The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-05-07
Too Hard on Mars
War Is Not Responsible for Everything.

( II
Now that ten thousand crooks point accusing fingers at
Mars somebody should file alib for the God Of War Not
that Mars is entitled to any particular consideration but
order that crime may longer pose Little Eva" and
what important that may observe the main
OF this stampede Of SINS
For the last ten years everything wrong has been ue to
the war Even since 1914 the have sought to hide be-
meath the dynamite coat tails of bae what be just
common ordinary cussedness has suddenly become
cinating by-product Of world catyclysm.
The chicken thief formerly ignored by the professors Of
our institutions of learning has turned into perfectly en-
rancng object Of scientific research the climber once
rudey cuffed by society, is leading psychological
decacy while the murderer whom CURLY cataogued
as social liability studied an ivymantled ruin
The inference of this Mother Goose philosophy that almost
all Of those behind the bars would be engaged in foreign
missionary work the red cloud Of world combat had not
along and found these darng decked out in their
pnaores Of purity and caught them up and whred them
into the maestrom Of vice.
Yes it's al due to the all the wife beatings all the
counterfeiting, all the ''pickpocketng
steals flivver that's due to sirmish but if he
steals limousine that's due to general engagement
"AH due to the war'
The boys who went and fought and met war face to
ace not badly shattered their morals but for some
reason terrible nral mdew set in among those who con-
dered it point Of honor to keep three thousand miles be-
tween themselves and the front line trenches
The fellows who crossed the Atlantic gave Europe that
1nfogetable vision Of four million wild tigers have come
back and gone to work many Of them patiently painfully
fitting themselves for LIES struggle despite the loss of arms
and legs and eyes Death and disaster powed their ranks
but crime has not bothered them any great extent
But the gunpowder catastrophe has terrible among
Fhe Dresden china cups and who stayed home
What to let the husky awbreaer beg immunity
s war casualty when the crippled fighter Of the Argonne
asks nothing but chance to workl
War did unite passions; did give some the blood
lust but it is time to lift the levee Of common gumpton
against this sloppy sentimental overflow.
Ever since Adam and sauntered the pathway
horticulture this world has had bad eggs and there will be
enough to make many omelet when Gabriel comes And
doubtless there been for every crook in every ACE
fuzzy philosopher who blamed the weather or the
tidal wave, instead of the criminal
Throughout the centuries the mcrobe of Rest has con-
tbuted most OF the crime just honest labor the
worlds salvation
Just now we do have unusual of crime and we
must climb its family tree let climb right tree let us
pay our respects to its real ancestors
The first ancestor is the decline of old fashioned religion
Twenty years ago great agnosc said this country was going
down on account of the dene of the church. and he right
The Ten Commandments and the thought punish
ent evoke the modernts Just the same thew
have been the pillars that have held up temple of iza
ton This may not interest such religious experts devote
their time to the dissection Of theological dandeon fuz but
1t does interest every father and mother in the land
The old fashioned faith, with hell toned down little old
fashioned and the bell in the seepe would do to
bring this drifting to port than all other things combined
The other ancestor of present crime carnival is the
depraved example set by those high PLACES socety big
est liability always has been the misconduct of the fortunate
drunken dance Of those at the top the ruthless wrongs
inflicted by those whose possessions ho make decent
hs matter of policy No census count the thieves who
are made by a stealing public service corporation!
No count the crooks that spawned bv the
spectacle of thief in public @ Out of the crashing conf
hence after such disclosures Washington gives us av nv
day, rise unnumbered cynics, thieves anarchists
He who helps the in is traitor his country
but he who steals this generations faith in government is
traitor to Liberty.