New-York tribune., 1920-06-24
Onuard!
Let Us Not Go Back to the
Days of ANYBODY
To the Editor Of The Tribune.

0 the EDITOR OF Inc 1r1Dune.
Sir: "will it not be q desirable
thing to bark bay to the days Of Nc.
Kinley" asks MIR. T. B. Higdon, Of
Atlanta, Ga, in your Monday Issue.
And in this line be sums up everything
he has to say. Permit me to answer
a positive No!
Not because I like the prescnt days,
nor because disliked those of Ne
Kinley. But rather because believe
any trend toward going back-to any.
things useless, senseless and dan.
gerous.
Mr.. Higdon follows the lead Of the
keenest political thinkers-thoss WHO
pretend to think for US and who don't
want US to think for ourselves-and
denounces, in generalizations, every.
thing that Roosevelt and Wilson have
done. He slurs internationalism. az
tacks great many policies which time
alone can prove right or wrong, and, IN
like manner, assumes everything else
which it is necessary to prove.
He is an example Of great many
people who think they think. They
sigh for the dear good days that ore
no more, and there have been such
folks since time began, some six thou
sand years ago, as far as written rec
ords are concerned. Adam probably
wept bitterly that God didn't restore
! his preEve freedom; King Solomor'
with his vast ha-em, no doubt envled
Adam, with only one woman whom hs
had 70 strive to please. In sohes'
stories. memoirs. histories and aner'
dotes we find the old, rose-colored
glamour Of the sweet long ago, the 81
but resigned allusion 70 times DE-
parted.
I insert these remarks 10 prove thas
Mr. Higdon is not alone, nor wou'a
he have been alone a. any time IN 'ne
past; had he lived in 1892 or amongt'e
Pilgrims, he would have been wisnlns
for the comfort his grandfather hsd'
When Mckinley vas President Of these
United States he probably wrote IN 70
the paper. complaining that things
weren't what they used 10 be.
Nevertheless, fear Mr.. Higdon
would not relish living in the Stone age
that would be TOO far back. bu' !
beg of him that he consider the fs''
that we all would still be living un''.
some such conditions Il every one as'
had the same slant that he TOW voices.
i has been those to whom the pas' sH.
the present were not good enough 'pD
who were willing to make stiff s'''9
for the sake Of a better future wn0''
we may thank for .he blessings oi "
day
If he will but refer % tie heN''
paper files of those comfortable, pr0s'
rerous time. of Mckinley and I.''
the sweet scandals of .hc Spanish "s'
the impassioned pleas for the fuli c'D,
ner pail and the attacks on the ''1s"
he VIII find it hard to realize the o'"
under which the articles were p''''s
and that many who wrote tHein
now among the great majority
These are times when. Il ever
must push forward, not lock oaeS"',''
if we are to reap the rewards oi y
past struggle. True. we have nv.
with which to find fault, but We
back we shall thea have TO so thf'H'
some more he'll to regain the s'Oss
lost: for there is something IN
breasts of the greater number o. =,
that commands us Push ohN'
Mount the heights. Progress 4
Let US. therefore. net look paeA - =.
compliment ourselves OF how ~
have advanced. but rather looh e..
ward and see what great 'ssa .r
before US. SIDNEY X. BENNL''
Bayonne. N. j.. June a2, wv