ifemïforodiler Z E I T S C H R I F T FUR L E B E N D I G E S P R A C H E N P F L E G E
10. J A H R G A N G ALJGUST 1933 HEFT 8
L’ACTUALITÉ LITTÉRAIRE
L es g ra n d s prix de l’A c a d é m ie F ra n ç a is e
m | _ mrnm m fl nAftH» M A nlm O f f ro\s a 1a M ai cnn fli»S
1. H. Duvernois, G rand Prix de Littérature
L Académie Française a honoré la semaine dernière un parfait écrivain en décernant le Grand prix de L ittératu re à M. H enri Duvernois pour 1 ensemble de son œuvre- Ce prix avait été a t
tribué, en 1932, rappelons-le, au m aître actuel de la fable, Franc-Nohain.
Tout le monde littéraire a applaudi à 1 écla
tant hommage rendu à Henri Duvernois. Depuis une trentaine d’années, cet écrivain nous a sé
duit par la continuité p ersév éran te de son tr a vail et p ar sa rem arquable facilité. Ancien ré dacteur en chef d'une revue féminine parisienne, il abandonnait, à la fin du siècle dernier, la car
rière journalistique pour se livrer à la littératu re seule. Il décidait, à cette époque, «de faire des livres, beaucoup de livres, d'en empiler trente, cinquante» pour atteindre à la gloire à laquelle il tenait. Ses amis, un peu surpris de cet abandon et amusés de la boutade avaient toutefois une grande confiance en lui et annonçaient que Du
vernois irait «très loin» et qu’il honorerait les lettres françaises.
L écrivain se mit résolum ent au travail. Bien
tôt, parurent successivem ent: «Popote», «Cra- pote», «Nounette», et, entre autres, l’excellent
«Edgar» . . . En même temps, il publiait de nom
breuses nouvelles, adm irables par la justesse de l'observation et par leurs qualités d'ironie. Sa production ne tarissait point; il continuait à écrire régulièrem ent avec des romans des ré cits, véritables chefs-d œ uvre de style intitulés;
«Morte la Bete!», «Jeanne», «la Fuéue T o u t---’ * ■ ■* -
seau», «Faubourg M ontm artre», «la Maison des Confidences», au tan t de livres que le public a aimés, sans oublier de rappeler les comédies ad mirables en un acte que Duvernois a réunies en volume.
M aître délicat de la nouvelle, rom ancier fer
tile et auteur dram atique de talent, H enri Du
vernois m éritait un aussi touchant hommage. Il y a quelques temps, nous manifestions une satis
faction profonde à la nouvelle de 1 élection triom phale de François M auriac à l'Académ ie.
Nous applaudirons demain sans doute à celle d’H enri Duvernois que nous honorons justem ent dès à présent.
2. R. Chauviré, G rand Prix du Roman
L’Académ ie Française, continuant ses traditionsde compagnie illustre, a attribué, au cours de la même semaine, le G rand Prix du roman à M.
Roger Chauviré, auteur d'un roman de tout p re mier ordre: «Mademoiselle de Boisdauphin».
Agrégé des lettres, docteur ès lettres, M. Chau
viré fut délégué, en Irlande, comme professeur à l'U niversité nationale au cours de la période d'après-guerre. Son m érite fut découvert par la Société des Gens de lettres à la parution de son prem ier ouvrage, un recueil de poèmes intitulé
«Le Tom beau d’Hector». V inrent ensuite et p ré
cédant son dernier et rem arquable roman, des adaptations d’anciens poèmes épiques irlandais.
«Mademoiselle de Boisdauphin» recueillera, à coup sûr, les faveurs du grand public.
Tout en poursuivant son travail de romancier
3. E. Pilon, Prix Broquette-Gouin
fécond, il abordait délibérém ent le th éâtre. Le Le prix Broquette-G ouin a été attribué à un succès 1 encouragea, succès qui devait s'étendre essayiste de talent en même temps qu historien, plus tard au cinéma. L’humour, la finesse de ses M. Edmond Pilon.
observations psychologiques en faisaient bientôt un maître. Et la publication d’œ uvres nouvelles enchantait toujours le monde des lettres. On le surnommait le «Dickens français» et on lui a ttri
buait les hautes qualités de M aupassant. Il serait vain d énum érer des titres: «Gisèle», «Fifinoi-
___________ Les noms de Mauriac, D uver
nois, Chauviré, Pilon m éritent d’être prononcés à l'étranger, entre tous les noms des littérateu rs et des rom anciers contemporains et nous pen
sons d’ores et déjà que leurs œ uvres trouveront justem ent, hors des frontières, tous les suffrages
des amis de la littératu re moderne.
141
E x tra c ts fro m N a tio n a l A u th o rs
JEROME K. JEROME— Three Men in a Boat
Jerome Klapka Jerome (1859—1927) a clever journalist and writer, who made his first success with his humorous book, Three Men in a Boat.
W e are very fond of pine-apple,1 all three of us.
We looked at the picture on the tin; we thought of the juice.2 W e smiled at one another, and H arris got a spoon ready.
Then we looked for the knife to open the tin with. W e turned out everything in the ham per.3 W e turned out the bags. W e pulled up the boards at the bottom of the boat. We took every
thing out on to the bank4 and shook it. There was no tin-opener to be found.
Then H arris tried to open the tin w ith a pocket-knife, and broke the knife and cut him
self badly; and George tried a pair of scissors, and the scissors flew up, and nearly p u t his eye out. While they w ere dressing their wounds,5 I tried to make a hole in the thing with the spiky6 end of the hitcher,7 and the hitcher slipped and jerked8 me out betw een the boat and the bank into two feet of muddy w ater, and the tin rolled over, uninjured,9 and broke a teacup.
Then we all got mad. We took th a t tin out on the bank, and Harris w ent up into a field and got a big sharp stone, and I w ent back into the boat and brought out the mast, and George held the tin and H arris held the sharp end of his stone against the top of it, and I took the mast and poised10 it high up in the air, and gathered up all my strength and brought it down.
It was George's straw hat that saved his life th at day .. .
H arris got off with m erely a flesh wound.
A fter that, I took the tin off myself, and ham m ered at it with the mast till I was worn ou t15 and sick at heart, w hereupon H arris took it in hand.
