Arson for dummies

BECAUSE of uncommon heat and dryness, destructive fires are commonplace. A poet once wondered whether the world would end by fire or ice, but after partaking of desire, he said, he favors those who favor fire. Conflagrations are not always accidental. There are instances when arson becomes a part of State policy.

During the Second World War, burning squads known as Brenn-Kommandos were sent out to burn synagogues and Jewish libraries. Adolf Hitler himself ordered the burning of Paris which fortunately was disobeyed. The "Boxer Codex," a book I consider to be among the most valuable in our history, was almost burned to a crisp when the Germans bombed London before Prof. Charles Boxer purchased it and baptized it with his name. The codex shows in colored illustrations how our ancestors looked during the 16th century.