The Washington times. [volume], November 30, 1918, FINAL EDITION, EDITORIAL PAGE, Image 12

About The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939

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WASHINGTON TIMES
ITOR1AL PAGE
OF THE
WASHINGTON
NOVEMBER 30, 1918
1dSggfe THE NATIONAL DAILY cgS,
TjD nrt v g patent office. Jais-
ARTHUn BRISBANE. Editor and Owner
EDGAK D. SlIAW. Publisher
Entered as second class matter at the Postofflce at Washington. T. C
Published Every Evening' (Including Sundays) by
The Washington Times Company, MunseyBldg.. Pennsylvania Ave.
Mail SubscrlpUons: 1 year (Inc. Sundays). $7.50; 3 Months. S1.S5; 1 Month. 65c
SATURDAY. NOVEMBER 20. ISIS.
We Do What We Want to Do
' Let TJs Try to Want That Which Is Wise.
One of our readers some time ago wrote as follows:
"You praise a mother's devotion to her children,
how she runs into the lire to get them out, and will
give them things to eat, starving herself. But isn't it
a fact that a mother does that because she wants to do
it? Doesn't she do it because she would rather do that
than anything else, and, if that is so is there any
special reason for praising her? Isn't it a fact that
, we all do what we want to do? If it is, what is the
use of blaming or praising one more than another?
One man gets drunk because he wants to ge drunk,
others teach Sunday school because they want to
teach Sunday school. What right have we to praise
him or blame him, if he cannot control his wants?"
There is ENOUGH deceptive TRUTH in our friend's
letter to make it WORTH answering. It is true that we
all do "WHAT WE WANT TO DO." We MUST want to
do the thing in order to do it, for our will CONTROLS us.
We can only do that which we will do.
It is not. however, a fact that a man cannot HELP
wanting one thing: more than another. It is NOT a fact
that the man who gets drunk because he WANTS to, is no
MORE and no LESS praiseworthy than the man that denies
himself for his family of children because he WANTS to.
Each wants to do that which he does, and at the
MOMENT, perhaps, neither could help acting as he does.
But the man who WANTS that which is RIGHT is a very
much better man than he who wants that which is WRONG.
And it is not a fact that a man is UNABLE to control his
wants. It is not a fact that he must act like a MACHINE,
obeying blindly inclinations beyond his control.
The task that every man should put before himself is
to DIRECT his INCLINATIONS in the BEST possible chan
nel. Every man and woman, and every child out of baby
' hood, should STRUGGLE to develop within the mind the
HIGHEST POSSIBLE MORAL TENDENCIES. EVER?
ONE of us can make 'himself better if he 'will STUDY his
inclinations and try to ROOT OUT those that lead to eviL
It is true that the mother who RISKS HER LIFE for
her child, or the soldier who SACRIFICES HIS LIFE for
his country or his beliefs, does that which he wants to do.
But it is not true that the mother or the man of BRAVE
CONVICTIONS is only the equal of the individual con
trolled by SELFISH DESJRES. .
If motherly love has become UNIVERSAL, it is be
cause mothers for hundreds of centuries have KEPT their
THOUGHTS upon the welfare of their children, have
TRAINED THEIR MINDS to self denial, for the aid of
their children, and by PERSISTENTLY turning their will
in the direction of this duty have made the mother's SELF
SACRIFICE almost a matter of course.
There is NO PROBLEM as important as the control of
your individual temperament. Even a man of very moderate
ability MIGHT ACHTEVE great success if he could control
the weak or VICIOUS IMPULSES within him, and through
concentration of will power CONCENTRATE such force as
he has on ONE SINGLE PURPOSE or set of purposes.
Man's intellect, it must be remembered, is the
FACULTY that he has MOST recently acquired. Long
BEFORE the intellect was developed, and there is still a
great deal of development ahead of it, human things were
CONTROLLED by their APPETITES, their hatreds and
selfishness.
