The Topeka state journal., 1908-02-12
The Critics Shrug.

during william Archer'S American
visit, young actress. at a dinner,
congratulated the critic on the un-
swervfng fairness of his reviews.
And it is hard, it is even cruel
sometimes, isn't it, to be fair?'' she
said.
yes" said Mr.. Archer smiling, "to
be fair is sometimes hard and cruel,
and sometimes it is rash. You know
there are reprisals. The unswervingly
fair critic often takes up his pen with
the shrug of Omar. the Persian poet.
You have heard Of Omar's shrug !?
No? Well, it was eloquent.
"The shah one day sent for the old
poet
"'Omar.' said he. I have written
some verses. Listen and I will read
them to you.'
And he read the verses and in the
ensuing silence looked at Omar anx-
| iously. Well he said.
Heaven born,' said Omar gently
each to his own calling. Scepter in
hand you are most wise, just and
powerful; but pen in hand'-Omar
shook his head and chuckled
| 'Heaven-born,' said he, such verses
| would disgrace a nine-year-old school
| boy
''His eyes flashing with rage, the
shah shouted to his guards:
Ito the stables with this old foo
and let him be soundly f1ogged.'
yet the shah, for all. respected
Omar's judgment, and when a week
| later another idea for a poem came
| to his mind and was feverishly exc
cuted, he sent for the fearless and
| fair critic again.
Another poem, Omar. A better
| one, I'm sure you'll think it is a bet
ter one,' he said wistfully. And he
| began to read the second poem to the
old man.
"But in the middle of the reading
| Omar turned and started for the
door.
"where are you going?' said the
shah in amazement.
"Omar looked back and shrugged
his shoulders.
"'To the stables he answered, fol
another fogging. - Washington
Star.
| Science and Religion.
The death of Lord Kelvin has
brought into prominence the fact that
religion has recovered it's prestige and
| influence among highly-educated
classes in England Thirty years ago
! the most eminent scientific thinkers
were agnostics. at war with all creeds
as relics of superstition. Darwin,
| Tyndall, Huxley and Spencer, with the
subtlest intellect of their time, did
not conceal their pity and contempt
for the childish beliefs of credulous
| humanity and were hailed as the
| evangels of scientific agnosticism and
a new millennium OF free thinking. In
another generation of scientific pro-
gress the prayer gauge, the tilt over
| the Mosaic cosmogony, the ironical
substitution Of a, pair of chfmpanzees
! for Adam and Eve, and Spencer's
despairing recoil from the unknow
able' have passed out Of mind, and
the most eminent thinkers have be-
come reverent investigators of the
origin of life. Lord Kelvin's pre-
| eminence in British science has been
unchallenged, and he was a strenu-
| Gus opponent of agnosticism, which
seemed to him as indefensible as
modern attacks upon the atomic
theory When the current generaliza-
/ ton OF an earlier generation that
modern science neither affirms nor de-
nies creative power in the origin of
life was repeated during his closing
| wears he dissente6 from it with as
| much emphasis as he could command.
| His protest against Prof Henslow's
| account of present Day Rationalism"
| had behind 1t his own authority as the
greatest scientific mind It was an un-
compromising declaration that science
afirms a creative and direct power in
| the universe, and is compelled to ac-
| cept ii as an article of belief.-London
correspondence New York Tribune.