The Washington herald., 1915-11-14

had the ablest and most influential jour-
nalists on their eide. The Republican
party became alive to this wise obserya-
ton and largely prohted by IL subse-
quently. As Democrat think 1t would
be an objectionable blunder In having q
man as leader of tine House who Is not
In perfect accord with the same policies
Of the President as set forth in his re-
cent speech in New York. The party in
a. decided ma jority Is In accord with him.
and as for the opposition party. IL can
safely be said the intelligent and indie
pendent factors in the party are in earn
est sympathy with him in his prepared
ness policy. or course. We must except
the professional politicians in the gen.
eral summing up. These are grave
times for the American people, but we
| can trust the wisdom of our President.
J. L. r.
Abraham Lincoln and the Kaiser.
Everybody repeats the words OF Lin
coins Gettysburg speech with much unc-
ton. "A peoples government must not
perish from the earth" We all believe
II but many Of us sympathize with the
German CaSsar who is making a desper-
ate attempt to sweep popular govern
Hent from the face of the earth.
The Kaiser approves everything Presi-
dent Lincoln disapproved and dIsap-
proves everything President Lincoln ap-
proved. No American citizen can con-
Observation-Disclosures he dislikes England or
not-indorse Lincoln and uphold the Ger
man Caesar. The Kaiser is the War
Lord and proud Of the title Lincoln
was an earnest advocate of peace-not
peace at any price-but peace in the abb
stract. peace to be secured and maintain
ed by any honorable means. The modern
Caesar. like his greater prototype. be-
coin believes that right is might" and
sure to finally prevail The Germans OF
the empire are subjects OF the Kaiser.
and he regards them as such. Abraham
Lincoln regarded all Americans as his
fellow citizens. and would have viewed
them in no other light though he were
vested with dictatorial powers. The
term Iese majestic. delightful TO the war
lord Of Germany would have been odious
to Abraham Lincoln.
The Kaiser believes the military should
be superior to the civil power; he acts
in harmony with his belief. and the sword
throughout his realms reigns supreme. II
may cut down harmless and helpless
shoemakers who are so unfortunate as to
offend one Of its wearers. but the sword
must be of unquestioned supremacy. and
its wearer. must under all circumstances
be exonerated. President Lincoln be-
lieved. and most earnestly believed the
military should be subordinate to the civil
power. and the sword used only in times
OF public danger and to repel foreign ag-
Cression. the unnecessary wholesale
murder Of American mothers and their
American babies. Let the American citi-
zen. who believes with Abraham Lincoln
and sympathizes with the German Kaiser
be wise and consider.
". A FOSTER
Editor The Washington Herald-Soms
of US stay-at-homes who enjoyed the
Panama Exposition through Mr.. Barry's
pen-pictures in The Herald. have bee
having quite a heated discussion over
what that display means for the future
of American art on one side the con-
testants hold that American art has
ARRIVED that il is no longer problem
atiCal or even at the stage of
couraging hope. and they argue that III"
SO-Called classic or Greek sculpture *
today universally acknowledged as
standard and unsurpassed only because
those Greeks were true to themselves
and expressed themselves, their life,
their activities. their aspirations simp',.
directly. sincerely: and that II i pre-
Ciscly this that American artists TO-DAY
are doing and to that extent must their
work 10 acknowledged. too. aS universal
and eternal. in that it cInbodies ,hA
struggles and ideals Of a people and on
presses the universal truth Of the eternal
human.
Naturally the art in Washington has
served both sides Of the debate as illus
trati"n or refutation. and a curious
criticism has been made Of 4 certain
public work here which 7 had always
regarded as very beautiful hut which
was declared pitifUIlv inartstic and n,
adequately expressive by the critics ~
American art who uphold the theory
that the last word in sculpture WIS
spoken when the glory that was
Greece" passed away. The work To
which ! refer is the Fountain of Nep-
tune in front of the Congressional
Library. where the God Of the Seas sits
high and dry very much in need Of a
bath. which a few tritons and CymothoeT
are desperately trying to supply by spit
ting at him. confess that my faith
has been staggered as humble layman.
not at the art conception Of the sculpture.
but the setting given it. when I hear
the irreverent fun poked at the stately
form Of the holder of the trident In the
ridiculous prayer. Let some dropDiu-s
fall on me" Now. 7 wonder which side
is right. ] recall that the figure Of the
father of his country Jupiter diSap-
peared when We all saw the inrunETUity
of putting George Washington on Mount
Olympus sans the garment coveted by
all good Americans. II was decidedly
bad form. Of course. and had to 60
Nothing so drastic would he needed for
the Neptune. since the great Potomac
flows at the foot OF the hill and Il would
seem that an adequate water supply
might AFFORD a fun display II only oC-
casiOnaly. as when the fountains play
at Versailles. those at Paris being
stopped temporarily that there NAV be
no stint in the magnificent spectacle
And yet. possibly CopiOus showers are
not essential to make those tortoises and
mermaids and Neptune really picture the
boundless deep with its mystery. its mo-
ton. its ever restless and resistless life
! wish some one OF the initiated would
enlighten us on this point.
ANNA J. COOPER.
America Need Not Fear"
Editor of The Washington Herald:
don't like your headline. Complications
with Austria Feared" While Won
Rernstorn can ruin the State nanar+