The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-04-18
ON SECOND THOUGHT
BY JAY z. HOUSE
tFrom Philadelphia Public Ledgerl


MANY persons in this world of ours
are lonesome" correctly observes Jay
c. 1T Shakespeare, the symphony
concert or the art gallery can give
them pleasure they will be helped
along the way. Speaking for myself
would enjoy a bit of golf, a sym
phony concert, a. dinner at the right
cafe and follow up with a game of
poker"
Had he included fishing, Jay c.
would have indicated the almost per
feet day. Our notion Of a pleasant,
never boresome vacation is fishing in
the morning. golf in the afternoon and
poker at night. We'd enjoy earning
living in that way. For diversion
we'd include a trip to the theater now
and then, an occasional evening of
music and dance every Saturday
night.
The insistence of F. F. and an in
frequently recurring desire to arm
ourself with what passes for know
ledge has impelIed us to look it up.
1t is spelled "pslt6acine," and the
easiest and briefest definition is par
rotlike."
We knew the first time we I'M
1eashed it we hadn't spelled it correct
~. We knew there was a hook in it,
but we couldn't remember what it was
We left it to the proofroom to look
it up, and the proofroom passed the
buck right back to its place of origin
Then We concluded to permit it to ride
until some reader relieved us of the
necessity of making a round trip to
We hate to look up a word. To us it
is task almost as distastefu1 as that
of attempting to sustain a conyersa-
ton over the telephone.
business of Being Delighted.
Sir-What interests me about your
attitude toward Shakespeare is not
the fact that you don't like his stuff
out rather the naive assumption that
IL places you in a somewhat detached
exclusive and enviable position 1 am
under the Impression that you are not
alone in the particular of your dislike
OF Shakespeare; that there are some
elghty or ninety, or may be one hun
dred millions, right here in this coun-
try who can't stand him. And a lot
or them cam actually read and write
too.
ular of having made a bold~and what
you thought would be an unpopular
statement In that category you will
find the author of History is Bunk -
It is to be hoped that you enjoy the
association. No. it takes no great
amount of spinal equipment to make
an ass of yourself.
You seem TO take special delight in
publishing the letters of those who
threaten to quit reading your columns
or even the paper in which it appears.
Apparently, in your conceit, you take
them seriously. But you shall take no
such satisfaction from this letter.
read the column every day and shall
continue to do so. r.. E. L.
The thing that interests us in per-.
sons of the type expressed in r. Z. L.
is their utter inability to understand
or comprehend plain English tersely
expressed. We have been told we
write tolerably nmpid English. wei
don't know as to that. What we do
know is that we never have been able
to write the simplest paragraph with
out having its premise distorted and
it's conclusions twisted by r. E. L. or
one of his intellectual brothers.
And the reason we love the people
the reason we laugh our head off
when We contemplate them-is that,
like r. E. L., they never know when
they are being "kidded."
This daily diatribe largely is de-
voted to human imperfections. Pro-
badly we are more than ordinarily
conscious of the human imperfections
because we have so many of them
We don't know much and we do moth
ing particularly well, but we have one
quality. It is that of comprehending
that life, for the most part, is a vastly
amusing experience and that nothing
lasts long, nor matters much.
Mr.. Arbuckle, We learn thru those
authorized to speak for him, will not
act for the present. If later he finds
that the public demands his work it
will be regarded as a sign that he is /
absolved of guilt in the unfortunate !
episode just closed.
In other words. the gentlemen who |
own the 'fillum' rights won't try it |
yet, but will do so later if it seems to |
be safe play.
Hon. Ruth's immortal words, "Only |
thirty-six days more like this are I
duly recorded by the New York !