We b eat it out flat; we b e a t it b ack square;
we b a tte re d 12 it into every form known to geo
m etry—but we could not make a hole in it.
Then George w ent a t13 it, and knocked it into a shape, so strange, so w eird,14 so unearthly in its wild hideousness,15 th at he got frightened and threw aw ay the mast. Then we all three sat round it on the grass and looked at it.
1) p i n e - a p p l e : ananas [anai'nas], — 2) j u i c e : liquid from fruit. — 3) h a m p e r : large packing-case for carrying or containing food, — 4) b a n k : side of river. — 5) [wu:nd], — 6) s p i k y [ai]: sharp pointed. — 7) h i t c h e r : hook used for pulling up a boat. — 8) j e r k : throw with a sudden quick movement. — 9) [vni'ndgad]. — 10) p o i s e : balance. ■— 11) w o r n o u t : exhausted; tired out. — 12) b a t t e r : strike with heavy repeated blows. —- 13) g o a t : attack. — 14) w e i r d [wiad] : ghostlike, hideous. — 15) h i d e - o u s n e s s [hi’diasnis] : state of being frightful to the sight.
There was one great d ent16 across the top that had the appearance of a mocking17 grin, and it drove us furious, so th at H arris rushed a t the thing, and caught it up, and flung18 it far into the middle of the river, and as it sank we hurled19 our curses20 at it, and we got into the b o at and row ed aw ay from the spot, and never paused till we reached M aidenhead.
*
W e were, as I have said, returning from a dip,21 and half-way up the High S treet a cat d arted22 out from one of the houses in front of us, and began to tro t across the road. M ont
morency23 gave a cry of joy—the cry of a stern24 w arrior25 who sees his enemy given over to his hands—the sort of cry Cromwell might have u ttered when the Scots came down the hill—and flew after his prey.26
His victim was a large black Tom.27 I never saw a larger cat, nor a more disreputable-look
ing cat. It had lost half its tail, one of its ears, and a fairly appreciable proportion of its nose.
It was a long, sinewy-looking28 animal. It had a calm, contented air29 about it.
M ontmorency w ent for that poor cat at the rate of tw enty miles an hour; but the cat did not hurry up— did not seem to have grasped the idea th at its life was in danger. It tro tted quietly on until its would-be assassin30 was within a yard of it, and then it turned icund, and sat down in the middle of the road, and looked at M ont
m orency w ith a gentle, inquiring expression th at said:
“Yes! You w ant m e?"
M ontmorency does not lack31 pluck;32 but there was something about the look of th a t cat th at might have chilled33 the h eart of the boldest34 dog. He stopped abruptly, and looked b ack af Tom.
N either spoke; but the conversation that one could imagine was clearly as follows:—
T h e C a t : “Can I do anything for you?“
M o n t m o r e n c y : “No—no, thanks.“
— 16) d e n t : hollow made by a blow. — 17) m o c k i n g : scornful. — 18) f l i n g (flung, flung) : throw vio
lently. — 19) h u r l : fling; utter with violence. — 20) c u r s e : words of hate; bad language. — 21) d i p : act of putting temporarily into water. — 22) d a r t : start suddenly and go quickly, — 23) M o n t m o r e n c y [montmare'nsi]: dog s name, — 24) s t e r n : severe; grim,
— 25) w a r r i o r : fighting man, — 26) p r e y : any animal which may be or is seized by a wild beast for food.
— 27) t o m ( - c a t ) : ^ male cat, — 28] s i n e w y [si'n- jui] : strong, — 29) a i r : appearance, — 30) a s s a s s i n [asa'sin] : secret murderer, — 31) l a c k : be without, — 32) p l u c k : courage. — 33) c h i l l : make cold. — 34) b o l d : fearless.
T h e C a t : “D on't you mind speaking, if you really w ant anything, you know."
M o n t m o r e n c y ( backing35 down the High Street): “Oh, no—not at all—certainly-—
don't you trouble. I—I am afraid I've made a mistake. I thought 1 knew you. Sorry I disturbed you.“
T h e C a t : “Not at all—quite a pleasure.
Sure you don't w ant anything, now ?“
M o n t m o r e n c y ( still backing): “Not at all, thanks—not at all—very kind of you.
Good morning.“
T h e C a t : “Good morning.“
Then the cat rose and continued his trot;
and Montmorency, fitting what he calls his tail carefully into its groove, came back to us, and took up an unimportant position in the rear.36
To this day, if you say the w ord “Cats!“ to Montmorency, he will visibly shrink and look up piteously37 at you, as if to say:
"Please don't."
*
We were sitting in a meadow, about ten yards from the w ater's edge, and we had just settled down comfortably to feed. H arris had the beef
steak pie betw een his knees, and was carving38 it* and George and I w ere waiting with our plates ready.
Have you got a spoon th e re ? “ says Harris;
want a spoon to help39 the gravy40 w ith.“
The ham per was close behind us, and George and I both turned round to reach one out. We were not five seconds getting it. W hen we looked round again, H arris and the pie w ere gone!
It was a wide open field. There was not a ree or a bit of hedge for hundreds of yards.
He could not have tum bled41 into the river, be- cause we w ere on the w ater side of him, and he would have had to climb over us to do it.
at eaclTotl^ ^ ^aze^ about. Then we gazed
“Has he been snatched42 up to heaven?" I queried.43.
Geortfeey d taken the P»e too," said w<,T !’e r e JseJe “ f,d Y e!«ht in lhis objection, and w e discarded« the heavenly theory.
'1 suppose the tru th of the m atter is," sug
gested George, descending to the commonplace quake!“« 6’ ‘here HaS W n an earth'
p o lit la„ Cb e h i„ 7 Vl b“ kwa,: | - 36) r e a r : place or
manner. IRl p i t e o u s l y : in a mournful 39] h e I n - Ail in*° s^ces or pieces. —
iuices driD oinrfi f° ° d to.’ at table> ~ 40) g r a v y : 41) t u m b l p ^ i ri?m j j Eai *n anc* a^ter cooking. — seize suddellv fal] «uddenly by jerks. _ 42) s n a t c h : express doubt. ' - 44 qd ¡.%r J r [ikw“ ;ri1: ask a question;
value, - 45, e a r , ’h ^ “ ‘k V ,' e S h X X . 1“ ™ * "°
A nd then he added, w ith a touch46 of sadness in his voice: "I wish he hadn't been carving that pie."
