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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1929-03-28, Page 7sc _ An Ambassador of Peace" And Also A Keen Observer Viscrunt D'Abernon, the First British Ambassador to Ger- ,racy After the War, Tells of Vital Days At the close of the war the British Empire was served with distinction by Viscount D'Abernon, who was the first British Ambassador to Germany after the signing of the Versailles Treaty: It is widely recognized that Viscount D'Abernon proved to be the ideal representative, and he probably more than any other. pian, is 'respons- ible for the improved relations be- tween. , the British and the German peoples: In his book, "4n .Ambassador. of Peace," Viscount D'Abernon tells the stony of his early years Berlin. His record of political events and negotiations Is a distinct contribu- tion to history, an dit is this side of book that has been dealt with by the newspaper reviewers. For that rea- son we think his shrewd comments on men and affairs will be likely to inter- est our readers in his books. They were of course, written at the time, and his diary quotations we give from different periods speak for them- selves:— Mr. hem-selves:Mr. Lloyd George's Ban "Curzon's French is fair, and he would possibly like to air his verbal facility in a new dress, but for Lloyd George's ` ban. The latter had very wisely. broken, through, the previous European practice of considering French the language of international discussion. It placers us and some other nations at too great a disad- vantage, especially to ourselves --as we are shy and self-conscious, in ad dition to not knowing French too well. The mere fact that all the drafting has. to be done by the French is in, itself a danger. "No foreigner that I have ever met pan write French perfectly, and very few can speak it without applying a portion of their intelligence to the task—and in political discussion the whole available brain power is wanted for the argument, so that none can 'be diverted to the vehicle." * * t. "Two members of the old German Foreign Office with whom I dined yesterday gave me interesting infor- amtion. "The attitude of these members of the old Foreign Office, regarding the Kaiser was curious. They maintained as do all the Imperial Party, that the Kaiser was more a fool than a crim- inal. His great idea in creating a large German navy was to swagger about in admiral's teniform—to pace the quarter-deck with Beresford. This silly vanity had been exploited by von Tiplitz—he was the real author of Germany's downfall. • "But for the naval policy an under- standing would have been achieved with England. . . . ." If the Kaiser Had Not Gone To Holland Then again, after a discussion with several eminent Germans as to whe- ther the hetherthe Kaiser should have returned: to Berlin when the great collapse came or gone to Holland, the author observes:— "Looking logically at the whole question, one comes to the following conclusions: "(1) Had the Kaiser remained at Spa, the probability was that the Entente would not have concluded the. Armistice on the following day, for their main object was the overthrow of the monarchy, principally the Ger- man Kaiser. Would the Kaiser have been justified in taking that respons- ibility .simply because he wished to remain? "(2) Had it been possible to find troops to march back to Germany with the Kaiser, the supply trains would never have been allowed over the Rhine. The troops would have been starved and civil war could not have been avoided. Was blood to be shed thus as well as at the front, just because the Kaiser wished to remain? "(3) if the Kaiser had attempted to return as a private individual, he could only have remained in Germany at the mercy of the revolutionaries, and under the surveillance of the scum in red ties. Further the surreal ' der for trial of the Kaiser to the En- tente would, under these circum- stances, have been a much mere simple question, holland could pro- tect him; the Germany of that time could not, and the greatest of all hutuiiations, the surrender of their Kaiser, would not have been spared the people." * * Viscount D'Abernon, too, throws a vivid sea.rehliglit on the German view about the use of poison gas:— "German military experts say that gas would be ove+'poweriag against Orientals. if we'haci used it against the Turks we could have done what we liked, `. Similarly, in India a very small arinay with gas, would hold the country. I do not know that they are ,partictnlarly good authorities on these • questicus, but I am struck with the Unanimity with Which this vieW is held. "They consider ti at one of the many ways that Germany lost the war was in letting the gas secret out too soon. . if they had keit it in reserve Until gas installations existed in .suffi— cient quantities they could have brok- en through any lino, .but their' own military commanders ,vcre nacre ,than sceptical about the success of the. gas exr eriiiient," ,,, 0 "Perhaps the Most important1 characteristic of the German mina," writes Viscount D'Abernon, "as com- pared with that of surrounding na- tions, is their peculiar capacity for bringing philosophy and science Ito bear on the problems of We.., "With other races book learning and all that is derived from, scientific training have a tendency to remain in a separate compartment, divorced from the daily task. With the Ger- man, learning has been absorbed' into the blood;' he remains through life something of a student, something of a professor. , "Far above his regard for any European nation, the German has a profound respect for the United States. Its size, its immense wealth, the, business capacity of its citizens, impress the German with the deepest admiration,, and he is, moreover, not blind to the possibility of financial assistance which Germany may in future derive from the United States, nor is he unmindful of the assistance already given. The United ...States have lent Germany not less than £200,000,000 during the last few. years. "In all the more important develop- ments in Germany