Evening Star Newspaper, November 25, 1934, Page 34

D—4 NEW DEAL WINS ACCLAIM OF EUROPEAN CRITICS American Visitors and Diplomats Con- vince Public That Recovery Program Is Wise for U. S. and for World. (Continued From First Page) represented by “observers” the die- hards, i. e, employers group, was unconcerned. For years—16 to be exact—they had had their own way in labor conferences. A weex passed and no Americans appeared. Mean- while the general debate on Director Butler’s report started. Butler is an Englishman. He is also and out-and- out New Dealer and now has raised the cry for an international new deal. His recent visit to the United States served only to deepen his con- victions. Not content merely to point out trends of American social reforms, Director Butler made specific recom- mendations—recommendations which had been strained through the sieve of socially-minded economists, politi- cal experts and workers connected with the Labor Bureau. They in- cluded, “Watch Americans.” Americans Watched. It happens that is exactly what European employers and workers— and governments—are now doing. Defenders of the old economic shib- boleths, supporters of the gold bloc, apologists for the debt cancellation- ists all have had their eyes across the Atlantic for the last two years. Most of them see the handwriting on the | wall, but their interpretations into their own languages of what is writ- ten differ widely. ““Cervantes, windmills,” says Georges Tchourtch- ine, representative of the Confeder- ation of Industrial Corporations Rumania and a member of the em- ployers’ group on the Governing Board of the labor office, adding that “public works (in America) which do not meet an economic ne- cessity are artificial stimuli, tried and | Italy.” | found wanting already in Laws of a “socialistic nature” he argued, “bring in their train unfore- seen consequences” and as planned economy it is only in a “So- cialist or Communist Russai where it is possible.” To American labor he paid the compliment that they wanted “to remain faithful to po- litical liberalism and at the same time abandon economic liberalism.” And American monetary policy? Its objective, already reached, according to Tchourtchine, was “not only to relieve farmers of their debts, but to reduce and not increase the salaries | of the workers.” To the Europeans warns: “It is uncertain whether this policy (American inflation vs. French defla- tion) will continue and whether the influence of America will extend to Europe and oblige Europe to follow | the American policy of raising prices, or whether America will soon abandon its experiment, as many of us think ... America is in any case a country rich in gold and resources and so able to continue its experiment for a long time, and able to ruin us ecoe nomically or to ruin herself. The ruin of America, however, would have as bad a repercussion on Europe as the ruin of Europe would have on America. Co-operation is urgent and indispensible, not so much for Great Britain, France and the United States as for all the other countries which follow one or the other of their sys- tems . ..” To which workers’ delegates—and some government with the European equivalent of *“Oh, ner . “The criticisms of Mr. Roosevelt's | policies were not borne out by any impartial and satisfactory analysis of the facts” retorted Halvard Olsen, leader of the Norwegian Federation of Trades Unions, who, this Summer brought his organization to a confer- ence for the first time since the Labor Bureau was founded. Ole Colbjorn- sen, a colleague of Olsen, explained to the employers that American work- ers “were not trving to get a bigger slice of a small cake but the same sized slice of a bigger cake.” But what has jolted European re- actionaries the hardest is the cate- gorical statement of E. Arthur Bald- win, vice president of the Interna- tional General Electric Co., and rep- resentative of American industry that: “The principles underlying these (Roosevelt’s) measures are widely re- garded in the United States as em- bodying features that must more and more become the foundation of Amer- ican business structure which will, in one form or another, prove a pekma- pent part of it." * jiad John L. Lewis, or Mr. Andrews | tilting at sheep and | of | for | Tchourtchine | spokesmen reply | or Mr. Hanna made the above decla- ration it would not have caused so much surprise. To have the repre- sentative of American big business frankly admit that & new deal was both desirable znd necessary has in- jected an element of doubt into the minds of Europeans—a serious doubt as to whether the United States can any longer be regarded as a stanch bulwark of capitalism as it has hith- erto existed. That the entrance of the United States into the International Labor office will exert a deep influence upon the future of that organization, can- not be denied. The labor office is different from the League; the latter is almost entirely political; the for- mer is social, economic and cultural. iThe problems the League is tackling | are ficeting. A change in governments | today can undo everything that has been laboriously built up over a pe- riod of years. Peace pacts and