davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune., 1921-04-04
Conceit and Cabbapes

One reason why the average man
hates to make a speech, after dinner
or any other time, is that it sets him
apart from and above his compan-
ions. He feels hoisted up to a plat
form, from which he cannot talk
naturally. He can try to, he can pre-
tend to, but there they sit, and they
are a group, and he is a suddenly
lonely person making speech. He
has to raise his voice and become a
larger being than his everyday self
and utter more important or funnier
thoughts than in mere conversation.
The frog who set himself the task of
swelling up as large as an OK had a
straining hard time of it, but at
least he had ambition to help him.
The average man, against all his in
stincts, must try to swell up to speak.
Many dying, seriously wounded
or missing speaker who has collapsed
in this ordeal.ha observed that other
men not only speak with ease, but en-
JOY it. He naturally supposes they
must have some gift which he lacks.
The truth is they haven't. They don't
need gift. They have conceit.
They habitually go about feeling
larger than the people around them,
and hence they are really more at
New-York tribune., 1921-04-04
Roger Bacon S Telescope
His Microscope Also Shown in Dr.
Voynich's Cipher MS.


To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: Tho vcry interesting letter
from Frank II. Vizetelly about my
Roger Bacon MS. In cipher, in your
Issue Of March 81, contains some inac-
curacies and inference, which I should
like to correct.
In giving some information to the
press about the lectures on my MS, to
be given in Philadelphia by Professor
w. Romano Newbold, Dr. Clarence L.
McClung and myself, l did not make
the statement that Roger Bacon in
vented or constructed a telescope, but
did repeat in part paragraph in the
announcement of these lectures, which
states that the drawings in my MS.
prove that Bacon possessed q micro
scope of high power and telescope
and that with their aid he saw and
drew celestial and anatomical objects
which. so far as is at present known,
had never before been seen by the
human eye and were not again TO be
seen for centuries.
This Is important, because many
modern historians Of science differ as
to whether Bacon had constructed a
telescope or only had written on the
theory OF optics. Mr.. Vizctelly men
tions that DR.. Smith In his A Complete
System OF Optics deduces that Bacon
never actually looked through tclc-
scope.
AS to Mr.. Vizetellyc reference to
Alkendi and Alhazen, Bocon's predeces-
sors in the study OF optics, Roger
Bacon naturally WAS we'll acquainted
with the works of these and other
Arabian mathematicians and constantly
quotes them in his own writings.
Mr.. Vizetelly obviously is wrong in
making the suggestion that the MS. in
my possession may have been looted by
the Germans when they occupied Douai.
The Douai Bacon MS. (Eouai No. 691),
which contains five Of Bacon's works,
is written IN Latin and IS of the seven
teenth century. It has been described
by Professor i. A. Charles and by
lctof oou9l'l III d series OIL 1--WE d.lI-
cles which appeared in the Journal des
Savants in 1848 and it is enumerated
by Professor A. G. Little, who, in 1911,
catalogued ell the Bacon MSS. known.
My MS. was written in the thirteenth
century in cipher, not in Latin, and
bears no external evidence as to its
authorship. It was my supposition
that Roger Bacon wrote it, but only
Professor Newbold's remarkable dis
covery Of the key TO the MS. has proved
that 1t really was written by Roger
Bacon. WILFRID NJ. VOYNICH.
New York, April 2. 1921.
New-York tribune., 1921-04-04
The Railroad Users Grievance

