The Washington herald., 1920-03-23
In the Lineligft
BY George Perry Morris.

Baron Shibusawa Is not the rich
est man in Japan. But he Is one
Of the most pubiic-spirited. broad
minded and generous OF the lead
ers OF the commercial and banking
group that has come into being
within this generation, and now
challenges the primacy Of the old
feudal. militaristic aristocracy. It
Is not surprising. therefore. to see
him leading in a campaign to
finance the hospitality which Japan
intends to offer the World Sunday
School Association convention when
IL meets in Tokyo next October.
Baron Shibusawa does this not as
a Christian, but as a Japanese who
understands that just at this juno
ture In history II will be good pol
icy (to put Ii on no higher planet
for Japan to make Christians from
all parts of the world feel and see
that Japan has phases of life not
akin to those shown by Japanese
officials in dealing with Korean
Christian revolutionists.
Boston's former mayor. John f.
Fitzgerald. who has had two
stays in Washington as a con-
gresham, the last one relatively
brief. has a way of dealing with
New England's sectional problems
that indicates a much more fertile
and constructive mind than some
of his critics credited him with
having. His latest project is for a
consolidation of the railroads of
that region with the Canadian
roads. thus making the port of
Boston the export gateway of the
North Atlantic for such business
as Is not steamer borne down the
St Lawrence. Portland. Maine, un-
der this plal. also would rise in
Importance. II it be said. in criti-
cism Of this plan, that it would
involve separation of the New
England roads from New York's
control. Mr.. Fitzgerald does not
hesitate to reply that such an out
come would be a godsend; for he
long since proclaimed the maIign
effect upon New Englands COM
mercial. Industrial and beyond-seas
business Of the sale of her once
home-owned railroad and shipping
properties to aliens in Manhattan.
The Roosevelt family is to be COM
miserated because of the number
of promoters" artists. clergymen,
educators and what not who are
trying to capitalize their pet prof.
ects by associating the name of
the former President with their
schemes. often these plans come
10 prospective donors indorsed with
the names of distinguished men and
women; as. for instance, one origin
ating in New York City and espa-
cially backed by the Avenue Trade
Association, and calling for an eques-
trian Rough Rider" statue. Fortu-
nately. the expected funds did not
now in; the family registered it's
disapproval; and the alleged direct
ors rated out of the sinking ship.
In certain spheres Of action a check
to much of this pseudo-worship Of
a hero. SO far as it tries to embody
itself in works of art, rests with
the Fine Arts Commission, headed
by Mr.. Charles Moore, of this city.
But the commissions authority un-
fortunately is distinctly limited. 1t
needs to be stretched now. if for
no other reason than to save the
United States from having memo
rials put up in France that. how
ever admirable they may be in SEN
timent. will misrepresent our aes-
thetic attainments.
Prof. Arthur o. Lovejoy. of Johns
Hopkins University. who knew much
of the inner workings of the Paris
Peace Conference, and who served
with advisers of the American gov
ernment during many other impor-
tant stages of the recent war, has
joined Profs. Haskins and Coolidge,
of Harvard, and Seymour. of Yale,
and other men of like caliber, who
were informed as to what was done
in Europe, in rebutting the notion
that has been spread broadcast.
namely, that President Wilson and
his American encourage were weak
lings and fools, who were played
with and bound hand and foot by
much superior French and British
officials and expert advisers. He is
especially severe in his attack upon
Keynes, the British treasury expert,
whose book on the conference has
had such influence, because hitherto
unchallenged. Prof. Lovejoy meets
the British critic with details of re-
buttal. and also impugns his gen-
eral disposition to be fair and vera
cious. That the book will be rated
as highly in future years as it is
now, Prof. Lovejoy doubts. 1t is a
judicial record.