South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-12-31
THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL

The HANDW RiIING ON THE WALL
When the Round Table a local organization Of
thinkers. philosophers and Observers meets during
the present week it viii discuss the handwriting on
the wall of ancient Babylon.
Most interesting is the announcement Of its dis
cussion which it gives in this language:
Babylon slouched in righteousness and de-
bauchery the natural sequence of her ambitious con-
quests of domain and power and her wealth of
pleasure and ease; Rome in like manner rose and
fell; Spain is another example-and now as civillza-
ton wends her way through time what about Amer
lea? we are more refined about it, that is ALL He
who Yields and shoves a jackplane as of yore
is longer a carpenter but an architect and
builder the solicitor who takes orders from retail
merchants is longer a drummer but n com
mercial traveller; the IoGuacious individual who
scrapes your chin is longer a barber but ton
serial artist the real estate are realtors the
money changer Of Rome have evolved into 'fnan-
cerst what Babylon called Lucuelean feasts are our
modern cabarets-but this euEhernistIc style of
dressing things in high sounding verbiage does
not alter their essential nature"
The question of whether there is any close similar
ity between the luxurious and wanton feasts OF a
Babylonian king and the dancing entertainments
in modern cafe might be debatabe-but is not
the answer any threat of a decadence of our
American civilization found in the fact that
changing words for various occupations indicate a
heghth of achievement which none of these fallen
nations reached:
The carpenter with his has caught vision as
he works. He is longer slave to his tools. His
work has in it something of a dream and in his eye
he sees not the dreary toll but the American home,
the great sky scraper. the magnificent building Of
which ne becomes a part.
That barber has become tonsoriaI artist is
not to be lamented. That indicates some pride in
his work a distinction that has behind it a real
difference.
The anancier of today bears the same relation to
the money changer of Rome that the OK cart bears
TO the luxurious railway traip-engaged in a far
different business and with so much wider a range
of activities. aims purposes that the resemblance
Is no longer discernible.
Those who try to read into the handwriting which
warned lascvious ruler Of his end. any suggestion
that own civilization is being threatened by
great an Indulgence in wanton entertainment over
Cook the important facts.
The of wealth in this land are not the wasters
Those who control power and wealth are not be
found at midnight feasts whore wine and women
furnish the occasion for song. They conserve their
strength their brains for serious responsb iues
The danger to American civilization comes from
far different direction. There is no menace from
moral decay at the top
Il maybe of interest to add that the most recent
theory for the downfall of Rome not its corrup-
but the less poetic prevalence of malaria That
disease say modern scientists who have been digging
in the ruins OF Rome and of Greece, caused the
decay of these two civilizations.
They discover that those nations prospered and
were powerful until they brought back with them
saves from tropical countries, who carried with
them the germs cf this disease.
The Aztec on this continent fell. not before the
soldiers Of Cortez but from the smallpox brought by
the invading troops, who through centuries OF
quaiutauce with This malady had become almost i'm
mune.
The handwriting our walls is not TO he
found in the Jazz music OF Che cabaret but in the
records of the prisons and asyums which give some
plain and evident proof as TO the real menace
10 civilization
Diseases which are found in 90 per cent OF all
criminals. all Slackers. al insane may be looked
upon with much more horror than girl with
peculiar wriEgle.