during the post- war years, American influence' has been decisive. Eliminate • action taken on American advice, or in as- sumed agreement with American opinion, or in anticipation of Ameri- can approval, and the whole course of policy would be altered, . - Envy of English "Luck" "The English he (the German) con- siders politically wise and incompre- hensibly lucky—far wiser, indeed, than we probably are, and far luckier than he thinks we deserve to be. Our success he attributes, in the main, to a political instinct which enables the - • -ither logical argument or scientific, analy- sis, to adopt instinctively the most worldly-wise course in any conceiv- able emergency. "I would be super -human ndt to feel some envy at the possession by a rival nation of such a useful endow- ment, obtained, as it seems to them, without painful effort.. But. there is little or no hostility to England of a' pronounced character." ti Trucks in Australia Aid Interstate Trade The motor truck Is considered a boon to interstate commerce in Aus- tralia, for many years handicapped by the lack of systematized railroad facilities, according to C. E. Stebbins, Federal Motor Truck Company repre- sentative in the Commonwealth, who returned recently to Detroit. The fundamental difficulty with rail shipments, he said, is that there are three widths of track in Australia. In order to ship goods from one State to another it is necessary to transfer merchandise from_ a narrow gauge to a wider one, or vice versa, causing expense and dolay. This lack of standardization, Mr. Stebbins pointed out, is due to the fact that many of the present States originated as separate settlements, each installing the transportation fa- cilities it needed without regard to its neighaors. The scientists who are unable to account for the dark weather prevail- ing in Europe seem to overlook the fact that Mr. Einstein is busy ex- plaining his theory. Many of Our Readers Will Enjoy This iComparison MODERN STREET TRAVEL AND THE FAVORITE OF ONCE UPON A TIME The regular thing a generation ago, the hansom cab has almost disappeared from London's streets and looks very antique alongside the modern omnibus. The Blouse Leaps Into Prominence The emphasis on the ensemble cos- tume has suddenly brought the blouse from obscurity to the limelight of fashion, Starting first of all by form- ing an important part of the "tuck -in" blouse costume, it is now embodied in many variations of the jacket cos- tume, which will be an outstanding spring fashion. Blouses offer unending variety. They may match or contrast with the skirt or jacket, or they may, like the linings of the new spring coats, be fashioned of material which seems alien to the rest of the costume. As for the cut and material, there, also, there is variety. At the moment the most popular model is the crisp blouse of white broadcloth, which may ge tucked into a dark skirt and worn with a youthful jacket. A blouse following this style •may be decorted by bands around the collars and cuffs and a mannish four- in-hand of checked colored broadcloth. Another model, fully as tailored, dis- plays the hip band. The style point is cut down the front in jagged lines. This design is repeated on the hip band where it buttons, together. Prints are seen a great deal in dresses, to be sure, but they are more prevalent in blouses. Some of the newest models are made of pastel prints, very lovely in their delicate blending of colors, as is one with a swathed hipline and a sharp V-neck. The effect of a bolero is achieved by the lines which start at the point of the V and curve on either side to a point slightly below the armpits. This line is emphasized by its binding, which is the predominant color of the design of the print. To relieve the severity of the neck, there is a soft bow of self -material. Similar to this in treatment, but slightly dressier in effect, is a blouse of oyster satin. To match the beauty of the material the design is more intricate •and a yoke is set in under an inlaid motif, which is repeated in inverted form on the swathed hip band. Still another blouse, utterly femi- nine in design, is suitable for an elai5orate street costume. Fashioned of ecru flat crepe, it has a swagger elegance due to the ingenious way in which it is trimmed with pleated frills. Slightly below the shoulder, the frill starts and curves in a half -circle near- ly to the waistline. Then, along the bottom of the snug -fitting hip band, the frill repeats itself and rises in a point directly belowe where the frill started or. the blouse. A pearl pin gleams on the shoulder, and at the hip a soft bow provides the balancing touch. A stylist talking about the possi- bilities of the .jacket costume for southern wear insisted that a woman could not have too many blouses and. advises an entire wardrobe of little blouses to accompany it. For differ- ent occasions, she enumerated: "A tailored silk shirt in white or pastel; a bright color tuck -in; a printed over- blouse; a blouse with a scarf which drapes over the jacket; and one which is elaborated with little bowknots, tricky bindings, or which is accented with buttons." Even though a woman prefers just one blouse to a costume she will ob- serve on her other frocks the influence of blossoms, by the mew intricacy of neckline. The very simplest innova- tion which is, nevertheless, a distinct novelty, is the presence of collars which may be traced directly to the blouse. On many tailored dresses the conservative V -collar in Crisp linen or organdy adds a note of freshness to an otherwise severe frock. Other collars have a nautical air, youthful in the extreme. They pos- sess such a breezy holiday air that they will admirably fit into the ward- robe of the woman who goes south. Then for those who remain at home, the regulation sailor collar is adapted to sports or business frocks and some- times, for a surprise, the collar turns square around with the knot in the back, and thus may elaborate an after - noon dress if the material is flimsy. On other frocks, the collar hardly betrays that it started with that basis, but forms, instead, a graceful, cape - like bertha. Neither are these collars superfluous, clouding the lines of a dress, as would seem the case on first thought. On the contrary, the bertha collar emphasizes the slenderness of the hips by the effect of width across the shoulders, in the same way that a bolero does. An example of an abbreviated sailor collar is shown on a gay two-piece sports dress. In itself the.dress is not unusual. It is formed of jumper top, with a side opening from the waistline to the hips, closed with while pearl buttons, which is worn over an all- around pleated skirt, The smart flair of style lies in the contrast of the while silk crepe sailer collar and cuffs and the rich black silk tie against the deep garnet of the frock. With a smaller collar the contrast would not have been so unuutlai.