"As to their being painful, God knows that the crimes he wishes to hinder are cruel enough to grind one's very heart to powder." And four months later : This is what I feel I have, with some very noble, pure people, some of whom are the very salt of the earth, been for fifteen years knocking at the door of England to get certain reforms, and we have knocked and it has not been opened; and up comes Stead and knocks it in with a club and the prison is open and the way is free, and the thing, or much of it, is done. I daresay he has spoiled the paint a bit and made a horrid noise and mess and an ugly bit of work-but the thing is done, and I did not do it and he did, and I thank him and am full of gratitude to him." So on page after page we find something characteristic of the writers, some reminiscences of things we would not forget, a lively interest in the purpose of life, very characteristic of the best Victorians." Here Mrs. Gladstone is revealed, not as the careful 66 66 66 guardian of an illustrious old man, but as SEA POWER AND IN these trying times it is well that the public should be reminded that we depend for our very existence upon what has been aptly termed the Great Silent Navy, and Mr. Gerard Fiennes is to be congratulated upon having produced such a work as Sea Power and Freedom (Skeffington and Son, 10s. 6d. net). Only those who have attempted to deal with some branch of nautical evolution can appreciate the time, patience, and skill needed to classify the mass of detail contained in this volume. It is the fault of many sea writers that they do not present their facts in chronological order; they jump from the "Great Harry" to the "Dreadnought" as nimbly as they dart from the times of the Crusades to the Battle of Jutland. Mr. Fiennes, on the other hand, has a wonderful gift of dealing with events in order, and of balancing the affairs of nations according to their importance as they affect Sea Power and Freedom. From the year 1950 B.C. right on to the present time the author deals with the growth of sea power and its effect upon the history of the world. We learn how the mighty navies of Phoenicia, Greece, and Rome played their parts in the general scheme of things, and how in later days Spain and Holland became great sea powers. The expert should be grateful to the author for this judicial summing up of facts, and the ordinary Briton will be interested in the wonderful stories of sea power. FREEDOM. Leaving the ancient empires of the sea, the author deals with the making of England. We read how Alfred fought the Danes and how bluff King Hal built the famous Great Harry. Another section of the book deals with the Age of Discovery and the power of Spain. Perhaps Mr. Fiennes is a little hard upon the seamanship of the Spaniards, although it must be admitted that the Latin nations do not possess "the habit of the sea." But the Spaniards could build ships at any rate, for Nelson's old friend, the four-decker Santisima Trinidad, was one of the finest line-of-battle ships of her day. With a word of praise for our old friend Mr. Pepys the author passes on through the stirring events of the French wars to modern times. It is here that the book grows intensely interesting. We have not the space in which to dwell upon the various events recorded, but we would call the reader's attention to the author's wonderful word-picture of the review of the Grand Fleet by his Majesty the King, in July, 1914. The writer of this review was present on that great occasion-a day of sunshine and happiness. Alas! we did not know what was to follow that peaceful day. The book is well illustrated with reproductions of old sea paintings. Altogetherand after most careful consideration-one is inclined to think that Mr. Gerard Fiennes has produced his masterpiece. G. E. HOPCROFT. VARIOUS VIEWS ON TRADE AND ECONOMICS. How shall we face our own internal industrial problems when the war is over? How shall we meet the difficulties of State control versus private initiative? Will the intermingling of classes and the better appreciation of what manual labour means help those whose daily bread is assured, and those to whom luxuries are a matter of course, to understand the wage earner better and be willing to share with him more equitably? The authors mentioned below* have set themselves to shed light upon these questions, and, divergent as are their ideas, upon one thing all are agreed: never more must we let willing workers go unemployed, now that war work has shown that labour can be transferred from one occupation to another. Mr. Morton has a scheme which is the product of long and intense thought conceived in the days of seeming peace. In brief, his suggestion involves the taking over. by the State of industrial occupations in which men