4 APRIL 1931, Page 28

Der Staat Seid Ihr (Reckendorf Verlag, Berlin, 80 pf e„ every

Monday), or, in English, Ye are the State, is the title of a new political weekly on entirely novel lines which appeared in Berlin this month, and of which great thing' are expected. The group of thirteen promoters include, some of the most eminent professors, jurists, and men or letters in Germany ; the names of Thomas Mann, Rican)* Hach and Ernst Jiickh (President of the " Hoehschule firs Politik ") are well known in England. They seem to guarantee a high standard for the new publication, of which the des. tinguishing feature is that it opens its pages to the leaders and publicists of all parties for the treatment of the bundle, problems of the day. Thomas Mann is contributing a aerie; of articles on "The Renaissance of Decency," in which be indulges in some plain speaking to disruptive and reactionary elements. The first issue has two articles, one by a leadine Conservative, and the other by a leading Socialist, in p columns, on "Dictatorship or Democracy?" " An article by a Democrat on the origins of National Socialism is followed by one on the same subject by the leading Hitlerite publicist. The special problems of German youth are discussed by six different writers from six different viewpoints. To read these articles is to see at once the success of this "fine experi. ment ; there is vigour and independence, but no unseemly vehemence, and the fanaticism of the party press and the political platform is absent. As the price of the paper is only 3-Id., it should have a big circulation, and its high degree of objectivity should help the spread of a saner political judgment throughout the country. Two excellent educational features of the new paper are the series of simply written articles explaining the machinery of the Constitution and State administration, and the very informative and entirely dispassionate lessons " on the Treaty of Versailles.