Evening star., 1922-11-07
II Harvey Tried to Be Funny It
Was at His Own Risk

forick. that man of infinite jest.
had nothing on Col. George r. NJ
Harvey" in the opinion of the Chat
tanooga News. But American editors
are OF one voice in declaring that the
American ambassador to Great Brit
ain has rather gone the limit of face
tiousness i'll his now famous speech
on the subject of women's souls.
There is no doubt. the Tacoma
News-Tribune comedies. but what as
private citizen George Harvey has
mental ass of himself as often as ne
pleases. but the spectacle OF the am
bassador Of a country that has en-
franchised women discussing before
the London public a question like this
must give Brftishers an unfortunate
ethics" On the other hand. the Bal
timOre Sun points out that there is
no domestic statute or principle of
international law that forbids an aIu-
bassador from trying to be funny.
The right to humor is as inaIiena bic
as any for which mens have fought.
but the sad fact remains that there is
no standard of Righteousness. and
man must be funny at his own risk.
Granting the Suns view of the mat
ter. the press insists nevertheless
that it must be distinctly understood
that Harvey was being funny entirely
at his own risk and on his own re-
sponsibility. and that his views on
the matter OF women's souls find no
reflection in American public senti-
ment.
The Asheville Times admits that so
far as the subject matter of his ad-
dress to the Authors club is con-
cerned. the question is an ancient
one that merely revives an age-old
controversy. rather than being. as
most writers seem to view it. "a dis
covery that Col. Harvey made" to
quote the Ringhamton Sun. That such
a revival impends is suggested by the
St. Louis Globe Democrat. which re-
ports that the established church
has taken cognizance of the skit with
note of distinct disapproval. and
individual clergy of regular and dis
and threaten to preach on the thing
The st. Louis paper goes on to quote
zone learned London editorial as
actually saying" that the Com
mandments were given to man in the
patriarchal age, when the idea of
was as incomprehensbi as the idea
Of star perambulating through
space of its own sweet will is to the
modern scientist"
But il London editorials are being
serious about it. American papers are
no less SO. Thus we find the New
Haven Register expressing the be-
lief that probably good many
women would maintain that ii there
hadn't been amy men there would
have been no occasion for the Ten
Commandments" for, the Milwaukee
Sentinel contends. the exemption OF
women from the application of the
decalogue was due, not as Col. Har-
vey thinks. to the fact that women
have no souls. but to the fact that
they do not need the Ten command
ments. Laws are given only when
the necessity for them arises. and
while the decalogue was necessary
heaven knows. to keep men within
limits" the only obligation Of women
toward it is simply to see ,,t, that the
paper the journal. thinks Harvey's
philosophy will be news to the
world" and more than that, news
to the women" who have been going
along thinking that they must not
swear or steal or bear IA faise ,in,s WINES ,nsS
didn't need to do it because the dec.
alogue applies exclusively to men,.
But "a special female decalogue such
as the ambassador proposes" would,
the New Orleans Times.picayune
of amendments sure to be grated on
the original text very soon would
cause the document to rival the una
bridged dictionary in size"
Distressing as the ambassador ad-
dress may have been. it was not. the
New Orleans Item contends, IAN asser-
ton that the ladies lack souls. 1t merely
states that the sacred literature OF the
ancient Jews and Persians did not credit
the ladies with souls" And starting
with that premise. the Item proceeds, In
a detailed and scholarly way, to dis
prove Mr.. Harvey's contention from the
very material to which he goes for sup
port. To begin with, lit seems too bad
that the orator overlooked the hfth OF
the ommandments-'Thou shalt honor
thy father and thy mother Here. sure
ly, is . recognition of q woman's right
to honor" for it is not to be imagined
that "the Almighty commanded SO supe-
rior creature as man to honor any
woman unless at least she was his equal
in the most important attribute OF all:
Again. the case becomes clearer still
for the soulfulness Of the ladies if you
carry il beyond the Jews and examine
the conceptions Of the other Semitic
peoples, who worshiped lots of gods at
once. Wherever you find 8 god
A. >hA