The Washington times., 1936-08-07

o n OF "
Austria and startle the world, has
any leader of men gambled with
fate so dramatically, so success
fully, as Benito Mussolini, dictator
of the italian Empire.
Not until the last hour of his
furious drive at the heart of Eth
opia-not until the Dark Emperor,
abandoned by the League of Ma
tions, had fled from his burning
capital-did the dice roll up five
aces for the daring Italian. Half
Europe menaced him. The great
British Navy frowned upon him
at the gateway of the Suez Canal.
His people, almost at the limit OF
sacrifice, suffering actual want
and hunger!
And then victory! Decisive and
complete! His prestige leaping up
ward to heights never before
known. All Italy laundering
cheers about the head of this mod
ern Caesar! The creator of an en-
pire. A bricklayer setting upon
the head of the little king Of the
House of Savoy the crown Of an
Emperor. Adding to the territory
of Italy a rich province ten times
the size of the State of New York
twice the size of Texas bigger
than all New England.
An amazing man, this empire
builder, MusSolini. Let me tell
you something about him that pos
sibly you do not know. Twice I
have interviewed him and for
years 1 have studied him as the
most interesting personality In
power.
The son of AleSsandro MuSSolini,
he grew up in the most crushing
poverty. He never tasted coffee
until he was twenty. He slept on
bundle of hay instead of a mat
treSs, and the bedroom in his
birthplace, which has been made
museum, preserves this symbol
of extreme Indulgence.
THE WILL TO POWER
Though his father was a black
smith, the family for generations
had titled the soil. MuSsollnl, at
his mothers insistence, went to a
religious school, though his father
was an extreme anticleric. Then
he taught school himself, at a
wage of twelve dollars per month
until he fled to Switzerland when
he was 10. He earned a living as
a mason and a laborer in a choc'
olate factory. He was often nun
cry. At night he studied socialism
He became an agitator. He was
Jailed and expelled from one Swiss
canton after another. Altogether
in Italy as well as Switzerland
Mussolini was arrested II times
He hated jail. He deSpised the
moral obloquy and physical dis
comforts of confinement. Once
he was fingerprinted by the Gen
eva police; he has loathed Switzer'
land ever since, and it is not fanci,
full to assume that his dislike OF
the League of Nations was partly
the result of this early insult.
MuSSolini returned to Italy in
1904 at the age of 81, spending 10
years as a red hot Socialist. He
earned living teaching school and
journalism. Mussolini formed the
first Fasci di Combattimento,
mostly from men who had joined
him early in the war, demanding
intervention. He was still Social
iSt and he diSliked and diStruSted
the bourgeoisie and capitalist
aristocracy. The movement de-
Veloped speedily.
TAKES NO ADVICE
It's roots were those which grew
analogously in Germany and pro.
duced Hitler later! Unemployment
among the ex-soldiers, the weak
ness of democratic cabinets, par
liamentary corruption, powerful
nationalist feeling, reStlesSness on
the left, coupled with disSatisfac'
ton at orthodox international
socialism. In 1921 and 1922 Mus