DLA095-0165  Translation        

‘Great journalists: Doctor Sigmund Münz’, La Nacion, 26 October 1924

Vienna is, by legend, the city of people at their ease. The Viennese are by nature kind, attentive, without malice, honest, and also, of course, elegant.

The hand-kissing of the young ladies, the acknowledgements in the street with a flourish of their hats between gentlemen, a low bow on entering a salon, are all part of a kind tradition.

The waiter is addressed as “ Please, dear waiter”.

The Republic happily didn’t abolish these excellent customs.

One of the most gentlemanly of Viennese is, without any argument, Dr. Sigmund Münz, the very gifted contributor to LA NACION.

He is not only the interesting journalist, the historian of the eminent Europeans of today, the astute psychologist of politics, the committed pacifist, the profound chronicler of the day’s events, who commits pages to history, but he is also Doctor Münz, a kind of international ambassador, the mentor of the most distinguished foreigners and of academics, writers and statesmen.

At the teas given at his old bachelor house, furnished with several desks, loaded with mementos, pictures, photographs and books, people from far off countries gather and they all sit down there, at once in the hospitable house at its old familiar hearth.

I saw an awkward Yankee, a writer, sister of the consul of her country in a great European capital, sitting next to Mme. Erezy Pechy, the delightful Hungarian operetta “diva”; the Japanese senator Yunomé, having a pleasant chat, each one speaking a little in his own language and a little in standard German, nevertheless understanding each other wonderfully, while two South American diplomats discuss secretly the share prices of the day.

Another day I met Greek ex-ministers, who had escaped death –– Rhally and Mavromicalis, sons of former ministerial presidents –– who were discussing what was going on in European politics with the charming General Baron Kehar, brother of the famous composer and Baron Ridell, the Austrian ex-minister in Brazil.

And Dr. Münz has a book which his visitors sign. Its many pages are covered in Oriental and Western handwriting, and include the signatures of monarchs, of the ex-Khedive of Egypt, Abbas Hilmi, of the present King Achmet Foy, Pasha, of the Pasha Essad of Albania, who was assassinated in Paris, and in that book there are also many signatures of Argentines, alternating with those of great Turkish Viziers, of statesmen from all over Europe, of writers and artists, of Puccini, Novelli, Lehar and Fall.

Dr. Münz is a charming man. He has a fine head of white hair, a rosy face, radiant with health. He has a military bearing. His gaze is benevolent, vibrant and slightly - tongue in cheek. Dr. Münz is a straightforward man, In his dau he went to bed at 4 a.m., though having risen, often at that time too. He doesn’t smoke. His meals are frugal. He doesn’t drink alcohol.

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Dr. Münz is the very model of a journalist. And so he has been all his life.

–– I have always lived by my pen alone –– he told me in one of our wanderings around Vienna, where I could hardly keep up with him on our walks lasting two or three hours; –– I never accepted a post or a salary from any Government, nor did I accept any decorations or honours.

Dr. Münz fell silent. Realizing with his clarity of conscience that he hadn’t told me the complete truth, he corrected himself:

–– Yes, once I was paid 50 lire by the Government. Finding myself in Rome I was invited to take part in the consultation of an examining table for diplomatic candidates, presided by the learned minister, Doménico Bertl. And I received that payment.

–– And since then –– I interrupted him duplicitously –– you believe that what diplomats know how to do best is to seat people by their ranks and titles at a banquet table . . .

Dr. Münz didn’t answer me directly. He said:

–– I have known distinguished diplomats like Count Nigra, who was Italian ambassador in Vienna for 18 years, having been Cavour’s secretary and ambassador in Paris, London and Petrograd. I have known many other distinguished diplomats; what I wanted to tell you is that there are too often representatives of foreign countries of mediocre calibre, and diplomacy is especially deplorable and dangerous in the hands of chancellors who obtain those portfolios through a mix of the internal politics of their respective countries.