can be taught how to improve their powers, in factories where their wage will not be based upon the cost of production but upon the prices ruling in private industry. Industrial processes must be humanised and the competitive system abolished. Paper and metal coinage both to be used, paper being a better approach to the idea of exchange in labour. Mr. Tomkinson demands State help for agriculture, for tenant farming differs from any other sort of business because of the farmer's dependence upon his landlord, this making an immense difference in the amount of produce raised on areas often adjoining, often but a few miles apart. His reasoning is clear and concise. Amongst other drawbacks, one is the insufficiency of farm buildings; less grazing demands more shelter for stock. Mr. Penty desires decentralisation, but Iwould have it in the form of the revival of Trade Guilds. The bane of welfare and happiness, he says, is over-production. Cheapness has necessitated specialisation and this means monotony. The craftsman of old enjoyed his labour in a manner not possible to the machine-driven artisan of to-day. assisted by Trade Councils, connected with every industry; acting in concert with Trade Unions and Trade Associations and supplemented by an Industrial Franchise. He disclaims the accusation that he is interested only in material prosperity. We, with curiosity, ask, what would be the outcome of a committee of ways and means consisting of these various writers, including a woman or two who have worked, shall we say, in chain, china, or munition factories ? Mr. Morton's watchword is Amity, Mr. Benn's, Efficiency, and the grades between are represented. (William Morris tried amity in his Merton factory, but it did not always promote efficiency.) Such a committee would have a still more difficult task if Mr. Pulsford were introduced, for he reminds us that the British Empire is a stupendous fact. The Empire population is more than nine times that of the United Kingdom, though the United Kingdom has a population density of 380 to the square mile, British India 170, the Dominions 3. Indeed, he says, the Empire is too vast for a selfcontained theory, it needs the whole world for its market and source of supply. A Member of the Legislative Council of New South Wales, he is an expert in statistics, comprehensive tables of which are included in the appendices. Neither must Mr. Usher be neglected. His book is largely in the shape of a warning to his own countrymen. He speaks of the United States as being the most completely vulnerable country to-day of any large Power in the world in spite of the magnitude of their national possibilities, and concludes, for the United States, the true necessity is not only that of an alliance with the sea power but of an alliance with Great Britain in possession of the sea power. Our supposed committee would have to remember the United States even when discussing our personal problems. *The Industrial Counterpoise. By JOHN A. MORTON. (Athenæum Press. 1s. 6d. net.) State Help for Agriculture. By CHARLES W. TOMKINSON. (Fisher Unwin. 3s. 6d. net.) Old Worlds for New. By ARTHUR J. PENTY. (George Allen. 3s. 6d. net.) The Trade of To-morrow. By ERNEST J. P. BENN. (Jarrold. 2s. 6d. net.) Commerce and the Empire. By EDWARD PULSFORD. (King. 7s. 6d. net.) The Challenge of the Future. By ROLAND G. USHER. (Constable. 7s. 6d. net.) AN ARMFUL OF NOVELS. THE close of the year brought quite a large crop of novels by favourite authors. Mr. Benson, in An Autumn Sowing (Collins, 6s.), takes unromantic folk for his characters, and shows that there may be undreamed-of pathos and fine self-restraint in a somewhat vulgar mayor of a big manufacturing town. Mrs. Henry Dudeney tells also of self-sacrifice, that of an uneducated village girl, in The Head of the Family (Methuen, 5s.) and shows her rising on stepping-stones of her dead self to higher things. Flora Annie Steele in Mistress of Men (Heinemann, 6s.) takes us to the Hindustan of the great Moguls and tells of Mihr-un-Nissa, the wonderful woman who, adored by her two husbands, never knew passion herself, and after ruling as a monarch retired to the cloister at Jahangir's death. In Woman's Great Adventure (Hurst & Blackett, 6s.) Arabella Kenealy uses the troubles of a young girl whose happy temperament and fine physique fit her for motherhood as a vehicle for her plea that women should realise that which is their special function and prepare for it. Nurse Stella's romance ends happily. Frederic A. Stanley gives us in Lord Steene's Indiscretion (Richmond, 6s.) a story agreeably lacking in the war atmosphere, of a politician who unconsciously reveals more of a State secret to an astute financier than he supposes. The plot is not new, but the carrying of it FOR BOYS