Life — June 28, 1928 — page 17: what you’re looking at

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

L FE Sacred and Profane Tne practice grew up during the war of distinguished representatives of foreign Governments proceeding to Mount Ver- non to deposit a wreath on the grave of George Washington. The tribute thus shown was proper, gracious and impres- sive. Since 1921, however, the burial place of Washington has been neglected in favor of the Tomb of the Unknown Sol- dier, which is much nearer town, and most unhappily accessible to any cheap person or organization desiring to get free pub- licity. The daily exploitation of this shrine for purposes of advertising has reached the point where it is an outrage upon good taste and an affront to our American dead who are there commemorated, There isn’t much use, however, in getting excited about good taste. In the first few years of its existence, this Tomb was unguarded, save for an officer of Arlington Cemetery in a badge and sweater. Owing to the peculiar situation of the grave at the very roadside, it was possible to debouch large motor parties within a foot or two of the sarcophagus. It became the not infrequent practice for tourists to take snapshots of their friends and families actually sitting on the gran- ite slab that covers the Unknown. Lunches were consumed in the imme- diate vicinity, if not right at the Tomb. There was some flinging about of peanut shells and other debris. Attempts were even made to scrawl initials, and it was a mere question of time before some en- thusiastic souvenir-hunter would have chipped a fragment from the stone, had not the Government intervened with the establishment of a military guard. eee Tooay the Tomb is protected from de- facement. Some semblance of reverence is forced upon the itinerant visitor, but it temains fair game for any person of the slightest. prominence or notoricty, who wishes to get his picture in the rotogra- vure sections of our Sunday newspapers. It has become part of the regular pro- gram of all conventions that meet in Washington to proceed to the Tomb en masse and deposit a wreath. The movie and still cameras are set up and there isa frantic scramble to get into the ex- posure. Men’s hats may or may not be temoved, The convention may be discuss- ing a six-day week for delicatessen deal- ers, but it is duly photographed in a mob scene at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Prize-fighters, motion picture actors, inventors, foreign and domestic novelists, aviatrices, bishops, chambers of com- merce, delegations from home towns, petty bureaucrats of European Govern- ments, Governors of States, winners of prize contests and indorsers of popular brands of cosmetics and cigarettes—all visit the Tomb and get photographed. It is a sure-fire method of getting public at- tention, Arlington has become a_press- agent’s paradise. eee Wuat, if anything, can be done about it I do not know. The Government can- not prohibit the placing of wreaths on the Tomb. Such a course would be distaste- ful from any aspect, even if it did not involve Government officials in constant difficulties. The good taste of individuals and organizations does not seem to gov- ern. Yet I decline to believe that the real sentiment of the country is represented in the odious performances at this grave. As an experiment I suggest that the War Department for a period of six months prohibit the taking of any photo- graphs whatever at the Tomb of the Un- known Soldier, and await the result. I predict that pilgrimages with set pieces would diminish 50 per cent. eee Tuere has been much discussion in Con- gress and outside of the final form that this grave should assume. At present there is a massive but simple sarcophagus of marble with no inscription. The excel- lent Mr. Madden of Illinois, late Chair- man of the Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives, prevented “Drove to New Rochelle yesterday in three hours.” “Boy! That’s saving time! What did you do when you got there?” “Came back in two hours and forty min- utes.” First Fortune Teter: How do you like your new crystal-gazing job? Secono Sootrsayer: Oh, it pays well; but of course there's no future in it. during his lifetime the precipitate erec- tion of some fancy sculpture to “com- plete” the Tomb. He gave his consent, just before his death, to an appropriation of $50,000 for a suitable monument. A competition is now in progress among five architects for this work, for which a net sum of $44,000 will be available. So the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is to be “completed” after all. The win- ning design, however, must pass the scrutiny of the Fine Arts Commission, the Arlington Commission and the Bat- tle Monuments Commission. This last body, of which Gen. Pershing is Chair- man, has done such magnificent service in preventing the construction of miscel- laneous mortuary monuments on our battlefields in France that it is certain no elaborate defacement will be permitted, if Pershing has anything to say. Nevertheless, I would much prefer— and there must be thousands of Amer- icans who agree—that the existing marble slab have “An Unknown Sotpter” carved upon its serene surface, the imag: nation of his own generation and _pos- terity to do the rest. Henry Suydam. “YOUR ORDER RECEIVED” He: Some day I'll get a kiss, eh? Sue: Check. He: And what will you get? Sue: Check! comicbooks.com