Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-06
BY COUNT CARLO sFoRZA.

dav. He meant this reci-
procity as condition OF closer ana
more confident relations between Eu-
rope and the United States.
But this is desired just as much in
the relations between the different
European states.
Let us study, on the tenth anniver-
sary of their independent life, the
symptoms of this reciprocity Of good
will among the nations which found
new life, or a new form of life, in the
treaties of peace of 1919. I refer to
Czechoslovakia, Jugoslavia and Ru-
mania in Central and Oriental Europe.
and to Finland, Esthonia, Latvia and
Lithuania in Baltic Europe.
Ten years is too short time for the
old European states to find a recipro-
| CITY of good will; for the old states,
| the decade has been simply 10 years of
respite from bloody encounter. But 1t
is in the first years of their tndepend-
ence that countries like Czechoslo
Poland and Jugoslavia, as well as COM
pletely new states like ESthonia and
Lativa, have been able to show their
tendencies and their instincts In diplo-
matte life, in the economic order and
in moral progress.
| It is through them, more than
through the old states where tradi-
lions make changes so difficult, that
one may hope to perceive the real
trend of Europe.
New States Of Europe.
The new states of Central Europe are
the effect of the destruction Of Austria
Hungary. The Baltic states owe their
independence to the Russian collapse.
Let us study the two groups separate
ly. We ought not to be too surprised
and too supercilious when we are con-
fronted, 10 years after the war, with
intestine dissensions in some OF the
new states-in Czechoslovakia among
Czechs and Slovaks, in Jugoslavia
among Serbs and Croats, in Ru-
mania among Rumanians OF the old
kingdom and Rumanians OF former
Hungarian Pennsylvania.
We ought not to forget that the
motto of the House of Hapsburg, which
from the Hofburg In Vienna ruled
50,O0O,00O men with 10 different Ian
guages and 10 sets of traditions, was
Divide ct impera. A house guilty Of
the declaration of war on Serbia in
fatal July, 1914 declaration which
unclaimed the European war-does
not need to be accused of further
crimes; its conscience bears Sufh-
Gent burden. Veto judge the eff
forts of the new governments in
Prague, Belgrade and Bucharest Sc
renely today-we ought not to forget
how the House of Hapsburg always en-
deavored to keep alive the various divi-
sions of its subject races in order to
further its own power.
How Austrian Policy Worked.
Diplomatic and military Austria
knew that her only safety lay in the
constant jealousies among all these
races-Roman Catholic Croats against
Orthodox Serbs, Hungarians among
Rumanians, Slovenes against Italians
of Trieste, and so on. But this was not
enough: At the Ballplatz, the proud
! center OF Austrian diplomacy, the dip
lomats were always trying to hatch
mischief between, let us say, Serbia and
Bulgaria, between Bulgaria and Ru-
mania. Balkan nations at peace with
each other might have meant progress
for them all; they might have become
hopeful centers of irTedentistic dreams
for the Austrian subjects of similar
nationalities.
That is why we must not overrate
unpleasant though they may be, the
symptoms of intestine diScordS in
Czechoslovakia, Jugoslavia and Rumania
For instance. in Czechoslovakia at
present the Slovaks like, perhaps even
more than ten years ago. to call their
language Slovak, and not Czech. Ten
years ago the Slovaks were crushed
under Magyar tyranny, and they en-
phaSiZed the Slav character of their
"a IN
Prague, the capital Of the Czechs, the
accumulation of the difference of Ian
guage helps them in defending their
autonomy; that Is only human. But
the truth Is that a native from the
Slovak mountains could converse with a
native of Prague much more easily than
Toulon fisherman could chat with a
Paris gavroche. to take the most united
and centralized country in Europe
France.
The only problem is moral problem.
The Slovaks, like the Alsatians in
France want to be good patriots, but at
the same time they want to be loyal to
their smaller country. They are slightly
irritated when Czech officials call them
Czechs, but they would be Infatuated
were some one to refer to them as
Hungarians.
Leaders Of Nation.
On the whole, to Judge CZechoslova-
kia, one ought to consider what it was
ten years ago when two men, MaSaryk
and Benes, started their task of recon-
Struction from heap of ruins. Now
Masaryk. the President of the republic,
a coachman'S son and himself black
smiths apprentice, who developed by
sheer personal force into a university
scholar of worldwide fame, and his
minister of foreign affairs, a young
and indomitable refugee in Italy and
France during the war. may boast OF
an admirably run mansion, with good
diplomacy, an army, fourishing trade
and steady currency.
I alluded to a certain Slovak discon-
tent concerning language; yet the
Czech government may boast OF the
school reform in Slovakia as one Of its
greatest achievements. Before the rev.
olution, under Hungary, there was no
Slovak state school in the whole coun-
try Of Slovakia.
The Hungarians, In pursuit of their
policy of Magyarization, refused to
allow the people state schools where
they could be taught in their own Ian
guage, and established only Magyar
schools. Today we have 5000 Slovak
primary schools, more than 40 Sec
| ondary schools and Slovak university
as well.
To me that seems very great
achievement for only ten years of free
dom. Before the war there were GER
tain number of non-state Slovak schools
in Slovakia belonging to the churches.
especially to the Lutheran Church; but
not a single state school.
| Division in JugOslavia.
In Jugoslavia, of course, the internal
| divisions appear more serious.
| Croats and Slovenes, who with the
Serbs form what Is officially styled as
the Kingdom Of the Serbs, Croats and
Slovenes," are Western peoples with
Western inheritance of culture, admin
istration and custom. The Serbs are