— Christian Science Monitor, sIsa HARSH CRITICISM Plum: What wonderful rosy cheeks Miss Pippin has. Old Man Lemon: You can't tell me. I think the brazen thing paints! Poet: "My -new poem -will -cause your editor to miss a beat." Editor: "Then please take It away. I don't want anything that will affect the cir- culation. The origin of all mankind was the same: it is only a clear and a good conscience that makes a man noble, for that is derived from heaven itself. —Seneca. May Be Popular But Nature Adds Little to Miami's Lure • 0 Unusual view from an aeroplane -of winter 'plaY years ago and is more popular than ever, FAMOUS BEACH IS NOW POf?U1-Aid ound, Miami Beach., ti' loritla, whiz'? has more tkciii recovered after the hurricane disaeter of a feW Does Ontario Lag Behind Rural Health Must Soon Re. ceive More Attention Than Formerly If Keep Up Up With Progress INTERESTING FIGURES That thousands of farmers and small-town dwellers all over Canada are dying years ahead of their, time, of diseases which' could be prevented, is the startling fact now completely proven by an experiment conducted in Quebec, British Columbia and Sas- katchewan. • For some time it has been generally felt, amongst outstanding leaders in Canadian public health work, that something very decisive must be done, and soon, to give country people at least some of the protection against disease, that people in big cities en- joy. So in those three provinces, to a few selected counties, the most mod- ern methods in idsease—prevention were applied. Country health units-= full-time departments corresponding to: the medical health department of a big city were organized. This is what happened: In the County of Beauce, Quebec, during 1926, there wer6e 34Knunuu, during 1928, there were 645 deaths from general causes. In 1927 there. were only 487—a reduction of 156 deaths in a single year. 156 lives saved! Simiiarly infant deaths were reduced from 215 to 160; deaths from tuberculosis from 56 to 51, deaths from contagious diseases 86 to 27. ' And the methods that saved all those lives, and prevented besides, an enormous amount of sickness, can be applied equally well to any county in Canada. They were applied to three other Quebec counties, and again, here is what happened. General Infant Mortality. Mortality 1926 1928 1926 1926 St. Hyacinthe and Rouville 558 425 150 124 Lac St. Jean 625 512 254 215 Saint Jean and Iberville 301 277 90 54 Deaths from Contagious Diseases:: 1926 1928 St. Hyacinthe and Rou- ville Unit 46 19 Lac St. Jean Unit 68 46 Saint Jean and Ibcrville Unit 26 14 Only the more intelligent, perhaps, can realize the desperate urgency 01 applying, in their own counties, these same methods that have saved life and tremendous economic waste in the Quebec counties mentioned above. If all the people who die, unneces- sarily, of disease in any Canadian county in any one year were to be killed at once, in an earthc(uakea flood or other cataclysm, it would be, r regarded as a world disaster. But because death does his work quietly, taking young and middle-aged people, one by one,, years ahead of their time through what are termed "natural" causes, no one realizes that every month, every week, and every day, someone is dying in rural Canada whose Iife could have been preserved for years if rural and semi -rural peo- ple had health departments equipped to take care of their health by pre- venting disease, just as the big cities have. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," is often quoted—but how many people who so glibly quote it have the backbone to apply it, as a principle, in taking care of their health, and of the health of their communities? As to the cost of these county health units, it is pretty generally felt thatethe rural communities should be helped to pay it—that health is a national asset more important than nines or railways, and that just be- cause the city is richer than the country, is no reason for supposing that the farmer's health is not so important as the city man's. The following is a resolution pass- ed in December by the Dominion Council of Health: "Resolved that the Dominion Gov - eminent be respectfully requested to further the establishment of full-time health units by voting an annual grant of money for the purpose." It has been suggested that the pro- vinces should be asked to contribute. In fact, probably the best basis upon which the cost could be split, Is one- third from the. Dominion, one-third from the Province, and the remaining third from the county, according of the estimate of one authority. The Problem of Population Sir John Aird in the Colonizer (Lon- don) : If we make it difficult for de- sirable people to migrate to Canada, there should be no hesitancy or de- lay in altering the regulations. Na- tionality is by no moans the best test, for, while. we should. endeavor to maintain a strong British strain in our race, superior types of immi- grants are available in all countries, particularly those of Northern and Western Europe. One, Of the funny things about Einstein is that so many people who never studied mathematics think it funny that they can't understand him, '3''et Most of the wrc,:ks due to driv- ing In a fog occur when the weatitel is 4046