The New York herald., 1921-01-31
CHESTERTON FINDS
PROHIBITION A FAD
English Lecturer Gives His
List Of Fancies and FOibles
of Mankind.
A DEFENDER OF SMOKING
Community Kitchen, Suffrage
and Christian Science His
Wit Target.

Although, as he explained to his
audience. heI had cold In his head
and consequently little else, Gilbert X.
Chesterton successfully delivered his
lecture on "Fads'' last night at the
Times Square Theatre, and then even
more successfully braved a storm Of
questions designed to make any answer
. hard one.
Gelett Burgess, who introduced him.
had great deal Of fun with Mr..
Chesterton while he occupied the floor.
and Mr.. Chesterton responded In kind.
so the lecturer started with q very
favorably disposed audience which be-
came even more so when. even before
he had solemnly defined his subject In
true professorial style. he defined def
milton as "a mass of polysyllables with
a strong flavor of cheap popular SCI
ence."
Having thus paved his way, he d,
fined O. fad as q dislocation Of the ordi-
nary traditions of mankind in a degree
Idisproportionate to the amelioration al
legged. From this statement he wandered
onward, seizing the first favorable OPP
portunity to place In the category the
forb dding of fermented liquors.
lChesterton evidently not desiring to pur-
sue prohibition further. discussed a
theory advanced by an ingenious
acquaintance that man should walk like
an anthropoid ape. bending forward and
with hands trailing on the ground. In
order to improve his natural physical
processes and bodily organism and con-
sequentiy his. mental and moral welfare.
Although declining empnatically to IL
lustrate this subject other than by voice,
he dwelt upon 1t at some length, point
ing out that the real faddist seized on
something quite primary and natural In
man to object to and campaign against
The rich faddist, he said. would forego
things such as meat or beer. which he
shared with the poor. but would never
think Of going without such a thing as
petrol, which in England Is still thing
of interest only to the wealthy. The
abolition Of dogs and cats because OF an
alleged harmful physiological effect on
mankind, he said. was fad.
Jibes the Anti-Tobac cconists.
IF a man does treat every dog as a
mad dog I am sure that most OF us
would not regard the dog as mad, ne
observed.
| In considering ban on tobacco he
dreadful that "navvies" could be found
| iainting about the streets with their
| pipes fallen from their mouths.
I'VE do not hush our voices when we
speak of a family into which tobacco
has entered" he declared triumphantlys
| in pointing out that faddists hit at
what are generally considered usual and
natural things in life
Mr.. Chesterton pointed out that the
faddst is always ready to jump UP In
opposition when an effort Is being made
to give to human beings the things
which they. as human beings, normally
need.
"The faddist Is the mortal enemy to
giving human beings human things" he
said HE always intervenes when
man is being given bread and insists on
tabloid or points out that community
kitchen Is just around the corner or VIII
be century from now"
1t was during the questions that MIR.
Chesterton and the audience most en-
joyed themselves, for the lecturer
skipped nimbiy from topic TO topic with
out once straining a button or splitting
an infinitive.
After a little skirmishing on golf and
woman suffrage, Mr.. Chesterton was
asked:
is II likely TO become n fad to elect
women members of Parliament
1T might become q routine" he re-
piled. 'I don't think there Is life
enough In II to become fad--or in Far
lament either, for that matter"
G.. ID. s. a Faddist, Too.
lie denied stoutly. when asked as TO
the comparative number OF drunkards
on the streets Of New York and London
that either place was beset with reeling
figures.
"I have reason TO think. however. that
Il Is not impossible to get a drink In
New York" he added with happy
smile.
He expressed the belief that Christian
Science Is n fad. giving as his reason
that II dwelt on a half truth or quarter
truth to the dislocation Of great realities
such as the Crucifixion. Bernard Shaw.
although "magnanimous and honest"
was also classified as a faddist for the
same reason.
On the subject of Bolshevisn he faced
a number OF questions and classified the
MARKHAM theory back OF IL as fad. but
attributed the general discomfort of
workers everywhere to the bad develop
ment OF capitalism in the nineteenth
century" He explained a belief ex-
pressed in his lecture that the present
capitalist confusion would not last by
saying that he thought the particular
state OF wage earners, who were them
selves utterly without capitalism. would
not last and would be followed either by
better distribution OF property or by
slavery. He pointed out that better
distribution Of property is already APP
parent. however.
should ireland be sct frec7" was
asked then.
"Yes." he replied promptly. But I'm
afraid that would involve a definition"
That ended the performance. Mr..
Chesterton will deliver his last lecture
In New York next Sunday.