en- tentes and alliances are at the mercy of shifting political sands. The objectives of the labor office are different. It seeks to solve the ago-old struggle of class, of capital and labor. Fight to Be Resumed. A few days before the announce- ment of Washington’s probable af- | filiation with the I. L. O. was made {a combination of employers’ and government delegates killed a pro- posal for an international 44-hour week. An hour after Director Butler had officially read the joint resolution of the American Congress the same groups set about frantically to resur- rect it. The haste with which “government groups was ludicrous. The 44-hour week convention was officially put back on the agenda for 1935. Which caused the British workers’ delegate, Arthur Hayday, J. P, to let loose a blast: “I am saying little, but thinking tremendously. I have bitter reflec- tions * * * particularly at the atti- tude of the British government. * * * It seems to me that after all Ma- chiavelli is triumphant * * the fact that the British government, in- structing its delegate at Washington, away back in 1919, to accept a 48- hour week convention, has not yet | ratified that treaty, speaks louder than words. “I can vision a form of heraldry * * that heraldry would show Machiavelli rampant, supported by a crocodile pouring tears over its victims, and backed by Uriah Heap and Micawber. * * * That picture would exactly fit the attitude of the present British government and would | show them up in their true light as nothing else has done.” And M. Leon Jouhaux, veteran French trade union leader, who has never missed an international con- ference—be it labor or disarma- ment—for a decade and a half, was inspired to say, sarcastically: “Tomorrow the United States, as a member of tRe International Labor Organization, will demand the adop- tion of a 44-hour week, to make uni- versal a reform which already exists in that country. You will have to accept that request, and what you re- fuse the workers here today you will have to grant tomorrow to the Gov- ernment of the United States. ®* * * When the United States has entered the labor qrganization nothing can | prevent this question being raised again, and next time with success.” Things which are happening over- seas have taken on a new meaning of late. The New Deal at Washington | cannot much longer be distorted by an inspired European press or reac- tionary European industrialists and governments. In Italy and Germany | & censored press may prove effective for a time, but Fascist and Naz re- gimes inevitably pass. _ “We may well hope that the worst is now over,” says Director Butler. “But recovery is very slow and cannot be expected to accelerate unless a vig- orous effort toward international re- construction is made * * * what is now wanted is a lead—a lead inspired not merely by a nice calculation of immediate gains and losses, but by a vision of the immense possibilities of the future. “It is only by a new start—a new international deal—that the balance between production and distribution, between industry and agriculture, the stabilization of exchanges and the re- sumption of international trade, can be achieved.” | | Misrepresentation Cause of U. S. Losses On Bonds of Latin American Nations (Continued From Third Page.) ment applies to Wall Street for funds. Even if the question of recognition did not come ug if that government for any other political reason did not have the sympathy of the State De- partment, could not this lack of un- derstanding between the two influence the decision of the “State Department- controlled” Foreign Loan Board? Would not the refusal of such a loan, upon advice of the State Department, | be the thing to be expected? In that case, would not the Wall Street bankers be carrying out the political designs of the White House, whatever its pol- 1cy toward the particular Latin coun- try might be at the time? That exemplifies the influence of politics on finance. Now let us see the | opposite influence, that of finance on politics. Let us suppose that a certain finan- cial obligation contracted by a Latin American government with the ap- proval of the board controlled by the . State Department were not properly met. That is, let us suppose that a Latin American loan which the State Department had _officially indorsed were defaulted. The United States Government, which had guaranteed the loan to the American investors, would have to take the “necessary steps” to insure its collection. Such steps, we all know. The United States Marines would be converted once again | into debt collectors for the American bankers. ) Jeopardy of Uncle Sam. This prospect, alone, would suffice to jeopardize the good name of Uncle Sam in a continent where the Calvo clause, the Drago doctrine and all the modern theories condemning the forc- ible collection of public debts are al- most gospel. The truth is that the State Depart- ment-controlled Loan Board would . place the Latin American governments , at the mercy of the Washington au- thorities. If this is not intervention, it comes dangerously near to being it. On the other hand, the uselessness of a foreign-loan board controlled by bankers