The Washington times., 1936-11-12
Human Side of the News
Andorra, One of European Pocket States, Is
Appealing For Protection
Bv EdUin C.. Hill

oxen. He sits on the beam Of his
plough, smokes his pipe, meditates
and makes decisions. Andorra dis.
likes written laws. Heads of the
six communes will, on rare occa-
sions, make a decree, but it goes
out by word of mouth.
The President has said the more
ill-behaved people, the more law
it needs. Effective law, he thinks,
is the moral sense Of community
so generally observed that in time
it does away with written laws. He
seeks little hope for a community
that must be restrained from mur.
der, arson and thievery by force,
His salary is SIS year. The heads
| of the communes serve without
pay.
Andorra has no debts or taxes.
Their tiny treasure, their ancient
charter and the records of such
laws as they have are kept in an
old iron bound chest which has
six keys. Each head of commune
has key. The chest can be opened
only by all six keys turned at eX-
actly the same moment.
While public service is thus vir-
tually unpaid, they have paid more
for protection. Bishop Urgel, who
represented Spain for many years
in the joint protectorate, received
$50 annually as salary, plus IL
cheeses, IL chickens and six hams.
But the benign old bishop, beloved
by the people, has departed with
the increasing tension of the Span
ish civil war.
UNREST AND FEAR
There is unrest and fear in
Andorra, but with this disturb
ing impact of today on yesterday
they still till their fields; their
school and church bells still
ring; their huge and patient oxen
lumber down the burrows and
their slate-roofed houses and
barns and court-yards are as
spotless as they were in the days
of Charlemagne. Houses, dress
and behaviour, particularly the
latter, are virtually unchanged.
How long before they are
overwhelmed-pay rolls, armies,
roads, automobiles, styles, class
distinctions, time clocks, push
buttons, debt, taxes, politicians,
plumbing, toothpaste and cycli.
cal depressions? Probably not
long. Their waterpower sites and
their locations for fancy gambling
resorts are too aluring.
There are, in this day, heavy
casualties among those merely
walking and fearing God. The
blare and blather of what we call
civilization is at their gates.
But they won't have to have a
subway. Their country is mostly
hard rock.
The five northern states Of Den.
mark, Iceland, Sweden, Norway
and Finland held their DAY of
the North" meeting at Copen-
hagen the other day. Their kings
and old Pehr Svinhufud, Presi'
dent of Finland, proclaimed their
joint devotion to peace work and
culture. President Svinhufud is
another Poe Palleres in his hon
eSty and simplicity. And Finland
alone pays her debts to the
United States.
Again, what these nations have
in common is the fact that they
have nothing-that the strong
arm powers want. Lump in Hol-
land and Switzerland and consider
the fact that in these tiny coun-
tries, peace, work and culture"
has been advanced more than in
, any other country in Europe.
Just in case there should be a
world cataclySm, is it not possible
that these sensible and honest
little nations might be a repo6l'
tory and safeguard of civilization
) Just as the monasterieS were
: when the blight of the Middle
Ages settled down on the world?
froovrioht 1928 nv King Features