Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-03-07


sayiiy those of The Detroit
Timss.)
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
A NY wise editor will tell you.
probably, on the basis OF
painful experience, that irony
and dead-pan sarcasm are dan
gerous weapons. because persons
of literal mind cannot detect
subtlety.
In our business we learn this
the hard way, as. in my case.
the time / wrote that marriage
was a casual relationship in
this country and the marriage
compact a frivolous agreement
by comparison with the mort
gage or the lease, because IL
was revokable almost at the
will of either party and was
repudiated in and by the courts
in one case out of every six.
Several religious publications
construed this as an endorse
ment Of a condition which it
was intended to deplore.
An important case in point
occurred recently in New York.
where Harold L. Ickes was
hailed before a large company
and, in a spirit which surely
must have been one of mockery.
presented him with a citation
for tolerance.
OF COURSE, Mr.. Ickes him
" self strove to dispel any
public impression that that cita-
ton could have been sincerely
meant when, in response, he
denounced Maj. AL Williams and
Col. Charles Lindbergh as
Quislings, who would "cravenly
spike our guns and ground our
planes in order that Hitlerism
might more easily overcome
US"
By that time il must have
been apparent to all present
that the citation could have had
no other purpose than to reveal
the violent intolerance with
which Mr.. Ickes commonly re-
acts to any opinion conflicting
with his own.
But cold print, lacking tone of
voice and the play of facial ex-
preston, could not convey TO
the greater number who were
not there any other impression
than that the hosts of the eve
ming actually did honor Mr..
lckes as an uncommonly toler-
ant man.
/ need not point out that IL,
In future, the same organization
should wish TO honor some genu-
inely tolerant citizen, in all seri-
BUSINESS those who missed the.
point of the joke in the Ickes
case might easily conclude that
the recipient must be another
furious bigot whom it was in
tended TO pillory for intemper-
ance of thought and speech.
I MIGHT cite cases In which
L persons, having established a
certain character in writing,
were sadly misunderstood when
they pitched their change of
pace.
One was an effort of mine in
which. on sudden fancy, I
eulogized Knute Rockne-an ex-
perience so startling to him that
he notified our sports editor.
Arch Ward. a Notre Dame alum
nus, that the rewards of public
life were not worth the pain of
such cunning slurs, and that he
was forthwith reSigning his Job
as coach of the Irish.
Mr. Ward then analysed the
tribute and persuaded him to
reconsider, but could not con-
vince him that vinegar cruet
ever gave syrup. Nor could I.
Similarly, the late Bill Nc
Geehan of the Herald Tribune,
after years Of impish lampoon-
ing of the grotesque dignity OF
William Muldoon as the Duke of
MHldeeH.- on one of Muldeen,s
last birthdays praised him Law
ishly as a wise and noble citi-
zen. only to evoke from the
duke a protest to the editor
against such vicious sarcasm.
Mr.. Muldoon said he didn't
mind open criticism but would
not submit to dirty innuendo
from any man.
Distributed by United Feature synd.. Inc.