The Romance of King Arthur. Illustrated by Arthur Rackham (Macmillan, 10s. 6d. net). Exquisitely illustrated, with clear print and handsomely bound, this abridged version of Sir Thomas Malory's epic work will be welcomed by old and young. The present version is by Alfred W. Pollard. The Wonder Book of the Navy (Ward Lock, 3s. 6d. net). Stories from famous naval writers about the wonders our men are doing; how they live and work and amuse themselves, and tales of heroism make this handsome volume one to put in the hands of all our boys, and the girls as well. Its 300 drawings and photographs are not only a out is novel. In Unconquered (Murray, 6s.) Maud Diver is at her best. Vivid, emotional and realistic, her tale of the English country gentleman who volunteered, was reported missing, but escaped from a German prison and at long last regains his home and his love, is full of interest. Miss Wynne escapes war topics by drawing upon the legends surrounding Bamfylde Moore Carew, and her Gipsey King (Chapman & Hall, 6s.) is all excitement and adventure with many a light upon the "good old times," for Carew, genius and rogue, was sent as a slave to Maryland and there put up to auction. Christine, by Alice Cholmondeley (Macmillan, 6s.), is fiction, but reads like a tragic reality and consists of a series of letters, replete with delicate charm, from a daughter studying in Berlin to a passionately loved mother in England. She went there in May, 1914. Cecil Adair, in the Maid of the Moonflower (Stanley Paul, 6s.), gives an echo of the war, for the soldier who is the hero is resting in the quiet of San Salvidore, where he woos the "Lady of Silence"; F. E. Mills Young in Coelebs (Lane, 6s.) sounds a mischievous note in her tale of a priggish bachelor who was not in search of a wife, but a dog insists on his marrying. It would be a sore heart which could not laugh at the dog's part in the tale; and the same may be said of J. J. Bell's Five and Twenty Turkeys, Christmas stories brimming over with Dickensian fun and pathos. FOR GENERAL READING. Who's Who for 1918 (Messrs. Black, 21s. net) is, if possible, of even greater importance than any of its sixty-nine previous editions. The eighty additional pages bring the number up to 2,642, and amongst the most interesting of the additions to its condensed biographies will be those of the C.B.'s, the C.M.G.'s and many of the D.S.O.'s. Some of which, alas! will have to be added to the obituary of the next edition, for no item could be included after July, 1917. 66 The Hidden Hand, by Arnold White (Grant Richards, 3s. 6d.), is full of caustic remarks which are so divergent in character that if the reader says Pshaw to one the next may oblige him to say "That is what I have been thinking." The uniting thread is the idea that Germany is, was, and will be our Mephistopheles. War Poems, by R. E. Vernède (Heinemann, 3s. 6d. net). Mr. Gosse in his introduction tells a pathetic story of the author of the poems, who, of French extraction, enlisted at the opening of the war, though over military age and possessed of every comfort, in order to fight the battle of right and truth against a subtle enemy. He was killed at the head of his men. The poems would surely stir the blood of an anchorite, and, peace lover as he was, he yet could write : Not in our time, not now, Lord, we beseech Thee to grant us peace. The sword has bit too deep." With the Anzacs in Cairo, by Chaplain Captain Guy Thornton (Allenson, 2s. 6d. net). A stern and straight account of the bestiality of the Cairo slums, with a demand for strong measures and some helpful details of the work of the Y.M.C.A. there. The Marne and After, by Major A. CorbettSmith (Cassell, 5s. net). A record of the astonishing feats of our army, told with hearty appreciation, which is much more valuable than a cinema picture, because it can be read over and over again. The Students' Guide, by Professor John Adams (University of London Press, 3s. 6d. net). This is just such a book as the student needs. The result of wide experience, there is gathered in it the stuff of many lectures upon memorising, taking notes, profitable leading, and how to prepare for examinations. ESPERANTO NEWS. ESPERANTISTS have again sustained a great loss: Felix Moscheles, the greatly loved artist, passed away on December 22nd, having reached the age of eighty-four years. When in January, 1903, the question of the formation of a London Esperanto Society was mooted, it was Felix Moscheles who consented to take upon himself the duties of President of the London Esperanto Club, which office he has filled ever since, though increasing years and delicate health have prevented his presence at the meetings of late. It was Dr. Zamenhof who told the then few English Esperantists of his