Evening star., 1938-05-08
LAMENTS OVER WAR
Magazines Cry Out Against the State of the
World, Disregarding the Fact That 1t
Has Been Worse Off Before.
Bv NC. r.


L which we live and the tidings
that this world is now at war. Only |
Asia and Europe and the news that !
they have taken the step. Only |
expressions of alarm as to where our |
own country may he heading, with |
this or that foreign policy or this or
that kind of economics. That is all for
the week, and so, if you are an ex-
perienced magazine reader, you will
say that the past seven days have not
been different from those which have
gone before.
The reviewer read all these parlous
accounts in surroundings conducive to
detachment She read them sitting in
her padded chair, under her shaded
lamp. A pleasant silence surrounded
her the while; the quiet was broken
only by the faint music of neigh
bor's radio (they were getting SYM
phony and it sounded pretty fine) and
the more homely rumor of her own
refrigerator, for her work room is not
far distant from her kitchen. If she
wanted drink of cold water you COM
prehend. she had only to take few
steps and there were the ice cubes, de-
lightful in their neatness and guaran-
teed quite pure for, though the town
is village, it has a splendid water
supply. In any of its houses, one
only turns the taps and there are the
silver streams of comfort, cold on the
right hand, hot on the left. And, if
she wanted irradiated fruit juices, to
add healthful vitamins to the guaran-
teedly pure water, why there were
bottles and cans of it on her shelves,
bought cheaply at the grocery three
blocks away, ordered by telephone at
9 and delivered at the door by 10, and
likewise guaranteed absolutely pure.
Once in a while, as she read. her
windows were frightened from with
out, car would be turning into the
street; the neighbors were coming
home. family by family, and, of course.
they all came in their motors. Simple
people they are, with small jobs or
ing chauffeurs.
RUT, just as a matter of course, all
of them do own automobiles,
such cheap ones as are made in Amer
ica for simple people with small jobs
or little businesses no chauffeurs and
families of youngsters who like to drive
down to the movies. Meanwhile, the
reviewer read, Spain, Austria and
Manchuria are busily going to war =.
The reviewers dog lay snoozing on
hno oyfh In hnc
proprietary instincts; he believes in
keeping watchful eye on property
So. once in while, even as he slept,
he would cock an ear or half-lift
lid But that was pure swank, done
to impress his mistress. He knew
very we'll that there were no burglars
abroad in that town. How could
there be burglars? Why. himself, he
cannot even raise good crop of
f1eas. He scratches occasionally. but
it is discouraged kind of scratching,
without Zest. done obviously Just for
the sake of form. What world. he
seemed to say in his safe slumber;
what world indeed, good mistress!
Why do you read those papers, the
rattling of which keeps a sensible
dog awake? Why do you not also
take to sleep. now that you have
given me my supper scientifically
balanced ration, also delivered from
the grocery in can and-oh-guar
anteed absolutely pure) and the neigh
borS are bringing the kids home from
the 25-cent movie which every one
can afford and there are no fleas
or malefactors stirring? Well. doggie,
Asia, Europe and America tomorrow
may be going to war
For Ken says so; Ken, the new
fortnightly, now on the stands and
bristling with photographs of mur-
dered Spanish babies. of fat and
scrawny dictators Trotzky, Stain.
Brauchitsch, surge to the east, will
to power, underprivilege, and Japan
selling opium to coolies And Ken
should know! Aye, doggie, better than
ourselves. who have no information
beyond our noses and our comfort
For Ken has watchers on two hemis-
pheres. And Ken tells us that the
world is full of feas.
WE LIVE in a fools paradise, We
with our ice cubes and our
padded chair and our balanced ration
full of irradiated vitamins. Read our
pages, say Ken's editors. jeremiah
like in their air-cooled skyscraper in
Chicago, read our pages. oh genera
ton Of the doomed, and weep. But
never mind repenting. 1t would not
do you any good if you did
| So that is how things are. poor
ignorant dog. beyond the range of
our well-trained. but evidently too
infrequently employed noses. All, but
like twitch when I do have feas. I
know what to do about them. Good
dog You know. But the poor human
world-it plainly doesn't.
| Look at it this way: You are one
dog, and if, worse luck, you raise
crop of fleas you are still a dog, and
they are still fleas. But suppose there
were two or three or half dozen
| f1eas managing a whole world of dogs?
Two or three or half a dozen fleas
raising crops of dogs to put to their
! own peculiar purposes, fleas grown
great beyond imagining. fleas greater
even than the sour hammered Dane
down the road toward whom you have
so wisely adopted non-recognition?
What then? What would the smart,
the loyal and good dogs of the world
do about that? For people can think
of nothing-nothing that is. beyond
publishing their fears, together with
pictures of those fleas. dictators. look
ing out of windows while well-trained
dogs march past. Think of that. little
red setter, with your nose between your
patient paws, while the pages rattle
and electricity keeps things cold and
warm. And then give these masters
Of electricity, these controllers of light
and locks, of vitamins and motors, of
germs and food, of burglars and dog
fleas, some word of fortnight wis
dom. For, by Ken, ourselves we can
not save