Evening Star Newspaper, March 13, 1932, Page 29

SAVANT EXPLGDES MYTH OF NORDIC SUPREMACY Research Shows No Substantiation of| Theory of Higher Racial Intelli- gence, Says D question of Nordic supremacy, which for decades has led psy- chologists to study the attributes that accompany blond hair and blue eyes, and on the other hand, dark hair and dark eyes, has | again been made the subject of ex- haustive research, and this time its author, Dr. Otto Klineberg of the de- partment of psychology, Columbia Uni- | versity, feels confident that the so-| called Nordic myth has been exploded s effectively as it ever can be. After passing several months in Eu- Tope, conducting his investigation under | a National Research Councii Fellowship, Dr. Klineberg came to the conclusion that the differences between the intel- ligence of Nordics, Alpines and Medi- terraneans are so slight as to be of no consequence. Dr. Klienberg also analyzed certain differences his tests revealed between three nationalities of Europe—Germans, | French and Italians. Here he found | “some superiority” of the German over | the other two national groups, but again he concluded that “there was so much variability between different samples of the same national group that the evi- dence for national differences must be Tegarded as inconclusive. Dr. Klineberg did find a phenomenon that was fairly consistent. This was a definite and statistically reliable su periority of the city over the countr: groups. This superiority, he holds, due probably to a difference in en ronment, but there “may possibly be selective factors at work in addition.” Analyzing his findings, Dr. Klineberg concludes that “the results offer no substantiation of a definite ‘racial’ hierarchy, but they do not thereby rule out ‘heredity’ ‘as an explanation of the observed differences between the 10 groups. It is suggested, however, that there are a number of cultural and | environmental factors which may ac- count for the results.” Fixes Environment Variation. The work of Dr. Klineberg is believed to be more conclusive than that of his predecessors in the field, in that so far as possible he eliminated the chances of variation through environment and culture. Dr. Klineberg made his com- parisons among the parent groups in Europe, and took from these unselected and representative samples of the gen- eral population of the three countries. In his analysis of race differences as | distinct from national differences, Dr. Klineberg explained that he accepted | the common conception of such attri- butes as outlined by the anthropolo- gist. A. L. Kroeber, as follows: “The Euorpean races are the Nordic, Alpine and Mediterranean. * * * They occupy horizontal belts on the map. Be- binning with the Nordic and ending with the Mediterranean, they may be | described as successively darker skinned, | darker haired and shorter in stature. ‘The Alpine race, which lies between the two others, is, however, more than a mere transition; for it is ‘broad-headed,’ Wwhereas the Nordic and Mediterranean are both narrow, or ‘long-headed.’ The Nordic type is essentially distributed around the Baltic and North Seas. The Mediterranean race occupies the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, in Asia and Africa as well as in Europe.” To attain the greatest possible purity of racial sampling, Dr. Klineberg chose his subjects according to three cri- teria: First, he worked in only those geographical areas where the physical characteristics of the race being studied were to be found in greatest profusion: second, only sub; were studied who had been born in that particular dis- trict and when - le whose parents had been born there, and, finally, only | those who possessed the prysical char- acteristics accepted as typical of that particular race. Studies Types Separately. Dr. Klineberg studied German Nordics in Hanover, French Nordics in Flanders, German Alpines in Bacen, French Al- ines in Auvergne, Italian Alpines in ont, French Mediterraneans in the Eastern Pyrenees and Italian Med- iterraneans in Sicily. He was careful to point out that there was no attempt to conclude that German Nordics were similar in any way to French Nordics, or that German Nordlcs were akin to German Alpines. Dr. Klineberg ana- each one as a separate unit. The tests given by Dr. Klineberg were g:ycho]oglell tests whicn presented the ys with a certain probtem group. His premise was that the results made by the boys on these tests indicated their ability to solve these probiems. “There is consideration evidence,” he explained, “to show that certain groups | solve these problems more quickly and | more successfully than o:ier groups It is not quite clear why there should | German rural French rural environment, Dr. Klineberg says: “One r. Klineberg. be this difference. One theory is that the different degree of aoility in these problems is due to a difierence in race, that is to say, that there is an heredi- tary basis for the difference, deter- mined by the racial stock to which the group belongs. This is the theory that is being tested in this study.” Chose His Subjects. For this study Dr. Klineberg chose & group of six performance tests in the Pintner-Paterson series, ail of which, logically, were non-language tes The final results, when his material was ordered, found the groups in the following order and with the follow- ing average and median scores: Group. Aver. Paris . Hamburg Rome .. German Nordic French Mediterran: German Alpine . Italian Alpine . French Alpine French Notdic ........ Italian Mediterran . 173.0 Dr. Klineberg pointed out that where- as the differences between the three cities tremselves was inconsequential, the difference between country and city was noteworthy. Taking rural and urban groups together, the scores in total are: City, average, 215.7; median, 2169, and country, average, 187.1, and median, 187.0. Although German Nordics are ap- parently on top, the Nordic-Alpine- Mediterranean hierarchy is not main- tained, hence Dr. Klineberg concludes “the German Nordics, the French Med- iterraneans and the German Alpines, representing three different races and two nations, should be regarded as equal.” ean. Differences Pointed Out. Comparing the various racial groups within the same nation, Dr. Klineberg points out that “in Germany there is a small but negligible superiority of the Nordics over the Alpines, in Italy the Alpine group is clearly superior to the Mediterranean, but in France the Med- iterranean group is even more clearly superior to both the Nordic and the Al- pine groups.” Grouping the results into the three racial groups, regardless of nationality, the scores are as follows: Group. Aver, Nordic . 1885 Alpine . 1875 190.2 Mediterranean . . 1852 188.5 With regard to national differences, the case, in Dr. Klineberg's mind, “is not clear one way or another.” The three city groups do not differ appre- ciably, he says, but whatever advantage there is favors the Paris group, with the Hamburg group second and the Rome group third. As far as the rural groups are concerned, the descending Median. 190.5 order is German, French, Italian. Group. Median. 198.4 Aver. 1959 185.7 191.0 Italian rural 189.9 179.8 “The averages,” Dr. Klineberg ob- serves, “show a fairly definite superior- ity of the German over the other two groups and the medians indicate a su- periority of both German and French groups over the Italian Interprets Results. Endeavoring to interpret these re- sults and to explain the phenomena in relation to the conflict of heredity and thing seems clear—namely, that as far as these results go, they offer no sub- stantiation of a definite racial hierarchy aud they indicate that the concept of ‘race’ is of no value whatever in ex- plaining the observed differences.” .On the other hand, he asks, are the differences entirely due to culture and environment? “This is a tempting con- clusion,” he replies; “unfortunately it cannot as yet be fully justified.” “Heredity, unlike race,” he continues, *cannot be entirely ruled out in an in- terpretation of the differences between the individual groups. On the other hand, there is an interesting parallel- ism between the result obtained and the general background—cultural, eco- nomic, historical—of the various groups tested, which lends support to an en- vironment point of view. Such a paral- lelism may not prove anything conclu- sively, but it seems to the writer to be suggestive.” Factors which Dr. Klineberg believes enter into this question are, perhaps, the religious differences in Flanders, with accompanying difficulties in edu- cation, different economic conditions in the Po Valley and in Sicily and various | other cultural influences. Report of Open Drinking in Holy Land Causes Lot of Discussion in England LONDON. — Increasing drunkenness | in the Holy Land, as revealed in the report issued by the United Committee | on Native Races, is causing a good deal of discussion in this country. The statement that intoxicated men walk unashamed through the streets of Jeru- salem, where under the Turkish regime no one dreamed of doing so, has come as a shock to some people. Miss Agnes Slack, an Englishwoman who has recently been living in Pales- tine and who gave evidence before the committee, has some interesting things o say about the changing conditions in the land that has had such a stormy y e the da when Christ preached His Gospel of Peace there and children met him at the gates of Jerusalem with palms in their hands “I was very interested to know if Palestine was prokpering under our mandate.” she said, “so during my visit there I took every opportunity of ob- serving conditions. Naturally, as a member of the Women's Christian ‘Temperance Union, I was interested in everything connected with the sale and consumption of liquor, though, as I did not go in an official capacity, I had only ordinary facilities for making my observations. brinking More Open. “I think that the trouble is not so much the actual increase in drinking, though that is definitely so, as the changing attitude toward drunkenness nd the growing facilities for obtaining all kinds of drinks. More licenses are being issued all over the country. The Mohammedan religion forbids its fol- lowers to drink or deal in spirituous liquors, so that these licenses are mostly in the hands of Jews, “The Jew is not a total abstainer, but, as far as I could see, the Jew in Palestine, even the saloonkeeping Jew, does very little drinking. Most of this drinking is still done by Christians, but the Moslems are learning. Moslems have drunk liquor in the past, in spite of religious prohibitions, but they did not drink openly. They