Evening star., 1934-06-17

wolves Japan in the affairs of all the Mongols-
Nor can Russia afford not to support outer
Mongolia While, however. both Russia and
Japan may wish to stop short Of war, the
general trend of events among the Mongols
themselves makes for war. There Is no telling
when or how, or on what frontier, q tribal
war may start in Mongolia
THE BOILING POINT Will War Come In
Europe? BY H. R. Knickerbocker. Illus
trated by Georg Hartmann New York:
Farrar Rinehart.
IA 18TH many people avoiding European travel
w because they will not risk being caught
in another war jam (the devalued dollar
perhaps also has something to do with it), and
others choosing the Scandinavian countries,
where preliminary war fear and hatred are not
absorbing the whole national consciousness
the threat Of another European war in the
near future has as a minor by-product eco
nomic Summer travel disadvantages Mr.
Knickerbocker, like ali the other foreign cor
respondents, sees the question OF war the
Supremely important one in the world today
If logic ruled nations, there would be no war;
for it would be easy to prove that the long
continued world depression, the disastrous re-
suit of the last war cannot with safety be
extended duplicated. But logic seems to
exist only in theory while emotion rules the
world.
Mr. Knickerbocker divides Europe into five
armed camps, which together have six million
men in uniform today. In the French camp
France Poland, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia,
Rumania Belgium. In the German camp are
Germany. Austria. Hungary and Bulgaria. In
the Italian camp is Italy alone In the neutral
camp are Switzerland, Holland, Spain, the
Scandinavian and Baltic states, all intensely
hoping that they may be able to safeguard
their neutrality. In the English camp are the
British. They hold the key to peace or war
in Europe today" Probably many British states
men, remembering the impasse into which
Great Britain was forced in 1914, will differ
from this statement
The opinions expressed to Mr.. Knickerbocker
by Europeans prominent in national affairs are
contradictory but significant. Here are some
of them. President Masaryk Of Czechoslo-
vakia: There will be because there
is no money" King Alexander of Yugoslavia:
mo war will start in the Balkans" MusSolni:
peace for 10 years." Winston Churchill, in
the House of Commons: II dread the day.
1t Is not far distant. 1t is perhaps only
year, or perhaps 18 months distant. Louis
Barthou, foreign minister Of France: "A year
ago I wrote that war could not possibly come
in 1884. Today I could no longer express
the same opinion" Hitler not directly quoted,
is considered to be the referee to whom the
final question Of war or peace will be appealed.
He has often said he wants peace, but the
general opinion is that he wants it on his own
terms and meanwhile wants armament. Mr..
Knickerbocker's book has in some respects
become out of date since it written. A
Fiscist group has come into control in Bull
garia There has been a rapprochement be-
tween France and Russia at Geneva, which
may have an influence the balance of power.
The basic facts of The Boiling Point as
affecting the prospect Of war; remain, however,
the same.
THE METHOD OF FREEDOM. BY Walter
IIppmann. New York: The Macmillan Co.
THE preservation of non -partisanship leaves
J Walter Lippmann free to approve or dis
approve the measures of either the "ins'
the 'outs" in government, according to his own
judgment Ones judgment may be fallible,
but it is satisfaction to be able to follow it
without checks and balances Of policy and
party Affiliations. There are few men in that
enviable position This small volume is COM
posed of lectures given at Harvard on the
Godkin foundation, which Stpuates some phase
of the subject, THE Essentials of Free Gov
ernment and the Duties of the Citizen Mr..
Lippmann begins by the statement that "the
essentials of free government are more seriously
challenged than they have been for genera
tionS." He attempts to meet the challenge
by showing how nation possessing highly
developed economy and habituated to freedom
can make freedom secure amid the disorders
of the modern world"