Romanul. 1929.

The "Lucian Blagaⁱ" Central Universitary Library of Cluj-Napoca digitized its periodicals collection, which makes it not only possible but rather convenient to continue in the vein of that Eminescu article in Timpul. Therefore, find below a translated version of the editorial lead in the August 11th, 1929ⁱⁱ edition of the Romanian newspaper Romanulⁱⁱⁱ.

The defeat of poverty^iv

It is the fiercest and most tenacious of the fights man carries for the saving^v of his earthly being. The chunk of meat which makes a man wants always bread, food, and knows no delay. Above pride, above ambition, above glory and resplendence stands hunger.^vi She pushes him, more than anything, to immense effort, because she places before him the alternative : to succeed, or to perish. Geographic exploration, scientific discovery, invention generally is due to the man who was seeking new ground and new means to exploit for the appeasement of his most cruel enemy : hunger. The social struggles ever increasing in the later times were the fight of the hungry against the sated, of the poor against the wealthy, of the working man against those drawing the fruits of labour without having contributed anything.

Bolshevism, communism, and other such currents, that aim to reform the social order have always caught on in times of famine. The individual who knows he has his bread on the corner of the table will never go out in the street to ask or even to take from another. He will be content with what he has, and the bread earned by his earnest labour will be to him always sweeter than that taken by force, befouled^vii in the blood of its previous owner.

The problem imposing itself is an offensive against hunger, one conceived prudently and well prepared, and so the great conflict floating in the atmosphere will not ignite.^viii To the worker that hungers today, rather than throwing booty to trash should be given the possibility of productive work. Thus he'd be useful to the whole collective^ix and also safeguard his own interests, because working he earns and earning he will be able to ensure his means of existence.

We that are guarding social justice^x, to which our culture drives, but especially our human sensitivity have always asked and ask today for a division of labour, and for participation proportional to the labour expended to the successes obtained by society. The use of all energy on the lever it is most suited for, the creation of workplaces for the arms and spirits which want to work removes forever dissatisfaction and conflict.^xi Production will be thus of higher quality, and in larger quantity, due to the selection and full utilization of otherwise wasted energies.

The creation of avenues of work and gain - something that makes us regard with much optimism - without aiming to discuss politics in this article - the actions of today's government. They understood that the tranquility, satisfaction and well being of the country will be ensured through the expending of energies in productive work and through the explotiation of the natural riches of our country.

The channel which will link the capitol, Bucharest, with the Danube^xii and thus to the Black Sea is not merely necessary for an intensification of economic life in the capitol, but it is also an achievement of the kind that will exterminate unemployment, at least in part. More than a hundred thousand arms will find work, and just as many workers' families will have their daily bread ensured for two years.

The creation of work is absolutely necessary because spirits are aggitated when the belly is empty, and nerves strain when you see that willing to work you nevertheless starve, while your lazy neighbour showers in the abundance ensured him by improper circumstances.^xiii And also then the thought of world is so unfair steels and work-hardens itself.

Many social injustices have been erradicated, inequalities between individuals have disappeared, in the state there are only citizens, rather than boyars and servants as before.^xiv The treatment from the part of authorities has become humane, and dignifying.

One matter is left, and this preoccupies us, and at the same time leaves us satisfied to some degree, because it has started to receive its solution. It is asked, from those who can, to give : work. Because work, tranquil, creative procures that which we wish : peace, understanding and social tranquility.

Work work and more work, for work conquers hunger and satiety conquers inclination.

1. Romanian philosopher guy, look him up. [↩]
2. Height of the depression, you realise. [↩]
3. Run by the Peasant's Party, a centrist major party of the time perhaps vaguely reminiscent of the Reagan GOP. [↩]
4. The Romanian word mizerie directly denotes filth, but is readily used in the figurative to express a superlative of poverty, something between prostitute squalor and atrocious indigence. [↩]
5. The intension is certainly religious, and it fits in a vein of religious thought that is very generally (for very conveniently) forgotten today, perhaps best typified in that ancient спасение утопающих дело рук самих утопающих. [↩]
6. Apparently Rochester had different priorities : safety, not hunger. This, I suspect, is not coincidental. [↩]
7. The Romanian word naclai (from Polish nakleja) denotes a mechanism, tool, instrument etc that has become soaked in thick, greasy substance, especially if this situation is viewed as contrary to intended function or simple hygiene. [↩]
8. Yes, they were aware, plainly and universally. [↩]
9. Incredibly enough, the word is there black on white. [↩]
10. They too, fancy that! [↩]
11. They earnestly thought this'd work, back then. Now we know it does not work, of course, but this doesn't help them.

    From a theoretical perspective it was of course as evident then that it won't work as it is now - but this observation is also not likely to help them, considering they didn't figure it out in their own time, either. [↩]

12. This is not something they managed. Its execution is rightly credited to the much later communist dictator, but evidently the idea is improperly credited him. [↩]
13. It's altogether unclear what they mean, but a very fair guess would be something about the dead jew and the raped girl. [↩]
14. And strangely he looks at all the trouble that idiocy has caused and imagines the solution is supposed to be... anything but the remediation of its direct cause.

    What fucking "citizens" ?

    The hungry may not be citizens, of anything ; and anyone's claiming to the contrary is as impotent to change this reality as it's incapable of making chickens into space shuttles. [↩]