went to private places and consumed it in secret, hid- den from the disapproving eyes of friends and relatives. “The new generation, growing up under the mandate, has a different out- look, though how far our mandate is responsible I cannot say. The young | Mohammedan is definitely less religious and there is a general slackness in his behavior which would not have been possible under the old Turkish rule. “I do not say this in praise of the ‘Turkish regime, as there is no cox- parison between Palestine under the mandate and under the Turk. ““The material conditions of life have improved enormously. The streets of Jerusalem are clean and well cared for, and the whole country promises to be- come & land of milk and honey, as foretold in the Scriptures. It is re- grettable, however, that drinking should be on the increase, particularly in cer- tain areas of Jerusalem and in Nazareth and Jafla “The Turkish law, which makes drunkenness an offense and imposes a penalty upon any saloonkeeper who al- lows his clients to become intoxicated, was strictly respected under the mili- tary administration of Palestine. To- day it is absolutelv neglected, and the s2loonkeeper can sell at his own discre- tion.” An analysis of the import figures shows that there has been an increase in the amdunt of liquor introduced into Palestine, but not 2n alarming increase. The returns for 1930, which are the Jatest availably, give the quantities as 13,701 gallons of spirits and 136.591 gallons of ale. beer, porter and cider. This does not compare so badly with the figures for the previous year, which are approximately 9,062 gallons of spirits and 107,620 gallons of ale, beer, porter and cider. | {Copyrieht, 1932.) Radio Changing Life In South Sea Isles HONOLULU. Hawaii.—Primitive na- tive life is fast disappearing from the most remote parts of the much fabled South Seas, according to two scientists who have just returnd here from dis- tant islands after two years of work. They are Dr. Alastair M. Adamson of the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, and Edward P. Mumford of Cambridge University, England, and they have been carrying on entomological research in the Marquesan and Society Islands. The doctors’ expedition work has been sponsored by the Bishop Museum of Honolulu and the Hawailan Sugar Planters’ Association. Highly successful from the entomological standpoint, the sclentists comment that even in the “deeper South Seas.” “tin can,” the gramephone, the radio—concrete attri- butes of industrial America—and mod- ern fashions have a decided influence on native life. The Marquesans, one of the most interesting of the South Sea races, are rapidly diminishing. . i | Historian Mixed Spelling. Prom the Rochester Times-Union Another “debunker” asserts George Washington threw that dollar across the Rappahannock, not the Potomac The error—if it be one—in the history books probably can be attributed to some easy-spelling historian. Aroused by Tariff Effects. From the Toronto (Ontario) Daily Star. Britain’s tariff law goes into effect and there is the effect will be, - |8 Le2gue army and | explosive bombs keen curiosity as to what Bri THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, MARCH 13, 1932—PART TWO. Hindenburg or Hitler? Germany’s Foreign Minister Diseusses the Background of Today’s Presidential Election. BY RICHARD VON KUHLMANN. N the heart of historic Berlin, on ] square structure, the Kaiserhof— the Emperor’s Inn—one of the first buildings in which the wealth and pride of the German Empire found ex- pression. Through 40 years of history the proximity of this hotel to the most important state buildings, to the Pres- ident’s palace, the chancellor's home, the foreign office and the treasury, has made it a favorite meeting place for all those who have come to the capital for the transaction of state affairs. One day. some weeks ago, when I entered this hotel I found it as busy as a beehive and saturated in an atmos- phere of mystery. The manager came up to me and whispered in my ear: “We are keeping it strictly secret, but the Wilhelmplatz, stands a great | you ought to know—Hitler is in %) hotel. And while I stood talking to him I saw a tall, rather good looking man of | Austrian type, with easy, slanting move- | | ments and a curiously square, short-| | clipped mustache, pass me, accompa- nied by two gentlemen. | "“He is going to see the President,” | whispered the manager as a motor car | took them away. . | " An hour and a half later I was look- irg down from the window of my study | upon the square, solemn courtyard of | Hindenburg’s palace, which would have seemed to be sound asleep had it not | been for the two soldiers in steel hel- | | mets who walked up and down, almost | mechanically, guarding the entrance. | As T looked, I saw the door suddenly | open. Adolf Hitler came down tne steps | with noticeably uncertain movements— Draw walking like & man just emerging from dream. Hitler had been greatly impressed by this great personality he had just met—a personality which seemed to embody the sad majesty of much his- tory lived through. And, as he walked in a half daze down the steps, he kept repeating to himself, “What a man! \What a man!” So I was told later by one of the gentlemen who had escorted him down to the gate. Hindenburg, too, is reported to have been