Evening star., 1933-02-21

While there Is some question as to
whether the unique incident on a
Dutch cruiser in the Indies, when a
bomb from the sky ended a mutiny
settles the controversy between ship and
airplane, all are agreed that the story
is reminder of romantic days. Nov
elistS of several periods are declared to
have imagined no more interesting tale
The native seamen, who were angry be-
cause their reductions in pay were
greater than those of their European
associates, are charged with failure to
take account of the effectiveness Of the
plane in warfare.
1.-THE crew was definitely of the early
nineteenth century, and the story, which
might have become a legend in the
long, rich history of the sea, collapsed
into anti-climax, AYERS the Atlanta
Journal, which, however, concludes
that almost in the heavy shadow of
the Sumatran jungles, it was one OF the
most dramatic episodes of modern
times" The Journal continues Z The
vessel which has defied all ISws IOf man
and the sea became, under \tha thrllst
Of that irony which the gods reserve
for very valiant rebels, the first in all
history to fail because of the peculiar
deficiency which left it without an
anti-aircraft gun. What mutiny in all
the annals of the deep can claim so
glorious and so ignominious a failure?
Mutiny itself, it may be, in this eyre
gious era, is an anachroniSm. But the
strange band of sailors who plotted it
cannot be blamed for discovering this
flaw in their scheme too late. They
chose the scene, the moment, with su-
perb intuition. The brooding jungleS OF
Java and Sumatra formed a rich and
appropriate backdrop. The mysterious
waters that unite the Indian Ocean
and the China Sea invite every adven-
turous instinct. Undoubtedly it was
the place for mutiny, but not the time.
The bold technique of mutiny does not
provide against radio and aerial bombs.
There Is no immunity, even for the
most polished of ancient villainy, from
modern weapons of defense"
** u 4
There was a touch of the old Span
ish Main, something of the romance
that stirred the pulses of men in those
days." says the Buffalo Evening News,
with the further comment that the
exploit may have far-reaching effect, "
and that revolt against foreign rule
has been stirred by incidents OF less
moment" The Oakland Tribune calls
1t IAN adventure in modern world to
make men thumb the pages of DeFoe
and Stevenson or bark back to those
days when the buccaneers Of the Span
ish Main had no scruRles against max
ing commander walA the plank and
moving off with his ship and strong
boxes" The Tribune continues: Here
we have a cruiser-to bA sure none too
modern, but capable one of its kind
steering its course on the high seas, a
little state Of avowed independence, and
a call upon the Dutch government to
send forth fleet to bring it home For
the sailors who furnished an exploit to
give modern world reminder of the
days of pirates and mutinies, there can
only be a sad conclusion. A battle
ship, after all, is not to be stolen with
impunity."
X X
"Mutiny in the East Indies-iSnt t
that phrase enough to revive the tales
of long ago?" asks the Appleton Post
Crescent, and it recalls: THE pirates
of the Far East weren't usually the
pirates of ordinary tradition. More
commonly, they were plain sea rovers,
recruited from tribes which had made
their living for generations by pillage
on the high seas, jus as Europe's
Vikings did thousand years ago. They