Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-02

the rattle of key as it turns In
~ on-barred door. hand clasps all
around. finally the cracking Of
ponderous gate as it swings out and
open and the world will get back its Peck's
Bad Boy.
He is none other than Dr. Frederick A.
Cook, known successfully during the last two
dacades first, as a conquering hero: second. as
the worlds greatest faker and biggest liar and,
third and more recently as Frederick A. Cook.
M. D. United States convict, prison physician,
educator. lecturer, editor and philosopher.
But it viii be q vastly different DR.. Cook
than the one that came down out of the North
20 years ago and electrified humanity with the
announcement he had discovered the North
Pole-and vastly different world will re-
ceve him.
Hardened by the rigors Of his experiences
as an Arctic explorer, DR.. Cook in 1909, then
in the prime of life, was vigorous, clear of
eye, sprightly of step, keen of intellect and
glib Of tongue. The world that received him
was warm of heart and guIlible. Always eager
to heap laurel on the brow of q hero, it pros
trated itself at his feet
But the DIR. Cook that quits the Federal
Penitentiary at Leavenworth viii be q dis
credited and disgraced old man, bent
under the weight of 6O-odd years, broken in
health and in spirit, with no one to greet him
save relatives, and no one to extend a helpful
hand save . limited few friends who believe
him to be the most maligned Of men.
DR. COOK entered Leavenworth April s,
1925. under sentence Of IA years and 9
months for conspiracy to use the mails to de-
fraud He has served more than q third Of
that term and is eligible to parole for good be-
havior. His application for release has been
approved by the Federal Parole Board and will
soon be finally acted upon by Attorney Cen
eral William D. Mitchell Present indications
are that he viii go free some time in the near
future.
Several circumstances favor his release. BY
good conduct and his ability and eagerness to
help. Dr.. Cook not only has won the confidence
and admiration Of prison oficiaiS he actually
has exerted an influence for good among fellow
convictS. Furthermore, his health has failed.
Friends say it Is such that he positively could
not live to complete his fun term.
In one respect prison has been kind to DR..
Cook, for it has permitted him to exercise his
passion for writing. When first brought to
prison DR.. Cook was assigned to the hospital
and placed in charge of the night shift.
year later he became editor of the New Era,
the monthly prison magazine. Under the
masthead that carried the names Of John q.
Sargent and William d. Mitchell, as United
States Attorneys General, and Sanford Bates
and T. B. White as superintendent OK prisons
and warden, respectively he has written on
many subjects.
DIR. Cook was made superintendent Of the
prison night school three years ago and as such
ne mas nelpe0 Deacn many OF MS Ieli0W prtS-
oners how to read and write. He has lectured
frequently and invariably virtually all of the
prisoners have left their cells to hear him.
A perusal of DR.. Cooks prison writings re-
veals his philosophical turn Of mind In reply
to the American Philosophical Society's intel
lectuaI stock-taking question, what is the
worlds intellectual need?" Dr. Cook wrote:
Bring us a new Confucius to restate the
affairs Of man. The Oriental world of thought
B. c. 600 was already SO vast and complex that
few people could encompass it, Confucius re-
set the accommodating knowledge which had been
adrift for 10000 years to brief symbolic form
which has lived as the life stream of Chinese
intelligence for 1900 years.
To-day we are again in urgent need of an
other Confucius. If Christ returned to earth,
his greatest mission would be TO codify as Con-
fueiuS, did the conflicting vaStness Of all hu-
man belief and disbelief This would clear over
crowded heads and reduce thought to simple
feeling principles
nR. COOKS term in prison has not dulled
lis ina gination. In another number of
calls = million dollar idea" It is the PROPOSE
f3- cold air to cool off the large cities during
the swealtering heat of Summer.
We know that the earth and all the spheres
writes DR.. Cook ''can we not suspend minor
globe at an altitude. Of three or four miles and
drop from this tubes or line, devices which by
electric currents orr other power carriers will
either bring down cold by direct currents or by