Life — January 12, 1911 — page 16: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

120 The Bubble, Love HE ardent young Englishmen | whom we import from time to time to enlighten our ignorance through the medium of extension lectures, have taught us many amazing truths, There is no topic upon which they do not touch, and not one upon which they appear to entertain any rea- sonable shadow of doubt. Philosophy, sociology, economics, all are handled with the same consummate assurance; and when all are exhausted and laid upon the shelf the lecturers hearken back to Mr. Henry James or Mr. George Ber- nard Shaw,-and decipher these perennial enigmas with a zest which repetition cannot stale! If we think that there is nothing left to tell about these two gen- tlemen, with whom most of us have a bowing acquaintance, we discover every winter our mistake. Mr. John Cowper Powys, for example, has just made and announced the astonishing discovery that it was left for Mr. Shaw to unmask the two great illusions of life, the illusion of art and the illusion of sex. “He has pricked,” says Mr. Powys solemnly, “ the bubble of love.” Ah, well, those of us who have dipped, however casually, into the writings of Mr. Shaw's predecessors for the past few thousand years, are aware that the bubble has been pricked many times and with deadly purpose during this period, and that it has never collapsed under the operation. Euripides was certainly not the first nor the last of writers to lament that there was no other way of acquiring children save by cherishing the illusion of sex. Solomon, who was a man of wide experience, has spoken some chill- ing words. Ninety years ago Schopen- hauer administered the most scientific pricking that the hand of man covld give, and the old rock crystal of a bubble was no more affected by it than by a baby’s touch. It is discouraging alike for the operator and for the critic who shouts that the deed is done; but the world, wiser than the wisest of its chil- dren, rolls on its mighty way unruffled and secure. Agnes Repplier. Call for Conservative Radicalism OLONEL ROOSEVELT said at C New Haven, in what the paper says President Hadley called “the greatest. speech I have listened to for years,” that what he wanted to see was a radical programme carried out by conservatives. That in a way is the desire of a good LYFE many citizens. They want a radical pro- gramme skilfully and soberly applied. They want a doctor who can operate, but one who will not forget the patient in his enthusiasm for the operation. The most brilliant operation will not satisfy them if the patient dies of shock. The patient is Business! Governor Woodrow Wilson is a good deal of a radical; as much of a one as the Colonel, with differences, But one expects of him that he will never lack the practical conservatism of a mind that knows and can remember more than one thing at a time Perhaps the Colonel will join us in keeping an eye on Governor Wilson. We know that he can see visions. We hope he can make them come true. Warming Up in Philadelphia Branding the heads of the vivisection de- partment of the, University of Pennsylvania as professional “fences” who make it their business to receive stolen goods in the form of valuable, high-bred dogs, members of two local societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals met to-day. They formulated plans whereby those who receive the stolen pets will be arrested and prosecuted. The meeting of the anti-cruelty exponents developed extremely. bitter sentiment against the practice, said to be in effect at the uriver- fity, of buying from, men and boys dogs for the purpose of subjecting them to ex ments, It was the assertion of the members that ‘there exists a. band of ‘men and boys who make a livelihood by going through West Philadelphia and other parts of the city stealing dogs. These are then taken to the university and sold for twenty-five and fifty cents apiece.—From a Daily Paper. IFTY CENTS for your household F friend seems a low price, espe- cially when he is to endure the useless agonies of “ Scientific Re- search.” Volunteer Car Conductors HEY had a riot last month in To- | Tonto over some new pay-as-you- enter street cars, Toronto should have issued an explanation with diagrams of what was the basis of dis- satisfaction. Hereabouts, pay-as-you- enter cars are popular as well as profit- able, and will doubtless supersede all others. While the old-style cars con- tinue in use (as they still do, abun- dantly), and while street-car transpor- tation continues in its inundated state (as it will for at least five years to come), we beg to call attention to the handiness of the back-platform passenger who takes charge of the bell-rope and stops and starts the car while the conduc- tor is ploughing his way up through the car after fares. On such lines as Lexington Avenue, in the rush hours, the back-plat- form passenger, seeing this necessary duty abandoned, assumes it as a matter The Sparrow: weavexs! you 100K Twice your Acc! “so WOULD YOU, IF YOU LIVED IN A SUFFRAGETTE CLUB,"’ of course, and discharges it, as a rule, with attention and ability. He does it without hesitancy or ostentation, like a practiced hand, which is doubtless what he is, his practice coming from daily ex- perience of the same conditions at the same hour. If he gets off while the car is still inundated, the next back-platform habitual takes up the work. After all, Yankee self-help seems to survive the migration to the cities. Three Compliments at a Lick? HE new Chief Justice is a | Southerner, a Democrat and a Roman Catholic. Was that why President Taft appointed him? Probably not; but they were all good reasons as far as they went. If Mr. White, in addition to his present quali- fications could only have found it con- venient to have been a Jewish negro of Italo-Irish descent, the appointment would have been still more comprehen- sively gratifying. As it is, see how many people the ap- poinfment pleases: The President, the court and the law- yers, because Mr. White is very fit for this preferment. The Democrats, a little, because Mr. White is a Democrat. The Southerners, a great deal, because Mr. White hails from Louisiana, and fought in the Confederate army. The Roman Catholics, a good deal, be- cause here is a Roman Catholic in one of the great offices of the nation. And there has been practicaiy no criticism of this appointment upon which the minds of so many of the brethren dwell with so much unity, A\\\ comicbooks.com