PRESIDENT Willard of the Balti.
more G. Ohio Railroad said at the
dinner Of the Railway Business AS
sociation last week that 1t would be
just as foolish for the railroads to
expect to keep rates up as for any
other industry to expect the price of
its products to stay up. The buyers
strike Of last year forced many
wholesale price reductions. The in
dustrles affected adjusted themselves
as best they could. They were able
to do this because they were free. If
the railroads were free economic
agents they, too, would have
gone through the general postwar
process of liquidation and delation.
But they aren't free and they
haven't been run-before the war,
during the war or since the var--on
a true economic basis.
The ordinary war imitation pro-
cedure was reversed and distorted in
the case Of the carriers. The gov
crnment allowed industries in gen
eral to expand their profit and wage
funds, taking toll for itself by excess
and war profits taxes. Profits and
wages went up together, and have
latterly been coming down together.
But to the railroads, although it
was itself operating them, the gov
ernment allowed no excess profits.
1t made big wage increases, but at
the same time created operating
deficits and met them out of the Fed
eral Treasury.
This mistaken policy left the
roads in a crippled condition when
they were returned to private opera
ton. Their income had been mort
gagged far ahead to meet excess costs
sof labor and material. The rate in
creases tardily granted them failed
to put them on their feet. They are
tottering along under an arbitrary
operating cost, running up to 91.3
per cent of their revenue. Nearly
all the rest Of the revenue goes to
taxes.
Under these circumstances there
can be no legitimate users strike
against the roads. The carriers
would like to see rates reduced and
traffic stimulated. A users strike
would be, and ought to be, against
the policy which divorced the eco
nomic interest Of the employees and
the employers. The government
fixed wages and working conditions
without proper regard to the earn
ing power of the railroad systems.
The roads cannot Of themselves re-
store the economic balance. Rates
cannot go down until the govern
ment makes it possible for them to
go down by revising working rules.
The railroad users strike can have a
real significance, therefore, only in
so far as it is protest against the
follies of the late Federal railroad
administration.
New-York tribune., 1921-04-04
Cheer Up !!
Present Rate of Business Failure.
Almost Exactly Normal
To the Editor of The Tribune.

To the Editor OF The Tribune.
Sir: The general assertion is that
about 80 per cent Of business firms fai.
That's bunk, and probably it had more
TO do with creating failures than any
other single fool saying, not excepting
Ben Franklin's Take care of the pence
and the pounds will take care of them
selves" coz course they won't. II they
are not set to making money they viii
make wings and fly away)
Times are bad now. yet we read IN
the Federal Reserve Monthly Review
that "the present rise in failures in
business is slightly more rapid than
the normal seasonal increase But even
so, the present rate is almost exactly
the average normal rate for failures
shown by record for the past fifty years.
On the average, according 10 Dun's re-
port from 1891 to 1920, about per cent
of the firms in business failed each
year" If the natural life Of firm IS
thirty-three years, that would make
one-third of eventual failures.
You see the difference between per
cent each year and 4 total of 90 PEI
cent.
In fact, leaving out from the total q
failures the people who fail half 3
dozen times, or who drink, or gambe,
or pursue high life rather than high
thought, l per cent year might mako
an average of something ike 9 per cent
of those who go into business turning
out failures.
Sc cheer up! You don't have to tsil
or are not likely to fail unless through
your own deliberate thought, or, whs.
is worse, your own stupidity.
BOLTON HALL.
New York, April 2, 1921.
New-York tribune., 1921-04-04

That unidentified hero who ap~
peared on fifth floor coping at 1646
Broadway and pulled man to
safety along narrow ledge while
fire ragged below happened to have
a black skin. The man he saved
happened to have white skin. But
no color line was drawn-either by
jim, the negro porter Oast name not
known), or the rescued man, or the
crowd that packed Fiftieth Street
and cheered.
The color line is elaborately drawn
in any number Of details Of our
highly civilized society. 1t is forgot
ten by all hands when big things
turn up and life and death and other
essential matters rule. Let us not
get too excited about the details to
forget these essentials.
Just how nearly related the black
races and the white races are, the
scientists have not decided. Pend
ing their expert conclusions, what
better test is there than to try them
out on window ledge in blazing
building, five stories above the
street?
New-York tribune., 1921-04-04

tEeir best enjoyment. Frank Stock
tons Christmas Wreck and Joseph
Conrad's Youth--among other inn
mortal yarns--nre told ia the first
person by sailors. Perhaps sea mar
ratives told in the third person, and
OF Americans on American ships to-
Gay, would be widely popular and
useful. Anyway, however they write
here's for sea writer's. More mower
to them, and more power to the ad-
venturous young fellows they will at
tract to our ships!
New-York tribune., 1921-04-04
ease on a platform than in n group

ease on platform than in a group
by the fire.
The remedy for man who cannot
learn to feel so important is this;
Learn to think of other men as much
less important than usual. If you
cannot swell up to larger size, or
if it makes you uneasy to do it, then
reduce all your hearers to a smaller
size, just for the moment. The best
recipe is the old one Of imagining
you are talking to cabbages. You
wouldn't suppose that talking to cab
bagcs would bring out your elo-
quencc, much less your wit. But try
it. 1t is an cxhilarating experience.
1t will make you feel fine
New-York tribune., 1921-04-04
The Photo-Engraving Monopoly

