under currents

Waikato Times, Volume 107, Issue 18026, 22 May 1930, Page 4

under currents

HERE, THERE & EVERYWHERE.

(By “Gleaner,”)

THE HUNGARIAN FRANCS FORGERY, There has been a curious .fepercussion of the old Hungarian francs forgery case which has not' failed to excite adverse comment in Czecho- ! Slovakia ahd in the Hungarian Parliai ment itself. Four years ago Prince { Windischgratz was. sentenced to four j years’ imprisonment for forging Bank of France notes with the idea, it was rumoured, of financing a rising in Slovakia. A Court of Honour, composed of generals and approved by the War Minister, has now declared that as he has not been guilty of dishonourable conduct he is competent to give satisfaction by duelling. The other officers, too, who were implicated in the case have benefited by the recent amnesty on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Admiral Horth'y’fl Regency and have been restored to membership of the Corps of Officers. * * * <* - AID FOR RATIONALISATION. Mr Thomas, the British Home Secretary recently announced the formation of a £6,000,000 company, the Bankers’ Industrial Development Company, which is to be the link between the great financial and banking houses and rationalised industry. .The Governor of the Bank of England is chairman, and the board (unpaid) is made up of leading bankers. It may be described as a public service .corporation, whose aim will be, not the direct financing of industry, but the assisting of sound schemes to obtain the financial facilities which they require. It will be able to assist the reconstruction of groups of companies in the depressed industries until such time as they are able to appeal to the general investin’® public for capital. There has been some criticism of the scheme because the Government has no part in it, but in this matter of finance of industry Mr Thomas has chosen to rely on the goodwill of the banks rather than add a new responsibility to the State. ERUPTION OF MOUNT EDGAR. It seems slightly inadequate to speak or write of the entry of Mr Edgar Wallace into active politics in connection with his appearance as Liberal candidate for Aylesbury; this is another eruption rather than a mere entry. There is something positively volcanic about the energy of the indefatigable Edgar; he writes “shockers ” very nearly as fast as ordinary men can read them, owns and races horses, and writes about them, produces his own plays as easily as he superintends his own film dramas, and every now and then does a little ordinary journalism to fill in the spare moments. And still time hangs idly cn his hands or at least there is enough of it left over to allow him to’stand for 'Parliament—with better luok, let us hope, than has fallen to some other " literary ” Liberals, from William Makepeace Thackeray to Jack Collings Squire. ' It ought to be an interesting election with an entertaining •candidate—-but if Mr Wallace goes to St. Stephen’s and adds politics to his other pursuits, lie seems to be in some danger of destroying his own historical existence. Dryasdust of A.D. 5000 will probably decide that he wasn’t a man but a solar myth—a later version of the Labours of Hercules-:—■“ About this period—that is, just before • or after the minor contest between the then divided clans of Europe—there is said to have nourished a legendary Edgar (Eager;) Wallace, renowned for writing novels on horseback and in intervals of making .speeches to the elders of Folkmoot or Parliament, at Westminster. Hummpelffaf and Grootstoeck both agree that- no such person existed; he is to be regarded rather as a popular embodiment of the youthful energy and exuberance so characteristic of that earlier and unwearied epoch in the world’s history.” * * ♦ * REVISED VERSIONS. In the course of its conquering progress “ Journey’s End ’’ is now to he shown as a talkie in New York, where it wi|l also appear with German, French, Spanish, and Italian characters. It might be thought that there would he some little difficulty about the Spanish version in view of the comparatively peaceful attitude that Spain managed to preserve during the recent European conflagration, but what is one adjustment more or less when we are told that in any event “ for the foreign versions native soldier characters will he employed, and the English sentiment in the work will be eliminated in favour of the temperament of the nationality depicted?” But why should this process be confined to “Journey’s End?” Are there no other standard dramatic works that would be improved by the same treatment? It is possible to detect a certain anti-Scottish bias on the part of the man Shakespeare in the play "Macbeth," for example; i‘ would be a far more acceptable production when played north of the Tweed if this could he corrected. In that case Macbeth would, of course, become-an .Englishman in disguise. It is true that he would still have to begin the play by being a general in the army of King Duncan, but that could be explained by the fact that, horn in Ealing, he had enlisted in the London Scottish under false pretences and worked his wicked way up from the ranks by the application of those determined methods of self-advancement which place any innocent and unassuming Scot at the mercy of the scheming Sassenach. Naturally, Lady Macbeth would be English too—in origin a red-haired vamp from a tobacconist’s kiosk on Ealing Broadway, who caught Macbeth young and did what she liked with him. • * * » THE WHITE MAN’S BURDEN. Another doubtful play which must give frequent offence to men of colour is “ Othello." When produced in Haiti or Senegal it would he better if Desdemona and all the other virtuous characters were pure black and greatly addicted to the singing of negro spirituals and suchlike simple but improving melodies. Othello and lago however, would be cruel and Caucasian types— ' in fact, the whole play might be renamed “ The Two White Crows.” And probably it would be better if Gassio, in view of his lamentable addiction to “ hard ” liquor, were at least a quadroon. As with national sentiments, so with private interests. Many standard dramatic works of a later period might be remodelled to display baronets in a belter light and curates as more generally possessed of dignity and common sense. And another work that might do something to redress an ancient grievance would be ” Sweeney Todd, the Demon Journalist of Fleet Street,” who runs a. gossip column which he fills largely by betraying the innocent and unsuspecting confidences of barbers’ assistants.