themselves, instead of by the Government, is too obvious to need an explanation. The only way left, then, is the es- tablishment of private, independent | associations in harmony with Senator |.Johnson’s views but without Govern- | ment control. | These associations, made up of| | prominent economic experts, college | professors and leading citizens—and, | above all, independent of any political or financial control—would engage in | the dissemination of information re- garding economic and political condi- tions in foreign countries where American capital has been loaned or is about to be loaned. One of such ! groups is already in existence. This alone, and full publicity re- garding the loan negotiation—even if | direct and absolute control of loans is not possible—would safeguard the in- terests of American investors and avoid the repetition in the future of financial and political entanglements born of reckless borrowing and reck- less lending. (Copyrisht. 1934.) Poland Will Ease Burden of Farmer WARSAW, Poland—The Polish government is preparing a number of decrees aiming to improve the condi- tion of agriculturists who contracted debts during the years of prosperity and now are incapable of repaying them due to the drop of prices on | land products. ‘The agrarian class owes not only banks, credit institutions and private creditors, but also the treasury for taxes and land acquired from the state. The ministry of finance has decided to give up a portion of the money due for state land acquired during the good days, provided the total sum to be annulled does not surpass 450,000,- 000 zlotys (approximately $85,230,000). In addition to this sacrifice of the | treasury it has been decided that all iprlvnte creditors of the landowning | class would be paid by special bonds. 5 I delegations” deserted the employers’ | | & new house on the edge of Holly- T HE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. O, NOVEMBER 25, 1934—PART TWO. Notes of Art and Artists COMMENT ON CURRENT EXHIBITIONS. “STREET IN MORE charming little exhibi- tion one could not find than that of small paintings by Henry B. Snell, which opened in the Corcoran Gallery of Art last Monday to continue until December 3. The modernists claim that a painting should not be a rep- resentation of things seen, but an in- | terpretation of things felt, and to an extent they are right, but this does not justify ugliness or distortion. The artist, supposedly, sees not only dif- ferently but better than the layman, and hence is able, if he commands his | medium, to reveal beauty which to | others is hidden. This is precisely what Mr. Snell is seen to have done in these 45 small pictures painted in many parts of the world and now on | view in the Corcoran Gallery of Art. To an extent, obviously, they are fac- tual; they are so true that they in- stantly carry conviction; but their loveliness lies in their interpretation— in intangible things, such as light and atmosphere, tone, texture and color. There is nothing photographic about | these paintings; they are not precise | nor exact; they do not thrust them- selves into notice, startle nor surprise, but they do demonstrate to even the least informed and learned the beauty | of effect, and they send one back to Nature with enlarged vision. Surely | this is beneficence. It is as if the artist himself stood at our elbow and said. with restrained enthusiasm and | gentle insistence, “Come and see this | loveliness—this beauty which I have but just discovered.” This may not, | of course, be the art called great, but | it has the inherent substance of great- | ness, the power to console and charm, and enduring interest. Turning to the individual exhibits There are several of the sea as seen from the shore, or as looking toward the shore, under varied effects of weather, sunshine and shower, squalls | and calm skies. There are pictures of | boats, big and little, drawn up on| the shore or majestically moving sea- ward. Some of these were painted | on our own sea coast, others and the | AFTERNOON NEIGHBORS. Hamlin Garland. New York: The Macmillan Co. ¢¢ A §EVENING shadows length- ‘ en” the last important| survivor of the early Amer- | fean achool of literati, which | included Howells and| Henry James, from his new home in | Southern California, writes of the ex- | periences and neighbors of his “early afternoon.” His preface is one of his ! own Rarmonious, reflective poems, “As Shadows Lengthen.” Though Mr. Garland concedes that “life after 70 is uncertain,” his own vigor in writ- ing seems unimpaired and he con- ! fidently expects to write other books | of reminiscences, drawn from his carefully kept and dated note books. | Perhaps he has found the real phys- | ical secret of mental activity success- fully and pleasantly continued into old age; that is, an environment where there is “less demand on the creaking old machine,” where no sur- plus vitality need be wasted “in fight- ing cold and snow.” 8o he has built | By | wood, & “‘Monterey Colonial’ casa, and has forever deserted his native Middle West and the New England and New York of his middle years, and he is almost apologetic about it. The Catskill cottage, where