THE SCHOOL FOR DICTATORS
39
renunctatwns, we are for our rights." "We are opposed to irrespon–
sibility." Has there ever been anyone who was in favor of irrespon–
sibility? The vaguer the formulas adopted by Fascist propaganda, the
more effective they have turned out to be. In Fascist propaganda
words are used not for their rational significance but for the images
they are capable of calling up.
MR.
w.
By the way, what does the cry "Eia! eia! alala!" mean?
THOMAS THE CYNIC
Nothing whatever. It was invented by D'Annunzio during the
war. You will not find the words in any language or in any dialect,
and even their inventor never attributed any rational meaning to
them. Hence they had all the requisite qualities to become one of
the sacred formulas of the Fascist liturgy. When they are yelled by
an excited crowd they immediately take on an emotional significance,
and can express stupor, ecstasy, supplication, prayer, or a desire for
self-immolation, according to circumstances. Words such as these
are far more valuable to a Fascist movement than any theoretical
treatise on corporations. The very fact that they are nearly always
made up of meanningless sounds is an impressive reminder of what
the cries of the cavemen must have been like. You will have noticed
yourselves that when shouted by a crowd
uAlala!"
dissolves into a pro–
longed "Ah !"
u
A noi!''
into a prolonged "Oh
!"
u
Heil!"
into a pro–
longed "Ah !" "Ah
!"
and "Oh
!"
are the most elementary sounds.
They are the first
~hat
are made by babies, and escape involuntarily
from everyone to express pain or admiration.
uAlala! a noi!"
or
uHeil!"
are the liturgical formulas that begin and end every Fascist
demonstration, and 'it is they that enshrine the significance and guar–
antee the efficacy of the rite. In the leader's mouth they acquire a
magical significance. When Mussolini cries
uEia! eia!"
or Hitler
"Heil!"
at a Fascist demonstration a tremor runs through the audi–
ence as at the announcement of salvation. The Buddhist formula.
"Oh, jewel of the lotus," and the litanies of Christianity have never
exercised more potency. The solemn recitation of unintelligible texts
has always been a valuable resource of all religions. Sibylline language,
by the mere fact of being incomprehensible, has always given be–
lievers the illusion of revealed truth, and the use of Latin has never
discouraged illiterate peasants from attending Catholic services; on
the contrary, it has always helped to attract them.
PROFESSOR PICKUP
Do you suppose that Marx's
Capital
would have been so popular
if
it
had been written in more intelligible language?