Those old and long established DEMONSTRATIONS
of the WILL still STRUGGLE for control, and they do
control most of us. Drunkards, thieves, the dissolute, self
indulgent, and the foolishly vain are those whose minds are
NOT STRONG enough to bend their WILL in a GOOD
direction, and to overcome settled ANIMAL HABITS.
But there is NOT ONE but could FORCE himself to want
to do that which he OUGHT to do, if he would keep his mind
constantly upon it. This fact has been DEMONSTRATED
marvelously by the many religions, especially in their early
stages. It is demonstrated to a very interesting extent by
the CHRISTIAN SCIENTISTS today.
If every one of us from now on would fix his mind with
contempt upon his own SHORTCOMINGS, realizing and
despising them, and concentrating his thoughts and his
will upon those things which he knows to be worth while,
the improvement of the world today would be MAR
VELOUS, that of the next generation still GREATER and
the MILLENNIUM of which we talk and which we shall
some day see would hasten its advent greatly.
Fortunately we are all working along these lines of self
improvement, more or less UNCONSCIOUSLY. Is there
any one that has not made, over and over, GOOD RESOLU
TIONS by the thousands? The idea that these resolutions
have no value because they are BROKEN is absolutely false.
No good resolution was ever WASTED if it only lasted a
minute. For every such resolution made in good faith
indicates an EFFORT of the will to do good.
No man's case is ever HOPELESS, as long as he gets
up in the morning DETERMINED to conquer the WEAK
NESS that bothers him. No man or woman is BEYOND
the chance of CORRECTION and final SUCCESS so long as
he or she repeatedly and strongly feels the desire to turn
the will in another and BETTER direction.
If you look back a little way into History, you will see
-with amazement how much this CONSTANT STRUGGLING
of the will has done for us. Not so long ago, ALL MEN
were brutal, and not long before that a MAJORITY of them
were cannibalistic savages.
In classic days, which we regard with reverence, in
Greece and Rome, the MORALITY, or rather the lack of
it, was SHOCKING and apparently hopeless. Brutal
(Continued in Last Column.)
Absent-Minded Adolph
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Beatrice Fairfax Writes of the Problems and Pitfalls of the War Workers
Especially for Washington Women
SOME time ago I advocated in
this column, "justice temper
ed with mercy" toward young
men In the matter of .spending
money. I adrised chafing diah
suppers at home, rather than
spreads in expensive restaurants.
I pleaded for the young man and
his bank book, Mb liberty bond,
even his thrift stamp If that was
his pet form of saving.
And now along comes a girl,
writing an exceedingly clever let
ter who says that policy is all
wrong, men must be made to
spend, or a girl has no value in
their eyes. A girl must cost a
great deal to be appreciated. That
wben men are entertained, and
entertained well at girls' houses,
they do not even bother to pay
party calls. All of which is a
shock to me. who thinks much bet
ter of young men and their man
ners than does my correspondent.
Perhaps some other girls will let
me have their views on this sub
ject, and I would enjoy hearing
from men, too, and how they feel
in regard to the girl who lives and
the girl who demands. My dis
illusioned young friend's letter is
as follows:
DEAR MISS FAIRFAX: ,
Tou advocated, not Ions ago, in
one of your special articles that it
would bo better if girls did not ex
pect men to spend so much money
on them, and sut-gestedthat young
women start the movement of gro
ins; out with younc men "Dutch
treat," or else that tjiey eive little
parties at their homes, so that they
could have good times without the
boys always spending money to pro
vide the fun.
Now. Miss Fairfax. I have seen
much of the world and tried these
methods and found them unsuc
cessful. I have siren numerous parties,
invitations to which no man of my
acquaintance baa ever refused, and
I have also gone out with men and
paid my part of the expenses. But
I find that whllo men accept every
attention of that kind, always seem
to have a good lima at my parties,
and eat heartily of my refresh
ments, they never even so much as
pay a party call, and as for returning-
the entertainment in kind. I
have never had one of these take
me to a theater or a dance In return
for my party Invitations. With men
constituted as they are, I have cqme
to the conclusion that you cannot
be "platonlo" with them.
