eriod, but it is forgotten now. What attention
Kidd's "Social Evolution" attracted a generation or more ago! But it
is now quite neglected. It was not sound. When he died a few years ago
there was barely an allusion to it in the public press. The same fate
befell that talented man, Buckle, with his "Civilization in England."
Delia Bacon held the ear of the public for a time with the
Bacon-Shakespeare theory. Pulpit men like Joseph Cook and Adirondack
Murray blazed out, and then were gone. Half a century ago or more an
Englishman by the name of M. F. Tupper published a book called
"Proverbial Philosophy" which had a brief season of popularity, and
then went out like a rush-light, or a blaze of tissue paper. Novels
like Miss Sprague's "Earnest Trifler," Du Maurier's "Trilby," and
Wallace's "Ben Hur" have had their little day, and been forgotten. In
the art world the Cubists' crazy work drew the attention of the public
long enough for it to be seen how spurious and absurd it was.
Brownell's war poems turned out to be little more than brief
fireworks. Joaquin Miller, where is he? Fifty years ago Gail Hamilton
was much in the public eye, and Grace Greenwood, and Fanny Fern; and
in Bohemian circles, there were Agnes Franz and Ada Clare, but they
are all quite forgotten now.

The meteoric men would not appreciate President Wilson's wise saying
that he would rather fail in a cause that in time is bound to succeed
than to succeed in a cause that in time is bound to fail. Such men
cannot wait for success. Meteoric men in politics, like Elaine and
Conkling, were brilliant men, but were politicians merely. What
fruitful or constructive ideas did they leave us? Could they forget
party in the good of the whole country? Are not the opponents of the
League of Nations of our own day in the same case--without, however,
shining with the same degree of brilliancy? To some of our
Presidents--Polk, Pierce, Buchanan--we owe little or nothing.
Roosevelt's career, though meteoric in its sudden brilliancy, will
shine with a steady light down the ages. He left lasting results. He
raised permanently the standard of morality in politics and business
in this country by the gospel of the square deal. Woodrow Wilson,
after the mists and clouds are all dispelled, will shine serenely on.
He is one of the few men of the ages.

THE DAILY PAPERS

Probably the worst feature of our civilization is the daily paper. It
scatters crime, bad manners, and a pe