The Washington times., 1921-04-14

Harding and Baseball.
Teachers, Go to Italy.
The Witch Doctors Charm.
Gas? Yes. Labor? No.
BY ARTHUR BRISBANE
Copyright. 1s21.)


by ARTHUR BRISBANE-I
Copyright. ls2I)
For one American citizen that
carefully read President Hard'ng's
message yesterday a thousand
American citizens carefully read
baseball scores and baseball
stories this morning. There is
something in the suggestion that
"the people Of the United States
achieved self-governmept before
they were quite ready for e"
However, the people are absolutely
ready for profc ssional baseball.
Self-government may come ne1t.
Advice to public school teachers:
Spend this summers vacation In
Italy. Visit the most cheerful,
hospitable, and delightful people
on earth. You will feel very rich
rs you pay twenty-five lire per
day for your board and room at
the hotel-about 81 OF our money.
And when you come back with in
creased respect for the great Ital-
ian people, tell your class children
to tell their parents about it.
Congo natives on the African
equator revolted. burned trading
posts. killed white men and cat
tie. A witch doctor had sold them
q charm warranted to make them
invisible and invulnerable to bull
lets.
White soldiers helped the witch
doctor, when, to quiet the natives,
they fired in the air, not wanting
to kill them. Hearing the guns
fred and not being hurt the saw
ages concluded that they really
we're invulnerable and invisible.
Now many will have to be killed
to cure them OF witch doctor faith.
With a certain type too much
gentleness in the beginning is q
mistake. II the first Congo gen.
tleman depending on his charm
had been shot dead it would have
saved the lives Of many others.
We pity or despise the poor ma
tives that believe their witch doc
tor and carry a little charm in the
mouth or tucked in the woody hair
to make them invisible and in
vulnerable. But millions Of Rus
sian soldiers went into battle car
rying little "ikons," images they
thought surely would protect them.
but didn't. Many here. able to
read and think, better of than the
Russian peasant, still believe in
"luck" and evil omens, unlucky
Friday, unlucky 49," etc.
Gas companies are told by a
learned judge Of the Federal Court
that they may charge $1.20 per
thousand feet for gas after April
Is, because "the 81 rate is con-
fiscatory." A thousand judges will
tell you that it is "confscation" to
make a corporation sell gas for
less than it costs to produce it,
plus a comfortable profit. Not one
Judge in a thousand will tell you
that it is confiscation to take the
vitality, time, and life of work.
man and pay him less than it costs
to live, plus a comfortable profit.
Senator Knox peace move once
more.
In a few days, probably, the
country will be officially at peace
with Germany. The nonsense Of
keeping up an imaginary war will
be ended. Then will come. pre-
sumably, a release of political
prisoners, and the country will be
ready to start up business with
all the world-excepting Russia.
That, also, will come in time.
President Harding will not
permanently take the ground that
the Russian nation has no right
to govern itself except by and
with the consent of a handful Of
Wall Street spectators and fool
ish bond buyers.
Still danger Of the big strike in
England, with four millions walk
ing out. England faces this i'm
nortant ouestiOn.