Evening star., 1938-10-23
NOBLE AIMS ARE so COMMON
But High Purposes Do Not Always Improve Conditions Masazne
Article Points Out-Mr Churchill Saws Il Told You
So Over the Present Status of England
obviously will not go looking in Web

OBVIOUSLY Will not go looking In Web
ster.
So, though the reviewer Is greatly
obliged to those readers who did send
her their definitions (and there were
more than she could publish) she isl
not much forrader AS to her own
definition, she can see no point in
giving 1t, for it, too; is serious The
best she can offer is her guess at
the popular meaning. That is that
sophlstication, as the word is COM
monty used, means state which, for
the user, would be superior to his
present condition, not so much be-
cause his present worries would be
removed as because he would be able
to cope with them in a mastery
manner. 1t is, in other words. a
desired mental state, but it has. to
various people, various physical SYM
bols.
Inc college girl who uses the word
as a casual (but envious) tribute
probably thinks in private that IL
she were sophisticated, her date trouble
would clear up. The saleswoman with
the hat, looking with dismay at the
customers uninspired frock, means,
If you would buy this, dearie. YOU
might look as if you had a little
style The woman whose chief con-
Germ in life is society, when she speaks
| OF such a one as possessed of sophisti-
cation, means that the one has
handled situations which are beyond
her. And the maid means that the
people down the hall have wider
horizons than her own, though not
| dissimilar.
That is the best the reviewer can
do. Clearly the word has three kinds
of meaning-the popular one. the dc
tlonary one and-the other one.
Ihanks again to those who have taken
the trouble to write their ideas of the
matter.
Some time ago the reviewer received
a book called Nations Can Live at
Home" Its theme was that the Weld
OF plants could be so enormously in
creased by scientific fertilizing that
practically any people could live inde-
pendently, without need of food i'm
ports. 1t sounded too good. but the
author seemed to be authoritative. The
reviewer wondered why. if the news
were true, every one did not begin to
raise big crops in his back yard. and
so not only be independent of imports,
but also of grocery bills Now Ken
publishes an article descriptive Of just
such chemical gardens.
1t is a resume of the growth of the
new "soilless farming" and the au-
thor, Sylvia Pass, says that the idea
has caught on until now the chemical
farm is hobby which will shortly
rival the popularity of the minie-
camera and amateur photography"
1t seems to be matter of raising
plants in chemically treated water and
already there are concerns manufac-
turing "soilless gardening kits" and
recall seed stores are selling nutrient
chemicals" The plants are said to be
bigger than those grown in the earth
and to require much less area Vege-
tables OF many kinds have been sue.
cessfully grown, as well as fruit trees
and flowers.
| Ken sees little merit in the discovery
as far as this country is concerned.
1T only deepens the problem of over.
production and menaces the great in
dustry Of agricultural supplies" says
Miss Pass. But she goes on to say that
in Europe the soilless farm is regarded
as the solution of the war food supply,
and that every European country Is
pushing research on the subject. To
England, which has never been able to
raise its own provender, the discovery
means new horizons. And so on.
The reviewer confesses that she was
chiefly interested in the statement
that flowers respond to the soilless
method What do you do with them,
then? Plant border around the edge
Of the living room rug? Train vines
over the stair rails? Ask your friends
in, saying, You must see my lilacs-
the library is simply bower?" But
the iris in the dining room now-the
way iris spreads-how are you going
to work the vacuum cleaner? And what
will happen to the good, old-fashioned
race of cut worms and slugs when all
the plants move indoors? What will
happen to the outdoors anyhow?
Maybe the world itself should be in
closed. These clever scientists!