1940-12-10 — Page 23

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THE CHINA MAIL, DECEMBER 10, 1940.

CHINA MAIL

WINDSOR HOUSE

EMPTY BOASTS

Page

What New York Thinks Of Us

THIS. Io what New York

talking about yesterday. And will be talking about to-day.

was | LONDON HAS THIRD RAID, microcosm of America, briefly, defences, then they frown and ALARM] the crowd on the paves transfixed in Times Square," New fret and ask questions neither you ment contracts as it presscs for- ward to read then expands again York, on an afternoon when, 3,000 nor anyone else can answer. as it falls back and breaks into miles away, the capital of civili- groups to argue. People are consation was being ravished by the stantly juining the crowd and others constantly leaving.

Times Square, New York, is where Broadway meets Forty Second Street. Americans call it the crossroads of the world.

From the three cornered island

boards in and above its windows. The "Times" has its famous elec- tric sign on the building and all night letters spelling out lale

headlines run

drilled insects. But the sign can- not change fast enough now and

around like well

so it is being supplemented by bulletins hastily written in capi- tais on strips of paper which are pasted on the boards as soon as

they are ready.

When a new bulletin goes up [BRITISH BOMB TANKER AND SUPPLY SHIP OFF NORWAY—

about").

women

red haired and angry

in

A few minutes later an elderly bald-headed man "We'll be in it, Bud. We'll be in said loudly, soon enough." Nobody said any- thing to that.

confusion."

musical merit can discover easily enough that tions of doubtful most of the people you talk to have but of fiercely patriotic sentiment. a deeply implanted faith in the British. By the British they mean The town of Port Washington on not only the R.A.F. and the Bri-Long Island has ordered the tish Navy, but also every clerk American flag to be displayed in and shopkeeper, every unsung now is pitting his nerves against bill I got the other night in a householder in every suburb who the streets every Saturday. The

the dark enemy.

Manhattan restaurant had a patriotic slogan stamped across it. They say over and over again Rifle booths at country fairs now "Hitler's up against something different now." But when the have faces of Hitler or little tin story of death and debris is, cried Nazi parachutists. to shoot at. from every headline and picture, when fires burn in London and a'Berlin boasts of weakened British

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Nazi propagandists con- tinue to make desperate efforts to convince their own people that all is well with the Air Battle of Britain. It is possible, in-

bombs of an enemy as dark and deed, to detect some slight

evil as any that has ever gtalked

America, at this moment, is the earth. An hour earlier I had retreat from the lyrical where the "New York Times" was that there are no

One thing one noticed to-day been at lunch with an American listening feverishly. In news. confidence of some weeks building stands you look BP there. The men were of all kinds tion for carefulness and objec planes are hissed and pictures of newspaper man of high reputarcel theatres, pictures of German "Broadway at the tens of thou-prosperous and poor, Jews and tivity. "America at this moment," ago, when the Luftwaffe sands of winkting signs and below Gentiles, hatted and hatless men he had said, "is ninety per cent. Americans destroyers. leaving

them, the cauldron of yellow taxis, with all manner of accents. You was being represented in restless crowds, cops, news dealers, could push in and

Boston for Britain are applauded. listen to the

A drunk in the Bronx who shout- the German Press as ex-commissionaires and amusement arguments. In one of the thickest

barkers. The pavement around the knots a

Here it was the dialectical, ed "I hope Hitler wins" had to tending its sway over Bri- "Times" building used to be rea-young man was telling an older the groping of a group of Ameri-

sonably clear but now it is block-man what he thought. The older cans meeting together by chance have police protection the other tain day and night "like cd on one side by a crowd of per- man kept interrupting and con in Times Square." The American evening. The two most popular haps 150 men. This is because the tradicting. Neither of them had people are reading their news-songs in the United States just an avenging angel with "Times" is posting up bulletins much accurate information but papers and listening to their radigs now are "God Bless America" and fiery breath and flaming

the next group a workman straight off the news tickers on

both were shouting furiously. In and the chaos of the news is re- "I Am An American," composi flecting itself in their minds. You sword." Nevertheless, the

overalls

was explaining why France fell. ("Nobody in France Nazi radio is still claiming

knew what the hell it was all that it is the Germans who are dictating the course of the air war over Britain, and that they "can only shake their heads" over the British assertion that in our own island we have the mastery of the air. It may be conceded, certainly, that the Germans, being the attackers, dictate the time and place of the air] battles in our skies, but since in daylight raids they are invariably routed in disorder and with dis proportionately he a vy losses, the element of "dictation” in the matter is neither here nor there.

It is merely a piece of There is a certain rellef for verbal bluff to console many Americans in turning from problem that has and deceive the credulous this stubborn

so long. defied solution to the German public, and per-

more exhilarating issue of mili- haps to away an incipient tary armament. Not that we like tendency to scepticism. A. war even the prepara- would be veering in a totalitarian sages of Adolf Hitler. But they very different story, wention for it. But the necessity

and an may be sure, is being told being squarely laid upon us, the direction. Internal complications pass on to an amazing in the inher councils of resultant activity has

are famous for driving totall-identical-finale. Or the true or- tarian States into heroics with der of society as Spengler sees it, he writes: "Always it has the German High Com-We must see to it that it is not

sacrificed truth and justice mand, where Goering, diverting. For we are still con- who has been conducting idle money, idle men."

fronted by the grave issue of the campaign in person, is confronted with the un- A recent speech of Wendell happy task of explaining Willkie's has placed on a candle- away his failure.

