Anniversary

In the great piazza before the Cathedral of Milan, black-shirted Fascists swarmed like a Titan ant horde, rejoicing militantly at the third anniversary of Fascismo's "bloodless" triumph. Round the motor car of Il Duce, Benito Mussolini, Fascists crowded in a tight packed mass--the quintessence of joyous adoration. Their leader's face, pale from recent ill health, lighted with an inextinguishable flame. Rising he cried: "Fascism has now broken down all dikes and overcome all obstacles . . . crushed its internal enemies. [Of] the currents abroad which are not resigned to our frontiers ... I must say that if tomorrow these frontiers are in any way placed at stake, I would ask the King to draw his sword!"

Wildly enthusiastic, his hearers were with difficulty persuaded to clear the dictator's path to the great Scala Opera House nearby, where he was scheduled to deliver a formal address. Gaining the platform at last, he cried:

"Every Fascist must submit to rigid discipline. Only thus can Fascism carry out its work . . . under competition among the peoples in the arena of world civilization.

"The last century was the century of our independence; this century must be that of our power, power in every field, materially, spiritually achieved by disciplined will. Every one of you must consider yourself a soldier, a molecule, feeling and pulsating with the entire organism. . . .

"We will succeed, because this is our will!"

Just how good a "soldier-molecule" is Edda Mussolini, daughter of Benito (TIME, Aug. 17), became promptly evident. Edda, invited to go for a motor trip by friends at Parma, telegraphed her father for permission. When the answer was delayed she replied to entreaties that she "come along anyhow": "Non! I am a disciplined Fascist. Without permission from my Duce* I refuse to move!" Near Leghorn, squadristi (gunmen) riddled a railway coach which they thought contained Roberto Farinacci, Secretary General of the Fascist Party and "big personal friend" of Benito Mussolini. Signer Farinacci, having chanced to miss his train, escaped death. Foiled, the squadristi vowed that he had ordered them to murder numerous Masons at Florence (TIME, Oct. 19) and had then punished several of their number for doing so.

To curb still further the Italian press, the Fascist Government last week, caused the Prefect of Rome to dissolve the Managing Board of the Italian Press Association and replace its members with "loyal Fascists."

While so many Italians thus took themselves with deadly seriousness, an Italian naval seaplane (the adjective is not redundant) skimmed the upper surface of the Mediterranean off Spezia. An Italian submarine skimmed the under surface, only the top of its periscope showing. With a splintering crash, periscope met plane. The aviators somersaulted unhurt into the sea. The submarine commander, quickly bringing his craft to the surface, joined his crew in smiling broadly. The accident is thought to be unique. A tourist arriving at Geneva from Italy, last week, is reported to have brought with him a Fascist pamphlet filled catechismwise with questions and answers. An example :

"Question--Are all the areas of Italy in our possession?

"Answer--No. We must still obtain from England Malta, from France Corsica and Nice, from Switzerland the Canton of Ticino, also a portion of the Canton of Grisons; from Yugo-Slavia Dalmatia."

*Leader.