Evening star., 1928-11-24

Job asked, IF a man die. shall he
live again?" A more modern version
might read Organization" in place OF
man" when it would be applied to the
American Peace Society. All the pa
triotic, alias "nationalistic," alias ultra
militaristic" organizations are agreed
that the American Peace Society, after
living its allotted "threescore years and
ten" found the surplus years fun OF
trouble and misery, like many man N
his dotage. In recent decades 1t has
not been active. but babbling and prat-
ing over what 1t was in its youth. For
now 1t is a century old and the neat
and burden of the day have a-wearied
1t overmuch.
And there have clung to its skirts
"relatives"-SiSters and cousins ana
aunts-who have hoped to fall heirs to
its fortune-a motley crowd, mainly
characterized by sentimental pacihsm
and internationalisnn and near-soclal-
ism and many another ism" without
definite labels. Some have distorted the
very name of their aged uncle" until
he did not know when they were call
ing to him. Peace" has been inter-
preted into supineness and impotence,
although the home guardians OF me
original organization verbally dlsaVow
the Interpretation. Men are known oy
the company they keep" and when an
organization accepts upon lts ooard Oh
directors individuals who are also prom
inent in avowed subversive societies and
identify themselves with Stacker
oaths." Old Glory willis end even weeps.
and Liberty Enlightening the World
sighs for the spirit of '76 and OF the
Nathan Hales Of patriotic days.
X
Out in Hooslerdom. which all poets
hope to reach when they die-n their
fleet" do not lag too much-there is
classic poet who has perpetrated verses
like these:
Comes a problem, great and trying,
Stirring city, Nation. State:
For an Atlas We stand crying
One to bear this burden great!
Grave committees sit perspiring,
They must solve the thing somehow;
Then you hear voice inquir1ng.
whats viii Fortune doing now?"
Faces find new glow instanter.
Trouble ruShes out the door;
Now they drink from joys decanter-
Gloorn's cup 1t had been before.
What had seemed problem tragic,
Furrowing each Hoosier brow,
Changes with that song, all magic,
Whats Will Fortune doing now?"
u y
Today, the American Peace Society
proudly announces that, after years
persuasion, 1t has succeeded In getting
the consent of Mr.. William Fortune Of
Indianapolis to be president and guiding
spirit of the resuscitated mummy. and
to pulmotor 1t into real life. renewing
its youth like the eagles and outdoing
Ponce de Leon and that sculptor whose
classic art was so fine that his marble
block breathed and moved and fell in
love with him. That's what Will For
tunes doing now" He has become the
Atlas under the American Peace Society,
and he's on the job.
Will Fortune was once a reporter un-
der Harry New (now Postmaster Gen
eraD and he developed into city
editor and even became that proud
di4nitary known as q Journalist"
Such training could not fail to bring
efficiency. He became involved In the
Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce. to
the extent of saving taxpayers So 900 ,OOe
in his first year as secretary, and total
of $4,000, 900 in five years. SO he was
made chairman of the committee on
State and local taxation of the United
States Chamber of Commerce.
Paciflst? Nothing of that word be-
longs to Will Fortune except its last
syllable He was one of the most ac-
tive ofAcials of the American Red Cross
Society throughout the war, and Is STILL
and he Is credited with raising more
money by contributions for public
benefit than any other Hoosier who ever
tried 1t. He was the of1lcial representa-
tive Of the National American Red
Cross Society at the Paris convention of
the American Legion in 1927. He is
chum of the present national COM
mander of the American Legion. Col.
McNutt, and ne has talked over all the
principles of national defense with
Comdr. McNutt and found that the
ideals OF the Legion agree exactly-not
with those of the ancient and honorable
society OF peace at any price" but
with the duly pulmotored organization
as he visualizes 1t.
y X X
President Fortune stands for the
Legion's proposal Of q universal draft in
case Of war, which draft will include
every man, woman and child, and all