1941-08-11 — Page 39

THE CHINA MAIL, AUGUST 11, 1941.

CHINA MAIL

WINDSOR HOUSE

THE SUPREME IMPERTINENCE

Since the Nazis have launched their "crusade" against Russia there has been an increasing ten- dency on the part of official and semi-official sources in Berlin to iden- tify the Reich with Europe: "Europe will! resent" this, that or the| other act directed against Germany; "Europe" is! fighting Communism, and so on. A Berlin spokes- man, referring to the American occupation of| Iceland, said: "President Roosevelt is attacking Europe'. This cannot bel dismissed as mere mega-! lomania-it is all a part of the desperate German attempt to convey to the world at large the impres sion that Hitler has creat- ed a substantial new or- der and that whatever England may do, or the United States or, presum- ably, Russia, represents only the "periphery" of the Continent.

It would appear to be inconceivable that, after|

all that has passed in

HOIST WITH HIS OWN PETARD

"

BRENNER NERVES.

a

2

Spain & Ireland

upon the

arising from the

tern Christian culture which has

of the

whole tise the English tongue. When two populations of phenomenon in the case Jews and in the small but highly very different characters use the interesting exceptional case of the tion which breeds thfinite mis- same language, you have a situa- .But we forget how gypsies.

understanding in every detail of the Irish. characteristic it is of

human life, and that is the lingual The huge religious quarrel of the

situation of the Irish people to-; Sixteenth and Seventeenth Cen- turies in Britain led to the driving day. Not only in their own coun- try, but throughout the world. They are English speaking, all a scale that there has been nothing but a small remnant who still use

Europe in the last few THE great world which depends | Irish National tradition and the did not come till the Nineteenth

Another almost equally Century. English.

It was in part the years, any one could be upon the Spanish language

important factor of confusion in

Nationalist Movement under well to particularise the foreigner's estimate of Ireland Daniel O'Connell, but much more taken in by this supreme would do

story and and all things Irish is the dis- the great famine and the scatter- impertinence. It would somewhat seem superfluous to recite character of Ireland. I remark in persion of the Irish people. Theying of the ruce which left Ireland my travels that of all the ambi-are the only people of our Wes-(without a national language of again the stark fact about guities, confusions and misunder- been scattered at large and driven its own) and made the Irish pro- | this new order, to point standings which arise from the into exile. We are used to this ple as a out that Austria, Czecho-hopeless sub-division of Christen- Slovakia, Denmark and dom to-day none are more subtle Rumania were added to (and therefore more difficult to the problems the Hitlerian structure by understand) than

character and armies of occupation and history of Ireland.

Of all lingual, that Bulgaria's adherence racial and religious groups, all of Irish families overseas on such to the Axis pact was con-provinces into which the babel of firmed in the same man-jour civilisation has fallen, not one is less understood or gives rise to ner; that Poland, Norway,

more misinterpretation than the Belgium, Holland, France, matter of ireland. Greece and Yugoslavia

many reasons for fought bitterly to avoid

this. The most important reason incorporation into the

by far is the violent contrast in Nazi system; that Britain religion and therefore in all the and Russia are now bat-texture in Society between the tling to avoid the same stifling fate. What does

There are

-By-

the ancestral language in the extreme North-west of the island, been made to Every effort has restore the National language to daily use. but custom has proved too strong. It has not yet been

Hilaire Belloc established and probably never

will be.

I for my part should maintain that no foreigner can fully under- stand the modern English-speak- like it in the story of any othering world until he has mastered of the Irish Christian people and the Irish of the main elements

of all foreigners to-day are Diaspora. They problem; and are highly particular and indivi- those of the Iberian peninsular Colonies beyond are best fitted for meaning and

tional Nation.

Of

of

to help the

the days