Evening star., 1915-04-10
A Monkey and Parrot Time.
, the Editor of The Star:

To the Editor or Ibe Star.
Perhaps our Vice President Us the
man to lead us out of the wilderness.
although he is not on the list as
deliyerer. But his refreshing candor
is an inspiration. as he is not afraid
to tell the dear people the truth
about themselves, although in amiable
fashion.
In his San Francisco talk he hit the
monkeys and parrots rather hard-not
that he used those terms-but when
he warned the nation against the
growing lack Of Independent thought
and the tendency to follow leader II
they have to hire one, he hit the sort
which | am comparing to monkeys and
parrots. And. though these terms are
supposed to be antagonistic, suggest
ing a scrap. yet in the main particular
acts through imitation, and the parrot
gets off limited vocabulary in the
same way without reference to mean
ing. And SO the masses catch their
ideas out of the air like an infection,
and, as for their talk, they might as
well go about saying, Polly wants a
cracker" as far as originality goes.
Thus the Vice Presidents warning
young men are growing spineless like
jellyfish; and also when he alludes to
the tendency toward lackeyism and
fiunkeyism, for often may be observed
among many of our citizens a sort OF
manner and bearing typical of those
who, garbed in plush and shiny but
tons, stand within the portals of great
houses-and the worst of the fiunkey
in a business suit is that he is not
even picturesque.
And by way of another comparison,
or figure Of speech, the majority of
people are often likened to sheep by
the independent thinkers, although this
disposition may be necessary to the
ra1 nf vifh
a large contingent who do not reason
why" wars could not be waged, nor
large enterprises carried on. But, it
is not well for the state when the in
dependent minority become so few and
so futile as to be overwhelmed alto
gether.
This slump in original thought and
initiative is evidenced by the blight
over the face of affairs, the dead level.
the sign of diminished mental vitality.
There appears a general. though silent
and unacknowledged. conspiracy against
individual expression in all things.
character, buildings. arrangements.
dress even. the term. factory made
young men" in a recent magazine
covering the usual appearance.
And every day in the public press
may be- seen protests against the ex-
traordinary number of petty laws and
regulations being promuigated-but
such conditions are the outgrowth of
the spirit or lack of spirit, of the
times; you cannot hamper a free people
beyond a reasonable limit.
The monkey and parrot people. how
ever, if left unencumbered and unham-
pered by a complex system of regula-
tions. would lock themselves in their
public with no guide but their own
initiative, laws and rules acting as
props in place of individual character
And yet there never before was so
much talk about Initiative" and in
dividualism," but it is all parrot like
And so the hired leaders," as the
Vice President calls them. seek to ad-
vance their own plans by converting
the average man into machine, or
part of a geometrical designLanything
on earth but real man. But there is
saying, when the young men lose
their vision, the nations perish" and
what will we do when the deluge
comes? HINDA BURKE.