Life — September 23, 1920 — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

Not Enough of a Senator to Hurt Oakland, Cal. To te Evitor or Lire—Sir: Just re- ceived your last issue. It contains misstate- ment to the effect that no United States senator has ever been elected President. Andrew Jackson was a senator. He re- signed after ten days’ service, saying the Senate was no place for a man of active in- telligence, and that he did not wind his watch while there, as he considered it time wasted, . H. McPixg, Chairman Democratic Committee of Ala- meda County, California. The reason why senators have been un- successful as presidential candidates is prob- ably that in service as senators they made records and incurred rivalries and antagon- isms that hurt them as candidates. Jack- son evidently had no record as a senator that hurt him, Garfield was senator-elect from Ohio when he was nominated for President, but he had never served in the Senate.—Epiror. The Future of Harvey's Weekly New York, To tHe 1ror or Lire—Sir; Granting —as everyone outside the Democratic, So- cialist, Prohibition and Farmer-Labor parties has done—that the Republicans win the elec- tion in November, what is to become of Harvey's Weekly? The esteemed Colonel is largely respon- sible for the present Republican ticket—it is even said that the nomination was made at his room in the Blackstone Hotel—and he has exerted all the intensity of his jour- nalistic ardor to insure a victory for Hard- ing and Coolidge. Nevertheless, he must be aware of the self-evident fact that, if this ticket triumphs, the chief inspiration for his periodical will be gone. Perhaps the Colonel means to change his magazine; it is just possible that he intends to make it into a purely literary publication like the Atlantic Monthly or the Saturday ning Post or Snappy Stories; or a jour- nal of opinion like the New Republic, the Liberator’ or Town Topics; or a magazine for the home like Farm and Fireside or the Modern Priscilla; or a mirror of stage ond society life like Vanity Fair or the Police Gazette. Or he might decide to be frankly humorous and come out into open competition with Lire and the Structural Tron-worker's Review, ‘0 matter what form Harvey's Weekly may take, however, we may be sure that it will not come up to its present standard; for Colonel Harvey without his Wil LIFE equivalent of Gibbon without his declining Roman Empire, Motley without his rising Dutch Republic, Boswell without his John- son, Dunne without his Dooley. Homemade Beer Glenwood, Lowa. Ss. To tHe Evitor ov Lire—Sir: On page 153, the editorial page of July 19 there is a statement which appears to be very much at variance with the facts, and I take it you do not object to a sub- scriber calling attenticn to it, The editorial states as follows: “ Under present laws, in some states wine and beer may be made at home for domestic consumption. , In states where that is lawful people need not suffer from excessive water drinking.” The writer of that editorial is mistaken in that statement. This is one of the states that he has in no doubt, but the Eighteenth Amendment and the amendatory acts thereto absolutely forbid the making of wine and beer, and if you attempted tg make it, you would be subject to immediate arrest and punishment under these Prohibition persecution laws, and as it is my misfortune to be living here, and being desirous of obeying the laws while I continue to live under this régime of fanaticism, intolerance and Prohibition, I know whereof I speak; and the party who wrote that editorial can substantiate my statement. Yours truly, Watree Breen, mind, Autoist (as he runs over little boy's toy balloon) : Consistency the Hobgoblin Washington, D.C. To tue Epitor or Lire—Sir Mw” in a recent issue of Lire (Aug. 19) under- takes to teach us the difference between “True Purity and False Pedantry,” and would fain persuade us that while memo- randum is English, memoranda remains Latin, and that although curriculum is a citizen in good standing, curricula has never taken out naturalization papers. It is not clear, however, by natural or otherwise, we are permitted to “adopt” a singular word, but forbidden to accept its plural. Are we to understand “B. M.” to imply that no plural word is good English which does not end in “s”? Must we give up data for datums? Shall we henceforth go to the opuses but never to the opera? Shall we genuses rather than new genera? educate childs but not children? Let us rather recognize the futility of any attempt to confine the genius of our Eng- lish tongue by grammatical fences, however neat. Good usage is our safest guide, and until “B. M.” convinces us of his superi authority, most of us will continue to say curricula with Mr. Galsworthy and me randa with Mr, Business Man. Rose A. what law, describe new Shall we think our government ‘D? you sound?’ “ Mostly.” THERE GOES THAT HIND Tike! comicbooks.