Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-21
Latest Convert to
Cause of Socialism
Special Correspondence of The star.


men are socialists. The best known
Of them, Of course. are Bernard
Shaw and II @. Wells. Socialism has just
gained another literary recruit in the per
son Of that genial humorist, Jerome X.
Jerome Mr. Jerome says that he has
really been a socialist all his life, but APP
parenty he has only just found It out. He
has been giving an interviewer from a
socialist paper his ideas to haw the
socialist cause can best be advanced. And
that in a nutshell. Is by leaving socialism
out of It as much as possible. Socialism
today, he says, Is DOGGY. 1t frghtens
folk.
"You think then" he was asked, that IT
is a mistake for socialists to proclaim their
socialism,"
Decidedly" he answered. You viii in
sist on telling the people this Is socialism.
II any progress in your direction Is made
you triumphantiy assert But this is So
cialism.' The consequence is the movement
Is hlndered People will not be bludgeoned
Into socialism. l think the ali-or nothing
method Is suicidal. Socialists ought to keep
their Ideas up their sleeves, as 1t were. Get
them adopted when possible, and say moth
ing about 1t. You can't expect to change
q condition of society which has existed for
q quarter of a million years, except step
by step.
cit seems to me-. he added. that Brit
ish and German socialists are becoming
mere theorists. Why. In Germany they
have many more municipal institutions than
In this country. But they weren't obtained
by the socialists or installments of so
ciallsm. The people there have seen that
II is better for a town to have municipal
gas and trans, and so on. 1t makes 1t pct
ter for all classes But here. you cry out
for these things as steps to socialism.
thereby alternating the employer and the
professional man, who think. Well If this
things going to help socialism. we'll do
without it The only way to make steady
progress is TO work quietly. TO educate the
liberal party In socialist principles. and /
think IT would he a good thing to concen-
trate on the land problem We can't do
anything till we get the land"
Mr.. Jerome, besides being a humorist is
evidently a strategist. But. If his own
theories be correct, now that he has openly
proclaimed himself a socialist. he has great
Iy impaired the influence he can exercise on
fits behalf.
years ago with THE Visits of Elizabeth
has just announced that her two favorite
books are Jack LOndon's The Call of the
Wild and white Fangs." That explains
something. Elinor Glyn is a sister of Lady
Duff-GordOn, who, under the pseudonym of
LUCILLE runs a fashionable Iillinery shop
IN Hanover square. London. And every girl
employed there is given copy of The Call
Of the Wild and a brooch with a dogs
head on 1t, representing the canine hero of
the book They wear them when on duty.
1t Is supposed to stimulate them to apply
courage and devotion to dressmaking. For
q girl at "Lucille's" to be deprived of her
dogs head brooch is to be disgraced In
his widest dreams of fame surely Jack
London. never imagined that his book would
serve as an inspiration to the employees of
millinery establishment. 1 have no doubt
that 1t Is Elinor Glyn's idea 1t was She
too, suspect, who suggested to her titled
sister going In for emotional gowns"
They bear such names as "Unsatsfed
Longing" Hearts Desire" "a Dream of
Bliss" They are supposed to awaken these
emotions In the beholder But without the
aid OF the booklet which interprets them,
written probably by the clever author the
mere man who looks upon them finds
nothing in them that Will carry his thoughts
beyond sordid specdlations as to their
probable cost Elinor Glyn, by the way Is
catching 1t rather hot from the critics for
her last book. Three Weeks" But as
she said she expected they would disap-
prove of it, presumably she is not disap-
pointed
The Hon. Winifrcd Norton. who was mar
lied on Wednesday to Mr.. William Ten
nant. is q great granddaughter of the ia