Evening star., 1924-05-04

specific: we have been examining past
phases In the quick-moving drama
OF postwar German life. There are
those who ask, Why did you not es-
tablish the rentenmark sooner? Why
did you not earlier take a firm stand
against the slump of your money?
possible.
why was IT impossible? 1t was
impossible because the total of our
irescapable expenditures was far
Capacity. We could get nowhere near
balancing of our budget, and the
balanced budget, needless to say is
the sine qua non of national solvency
.and of the corollary of national sol
vency-stable currency. Our problem
so far as reparations were concerned
and reparations were only one of
Our diff1culties-was Incidentally ag-
Gravated by the fact that we could
not ascertain what was demanded of
us. We were required to shovel
against heap of sand, the sand al
ways running down upon us. and no
light reaching us as 10 when the
that almost no conceivable leadership
can--if 1t ought-induce nation to
perform.
Lesson OF Frances Difficulties.
France. in recent weeks. has been
experiencing some of the trials that
come to an incombered nation In con-
nection with it's currency. There has
been a struggle to save the franc. IL
the frame has been hard pressed IL IL
has fallen, if extraordinary measures
have been Imperative to arrest Its
fall, who can wonder that the mark
lost its value? France had the pow
erful financial support of America and
a ~ hna
countries have not required her to
pay even interest on her debt. Fur
thermore, France retained all her ex-
tensive colonies-even increased her
colonial domain-and maintained full
economic liberty.
France has been collecting from
Germany since the war. Germany
herself financed her entire war out
lay-borrowed nothing from abroad
and shouldered military occupation
expenses and reparation deliveries
after the war. France, of course. had
her vast burden of reconstruction In
her devastated territories; but, when
all is said, Germany's financial bur
dens were Immensely heavier As
France did not deliberately sink the
franc, so Germany did not deliber-
ately sink the mark.
Return to stable currency in Ger
many was out of the question while
we were floundering in a financial re-
gion of bottomless quicksand.
stability OF the Rentenmark.
THE rentenmark. so far "A success
full experiment, based on the expert
ence gained through similar previous
attempts made in other countries dur
ing the last century and avoiding the
errors committed on such former
occasions. rests upon just one thing
German solvency. German solvency
may have come TO stay, and 1t may
not. If it goes. as it went before, il
mark will go. as the mark went. Our
temporary monetary stability Is the
result of heroic financial efforts made
possible by suspending reparation
payments and reducing internal ex-
penditures to the iron minimum
Impossible repara ton demands
which. happily. we hope the combined
foreign experience and judgment
focused upon the problem will avert
would crush the foundations OF the
Germany, but Europe. in continuing
disaster. We require a moratorium,
or credits. or both, and we require the
prudent consideration of those in
whose power it lies to prevent us
from helping either ourselves or
them"
Tendencies of Young.
What are the moral habits and
tendencies of the young?"
Enforced simplification of life has
benefited our boys and girls. It.has
made them less affected, more serious.
keener on healthful pleasures. Our
young OF the better classes are more
democratic. Snobbishness Is dimin-
ished. We see fewer monocleS pat
ent leather shoes and other signs of
dandyism. Girls dresses are simpler
Our young folk walk more and mo-
tor less. Life's responsibilities have
a larger place in their thoughts.
Similar remarks apply to the work
ing classes; there is a more natural
mode of life all around. But it is
true that pastors, social workers and
teachers complain of other postwar
Developments: order and discipline
among the rising generation have
been loosened; respect for authority
shattered by the tide of the revolu-
ton and its after-effects; thrift and