Evening star., 1934-03-11

mania, 1uROSIdVl2, Diam. CZeCIlOSIU-
vakia and Uruguay united in an effort
to reconstruct the map Of Europe.
/ That unfortunate continent, it ap-
peared, misled by Germany, Austria,
( Turkey and Bulgaria, had departed
! from the principles Of the Sermon on
/ the Mount, the Declaration of the
/ Rights of Man. the Declaration OF
/ Independence, Magma Charta and the
various other instruments of freedom,
! democracy and self-determinism so
/ scrupulously honored, upheld and
/ obeyed by the allied crusaders. This
/ enlightened age Of ours, armed not
/ only with moral fervor, but with an
/ incompatible knowledge Of all the
/ problems involved gladly rushed in
/ where a Charlemagne might have
feared to tread
Signs for Dark Ages.
Today We are confronted with the
fruits of our enlightenment. and some
Of US at least have been permitted 10
learn the precise methods whereby in
/ ternational cooperation Is secured.
( MendaciCus propaganda, starvation
through blockade, censorship con-
scription and every available form Of
moral and physical intimidation
such are the methods. as confessed by
their triumphant sponsors, which
we're employed TO arouse what was
curiously described as the conscience
of humanity One signs for the blessed
. ignorance Of the Dark Ages, for the
natural misunderstanding and hOstll-
-, 10 Id 60.
lar with each other. who may have
fought for the glory Of God, the holy
sepulchre or the divine right Of kings,
/ but not for the manufactured lies Of
/ profiteering spellbinders, their bullieS
and their dupeS.
/ A little international understanding
is dangerous thing One compares
the map Of Europe today with the
same map IN 1915, in 1910, in 1889.
il l7l5. at every crisis in modern
European history as far back as the
molly Roman empire, with the Convic-
ton that nothing worse ever befell
that continent than the great crusade
Of our peaCemakers Cn behalf CT in
ternational good will.
I The geographical absurdities Of the
new map Of Europe are equaled and in
certain cases surpassed only by the
economic and political consequences
OF the new craftsmanship by which
the map vas inspired, In the days
when honest wars Of aggression. when
dynastlc ambitions and Intrigues were
the lever for military action the
aggressOr, if powerful enough, achieved
his aim and had something tangible
to show for 1t. Secret diplomacy and
international mistrust. frankly avoWed,
were productive Of results less stulti-
flying to the people and governments
concerned than those with which We
I are confronted by the promoters of
our modern democratic jahad. 1t Is
the common experience of the world
today that whatever vestiges Of reality
lay behind the sonorous professions of
the promoters Of international peace
have either definitely disappeared or
/ precariously and diminishingly persist
in the face Of universal resolution
to destroy them.
Rise of the IlIiterate
While We were fatuously counting
the number Of monarchies that had
disagreed, their places we're being
:
illiterate mountebanks. and in every
country the economic breakdown
demonstrated that those who deemed
the world we'll lost for profit were
about to have their philosophy put to
the test by losing the world. The one
lndubitable benefit to Europe Of the
wars upheaval the destruction OF
Czarist Russia. was achieved in spite
of outside interference and disap-
proval, and the shame and cruelty of
that Infamous regime are still OBJ
Scured by the tears tenderly shed over
the sad fate of the Russian royal
family. There is more rejoicing over
one grand duchess who escaped, jewels
intact. to her villa at Cannes than
over the increase of imports into
Soviet Russia from those countries
lucky enough to find purchasers for
their carefully protected supplies of
over-produced goods
The spectacle of the world today is
a perfect commentary on the new
diplomacy, the new craftsmanship. the
new patriotism. 1t is precisely what
might be expected of the intrusion
into world affairs of the mob and its
spokeSmen. With the appropriate
assistance of news reels. headlines and
the radio people who are not COM
petent to discuss the affairs of a
parish council presume to disentangle
the races of Eastern Europe, to create
republics where none grew before. to
settle abstruse problems of interna-
tional finance.
Councils Convene.
Innumerable talking shops exist
where this nefarious indulgence IS en-
couraged to the increasingly complete
discredit of every form of parliament
tary discussion and government. As
their own countries sink deeper and
deeper in their domestic muddles. our
master-minds of finance and politics
become more and more certain OF
their ability to run the universe. More
leagues, committees, conferences and
councils convene. At intervals. when
chaos is imminent, up pops the devil
in the shape of dictator, who calmly
ignores the so-called principles upon
which his country is allegedly gov
) erned, murders, imprisons and beats
| those who dare to protest, rattles his
bankrupt sword in what he fondly
imagines is 'Napoleonic gesture, and
promptly becomes the darling of those
who secretly aspire to the same
heights of braggadocio. Meanwhile
, they all go on talking. talking, talk
ing Peace Disarmament
- Debts.
Dictatorship, open or tacit, is-to
paraphrase Swift-the homage which
, vice plays to virtue. the admission
that theory and practice are at odds.
that public professions of democratic
liberalism will not square with the
harsh facts of economic determinism.
Our modern practice seems to be to
gabble and prattle loftily until 1t is
/. too late, then to seize bludgeon. In
every politicians knapsack there 10 =
, Mussolini's bludgeon. or Pilsudski's
sword.
Unfortunately, cur dicts tors over.