Life — January 28, 1915 — page 30: what you’re looking at

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

“EE “They Say” (Recent Opinions, Epigrammiatic or Otherwise, by Some of Our Wise and Near-Wise Men and Women) ERHAPS in all history there has never been shown such a comprehensive view of man’s duties as to the problems which confront him on earth and in relation to the hereafter. I expect therefrom a veritable regencra- tion in religion, morals, literature, art. All great sacrifice is a purification. kk Americans living in France to inform you as to this, or, better still, come yourself and see us as we are to-day. Best wishes for the great American Republic.—Gabriel Hanotaux, President of the French-American Committee and former Foreign Minister to France. I am a sincere believer in modesty. Sometimes the man- ner in which you go out of office helps your modesty a great deal—Ex-President William Howard Taft. There is generally a remedy for everything. The acci- dent has to occur before a remedy would be sought. —Thomas A. Edison. He understood the mind and conscience of the American people and knew that when an appeal was made to them in the name of good faith they would respond, The result has vindicated his judgment.—Lord Bryce, in a letter to Hugh Gordon Miller, about President Wilson, There's rotting, stinking, corroding, corrupt, hell-ridden, God-defying, devil-ridden New York. God’ll get it in His own good time. He can move it, and, oh, how He will move it!—Billy Sunday. We have no coast defenses. —Major-General John F, O’Ryan. You will notice that whenever the United States forgets its ardor for mankind a Democrat is elected President. —Woodrow Wilson. Municipal government in this country is a sore spot. —W. Morgan Shuster. It is an absurd proposition for a small group of women like the suffragists to try to coerce the great mass of American women to vote when those women not only do not wish to vote, but absolutely ignore the duty when it is given to them.—Mrs. Arthur M. Dodge, President of the National Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage. The Republicans have not had a new idea in thirty years; they have not known how to do anything except sit on the lid.—Woodrow Wilson. Take Courage, Germans! Ov friends the Germans must not be discouraged about themselves. We were like them once and have been through all they are going through. Those of us who were not Negroes, Red Indians, Chinese, “Slavs, Celts or Jews were Germans in old times and lived as they do now on the shores of the Baltic. And when we were young we raised hob just as they do now and liked like them to hike off on pirate raids and predatory ex- cursions. We early appropriated Normandy and England and Sicily, and in course of time the large sections, “variously situated, now known as the United States and the British Empire. But in the long course of time we have reformed. Look at us, Germans! See how peaceful we are! Look even at the English, who were growing very good and kind until you kicked them into activity! Don’t be discouraged! In due time, if you live long enough and are licked enough, you may be just as gentle and agreeable as we are. It is quite wonderful that we Americans have grown so good, because we never have had to be thrashed very much; but in us (with the exceptions noted) is the same general stuff that is in you, and all that we are you may hope in time to be. The wonderful thing about you is that you have kept your youth so. How possibly could you have lived in a continent recognized as Europe for fifteen hundred years and yet have this astonishing air of having just emerged from the woods? Peace Department Proposed AMES HOWARD KEHLER is in favor of changing the name of our War Department and calling it the Peace Department. He has addressed an open letter to the nation on the subject, which was published in the December Forum and re-issued as a little book. There is more sense and less violence to preconceptions in Mr. Kehler’s idea than one would think. He considers it important to call things by their right names, because names influence ideas and conduct. Employees of a War Department will be apt to think their mission is war, and will incline to try to live up to it. But the true errand of our War Department, Mr. Kehler says, is not war at all, but the prevention of war and of fighting. We main- tain soldiers not at all for the fulfilment of predatory intentions, but to keep the peace. Now, that is considerably true. We do not think of our army as a war-making body, but rather as a force available to stop rows with the least possible violence. That was the idea some months ago when Federal troops were sent into Colorado; to that end troops were sent a while ago to Cuba, and are kept in the Philippines; to that end many people wanted to send them to Mexico, and that end enlisted the efforts of those who actually did go to Vera Cruz. That “War Department” shall be changed to “ Peace Department” is not immediately likely, but it is true and should be recognized that our War Department is about the peace-makingist, order-keepingist department we have. comichooks, com