The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-06-18
FEWER BOOKS A BLESSING.

One redeeming feature of the shortage of pa
fper is that fewer books are being published.
Publishers report decline of forty per cent. 1t
costs lot to print anything, nowadays and
publishers are not taking so many chances on
doubtful propositions. But it is not likely that
Iany useful book that the world needed has
thereby failed to see the light.
The falling off is said to be largely in novels
Ia stream of fiction has been pouring out of the
Epresses far in excess of any public demand. One
wonders who has been buying all this trash
The world has produced too many books
Many people have the itch for writing who
should be doing homework or spending their
time in hoeing corn. They want to express
themselves. Words flow freely and they have
fertile imaginations; so they go inventing
stories endlessly. But their productions lack
grace of style; the writer's have control over
the sources of emotion. The result is lot of
ink and valuable paper wasted.
That there is distinction between pacifist
and man of peace seems to be recognized by
the American Society of Friends, or Quakers.
The Quakers are peaceful, but they are not
pacifsts. and in this world conflict they en-
phasize their patriotism by adherence to the
principles of right and Justice as set forth by
the declarations and acts of the United States
and the other countries at war with Germany.
Haverford college, at Haverford, Pa, is the
center of education of the Friends in this coun-
try and many of the student and faculty mem
bers have gone to France, several are in the
naval reserve and others are with the Pennsyl-
vania national guard. No better statement of
the Justice of the case against autocracy is re-
Quired than reference to the action of Hayer-
ford college, organized and supported by men
of peace, but who are not pacifsts.
The administration has done well in urging
early enactment of legislation to conserve and
increase the country's food resources. Her
bert c. Hoover who knows more about the
subject of food administration than any other
man in the United States, has said that in the,
last three years two words have been written
over the pages of English history Too late"
and that unless the Lever bill be passed i'm
mediately before the grain is harvested, these
words will be written in our history. His
warning comes none too early. Congress should
talk less and bring action to bear at once.
The more George Creel writes about the
work Of the newspapers the more apparent it
becomes that the man selected by Mr.. Wilson
as chairman of the committee on public infor-
nation has few qualifications for the place.
He cannot do much harm as editor of the ''Offi-
cial Bulletin which is published by order of
the president. but if a committee on public in
formation is needed the charTnanship should be
filed by practical newspaperman in whom
the press of the country, as well as the admins
tration. has confidence. Mr.. Creel is misfit,
and it is not too late to correct the mistake
made when he was appointed.
What with Liberty bond buying, answering
the questions of the military census taker, sub
scribing to the Red Gross fund. together with
+hoSa GRO StrauuprJs