The Meyer Martin bill, now be-
fore the Legislature, patches over
n loophole in the Donnelly antitrust
act. 1t extends the anti-monopoly
provisions of the latter measure so
as to cover "any article or product
used in the conduct of trade, COM
nerce or manufacture" The courts
have held that the existing anti
trust law applies only to articles and
commodities of common use.
The need of amendment was dem
onstrated by an inside regulation of
prices in the photo-engraving in
'dustry. In this industry it is
charged there is a combination be-
tween the engraving companies and
the engravers' unions by which the
latter establish a minimum selling
price.
The lockwood committee recently
uncovered many similar bi-lateral
agreements in restraint Of com
petition in the building trades,
where "codes of practices" manipu-
lated by a central go-between, had
produced a frozen market. This
union OF insiders against the out
sider Is vicious in principle and
harmful in operation. 1t has saddled
construction with arbitrarily in
fated costs and aggravated the
housing shortage. The building
groups have confessed their sins in
court and promised repentance. In
the photo-engraving business SINH
lar collusive toll is taken from the
publishers of newspapers, books and
periodicals. But the photo-engravers
claim immunity because their prod
uct cannot be classed~as q necessity.
XHA StAtA is committed to the
New-York tribune., 1921-04-04
The Best From Anywhere

The net loss in operating the Ship
ping Board is more than S1,000,O0O
= day. Some estimates put the fig
ures as high as S5000OO,O00 year.
The sum is large, yet The Tribune be-
heves that the establishment Of an
American merchant marine on a
sound basis is worth a very large
initial expenditure-perhaps even IS
large as that indicated. If there is to
be permanent American merchant
marine it is surely vital for govern
ment aid to be extended during the
present period Of worldwide stress.
But in view Of the countrywide de-
mand for governmental economy and
a resulting reduction in taxes The
= Tribune also believes that the man
agement Of the Shipping Board
should be by man who knows the
shipping business, a man of demon
strated ability in that business, a
man, in short, who will get as many
cents Of value for every dollar the
government spends in establishing
an American merchant marine as is
possible.
If, as reported, President Harding
IS considering the appointment of r.
A. C. Smith, Of New York, the Presi-
dent is to be commended. Mr.. Smith
knows shipping. He is good ad-
administrator, as he has demon
strated not only as Dock Commits
sioner of Americas greatest port,
but as vice-president of a corpora
ton which perhaps is the most
spectacular success Of all American
steamship companies, the United
o Fruit Company.
There will be those, of course, who
viii object to his selection because
Of his connection with that vague
monster, "the interests" These are
the same persons who would cry out
against the selection Of any mar
whose training had fitted him for the
job. It is impossible to please then
and at the same time get man who
has already demonstrated that he i;
qualified for the big task.
But when the taxpayers are LOSING
$1,000,000 day in the hope of estab
fishing an American merchant ma
rine it is far more essential that the
enterprise be made success thar
that any political group, even &
group which fears and distrusts cor
porations, shall be gratifed by cater
ing to its prejudices
Fortunately, President Harding
has shown he is not frightened BY
childish anti-corporation clamor. He
has already offered the place to al
least two men capable of handling it
despite the fact that they were tarrec
with the same large corporation stick
as R. A. c. Smith. This reference
OF course, is to James a. Farrell
president of the United States Stee
Corporation, and to Walter c
Teagle, president Of the STANDARD
Oil Company Of New Jersey.
New-York tribune., 1921-04-04
Bismarck Blazed the Way

