Aug. 24.
Signor Mussolini's speech at Palermo was obviously intended to further better understanding between Great Britain and Italy, in accordance with the spirit of the' famous inter change of letters for which he and Mr. Neville Chamberlain made themselves responsible. It 1s to, be hoped, however, that the Italian Prime 'Minister' was less superficial than the telegraphed summary suggests Jattempting to define causes of differ-fence. The notion that British public opinion "bases itself on the crude Insular prejudices of a Tode farce can hardly be seriously entertained. If Signor Mussolini could find that}
French policy toward Great Britain were coloured by a conception of the eud-checked roast-beet-cating Dover Calais bounder, that Whitehall dos with German issues in the belief that Jmost of the inhabitants of the Fatherland are brass-band_ players, the might have some ground for his reference to "the obsolete and superficial notion of picturesque Italy." Even if there were a time when London saw Rome through the pleasant Bohemia of Soho tt should be remembered that, for! many years, a strong British' community in Florence has maintained valuable cultural Uaison between the two countries. The memories Jot the Garibaldi period are by no means dead in England, As for modern Italy ardent young England knows, well the prowess of Italians: jin the alr and on the motoring track fond is in no danger of Imagining that the brilliant artistry of Talien opera-singers at Covent Garden ex-Jnausts the tale of Fascist Ttaly's Jcapacity. Signor Mussolint has hhapplly assured the world that he: Jdoes not claim for his anti-Communist policy the right to interfere in -the internal affairs: of other nations. He recognizes that Tialy may be on good terms with a Great Britain which does not lean either to the right or to the left. That being so, it would seem that few substantial obstacles stand in the way of an Anglo-ttalian entente.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.