-

THE CHINA MAIL, JULY 1, 1941

CHINA MAIL

WINDSOR HOUSE

CONQUEST BY CONCESSION

Arras Abbeville, Amiens the names of French towns no longer measure the advance of the Nazis into the heart of France. But that ad- vance continues. It is no less penetrating for being subtle. Nazi policy to- ward France to-day is toj barter shadow for sub- stance. And French lead- ers at Vichy seem ever more ready to accept the shadow.

The rewards of this bar- ter are

for so slight

France that Marshal Petain has felt it neces- sary to ask the French people to accept them in blind faith:

For you, the French people. it is simply a question of fol lowing me without mental re- servation.

conse-

The probable quences of this policy are so dangerous to the free- dom of the French people and to the cause for which true

friends of France

fighting |

ANOTHER GALE

Now Miss

DUCKWORTH

PLEASE WRITE...... 1 YOU'RE VERY

DUCKINGLY.

OPEN LETTER TO THE FERRY COMPANIES.

Yates

President Aching that The National Character

Roosevelt

warned France that the

once

1

the German, enemy.

Whatever characteristics ed by the German army regula United States regards de- WHENEVER

atrocities, national character is discuss- in the individual members of the tions. The worst Nazi

to form both at home and abroad, have velopments at Vichy as ed. someone will invariably two nations have gone

and whatever been systematically planned and menacing the interests remark that he hus known such these patterns,

from above. Still, of men and peace of the Western decent, kindly Germans, and will share circumstances had in their organised

crystallised hundreds of thousands protest against "generalisations"; development,

and Hemisphere.

without perceiving that It is he these patterns powerfully react on have participated in them,

of millions have watched who is advancing an unwarrant- the individual and mould him in tens The Cabinet meeting at able generalisation in arguing turn, Removed from this setting them with approval, or at least The "decent, a nation the individual may develop, or at with connivance.

Germans" were always which Admiral Darlan re- about the character of

from that of individuals, often of least seem to develop, in a differ-kingly ported on his negotiations individuals met outside their own ent manner: still, it is the pattern singularly ineffective, in 1848 as the Weimar expresses his national in 1900 or under with Hitler appears to be national surroundings. Even with which

Republic many of them regard to inanimate matter it is character. one more milestone on the unsafe to argue from particles to

The English national pattern Jews, and the others were looked road first taken by Nazi aggregates: the atom is the same raises individuals above their own upon as "veriudet" ("Judaised”).

in in graphite, and diamonds; average moral level, the German They have failed to impress their and tu sides.pattern on the nation, human tanks. Vichy says little and it is not

from suppresses possible

Puritanism, with 11s "generalise" their type or creed; lump of Religious

it is therefore in turn inadmissible about the terms arranged the way in which

per- coal burns to infer the behaviour more modern offshots, was by Admiral Darlan and of an entire bed of the same coal, haps the most potent factor in the to base generalisations on them. Hitler. How little these Aggregates have their own

dividuality and laws.

an

a

their

in-moulding of the English national character: the English gentleman

concessions mean may be A social agglomeration can be organised unit, seen by comparing thein crowd or

individuals in mass juxtaposition with the gains the Nazis or in crystallised form. The are making towards per- psychological peculiarities even of the crowd vary as between differ- manent control of the ent nations. But still greater and French economy.

more significant are the ences between the forms of com-

munal life which nations

differ-

háve

By Professor

L.B. Namier

allow not

were

There are people who treat all evil as extraneous and adventi- tious: to them a sick person is. a healthy person, plus a disease, not

&

body in condition which, whether temporary or permanent, is its own. A similar "demono logy" treats the present Germany as a country of normal, decent. people bewitched by Hitler; whereas in reality Hitler's un- 'paralleled rise is due to the fact

that he has given expression to

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