W ith a sigh, we turned our eyes once more tow ards the spot w here H arris and the pie had last been seen on earth; and there, as our blood froze in our veins and our hair stood up on end, we saw H arris's head—and nothing b u t his head
—sticking bolt upright47 among the tall grass, the face very red, and bearing upon it an e x pression of great indignation!
George was the first to recover.
“Speak!“ he cried, “and tell us w hether you are alive or dead—and w ere is the rest of y o u ?“
“Oh, don't be a stupid ass!“ said H arris's head. “I believe you did it on purpose.“48
“Did w h at?“ exclaim ed George and I.
“Why, put me to sit here— darn49 silly trick!
Here catch hold of the pie.“
And out of the middle of the earth, as it seem ed to us, rose the pie—very much mixed up and damaged; and, after it, scram bled Harris
—tumbled.50 grubby,51 and w et.
He had been sitting, w ithout knowing it, on the very verge52 of a small gully,53 the long grass hiding it from view; and in leaning a little back he had shot over, pie and all.
He said he had never felt so surprised in all his life, as when he first felt himself going, w ith
out beeing able to conjecture54 in the slightest w hat had happened. He thought at first th at the end of the world had come.
Harris believes to this day th at George and I planned it all beforehand. Thus does unjust suspicion55 follow even the most blam eless; for, as the poet says, “Who shall escape calum ny?“56
Who, indeed!
*
I rem em ber a friend of mine, buying a couple of cheeses at Liverpool. Splendid cheeses they were, ripe and mellow,57 and with a two hundred horse-pow er scent58 about them that might have been w arranted59 to carry three miles, and knock a man over at two hundred yards. I was in Liver
pool at the time, and my friend said th at if I didn't mind he would get me to take them back w ith me to London, as he should not be coming up for a day or two himself, and he did not think the cheeses ought to be k ep t much longer.
“Oh, with pleasure, dear boy,“ I replied,
"with pleasure." . . .
I took my ticket, and m arched proudly up the platform, with my cheeses, the people falling
46) t o u c h : trace. — 47) b o l t u p r i g h t : straight up. — 48) o n p u r p o s e : with intention. — 49) d a r n : damned. — 50) t u m b l e d : topsy-turvy, twisted, crumpled. — 51) g r u b b y : dirty. — 52) v e r g e : edge.
— 53) g u l l y : channel worn by water. — 54) c o n j e c t u r e : suppose. — 55) s u s p i c i o n : feeling that something is wrong. — 56) c a l u m n y : false accusation deliberately made in order to injure some one's repu
tation. — 57) m e l l o w : soft, — 58) s c e n t : smell.
— 59) w a r r a n t : guarantee.
back respectfully on either side. The train was crowded, and I had to get into a carriage w here th ere w ere already seven other people. One crusty60 old gentleman objected but I got in, n o t
withstanding; and putting my cheeses upon the rack ,61 squeezed down w ith a pleasant smile, and said it was a w arm day. A few moments passed, and then the old gentleman began to fidget.62
"Very close63 in here,“ he said.
“Quite oppressive,“64 said the man next him.
A nd then they both began sniffing, and, at the third sniff, they caught it right on the chest, and rose up w ithout another w ord and w ent out.
And then a stout lady got up, and said it was disgraceful th a t a respectable m arried woman should be harried 65 about in this way, and ga
thered up a bag and eight parcels and w e n t. . . From Euston,66 I took the cheeses down to my friend's house. W hen his wife came into the room she smelt for an instant. Then she said:
“W hat is it? Tell me the w orst."
I said:
“It's cheeses. Tom bought them in Liverpool, and asked me to bring them up w ith me.“. ..
“W hat did Tom say about those cheeses?“
I replied th at he had directed they w ere to be k ep t in a moist67 place, and that nobody was to touch them.
60) c r u s t y : cross; snappish. — 61) r a c k : frame
work on or in which articles are placed. — 62) f i d g e t : move about uneasily or restlessly. — 63) c l o s e : with
out ventilation. — 64) o p p r e s s i v e : overpowering;
as the oppressive air of a room without ventilation. — 65) h a r r y : chase inordinately; annoy. — 66) [jurstan].
— 67) m o i s t : slightly wet.
She said:
“Nobody's likely to touch them. Had he smelt th em ?“
I thought he had, and added th a t he seemed greatly attach ed to them. . ..
“Very well, then,“ said my friend's wife, rising, “all I have to say is, th at I shall tak e the children and go to an hotel until those cheeses are eaten. I decline to live any longer in the same house w ith them .“
She kept her word, leaving the place in charge of the charwoman, who, when asked if she could stand the smell, replied, “W hat sm ell?“ and who, when taken close to the cheeses and told to sniff hard, said she could detect a faint odour of melons. It was argued from this th at little injury68 could result to the woman from the atm osphere,69 and she was left.
The hotel bill came to fifteen guineas; and my friend, after reckoning everything up, found th at the cheeses had cost him eight-and-six- pence a pound. . . .
My friend got rid70 of them, at last, by taking them down to a sea-side town, and burying them on the beach. It gained the place quite a rep u tation. Visitors said they had never noticed b e fore how strong the air was, and w eak-chested and consumptive people used to throng71 there for years afterw ards.
68) i n j u r y [i’nd39ri] : damage. — 69) [a’tmasfia], — 70) g e t r i d o f : become free. — 71) t h r o n g : come in great numbers.
«LE PETIT PARISIEN» EN POLOGNE
L e «couloir» vu de près
PL U C IE N B O U R G U È S Ce que les Polonais appellent Pomorze et lesAllemands K orridor est une bande de te rre lon
gue environ de 150 kilomètres, large de 40 à 100, qui rattach e le vaste territo ire de la Pologne à la mer.
Les commissions d'étude du traité de V er
sailles ont établi d'une m anière irréfutable*) que le Pomorze a toujours*) été peuplé d'une majo
rité écrasante de Polonais, que les Allemands ne l'occupèrent que p ar conquête*) et qu'en toute justice la Pom éranie devait faire reto u r à la Pologne.
Inutile d'épiloguer là-dessus: le Pomorze, au point de vue ethnographique, est aussi*) polo
nais que la Posnanie ou le pays de Cracovie.
