Evening star., 1933-07-09

President Masaryk: Il see what you
mean. Are you asking for formula? p
Correspondent: Perhaps"
President Masaryk: There Is nc
formula. There never has been and
never will be. The situation is never
twice the same"
Here the President turned away and
looked out the window over the city OF
Prague spread below.
Correspondent: Then you feel, per-
haps that the apparent danger to the
democratic ideal is not serious?"
President Masaryk: Il did not say
that. But II democracy is in danger
that only proves that its leaders were
tried in the balance and found wanting
The cards were favorable. The leaders
had their chance. For the time being
the democratic ideal seems moribund
But that such is not really the case
is proven by two facts: First. new lead
ers all need popular support, and, sec
ond, they one and all come from the
people. Chancellor Adolf Hitler of Ger
many, Premier Benito Mussolini of
Italy, Dictator Josef V. Stain of Soviet
Russia-the accent remains that of the
commoner. This, too, is democracy of
q sort.
You must realize that democracy is
| only developing; it is in its beginnings
imperfect but better than the old
| regime. Do not forget that not democ-
| racy, but the old regime brought about
the war that the new democracy has
now to pay for, war caused by mon
Correspondent: ut seems to me less
important where leaders come from
than where they are going. Perhaps
INTO new war. Certainly they are
leading the people into a very danger
GUS frame of mind, a personal condition
Whlcn sometimes seems hardly better
than slavery"
One Good Result From Depression.
President Masaryk: Il do not believe
in new wars Just now That is the one
good result of the general bankruptcy
which Is responsible for good deal of
our troubles. The war sQuandered the
savings of generations Still, popula-
ton increases and increases. There is
no elbow room. OF course jobless men
and women become nervous and listen
to words of violence. And because the
middle class, who have known better
! days. resent this penury the most, the
reaction against civilization, as you call
it. is their work. But after all. perhaps
eAAAo ISiAPO'o o4g PciAOQ NdS ueCtSSdEy 10
call the people back to the beauty of
freedom. to abandon violence in favor
Of collaboration
Correspondent: Need this entail the
denial of intelligence and the deifca-
| ton OF passion in the name of the So
called nature?"
President Masaryk: No But some
of the fault lies with the intellectuals
They became one-sided The mass of
the people could not keep up with them.
Democracy needs leaders, like every
thing else. Millions Of people cannot
meet, discuss or debate. Society needs
a common faith. and the intellectuals
had none. People wanted the truth.
The intellectuals said one thing today
and another tomorrow. They appar-
emily had no truth or had hundred
different truths. Therefore. the people
deserted them for the propounders of
dogma. which. however primitive, had
at least the virtue of simplicity"
School Methods Inadequate.
educational methods have been in
adequate Young people cannot sit on
school bench from the age of 6 to
! 26 without losing contact with common.
real life How can one expect to be
! followed by common men if one has
ceased to understand their needs, ma
! terial or spiritual?"
! Correspondent But to many it
seems that these new leaders simply
! caught simpletons by impossible prom
ises and preposterous demagogy. They
/ Continued on Third Page)