Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-07-06
English Novelist Says Amer
lea Is a Most Coerced
County-SuppreSs Wom-
en- and Have Truly Moral
Universe, He Says
BY MARGUERITE MOORES MAR
Shall,

SHALL
NEW YORK.-"Amerjca's moral
ity," observed w. L. George smooth
ly, "impresses me as something that
is too good to be true!'
We sat at a little table in the Ritz
dining room, piquantly pretty Mrs.
George, the brilliant author Of
Ursula Trent" THE Second Bloom
ing" and other novels, and myself.
Mr.. and Mrs. George had just return
ed to New York after an eight
months cross continental tour, dur
ing which they visited every state.
They sail today for England. And
because I couldn't think of any fea-
ture Of the American scene which
just now thrust itself more insis-
tently upon the notice of the cos
George if he would not talk a bit
err Englishman, Winston Churchill
admiringly (of course) christened us
not long ago.
did you ever see so much purity
to the square mile in any other
country?" I demanded. aren't you
filled with admiration for our at
tempts to restrict the length Of
women's skirts, to regulate the num-
Der Of inches which shall separate
dancing couples, to put cigarettes
on the taboo list along with the lost
cocktail, to make girls wear stock
ings with bathing suits, to censor
movies, plays and books, to forbid
the teaching of the Darwinian the
Dry? Personally. I think that life
in America today might be described
as a continuous moral hazard. One
simply never knows when one is
breaking the law"
Whereupon Mr.. George, who had
been engaged in finishing his oys-
tiers, made the epigrammatic COM
ment quoted at the beginning Of this
story.
Most Coerced Country
you are" he conceded candidly,
1.-The most coerced country have
ever visited. And yet l have always
themselves are not essentially diff
ferent from Englishmen or French
men or any other people, They tell
me"-his brown eyes twinkled -
that there never were so many peo-
pie in Kentucky reading Darwin as
just now. I understand that special
editions were prepared to ship over
the border. Bootlegging Darwin is
indeed something of a NOVELTY
Before we go any further, how
ever, and lest any Of Mr.. Georges
devoted readers in Kentucky or
Kansas or other abodes of 100 per
cent virtue misunderstood him,
wish to propose him as a charter
member of the Blue Law league. He
qualified in his next utterance.
II am convinced" he declared
and 1 have given the subject not
a little thought, that the only way
to make this a truly moral uni
verse is to go to the root of all our
difficulties and suppress women.
THAT is Americas next logical
step. Why strike at branches
when the root remains? Most of
these things which you are now
engaged in suppressing-the over
exposure in women's dress, the
shocking play or film, the female
cigarette, the statue of Civic Virtue
trampling on the sirens-what are
they but moral problems centering
about women? I open your news
papers and what do I find. The
Stokes suit, the Richard case. the
Arbuckle trial, the Hollis case-a
woman back Of each Of them. Of
course there may be a few bur-
glaries in which women do not ap-
pear
Suppress the Women.
yet Mr.. Enright. our police com.
1ic,ci {N1I Poyry
that we must expect an extra mum.
Der Of hold-ups because the gunner
wanted to get Christmas presents
for their girls" I interrupted.
"A very good instance to prove
my point that the feminine element
is somehow involved in all our moral
questions" concurred Mr.. George
$50 why not be truly consistent in
reform, and suppress the women
themselves"
And how would you propagate
the species?" Mrs. George inquired
on note Of mild sarcasm.
II am coming to that" said her
husband serenely. LET me point
out that there are grave doubts as
to the morality Of the propagation
of the species. We allow little or no
public mention Of it. A nicely
brought up young girl is supposed
to know nothing at all about it
certainly not to know that it is
comfortable. If. in suppressing
women. we then suppress propoga'
ton, is not that another gain for
morality?"
But the men also will be sup
pressed Mrs. George exclaimed
with triumph. Il may remark that