The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1933-07-14
Howe About:
Our Legal System
Captain and Pastor
Sarah Bernhardt
By ED HOWE

WE NOW know Samuel insult was
| w a very bad man. How much Of
his bad conduct was recommended to
him as legal by his lawyers? insult
didn't invent all or half of the schemes
which lost seven hundred million dol
lars for investors. What proportion
of them were invented by his attor-
neys? Go back to the records in In
sulrs case, and no doubt many as
founding court decisions in his favor
may be found.
One of the admissions we must
finally make is that our legal system
is as bad as our political system, and
as much in need Of purging. The Con-
stitution we have so long been taught
(by lawyers) to respect is kicked about
by lawyers and judges as idle boys
kick football.
| And this is not the raving of q
countryman; every reasonably honest
and intelligent judge and lawyer says
| so.
The departure from morals which
has resulted in so much trouble for
the world is not confined to picnics.
parked automobiles In dark places, or
to banks, or to politics, but has
reached every phase of our existence.
There was once a sea captain said
to be backslider, and pastor called
to talk to him.
"You have q compass with which to
guide your Ship" said the good man,
''yet you have not single guide to
your moral conduct"
heard the story from the religious
when a boy, and have been hearing
it ever since. 1t has always seemed
to me foolish; I do not like art Of
that kind. A sea captain goes every
where; sees everything. What moral
guide can such man lack that mod
est and secluded pastor may pOssessf
1t is an enormous statement for a
small man to make, but believe NOR
al teaching has been wrong from the
beginning. Always we have mixed
the gods with it, although the gods
have never had anything to do with
the case. There Is no sound recon-
mendation for better behavior beyond
the simple truth that honesty is the
best policy.
/ wonder Sarah Bernhard is not
used instead of r. T. Barnum as an
extreme example of the successful
publicity seeker. When nothing else
offered to attract attention to her, she
set fire to her own room. And II we
had honest criticism and honest public
opinion, 1 do not believe she would
be rated as moderately good actress.
One rough old writing rascal, In his
references to women, frequently said:
Remember the whip!"
Probably he was an advocate of
whipping good women; he seems to
have admired all such, and history
records he was often ridiculous in
running after them.
What he probably meant was that
had Louis XVI whipped his queen for
fanatical devotion to bad men, and
Gear Nicholas whipped the czarina for
fanatical devotion to bad religion, the
lives of millions of good women and
children would have been enormously
bettered.
Both these foolish women lost their
lives because of mistaken enthusiasm
for bad causes: the cZarina's husband
and children were murdered with her.
(Note that the czarlna, whose special
ty was gross morality, was worse pun
ished than the queen whose speciality
was gross immortality I sometimes
regret one of the queens surviving
sons was not executed with her; be-
cause of his mothers neglect Of her
home he was the worst boy of his age
(eight) recorded in history.
have never known husband not
a little ashamed If he failed to proper
" control his household; and the Bible
strongly hints every husband has such
a right and duty.
Most people will read only that with
which they agree.
/ believe Oscar Wilde was mistaken
in more ways than any other man who
ever lived, but have just read his DE
Profundis" with interest, as / have
read many of his other books and
plays.
He was the foulest man of whom
have ever heard, and possibly one OF
the most intelligent: certainly one of
the worlds best writer's. l cannot re-
fuse to read such a man because do
not always agree with him.
He wrote many plays that sparkle
with intelligence and wit, but in his
"Salome" l cannot see a. single reason
why it should have been written, or
why anyone should wish to read It:
foul, silly. bloody; and, fortunately,
failure. He was that uneven In ev-
erything.
/ have never known single human
being of whom 1 entirely approved;
/ have never entirely approved OF my
self.
1t is frequently said during the pres