Evening star., 1926-09-08
OPTIMISM MARKS
LEAGUE ASSEMBLY
Present and Wartime Foes
Shake Hands and Gossip
in Friendly Way.
BY SIR PHILIP GIBBS.

B1 SIX PHILLIP GIBbS.
By Cable to The Star.
GENEVA, September s.-The open
ing of the seventh Assembly Of the
League OF Nations Monday was a
historic scene, which is one more
milestone on the long, weary road
which leads through jungles of ma
tional intolerance to universal peace
and justice.
The end of that journey is Tar OH
vet, however There will he other
wars before it is reached. Humanity
may never get so far in Intelligent
co-operation. But those delegates
of 48 nations assembled ir Geneva
afford some hope that civilization IS
beginning to realize its dangers anu
duties and that our world IS bringing
:; new spirit of arbitration and com
bination to bear upon it's controVer-
sizes and problems.
Outwardly all was commonplace
1t is impossible TO imagine anything
more lacking in drama and ceremony
Than the opening Monday of the
League of Nations Assembly, TINS
great parliament of nations upon
whose decisions human destiny oe
pends so largely. Perhaps Tor lnat
very reason II touched one laitIi
and appealed 10 ones common sense
"A
1he present Palace Of Nations TO ac-
commodate the assembly and all It's
observers. the inaugural meeting was
held in a big hall attached to the
Hotel Victoria. 1t has WOODEN "ails
and the galleries are plain ana un-
decorated like some third-rate concert
hall of an American Nam SHe
There were no uniformed guarus'
nolice or soldiers No heralds or tfum-
1h ON
president. Or. Benesh OF tZechoSlo
yakia when he took his place on a
high platform in front of canvas cur
tainS.
No Impressive Clothing
There We're no splendid uniforms
among the delegates from count
where gold lace. silken robes ana JeM
eled decorations are Ialillii"i III On
ceremonial assemblies.
The white turban of the MahafdJati
of kapurthala. representlhs tils
Indian Empire. was the only plt W
costume distinguishing this gatilei
ING from some meeting or 1>o.al
Ciibs in New York. The whlte
spats of an English secretary Wele
also Immediately notlceahle aillols ,s
all the somher black-coateu seh..e
men Sir Austen chamberlain. the
daring and unconventional IN Wear
inc a gray lounge suit. and he WAS
,na only one who looked cool amotG
the perspiring delegates in THIS pao-
TX ventilated nall, where one was I'M
mediately stunned by heat.
Yet in spite of its commonplace
appearance. one could not fail 10 ne
impressed by this eXtraofoiiialA
gathering if one had just one niue
eleam of inauguration. Here ~
one room were many of the keehesl
hrains now livins--men who are
leaders and builders in this postwar
world. Here were representatives Oh
now states carved out ut lntefrd-
tionaI chaos. I.atVla. l4lthuania'
Esthonia, taking their places amonS
the great powers. Here were lnlei-
lectual leaders of the old nations
whose civilization was estabhShea
before Europe had escaped from
primitive savaEerN-lhdia, NINA ana
Persia.
Only .imity Seen.
lust below me sat tive colored
gentlemen from the black Repubilc Oh
Liberia His 1iShneSS Prince Cha
room of Siam shook nandS poiltely
with Niscuunt Ishii OF Japan. Eight
wears ago many of these gentlemen
belonged 10 powers ranged against
each other IN the mOSt deadly war OF
history Today that memory had
passed or faded. In this assembly or
nations there were cordial greetings
warm handshakes, friendly gossiping
between men whose national interests
are still sharply divided. outside in
the corridors, they may intrigue
against each other, bringing secret
pressure to bear on national aims, but
ut least they meet in this assembly
without desiring to kill each other,
and pledged IL submit their griev-
ances openly, able to argue and agree
on controversies which in the old days
of not long ago would have been left
10 secret diplomacy and armed rivalry,
Progress is being made. despite all
our peSSmism. When all the dele
. gates. substitutes. legal advisers and
Government Observers had taken their
seats there We're about 1000 people in
that hall. including the battalionS of
press men and distinguished visitors
III these wooden galleries above. \
din of conversation rose with a tre-
nendous unroar. which was broadcast
over wireless waves. Presently Il bell
rang as though To announce dinner on
continental train. But il was not
until Dr. Benesh, acting as president
d,
DR.. Nintitsch. struck three blows with
hammer on his table. that there was
silence. In his curiously harsh voice
which gives Al metallic raSp to his
French accent. he read out his presi-
dental speech.
Speech RebuI,es Skeptics.
Half way through the delegates
doZed off. overcome by the intense
heat. From three amplitlers at differ
ent sides Of the hail, the president s
speech was reproduced in three dis
tinCtly separate tones. 1t was not
enormously eloquent. It was no mas
terpiece of oratorN. and Yet in sim
plirity and fr2nkness ii was an inn
pressive message to the world. While
disclaiminc all official optiniSlM he re
buked misplaced pessimism and un
justified criticism of the skeptics, who.
he said with irony. are rarely capa bic
OF any solid achievement in our dis
traCted society IN pt bringing human
ity a step forward in the path which
leads to better future.
Yet IL must be admitted that in his
survey Of the last years work of
the League the President had to ad-
NIT and frankly admtted-partial
failure. Not much progress has been
made by the committees on disarma-
ment. opium or abolition of import
and export prohibitions. The work of
European reconstruction has gone on
we'll in Austria and Hungary and
among the refugees in Greece. Those
tasks are accomplished. Various dis
putes which may have led to war
notably frontier incidents between
Greece and Bulgaria have been set
tied by League intervention. Above all,
as the President justly claimed. it was
League ideals and pledges which
ena abled France. Germany and Great
Britain 10 formulate the pact Of Lo-