The fringe of one group would drift to the next group as a fresh [argument began. This was

Setting Democracy In

The trouble with democracy at the present moment is (as we know too well) that it hasn't been working. It is economically out of order, it needs not only to be defended but corrected.

or

stimulus,

Order

Conscription is in the air: couples are rushing off to get married. From all directions, from political platforms to pulpits the cry is "Rearm-get ready to de- fend America."

Defend America where-and when? The question leads back in, a circle from to-day's headlines to next week's and next month's. The anxious man in the street throughout America knows now that everything - his own future and the future of the free world

chivalry, of inward nobility, of unselfishness and duty." He de- clares that there now sets in the depends on Britain. "Ninety final battle between "Democracy, per cent. confusion" but there's the other teri per cent. which is and Caesarism,” between what out ahead of the American people he calls the leading forces of and may be able to see further. money-economics, and political or dictatorial power,

world economy which lies in the solving of their own affairs. This is not identical, of course, with the speeding up of industry con- sequent upon the threat of war.

No nation can justify its post- tion solely on the basis of foreigns we move through them, as in the case of some of the pas- policy. Were we to try this, we

There is an almost beguiling quality in parts of these passages

By Mary Burt Messer might and race."

respect to foreign Powers. The

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Information available at this moment and judgment of the situation as it comes from Wash- ington can fairly be summed up in this way harrowing as the stories from London have heen nothing, has happened yet that is either unexpected or decisive.

Invasion is not a certainty, not only because the Nazis may be unable to prepare the ground ade quately in England, but also be cause the Nazis own preparations. must have been seriously disrupte ed by the RA.F.

But so long as the technique of terror fails to bring the British people to the point where they would be willing to see the Gov ernment sue for peace, invasion remains possible.

United States is a part of the Such words should dispose of stick the illuminating comment on family of nations (if it can be confusion and the instincts of the United States by Winston | called that at

this hour). Its appeasement. As they are eluci- On our side, even if we Churchill which points in this

every move bears a relation to dated at the present hour by the knew nothing else, it direction. We are reminded that the whole. But this does not logic of events, they bring our would be sufficient ans-one of the strongest possible con- deliver Americans from the obli-nation to its feet. Here is an wer to the Nazi boasts tributions to a cure of the in-

It order springing from a different, There is nothing to show that ternational dilemma would be that Hitler has not dared

an opposite, an anti-Christian the Nazi air force is capable of would tremendous task it the our own

Arm recovery,

we to renew the mass attacks must.

premise, which must not be per have to perform the destruction Our immediate obliga-

mitted to take over the jurisdic-| of so many ports and landing felds which were to be the pre- tions to neighbours must be fully

tion of the world.

and the dislocation of so highly lude to invasion. Actually met. But Americans cannot

crganised a war effort-before the we know that our Air neglect the solid contribution to

British, people would be within

Force is stronger, bath re-

measurable distance of such de- feat.

latively and absolutely,

at home. gation of success räther lays emphasis upon it.

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If the Nazis should decide on Invasion in a desperate effort to

The issue, of course, is more

This Spengler thinking, which than a superficial one. There is a

merges into Nazí thinking, leads challenge here with respect to in its "Caesarism" to the cxalta, than at any time before or as indicated by the an- the very character of democracy tion of one man.

itself. Spengler, in his "Declino. during the battles which nouncement than one in of Western Civilisation," expli The reply of democracy is a force a decision quickly, the odds began in May, and that it seven in the Canadian Air citly sets forth some of the out-unt man tot -- but he is to be on their success would appear now

found in every man. It is the to be against them, is steadily progressing to- Force is a citizen of the standing doubts attaching them-man of alertness, of intelligence wards an ultimate super- United States. We wel-selves to me democratic order, and enterprise we are not afraid What this boils down to is the

with its maladies. These are of his "big business," subject to general belief that, though im iority in quantity com-

worth considering as a spur to reasonable rules of industrial mense destruction is to be expects come this news alike for their solution.

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Spengler is a traffic. But it is the man who ed the Nazis are not going to be mensurate with its al- ready proven superiority

the fighting mettle of sceptic on the subject of demo draws lincs essentially within able to crack Britain. The ex-

cracy. It is worth while tre himself, who will advanec in pectation is that the war will. which its forerunners in quently to listen to our intelli- dustrially only so far as he can go on through the winter to the in quality.

the last war afforded so gent opponents. Sometimes we take others with him; - It is the spring dr Apart from many other splendid a testimony, and able to glean from them the adventurer, not the gambler; the

very clue to victory.

| worker, inot, the labouret, By that time two important accretions to its strength, as a visible token of the

every capacity, behind every things may have happened. Gar- Through money," writes function the democratic citizen, many can have begun to show we have recently been sympathy of our friends Spengler (with the directness of acting with a kind of saving fer- the strain of ruling an ill-fed, able to welcome the for- from across the ocean in a dive-bomber), "democracy be your in the interest of the whole. unwilling continent and a too long mation of the Eagle Squa- our struggle to defend and comes its own destroyer. Men the practical, the technical soluintilbited nation, and America can

are tired to disgust of money-tions of our economic system, have emerged from a stage of con dron of volunteers from preserve the ideals of elv- economy," he goes on to say,under these conditions, will be fusion into a stage of full realfin- It will ultimately to thraw its waight into the effort cursor of more to follow mon to us both.

to end the Nazl threat for ever.

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the United States, the pre-illsation and liberty com-mewhere or other, for some its own,

"They hope for salvation from į forthcoming. Democracy will hold tion that its best defence will Bá

real thing. Lof......honour, and i triumph.