While the League of Nations was busy talking about the unlawfulness of Italian aggression against Abyssinia and was looking for means to end the war, the Italian troops reached the capital city of Abyssinia and stopped there. After the occupation of the chief city Mussolini declared the war ended. The Italian dictator by acting thus killed two birds with one stone: he seized Abyssinia and dealt a mortal blow to the League of Nations. At present this institution in Geneva is in a moribund state. The prestige of the League is at its lowest, for experience has proved that it represents nothing but a place where men gather to pass the time away in idle talk, resembling in some respects a tavern or a barbershop, not a highly esteemed international institution where statesmen assemble to safeguard peace and to deal justice to the world.

It was not in vain that even prior to the occupation of Addis Ababa the leader 2of the French socialists, Leon Blum, probable future premier of France, wrote an obituary notice for the talkative institution in Geneva. In his article in the newspaper Populaire he wrote:

A blush of shame covers one's face when one reads the latest resolution of the Council of the League of Nations. The League has not even enough determination to express its condemnation of an aggressor; it only takes notice, takes the facts into consideration, and regrets. Behind these words, one feels, the authors of the resolution attempt to conceal their own weakness, their resignations and submission to the fait accompli.

"In general, the League of Nations tells Abyssinia that it should not look to Geneva for any help. If the Negus is unable to prolong his resistance, so much the better for him. If the rains, which for some reason or other are unwilling to fall, do not stop the advancing Italian troops, so much the worse for Mussolini. If time and fatigue make the aggressive side more conciliatory, and the defensive side is put into a more receptive mood for 3accepting honorable peace terms by the prolongation of the war, so much the better for the League of Nations. But the men in Geneva, are firmly resolved not to attempt any interference in the future, to play a waiting game, and to keep silence. The League has placed its reliance on the judgment from Above just as in the days of chivalry. Everything is left for fate to decide.

Further on Blum reproaches the French government for its failure and inability to carry England along the road of decisive sanctions against Italy. But such a reproach cannot be justified in any way, for England made attempts to curb Italian fascism and stop its brigandage in Abyssinia and failed, primarily because of France, which all the while has tried to curry favor and flirt with Italy and has refused to embark on the path of determined decisive action.

After all that has happened there is no doubt that recriminations will be made, and controversies will arise as to who is to blame for the seizure of Abyssinia by Italy, but all the squabbling will not improve the situation, 4and the Italians will not relinquish their hold on the territory already occupied.

For that very reason it would not be a bad thing, perhaps, if in Geneva another Zhelezniakov appeared. [Translator's note: The sailor from the Baltic fleet who in Kerensky's regime in Russia told his ministers at the fateful meeting to pack their things and go home.] Of course, what was done by the Baltic sailor when he dispersed Kerensky's government, after which the Bolsheviks took countrol of the country, did not, perhaps, do any good to Russia, but if the League of Nations is liquidated, the world will not miss anything, and nobody will lament over it.

Even if the League of Nations should survive, after the hard blow dealt to it by the fascist first nobody will pay any attention to it any longer. The first blow was dealt to it by Japan; later on the second one was administered by Germany, which tore up every agreement; and now the latest blow is inflicted by Italy.

And who knows what is in store for Europe now? It is possible that Hitler, 5after seeing the successes of Italian fascism and the total impotence of the League of Nations, will soon say: Now it is my turn to retrieve my place under the sun and to pick up and take under German control the countries that are weak and unable to defend themselves.