Life — November 2, 1922 — page 18: what you’re looking at

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

November 2, 1922 “While there is Life there’s Hope” Published by LIFE PUBLISHING COMPANY London Offices, Rolls Hcuse, Breams Bldgs., London, E. C. R. Frank Crane used the top line of one of his recent homilies for the assertion that the most dangerous enemy of the hu- man race is the microbe. That was a_ sweeping statement. At first sight it seemed to do injustice to Senator Lodge. He has a premiership of a certain sort for well-known reasons that no mi- crobe should be allowed to take away from him without discussion. As one thought further it was evi- dent that Dr. Lodge ought not to be singled out to contest alone the su- premacy of the microbe, and that the real matter for discussion was whe- ther the microbe was so dangerous an enemy of the human race as the poli- tician. In these noisy days that precede election, the politician is very con- spicuous and extremely audible. He talks all the time, and more of his discourse is printed than anybody can read. As one examincs it, the air seems full of razors, but the pub- lic bears it calmly. Registration in New York is much below what was expected. Mr. Miller assails Mr. Smith ant Mr. Smith assails Mr. Miller, but the voters are not great- ly agitated and the thoughtful are thankful that there is plenty to be said in favor of both candidates. In the thick of all this local wal- loping there is space in the news- papers for the politics of Europe. and plenty of readers for what is said about it. The European sub- ject is more interesting than ours. It is of more concern what England does just now than who is to be Governor of New York or whether Jim Reed is beaten in Missouri. British politics concern the world. 598 Madison Avenue, New York Ours are mostly parochial and the state of the world is not only more interesting to us than the state of the parish, but just now it is very much more important. We follow the fight over Lloyd George with more interest than even the conten- tion over the extension of the sub- y system in New York, though is mighty important and is in a way a world matter because it has to do with the comfort of all the Hittites, Hivites, Jebusites, Amele- kites, Greeks, Italians, Jews, Rus- sians, Turks, Armenians, Germans; Trish and all others who compose the population of New York or are coming here to live. Local transportation in New York is mighty important, but it runs too much to details to make a good story, and Lloyd George with his back to the wall is a highly pictur- esque figure and what he has to say is good copy. In so far as he stands for recent exploits on the shores of the Dar- danelles, American public opinion is undoubtedly with him. When the British dug in at Chanak, that made a picture that one could understand, and it was a bold, time ction, and successful. So far as Lloyd George stands up as the champion. of Europe against the Turks he is hard to beat. So far as he is responsible for the policies and the negligencies that made it necessary to dig in at Chanak, he is vulnerable of course, but in that posture he has plenty of company—the company of most of the politicians in Europe. What have the microbes done to the human race in the last four years compared with what those politicians have done? Yet most of them have done their best. They had their jobs to discharge and had to discharge them according to their intelligence, and if they had not been in charge, another lot of politicians would have been, and probably would have done no better. There have to be microbes and some are useful in causing fer- mentations and for like services. So there have to be politicians, and they are useful in much the same way. ol great French politician is com- ing here to make a short vi and say a few words in our private ear. A spell ago he was the Tiger, and the savior of France. He has been resting since then, and is ready now to save France some more, He is starting off on his own hook—so one hears—to state the French case to the American people. He is a poli- tician out of office, who might be described as George Harvey has described himself, as an independent Independent. The politicians in office, among them M. Poincaré and Marshal Foch, object very much to his coming here, but he is coming just the same. At least one French politician, who is out of office, also ob- jects, or at least denounces him. That is M. Caillaux. M. Caillaux writes pieces for the World in which he makes what mischief he can for the present French Government. M. Clemenceau kept him in jail a goo part of the time during the war and Caillaux is not fond of him. He does not speak of him with admira- tion, but all the same he advertises him as a visitor. M. Clemenceau will get a great re- ception and will tell us what he can, and we will read what he says, and think it over, and perhaps will get benefit out of it. Meanwhile every now and then there comes along a fact that helps us to an attitude about European matters. The other day the British paid fifty million dollars comicbooks.com