Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-04
Continued From Third Page.)

have been vastly increased But who
cares about that? We are in a new
era, and every one is prosperous.
Suddenly the whole caravan of the
new era crashes upon an invisible OBJ
struction. There are many casualties.
The whole world is in the ditch. That
invisible thing is law as old as civili-
zation. We arc sternly reminded that
prosperity must be based on thrift and
useful work. We begin to pay for our
love Of speed in a worldwide depres-
sion. We learn that we have not out
grown the old, sloWly moving laws that
regulate the conduct OF man.
I have been studying the effect OF
the new era on a bit Of country with
which am familiar. When I was a
young man, 1t was land Of plenty. A
farmer or q merchant who did not have
a balance in the bank drawing interest
was either paying for his land and
cattle or for his folly in wasting his
time with drink, poker and fast horses.
In the best known village of the St.
Lawrence Valley of Northern New York
lives a man who for years was a pros
porous farmer. He now runs a bank.
He told me recently that the farmers
there were In bad way. Many had
been weakened by speculation during
the boom. Most OF them had children
with extravagant tastes.
you remember Mr. Blank" he said.
HE owned lot Of farms He was
rich. In his will he left requests to
charity. Not one Of them can be paid.
Why? I will tell you. One of his
farms has 80 acres Of good land-a
| comfortable stone house, a handsome
barn with concrete flooring in its stable.
| The farm Is on a dirt road, but its
situation is fine, with grassy field
| sloping down to the river. I cannot get
$4,000 for the property"
What Is the reason?" I asked in
establishment.
III answer your question with a
story" he answered. The other day a
man came to see me. 1 had known
him and his wife for years. He wanted
to borrow 81 100
What do you want OF $l,10o?' I
| asked.
ITO keep my boy with me- I've got
to buy decent looking motor car for
his use, the man answered.
Farms Begging for Buyers.
II loaned him the money and took
q mortgage on his farm. You see,
boy has TO be hired to stay here on
the land. He is about the most ex-
pensive hired man you can employ, for
he has to drive around to see the coun-
| try and everything that's going on To
! sum 1t up. gas, oil, tickets and taxes
| make 1t necessary TO have more money
than one can earn on farm. So farms
go begging for buyers and some Of them
are even being abandoned
Go across the border into Canada
and you find a different situation. You
see good houses. large, well painted
barns, prosperous farmers with money
out at interest, but they still ride be-
hind a horse.
Now, the motor car Is a very good
thing for those who can afford it, We
ought not to be so crazy for speed that
we mortgage our future for it. There
Is such thing as going too fast. We
should stick TO the spring wagon until
We are able TO pay for the speed we
| desire"
The gasoline spirit-to get what you
want and get 1t quickly-is abroad in
the world. It is the spirit of adventure
II one wife doesn't satisfy you. get
another. 1t is a bore to be reminded Of
your sins and errors. So the churches
are almost empty
The minds Of many people trail along
with Mr.. Mencken, who has summed
up his philosophy in this sentence:
How are we TO get through life with
| q maximum Of pleasure and a minimum
| OF pain?" We are all trying to learn
how to do that; but think most of
Mr.. Mencken'S followers make pleasure
the main thing. Are we to keep away
from the sick and the starving because
they give US pain? Are we to stop work
! when 1t 1nterferes with pleasure? Our
| sins give us pain. Therefore we will not
/ be reminded of them. Are we to break
faith with wife or a husband If keep
Ing 1t Is bar to our enjoyment? May
We not quite as properly break faith
with our creditors? There are many.
these days, who get a severe pain in
paying their debts.
| Pain Is Sure Penalty.
Now. pain and pleasure are as in.
evitably connected as action and re-
action, as darkness and light. You
cannot avoid the cold, gray dawn of
the morning after. Pain is the sure
penalty OF misdoing. 1t would seem
to be a fairly valuable asset Of this
world We inhabit. They whose chief
aim is the painless life have often
gone TO the hospital, the madhouse or
the jail. Yet it is absorbing the
strength of many good people. They
avoid being reminded of their faults
and errors. 1t gives them pain. Sun
days they rush of on the roads and
have their luncheon in some shady
| spot and go to the movies" in the
evening. The problems of church and
state are no longer discussed in their
neighborhood They give little thought
to the great, slow-going things.
There is one leader OF incalculable
| influence 1t Is the movie" show.
1t is the greatest power for good
or i'll the world knows and in part it
| is good. 1t has overemphasized and
exalted sex and violence as a power
In human affairs--now and then with
shocking indecency. Seldom in nv
knowledge has it done Justice to the
| inn 1F
human spirit. Whatever may be said
Of the church and the synagogue-and
am we'll aware of their imperfec-
tions-they seek to make men better
citizens, with deep respect for human
rights. They fail In their purpose now
and then, but rarely. When they fail
the case is extremely advertised.
Why should this great agency for
good be neglected by the stage? Is
rectitude uninteresting? The great
problems and adventures of the human
| spirit in conflict with the power of
evil are of tremendous interest. When
an artist Of deep insight deals with
this theme no theater can hold the
crowds that want to see his play.
The craftsmen Of Hollywood would
do we'll to turn from swift and violent
adventure to the slowly going things
in which sex is not both the driver
and the team, but is the dog under
the wagon-a big, powerful, likable
dog, II you please.
Idle Rich Given Blame.
| The conditions of which I complain
are. in part, due to rich, idle and often
much-married men and women who
set the fashions in dress, manners and
even in morality. They Soothe them
selves in wallows of vice where the
code Of Moses Is violated and ridiculed
/ Many of them despise America while
they have fattened on the prosperity
1t has enabled them to enjoy. They
have made George Bernard Shaw their
chief prophet, probabl- against his will
| Tst7aU faka him II =