The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1921-07-05
GETBACNTOTHE
OLD CUSTOMS
URGES JUDGE
Hon. E. M. showalter
Talks Pointedly About
American Ideals

"The initial unit of our social fab
ric is the home" declared the
Hon. Z. NJ. showalter Judge OF
the Marion county Criminal Court
in his lecture on the subject:
American ideals" Sunday night at
the First Presbyterian church,
land the sooner we turn our at
tention to the improvement of the
moral tone of the home. the better
1T will be- for US. The public con-
science must be awakened. We
must have fewer divorces; fewer
.hasty marriages and more lasting
1hes; iesS 6IGtt 4ttte and more home
life. fc
Judge showaiter is peculiarly
fitted to speak with authority on
this subject on account OF having
had jurisdiction in the cases OF SO
many. children and q, youths who
have been brought before, him In
both the criminal and Juvenile
courts many Of them, in fact the
majority, are the victims of un-
wholesome environment.
A good sized audience was pres
ent at the church and istened with
the closest attention.
1t Is now almost three years,
said the speaker, since the armis.
tice was signed, which brought to
an end the hostilities that had well
night torn the world asunder. The
end Of the war was brought about
principally by the injection OF
American valor and American
ideals into the conflict and yet
world peace Is not assured. In
making the treaty OF Versailles, NO
account was made OF social con.
ditions, self aggrandi5ement and
the acquisition Of more territor,
being the two big ideas in the
minds Of the powerful countries Of
the old world, whose representa-.
ttves sat around the peace table.
No account was made Of the ques.
tion OF elf-determlnation OF small
peoples and inspired by a greed
for power. these unscrupulous
diplomats puroceeded to parcel OFT
among themselves the conquered
territory.
Touching on the future policy OF
the United States in world affairs
Judge Showalter said that never
again will 1t be possible foF Amer.
lea to revert to the policy OF seclu.
sion, but he predicted that the
American people vii never .consen,
to having this country enter into
a scramble for new territory such
as disgraced the peace conference
The purposes OF our government
can be best served, he said, By
depending on the heads Of .tht
various departments of the gov.
ernment, especially these having In
charge our foreign relations and
these should be so treated at homo
THAT they will likewise be respect
ed abroad.
The speaker deplored the all too
prevalent idea that We have out.
grown old cusoms and old laws,
and declared tina we must moi
abandon the constitutional re.
straints imposed by the builders Of
| the Republic, who builded not only
for therevolutionary period but for
all time. They were men Of no
4 ordinary ability but on the con.
trary were men of the broades,
culture not only In the liberal arts
and sciences but were thoroughly
familiar with the laws. OF all lcIyi-
Ilized lands. AS a result Of EtheiI
l1abors, he said, we have within q
century and a half, developed the
highest civilization known in che
history of the world. He quoted
the remark; of William Pitt that
| the constitution Of the United
States was the "'wonder OF fht
ages. and Gladstone's commentary
Il that iii Is the greatest piece soi
,lwork ever struck off by the hand oi
Imam. And yet; he said, We shayt
II gone far away. from the purposes
Continued Do paEs ssut
Z r'f .isly ~ ~ it3 lss 3, y as-i