L'élém ent germanique, qui s'y était infiltré d e
puis les partag es0), est rapidem ent é l i m i n é p a r l e s P o l o n a i s . Le Pomorze, s'il était
*)? (Note de la rédaction)
0) et auparavant! (Note de la rédaction)
devenu un peu*) allemand sous la d o m i n a t i o n d e s r o i s d e P r u s s e , est redevenu, en quinze ans, presque entièrem ent polonais.
Et, d'ici peu, il le sera absolument, car la p o p u
lation de la Pologne augmente au rythm e im
pressionnant d'un demi-million p ar an.
C 'est bien ce qui tourm ente les Allemands, Férus de statistique, ils com prennent mieux que personne que, chaque jour, chaque heure, chaque minute qui passe travaille contre eux et conso
lide la position polonaise dans la Poméranie.
C ette position est, du reste, d'ores et déjà inébranlable, car à l'argum ent ethnographique s'est ajoutée, au cours des années, la dém onstra
tion économique. La Pologne n 'a point négligé le «libre et sûr a c c è s à l a m e r 1», que lui accordait, dès le 8 janvier 1918, le treizièm e point de 1 historique message du président Wil- son. Bien au contraire, elle l'a obstiném ent et savam m ent exploité. Un flot de richesse roule m aintenant à travers le «couloir», adm inistrant
d une façon éclatante la preuve que l’issue1) Maritime1) ouverte par les auteurs du traité de Versailles était réellem ent indispensable à la respiration économique de la Pologne.
J ai abordé les forêts et les champs du Po- morze p ar Gdynia. Pour éviter les «villages à Potemkine», qui attendent les visiteurs étran-
| ers, non seulem ent en Russie, mais aussi, par- 01si en Pologne, j’ai effectué ma randonnée à ravers la partie la plus sensible du «couloir» en i m p a r t i a l e compagnie de deux Français, Raymond Deflin, notre intelligent consul de JJantzig) et un capitaine au long cours dont le navire jette quelquefois l’ancre dans la Vistule.2}
La Poméranie polonaise est une contrée p it
toresque, parsem ée d’une foule de lacs solitaires f t charmants. Sur ces miroirs clairs et profonds, je me suis longuement penché, croyant y décou
vrir un reflet des agitations politiques déchaî
nées p ar certaines propagandes autour de l’idée du «couloir». Mais ce fut en vain. Peu de con
trées, en Europe, sont aussi agrestes et aussi calmes.
En Suisse kachoube
Voici Kartuzy, le chef-lieu de la «Suisse k a
choube». Certains doctes A llemands3) p réten dent que les Kachoubes ne sont pas des P o l o - n a lï ^ ou*'*) cependant, dans cette bourgade, est bien s l a v e :*) les rues capricieuses, les pavés inégaux, les arbres librem ent épanouis, 1- S , w ^ 0ns k°^s aux balcons ouvragés et m éfinissable charme . .. Quant aux Kachoubes eux-mêmes, ils parlent, c ’est vrai, u n d i a - e c t e s p é c i a l , mais ils se sont toujours considérés , e n f a c e d e s A l l e m a n d s , I mmf , es Polonais, et ne diffèrent pas plus de ra nà reres v^s^uÜens que les Landais des Tou
rangeaux.
Au ^bord j 0u1ssons iusqu aux plus grands lacs.
botirp 6 fJ1ro u te’ 1 avise un paysan qui la- au ’un U j ment son champ. Aussi flatté Ü s'annr'1111 r\ r r é Preuve de l’objectif, Je l'int 1V01^ e 1Cn v*te et entre en conversation,
interroge e n a l l e m a n d : Etes-vous Kachoube?
surtLm,tPay’an étonné d* ma question et
l T
a U e m a n d. Il répond sans hésitation, d a n s l a m ê m e 1 a n tfu e ,c un accent indubitablem ent slave:
Nous sommes Polonais . . .
1 P r 7 V j UAS/r ? a r l e z a s s e z b i e n l ’ a i - s u e n . : kaehoTbeqr lle * “ ^ V érftab le la "-
entremê . f dee d : ralîemaPn t na:S'*)
*)? (Note de la rédaction)
rédacHonfaS ^ morze- C est la Vistule! (Note de la 31 - a. (Note de la rédaction)
3) et Français! (Note de la rédaction)
— V estiges de l'ancienne domination . . . Êtes-vous contents d'avoir retrouvé*) votre*) patrie?*)
— Oui, certes, mais nous le serions d avanta
ge encore, si les impôts n’étaient pas si lourds . ..
Je ne puis m 'em pêcher de sourire: les gens du «couloir», tout comme les Français, sont satis
faits de leur gouvernement, mais en froid avec le percepteur.
Les garnisons polonaises du «couloir»
On m’avait dit à Berlin, il y a quelques mois:
«Dans le Korridor,4) l e s P o l o n a i s s o n t a r m é s j u s q u ' a u x d e n t s » , et l'on m 'a
vait remis une carte suggestive figurant de puis
santes divisions polonaises prêtes à bondir sur la Prusse-O rientale et l'Oder. Ces choses m 'a
vaient été affirmées avec une telle assurance que je m 'attendais à voir des soldats polonais dans tous les coins de la Poméranie. Quand des troupes se trouvent massées dans une région et que l'on p arco u rt cette région en tous sens sur trois cents kilomètres, on les voit.
Eh bien, même en ouvrant les yeux tout grands, je n'ai rien aperçu de ce soi-disant camp retranché. Il y a, pour garder le «couloir», en
serré entre les terres allemandes: un bataillon d’infanterie de marine à Wejherowo, près de Gdynia; un bataillon de chasseurs à Tczew (en allemand Dirschau, noeud du chemin de fer le plus im portant du pays); un régim ent de chevau- légers à Starogard et un autre de chasseurs à cheval à Chelmno. Ces garnisons, on l’avouera, n ’ont rien d’excessif pour garantir contre toute surprise un passage aussi vulnérable et aussi vital pour la Pologne.
Les Allemands le savent bien. Alors pourquoi ces cris d’orfraie sur les prétendus dangers me
naçant les frontières orientales du Reich? Il y a dans le bruit fait autour du «couloir» une formi
dable mise en scène politique qui contraste sin
gulièrement avec la paix profonde que l’on peut constater sur les lieux.
