The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1929-07-06
MINORITIES AND CULTURE
New York Times)

NNV VA AAAA0OI
With u~nflagging zeal Aristide BRAND and Gustav
stresemann continue to labor for q reconciled Europe.
cult problem Of racial minorities. The agreement reached
at the Madrid meeting Of the council Of the League of
Nations does not exactly dazzle by its boldness. but in
several respects the way has been made easier for plain
tiff minoritieS without creating excessive resentment
among the defendant sovereign states. The changes at
Madrid are chiefly in the line Of greater publicity for
aggrieved minorities: and essentially it is only by the
mobilization OF world opinion that the League can oper-
ate.
peace treaties and the Intervention of the League for
their enforcement, there is ground for believing that the
problem is bound to work itself out automatically with
the years. This Is suggested by the radical change which
has taken place in the cultural level Of minorities since
the war. Europe's pre-war minorities stood, as a rule.
we'll below their majority masters in urban DEVELOPMENT.
The Germans in Poland and the Baltic States considered
themselves the ~superiors Of the slav masses. The ruling
German and Magyar elements in the Hapsburg monarchy
held the same views. though with less reason. Now that
the mighty have been put down from the Central Euro
pean thrones and the former m~inorities are the ruling
Poland. the Baltic States and Rumania find it all the
harder to be . minority because they feel they are better
men than their new rulers. Magyars have the same feel
Ing In Greater Rumanta and YugoSlavia.
This cultural jealousy is by no means confined to Diff
ferent races. The odd thing is that some Of the most
notorious cases Of minority" strife are not minority
Poland and the Tyrol present a typical example Of a
minority. But at the present moment the most acute
Croats and their racial brethren. the majority Serbs. in
the Yugoslayian kingdom. Last year the greatest ten
sion was IN Rumanta. between the redeemed" brethren
Of Transylvania and the inhabitants Of the old kingdom.
In both instances probably the dominant factor is the
sense Of cultural superiority. The croats and Runnanians
may have lived In bondage to the Hapsburgs. but there Is
no denying that under the Hapsburgs. they had better
schooling and made much more rapid progress In indus
trial development than their brethren in old Serbia and
Runania, whose superiors they feel themselves to BE-.
Poles Of former German Posen and Austrian 0alicia
have similar suspicious about their brethren redeemed
from the Russian yoke.
At first sight It would seem that the minority problem
has only been aggravated II TO previous racial differences
IS added resentment against domination by an inferior
But It IS obvious that 9 highly cultured and articulate
minority can make . stronger stand for its rights and can
thus more easily compel the dominant majority to recttfy
the conditions which p~erpetuate racial bitterness. Fur
thcrmore, = dominant majority tainted With cultural tn
ferioftty b pretty sure to counter. among other things
by proceeding to educate itself: and this again works
for the elimination 81 differences.