The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-07-19
The Book World

NNE of the greatest biographies Of recent years
~ has just been turned out by Karel Capek
about that grand old Czecho-Slovakian scholar
and patriot. President Thomas @. Masaryk, Who
at IS, remains mis- countrys bulwark Of democracy
amid nations dominated by terroristic dictators
and torn by internal diSsension.
Thomas Masaryk was the son Of an 1literate
serf and the story of his rise constitutes one Of
the worlds greatest success" tales. Mr.. Capek
(who was the author of "R. U. RI has done a
Masaryk Tells His Story" &C. P. Putnam'S Sons;
$3.50. Mr.. Capek has let the great European
statesman tell his own story and it actually reads
like an autobiography.
Indianapolis is far removed from turbulent
Europe and from here it is hard to picture the
calm and tolerant Masaryk as one of the worlds
truly great men. So much has been written of
lesser figures, of Hitler and Mussolini men Of far
lesser stature, that the glory the. should be
Masaryk's may not be his until long afte1 he has
departed this earth.
Thomas Masaryk is primarily humanitarian.
He was born in Moravia in 1850 and although his
father had to ask permission to send the boy to
secondary school there was no denying his edu-
cation once the professors caught an insight into
the brilliant mind that is his. Masaryk contends
that what boy is to become is not so much by
his talents, but by his opportunities
But the story of MaSaryk bellies all this.
Those Of us who have shirked our studies and
idled away time will feel shamed in learning how
his mind with everything worthwhile
4 T 80, Masaryk was made professor in the
n Czech University at Prague and at Al he
sat in the Austrian parliament fighting for moral
education. He battled for general suffrage, the
secret ballot and better working conditions
He married an American girl and the love
he felt for his wife is reflected in his statement
that MY marriage completed my education"
President Masaryk has spent the last IS years
cruSadlng Tor true democracy and today he
looks on an ailing world, convinced that i'm
patience in politics is fatal and that revolution
or dictatorship can sometimes abolish bad things
but they never create good and lasting ones"
He looks on Communism as impossible in a
unit as large as a nation for he can not bring
himself to believe in absolute equality Neither
in stars nor in men is there equality" is the way
he puts it. Always, he declares, should there be
order, discipline, knowledge and obedience, not
the exploitation Of man by man."
WIDELY travelled, President Masaryk is also
w multilingual He has mastered Czech,
Slovak, German, French Italian, Russian, Polish
and English. He has visited several times in the
United States and a favored few can boast of
the privilege of having heard him lecture. His
comments on President Woodrow Wilson are
especially Illuminating:
1--WE understood each other fairly we'll" he
says. Alter ALL we had both been professors. He
was more obstinate in his principles but he was
willing to consider objections. 1 saw that he
would not be at home in European affairs and
that his very directness would prevent him from
understanding European statesmen. I warned
him not to come to Europe to the peace confer
ence, but he would not be persuaded. He was
too keen on his plan for League of Nations to
think of difficulties"
We talk of freedom in America, but few of us
have taken the time to learn of Europe's No.
crusader for freedom. That man is MaSaryk
Eloquent of the man and his ideals is the fol-
lowing sentence from Mr. Capeks book:
Even today, do not suggest that the state is
the fulillment of our cultural mission; we must
prepare for the Kingdom of God that is to
come"
This book deserves a place in everybodys
library. That's how good it is