Sans doute, il est vexant pour les Allemands de voir un m orceau de Pologne intercalé entre le corps du Reich et la Prusse-O rientale, mais ils devront en prendre leur parti, puisque le hasard des migrations et des conquêtes a dessiné cette i n c o m m o d e géographie (sans la pous
sée ambitieuse*) des chevaliers teutoniques le long de la Baltique, le problèm e de la Prusse- O rientale n’existerait pas).
La traversée facile du «couloir»
Dans les gares de Tczew et de Chojnice, p rin cipaux points ferroviaires de la frontière pomé- rano-allem ande, j'ai pu, d'ailleurs, me convain
cre que les Allemands peuvent trav erser le
*)? (Note de la rédaction)
4) Non, en Pologne! (Note de la rédaction)
«couloir» très facilement. Les trains allant d'A l
lemagne en Prusse-O rientale et vice-versa com
p o rten t des wagons pour les voyageurs munis d’un visa polonais et d'autres pour ceux qui n'en ont pas. Ces voitures réservées au transit sont gardées p a r des gendarmes polonais pour que personne ne puisse en descendre ou y mon
ter. J e n e p r é t e n d s p o i n t q u e c e s o i t l e r ê v e ; c'est peu t-être même un peu c o m i q u e , mais ça n'est pas*) bien méchant.
A trav ers les vitres du w agon-restaurant, je dis
tingue des Prussiens de Kœnigsberg qui déjeu
nent tranquillem ent au-dessus de la terre polo
naise, en atten d an t les joies hitlériennes de Berlin . ..
Pour conclure, je dirai que moins les Aile-*
mands et les Polonais parleront du «couloir», mieux cela vaudra.*) La difficulté est, en effet, beaucoup plus d'ordre idéologique qu'elle n'est réelle.*) Des «couloirs» s e m b l a b l e s , * ) il y en a une bonne vingtaine dans le monde, et p e r
sonne ne s'en plaint. Avec de la bonne volonté, et à condition que se m ultiplient de plus en plus les échanges économiques, une symbiose polono- allemande, parfaitem ent supportable et même fructueuse, peut s’établir îci, d e m ê m e q u ' à D a n t z i g.*) On p a ra ît m aintenant s'orienter dans ce sens — qui est le bon sens — aussi bien à Berlin qu'à Varsovie.
*)? (Note de la rédaction)
T ech n o lo g y and Its P o w e r
“I am come th a t they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly,“
Those words, from the tenth verse, tenth chapter of St. John, apply to modern machinery.
It has come not “to kill and to destroy,“ but that men may “have life, and th at they may have it more abundantly.“
Millions of women sat, straining their eyes, sewing by hand. The sewing machine set them free. It was a great blessing. Now you are asked to believe th a t this invention was, in reality, a curse.
The farmer, far from the city or town, lived in isolation. Insane asylums w ere filled with far
mers' wives, alone all day, men in the fields.
Then came rural mail delivery, th at im proved conditions; then the telephone, enabling isolated farmers to talk to their neighbours. Then, equally marvellous, came the automobile, th at brought every farm near the city, the mountains and the w ater. And with these magnificent inventions and endless others began the real era of civilization.
And yet you are asked by some to believe th at all this is a curse, the terrible curse of machinery.
“Technocracy“ (which is the publicity side of technology) has told of the rule of technical skill and machinery, inventive genius and mo
dern high production methods ruling the world, enabling machines to do all the work, making human drudgery unnecessary.
Technocracy might be used as an excuse foi everything—hard times, depression, lack of em ployment, foreclosed mortgages, railroads in collapse, th re a t of revolution, and heaven knows what.
To pay no attention to technocrat warnings would be folly.
On the other hand, to accept literally cer
tain dreadful prophecies would be to give up
hope and admit th at civilization is to be des
troyed by its own intelligence and science.
For modern purposes, technocracy started when Veblen, learned A m erican economist, p u blished his book, “The Engineers and the Price System,“ fourteen years ago.
A fter Veblen, who attra c te d little attention, H oward Scott, who is to modern technocrats w hat Mohammed was to Allah. He w rote a tech nocracy “K oran,“ th a t frightens some of our
“b est minds,“ able to think a little, not very much.
A small pam phlet by S tuart Chase, called
“Technocracy, an In terp retatio n ,“ published by the John Day Company for twenty-five cents, will tell you about technocracy up to date. It will frighten only those th at let others do their thinking for them.
A G reek philosopher said slavery was neces
sary, because w ithout slaves there could be no intelligent class w ith leisure for philosophy, art and science. He did not know th at machines, the
“technocracy th at frightens geese,“ would re place slaves of flesh and blood, and eventually give leisure to all.
The idea back of technocracy is older than Veblen, Scott or Chase, older even than the banking system, which technocrats tell you must succumb when technocracy forces us to give up gold, silver, money th at we know, and replace it with units of electric force. So many units of electric force for a pair of shoes.
The first bow and arrow started technocracy talk. Wise old men of the tribe, seeing “th at modern machine, predicted ruin for young men.
“They will get game too easily, there will be too much meat, not enough hunting. Young men of the tribe will no longer be able to run down the game. W hat shall we do with all our young men when ten men, with bows and arrows, can supply the camp with food? Ninety per cent of
our young men will be idle, nothing to do, and all the game will be killed off soon.“
Civilization has overcome th at bow and arrow difficulty, even the repeating rifle has not killed off all the game, or made young men idle.
The wife of the man who first invented the sewing machine told him: “Your machine will take w ork from poor sewing women. W ith noth
ing to do, they will starve. To make such a machine is a crim e.“ The inventor destroyed his model.
Somebody else made a sewing machine and where one woman formerly sew ed with a needle, ten are using a sewing machine today and earn ten times as much as the old sewing woman got, on the average, although one electrically-driven sewing machine can do in an hour w hat one sewing woman could do in a week.
S tuart Chase, usually a level-headed obser
ver, hastily admits that “human labour is b e
ginning to pass out of the picture,“ because “in an automobile selling for 13.000, the direct labour cost was found to be $180—a beggarly six per cent of the whole price.“
That is true. But the North A m erican auto
mobile industry created four million new jobs, at good wages, by creating a demand for twenty- five million automobiles now running.
