The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-11-13
IF HARVEY TRIED TO BE FUNNY
1T WIS AT HIS OWN RISK.
Editors Take His "Woman's Souls" Ad-
dress Seriously Because of His
Official Position

| "Yorick, that man CT infinite jest, hat
| nothing on Colonel George B. NJ. Har.
vey,'' in the opinion of the Chattanooga
| News. But American editors are of one
voice in declaring that the American I'M
bassador to Great Britain has rather gone
the limit of Righteousness in his now IA
nous 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 the God given
right to make a monumental ass of him
self as often as he pleases. But the
spectacle of the ambassador CT a coun-
, try that has enfranchised women dis
cussing before the London public a ques-
ton like this must give Britishers an
unfortunate conception of our manners
and ethics" On the other hand, the
Baltimore Sun points out that there is
no domestic statute or principle CT in
ternational law that forbids an ambassa =
dor from trying to be funny. The right
to humor is as inalienable as any for
which men have fought, but the sad
fact remains that there is no standard
Of Righteousness and a man must be
funny at his own risk"
Granting the Suns view CT the matter,
the press insists nevertheless that it
must be distinctly understood that Har-
vey was being funny entirely at his own
risk and on his own responsibility, and
that his views on the matter Of women's
souls find no reflection in American pub
lie sentiment.
The AshevilIe Times admits that so far
as the subject matter Of his address to
the Authors Club is concerned, the ques-
ton is an ancient one, that merly re-
wives an age-cld controversy, rather than
being, as most writer's seem to view it,
"a discovery that Colonel Harvey made"
to quote the Binghamton Sun. That such
a revival impends Is suggested by the ST.
Louis Globe Democrat, which reports that
1.-The established church has taken cogni-
zance of the skit with a note of dis
tinct disapproval," and individual clergy
of regular and dissenting schools voice
condemnation and threaten to preach on
the thing The St. Louis paper goes on
to quote "one learned London EDITORIAL
as actually saying that the Com
were given to man in the pa
triarchal age, when the idea CT woman
as an independent. creature was as in
as the idea of a star per
through space OF its own
sweet will is to the modern scientist"
But if London editorials are being Sc
rious about it American papers are no
less so. Thus we find the New Haven |
Register expressing the belief that prob |
ably a good many women would main |
tam That II there hadn I oeen any men |
there would have been no occasion for |
the Ten Commandments, for, the Mil |
waulee Sentinel contends. the exemption !
Of women from the application Of the |
Decalogue was due, net as Colonel Har-
vey thinks, to the fact that women have
no souls but to the fact that they do |
not need the Ten Commandments. Laws
are given only when the necessity for
them arises" and while the Decalogue
tf1o t. 1-a1
men within limits the only obligation
If women towad it is simply to see that
The men obey it,"
Another Milwaukee paper, the Journal.
thinks Harvey's philosophy will be news
% the world and more than that, to
he women" who have been going along
thinking that they must not swear or