Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-14
BY HIRAM X. MODERWELL,
Of The star and the CHICAGO
Daily News.

BY HIRAM Is. MODERNtSlaL,
cpre'pondepos 3 Bss ne S s:ss end the oniea's
ROME, italy, June 4.--Demagoeue,
opportunist, adventurer, tyrant, pa>
triot, genius, rescuer of civilization,
founder of new historical era
these are few of the epithets with
which people have attempted to oe.
scribe the most dramatic figure In the
world today-Benito Mussolini. And
although Mussolini has frequently dc,
scribed himself with great frankness
and accuracy. people are still puzzling
to determine what manner OF man ne
really Is.
The perplexity is caused by the fact
that he Is not any one of these things,
but q bit Of all put together, plus more
besides. No single eplthet viii de-
scribe him. But rarely have SO many
diverse talents been so harmoniously
proportional in the service Of q dis.
tinct individuality.
The demagogue Is in him. He IL
an incompatible coiner OF phrases.
With a few words he can make a
crowd of thousands drunk, as though
they had been imbibing quarts Of
heady Piedmont wine.
Keeps Self in Hand.
eff / am killed, avenge me. II I
60 forward. follow me. II go back,
kill met he exclaimed few hours
after the attempted assassination last
Spring. But the demagogue in him
is at the service Of the statesman. His
most violent utterances are accurate.
ly calculated for the audience and the
occasion "a one element In achieving
q predetermined end. Mussolini- Is
willing to fool anybody, except him
self. l
A man who has changed his views
and policies As dEken and az radically
as Mussolinisss uAquestionably an OPP
portunist. But an opportunist In the
sense Of q man who seeks to use his
opportunities, not to be used by them.
He continually hunts for the oppor.
tunity which viii lead to achievement:
he is constantly searching, as q good
follower of William James, for the
truth that will work.
10 Mussoiini all life and all history
are adventures. Neither the individ.
ual nor the nation ean escape adyen.
ture, except by choosing a cowardly
course. AS g. politician he realizes
the risk of every action: but there is
always an element of the linforesee-
able in every action, and at that point
q man must dare.
Lived ia. Midst Of PeriIs.
Margherita Sarfatti, one OF his re-
cent blographers and for many years
q collaboration of Mussolini, tells OF
life in the editorial ONCE Of the POpoIo
d'Italia during the height Of the so
ciRlist disturbances. The editors lived
in continual expectation of an attack,
and kept good supply OF fuse bombs,
lying about the Office in anticipation.
One afternoon Mussolini was smoking
a Cigarette rare thing for him.
Carelessly he laid 1t on the table. Sud.
denly q howl went UP from the others.
The cigarette lay within a finKer's
breadth OF a fuse. Mussolini grinned
and put the cigarette back in his
One day mob was bowling about
the ONCE. Mussolini calmly continued
writing. A friend asked him what
preparation he had made to resist ne
attack. He pointed to two loaded re-
volvers on his desk. III fire those
at Them" he replied, sthere aren't
two in the mob who won't run away"
He is convinced that q. decisive act,
q threatening word at the right mo-
Iflent will solve most Of the problems
Of politics. thousand average men
will cringe before the will OF one
strong man let his blum, like his
demagogys II nicefy calculated 70 the
achievement OF predetermined aims.
When he stood before the chamber
and said: IT take full moral, politi-
cal and historical responsibility for
the murder OF Matteotti: impeach me
If you dare" he was certainly bluff-
Ing. The. forces were Toto against
him. But nobody budged to the at
tack.
Dictates to Masses.
A witty Frenchman recently said:
"Mussolini Is the ideal dictator. He
loves his country and despises his
countrymen" "Despises" is strong.
word. But certainly he believes that
the masses must be told what they