Evening Star Newspaper, February 21, 1932, Page 26

Blue Sultan of Africa o——Gontinued From Third Page) @apital of empire do, from time to time, to_stretch their legs) there are certain rules that must be observed. One of the most striking is to avold at all costs what the German Kopps student would " You must not under any “fix” a Mauretanian #Blue Man.” It is quite essential to yemember that to these most fanatical of all Mussulmen, your glance is a merious defilement. ‘Should they find Wou looking at their faces, should you seem to stare at them, that is quite fatal. Immediately the muzzles of their rifies rise, focused menacingly upon the offender—to teach manners, at least, to the unclean one who has ventured to poke his nose outside his prison. At their feet you may look. Out of sheer contempt. that is allowed. Your head bowed, therefore, you may slink outside the ramparts of the fort, for a downcast eye fixed upon the fiithy blue feet belonging to these lords of the desert, will not attract a bullet. But even then it is onl, a bastard “Moor,” the dregs of Mauretania, who ever comes near the fort. Unsafe for White Men. In 1850 the first and last European %0 cross Mauretania died (from wounds and exposure) at Mogador. It is the only territory of any dimensions in the world where it is definitely impossible for the white man to go. No paleface can walk in and walk out again, with- out paying a crushing ransom, becom- ing a slave, or being killed. The cause of all this, however, is not the feebleness of European arms. a result merely of the competitive sus- ceptibility of European nationalism. The Rio de Oro would be cleared up in six months or less by the French, with- out any trouble whatever. But the Rio de Oro is “Spanish If the French in- vaded Mauretania the nomads they were driving before them would pass cver the imaginary frontier line of this Spanish desert colony. ‘“International complica- tions” would immediately ensue. Some years ago the Spanish gov- ernment was on the point of ceding the Rio de Oro to France. Then sud- denly the French Aeropostal Service was established. From Toulouse to Dakar this service is bound to pass over the Occidental Sahara. The Spaniards, just on the point of part- ing with the Rio de Oro for a song, Jacked up their price, and stood out for a sum that seemed exorbitant to the French negotiators. They broke off the negotiations and there the matter has remained ever since. So a vast territory. nearly the whole of the Occidental Sahara (north to south, from Tiznit to Podor—west to east, from Cap Juby to the Sauora) is an impenetrable blank. It is a no man’s land What Mauretania means for the *“man in the street” is simply a coun- try where any European entering is immediately caught, slaughtered or ransomed. It is a sensational frontier for Morocco to have as its southern extremity. The deserters from the Foreign Legion always escape into Mauretania. There they are immedi- ately caught, and the nomads—that is a recognized thing—get 50 francs for a Legionary. It is not much, but is worth having, so they bring him in. Sometimes they do not have the time to spare, and then it is said they kill him. None of these people who are not ransomed is ever seen again; some may be held as slaves—and these are usually good, strong German peasants. (As a rule the Arab or Berber values the colored captive much higher than the European. as a slave. In the mar- ket Cerventes would fetch far less than Uncle Tom.) Escaped Legionary Sold a¢ Slave. ‘There is a good story, told by the airmen of the Rio de Oro, of one particular Legionary caught by the Mauretanian nomads, and who subse- quently, as a slave. had an unusual destiny. This fine fellow deserted and hurried over into the Rio de Oro. Im- mediately he was sighted and caught by nomads. They went through his pockets, and there they found a photo- graph. Before the war this strapping German had been a private in the Prussian Guards. In the photograph he wore a magnificent helmet with an eagle atop it, and since he was stand- ing well in the foreground, he dwarfed all the other persons in the picture. Clearly, he was the most important per- son there. Clearly, he was no ordinary man. was a most important capture! His captors had a consultation. They came to the conclusion that they had captured no less a person than the Emperor of Germany. This having been agreed, they secreted the photograph in a safe place, gave the ex-Legionary 8 severe beating. and put him down a well for the night. They pulled him out the next day, gave him another beating and put him down again, with a plece of bread and a date or two. This they repeated for two Weeks. Believing him to be the Emperor of Germany, they were afraid he might escape. In consequence, they thought it best to break him in at once. Their reasoning was that he would be so re- lieved at being no longer flogged and put down the well that he would, when comparing it with what he had suf- fered, be quite reconciled with his lot. They began traveling, and wherever they went they showed other nomads (such as they regarded as safe and not likely to steal or take him by force) their valuable booty. They exhibited their captive and the photograph to- ether. It was universally agreed that was indeed the German Emperor, and they were very much envied for the possession of such an unusual Euro- pean. So they would still occasionally put him down a dry well when one was handy, to be on the safe side. At last, after some weeks, they parted with him for a very substantial sum. ‘The nomads who bought him started restlessly off, and again for some weeks he tramped the steppes at the heels of his wild masters. Then they reached an oasis, and he was sold once more— this time for still more money. When he changed hands, he was always sold with his photograph. So he went on changing hands, as more people got to hear of him and fresh tempting offers came in. His price soared and soared, until at last a tribe nearly bankrupted itself buying him, and he became its most valuable possession—a sort of Koh-i-Noor, worth all their camels and horses rolled into one. Then they sent him down, under a heavy escort, to the coast at Cap Juby, to realize on him. ‘The idea was to enter into