Evening star., 1933-01-08
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

"-~~ P~AJ0@S@NAAS JAoe 90 e44C
farmer. Just as the scientist, not know
ing the way to 60, seeks as his compass
the guidance Of fundamental principles,
becomes obedient TO the laws of nature,
so in working out Of our economic and
governmental difficulties we must re-
turn to fundamental principles, 10
obedience to the laws OF nature, the
laws of God. which govern govern
ments."
That is the gospel that is being
preached by one humble member of
CongreSS-to the American Bar Asso-
ciation, to the forum of House mem
bers, to his colleagues individually and
to the people of the country as a whole.
Representative Hatton w. Summers of
Texas, chairman of the House Judiciary
Committee, Is quaint character who
does a heap Of thinking. along homely
common-sense lines. He comes from
the country, born In the hills, of an
educated ancestry. As boy he read
OF many things, and as he came out
INTO the world these things were inter-
esting to him. He learned how to see
with his eyes the functioning machin.
cry OF the world.
During his contact with Govern
ment, assisting In operating the ftlnc-
tioning machinery-20 years in Con-
gress-he has been especially inter-
ested, from q practical standpoint, in
observing the working out of the nat
ural laws which govern governments.
Wnen ne was young boy on his
Iatners farm In Tennessee he read in
one OF the good books his father had
preserved out Of the wreckage of fam
1ly fortune. There is no result without
a corresponding antecedent adequate
cause. He was tremendously i'm
pressed by that statement, and went
out on the farm to investigate. 1t
checked up all right and he accepted
u as Iact-"the most important thing
l ever learned" he says today.
When his mother told him about the
omnipotence Of God, everywhere and
doing everything at the same time by
fixed plan, which some people called
the laws OF nature, he went out into
the field to see for himself. He found
that around each little plant down In
the soil, everywhere outside and inside
there was something which was taking
Just the right things from the soil, the
water, the air and the sunshine and
building each little plant according to
the law OF nature, even to the blooms
OF the great poplar tree where the
hawks had their nests. He could see
that from the time each seed dropped
into the soil until its life course cul-
minated in fruition 1t was governed by
law. When I looked UP at night" he
says. II saw, each night, that the few
stars knew were where I expected to
find them. knew I was living in a
universe Of law. Some things we planted
early and some we planted late. It was
the law Of their nature, and all the
farmers in our neighborhood respected
that law. The first time I loaded a
wagon with hay the top slid of. The
next time I did it the right way. I
kept broad base and tramped it well
In the middle. I had learned that the
law of gravity Is mighty busy on a
Tennessee farm. When my brother
came home from medical school found
ne had been devoting his time TO learn
ing the laws Of nature governing the
human body and the remedies for
human ills.
AS I broadened my contact with
ners, IT retained my interest in OBJ
serving the motives and methods, the
restraints, the rewards and punish
ments which keep things moving in
fairly uniform directions He admits
that his most fascinating diversion has
always been trailing results back to
their respective causes
His observations have led Him to the
conclusion that there is no mystery
about why we are in the condition in
which we find ourselves. We have come
to 1t as straight as a crow could fly.
The great pity Is that SO many people
are having to suffer out Of proportion
to what they have done toward bring
ing this condition about"
Representative Summers picturesquely
describes how I'VE have jazzed of into
the jungles." Lying back In his chair
with eyes closed, he makes q mental
survey: When some one learned how
to press button and get light instead
Of having to skin q yearling and get
some tallow for candles, and others
learned how to make similar easy short
cuts, we became afflicted with a seri-
Gus malady-and IL was not inferiority
complex. rs
Everything was out of date. The
masterpieces Of music which had thrilled
and elevated the souls Of people through
the years were cast into the discard,
and we brought forth our contribution
My Moon-Eyed Baby in Watermelon
Time A similar thing happened to
our literature, to our philosophy and
in no small degree to education and
to religion. Everybody got young.
Grandma whacked off q foot or two Of
her skirts and grabbed horn: grandpa
Strengthened up his old back and hob
bled into the procession; ma and pa
cut a few fancy capers and joined with
brother and sister up in front Every
body had a horn. We could not be
bothered; all in a hurry to go some
where; to leave there to- 60 some
where else. Whatever needed attention
would be all right just around the cor
ner-on with the jazz.
I'VE have jazzed of into the jungles.
We have lost our way. We are looking
for boulevard to go out on. There
Is no boulevard leading out from where
we are. We are going to have to cut
down the trees and go out over the
Stumps" is his backwoods way of force
fully picturing the tasks ahead. I'VE
would not be warned by the admoni-
tions OF the fathers in the Virginia
convention-that there can be no lib
erty except by frequent recurrence to
fundamental principles. We would not
be taught by the experience Of others.
We have been contemptuous of the les
sons of history. We fashioned our
policies in defiance of natural law. We
pay the penalty. We would be attentive
only to the lash, and we are getting the
lash. It was the last resort"