moved as a result of that dra- matic meeting which lasted well over an _hour. “Hitler is an earnest and well meaning man and a devoted pa- triot"—this seems to have been his summing up of their long conversation ‘That conference, the preliminaries and aftermath of which I witnessed some weeks ago, was the first meeting of n for The Sunday Star by J. Scott Williams, President Hindenpurg and Adolf Hitler, the two leading candidates who oppose each other today as Germany goes to the polls to settle the most serious po- litical fight she has known during her life as a republic—a fight that is being watched with intense interest by all the world. Today her people are decid- ing who is to be Germany's next Pres- ident—Paul von Hindenburg or Adolf Hitler—the stanch old soldier or the intense young patriot. The dramatic qualities which are present in today’s election were to be found just as strikingly in that meet- ing of the two principal candidates. Hindenburg stood there receiving him, tall and very straight, every inch a soldier, even in his 85th year, and around his white, massive head were the laurels of innumerable victories, a (Continued on Fourth Page.) Blasting Plans at Geneva Disarmament Conf BY ALBIN E. JOHNSON. ENEVA—The first chapter of the International Disarma- ment Conference is about to end. On March 19 the first adjournment will be taken Delegates will depart for more pleasant climes or for their respective capitals to consult their governments on de- velopments to date and on future moves. After the Easter holidays (April 4) the spokesmen of the 50- odd countries attending the parley will return to Geneva to get down to really | hard work. The actual results of the Disarma- ment Conference thus far have been negative. The delegations have learned what they cannot do. The Russian straw man of complete disarmament has been shot to pieces. Litvinoff's dream has, for once and for all, been blasted. Ta:dieu's fantastic scheme for ir force also is Berlin's bid for arma- likewise has been re- fused and any treaty now negoti-ted can in no wa aliify, for the mo- ment, the disarmement clauses of the peace treaty in so far as Germany, Austria, Bulgaria and Hungary are concerned. The Hitlerite cloud on the Eastern European horizon, or the threat of an Italo-Russian block, with Germany as the hyphen, have not stampeded Messrs. Tardieu and Paul Boncour. And there is no reason to be- lieve that the impending elections in France will eradicate the psychology of fear which makes it imperative that distinetly t2boo. ments equality any Paris government, if it is to en-| dure, provide for security on the Rhine front and naval supremacy in the Mediterranean over Mussolini's Pascisti. Flood of Oratory Passes. The flood of oratory thst deluged the conference during the past four weel of general debate has passed like an April shower. It was good reading for the home folks and a concession to the 10,000,000 who signed petitions pre- sented to the conference. Scarcely trace of the Utopian projects is left. The “special conditions” attached to each delegation's magnanimous offers, made certain in advance rejection other countries as avenues of escape. So far as ‘“disarmament” itself is concerned, it still remains an ideal for which future generations may con- tinue to strive. “Reduction” of exist- ing armaments is a possibility, but hardly a probability. “Limitation,” in so far as certain types of fighting equipment are concerned, appears rea- sonably certain One’ result that may emerge from the conference is the greater “hu- manization” of war. Practical unanim- ity has developed in regard to pro- hibition of chemical and bacteriologi- cal warfare, aerial ang long-range bombardments with incendiary or high- of unfortified cities, unrestricted submarine activities and tactics intended to terrorize civilian and non-combatant populations. Another will be the general ment to q'umrd obsolete or near-ob- solete wea In this category may fall momster battleships and d - naughts of the British, Japanese and American provided the United States can compensation for lack of cruising radius limiting itish and Japanese naval . On the abolitionyof thé submarine, or at erence | least the ocean-going types, a com- promise is possible, although the French, Italians and Japanese consid- er the deep-sea boats an indispensable defensive weapon. One significant fact as the confer- ence progresses appears to be the | gradual discarding of Japan's activities | in the Far East as an alibl. At first | the Sino-Japanese “war” was greeted Jjoyously by opponents of disarmament | as irrefutable proof that nations could not afford to weaken their means of self-defense. The French seized upon | the Shanghai incident as an additional | argument that the League must have | Power to enforce its decrees against | any state-member found guilty of ag- | gression against another state. Out of this grew Premier Tardieu’s demand for internationalization of aviation and | also the proposal for putting land, sea and air forces at the disposal of the League Council. Now it is admitted that even had Japan not run amok in Manchuria, the fundamental policies of France and other countries would have been the same. So far as really constructive pro- posals have gone, however, the French thesis is on a par with the Russian. | There