negotiations for his sale to the German government or to get in touch with a millionaire collector likely to wish to acquire & German Emperor. ‘When they showed his photograph to the Ewppezns, however, they were re- ceived with shouts of laughter, and they nearly shot one or two of them in their indignation. They could get no offers and at last came down a thousand or two from the sum they first demanded— £15,000 sterling. They were convinced these Nazarenes were bluffing, so they sat down and waited. At last, nervous and shaken in their belief as to the value of their capture, the Moors got a8 low as (E1000 by nusmt_srqe sight of captive's hmnmeemm face. And the end of the story is that, convinced of their terrible mistake at last, they sold him for 40 francs to & good-natured airman. Few Know of Rio de Oro. my return from Morocco everybody it is & great blank, just as it is'a great blank for the cartographer. Yet there are only two places in the world today where no monied, legginged globe-trotter (prancing forward with pistols and puggree), determined to write 8 book, is refused admittance by the inhabitants. Tibet is a mere tourist center. The Borneo head-hunter would not hunt the head of a horse-fly if you him. 1l the Pac bals have become 6ze are only two fe It is | Even politically this unknown quan- tity, this Atlantic wilderness, is impor- tant. For there dwells the “Blue = tan.” And the Blue Sultan may yet become one of the big pawns in colonial politics. The conquest of Africa by the Euro- pean is rather a pacification and act of political barter than a final military | overthrow. Abd-el Krim was really dan- | gerous in the Riff. If gingered up b |a German adviser the “Blue Sultan’ | might be more dangerous in the South. | Given a great dispute between the Mediterranean nations of Europe the two places where the clutch of the whites will first loosen would be the | RIff In the extreme North and the Blue Belt in the extreme South. When the “Blue Sultan” Ma E1 Ainin came up out of the Western Sahara in 1910 with his “Blue Men" and in- | vaded Morocco (in order to purge it of Christian influence) he acted most cor- | rectly from the standpoint of Berber | history. He should. by all the rules of | the game, be at Tangler today—if not |at Granada as well. But in fact he merely acted as a convenient Blue nine- pin for the French artillery. His eclipse | was instantaneous. His less gifted son, El Hiba, had a far longer run for his money. And the present “Blue Sultan,” Merebbi Rebo, the extremely dull | brother of the latter, might, under fa- vorable circumstances, go much farther than either. Not possessing the un- compromising fanaticism of the pre- vious “Blue Sultans” (which caused them to turn down all offers of help from Europeans hostile to the French), this third pretender might succeed— given the opportunity. Arms Constantly Smuggled. Not long ago it was announced that Abd-el Krim had escaped. He was re- | ported as back in the Riff. This was denied. But who can doubt that he | will eventually find his way there? In | the Spanish Cortes anxious deputies ask | daily whether the reports are true that the disorganized, semi - syndicalized Spanish troops of occupation in the Riff are selling their arms to the “Moros.” And arms are supposed to be pouring in by way of contraband fleets as well. But _the Riffs are feverishly arming; the “Blue Men" are also acquiring a rifle or two. The Moroccan newspapers report an almost daily seizure of con- traband in the extreme South; and, of course, on the desert coast of the Rio de Oro there is no obstacle of any kind to the arms smuggler, and he is reputed to do a roaring trade in those | wild places. Every “Blue” nomad must | have a rifle, in the nature of things —no woman would look at him if he were not heavily armed. If he allowed | himself to be robbed of his rifle, for instance, and did not replace it at once, | his wife would leave him. So contra- | band of arms flourishes throughout | those deserts. But inside, as well as outside the zone of the French occupation, rifles are being brought in ily—every week some one is caught red-handed, some- where in the Sous, squatting on & box of rifle ammunition or.handing over a consignment of carbines. I cannot at all vouch for the ac- curacy of stories regarding the “Blue Sultan,” but many of them are highly | picturesque. It is said, for instance, that he has as his right-hand man a “German officer"—something of the same sort as Abd-el Krim's German ad- viser, I suppose. This German is sup- posed to have been joined by other for- eigners, more or less white like himself, and there he is supposed to be, married to the niece of the “Blue Sultan,” busily organizing the “Blue Men"” for war against the French. ‘The present “Blue Sultan” is called Merebbi Rebo; he is the brother of El Hiba and the son of Ma El Ainin. He lives in the neighborhood of the ancient kingdom of Tazerwalt upon the edge of the desert in an anti-Atlas or Saharan town named Kerdous. Natives Stain Bodies Blue. | Why are these personages referred to | as “blue sultans?” Ma El Ainin, the | first “blue sultan,” was given this pic- | turesque title, first because he was pro- claimed sultan th u South, and secondly, 1 was the leader of the “blue men of the Rio de Oro.” Why they in their turn were called “blue men” was because of the indigo cottonades worn by them, and with which their bodies became stained. But this staining is not a mere accident. Even their faces and hands are blue. ‘When they buy & new Sudanese cotton- ade they wet their thumb and run it along the surface of the cloth to see if the dye comes off. If so, they buy it; it not—if it is fast—no true blue man would look at it! And what I have said about the possession of a rifle also holds good for the possession of a blue skin, No true blue woman would look at a man who was not a good deep blue. But there was a time when this “blue” world of the Atlantic Sahara was not yet blue. On the other hand, it was at that time, the latest researches have shown, universally veiled. The “veiled men” of the A'moravidic hordes who invaded Spain at about the time “Wil- liam the Conqueror” was stumbling onto the beach south of Hastings—they were the ancestors of the “blue