Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-25

TIME first story on which h a! P n !;
with his critics.
HE answers nobody who ques
lions him on his plans,' on
writer said, and went on to relate tina
one young father of family rushed Il
the Bonmar to complain OF the effec'
Of LIQUID events upon his offspring, tina,
dav initiated in the theater. "Bralnarc
took him to a private room and put
bag on his head" read the story, "anC
at last accounts he was still there
Question-was it folklore of the Follies
or merely geisha girls?"
They all referred to the arrangement
Of the headpiece for private view OF the
Vicarion's marvels as the nose bag.
This was inevitable. Phyllis rather
wondered that she did not come upon
Johns natural variation-the nose ring
An editorial opposite the last column
of this first story seriously discussed
the attitude of young people, who would
instantly see in the Vicarion their OPP
portunity to slake their proverbial thirst
for seeing life. And propounoed a
heavy query as to whether life ever lies
in its sensations.
Another paper told of young mother
who instinctively recognized menace IN
the marvels she witnessed at a hrst
showing, and rushed from theater
with her 6-year-old child to forestall
its threatened decentralization. The alb
surdity written all over this tale was
curiously favored by one line in which
the reporter seemed to admit that his
own view of Liquid Life had left him
with an uncomfortable sense that 1t
was dangerous abnormality,
Another writer treated the wnole
matter humorously, Sketched future
ed to the Vicarion that everything
would have to be done for them by
machine. Pictures accompanied this,
purporting to be private views OF some
mysterious interiors at the Bonmar, in
which some of "Brainard's advanced
pupils were shown, looking rather ike
being thoroughly bled by means OF
suction created through the nose bag"
Another man said that the Vicarion,
making vicarious living easy and max
ing secondhand existence available,
would soon kill the impulse in humans
to live at first hand and, therefore,
kill the subject, just as complete lack
of physical exercise would. If one re-
fused to live, he would lose the power
to live, argued this gentleman, obVl-
ously enough.
A woman paragrapher discussed the
''human imprint in the ether: All
human personalities, she averred, leave
their imprint in a thousand impressions
on life visibly; why not invisibly? And
she sentimentalized about "the touch OF
the vanished hand" On the same page
another woman fled in terror from the
approach Of diabolical continuance"
which would tear open old wounds, rake
up forgotten quarreIS, expose shufnanffy
in shameful nakedheSS to itself--and
Phyllis fed in terror from her story.
A prominent novelist, impressed into
service for his weighty opinion, spoke
of second hand sensations" with con-
tempt. He said that any normally
healthy creature would feel first FESTIVE
then downright rebellious against this
looking back upon past life, just as
any normal, healthy person rebels
against any other unnatural experience.
He touched upon the inevitable dis
sipation" in which people would indulge
in pursuit of new sensation; and spoke
of a new influence tending to destroy
the instinct to work-nothing less than
a crime against a world that must eat
bread by the sweat of its face.
Then he discussed action in its rela-
ton to an eternal public demand. Yes,
we must have action, in our drama, our
stories, our public entertainment OF all
kinds, because action was life. But ac-
ton was worthless unless 1t was Gre
ativel
Two writers who had been purposely
pitted against each other Sneered at
each others opinions. One said the
Vicarion was to grieving, bereaved
humans blessed anodyne; the other
that it was a highly injurious anes-
thetic! One man essayed at length to
show that the Vicarion would prove
perfectly that "'the evil that men do
lives after Them as the great English
bard has it," and went on to state on
his own authority that 1t is always the
worst in men that appears in their &C
lions, which would be all that the vi
carton could produce; that the best is
expressed only in those high qualities
that make no show. Another said the
Vicarion would undoubtedly show you
TO yourself as you were, but that people
would mostly prefer to retain the i'm
preston of themselves as they are.
Another writer had gotten hold OF the
suggestion that Brainard might call his
organization Universal Sensations, Inc,
and suggested instead Universal Per-
versions, Inc.
There was circumstantial story
about committee of prominent citi-
EenS who had waited on Mr.. Brainard
and explained carefully to him what
the Vicarion would probably do to bust
ness as people INDUCED their passion
for its undeniably unmatched faScina-
tons. Mr.. Brainard was said to have
shrugged. When told that there should
be a law at once to control him and
his influence he had laughed at them
and told therl he would be the law.
And he had defied them to stop him.
This story had ring that brought
the qualms of fear once again into
Phyllis quivering mind. She threw
aside the windy, clearly hasty, scientific
and unScientific conclusions and specu-
lations, and was walking the floor in
uncomfortable agitation again when Re-
lief Brainard came to the house.
She had her opinion, had Aunt Re-
lief. Radley ought to be ashamed Of
himself. He ought to be compelled tc
be ashamed of himself. Nothing like
the Vicarion would have been permitted
in public back. say, in the days OF 1890
But if he was going to show things il
was rather pity not to see them
Didn't Phyllis want to go down to the
Swan, where Aunt Relief had seats, ant
see Sarah Bernhardts secret of preServ
ing her youth? 1t was said to be dress
ing-room scenes"
Phyllis did not, but she wanted to SCI
the crowd for herself at the Swan. Sh'
went to see the crowd.
She saw them-the representatives o
the great public, about whose welfare 81
many people were SO deeply concerned
at whose reactions so many peopl
guessed, whose probable ruin so man,
prophets foretold, whose moral needs
whose spiritual tendencies. whose do
mestic problems, whose attitudes towart
life, their wise critics and historian
discussed from standpoints so complete
ly detached! She saw great, rathe
silent, Stuffy, sweating cloud of them
theater so full that egress would hav
been utterly impossible except In mass
defying fire laws, police efforts, common
sense, filling inches and crannies OF tina
house like wax running into mold.