Evening star., 1948-12-05

illiterate. But what must be un-
derstood clearly is that some of
those nations possess a high degree
OF culture in combination with q
high degree of illiteracy. And why
not? When France gave the world
the best of lessons in political sci
ence, in 1893, it probably had more
llliterates in its population than
any American State of our times.
That culture spread downward to-
ward the masses as a result of the
intense activity of the lettered elite.
VINO provided practitioners for all
the professions: Presidents, arch
bishops, Senators, Congressmen.
teachers, university professors, scien-
lists. large land owners, journalists,
warriors and always, whatever else
they might all have been, politicians.
Politics was not a specialized pro-
fession, as elsewhere, particularly in
North America, but a general and
enduring avocation.
Until recently men engaged in
politics in Latin America with the
aid OF powerful instruments for cul-
tural dissemination: The university
professorship, the pulpit, books and
essays and academic gatherings.
Parliament, too, of course. The en-
phasis was not on specific topics
OF political administration, but pri-
marily on the philosophical aspects,
the fundamental principles of the
art OF governing. Literature was a
vehicle for politics, and political
oratory an important form of lit
erature. Just as journalism was a
literary form. Upon the bulk of
the people-some of whom were
then illiterate and still are-de-
scended a rain of literature. tons
OF good and bad prose, occasionally
even poetry. France provided the
raw materials for this creole mer-
chandlse. French culture gave ac-
cess to the Greek and Roman we'll
springs. In 1868 one of the Latin
American nations, after q terrific
bloody revolution, adopted a new
constitution, and the first thing the
Constituent Assembly did was to
direct that a copy of this constitu-
ton be sent to Victor Hugo. Isita anv
wonder that peoples who have lived
unoer the influence Of instructive
forces like these. exposed to the
lnexorable and tempestuous action
OF such political climate. turn
out TO be culture, even though thew
may not know how to read or write?
A North Americans first reaction
70 tneSe phenomena is to set these
peoples down as tropical, given to
oratorlcal excesses. But that is the
Greco-Roman style in politics
shared then and now by manv ma
tions that do not live in the tropics
some OF the Latin American lands
are geographically no more tropical
than the United States. The Greeks
and Romans were like that. And
so was the Renaissance, everywhere
Also the British in the 18th and
18th centuries, especially the
Wings. The French, too. both in
days gone by and at present
The Atmosphere
OF French Culture
Following this tradition, the Latin
Americans until very recently read
and wrote in an atmosphere of
French culture. In the universities
even the textbooks were written In
French. and the studies were con-
Quoted in French. especially law and
medicine. In Brazil the influence
Of France was still more noticeable,
a heritage of the empire. The rich
visited Paris. Poor writer's and
painters made pilgrimages to Paris.
On their return they all continued
to live Paris, importing French
magazines, books, fashions. ANY
other literary influence that arrived
came by way Of France. For ex-
ample, that of 10Th century
Russia. And, by chance, that of
certain English writer's who had en-
joyed popular success in Paris, such
as Wilde, Shaw, Wells, Chesterton,
happened in Spain and Portugal
with respect to France, SO that
anything that found its way to
Latin America from the former