men” of today. The story of how they came to lose their veils is, perhaps, a little in- volved. It is necessary to understand, to start with, that the “blue men™ of today are Berbers. Not Arabs. But it is more complicated than that; they happen also to be fanatically Islamized Ber- bers. They were originally Sanhadjas nomads (the Sanhadjas who gave their name to Senegal). And the Sanhadjas were one of the greatest of all the Berber tribes. Arabs Blob Out Berber Tongue. Prior to the fourteenth or fifteenth century the Sanhadjas and Touar: of velled, nomadic Berbers. Between them they occupied the whole of the Western Sahara, from the Atlas to the Niger, all the plains of the Rio de Oro and the Sous. They were camped in the plains at the doors of Rabot. They were the overlords of all these terri- tories. Then powerful tribes of Arabs came down into the Rio de Oro. They defeated the veiled Berbers. All the veiled Berbers, except the Touaregs, be- came subject to the Arabs, and at last they became so ashamed of the veil which they came to Tegard as & of inferfority and servitude, the emblem of a defeated race, that they left it off altogether. They became fanatical Musulmen. They even learned to speak Arabic, and quite forgot Berber. In this way the Berber world of the South was cut in two, or rather three. The Berbers in the Atlas remained inde- pendent, and Berber. Those in the Oc- cidental Sahara became Arabized. An the Touaregs (still with their vells) became isolated from the rest. The Arab domination lasted long enough to blot out the Berber tongue, to suppress the vell worn over their face by the “Blue Men,” and to inject | them with a violent, mystical, Islamism. But the Arabs did nothing more than that with their power. ‘The Berber Renaissance, as the great Berber movement of revolt against the Arab has been called, culminated in the sixteenth and seventeenth cen- turies in the combination of the Atlas Berbers and those of the Sahara. Be- tween them (and abetted by the Touraregs) they came to dominate all the Western oases, and finally the rem- nants of the independent Arab tribes its culminating point only, as it were, yesterday. The great Kasbahs of the Atlas, the founding of Smara, Ma El Ainin’s desert capital, the great movi ment northward of the “Blue Me under that Sultan, were the last ex- pressions, no deubt, of this last power- | ful ferment of the Berber nationality. | And then came the European, with | his cannon (and if it had not been | the French, it certainly would have been the English or the German) and the curtain was rung down upon the Berber Renaissance, and perhaps upon Berber -book A any emerge. were all one large and powerful family | 8T€ Millions Are Affected By Church Unity Move (Continued From Third Page. bodies looking toward organic union.” Progress has been made particularly with the Reformed Church of America and the Presbyterian Church of the United States of America. Baptist Church Movements. A proposal to bring closer together the Northern Baptist Convention and the Disciples of Christ brought favor- able reports in 1929, but in 1930 the Baptists took & negative action and decided not to continue its negotiating committee. ¥ In Canada the unjon of the Metho- dist, the Congregational and the Pres- byterian bodies in a united church is well known, and after six years of ex- istence has apparently worked to the satisfaction of “The Church of Christ in China,” a union of 16 denominational grou , | representing missionary efforts by the churches of the United States, Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland and New Zealand. It includes the Baptists, the first time this group has united with non-Baptist denominations. With 112,- 000 members, each local church is au- tonomous. In 1929 the United Evangelical Church of the Philippines was formed by the umion of the yterians, the tionalists and the United Perhaps the most significant union proposal and one that will determine to & large measure the future of large unity movements is the plan of church union proposed South India. Dr. Cavert, writing in “The Handbook of the Churches,” published eve! few years as a “survey of the churches in action,” describes this important proj- ect as follows: “If the plan should be consummated it would be the first union combining churches that emphasize the tradition of the undivided church with churches that emphasize the heritage of the Reformation. To state the situation more precisely, the South India pro- contemplates & union between the Angelican Church on the one hand and the Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregational groups on the other. Path Long Prepared. “The path for such an epoch-making union was prepared more than 20 years ago by the formation (in 1908) of the South India United Church, itself a unjon of the Presbyterian, Reformed and Congregational bodies in that area, growing out of American, English and Scottish missions. Subsequently the congregations of the Basel Mission en- tered into the united body. The new plan for a much wider union would provide for the merger of this United Church of South India with the Church of England in India and Ceylon and the Provincial Synod of the Wesleyan Methodist Church.” The proposed scheme of union took final form in 1929 and is now before the official governing bodies of the respective ecclesiastical groups for their approval or disapproval. The union, if ratified, would bring into the one church over 448,000 baptized Chris- tians. with additional adherents, bring- ing the total constituency up to nearly 740,000. In England, the Church of Scotland and the United Free Church, both Pres- byterian, came together again in 1929 as a single body after a disruption dating from 1843. Remarkable progress has been made in uniting Methodist churches in Eng- land. Not many years ago there were five: the Wesleyan, the Primitive, the United Pree, the New Connection, the Bible Christian. Later there were only three: the Wesleyan, Primitive and the United. In September of this year there will be but one. The last stage of reunion is nearing its close. X In foreign lands many denominations find themselves united in missionary work. In Japan, for example, the Pres- byterian and Reformed