The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1936-08-21


called war de-
""f partment in
Washington that Mussolini could not
possibly conquer Ethiopia in less
than three years, probably not at
all.
When the dust had settled and
England, with her chicken-feed as
sortment of 81 league nations, had
apologized to Mussolini and tossed
Halle Selassie into the waste-bas-
ket, England found her foreign
commerce much damaged. She had
missed Mussolini, and shot herself
in the pocketbook.
For a little while she will copy
Job: II will lay mine hand upon
my mouth. Once l have spoken
yea twice, but 1 will proceed
no further"
Paris, which is France, decided
to sing and dance new car
magnole with Russian dressing;
clenched fists raised in air la
Russo; red flag waving; the dole
full strains of the Communist hymn,
international, and its Communist
injunction, "Arise, we prisoners of
starvation" excellently sung from
the Arc de Triomphe to the Place
de la Bastille.
You can hardly imagine what fire,
fury and enthusiasm thousands of
young and old French gentlemen
put into that hymn, although many
of them showed few outward signs
of starvation.
There were, and are, manifesto
tons everywhere. Now in the
chamber of deputies, Monsieur
CASTOR Gerard, practical French
statesman, asks, "What has be-
come of our foreign tourists and
their spending money!"
M. Gerard tells the deputies
something must be done. In 1927,
2,125,000 foreigners from all over
the world visited France, spending
much money. Visitors now number
only 100000; as a rule with little
money to spend-oysters containing
no pearl; many that come to help
sing PInternationale bring no mon
ey.
Foreign visitors, says M. Ger
ard, used to give highly paid en-
ployment to half a million French
men and women; spent 500, 100000
francs for French railroad and
steamship tickets; scattered
throughout France from u to Is
thousand millions of francs.
Fifteen billions, even in francs,
are "real money" here. M. Ger
ard tells the chamber French prices
are too high. There is something
in that, with the four-cent franc
costing six to seven cents in the
United States-a comic-opera situa-
ton, considering the relative wealth
of the two nations.
M. Gerard thinks there should be
some cabinet official to look after
foreigners, with better propaganda
and fewer vexatious taxes on for
eigners; there is nothing in that.
Foreigners do not voluntarily
travel and spend money where they
feel they are not wanted. The cos
mopolitan, educated Frenchman is
as polite and hospitable as ever,
but ask him what sort of reception
the crowd gives to the foreigner,
British especially. 1t offends the
British ear to hear A has les Ang-
is!-"Down with the Britishl''
An innocent American, in an in
nocent average American automo-
bile, sailed forth on July IA to help
France celebrate the destruction of
the Bastille, and perhaps give
few feeble cheers for Lafayette, or
Woodrow Wilson, or somebody.
Great crowd in the Champs
Elysees, especially around the in
nocent American car, with new
paint, shiny chromium and several
cylinders. A polite policeman says
monsieur should know better than
to appear in car of "grand luxury"
on such a day. Such luxury cars
you may see by the thousands and
millions on American roads.
Nothing happens to the car of
grand luxury; it crosses the Ave
nue. of the Champs Elysees, about
300 feet, in less than twenty min
utes. The French, newly self-iden-
titled as prisoners of starvation"
are interested in the auto Ameri-
can, which is careful not to bump
anybody.
The bourgeois, the 'rich," an ex-
tinct species, although it does not
yet know it, are nervous. In a
vague way they feel that they are
held responsible for all those ''pris-
oners of starvation" with their
strong voices, deep chests, power
full fists and pink compilations.
Q King Features Syndicate. Inc.