The moment a women begins to
show favors to a man. ho stops be
ing nice to her and simply accepts
calmly and selfishly every dilng she
does. I have always wanted to bn a
good pal to my men friends (until
TODAY'S TOPIC
To Spend or Not to Spend, That Is the Question?
the right one should come along),
but men don't want It that way, and
the only way you can change them
is to get the mothers to teach them
from babyhood.
To be specific, I have been very
much interested In a young man
for about seven years. Until the
past year I treated him as a broth
er, and he has asked and received
many business favors which I have
been In a position to bestow and
has also enjoyed tremendously nu
merous social favors (such as Invi
tations to large official and social
receptions which It happened I could
procure), as well as most generous
and cordial hospitality at my own
home.
I gave him only one present, a
framed copy of his faorite paint
ing, but have been the staunchest
friend to him a man could possibly
desire. Tct now he never so much
as sends me a simple little birthday
or Christmas card. Sometimes he
will let six months elapse before
coming to see me. and If I were to
be taken very 111 or die in the mean
while, I don't know how he would
feel. Occasionally I have asked him
to introduce me to young men
friends of his whom I thought
would be congenial, but be does not
bring them around, not from Jeal
ousy, but from indifference. Now.
when I do as much aa this for my
women friends, they always return
the favor. When I take my women
friends to the theater, or Invite
them to my house to dine, or send
them flowers on their birthday,
they always acknowledge the
courtesies In some way. But lt a
woman Invite a man to a party
at her home, then she loses him
forever.
The only wsy a woman can keep
Once-Overs
Copyright, 1918, International Features Service, Inc.
GIVE YOUR NEIGHBOR A HAND.
What do you ever do to make life happier for those outside your
family or your little circle of friends?
Can you think of half a dozen times in all your whole life when
your assistance could be measured by more than a kind word?
When sickness is prevalent, do you try to ascertain the condition
of those you knew to be ill in a way which would help them?
Is it not true that you are so selfishly occupied with your own
affairs all the time that you know not one thine about the family
across the street, next door, or even in the same apartment house,
and you are so apparntly cold blooded that your neighbors would go a
mile to get help before they would even think to ask you?
Nice state of indifferent selfishness. Isn't it.
And there is no difference in degree of selfishness between the
little "pink piggy" and the gruff old porker, both belong to the same
family.
Because you "have no money of your very own is no excure for
not being thoughtful and kinflly to those around you, and who knows
but your actions of public spiritedness may cause the "guy that has
the money" to loosen up with it for the benefit of humanity and his
country.
From The Public To The Editor
Wants a Government History.
To the Editor of THE TIMES:
Aa the Government has taken over
the express, transportation and com
municating systems for the benefit of
the people, would It not be a grand
Idea for tho Government to publish a
history of the world war. the proceeds
of which, less cost, to be used for tho
benefit of our maimed and wounded
herotsT
To Insure the work being standard
Ized an allied commission conld be ap
pointed to gather data, etc
The greatest printing office itf the
I world (Government Printing Office)
could Handle this Job, regardless of
the number of volumes wanted.
Orders for the books, accompanied
by cash, could be taken by the post
masters of every city, town and ham
let In tho land.
Millions of volumes would be need
ed to supply tbe demand.
And I believe there would he mil
lions and millions of dollars In this en
terprise If undertaken, while we as a
grateful people would only be par
tia'ly returning to our unfortunate
boys what they gave us the best that
.was in them. H. F. ft
a man's friendship Is by luring him
to bestow all the attentions on her
he can think of and selfishly ac
cepting them without any return
except what pleasure he gels out of
her charm and her company.
So please don't advise anything
to make the social game easier for
the men; It Is too easy for them
already. Perhaps social evolution
will some day take us to that point,
but the men certainly are not ready
for It now, although I will admit
that some women are ahead of them
in that respect and are even now
prepared for It I wish a few men
would give their views on this sub
ject. Tours for the best and highest In
all things, but acknowledging that
when we cannot get them, we must
bow to the Inovltable.
