Evening star., 1935-10-20
By Mary.Carfer Roberts.

y
RIvALRIES IN ETHIOPIA. BY
Elizabeth P. McCallum. With an
introduction by Newton D. Baker.
New York: World Peace Founda-
ton.
ETHIOPIA A PAWN IN EUROPEAN
DIPLOMACY. BY Ernest WORK
New York: The Macmillan Co.
MEASURING ETHIOPIA AND
FLIGHT INTO ARABIA. By
Carleton S. Coou. Boston: Little
Brown & Co.
"HESE three recent books on the
worlds most menacing political
volcano have all been written
L with an eye to the possibility
of prompt eruption. After perusing
them, the reader should be able to
decide for himself whether or not he
likes VOLCANOES in the active state. The
works are pretty dispassionate. They
are chiefly taken up with collecting
the facts, and letting them speak for
themselves The authors. for the
most part preserve dignified attitude
toward what is, to put it most kindly,
an undignified international situation,
both in the past and the present.
"Rivalries in Ethiopia" published
by the World Peace Foundation, does,
to be sure, deal a little in futures.
Newton D. Baker. who, though known
chiefly as a former cabinet member,
is a man of scholarship able to write
q polished prose, remarks in his intro
duction to this pamphlet that the
Ethiopian situation forms the test of
whether we learned anything at all
out of our first World War. Our (and
by the pronoun he meeoS all civilized
nations) behavior in the present sit
uation will answer the question, as he
considers it. And, if the situation is
not solved by peaceful means. he
plainly implies that the answer is in
the negative.
A somewhat similar attitude toward
the present trouble is expressed
though in a different mood. by the
author of Measuring Ethiopia" who
is a physical anthropologist, and so
not interested in political values at
all, except as they interfere with his
work of measuring skulls. Says he:
"All that Italy now lacks is a Kip
ling. The chief trouble is,
however, that Italy began so years
too late: the civilized world is be-
coming decadent, for 1t has now de-
veloped what one may hesitantly
call a conscience" A scientists way
OF putting it-such dry fellows they
are. these men Of quantities!
For the most part, however. the
books 90 right along. "Rivalries in
:rtiopia" is a compact exposition OF
what its author has deemed to be the
pertinent facts. The past history Of
relations between Ethiopian and
European powers is outlined, factual
but impressive description is given Of
Italys economic situation wherein
seems to lurk the not entirely new
strategy of making war abroad to
avert discomfort at home, while the
factors which necessarily interest Eng
land, France and the United States
are duly listed. The status of
Ethiopia-its government, its much
deplored slave. traffic, its economic
condition and its traffic in arms are
also dispassionately described. And
lastly, the negotiations before the
League of Nations, up until September.
are outlined. The book gives good
pocket-size story of the whole matter.
Much the same ground is covered
In Ethiopia Pawn in European
Diplomacy" but in vastly greater
detail. The author of this work, now
0 professor of history in MuSkingum
College, Ohio, spent some time In
Ethiopia as government official. He
has examined in a thorough-going
manner the documents of record and
state papers which cover negotiations
between Halle Selassie's empire and
various European countries from 1855
to the present. These documents
make the basis of his book. He is
pro-Ethiopian himself, but he utters
only occasional ironies. For the most
part he is able to produce, very aptly,
an official paper that will be ironical
for him.
If there is any one today who
greatly doubts that greed has been
the motivating force OF civilization
In recent years, he had better expose
his optimism to perusal Of this
book. Not just Italy, but England,
France, Germany, Russia and Tur-
key, says Mr.. Work unfortunately
proving it as he goes along) have
broken the commandment against
coveting where the hapless Ethiopians
are concerned, and done it with the
utmost complacence and righteous
ness. The chief reason, he seems to
think, that Ethiopia has escaped so
far has been in the circumstance that
there we're so many contenders.
Throughout his book Mr.. Work
speaks of the Ethiopians as freedom
loving and courageous. While he ad-
mits certain barbarities among them,
he intimates unkindly that they are
only more. obvious than our own.
In view of the fact that he has
lived In the country, this estimate
of its natives Is interesting, as con-
trasted with that of Mr.. Coon, author
O. Measuring Ethiopia and Flight
Into Arabia" Mr.. Coon spent only
he brought scientists trained power
Of observation to bear while he was
there. He found the natives, in the
capital at least, unreliable. dishonest,
cowardly and generally unappealing.
He would not, he says, trade l Rifdan
for 10 Ethiopians. Incidentally, he
has written previous work on the
Rifiians.
Mr.. Coon's book differs altogether
from the two mentioned above He
went to Ethiopia in 1888 to measure
skulls. It seems that he likes to
measure skulls. After many starts
At negotiations he fell afoul of au-
thorities and they chased him out
of the country. He lost a good bit
of money and his disapproval OF the
customs of the land are comprehensi-
BILE. He gives, however. a well-told
and highly interesting account OF his