Evening star., 1932-12-29
A RAZON. La Pax.-Travelers aEo
always fond, especially if they

- prestige IN their own LANDS. OF
telling the people they encounter
on their excursions just what is wrong
with the latters' countries. They also
ciencies may be corrected. After all.
these views of strangers, often Of ma
tions whose proclivities and manifesta-
tions We ourselves have long viewed
with amazement, not to say alarm,
though they often cause a momentary
resentment, afford much food for
thought and determination for more ef-
fort.
1t is not always pleasant to read the
criticisms some of these visitors set
down in their notebooks nor to con-
template the photographs of what, in
our country, they consider primitive and
quaint, yet fresh point Of view, even
though it is bigoted, Is generally inter-
esting, though it Is hard to subscribe to
all the accusations brought against us.
An English tourist of much note has
just discovered, for instance, that while
we have a territory half the size of Eu-
rope, our government Is elected and
maintained by not more than 5 or 10
per cent of the population. This lady
finds only one other country like us in
the world, and that is India, where a
very small white and semi-white minor
.ty rules vast majority Of dark-skinned
people. She asks what we are going to
do about the Indians, so essential for
the agricultural and mineral develop
ment of the country. Are they to be
educated or eliminated?
She asserts that If Bolivia Is ever to
take her proper place among the nations
she must forget many Of the distinc-
lions of class and mass in the obvious
need Of a better and closer industrial,
social and economic cooperation.
that we find no truth in these criti-
ciSms. We do need a more intelligent
electorate and, to achieve this ideal, uni
verSal education. We need roads and
we need colonists of other than exclu-
sively Spanish-speaking strains. With
out roadS-and good roadS-there is
little opportunity even for the natives
to reap adequate profits from mine and
field. The Cholos and the Aymaras,
since the Spanish conquest, have, been
able to do Aittle more than maintain
themselves.
At present almost three-quarters OF
our laboring groups are said to be af-
flicted with phthisis. What right, then,
our kindly critic asks. have we to con-
ttnue spending half our national income
upon an army which can only be en-
ployed in war, to demoralize the country
still further? This money should be
spent for the mental and physical i'm
provement of our peasantry. With saner
living there would be no thoughts of
war, though, If one were forced upon
us, we would be far better prepared to
acquit ourselves in it. Bolivia'S future,
we are told, can be assured only by hard
and constant work and by the adoption
Of all that is progressive and helpful in
modern civilization
We have long thought that there is no
other country like Bolivia in the world,
and this is partly true-but only partly;
for, did we resemble more some other
nations we might then be more happy
and more prosperous. We do need a
better knowledge Of ourselves and Of
our land. Dwellers on the altiplano, for
instance, have never seen q tree, while
In the lowlands along the tributaries Of
the Amazon and La Plata, the natives
have seen little else Rural dwellers know
little Of the cities, while the urban popu-
lation knows nothing, and cares less,
about his compatriotS Of the plantation
or plateau. With such persistent divi-
sion OF interest and sympathy, real and
satisfying progress and prosperity must
be long delayed. So much, at least, Of
our critics arraignment We may con-
cedel
Panama Critic
Attacks Mussolini.
Diar.o &c Panama, Pena-.a.-For l,cc---
.,- s-chcn II CT Mu..-- ,.il', t.., I.....c.-l
xvreut-Sor having Gsinnns1identlvu re-.