Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-17
BY G. X. CHESTERTON.

oI IL N, CHESTEKTONs
TT is a traditional taunt against the
Spaniards that they always talk
about tomorrow. It is apparently
! l. founded on the notable fact that
the Spanish language contains q
word Tor omorroW-'manana," I be-
lieve-and a Nordic critic naturally treats
1t as the keyword Of the Spanish Ian
guage because 1t Is the only Spanish
word he knows. It is supposed to prove
that all Spaniards are procrastinating,
impractical, unproductive, futile. It Is
supposed to be denial of the solid
business maxim, Never put of till to-
morrow what you can do today" As
profoundly diSbelieve in this maxim,
also gravely doubt any international
criticism found upon it. The maxim
seems to me to have been made up by
some wealthy person who never did a
stroke OF work; whose days were so
blank and empty that he was actually
driven to the dreary frivolity of anus
ing himself by writing essays on effort
and efficiency and work and the way to
succeed Anybody who has really had a
hard day, with a great deal to do in it,
knows that the really sensible advice
is exactly the opposite: Never do today
what you can put of till tomorrow
That is the real motto of the really busy
and businesslike person. and 1T is but
variant of the ancient text, "Suficient
unto the day is the evil thereof"
therefore have my doubts about
whether the critics have got the right
translation of "manana." They have
made a muddle of 1t somewhere; Just
as they used to go about saying that
the peasants of Spain and Italy never
did any work; the simple explanation
being that the peasants had done three
quarters Of their work while the critics
were still snoring in bed. Also, the
proprietors, could take their holidays
when they liked; whereas the critics
were generally working for a salary
and could not stop, anyhow. II the
critics will try the experiment CT try
ing to live on scrap or two Of orchard
and vineyard, with hardly any hired
labor, they will find out whether it
requires any work or not.
Future Of Nation Seen.
But there is q certain irony in the
notion. which I am tempted to enter
tain, that the Spaniards are in another
sense already talking about tomorrow.
I am not sure they are not talking
about it more practically than we are,
in the commercial and industrial
countries: where it is by no means
clear at the moment what is lKeIy TO
happen tomorrow; and where most of
us are worrying about today, and &C.
casionally Dragging about yesterday.
In other words, venture to advance
the paradox that Spain has a future;
and that in some ways the future is
more clear and straight and logical
than our own, A nation that has not
lost It's normal basis on the land, its
roots in the historic soil and the per-
sonal dignity of its individual citizens,
may yet prove to have been actually
benefited by q period Of q sort of peace
that is mistaken for Stagnaticn, and
sort of intensive cultivation that Is
mistaken for insignif1cance.
Fifty years hence the industrial cities
may be still haunting their newspaper
type Of news as fresh, when II has long
been stale; repeating more and more
YEARLY and weakly the slogans In
which nobody believes; producing more
than they want and remaining in want
even Of the things they produce; liv-
ing in the dullest Of all periods, the
recent or immediate past It would be
amusing indeed If they were startled
by an invasion Of vigorous, hopeful