New-York tribune., 1918-03-30

~ Sum-, has been revealing to the peO-
pie of New York that they have in
the latest successor of Byrnes, Devery and
Arthur Woods, a Police Commissioner of
high literary and other ideals. 1t appears
that the new Commissioner is, first of all,
great admircr of Voltare, and possesses
one of the largest Voltarian libraries
known
Asked concerning his deep interest in the
great French skeptic, Commissioner Enright
made answer with discovery of great in
tccest to the followers of Sherlock Holmes,
NJ. Dupn, NJ Lecoq and their more modern
successors. This is that "Voltaire was the
man who wrote the first detective story"
This was the famous romance or set of
sketches of the life Of Zadig. But one would
gain a highly erroneous impression of our
literary Commissioner If one were to imag-
Inc that his interests are confined either to
Voltalre or the detective story. And he has
the courage of his opinions, as witness the
following colloquy:
Ihey say" he continued, "that we have
no art in America. No paintings of value.
no poetry of worth. Well, it is true that I
love my Balzac and my Hugo, but we have
our Richard Harding Davis and our poets
many"
but you don't mean that seriously, do
you? Surely, you wouldn't put R. II. Davis
on footing with Balzac?"
Davis Another Balzac
Yes, would. Because Davis wrote in
English and was an American, and night be
seen IN any OF our clubs, the people do not
value him. Yet l say without hesitation
that some of the stories written by him
have not been very far surpassed"
Pressed to oXOlain thic ,ouloc+ of Mr.
Davis, we find revealed philosopher and
ldeallst Asked why we should be "the only
natlon to disregard our art" he replied:
because we have learned to value money
more. 1t is terrible and shocking thing,
but SO 1T is Until that time comes when we
VIII turn around saying, There goes poet
instead of There is the richest man in New
York our artists will not be ENCOURAGED.
ana without encouragement of some sort no
art attalns to its greatest and best.
instead of endowing homes for the
1eeole-m minded, why doesn't some one secure
those of great minds living? The feeble
minded get home and care and burial.
those OF great mind sleep in the gutter and
are the gracious unknown dead that limo +ho
earth in Potter's Field"
Read the Answer in the Stars
Philosopher and also something of
fatallst or Professionalism. The conversa-
ton drifts, through a channel not overlv
clear, to astrology. The young lady re-
porter-we arc sure it was Young ladv-
asks breathlessly:
You believe in the stars?"
81 do"
THAT they make the person born under
them, that they rule ?"
"Emphatically
Are you serious ?"
II have never been more serious in INV
life" ''
"But this is incrcdible"
Nothing is incredible. I don't know. no
one knows, but l have q strong suspicion
thaC the stars make us what we are"
And the criminal is he who has been
porn under star ordaining that he should
be a murderer"
81 think So"
AT this the young lady was quite discour
aged, and the following conversation on
sued. She said:
Ihls makes me quite miserable, I shall
have to nave my palm read or turn to tea
leaves or the cards."
Those things l dent believe in"
Why not. if the stars"--
ne stars arc' matter of God. the cards
a matter of crooked sharpers trying 20 make
lvlng-blts of pasteboard conceived and
executed by human BRAIN"
We are quite sure that when Mavor Hv,or
called this man Of "laughing white curls"
Or was it the curls that laughed? we are
not quito surc--to become the head of ton
thousand policemen he had no idea he had
picked poet and mystic possessed ~
such elOQuence and crudition