The New York herald., 1921-11-19
by EDWIN G. HILL.

An evangelist once prominent as a
politician said TO this writer: I'm call
Ing the conference President Harding
acted IL the spirit of Cast thy bread
upon the waters; for thou shalt find it
after many days" Apt and interest
ing. In the sight of the world the Pres
ident has gone down to the watersde to
float two notable loaves. With Mr.
Hughes he waits patiently for them to
be retrieved in the mea sure promised
by Scripture.
They will wait very toerantly and
confidently, but If the days are too
many Mr.. Harding and Mr.. Hughes will
do their own retrieving. There is here
positive notion to that effect. Both
belong to sect with no aversion what
ever to water. The loaves will come
back with the labels intact. Getting
away from parallels. it is regarded as
certain that the conference will hear
plain words from our Secretary of State
If it wabbles into a maze OF old style
evasions. In the meantime Mr.. Hughes
pauses for workable manifestations of
IAN outward and visible sign of an in
ward and spiritual grace"
My evangelist friend. sitting across a
table top. napkin tucked in his low cut
vest. repeats with the almost fanatical
sincerity that characteriZes him:
Granted that the old Adam in these
persons may be so buried that the new
man may be raised UP in them" He
maintains sonorously that the success
OF the conference hangs upon this spe-
cial interment. 1t may be that he is
right; that all the vexing special prob
lens, relative navies, Far Eastern ri
valries. wallowing China, are really sub
ordinate to getting rid Of the old Adam.
Calamity he refrains from mentioning
Eve.
Waving aside the chronological point
as to whether the Japanese can trace
back to ''old Adam" it is especially
interesting to note that Mr.. Hughes
and others of like mind are especially
concerned as to whether they, the
Japanese, will be pleased to retrieve
the loaves so frankly and openly cast.
There is a hint, which everybody con-
cerned hopes Is authentic, that Kato
and Tokugawa will lay before the con-
ference generous, open statement of
Japans Far Eastern policy The other
foreign delegates, British included, arc
looking intently toward the gentlemen
from Toxic. The private comment is
that this is Japen's great opportunity
to make contribution to the confer
ence as big and as appealing as that
given by Mr.. Hughes.
Until Monday, when the third pler
ary session of the conference will see
BRAND shaking his great name (some-
thing. by the way. which cannot be
done by either Mr.. Hughes or Mr.. Bal
four as he pleads for the security of
France intensive committee work goes
on. A basis for trimming fleets and a
basis for Far Eastern harmony are
being built 1t is a stage of progress
roughly similar to that which precedes
national political conventions Like
such a convention, the conference now
awaits the report of the committee on
resolutions-the platform Meanwhile
it has had ana will have its key
noters" In Hughes. Balfour. Kato and
BRAND.
On off DAYS. with no centred dra-
matte story to tell such as was af
forded by the pienary sessions. news
writer's must be agile. strong of wind
and limb. In this new dispensation Of
talkative diplomats there are Ameri-
cans, British, French. Japanese. Chin
ese that must be seen at certain regular
hours in far separated parts of the
city. Here. for example. is the days
schedule mot including half a dozen
minor conferences): 1O:l5 Lord Riddell
for the British: $3.50, Mr.. Hughes for
the State Department: 4. the President
at the White House; 5. the Chinese
delegates: s. the French delegates; $50.
the Japanese: 6, Sir Robert Borden for
the British. These conferences are
spotted over two or three square miles.
Very plump reporters are thinning.
The British. you may observe. are
there or thereabouts when it comes to
getting their point of view before the
press Moreover. through the very able
and affable Riddell they do what they
can TO hook up the press with the Chi
nese and other foreigners. After con-
templating half 4 hundred exhausted
reporters and a few journalists this af-
ternoon the useful Riddell wrote notes to
the Powers asking them If they couldn't
try 10 talk in one place-the new Navy
Building, hard by the Pan-American
Building. Acknowledging cheers the
noble lord observed: "There is no rea-
son to expect newspaper man to be a
centipede. What?"
Speaking Of Riddell Che will get into
.
slogan for Anglo-Saxon comfy
Hands across the tee" Stepping
briskly into American press headquar-
ters this morning he put up this chal-
lenge: Lord Riddell, acting on behalf
of the foreign correspondents, issues
challenge to American newspaper golf
ers. team against team Of accredited
correspondents" Underneath Riddelrs
gage. Jim Preston tackled up the follow
ing Good Americans will rally to repel
this new invasion"
Apart from the statesmen of inter-
national fame gathered here, Washing
ton Is almost uncomfortably crowded
with celebrities. including many of our
best sellers. The Hobbies OF the Shore
ham and the Willard resound with their
names as page boys, wandering like lost
spirits, pursue howlingly. Observing
group of these trumpeted notables at
lunch around one table to-day an inter-
ested Englishman inquired: IT say.
now, don't they ever get bored with
each other?" To which he companion
replied Possibly. old chap, but each
is invariably refreshened by his own
thrilling interest in himself"
Where lions abound there are the
hunters found. Tufts and trophies will
ornament many Washington mansion
Humble reporters though they are. II.
G. Wells. Mary Roberts Rinehart.
William Allen White and Ida NJ. Tar
bell. to mention few merely. are
wildly pursued by worthy Washing