1939-12-05 — Page 14

Tuesday,

HONGKONG TELEGRAPH

December 5, 1939.

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Hongkong Telegraph.

Tuesday, December 5, 1939. Wyndham St., Hongkong Telophone: 26616

THE prefix "pacial to the Telegraph" is used by the "Henckens Telegraph" to Indicate rows which is strictly copyright under the provisions of the Telecommuni❤ cauons Ordinance, 1936. Such news as bears the indication "LP is received in Hongkong on the date of publication by the United Press Associations, who re serve all rights and forbid republication, akher wholly or in part without previous Arrangement,

A Grim Warning

SUNDAY'S disastrous fire in Shanghai Street is but unother oblique, but nonetheless grim reminder to Government of the slum problem in Hongkong-a problem which, the authorities have casually announced, is to be ignored "for the duration."

The appalling loss of life in this latest tragedy cannot in any sense be laid at the door of the or others who worked so hard and despairingly in attempting to rescue the trapped inmates of the two tene- ments. The blame for this lies solely--with-the-Government which allows buildings of this nature still to be in existence in these days of modern, proof architecture.

Charity Supper Dance. And Cabaret fire brigade

in rid of

Chinese Refugee Relief, and British Local Emergency Funds

under the auspices of

THE HONGKONG CHINESE WOMEN'S CLUB

at the Peninsula Hotel

on THURSDAY. 14th DECEMBER, 1989

from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Price $6.00

(Mah Jongg and Bridge for non-dancers)

1 (Please Reserve Your Table at Hongkong or Peninsula Hotels)

LONDON STUNNED! THIS LETTER MEANT MURDER!

Why did Count Qual

baffled Scotland Yurd7 fiction: tomavý krimą-busier trapped in londa grantest mystery!Thill.comontal Action drenched drama!,

You are hereby authorized by my Government to deliver an additional 11.000.000 in ourrenoy.

IMMEDIATE DELIVERY IS IMPERATIVE:

Duni

Cotoit D. L. Diani for

THE GOVER

THE

SAINTIN LONDON

GEORGE SANDERS

SALLY GRAY

David Burns-Gordon McLeod Atbeca Seylar Henry Oscar

SHOWING WITH

"THE WARNING

TO-MORROW

AT

THE

QUEEN'S

"NOW I SHALL

CATCH

IT!"

The Strange Story of the

Hater Who

Didn't Mean It

OVING your enemies is -heaven kriows!-a din – cult (and, to my mind, a rather hypocritical) job, but hating them is a dangerous

one.

Consider, for example, the pathetic case of the man who became known as the Arch- Hater of the twentieth century. I am speaking of Ernest Lis- sauer, who wrote the Hymn of Hate. possibly the most famous war poem in history.

by STUART FLETCHER

lion people

could recite Ernst Llasauer's "Hymn of Hate."

Lissauer, the visionary poet, who had never been in England, know nothing of politics, understood по nothing of the causes of the war. but had just rushed like a great into a situation The pa slonate polson of this

sentimental ox which he was possibly too great- eple of Prussian acid, you feel as you read it, could only have ema-hearted to understand,-had-re- nated from some blond German aghting-man with eyes blazing fire-blue with hatred and muscular body taut with actual experience in the field of battle.

For years past the authorities, both through the cruel school of experience and from warnings by competent crities, have been told that the type of Chinese tenement houses so prevalent in the congested nutive areas both on the island and the mainland, are a menace to health, life and property. It is true there have been improvements in the more recent tenement erections, but in view of Sunday's disaster, it is pertinent to ask why Govern- ment has not thought it to con. sider, more seriously the in- herent perils of dwellings such as those in Shanghai Street and the adjacent areas in Yaumati.

This is the worst fire disaster since the West Point explosion, and its gravity is not the whit lessened by the knowledge that it may possibly be reproduced in a dozen parts of the Colony at any time. Such a dangerous possibility cannot be ignored by Government, which should forth- with, nasume its responsibilities and introduce emergency legis lation capable of obviating re- potition of such a tragedy.

Pleas that the question is too complex to permit an immediate solution do not impress us. The lives of Hongkong residents have a greater meaning to us than the vested interests of a Government fow landowners. must co-operate with landlords, if necessary, to give effect to proper measures for the aboll- tion of these living death traps. The authorities must go to the extent of saying that not only cannot one-way tenement blocks be built in the future, but those already in existence must be pulled down, and new and safer buildings erected. Until this is done, in conjunction, of course with ameliorating · measures against overcrowding, catas- trophes such as that of Shang- hai Street can, and may occur any day.

But Ernst Lissauer was a kindly. naive and preposterously fat man with visionary eyes, angers that delighted to play Bach, and whose thoughts fell naturally into

verses.

mind

Yes, Lissauer was a lyrical poet who nursed a tender muse under-

the frame neath

man- of a mountain. His face was as round as the moon. He had three chins.

He was a lovable person.

his

THE 1014 war came. Lissauer awoke one morning to read that beloved Germany was at- tacked. That meant, to him, not the Kaiser, not the landed wealth nor the economic treasures of his country, but that Goethe, Schiller, Heine were in danger. To the re- crusting office! German poetry must be defended!

But the roc

recruiting sergeant sent the

man-mountain home again. Nature had not intended him to

soldier.

bo

Bo Lissauer ant down at his desk and poured out war poems, most of which had a life no longer than that of the average cartoon, But the seventh one he wrote took on. "This Hymn of Hate against Stefan Zweig has

England was not by a long way

written,

the most blood-thirsty of the Ger- man war poems; it was only poetically the best.