adherence to Esperanto. The cremation took place at Golder's Green on the 28th, when a large company was gathered in spite of the inclement weather. Dr. Walter Walsh was the preacher, and Miss Schafer spoke for the Esperantists. His memory is embalmed in the hearts of the many who have enjoyed his hospitality and admired his many activities. Progress is continuous, if slow. The French have translated the Eccles experiment article and are urging a similar use of Esperanto in the French schools. Saved by a Servant is a little play admirably suited for propaganda purposes. A Roumanian engineer has been commissioned by his Government to inspect some famous water-works, and the language difficulty immediately causes distress. The Roumanian, however, speaks Esperanto, and so does a war-worker in the Professor's house. Paul Dix, who was against Esperanto, has published his recantation in The Socialist Review, and advises his friend to study the language. Nov. 24.-" Secret Treaties" of Allies published by Leninists. Nov. 26. Further increases of pay for Army and Navy announced. Nov. 25-27. Elections to Constituent Assembly held at Petrograd; Bolsheviks in majority. Nov. 27.-Draft new Constitution of Labour Party published. Extensive strike of aircraft workers at Coventry. Nov. 28.-Advance of wages to munition workers. Conference of the Scandinavian Kings at Christiania. Readiness of Leninists to conclude armistice declared. Nov. 29.-Publication in Daily Telegraph of Letter by Lord Lansdowne on the Coordination of Allies' War Aims. Advance of wages to railway men. Nov. 30.-Russian gold reserve in Leninist hands. inaugurated at Versailles. Several Petrograd newspapers suppressed ; Dec. 1-3.-Allied Conference in Paris. war estimates for £2,700,000,000 submitted. General Dukhonin, Russian Generalissimo, arrested by Krilenko and murdered by his followers. Dec. 4.-Supreme Inter-Allied Naval Committee decided on. Strike at Coventry ended. Congress advised to declare war on Austria. Russo-German armistice negotiations opened, plenipotentiaries of Bulgaria, AustriaHungary, and Turkey also taking part. Elder, Dempster liner Apapa sunk by torpedo; 80 lives lost. Dec. 5.-Austro-Hungarian delegations addressed by the Emperor. Dec. 6.-Russian hostilities suspended for 10 days. Refusal of British Government to release M. Tchitcherin and M. Petroff, interned Russians. Munition ship announced blown up in Halifax harbour, Nova Scotia, destroying large part of town; great loss of life. Dec. 7.--Leninist decree abolishing law-courts; civil war begun in East and South-East Russia, Generals Kaledin, Korniloff, and others leading rising against Bolshevist Government. Resolution passed by Congress declaring war on Austria-Hungary. Dec. 8.-Portuguese Government forced to resign, and Provisional Government under Dr. Sidonio Paes, leader of revolutionary troops, set up. Diplomatic relations with Germany severed by Ecuador. Dec. 9.-Order restored in Lisbon. Dec. 10.-President of Portuguese Republic arrested by new Government. War on Austria declared by Panama. Dec. 11.-Sir George Buchanan's address to Russian journalists on British relations with Russia published. Opening of new Russian Constituent Assembly boycotted by Leninists; success in civil war claimed by Leninists at Tamarovka. Dec. 12.-Dr. H. Hensley Henson, Dean of Durham, appointed Bishop of Hereford. Constituent Assembly dispersed by Bolshevist "Red Guard." Dec. 13.-Civil war conflicts reported in Southern Russia. Armistice parley with Central Powers resumed. War on Austria declared by Cuba. Dec. 14.-Dr. Machado, President of Portuguese Republic, deprived of office and banished. British subjects allowed to leave Russia. Dec. 15.-Russo-German armistice for 28 days signed. Dec. 17.-Consumers' Council set up for food distribution. Adhesion to Allies declared by new Portuguese Government. Dec. 18.-Sir William Clark appointed Controller of new Overseas Trade Department. Terms of Russo-German armistice issued. Majority for Government's Conscription policy shown by result of Canadian Elections. Dec. 19.-M. Paul Hymans appointed Belgian Foreign Minister. Spread of civil war in Russia; ultimatum from Leninists to Ukraine Rada. Count Czernin and Herr von Kühlmann at Brest-Litovsk discussing basis of European peace with M. Trotsky. Dec. 20.-Agreement reached on Shop Stewards question in munition works. Cessation of civil war proposed by General Kaledin on condition that National Government be formed. Sovereign rights and participation in peace negotiations demanded by Ukraine. Dec. 21.-Ukraine raising anti-Bolshevist army; Bolshevists suppressed by Ural Cossacks in several towns. Resignation of General Kaledin. Dec. 22.-Formal opening of Russo-German peace negotiations; statement by Russian delegation. |