he and his family were happy for so many | Summers and from which so many books came forth, must be sold, and | his dream of some time possessing a homestead in the East has been aban- doned. “The Garlands are deserting the ways of their fathers.” This volume, the fourth of Mr. Gar- land’s “literary log,” begins with November 1, 1922, where “My Friendly Contemporaries” left off, and ends with the establishment of the new home in California in April, 1930. The intervening pages tell of experi- ences in Europe as well as America, with anecdotes about many authors, statesmen and others prominent in one way or another. Several midland lecture tours, Summers in England, psychic testings, visits to Sir James M. Barrie in his capacity as “English laird,” the home of Thomas Hardy, Edith Wharton, Henry Ford, the mayor of Stratford-on-Avon, are de- scribed with the personal detail which readers love. Some of the “afternoon neighbors” Mr. Garland seems most to have enjoyed are Robert ‘Frost, Zona Gale, Stewart Edward White, Mark Sullivan, Ida Tarbell, John Sar- gent, Edith Wharton, J. M. Barrie, John Galsworthy, John Drinkwater and Edmund Gosse. Above all, he has been happy in an ideally united family Iife and his wife and two daughters have always been his best companions. In “Afternoon Neighbors” one who likes quiet, leisurely reading, free from argument and irritating problems, will find a thoroughly delightful book. Former books in the series are “Road- side Meetings,” “Companions on the Trail” and “My Friendly Contempora- * X ¥ X FIRE ON THE ANDES. By Carleton Beals. Illustrations by Jose AIRO,” “BY ELEANOR PARKE CUSTIS OF WASH| E OF THE ARTIST'S PAINT GRAND CENTRAL GALLERIES, NEW YORK. ON EXHIBITION AT THE its high cliffs of rock or of chalk. These are in every instance pleasing compositions, but always emphasis is placed on atmospheric effects together with effects of light. The simplest subject under these conditions takes on a beauty all its own, and perhaps to the ‘average person unsuspected, as for example a “Muddy Beach.” Mr. Snell does not avoid homely themes, but neither does he stress mere ugliness. A-very attractive pic- | ture in this group is entitled, “Late | Afternoon, Venice,” which shows be- hind gondola posts the facade of an old palace steeped in warm, yellow sunlight. “A Road in the Himalayas” takes one to India: “On the Snowline” gives a glimpse of towering moun- tains. In short, these little pictures take us to many lands and the themes are well chosen, but their merit lies not in subject matter but in the dis- tinctive, interpretative skill of the | painter. Mr. Snell was born in England in 1858 but has lived the most of his life in this country, studying in early life at the Art Students League of New York. He is a National Academician and a member of the leading water color societies and other professional clubs and associations. His works have won high awards and he is rep- resented in some of the foremost pub- lic collections. He was assistant di- rector of fine arts, United States Com- mission, Paris Exposition, 1900. What is gore, he has, through his teaching, | made exceptional contribution. His | Summer classes, abroad and in this country, have afforded students valu- | able opportunity for both travel and | study. Last Summer he held his class | in Mexico. Occasionally, in the Win- | | ter, he comes here by invitation to | | criticise the work of a self-organized | professional group of young painters, | Of the so-called “older school.” Mr. | Snell has the accumulated wisdom of age, combined, however, with a peren- l nially youthful viewpoint. * kX X JLEANOR PARKE CUSTIS of this | city, a former pupil of Mr. Snell’s, | VIEWS AND REVIEWS. —By LEILA MECHLIN “SMOKE HOUSES—GRAND MANAN,” BY S. PETER WAGNER, IN THE ' EXHIBITION AT ARTS CLUB. in the Grand Central Galleries in New York which is attracting favorable at- tention. This consists of what may be called the fruits of a Mediterranean cruise that she took last Spring, and includes pictures painted in Cairo, along the Nile, Algeria, Morocco, Jeru- salem, in Palma, in Granada and else- where. elaborate compositions including fig- ures as well as buildings, etc., and are of exceptionally large dimensions for water colors. As usual with Miss Cus- tis, they are done in gouache on gray paper, are strong in color, somewhat flat in treatment and very individual- istic. In some respects they represent an advance in skill over any work that Miss Custis has as yet produced. Es- pecially well has she peopled her com- positions, showing the life of the places depicted with complete naturalness— men, women and children going about their business or play unconsciously— | a part of the picture. Especially im- pressive is her painting of “Luxor, Old and New,” which not only registers impressive facts but shows them under | dramatic lighting and in engaging juxtaposition. Notable also, and out of the ordinary, are “At the Cathedral of Granada” and “A Street in Cairo.” But, after all, there is little to choose between them all. Each has its inter- est, and one is no better than another. All 16 are hung in the attractive small rosm with wood paneled walls at the