Churches form one Church of Christ. All branches of Methodism in Japan similarly consti- tute a single church. In India the Lu- therans are united into one family. Al- most everywhere abroad there is co- operation. International Agencies’ Work. It would be a mistake to discuss unity trends without noting the inter- national agencies working to promote closer relations. In 1925 the interna- tional “life and work” conference was held in Stockholm: in 1927 the meet- ing on faith and order in Lausanne broke the way for free discussion of theological approaches to organic union; and in 1928, the Jerusalem con- ference brought together world-wide missionary groups. It was intended that each of these gatherings should be Tepeated in ten years. Already plans are being made for another world con- ference of the Stockholm type in 1935. In America there are the following sgencies for Christian Unity: The Ad Interim Committee on Organic Union, the Rev. Joseph A. Vance, Detroit, Mich,, president; the Association for the Promotion of Christian Unity, with of fices at Indianapolis, Ind.: the Chris tian Unity Foundation, 70 Fifth avenue; the Christian Unity League, an active lrour headed by the Rev. Dr. Peter Ainslie of Baltimore, Md.; the American headquarters of the Continuation Com- mittee of the World Conference of Faith and Order, and the Federal Council of Churches, Add to these groups such ecclesias- tical Protestant agencies as the Alli- ance of Reformed Churches Through- out the World Holding the Presbyterian System, the Baptist World Alliance of 10,000,000 Baptists, the Ecumenical Methodist Conference, the sixth of which was held last Fall in Atlanta, bringing together all the Methodists of the world; the International Congrega- tional Council, the International Con- ss of Religious Liberals, the Inter- qnal Missionary Council, the Lam- beth Conference (meets every decade and brings all bishops of Angelican communion together), the World Brotherhood Federation, the Universal Christian Conference on_ Life and Work, and the Lutheran World Con- vention, of 80,000,000 Lutherans, of which the Rev. Dr. John A, Morehead of New York is president. ‘The religious lives of millions of Christian believers are affected in some way or another by this tremendous 1| move for unity, and millions of dollars in missionary ' funds and budgetary needs of the superstructures are in- volved. St. Paul's Safe at Last. After 17 years of work costing nearly $2,000,000, St. Paul's Cathedral, Lon- don, has been pronounced safe by a committee of experts. In 1914 an ap- peal for funds was launched and the work of restoration was begun during the war. Ten years later the cathedral was officially condemned as a “danger- ous structure” and most of it was clos- ed to speed up work. In 1930 the cathedral was reopened with a service attended by the King and Queen. The report of the experts has been made only after a sclentific survey of every part of the structure. AR “Skyscrapers” of Berlin. Berlin has fallen in line with the eréction of several tall buildings which they are to call “skyscrapers,” but they do not nearly approach the height of the tall of the United States. {so far they have not proven popular, for they acquire tenants for the upper floors very slowly. The progress of these structures is, how- ever, watched with great interest by the people on the streets. In order to show the progress made, one builder has erected a guage with the date of the start and completion of each story. About one week is required for each floor. not at all mean that we shall not see it violently lifted sky-high again, upon the troubled scene of today, and we may then , stained with indigo Suinee 1o 4 not %o % sprecd & Wi Tl e C alasaialhl 1 m‘mw.mmm Open Mind and Thick Skin OMING to work Mon- day morn- ing, with a heart full of peace and good will, I found two letters on my desk. “8ir: Ihavelong been a reader of your pieces, but your last editorial was the best you ever have written. . I have cut it out and am oing to frame it and hang t in my office.” The other letter referred to the same identical edi- torial: Much of the time “Sir: I have agreed with you, but FEBRUARY 21, 3 after reading your last week’s effusion I bid you farewell. Such a bunch of boloney!” Being naturally a in my early days. blunder for which I stased in bed all one da ut as time went on sensitive person, I suffered from criticism Once, when an article of mine contained a the editor received caustic letters, I felt so sick ¥' developed a philosophy as to criticism and so, it seems to me, must every man who is going to get any- thing done. The first article in that philosophy is that you can’t please everybody, aud that much criticism, good or bad, is entirely un- informed. i You like blondes, and I like of satis! brunettes; you like fiction, I like Fraphy: you like Eugene O'Neill, I like Ed Wynn. No one can fy us both. Any one who tries it will be colorless and futile. Second, one cannot be guided too much by the public because the public is so changeable. Every public character of any influ- ence has been popular at some time in his career and unpogulflr at others. Wellington, after the Battle of Waterloe, was wors| iped by the English people almost as a god. A few years later he had to put iron shutters on his windows to keep those same people from throwing cobble stones through the glass. Third, criticism is good for us. We need it, no matter how well meaning or careful we may be. One time when John Morley was being severely handled by the English press Gladstone said to him: “Take it from me that to endure trampling-on with patience and self-control is no bad element in the preparation of a man for walking firmly and successfully in the path of great public duty. Be sure that discipline is full of blessings.” Finally, and in the last analysis a man has to do his best and go forward. A famous old English schoolmaster had this motto, of which I'am fond: “Never explain, never retract, never apologize. Get it done and let them howl.” So, readers, send me as many letters as you think I need. I try to keep an open mind. And a thick skin. (Copyright, 1932) King Alexander’s Fine Example Inspiration for Jugoslavia (Continued Prom Third Page.) if successful, would have plunged the kingdom into anarchy because it would have meant the end of the dynasty, then the only existing element of ap- parent unity. It was then found out that the would-be murderer was backed by the new rulers of Russia On August 16 of the same year the aged King Peter died and Alexander ascended the throne of his father, had to face a multiplicity of difficult problems, both internal and external. The unification of Southern Slavs seemed an almost impossible goal to reach. At the same time, certain for- eign powers were jealous of the new state and used all means in their pos- session not only to weaken it. but also to discredit it in the eves of the world, On June 8, 1922, Alexander married Marie of Rumania, thus consolidating friendly relations between two neigh- boring states. On September 6. 