Life — June 29, 1922 — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

London Offices, Rolls House, Breams Bldgs., London, HE World reports G that James M. ©. Beck, Solicitor General of the United States, lately made a speech before the Oxford Union in England in which “his attacks on Mr. Wilson were so bitter and so vehement that they were followed by interrup- tions and disorder.” The [World thinks that it was bad taste for Mr. Beck to make such a speech. Maybe so. But consider how nat- ural it comes to Mr. Beck to abuse Mr. Wilson and how profitable it is for Mr. Wilson to be so abused by Mr. Beck Persons like Mr. Beck go to Eng- land, write letters to the papers, make speeches and suppose them- selves to be representing the Amer- ican people. But this exploit at the Oxford Union helps to show just how much Mr. Beck does repre- sent the American people. In that way it is useful. He does represent somebody, some- body besides Beck, but he does not represent the American people. It is doubtful if he even represents Mr. Harding’s administration, especially when he abuses Mr. Wilson. Things are coming along Mr. Wilson’s way. Ray Stannard Baker's book on the Peace Conference now proceeding serially in the Times, promises to be a real contribution to knowledge on that subject. Already it contributes to disputation. After a while, what Mr. Wilson did, what he tried to do, what he accomplished, what he did not accomplish and why, may become clear to so much of the world as is interested and has ca- pacity for understanding. Meanwhile it is fine to have Mr. Beck abusing Mr. Wilson. It makes friends for Mr. Wilson—indignant friends. A pound of fool detraction ke Fa It shows Beck up. ° “While there is Life there’s Hope” Published by LIFE PUBLISHING COMPANY 598 Madison Avenue, New York does a public man more good than a ton of common praise. Praise of other folks, even of our friends, is apt to bore us, but detraction of them fires us up. So Beck is doubtless do- ing more to warm hearts towards Wilson than all the admiring people who raise money for the Wilson Foundation, and all without expense to anyone but himself. OTH houses of the Legislature of Massachusetts have passed the bill calling for the removal of Sargent’s picture “The Synagogue” from the Boston Public Library. The picture was intended to suggest that in the course of centuries the Syna- gogue had become one of the back- number forces of civilization, and had been passed as an authority by the Christian Church. Mr. Sargent must have supposed that that was true, at least in Bos- ton. The action of the Massachu- setts legislators shows that he may be mistaken. It is hard to tell what is the governing religious authority in Boston at this time. One thing that has been disclosed, however, is an opinion, that seems to be good, that the Legislature of Massachu- setts has no power to turn a picture out of the Public Library of Bos- ton. If that is so, the Massachusetts legislators have evidently been act- ing out of a large benevolence and with a purpose of giving pleasure to their constituents, but have not really done anything. That shows a kind and helpful spirit. Perhaps they can be per- suaded to give attention to another matter. The weather this year has been very unsatisfactory in England. The spring was late and cold and Vol. 79. 2069 suddenly went to pieces and was followed by an uncomfortable burst of midsummer heat not English at all, but American. European weather has been curious and unusual and unsatisfactory for several years. An English scientist says that so far as England is concerned, the trouble is that Mr. Flagler’s Florida Railroad to Key West has extended the Florida peninsula about seventy miles and turned the course of the gulf stream so that now instead of hitting the top of Ireland it adventures into the British Channel, bringing sharks and hot weather, and raising hob with the English climate. There now is a matter that the Massachusetts legislators might well take hold of. It concerns Ireland a little and for that reason will in- terest them all the more. They might legislate Mr. Flagler’s rail- road off the map to see what wot happen, or act more directly and leg- islate the gulf stream back into its original course. Let us hope that they will do something, if only to show good will. At the same time, the English scientist may be mistaken. There is a new theory that climate and weather can be affected by the pas- sions of men, which disturb the equanimity of the universe, and cause storms and droughts and heat and cold. Europe has had hates enough the last eight years, and still has them, to spoil any climate, and may- be that is what is the matter, and not the gulf stream at all. But that should not deter the Boston legisla- tors from taking such action as they can, They may not actually accom; plish anything, but the effort would show good will to England, and of course the British climate (includ- ing Ireland) is more important than a sea-going railroad to Key West. E. S. M. comicbooks.com