have been developed two methods for preventing a successful conference: one, by asking something admittedly unattainable, as Litvinoff and Tardieu have done; the other, by insisting upon a minimum which would corstitute less | than nothing. In either case the result would be the same, death to disarma- | ment either by overfeeding or attrition Finding the greatest common denom- inator of the mass of proposals, schemes and recommendations which have been placed before the conference is well- | nigh impossible, Twenty-nine of the | 55 delegations have deposited programs with the bureau. Sixteen of these deal, primarily, with questions of security, four concern arbitration and nine call for an international police force. Supporting Premier Tardieu's compli- cated scheme for making the League a superstate are Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Poland, Rumania, Latvia and Haiti. Moral Disarmament Pleas. Three delegations—Poland, China and Persia—have advanced elaborate schemes for obtaining “moral disarma- ment.” They envisage a world press devoid of Chauvinism and jingoism, school books free from delusions of na. tional grandeur and national griev: ances, literature and the cinema dedi- cated to the service of world peace and even the banning of tin soldiers from | nurseries. Twelve countries have lined up in favor of scrapping heavy artillery. These include Belgium, Germany, Italy and Russia, while China, Italy, Ger- many, Sweden, Switzerland, Russia and | the United States may agree to the abolition of tanks. Nineteen states advocate the prohi- bition of bacteriological and poison gas warfare and seven propose a strict con- trol of the manufacture of chemical products, banning _altogether their Preparation for war purposes, Of 20 delegations who subscribe to specific restrictions in the use of arma- ments against civilian populations, 14 denounce aerial bombardment of non- military areas, 4 would limit the ac- tivities of big-caliber naval guns and 2 believe that land warfare could be made less dangerous for non-combat- tants. Germany, Spain, Turkey and Russia | LONDON.—One of the most impor-| tant events of the year will be the| opening by the Prince of Wales of the new Shakespeare Memorial Theater at Stratford-on-Avon on April 23, the poet’s birthday anniversary. The prince was consulted as | which play should be given at first_performance. consisted of | to the | The list submitted ‘Henry IV" (Part 1),| ." “A Midsummer Night's | ' s You Like It" “Twelfth Night' and “King Lear,” all of which | will be given during the Spring season. Mr. Bridges Adams again will be the | producer, but the scenery for the various plays will be designed by such well known designers as Aubrey Ham- mond, George Sheringham and Nor- man Wilkinson. Visitors from all over the world are expected at the opening of the theater and they will find on tne banks of the | Avon & beautifully proportioned build- gree- | ing, from the tower of which they will|on to | have glorious views of Stratford and the surrounding country. One of the most attractive features of the. outside | terraces that extend practically all around the building. It will be possible to arrive Ln‘;.ethe thuzr bybt;ut lneg approach main entrance steps from the rivgr. During the {n- of the theater are the|a Opening of Beautiful Avon Theater Will Mark Shakespeare’s Birthday tervals visitors will be able to step from the refreshment room and take their coffee on the banks of the Avon. On the left of the foyer is a fine circular stone staircase leading to the dress circle and at the foot there is a fountain. The general shape of the auditorium is based on acoustic princi- ples. It opens out in all directions like a megaphone und the architects guarantee that the hearing will be perfect. | The Memorial Theater also is a great | social center, and this has been borne in mind in the design of the stage, which is the most flexible in the coun- try. It was necessary to find accom- modation for eight plays a week and possibly a hundred scenes. The stage does not revolve, but is so designed that four or more settings can be changed in a few seconds. At each side are bays. in which are movable platforms, and these are set and rolled finished. The chief dressing rooms are on the e level and each one is fitted with . ower. The others are on the first loor. The festival company, which already has pald two visits to America, is ex- replace the scene that is just | o Far Has Resulted Only in Learning What Cannot Be Done. | believe that all navies should be | scrapped. Argentine, Japan, China and | taly think that capital ships should | be abolished and Japan joins Russia, Germany and Italy in a drive against aircraft carriers. France does not stand alone in her | contention that civil aviation should be | internationalized—especially in Europe. The Swedes, Danes, Belgians, Span- 1inrd.