The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1922-11-23
signed. 1t solved an awkward and
embarrassing situation and relieved
the senate of delicate duty.
PICTURESQUE MUssoLINI

What sort of a personality and
what sort of past has. this suddenly
famous Mussolini, premier of italy
and Fascist leader?
1t was in village of the pro-
vince of Forli that he was born nine
and thirty years ago, of lowly par
entage. His father, a blacksmith,
forsook anvail and forge to preach So
cialism. The son was keenly inter
ested, even as lad, in the political
figures and conflicts of the little
stage about him, but he was not
thereby diverted from another strong
bent-his intellectual curiosity. 1t
was probably to crafty a thirst for
knowledge that he entered the munic-
ipal school for teachers, won Va di
ploma, ind turned pedagogue. In this
profession his career was brief. One
day he disappeared and not until
months later did hi sfriends at home
hear that he was wandering over Eu-
rope, says the Atlanta Journal.
Odd jobs odd meals, odd beds were
his lot. In Switzerland, as the story
goes ,he was at divers times a rail-
way porter, a weaver, laborer in
the fields; yet every hour that could
be snatched from bread-winning he
spent at the libraries, and later he
attended university lectures. But"
writes his biographer, Guy Mouner
eau, "Mussolini was too exuberant to
be prudent; he always wanted to pro-
claim his ideas, and, worse still, to
put them into action No wonder
that he was expelled from Switzer-
and, which is free enough to be con
Sentative.
In those days none but seventh
Son of prophet would have ven
tured to predict that this revolution
airy socialist would turn out an ardent
nationalist, a defender of tradition
against radicalism. The conversion
seems to have come in clap. In
1912 he was in an Italian prison,
Serving sentence for "subversive
ropaganda," and employing his
leisure to write life of John Huss.
In the spring and summer of 1914
he was stiH flaming revolutionist.
But a twelvenlonth later he was
marching away to war as a volun-
teer, to suffer hardships and griev-
Gus wounds for his country, to win
promotion from the ranks to a place
of command, and to return as an i'm
placable foe of Bolshevism, a fam
ing conservative. He founded at Mi
Ian the "Popolo DItalia" as a news
paper medium for his new ideals;
and it was not long ere he stood in
the forefront of the nations journal.
ism.
His leadership of the Fascist turn
ed at length to direct action against
the existing government, or, as
Americans would say, against the adj
ministration. "A government that
shall govern was his slogan; and
now that he is premier, he is thus far
keeping faith. His soldiers, as the
correspondents write, march before
the Quirinal and cheer for the king
while Muss 9lini grapples with the
problems 6 finance and of social re-
construc on which must be solved if
his government is to keep on govern
ing.
Will his ardor prove equal to those
coldy realistic tasks? Only the
future can tell. The man of surprises
may yet win where he appears pre-
destined by temperament to failure.
In the biography to which we have
alluded, this picture, among many
others, is highly interesting for the
personality it portrays: Gone of
I Mussolini's friends who is with me
while am writing these lines, told
me that the moment when the strug-
gle against the old government was
at it's crisis a deputy telephoned him
from Rome to the office Of the "Popo
DItalia" at Milan. Mussolini re-
NAMED altogether calm. He was told
that the state of siege was removed
(Which meant that he had won.) He
listened without twinging muscle of
his face. 1t was late. Not having
tasted food that day, he took fru-
gal meal. Then turning to his lieu
tenants he asked for his VIOLIN And
! while the Fascist troops kept guard
at the door to beat back any onset
of BoIshevists or other foes, Musso-
lini played in rapt forgetfulness OF
the world.
The posture is not without its I'M
happy historic parallel; but evident
ly there is a better heart as well as q
stronger hand behind this patriot ,fd-
dler than ever the son Of AgrippIna
knew. Rome, moreover, is not burn
ing; but is in a cooler and more pols-
Z