Life — September 30, 1926 — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

SEPTEMBER 30, 1926 VOL. 8: “While there is Life there’s Hope” Published by LIFE PUBLISHING COMPANY 598 Madison Avenue, New York Crantes Dana Giusox, President R. E. Snerwoop, Editor F. D. Casey, Art Editor ADY ASTOR, | was first-rate copy. One would — rather read about her a%, _., than about the WAG Hall-Mills case, Ate” the Daugherty e trial or even the Sacco trial now under reconsidera- tion in the World and in Boston. Lady Astor is more agreeable than any of these topics. One may even feel without self-reproach that she is more interesting than the Channel swimmers even in their swimming suits. A well-known professor, au- thor of a popular book, having read her observations on life and politics, held up his hands at some of them but exclaimed: “But she is a per- sonality, all right!” That is it. She is really an aston- ishing personality. For exhibition purposes at least she is the leading woman of the present generation. And she talked considerably to edi- fication both in her speech at the meeting that was made for her and the next morning to the reporters. She recommended women to keep out of politics unless they had sufficient independent incomes, and.of herself she admitted that she was in easy circumstances. One would say so. Besides money, which many people have abundantly —our 11,000 millionaires and many, many others not so rich—she has other very valuable assets: a hus- band tried and true whom she is able and very willing to commend; marvelous vitality and vivacity, and a good head, or something equivalent, which furnishes her with lively thoughts as wanted; a religion that meets the requirements recently sug- gested by the Rev. Fosdick in Har- MP., Crain Maxweir LaNcuouxr Ginson, Secretary and Treasurer Vice-President per’s Magazine, that it gets you what you want. That, Dr. Fosdick said, is what religion ought to do and that is what it seems to do for Lady Astor. She does not read the Bible two hours a day for nothing. She told of being at the end of her strength, burnt out, she said, because her energy exceeded her vitality, and about to die,’ and then appar- ently she took up with Christian Science, and then apparently all her wheels began to turn again and have been turning ever since. What an extraordinary woman! Oh, 3 more interesting than the Channel swimmers, though they were interesting in their way, inter- esting to Lady Astor among others, and she bragged about them. She is interesting as Theodore Roosevelt was interesting, but livelier even than he. Nothing goes better in politics than manners and quality. Roose- velt had them; Lady Astor has them. He was no joke, neither is she a joke. On the contrary, she is a useful per- son living in a strength that is not derived merely from vittles but is obviously related to the energy that drives the stars. NOTHER American country + % awaits, it seems, the arrival of another lady politician. The papers report that Soviet Russia is sending to Mexico as its representative a woman, Mme. Kollontay, whose rec- ord sounds interesting. Of.an old Russian family, fifty-four years old, experienced in diplomacy and known for her “unconventional and ex- tremely radical views about matrj- mony.” Her last engagement was played as Soviet Minister in Norw No doubt she will’ interest General Calles, who is credited by the Cath- olics with intention to Russianize Mexico, something that he will hardly do, It is plainer and plainer to any one that dips into the history of Mexico that the row between Calles nd the Catholic Church is « polit- row, and not primarily a reli- gious one. American Catholics who are interested in it should study the history of Mexico. The Mevicans have had a hard time. Even these benevolent States have been no kinder to them than the law required, It is time we tried to do thei some good. Mr. Wilson tried, after hav- ing gained some knowledge of what was going on there by the a process which he described ing enough liars talk about it.” the ministers he sent to Mexico were nothing remarkable. Mr. Shcttield is a highly respectable character, but Heaven knows how much real sym- pathy he has with Mexicans. It is not enough that an American Am- bassador to Mexico in these times should be alert about the validity of land grants and oil concessions. He ought to have it in him to help a people struggling towards liberty, albeit people struggling in that direction usually cut up considerable jack on their way, and coimmend themselves very slightly to respect- able opinion. ERMANY has been joined to the League of Nations. M. Bri- and made a marvelous specch of welcome to her in behalf of France, and Herr Stresemann, applauded by the Assembly, deeply impressive in the hopes that he expressed for amity between nations and for the peace of Europe. That is all to the good and re stores the hopes that were based on Locarno. France talks about reduc- ing armaments, and it is in the paper that the top hat is coming back in England and the United States. Even that is a good sign. Top hats make for manners and tranquillity of thought. Labor-union people ought to wear them. E.S. Martin. comicbooks.com