Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-22
THE LIBRARY TABLE
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The Island Of Malta, . '.littls speck
on the Mediterranean map between
Sicily and Africa. vaguely associated
with blue cats and creamy silk lAces
patterned with eight-pointed crosses. |"
has had Q distinguished history and Z
many-sided romance. This history and
romance are the material Of Malta Of
the Knights" By =. w. schermerhorn.
The name Malta suggests, - wen e.
cats and laces, 'celibacy and the
Crusades Giorgione's golden pcr-
trait Of the dreamy-eyed KNIGHT, In
the UNI ct Florence ~s st. Peters
seen through q keyhole Of the Priory
gate on the Aventine." The Kniifhts
HospitaIlers gave TO Malta its I'm
portance. Representative Of the Euro.
pean nobility, pledged TO defend Chris
tianity against the Turks, formed the
order, which was organised In the latter
part Of the eleventh century during the
first Crusade. Its chief original purpose
was the nursing Of the sick and wound.
Jerusalem and the supplying OF shelter
and help TO pilgrims to the Holy
Gepulchre. Hence the name, Hospital
lers." The order was religious one,
under the protection Of the papacy,
with vows Of cefibacy, poverty, end
obedience to the grand master, elected
by the knights themselves. The internal
organization of the order developed
rapidly and soon there was o triple
classification according TO rank and
duties: The knights. or fighters, who
also nursed the sick, and must belong
to the nobility: the Chaplains, also OF
noble ancestry, who conducted religious
ofaces In chApels and hospitals and IN
battle: and the Servants-at-Arms, not
noble, who attended upon the knights
and aided them In ell their duties, who,
in other words, had the duties without
the glory.
When the Turks took Jerusalem, the
HoSpttallers, who had become rich and
powerful throughout Europe removed
the seat Of their order to Acre. When
Acre also fell into the hands Of the
Turks, the seat was moved TO Cyprus,
then to Rhodes. BY this time the order
had become q sovereign power and les
grand master had the rank Of D sover-
eign prince. Being composed Of mobiles
from all European countries, It was
pledged to neutrality, and could make
war only on the infdel, which It did
with real and pleasure. After the ex-
pulsion OF the Christians from the Holy
Land, the knights adapted themselves
TO changing needs, established hospitals
and chapelS and guest houses through.
out Europe, and developed their navy
for warfare on the Ottoman and Bar
barry commerce. After the loss of
Rhodes TO the Turks IN 1923, the
Emperor Charles v presented to them
the rocky Island Of MAlta-the Melita
Of st. Paul. There the knights built
the city Of valletta, the metropolis Of
the island today. Napoleon Bonaparte,
on his way to Egypt, saw the island end
thought It good for purposes Of harbor
and Notifications In the Mediterranean.
So he took It, terrorizing the German
grand master Of the then decadent
order into delivering It to him. The
seat Of the order was then established
in Rome, where It now has handsome
Offices In the Via Condotti. It's work
has been modernized but IS still
charitable and religious. 1t maintains
hospitals and aTnbulances In Europe
and Palestine, children's clinics and
homes for feeble minded children,
incurables. Malta now belongs to
Great Britain, which captured It from
the French garrison left by Napoleon
to guard It.
The biography Joseph Fouche: the
Portrait Of a Politician" by Stefan
zweig, might be called Q study in the
art Of foreSeeing majorities. Fouche
who was member Of the National Com
vention under the French Revolution.
president Of the Jacobin Club, leader OF
the conspiracy which resulted In bring.
ing Robespierre 70 the guilI0tine, MINI
lister under the Directory and the Com
sulate, minister under the Empire
finally the Tl1ultimillionaire Duke OF
Otranto, was never hampered In his
progress by any principles or scruples.
He was, however, consistent; he was
always with the majority. however
often that majority changed. And he
jority was about to shift from one side
to the other. His ways were Devious
"All through life - Joseph Pouches
cue is to keep in the background. ne
wants the substance Of power. but moi
its insignia; he wants 70 hold the
threads In his hand, and yet never e
be accountable. He wants 20 entrench
himself behind the conspicuous leader
to urge that leader forward, and then
in the decisive moment when the leader
has gone too fer, Fouche will repudiate
him. Such Is his fayorite role.'
In the recently published ''retters'
Of Henry Adams, md this account Of
his visit to r. L. 8. in Samoa.
Yesterday afternoon Sewall took La
Fargo and me to call on Robert Louii
Stevenson. AS we reached the steps
q figure came out that I cannot dc
justice. to. Imagine q man 30 thir
and emaciated that he looked like q
bundle OF sticks In bag, with q head
and eyes morbidly intelligent and rest.
less. He was costumed in dirty striped
cotton pajamas, the bAggy legs tucked
INTO coarse Knit wooden stockings, one
OF which was bright brown In color, the
other purplish dark tone. sat BY, nerv.
ously conscious that my eyes could NOT
help glaring at Stevenson's stockinEI
and wondering what color he would
have chosen If he had been Obliged e
wear pair that matched. He would b
an impossible companion. He Il q
strange compound of callousness and
susceptibility, and his susceptibility d
sometimes more amusing than his cal
lousness. He looks like an insane stork
dancing about, brandishing his lonp
arms above his head"
4 4
Claudia" o novel by Arnold zweir,
author OF 1.-THE Case OF Sergeant
Grischa," Is story Of intellectuals. not
OF camp and barracks. Perhaps it Is
not really q story &C all, but merely q
group. Of photographs. There ere
Claudia herself, elegant, cultured, ego
tistical; Walter Rohne. her husband,
kindly and scholarly; Klaus Mantle,
noted artist with o narrowing past, and
various minor characters. The episodes
relate TO the efforts Of three men to
win the understanding and sympathy
Of Claudia, who has surrounded herself