, 1935-04-16
The W. r1d
At a Glance
BY LESLIE EICHEL
Central Press Staff WRITER

NEW YORK. April Is. To adj
Judge the present time. one must
project himself n century into the
future and look back.
That is the advice given to the
writer OF this column by q popular
writer.
We cannot look upon the present.
as a part Of Il. without bias and
prejudice and partially.
Looking Back
There Is a book. recently published
which does look back a century
upon the past century, Of course.
Queen Victoria by T. r. Bosom.
noted English writer. is the book.
Written with an impartiality and
a restraint and a clarity that sweep
away the obscurities OF the past this
volume seems more like a prophecy
than a requiem. The volume GEMS
TO infer that others 100 years hence
will look back on us much IN the
same manner that we are looking
back on the Victorian age.
We say, as we read: Gould this
nave DcfN pocNlblO-AONS NAAeAA -
dred years Ago7f
Human rights. even IN the most
democratic OF countries. were negli-
gible. as we consider them.
Despite TIE trappings OF royalty
(paid for -iEA untold millions taken
from the meager earnings OF the un-
der classes, misery and want and
disease were the order OF the times.
ROYALTY itself was q victim OF dis
caves which today We have wiped
ont.
But the ironical fact. the upper
most fact. Is this: The want. the
misery, the lack Of progress o. me
people. the disease itself sprang from
q determination or the ruling
classes 10 maintain the status quo.
And that very determination, that
dogged stubbornneSs (Which was
hailed then as patriotic couragel led
10 var and the topping OF nearly
All the thrones Of Europe. Instead
OF preserving the integrity OF r
status uuo. instead OF bringing sta
bilitv and happiness, that policy
brought instability, frightflness
and chaos.
AS VIC look back, We eXclaim
What stupidity"
But how should ne have acted u
we had lived IN the conditions OF
one hundred years ago7
Today
Will our descendants OF one hun
tired wear hence say OF us: What
stupid persons they were!"
In England the first men to or
zanize workers into a union were
deported in prison ships to far away
Oenal islands.
In the United States today persons
who try 70 organize workers IN in
dependent unions are termed Com
muniStS and are sentenced 70 prl-
son under anti-syndicalism laws a.
traitors TO the government.
In England, a century or 80 ago
The Wings were In power. and the
Tories were considered in the begin
ming. much as left-wing Socialists
are considered now. In a mere few
wears, the Tories were considered the
dictionaries and the Liberals arose
and defeated the Tories.
Then the Labor party arose There
we're alarumS. Civilization would
| periSh" If il got into power.
But the labor party did get into
power. and civilization went = feW
steps ahead.
The party suffered a reverse. but
signs point to its victory again IN
England.
Prior. however. to the end Of a
century since the mid-V Victorian
reign. there are likely to be more
radical and drastic parties rising to
wine out the Laborites. BlackshirtS
and Communists certainly will not
be the end. Five parties succeeded
one another In power In England
within a century. And each sue
cessively was reviled ad feared by
the throne and the interests be-
hind the throne.
Queen Victoria refused TO call the
Tories into office when first they
defeated the wings. (She was com
PEELED to. later.) She was certain
the world would end II the Wings
did not remain. Then. she felt the
same when the Liberals ousted the
Tories. She made life miserable for
the Liberal prime minister, whom
the people desired.
Queen Victoria did not trust the
Judgment of the people. except
when their minds were famed into
an imperialistlc. national flame.
Tomorrow
Can We visualize what tomorrow
will bring?
Or does the inevitable anger us,
as 1t angsred the Victoriaps, who en-
deavored to retard progress al
though II would have saved them
much anguish
Can we not picture a world IN
which there is much larger sharing
Of the profits Of productions
Can we not picture a world IN
which social security will have sd-
vanced TO far greater stages than
we can foreSee al the present timer
Can we not picture q world in
which we shall consider u present
divorce laws immoral, because they,
in some states, force mismated per-
sons 70 live together unless they can
prove scandal against each other?
Is there not a possibility that the
future will turn back TO our page
in history and smile over the narrow
chickering's which governed our snail
like pace toward social. economic
and political frnndnm9