Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1921-12-01
EDITORIAL COMMENT

the most important happening in the
United States today. 1t is no less
than the advent of Richard Strauss,
one of the greatest of contemporary
comro osers of music. He is to play
and interpret his own music-a music
which has baffled and mystified the
lovers of that art for score of years
or more.
Music, which is sound produced by
yibration-the waves reaching the
auditory nerves at the right velocity
neither too slow nor too fast-and
through the auditory nerves reaching
the brain of man. Reaching the
brain-and then what? Stirring and
arousing the soul with emotions too
subtle for utterance. And then what!
Ask the sub-conscious self-for else
there can be no answer. Music, says
a renowned psychologist, lis the
speech of the soul as it awakens to
a communion with the great mar
monies of the spiritual universe.
Words are the speech of Thought;
but music is the speech Of the emo
tions-which are as much deeper
than thought, as thought is the lilimit-
able beyond of words.
There are laws that govern music:
it has been the task OF the human
brain to discover these laws since the
first rude drum invented by some pre-
historic cave-man. The great genluses
of music, like Beethoven, Chopin
Wagner, have, from time to time. DIS
covered these laws and given new
spheres of enjoyment to the human
race. Newton-Kepler-Galileo-
these have made no more important
researches into the mysteries OF the
universe than have the great masters
of the realm of music.
We shall make pilgrimage to Wash
ington this afternoon and listen TO
one of these great voyagers on the
shoreless seas of harmony. II words
do not fail, we shall endeavor to give
some account to our readers, however
inadequate, of what we hear.
49, &ss~'es
Bernard Shaw is brilliant IRISH
man, of the wittiest of his race. ne
;s so brilliant and so witty that ordl-
nary people cannot tell, half the time,
whether he is in jest or in earnest.
One of his latest escapades is to say
that England is heading straight Tor
a war with America for the command
of the seas, and nothing can avert II
but complete remuneration on ali
sides of that monstrous pretenslon'
and with it of the cowardly dream
of absolute security"
Shaw has but just finished Bat
tie of Words with Henry Arthur
Jones, the playwright, an episode
which has contributed to the uncon-
trolled gayety of nations! Jones mas
started another controversy by say
ing that "it will take two thousand
wears to bring the Americans into
war with England" Shaw retorts
that England will consent to give up
anything of America except her su-
premacy of the seas. This, he says,
Mr.. Lloyd George keeps shouting at
America, at Ireland, and at every
one who gives him an excuse for re-
peating it. In conclusion, ne ADDS
that Jones ''is following the star of
Bethlehem through pastoral land
scape to general exchange of Christ
mas cards in Temple of Peace and
Goodwill to all men. And'-he says
Eve know too we'll the hysterical
madman he will become when the can
non goes off" For want OF better
argument, Jones has called Shaw
"diabolical criminal anarch" At this
distance, and at the present stage OF
this right pretty quarrel, we should
be inclined to say honors were easy.
From time to time we tell our
readers that wonders never cease IN
the Movie World. Almost each week
sees a new triumph of human skill
and invention in the Films. We are
going to briefly describe one OF the
very latest. BY way of preface, we
might say that we write nothing m
our editorial columns, or in our edi-
torial comment, that is related, even
in the nth degree, to advertising. We
have refused even the courtesy of a
pass to all our local movie theatres,
because we wish our columns to be
free from any possible taint. We con-
slider that praise or criticism of the