ULTRAMODERN WOMA.V.
DUagrrra With n. I.
DEAR MISS FAIRFAX:
I have been reading some of the
letters published In our column
lately: but that one of B. U's "got
my goat." I never had a sister to
grow up, my only one died when
she was six. but If she were to
know an animal Ilka B. I. I am
glad she died. I am a soldier and
have been one for a couple of years
and enjoy tbe company of nice girls
thoroughly. I never did care about
the kind I could put my arras
pwiind afid kiss the moment I met.
Tuy don't appeal to me at all
I have lots of girl friends, but mt
In Washington. I didn't stem to
take with them, perhaps bo.aue I
don't dance.
I Just seem to boll when a rian
talks like this B. I. about girl
Now I know that people don't care
much about hearing a. soldier ex
press himself. lie Is supposed to
fight, not to talk, but I am sure
this B. U never put on a uniform
In his life and learned discipline.
1 wouldn't give two cent fur a
girl who traeled with or kissed a
man good night the first tlm shi
eer saw him. Give me a. modest
girl every time.
JUST A SOI.DIUJ.
Agrees With Perplexed."
DEAR MISS FAIRFAX
I have been an interested reader
of your column, although taking no
part In the dlscjsslons tilt now "A
Perplexed Girl" echoes my vlena
exactly on promiscuous kissing.
I am twenty-four years of ag.
and have always felt like this about
kissing since I was old enough to
reason. I pray that "Perplexed
Qlrl" may always keep her ideals
since they seem to be mo rare. Al
though I have had to be among
questionable people in m time, ai
I have been forced to earn my Il
Ing Jlnce I was eight ytars old and
battle for my education.' too I rar.
proudly say tint I hv lived a
clean life.
As for kiting, I would linx- to
care enough for a Birl to become
engaged to l.cr before I would wish
to kiss her. and. furthermoie, I be
lieve a young lady should be en
gaged before she allows a man that
privilege. HENBY.
Street Car Service Still
Abominably Weak
By BILL PEICE
Street car service in this city is still far, far short of
what it should be, and in some of the suburban sec lions of
the District, notably on lines of tho Washington Bailway and
Electric Company, it is really an outrage which the Public
Utilities Commission should lose no time in investigating
and bettering, no matter what steps it has to take.
If there is not radical improvement in a shprt time the
citizens' organizations in sections which are faring so badly
should request the commission to hear the facts. Kicks and
complaints of individuals are"bften the outcome of personal
disgruntlement,but whole communities now have just
cause to bitterly complain of woeful lack of service
Street railway officials must be warned against assum
ing that the patience of the public is wholly of elastic and
will never cease giving just a little more. There has been
the utmost liberality in recognition of the- difficulties under;
which the roads are operating or -have been operating.
From now on there should be a steady,' radical improve
ment in service: Alan power is slowly becoming more plenti
ful and if shortage of this has really been at the bottom of
past troubles it can not much longer furnish excuses.
A variety of reasons are given for the inexcusable
suburban service of the Washington Bailway and Electric
Company on many lines inexperienced men, tie-ups, etc.
For a number of weeks, while the company, was installing a
new dynamo to meemthe increasing demands, the power
was shut off just at the time of evening when everybody
was trying io get to their homes. The new dynamo is
supposed to be working and there is sufficient power.
On the face of things it looks as if the company needs,
among a large number of things, a staff of competent
inspectors who will exercise a few grains of intelligence in
handling cars during tie-ups, so that the largest number of
people may be served in the best manner. Cars are seldom
where crowds are waiting- to get on. Bunches of them will
run along with few passengers inside and then another will
bump along crowded to suffocation.
When these tie-ups' occur the policy as to suburbanites
seems to be to divert cars scheduled for long runs back over
short city runs so as to make certain of picking up nickels
from short hauls, .while men and women living long dis
tances from the center of the city are compelled to wait
many minutes. Be sure and get the nickel from short haul
passengers who may walk, and leave the long-distance rider
to the last He can't walk home and can not patronize a
competing line.
