Evening star., 1932-02-14

iOnalre autOmObue manufactures WHO
has Fascist ideas and who himself
formed an industrial group for direct
political action also put money into it.
They spent $4,000 on the initial adver-
tiSement to boost it. It was youth
periodical, encouraging youthful writer's
and with plenty of stuff about hiking,
opportunity, and the senility OF every
body except the young, and youth CLUB
with athletics and fencing and young
speakers to arose youth to enthusiasm.
A CTIoN sold 100000 of its first num-
ber, and the youth leaders were jubi-
liant. The first Hitler journal had sold
only around thousand, and Mussolini's
first Fascist paper had dropped into the
pool of Italian life with scarcely a ripple.
What could Mosley not do with his 16O,-
900 sales at the kick-off?
Action lasted precisely 13 numbers, and
then the Mesleyites decided to cut their
loss and stop it. 1t died with the old
year.
What had happened? Well, the big
initial sales were accounted for by the
terrific preliminary boost. The big drum
was banged, the people rolled up, but
when they got in the show didn't amuse
them, and so they didn't come again.
Sales dropped like a parachute, until
they were down to $1,000. Losses we're
piled up at the rate of $4,000 a week.
The editor, Harold Nicolson, the critic
and ardent champion of the Bloomsbury
school of literature, but lacking the COM
mon touch of capable Hitler or MussO-
lini lieutenant, said that while they
hoped they would be reviving the journal
some day, he feared that day was remote.
Youth, in short, entirely failed to get
excited about the New Party, whose can
didates for Parliament to the number of
a score or more were knocked out to a
man at the polls. All with the exception
of Mosley himself failed to poll the mini
mum number of votes required to save
their $3.50 deposit, and SO had to for
felt it.
The English powerS-that-be do not
now fear that youth will seek to take
matters into its own hands, but rather
that youth needs to be stimulated and
encouraged to a bolder and more ener-
getic course of individual action They
apprehend that youth is not shaping up
as well as might be expected. They also
feel that in the new world that is roll
ing from the coSmic mill, British youth
will have to pull its socks up if it is going
to hold on the heritage accumulated at
the expense of so much toll, blood and
treasure by its forefathers.
The dole scandals have shown that
tens of thousands of youths and young
men would rather draw the dole than
work. At the other end of the social
scale you find an equal proportion of
young men who want to live like gentle
men of leisure on their patrimony, or,
lacking patrimony, seek any easy way
of making living in preference to
studying hard, working hard, entering
the great competitive fight of life and
leaving the drawing rooms, boudoirs,
clubs and restaurants of London and the
country houses of their kinfolk and
friends.
have talked to scores of successful
"overfifties" about youth, and nine out
Of ten have stock line of complaint:
'They won't work." Some will qualify
with "as used to work when was
youngster."
won't work" is, of course, relative
term. These men have been terrific
workers. They want the same intensive
energy and application from the younger
generation now, and, not getting it, they
become bears on youth.
The politicians shout in patriotic vein.
"Yes," sneers youth, "1 know you. You
want me to give my life for your coun-
try You did that once before, to my
elder brother. You don't do it to mel"
"Why should I worry myself?" de-
mands the young man with from $500
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