Life — March 23, 1916 — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

MARCH 23, 1916 ‘While there is Life there’s Hope” No, 1743 Published by LIFE PUBLISHING COMPANY J. A. Mircnent, Pres’t, F Villa could have sacked St. Louis the shock would have been greater, and the som- nolence of the Middle West would have been more effectually broken, But to have him break over the bor- der at all and raid even so small a town as Columbus, New Mexico, was shock enough to stir the govern- ment of these States. Within twenty- four hours—which was a day too long, Marse Henry says—Washington had collected its mind and telegraphed “Go and get him” to General Funston, and there, as Lire goes to press, the matter stands, The ability of the United States to run down Villa is not much questioned. Give us time enough and we can do it. How much more of a job than that it is going to be can't be foreseen, but not even Washington worries about that. Neither does it matter that it is prob- ably the long arm of Germany that has reached over to start Villa’s invasion, nor that by piling into Mexico after him we fall in with German plans. By general consent, the administration concurring, agreed that when the boundary is violated, a village attacked and a score of people killed, it isn’t merely a matter for notes, but some- thing must be done. And as Villa in the mountains is quite a handful, and Car- ranza’s feelings may fluctuate, and Mex- ican politics may take any turn, such preparations as we can make are being made, both to handle the matter as it appears, and against the possibility that it may turn out very much bigger than it looks at first sight. The matter at its least may do the A. Mitten, Sec’y and Treas. 17 West Thirty-first Street, New York English Offices, Rolls House, Breams Bldgs., London, E. C. country as much good as a Plattsburg camp, and at its most may be a very useful and timely first aid to prepared- ness. If Carranza should be upset and Ob- regon or someone else should take the field with the main forces of Mexico against our troops, a very considerable job would result, but the administration has no mind to have that happen, and is working hard against it. EANWHILE there is no excite- ment. One can be interested in a Villa foray, but hardly excited over it. And, anyhow, our capacity for ex- citement is about exhausted. What- ever we might be called upon to do after a year and eight months of such emotions as we have passed through, we would probably go about it stolidly and with the minimum of noise. We have got more lessons out of the Great War than we think. For the most part they have resulted in no action, but have merely been stored. But they have produced a vast deal of thought and mental preparation. Even we Americans are not quite the same peo- ple we were on August Ist, 1914. We are much less parochial. Day after day we have sat on the benches in the cur- rent history class, and we have learned something. We know a great deal more about the world we live in than we did a year and a half ago. We have read and read, and thought and thought and thought. We have not got very far, but we have made a start towards, getting somewhere, and whenever we are jolted into action all our new ideas will begin to operate. HERE are two great parties now in the United Statés: the Celestials and Carnals. Into one or the other of these groups the voters may be herded, including those who shift so fast back and forth from one side to the other that nothing but instantaneous photog- raphy can catch them. Mr. Wilson is the leader of the Celestial party, and Mr. Root is leader pro tem. of the other until a candidate can be selected. The Celestials believe that this is the chance of many lifetimes to change the habits of men, make the world over, and introduce new gears into the run- ning of it, so that it will go better and produce more and better commodities and folks. The Carnals believe that the Celestials, when they are not gain- ful hypocrites, are farmers; that the world is going on just as heretofore; that the early bird will continue to get the worm, and the battle be, as here- tofore, to the strong. The Carnals be- lieve in Mark Twain's motto: Do unto others as you expect them to do unto you, and do it first. The Celestial platform is the Golden Rule. Mr. Roosevelt, with his “Fear God and take your own part,” is a straddler. A lot of the Celestials are mad at Mr. Wilson just now because they think he manifests a disposition to use carnal weapons. All the Carnals have been mad at him this long time because he has stuck so persistently to celestial methods. Most of the Carnals who are not Germans are passionately op- posed to Germany, though Germany is the great living exponent of the carnal idea. The Celestials disapprove of pas- sionate views on any subject, but they also, for the most part, disapprove heartily enough of Germany, though a good many of them cling to neutrality. Carnals and Celestials, however, will alike disapprove of Villa and feel that he must be abated in shortest order possible, even if carnal weapons have comicbooks.com