Having received an increase of. fare tij meet expendi- .
tures, and also having promised that there would be better
ment of service with the increase, show the public that both
ends of the bargain will be -kept. Nickel-grabbing is not
the only function of street car lines. Public service, and
decent public service, is another.
It is very near time for the Public Utilities Commis
sion to have its experts again survey the street car situa
tion here and report whether the deficient service and
jammed cars are due to scarcity of men for crews, shortago
of cars, inferipr intelligence m operation, or just plain
unconcern of public needs, coupled with a get-the-fare-anyway
spirit, we-need-the-money.
?
HEARD AND SEEN
MUBjaitJUifUl'UItiLJttUJiV iswom
J
KING NICKEL HOLDS SWAY!
Dedicated to
GEORGE E. HAMILTON.
anJ
WILLIAM F. HAM.
Cond-brr. old friend, s!x-for-aqnir-t
r."
Tru stendbT of bAvhfMd' lose boor.
For rtfty yean slwar radr
"My besi" and "mr maty,"
Whero noir u yonr prlil and yonr
powftr?
Author DAMN THE KAISER.
R. r BUTLER, of Port Arthur,
Tex., who controls the tank steam
ers of the United States for the
Shipping Board, and who earns ev
ery cent of the dollar a year he re
ceives, sr.ys that gasolene won the
war for the allies.
"SKIPPER" WALTER SCOTT
MERIWETHER, veteran ship news
writer, whose present job is to keep
Chairman Hurley, of the Shipping
Board, on the first pace of the news
papers, is to spend his vacation in
Virginia shooting quail.
SAM GASSEXHEIMER. whose rub-
ber-neci wosons knocked down a
number of street- lamp posts over
period of years, fcr which he paid,
has noticed a large number of lamp
posts on Pennsylvania avenue snd
oiner streets mat are down irora
collisions with machines. He Is
wondering why they are not re
placed. JAMES SHARP, the able president
of the Commercial Club, announces
that the board of governors ha7e ar
ranged for a sortc3 of clcb nights,
to le given on the Crst and thin!
Tuesdays of each month, the 2rt
coming NEXT Tuesday. Dinner will
be served at 6:30 p. m.
Dr. WILLIAM L. ROBIXS Is amons
a number of people who are com
plaining strong:! about the quality
of gas they are gettlnK- "It seems
ro me," declared Dr. ROBINS, "that
before they begin asking more money
for gas they had better improve the
quality. It is getting impossible to
read'by it- An official of tht Otlli-i
ties Commission looked the situation
over in my honse and sagely re
marked that the 'pressure was all
right.' I told him I wanted a decent
grade of gas and was not bothering
about pressure. Gas company em
ployes suggest that mantels should
bo put- on the light. That sccnJ
another case of having to give the
gas a lift-"
We Do What Wo Want To Do.
(Continued from First Column.)
slavery, the father's power of life and death over his chil- .
dren, the HABITUAL and legal exposure of infants to wild
beasts, punishment for the SLIGHTEST OFFENSES with
torture and death, combined with gross sensuality, intem
perance and debauchery, were FEATURES of a life which
CONSIDERED itself civilized.
The fact that we have OUTGROWN such conditions is
largely due to the hundreds of millions of individual GOOD
RESOLUTIONS.
The law may PERMIT infanticide, but the heart and
the conscience do not permit it. The laws of every country
at one time PERMITTED slavery. But the individual con
science here and there, and finally everywhere, ROSE UP
against it and that sore spot has left the human race.
We are not so very far away from that FAMOUS first
of January, when we all make good resolutions, as we take
mince pie, in HONOR of the season. DON'T LAUGH at the
good resolutions of others, or at your own. And DON'T BE
ASHAMED of them, even if you are unable to keep them.
The fact that you make the good resolutions proves, atv
least, that you are trying to make yourself WANT to do th
J RIGHT THING.