Evening star., 1926-05-16

to believe; even with Germany, al
though there is present fury over the
Tyrol question. But all the alliances
Italy would make must be against
some one and for the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
of Italy.
This trip of Mussolini. which fol-
lowed the attempt upon his life, rep
resents the deliberate purpose to hre
the imagination of the nation with
the conception of its strength and It's
destiny. Italy must be mistress OF
the Mediterranean. Her fleet, mobll-
lied to accompany Mussolini. Is the
symbol of this greatness which Is 10
come. But Tripoli is only a tnln
facade of verdure across the front OF
the eternal and immutable desert.
Therefore 1t is not on Tripolf that
Italian hopes are to be fixed, but only
upon the larger fact that Italy must
20 out and on.
But where? Ask Italians and the
answers are astonishing. for while all
agree that expansion must come that
suffocation be avoided, one Will point
to Tunis. another to Anatolia. third
to Angola. But Tunis means war
with France, Anatolia means war
with Turkey, and Angola means the
taking from Portugal Of territory the
Portuguese possession Of which Is
guaranteed by Britain.
Feel as Germany Did.
Yet even dimly to appreciate the
force and meaning Of this Italian fact,
you must again recall the enormous
national passion which Is generating
and has generated this almost fan
tastic conception of a high national
destiny and this concomitant belief
that all other nations in Europe are
sinking into decay. Italy is in the
mood OF Germany when before the
last war the Germans believed them
selves CONSTRUCTED by the encirclinE
policy of Edward VII. Italy is in the
mood of the Germans who believed
that the rest of the world was de-
cadent, sinking, and that 1t was the
destiny of German kultur to save the
world, by force and violence at first.
but by German order afterward.
But between the relative calm OF
the German temperament and the
white heat and passion of the Italian
nationalism at the moment there can
be no comparison. There is a fever
in all this Italian state of mind which
quite defies description and ma kes
exaggeration impossible. You have
to see the masses of marching men
and boys. you have TO hear the speech
of men who might we'll be taken to
represent the cooler and less eX-
citable elements of society to get even
a vague notion of what is actually
the case.
And what is Mussolini going to do
with this national passion which he
and his associates have excited to this
unbelievable pitch? What Is he going
to do to satisfy this national craving
for the position and the power Of a
great nation?
Relation to League.
1t is essential to perceive that Italy
rejects with scorn the whole concep-
tion of the League of Nations. the
whole idea Of peace. guaranteed by
all and on the basis of the existing
world. Italy is instinctiVely and
utterly against any Institution or idea
which seeks to prevent expansion.
which seeks to maintain the status
quo in the world because this exist
ing status quo Is for Italy the SUI
preme and crowning injustice. If the
league continued and grew strong
enough to abolish not only war but
the transfer of territories, then Italy
would remain what she Is today, an
over-populated country, lacking all
raw materials. lacking all fields for
expansion, lacking colonies. a small
power, no power at all.
tense at disguise. with scorn upon the
discussion of disarmament. Italy i"
arning. she is creating a strong. 60.
herent, we'll organized army. In no
field is the Fascist machine buster
than i'll giving to Italy the army and
navy which are commensurate with
Italian aspirations. Mussolini on the
deck of the battleship Cavour ha
ranguing all Italy and setting forth
the imperial destinies which beckoned,
is a symbol of the whole thing. More
there are literally thousands and
thousands of the Black Shirt, the
Fascist organizations, drilling and
preparing. For what?
Heated State Of Mind.
The Atlantic which divides America
from Europe is not in reality so deep
g. ditch nor so wide moat as that
which separates Italy from all parts
of Europe about which 1 know any
thing. It is the difference between
Fourth of July and the average Sun
day in the city.
Europe from the Thames to the
Danube is Il dull, drab, weary, OPP
pressed continent, peoples are strug-
CLING with the memory of miseries
still recent and difficulties ever pres
ent. Strikes, work, taxes, bread. how
to feed and clothe. how to exist as
human animals, these are the ques-
tions which dominate and absorb. No
government or general in France,
Britain or Germany could be sure
that the soldiers would march If they
risked a war, no general would know
whether his men would shoot forward
or backward.
But Italy is a roaring furnace Of
nationalism, of eXacerbated patri-
otism, of eXasperated and exigent ma
tionalism. You cross the Alps Wheth-
er coming from France or Austria
and you pass suddenly into a new,
a different, an astounding and terrify-
ing world. You see, as l have said,
soldiers, flags, you hear martial music
and see masses of young people sing
ing what are manifestly for them
songs Of war, of conquest, of triumph
over that not quite clearly defined
enemy, triumph over the foreigner
who in some clear fashion had denied
Italy her birthright and stands in the
pathway of Italian destiny.
Europe Becoming Alarmed.
And all Europe has taken alarm at
italy. There can be no mistake about
this fact. For long it was the fash
ion to regard the Italian phenomenon
as of little foreign Importance, as
domestic affair which would actually
weaken, not strengthen Italy, which
would promote divisions within the
country and thus leave it with little
strength or energy to pursue for
eign adventure. But all this has
passed. Fascismo is recognized now
as an established fact, as a force
which has been generated and now
lies in the hands of able and deter
mined men-in reality of one great
man. to use as he may choose. 1t is
a force in the hands of men who,
having stopped at nothing to achieve
that national reorganization of Italy,