Grand Central Galleries, and appear to excellent advantage. Supplement- ing the 16 foreign subjects are twe of Miss Custis’ pictures of cats, painted about a year ago in her own garden | in this city. From among the travel pictures two sales were made almost as soon as the exhibition opened. It ‘will continue through the 30th of this month. Miss Custis is represented in both the American Water Color So- | ciety's and the Philadelphia Water Color Club’s current exhibitions. * ok k% AT the Arts club of Washington water colors by S. Peter Wagner and oil paintings by Robert E. Motley are to be seen. The former hang in majority on the coast of England with ' is holding, at this time, an exhibition ' the drawing room and hall, the latter ' In the World of Books _By HAMLIN GARLAND, AUTHOR OF “AFTERNOON NEIGHBORS.” Sabogal. Philadelphia: J. B. Lip-| pincott Co. NO GRAY shades and faintly pen- | ciled lines convey Carleton Beals' pictures of South and Central Amer- ican countries; his brush is full of color and his strokes are broad. Im- pressions linger long of many types of people, of odd city corners and se- cluded haunts and broad characteristic stretches of plain and jungle, gained from his “Crime of Cuba,” “Mexican Maze” and “Banana Gold.” In “Fire on the Andes” he goes to Peru and recaptures its glowing past and vivifies its less magnificent present. For over | 16 years he has been traveling and living in Mexico, Cuba, Central and South America, and a long period was recently spent in Peru. Three times he crossed the Andes, the jagged heights which “are the wrath of God, & gift to man that is almost punish- ment”; where in the ancient Tavern of the Dawn, from which the Incas came to found their kingdom, beside an imimortal fire sits the soothsayer of the Andes and prophesies that the “Children of the Sun, despite repeated betrayal, will carry their sacred fire from heights to sea, from jungle to desert plain.” He went down into the “green hell” of the Peruvian jun- gle, which, in spite of its lurking hor- rors of disease and death, has “a gleaming _fascination. The trees beckon. The heat, the strange odors, | the queer sights, cause nervous ten- sion, a constant illusion of something desirable yet evil, perverse, dangerous; at night strange fires flicker—the ignis | fatuus, siren-like, leading lost souls to doom.” Mr. Beals tells of the Inca Empire of the Sun, of the Spanish_conquest under the leadership of Pizarro— “God—Gold—Glory”; of the life of the people in present Peru, personal, religious, economic, political. He is familiar with all types—landowners, peasants, Indians, mine operators and mine serfs, politicians, clericals, sol- diers, revolutionists, bandits, artists and women, aristocratic and lowly. The economic and social, the serious discussion of oppression and abuses and the lighter descriptions of pop- ular customs and occupations are nicely blended into a whole which of- fers both information and artistic en- joyment. The section “People” throws open & roulette hall where the Lima In most instances these are | in the gallery. The majority of Mr. ‘Wagner's pictures are of scenes on the coast of Maine, and were presum- ably painted at Eastport, where for some years he spent his Summers, or at Damariscotta, where, after a sea- son’s trial, he has determined to es- tablish & Summer school. But there is a view of “Surf at Bar Harbor,” and a picture of “Smokehouses on Grand Manan.” These are all paint- ed in Mr. Wagner's characteristic manner, with a full brush, which mar- ginal lines of dry white paper hold | within bounds. Very engaging and | unusual is a painting of the sky, as seen in after-glow through torn rain clouds, which heighten effect while gathering the shadows of approaching | night. A picture of trees against the | sky and water, “Sentinels of the Sea” | 4o, gives warning of the instability | 15 also notable. In quite a number of his paintings this year Mr. Wagner introduces figures of fishermen and | other residents of the coast, but they | are not essential to the compositions. With his 14 water colors, composing this show, Mr. Wagner adds one oil ‘pllmlng, “Squatter’s Cove, Maine,” to which the place of honor over the | mantel has been allotted. Mr. Wag- ner, whose birthplace and home is | near-by Montgomery County, Md., spends his Winters in St. Petersburg, | Fla, where he will conduct classes this season and take an active part in art activities. He is a director of | the St. Petersburg Art Club. * x % % R. MOTLEY'S paintings in the gallery at the Arts Club are all landscapes, moderate-sized canvases, painted in the vicinity of Washing- ton, in Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York and New England. It is inter- able to note the diversity of the coun- try, the distinguishing characteristics of the several sections. Contrast, for example, No. 10, “Pennsylvania Hills,” with Nos. 7 and 15 of Catskill coun- try, and with No. 3, “Midsummer— New England.” Observe how utterly different in each instance is what (Continued on Fifth Page) SARAH BOWERMAN | elite used to assemble; introduces Jose Salcamayhua, potent countryside sor- | cerer, and Gabriel de Castilla, locally famous as