The Washington herald., 1920-05-05
In the Lineligl1t
BY George Perry Morris.

Ill
There is profound mournIng to-
day among syrian, Egyptian. Afri-
can. Armenian. Jewish and Moham-
medan youth on the campus and In
the halls of the Protestant College
at Beirut Syria. President Howard
8 Bliss is dead. the educator who
has been their ideal man as well as
itntellectusl guide. His father. DAN
tel Bliss, founded the institution
and administered Il for forty years.
The son took up the fathers mantle
IN 1907 and now prematurely he
closes his career. In part owing TO
the strain he underwent in Paris
during the peace conference. night
ing for fair play for Syria
When IL II asked why Il is that
the United States is wanted as a
mandatory in the Near East by peo-
pies who otherwise wish Independ-
ence. the answer has TO be given
in terms Of the careers OF the Bliss
family and similar groups Of New
England-bred Christians identihed
with educational and missionary
work in the Ottoman Empire. The
influence of the Beirut College has
gone into Africa as well as Asia.
among the Sou6anese as well a.
among the Syrians. Its graduates
are the men of light and leading
who are to make the same record
in the South that Robert College
graduates have in the Balkans.
Albert J. Janln, the carpenter by
trade who has defeated Glenn n.
Curtiss In the fight for title TO the
basic inventions embodied in the
hydro plane, lives in a humble way
in a Staten Island village. Visions
of millions now his due have not
changed the size Of the hat he
wears. and he seems to be prouder
Of the fact that he won a fierce
legal fight at great ODDS than De-
cause Of his proved primacy as a
discoverer. lie used TO be an Of
fcer on a steamship line running
between New York and Mexico: and
his Inspiration for his thought Of
hying machine that could start
from or skim the water ere it rose
he got from the guIIs that he used
to watch on his many voyages.
! DIR. Carl Guthe. Of the Carnegie
Institute. is alternate secretary
treasurer Of the newly-organized
Maya Society for the study Of the
Indian races of Mexico and Central
America. Among the charter mem
bers are Mr.. Neil n. Judd. of the
National Musuem; Sylvsnus C. Nor
ley. OF the Carnegie Institute. and
inevitably DR.. William II. Holmes,
OF the Bureau OF Ethnology. There
are few movements in American
scholarship and research more in
nd nEA t.
wards than the one which this So
ciety stands for. TIE wealth Of m,-
terial is so vast and 50 little known
and the romance OF the research is
so certain.
The resignation from the staff of
Life" Of James Netcalfe closes a
career OF dramatic criticism lasting
thirty-three years, and rare in It's
candor. 1t has had an anti-SemitIc
tone, offensive and divisive; but,
barring this. it has had qualities
commencing IL TO foes Of the COM
naturalization of the stage. For
similar Verscity other men have lost
I their jobs-to mention only WILL
lam Winter and Walter p. Eaton.
Metcalfe has been fortunate in hsv-
I ing boss" who backed Metc6lfe's
I S"OiN UP ~ Nuc mt.
Raymond i. Fosdick is nevei
long out OF a large administrative
J job. semi or wholly altruistic In
/ character. He first loomed on the
horizon in the days OF Mitchers
mayoralty in New York. During
the war he was chairman of the
War Departments Commission on
Training Activities. With the sign
ing Of the peace treaty by a sufl-
| cient number of the powers to crt-
ate the league Of nations, he was
assigned to the leagues staff as
American representative to-be. Re-
Gently he returned from Europe.
having resigned or withdrawn from
this anomalous position, and he has
recently sent forth a severe In
! dictment Of his country for its at
titude toward the league and to-
ward Europe. Now he has taken
on responsible work in New York
City as chairman OF the committee
Of the society which the American
Library Association is forming to
| furnish books to everybody on a
basis like unto that which was
carried on so admirably by the as
sociation during the war as IL serv-
= ed the soldiers and sailors. Mr..
! Fosdick has unusual organizing
| ability and q deep ethical purpose
| in life.
Soviot-ruled Russia does not want
correspondents within her borders
who will not write favorsbly OF
conditions there, or whose past
writings have been hostile. Hence
, the refusal to allow Herman Berns-
stein to enter the country via Es-
thonia. Bernstein 10 q Jewish So
cialist of the more moderate sort,
who has written considerably for
the American press on Russia Tor
a number Of years. He knows men
of eminence, he has Russian history
fully In mind, and he would liber-
alize conditions within the Lenin-
lied area
ST. Louis Art Museum has be-
gun to become the trustee for the
surplus funds OF William X Bixby,
who is seeing to it that her orient
al art section is enriched. MI.
Bixby is a bibliophile of the great
grade. famous in his day for ac-
ouisition of original manuscripts or
literary masterpieces. He is good
representative Of the American bus
mess man who has avocations as
well as vocations. and those OF a
sort that make for culture.
EASY STREET.
I.ya never heen on easy street