Newspaper after newspaper copied it. It was printed on post- exrds, publicly recited all over Germany:

Hate of the hammer and hate of,

the crown,

Hate of seventy millions, choking

down,

We love as one, we hate as one, We have one foe and one alone→

ENGLANDI

THEN the German War Office realised that here was a piece of auperb propaganda ready to their banda, and the poem was incorporated in army orders. It was officially recited to soldiers wherever they assembled in miltary formation. Army newspapers published it by order..

In the schools the children sald it over and over again mechanie- ally until they had learnt it by heart. Before long seventy mil-

leased a wave of hatred which was finally to break on his own head.

Meanwhile, the Kaiser decorated him with the Order of the Red Engie.

WHEN peace came the in professional haters Germany hid their own less successful martial outpouringe behind Lissauer's bulk, pointed at him, and accusing fingers dubbed hini Hate Lissauer."

The poor hater was so hated that he had to leave Germany and live Few would print his in Austria.

wero verses. Hla plays cessful,

On the outskirts of Vienna he wandered in the dreamy woodland where Haydn and Schubert had wandered before him, writing, in

unsuc-

GRIN AND BEAR

Stefan Zweig's words, "a series of plays and prose works and excep- tionally beautiful poems, rich and pure in quality but they passed unnoticed."

When the Nazi revolution took place you might have expected a return to favour for the poor man, even against his will. But not His The man writings were banned.

who had been outlawed because he had been too German was now out- Jawed again because he was not German enough.

"

LISSAUER was a broken

man. He died (just ten years ago) in Vienna,

Look Through The Telegraph

50 YEARS AGO

Dec. 5, 1880. Smokeless powder has proved a hum-- bug, it will not retain die normal explosive quality under prolonged field. Berylce. Such is the verdict of the English Department.

dik. Professor Paul Wiegert, a tinguished German, figures that 7 cents' worth of food will keep a strong man in good form from day to day and that wo would all be healthier without underwear or overcoats,

The recont order of the British Admiralty directing that all the sub sidized merchant steamers intended for use In time of war abeil strip them- selvan of yards has been cumplied with by all the subsidized vessels smiling out of New York.

Daring the building and decoration of the present Parliament House in London,

Queen

dis. expresred approval of the robing room to Mr. Harry, the architect (father of the late Primate of Australla). At which Mr. Barry xaid: "I am very sorry, your Majesty, because I like it, and there's an end of the matter." And he walked

off.

25 YEARS AGO

Dec. 5, 1914. The Peese Bureau announces that is

completely lonely, in abjectMajesty the King travelled to France

poverty. He had come to long for death,

Even recantation had not helped him. Ho had written: "I know now that my poem would have been better expressed as a song of love for Germany than hate for Eng- land. It hurts me now that my with ideas of name associated death and destruction.

It looks to me." he had added as if a new war prophetically, would

anal annihilation mean of Western culture."

So this sorcerer's apprentice wha played unwisely with the dangerous magic of hate and taught the formula of hatred to seventy mil- Hons of his fellows, letting loose an emotion which he could not con- trol, ended by hating himself.

IT

By Lichty

"Of course sho's unhappily married-but the little fool doesn't

realize it!"

last night on a visit to the British Headquarters.

We have sometimes thought of run- ning

aink, dally record of the A

of that negligences and ignorances divinely ordained institution the Bong- kong Post Omer, but charity and want of

tho many space forbid. Among miner masterpieces of system on which one might congratulate it, is the con dition of affairs that obtaina on mail dhya at the registered letter and stamb

counters.

•

To save the crows of warships struck by mlaes or torpedoed by submarinos, since other warships have been pra- hibito from going to their assistance, the Admiralty will supply swimining collars to the officers and men of the floats. The men aro instructed that the callar shall be carried. on their person when they are awake and kept inflated orar sach individust when he I anleep.

10 YEARS AGO

Oslo, Dec. 5, 1920. The Nobel Committee of the Storting has decided not to award the PeRCO Prizes for 1028/20.

Officers and members of St. Andrew's Socialy observod St. Andrew's Day by laying a wreath on the Conotaph this morning. Thoad prosent assembled at the entrance to the Hongkong Club and walked to the Cenotaph two-deep. The wreath was laid by Mr. A. H. Ferguson. the Chieftain,

Those present. In addition to the Chieftain, wore Mr. R. M. Dyer, Mr. D. Wylle, Mr. R. Sutherland, Mr. E. M. Bryden, Mr. P. Tod, Mr. K. E. Graig. Mr. K. S. Morrison, Mr. A. Ritchie, 1 Mr. II. R.. Forsyth, Mr. P... Bamany and Mr. C. Duncan.

5 YEARS ACO

Paris, Dec. 5, 1934. Although Franco has no bi-lateral. treaty with Runala, the two nations are agreed upon a comunion polley for the protection of the peace in Europa, do- clared M. Laval, the French Foreign. Minister, when speaking to the Cham- bar of Deputies to-day."

ile urged Proxidant Hitler of Ger many, who had armed his wit for peace, to join France in her Eastern European policy and urged Gormany to.. raventer the League of Nations.

Berlin. The

that International revelation Jewry had made a peace offer to Ger- many, on condition that the Germ Government changed its, polley rogard- ing Jowa, was made by Herr Yrick, Minister of the Interior, in a upeoch at Chennitw to-day. Blézt Frick added that the offer was not worth consider- ing. The Jews In Germany had no reason to complain of andust treat- mont.

*

The two Far Eastern express Éinars - Scharnhorst and · Gneisenau" at "present under construction. for, the Norddeuts-- Cher Lloyd, will be put into service fu the spring and autumn of 1086 rempsc-- tively,