archeologist, but much | more famous as politician; stages a | cricket game; visits mines and the | jungles where rubber gatherers work | and sweat and acquire malaria; looks | in on a student hunger strike and ex- | amines witchcraft as it was practiced | by Black Sara, Tata Sabaya, medicine man, and old Ciro, sorcerer. Mr. Beals concludes on a serious note, that “only in politics and economics (a big | ‘only’) does Peru remain colonial and backward. Soon it will, it must, heed the message of its creative minds.” | The generous decorations, scattered through the pages, on end-papers and jacket, in heavy black and white, are | by a native Peruvian artist. * ok ko SOUTH OF THE SUN. By Russell gwen. New York: The John Day 0. DMIRAL BYRD has made the bottom of the world seem almost like next door. This account of the life of 42 men of the first Byrd Ant- arctic expedition opens a window on those next-door neighbors. Russell Owen, whose first important story as a journalist was that of the Scopes trial at Dayton, Tenn., went with Amundsen to Spitzbergen in 1926 and was there when Comdr. Byrd arrived for Lis North Pole flight. After that he covered the starts of famous trans- Atlantic flights, including Lindbergh'’s, Chamberlain's and Byrd's, and was finally sent by the New York Times with the first Byrd South Pole expe- dition. His correspondance from the expedition resulted in his receiving the Pulitzer prize for reporting. In this book, which for the first time pub- lishes part of Mr. Owen's diary, he tells of the year spent in that Jand of vastness and chill, where man seems only an insignificant speck in comparison with the limitless space, but is to himself and his fellows in isolation a creature of rapidly chang- ing emotions, excitement and depres- sion, with depression increasing as the time lengthens and threatening to destroy sanity. Mr. Qwen’'s story is personal and detailed, but we sometimes wish he could have been more specific about names. Probably he couldn't. We should like to know more about the Irishman, the Geologist, the Physicist and the Meteorologist, and we doubt- less could if we took the trouble to look up official and news records of the expedition. Down into their houses sunk in the snow the men crawled by ladder and tunnel, after the ship had left them, and made things shipshape for the long stay. During the blizzard which celebrated the first night most of them thought of the fact that the ice into which they had dug themselves floated on the sea. Ingenuity of various kinds was brought into play to add a few frills to the elementary comforts— shelves, little boxes nailed together in echelon fashion, rows of bags, pipe racks—all evidences of the instinct of human beings for individual posses- sion,’ Mr, Owen, as “the most useless person in camp,” only a writer, was assigned to tend the soft coal fire and act as chambermaid. The Fourth of (Continued on Fifth Page.) A COMFORTINU.S. ISLUXURY ABROAD TO Noble Prize Winner PIRANDELLO Impressed by Hos- pitality and Acquisitive Mental Stand- ard of America as (Continued From Pirst Page) | current in them all is far from grotesque. It is humanitarian. The basic principle upon which he has constructed not only his theater, but also his novels is the seeming paradox of destruction. He destroys the smug and specious to create under- standing and sympathy. Behind the veil of doubt lurks the purpose of help and compassion for groping souls. Pirandello is, indeed, one continual| plea for tolerance and compassion for | tormented humanity. ‘Today the so-called Pirandello con- science is accepted as the platform | upon which his plays are built. Rather | it is a balance in which wrong and right, good and bad, false and true, sane and mad, real and unreal are weighed with startling precision. The object, plainly stated, is to make people | realize the anguish caused by cocksure judgments and by judging from ap- pearances. “If T am criticized for intruding | the element of doubt into life, let me inquire if it is not better to question than to accept what causes sufiering,” | said Pirandello. “Who can say, with surety, what is false or true, what is| ilusion and what reality? If I de- stroy conventional standards it is to reveal the tragedy and the despair | they may conceal. Does not the fun- damental philosophy underlying my | plays make for a deeper sympathy and | understanding of humanity? “Any force that will make people think, that will make them weigh | values, that will cause them to recog- nize the rights of others, that will make them tolerant, is important. And the power of the dramatist is greater than that of the politician. Other playwrights call attention to social injustices and political corrup- tion. I follow the philosophical and ethical hope of helping the individual and so the whole of humanity.” But in striving for fair play, Piran- of character. The baffling problem of personality always is with us. There always are {illusions. What is true today may not be true tomorrow un- | der different circumstances. I remember my somewhat facetious | thoughts when I left Pirandelio after that first visit and recalled his state- ment, “The greatest suffering comes from a bewildered mind.” Mine cer- tainly was in a state of bewilderment. It was not until later that the poignant note I seemed to sense in Pirandello’s eloguent discussion of tor- mented minds or the borderlines of il- lusion and reality was revealed to me. Then I learned that the wife he loved devotedly was in a sanatorium. My first visit, which had a definite objective, brought me an illuminat- ing sidelight on Pirandello’s quick understanding of psychology, whether | national or personal. 