‘: and Swiss hold the same view, | while 10 countries would like to see | military aviation and bombing craft curtailed or entirely suppressed. Abolishments by Germany. Thus far the Germans are the only ones demanding the abolishment of all land fortifications. They also ask | that all international sea routes should | be de-militarized. Fortifications at Gibraltar, Suez, Panama Canal and the North Sea should be razed. The Finns go a step further and urge de-mili- tarized zones wherever there is a danger of war. To assure themselves that all countries are carrying out their treaty obligations, should a disarmament treaty miraculously become a reality, | some sixteen countries have proposed the formation of an International Con- | trol Commission under the auspices of | the League of Nations to scrutinize | armaments of suspected governments. Neither Russia nor the United States will consent to such a supervision, however, so it is exceedingly doubtful that the idea will be developed. On the other hand, Japan, Poland, Fin- {land and several states bordering Soviet Land insist that they cannot accept any treaty the faithful observ- ance of which is guaranteed only by Moscow’s unsecured word. Although it has been decided that the basis for discussion will be the much-maligned Draft Treaty, labor- iously constructed by the Preparatory Commission during five long years of argument and debate, any government is free to introduce amendments radi- cally changing the treaty's framework. ‘The political ramifications, which are developing, indicate that when and if a pact is finally fabricated, it will be one of the craziest international quilts ever put together. As things stand at the end of the initial chapter of the world’s first Dis- armament Comference, only incorrigi- ble optimists find reason to rejoice. But they are among those who consider that the Conference has already been 2 limited success in that it was con- vened. . Survey Shows Canada Has 2,500,000 Pupils OTTAWA, Ontario—An attendance of Approximately 2,500,000 at Canadian educational institutions is reported by the Federal Bureau of Statistics in its annual educational survey in the Do- minion, To serve this number of pupils 83,144 teachers and 32,209 schools or colleges were required at a cost of $165,361,000. Four out of every five enrolled were in elementary school grades, while one had completed his elementary education and was continuing his studies. One- seventh of all were practically adults— pected to go to New York after the Summer season at Stratford. over 16 years of age. Of these, every third person was studies by means of evening 3° CONSTITUTION TRIUMPHS IN COSTA R sonal Ambitions BY GASTON NERVAL HEN the news of an armed uprising in the capital of Costa Rica reached Wash- ington, three weeks ago, students of Latin American politics were not quite so surprised as they would have been under different umstances. e true that Costa Rica had been for decades one of the outstanding examples of internal stability and order in that part of the world. It is true that, contrary to the record of | other _Caribbean nations, domestic peace had been one of the virtues of of which proud Costa Ricans boasted But during the present period of uni versal discontent, world-wide economic | depression_and general upheavals, one more violent outbreak against the constituted order of things could surprise no one, even if it happened in Costa Rica, the nation with the smallest army in the world and un- doubtedly the best politically developed of the Central Amercian States. Revolutions Were Fashion. Revolutions had been the fashion in Latin America for the last two years. Important social. political and economic factors had combined to disturb internal peace in almost every one of the Latin republics to the south of the Rio Grande; even in those, like Argentina and Brazil, which only a few years be- fore seemed immune. One by one the governments of the | most _important Latin American coun- tries had been overthrown in a series of revolts which, because of their origin, aims and manner of realization, ap- peared quite different from the old- fashioned, solely personalistic and meaningless revolution which used to be_typical of that section of the globe. When further reports, however, added | that the uprising in San Jose was led by one of the presidential candidates de- | feated at the polls only a few hours before, those same observers who had taken the Costa Rican turmoil as only | one more chapter in the general process | of political renovation prevailing | throughout Latin America became alarmed. | Justified in Alarm. And they were justified in their alarm. | The rebellion of a man who scarcely a | few hours before had been defeated in the presidential elections certainly revealed different motives and ideals from those which animated the revolu- tions in other Latin republics in the | last two years. | Besides, other factors contributed to | darken even more the nature of the | revolt led by Senor Manuel Castro Quesada in San Jose. In the first place, there were no paramount social or economic problems in Costa Rica necessitating an immediate solution which, neglected by the government, | could have been a justification for a | violent change of authorities. There was not an autocratic ruler in | the presidential palace of San Jose. Costa Rico was not governed by a dictator, not even by a so-called “strong-hand” man who might have done away with individual liberties, as was the case in most of the other Latin American countries upset by revolution. There was no class domination, no group oligarchy, no personal grip that Senor Castro Quesada could put an end to. Moreover, the elections had been fair. Not only impartial observers, but even opposition leaders, had declared that the presidential ‘elections had been liberally conducted, with an evident absence of disorders or irregularities, which is not an unusual thing in Costa Rica. For years Costa Rican elections have been pointed to as the most orderly and fair in Central America. . 