EUROPE’S DISUNITY

Evening Star, Issue 23373, 16 September 1939, Page 3

EUROPE’S DISUNITY

YET IT HAS PROGRESSED (By R. 11. Markham, in the ‘ Christian Science Monitor.’) BUDAPEST. Let me tell you about my friends, the Blacks. . The gifted and devoted president or an excellent American school in Sofia, Bulgaria, is named Floyd Black. Ho is an American. Every year ho has a fairly large number of students called Chernoff or Chernova, names which also mean Black. But these Messieurs and Misses Black are not related to tho president. They are pure Bulgarians coming from little Bulgarian towns and villages. The Mayor of Kiskunhalas in Hungary, who once entertained me in his delightful home, is named Fekete Ur, which means Black Mister or Mr Black. He is a pure Hungarian. The head clerk in the hotel at which I often stay in Bucharest is called’ Uoinuul Negrescu, which means Mr Black. He is a pure Rumanian. A friend of mine in Belgrade is named Jovan Tsrnovitch, John Black. He is a Serb. The last time I passed through Croatia there was an elderly, soft-voiced, white-haired gentleman in my coupe called Ivan Chernovski, John Black—he was. a Russian refugee or “ emigre,” usually referred to as a White Russian. If you should mingle in the “ high society ” of Vienna you’d meet many nobles called Czernins—they are Austrian Blacks. Your shoemaker in Munich might be called Hans Schwartz—a John Black of Germany. Your tailor in Paris might be Sam Schwartz—Sam Black —he’d be a j Jew. MANY—AND ALL THE SAME. I won’t go on to tell you about the many other members of this Black family, who are scattered all over Europe. They into the hundreds of thousands. You’d find them in the telephone book of every large city. And they look very much alike. That is an astounding thing about the European Blacks or Whites, or Smiths or Joneses. They are all very much alike in appearance. Of course, they dress differently, cut their hair differently. and speak different languages, but physically _ and temperamentally they’re very similar. If all these Black men I’ve just told you about should go out into the woods for a month, completely desist from using scissors or razors, and let the sun tan their faces, then if they should dress in the same kind of clothes and Infve their hair and beards trimmed in the same way, you would not be able to say which was Black, Fekete, Negrescn, Chcrneff, Czernin, or Schwartz. Probably you wouldn’t even know which was'the Jew. Racially or biologically, the Europeans are ‘quite similar. You cannot easily tell a Bulgarian from a Serb, a Serb from a Groat, a_ Croat from an Austrian, an Austrian* from 3 Czech, a»Czech from a Pole, a Pole from a Prussian, a Prussian from a Bavarian, or a Bavarian from a Frenchman. I may even go much farther than that arid say it is not difficult to change Herr Schwartz into Fekete Ur, or Gospodin Chereff into Domnul Negrescu. 1 have seen this done in many cases. The Germans belong to the Teutonic racial group and the Hungarians to an Asiatic or Mongolian race, but I have seen many Germans who had become _ fanatical Hungarians. The Bulgarians are Slavs and the Rumanians Latins; but Bulgarians often become crusading Rumanians. Northern France is Germanic; northern Italy is also Germanic, and north-east Germany is Slav. In hundreds of cases the Cabinet Ministers, not to mention the prelates, of one country belong to the racial group of a rival or enemy country, GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS. And Mother Europe’s children are people of the very highest order. Nothing could bo more incorrect than to consider them effete, or worn out, or degenerate, or decadent. Europe never seemed younger or fuller of life than to-day. Nowhere on the globe is there so much national dynamic, such mighty social forces, radicalism and upward striving as in Europe. Europe is old but also extremely new; it is as much worn out as the Gulf Stream, the Mississippi River, or the sun of a Kansas summer. The dynamic power and these tireless social strivings have resulted in marvellous achievements. Europe is a superbly beautiful continent. Here man and Nature have co-operated in creating treasures beyond all computation. One of the best networks of auto roads is here. Here also are some of the most magnificent edifices, the most beautiful fields, the best tended woods, the mos.t graceful horses, the most attractive villages, the finest kept cities, the foremost flower gardens, the most striking .costumes. Here is the world’s best music and literature. Europe’s natural science is of the most advanced. Social progress, social crusades, and boldness in social experimentation have made Europe their home. A spirit of newness is surging over the continent. _ Moreover, in the midst of all this experimentation, is a soothing, entrancing, ennobling spirit of culture, of leisure, of geniality, comradeship, aesthetic joy. Europe is the world’s most virily mature continent, and lias brought most forms of human culture to their highest point. But Europe also is terribly divided and distraught. Its 475,000.000 inhabitants are separated into 24 States and not fewer than 20 major racial' groups. Its languages and dialects mount into the hundreds. _ It is torn in pieces by differing social systems. It is rent by religious enmity. Conflicting economic interests have divided it into hostile camps. Nationalistic storms are rocking it as a boat in a tempest. EFFORTS TO UNIFY. Many efforts have been made to unify Europe, but none has ever completely succeeded. The Roman Empire achieved much, but left most of the Continent barbarian; the Holy Roman Empire of the German people was a magnificent dream, many of whose realisations were oppressive; the domination of universal, political Roman Catholicism brought to Europe the Dark Ages; the Holy Alliance proved a bulwark of despotism, and the League of Nations was finally to witness one part of Europe pitted against another. Not one of the great, magnificently conceived attempts at European unity has succeeded. The nations have not yet come to an understanding. But they have made progress. Europe has moved forward. Let there be no doubt about that. From 1500 to 1815 wars were almost constant in Europe. Thev were a normal state of affairs. And there was no democracy. The masses were everywhere suppressed and almost completely disfranchised. Not one first rate Power even pretended to maintain a government of the_ people, by the people, for the people. Tho wonderful State of Switzerland was only formed in 1848. Denmark’s renaissance came as late as 1860. It was only after

1870 that France definitely became a republic. Despotic Turkish invaders were not driven from Europe until 1912. It was only in 1918 that Italy completed its unification. Serfdom was abolished less than a century ago, and land here has not yet been equitably redistributed. Still, after Napoleon, Europe made vast progress, and after 1918, especially, the Europeans attained success in creating better social and political conditions. But now that has all been checked. A vehement counter-move-ment has set in, which threatens to sweep away the achievements of centuries. An absolutism, intolerance, and spiritual subjugation menaces Europe such as it has not experienced since 1648 (Peace of Westphalia). This continent is again in the midst of an epochal conflict. As hundreds of times in the past, Europeans go about their work with heavy hearts. And the issue of this struggle will affect nil humanity. The kevstohe in the arch of human civilisation is still Europe. And that kevstone is insecure. In this world is America, Americans are Europeans, too. For good or bad, Europe and America are bound together. They are different branches of one family tree.