1923, an heir was born and received the name of Peter in honor of the founder of the new dynasty. A second son received the name of Tomislav after the first King of Croatia, a concession to the second most important element in the new kingdom. Labor Without Result. The first years of Alexander's reign were marked by never-ceasing energy of the new ruler to smooth down the differences still existing between the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. However, it seemed that no human force could obtain any tangible results so long as prejudices, cultural and religious an- tagonism, ‘rested on the territorial di- visions of the new state. The future of Alexander’s kingdom seemed gloomy and a dead impasse was obviously reached when national antagonism manifested itself in the shooting of Radic, the leader of Croatian radicals, by an unbalanced deputy of old Serbia, during the session and in the building of the Skupchina, the Parliament of Jugoslavia. It was then that Alexander decided to take entire responsibility for the future of his kingdom on himself. He disbanded the Parliament, abro- gated the constitution, ordered Gen, Jivkovic, commander of his personal guard, to form a cabinet, and proceed- ed to rule as an autocratic king. Two years have passed since and extraordi- nary results have been achieved through the daring measure of King Alexander. Not only political peace within the state has been obtained, but the inter- national prestige of the young kingdom has grown considerably. The economic situation has improved in an almost unbelievable degree. It was not a secret to any one that the prime min- ister, Gen. Jivokvic, was only the ex- ecutor of the King's orders. Therefore. it was to Alexander's personal credit that the pacification of the country should be laid. A number of important reforms have. been put into life during these two years. First of all, the very name of the kingdom has been changed. In- stead of “Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes,” a term which perpetuated the division, the “Kingdom of Jugo- slavia” became the official name of the new state. Then, too, the territorial administrative division which was re- tained after the merging of the three parts of the kingdom has been abol- ished. The kingdom is at present divid- ed into nine bonats or provinces, the limits of which do not coincide witn the geographical frontiers of Serbia, Crotia and Slovena. Another impor- tant reform was the unification of the language. The Royal Academy had smoothed down the differences between Serbian and Croatian, differences which were not generic, but had been ac- cumulated during the years of separa- tion—mainly as the result of foreign influence. Two-Year Peace Relgn. Notwithstanding the _terroristic ac- tivity of Croatian radicals evidently supported and financed by red Moscow, peace reigned in the Kingdom of Jugo- slavia during the two years of Alexander’s personal rule, and now, celebrating the tenth anniversary of his ac n to the throne, Alexander has announced to his people that the regime of autoc- racy which was necessitated by cir- cumstances is over and that the King- dom of Jugoslavia is to return to & liamentary form of government, med on a new constitution. ‘The manifesto of King Alexander Is a characteristic document revealing the high sense of duty of that able mon- arch: “To my dear people: The mainte- nance of national unity and of the state’s indivisibility, which is my duty and the main aim of my rule, was the principal problem of the regime which I have instituted on January 6, 1929. At that time in my address to the na- tion, which was dictated by my love for I frankly told my dear all the difficulties and He 80 serious that they troubled deeply all | the patriots and tore the nation’s soul |into pieces. The entire nation saw | where the root of the evil lay, had | realized its dimensions, had understood it and accepted my d.cisions with full | confidence. * * * I am happy and proud | to state that my dear people understood my intentions from the first moment !and helped me to carry cut my deci- sions. * * * Full of confidence in the fact that the results obtaired up till now, as well as the political and na- tional consciousness of the people. will permit the realization and the final or- ganization of those siate institutions which will best respond to the nation’s desires and to the interes's of the state, I decided to found the work and ihe conduct of national £nd state's rolicies upon a direct co-operation with the peo- ple. With faith in God and in a bappy future of the Kingdom of Jugoslavia. I hereby grant a constitution to the | Kingdom of Jugoslavia.” “Hereditary Monarchy.” According to the new fundamental laws, the Kingdom of Jugoslavia is de- | clared to be a hereditary monarchy. No titles and no_privileges by birth are recognized. Personal freedom: in- violability of the home: freedom of religion and conscience; freedom of the press within the law; freedom of meet- ing: freedom of science ‘and art; inviolability of correspondence, and | obligatory instruction, are established by the constitution. Parliament is to be composed of two houses: The Senate and Skupchina. Half of the senators are elected, the other half nominated by the King. The term of a Senator is of six years. Every three years one- half of the Senators are re-elected and renominated. Employes of the state may not combine their