The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-30

chosis-they are the symbol and
presage of immortality. Beecher
<Back to Methuselah," by George
Bernard Shaw.
From time immemorial, mankind
has been charged with innumerable
crimes by the great thinkers and
reformists of the day, the charges
forming through the ages an ever
frightening record of the short
comings of the human race. Perfec-
ton, If possible, seems so inexpres-
subly far in the future, and we
stumble on, one generation after the
other, making the same mistakes
over and over again. But new
crime has recently been added to
our present list Of misdemeanors,
a crime so deeply rooted in human
nature that it has become a habit,
so automatic, that man must do it
in spite of himself, even to his de-
struction, crime which is threat
ening civilization today
The author of the charge is one
of the greatest thinkers in England
today, and one of the foremost play
wrights and prolific writer's
George Bernard Shaw. And the
charge which Mr.. Shaw so seriously
brings against US in Back to Me-
thuselah," (Brentanos) his latest
book, which is causing a tremend-
GUS sensation, is that we do not
live long enough. Just as we are
beginning to be of some use in the
world, just as we are beginning to
repay the state for the long years of
education and learning at its ex-
pense, we die
The first 20 years or so of our
existence, as Mr.. Shaw carefully
explains in one of the famous Shaw
tan prefaces which are so much
more interesting even than the play,
are spent in more or less enjoying
life and growing; the next &c years
in gaining little experience from
our chosen careers in life, and then
just as we are prepared to begin to
do something with our experience
and learning, we must face death.
The average man barely lives his
three score years and ten.
The scientist spends years and
years Of precious moments in con-
centrated research and in the pro-
cess of scientifically training his
mind. Just when he has reached
the point where he might be able
to give the world some benefit be
cause of his years of study, he finds
that old age is upon him, and death
near. And science has progressed,
perhaps, just the tiniest of a notch,
because of his existence.
The writer spends years in frit-
tering with his pen, but when he
has learned really to think, and
might give US a masterpiece, he is
an old man and must die.
Politicians have no conscience.
They are careless and selfish be-
cause things will last their time.
Our present span of life is not really
worth the trouble.
The world catastrophe came upon
us, because the task of the men in
charge of world affairs was beyond
human capacity. What with our
huge ornaments, our terrible en-
gines of destruction, our systems of
coercion manned by an irresistible
police, men were called on to con-
troll powers SO gigantic that one
shudders at the thought of their be-
ing entrusted even to an infinitely
experienced and benevolent God,
much less to mortal men whose life
does not last one hundred years"
Civilization is too complex today
to be learned and solved by men
who live a brief three score years
and ten. Three score and ten may
be long enough for a very crude
sort Of village life but not for a
complicated civilization like ours.
Flinders Petrie has counted nine at
tempts at civilization made by peo-
pie exactly like US and everyone of
them failed-failed because their
citizens and statesmen died of old
age or overeating, before they had
grown out of schoolboy games and