Evening star., 1937-09-30
ROOSEVELT top" !"
BR|TON TO EXPLAIN.
A Sad Critic Comes 1000
Miles to Make the Presi-
dent Happy With Praise.

~ the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, September 30.-A
man in a long black cloak and 9
dark crush hat has come 1000 miles
to mount the steps of the White
House and tell President Roosevelt
what he thinks England thinks OF
him.
His hat is the style of SO,
His nose is long and thin,
But his strongest hold
Is sad, sad smile
That whispers of grief within.
Hammer Sws4fer is sad. That isn't
Why he wears long black cloak
and . dark crush hat-a funebrious
f1gure as well known in England as
the late huge -girthed c. K. Chester
ton or George Bernard Shaw.
He's sad about the President. He
wants to tell MIR. Roosevelt that
whatever darkling thoughts some
American critics may have about
him, Englishmen at least, my
crowd" he interploated-think F.. D
r. isis
"Tops?" suggested reporter.
"Quite!" said Hannen Swaffer.
One of Three Greatest.
The 57-year-old London politica
pundit and dean of British dramatic
critics. who likes to think of him.
self little wistfully as "the last
Englishman left in. the world" laic
contemplative finger against hi.
long, lean nose and brooded.
Il want to tell the President what
We think of him in England-tha1
you Americans" Che pronounced il
"Ameddicans" in the best Mayfair
traditionD have only had three great
Presidents, Washington, Lincoln ano
Franklin Delano Roosevelt. All euuall,
great.
Why Roosevelt?" said Hannen
Swaffer, who is going home to write
about F. D. R. for 10000, 900 British
readers. Il shall tell you. Because
in four years he has had to imple.
ment 40 years of British social legis.
lation. So great was the need anc
so terrible the crisis that he has made
mistakes, but his mistakes have beer
much better than any of the previ-
Gus Republican triumphs."
A man with a load of curiosity is
Hannen Swaffer. Besides the Presi-
dent he wants to see-and tell his
100000 British readers, he said:
John L. Lewis Rated Next.
!. What's wrong with United States
prisons. because we can't understand
all these riots. Our penal institutions
are apparently so years in advance
Of most American prisons
2. John L. Lewis, because next tc
Mr.. Roosevelt we regard him as
Americas most dynamic figure :
and because, you see, / as a Socialist
understand all these labor troubles
We have been through outs. 1t is q
question Of millions of people suddenly
realizing they have been getting a
raw deal. So you have to 60 through
strike period"
3. What has become of New York's
famous 400? That worries him
I'VE never" said Swarer, hear about
them any more. Has it really beer
discovered as the hooey it always
was?"
4. A typical Midwest town, be
cause I don't believe such q thing
exists"
A Dead Constitution.
5. Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardis OF
New York, because he is rebuilding
great city not in terms OF sky
scrapers but in terms of human life
and living. II I were an American
I would be speaking six times a night
to re-elect La Guardia."
And last but not least" he said
II want to see the nine old men in
Washington.
AS an Englishman feel you peo-
pie worship your Constitution much
more than We worship God. You
don't understand that at the time ii
was written it was the most ideal
istic document ever penned by the
hand of man. But that was a long
time ago.
To-day the United States has de-
veloped its manhood but is still wear
ing the swaddling clothes of a Con-
stitution meant for intellectual chill
dren. You go on worshiping this
dead thing"
Swaf!er, incidentally, is "Hannen
6waf1er, Ltd" in London-the first
man in England, he thinks, to be
incorporated.