office with the position of Senator. deputies, elected by free, universal and direct vote. The term is of four years. Every citizen of 21 years, with the exception of persons in military service, has the right to vote. In order to be elected to the Senate or Skupchina one has to be a resident of the community for a period of not less than 10 years. The age census for the Senate is 40 years, for Deputies 30 years. The cabinet of ministers is nominated by the King and responsible to the King. The Parliament has the right, however, to cite ministers before a court of justice by a vote of two-thirds of the entire number of Deputies. These are the fundamentals of the new constitu- tion. It seems that ‘from now on. the future of the Kingdom of Jugoslavia is found- ed on a solid basis. ~The attitude of the people toward the King and the entire dynasty is perhaps best revealed in the magnificent festivities that recently took place to commemorate the eighth anniversary of Prince Peter, the heir to the throne. Not only were there imposing manifestations and & magnif- icent review of troops in Belgrade, the capital of the kingdom, but an extraor- dinary reception, tendered the young prince and the Queen, which united all classes of the Croatian population, took place in Zagreb, the‘ancient capital of Croatia; whilst in Liubliana, the capital of Slovenia, the same day, an equestrian statue of King Peter I was being un- veiled. These festivities unmistakably marked the end of the fatal feud be- tween the three elements of the King- dom of Jugoslavia and the beginning of effective national unity, under the leadership of Alexander Karageorgievic, King, soldier and statesman. Selkirk to Honor Scott. Selkirk, Scotland, where Sir Walter Scott served as sheriff for a long period and was intimately associated with this ancient capital of Ettrick Forest, is pre- paring to celebrate the centenary of the great writer this year. It has de- cided to confer the freedom of the burgh on the Duke Buccleuch, Maj. Gen. Maxwell Scott of Abbotsford, John on Scott, Zealand, & mative of Belkiok sad s pen erous benefactor. A lengthy program is being arranged. — e Newspapers Best Now. 8ir Kingley Wood, postmaster gen- eral of England, who has charge of the government-owned telegraph and tele- phone systems, is launching a cam- paign for more telephone subscribers. He has chosen newspapers to carry the advertising messages, he told the Lewis- ham Chamber of Commerce at its an- nual dinner. He said that although times wez: hdlfllcult and all had of ‘The Skupchina is to be composed of ' Buchand, who will deliver an oration | 1932—PART TWO. London Studies Means To Increase Sobriety LONDON.—In the interests of greater national sobriety it has been recom- mended by the Royal Licensing Com- mission that British consumers ought to take their liquor in a sitting posture. “The habit of taking drinks standing up has become an ingrained national custom,” is the commission’s finding. But even though the excessive con- sumption of intoxicants is attributed to the “perpendicular” habit, there is no widespread support for the conversion of the ordinary “pub” into a con- tinental cafe. Some voluble “perpendiculars” insist that in days gone by, when consumers had plenty of time, there was justifica- tion for the sitting posture. A man then could afford to while ay half an hour or even an hour over a pot of beer. In the hurly-burly of today, it is argued, he needs quick service, especially as there are set hours for drinking. For instance, the consumer who invades & “pub” just before closing time has little chance of obtaining a beer or a whisky unless he pushes his way to the crowded bar and shouts loudly for his favorite beverage. -There are others who also insist that it is easier to drink more and absorb it more readily if the perpendicular pose is maintained. Somie go so far as to contend that the act of sitting down to drink conveys the impression to the individual himself as well as to those around him that he means to make a long session of it. “As long as you stand up you have the idea that you are not going to linger long, eventually do,” is the naive suggestion put forward in certain quarters, ‘There are sedentary workers who say it is real relaxation to stand up at a bar in the evening. There are other individuals who contend that one of the enjoyments in visiting a “pub” is to lean over the ba&wnnd swap & few pleasantries with barmaids. Lack of uniformity in the hours of consumption throughout the country, particularly in London, makes for the popularity of stand-up consumption. Regular customers of many establish- ments would be unable to obtain a final nightcap or last half pint if they sat at tables during what is known as the pub rush. In Oxford street, for instance, the saloons close an hour earlier on one side of the street than on the other because one side is in one borough and the other in another. There is a pre- cipitate rush from the early side to the late as soon as the publican or bar- maids shout, “Time, gentlemen, please!™ The regulars in the “pubs” remaining | Tackling even if you| Conciliation, which, ' ___(Continued_Prom First Page,) a lleutenant, with the American forces which went to Tientsin at the time of the Boxer uprising. Lieut. McCoy felt that this was a splendid opportunity to learn something of the country ke was | in and of the issues involved in th immediate crisis in which he was tak- ing part. ‘The temperament of the man showed | itself then, and éver since he has con- tinued to be a careful student of the | problems which develop where the eco- | nomic and national interests of two| nations conflict. He was in command | of American soldiers on the Mexican border before the United States entered the World War, and during this service | American soldiers moved into Mexican | territory, even In pursuing Mexican | bandits who had operated on American soil, only with the consent—usually at the request—of the Mexican authori- ties. In 1919 he went to help straight- en out the confusion in Armenia. He | was with Gen, Wood in the Philippines from 1921 to 1925, and took the oppor- | tunity to make several visits to China In 1923 he became re-acquainted with the Japanese as head of the American