The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-05-25
I oday
Again Around the Earth. Foolish Nakedness. Big Nations Needed. Japan Keeps Ready.
 By ARTHUR BRISBANE


 harbor in Portugal, the first vessel that ever went around the earth. Ma gellan didn't finish the trip. having been killed in foolish local war in the Philippines.
 The yittoria spent sometime more than two years on the journey. To- day two Englishmen will try to re- peat the trip in flying machine. It will be comparatively slow. but 1t will be the beginning of real circum- navigation of our planet.
 In the old English ballad. King John, 'Iackland," asked the poor squire, disguised as the Abbot of Canterbury, to answer questions on pain of property confiscation. One question:
 How long would It take me to go around the worid?"
 The imitation Abbot replied: You must rise with the sun and ride with the same"
 Then the answer Is you will go around the world in 24 hours.
 That will be done by men in flying machines before this earth is much older. It would surprise King John, so would the steam engine.
 Major McEwan and his wife in England intend to live like Adam and Eve and are looking for a place where we shall be hidden from pry- ing eyes" Another lady and gentle man will try the same experiment in the Maine woods. Each couple viii wander out into the woods without clothing, and try to live on things they can catch or pick up and with tools they make. Extremely unin- teresting and foolish experiment. Why not stay at home and crawl around on their hands and knees they did that also once.
 The back to nature idea as Rous- seau saw 1t. turning it into useful radical teaching, Is good. But going out into the woods naked is idiotic, not even amusing.
 It pays to have big nation on this continent as it pays to have big policeman on the street corner.
 Nicarauguans started a revolution which wasn't necessary. A good deal of harm might have been done but United States marines announced that they would take hand in 1t. The revolution stopped. It was like the big policeman walking up to small gambling game and saying: "Go home!'
 The League of Nations idea, estab- fishing as many little countries as possible, will result in starting as many little wars as possible. The world needs big nations---powerful, responsible. Eventually. of course. the earth will be all one nation--say in half a million. or possibly even in fifty thousand years.
 Japan is examining about 5so,ooo young men for service in the army. They have conscription there every year, in peace or war. Each year they pick out 13o,o0o of the best young men.
 These must serve two years in the regular Japanese army and a little over i5 years with the reserves. Japan bows and smiles and keeps ready. Very wise little country.
 Three hundred Sim Feiners were rounded up and imprisoned in Ulster yesterday. The fighting work goes on although the English are out of it. The first problem was to get the English government out of Ire- land. The present problem is to get civil war out of Ireland, and that is the harder problem. There are some hatreds more intense and bitter than bitterness between different nationalities. Religious hatred is one.
 In obedience to orders from the Allies. c rman has thus far de- stroyed more than 5,00o,000 rifles, 100000 machine guns, 35,o00.0o0 shells and mines, 1s.ooo airplanes. 34.oo0 airplane engines. The machinery thus destroyed, especially the air planes and engines, may be bitterly regretted one of these days. if Asia, led by Russia. should come sailing westward through the air.
 If the Germans could not be trusted with those things. why didn't tn Allies take them and store them away?
 Three and half per cent Liberty bonds sold above par yesterday. The big U. S. Steel stock also went above par with a margin of two points. Avoid gambling; it's verse vice thing, buy bonds. If you must trifle with steel stocks, take the big" company. Be cautious about com binations. Two lame horses hitched together do net make very mag nificent team.
 Someone suggests vacuum cleaners for streets. isteaS of brooms. show els, open carts and scattered dust and germs. Eventually cities will be cleaned as houses are cleaned. Women in city government will , hurry it up. The streets will be piped for vacuum cleaning. as mod ern hotels are piped. The dust and rubbish will be drawn out of sight and out of the air. into furnaces.