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Why all this doubt and dela!
IN collecting the small percentage o.
the cost of the war from Germany
Why not adopt the methods employee
by Germany? When Bismarck extortea
a thousand millions from France IN
1871, which was just twice the cos'
Of the war, and declared his purpo"
to bleed France white for fifty years
he did not present any bills or seha
any ultimatums for prompt payment
He simply established fnsnclai
suzerainty over French customs, VIE
German officials In charge. But ~
greatly nliscalculated the thrift OF ths
French people, for to the astonishmsn'
of the whole world they went in''
their stockings and paid tie huge "
demnity in less than three years.
1t surprised the Germans more than
all. In 1878 a German told me ia
Cologne that France had paid the n
demnity so easily that "the next tin'
-
we will get fve thousand millions.
Owing to certain obstacles at Wv
Marne, Verdun and Chateau ThlerH
the boot seems TO be on the other ies'
1t Is a safe prediction that German
will never pay the 10 per cent iudemni''
By pussyfoot methods. or until De
marck's sure business policy is sdop's''
with a certain proviso that German
shall be compelled to surrender nsA
surplus revenues as closely as p''
sible, without destroying or even ns'''
pering any Of her industries, for '''
definite period Of fifty years.
MARCUS II. ROGERS
St. Augustine, Fla, March 81, lssi'
New-York tribune., 1921-04-04
A Tragedy of Inexpertness

In his article in The Saturday
Evening Post on Premier Orlando
Mr.. Lansing puts in a few words
his real objections to the Versailles
Treaty and his explanation of its
failure to find acceptance here. He
says that Orlando was the only
member of the council who had the
legal or diplomatic experience nee
cssary for his task. The others
were political leaders solely and
out of place at the table at which
a world settlement was to be made.
From Mr.. Lansing's point of
view, which is that of a trained in
ternational lawyer, Lloyd George
lacked historical background and
knowledge and was q political
opportunist. President Wilson
thought like professor advocating
q pet theory and expanded his
philosophic ideas in a series of cpl
grams which sounded we'll, but
which were difficult Of practical ap-
plication, if not of definition" :"
Clenenceau knew what he wanted,
but depended too much on others to
reduce his principles to concrete
phraseology. The most competent
Of the "Big Four" Orlando, had the
least influence on tho councils
decisions.
Mr.. Lansing accepts the gen
eral notion that the Paris ne
gotiations represented a conflict
between altruism and selhshness,
between the theoretical and the
practical, in which Mr.. Wilson.
fighting for the higher standards,
''was outmaneuvered by the forces
of self-interest and opportunism. :"
This description may appeal to
many minds, chiefly liberals and
radicals, whose extravagant faith in
the President was so completely
snuffed out by the peace settlement.
Yet it wasn't the outcome of this
conflict which influenced the United
States to reject the treaty. There
was little opposition here to any Of
its sections but that which contained
the League Of Nations Covenant.
The Se1iate didn't balk at the set
tlement with Germany, but at
Article K and the world superstate.
For these the "selfsh" statesmen of
Europe were not responsible. They
emanated from the President HIM
self. The real indictment which Mr..
Lansing has drawn in his book
against Mr.. Wilson is that the latter
was unable to distinguish between
what was essential and what was
unessential in the constitution of
the league and that he sacrificed
American ratification by obstinately
clinging to eXcrescences and super
! f1uities. A more competent nego-
tiator could easily have drawn q
covenant acceptable to the United
States. The failure of the treaty is
therefore chargeable in the main not
TO the Presidents surrenders to ex-
pediency, but to his disqualifcations
as a craftsman and diplomat.
New-York tribune., 1921-04-04
A True Optirnist
fFrom The Kansas City Tim,

fFrom The Kansas City Times)
Baron Wrangel is reported to have
hopes that the United States govern
ment will finance him in another at
tempt to overthrow the Russian Soviet
government. Baron Wrangel is hope
full enough to make it worth while for
the Democrats to look him over as a
possible candidate for President.
New-York tribune., 1921-04-04
p2oIo By
1OOTO Heywood Broun