Relief Commission at the time of the Tokio earthquake. He supervised the elections in Nicaragua in 1928 in such | a way that the rebels, as well as both parties, had nothing but praise for his falrness. Last year he headed the Pan- American Commission of Inquiry and after protracted discussions, finally worked out a solu- tion of the long-drawn Chaco dispute | between Bolivia and Paraguay. The American Government thus inamed for the League commission one of the two or three Americans best qualified by temperament and experi- ence to make the work of the com- mission a real success by insuring that v of the facts would be thor- impartial and completely fair No one knows how long the mission will carry on its work thing only is sure: No one has any idea that the visit is to be simply a matter of a month or two of cur- sory survey; six months in the field is the minimum time which has been mentioned. Many have spoken of the work continuing for two years or more. The men with whom Gen. McCoy will work on the commission all have had considerable experience in deal- | ing with peoples other than their own. Lord Lytton. the chatrman. has held high posts in the British gover India. Gen. Henri Edouard Claudel has com- One open an hour longer always secure a|been Governor of French Indo-Ch position at the bar before the rushers crowd in. There is, nevertheless, a striking tendency to provide more tables and chairs in the revamped and the newest “pubs” because the breweries that own them are trying to still temperance criticism by making their establishment eating as well as drinking places. It is also suspected that the liquor trade realizes that it will be more difficult for the eformers to wage war on “pubs” if liquor is intrenched behind food. (Copyright, 1932.) BLIC LIBRARY George Washington. In connection with celebration of Washington's birthday. and the Na- tional Observance of the 200th anni- versary of his birth. the Public Li- brary has issued a Bicentennial num- ber of its bulletin, “Your Library”: & list of biographies and other writings relating to George Washington: and a list of plays in which he appears as a character. These may be obtained on request at the central building or any neighborhood branch. A few recent biographies, plays, and miscellaneous works are given herewith. Recent Biographies. GEORGE WASHINGTON, REPUBLI- CAN ARISTOCRAT, by Bernard Fay. 1931. EW27fa. “It is almost impossible to say any- thing new about Washington. but it is possible to say old_things in a new way, and this M. Fay has accom- plished with no little skill. His ‘Wash- ington’ is . lucid, well balanced, shrewd, witty, it is_scholarly without sacrifice of brevity, honest and impar- tial without 1iconoclasm, charming without flippancy.” H. S. Commager. GEORGE WASHINGTON. THE SON OF HIS COUNTRY, 1732-17 by Paul Van Dyke. 1931. EW . “This is a thoroughly sound and con- structive stuay of life in Virginia be- | fore the Revolution, and of Washing- ton's uprearing and maturing under the conditions of that life, to middle age. W. B. Shaw. GEORGE WASHINGTON. THE SAVIOR OF THE STATES, 1777- 1781, by Rupert Hughes. 1930. E.W2Thu.v.3. “With each successive volume of his | biography, Mr. Hughes has gained in understanding, in clarity of judgment, in scholarship and in literary grace.” H. S. Commager. GEORGE WASHINGTON, by L. M. SEARS. 1932. E.W27se. By using Washington's writings to a | large extent the author has made what is virtually an autobiography of Wash- ington. | Washington in Drama. WASHINGTON, THE MAN WHO MADE US; a ballad play by Percy MacKaye, with scene designs by Robert Edmond Jones. 1919. YD.M192w. YOUNG WASHINGTON AT MOUNT VERNON: a dramatic action in three scenes and a prologue, Ly Percy MacKaye, selected {rom the three-act play, entitled, “Washing- ton, the Man Who Made Us": a ballad play by Percy MacKaye. 1927. ¥YD.M192yo. THREE PLAYS, by William Archer. 1927. YD.Ar24t. Contains “Martha Washington,” a dramatic _episode with Martha and George Washington as the leading characters. “The incidental characters are unimportant. but the whole conduct of the play is neatly managed. and his- tory has given it its dramatic intensity.” COL. GEORGE OF MOUNT VERNON; A Play in Four Acts. By Augustus Thomas. 1931. YD.T364co. A timely publication of a play writ- ten 35 years ago for production by the brothers, Joseph and Edmund’ Holland. It is in four acts and employs some 1% characters aside from “servants, minor officers of staff. etc.” GEORGE WASHINGTON PLAYS. Compiled by A. P. Sanford. 1931. YD.9Sa54. “The book is valuable for those who are working with school or Scout groups, and for holiday material.” Con- tains 16 short plays. A Washington Miscellany. WASHINGTON AND LINCOLN IN POETRY; Chosen by a Committee of the Carnegie Library Association. 1927. YP.9C216w. A useful collection for teachers and club leaders. THE SHARPLES: Their Portraits of George Washington and his Contem- poraries, by K. M. Knox. 1930. ‘W10.Sh27k. A richly illustrated volume which throws much light on the disputed question of the Washin portraits WASHINGTON THE MAN OF AC- te 1914. E.W27hil. The magnificent colored illustrations in this work (which is for reference at the central library) contain a wealth of suggestions for pageants, tableaux or other dramatic representations. THE ESTATE OF GEORGE WASH- INGTON, DECEASED. by E. E. Prussing. 1927. E.W27pr. “The book is a genuine contribution to our knowledge of the times, and much of it affords entertaining read- ing."