I understand very well –– continued Dr. Münz –– that there is a hierarchy in diplomacy: that the young who follow that career begin by being “attaché”, then Second Secretary, followed by First Secretary, after which they become Counsellors, but I believe that only the countries’ most eminent men should be destined for the posts of Ambassador and Minister Plenipotentiary, thus sending the “créme” of the nations to the top as Ambassadors. I think it is a great mistake that –– as so often happens

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 –– the people who are given the positions are only bureaucratic civil servants or “masters of elegance”, people always “suquatore eppaingles” with knowledge of the order at the banquet. It was truly offensive for the men of “spirit” and the intellectuals of my country that the United States would almost always send to Vienna men who were nothing more than rich “snobs”. Dr. Fernando Pérez, for example, who had never been in the diplomatic service, knew how to make friends in Vienna among the intellectuals, artists and scholars, because he himself is a man of science who was interested also in things beyond the spheres of the civil servants and the bureaucrats.

Dr. Münz knew him, and holds of him very pleasing remembrances, also of the Minister of Brazil, Dr. Cyro de Azevedo, who was passionate about literature and fine arts: he remembers with affection the Marquess Coblanchi, today’s ambassador in Río de Janeiro, and Mr. Cerutti, who was also in Buenos Aires; he is an old friend of the Swiss minister in the Argentine, Mr. Egger; he had a lot to do with Mr. Barrington, who was the English ambassador in Buenos Aires.

Dr. Sigmund Münz was born in Moravia and studied philosophy and history at the Universities of Vienna and Tubingen, in Wirtemburg: he wrote his first newspaper article 40 years ago; “I have been –– he said –– a journalist for a generation: he wrote a great deal, almost always in the most important Viennese newspaper, the “Neue Freie Press”. Dr. Münz speaks Italian, English and French fluently, and since he worked for LA NACION he has learnt quite a lot of Spanish. He knew the most eminent statesmen of his period, Crispi and the Vatican at the same time, having had dealings with Pope Leo XIII; he met Lloyd George –– a progressive man with new ideas. –– He enjoyed interviews and wrote articles about several European sovereigns. He met in Florence in 1888 the Emperor Don Pedro of Brazil before “The Cry of Ipiranga” [the Independence of Brazil], meeting him in the company of a professor and discussing literature with him; he remembers that they were full of praise for Carducci. He was a guest in Sofia of King Ferdinand of Bulgaria. He knew King Carlos and Queen Elisabeth of Rumania well, and Carmen Silva for her writing; she was an exceptional woman, very liberal, even republican; she hated any kind of discrimination, especially religious and antisemitic.

–– Did you also know the Emperor Franz Josef ? –– I asked him.

–– No, replied Dr, Münz –– he wasn’t very interesting: he always lived surrounded by palatial ceremony, attached to the traditional protocols of Old Spain.

He has published several books, more than ten, of which five are about Modern Italy, a country he visited many times, and which he knows and loves. Dr.Münz is an historian and philosopher. He is a great internationalist. He hates nationalism –– “ I am a member of a nation, but I am not nationalist”, he would repeat, –– because I see in nationalismt the source of wars. He is also against protectionism. He deals with these questions brilliantly in his book “Welt

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congress und [loss] (Congreso Mundial y Tribunal mundial) in which he proclaims the idea that international diplomacy should be guided by the international intelligentsia, meaning that it is for the most intellectually able of minds to find the means to cure this world which has been severely weakened by the last World War. He believes that extreme nationalism and the narrow outlook of the civil servants and professional schemers caused this terrible war. He advocates the convocation of an International Congress of the intelligentsia of every nation, which should find a way to rule in the future and guide professional diplomats and civil servants.

The most eminent consultant jurist in Vienna, and probably in all of Central Europe, Dr. Franz Klein, wrote a pamphlet on Dr Münz’s book, which the Association of the League of Nations, meeting in Vienna, had printed and distributed extensively all over the world.

 –– Do you think –– I asked him –– that they should abolish frontiers?

–– I dream –– he said enthusiastically, but with the conviction of a wise man –– of the United States of Europe and then the United States of the World. Today’s League of Nations is too much a League of conquerors; it should develop and become the League of Humanity with pacifist ends.

And the eminent journalist and thinker, continued, like a priest;

–– In any case I am totally opposed to the ideas of retaliation, convinced that if the Treaty of Versailles and the others are not ideal, they must be corrected by means of pacifist anti-nationalistic propaganda, and I think that all good-thinking Germans should fight the idea of retaliation, which will not be of any use; if French politics are bad, one can fight against them, but not fight the French Nation, which is more generous than certain statesmen of France.