The ability to take q hint IS one Of
the most endearing of qualities, which
may explain the persuasive powers OF
man mentioned in The Ways of the
Circus (Harpers), by George Conklin.
Life in the sisters home was far from
pleasant" says the author, "for he
was not welcome, but he endured it
until one night, as he lay in bed, he
heard tho brother-in-law advise his
sister to put him out of the way so
they could have all the property. This
convinced MIN that it WAS time for him
to be getting out"
The Ways Of the Circus is de-
cidedly readable book. rich in anec-
dotes of the life of circus folk and
circus animals. The narrator is an
old lion tanner and Harvey w. Root,
who has done the actual writing, has
managed to keep q decidedly naive
quality in the talk IS he sets it down
There is a delightful chapter, for in
stance, in which Conkln tells how he
first became q lion tanner. By gradual
process of promotion he had gone as
far as an elephant, but his salary was
still much lower than THAT Of Charlie
Forepaugh, the lion man. There were
three lions with the circus, but Charlie
never worked with more than one in
the cage at the time. Conkln got the
notion that an act with all tho lions
in action at once would be sensational
! success. He was not sure that it could
be done, as he had had no experience
with ions. The only way to find out
was to try. Accordingly Conklin
sneaked into the menagerie alone, late
at night to ascertain whether or not
lions lay along his natural bent.
"The animals seemed somewhat sur
prised at being disturbed in.the mid
Gle of the night" he says, "and began
to pace rapidly up and down their
cages. I paid no attention 10 this, but
opened the door of each cage in success
sion and drove them out Then began
as sternly as I could to order them
round and give them their cues.
Except, perhaps, for an unusual
amount Of snarling, they did as well
for me as for Charlie. 1 put them
through their regular work, which
took fifteen or twenty minutes, drove
them back, and fastened them into
their own cages and climbed down on
to the floor from the performing cage,
much ela.ed with my success. I had
proved to myself that I could handle
lions"
Conklin then goes on to tell how he
gave secret exhibition for the pro-
prietor of the circus and convinced him
of his skill. In fact. the proprietor
promised that he should become the
lion tanner of the show as soon as
Charlie Forepaugh's contract ran out.
Conklin goes on to say that he him.
self was very particular for the sake
of safety not to let Charlie know of
this arrangement. And in/explaining
his timidity, he writes, "He was big
fellow with a quick temper"
This almost emboldeas us to believe
the old story of the lion tanner and his
shrewish wife. Coming home late from
party, he feared to enter the house
and so he went to the backyard and
crept into the cage with the lions.
There il was that his wife discovered
him the next morning, sleeping with
the lions, and she shook her fist ano
shouted through the bars, "You cow
ardl"
We have received several letters
from readers who point out that Rosa
lind is not in Twelfth Night" and 10.
New-York tribune., 1921-04-04
A Hopeful View

(From Tho Clerclond Plain Dealcr)
Sir Philip Gibbs says it is only
question of time until there is an
other great European war. Well, geol-
ogists think it is only a question Of
time until there is another glacial
epoch.
New-York tribune., 1921-04-04

Few are the misdemeanors against
Poesy not cf our commission, but up to
the moment of sninling to press we
never, never have written Spring
verses in cold-in-the- head dialect.
New-York tribune., 1921-04-04
xrsfsrR OF rHy As.oclArrp rnrss

TIE Annotated prcss Is o1ciusivsiy entitled to
shs use Tor republication OF all ne~s dispatches
ss&dtted TO {, not otherwise credited IN this
paper and also the LEGAL q, spontsn.ous
s1sgin published herein
Al rights OF reruhlicatss & all ether mattse
ksasin ass reserved.
New-York tribune., 1921-04-04

Our provincial notion Of railroad
crisis is having to watch crowds as
cending two widely separated stairways
for a person arriving at the Pennsyl-
vania Station
New-York tribune., 1921-04-04

rso ear purchase merchandise advertised In TIE
<RtEuNE with shssiate safsss--for n sssatIsfae
ton resuits 10 any case The TRIBUNE suaraa-
,sss - pV YOUR moacs bach upon request. No rel
sape. No suIbbling. We mske oood promptly II
sss advertiser does 1et.