
hit tho rock, i ?id a piece of tho icing
chipped off. We1!, I thought, that baby ;
in Bethlehem won't miss a little piece
of icing, and I gave it to the child and
he stopped crying. But when he fin?
ished he began to cry again. I just
sort of squeezed another little piece of
icing off, and that was all right, for a
little while; but then I had to give him
another piece, and things went on that
way, and all of a sudden I found that
there wasn't any cako left. After that
he looked as if he might cry again, and :
I didn't have any more cake and so I j
showed him the duck and he said 'Ta- \
ta.' I just meant to lend him the duck
for a minute, but he wouldn't give It up.
I coaxed him a good while, but he
wouldn't let go. And ther? a woman
came out of that little house and she
began to scold him for staying out so
late, and so I told her it was my fault
and I gave her the holly wreath just
so she wouldn't be mad at the child.
And after that, you see, I didn't have
anything to take to Bethlehem, and so
I came back here."
LU-borah had begun to cry long be?
fore Simon finished his story, but when |
he had done she lifted up her head ;
and said, "How could you do it,
Simon? Those presents were meant!
for the King of the World, and you j
gave them to the first crying child you i
met on the road."
Then she began to cry again, and
Simon didn't know what to say or do,
and it grew darker and darker in the
room and the fire on the hearth faded
to a few embers. And that little red
glow was all there was in the room.
Now, Simon could not even see Deborah. I
across the room, but he could still hear
her sobbing. But suddenly the room
was flooded with light and Deborah's ;
sobbing broke into a great gulp and j
she rushed to the window and looked !
out. The stars danced in the sky and |
from high abovo the house came th-e j
voice of angels saying, "Glory to God |
in the highest, and on earth peace, good
will toward men."
Deborah dropped to her knees in a
panic of joy and fear. Simon knelt
beside her, but first he said, "I thought
maybe that the baby in Bethlehem
wouldn't mir.d so very much."
The Unpunished Slacker
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Your editorial in The-Tribune )
of December IS on "The Unpunished j
Slacker" calls for the approval of all !
ex-service men, who went to war glad?
ly in the realization that the "loyal?
ty and fealty they owe in doing re?
pays itself." When their determina?
tion and enthusiasm for the duty are
recalled, the official laxity here in re?
gard to the draft dodgers and others
who were busy assisting the enemy is
somewhat startling and, to say the
least, disappointing. Then, with this
curious condition in the official world,
is to be noted another?this in private
circles?tho incident to which you re- [
ferred, the dinner given in honor of i
tho conscientious objectors, those i
"bravest of tho brave," who retired j
from view when their services were i
needed and let others do their work i
and now return gracefully to receive
this honor. Tho tacit approval of the
Department of Justice of many things ,
of this nature is an insult to the ex-\
service men, who, realizing their obli?
gation to such a zealous spokesman a
your paper, wish you all success.
L. E. MOREHOUSE,
Secretary 82d Division Association
of New York.
New York, Dec. 20, 1920.
A Terrible Prospect
(.From The Baltimore Sun)
If tobacco is outlawed, one hesitates
to make, a conjecture concerning tho
ingredients of a bootleg cigur.
jTt?
Servility in the Navy
A Call j or the Names of the "Gr
Admirals" Upholding Danieh
To the Editor of The Ti bune.
Sir: The navy, with t e possible a
ception of a e tity of tin
servers, knows but too well that "Quit
terdeck" is right in every content!?.
made in his article "S rv lity in fa
Navy." Even th" ' ''of th
Administration in tl .must!?
aware that hia re grounds)
c n fact?;. xh< however, sr?
scaled by the o! of favors ??
ceived. Is it not fair to ask "Quarte:'
deck" to cease protecting -.hese "gr?:
admira! " and to gin
m a few names'.' Let him turn tii
light of publicity upon them ?.rd ?ffen
them a chance to prove I im wrong. !
is not well thai th? y :.ke the.:
"get-away" unsc . guilty, till
permitting theii yalty ti
the service to crysta ' " a pre?
dent.
Of course. th.03e in the secret real::?
that nothing which Mr. Daniels sayi'
ought to be taken serio isl; ; but tin
public is apt to acce ( al utter?
ances (even his) as ( r ith. Co>
sciuently. "Quarter.3 '.oo mi?
anal;, sis of Mr. Dai lal repoi
is timely. Never h: try see:
such an in n of lac?
o? foresight and of re fore the
war; sujch hopplesa . ;*.compe?
tence during the war, .: i, arter tin
war, such selfishly parti an uso of the
fleet by dividing il ' Mahani
sound teaching. To cap the climax,Ml
Daniels now clamors for a needless:?
huge navy at a tii
economy i ..; jres:'.
of pressing irr; : i : ng bin
out of his own mo;.'! x.x.'. by his owt
acts, what kii: i '- the >*
partial observer think Mr. Daniels V
be ? NAVY.
New York, Dec. 14, I
Communism of Art
From The B
An illuminating lil sode W
happened to a eel tenor. Sj
appears that, while -. ,.- r.-iethitf
fairly serious went ?? ?? with -'-:
Caruso's throat. He the &'-'-'
once whether he she c d go on ?K
finish out tho opera, conditioned *
he was.
"No!" roared the audience.
It was a wise audience; wiser thst
it knew.
The voice of a great singer is b'.!
own; but it is something more. B
belongs to those who are capable ??
enjoying it. ; lier.ee "
this case felt *' at by f > going ''-h.
whole bag o? cand; - occasi*
it was saving * iter trea
but there was more than a perso??1
prudence in its vere ict. A great voi*
or a great talent of any kind, is ae'
personal property. It belongs torn**
kind, and the 'es8 ^
owner than a tr
There has been an amu
of this in Soviet R ..
novelist, Mr. H. G. Wells,
brought back the story. M. '"??.''
who has one of the finest buss vo?0
extant, has bee:*, al . ..: the only art:?'
(with the possible e) ?"'**"
Gorky) able to defy the Soviet go?1*
ment. M. Chaliapine Lives, acts, ?W
and dresses about a< he please?. w>
the value of Russian money is *f
problematical he demands, like the?-*
time country preachers, to be ?A'^
butter and eggs, and, what is m01*,:
he gets the said butter a:i?l eggs. HO*
Because, while there may be pWj
of singers, there is only one ( ''?*?'*
pino. Does the government threap
to shoot him for disobedience? Shoe'
away; it will be the death of Chah?'
pine, hut the funeral of those ?W
shoot, for then there will no lon^1
be any voice of Chaliapine to enjoy?
It is a case of the commwniW ?
art ?gainst the communism of Pr?p'
erty.