The Washington times., 1919-01-18
Today
A Violent Poet.
Old Men, Go Gently.
One G. o. Baby Dead.
China to Be Unfettered.
By ARTHUR BRISBANE.
Copyright. 19Ia)

Copyright. 19Ia)
Italian discussion as to annexa-
ton of the east shore of the
Adriatic has reached an acute
stage The progressive Italian na-
ton, represented by D'Annunzio,
demands the whole of Dalmatia,
control Of the Adriatic on both
sides. The minority, represented
by men just dismissed from the
cabinet, demand less. This is how
D'Annunzio, the gentle poet"
talks in a six column article in
tended to arouse his followers
I'VE will confront the new
conspiracy, after the fashion
Of the Italian arditi, with a
bomb in either hand and q
knife between the teeth
We should be grateful that we
are disturbed by no such violent
writing as that in this country; it
sounds too much in earnest
The Kaiser's latest illness is at
tributed to oyer-exercise, caused
by violently chopping wood. Per-
haps he imagined that he was
chopping Social Democrats and
forgot himself.
His illness illustrates the fact
that men past fifty must realize
that they are going down hill, not
up hill, and give up violent ex~
ertion in imitation of youth.
Roosevelt's terrific energy and
refusal to spare himself physically
undoubtedly shortened his life.
Just before the illness that
necessitated surgical operations,
he had completed a most strenuous
course of physical exercise at the
! training camp of a professional
athlete.
Such training has killed many.
No man is stronger than his
heart, or stronger than the quality
of his blood supply. Violent exCr-
else after fifty is bad for both;
old men should remember it.
The House Committee on Msr-
chant Marine and Fisheries unaDi-
mously reject Secretary Daniels
bill that would make the wireless
telegraph and telephone system Of
the country public property.
Thus dies one little Government
ownership infant in its cradle.
The mortality is going to be high
among such infants. For the
present this country will not learn
much from Europe, where even
England nationalizes her railroads
and all the more intelligent ma
tons, outside of Turkey, are max
ing wise plans along the line OF
real democracy, for their own pro-
lection But the United States
viii learn from Europe later.
The President of China is in
favor of a peace league ito safe
guard his own country" He wants
all militarism, all war to end, that
China may develop "unfettereo."
China WAS developing "unfet-
tered" for many centuries. She
kept the western world outside
her borders. Her emperors wrote
their little poems; her wise men
learned the alphabet, five thousand
letters long; queues touched the
ground; fingernails were as long
as the finger on the rich, and
there was misery and resignation
among the poor.
But all that ''unfettered de-
velopment," with no outside iu-
reference except an occasional
thrush from Tartars, did not seem
to work well.
Contrast with China, always
peaceful. her neighbor Japan, al
ways warlike. Japan, a little is
land. with few natural resources,
lacking iron and coal, has gone
far ahead Of China, the great, rich
empire, with unlimited mineral
wealth and labor power
We all know that peace is beau
tiful. But some things are hard
TO explain.
The official communique of the
French government on the peace
meeting has a strange and inter-