Evening star., 1932-01-24

Run the WorldP Yes, the great ma
tions are as one In that paranoid de-
lusion. In the psychopathic wards at
| Bellevue you can probably find one
| seedy individual who is Jesus Christ.
| another who is Napoleon and a third
who is Mohamet. Each of them has
unlimited power he will tell YOU, an
unlimited and peculiar capacity. Each
of them believes that he could run the
world. Germany, Britain, France would
run the world America and Russia
exhibit the religious slant; each Of
them has a passion to save the world.
The smaller countries do not appear
to think on such large scale. Over in
Hungary they are content with breath
ing fire and fury, and shouting still
No, No, Never" will we accept the
treaty of Trianon. In the morning the
children go to school and recite new
Lords prayer, affirming their belief In
eternal justice and in the resurrection
of reunited Hungary. In the House
of Parliament the guides lecture the
tourist by pointing to the large paint
ings on the wall Behold the castle of
this and that, Hungarian castle now
in the possession of Rumania; the
castle of that and this, now in the
possession of Jugoslovia, other castles
in the possession of CzechoslovakiR
No, No, Never the children learn to
say it.
They have a square on the Pesth
side that they will show you. Here
are four mourning statues. One for
the territory taken from Hungary and
given to RumRnia. one for the lands
now in the possession of Jugoslavia,
one for Czechoslovakia and one for
Austria. And the flag is kept at half
mast here, because Hungary is always
mourning over her dismemberment.
Yes, of course, the square is like that
other square in Paris where the statues
of Alsace and Lorraine reminded the
French of their wrongs before q nice
new war came to right them.
You go to dinner with q charming
woman and over the coffee cups you
receive a lecture, with maps, about the
territory of Hungary before and after
the war. Hungary must have a large
army, you say, because there are so
many soldiers in the streets and cafes.
But no, you are told, Hungary's army
is very small. We are not allowed to
have an army, but we must have an
army. Why? Because we are entirely
surrounded by enemies-that old, now
classic, phrase. Protection is the usual
plant, but aggression is clearly the
underlying motif. A Hungarian lawyer
declares that every small village has
its secret society, ostensibly for cultural
or athletic purposes, actually for mill
tary preparation, and that members
who fail to report for training are
punished.
The Treaty of Versailles broke lot
Of eggs and made a strange dish out
Of its distribution of national minori-
ties, and no one knows how to un-
scramble the mess. Over in Czecho-
slovakta, German lads and Cz.ch lads
attend the same school year after year
and come to the distinction of the
university without speaking, exchanging
silent salutes on the street. The Czechs
refuse to speak German, which they
know very well. In one case recently
the Czechs in train compartment re-
fused to understand any of the five
languages spoken by young Hungarian
girl, and the conductor put her off the
train Just because there was no Cre
to stop him. An English girl crossed
the country, going from Australia to
Berlin. The large Czech in her COM
psrtment growled IN French-inten-
tional insult-something about these
Germans who travel everywhere, even
to Berlin. Noting that he had the
same destination. the English girl
answered promptly, "comme des Czechs,
nest oe pas?" The man sprang from
his seat, ed-faced. enraged. and stood
over her as If he were going to strike
her Finally he went into the aisle
to cool off
The Czech soldiers swagger as the
German soldiers used to do, and Ger
mans within their territory hasten to
get off the sidewalk. A middle-aged
German woman steps down in the mud
to allow three young louts to have the
sidewalk to themselves. An English
woman, outraged, walks straight ahead
on the sidewalk. The soldiers swing on,
expecting to force her out. She stands
face to face with one Of them, and
finally the soldier steps aside while
some officers across the way stare in
amazement and the German woman
in the mud shudders and says she
would not dare do such thing.
Pleasant little episodes crop up
wherever one travels. The Poles hiss
at the Russians, the Germans at the
Poles, the Czechs at the Germans, the
Hungarians at the Czechs, the Russians
at the HungariHns and everybody at
the French. International amity is
briefly secured these days, in many a
train compartment. by the first person
who says something against the French.
In three months I heard but one kind
word spoken for the French: that was
spoken by a Turkish Jew and denied by
his Austrian hearers. France Is the
new scapegoat, but he had not dis
covered it: he was still blaming Amer
lea for all the troubles of Europe.
Underneath, of course, they are still
blaming America for being SO rich, for
coming out so easily from the war, for
going into the war at all Bad times
in America. are, however, beginning to
win for us more kindly remarks. In
Russia America is the most nlisrepre-
sented and, ironically, the most ad-
mired But everywhere, and especially
in Germany, one finds the feeling that
America is the fool of the family and
therefore should be left to pay for the
war. Even the British are now saying
that national debts are not the same
as private debts, and that the same con-
siderations of honorable responsibility
do not apply.
America must take the lead" de-
clares a Berliner, thinking that we still
fall for this line of fattery. II don't
know" interpose, America has
enough enemies over here already. Per-
haps she had better not NEEDLE any
more" Suddenly the mask goes of his
face and the true man is crying out
little wildly, with an old bitterness,
Then why did she have to NEEDLE be-
fore? We would not have had the Yer
sailles treaty If America had stayed
out"
We agreed that reparations will never
be paid again, that Germany will turn
to Hitler first and then, If need be, to
the Communists rather than pay any
thing mere. But what, ask, of the
private debt to America, the money lent
by bankers which you have used to
build your fine theaters, your museums,
"a ilrnadr rrlnich an American enpineer