—J. T. Adams. CORRESPONDENCE OF GEN. WASH- INGTON . AND COMTE DE (August 17-Novem- 1832.W275c. itary and | and French Madagascar. Dr. H Schnee, after holding various German colopial posts, was made Governor of German Rast Africa in 1912 and held the territory for Germany until after the armistice in 1918. C Luigi Aldrovandi-Marescotti has been in the Italian diplomatic service for many vears. The four Europeans thus all are men of distinction. It is unfortunate that the background of three of them has Far East Problem been primarily that of administrators over subject peoples—for the least de- irable attitude in considering the diffi- culties between China and Japan in Manchuria or elsewhere would be one which assumed that either the Chinese or the Japanese were or should be in thority over or subject to the other. t Gen. McCoy has demonstrated that he is not colonial minded, the Italian has deait all his life with nations that at least theoretically were on a status of full equality with his own, and the British and German members of the commission, in their administrative ca- reers, have shown themselves, on the whole, of liberal rather than imperial- istic temperament. Japan and China are to have mo members on the commission itself, but the Japanese and Chinese governments will be represented by men, to be called assessors, whose duties will be to act as attorneys for their governments in bringing information to the commission and in assisting it to get the informa- tion it wants Just what the commission can ac- complish is as uncertain as what it will do when it first arrives. One of the principal foundations of its pos- sible usefulness is the very vagueness of the instructions under which is is to . The situation is exceedingly com- It is changing rapidly. Neither the Japanese nor the Chinese have been or are in the mood to consider their differences coolly and impartially. One | of the most important opportunities be- fore the League commission is to serve as the neutral, impartial, calming factor ! which is so much needed. ion can be of very great gathering, impartially, oing information cov- field of conflicting in- 1 the Chinese-Japa- 1 This is, ering the terests out of nese confl strictly s authorized function. The presence of a commz” sion of this sort engaged in this Wil will serve to throw onto the whole situ- ation the light of public and world-wide attention which always proves so bene- ficial in clearing up international dis- putes. The commission may not be able to accomplish more than partially to solve the enormously difficult problem of get- ting Chinese-Japanese relations secure- ly on the basis of that “good under- standing between them on which peace depends.” But the fact that the organ- ized world has sent the commission is, in itself, perhaps more important than anything specific which the commission may be able to do. Those five men now sailing across the Pacific are the agents of the organized world in definitely put- ting into practice the principle that the gulf between East and West has been closed by the growth of the interde- pendence of nations in this modern That is the chief significance ssion’s existence. That is e voyage of these five s th \ significant historical turning Nations of South America Matching Revival of U. S. (Continued From Third Page.) | The encouraging part of this message is the statement made that “in s the depression in Mexico funds will be found to avoid suspension of the work.” This and other highways at pr under construction in various part Latin America are bound to attract at least a portion of the hundreds of mil- lions of dollars which are now spent yearly by tourists of the United States and Canada in Europe. And as for the further affluence of capital to Latin America, another dis patch from a southern capital str the favorable effect that the return of numerous wealthy Latin Americans Wwho had established themselves perma- nently in Europe and have now been compelled to return home by the re- striction on gold exports will have in helping the betterment of local eco- nomic _ conditions in their respective countries. Although this may sound a little too theoretical, it is only fair to admit that the correspondent is right when he as- serts that these people who come home with the broad outlook of the big world will generally help things along by “spending their money fixing their an- cestral habitat, buying the goods and produce of their countries.”” and paying for their good times in national cur- rency, which can no longer. due to the gold export restrictions. jump over the international fence and be converted into some foreign money. Another optimistic report comes from Santiago, announcing that the Chilean government has a plan to solve the un: STEAMSHIPS. Business Optimism problem by placing the the country’s 150,000 joble: President Montero has decided to devote part of the many millions of acres of mountain and valley land which remain in the domain of the government to colonization enter- prises. The Chilean authorities intend to divide the land in the central zone into small farms and to distribute these to the unemployed. who are to work them co-operatively, the government ng them with tools, seeds and the i ry_material to build their own houses. The double beneficial effect of such program in relieving the unem- ployment situation and in furthering the agricultural development of the country s In the me: me, a special corre- spendence from Caracas to the Sipa office in New York reports that there is little unemployment in Venezuela, this being due to the fact that it has been possible to transfer workers from an in- active branch to one in which there was work for practically all. The work- ers released from the oil fields as a con- sequence of the sharp curtailment in petroleum production have found work on the fa . with the result, as the cable reads, that “there is little unem- ployment, crops are abundant and the position of the farmer and rural sec- r from unsatisfactory.” employ greater rent from that which we listening to from the other side of the Rio Grande for the last two years ight. 1932.) STEAMSHIPS. EUROPE ST. 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AUSTRALIA and NEW ZEALAND New low fares via Canadian Australasian Line— Aorangi and her sister-liner Niagara sail from Vancouver and Victoria ... via Honolulu and Suva, connecting at Honolulu with San Fran cisco and Los Angeles sailings. WORLD CRUISE Empress of Britain . .. the cruise triumphant of 1931-32 repeated for 1932-33. 129 days. From New York, December 3. Live on Empress of Britain next winter. Enjoy this home that floats into the romance ports of the world. BERMUDA from New York: February 27..4 7-day holiday, $75 up, including 3 days hotel. ASK FOR folders on services that interest you. Reservations, informa- tion from your agent, or Canadian N Pacific, C. E. Phelps, 14th and New York Ave. N.W. Wash, D. National 0758, Canadian Pucilic WORLD'S GREATEST TRAVEL SYSTEM