Show I Opinions 1 Comment of the American Press Ideals Worth Fighting For Dr Harold W. W Dodds president of Princeton university in his baccalaureate laureate sermon cited as two of our most perplexing problems the abuse of leisure time and the routine character of the average mans man's occupation which deprives him of personal joy in his work Here is one explanation he said why fascism and communism communism communism despite the patent evils in their philosophies have given to their followers a new meaning to existence which transcends the humdrum tasks they are required ired to perform in these tasks their work is related however mistakenly mistakenly mistakenly mis mis- to a larger end outside themselves worth believing in and fighting for Why cant can't the same be true in a democracy Isn't it possible to imbue every worker every citizen citizen citizen citi citi- citi- citi zen with th the certainty that the preservation of democratic government government gov gov- is worth fighting for Not enough emphasis has been put on the relationship of the average individual to the democracy democracy democracy racy of which he is a part He has friends and neighbors and their contemporaries across the land are are in actuality their own gov gov- Under fascism or com corn communism communism they would be bo subjects The intensifying of ideals in the minds of all the people people peo peo- pie is one of the most important accomplishments facing this coun coun- try Philadelphia Philadelphia Inquirer Colonies Coones of Crime The proposal of Sanford Bates former director of federal prisons for a colony or colonies where felons may take their families in exile live and something approaching approaching approaching ap ap- ap- ap normal existence has humanitarian appe appeal l so 80 far as the criminals are concerned and possible possible possible pos pos- sible benefits to the society to which prisoners now are returned after serving their terms There is however a question of public welfare involved in the matter of the families that would be taken into exile The exiles who settled Siberia under the czars were of offenders who under our standards would not be considered considered considered con con- criminals Their j. j ence on the rising generation did did not make for thievery murder and crime as we regard it An American penal colony might ameliorate the abnormal factors of prison life for the criminals criminals crim crim- criminals but what of the children children- children children- San Francisco Chronicle The Legion An attack upon the American Legion Legion Legion Le Le- Le- Le gion which describes that organization organization organization as fascist and unpatriotic as similar in stripe to the black legion and as a reactionary reaction ary group used as a tool by the privileged classes classes- carries its own rebuttal in the very extravaganCe extravagance extravagance ex ex- ex- ex of its language and of its allegations No good purpose purpose purpose pur pur- pose is accomplished through the publication of such an attack b ban byan by an agency of teachers' teachers college of Columbia university With some of the policies for which the American Legion has stood this newspaper has disagreed disagreed disagreed dis dis- dis- dis agreed emphatically It was opposed op posed to prepayment of the soldiers soldiers' soldiers soldiers soldiers' sol sol sol- diers' diers bonus It believes that an even stronger argument can be made against any step that leads in the direction of a general service service service ser ser- ser ser- vice pension plan It has not approved approved approved ap ap- ap- ap proved in all cases the action taken by local units of the le legion It- It gion in such matters as industrial industrial industrial indus indus- trial disputes or controversies over the safeguarding of civil liberties But disagreement on such points as these need not and does not dim admiration for other purposes with which the legion has been associated Its deep and continuing interest in those veterans veterans veterans vet vet- erans who were actually disabled in the service of their thir country provides an assurance that these men will not be forgotten or neg neg- Its unflagging efforts to cultivate interest in and reverence for American institutions and traditions traditions traditions tra tra- tra- tra have made it a stabilizing force of unquestioned sincerity and patriotism New New Y YC rk rk Times Some of the Things Modern Mayor Does An American public school boy recently wrote to Mayor ault of Montreal rather abruptly inquiring What does a mayor do for a living The mayor re replied replied replied re- re plied that aside from his official duties h he had found himself obliged to act as a critic of English English En En- glish gUsh an adviser to the lovelorn an information bureau an arbiter of social usage a master of ceremonies ceremonies ceremonies cere cere- monies and an employment agent His leisure hours were spent in answering letters A A. similar question addressed to Mayor LaGuardia would have found him even bus busier i e r. r New Yorks York's mayor not only throws out the first baseball of the local season season season sea sea- son but throws out Tammany a ap at almost any season He organizes new parties and de denounces denounces de- de flounces old ones He shuttles between Albany New York and Washington As Rising Cloud he is adopted into Indian tribes of the far west He speaks seven languages but he has to have a deputy mayor to criticise English for him He is a trenchant critic of art and modernist sculpture He is a music commentator and can conduct an orchestra So far farne he ne' has not succeeded in extracting extracting extract extract- extractIng ing much harmony from the city council But that is because some of its members insist on performing performing perform perform- ing as wind instrument New New NewYork York Times |