–– What do you prefer writing about? –– I asked him to bring him round to the topic which interested me so much, Journalism.

–– At the moment I am writing my life’s memories, which will certainly fill two volumes, and I have abandoned my daily collaboration with the local newspapers, dedicating myself principally to LA NACION, a newspaper I thoroughly approve of and which I find wholly sympathetic. Important English and American magazines are always asking me for articles, for instance “Contemporary Review”,

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“Queteo”, “Foreign Affairs”, “Current History Magazine”, “Northamerican Review”.

–– What do you think of modern journalism?

At this question the old journalist woke up and, without losing any authority, he allowed his enthusiasm to shine intermittently on such a subject, that vice, that priesthood, which emits as much unpleasantness and disenchantment as it does pure and noble emotions.

–– Journalism, began Dr Münz –– is something very serious. A journalist is born, like an artist, but he should educate himself, and I am all in favour of the Institutes of journalism established in North America and Germany. The journalist should master a very universal education, know languages and history, he should be a significant artist. LA NACION is an example of an excellent newspaper, it has statesmen like Orlando and Viviani, and others who are highly educated, philosophers, poets, men of literature. The journalist should have experience,

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be a psychologist, an observer, an historian; he should be restrained in his judgement, however enthusiastic. The superficial journalist is deplorable in what he observes and dangerous in condemning a Statesman unconstrained. Human beings are too complicated to be judged straight off. I loathe nationalistic journalism, because I believe that its [true] mission is purely pacifist. The newspaper is a force like schools or the church and has the same mission. I am convinced that the World War was the product of journalism, and if today’s peace is so wretched, that is principally due to certain superficial journalists.. A good daily newspaper should allow different opinions, always keeping to itself its own position.

I love –– ended Dr, Münz –– the passion of journalism in the interest of humanity, just as much as I hate nationalistic journalism. I love the style of LA NACION’s journalism.

Dr Münz doesn’t know Argentina, a country for which he feels great sympathy, although it is not impossible that in 1925 he will travel to Buenos Aires, and give a series of lectures. He ardently hopes that Argentines come to study in Vienna, and not only doctors, but also those dedicated to the Arts and Music.

–– In general, I think –– said Dr. Münz –– that South America is about to become another version of North America, with all its great progress and probably with a more loveable aspect, with a spirit of the Latin people so welcoming to educated people, because we ourselves in Central Europe receive a Latin education. It is regrettable that Latin America is still so unknown in that part of Europe; however, I know that in Germany, for example, Spanish is taught to young people preparing to emigrate to South America.

And, as regards this language, Dr Münz thinks that when the world decides to adopt a universal language, and not out- ruling English, it should be Spanish, which is much more widespread round the globe, than French.

Walking through Vienna, I expressed my enthusiasm to Dr Münz for the beautiful city, for the intensity of its life, and its comfortable appearance, which revealed its recovery after the suffering of the war and the revolution and dismemberment of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire which had plunged it into such a miserable state.

Dr. Münz calmed my enthusiasm, saying: –– Austria’s favourable position in the world is exaggerated, and the best proof is that the Austrian Krone still isn’t worth much: an Argentine peso is worth 21,500 Krone. Furthermore, life is very expensive. Austria has to import essential products, like wheat and livestock; we are in the same situation as Switzerland, for example, and until our industries stabilize and flourish, the situation will not improve. However, I must admit that industry is about to stabilize; and we need to cut our

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state and municipal taxes, which are already very high, and about to be increased even more, and we should reduce the number of public civil servants, who are still far too many.

Vienna should become a leading city for foreigner visitors, like Rome and Paris. According to connoisseurs of music, Vienna is top of the league in that art, and according to the Argentines who have visited, Viennese women are the most beautiful.

But there is not enough room in my untidy notes, written in haste at the hotel table, of the many beautiful and interesting things I have heard the eclectic Dr. Münz say on so many diverse matters, nor is the way I have put them down worthy of the Master. I write them to give to the many regular readers in Argentina of Dr. Münz’s articles, who doubtless envying me my opportunity, will not forgive me if I don’t tell them of our conversation, how he is, how it was, what he is doing, he who so delights them in his writings. This good intention of mine absolves me from my haste.

The Expert Tourist

SMDL

17/02/2025