THE TABLET

A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER AND REVIEW

ESTABLISHED 1840 REGISTERED AS A NEWSPAPER

VOL. 168 No. 5022

LONDON AUGUST 8th, 1936

SIXPENCE

PRINCIPAL CONTENTS

THE WORLD WEEK BY WEEK:

THE MOVE FOR NEUTRALITY; CONTROL IN THE MEDITERRANEAN; THE ECLIPSE OF PARLIAMENT 165 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR A REMEMBERED DEATH; THE LAITY IN CHURCH HISTORY; THE MEANS TEST; JESUIT SAINTS 180

ENGLISH MOTHS AND MARXIST FLAMES 168 THE NEW B O O K S ....................................

TWO BOOKS ON PEACE; PARNELL; WHO OWNS 182

THE OLYMPIC GAMES—I ........................ 169

By ARNOLD LUNN

AMERICA; THE STORY OF GLUCK

CHESS AND CROSSWORD........................ 187

AMERICAN IMPRESSIONS........................ 171 THE APQSTOLATE OF THE COUNTRYOTTO THE G R E A T .................................... 173 S I D E .......................................................... 189

By ALBRECHT MONTCELAS

PARIS, PALESTINE AND ROME LETTERS 174

THE CHURCH ABROAD ........................ 178

BELGIUM; GERMANY; DANZIG; AUSTRIA; INDIA

OBITUARY: ............................................... 190

SIR ALFRED KEOGH; DOM ROGER HUDLESTON; DOM

LAWRENCE POWELL; LORD MOWBRAY

1HE CALENDAR

192

THE WORLD WEEK BY WEEK The Move for Neutrality

Revolution and the Fleet

The British Government has naturally made a favourable answer to the French request for a joint agreement between the main Powers to give no help to either side in Spain. This is a recognition th a t what is going on is a Civil War; it is a recognition distasteful to the French Cabinet, but it has been forced by the necessity of persuading the Italians that, the peace of Europe will be increasingly jeopardised if the different countries allow their sympathies to take practical form. The Italians and the Germans are acting together in the preparations for the Five Power Conference in October, and the events in Spain have enhanced the cordiality of that co-operation. The Germans have replied that Russia must be included in any joint declaration of abstention from the Spanish Civil War. This completely reasonable request, which the Soviet accepts in principle, comes at a moment when it is announced from Moscow that £1,500,000 has been subscribed by Russian workers to be sent to Spain. Communism in Spain would be such a threat both to Italy and Germany that it is obvious they will not refrain from giving what help they can to the anti-red forces unless they know that their abstention has cancelled help that the Russians were anxious to give. The danger to the French is manifest. Whichever way the struggle in Spain goes, it will intensify the political tension in France, either encouraging the Communists who have already, through the stay-in strikes, put so much pressure on the unhappy and transitory Leon Blum, or by making the parties of the Right and the dissolved Leagues resolute to check in time the unfolding of a similar history in France. The name of Jaques Doriot, the ex-Communist who is rapidly building up a large party on the lines of a national socialism that is primarily national, is likely to loom much larger in the news from France before the year is out.

This international excitement which from the nature of the case cannot abate, for there will be every suspicion and charges and counter-charges of bad faith, has held the centre of the stage pending the decisive phase of the war in Spain. The anti-Government forces had to rearrange their programme owing to the loss of the fleet on which they had counted. The fleet has always been a fruitful soil for the formation of Marxist cells. It was in the fleet at Kiel that the German revolutionists began. It is much easier for a group of seamen to capture command of their ship than for soldiers to go against their officers in a garrison. Most of the Spanish warships fell into the hands of their crew, with the result that the southern invasion from Morocco has been delayed by ten days, while the army has been painfully transported by air. It is now ready for the advance on Madrid. Its delay has compelled General Mola at Burgos to delay also, and has given the Government time to improvise a militia, so that the battle for the capital will now be a severe struggle. General Mola has expressed his disappointment with the Basque Nationalists who have not risen as was hoped. This is largely because of the vague character of the proclamations issued by the generals, whose cause is more inspiring than their own presentation of it. Beyond making it plain that they are not Monarchists, they have not been at all clear about the future they envisage for Spain. That the present régime was rapidly bringing the country to demoralisation and red ruin was sufficient reason for their striking while they still had power to strike, and they have had enough support to make it plain that their movement is on a national scale. It is to be trusted that they will succeed and use their success like statesmen.