New-York tribune., 1922-10-30
The T,osa,e,.
cnpr.. rscw Yorh Ir.hune inc. lps,

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/ American ships cannot clear from
| British ports unless they carry at
| least gallon of brandy for every
| hundred British subjects in the
staerage.
! Aunt Prudence Heckleburys and
Wayne B. Wheeler will probably de-
clare war against England unless
this iniquitoas ruling i repealed.
| American ships are forbidden by
American laws to carry this brandy
| French and Italian ships are for
hidden by American laws to enter
ments of wine for crews and pas
sengers which French and Italian
laws require.
It seems to us that the only solu-
tion for the whole mix-up is for the
United States to cease entirely all
communication with the rest Of the
world, in any sort of ships.
-
Aunt Prudence Hecklebury agrees
with us that this would be n good
thing.
Ships not only bring in liquor,
unless they are carefully watched,
hut they take away tobacco. Aunt
Prudence feels that it is national
disgrace that America should send
tobacco all over the world to min
lister to the vice of smoking. There
will come day when smoking is
prohibited by law in America, she
says.
Ships, American and European
ships, carry not only these physical
manifestations of unrighteousness
but also people with Ideas.
IDEAS about life in general, about
| literature and art, some Of which
are not at all acceptable to Aunt
Prudence Hecklebury.
! Tt is Of the utmost Importance
that these ideas be kept out of the
country.
If a wall is built around it, If
there is no intercourse between
America and the rest of the world
whatsoever, Aunt Prudence feels
that the task of herself and her
righteous co-workers will be greatly
simplifed: America can be made
Pure and kept Pure.
Aunt Prudence feels that the
Fathers Of the Republic were quite
right when they frowned on all en-
tangling alliances, and points out
that "entangling alliance" has not
been interpreted strictly enough.
An interchange Of ideas constitutes
an alliance.
But one mistake the trainers Of
the Constitution did make, Aunt
Prudence believes.
That was when they enacted into
the fundamental law the clause that
there should be no established
church in the United States of |
America.
Aunt Prudence doesn't see Just
exactly how America is to be made |
and kept Pure unless the ideas of
herself and her co-workers with re-
gard to Righteousness are codifed !
into some kind Of ecclesiastical law I
which is at the same time recognized
as the highest civil law of the land.
and has behind it the force and au-
thority Of the Federal government.
Maybe Aunt Prudence and her
co-workers will be able to put this
across some time.
II we do get, either openly or
functioning indirectly, state re-
lieion embodving the ideas of Aunt
Prudence and her co-workers, then
we must expect to see very little
liberation for Jews. Moslems,
Greek Catholics. Theosophists, Ro-
man Catholics, Christian Scientists,
Agnostics, etc. All these persons
will be considered heretics by Aunt
Prudence Hecklebury and her crowd.
The clause in the Constitution
which permits all these persons to
practice freely their own religious
ohservances, or to abstain from ali
religious observances If they choose.
can be repealed by Aunt Prudence
end her embattled minority, Aunt
Prudence believes, if they stay TO-
gether and work consistently and
put a little more pep into the job.
To make the country Pure. ac-
cording to Aunt Prue's ideas of
Purity, there must be regulations
covering every act of human life.
physical and mental and spiritual.
A great victory has already been
wen in the matter Of beverages bv
the enactment of the Eighteenth
Amendment. But what people eat
and wear and think and read and
look at and utter must also be
Aunt Prudence represents a
But it is not negligible
by any means. All the
current restrictions, and attempted
restrictions, on our national life.
e1nanate from this minority. It is a
that is becoming more and
more conscious of itself and it's no. {
litical power, and it has tasted one
victory. 1t may not be altogether |;
conscious of it's own ultimate aino
but ia roarhane ha;nn o,r,.,,s