Evening star., 1938-07-24
By Marv.Carter Roberts.

EHlllp 1lDDS. OdTueu SIIy. Oou-
bleday Doran g. Co.
CIR PHILIP GIBBS, that dutiful
Voice of Empire, has written
another book. 1t makes the
- fifth since the reviewer began
to write for The Star, the highest
production record of any author, un-
less it be Edgar Rice Burroughs OF
'Tarzan" fame. Even Kathleen
Norris has fallen short of Sir
Philips truly wonderful industry.
In his last book but one, readers
will remember, he was pretty sad. He
had had a grave shock. He had
finished King George VS. Silver Jubi-
lee volume before that in fine
fettle; he had not gone to quite the
length in reporting that celebration
as did the correspondent of the Times
who called the attention of the public
to the fact that the stars had been
unusually brilliant during Jubilee
Week, due to an unquestionable wish
on the part of these heavenly bodies
to show appreciation of the occasion
no. But he did discover that the
English people had not changed any
since the days of Shakespeare, and
concluded, in his restrained and gen.
tlemanly style naturally that all was
we'll in this best of all possible worlds.
And then came the abdication.
That was bad blow to him. How
bad it was, indeed, may be imagined
from the circumstance that he came
perilously near forgetting that gen.
tlemanly manner referred to above
and, in writing about his former
sovereign's wife, displayed an ami
mostly of a startlingly nasty kind.
And, to make matters worse, it dawned
on Sir Philip at about this time that
there were quite a number OF Reds
in the world Che had already been
to Russia, to be sure) and that
Fascism was spreading in Europe and
that everywhere people were talking
about a new world war. He sat down
and walled. Things really should not
be like this, he said in effect. 1t
simply Isn't Done.
1t was to be hoped. OF course, that
he would, In time, recover that charm
ing optimism which has for so long
been his great characteristic. But the
hope, it appears, is dead He is, if
anything. even more pessimiStic than
he was in Ordeal" But he has now
progressed beyond the wailing stage,
and has come to the point of thinking
firmly about What Must Be Done.
And that is, in his unmistakable
opinion, the conciliation by England
of Germany or Italy, but Germany
by preference. 1t is an opinion
which comes with ever = increasing
agreement from British writer's these
days, many of whom, from having
viewed Fascism with horror year
ago, have reached the point of con-
doning its methods and advocating
friendly attitude toward one or both
OF the great right relationships.
This change of attitude hardly need
puzzle any one. 1t springs from SIM
pie expediency. 1t is apparent that
and England is going to have to take
her place as friend or enemy. Either
one Is powerful militarily: together
they would be practically unbeatable.
1t Is up to England to decide whether
she wants them liking or resenting
her There may of course be that dis
cretion which is described as the bet
ter part of valor in the recent con-
clusion of so many English writer's
that a friendly attitude is the only
humane" or reasonable" one. For
1t is hard not to remember that the
attitude of disapproval previously ex-
pressed by these journalists was based
on high-minded moral grounds.
In Sir Philips present book the
william in the piece is found to be
that old Versailles treaty. Oh, that
whipping boy Of a document! Is there
anything for which it has not been
blamed? Well, now Sir Philip finds
1t responsible for a condition of de-
moralization among the German peo-
pie which, as he says, made a Hitler
inevitable. (But has one or has one
not heard that before?) From this he
proceeds to the information that Hit
Ter has done some splendid things for
Germany-bravo! To be sure, admits
Sir Philip, Hitler has also done some
things which are not so splendid. He
has prosecuted the Jews and has in
flicted mechanical system of thought
on the people. These points are duly
mentioned with sorrowful head-shak-
ings. Still, Is 1t not time that Eng
land reverted to her traditional
friendship with the German govern
ment? Is it not more humane and
more reasonable to do SO?
For the rest of the work Sir Philip
still eXecrates Russia, still abhors war,
dislikes Anthony Eden and all he
stands for, thinks the League of Ma
tions moribund and feels that the Jews
who are settling in Palestine are en-
titled to England's protection. 1t is all
done in spirit of dignified and we'll
bred alarm. If you have sufficient de-
tachment you will find that it is, in
more places than one, richly and
rarely humorous.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS, 1919-l937. BY
E. l.. Hasluck. New York: The
Macmillan Co.
THIS book covers almost exactly
- the same ground as the one re-
viewed above. and does so without
any editorializing or comment. 1t is
g perfectly factual record of happen
ings. 1t takes the countries of Eu-
rope up one by one and traces the
events of political Importance which
have occurred within the borders of
each, It does this with absolutely no
attempt at large" interpretations; it
does no more interpreting, indeed,
than offer a necessary explanation of
terms. 1t is as styleless as an en-
cyclopedia and as matter of fact But
the essential facts of history are in 1t
and arranged in a manner to make
them easily discoverable. The re-
viewer, after reading an interminable
parade Of interpretations in the popu-