1 had gone to his home in the hopes {of securing the translation rights of esting in these pictures to thus be | - o ‘L'Uomo, la Bestia e la Virtu” (“Man, | Beast and Virtue"), the premiere of which I had witnessed in Rome. Despite the fact that the Milan pre- miere had caused so many dissenting opinions, with subsequent duels, that it was withdrawn, I believed it was good for Americ: Not for Americans. Pirandello was frankly sqeptical about America liking it. although he gave me the rights of translation. His knowledge of the American the- ater was instinctively correct, for, al- though Brock Pemberton produced the piece under the name of “Say It With Flowers” at a midnight show, it passed with astonishing swiftness from the boards. In connection with this play Piran- dello revealed a characteristic which seemed destined to stabilize the Piran- dello personality, despite his theories. A prominent New York manager had cabled me saying he wanted “Man, | Beast and Virtue” if a popular writer of bed room farces could make the adaptation. Rather timorously I trans- lated the cable to Pirandello. The re- sult was electric. There was no ques- tion about the finality of that indignant refusal. “One may translate, but never adapt,” he exclaimed—with reason. “Why, it would no longer be Piran- dello!™ A similar refusal to an English pro- ducer who wished to change the end- ing of “Right You Are" established unquestionably the “Pirandello con- science,” but lost him money. Last Winter “Man, Beast and Virtue” was produced as a slap-stick farce at the Jewish Art Theater, on Second avenue, under the title of “He, She and the Ox!" It did have a New York run after all! And previously “As You Desire Me” was produced in New York with a “modified” first act. Pirandello, who is contemplating a return to America, visited this country in 1924 to be present at the New York | premiere of “Henry IV,” He remained | nearly three months—long enough for the average foreign visitor to accumu- late several volumes of criticism. But not this meticulous weigher of truth. He likes Americans so much that he worries about them! Naturally, he was lionized. The | Land for Masses. homes of the rich and of the erudite ‘were thrown open to him. It was at this time that I discovered in Piran- dello the unmistakable signs that the great are always simple. He preferred dining in a little Italian restaurant in Macdougal street to de luxe restau- rants uptown. Here he liked to sit and talk, over a glass of wine (in spite of prohibition), and discuss America, which interested and excited him. “America is the greatest country in the world for the masses, but not for the individual” he commented—and then apologized for expressing an opin- ion on such short acquaintance with a country. “It seems presumptuous, too cocksure, for a foreigner to consider himself capable of understanding the psychology of another land on short order.” he said. “Just call it observation” I sug- gested. “Or constructive criticism.” Impressed by Hospitality. “Well,” he observed, “what first im- pressed me was the genuine hospi- tality of the American people. Then the magnificence of your millionaires’ residences. They surpass in luxurious elegance the palaces of Europe. What we interpret as comfort would mean nothing to you. In no country in the | world is such a high degree of luxury accepted as a standard of mere com- fort. I think there is too much luxury. The effect will eventually be bad. “What really astonishes me here is your system of standardization. I have studied the American scene and the American consciousness. And ‘I can't help but feel skeptical about this passion for standardization. I can't comprehend the necessity of a stand- ardized level so high for the majority in the mechanical and material, 50 low for the majority in the intellec- tual. Your workman has his auto- mobile, his home with all the physical comforts; but your intellectual is de- prived of his mental needs. Every- thing seems to be produced for the masses; there is no thought of the individual. I, for one, sense an in- tellectual rebellion against the stand- ards of— “Mediocrity?” “Exactly! I think the American in- telligence—of individual and mass—is underestimated. Schools, newspapers, magazines, cinema, radio—all the in- struments of enlightenment—offer less than the public can digest mentally. Of course there are exceptions. In New York there are some great news- papers, but in general the trend is to play down to the mediocre, not to make the mediocre play up to the superior. “America is the one country in the world with the power to have an in- telligent majority. If I were an American magnate I would feel that there would be a fine investment in brains. Your standardization system seems such a waste of good material. Mentally Acquisitive. “Americans are mentally acquisitive and they seem hungry for finer things. The paradox of a free country, of un- usual mental vigor, accepting a stand- ardization system is all the more noticeable because the level of your masses is so_superior to that of other countries. But the individual does not go proportionately high under the system. 