'Only Plausible Excuse. That is the only excuse which the rebel leader could have used, if not as a justification, at least as an explana- tion of his attitude—the p-rthfity of the present authorities against his can- didacy in the elections—did not exist. Far from it, a large sector of the elec- torate believed that Senor Castro Que- sada had been the beneficiary of cer- tain government influences derived from his close friendship with the min- ister of public safety (war), a son-in- law of the President of the republic. This friendship, by the way, and the manner in which Senor Castro Quesada scemed to have used it to gain the support of military officers, after the defeat in the polls, to carry out his armed coup d'etat, augmented the sus- picions of outside observers, A further affront was seen in the fact that foreign adventurers—Nicara- 8uan mercenaries—were being used in the fray by -Castro Quesada and his supporters. A cable dispatch from San Jose asserted that “the il -feeling against Castro Quesada, Gen. Jorge Volio and Col. Amadeo Vargas, the leaders of the uprising, was caused primarily by the circumstance that many of their men storming the Bella Vista Fort were pro- fessional Nicaraguan revolutionists who had been hired for the occasion.” Typical Coup. Here were all the characteristics of a typical, old-fashioned coup for ambi- tious personalistic purposes. A presi- dential candidate who, upon learning of his defeat at the elections, and even be- | | fore the last returns reached the capi- | tal, had attacked and taken by surprise one of the local army barracks, and, in open rebellion, was determined to impose upon the 'Costa Rican people, with the aid of rifies and machine guns, | th;hrule they had just rejected at the polls. For those who had been praising the progress of political development in the Central American states this was a real motive of discouragement and alarm. success of the defeated candidate's Trevolutionary plans would have brought back the treacherous and bloody meth~ ods of old times. Democratic progress was at stake in Costa Rica. ICAN REVOLT erushing of Uprising Emphasizes Per- no Longer Have Place in Political Structure. The conflict was, therefore, not only one of personal significance. The ques- tion was not who would be the next ruler of Costa Rica. It was a struggle between the reign of the constitution and chaos; between the traditions of order, legality and democratic develop- ment of Costa Rica and the rule o force and personal ambition which had been thought buried forever. The ques- tion was whether bullets would take up the role of ballots in the mast politically advanced of the Central American states. Tt is because of this conflict of princi- ples that the news of the failure of the revolution was welcomed with such widespread rejoicing in Washington and in the Latin American capitals. The overwhelming way in which the Costa Rican people reacted against the upris- ing and rallied to the defense of the constitutional government clearly dem- onstrated that political movements for purely personalistic, seifish purposes can no longer command supoprt in that part of the world, Public Opinion Rallies. It was precisely this resolute back- ing of public opinion and the prompt- ness with which all the influential ele- ments rallied to the support of the constitution that made the early re- storation of peace possible. After three days of a more or less dioodless siege of the rebels in their stronghold—the Bella Vista Barracks—and occasional street fighting in the capttal, the lead- ers of the movement surrendered to the thorities. They did so, however, only they were certamn that their efforts had failed to arouse the sym: pathies of the civil population, indis- pensable to their plans. Another evidence of poiitical progress and moderation may be found in the generous way in which tne rebel leaders were treated by the government after their surrender. President Gonzales Viquez not only guaranteed their free- dom and safety, but he also pledged the government not to Initiate legal action against the rebeis. Purthermore, he promised those of the insurgents who had government jobs that they would be kept in them and also per= mitted civilians and foreigners mh- cated in the movement to leave ely e pact sign 2 lutionists provides that Senor Castro Quesada and his friends will be lowed to remain in the Buena Vista Barracks as long as they deem it con- venfent. No punishment, no jail, not even exile for the “enemies of public order.” 