Evening star., 1932-04-03

- INCE the end of the war the
world has been victim OF re-
current attacks of industrial and
~ financial collapse. BY the be-
ginning of this year the evil had
become almost universal
Luckily for the social order, the myth
Of authority is strongly rooted In
human beings Otherwise the suffer-
ing nations might turn their indigna-
ton not only upon practical statesmen
whose failure has never before been
so evident-but also upon academic
economists. financial experts and the
like.
The scientists can tell us lot OF
delightful and useful things about the
unseen universe which surrounds us,
vet the economic and financial caste
as vet has been unable to agree about
single reason for our present crisis.
What about the cycle of trade?
When will the trade slump end? Is
the deficiency of available gold respon-
sible for millions of persons being un-
employed? To these and 20 analogous
questions it seems impossible to get an
answer-an answer, 1 mean, that we
feel We can accept.
However, there are few men whose
views command attention because tner
financial competence is mingled WIN
a rare amount of moral courage. There
are .hree or four such men IN Europe
men toward whom the political CROWDS
turn in moments of danger; men VINO
not only define a disease but offer
remedy-not quack remedy, but
something practical and logical.
A Typical Example.
A Belgian is perhaps the most typical
example of this group-Emlle Francqul,
who has recently become quite ngure
in the world of finance and economies,
even in the United States, which ne
visited last November for a series OF
informal conversations with PRESIDENT
Hoover
Francoui belongs to the category OF
public men of whom nobody speaks
when times are prosperous. Only when
the TEMPEST approaches, or shlpWrecK
threatens. are their names invoked and
full mowers offered to them, generally
too late. So it has happened more
than once with Francqui. During the
war and the invasion of Belgium every
BODY seemed to think it perfectly nat
ural that he should become President
of the Comite National. Later, in
1926. he was called again to power to
save Belgium from CerrlDle Illalcldl
crisis And Just recently he has been
appointed governor of the Soclete Gen
eraIe de Belgique, the country's biggest
bank
Popular? No; more feared and re-
spected than liked.
It could not be otherwise. Francqui
is one of the rare public men IN Europe
who. I feel, enjoy coming into power
only when they believe they have some
thing to do or to give, but who person.
ally are at least as glad when the po-
litical turn of affairs allows or obllges
them to resign. They are men who
would be ashamed of being only poll
ticians; they are themselves, and they
accept political duties only because lie
has thrown them in their way. With
out illusions about popularity or fame,
these men may become splendid serV-
ants of their country and OF some
human, wide ideal of progress, but they
disdain the small tricks of everyday
political intrigue. That is why they
never become leaders of parties and
groups.
Indeed Francquis whole life pre-
cludes the tricks of politicians. His life
spells doing.
He studied, as a boy. at a. military
school, where he happened to be the
classmate of Prince Albert, the present
King of the Belgians. who Is only
little younger.