Evening star., 1923-11-25
World Better Despite Growing,
Saws Former Vice President

however, the old love Of liberty still
exists In our hearts.
We became not only a self-govern-
ing but law-making people. We
enacted statutes that had to do with
the growth OF the tall cedars Of
springs from the wall If we fail
ed to enact a law about anything
in heaven above or the earth be-
meath or the waters under the earth,
Ii was only because none OF us
thought Of il. So governed by statu-
tory law did we become that In time
we canned our law observance. We
now set aside certain days or weeks
/ for law observance. Governors and
mayors publicly proclaim the duty OF
citizens to obey the laws. This is
| their contribution to the celebration.
There Is law Of the road. and
every one knows that IL it were
obeyed or II its infractions were pun
ished the hazard of accidents would
| become negligible. But law observ-
ance and law enforcement are weak.
So governors and mayors, with the
solemnity well befitting an owl. urge
upon the people observance OF
Safety week. At the close of the
week newspapers herald the fact
that only half as many persons were
killed during safety week as ordi-
narily are hustled into eternity In
seven days. On the next Monday
morning the old orgy Of death begins
anew
We have Constitution week in some
communities and Constitution day In
others. OF course, we all know that
we are living under q written Con-
stitution which fixes the bounds be-
yond which civilized society says no
man may safely go and defines those
inherent rights which no individual
may be deprived Of. but why keep all
this constantly in mind when we
may just as well forget IT until Con-
stitution day or Constitution week
comes around to be annually OBJ
served?
am not wishing TO change the
customs and usages Of society. With
all of its imperfections, the American
republic is doing right well. / am
not arguing for return to the days
when every housewife made her own
bread, titled her own garden. milked
her own COW and did her own wash
ing. l am not expecting ever to see
butchering time again. 1 am not
dreaming that the canned goods age
will pass soon. l merely wish to
suggest something for the canned
goods department of American life
growing. Lack of outward EXPIRES
sion of religious sentiment is bad; /;
failure to keep burning brightly each
day the fires of patriotism is dis
crediting: lax law enforcement and
still more lax respect for the law
are fearful to contemplate, but worst
of all il the everlasting growing of
every man you meet. Nothing is
right. Nobody is honest. Every man
is a skinner All success has sprung
from crookedness.
The man elected to Office is a
common scoundrel. All men who sell
are profiteers. Each and every one
is a disappointment. Why not can
these grumbliDgs along with religion.
patriotism and law observance?
Notwithstanding all that you do
not like and all that l do not like,
somehow the general average is d
little higher than 1t was d year ago.
ten years ago. hundred years ago
higher, in fact. than il ever was be-
fore. The other day l examined d
chart that disclosed how the average
man spends his life. AT seventy he
has spent more than twenty years
worrying over the shortcomings OF
his fellow men. / suggest that in
stead of worrying over these things
every day in the year. we have a
National Growl day" On that day
we could convene in our respective
neighborhoods. open up our canned
them at one sitting, and then be
cheerful for another year.
Copyright. 1923. by Twenty first Century