'ady mentioned in the pact. generous policy on the part of the President evi- dently marks a drastic departure from the firing squad of former days. Political Methods Change. Whoever remembers the excesses of personal hatred and revenge, the over- flow of human passions which Latin American civil wars used to give way to in days e by, will have no difficulty in Mmrt‘:?ng that the methods of domestic politics have changed for the better in the Southern nations. President Gonzales Viquez, whose term ends on May 8, is now confronted with the question of whether he should order a run-off election between the two candidates who recetved the largest number of votes on February 14, as the constitution of Costa Rica provides, or call for entirely new elections, as the opposition desires, or, finally, have Con- gress confirm the election of Don Ri- cardo Jimenez, the candidate who re- ceived the greatest number of votes in the recent elections. ‘This latter course is probably the one that will be followed. Don Ricardo lacked only about 2,000 votes to have the absolute majority he needed to be elected in the first poll. The “Graa Consejo National,” where all the votes go for final computation, may annul the returns of districts where pressure on the part of the followers of Castro Quesada was evident, and thus give Don Ricardo the needed legal majority to become the elected chief executive of Costa Rica. In case this is not done, and a run- off election should take place, it is, of course, obvious that the majority of D. Ricardo Jimenez would be over- whelming. Castro Quesada, realizing that he has lost all chance of victory because of the unpopularity of his revo- lutionary movement, refuses to take part in such a contest. Two Certain Results. At any rate, however this problem of procedure may be settled, two things appear certain as the smoke of the ill- | advised revolutionary attempt of the de- feated candidate fades away: One, that the old statesman, D. Ricardo Jimenez, twice President of the country, former chief justice, four times a member of Congress and with a record of almost 50 years of public service, will be in- augurated next May 8 as the Chief executive of Costa Rica. And second, that the people of Costa Rica are really through with the old- fashioned provincial coup d'etat for personal purposes, which used to be characteristic of tropical Latin Amer- ican republics. This latter fact, together with & num- ber of other incidents in Central Amer- ican politics, to which I have referred in previous articles, indicates, as I have said before, that these countries are actually nearing their political maturity. Perhaps such unfortunate occurrences as the Castro upheaval, the Salvadorian efforts to nullify the 1923 treaty in the matter of recognition, or the present Nicaraguan endeavors to play with the Constitution in order to perpetuate the power of President Moncada after his term is over, should be welcomed from time to time. They serve to test the progress of democratic institutions in that part of the world and to see how far the Cen- tral American peoples have gotten from their past experiences of meaningless, selfish, petty politics. (Copyright, 1932.) NEW YORK CITY.—Beaumarchais, | French dramatist, was perhaps the first man in Europe to utilize modern pub- licity methods, it is disclosed in unpub- lished notes and manuscripts recently made available to Prof. Felix Gaiffe of the University of Paris, visiting pro- fessor of French at Columbia University. The documents, held privately in the Beaumarchais family for more than one hundred years and opened to Prof. Gaiffe by M. Delarue de Beaumarchais, French Ambassador to Italy, revealed the efforts of the dramatist to get his /name in the newspapers of the period when, working as a watchmaker at the age of 21, he perfected an improved mainspring, a valuable addition to the timepieces of the eighteenth century. “When the device was stolen,” Prof. Gaiffe explained, “Beaumarchais saw | news in the occurrence and, realizing | the value of publicity, went directly to | the newspapers relating a dramatic story of the theft of his invention. “The missing invention was soon dis- covered in the possession of another craftsman. Beaumarchais immediately | mmdml :gflu of ll'lll“:. h:xef:ll.v' orming the newspapers of plans. His stirring letters to the 'gleu were printed and widely read. e young et 12 e, =it Bl & popular hero. His playwriting he regarded as of small importance, preferring to think of himself as a business man.” ' dramatic A L S P i " were almost entirely created to Theft of Watch Mainspring Invention Believed Beginning of Publicity Methods als, according to Prof. Gaiffe. The manusecript for this play, he said “con- sists of nothing more than a few notes including some disconnected conversa- tions and several satirical lines.” “Contrary to the impression that his works were carefully written, Beau- marchais' greatest theatrical successes were practically built on the stage - self,” Prof. Gaiffe added. “The famous court scene in ‘The e of Pigaro,’ which for a time was banned by the state, was included in the piag in a moment of inspiration. The scene, on the author's own experiences in court, was never carefully written by him in manuscript form.” Prof. Gaiffe assisted by Prol. Edgar Fliniaux of the faculty of law of the University of Paris, is conducting an exhaustive study into the life of Beau- marchais, devoting special attention to the new material which hiographers have not considered heretofore. (Copyright, 1992.) Sees Way Out for China. Prom the San Prancisco Chronicle Thank goodness, when the Chinese are licked they will borrow their repa- rations from Japan. Women Urged to Act. Prom the Duluth Herald. “If they had leadership,” Edith Johnson, “women would un“u',' create & new world” Well, why don't they get W and adopt a ?