Evening star., 1939-12-10

tern of Western Europe. From all ac-
counts Of persons in the Reich at the
time of the wars outbreak the same dis
taste was obvious-even more obvious
in fact-among the middle-aged group
Of the population. Only the boys showed
any enthusiasm. And they happened to
be in power.
Relatively the war age group were
more numerous in Germany than in
either France or England The postwar
generation had piled up big surplus Of
boys. Germany came out of the first
World War with its manpower sadly de-
pleted It's battle losses were propor-
tionately heavier than those of either
France or England. Great numbers per-
ished of malnutrition in the bitter years
that followed.
Mass marriages were encouraged. NAL
nourished mothers, for some unknown
reason, gave birth to a preponderance
Of boys. This is a phenomenon which
has been observed after other wars. More
was sacrificed for the sake of these
babies to enable them to reach maturity.
Germany had the full benefit of all that
medical science has accomplished in the
way of child welfare and the conquest
of child diseases. She had, in fact, con-
tributed far more than her full share to
this major accomplishment of the human
race in the present century-thanks
chiefly to Jewish medical research men,
some Of whom have been abundantly re-
warded by the confiscation Of their prop
erty and death in concentration camps.
These boys grew up in an economic
world which had no place for them. With
great burst of energy they usurped the
place of their elders-spying on their own
parents being one of the means used
and surged into power. The dominant,
peace-loving generation of France and
England were pushed into the back
ground in Germany so that their atti-
tude had little significance. 1t is dis
balance of power and energy which
sooner or later is bound to be corrected,
but meanwhile the world pays the price
for it.
Probably more than in any other
country the German Army is made up
of babies" Only the babies are thor
oughly sold on the Nazi regime with its
childish dreams and childish lack of
responsibility. 1t is the creation of an
overgrown, thoroughly spoiled child.
Russia Complicating Factor.
With the same biological forces
working in Germany as in the rest of
Western Europe, there is every reason
to believe that, once the pathological
adolescent has been given a sound
thrashing, the Reich will settle down
peacefully with its neighbors and prefer
to settle neighborly disputes henceforth
in courts of justice. 1t will first be NEG
essary to get rid of this adolescent bulge
in the Reich population.
But the consequence of the changing
national average ages throughout the
world are likely to be far more compE-
Gated. If the picture was the same the
world over the future would be very
hopeful indeed. One great complicating
factor is Russia. 1t is essentially an
unknown quantity. There alone in the
Western World, birth control appears to
be not only condoned but encouraged.
Up to the present the Soviet republics
have not had the full benefit of the
conquest of the diseases of childhood
and youth enjoyed by the United States,
Great Britain, France and Germany.
Medical help has been slow in reaching
the still benighted masses. But, from
all accounts, encouraging progress is be-
ing made in this direction. Eventually
Russia should reach about the same age
average as Western Europe. Nobody
knows, however, how long this will take.
Meanwhile there is the disquieting pic
ture of an "adolescent" nation, pos
sessed by social philosophy foreign to
the thinking of most of its neighbors,
which has assumed practically the pro-
portions of a religion. Paradoxical as
it might seem, perhaps the best way to
insure against long continued Commu-
mist menace would be to provide serums
to save the lives of Communist children
for the middle-aged Communist is no
more war minded than anybody else in
the same age category. He may or may
not, be an obnoxious fellow, likely to
stab one in the back-but he is not
likely u SldTI raising tlle OeVll JuSG ZOE
the pure deviltry Of it.
Russia will attain middle-age peace-
fulness of herself in due course of time.
This brings one squarely against coun-
tries and races which are not growing
older. The effects of preventive medi-
cine, sanitation and a declining birth
rate are barely discernible among the
teeming masses of Asia. There the
average age remains at about the point
1t reached in Great Britain and the
United States century ago. When the
United States and Western Europe have
entered that predicted period when the
population will be at standstill with
the average age increasing very grad
ually, it is likely that the yellow race
will be just entering THE stage of sensa-
tional population increase which will
keep the average age in the period OF
late adolescence, or young manhood.
The Eternal Struggle.
Then indeed the world is likely to be
a tough place, with resurgent youth of.
one race and one color attempting to
expand at the expense of sedate middle
age. It is a factor more fundamental
than political PHILOSOPHERS. than ma
tional and linguistic differences, even
than racial differences. The late Sig.