Show I L Prevailing Opinions I Comment of the American Press A Supreme Court of Taste At the moment when France Franceis is celebrating the anniversary anniversary anniversary sary of her renowned academy it is not surprising that the question question question ques ques- tion should have been raised whether Britain and America would not do well to establish in institutions institutions institutions in- in for themselves which like the academy would elect into membership the 40 most eminent eminent emi emi- nent rient contemporary writers and act as arbiters of taste and judgment judgment judg judg- ment meat in matters of language and literature The idea of a national academy in England or the United States Slates is not of course new A proposal proposal proposal pro pro- for one in London was seriously seriously seriously seri seri- considered in 1616 when Ben Jonson the dramatist friend of Shakespeare and Michael Drayton the poet were suggested suggest suggest- ed edits as two of the original members But the plan came to nothing In Inthe Inthe Inthe the eighteenth century academies were set up in Boston and Philadelphia Phila Phila- delphia There also have been academies academics in other European countries but famous as some of them became none has achieved anything like Jike the celebrity celebrity celebrity celeb celeb- rity of at the great French academy whose whoso tercentenary is now being celebrated Opponents academy are arc fond lond of insisting that many fa famous fit ta- writers Including Rousseau Balzac and Moliere never succeeded succeeded suc sue in gaining election to it deducing that it is a conservative and slow-moving slow body But as Matthew Arnold long JonI ago ngo recognized its services in keeping keepin the French language pure and logical largely through Its great dictionary and in setting up a standard of ot taste and good breeding have had hadan an excellent effect upon the general body of French literature preserving it from extravagance and vulgarity V Whether Ii h e t the h e r the individualistic Saxon Anglo-Saxon temperament which has always preferred genius to correctness is well suited to such an academy's influence is still another another another an an- other matter Christian Christian Science Monitor Can the States Agree 1 As mere laymen we have had hada a hard time trying to understand why these United States cannot act as a nation to solve a common problem arising from wage cutting cutting cutting cut cut- ting competition We Ve know from a long and sad experience that individual states states' are powerless to protect labor Jabor standards within their own borders borders borders bor bor- ders so long as the goods they produce must be sold in the same market with cheap labor goods produced in other states But eminent constitutional lawyers lawyers law Jaw say ay that the same end can bo be accomplished through mutually compacts between the states They say that such an agreement will wiIl become legally legal legal- ly Jy binding when ratified by the legislatures of at the consulting states and will actually function function function tion if supported by a federal Ja law forbidding the shipment of cheaper cheap cheap- er labor goods across the borders a of compact states All this seems to us a cumber- cumber sone and roundabout method of ot trying to do what the N R A aimed at directly Good lawyers say the plan is constitutional They point to the precedents established by the sanctioned court-sanctioned federal auto theft law Jaw forbidding the movement movement movement move move- ment of stolen cars across state lines for purposes of sale and to the Kenyon Webb act and the Reed amendment by which the federal government helped dry states cope with In Interstate interstate in- in shipments of liquor We Ve confess we do not know whether these lawyers are right But so long as we have to live Jive under a government of lawyers' lawyers rules we have to use lawyers' lawyers tools And we believe the plan is at least worth trying trying trying-so so great is the need of some plan to end industrial anarchy San San San Francisco Francis Francis- co News The Nazis Teach a Master Art and simply do not go hand in hand Richard Strauss famous composer composer com corn poser of oC valier Salome Salame Sa lame lome Don Juan Till Eulen- Eulen spi spigel el etc is the latest victim of nazi displeasure because he Insisted in insisted insisted in- in upon using a libretto by Stefan who is Jewish for his new opera The Silent Wo Wo- man Strauss' Strauss works are reported report report- ed cd due for the nazi ban Asked why he employed a JewIsh JewIsh Jewish Jew Jew- ish librettist Strauss replied It isn't easy to find librettists Writing opera texts is a a. special art Considering the fact that Herr Strauss heretofore has made frantic frantic fran fran- ran ran- tic efforts to get along with the nazis he was always something of at a politician in such matters the tho incident merely shows the idiocy which holds sway in the reich today When the complaisant ant Strauss cant can't get Iet along with the Jew haters one can only shudder shudder shudder der for Cor the fate tate of at other German musicians musicians Philadelphia Record |