Evening star., 1938-06-04
H|TLERNEAREND,
VANLOON HOLDS
Ignorance of History Will
Be FIehrer's Undoing,
He Thinks.

Hitler will end in IL months because
he does not know history, is the pre-
diction of Hendrix Willem Van Loon,
famous historian. Explaining how
the spirit of Cromwell will rise in
England and defeat the German
leader, Mr.. Van Loon writes in the
Redbook Magazine:
"A few weeks ago I ventured to
make prediction at a meeting, An
other IL months will see the end of
Adolf Hitler himself
Let me make clear at the outset
that I do not belong to that group of
people-not inconsiderable in num-
ber-who pooh-pooh the whole idea
OF Adolf Hitler, who call him un-
pleasant names and who apparently
believe you can get rid Of a dictator
by telling a few funny stories at his
expense. I do not see it that way.
What I am about to say is not the
result Of wishful thinking or of de-
liberately Understanding the ability
OF the Chancellor of the Third Reich.
NO, my conviction that Adolf Hitler
will lose out in the end, and within a
comparatively short space of time, is
based upon the consideration that he
does not know his history.
Two Sorts of England.
All through all the written books
OF DR.. Hitler you will come across
evidences of his almost pathetic ig-
norance of the past. If he did know
history. both he and his little play
mate in Rome would realize that there
are now and that there have been for
several centuries in the past, two en-
tirely different sorts of England; and
that to Judge England by the group
that happens to be in power at the
present moment is about as dangerous
as to judge America by the party that
happens to have control of the ma.
chinery Of Government in Washing
ton. I am deliberately stressing this
point. for it is this often overlooked
angle OF the history Of England which
has led to the destruction of all of
her enemies during the last three
centuries. Just when they thought
they had that country in the bag, so
to speak, they were forced to realize
that they had only one part Of 1t in
the bag, and the part that did not
count most.
THE British Prime Minister had a
father who was not quite SO averse
to bloodshed as the son seems to be,
for the father was responsible cat
least to very great extent) for the
Boer War. And he started that war
with all the usual paraphernalia of
propaganda, and the Beers were what
the Germans We're to become in 1914
they were the enemies of the human
race and the enemies of civilization
and true progress; but they also lived
"a fact not stressed at that time) in
a country full of diamonds and gold
and they did not quite know what to
do with these hidden treasures.
so England went to war. But-and
That Is important to remember-not
all of England went to war The
moment hostilities had begun, behold,
there was that other England which
rarely plays very visible role in Eng
lish politics, but which is possessed
of a conscience of such terrific
strength that it simply must stand
up Tor what 1t holds to be right, re-
gardless Of consequences, and that 1t
cannot be moved from its own stand
point when, after long and profound
meditations, it has come to the con-
clusion that it is in the right.
Little Englanders' RidicuIed.s
These opponents of the Boer War
and the policies of Joseph Chamber
lain were the so-called little Eng
landers' of the era of the Boer War.
They were quite often beaten I'D by
The true parrots, and they were ridi-
culed by fashionable society. But be-
Ing the nations conscience, they, and
not their enemies, were victorious in
the end. 1t is true, old Joe Chamber
IAN won his little war; but the con-
science Of England won the peace,
and it tried to make up for what they
considered to have been a sin by be-
stoWlng upon their former opponents
much greater degree of liberty than
they had ever enjoyed before under
their own leaders. ...
Go a few centuries further back
and study the relation between an
easy-golng hut completely corrupt
court and the conscience of the British
nation, and you will catch a glimpse
OF poor misguided King Charles slowly
stepping out of that window of his
own unfinished palace of White Hall,
TO pay for his sins against the ma
tional conscience by the loss of his
head.
There is no need for Adolf Hitler
tnor for Benito MussolinD to worry
about Neville Chamberlain. But one
OF these days he will come up against
the shade of Oliver Cromwell, and
then let him look out, for the spirit
OF Oliver Cromwell will defeat him
as it has defeated every one these last
300 years who judged England merely
by what appeared upon the surface
Nd not by those invisible qualities
eich make this the most interesting
.Wause essentially the most decent of
AL sations.
Cites Carlyle's Work.
chaaI felt inclined to render the
lSoISSor of the Third Reich a most
usefd1oevice-which I DON'T would
send him copy of Thomas Carlyle's
Letters and Speeches of Oliver Crom-
well or some other first-rate biography
OF the Lord Protector. and on the
dyleaf I would write: MY dear
Chancellor Hitler: This is the story
OF the man who will defeat you before
the end of another year. know that
he is only a ghost, but he is a living
ghost, for part of his spiritual heritage
is ingrained to deeply in the hearts Of
his fellow men that they will sink their
island rather than submit to that
which they know to be wrong
Soon Cromwell will once more
hi al Lak