Hirrum's Wowpmano.—By "Michael Fry, Betws. John hfurray, London, Mr. Michael Fry is a journalist who has travelled in many countries and lived in some, and in his book te endeavours to' present a complete picture of Hitlerism as he finds at, knowing the language and the people. and seeing the events of the past two years with a Keen insight into all that they mean, Perhaps the mor" powerful section of his book is to be found in the opening chapters in which he describes the internal coadition of Germany, and the economic and moral chaos in which it found Itself. The picture is a terrible one. Politically there were no less than 38 parties in the Reichstag, seven large ones and the others small, 0 small that they were dubbed "splinter-parties." yet quite large enough to create trouble when opportunity arose. 'They were able 29 Swing. the vote of the Reichstag whichever way they chose without any regard to political responsibility with results which can readily be Imagined. 'There was disorganization of industry, agriculture and commerce from' all manner of reason from heavy taxation down to th: operations of the Young Plan. Ge many was the first to suffer from the depression, and a general idea of situation prevailing in Germany when Communism commenced to make!t-self felt, makes it easy to realize thut its progress, if unchecked, would ha been rapid.
"There was worse in the situation.
Children were being corrupted int) Communism.—The physical work. done by the Sports Clubs was a: nothing compared with the com. munistic harm which was being pro-agated through them. Communist Terroristic groups were multiply-Ing, and what 1s worse the morals he was not even a German. He Would not tolerate the existence of "state within a state" because to him wasa danger to the welfare' of the' nation. Not so. much materia! danger, because he had to admit that the materialistic activities of the Jews contributed largely" to. the Ratch's prosperity. but a moral danger. Sanger {0 German, snd' consequently Christian. moraitty that indeed was the mental attitude of Hitler, and there is every reason for believing that is a correct interpretation of his sentiment, then it is understandable why he and his followers should have proceeded '0 the lengths they did. It provides Justification whatever for the course they followed, though it does serve to explain the motives underlying much of the persecution which followed.
Mr. Fry deals expansively with large number of questions which have arisen as a result of the importation of a new school of thought into the government of Germany. With gard to his sterilization law, which has raised so much outery, there can be little doubt that it is inspired b." motives which cannot easily be disregarded. True there is a great deal of differing opinion as to its ultimate effectiveness, but the practical answer to those who doubt is that, unti? ft has been tried out, it would be unsafe to hazard guesses as to its merits.
'Throughout the book there is. always the warring to regard what is happening through German eyes. 'Thus the author on the subject of Hitler' treatment of unemployment, and the labour eamps:—
"To the Germans, a labour camp) becomes the flaming symbol of a new ra: a few thousand dilapidated sheds With their wooden bunks - become Synonymous of progress and_civilizetion. "They see the youth of Germany fiving their voluntary service for the Welfare of "the nation: they" see of the country were undergoing transformation which gave rise to the gravest anxiety, Communism, the author points out, like Liberalism and Socialism, Is an economic system: stripped of its revolutionary aspect the policy of the leaders is construc tive. But there was nothing constructive about the wave of immotality with which it was sought carry Communism into" power in Germany, a Germany which the author claims was rushing headlong towards an inevitable destruction of civilization, leading the way with the rest of the world following more slowly. Organized immorality, commerclalized pornography, perversion, and all the mad fantasy of the hideous in sin, backed up. by aniireligious movements, it is claimed. penetrating to the very root of the nation and engendering a rot which must ultimately have brought about its downfall. All this is must be emphasized was not only a German view, but the findings of the author whose knowledge of the country is not such as can very well be discounted. Added to all this was the Planted, "bridges. are' built, canals! Constructed, roads improved." tu East Prussia, they visualize thousands of small farmsteads surrounded by acres Of golden wheat. Frederick the Great dreamed the same things and did what the could to. transform. his idealism {nto reality: 200 years later the Nazis have been fired with the same idea, Perhaps if i has survived the passage of time, this dream tx not quite leas it appears on the I ats ort pretation Satta ST a tetra, "ace Ge Woy FR, "He Euan of iti Gant ig "ea ORE et, ae eter eat ant, Sea me he Seopa Sar Osa eet a ante ato nope sibility of the individual to the State. ite solu ces 9 sue tees! act rampancy of crime and corruption round out a picture, which from ato unpleasantness seems almost too 1 real to have about it any gre amount of truth.
Tt was this state of affairs that Herr Hitler set out to correct. Obviously {t was a situation which required drastic measures and the fung of the Reichstag was the signal the outbreak of a campaign of hostilities levelled against all the disruptive elements in Germany, and animated with a sternness which has evoked criticism throughout the world. It does not matter who fred the Reichstag, whether it was the act of the miserable little fanatic who paid with his life for the fatal even= Ing, or whether it was the direct iteome of high policy in Nazi coun-ells. The fact has not been proved. but it anything were required arouse the passions of the people nothing could have served the purpose better than the conflagration Which destroyed the symbol of the people's liberties. A parallel could easily be found in the capital of almost any country in the world.
Mr. Fry raises some doubts as to what followed. He suggests that the magnification of incidents amounted to the planting of so many trees that the real forest could not be seen. He may be right, Times of national stress such as that through which Germany passed, is likely to lead outrage and terrorism. Of both of these the Nazis were undoubtedly guilty. But it was revolution, fierce, swift and bloody revolution fortuns {ely kept within limits by the uni nimbly of Herr Hitler's support, and was first directed against the Jews who have so commonly been accused of being the originators and. proponents of Communism, though i must be apparent, that the Jew stands to suffer more from Communism thay over he did under the older systems. hitler could not understand why the Jew should be allowed to. skim the ezeam of Industry, commerce and finance in Germany when in reality, Garces if coe he ce a Srompled by the fee and ambitions Germanys. nelenbours fend that Shanty in wace wear" which mean the aula of a Age whatever ihe outcome, of the con-nice between a decayed iberatom vigorous Nationa Seclalim, HRS sdminsue fae Femaine tha, Mouce oF the entire sieiized world {nuiscoigby merged inthe future' {healed German Empire"
'Those questions contain a warning rote possible to crilcise much that fas been done in Germany and much ven that it being done now. "But Sat cretsm aso be founded' 2 proper appreciation of what Tite {as faced anth when he commenced Ne movement for reform tu Germany. 2 proper appreciation of the. enthu-lay with which he Is regarded by followers, and an adequate res-Tization ofthe enormous task con-KHonting "ary one who. dared. Uderake" ihe lensing Auran a stable," There are Bleasant facets to any revolution. There Is almost 9 certainty to be Blethora of incidents which. some-Times obscure the proper perspective of the movement se a whole. Some of those incidents are to be eritceed Ss contrary to the dictates of hur inanity and justice, 'They have been dnd still will be, but az time passes they wilt all occupy their position in the picture which will then be regarded as a whole." Hitler and his Wvisers have done' many foolish and Stupid. things, caleuated to set the World against them. Tt is not to be believed that he or they are endowed with any diviner wisdom than the rest of humanity. Mr. Fry points
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.