Technocracy and this civilization will dis
cover th at public needs, the demands for luxury, pleasure, improvement, will increase even more rapidly than the productive-pow er of machines, Our depression is only an interruption. It will pass.
In Egypt, for centuries, women carried w ater on their shoulders in huge jars.
W hen technocracy“ developed “an infer
nal machine, a w ater wheel th at enabled two or three natives to pump hundreds of gallons of w ater on their land, there was doubtless much shaking of heads.
W hat do the Egyptians say now, with Eng
land building gigantic dams, w ater flowing onto ihe land and into houses by gravity?
The Egyptian m other for ages has refused to brush disease-breeding flies from the eyes of her baby, believing th at the ghost of her grand
mother might reside in one of those flies. She is wrong about that, and technocracy is wrong.
It is your duty to read all th at you can on the subject of technocracy. To know and judge for yourself is the only way.
Mr, Scott tells you th at North A m erica has installed one thousand million horse pow er of machinery, and if all that w ere operated at full capacity, night and day, “its output would be equivalent to the human labour of over five times the present total world population.“
In other words, North A m erica's machinery alone could produce five times as much as all
the human beings in the w orld could produce by their own labour.
So much the b etter. The people of N orth A m erica need five times as much as all the people in the w orld produce by their own labour.
We need, in good times, and should have in all times, five to eight million new automobiles a year. All the skilled mechanical labour in the world, fifty years ago, could not have produced our p resen t supply of automobiles. Is th a t any reason why we should w alk instead of riding?
Sawing by hand, Mr. Chase tells you, two men can cut out six boards in one day's hard work, while two men with a pow er gang saw can cut “60,000 feet of boards a day, and the hardest w ork they do is to press an electric button.
Their output would construct four six-room houses.“
This country needs many six-room houses, and pressing th at electric button, as experienced carpenters will tell you, is more pleasant work than sawing out boards by hand.
Also, “in the boiler room of the liner Cali
fornia three white uniform ed firemen, presiding over valves and gauges, replace the usual fire room crew of 120 men.“
Indeed? Which is b e tte r—three men com
fortably attending to their w ork as engineers, or 120 miserably paid, half-naked slaves shovel
ing coal into a furnace? Three cheers for tech nocracy! It frees slaves.
M en's brains, engineering skill, inventive pow er advance rapidly. M en’s generosity, their desire to help their fellows advance slowly.
Industry, business, civilization, human happi
ness are not th reaten ed by machinery, but by human selfishness, which is fastened to industry, holding it back like a ball and chain attached to the leg of a prisoner.
Eventually civilization will end selfishness, lose its in terest in mere money accumulation, for ever seeking more than it needs. A race that has ended cannibalism, slavery, to rtu re of w it
nesses, imprisonment for debt will gradually re place selfishness with altruism.
Meanwhile, we shall get out of this depres
sion, then into another, and so on, with gradual, steady improvement, and real civilization in the end.
The things th at menace human happiness are ignorance and selfishness. They will not last for ever; men are gradually becoming civilized.
They will take pride in providing all that human beings need, rath er than getting more than they need for themselves.
Ignorance, meanness, grasping selfishness will pass away. Science and its noble product, m a
chinery, will remain. And the human race will be a happy race, free from slavery, poverty, w ant and fear.
147
S c o tc h A n e c d o te s
Twopence to the G o o d 1
The canny2 Scot was not quite sure w hether business might keep him aw ay from his evening meal.
“Jeanie, ma3 girl,“ said he to his wife before he left home in the morning, “if I'm no8 able to be ham e4 I'll ring y e5 up at six preceesely.6 Dinna7 tak ' the receiv er off, and then I'll no8 ha'e to p it9 in ma tw o-pence.“
1) t o t h e g o o d : as balance on right side. — 2) c a n n y : thrifty, — 3) m a = my. — 4) h a m e [heim]
= home, — 5) y e [ji:] = you, — 6) p r e c e e s e l y — precisely, — 7) d i n n a [di'na] = do not. — 8) n o = not. — 9) p i t = put.
Taking a W alk
George had just met his girl at the end of the street, w here she was waiting for him. She was looking into a confectioner's window when George made his presence known by remarking:
“Well, Kate, w hat are ye going to have to night?“
She, not inclined to ask too much, replied:
“Oh, I'll just take w hat you’ll take, G eorge.“
“Oh, then, we'll take a w alk,“ said George, as he led her away.
The Tip1
On the window of a London restau ran t an A b er
donian read “No gratuities,“ so he entered.
W hen he w ent to wash he read the words:
“Tip2 the basin.“
He stepped back.
“A ye,“3 he grunted, “I thocht4 there was a catch5 in it.“
1) t i p : gratuity; fee or present as to a servant. — 2) t o t i p : raise one side or end, — 3) a y e [ei] : always, — a y e [ai] : yes; indeed, — 4) t h o c h t [eaxtj = thought (x = the sound of "ch“ in German "ach“).
— 5) c a t c h : trick or question designed to catch some one.
The Scotchman and the Robbers
A Scotchman was attack ed by three highway
men,1 and defended2 himself with great courage.
A fter much difficulty, the robbers succeeded in overpowering him, and his pockets w ere search
ed. They expected, after such a severe struggle, to find a large sum of money; but w ere surprised to discover th at he had only a sixpence, and this was all the treasure he had been defending at the risk of his own life. “W hy,“ said one of the rogues,3 “if he had had eighteen-pence he would have killed the whole of us."
■ ■
Englische Ubungsstoffe
The Intelligent Cat
Two suburban1 gardeners w ere swearing2 ven
geance3 on cats.
“It appears to me,“ one said, “th at they seem to pick out the choicest plants to scratch out of the ground.“
“There's a big tom cat,“4 the other said, “th at fetches my plants out and then sits and actually defies5 me.“
“W hy don't you hurl6 a brick7 at him ?“ asked the first speaker.
“T hat's w hat makes me m ad,“ was the reply.
“I can't. He gets on top of my greenhouse8 to defy me.“
1) s u b u r b a n : living within the outlying districts of a city or town. — 2) s w e a r [aa] (swore, sworn): promise.
— 3) v e n g e a n c e [ve'nd^ans] : punishment for wrong doing. — 4) t o m c a t : male cat. — 5) d e f y : go against authority. — 6) h u r l [a:] : throw with veh e
mence. — 7) b r i c k : building-material of baked clay.
