The Washington times., 1919-01-23

A New Big Diamond.
It Measures Our Foolishness
Talking to the Planets.
What Have We to Say?
By ARTHUR BRISBANE.
Copyright, 191s.)

By ARTHUR BRISBANE.
Copyright. 1S1s.)
Marconi says We shall be able to
talk to other planets some day.
Has any intelligent man ever
doubted that? You cannot talk to
q newborn infant in its cradle.
You wouldn't II you could, for it
has nothing to say. Older planets,
our neighbor Mars, for instance,
with q civilization millions Of years
older than our own, would proba-
bly, take as little interest in talk
ing to US as Newton would have
taken in talking to an Indian pa
poose.
We shall talk to the other plan
/, cts and they to US. as soon as we
have anything worth telling them.
They wouldn't be much interested
IN learning that we are engaged
down here in murderous wars, and
IN underpaying and underfeeding
our own brothers and sisters with
in our borders.
IL We could talk to an educated
neighbor in space now the COM
ment Of that neighbor would be,
probably, What a strange, VICIOUS,
savage, murderous little planet.
Turn on the wireless, can't listen
to it"
Senator Penrose says that after
March 4 he will investigate the
aircraft, shipbuilding, and other
scandals. More power.
Senator Harding of Ohio says
] the President will have to put out
the flames Of anarchy at home" If
he doesn't hurry back and get
business started with work for
soldiers
Mr.. Harding says also 'sthe
world trembling with a menace of
Bolshevfsm owes a good part of
It's difficulties to the policies of
5the Chief Executive"
The Republicans, who will have
charge of Congress about six
Nweeks from today, are preparing
a warm welcome for President
Wilson The polite days are over.
Turn to more pleasant things.
They have found In the Jaagers-
fontein mine, Of South Africa, a
blue white diamond weighing near
~ four hundred carats.
This pebble Of pure carbon is
worth many dollars. Men, in
fhe value they put on different
stones, display their primitive
chtldishness. One has a bright
stone sparkling on his shirt front
or niger. Another fastens to his
watch chain q small stone, cut out
OF his Interior by a surgeon, and
tells you all about 1t.
The learned doctor, George F.
Kunz, possesses interesting facts
about diamonds. One great stone
was used by q Kaffir witch doctor
In his incantations. He sold il for
five hundred sheep and some
horses. The buyer sold it for
s5s,OOo.
The ancients believed that dia-
monds, which cannot be destroyed
by IRE or acid, could be melted in
the blood Of a goat. The diamond
was supposed to make poisons
more violent, and to cure insanity.
DR.. Kunz's most interesting
fact is this: In working the
DeBeers mines in South Africa,
the natives in twelve years moved
thirty-five million loads of earth,
and got out two hundred million
dollars worth of diamonds. Once
out, the diamonds are worth moth
ing except to please the vanity of
civilized savages. What would
have been the value to men if the
thirty-five million loads of earth
had been moved in building rail-
road, digging a canal, or cultivat-
ing the earth?
All the known diamonds in the
world are worth about one thou
sand million dollars. We had half
of them here in the United States,
long before the beginning of war
profteer days. We have probably
more than half by now. That
ought to make US proud.
The American wheat farmer
will owe something to the war.
He gets 1920 a bushel, about
double what farmers get in other
countries where wheat growing Is
not subsidized. The Democrats
guaranteed the farmers that price.
VIII the Republicans dare change
it? If they do, what will happen
to them in 1920? II they don't.
the taxpayers win have to raise at
least a billion a year to paw
farmers the difference between the
guaranteed price and the price
that wheat will fetch in the
worlds markets. How will the
IMAM with the big income tax like
hiatt
y Universal suffrage is in the new
German constitution. The number