Life — February 12, 1925 — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

VOL. 85. “While there is Life there's Hope” Published by LIFE PUBLISHING COMPANY Cuantes Dasa Giason, President Laxcitoaxe Gresox, See'y and Treas. $98 Madison Avenue, New York English Offices HE. best thing about the eclipse was its de- tachment. The next best thing that there was no charge for it, not even a solicitation to subscribe for the relief of astronomers. So far as was concerned the management that put the show on, it was as free as air, though air is not so free as it was. Here was some- thing that Congress had no say about, that was quite unaffected by anything that was in the power or the mind of the President, or by any opinion of Colonel Harvey or Senator Borah, or by the views of Drys or Wets, of the Methodists or the Adventists or the Catholics or K. K. K.’s; something that Big Business had no line on, that labor unions could neither retard nor advance. Really it was delightful to have some- thing going on as to which none of us had anything to s beyond admiring the smooth working of the mechanism of the Creator the cleverness of the astronomers in being able to figure out what was going to happen. The celestial machinery seems to run a good deal smoother than anything in this fussy little world we still live in. True when the moon got between us and the sun there were some sputter- ings from the sun's corona. Possibly that was comparable to our sputterings here, but who can say? The way we have to do anything is so remarkable! Consider religion. Here are Bishop Manning and his battalions trying to finish the big Protestant Cathedral in New York. It is quite a large job of raising money. The bulk of the money. of course, will come out of the E| palians, but other Protestant sects are contributing and Catholics and Jews, But its detachment ! Roils House, Breams Bldgs., London, E. C. and doubtless many others whose re- ligious beliefs are not defined. One ob- serves that the Unitarians complain that they have not been invited to partici- pate in this Cathedral building effort. Doubtless the Bishop would take the Unitarian money, but it seems they have not been urged to come in. 'ORTHWITH Alares out the Jesuit paper America protesting against gifts of Catholic money to build a Protestant Cathedral. What's it for? America. To spread Something “as real as cancer or smallpox or murder and infinitely more dangerous.” Well, a Jesuit is a Jesuit and it hardly needs to be said that a Jesuit paper, however ambitiously named, does not represent more than a limited num- ber of the Roman Catholics in the United States. “A Catholic Cathedral,” says America, “is the peculiar Church of the Prelate whom the Holy Ghost has chosen for a post of exalted dignity, trust and authority. It is the center of religion and religious authority in the diocese” of that prelate. True enough, no doubt, but that is hardly what sub- scribers are invited to build in York. The call to them is not quite a call to put up a big sectarian church. One idea about Churches is the inter- cessional idea. There is the Almighty ; his Son who intercedes for us with him; the Mother of the Son who inter- cedes with the Son; the saints who in- tercede with the Mother; the Hier- archy who intercedes with all the su- perior intercessors and has special claims on them that they are expected to respect and a special authority over the spiritual concerns of common sinners. A Cathedral may stand for all that. It may be a great clearing house for intercession, but that is not a heresy! prevalent Protestant idea. There was a man in the Bible who was a member of a strong and much respected sect, who, when he prayed, expressed his thanks that his spiritual concerns were so well looked aftér. And there was an- other man who, having no connection with intercessors of any grade or qual- ity, prayed directly out of his own heart and directly to headquarters, “God be merciful to me, a sinner!" And very high authority held him justitied; authority so high, so splendid, that one could almost wish that the building on Morningside Heights for which so many kinds of men are giving so many kinds of money might have been named The Cathedral of the Publican. That is not the name of it, but it is named for the gentlest and most lovely of the Apostles. Let all the sinners, all who need mercy, come in at the build- ing of it! If any large proportion of them bring offerings, there will be no lack of money for the work. OOK COUNTY, IIL, which is Chicago, is having a hard time over the execution, still prospective, of Ber- nard Grant. Bernard was convicted of killing a policeman about two years ago He has been condemned to be hanged. but so far has had two reprieves, the last one for ninety days from January 16, One trouble about hanging him is hi: complaint, supported by some evidence, that he was not really to blame for the killing of the policeman. The other reason is that two young men—Locb and Leopold—have since his com done a much worse crime than his and escaped alive though at large expense to their families. Cook County cannot gracefully hang Grant after letting those two continue alive. There is strong prejudice, especially among the police, against any one who kills a policeman. Copicide is unpopu lar. When you feel the need of killing some one, avoid policemen. Select a relative or a bystander. A BILL is in Congress which bars from the mails pistols and all other firearms that may be concealed about the person. It seems somebody thinks that it is rather too easy to get guns Perhaps it is. Anyhow so much of a check on the indiscriminate sale of fire- arms as this bill provides seems very moderate and in view of the homicide record fairly timely. E. S. Martin. comicbooks.com