— 8) g r e e n h o u s e : glass house for the protection or cultivation of tender flowers and plants.
What Baby Wanted
I was travelling in a tram car yesterday, and sit
ting opposite me was a lady with a small child, and the little boy was crying bitterly.
In vain1 the m other tried to pacify2 the youngster, and at length3 an elderly gentleman
sitting next to her turned to her with a heavy scowl4 upon his face.
‘■Dear, dear, how that child cries!“ he snapped.5 “W hy don't you let it have w hat it w an ts?“
“I would if I could,“ replied the m other quietly; “b u t he w ants your funny6 hat."
1) in v a i n : without effect. — 2) p a c i f y : make quiet. — 3) a t l e n g t h : at last. — 4) s c o w l [skaul] : angry look. — 5) s n a p : speak sharply. — 6) f u n n y : causing laughter.
Make Sure
A man w alked into a grocer's shop and handed to the assistant a paper containing some white powder.
“I say, he asked, “w hat do you think that is? Ju st taste it and tell me w hat is your opinion.“
The grocer smelled, then touched it with his tongue.
“Well, I should say that is soda,“ he said.
“T hat s just w hat I say," was the trium phant1 reply. But my wife said it was ra t poison.2 You might try it again to make sure.'*
1) t r i u m p h a n t [traiA-mfant] _ 2) p o i s o n : sub- stance which, it introduced into a living organism, destroys life or health.
In an English Office Umgangssprache für Kaufleufe
24. Übungsstück
Fortsetzung aus dem Juliheft
D. Übungsaufgaben
(L o su n g en fo lg e n im n ä c h s t e n Ü b u n g ss tü c k u n te r E )
(U ie n a c h s te h e n d e n W e n d u n g e n s in d n ic h t zu „ ü b e r s e t z e n " , s o n d e rn
>hr I n h a l t i s t a u f e n g lis c h m ü n d lic h u n d s c h r if t lic h w ied e rz u g eb e n }
1. Die pünktliche (prompte) Bestätigung unserer Aufträge.
2. Ein Auftrag kann in jeder beliebigen Form erteilt wer
den. 3. Jeder Auftrag bedarf der schriftlichen Bestäti
gung. 4, Telegraphisch gegebene Aufträge müssen schrift
lich bestätigt werden. 5. Williams setzte das Telegramm auf. 6. Von wem wurde das Telegramm zur Post ge
bracht? — Von dem neu eingestellten office-boy. 7, Das Bestätigungsschreiben wurde von Williams wie folgt auf
gesetzt. 8. Wir gestatten uns hiermit, unser Telegramm zu bestätigen. 9. Können Aufträge telegraphisch erteilt werden? 10. Man muß auf Bestätigung warten. 11, Kön
nen Bestellungen telegraphisch bestätigt werden? 12, Eine weitere Bestätigung würde brieflich erfolgen, 13. Wird ein Telegramm in großen Buchstaben aufgesetzt?
E. Lösungen der Aufgaben 23 D
1* At the post office, 2. I could let you have . . . 3, It is for different people. 4. Money orders are filled in for er amounts. 5. A few pence charged for the stamped orms. 6. How many postal orders did Williams get?
F. Wörter zu A und C
(A k zen te g e b e n d ie B e to n u n g an )
genuine—d^e’njuin confirm
acknowledge in a n y form in writing bear, bore, borne I was born signature—si'gnitja dispatch
forwarding forwarding-agent forwarding-agency forwarding-note (amerik.) by telegram
complete
wire, telegraph (-a:) word
assume grant (a:)
we shall be granted
10
in a n y way if . . . a n y doubt
echt, wahr, unverfälscht (Absendung) bestätigen (Zusendung) bestätigen in jeder (beliebigen) Form schriftlich
tragen
ich bin geboren Unterschrift absenden
Versendung, Spedition Spediteur
Speditionsgeschäft Frachtbrief telegraphisch vervollständigen drahten
abfassen voraussetzen
bewilligen [werden uns wird eingeräumt auf jede (beliebige) W eise falls e i n Z w eifel, . .
50 cases GH4 “E lviraM at
per case 32/- -£80-0-0 2 %%) discount for cash £ 2-0-0
20
25
30
35
25. Übungsstück
A. Grundtext
The invoice accompanying the 50 cases of perfume duly* arrived, but Williams found P-x “ f 111 had been overcharged. As the
5 T 1 r>w*ni ^ ° ' ^ kig business with the f i f r f j ? Perfume Co., purchasing most of e goods for export, a special price had been arranged, the City Trading getting 40% below retail pn ce instead3 of3 the usual 33 %% al
lowed, th e invoice quoted the following:—
N et... ¿78-0-0 Williams w orked the difference out, sent to 15 have it confirmed by means of using one of the adding machines, then had the following le tter dispatched:—
August 25th 1933 The Leeds Elite Perfume Co.
Leeds.
D ear Sirs,
We have to thank you for prom pt4 delivery following our telegraphic order of 23rd inst,, but would point out th at the amount quoted in your invoice of 24th does not agree w ith the prices you have previously quoted.
As you will see, you have charged us 32/- per case for the GH4 quality, w hereas5 we have been in the habit of paying 28/10 p er case. If you will kindly6 refer6 to the corres
pondence we had with you in Jan u ary last, you will see that you specifically7 arranged to quote the lower price in8 view8 of8 the quantity we order.
Trusting9 th at you will be good enough to put this m atter in order,
W e are,
Yours very truly,
THE CITY TRADING Co. LTD.
1) in due course- — 2) fixed. — 3) in place of, in lieu of.
— 4) quick, punctual. — 5) while. — 6) be so kind as to refer, be so good as to refer, — 7) especially, particu
larly. — 8) taking into consideration. — 9) hoping.
B. Erläuterungen zum G rundtext
(D ie Z iffe rn b e z ie h e n sic h a u f d ie Z e ile n d e s G r u n d te x te s )
1. “accompanying“ = which accompanied. Ebenso: 23. fol- lowing = which followed. 2 B 3a, 4 B 16.
5. "purchasing“ = verkürzter Nebensatz (verbundene Par- tizipialkonstruktion), auf deutsch wiederzugeben mit Satz
bindewörtern wie: da, weil, als, nachdem, indem usw., hier also: weil sie (die Firma) kaufte.