1 have heard writers com- plain that they are cautioned: ‘Don’t be highbrow. Give them what they want! Why not take a chance on them wanting something better than they get—give them the best. The great difference between American and Italian cultures lies, I believe, in this standardization. In Italy an au- thor, determined to write what he believes, goes ahead, unconscious of any suffering from social humiliation. Here your material standards em- barrass him. Encouraging individuality would be a pretty good interpretation of freedom.” “Do you believe there is greater freedom in Italy?” “Yes, indeed, for the individual. | That is why I could never work in America. There is something in the air, a lack of repose that would keep me from creating. The very thought of equalization (or is it standardiza- tion?) when we know we are not all equal, would crush me.” That was in 1924! - When I saw Pirandello not so long ago in Italy he had nothing to say about standardization and suppres- sion of the individual Unlike many individualists, he has kept clear of politics. I remember my amused astonishment at his seeming unawareness of what was going on poltically in the Autumn of 1922. He was apparently unconscious of or dis- interested in the powerful protago- nist, who, untormented by doubt, was about to play the leading role on | Italy’s political stage. Then, when he became Fascist-con- scious, Pirandello was one of Musso- lini's ardent admirers. His explana- tion of Mussolini, by his own theories, moved me to admiration. For Musso- lini, once leader of the Red Socialists who became founder and leader of Fascism, who crushed the red specter of Communism in the Italian dust. is a protagonist, Pirandello explained to me, of his own philosophy of chang- ing personality. French Believe Treaties Will Prevent State of Warfare in Saar After Vote PARIS.—As the date for the Saar plebiscite, January 13, draws closer, French opinion is becoming more and more confident that fears of serious disturbances will not be realized, This confidence is based upon the following |facts and reasonings: 1. A German victory has been dl.s-‘ counted in advance. Few Frenchmen | belleve in the possibility that the | Saar, or even a part of the Saar, will vote for a continuance of thepresent | League of Nations' rule. 2. The only interest France will re- tain in the Saar is ownership of the mines. It is believed a satisfactory settlement of this question can be obtained by negotiations and that the German government will show a| readiness to negotiate in order to achieve the return of the Saar to the German flag as rapldly as possible. 3. Fears have been felt that after the expected overwhelming vote in favor of Germany the Nazi elements in the Saar would rapidly be rein- forced by armed forces from Ger- many and that the governing com- mission would be faced with the al- ternative of getting out in disorder or by resisting, provoking a state of open warfare. But explanations by the governing commission have al- layed these fears. It is pointed out that any armed forces moving from Germany into the Saar would have| to cross the demilitarized zone and | that this would be a flagrant violation | of the Locarno treaties. If that hap- pened the signatories of the Locarno pacts, notably England, would be obliged to send troops. It is felt here that Germany will under no cir- cumstances give any pretext for bringing the Locarno treaties into play. 4. On the other hand, in case of any local disorders in the Saar, such as the suggested seizure of the mines by Germans, if the governing ‘com- mission were unable to cope with the disorder it would call upon the French to send troops, the French being the nearest to the scene, French troops |are already massed along the Saar frontier and would seize the whole territory within a few hours with the | sanction of legal authority. The Ger- man army would be unable o re- taliate on account of the Locarno treaties. It is felt that the occupation of the Saar by the French army would be a humiliation for Germany and that Berlin will give no pretext for it if it can be avoided. 5. If the French are obliged to oc- cupy the Saar on account of dis- orders there, they fully expect that they will be joined later by both Italy and England. The obligation to maintain order does not rest upon Prance alone, but upon all the signa- tories of the Versailles treaty. The French would act first because they are nearest but they believe England and Italy would follow if the necessity for policing the Saar continued. But in reality it is thought that no troops will have to be sent. The mere threat, in the opinion of Prench gov- ernment circles, will suffice. (Cooyright. 1034,