least redistributive overtones of Franco’srnenterprise, based though it is entirely onrnthe power of suggestion, account for thernsecond of the observable consequences Irnmentioned. Ever’one, rich or poor, hasrnsomething to say about him behind hisrnback. T’pically, the rich sav he belongsrnto the mafia, and when I object, pointingrnout that he neither drills holes in people’srncisterns nor sneaks into houses torntamper with their ancient Italian refrigerators,rnthey put on a thin, sad smile andrnlook away.rnThe poor are less predictable, perhapsrnbecause envy is a finer emotion thanrnfear. Recently the master of a nearbv ridingrnschool, who had been told I was arnfriend of Franco’s, came up and addressedrnme as follows: “Buona sera, signore.rnYou are a friend of Franco’s. Well,rnlet me tell you something. I’ve got morernbrains in this little finger on my left handrnthan P’ranco has in his entire body.”rnExcuse me, I said, tr}ing to injectrnas much of the Valley Girl as I could intornwhat was genuine astonishment, e allora?rn”Well, I’ve known Franco 30 ‘ears,rnand I just wanted }’ou to know that he isrnnot as cleer as he thinks he is. He didn’trnget where he is by his intelligence.” Butrndon’t you see that he works like a dog,rnthat he’s worked like a dog for all thosern•)0 years, and that this may have hadrnsomething to do with his success? “Surernhe works. But he’s got the whole villagernin hand!” Well, he is an aspiring monopolist,rnwhich is another name for arngood businessman. Without him, therernwould be nothing here, true? “True,” hernconceded grimly, affecting the liplessnessrnof the rich. Because everybodyrnwould fight, everybody would quarrelrnwith everybody else, and then the bigrnbovs would arrive and build a giant resortrnhotel for a lot of fat Germans, whichrnvould probably close down in a fewrnyears. You woidd have your social justicernthen, but who would take riding lessons?rnI saw that he was unconinced. In hisrnheart the riding instructor hoped that thernwhole Argentario would one day berndrowned in burning sulfur, if only tornprove that the aspiring monopolist wasrnnot as cle’er as everyone thought.rnAndrei Navrozov, formerly Chronicles’rnpoetry editor and London correspondent,rnis now Chronicles’ European correspondent.rn… ^ram (j/iramole<$ Sdltar^^…rnTHE POLITICS OFrnHUMAN NATURErnThomas Flemingrn”Learned, thoughtful,rnand superbly writtenrn—Robert NisbetrnISBN: 1-56000-693-5rn(paper)rn276 pp. $24.95rn(Plus $5.50 S&H)rnTransactionrnPublishersrnCall:rn1-888-999-6778rnTHE IMMIGRATIONrnMYSTIQUE: AMERICA’S FALSErnCONSCIENCErnChilton Williamson, Jr.rnThis is perhaps the mostrnambitious of recent immigrationrnbooks”rn—Peter BrimelowrnISBN: 0-936247-16-9rn(paper)rn206 pp. $10rn(S&H Included)rnSend check to:rnAICF, RO. Box 525,rnMonterey, VA 24465rnNOVEMBER 1998/41rnrnrn