7. “the City Trading getting"—vgl. 7 B 12.
31. “in January last“— (and. Stellung als im Deutschen!)
C. Verarbeitung und Übung
(Der ü b e n d Lernende muß l a u t s p r e c h e n d s e l b s t ä n d i g weitere Fragen und Antworten bilden!)
1. Do firms often overcharge? — Occasionally it happens. 2. Did the Leeds firm overcharge? — Not exactly. They had altered the prices, 3, How had they informed their customers of the change?
— By circular. 4. But the City Trading Co.
seemed not to know? — Perhaps the circular was mislaid. 5, How does one test the co rrect
ness of an account? — By means of an adding machine. 6. Have all firms such machines? — Large firms have. 7, Do firms often arrange a special price among them selves? — Very often, 8, W hy not reduce the prices for all? — T hat would not be business. A business man tries to
149
get the best price he can. 9. Then why reduce prices for special firms? — These firms give large orders. 10. H ad the City Trading Co. to pay the new p rice? — They got a larger dis
count. 11, Then they paid less than others? — Yes. 12. Did this not give them an advantage over other firm s? — Probably. But the other firms no doubt had advantages in other respects.
13. How is a price fixed? Can a firm demand w hat it likes? — The price is fixed by the cost of production, bu t the fluctuations in price are caused by supply and demand.
D. Übungsaufgaben
( L ö su n g e n fo lg e n im n ä c h s t e n Ü b u n g ss tü c k u n te r E)
(D ie n a c h s te h e n d e n W e n d u n g e n s in d n ic h t zu ,,ü b e r s e t z e n “ , s o n d e r n ih r I n h a l t is t a u f e n g lis c h m ü n d lic h u n d s c h r if t lic h w ie d e rz u g e b e n )
1. Die Rechnung, welche die 50 Kisten Parfüm begleitete.
2, Seine Firma war überfordert worden. 3. Dies bestätigt zu haben; dies bestätigen zu lassen. 4. Mittels einer Addiermaschine; eine der Addiermaschinen zu Hilfe neh
mend (benutzend). 5. Er ließ den folgenden Brief ab
senden. 6, Wir pflegten zu zahlen.
E. Lösungen der Aufgaben 24 D
1. The prompt confirming of our orders. 2. An order may be given in any form. 3. Every order (all orders) must be confirmed in writing. 4. Orders dispatched by telegram must be confirmed in writing (by letter). 5. W il
liams worded the wire. 6. By whom was the telegram taken to the post office? — By the newly engaged office- boy. 7. The confirming letter was worded by Williams as follows. 8. We beg herewith to confirm our wire.
9. May orders be given by telegram (wire)? 10. One must wait for confirmation, 11. May orders be confirmed by wire? 12, A further confirmation would be sent by letter, 13, Is the wording of a telegram in capital letters?
F. W örter zu A und C
(A k z e n te g eb e n d ie B e to n u n g an )
överchärge überfordern, -teuern
retail—ril'teil Kleinhandel
to have it confirmed um es bestätigen zu lassen
by means of mit Hilfe von
by means of an adding machine by means of using an adding machine
had sent hatte gesandt
had ,, , sent l i e ß absenden
instant gegenwärtig, laufend
point out hinweisen auf
amount Betrag
previously—pri:f- vorher
be in the habit of . . • ing pflegen zu
refer to beziehen auf
specific—spisi'fik besonder
take into consideration in Betracht ziehen
occasional gelegentlich
alter—orlta ändern
fluctuation Schwanken
supply and demand Angebot und Nachfrage
26 . Übungsstück
A. G rundtext
Two days later, the following reply was re ceived to W illiams' letter:—
T H E L E E D S E L I T E P E R F U M E Co . Sole makers of
“ E L I T E “
" E L V I R A “
“A D ELA ID E“
P E R F U M E S
10
15
Our ref: C/GR Your ref:
Importers and Exporters of Choice Perfumes
437, City Square, L e e d s.
To:— 26th August 1933.
The City Trading Co., Ltd., L O N D O N
D ear Sirs,
In1 answ er1 to 1 your esteem ed2 fa
vour2 of y esterd a te3 we beg to state th at the agreem ent made betw een us in Jan u ary last was valid “until further notice“ only. We sent you a circular le tte r at the end of last month 20 to the effect th at no special reductions could in future be given for our lines “E lite“ and
“Elvira,“ and tru st you received same.
W e are, how ever,4 p rep ared 5 to m eet you half w ay by granting a special cash 25 discount of 1 XA%> instead of 2^2% as hitherto6
and tru st th at this will satisfy you.
The high costs of production p re
vent us from making any further reductions.
We enclose a rectified invoice.
30 Yours truly,
The Leeds Elite Perfume Co.
Enclosure.
Williams showed the le tte r to Mr. Brown b e fore he replied to it, and the manager gave 35 him instructions. Then he sent a short note, accepting the new price as a tem porary one.
He w orded the le tte r as follows:—
D ear Sirs,
In receipt of yours of 26th inst. we 40 beg to inform you th a t we are settling7 the am ended invoice in due course. W e shall, of course, have to add the difference to our own clients'8 accounts, and fear th at a loss of business will result for us both. May we hope 45 th a t this is a mere tem porary measure, and
th at the prices will la ter9 be readjusted?
Yours faithfully,
City Trading Co., Ltd,
1) in reply to, — 2) favour, letter, communication, — 3) yesterday's date, yesterday. — 4) nevertheless. — 5) willing, ready. — 6) heretofore. — 7) paying. — 8) cus
tomers’. — 9) at a later date.
B. Erläuterungen zum G rundtext
(D ie Z iffe rn b e z ie h e n s ic h a u f d ie Z e ile n d e s G r u n d te x te s )
24, “by granting. Vgl. 7 B 2 (Gerundium an Stelle von Nebensätzen nach Verhältniswörtern).
28. ‘‘The high costs of production p r e v e n t u s f r o m m a k i n g any further reductions.“ Das Gerundium muß stehen n a c h a l l e n V e r h ä l t n i s w ö r t e r n (Prä
positionen), abhängig von Zeitwörtern.
36« Beachte: accepting the new price as a temporary ONE.“
40. “We are settling"—“Nahe Zukunft"!
