Evening star., 1940-01-09

Once upon time there was a
school teacher. who. after de-
scribing Heaven in alluring and
golden terms, asked her class of
small boys how many of them
wanted to go to Heaven. With
eyes that sparkled at the
thought every small boy in the
class held up his hand-except
one. Teacher said, Charlie,
Charlie McNary, you don't
want to go to Heaven? Why
not?" "Teacher-sure I want to
60 to Heaven. but" he said,
pointing to the rest of the boys
in the room-"not with that
bunch"
A week ago three distinguished
leaders of the opposition were
invited to this great banquet
a $40 dinner with all the fixin's
free-no cover charge-no $l00
check-no tips-"nothin' to sign
and nothin' to jine"-and a ring
side seat at non-political plate
side chat. Believe t-or- not
they sent polite regrets. Why?
There are lot of riddles in
the National Capital. I, myself,
am supposed to be a self-made
riddle-ln fact cross between
q riddle and a Santa Claus. Most
of the riddles in this town, how
ever, are the ones posed for you
in some solemn column. Like
crossword puzzles and hypo-
thetical bridge hands. they come
to YOU morning or evening as a
synthetic daily amusement fea-
ture. like fairy tales or bedtime
stories calculated to keep un-
suspecting children awake all
night. But occasionally we get
real riddle like this one about
the three empty chairs.
Why didn't Our guests come?
I guess the real reason is that,
like the small boy, they did not
want to go to Heaven with this
bunch.
Maybe They Figured
A Reason for Closed Season.
But maybe there were other
reasons Maybe it was because
they figured that we Just wanted
to fatten up the ducks, and that
we we're putting on a closed
season in January merely TO get
better sport next fall.
Maybe they were holding out
for an d-fashioned Jackson
dinner. Some one called my at
tention the other day to
magazine article setting forth a
report of a dinner in February,
1884. in Andrew Jacksons White
House, as made by guest at
the dinner. I quote:
The first course was soup
in the French style; then beef
bouille, next wild turkey
boned and dressed with
brains; after that fish; then
chicken cold and dressed
white. interladed with slices
of tongue and garnished with
dressed sailed; then canvass
back ducks and celery; after
wards partridges with sweet
breads and last pheasants
and old Virginia ham. The
dishes were placed in success
sion on the table, so as to give
full effect to the appearance,
then removed and carved on a
side table by the servants.
The first dessert was ieuey
and small tarts in the Turk
ish style, then blanche mode
and kisses with dryed fruits
in them. Then preserves of
various kinds, after them ice
cream and lastly grapes and
oranges"
Such a dinner today would
cost the full 500 we have each
and all of US paid; there would
have been nothing left for Jim
Farley; and the Democratic Com
,mittee would have had to borrow
money to provide bicarbonate of
soda for all.
had hoped our invited guests
would come because I had in
tended to tell them not only
about Andrew Jackson but about
Abraham Lincoln as we'll: to tell
them how much alike all our
great leaders have been-even to
give them free-though unsoli-
clted-advice on how to reconsti-
tute the Republican party sue
cessfully along the lines on which
Abraham Lincoln created it. AS
the leader of the Democratic
party I felt no reluctance to give
them good advice for I was sure
that they would not use it-they
of little faith.
Government Before Politics
Is Greed of Great Men.
Seriously, the more 1 have
studied American history and
the more clearly have seen what
the problems are. I do believe
that the common denominator of
our great men in public life has
not been mere allegiance ITO one
political party, but the disin-
terested devotion with which they
have tried to serve the whole
country, and the relative unim-
portance they have ascribed to
politics. compared with the para
mount importance of government.
BY their motives may We know
them
The relative Importance of
politics and government is some
thing not always easy to see when
you are in the frontline trenches
of political organization.
I'm period of 30 years, during
which I have been more or less
in public life-in my home
county, in Albany. in Washing
ton, in Europe during the World
War, IN New York City, in
national conventions. back in
Albany and finally again in
Washington have come to the
conclusion that the closer people
are to what NAV be called the