The Washington times., 1935-10-03
NOW
A CLOSe-Up VieW
OF the League
IT'S INTRIGUES
Nv HELEN ESSARY
GENEVA,

How does it look?
Is it a parchment tied with
pale ribbo~
Or is it the nations OF the
world meeting in a Tower OF
Babel? Smiling. Bowing. Suave.
Purring with public politeness.
Behind the scenes sharpening
their swords. casting their good
manners in iron in preparation
for international murder. Or
jockeyins with threats for
peace.
I was seated in the great hall
that is the spiritual as well as
the actual center Of the League.
Through this corridor all dele
gates passed on their way to and
from public and private meet
ings.
Foreign ministers-there have
heen Is foreign ministers and
five premiers in attendance at
this Assembly - walked by IN
studied casualness.
Here were representatives OF
"causes" - the oxford move
ment, humanitarianism, eco
nomic struggles. equal rights
campaignS-come from the four
corners of the universe.
Diplomatic attaches, unofficial
observers, the secretariat OF the
League and about 300 journal
lists. These last discerning, intel
ligent representatives and ere
ators of public opinion in Eu'
rope. Asia, Africa, Australia.
North and South America.
Ethiopia, they we're saying to-
day, might be another Austria,
the excuse for a war and horror
throughout Europe and Africa.
Rumors of skirmishes, OF
fighting on the Ethiopian bor-
der, were being passed about
and denied. Rumors of civil
war in Italy-millions Of Ital-
ianS anxious to revolt with
their half-forgotten king against
Il Duce, were being whispered.
It was a breath-taking exper-
fence to an outsider from Amer
lea. Just being there.
The kinds of heads fascinated
me-bald heads, slick, shiny
heads of Latins; yellow heads
of ScandinavianS, fuzzy heads,
square heads.
Here was the human race in
itss varied architectural forms.
Long-legged people, short-legged
ones. Little, fat fellows with pot
bellies. Sleek, tall ones with
slim waists.
I thought:
"How much human beings re-
semble animals. And how much
people act like animals most Of
the time. This room suggests
the entrance to a zoo. Maybe
for the moment the animals are
held in leash. But they are
showing their teeth behind the
smiles"
Monsieur Laval was walking
about the big hall. The Prime
Minister of France! In a rum.
pied black suit, a white lawn
four-in-hand tie against his
swarthy skin. A French Mr..
Babbitt!
Laughing, joking with the
Journalists, with everybody,
Monsieur Laval was making
friends wherever he could.
Baron Aloisi, the representa-
live in Geneva of MuSsolini, ap-
peared in the hall, a tall, hand
some, exquisitely dressed fellow.
He was apparently unabashed
by the feeling his country had
aroused. He wore a welL-fit-
ting grey suit, a black tie, a
monocle and a salubrious smile.
Little Tecle-Hawariate, His
Excellency, the representative of
Halle Selassie, looked half the
size of Baron Aloisi-and he'll
probably shrink further before
many months have passed. The
Ethiopian-very dark himself
wore small, tight, dark clothes.
Capt. Anthony Eden, Great
Britain's shining young man, big
and very British, whizzed by
in one of the so waistcoats his
father left him.
The convention to discuss the
Equal Nationality Rights of
Women had an all-day session.
I managed to understand that
most nations of the world
thought women were getting on
pretty well. That the demands
of the Montevideo convention
for strict equal nationality
rights were amusing but not
yet to be taken seriously. And
that the conduct of world af-
fairs should be left to the men.
The women at this convention
(square-jawed fighters, most of
them) after marriage looked as
If they thought the conduct
of world affairs by men had
brought civilization to a pretty
pass-as. well they might think.
Birney Center Opens
Colored citizens of Anacostia