Evening star., 1918-01-20
HEARD AND SEEN.

Germany ignores the rules Of th<
game.
A man who tries 1t usually is unable
ito get away with II"
The law holds good with nations.
These thoughts came to me recently
as looked over q little pocket chess
board and endeavored to recall what
little I once knew Of that great menta
occupation.
It was the same little board on which
some ten years ago. I played many
game with Robert Griffin. now some
where in the North sea on one of Uncle
Sans destroyers. The son OF Rear Ad'
miral Griffin, Bob" Griffin. as he was
known at the Naval Academy, was an
ideal chess player. He could think
ahead" Chess to him was more OF a
mental occupation than mere game
His clean-thinking. mathematical mind
reveled In the intricactes OF the royal
game" 81.
game against the Huns, and playing II
Square" according to the rules OF the
game.
as / looked over the checkered surface
of the little board and at the chess
men and tried to recall the subtle points
.Chess is a process of thought, con-
ditioned and limited by the institutes
and rules of the game"
Reduced to the ultimate. what Is life
what is war, but a process Of Thought
conditioned and limited by the insti-
tutes and rules OF the game?
Even the animals In the forest nave
their rules Of the game" supplied by
the Creator. Those animals that vio,
late the laws shall surely suffer and
dje for it. Savages in all lands OF the
earth have their laws. and respect
them. s;.,,ns and
limited by the institutes and rules OF
the game promulgated by the great
As long as the game is played It must
It ceases to be itself any longer ana
degenerates into an unworthy spec
In chess game, the player who would
jogele a piece of the board, ana .nen'
when you stopped over to pick It up
seize the opportunity to change the dis-
position IL the pieces on the poara. so
that his position might be the gamer
BY the action, would be Cheat TO put
1t mildly. ,s .~o,o;n,
after the first few moves, The rules ..
the game are but scraps of paper. aiter =
ali, Tm going to move my forces to
suit myself, l will make my ROCKS run
dia ronally. II 1 please, and l Will make
two moves at once. II please In iact'
to prevent you from winning this game:
I intend to sweep the Whoie 1aoFie VI
the game overheard.
what would the other player do?
He could either mildly resign ana
submit to being beaten over the head
with the chessboard in the hands OF the
infuriated one, or he could tnen ah1
there wage a great fight on behait OF
the "institutes and rules of the game.
That is what the allies are doing m
the war against Germany. IKE tne
term, war against Germany, because
that is what the present great war;
Germany Is the unruly player at the
chessboard of life.
She seems to have forgotten the beau
ty, the science of life, which Is IN a
large measure a process of thought con-
ditioned and limited by the institutes
and rules Of the game. Even IN the
lesser game Of war she has forgotten
shall we call It "forgotten?" the rules
Of the game. and is determined to SET up
new rules.
But the world likes its old game. The
real players believe in the good rules
Of life, ana the good rules of honorable
warfare, because there are good and
salutary rules which have governed life
and war. War IL q contest. mental and
physical. which has its small counter
part on the chessboard and its greatest
manifestation in the battle of life IT.
Bob Grimm is one man who Is help
ing to make the world safe for de-
He is one Of the millions Of allied man