The Washington times., 1924-05-06
NEED
US. AID, SAYS
PEERLESS
U. s. Should Send More Books
and Fewer 5ayonets, Says
Lady Dorothy Mills.
By LUTHER A. HUSTON,
International News Service.

1neesn0aOnaI News Service.
LONDON. May 6.--America should
send fewer bayonets and more books.
fewer soldiers and more salesmen
to Haiti. according to Lady Dorothy
Mills. one Of England's foremost
women travellers and explorers, who
has Just returned from a six.months'
stay In the Haitian Republic.
Haiti IL a country of wonderful
fertility" Lady Dorothy said. 1T
can grow coffee. bananas-anything
that can be grown in a climate
OF that sort. But It grows hardly
enough TO feed it's own population.
Except for a few of the more for
tunate class the people are poor
ana there is nothing that resembles
national industry as 1t is known
In other countries.
Perhaps this lack of prosperity
Is the faut of the Haitians them
serves. 1t IL true they are not a
practical people and are inclined
TO Dc incident. But they are intelli-
gent, quick to learn and fairly in.
dustrious when properly supervised,
II seems to me the United States is
overlooking great opportunity in
not attempting to educate the
Hatians and make them industrial
ly active an prosperous.
Generally speaking, found this
to be the view of the Haitians
themselves. They told me they
would like to have more American
schools and libraries and would
welcome American enterprise in
helping them to exploit the re-
sources Of their country.
Too Much Military.
"As things are now American ac-
uVities in Haiti are contend chief.
~ to the military occupation of the
marines. 1t Is true that under the
army officers and engineers a great
dea! has been done in the way OF
road building and sanitation. But
nothing at ali has been done to aid
the industrial development of the
Republic.
Just to illustrate the extent to
which the American military occu-
patton has failed to influence the
life or customs Of the Haitians,
would point out that very few
Haitians speak English, although
American soldiers have virtually
ruled the island for years. The Off
cial language of the country is
French: its newspapers are printed
in French, yet the French have had
no official standing in the country
for long. long time. Even the
clothes OF the Haitian women are
French, and no woman counts for
anything in society unless she gets
her gowns from Paris.
1T cannot be said that the Ameri-
can marines in Haiti are popular.
As matter of face, the bulk of the
natives detest them and tolerate
them only through fear. Many
Haitians, influential ones, too, feel
that the military force kept there
by the United States is larger than
IL demanded by the exigencies OF
the situation. They think that
Uncle Sam is not so much DESTROYS
Of maintaining peace In Haiti as he
Is of maintaining a military foot
hold in the island that might be
strategically valuable in the case
of trouble with japan or any other
country.
From a financial standpoint it
would seem to me that it would
industrial development OF Haiti. The
Haitian government owes the United
States q huge sum which 1t would
be able to repay IL the country
were industrially prosperous, but
which it will not be able to pay
In century under present condi-
tions."
Haitians Idealists.
The Haitians, according to Lady
Dorthy, are idealists and dreamers.
They write beautiful poetry and
produce sculpture that has real
artistic merit. Their music is the
most infectious in the world.
II went to one Of the native cere-
monies one night" Lady Dorothy
said. "and It was all / could do to
keep from jumping up and dancing
with the natives, who were leaping
around in their bare feet on beds
Of glowing embers. AS q matter
OF fact the man who accompanied
me, q Frenchman who had spent
years In the island, forgot himself
and the first knew he was dane.
ing about az joyously as any of
the natives. The difference was
that he had shoes on and the
embers were not scorching his
feet as they were those of the
The barbarous ceremonies that
once were practiced in Haiti have
largely disappeared, Lady Dorothy
Said. Voodooism has been stamped
out, largely by the American
marines.